W.O. Mitchell's Jake & the Kid: The Popular Radio Play As Art & Social Comment

W.O. Mitchell's Jake & the Kid captivated radio audiences in the days before television and enjoyed ratings that rivalled those for the radio broadcasts of the CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. These homespun tales about the hired hand, Jake Trumper and his sidekick, the Kid, explored very human stories about life on the often cruel Prairies of Saskatchewan in a humorous vein that made a household name for the series across the breadth of Canada. Although he wrote many novels, most notably Who Has Seen the Wind, featured during the ceremonies at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Mitchell was as well known for these folksy plays. They enabled him to hone his writing craft in a mass medium, when few other outlets were available; to tackle social issues of the day with a light hand, and to develop many of the themes he would explore in his later novels. This study analyzes these popular radio plays, their Prairie and literary roots, the production process and their contribution and critical reception.