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Fireside Al

Alan Maitland auditioned for the CBC as a singer in 1947. But he was hired as an announcer, and stayed for 46 years, contributing to programs such as On the Move, Children's Stories, Action Set, Centennial Diary, Matinee and more. In 1974 he joined As It Happens as co-host. During that time he became known affectionately as Fireside Al and Front Porch Al, tempting listeners to pull up a chair to the fire or on the porch (depending on the season) and listen.  He read stories by a long list of authors, and they were a delight for audiences, whether the story was a humorous or a poignant one.  His reading of The Shepherd, by Frederick Forsythe, has become a Christmas Eve tradition on As It Happens.

Hoofbeats on a Wooden Bridge

Broadcast Date: Dec. 21, 1978

In this 1978 clip from CBC Radio's As It Happens, Alan Maitland, as Fireside Al, reads Hoofbeats on a Wooden Bridge, by Alexander Woollcott.  It is a sentimental reminiscence about returning home for Christmas, and how well the memory can be evoked by the simple sound of hoofbeats on a wooden bridge.

Hoofbeats on a Wooden Bridge

• Alexander Woollcott was born Jan. 19, 1887 in Phalanx, New Jersey, and died Jan. 23, 1943, in New York City.

• He began his career with The New York Times, but after reporting for The Stars and Stripes during the First World War, Woollcott worked for various publications and eventually moved to radio, where he built his reputation as a critic. He served as the inspiration for the title role of The Man Who Came to Dinner, and was a member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of critics, writers, actors and artists who met daily for lunch at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City during the 1920s and 1930s.

Alan Maitland reads 'Hoofbeats on a Wooden Bridge'

Medium: Radio

Program: Fireside Al

Broadcast Date: Dec. 21, 1978


Narrator: Alan Maitland

Duration: 4:52

Photo: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Van Vechten Collection, reproduction number van.5a52814

Last updated:
Sept. 28, 2009


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MediaTitle and dateDescription
Radio
5:38 		Dec. 30, 1993
Alan Maitland reads 'The Little Match Girl'

Alan Maitland, as Fireside Al, reads the well-known Hans Christian Andersen story about the sad, cold little girl sent out to sell matches on New Year's Eve.
Radio
4:52 		Dec. 21, 1978
Alan Maitland reads 'Hoofbeats on a Wooden Bridge' 		Fireside Al tells the story Hoofbeats on a Bridge, by Alexander Woollcott.
Radio
3:48 		Dec. 18, 1978
Alan Maitland reads from 'The Mill on the Floss'

Fireside Al, reads George Eliot's enchanting description of Christmas, from The Mill on the Floss.
Radio
16:58 		Dec. 21, 1977
Alan Maitland reads 'Christmas Phantoms' 		Fireside Al reads the story Christmas Phantoms, by Russian author Maksim Gorky.
Radio
2:27 		Dec. 20, 1977
Alan Maitland reads 'Jest 'Fore Christmas'

Alan Maitland, in the guise of Fireside Al, reads the poem Jest 'Fore Christmas, a Christmas classic by Eugene Field.
Radio
3:51 		Dec. 24, 1976
Alan Maitland from the diaries of Samuel Pepys 		Alan Maitland, as Fireside Al, reads various Christmas entries from the 17th century diaries of Samuel Pepys.
6 results available