History in the Media: Cavalcade of America

In considering how history reaches the public, this week our class discussed a popular radio show which first aired in 1935 by CBS--Cavalcade of America. I chose to listen to the show about Mark Twain. Having discussed the radio show in class, I knew that it was sponsored by Dupont Paint Co. and sure enough the first thing I heard on the episode was the following quote:
"sponsored by Dupont—maker of better things through better Chemistry"
The episode also concluded with an advertisement for the company. As a historian, I was questioning Dupont's motives for supporting such a show, which judging by the amount of episodes available, lasted for years.  After a little searching, I discovered that Dupont was trying to restore faith in its company after being caught profiteering during the Great War.

Following this shameless plug, the show began. The narrator emphasized that Mark Twain was a sort of "down home" southerner who grew up on the banks of the Mississippi.  They attributed all of his best characteristics: being able to relate to people, humor, and patience to what he learned on the river. In addition to the band music in the background, there were also steamboat sounds.

The program seemed at all times to be trying to evoke a sort of nostalgia about the life of one of America's "literary sons" as they called him.  Emotion was conjured through various actors simulating his life experiences, from time with his brother "Sammy" and their mother, to the love he shared with his one day wife "Libby" or Olivia.  At the very end of the program which was detailing the end of Twain's life, he goes to France where he is surprised to learn that he has "won a world public's respect" as he is just country boy who "never got any formal education."  The show ends leaving us feeling the same sadness Twain feels at the end of his life that he has become too old for trips down the Mississippi and for his craft of writing.

I was surprised at how much this episode focused on Twain's life rather than the significance of his writings. The show's aim seemed to be to develop sentiment for Twain himself instead of understanding why is his one of America's literary sons.  The techniques used to convey such emotion were effective, but I did not feel I learned much about the historical significance of Mark Twain.  The way Cavalcade told the story, Twain's story could have been that of any American growing up on the Mississippi.