Vacations in Old Time Radio

One of the sad truths of modern life is the monotony of day to day life. Every day we get out of bed, take a shower, grab a cup of coffee, go to work and do what we have to do there, maybe afterwards meet some friends, go home, watch some TV or listen to radio, then go to bed so we can do the same thing, over and over again. It gets to the point that the only time we feel truly alive is when vacation time finally rolls around.

The idea of not working for a period of time every year is a relatively new one. The Puritan ethics of early America would have gone into apoplexy at the thought of taking more time away from work than was necessary for Sabbath worship. Modern employers are less resentful of losing a couple of weeks of production when an employee goes on vacation, believing that the well-rested and refreshed worker is even more productive when he returns.

The concept of a summer break originated when William the Conqueror sat on the throne of England. King William I was from Normandy, and the break was less to give workers to rest and recreate but to provide laborers for the grape harvest. It became a common practice for the aristocracy to leave sweltering London during the summer months when they would "vacate" their city residences to move to the cooler countryside, giving rise to the term "vacation". What we consider a vacation in America is generally referred to as "going on holiday" in other English-speaking countries.

Travel is an important feature for most vacations. When members of the nobility were the only ones who could afford to take extended periods away from work, the "Grand Tour" was part of the coming of age process. With the advent of the Interstate Highway System in post-War America, "road trips" became an attractive vacation option. Whole families would pile into large sedans and with endless miles of open road and relatively cheap gasoline, there was no end to the variety of destinations.

Road tripping is still an attractive vacation option, but many workers are now able to afford jet travel, making even more of the globe available for vacationing. However, the flourishing of mobile communications is making it harder to truly get away from work; many bosses are expecting workers to "stay in touch" with the office, even during vacation time.

• The Great Gildersleeve, November 27, 1946, NBC, "Birdy Takes a Vacation". Gildy thinks that he is taking his beloved cook for granted, so he gives her two weeks' vacation. What could go wrong? 
• The Jell-O Program, June 9, 1940, Red Network. The season is almost over, and Jack is planning to sail to Honolulu, but he won't be staying at Waikiki, not when he can get better rates at the Sweet Leilani Motor Court.
• The Jack Benny Program, January 3, 1954, CBS, AFRS Rebroadcast. After trying to get tickets for the Rose Bowl, Jack plans a mid-Winter vacation to Palm Springs.
• The Life of Riley, September 8, 1945, NBC. The War is over, and the aircraft plants are beginning to lay off workers. However, Riley is such a good worker that he gets two weeks vacation, with pay! Not everyone believes that he hasn't been given his walking papers.
• My Favorite Husband, April 29, 1949, CBS. It's time to start planning this summer's vacation, Liz is determined to spend time at a swanky resort, but George wants to take a trip with a travel trailer.
• Our Miss Brooks, June 17, 1955, CBS, AFRTS Rebroadcast. A travel agency has made an offer to teachers that they will get a break on a trip to Europe if they can find three other people to book the vacation. Connie thinks she can find the customers, but so do all the other teachers.
• Romance, September 24, 1955, CBS. "The Winds of June". Man and wife travel to Mexico for a vacation, even though it is the warmest part of the year and the fishing won't be great for a few more weeks. Worse, their marriage is not on the best terms, and he meets a sweet young thing who makes him feel young. Like a young man in love with his wife?

See also: Highway of Horrors and Open Road Collection.