Twelve Hidden Yuletide Gems
Not everyone celebrates Christmas, of course; while Radio Days is not expressly about Hannukah, it climaxes with not one but two New Year’s Eve parties, and features both a frustrated and loving Jewish family in Rockaway Beach, and the sparkling and humorous lives of radio performers. This film also pairs well with A Christmas Story, which shares the same tone of sweet but unsentimental nostalgia. Who knows? Perhaps A Christmas Story’s Schwartz (who we memorably hear being spanked over the telephone, even as the young hero Ralphie stands with a bar of Lifebuoy soap in his mouth) is the long-lost cousin of Joe, the young boy at the center of Radio Days. Like Ralphie, Joe has a bad experience stemming from his lust for an old time radio show premium; he makes childish and endearing mistakes, and observes the ups and downs of his family. But Joe and his family are much more aware of radio’s power than the clan on Cleveland Street. (Joe’s mother probably doesn’t know the name of the Lone Ranger’s nephew’s horse, but it’s a cinch she enjoys Helen Trent and other soaps.) Whether it is the “Dick and Dorothy”-esque breakfast program Mother listens to in the morning, the carioca-like radio rhythms cousin Ruthie sings along to in a bath-towel turban, or the War of the Worlds scare that ruins Aunt Bea’s date, radio holds a grand sway over the lives of this very ordinary 1940s family.
Julie Kavner and Michael Tucker are by turns funny and poignant as Joe’s disappointed but loving parents, and Mia Farrow is a scream as the Canarsie-accented “Sally White”, a wannabe actress. And as likable as Seth Green (yes, that Seth Green – of Austin Powers and Buffy: The Vampire Slayer) is in the role of Joe, it’s Dianne Wiest, as unlucky-in-love Aunt Bea, who ultimately steals your heart. In one sensitive and funny scene, she sneaks a suitor into the kitchen for a nightcap of milk – and when she learns this man’s not the “One” she’s looking for, her date begins to sob. Her initial surprise quickly fades into empathy, registering over Wiest’s face before she even says a word.
Even the smaller parts are unforgettably performed, from the regal and late Julie Kurnitz as Irene, the sophisticated breakfast show co-host, to Wallace Steven as the unlikely star of a kids superhero show. Mercedes Ruehl, Jeff Daniels and William H. Macy can be spotted in bit parts. Kitty Carlisle (What’s My Line) and Jackson Beck (the announcer of many OTR shows like Superman) are featured, along with sportscaster and journalist Guy LeBow, who has one of the funniest scenes in the movie.
Woody Allen has a loyal following, but few of his films are so sweet or hopeful, or able to catch the whimsy of a wider audience. Even his fantasy The Purple Rose of Cairo which like Days stars Mia Farrow in a pivotal role – and was equally received by nostalgia and classic film fans – ends on a sad note. By contrast, Radio Days is one year’s end treat that leaves its audience with a feeling of warmth and appreciation.
Comfort and Joy and Radio Days aren’t the only Christmas films to feature radio. But the next film is the only one regarding a real-life person who died in the middle of a radio broadcast…
