I actually enjoyed watching Radio Days. I don’t know why, but movies set in the 1940’s and 1950’s showing the typical American life always interest me. Woody Allen’s use of the radio as a storytelling device and his portrayal of the Jewish-American family highlighted the dreams, aspirations, and daily life of people in the 1940’s. So Americana.
When looking at Radio Days in comparison to last week’s gritty, gruesome and gun-happy Goodfellas, the importance of race can be seen. The families in this film definitely identify with their roots, Jewish-American and Italian-American. From the way they spoke, to how they acted, to what they ate in each film, (most of the time stereotypical,) the racial identity was omnipresent. Another thing I noticed between the families in these two films was the way people treated and acted towards each other. On the surface, the mafia family in Goodfellas seemed cooperative. While they had to work together, there were set rules and ways of how to act and speak to each other. This was seen when Tommy was killed, and the whole idea of “made man.” However, in Radio Days, the family was more elastic. While arguments were seen throughout the film, (“which ocean is better?”) the arguments were petty, never escalating into major violence, like, you know, a murder. Basically, I feel that the family portrayed by Woody Allen acted more genuinely, without the threat and fear of murder or losing their status hanging in the back of their mind. While both “families” tried to work hard to further themselves, the mafia tried to keep themselves at the top of the underworld, while the family of Rockaway tried to get to the top, dreaming of Manhattan.
The radio served as a platform for Woody Allen to show the dreams, aspirations, and ideals of each family member on screen. Each character’s favorite station was different, like how it;s typical for each family member to adhere to different ideals and values. Some of the radio stories were hilarious, like the baseball player that literally lost everything, to sad, especially the story of the girl who fell down the well. The aural stories given by the radio gave the characters a sense of escape, dreaming of the world around them, outside of Rockaway Beach, Queens. By listening to the radio, working class, boring Queens and glamorized, glitzy Manhattan seemed lightyears away. I feel that the ideals and dreams seen in this family can be seen through many immigrants and minorities. The American ideals of being rich, famous, and/or gorgeous could be seen through the radio. The radio’s stories gave each character hope, making them think that “hey, I could do that too.” Whether it was sports, romance, or a good looking substitute teacher, the radio’s stories fueled the dreams of being “American,” and being “successful.” Keep dreaming.
