Ann Rutledge

This is an episode of The Corwin Cycle, WNYC's 1942 series reviving a selection of radio plays by Norman Corwin. Its sequence within the series is unclear, though it may be the nineteenth episode.

From Billboard - September 19, 1942. Pg.7:

Sixteenth in the Norman Corwin Revival Cycle on. WNYC was the story of Ann Rutledge, 17-year-old tavern girl who figured prominently in Lincoln's youth. The Idea of presenting the best
of Corwin's radio plays in authentic rebroadcasts is a good one, but this doesn't happen to be one of his best plays. Although the presentation and the acting were good, the story is too trite
and familiar to be worth all the trouble.

The music and narration were cleverly and effectively interspersed thru the series of short incidents showing that Ann Rutledge was an average girl with the ordinary emotions of love, sadness, anger and happiness. Lenore Kingston did a good job with the emotional role, while Louis Von Routberx got the right touch of modesty, sincerity and gentleness into the youth- ful Lincoln characterization.

The narration, done by Roe Rogers, which tied the incidents together, attics not too original, was the best part of the presentation and helped build up the dramatic moments. Joel O'Brien, former assistant to Corwin, directed and did about the best he could with the slightly maudlin material. M. R.

Special thanks to the Norman Corwin Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries for making these files available to us.

WNYC archives id: 152500