The Participant Observer: Journalist J.B. Kendall as a Social Research Practitioner in Old Time Radio�s Frontier Gentleman
Jefferson Spurlock
Abstract
When asked to name a fictional journalist, most people say Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Lou Grant. The name J.B. Kendall doesn�t make many lists. Kendall, the star of Old Time Radio�s Frontier Gentleman, was popular in 1958. Kendall was a British reporter traveling in the Montana and Wyoming Territories of the American Wild West. Thanks to satellite radio and the availability of classic radio programs, today�s audiences are exposed to Kendall, possibly more so than during the show�s initial run. This essay examines Frontier Gentleman and how the 19th century correspondent operates not only as a journalist, but also as a social research practitioner.
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