A Matter of Prejudice (radio)

"A Matter of Prejudice" is a radio program from the American radio anthology series Radio Tales. The anthology series adapted classic works of American and world literature for the radio. The series was a recipient of numerous awards, including four Gracie Allen Awards from the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television (in 2004, [ [http://www.awrt.org/press-releases/2004/Press_Release_%20Announce_Winners.pdf "AWRT Press Release"] AWRT.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] 2003, [ [http://www.npr.org/about/press/030402.gracie.html "NPR Productions Win Gracie Allen Awards"] NPR.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] 2001, [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20011126020253/www.awrt.org/awards/2000GracieWinners.html "2001 Gracie Allen Award Winners"] AWRT.org, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] and 1998), a New York Festivals WorldMedal, [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20050207122048/http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/res/pdf/2004RPwinners.pdf "2004 Winners, Radio Programming and Promotion, New York Festivals"] NewYorkFestivals.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] and a Golden Reel Merit Award. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20010802161539/www.nfcb.org/2001reelsinfo.html "NFCB Announces 2001 Golden Reel Award Winners"] NFCB.org, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] The program entitled “A Matter of Prejudice" from the Radio Tales series was an adaptation of the classic short story of the same name by Kate Chopin.

Broadcast History

The Radio Tales production of “A Matter of Prejudice” was first broadcast via NPR on September 25, 2001 [National Public Radio: "NPR Quarterly Edition Fall 2001". NPR Marketing, Vol. VII, No. IV] . The program encompassed one half-hour installment that was distributed to NPR member stations as part of the NPR Playhouse cultural series. Since November 28th, 2002, the entire Radio Tales series has aired in reruns on the Sonic Theater channel (163) of the XM Satellite Radio service [ [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/features/sonictheater.xmc "Sonic Theater"] XMRadio.com. Accessed May 22, 2008.] .

Production Information

The program was produced and script edited by series producer Winnie Waldron, who also served as the on-air host [ [http://www.winifredphillips.com/wp_bio.html "Winifred Phillips Official Site: Biography"] Winifredphillips.com. Accessed May 19, 2008.] . Composer Winifred Phillips created over twenty-eight minutes of music for the program, and also performed as the featured actress [ [http://www.mninter.net/~jstearns/nprPH.html#top "NPR Playhouse - January - March, 2001"] MNinter.net. Accessed March 21, 2008.] . “A Matter of Prejudice” was part of the sixth year of Radio Tales on NPR Playhouse [National Public Radio: "NPR Quarterly Edition Fall 2001". NPR Marketing, Vol. VII, No. IV] .

Media

The Radio Tales production of “A Matter of Prejudice” has been available in numerous formats and venues, including burn-on-demand CDs manufactured and distributed by MP3.com [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20031129193548/artists.mp3s.com/artists/33/npr_radio_tales.html "MP3.com: Radio Tales"] MP3.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed July 15, 2008.] and Ampcast.com [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20060212003627/http://www.ampcast.com/music/25229/artist.php "Ampcast.com: Radio Tales"] Ampcast.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed July 15, 2008.] . Beginning in 2005, programs from the series, including “A Matter of Prejudice”, have been available for download via the Audioville.co.uk web site [ [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view.php?Id=527&ProductCategoryId=59 "audioVille | Stor>>Fiction | Radio Tales | Download Audio Books, Podcasts and more in MP3. Comedy, Fiction, sport, news, science, drama."] Audioville.co.uk. Accessed July 19, 2008.] .

Opening narration

Plot Summary

As the story begins, Madame Carambeau sits in her rocking chair on one side of her old house in the French quarter of New Orleans, while a raucous birthday party continues noisily on the other. Madame’s widowed daughter throws this party for her son every year, and it now forms part of a long list of annoyances that Madame can hardly tolerate. In fact, her prejudice against anything indecorous, sacrilegious, and (above all) non-French has kept her from speaking to her son for ten full years, because he had married an American girl. But now, her solitude has been disrupted by one of the children at the birthday party; a pretty little girl who throws herself into Madame’s lap during a game of tag. Madame detects that the child is flushed and feverish. Her sympathies thus invoked (along with her considerable pride in her nursing proficiency), madame carries the child off to bed and ministers to her overnight, sending word to the parents that the child must remain until recovered. The next morning, the child is returned to her parents. Thereafter madame can not stop thinking about the lovely little girl … despite the girl’s misfortune in being American and not French. A month passes, during which Madame Carambeau’s many prejudices are assailed by doubts and misgivings, and then on Christmas morning, her eyes are at last opened to Truth. Astonishing her daughter, madame attends an American church service, and afterward goes to the home of her son Henri. Arriving, she discovers that the little child she had nursed to health a month before was in fact her own grandchild.

References

External Links

* [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view.php?Id=531&ProductCategoryId=59 A Matter of Prejudice page on Audioville.co.uk]
* [http://www.radiotales.com/ The Official Radio Tales® Web Site]
* [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view_productcategory.php?Id=59 Radio Tales® Full Catalog on AudioVille]
* [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/channelpage.xmc?ch=163 XM Satellite Radio's Sonic Theater Channel]