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James Welke Collection of Radio Show Recordings, 1944-1959

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Welke, James
Title
James Welke Collection of Radio Show Recordings
Dates
1944-1959 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.64 cubic ft. (1 box)
Collection Number
400100
Summary
Recordings of broadcasts of popular American and University of Wyoming radio shows from the 1940s to the 1950s.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

James W. Welke (1936-2018) was a university professor of communication beginning at Indiana University in 1964 and continuing on as a professor of journalism and telecommunication at the University of Wyoming in 1966. In 1978, he became head of UW’s Department of Journalism and Telecommunication. In 1986, he was appointed Director, School of Communication, at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. He was a member and officer in national professional organizations and had a substantial record of publications in the U.S. and Europe.

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Content Description

The collection contains 44 soundtrack discs (16 in.; 33 1/3 RPM) of radio show broadcasts dating from the 1940s to the 1950s. There is also one disc that is 12 in.; 78 RPM. A number of the radio shows aired on KWOR, a station that signed on in 1946 and was licensed to Worland, Wyoming.

The national radio shows on the 16 in. discs are: The Greatest of These, Order in the Court, Court is in Session, In the Name of the Law, Famous Jury Trials, The Chase, Five Minute Mysteries, and The Sealed Book. There are also episodes of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Man in the Iron Mask, The Corsican Brothers, and Son of Porthos, all of which featured the George Edwards Players, an Australian troupe founded in 1933 that became world famous for their dramatic and comedic serials. Two discs are labeled "Choral Speaking" and one disc is unidentified.

Also, on the 16 in. discs are two productions created at the University of Wyoming. One is a transcribed radio program titled Problems of Today that featured University of Wyoming faculty and community members discussing issues affecting the nation. The episode on the album is “The Right to Strike: What is It?” The episode has Ralphie Conwell (Head of the UW Dept. of Economics and Sociology), John Raines (Assistant Professor in the UW College of Law), John McConnell (Pastor of the United Presbyterian Church of Laramie), and moderator William Stevens who hold a roundtable discussion on the topic. The other transcribed production is a program by the University of Wyoming Playhouse which offered weekly radio adaptations of a long-familiar story or a new play written especially for radio. The program is an adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, Wakefield. Neither of the University of Wyoming recordings are complete. Each is cut off at about 15 minutes.

The title of the undated 12 in. disc is “Comedy: Neutral, Music, Gobbie, Yawn, Machine, Skipping, Confusion, Question, Walk, Thirsty, Baby Cry, Ragtime Cowboy, Hurdy Gurdy, Pony Boy” and was released by the Standard Mood Music Library.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Restrictions on Use

Statement on Potentially Harmful Language and Images Found in Collections

The American Heritage Center aspires to approach all areas of our work in ways that are respectful to those who create, use, and are represented in our collections. For a variety of reasons, however, users may encounter offensive or harmful language or images in some of our finding aids, catalogs, and collection materials.

Note that the AHC does not censor or alter contents of the collections as they provide context and evidence of a time, people, place, or event. Therefore, we encourage users to bring questions and concerns about descriptions in our finding aids to our attention via email or anonymous web-form. For more information, read our full statement.

Preferred Citation

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

Related Materials

There are no known other archival collections created by James Welke at the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

This material was received from James Welke in 1986.

Processing Note

The collection was processed by Kayci Kruhmin in December 2021.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • College and school drama, American.
  • Detective and mystery stories, American.
  • Drama -- Audio adaptations.
  • Radio broadcasting -- United States -- 1940-1950.
  • Radio plays, American.
  • Radio programs -- United States.

Corporate Names

  • University of Wyoming -- History.

Geographical Names

  • Wyoming -- History --- 1946-1999.

Processed by Kayci Kruhmin
2019; 2021

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

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