Old School: A Big Read Documentary
From: National Endowment for the Arts
Series: The Big Read
Length: 28:49
It is November 1960, and the unnamed narrator of Tobias Wolff's Old School (2003) is in his final year at an elite Eastern prep school. Proud of his independence but trying to fit in and advance himself, he conceals the fact that his ancestry is partly Jewish. Eventually, he—and we—discover that almost everyone on campus has some closely guarded secrets.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
It is November 1960, and the unnamed narrator of Tobias Wolff's Old School (2003) is in his final year at an elite Eastern prep school. Proud of his independence but trying to fit in and advance himself, he conceals the fact that his ancestry is partly Jewish. Eventually, he—and we—discover that almost everyone on campus has some closely guarded secrets.
Transcript
Old School
Radio Show - Transcript
Josephine Reed: Now, The Big Read.
Jackson Hille reads from Old School...
Robert Frost made his visit in November of 1960, just a week after the general election. It tells you something about our school that the prospect of his arrival cooked up more interest than the contest between Nixon and Kennedy, which for most of us was no contest at all. Nixon was a straight arrow and a scold. If he'd been one of us we would have glued his shoes to the floor. Kennedy, though—here was a warrior, an ironist, terse and unhysterical. He had his clothes under control. His wife was a fox. And he read and wrote books, one of which, Why England Slept, was required reading in my honors history seminar. We recognized Kennedy; we could still see in him the boy who would have been a favorite here, roguish and literate, with that almost formal insouciance that both enact...
Read the full transcript
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heartbreak Hotel | Elvis Presley | The Essential Elvis Presley . | SONY BMG Music Entertainment | 1956 | 00:00 |
| Hound Dog | Elvis Presley | The Essential Elvis Presley . | Sony BMG Music Entertainment | 1956 | 00:00 |
| Pick-Up Sticks | The Dave Brubeck Quartet | Time Out. | Desmond Music Company and Derry Music Company | 1959 | 00:00 |
| Blue Rondo a la Turk | The Dave Brubeck Quartet | Time Out . | Desmond Music Company and Derry Music Company | 1959 | 00:00 |
| Take Five | The Dave Brubeck Quartet | Time Out. | Desmond Music Company and Derry Music Company | 1959 | 00:00 |
| Rumble | Link Wray | Law of the Jungle: The 64 Swan Demos . | Forevermore Music and Records, Inc. | 2005 | 00:00 |
| Briony | Dario Marianelli | Atonement (soundtrack). | Universal Pictures Music | 2007 | 00:00 |
| Cee, You, and Tea | Dario Marianelli | Atonement (soundtrack). | Universal Pictures Music | 2007 | 00:00 |
| With My Own Eyes | Dario Marianelli | Atonement (soundtrack). | Universal Pictures Music | 2007 | 00:00 |
Additional Credits
Written and produced by Dan Stone.
Music licensed by Adam Kampe.
"Heartbreak Hotel" written by Mae Axton [33.33%], Tommy Durden [33.33%], and Elvis Presley [33.34%]. Administered by Sony/ATV Tree Publishing 100% (BMI), U.S. and Canada.
"Hound Dog" written by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, used by permission of Universal Music Publishing Group (BMI).
"Pick-up Sticks" and "Blue Rondo a la Turk," each by Dave Brubeck, are published by Derry Music Company throughout the world. "Take Five," by Paul Desmond, is published by Desmond Music Company in the United States and by Derry Music Company in the rest of the world
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