Death Valley Days Radio Scripts circa 1932-1942 (216 Scripts) plus Promotional Material

Death Valley Days Radio Scripts circa 1932-1942 (216 Scripts) plus Promotional Material

Archive almost fills three banker boxes including 216 radio scripts (disbound), six inches of promotional material primarily from the Pacific Coast Borax Company (primary show sponsor) plus a synopsis of shows produced, published in 1964. Also included is an inventory of "Subjects for Death Valley Days Programs" 1930-Feb. 1943. Overall, the material is in good to very good condition. Material apparently has been in storage at least 40 years in a dry environment by an executive with the McCann Erickson Co., the show producer and PR Firm for Pacific Coast Borax. Many of the scripts are stamped as received by Pacific Coast Borax.

Death Valley Days, radio's first "Western" ran from September 1930 to September 1951. From the wikipedia page devoted to the show, "Radio's first Western, Death Valley Days "dramatized pioneer life in the United States." The program has been described as "the most successful of [the] early western dramas." It was said to present true stories of the old West, with "CBS [asserting] that because of its reputation for accuracy in broadcasting the dramatic history of the development of the West, Death Valley Days was recommended by teachers to their students wherever it was heard to supplement their studies at school." Radio historian, the late John Dunning commented, "By 1940, the show's reputation for historical accuracy was well-established."

The archive also holds a small number of promotional items for "Death Valley Days" the TV show including one script.

"Ruth Cornwall Woodman was a writer for McCann Erickson when that advertising agency's executives decided to launch Death Valley Days. As one of the few agency employees who wrote for radio, Woodman was assigned to write the scripts for Death Valley Days. "The program's sponsor, Pacific Coast Borax Company, stipulated that the writer should have a first-hand knowledge of the Death Valley region," so for 14 years Woodman went to Death Valley each summer to gather information that she could use in her scripts. Each summer's trip provided enough material for Woodman to write scripts for the next season of the program. She continued to write for the program after its radio broadcasts ended and the televised version began. A 1962 newspaper article noted, "Mrs. Woodman has written every one of the Death Valley Days scripts for 31 years -- which amounts to more than 1,000 stories."

A random selection of script titles include:
--The Schoolhouse Ghost, 1943
--Cornish Miners Christmas Carols, 1942
--Putting Teeth in the Law, 1942
--Cash at the Graveside, 1939
--Dance-Hall Strike at Rhyolite, 1937
--The Valencia Land Grant, 1936
--23 Skidoo, 1937
--Story of Mt. Whitney, 1938
--Thanksgiving Day 1849, 1933
--Object Matrimony, 1934

A favorite of ours (having served as a ranger for the National Park Service for 15 years) was the October 26, 1933, program titled "Death Valley Days--National Park Program". Horace Albright, the second director of the National Park Service was given 12 minutes to speak live about the National Park Service and Death Valley. The "Old Ranger", the weekly narrator then gave a long plug for the amenities of Death Valley and threw in some clever product placement for Pacific Coast Borax.

We'd probably have an inventory list compiled but we ended up reading some of the scripts. They are quite entertaining. There are several websites where we also listened to several shows. A fabulous collection of western history through early radio. Perfect for any western historian or archivist.

Shipping will be at cost, but this is a heavy archive. Can ship media mail.