London After Dark
Encyclopedia
London After Dark was a joint venture radio program between CBS Radio
and BBC Radio
that ran during the 1940 London Blitz.
Chief Paul White
and CBS European Events Director Edward R. Murrow
began to arrange the show by cable and short wave conference. Murrow lined up nine commentators from America, Britain and Canada, with the help of the BBC
and the CBC
, and set them up all over London with mics.
The commentators featured on the first edition of London After Dark were Murrow, CBC radio reporter Robert Bowman, Raymond Glendenning
, Larry LeSueur
, Eric Sevareid
, Vincent Sheean
, Michael Standing
, Wynford Vaughan-Thomas
, and J. B. Priestley
.
The program opens with light organ music played by Canadian-born theatre organist Sandy MacPherson
.
The first commentator heard on London After Dark was none other than Edward Murrow himself. He broadcast live from Trafalgar Square
in London
, a broadcast now world-famous. "This is Trafalgar Square. The noise you hear at the moment is the sound of the air-raid siren," Murrow said as he calmly described the scene.
From the square that first program moved on to Robert Bowman
who was stationed in the kitchen of the Savoy Hotel
. Bowman described the menu, eight hors d'oeuvres and eight different kinds of meat and talked to famed Chef François Latry. The atmosphere at the Savoy was seemingly joyous.
The program then jumped to an anti-aircraft battery and then to and Air Raid Precautions
Station. Then, onto Hammersmith Palais
, London's big dance hall where Eric Sevareid was set up and remarked, "There was an air raid alarm, as you know, 15 minutes ago. The orchestra leader simply announced they'd go on playing as the crowd wished to stay and I don't expect more than half a dozen people have left."
Vincent Sheean was up next on that first edition of London After Dark. Sheean spoke briefly on the silent streets of Piccadilly Circus
before the program went to some interviews with trainmen in Euston Station
by the BBC. Finally the show wound up with J.B. Priestley in Whitehall
.
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
and BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
that ran during the 1940 London Blitz.
Beginning
The show began on August 24, 1940 when CBS NewsCBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
Chief Paul White
Paul White (journalist)
Paul Welrose White from Pittsburg, Kansas worked as director of news at CBS beginning in 1930. He was CBS' first news director. White worked as a newspaper journalist prior to beginning his radio broadcasting career with CBS...
and CBS European Events Director Edward R. Murrow
Edward R. Murrow
Edward Roscoe Murrow, KBE was an American broadcast journalist. He first came to prominence with a series of radio news broadcasts during World War II, which were followed by millions of listeners in the United States and Canada.Fellow journalists Eric Sevareid, Ed Bliss, and Alexander Kendrick...
began to arrange the show by cable and short wave conference. Murrow lined up nine commentators from America, Britain and Canada, with the help of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, and set them up all over London with mics.
The commentators featured on the first edition of London After Dark were Murrow, CBC radio reporter Robert Bowman, Raymond Glendenning
Raymond Glendenning
Raymond Glendenning was a BBC radio sports commentator.-Early years:He was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, and was educated at Newport High School and the University of London...
, Larry LeSueur
Larry LeSueur
Larry LeSueur , born Laurence Edward LeSueur, was an American journalist, who was a war correspondent during World War II. He worked closely with Edward R. Murrow and was one of the original Murrow's Boys. He died in 2003 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.-Early life:Larry LeSueur was...
, Eric Sevareid
Eric Sevareid
Arnold Eric Sevareid was a CBS news journalist from 1939 to 1977. He was one of a group of elite war correspondents—dubbed "Murrow's Boys"—because they were hired by pioneering CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow....
, Vincent Sheean
Vincent Sheean
Vincent Sheean , born James Vincent Sheean, American journalist and novelist, most famous for Personal History...
, Michael Standing
Michael Standing
Michael Standing is a British actor, appearing mostly in the 1960s and early 1970s.Between an appearance in a 1964 episode of the TV series of The Saint and his final appearance in the 1973 opening season of The Tomorrow People in which he played Ginge, the biker heavy who became the Tomorrow...
, Wynford Vaughan-Thomas
Wynford Vaughan-Thomas
Lewis John Wynford Vaughan-Thomas CBE was a British newspaper journalist and radio and television broadcaster. In later life he took the name Vaughan-Thomas after his father....
, and J. B. Priestley
J. B. Priestley
John Boynton Priestley, OM , known as J. B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright and broadcaster. He published 26 novels, notably The Good Companions , as well as numerous dramas such as An Inspector Calls...
.
The program opens with light organ music played by Canadian-born theatre organist Sandy MacPherson
Sandy MacPherson
Roderick Hallowell "Sandy" MacPherson was a Canadian-born theatre organist in the UK who achieved considerable exposure in the early weeks of World War II when the BBC briefly switched to broadcasting only light music...
.
The first commentator heard on London After Dark was none other than Edward Murrow himself. He broadcast live from Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, a broadcast now world-famous. "This is Trafalgar Square. The noise you hear at the moment is the sound of the air-raid siren," Murrow said as he calmly described the scene.
From the square that first program moved on to Robert Bowman
Robert Bowman
Robert Bowman was a broadcast journalist who covered the London Blitz during World War II for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation .In the radio programme London After Dark, broadcast 20 August 1940, he is heard interviewing chef Francois Latry at the Savoy Hotel in London.He also reported on the...
who was stationed in the kitchen of the Savoy Hotel
Savoy Hotel
The Savoy Hotel is a hotel located on the Strand, in the City of Westminster in central London. Built by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas, the hotel opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by...
. Bowman described the menu, eight hors d'oeuvres and eight different kinds of meat and talked to famed Chef François Latry. The atmosphere at the Savoy was seemingly joyous.
The program then jumped to an anti-aircraft battery and then to and Air Raid Precautions
Air Raid Precautions
Air Raid Precautions was an organisation in the United Kingdom set up as an aid in the prelude to the Second World War dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air-raids. It was created in 1924 as a response to the fears about the growing threat from the development of bomber...
Station. Then, onto Hammersmith Palais
Hammersmith Palais
The Hammersmith Palais de Danse, later simply the Hammersmith Palais, was a ballroom and entertainment venue in London that operated from 1919 until 2007...
, London's big dance hall where Eric Sevareid was set up and remarked, "There was an air raid alarm, as you know, 15 minutes ago. The orchestra leader simply announced they'd go on playing as the crowd wished to stay and I don't expect more than half a dozen people have left."
Vincent Sheean was up next on that first edition of London After Dark. Sheean spoke briefly on the silent streets of Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End in the City of Westminster, built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly...
before the program went to some interviews with trainmen in Euston Station
Euston station
Euston station may refer to one of the following stations in London, United Kingdom:*Euston railway station, a major terminus for trains to the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and part of Scotland...
by the BBC. Finally the show wound up with J.B. Priestley in Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
.