The concept of radio’s importance arising in this movie is quite evident and discussing it is inevitable. The radio plays a significant role in each character’s life, in providing cultural connections, and setting up the plot of the movie, hence the movie title Radio Days. For each character the radio has a different impact and a different meaning. Throughout the movie, the value of the radio is debated. Often times, the radio is looked down upon, such as in the reply that the mother has to the narrator when he says “You always listen to the radio.” Her responding, “It’s different, our lives are already ruined. You still have a chance to grow up and be somebody” shows a very negative connotation in terms of the radio. However, there are many instances where the radio did in fact improve the situation at hand, such as in Sally’s case. To provide a clear response to this prompt I will separate the comments by character, by event, or by connection – depending on which it is that I am discussing at that particular time.
I will begin with the narrator’s connection to the radio, seeing that it is told through his perspective. The narrator, Joe, thinks fondly of the radio. He tells us how the radio entertained him, gave him dreams of getting the secret compartment ring from his favorite radio shows (action adventure), and brought back instant flashes of good memories, such as his mother and father’s anniversary or the time he went to the New York theater with his aunt and her date. Personally, Joe really loves the radio and thinks of it as a positive creation, but it brings him a lot of problems as well. His dream of getting the secret compartment ring causes him to steal money from a school fundraiser and receive beatings from his rabbi and his parents. He is constantly insulted by his father for listening to the radio but he continues to listen despite of the consequences because of how much pleasure it does bring to him. We see this theme of both negative and positive aspects of the radio being repeated once again when we analyze Irene and Roger and Sally.
The radio makes Irene and Roger very successful and popular however the ratings are also the only reason that they stay together even though their marriage is falling apart due to each partner cheating on the other. Roger loves Sally but is stuck in a position where he must remain married to Irene simply for business. Sally’s case is the best one to use when supporting the radio because it essentially saved her life. If it wasn’t for her desire to be on the radio then she would have certainly been murdered. These two cases are brief examples of the negative and positive of the radio but in the movie this is not the only theme that appears.
We also see both cultural and “ethnic incidences”. The radio connects the characters to music (Aunt B), news, sports (Uncle Abe), romantic advice – council for the matters of the heart, and entertainment. Each character has their own personal connection as well. The mother enjoys listening to Breakfast with Irene and Roger [connection here between characters that wouldn’t have otherwise been intertwined] the father enjoys listening to a show about mathematical geniuses called Whiz Kids, and Ruthie loves to dance and sing along with her favorite catchy music group. By ethnic incidences, I mean when the radio and ethnicity interacted with each other. This can be best exemplified through the scene where the family was celebrating the Jewish holiday for atonement and the radio was blaring next door. This blaring was interfering with their religious activities and therefore causing a problem. Once again, the radio is seen in a negative light.
*Perhaps the radio may have been shown more as being a rather negative aspect of their lives than as a positive one, but good results were shown as well and in either case we see just how important the radio is to the lives of these characters.*
