Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
about the generally uninspiring topic of tung oil manufacturing and use
in waterproofing, Davis opened with the chipper observation that “There
are a lot of C's in that name of yours, Mr. Concannon.” To which the
chemist replied, per the script, “Yes, and in chemicals and commerce.
But there aren't any C's at all in tung oil, and perhaps I'd better start by
spelling it.”
43
In May 1938, just as the series name was changed to 'Adventures in
Science', CBS took over all production and added dramatization and new
on-air personalities. The surviving correspondence reveals Davis' frus-
tration at the abrupt changes. His exchanges with the network personnel
reflect ever more tension. He struggled to articulate scientists' concerns
about inaccuracy, sensationalism, and trivialization, but the radio exe-
cutives remained convinced that dramatizing or fictionalizing science
would attract huge audiences.
The CBS decision had probably been influenced by two educational
programs that
were
attracting listeners through clever dramatization of
serious topics. 'Cavalcade of America', a radio series produced and
sponsored by the Du Pont Company, featured professionally written
dramas about the lives of historical figures and aimed to instill confi-
dence in the corporation. Its first episode in 1935 declared that Du Pont's
research chemists worked “in the same spirit” as national patriots and
pioneers.
44
By 1938, the series was extolling the importance of invention
and ingenuity, and occasionally engaging in fanciful history of science to
enliven its message. One episode created a chance meeting between
nineteenth-century scientists Robert Hare and Benjamin Silliman, in
which Silliman asserted that “The progress of science is like an endless
chain, Mr. Hare, each link joining what is behind and what goes be-
fore.”
45
Similar inspirational rhetoric infused the Smithsonian Institu-
tion's 'The World is Yours' series on NBC. Beginning in 1936, its half-
hour dramas, co-produced with the U.S. Office of Education, starred a
43
Script for radio talk ('The Romance of Tung Oil') located in SIA RU7091, Box 194,
Folder 6.
44
'Cavalcade of America', Episode number 1 (1935), p. 1; Cavalcade of America Col-
lection, Hagley Library.
45
'Cavalcade of America', Episode number 117 (1938), p. 11; Cavalcade of America
Collection, Hagley Library.
