On December 7, 1941 Fenton Martin and his family were taking part in their regular Sunday routine of going to the movies. It was shaping up to be a typical relaxing time at the movies until a newsflash interrupted their show to announce that Pearl Harbor had been attacked.
When He Heard about Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor day was, of course, December 7, ’41. That was a Sunday, and we were, as a family, addicted to going to the movies Sunday afternoon. And we did and came back and turned on the radio – there was no TV. And first thing we knew, we got the “Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye” radio program. You may not even have heard of Sammy Kaye, but he was very popular then… and I liked him very much. I can remember the, “We interrupt this program to bring you an important announcement. This just in from the White House; Pearl Harbor has been bombed by the Japanese. Massive loss of life, et cetera, et cetera.
Transcript
When He Heard about Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor day was, of course, December 7, ’41. That was a Sunday, and we were, as a family, addicted to going to the movies Sunday afternoon. And we did and came back and turned on the radio – there was no TV. And first thing we knew, we got the “Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye” radio program. You may not even have heard of Sammy Kaye, but he was very popular then… and I liked him very much. I can remember the, “We interrupt this program to bring you an important announcement. This just in from the White House; Pearl Harbor has been bombed by the Japanese. Massive loss of life, et cetera, et cetera.