A few more thoughts on The Singing Lady, Ireene Wicker, and her little record of "Dicken's Christmas Carol" - no points for grammar, though!
This record is definitely an artifact of its time. It's certainly not what passes for entertainment these days, children's or otherwise, but I think it's quite charming.
If you can put yourself back into the 1940s before television took hold, it's easy to see kids being entertained by a nice lady who's telling you stories, whether it's on the radio or your phonograph.
I do like Ireene Wicker's style. She seems like she's talking to you, not at you, which I know I appreciated when I was a kid.
She was born in Illinois, which I guess explains her accent. Henry Higgins could easily figure that out.
I like how she establishes a separate voice for each character, which helps keep the story moving along.
Something not to sleep on is the unusual spelling of her first name. She apparently added the extra "e" on the advice of an astrologist, and had been using that spelling since at least the early 1930s. Interesting that such things were going on well before Dionne Warwick(e)!
In any event, this record is another fun little item that provides a window into the past.
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