# Paul Harvey
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [January 25, 2013, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300 "2013-01-25T08:01:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300/41 "2013-01-27T19:57:11Z")
> [@johnpost](#):
>
> he was influenced by, to the point of imitation, of the sportscaster Bill Stern.
>
> … you have to find material from the right time periods and compare them side by side.
Maybe you do, but the first clip I pulled up of Stern was convincing enough. Aside from slowing down Stern’s breathless delivery, it sounded like Harvey copped Stern’s entire shtick.
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### Author:  [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300/42 "2013-01-28T01:32:33Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#):
>
> I hate to speak ill of the dead, but Harvey was a racist. He worried about “the browning of America” and the yellow peril of China. Not racist in the “keep them out of our schools” school of thought, but racist in the “holy shit they’re going to outbreed us into oblivion” school of thought.
> [@madsircool](#):
>
> Evidence please
I have no evidence, but it doesn’t seem particularly inconsistent with what I do remember.
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### Author:  [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300/43 "2013-01-28T15:32:34Z")
“Helloooo Americans… Stand by for… News! But first a message from Ace Hardware.”
“And in a moment; you’re going to heeeaaarrrrr, the REST of the story!”
Good Ole Paul Harvey. I used to love listening to his news breaks. I like (and agree) with the descriptions above about listening to an uncle at the dinner table. The guy was such a huckster. He could/would sell anything.
Here’s an audio clip from 1968… [http://lileks.com/bleat/?p=1223](http://lileks.com/bleat/?p=1223)
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300/44 "2013-01-28T15:42:09Z")
Before I ever saw a picture of Mr. Harvey I imagined him to look like [James Millican](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Millican) and when I eventually saw [Paul’s picture](http://blog.allanellenberger.com/tag/paul-harvey/) I was somewhat satisfied with my perception. Not so with others like Arthur Godfrey and the guy who was the radio Lone Ranger.
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### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300/45 "2013-01-28T18:03:45Z")
> [@Zeldar](#):
>
> Not so with others like Arthur Godfrey and the guy who was the radio Lone Ranger.
If you want a disconnect between the radio voice and the performer, consider[Bud Collyer](http://www.digitaldeliftp.com/DigitalDeliToo/Images/Bud-Collyer-2.png)as Superman or [William Conrad](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iHab8c49pns/SYoceYC6TzI/AAAAAAAAAKM/CxpTDNyDzJ0/s200/william.jpg)as Matt Dillon.
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300/46 "2013-01-28T18:07:38Z")
> [@kunilou](#):
>
> If you want a disconnect between the radio voice and the performer, consider[Bud Collyer](http://www.digitaldeliftp.com/DigitalDeliToo/Images/Bud-Collyer-2.png)as Superman or [William Conrad](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iHab8c49pns/SYoceYC6TzI/AAAAAAAAAKM/CxpTDNyDzJ0/s200/william.jpg)as Matt Dillon.
Perfect! I almost mentioned those very people.
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### Author:  [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2013, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300/47 "2013-02-04T15:07:03Z")
Here is the [ad](http://www.wsyr.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=104668&article=10765342) Dodge put together for the Super Bowl featuring Paul Harvey.
Pretty prescient post.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300/48 "2013-02-04T15:54:27Z")
When I was a teenager, my father owned a True Value hardware store. He’d have the radio playing in the store, tuned to the station that carried Paul Harvey, in part because True Value was a long-time sponsor of Harvey’s show. “That’s a True…Value!”
One of his mannerisms I remember was when he’d report on an accident or other incident in which there were casualties. “Big fire last night in Los Angeles…five dead, dozens hurting.” Odd turn of phrase, I always thought.
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300/49 "2013-02-04T15:57:12Z")
How timely. Ram Truck’s big Superbowl ad was set to a paean to farmers by Paul Harvey. What a bullshit commercial that was. “God made a farmer. Buy a Dodge.” Bleargh.
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### Author:  [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2013, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300/50 "2013-02-04T16:00:09Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#):
>
> I used to like his radio show as a kid, but I also believed them to be true at the time. I think a lot of them are hugely false.
Same here. I felt the same way about “The Book of Lists” – so cool when I was a kid, but harder to enjoy as a skeptical adult.
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### Author:  [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300/51 "2013-02-04T16:23:58Z")
> [@Acsenray](#):
>
> How timely. Ram Truck’s big Superbowl ad was set to a paean to farmers by Paul Harvey. What a bullshit commercial that was. “God made a farmer. Buy a Dodge.” Bleargh.
Oh my goodness! They so blatantly commercialized Paul Harvey! Shocking!
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300/52 "2013-02-04T16:35:28Z")
I don’t object to commercialization of Paul Harvey. I object first to the cheesiness of the Harvey essay and the attempt to give it dignity or gravity of a Great American Speech.and The clunky attempt to connect god and farmers to a truck brand, particularly a brand that didn’t exist when those Depression era images were taken. Heh. All those farmers were driving Fords. It was so incongruous and treacly that I laughed out loud.
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### Author:  [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300/53 "2013-02-04T16:58:50Z")
Another of his quirks was covering stories about crazies who’d do things like shooting up a workplace. His line was “He’d like us to mention his name. Page two” (and say nothing more about it). Pretty sweet move!
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### Author:  [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-harvey/648300/54 "2013-02-04T17:17:38Z")
> [@hogarth](#):
>
> Same here. I felt the same way about “The Book of Lists” – so cool when I was a kid, but harder to enjoy as a skeptical adult.
Loved those too, and also Ripley’s Believe it or Not books (which in addition to the easily checked 1,200 pound men and planetoid sized balls of twine that do exist reported things that didn’t or grossly simplified true things). Also the era of von Danichen and the 144,000 other ancient astronaut books.
I guess Harvey was ancient astronauts for people who didn’t like sci-fi- the more “man bites dog” commentator who reported on the colorful but mundane without looking behind the curtain.
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