The losing of our historical reference points

The Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed in the 1960's put an end to observing proper holidays on their days that they are to be observed, giving three-day holidays, instead of observing why these days were observed.

Monday's Boston Marathon is one event affected by this law.  Most people today do not remember that prior to the 1969 change, this event was originally held only on April 19, unless it was a Sunday, when it was held April 20.  Can anyone identify why the Boston Marathon prior to 1968 was always held on April 19 (or if it was a Sunday, then April 20)?

It's Lincoln's Birthday - Honest, Abe

Whether we celebrate it or not, February 12 is in fact Abraham Lincoln's birthday, and although Abe's undergone something of a cultural renaissance in the last few years (Team of Rivals, etc.), we still let this day go by too easily.

'Twas not always the case. Here's a clip from John Ford's 1939 movie Young Mr. Lincoln, featuring young Henry Fonda in the title role.

For What It's Worth...

By Bobby

In our For What It's Worth Department, Citadel Radio announced Paul Harvey signed off for the last time this weekend, having died at 90.

It was a much different time on radio when I first began listening to Mr. Harvey on the radio. The Fairness Doctrine made it impossible to provide much of today's popular news/talk format that we have accustomed ourselves to be listening every day. When we wanted to hear the big national news reports, I remember listening to Paul Harvey.

But, of course, Harvey was one of the old-time radio broadcasters whose sense of news reading was there. He was one of the last I remember to feature "live" advertising breaks (where the anchorman actually reads the ad copy on-air as he heded towards the break). He had this homespun style that always had a keen wit that always had you coming back. And after the popularity of his "Rest of the Story" segments, he and his son Paul Jr decided to make it its own segment. I remember when we had local radio that they would play Paul Harvey's The Rest of the Story (which his son produced, wrote, and now hosts) in evenings before Sports Talk.

Compared to some of the obnoxious shock jocks we hear on the radio today (Howard Stern, Bubba the Love Sponge, and other morning radio hosts have I do not even want to hear) and the stupidity of the bad pop-rock, rap, or other forms of music that is the "platinum standard" of radio today, Paul Harvey symbolised a radio that meant something, similar to the current batch of sensible news/talk radio such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, current news analysts.

Paul Harvey . . . Good Day!

Paul Harvey, R.I.P.

By Mitchell

For most broadcasters, they would be hokey gimmicks: Stand by for news! Page two. And now you know . . . the rest of the story. Good day!

For most broadcasters, perhaps, but for over 70 years Paul Harvey was one of a kind.

My friend Peter does a wonderful impression of Paul Harvey, and one of the reasons it’s so hilarious (besides the fact that it’s very good) is that you already know the punchlines. You’ve heard the shilling for Amway and HGTV and Citracal (Cit as in citrus, cal as in calcium – Cit-ra-cal), done so seamlessly that they were virtually a part of his newscast. You’ve listened to the rest of the story, heard the remarkable coincidences and obscure facts that make up the lives of the rich and famous. You’ve probably used some of his catchphrases yourself.

People recognized them, just as they recognized Paul Harvey and welcomed him into their homes every day. He had a wonderful voice for broadcasting, a marvelous ear for phrasing, and a natural talent for connecting with his listeners. He wasn’t just a disembodied voice reading a script from some isolated broadcasting booth – he was an old and trusted friend telling you a story, as if it were just the two of you sitting on the front porch.

And there was something terribly American about him. Although his broadcast originated for many years from Chicago, his audience was the entire country – farmers and housewives, schoolchildren and shopkeepers, in small rural areas and large metropolitan cities. He spoke to us in the pages of big city newspapers, but also in the small-town publications like Grit. Think of the phrase from sea to shining sea – that was Paul Harvey’s territory. There was nothing fancy or pretentious about him; he was just one of us. An American.

In listening to various media yesterday, I was struck by how many of them mentioned Harvey, from the morning show host on the classical music station to the NASCAR broadcaster on Fox. He had been a part of their lives too, and had played some role in their own “rest of the story.” For many years he was one of the best and most articulate voices for political conservatism, and today’s talk-show hosts, from Rush to Hannity to Beck and all the rest –owe a lot to Paul Harvey – and they’ll be among the first to admit it.

Paul Harvey was 90 when he died in Arizona on Saturday. He had struggled with health problems in recent years and his wife, the often-referenced Angel, had died the previous year, so you figured it might not be much longer. His son, Paul Jr., wrote the famous “rest of the story” tales that entertained and enlightened and were later collected in books, capturing his father’s voice and spirit perfectly, and I suppose he’ll carry on his father’s legacy. But he won’t imitate it, because you can’t copy Paul Harvey. A writer for Time said that when he died, he took the whole history of radio with him – but I think we can agree that he left a great deal with us.

And so good day, Paul Harvey. Here's hoping that you now know the rest of the story.

UPDATE: Our good friend Adoro has this warm reminiscence at her site. This is precisely the kind of thing I was talking about - how Paul Harvey transcended the airwaves and became almost a part of the air that we breathed, as familiar as the flag or apple pie. No matter where you were, he was there as well - and all was right with the world.