Newsletter February 2026

Carl’s Corner

by Carl Amari

 

MR. PRESIDENT 

by Carl Amari and Martin Grams

Mr. President came to ABC radio in 1947 and lasted until 1953. Each half-hour drama was based on an actual incident in the life of one of the men who have held the office of President of the United States. The scripts were cleverly written in such a way as to not reveal the name of the President until the last line of dialog in the program, when the President would be addressed by name. The audience was thus encouraged to guess, from the plot of the episode, which President he was. The series was created by Robert G. Jennings and produced and directed by Dick Woolen. The stories were written by a team that included Jean Holloway, Bernard Dougall and Ira Marion. An expert research staff made certain that the facts depicted were accurate. Each and every week, the Chief Executive was portrayed by the same actor, Edward Arnold. Arnold appeared in over 150 films and had served as President of The Screen Actors Guild (1940-1942). A lifelong conservative Republican and staunch anti-Communist, Arnold was one of the first actors to seriously consider running for public office. After losing a close election for Los Angeles City Alderman in the mid 1940s, he expressed his views afterward that entertainment and politics were incompatible. Of course, he has been proven wrong numerous times since then.

LEND ME YOUR EARS by Lisa Wolf

DON’T STOP ME NOW, by Queen

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When Queen released “Don’t Stop Me Now” on their 1978 album Jazz, no one expected it to become one of their most enduring hits. At the time it charted modestly, but it wasn’t considered a standout single compared to giants like “We Will Rock You” or “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Over the years, the song has taken on a second life—one that’s closely tied to Freddie Mercury’s creative peak and the band’s studio experimentation. By the late ’70s, Queen had already established themselves as one of the world’s most dynamic rock bands, known for blending genres and pushing technology in bold new ways.

Freddie wrote the track during a period when he was leaning into more flamboyant, carefree songwriting. The lyrics reflect that energy. The band recorded it in Switzerland, where they were embracing multi-layered harmonies, crisp piano lines, and a cleaner, more polished sound than their earlier hard-rock style. Interestingly, Brian May said the band had mixed feelings about the song at the time, partly because the lyrics mirrored Freddie’s increasingly wild lifestyle.

As the decades rolled on, “Don’t Stop Me Now” built momentum. By the 2000s, it had become one of Queen’s most streamed songs and a fan favorite worldwide. Much of that resurgence came from its growing presence in pop culture. One of the most memorable uses was the comedic fight scene in Shaun of the Dead, which reintroduced the song to a new generation.

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Today, the song stands as one of Queen’s most beloved feel-good tracks. Decades after its release, “Don’t Stop Me Now” continues to lift playlists, movie scenes, and audiences alike—living up to its title every step of the way.