January 14, 1929 - the first weekly installment of Empire Builders - Episode 290114

 

At 10:30 p.m., Eastern time, the Great Northern Railway went on the air with the first true broadcast of the Empire Builders series. As promised at the end of the Cascade Tunnel dedication broadcast just two nights before, this 30-minute program dramatized the early years in the life of James J. Hill.

This broadcast was just the first of a three-part story of the life of James J. Hill. In recognition of Hill's business savvy and foresight in developing the Great Northern Railway, people began calling him the "Empire Builder." Hill passed away in 1916, but his legacy remained fixed in the minds of all who worked for the Great Northern.

An NBC press release had this to say about the new radio program:

The transformation of the Northwest from a mountain wilderness to a rich farming territory with populous cities will be pictured in terms of dramatic incidents in the lives of its pioneers – “The Empire Builders.” Chief among these was James J. Hill, founder of the Great Northern Railway which pushed its lines through mountains and valleys, and left in its wake a trail of embryo cities. The courage of Hill and other pioneers associated with him in the task of founding a new “empire” is dramatized in the weekly program series.

When a decision was made to create a radio advertising campaign, a name for the broadcasts was needed. Rather than simply calling the programs "The Empire Builder" - suggesting a single-minded preoccupation with Jim Hill, the name "Empire Builders" was selected. This was intended to call attention not just to Hill but to all of the Empire Builders who had collectively contributed to the exploration and growth of the Pacific Northwest. This allowed the writers of the radio stories (advertising copy men, essentially) to draw from a deep well of possible themes. But it was perhaps a bit of self-serving corporate pride that led to a 3-part story of James J. Hill being the flag bearer of the launching of the new radio series.

A prominent Seattle newspaper, the Post-Intelligencer, had this to say about Empire Builders:

The Great Northern Railroad’s plan to boost the Pacific Northwest by radio – her industries, her agriculture and her playgrounds – will be put into effect immediately, it was announced yesterday by the National Broadcasting Company.

 

The railroad has arranged with the radio network for a series of transcontinental broadcasts, the first of which is scheduled tonight from 7:30 to 8 o’clock, Pacific Time, over KOMO, Seattle, and some forty associated stations. The program will originate in New York City.

 

A month of preliminary survey has preceded the writing of continuities for these broadcasts. Chief executives of both the railroad and the National Broadcasting Company toured Washington, Oregon and British Columbia, gathering facts and first-hand knowledge of the territory.

This episode of Empire Builders introduced the listening audience to the "Pioneer", who would also be commonly referred to as "the Old Timer." This character was played by Harvey Hays. The role of the Old Timer will be fleshed out a bit in future posts, but for now, it is sufficient to say he often participated in the opening of the program along with the NBC announcer to provide a segue into the evening's story.

The writers imbued the Pioneer with a deliberately folksy, if not downright corny, manner of speaking. By examining scripts (typically called continuities, since they include instructions for the inclusion of music, or written descriptions of sound effects and so on), one can see a clear evolution in the character of the Pioneer. He was a bit corny early on, becoming somewhat more sophisticated and grandfatherly in later seasons.

The first episode opened with a brief announcement of the program and a musical bridge simulating the sound of a train. Then the Pioneer stepped to the microphone.

Good evening, folks. Glad you’re with me tonight. Pretty cold outdoors. Dowan’t seem as cold as it used to though, forty years ago, when I first went out to the Northwest. Things are pretty different out there now – big and rich. There’s one thing though – there’s the same old stars.

After a brief interlude of fiddle music, the Pioneer continued . . .

Yes, it was like that. Well, most of the old songs have gone now, along with the men that sang them … There’s one thing. There’s the same old stars. The same old stars looking down. High and bright they are out here. Some of them have names, I guess. Named after the men they belonged to. Stars of destiny. If that’s so, there must be one named Jim Hill.