Trivia

Norman Corwin was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1993.

He died two days after the airing of Running the War/The Life and Death of Vincent Van Gogh (2011), produced by his old employer CBS News, which largely discredited the depiction of Van Gogh's death as it was presented in his screenplay for Lust for Life (1956).

On Corwin's 100th Birthday, the Writers Guild Of America West gave him a "Gala" in Hollywood, which was hosted by Leonard Maltin and featured live performances of two of his favorite works and birthday speeches and reminiscences by many people, including Carl Reiner, Hal Kanter, William Shatner, and others. On that occasion, the National Audio Theatre Festival organization announced the creation of the Norman Corwin Award for Excellence in Audio Theatre, which is given annually to an individual or group who have made significant contributions to the art form in the United States.

He was a lecturer in Journalism at the University of Southern California until he was 97.

A documentary film on Corwin's life, A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin, won an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Feature) in 2006.

He was the writer and creator of series such as The Columbia Workshop, 13 By Corwin, 26 By Corwin and others.

N 1996, he received the Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa from California Lutheran University.

He was inducted into the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Diamond Circle in 1994.

Because of his interest in writing, he sought a position in journalism and was ultimately hired by the Greenfield (MA) Recorder as a cub reporter when he was only seventeen. In Greenfield, he reported on the courts and was also a film critic. Several years later, Corwin was hired by the Springfield (MA) Republican.

After leaving the CBS Network, he was Head of Special Media Programming for the United Nations in the early 1950s, producing radio programs explaining the U.N.'s organization and goals, and documenting some of its efforts worldwide.

Les Guthman's feature documentary on Mr. Corwin's career, Corwin aired on PBS in the 1990s.

Corwin won a One World Award, two Peabody Medals, an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a duPont-Columbia Award; he was nominated for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for Lust for Life (1956).

On May 12, 1990, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Lincoln College.

Corwin was an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing.

Corwin was among the first producers to regularly use entertainment - even light entertainment - to tackle serious social issues. In this area, he was a peer of Orson Welles and William N. Robson, and an inspiration to other later radio/TV writers such as Rod Serling, Gene Roddenberry, Norman Lear, J. Michael Straczynski and Yuri Rasovsky.

While living and working in Springfield in the early 1930s, he became involved with radio broadcasting. He first worked as the radio editor of the Springfield Republican and subsequently began broadcasting his own radio program. The date of his first broadcast has been reported as early as 1931 by R. Leroy Bannerman; but the Springfield (MA) Republican reported that his first program, Rhymes and Cadences, a show during which Corwin read poetry, and his friend Benjamin Kalman offered musical interludes on the piano, debuted in March 1934 on WBZ in Boston and WBZA in Springfield.

Norman graduated from Winthrop High School, but unlike his brothers, he did not attend college. His earliest goal was to be a writer.

During the 1930s and 1940s he was a writer and producer of many radio programs in many genres: history, biography, fantasy, fiction, poetry and drama.

Corwin was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1993.

A major figure during the Golden Age of Radio, his work was very influential both at the time and later. He has been called "The Grand Master Of American Audio Theatre.".

His work was very influential on successful creative and performing artists, including Ray Bradbury, Charles Kuralt, The Firesign Theatre, Robert Altman, and Robin Williams among many others.

His earliest and biggest successes were in the writing and directing of radio drama during the 1930s and 1940s.