Hear It Now – Edward R. Murrow – CBS Radio – March 23, 1951 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
Spring. It was coming, and with it Easter. But even so, the world was caught up in the events of the week, as presented by Edward R. Murrow and CBS News for this March 23, 1951.
Crime came in the form of The Kefauver Crime Committee Hearings which were concluding in New York this week. The star witness was mob kingpin Frank Costello and the circus shifted into high gear. Since the hearings were broadcast live over radio and TV, life pretty much stopped while the grilling and the drama took place. Reporters took to the streets of St. Louis and Manhattan to ask people how they felt about the hearings. The unanimous reaction was that of being gripped by the goings taking place in New York and that Estes Kefauver was shaping up to being a Folk hero of sorts. Of course, there was many who were vehemently opposed. Most agreed it was bad for business and that shops were empty and business dropped off to nothing while the hearings were going on.
And the Korean War was shifting fortunes, as American troops took control of Seoul, south of the 38th Parallel one more time. The city had exchanged hands some four times since the beginning of the war, and refugees were once again pouring into the largely devastated city in search of shelter and food, especially waves of children who were seemingly everywhere.
But all the concerns of the world during the week were taking a much needed backseat in favor of the coming of Spring, the coming of Easter and the arrival of Spring fashions. The traditional Easter Bonnet, an American tradition since it was a colony, focused attention on Paris, Capitol of the Fashion world. And the rest of the program was devoted to the ritual of Easter fashion and the purchase of said hat.
And that’s what was going on, the week ending March 23rd 1951 as reported by Edward R. Murrow and the staff of CBS Radio News for Hear It Now.
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