OT: Before the TV years - the Radio Days
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telegonus — 12 years ago(March 16, 2014 01:11 AM)
Glad to hear it, MrsEQ. I found
A Terrible Night
literally haunting, even more so the second and third times around. The way the details pile up, piece by piece, and that ending!
The Weird Circle
was quite literary for the kind of show it was, and many of its better episodes take patience. I found some of their adaptations of well kknown literary works somewhat disappointing (just warnin' ya'), while some of the more obscure titles worked better for me.
Suspense
is really one of the very best of all. Its ratio of good to excellent eps is outstanding. There are some dogs (
Mortmain
is just dreadful) and eps that make something out of nothing, such as the Cary Grant-Betsy Drake starrer,
Country Road
(I think I've got that right, from circa 1949-50). I've listened to it three or four times just for the charm (for want of a better word) of the "set up". Radio horror works less well for me. The closer it is to straight horror, the less well it works; and yet there are
Suspense, Escape
and even
The Whistler
eps that can send shivers down my spine. I've yet to listen to a
Lights Out
or
Inner Sanctum
that had the same effect. -
MsELLERYqueen2 — 12 years ago(March 16, 2014 05:04 PM)
Oh yes. I've heard enough radio plays to know that there are some stinkers in the batch. Most are very well done, though.
So far, I've found the
Whistler
ones to be good, but somewhat predictable.
I listened to another one from
The Weird Circle
last night, one called
The Man Without a Country
, and although I liked the story, it wasn't mystery/horror.
~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen -
telegonus — 12 years ago(March 17, 2014 02:11 AM)
Suspense
had its share of dogs, and it changed its style when a new producer came on board. The first three or four seasons used veteran radio actors or accomplished character players from films. Later on they relied more on well known guest stars. It was still good, but it lost a bit in emphasizing actors with already well known personas. Lloyd Nolan appeared in a couple, and I generally like him, but he svcked on ice on
Suspense
. If the story is a Cornell Woolrich or Lucille Fletcher one, you almost can't go wrong.
You might want to stick with
The Whistler
. I love it. One has to get into the spirit of the thing; and that the Whistler himself is so enigmatic and All Knowing the gimmick (and it
is
a gimmick) can be off putting. OTOH, the stories are often masterfully developed. The settings are at times highly evocative (I haven't listened to it for a few years); and I remember eps set on islands, in beach houses, during snowstorns; and creaking boards, chirping birds, wind, howling dogs, train whistles, etc. The sound effects weren't overdone, either; just there, and used well. -
MsELLERYqueen2 — 12 years ago(March 17, 2014 02:41 AM)
Oh yes, I plan on sticking with those
Whistler
stories.
They do seem to be more about atmosphere than anything. Have you seen the movies (starring Richard Dix)? Some were very good, but they were a bit on the slow side.
~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen -
MsELLERYqueen2 — 12 years ago(April 02, 2014 08:53 PM)
I just finished listening to
The Furnished Floor
. It was well done, but I have to admit that it was extremely predictable. Also, Agnes Moorehead didn't do any of the voices here at all. I appreciate the recommendation.
This radio play reminded me a bit of a play which I read once, about tenants who eventually take over the house and lock the landlady in the attic. Obviously this radio play has a different ending.
Thank you again!
~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen -
telegonus — 12 years ago(April 03, 2014 12:03 AM)
You're right. There was absolutely no surprise in
Furnished Floor
. The presentation was all; and that's what I loved about it. How's you like Don DeFore's reniditon of (I think it was)
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
?
I think that's what he was singing at the end. It was a novel way to tell a story, and I always enjoy it when writers, directors and actors do some stretching on those shows. -
MsELLERYqueen2 — 12 years ago(April 03, 2014 03:18 PM)
Oh yes, he was excellent in the role, and his rendition of that song was spot on.
The movie really was more about the atmosphere than anything.
I remember reading a play in which the tenants eventually take over the house, locking the landlady in the attic. It starts out with one tenant only, and then he brings his girlfriend, then some friends, and suddenly the landlady has lost all control.
~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen -
MsELLERYqueen2 — 12 years ago(April 02, 2014 10:53 PM)
I did look up
The Three Skeleton Key
(starring Vincent Price). It's part of the
Escape
series. A bit too gruesome for me. I only listened to about 2/3 of it before I had to give up on it. This is a Gentlemen's radio program, I think.
All those ratsnot for me! Still, I think that Vincent Price was excellent in the leading role. Normally I find his voice irritating, but he was perfect in this radio play.
If this radio play had been about snakes, I wouldn't have gotten past the first minute or so. I have a deadly fear of snakes.
In the other thread, you recommended an
Escape
radio play called
Nightmare in Wax
. I couldn't find such a title, but I did notice one called
Study in Wax
. Is that the one you were thinking of? I'd still like to hear it.
~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen -
MsELLERYqueen2 — 11 years ago(May 26, 2014 08:27 PM)
Have you ever heard any of the Philo Vance radio plays? I had no idea that they existed until someone mentioned them to me. I'm listening to a couple of them now, and I recommend them to you.
~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen -
MsELLERYqueen2 — 12 years ago(February 01, 2014 11:15 PM)
So far, the shortest radio plays I've been able to find are the Ellery Queen minute mysteries. Basically Ellery solves the case just by pointing out a flaw in a brief statement presented to him.
~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen -
MsELLERYqueen2 — 12 years ago(February 02, 2014 12:55 AM)
A few months ago, I found a lot of them on archive.org.
Enjoy!
~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen -
Thor-Delta — 12 years ago(February 02, 2014 01:05 AM)
archive.org also has a classic TV section (I'm one of the uploaders on there, under the awful username "The Emperor of Television"):
Old time radio:
https://archive.org/details/oldtimeradio
Classic TV:
https://archive.org/details/classic_tv
Do any episodes survive of 1950s Australian version of "What's My Line"?