Transatlantic Battlefront: How the Exiled Czech Comic Duo Continued Resistance to Nazi Occupation Via Radio Broadcasting.

Jiri Voskovec and Jan Werich (V+W) were Czech comedians and pioneers of avant-garde performances in pre-war Czechoslovakia at the Prague Free Theater. V&W were also gifted comedians, singers, and writers whose works encouraged resistance to Nazi aggression well into the mid-1930s. Both men were forced to emigrate from Czechoslovakia to the US in 1939.

During this one-hour program, you will be part of the Transatlantic journey of V&W, and learn about their work in the US during WWII. This program is based on research, archival evidence, and wartime recordings that were recorded on discs and broadcast by radio stations WRUL in Boston, the BBC in London and by the US Office of War information from the USA.

Filip Sir, DiS. is the coordinator for the digitization of audio documents in the Digitization & New Media Department of the National Museum, Prague. He plays a pivotal role in preserving and making available this historical audio legacy of the Czech Republic

Mr. Šír is partnering with the University of Iowa’s Rita Benton Music Library and Endpoint Audio Labs: recipients of a GRAMMY Museum Foundation Grant, dedicated to preserving the earliest recordings of Czech music made on American soil held in the Library’s Canter Rare Book Room.