Hello and Welcome to the new home of Funny Valentine Press, the home of Nostalgia Digest Magazine, the entertaining, educational quarterly magazine devoted to the “Golden Age” of radio, movies, music and television!

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Please, make yourself comfortable and enjoy your visit…

WHAT'S NEW?

THE NOSTALGIA DIGEST PODCAST IS HERE!
In response to many requests, we're pleased to start the new year with a new addition to this site: The Nostalgia Digest Podcast! Devoted to people and/or shows that have been featured in the pages of Nostalgia Digest magazine, the Nostalgia Digest podcast lets you take the fun of the Digest anywhere!

The May Podcast is devoted to Vic and Sade, as we look back at the daytime drama that wasn't a daytime drama.

For more information or to download the May 2012 Podcast, click here.

THIS SPRING--HIT THE ROAD!
The new Spring 2012 issue of Nostalgia Digest is back from the printer--with a cover story about the most famous Road crew of them all--Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour! And of course, every issue includes a complete schedule for our radio shows, Those Were the Days and Radio's Golden Age! You can learn more about the variety of articles in each issue of Nostalgia Digest by clicking here.

WE LOVE LUCY...ESPECIALLY ON RADIO!
When we saluted the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lucille Ball in 2011, we started thinking about her vast pre-television career in radio...and that led to Radio Loves Lucy, a brand-new collection featuring six hours of Lucy's radio work...everything from the comedy of My Favorite Husband to the drama of Suspense, alongside such legendary performers as Bing Crosby, Jimmy Durante, Clark Gable, Groucho Marx, Red Skelton, and Lucy's husband Desi Arnaz! For those of you who know Lucy as the queen of television comedy, we think this set will surprise you.

To learn more about how to order Radio Loves Lucy, click here.

NORMAN CORWIN, 1910-2011
Norman Corwin, the legendary writer, director and producer of original radio plays for CBS during the golden age of radio in the 1930s and '40s when he was revered as the "poet of the airwaves," has died. He was 101.

In 2002, future Nostalgia Digest publisher and Those Were the Days host Steve Darnall wrote the following Corwin biography for the Radio Hall of Fame:

Born in Boston in 1910, Corwin began his radio career as a local commentator. He moved to New York City in 1938 and produced Norman Corwin’s Words Without Music for CBS. Two of Corwin’s masterworks, “The Plot to Overthrow Christmas” and “They Fly Through the Air with the Greatest of Ease,” debuted on this series.

In 1941, CBS’ Columbia Workshop gave Corwin a 26-week series; he responded with stories ranging from the whimsical to the darkly serious to the inspirational. A similar approach was taken on 1944’s Columbia Presents Corwin.

In December of 1941, Corwin wrote and produced We Hold These Truths, an all-star celebration of the Bill of Rights’ 150th anniversary. This landmark program aired over all four networks simultaneously.

Corwin created the special V-E Day broadcast On a Note of Triumph, which Carl Sandburg called “one of the all-time great American poems.” Three months later, he wrote 14 August, a V-J Day documentary narrated by Orson Welles.

Corwin left CBS in 1948 and produced a series of programs for United Nations Radio. In 2001, National Public Radio aired six new Corwin plays under the title More By Corwin.

Two four-hour salutes to the work of Norman Corwin will air on Those Were the Days on January 14 and 21. Norman was a good friend to Nostalgia Digest and, in fact, contributed to the very first issue from Funny Valentine Press in 2005. You can read that article here. In addition, the Winter 2012 issue features a tribute to Mr. Corwin. You can get a copy--or a subscription to the Digest-- by clicking here.

LIBRARY BOOK-INGS

Over the last year, thousands of old-time radio fans turned out to hear Nostalgia Digest publisher and Those Were the Days host Steve Darnall talk about the Golden Age of Radio, sharing some stories and sound clips from some of the era's most memorable stars and shows! We have more such events planned for 2012 and we'll be listing them here and talking about them on our radio show, and hopefully we'll be in your neck of the woods before too long. 

Here's a brief rundown of our upcoming public appearances:

Tuesday, May 22, 7:00 pm: Oak Lawn Public Library, 9427 Raymond Avenue, Oak Lawn
Wednesday, June 6, 2:00 pm: SPECIAL PRESENTATION! "Radio and the Great American Songbook" at the Wilmette Theater, 1122 Central Avenue, Wilmette
Tuesday, June 19, 1:30 pm: Mount Prospect Public Library, 10 South Emerson Street, Mount Prospect

Stay tuned--there will be more to come! (And if you'd like to book Steve Darnall to give a presentation to your group, click here).

A "FACE" FOR RADIO

If you're a member of the Facebook community, we invite you to join our Nostalgia Digest Facebook group. It's a chance to meet some like-minded listeners and get news, information, and pictures pertaining to Nostalgia Digest and our various radio shows Those Were the Days and Radio's Golden Age. We're at 600 members and counting, so you'll be in good company!