You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out

The two most memorable programs I digitized today were very different from each other. One was an episode of “Red Ryder.” I have grown up watching “A Christmas Story” on TBS, which broadcasts the movie for 24 hours straight, beginning at 8 PM on Christmas Eve. The plot of the movie, for those who cannot remember, is that all Ralphie wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder B.B Gun, despite all of the adults who say “No, you’ll shoot your eye out.” (Hence the title of this post.) I had always thought that “Red Ryder” was a made-up show; something designed to represent a particular type of action/adventure radio show, but no. Much to my shock today, I discovered that “Red Ryder” was an actual radio show. It seemed very similar to “The Lone Ranger,” western setting, Indian sidekicks, fighting the bad guys, and winning.

The other was the radio broadcast of the White House Christmas Tree Lighting on Christmas Eve, 1941. Pearl Harbor had happened two weeks before, yet despite that the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony still occurred. I’m sure there must have been discussions in the White House on whether or not they should go ahead with it. What made the program truly fascinating was that Winston Churchill was present as well. He had been meeting with FDR earlier in the week. It was inspirational to hear FDR reassure the public that it was okay to be happy and celebrate Christmas, and that children deserved joy, despite what had happened. What really left an impression was the crowd singing Christmas Carols at the end. I imagined people all over the country listening and singing along. It was a powerful mental image.

Today was my last day of my internship. There’s quite a bit I want to say about my internship, but I’ll save that for a post later in the week.