The-Great-Radio-Hero

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The-Great-Radio-Hero THE GREAT I?AIDIO U IFIOFS JIM HARMON Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear... a nostalgic re-creation including actual scripts of your magic hours lived with Jack Armstrong, Tom Mix, I Love a Mystery, First Nighter, Inner Sanctum, Ua Perkins, and all the other radio immortals. T.G.R.H. $4.95 THE GUEAT L IDIG I-IEL?CES JIM 11-1,4RMCIS This is a true story of true love. If you were any kind of decent kid in the thirties, forties, and early fifties, it is your love story. And now in all its glory you will love it again. Return with us now to those thrill- ing days of yesteryear, when the most exciting people in the most exciting places, having the most exciting ad- ventures flew across the airways to Stromberg -Carlson consoles and homemade crystal sets right in our very own homes! Here they are - the righteous Lone Ranger, the fair-minded Jack Arm- strong, straight-shooting Tom Mix, the martyred Stella Dallas, the kindly old crack shot Mr. Keane, the mysterious Shadow, the buzzing Green Hornet, the frigid Sergeant Preston, the over- heated Fat Man, the meddling Ma Perkins, the analytic Sherlock Holmes, the high-flying Captain Midnight, the incredibly typical Vic and Sade, the (Continued on back flap) (Continued from front flap) fearless Gangbusters, irresistible Su- perman, the world's oldest 35 -year old Helen Trent, the cool Sam Spade, the indestructible Little Orphan Annie and all the others. They're all here, complete with real, genuine truth about their fantastic lives, their sometimes secret identi- ties, their authors, actors and sponsors - PLUS generous excerpts from many of their most thrilling scripts! In THE GREAT RADIO HEROES, Jim Harmon re-creates the atmosphere of those thrill charged days and static charged evenings ... and delivers enough data to keep any remember - the -good -old -days party hopping for hours and hours. Jim Harmon is a writer, sometime broadcaster and an old radio nut. He probably knows more about the radio heroes than any man and is willing to fight it out for the title in the Temple of Vampires. A life-long devotee of the subject and a dedicated collector of facts and folklore, transcriptions and scripts, decoders and shake-up mugs, he is a special consultant on old-time radio to the Hollywood Museum and the Canadian Broadcasting Corpora- tion. JACKET TYPOGRAPHY BY CATHERINE HOPKINS JACKET BY SAUL LAMBERT Printed in the U.S.A. From "The Battle of the Century" on I LOVE A MYSTERY! Jack and Doc, attempting to rescue Reggie from his hiding -place in an abandoned silo on a California ranch, confront seven rough and ready ranch hands... DOC: Here they come, Jack... JACK: Watch out, Doc... DOC: Wh0000peeee... SOUND: (SOUND OF CONFUSION OF STRUGGLE... EXCLAMATIONS...HEAVY BREATHING AND A RAIN OF SOCKS AND PUNCHES UNTIL THE HAND OF EVERY SOUND MAN IN MBS ACHES LIKE A TOOTHACHE AND IS SWOLLEN TO TWICE ITS SIZE) (ON CUE, STRUGGLE FADES BACK A LITTLE) DOC: (BREATHLESS --CHUCKLES) How we a-doin', Jack? JACK: (GASPS) Save your breath for fighting... DOC: You bet you! (GRUNTS) Honest to... (GRUNTS) grandma... (GRUNTS) I don't know (GRUNTS) when I've had so much fun! AA;/ 65,/ / TIIE GREAT RADIO HERORS cr GR BIC juR ET JIM HAIR_MOINT 1967 Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York Publishing Consultant: J. P. Tarcher, Inc. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 67-19803 Copyright © 1967 by Jim Harmon ' All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America First Edition To Carlton E. Morse ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My foremost thanks to my fellow collectors and part-time historians of that lost art of radio: Bob Burns of CBS, John Cooper, Ed Corcoran, Richard Gulla, Professor Law- rence Sharp of the University of North Carolina, and Wil- liam nailing; and thanks to Robin Woods and Dave Dixon of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and to Martin IIalperin of the Hollywood Museum and Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters. I am equally indebted to the memories and research of Redd Boggs of the University of California at Davis on the earliest days of Jack Armstrong, Jimmie Allen, and Orphan Annie; the Reverend Robert L. Neily on soap operas; and to William Blackheard, Arthur Jean Cox, Don Glut, Richard Kyle, Richard Lupoff, Art Ronnie of the Los Angeles Herald -Examiner and other contributors to my publication Radiohero Magazine. Those who actually created the programs of the era of dramatic radio also contributed directly to this book: Robert Bloch, Don Douglas, Mitch Evans, Tom IIicks, For- rest Lewis, and, foremost with every assistance, Carlton E. Morse. g ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Ron Haydock assisted me in editing the chapters on The Shadow, Captain Midnight, armchair detectives, and anthology drama. Jeremy Tarcher was instrumental in the conception and execution of the entire project; my thanks to him are not only for that, but for his patient persuasion in making me see the value of biographical information on sound effects men in its true light. -J.". CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 11 I. "JACK, DOC, AND REGGIE" 19 II. GRIME LORD 39 III. "WIIO KNOWS WHAT EVIL LURKS" 55 IV. "AND HERE IS YOUR HOST" 73 V. FULL -COLOR I-IEROES THAT WERE NEVER SEEN 93 VI. TIIE STRAIGHT SHOOIEtt 115 VII. "FOR JUST A BOX TOP" 129 VIII. FOR ARMCHAIR DETECTIVES ONLY 141 IX. GENTLEMEN OF THE PRESS 159 X. "CAN A WOMAN FIND HAPPINESS?" 171 XI. FROM THE STUDIOS OF WNYZ-I THE MASKED RIDER OF THE PLAINS 195 XII. FROM THE STUDIOS OF WXYZ-II THE GREATEST DOG IN THE YUKON 215 10 CONTENTS XIII. FROM THE STUDIOS OF WXYZ-III TIDE GREEN IIAR-NUT 221 XIV. ACES OF 773E AIRWAVES 229 XV. THE ALL-AMERICAN BOY 243 AFTERWORD 259 INTRODUCTION "WHAT DID YOU LISTEN TO EVERY DAY AT FIVE O'CLOCK?" You listened to the radio every day at five o'clock. Every- body in the United States of America over twenty-five years of age must have listened intently to the radio at that hour during some period of their lives. I listened then and the sounds are with me to this day. Radio listening-primarily to dramatized stories-was very important to me. It was certainly more important than eat- ing. How many times did I bolt down a meal to hear Jack Armstrong? Radio listening was infinitely more important than going to school. IIow many times did I make my cold last longer so I could stay home to follow kindly old Ma Perkins' courtroom trial for mass murder? Radio listening was as much a part of life as running water, runny noses, and recesses. IIow could you do without it? If it sounds as though I had a love affair with radio, I did. I fell in love with radio at a very early age, and though the radio I loved is lost to me, my love has continued. I think you shared the same love. When we were kids we sometimes talked about the radio world-the new premium offered by Tom Mix or the in- 12 INTRODUCTION sidious trap Captain Midnight was about to fall into-but mostly we kept radio listening a private thing whether in the family circle about the living room, or in bed listening to table models. You had things your own way in Radio- land. No one could tell you the monster on Lights Out was too gruesome, because you could make it as gruesome as you liked. No one could suggest that Buck Rogers' girl friend, Wilma Deering, wore a spacesuit that fitted rather too snugly for a boy of your age to observe. You ran the show. The heroes of radio were a faceless bunch, often lacking a first name such as Casey, Crime Photographer, or any name at all, like the anonymous Mr. District Attorney. Was Lamont Cranston hawk -faced and black -haired, or a handsome, athletic blond? You filled in the details to suit yourself. The results your imagination provided were good. There were no padded shoulders on the Lone Ranger, Superman flew with no jiggly trick photography, and the Martians whom Orson Welles helped attack the Earth were certainly more convincing than anything the movies have ever pro- vided. It was all as true as a dream. I wonder if I could have survived my childhood without the escape from it offered by radio. A fat kid, I could play on the same team as Jack Armstrong and still be reassured by the Fat Man that "heavy" guys could be heroes in their own right. A bookworm, I could be smugly satisfied that avid readers such as Ellery Queen, Sherlock Holmes, and I really won out in the end. And, in the midst of poverty, Jack, Doc, and Reggie assured me that the only good thing to do with money was to get rid of it fast so you could get on to something important. "A child, simply to save his sanity," Jules Feiffer observed in The Great Comic Book Heroes, "must at times go under- ground. Have a place to hide where he carmot be got at by grown-ups. A place that implies, if only obliquely, that INTRODUCTION 13 they're not so much; that they can't fly the way some people can, or let bullets bounce harmlessly off their chest, or beat up whoever picks on them, or-oh, joy of joys! even become invisible!" Each of us found his own escape, his own reassurance in radio. The world I found will not be identical to yours, but many compass points will be the same.
Recommended publications
  • Back Listeners: Locating Nostalgia, Domesticity and Shared Listening Practices in Contemporary Horror Podcasting
    Welcome back listeners: locating nostalgia, domesticity and shared listening practices in Contemporary horror podcasting. Danielle Hancock (BA, MA) The University of East Anglia School of American Media and Arts A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 2018 Contents Acknowledgements Page 2 Introduction: Why Podcasts, Why Horror, and Why Now? Pages 3-29 Section One: Remediating the Horror Podcast Pages 49-88 Case Study Part One Pages 89 -99 Section Two: The Evolution and Revival of the Audio-Horror Host. Pages 100-138 Case Study Part Two Pages 139-148 Section Three: From Imagination to Enactment: Digital Community and Collaboration in Horror Podcast Audience Cultures Pages 149-167 Case Study Part Three Pages 168-183 Section Four: Audience Presence, Collaboration and Community in Horror Podcast Theatre. Pages 184-201 Case Study Part Four Pages 202-217 Conclusion: Considering the Past and Future of Horror Podcasting Pages 218-225 Works Cited Pages 226-236 1 Acknowledgements With many thanks to Professors Richard Hand and Mark Jancovich, for their wisdom, patience and kindness in supervising this project, and to the University of East Anglia for their generous funding of this project. 2 Introduction: Why Podcasts, Why Horror, and Why Now? The origin of this thesis is, like many others before it, born from a sense of disjuncture between what I heard about something, and what I experienced of it. The ‘something’ in question is what is increasingly, and I believe somewhat erroneously, termed as ‘new audio culture’. By this I refer to all scholarly and popular talk and activity concerning iPods, MP3s, headphones, and podcasts: everything which we may understand as being tethered to an older history of audio-media, yet which is more often defined almost exclusively by its digital parameters.
    [Show full text]
  • Perkins, Anthony (1932-1992) by Tina Gianoulis
    Perkins, Anthony (1932-1992) by Tina Gianoulis Encyclopedia Copyright © 2015, glbtq, Inc. Entry Copyright © 2007 glbtq, Inc. Reprinted from http://www.glbtq.com The life and career of actor Anthony Perkins seems almost like a movie script from the times in which he lived. One of the dark, vulnerable anti-heroes who gained popularity during Hollywood's "post-golden" era, Perkins began his career as a teen heartthrob and ended it unable to escape the role of villain. In his personal life, he often seemed as tortured as the troubled characters he played on film, hiding--and perhaps despising--his true nature while desperately seeking happiness and "normality." Perkins was born on April 4, 1932 in New York City, the only child of actor Osgood Perkins and Janet Esseltyn Rane. His father died when he was only five, and Perkins was reared by his strong-willed and possibly abusive mother. He followed his father into the theater, joining Actors Equity at the age of fifteen and working backstage until he got his first acting roles in summer stock productions of popular plays like Junior Miss and My Sister Eileen. He continued to hone his acting skills while attending Rollins College in Florida, performing in such classics as Harvey and The Importance of Being Earnest. Perkins was an unhappy young man, and the theater provided escape from his loneliness and depression. "There was nothing about me I wanted to be," he told Mark Goodman in a People Weekly interview. "But I felt happy being somebody else." During his late teens, Perkins went to Hollywood and landed his first film role in the 1953 George Cukor production, The Actress, in which he appeared with Spencer Tracy.
    [Show full text]
  • Anthology Drama: the Case of CBS Les Séries Anthologiques Durant L’Âge D’Or De La Télévision Américaine : Le Style Visuel De La CBS Jonah Horwitz
    Document generated on 09/26/2021 8:52 a.m. Cinémas Revue d'études cinématographiques Journal of Film Studies Visual Style in the “Golden Age” Anthology Drama: The Case of CBS Les séries anthologiques durant l’âge d’or de la télévision américaine : le style visuel de la CBS Jonah Horwitz Fictions télévisuelles : approches esthétiques Article abstract Volume 23, Number 2-3, Spring 2013 Despite the centrality of a “Golden Age” of live anthology drama to most histories of American television, the aesthetics of this format are widely URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1015184ar misunderstood. The anthology drama has been assumed by scholars to be DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1015184ar consonant with a critical discourse that valued realism, intimacy and an unremarkable, self-effacing, functional style—or perhaps even an “anti-style.” See table of contents A close analysis of non-canonical episodes of anthology drama, however, reveals a distinctive style based on long takes, mobile framing and staging in depth. One variation of this style, associated with the CBS network, flaunted a virtuosic use of ensemble staging, moving camera and attention-grabbing Publisher(s) pictorial effects. The author examines several episodes in detail, demonstrating Cinémas how the techniques associated with the CBS style can serve expressive and decorative functions. The sources of this style include the technological limitations of live-television production, networks’ broader aesthetic goals, the ISSN seminal producer Worthington Miner and contemporaneous American 1181-6945 (print) cinematic styles. 1705-6500 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this article Horwitz, J. (2013). Visual Style in the “Golden Age” Anthology Drama: The Case of CBS.
    [Show full text]
  • Old Radio Times Old Radio Times
    Changed with the DEMO VERSION of CAD-KAS PDF-Editor (http://www.cadkas.com). The OLD RADIO TIMES The Official Publication of the Old-Time Radio Researchers January 2006 1,275 readers and growing! Number 2 Contents An Amos ‘N’ Andy Christmas Special Features John Liska An Amos ‘N’ Andy Beginning in 1940, the Amos ‘N’ Andy show did a yearly Christmas special. Its early Christmas 1 versions were centered around Amos explaining the meaning of the Lord's Prayer to his A History of daughter, Arbadella. By 1943 the show had expanded to a half-hour format and included Andy Syndicated Radio 5 taking Arbadella around town and playing Santa to get her a talking doll. Documentation is It was previously believed that surviving example of these shows were simply replays year Where You Find It 8 after year. After some close examination and a little help from Ms. Elisabeth McLeod, I have – Mp3’s Bad Name 9 so far – found eight different versions, ranging in date from 1941 through 1954. Ted Follow-Up 11 While not all the dates are certain, the following will help you determine which version of Standards for OTRR the show you're listening to: Certified Series 11 1941 Broadway Follow-Up 12 Amos explains to Andy how they saved their tree lights from the previous year, and added a string this year. Book Review 12 Andy brought a rattle for the baby. Researchers Make the Cut 16 1942 Remembering 17 Amos explains to Andy that they have extra bulbs for their Christmas Tree.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2019/20
    Annual Report 2019 – 2020 TE TUMU WHAKAATA TAONGA | NEW ZEALAND FILM COMMISSION Annual Report – 2019/20 1 G19 REPORT OF THE NEW ZEALAND FILM COMMISSION for the year ended 30 June 2020 In accordance with Sections 150 to 157 of the Crown Entities Act 2004, on behalf of the New Zealand Film Commission we present the Annual Report covering the activities of the NZFC for the 12 months ended 30 June 2020. Kerry Prendergast David Wright CHAIR BOARD MEMBER Image: Daniel Cover Image: Bellbird TE TUMU WHAKAATA TAONGA | NEW ZEALAND FILM COMMISSION Annual Report – 2019/20 1 NEW ZEALAND FILM COMMISSION ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION COVID-19 Our Year in Review ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 4 The screen industry faced unprecedented disruption in 2020 as a result of COVID-19. At the time the country moved to Alert Level 4, 47 New Zealand screen productions were in various stages Chair’s Introduction •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 6 of production: some were near completion and already scheduled for theatrical release, some in post-production, many in production itself and several with offers of finance gearing up for CEO Report •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 7 pre-production. Work on these projects was largely suspended during the lockdown. There were also thousands of New Zealand crew working on international productions who found themselves NZFC Objectives/Medium Term Goals •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 8 without work while waiting for production to recommence. NZFC's Performance Framework ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 8 COVID-19 also significantly impacted the domestic box office with cinema closures during Levels Vision, Values and Goals ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 9 3 and 4 disrupting the release schedule and curtailing the length of time several local features Activate high impact, authentic and culturally significant Screen Stories ••••••••••••• 11 played in cinemas.
    [Show full text]
  • TPTV Schedule December 14Th to December 20Th 2020
    th th TPTV Schedule December 14 to December 20 2020 Date Time Programme Synopsis Mon 14 01:40 Piccadilly Third Stop 1960. Drama. Directed by Wolf Rilla. Starring Terence Morgan, Yoko Tani & John Crawford. Dec 20 Morgan as a playboy petty thief looking for the big time & Crawford as a yank in London and bad tempered crook. (SUBTITLES AVAILABLE ) Mon 14 03:25 The David Niven The Lady from Winnetka. Jacques Bergerac, Argentina Brunetti & Eduardo Ciannelli. British Dec 20 Show actor David Niven, introduces this 1950s US anthology series. (S1, E7) Mon 14 03:55 Who Were You With Glimpses. 1963. 'Who Were You With Last Night' with the Paramount Jazz Quartet. Dec 20 Last Night - Glimpses Mon 14 04:00 Hannay Death with Due Notice. 1988. Stars Robert Powell, Christopher Scoular & Gavin Richards. A Dec 20 quiet break in the country turns into a weekend of murder when Hannay is targeted by a killer. (S1, E04) Mon 14 05:00 Amos Burke: Secret Whatever Happened To Adriana, and Why Won't She Stay Dead. Burke must remove the Dec 20 Agent blackmail threat from a Sicillian official and stop the shipment of missiles. Mon 14 06:00 Christmas Is a Legal 1962 Drama. Directed by Robert Ellis Miller. Mr Jones (James Whitmore), a lawyer who Dec 20 Holiday pursues the case of the underdog with determination and his own style. Barbara Bain, Don Beddoe & Hope Cameron. Mon 14 06:30 All For Mary 1955. Comedy. Director: Wendy Toye. Stars Nigel Patrick, Kathleen Harrison & David Dec 20 Tomlinson. In an Alpine resort, an officer & upper-class Humpy Miller set their sights on the landlord's daughter.
    [Show full text]
  • The Digital Deli Online - List of Known Available Shows As of 01-01-2003
    The Digital Deli Online - List of Known Available Shows as of 01-01-2003 $64,000 Question, The 10-2-4 Ranch 10-2-4 Time 1340 Club 150th Anniversary Of The Inauguration Of George Washington, The 176 Keys, 20 Fingers 1812 Overture, The 1929 Wishing You A Merry Christmas 1933 Musical Revue 1936 In Review 1937 In Review 1937 Shakespeare Festival 1939 In Review 1940 In Review 1941 In Review 1942 In Revue 1943 In Review 1944 In Review 1944 March Of Dimes Campaign, The 1945 Christmas Seal Campaign 1945 In Review 1946 In Review 1946 March Of Dimes, The 1947 March Of Dimes Campaign 1947 March Of Dimes, The 1948 Christmas Seal Party 1948 March Of Dimes Show, The 1948 March Of Dimes, The 1949 March Of Dimes, The 1949 Savings Bond Show 1950 March Of Dimes 1950 March Of Dimes, The 1951 March Of Dimes 1951 March Of Dimes Is On The Air, The 1951 March Of Dimes On The Air, The 1951 Packard Radio Spots 1952 Heart Fund, The 1953 Heart Fund, The 1953 March Of Dimes On The Air 1954 Heart Fund, The 1954 March Of Dimes 1954 March Of Dimes Is On The Air With The Fabulous Dorseys, The 1954 March Of Dimes Is On The Air, The 1954 March Of Dimes On The Air 1955 March Of Dimes 1955 March Of Dimes Is On The Air, The 1955 March Of Dimes, The 1955 Pennsylvania Cancer Crusade, The 1956 Easter Seal Parade Of Stars 1956 March Of Dimes Is On The Air, The 1957 Heart Fund, The 1957 March Of Dimes Galaxy Of Stars, The 1957 March Of Dimes Is On The Air, The 1957 March Of Dimes Presents The One and Only Judy, The 1958 March Of Dimes Carousel, The 1958 March Of Dimes Star Carousel, The 1959 Cancer Crusade Musical Interludes 1960 Cancer Crusade 1960: Jiminy Cricket! 1962 Cancer Crusade 1962: A TV Album 1963: A TV Album 1968: Up Against The Establishment 1969 Ford...It's The Going Thing 1969...A Record Of The Year 1973: A Television Album 1974: A Television Album 1975: The World Turned Upside Down 1976-1977.
    [Show full text]
  • 744 101St Chase and Sandborn Show Anniversary Show
    744 101ST CHASE AND SANDBORN SHOW ANNIVERSARY SHOW NBC 60 EX COM 5008 10-2-4 RANCH #153 1ST SONG HOME ON THE RANGE CBS 15 EX COM 5009 10-2-4 RANCH #154 1ST SONG UNTITLED SONG CBS 15 EX COM 5010 10-2-4 RANCH #155 1ST SONG BY THE SONS OF THE PIONEERS CBS 15 EX COM 5011 10-2-4 RANCH #156 1ST SONG KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR HEART CBS 15 EX COM 2951 15 MINUTES WITH BING CROSBY #1 1ST SONG JUST ONE MORE CHANCE 9/2/1931 8 VG SYN 4068 1949 HEART FUND THE PHIL HARRIS-ALICE FAYE SHOW 00/00/1949 15 VG COM 588 20 QUESTIONS 4/6/1946 30 VG- 246 20 QUESTIONS #135 12/1/48 AFRS 30 VG AFRS 247 20 QUESTIONS #137 1/8/1949 AFRS 30 VG AFRS 592 20 QUESTIONS WET HEN MUT. 30 VG- 2307 2000 PLUS THE ROCKET AND THE SKULL 30 VG- SYN 2308 2000 PLUS A VETRAN COMES HOME 30 VG- SYN 4069 A & P GYPSIES 1ST SONG IT'S JUST A MEMORY 00/00/1933 NBC 37 VG+ 1017 A CHRISTMAS PLAY #325 THESE THE HUMBLE (SCRATCHY) 30 G-VG SYN 2003 A DATE WITH JUDY WITH JOSEPH COTTON 2/6/1945 NBC 30 VG COM 938 A DATE WITH JUDY #86 WITH CHARLES BOYER AFRS 30 VG AFRS 2488 ABBOTT AND COSTELLO WITH MARLENA DETRICH 10/15/1942 NBC 30 VG+ COM 2489 ABBOTT AND COSTELLO WITH LUCILLE BALL 11/18/1943 NBC 30 VG+ COM 4071 ABBOTT AND COSTELLO WITH LYNN BARI 12/16/1943 NBC 30 VG COM 4072 ABBOTT AND COSTELLO WITH THE ANDREW SISTERS 12/26/1943 NBC 30 VG COM 2490 ABBOTT AND COSTELLO WITH BERT GORDON 12/30/1943 NBC 30 VG+ COM 2491 ABBOTT AND COSTELLO WITH JUDY GARLAND 1/6/1944 NBC 30 VG+ COM 2492 ABBOTT AND COSTELLO WITH HAROLD PERRY 1/20/1944 NBC 30 VG+ COM 4073 ABBOTT AND COSTELLO WITH THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE 1/20/1944 NBC
    [Show full text]
  • The Twilight Zone: Landmark Television Derek Kompare
    The Twilight Zone: Landmark Television Derek Kompare From the original edition of How to Watch Television published in 2013 by New York University Press Edited by Ethan Thompson and Jason Mittell Accessed at nyupress.org/9781479898817 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND). 32 The Twilight Zone Landmark Television Derek Kompare Abstract: Few programs in television history are as iconic as Te Twilight Zone, which lingers in cultural memory as one of the medium’s most distinctive aesthetic and cultural peaks. Derek Kompare examines the show’s signature style and voice of its emblematic creator Rod Serling, exploring how the program’s legacy lives on today across genres and eras. As with any other art form, television history is in large part an assemblage of exemplary works. Industrial practices, cultural infuences, and social contexts are certainly primary points of media histories, but these factors are most ofen recognized and analyzed in the form of individual texts: moments when par- ticular forces temporarily converge in unique combinations, which subsequently function as historical milestones. Regardless of a perceived historical trajectory towards or away from “progress,” certain programs have come to represent the confuence of key variables at particular moments: I Love Lucy (CBS, 1951–1957) revolutionized sitcom production; Monday Night Football (ABC, 1970–2005; ESPN, 2005–present) supercharged the symbiotic relationship of sports and tele- vision; Hill Street Blues (NBC, 1981–1987) introduced the “quality” serial drama to primetime. Te Twilight Zone (CBS, 1959–1964) is an anomalous case, simultaneously one of the most important and least representative of such milestones.
    [Show full text]
  • The Inventory of the Van Christo Radio Theatre Collection #1589
    The Inventory of the Van Christo Radio Theatre Collection #1589 Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center Van Christo Radio Collection 10/26/00 Preliminary Listing Note: VCRT = Van Christo Radio Theater; TH= Tree House. Dates refer to broadcast dates for VC's radio programs, not original creation or broadcast dates (unless otherwise noted). I. Audio. A. 7 11 reel to reels. Box 1 1. Not labeled, marked "8." 2. "The Lone Ranger." a. VCRT: "Tunnel to Trouble" and "Guilty Knowledge," 3 3/4 ips, 25 minutes. b. VCRT: "Trouble at the Rafter 'H' ," "Dead Man," "Marked for Murder," 3 3/4 ips. c. VCRT: "Kill or Be Killed," "Birthday for Billy," 3 3/4 ips. d. VCRT: "The Wrong Man," "The Witness," "Boots and the Rodeo," 3 3/4 ips. e. VCRT: "Call to the Colors," "Teacher's Brother," "The Fugitive," 3 3/4 ips. Box4 f. VCRT: "The Count of Three," 7 ½ ips. g. VCRT: "The Count of Three;" "Telescope Clue;" "Marked for Death," 3 3/4 ips. h. TH: "The Wrong Man," 7 ½ ips., 30 minutes, 9/30/n.y. Box 1 3. "Series: Informax: Great Guildersleeve," 7 ½ ips. 4. VCRT: 1. "Blondie"; Music Break: "Let's Dance On" (Goodman); 2. "The Sixshooter"; 7 ½ ips. 5. "X-1", "Episode 2: Martian Death March," 28 minutes. 6. VCRT:1/27/n.y., "Halls oflvy; Archie." 7. VCRT: The Clock: "The Angel with Two Faces, Parts 1 and 2," 7 ½ ips., 25 minutes, 39 seconds; 2 copies. 8. "Old Time Radio Day on WBUR FM," 7 ½ ips. 9. "Dimension X", "Episode 11: A Logic Named Joe," 27 minutes, 4 7 seconds.
    [Show full text]
  • Radio Recall Index of Major Articles from 2001 to the Current Issue
    Radio Recall Index of Major Articles from 2001 to the Current Issue June 2021 In the Future with Biff Baker – Local Science Fiction Venture Attains Network Status Karl Shadow The Joe Hehn Memorial Collection Larry Maupin April 2021 Oh, Izz-zat You, Myrt? The Colorful Characters of Wistful Vista Jim Cox Lost Amos and Andy Recordings – Found! Martin Grams, Jr. Soap Operas Redux: An Open Letter to Jim Cox Jack French A New Old-Time Radio Museum Opens Martin Grams, Jr. February 2021 Unforgettable Lines: Memorial Axioms of Radio’s Pitchmen Jim Cox Remembering Charlie Summers (1956-2020) How Do You Do, Ladies and Gentlemen – Graham McNamee Speaking Cort Vitty December 2020 Scott Bishop’s Dark Fantasy: The Horror Continues in Miami Karl Schadow NBC’s Fourth Chime Michael Shoshani Old-Time Radio Coffee Shop Opens in Maryland Martin Grams, Jr. October 2020 Famous Murder Cases on Old-Time Radio Larry Maupin The Lone Ranger Official Fan Club Martin Grams, Jr. August 2020 Whatever Became of Ed Gardner’s Apron Martin Grams, Jr. Wisconsin Public Radio drops Old-Time Radio Martin Grams, Jr. June 2020 The Mystery of Raymond Muramoto Martin Grams, Jr. April 2020 The Case of the Hard-Boiled Radio Perry Mason Mark Dreisonstok Abbot and Costello’s Africa Screams Martin Grams, Jr. Rare Superman Radio Premiums Martin Grams, Jr. February 2020 Beware of Fake Radio Premiums Larry Zdeb Nat Brusiloff and his Orchestra Martin Grams, Jr. Stewart Wright, Radio Historian Martin Grams, Jr. December 2019 Strange Wills: Radio’s Unique Legal Dramatic Series Karl Schadow The Return of Blood N’ Thunder Magazine Martin Grams, Jr.
    [Show full text]
  • SERIALS - Available in DVD Format
    SERIALS - Available in DVD Format Listed in alphabetical order: ACE DRUMMOND 13-Universal John "Dusty" King ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN AFRICA 15-Columbia John Hart ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL 12-Republic Tom Tyler ADVENTURES OF FRANK AND JESSE JAMES 13-Universal Clayton Moore THE ADVENTURES OF FRANK MERRIWELL 12-Universal Don Briggs ADVENTURES OF RED RYDER 12-Republic Don "Red" Barry ADVENTURES OF REX AND RINTY 12-Mascot Rin Tin Tin THE ADVENTURES OF SIR GALAHAD 15-Columbia George Reeves ADVENTURES OF SMILIN' JACK 13-Universal Tom Brown ADVENTURES OF THE FLYING CADETS 13-Universal Johnny Downs ATOM MAN v/s SUPERMAN 15-Columbia Kirk Alyn BATMAN 15-Columbia Lewis Wilson BATMAN AND ROBIN 15-Columbia Robert Lowery BLACK ARROW 15-Columbia Robert Scott THE BLACK COIN 15-Independent Ralph Graves BLACKHAWK 15-Columbia Kirk Alyn BLACK WIDOW 13-Republic Bruce Edwards BLAKE OF SCOTLAND YARD 15-Independent Ralph Byrd BLAZING THE OVERLAND TRAIL 15-Columbia Dennis Moore BRICK BRADFORD 15-Columbia Kane Richmond BRUCE GENTRY 15-Columbia Tom Neal BUCK ROGERS 12-Universal Buster Crabbe BURN'EM UP BARNES 12-Mascot Jack Mulhall CALL OF THE SAVAGE 13-Universal Noah Berry, Jr. CANADIAN MOUNTIES v/s ATOMIC INVADERS 12-Republic Bill Henry CAPTAIN AMERICA 15-Republic Dick Pucell CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT 15-Columbia Dave O'Brien CAPTAIN VIDEO 15-Columbia Judd Holdren CHICK CARTER, DETECTIVE 15-Columbia Lyle Talbot THE CLUTCHING HAND 15-Independent Jack Mulhall CODY OF THE PONY EXPRESS 15-Columbia Jock Mahoney CONGO BILL 15-Columbia Don McGuire THE CRIMSON GHOST 12-Republic
    [Show full text]