New York: A Portrait in Sound

A 2005 picture of the New York City skyline.

Cinema Sound and New York: A Portrait in Sound

In 1962, Joan and Robert Franklin established Cinema Sound, Ltd., an audio recording studio based out of their Upper West Side townhouse.  Their business mostly relied on selling stock audio, sound effects, and current events clips to outside production companies. But they also had a hand in producing programs like New York: A Portrait in Sound, which was a series that attempted to capture the folkways and milieu of everyday New Yorkers.  

New York: A Portrait in Sound was a kind of filler show sold to radio stations as human interest programming, and through mostly 'on-the-spot' interviews, it documented careers as diverse as clockmaking, deep river scuba diving, tug boat operating, fishmongering, and carnival barking. Because the shows were short and heavily ad-laden (the primary sponsor is the now defunct Banker's Trust), it's the raw interview tapes - which the archives also acquired - that offer the truly interesting insights into what it was like to live and work in New York in the 1960s.

This series presents both the finished audio recordings as well as selections from the raw tapes. 

Stories

Guiding Lights in New York Harbor

The 1960s in many ways marked the beginning of the end of a long history of lighthouses and their keepers. Hear about the channels of New York Harbor and the beacons that light the way.
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A City Legacy of Bird Watching

Even in a place as urban as New York City, a diversity of bird life can be found. Hear from bird enthusiasts from the 1960s.
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Classic Cars: The Art of Paint, Polish and Pistons

Owning and maintaining classic cars is a labor of love for true automobile enthusiasts. Hear from the mechanics and collectors of the 1960s who helped shape New York classic car culture.
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The Construction of the Great Bridge, Uniting Brooklyn and New York

A "heavenly crossing between stars," the Brooklyn Bridge united the cities of New York and Brooklyn in 1883. Hear from the bridge's devotees of the 1960s.
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The Golden Age of the Carnegie Hall Studios

The Carnegie Hall studios have been transformed, but listen to the voices of those artist who once lived there.
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A Wigwam in Brooklyn

Boerum Hill was once nicknamed Little Caughnawaga for the Mohawk community that lived there as they braved great heights constructing the Empire State Building and more.
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The U.N. and the Challenge to Provide an International Education

The formation of the United Nations was the perfect impetus for an international school in New York, but what goes into shaping an international "citizen of the world"?
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The Ticker of Times Square

"Times square would never be the same if anything happened to its one serious note in a sea of frivolity."
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What Lies Below New York’s East River, and the Diver Who Braved its Depths

Diver Barney Sweeney tells tales of the murky depths of New York's East River in the 60s.
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The Voices of Coney Island in the 1960s

Coney Island barkers from all around the park invite you to experience a variety of attractions.
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The Fall of Washington Market

For over 100 years, Washington Market was the most import wholesale produce market in New York City. Hear the sounds of the market just before it was demolished in the name of progress.
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The Tugboat, Workhorse of New York Harbor

The sounds of New York waterways, the toot of tugboats, and the hard-working captains who head out into the harbor tirelessly time and time again.
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US Coast Guard Cutter Oak 1962

Documenting the US Coast Guard's duties regarding safe sea travel in 1962.
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Song Pluggers: Then and Now

This 1962 episode of New York: A Portrait in Sound looks into the history of the song plugger.
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The Clash of Foils: A look into the Fencers Club of 1962

Interviews with the master and champions of the New York Fencers Club of 1962.
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WNYC Archives

Established in the year 2000, the New York Public Radio Archives are the station's physical link to its rich and storied past.

Be alert for scams. WNYC never asks for nor accepts money for coverage or interviews. Anyone making such a request does not represent WNYC.

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