Vic and Sade on the Radio: A Cultural History of Paul Rhymer's Daytime Series, 1932-1944

Well researched book with lots of background information. Very helpful companion for this highly unusual but also very enjoyable radio program

I really enjoy Vic and Sade but was suspect about this new book. Luckily, I found parts and previews of the book online and realized that this wasn't rehashed trash but rather oceans of new information!I'm very pleased to announce that this book treads a new path and explores new avenues that haven't been put forth in any other publication.If you enjoy Vic and Sade, you'll want to get your own copy and when you are done, you can throw your undershirt over the People's bank building!

The subtitle pretty much sums up the book. Growing from his love for VIC AND SADE, the author explores some of the deeper meanings and themes beneath the absurdity and humor. The book has what you are probably looking for and expecting to find: A brief biography about Paul Rhymer and the origin and early years of Vic and Sade. A study of mass culture during the 1930s and 1940s and how it influenced the characters on Vic and Sade, is explored in detail. A history of motion-pictures during the era, reading on the porch, community service and other aspects are explored as they relate to the radio program. The closing chapter covers an aspect of the series that has been undocumented in prior publications: the later efforts to revive the series -- including the COLGATE COMEDY HOUR.This book features a history of the radio program, but only interlaced throughout the book, sprinkled with excerpts of script reprints. There is no episode guide or chronological documentation with a date-by-date broadcast schedule (network, broadcast time, cast changes, etc.). I know that would be a major challenge to any author, especially when you have to consider how large the book would become if there was an episode guide, but since most books about old-time radio published in the last decade include some sort of episode guide or broadcast log, it was expected. Taking on such a challenge would be both exhausting and rewarding at the same time. Such an effort would overshadow all future books people may be inspired to write about VIC AND SADE. I have two others such as the late Bill Idelson, a cast member, who wrote THE STORY OF VIC AND SADE in 2007 for Bear Manor Media, and a book of scripts published prior.If what you are seeking is a "cultural history," in what many describe as a "critical analysis," which McFarland statistically publishes more of every year, or want to explore the program deeper than it has ever been explored, this is a great book. If you are looking for a historical perspective of documentary nature, covering minute details ranging from the sale of screen rights, salary costs and exclusive memories and recollections from cast and crew, you will find it in small doses sprinkled throughout the book.One such example is a chapter that opens with pages 106 to 108 devoted to the history of motion-pictures and the industry of Hollywood. VIC AND SADE is not referenced until page 109. And the two photographs on page 108 and 109 are of old movie palaces and theaters from 1935 and 1939 -- and have nothing to do with the radio program VIC AND SADE. I only criticize (briefly) because the title of the book is VIC AND SADE ON RADIO. A friend of mine looked over the book and said it was "padded." But I disagree. The book is a cultural look at a time gone by when life seemed innocent and cheery and folks were friendly instead of hostile. VIC AND SADE captured the essence and the book captures VIC AND SADE. Don't let my "opinions" convince you to avoid this superb book. After all, I did give it five stars. If you are a fan of VIC AND SADE, this is the book for you. Buy it today.

This is a great book. There are literally hundreds of recordings of "Vic and Sade" and when you cannot get enough of the radio program, this is what you turn to and dig deeper into the understanding of the characters and the time period for which they lived. Radio broadcasting is challenging when it comes to documenting and archiving. Very little was preserved and even less was considered valuable at the time. "Vic and Sade" falls into that same category. It was a throw-away program. After the broadcast, the scripts were tossed aside and Paul Rhymer went to work on the next script. No one had the foresight to predict a marketplace for the recordings or a book about the series.

FANTASTIC book on an amazing radio show. "Vic and Sade" did smart, absurdist, subversive comedy before Bugs Bunny, before Stan Freberg, before Monty Python, before the early SNL. In fact, it influenced some of the best writers and humorists of the 20th century. For 10 minutes a day, five days a week, from 1932 to 1944, it subtly turned radio inside out -- and it's still just as funny today. Thanks to John Hetherington for writing the DEFINITIVE book on "Vic and Sade."