The Eagle's Brood 1947-03-05 CBS Documentary about Juvenile Delinquency


The Eagle's Brood was one of radio's first large scale documentaries. It set the standard for such broadcasts, even into the television era. It was part of a new division at CBS, its Documentary Unit. Edward R. Murrow, was in charge of its creation. The program was produced, written, and directed by Robert Lewis Shayon, already a key broadcasting executive in his 20s. He produced this effort at age 32. In 1946, his documentary about "the atomic age" was very well-received. The Eagle's Brood had a tremendous about of research behind it. Shayon toured US slums and prisons in his information-gathering efforts. His travels included New York City, New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, Columbus, Washington DC, Boston, and others. One radio critic, John Crosby, noted that the program did not single out cities by name; he suspected it was to not draw any wrath from those cities politicians. The script referred to cities as "an eastern city," or some other general manner. Shayon may have been trying to ensure that listeners knew the problems were rampant, in their own backyards, and not single out one location for such a large problem. His interviews included delinquents themselves, parents, social workers, law enforcement, judges, psychiatrists, and many others. The cast included Joseph Cotten, Luther Adler, Karl Swenson, and Dan Whittaker, among others.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.