First Flight, First Hand
From Western Folklife Center Media
| 00:16:33
Producers: Hal Cannon and Taki Telonidis of the Western Folklife Center
On the anniversary of the famous flight at Kitty Hawk, we hear the story of the Wright Brothers from people who witnessed first-hand the dawn of aviation, and whose voices were preserved decades ago in a series of interviews that have never been broadcast.
Originally broadcast on NPR's Weekend Edition November 30, 2003.
Broadcast History
Originally broadcast on November 30, 2003 on NPR's Weekend Edition.
Transcript
FIRST FLIGHT, FIRST HAND
Western Folklife Center Media
Intro:
We have all seen “that” picture. We’ve all read the history books in school. And for as long as anyone can remember, Wilbur and Orville Wright and their famous flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina have been the stuff of legend.
Music:
(Orson Welles poem)
It was a windy day in North Carolina…windy and light
Sun was shining...air was cold and bright
Couple of brothers…the brothers Wright
Stood around, gave orders, lent a hand
When out of its shed on the big gray field…was wheeled…
The contraption, the construction. The plane… (fade under Liane & lose)
Intro:
But as often happens with the passage of time, the real people begin to fade behind their legend. Today, we’re going to tell a first-person history of the Wright brothers… with help from those who knew and worked with Orville and Wilbur—people who...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
HOST INTRO:
Host: We have all seen "that" picture. We've all read the history books in school. And for as long as anyone can remember, Wilbur and Orville Wright and their famous flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina have been the stuff of legend.
Music: (Orson Welles Poem)
It was a windy day in North Carolina...windy and light
Sun was shining...air was cold and bright
Couple of brothers...the brothers Wright
stood around, gave orders, lent a hand
When out of its shed on the big grey field was wheeled, the contraption, the construction, the plane. (fade under host and lose)
Host: But as often happens with the passage of time, the real people begin to fade behind their legend. Today, we're going to tell a first-person history of the Wright brothers...with help from those who knew and worked with Orville and Wilbur--people who witnessed first-hand the dawn of aviation and whose voices were preserved decades ago in a series of interviews that have never been broadcast before. The Western Folklife Center's Hal Cannon reports.
-------------------------------------------
Host Back Announce:
The Wright Brothers story was produced by Taki Telonidis (TAH-kee tell-oh-NEED-us), with archival material from Carillon (KAR-uh-lahn) Historical Park, the University of Dayton Roesch Library (pronounced RUSH) and the National Air and Space Museum. Technical assistance from Larry Holt (rhymes with bolt) from member station KUER. Funding for our story on the Wright Brothers was provided by the R. Harold Burton Foundation.
Musical Works
Aeroplane Dip- Piano by Jon Kalbfleisch
From: “There’s Music in the Air: Selections from the Smithsonian Institution
Library’s Air & Space Museum Branch Bella Landauer Aeronautical Music
Sheet Music Collection” c2003
*This CD accompanies the Air & Space Museum’s exhibition: The Wright
Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age
Airborne Symphony- reading by Orson Welles
From: Bernstein Century: American Masters 2
SONY Classical, 2000
Performed by Choral Arts Society conducted by Leonard Bernstein with
Orson Welles as narrator
Wright Brothers Rag- Wynton Marsalis and Ellis Marsalis
From: Joe Cool’s Blues
SONY, 1995
French Flying Song- (early cylinder recording/no further information known)
Song of the Wright Boys- Sung by Byron Jones, piano by Jon Kalbfleisch
Written by Mary Knostman, 1909
From: “There’s Music in the Air: Selections from the Smithsonian Institution
Library’s Air & Space Museum Branch Bella Landauer Aeronautical Music
Sheet Music Collection” c2003
*This CD accompanies the Air & Space Museum’s exhibition: The Wright
Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age
Come Josephine in My Flying Machine-
Performed by Ada Jones and Billy Murray (1911)
Written by Alfred Bryan and Fred Fisher
Published by Shapiro, Bernstein & Co
Me and Jane in a Plane-
Performed by Jack Hylton & His Orchestra
Written by Leslie & Gilbert, 1927
Come Take a Trip in My Airship
Performed by Billy Murray
Edison Records, 1905
Wait ‘til You Get ‘Em Up in the Air
Performed by Billy Murray, 1919
Jesus is My Aeroplane
Performed by Mother McCollum, 1930
The Cowboy’s Airplane Ride
Performed by Wilf Carter
The Airplane Ride
Performed by Nell Hampton
Lucky Lindy
Lyrics: L. Wolfe gilbert
Music: Abel Baer
1927
Average Rating
Bookmark & Share
Additional Information
- Produced: Nov 01, 2003
- Added to PRX: Jul 22, 2005
- This piece is in English
Dmae Roberts
Posted on July 23, 2005 at 04:32 PM | Permalink
Review of First Flight, First Hand
Entertaining sound rich recounting of the Wright Brothers' historic flight. Great archival material and well-written narration makes this piece by Producer Hal Cannon a fascinating listening. This isn't the happy story of inventors revered and successful. One died an early death. The remaining brother quit aviation soon after weary of fighting patent lawsuits including a dispute with the Smithsonian. There's even a brief recording of Wilbur. This piece would work well on any news magazine show. Certainly the topic of early aviation shouldn't be limited to the Wright Brothers Anniversary date. There is an NPR news tag outcue though that should be edited out and a station could easily back announce the producer credit.