My archive.org Files

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Keith Heltsley, Sarah Cole and I talk a little Halls of Ivy


©Jimbo 2010/2011/2012

3 comments:

  1. Enjoyed the podcast. No surprise since Halls of Ivy was discussed. I think you represented my thoughts about the show well. I did not see the comparison to Fibber & Molly though. It was evident that Sarah Cole liked the show and had other insights into it. It is a beautiful show, and often it is not as captivating as the more popular shows. Never-the-less a very good show.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What I had meant by my remark was that the essential plot format for the two programs was the same. At the beginning, a problem is presented (Fibber is making perfume, or covoking spaghetti; or the Ivy College Library has lost a valuable book, or the college is offered a sizeable, but "tainted" donation), various charactters come by and, with witty wordplay, offer their insights on the goings-on (Harlow Wilcok, or Mr. Wimple, or Dr. Gamble; or MR. Merriwether, Mr. Wellman, or Prof. Warren -- and sundry other instuctors and students); then, at the end, the problem is solved (Fibber names his perfume, or can't digest his spaghetti; or the book is located, vindicating the accused theif, or the restrictions are lifted from the donation). The Halls of Ivy, though, /did/ tackle some serious issues that Wistful Vista never needed to address, with gengleness, humor, but always with truth.

      Yet, if you get a chance to listen to some of the WWII Fibber McGee boradasts, it, too, did occasionally force the listeners to think about some serious issues, like female recuritment and (one of my favorites) black market meat. Although the humor is broader,and the plot more focused, the essence of the program's presentation is the same.

      As The Halls of Ivy went on, Don Quinn delegated most of the writing to others, though I gather he did oversee the scripts. He was able to train others to follow the lovely model he and Phil Leslie had started for Jim and Marian Jordan, so Ronald and Benita Colman could also enjoy it.

      Delete
  2. Hi BB and thanks for the comment.

    The subject of Halls of Ivy just kind of came up and I was unprepared to say what I really felt. While I do think it's an underrated and unusual show it really goes beyond that.

    Sara said pretty much what I would say though, except I don't agree it's comparable to FMM&M either; I think she just meant it's a married couple who love each other.

    As I stated before in this blog, the "love" aspect of the show is really what shines through for me. I get a good feeling after each show, even though the show is usually about some sort of derelict behavior (stealing, racism, etc.)

    ReplyDelete

Let me know what you think of this post or this site! It only take a few seconds and I'd really appreciate your comments...