“THE CLUB OF FAMOUS CAPTAINS”: MATERIALS FOR A HISTORY OF BROADCASTING (1945–1986)

Abstract

Based on the publications of radio programs in weeklies and central daily newspapers, supplemented by archival materials from the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art and the State Catalogue of the Museum Fund of the Russian Federation, this study establishes the frequency and number of episodes of the radio program The Club of Famous Captains by Vladimir M. Kreps and Klimenty B. Mints (1945–1986). A total of 207 episodes has been identified. For the first time, broadcasts of The Club of Famous Captains from 1957 and 1983–1986 are introduced into scholarly circulation, challenging the prevailing view of complete radio silence between 1954 and 1965, and the termination of this radio play in 1982. Attention is given to the various types of broadcasts of The Club of Famous Captains — premiere radio plays, rebroadcasts, programs based on listeners’ letters, and musical broadcasts featuring songs. Statistical analysis shows that the largest number of broadcasts aired in the 1970s (67), the fewest in the 1980s (21), and the year with highest output was 1946 (19). The non-radio life of the Club is also surveyed, including meetings between listeners and screenwriters, directors, and actors, as well as nationwide exhibitions of children’s drawings, theatrical performances based on the program, books, and vinyl records.