Railroad Hour 51 04 16 (133) One Touch Of Venus

# The Railroad Hour - One Touch Of Venus

Settle into your favorite armchair as The Railroad Hour whisks you away to a world where classical mythology collides with modern romance in this enchanting April 1949 production of *One Touch of Venus*. The orchestra swells with lush, sophisticated arrangements as our story unfolds—a humble barber shop worker stumbles upon the legendary statue of Venus, and when he accidentally awakens the goddess of love, chaos and unexpected tenderness bloom. You'll hear the wit and charm of S.J. Perelman's dialogue transformed into song and spoken word, with melodies that dance between operetta elegance and accessible Broadway warmth. As the evening progresses, listeners are drawn into the delicious tension between ancient divinity and American ordinariness, between desire and domesticity, all framed by the gentle clickety-clack of train wheels and the show's signature operatic sensibility.

This episode represents The Railroad Hour at its cultural apex—a program that understood its post-war audience craved both sophistication and escape. Rather than restricting itself to railroad-themed narratives, the show brilliantly adapted Broadway's most ambitious musical comedies for radio, bringing them directly into living rooms across America without requiring a ticket to the Shubert Theatre. The program's orchestra, conducted by the legendary Al Goodman, was among the finest heard on radio, lending *Venus* an almost cinematic grandeur that radio rarely achieved. These weren't diluted versions of stage shows; they were lavish, fully-realized productions that proved the medium's artistic potential.

Don't miss this sparkling gem from radio's golden age—a reminder of when an evening's entertainment meant sophisticated music, romantic adventure, and the finest orchestrations money could broadcast. Tune in and experience the magic.