Frank and Anne Hummert's Radio Factory: The Programs and Personalities of Broadcasting's Most Prolific Producers

by Jim Cox

Frank and Anne Hummert brought at least 125 separate series to the airwaves. The production dynasty over which they presided extended far beyond the serialized melodrama that became their trademark. Their genres also included music, mystery, juvenile adventure, quiz, sports, news, comedy and dramatic theater. The Hummerts tried to appeal to everyone's tastes and probably influenced more old time radio listeners than anyone else. By the 1940s the twosome controlled four and a half hours of the national weekday broadcast schedule. This book explores the private lives and professional dealings of broadcasting's most prolific creator-producers. There are five appendices: a list of all broadcast series that were created, adapted, supervised, augmented or influenced by the Hummerts; a list of the most active players among radio producers stemming from the Golden Age and their best-remembered titles; a collection of statements attributed to Frank or Anne that express their philosophy of broadcast programming; a chronology of defining moments in the Hummerts' lives; and three sample programming schedules that give the reader a clear understanding of the Hummerts' involvement in radio producing.

236 pages, Paperback

First published May 21, 2003

About the author

Jim Cox, a retired college professor living in Louisville, Kentucky has written extensively on the history of radio from the 1920s to the present and is a historian on the subject of radio programming in the 20th century. He resides in Louisville, Kentucky.

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very well written and contains almost no grammatical errors. The research is deep and a large bibliography is included if you are interested in the subject. I found the life and abilities of these “hermits” incredible. They wrote and produced a massive amount of Soap Operas, children’s programs, detective fiction, and musical entertainment. To me, this book was simply a great read, even if the reader is not interested in Old Time Radio. Great job by the author.