Let's Go To the Opera

Here we have a blatant attempt at bringing culture to the masses. Which is not to say that the common man has no appreciation for the true beauty of art so much as the fact that the working class was supposedly too busy making a living to gain an appreciation for high arts like literature and opera.

Radio certainly helped to make popular music popular from coast to coast, "long hair music" like opera remained the domain of the upper classes. To be fair, a night at the opera was an incredible expense, usually beyond the means of a factory worker or tradesman’s wages, while anyone with a radio could tune in and enjoy Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller or any number of Hillbilly music programs.

Let's Go To The Opera brought opera music into the homes of everyday people over the Mutual Network in 1946. The songs are sung in English, and since they are just selections from great operas. There are no costumes or sets, and the libretto or story is conspicuously absent. However, the music is hauntingly beautiful.

Interestingly, Let's Go To The Opera was sponsored by the Book of the Month Club, another attempt to bring high culture to the masses. Actually, the Book of the Month Club was more a marketing ploy than a bastion of culture, but there is no arguing with success. Members were usually offered a selection of great books as an enticement to join, often 4 books for $1 plus shipping. After receiving their promotional order, each month the club would send members a selection at full price. Members would be notified of the selection before it was shipped, and given the chance to decline the book. Having a work selected as a Book of the Month Selection assured an author of wide readership.

The Book of the Month Club was founded in 1926 by advertising agent Harry Scherman. In 2014, The Book of the Month Club was phased out and its membership merged with the Literary Guild.