Philip Quarles

"The Actor and Clichés In the Theater," is the subject Sir Alec Guinness chooses for this impromptu 1964 performance before the Overseas Press Club. 

The author of Tin Drum talks to the Overseas Press Club

Goodman, close to his prime. 

The pride of Kalamazoo, Edna Ferber, speaks at the Book and Author Luncheon.

A radio sign of the times.

Jules Feiffer draws a picture of the state of pop culture

James T. Farrell, the creator of Studs Lonigan, is often thought of as a crude, dogged, naturalist writer; it's refreshing to hear the author speaking, in this recording from 1952, of what truly obsesses him: literature.

"America is being forced to face itself."

Abba Eban defends his country against a variety of accusations presses for admission to the United Nations.

WNYC's American Music Festival features Richard Dyer-Bennet in his all-too-brief heyday, before betrayal and political accusations would derail his career, in this 1945 studio appearance.

"Three Generations From the Court of Domestic Relations" is the title of this 1954 performance by the monologist Ruth Draper.

Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas talks about the Middle East and more.

Tommy Dorsey's 1945 teaming up with Leopold Stokowski drives the young audience into a frenzy even before the first note is played. Stokowski comes across as a bit schoolmasterish, admonishing the audience to be quiet or "the concert ends now."

Welcome to Irish leader.

Carmine G. DeSapio rose through the ranks of Tammany Hall, the New York City Democratic machine, starting out as an errand boy and becoming "boss" in 1949. The upcoming presidential contest is very much on DeSapio's mind during this 1955 edition of Campus Press Conference.

Speaking first in this 1955 debate, the Democratic boss Carmine G. DeSapio bristles at the question, "Is Tammany Hall fundamentally corrupt?" He dismisses such "sinister implications," claiming they refer to long-ago scandals.

Yes I Can was not treated as just another celebrity autobiography but regarded quite seriously as an exploration of racism and one man's confronting the highest and lowest experiences.

C Noël Coward coolly rebuts those critics calling him "antiquated, snobbish, and belonging to an earlier, more complacent age."

The media changes, but the arguments remain the same.

The Nature v. Nurture wrestling match of the 1950s.