In Woody Allen’s Radio Days the radio acts as a unifying force that brings together families, communities, and the world. One scene that I immediately recognized as showing this connection perfectly is the scene where everyone is listening to the emergency radio broadcast about the girl who fell into a well and people were trying to rescue her. Everyone came together to listen attentively and hope that the little girl was alright. There was a common thought, feeling, and expression among all of these people from all different places. Though they probably did not know each other, they were connected in their well wishing for a good outcome for this tragic event. This connection was also evident throughout the film in the connection between the working class Jewish family from Rockaway and the rich and elegant people in Manhattan who’s lives were on the radio. The radio formed a link between these two unrelated groups of people who probably would not otherwise be connected are now linked and crucial to each other’s lives: without the listeners, the radio stars would not have a job, and without the radio stars, the listeners would be deprived of a thing that brings so much joy and enrichment to, and a needed escape from, their lives.
There are some key similarities and differences between the “families” depicted in Radio Days and Goodfellas. They are both a very close family that spends a lot of time talking to and associating with each other. They are also very deeply set in tradition and culture. Ethnicity and culture is very important to the mafia family portrayed in Goodfellas, as they only allow full Italians to rise higher within the family and live a life of privilege and highly value “respect.” While these norms are often associated with Italian-ness, I don’t necessarily believe that they are completely representative of an global ethnicity, but rather just part of an individual constructed culture. I think this is similar dynamic in Radio Days. The family’s idea of family and tradition and how they interact could be classified as stereotypically Jewish, but I think that it is more than that. While they are tight knit and told ethnic traditions such as fasting on holy days dear, they can bend their ideas to fit situations. For example, while they are fasting, the father goes over to the “communist” neighbors who are listening to the radio and ends up being convinced to eat non-kosher food and break the fast. However, I think that the family in Radio Days is different because even though they sometimes go away from tradition, they always seem to return, as this man is suddenly plagued by intense heartburn after talking to his family about what he has done. Though the child steals from the collection can, he is reprimanded and punished by his parents and the rabbi. The culture and environment in which this family lives is molded by both the radio culture that they depend on as an escape from their mundane lives and the culture of the New York that they exist in.
