Pioneering Radio Writer Norman Corwin Dies at 101

Norman Corwin with his cherished typewriter, at his Wellworth Ave., Los Angeles apartment in February 1973. (Photo by James Duncan a.k.a. Arrowcatcher)

Writer Norman Corwin, who was a major force in American broadcasting for more than 70 years, has died at age 101.

Corwin went to work for CBS radio in the 1930s, where his plays, essays, and documentaries became must-hear listening for tens of millions of Americans. Hollywood stars who could command thousands of dollars for a single movie, were glad to perform with Corwin for little pay.

His works include “On a Note of Triumph,” broadcast the night Nazi Germany surrendered in World War II, and “We Hold These Truths,” marking the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Bill of Rights.

His post-war radio series, “One World Flight,” featured interviews with ordinary citizens and leaders in Europe and Asia as they struggled to emerge from the devastation of war.

Corwin later worked for United Nations radio and was nominated for an Academy Award for writing the 1956 film “Lust for Life,” a biography of painter Vincent Van Gogh.

He also authored a series of plays for television and was still writing radio dramas as late as 2001. Corwin was teaching at the University of Southern California at the time of his death.