ENTERTAINING HISTORY
THE NEFF ZONE -- BY JIM NEFF
CADILLAC NEWS -- AUGUST 24, 2024
With everything currently going on in the world, taking a foray into some historical meanderings can be a nice refuge. Sometimes a golden oldie of entertainment can produce a smile or three.
For example, last Tuesday was National Radio Day. This is significant for Michiganders because the first commercial radio station in the the country may have been in our state. “There is a long-standing dispute over whether WWJ (Detroit) was the first radio station, with several other stations across the US also claiming the fact.”
There are other claimants to the title, like KDKA in Pittsburgh. Forget those pretenders. “KDKA was founded on Nov. 2, 1920, but that was weeks after WWJ. While a concrete answer is up for interpretation, this is for certain: National Radio Day takes place annually on August 20 — the day that WWJ launched.”
Still broadcasting, WWJ can be found at 950 AM on your radio dial. It's a major all news radio outlet in Detroit. (https://link.gandernewsroom.com/view/65527f367dd5d81a8af1b206lpq7g.4d9/92d768fe)
As an insomniac, I listen to a lot of radio in the middle of the night. My go-to genre is old time radio (OTR). There are hundreds of OTR stations on the Internet where you can listen to shows produced from the late 1020s to the mid 1950s.
One of my favorites has a Michigan Connection – Challenge of the Yukon. This show, set in the far reaches of the Yukon territory, actually was produced at WXYZ in Detroit. “Challenge of the Yukon is an American radio adventure series and is an example of a Northern genre story. The series was first heard on January 3, 1939. The title changed from Challenge of the Yukon to Sergeant Preston of the Yukon in September 1950.”
Detroit is probably not what is usually associated with the Yukon gold rush, Mounties, and sled dogs. WXYZ was also the home of the Green Hornet and the Lone Ranger. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenge_of_the_Yukon)
Television eventually eclipsed radio as America's preferred home entertainment vehicle. The most watched television show episode of all time happened on February 28, 1983. “M*A*S*H aired 256 episodes throughout its eleven seasons, none of which drew more viewers than its record-shattering finale. When 'Goodbye, Farewell and Amen' aired around 105 million viewers were there to see how the beloved series ended.”
The mark remained for twenty-seven years. “That stood until Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. That record (for a single episode) is unlikely to be broken in the streaming era.” (https://historyfacts.com/arts-culture/article/most-popular-tv-shows-history/)
When it comes to performances, the debate could center around who is the greatest movie actor of all time. StatSignificant.com has tried to tackle this quandary with a statistical analysis. “We'll take on the challenge of identifying cinema's greatest leading actors, highlighting remarkable careers based on a range of criteria.” See the whole list at: https://www.statsignificant.com/p/whos-the-greatest-actor-in-movie.
I'll leave it to you to decide if their conclusions were correct. Jimmy Stewart was deemed the top actor. His top films were Rear Window, It's a Wonderful Life, Vertigo, and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. Leonardo DiCaprio was second.
Kate Winslet was the choice for best actress, narrowly edging out Audrey Hepburn. Titanic and Sense and Sensibility were among Winslet's accomplishments.
In related movie news (history), an iconic item was just sold at auction. “When most people think of Indiana Jones, the first image that pops up is Harrison Ford wearing his signature fedora. So it came as no surprise that a film and TV memorabilia company revealed it had sold one of Indiana Jones’ screen-and-photo-matched fedoras for an outstanding $630,000.” (https://gizmodo.com/indiana-jones-temple-of-doom-fedora-auction-sale-2000488129)
If radio, television, and movie history doesn't appeal to you, how about the return of a classic video game? In this case “old” means the 1990s. “The beloved ’90s video game franchise Backyard Sports is coming back to life nearly ten years after it stopped releasing new games. The relaunch will take place in the coming months.”
So, what's the allure of this game? “If your idea of backyard sports involves chucking a Frisbee at a beer bottle balancing on top of a pole, welcome back to the pixelated gaming world of yesteryear that’s like Madden if it substituted cherubic cartoon kids for pro athletes. The franchise’s wide popularity over nearly thirty years augurs success for its reboot, which will apparently stay true to its lovable players, like the three-foot tall, home-run-hitting sensation Pablo Sanchez, as well as its selection of stadiums.” (https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/2024/08/21/your-favorite-childhood-video-game-is-coming-back)
Finally, one of the most ubiquitous forms of entertainment is music. It's all around us every day. Now pair that fact with a common food and you have a unique historical discovery. You see, music may affect the flavor of cheese.
“In 2018, researchers separated nine giant wheels of Emmental cheese and played them selections from Mozart, Led Zeppelin, Jazz, and other sonic selections. The cheeses were exposed to the music twenty-four hours a day over six months.”
What did the experiment show? “The cheese exposed to classical music and rock had a milder flavor compared to a control. The hip-hop cheese had a stronger and fruitier taste. Researchers are further studying how acoustic waves might affect cheese development.” (https://interestingfacts.com/cheese-facts/)
Keep an eye on this development. A grilled cheese with Tchaikovsky cheddar or a pizza with Metallica mozzarella may be in your future.
Jim Neff is a local columnist. Read Neff Zone columns online at CadillacNews.com and NeffZone.com/cadillacnews.
