The Investigator
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''The Investigator'' (1954) was a radio play written by Reuben Ship and first broadcast by the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
(CBC) on May 30 of that year. The play lampooned the actions of the
U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
House Committee on Un-American Activities The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...
( HUAC) and United States Senator Joseph McCarthy.


Plot

''The Investigator'' concerns a Senator who is never explicitly identified as Joseph McCarthy, but who shares McCarthy's nasally whine and who uses such McCarthy-esque sayings as "Your uncooperative attitude can only cast the gravest doubts on your own loyalty." This senator dies in an airplane crash and finds himself at the gates of " Up Here", where a tribunal must decide whether he should stay Up Here or be sent " Down There". He meets Cotton Mather of the
Salem Witch Trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom w ...
,
Tomas de Torquemada Tomas may refer to: People * Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name * Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name * Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name * Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian su ...
of the
Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition ( es, Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition ( es, Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand ...
and the ‘Hanging Judge’ George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys who, despite their reputations as shrewd and conniving characters, call themselves "mere untutored novices" compared to the Senator. As it turns out, they've been looking for someone to commandeer the admission tribunal and bring to it "the latest inquisitorial techniques", and they think the Senator is the perfect man for the job. The Senator easily gains control of the committee and soon decides that a great many persons Up Here could potentially be subversives from Down There. He calls numerous historical figures to the stand, including
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...
,
Socrates Socrates (; ; –399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...
, John Milton, and
Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...
. When they testify, they all give oddly relevant quotations of theirs, such as when
Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...
states that "liberty of thought is the life of the soul." Completely disregarding their statements regarding freedom and rights, the Senator "deports" them all to "Down There", claiming that "security is the paramount issue." Trying to call
Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
to the stand, the Senator accidentally calls other persons named "Karl Marx" instead of ''the'' Karl Marx; as a result, he orders that all those Up Here with the name Karl Marx be deported to Down There. The Senator's actions soon create a panic of suspicion Up Here, where everyone is now a potential subversive. For instance,
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
,
Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...
, and
Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
agree to drop Chopin from their quartet because of his " Revolutionary Étude." Chopin's replacement, a "non-controversial" cipher named Otto Schmenk, gradually replaces other famous "subversives" in literature and music, but eventually he joins them in banishment as well. Finally, after sending dozens or hundreds of "subversives" Down There, the Senator has run out of ideas. "Can’t we jazz the hearing up with a few names?" he asks an assistant, "I don’t want them to think we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel." But Satan pays a call on the Senator, begging that his investigations cease, because the influence of those he's sent Down There are changing it ''too'' much; Karl Marx, for example, is distributing pamphlets declaring, " Workers of the Underworld, unite! You have nowhere to go but ''up''!" ("Which Karl Marx?" asks the Senator. "How should I know! There are hundreds of them!") Satan claims the Senator is "bungling" his job, insisting there are more subtle ways to handle his committee and the deportations. But the Senator has become a demagogue, valuing his position (and absolute power) above all else. Finally, claiming that "there is no one so high as to be immune from investigation," he's found the name he's looking for: " The Chief". Now even Mather and Torquemada try to discourage him, but the Senator refuses to listen. He rises to an insane scream, crying "I AM THE CHIEF!" as "The Chief" suddenly appears before him, banishing him to Down There. However, Satan refuses him entry, so, "pursuant to Article ...", he is returned to Earth, still muttering "I am The Chief ... I am The Chief ..." In a brief epilogue, an incredulous doctor explains to one of the Senator's allies, a Mr. Garson, that despite his being "the only survivor", found virtually unscathed at the foot of the mountain where the plane crashed, the Senator's mind has been affected, hence his strange mutterings. Declares Mr. Garson of the Senator's survival, "It was an act of God!"


History

''The Investigator'', which was well received by the left-wing press at the time of its airing, was considered by the right-wing faction in American politics to be anti-American propaganda. While not broadcast in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, within a few weeks bootleg tapes of the broadcast were in circulation in the US. Attempts to schedule it for broadcast in the US however met with great opposition from, amongst other groups, the American Legion. Approximately 100,000 copies of a phonograph recording of the play were pressed and circulated, mostly in the US, in at least 2 printings, by an otherwise unknown record label called Discuriosities. One edition has the number 'LP 6834' on the front and a blank white back; the other edition is listed only as '6834' and has significant liner notes on the back. The LP label claims a 1954 copyright by "Radio Rarities Inc.," while the '6834' jacket says 1955. It was no secret that Radio Rarities was one of the labels run by Sidney Frey's Dauntless International which advertised in The Long Player monthly record catalog. The original dark grey labelled copies were manufactured without credit by the Custom Division of Columbia Records with undisguised matrix numbers of XTV 22476 and XTV 22477. Later pressings made into the 1970s with undersized black labels are typical Audio Rarities-type pressings. These later pressings are the ones more likely to have rear cover liner notes. The play was denounced as communist propaganda by none other than
Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television personality, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New Yor ...
, and the recording gained a certain status as an underground classic during one of the high points of the Great Red Scare of the
McCarthy Era McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner. The term origina ...
. Hundreds of copies of the LP are known to exist in private record collections. Occasionally copies surface in secondhand stores and other such venues. It is available on line. One original copy is owned by television and film writer (Twilight Zone) Jeremy Bertrand Finch who adapted it to a b&w videotape production while attending a northern California college in 1972. It is not known how many other copies of the original pressing have survived. The British Library, London, has a copy (call number: 1LP0236812). It was issued on the British label Oriole; this pressing had red labels with a catalogue number MG 20006. The BBC has a copy of the LP; it broadcast the play in the Third Programme on 20 October 1966 (in the series 'America since the Bomb'). Broadside Records released an edition in very inferior sound quality with portions missing in 1966 (BR 451), and
Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was fo ...
records has it available as part of their press-on-demand program, along with a full transcript for free download. Although it is not known if this edition has been improved, there are now copies of a digital transfer of the original CBC master with the "Stage 54" opening and close in circulation among collectors.


Author

Reuben Ship, who was a key writer for producer
Irving Brecher Irving S. Brecher (January 17, 1914 – November 17, 2008) was a screenwriter who wrote for the Marx Brothers among many others; he was the only writer to get sole credit on a Marx Brothers film, penning the screenplays for '' At the Circus'' ( ...
's radio series ''
The Life of Riley ''The Life of Riley'' is an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, a 1950s television series, and a 1958 comic book. Radio The radio program initially aired on the Blue Network (later kn ...
'' during the mid and late 1940s, was involved in political struggles between two unions vying for control of the burgeoning television industry in the early 1950s, and he was promptly labeled a communist in HUAC hearings. Much to the dismay of the committee, it was determined that while much of his work could be considered treasonous if written by a US citizen, Reuben Ship was Canadian. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) arrested Ship in July 1953 and, after a prolonged ordeal, threw him out of the US at the
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
/
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
border crossing. Ship's comment upon being expelled from the "Land of Liberty" was that he "...felt liberated." It was this experience which gave him the material which he incorporated into ''The Investigator''.


Rebroadcast

The
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
has opened certain of their archives, including the recording of ''The Investigator''. The CBC rebroadcast the play as part of its radio network's archival series '' Rewind'' on March 25, 2010. It may be downloaded by contacting the CBC at the website listed below, or it may be listened to in streaming audio by accessing the Journal for MultiMedia History, link given below.


Fallout from US broadcast

In 1962, radio station KPFK, a member station of the Pacifica Foundation and located in the Los Angeles area, broadcast the play. Although KPFK enjoyed a reputation as an underground radio station, the uproar in the community subsequent to the broadcast nearly cost the station its license.


References


External links


Canadian Broadcasting Corporation: Rewind
* ttp://www.scenarioproductions.com/cbc/STAGE_SERIES/1.htm The InvestigatorThe Original CBC Broadcast Starring: John Drainie, Barry Morse, James Doohan (with "Heart of Darkness" radio play from 1951, Starring Lorne Greene)
The Investigator
Folkways Records. {{DEFAULTSORT:Investigator, The CBC Radio One programs Canadian plays Satirical plays 1954 plays Canadian radio dramas McCarthyism Cultural depictions of Joseph McCarthy