DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE {THE ROOSEVELT
SPECIAL} (RADIO)
Summary
A special broadcast presented by the Democratic National Committee. On the eve of the Presidential election, Hollywood stars, members of the Armed Forces, and ordinary citizens come together to urge the public to re-elect President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Judy Garland sings, "You Gotta Get Out and Vote." Then host Humphrey Bogart explains why he is voting for Roosevelt, whom he calls a great humanitarian, and introduces the following veterans who explain why they support Roosevelt: a forty-eight-year-old man who enlisted after his son died in the war; a seaman from the Merchant Marines, who criticizes Governor Thomas E. Dewey for depriving Merchant Marines of the right to vote by absentee ballot in this election; and a much-decorated disabled Army Air Force officer. Next, Bogart introduces an actor who specializes in double talk; a housewife and mother who calls the Republicans "bungling bureaucrats" and urges women to remember the Tea Pot Dome scandal and the Depression; a Tennessee farmer who praises Roosevelt as the man who was behind the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority); a woman CIO member who contributed one dollar towards Roosevelt's campaign, and is glad to accept the ceiling on wages during the war; an airplane mechanic at Lockhead Aircraft who is trade union member; a brakeman on the New York Central who is a member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. Next, Jim (James) Cagney praises Roosevelt for ending Prohibition and cleaning up the mobsters. Cagney, Keenan Wynn, and Groucho Marx then sing a medley of songs satirizing previous Republican administrations. From California, numerous Hollywood stars who are "riding on the Roosevelt special," including Tallulah Bankhead, Joan Bennett, Irving Berlin, Claudette Colbert, Joseph Cotten, Linda Darnell, John Garfield, Paulette Goddard, James Gleason, Susan Hayward, Rita Hayworth, Walter Huston, Rex Ingram, George Jessel, Danny Kaye, an Army-bound Gene Kelly, Evelyn Keyes, Groucho Marx, Paul Muni, George Raft, Edward G. Robinson, Gale Sundergaard, Lana Turner, Jane Wyman, and Keenan Wynn introduce themselves and give brief testimonials. Next, the program switches to New York where the following Roosevelt supporters introduce themselves and offer brief testimonials: playwright Elmer Rice, Constance Bennett, playwright Marc Connelly, poet Louis Untermeyer, author Fannie Hurst, Fay Wray, publisher Bennett Cerf, Benay Venuta, actor-producer Eddie Dowling, playwright-producer Russel Crouse, photographer Paul Strand, author Dorothy Parker, foreign correspondent John Gunther, actor and "American citizen" Charles Boyer -- who is voting for the first time, author Edna Ferber, ex-fighter and ex-Marine Barney Ross, the Inkspots, Gertrude Berg, Milton Berle, Franchot Tone, Frank Sinatra, and "nobody" -- a veteran and member of the Bonus Army. Next, ordinary citizens, including an owner of a "little" business and an ambulance driver from the American Field Service, explain why they are voting for Roosevelt. Quentin Reynolds tells parents of soldiers fighting overseas that for a short war and a long peace, they should vote for Roosevelt. Two registered Republicans explain why they believe the Republican party has failed the people and why they are supporting the President. Back in Hollywood, Humphrey Bogart reminds listeners not to forget Governor Dewey's record and introduces June Richmond, who sings "Don't Look Now, Mr. Dewey, But Your Record Is Showing." In New York, Averill Harriman comments on how Roosevelt has earned the confidence of so many people from so many nations, accuses Dewey of isolationism, and states his belief that Dewey's election would prolong the war. Bogart praises the existence of the United Nations and states that the spirit of this newfound unity is best expressed in a song by E.Y. (Yip) Harburg and Earl Robinson called "Free and Equal Blues," which is then sung by Earl Robinson and Clarence Muse. Bogart comments on the large number of Republican leaders -- including Sen. Ball (R.-Minn), Rusell Davenport, and editor Hilton Higgins -- who have thrown their support behind Rosevelt because they couldn't vote for Dewey. He next introduces a ninty-four-year-old man who remembers shaking hands with Abraham Lincoln and has voted in nineteen elections. Then Betty Hall -- an eighteen-year-old woman from Decateur, Georgia, who will be voting for Roosevelt because she feels he has done more for young people and more for America than everyone else -- has the honor of introducing Franklin D. Roosevelt, who, from his home at Hyde Park, gives a speech on his policy for peace. In his speech, Roosevelt expresses his concern over the well-being of the American fighting men; states his desire to win the war as soon as possible so they can return to their own homes as soon as possible; reminds listeners that our soldiers, sailors, and airmen -- many of whom have already cast their ballots -- will not forget the election day back home and will question whether the folks back home looked after their interest, their liberties, their government and their country while they were off at war; praises "our boys" who have out-fought our militaristic enemies and promises them -- the living and the dead -- a lasting peace; offers gratitude to the families of the dead for the immense sacrifice they have made for "decency, freedom, and civilization"; asks that partisan politics be put aside to fact the future as a "militant and united people" at home and on the battlefield; expresses concern over the future of long-distance air travel and long-range bombs which he calls "silent missiles of death"; pledges to make certain that peace-loving nations of the world band together to prevent and outlaw war in the future; reminds the voters that after the election, the public's responsibility is not over -- they must protest when they feel the elected officials are in the wrong and support them when they are right; and states his goals: to win the war, to see that all fighting men return to honorable jobs, and to create a world peace organization that will prevent this disaster from ever happening again. Roosevelt then concludes with a prayer for strength and wisdom. The broadcast briefly returns to New York, where the announcer states that the special broadcast was presented by the One Thousand Club of the United States and mentions that it preemted the regularly scheduled "Screen Guild Theater," "The John Morgan Show," and "Thanks to the Yanks."
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: November 6, 1944 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:57:00
- COLOR/B&W:
- CATALOG ID: R76:0400
- GENRE: Radio - Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Advertising, political - 1944; Commercials, political - 1944; U S - Elections - 1944; U S - Officials - Talk/Interviews; Political satire
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Arthur Schwartz … Composer, "Don't Look Now, Mr. Dewey, But Your Record Is Showing"
- Earl Robinson … Composer, "You Gotta Get Out and Vote", "The Free and Equal Blues"
- Harburg, E.Y. (Yip) … Lyricist, "You Gotta Get Out and Vote", "Don't Look Now, Mr. Dewey, But Your Record Is Showing", "The Free and Equal Blues
- Humphrey Bogart … Narrator
- Judy Garland … Singer
- James Cagney … Performer
- Keenan Wynn … Performer
- Groucho Marx … Performer
- June Richmond … Performer
- Earl Robinson … Performer
- Clarence Muse … Performer
- Franklin D. Roosevelt … Speaker
- Irving Berlin … Speaker
- Claudette Colbert … Speaker
- Joseph Cotten … Speaker
- Betty Hall … Speaker
- Thomas E. Dewey
- Tallulah Bankhead
- Joan Bennett
- Constance Bennett
- Gertrude Berg
- Milton Berle
- Irving Berlin
- Charles Boyer
- Bennett Cerf
- Claudette Colbert
- Marc Connelly
- Joseph Cotten
- Russel Crouse
- Linda Darnell
- Eddie Dowling
- Edna Ferber
- John Garfield
- James Gleason
- Paulette Goddard
- John Gunther
- Susan Hayward
- Rita Hayworth
- Fannie Hurst
- Walter Huston
- Rex Ingram
- George Jessel
- Danny Kaye
- Gene Kelly
- Evelyn Keyes
- Groucho Marx
- Paul Muni
- Dorothy Parker
- George Raft
- Quentin Reynolds
- Elmer Rice
- Edward G. Robinson
- Barney Ross
- Frank Sinatra
- Paul Strand
- Gale Sundergaard
- Franchot Tone
- Lana Turner
- Louis Untermeyer
- Benay Venuta
- Fay Wray
- Jane Wyman