For full Audio/Visual page - please click here
Marga
Frank - Calling All Children
The
Little Dream Man for Little Bedtime People
Stories
that come in from the air are moments of magic. And, radio is a
wonderful thing for little listening people. And, the best stories
of all are the ones that send children to sleep with dreams in their
pockets and smiles on their faces. And, this, in Vienna, was radio
for children as it once used to be! And, it was all thanks to one
woman! Marga Frank.
It
was 1955. The age of new radio in Austria. A period of
excitement when things were invented as needed and methods didn't
come from a course. And, it was then that Marga Frank started a
program for children. The Little Dream Man. And, The Little Dream
Man was something quiet special.
The
Little Dream Man began every night around bedtime. Its little
listeners were all on their way to their beds. For, about to start
was something they loved. Stories that ended each day on a high.
But, of course, the telling of good stories wasn't all that it
seemed. It was an art.
Each
story had to last for exactly 4 minutes and 45 seconds. No longer
no shorter. And, and this was a challenge. And, it was the magical
thrill of these beautiful stories that made The Little Dream Man
successful. But, there was more. The program was live every evening
just before six, meaning, 365 stories each year! But, everything
always happened on time, and, as the years went by, so did the
stories.
And
the generations moved on as well. The Little Dream Man was so popular
that it lasted for almost 40 years. And, its first little listeners
grew up to become the grandparents of the last little listening
dreamers. And, then television arrived. And, the Little Dream Man
fell sadly asleep.
And,
Marga Frank was happily still with us until not long ago. And, with
her 90 long years, was able to look back on a life of providing great
listening pleasure. And, Austria, too, said thank you in a very big
way. Marga Frank was awarded the Austrian medal of honour for her
work. The highest honour of all! And,
quite rightly so. For she – after all - was the one who sent
millions of children to bed every night with smiles on their faces
and dreams in their pockets. Dream on little children.
