Radio: Villainy

Precise and tall among the nondescript brownstones off Manhattan's Gramercy Park stands the National Hospital for Speech Disorders, founded 23 years ago by an earnest laryngologist with the neat name of James Sonnett Greene. The hospital cannot pretend to serve all the 13,000,000 afflicted with speech disorders in the U. S., but it does its bit. In its time it has helped some 30,000, has guided a national move toward unfettered speech, once inaugurated a campaign which has pretty much driven stuttering comedians from the cinema. Its Ephphatha Club, named for the command ("be opened") by which Christ cured the stutterer,...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!