Old-Time Radio Essentials is back with episode 38, the Season 4 Premiere! Pete, Paul and Dave present an installment of the long-running series "The Fred Allen Show". This time it's Pete's pick, a double-feature of Fred and the gang, with both episodes featuring Orson Welles as guest-star!  Will Dave, who leaves us for greener grass after this episode, love it? Will Paul, through his bitter tears, express his continuing hatred of Orson? Tune in and find out! (NARADA RADIO COMPANY)

And since we're on the subject of finding things out, while you listen you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:

Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated.

Next Time: Our new "third co-host" Patte will bring us something very interesting, I'm sure!

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, a new production of Voices in the Wind Audio Theatre, is set to launch on Tuesday, May 30th, 2023, to all the online retail sites, including Amazon, Audible, Apple Store, Ratuken Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Downpour, and Walmart.

Listen here to a scene from this production and please support this excellent production company by making your purchase of their dramatization of Lewis Carroll's timeless classic.

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS - By Lewis Carroll

Adapted for audio by Diane Vanden Hoven – Directed by George Zarr

Post Production: David Farquhar

Release Date: May 30, 2023, Everywhere Audiobooks Are Sold.

Cast In Order of Appearance:

GEORGIA LEE SCHULTZ - Alice

NOELLE DUPUIS – White Queen

PETE LUTZ – White King

SKYE GOULBOURNE – Tiger Lily

TRISHA ROSE – Rose

ASHLEY BANKER – Red Queen

GEORGE ZARR – Conductor

ROB TYMEC – Paper Man

HEIDI STEWART – Beetle

ELLIN WALLIN – Owl

BILL CRAVEN – Tweedle Dum

KEITH BURNETT – Tweddle Dee

JOHN JARVIS – Humpty Dumpty

JEFF DUPUIS – Messenger

MICHAEL CROUCH – White Knight

S2E4: The House in Turk Street

While on the search for a missing boy, the Tec inadvertently runs afoul of some crooks, who think he's after them. Full of crosses and double-crosses! Starring The Narada Radio Company.

Adapted by Pete Lutz from the story by Dashiell Hammett.

CAST:

ANNOUNCER: Darren Rockhold

THE TEC: Pete Lutz

MRS. QUARRE: Geri Elliff

MR. QUARRE: Paul Arbisi

HOOK: Mark Kalita

ELVIRA: Rhiannon McAfee

TAI: Jeff Moon

THE OLD MAN: Joe Stofko

OTHER VOICES: Daniel French

Theme and incidental music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt

Mixing and sounds by Fishbonius Sound Design

Project Audion recreates an extraordinarily rare and early lost episode of the classic audio drama Suspense. When CBS premiered the the show in June 1942, it wasn't immediately evident that it would become one of the all-time great radio dramas, running for 20 years and nearly 1000 stories. Indeed, in this (just Suspense's fifth-ever episode, from July 15, 1942), while all the typical ingredients are in place (in this instance, a murder aboard a moving train) the show hadn't quite yet settled into the style that would soon define classics like 1943's "Sorry, Wrong Number." Heard for the first time in 80 years, our recreation of this lost Suspense episode -- "The Witness on the Westbound Train" -- is taken from the single known surviving script. It features the same transcontinental cast of vocal actors who appeared in Project Audion's very first episode, along with additional talented voices who have appeared in Project Audion shows during the past three years.

The Cast: 

MARK: Pete Lutz, TX

JOE: Doug Fain, KY

DORIS: Patte Rosebank, Canada

CONDUCTOR: Denny Thompson, CO

LAWRENCE / RANDOLPH: John Mauldin, TN

BILL / BAGGAGEMAN: Dick Huitema, FL

ANNOUNCER / WAITER: Robert Stevenson, IN

DIRECTION / PRODUCTION / SOUND: Larry Groebe, TX

PROJECT AUDION #41: Life With Luigi - "Luigi's Toothache"

This month Project Audion recreates a classic radio comedy based on a timeless premise. As a nation of immigrants, the clash of old and new cultures in America has offered authors an unending supply of humorous situations. "Life with Luigi" mined this comedic vein from 1948 to 1953. Each week, small-town Italian Luigi Basco struggled to navigate the complexities of his new American life, supported by his friends from Italy, Germany, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia. It's full of charming stereotypes with broadly entertaining accents, it's-a great, innocent fun. In this episode, Luigi's aching tooth leads him into the unfamiliar world of medical specialists...

Luigi: Jacob Palka, IL

Pasquale: Pete Lutz, TX

Schultz: Larry Groebe, TX

Announcer / Horowitz / Man: Ken Jeffries, CA

Olson / Doctor: Paul Arbisi, IL

Miss Spaulding / Rosa: Donna Patton, TN

Directed by Mr. Palka and produced by Mr. Groebe

PROJECT AUDION 9 - Lights Out: "Little Old Lady"

Project Audion premieres our recreation of the classic supernatural radio show "Lights Out" - a 1943 episode entitled "Little Old Lady." It's a ghostly story written and directed by the master of spooky stories, Arch Oboler. It's a tale truly made for radio, where you close your eyes and let your imagination run wild.

Our transcontinental cast, hooked together via Zoom, includes

Angela Young

Kristin James

Denise Cline

Brad Oxnam

Larry Groebe and

John Mauldin of the Inexplicable Dumb Show in Tennessee.

We hope you'll listen in...with the lights out!

PROJECT AUDION 4 - Gunsmoke: "The Guitar"

Project Audion presents a recreation of the vintage radio show Gunsmoke. Gunsmoke, one of the classic "adult Westerns", had a ten-year run on radio and an astounding 20+ years on television. This early episode, "The Guitar", originally aired December 26, 1953 and was later remade on both the television and radio series. A simple man with an unexpected talent is taunted by town bullies, with tragic results.

Project Audion is a collaboration of radio theatre actors from across North America recording OTR shows live via Zoom. This Audion episode features the talents of

Dennis Thompson in Colorado,

Doug Fain in Kentucky,

Paul Arbisi in Illinois,

Dan Keenan in Colorado,

Norman Cline in Kentucky,

Pete Lutz in Texas,

Denise Cline in Kentucky,

Dick Huitema in Florida,

Tim Burns in Kansas,

Darren Rockhold in Illinois, and

Larry Groebe in Texas.

Doug Fain directed and Larry Groebe produced it.

PROJECT AUDION - THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES: "Murder in the Casbah"

Sherlock Holmes is such an iconic figure, and so well-suited for radio, that the detective was on the air for over 20 years (starting in 1930) and portrayed by a half dozen actors. None, however, were better than Nigel Bruce and Basil Rathbone, who owned the roles from 1939-1946. Project Audion recreates an episode from December 3, 1945 entitled "Murder in the Casbah" which was sponsored by Petri Wine. Audion's transcribed-live edition features a cast of voice actors performing from England, Hollywood, and multiple locations in between.

Holmes: David Ault, UK

Watson: Paul Arbisi, IL

Announcer: Lec Zorn, IN

Miss Tretfield: M J Cogburn, TX

Col. de Brisson: Trevor Rines, CA

Rafi: Jacob Palka, IL

Leaming/Commissioner: Joe Mendell, UK

Ayisha: Grace Wagner, IL

Milton: John Mauldin, TN

Waiter/ Dr. Porter: Robert Mills, CA .

..and produced and directed by Larry Groebe in Texas

PROJECT AUDION - The Lineup: "The Scared Schoolmarm Scrape"

Project Audion’s newest cross-country OTR recreation is an episode of the police drama "The Lineup" which hasn't been heard since it was originally broadcast in January 1952. The Lineup was added to the CBS radio schedule after Dragnet became a massive hit, and ran for four years on radio, plus six years on television and a 1958 movie.

The lead cop role (which was portrayed in 1952 by Bill Johnstone, who was a former "Shadow" and “Whistler”) is here played by Ed Dennis, an actual law enforcement officer for four decades. He even used his own handcuffs in the show's final scene.

Our full cast: Ed Dennis / Illinois

Dan Keenan / Colorado

Chris Marcellus / Utah

Angela Young / Florida

John Bell / Alabama

Barry Katz / Florida

Kim Titus / Texas

Denny Thompson / Colorado

Tom Wilkins / Illinois

Ken Raney did SFX from Texas, Denny Thompson directed, and Larry Groebe produced the show.

SOLE TWIN AUDIOS: Old Time Radio Theatre, "Sorry, Wrong Number" by Lucille Fletcher

Sole Twin Audios presents a recreation of Suspense's "Sorry Wrong Number," an episode made famous by Agnes Moorehead who played the main role 7 times for Suspense, starting in 1942.

Directed and Produced by Rachel Pulliam

Cast:

Announcer - Dean T. Moody 

Mrs. Stevenson - Julie Hoverson 

Operator - Christina Roberts 

Man - Robin Robbins

George - Dean T. Moody

Chief Operator - Karen Corrado 

Sergeant Martin - Jerry Kokich

Western Union - Michael Hornstein 

Information - Madeleine Hamley 

Hotel Receptionist/Caller - Gina Moravec 

Music by Ross Bernhardt 

SFX by freesound.org

THE REASONABLY AMAZING ADVENTURES OF FLASH GORDON Episode 6: Zarkov to the Rescue

A silly take on the original radio series Flash Gordon which is now in public domain. Starting April 22, 1935, and again in May 2022  the strip was adapted into The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon, a 26-episode weekly radio serial. The series followed the strip very closely, amounting to a week-by-week adaptation of the Sunday strip for most of its run.

Flash Gordon was played by Tom Konkle, starring Stephanie Stearns Dulli as Dale Arden and Witch Queen Azora, Gino C. Vianelli as Captain Thune,  Bob Clendenin as Dr. Zarkov, Pete Lutz as Saul (Pete Lutz heads the Narada Radio Company), Kurtis Bedford as Vultan, and David Beeler as the announcer and the Lieutenant. The original radio series broke with the strip continuity in the last two episodes, when Flash, Dale and Zarkov returned to Earth. We broke it completely.

Edit and  Sound effects by Tom Konkle.

Directed by Tom Konkle.       

Music by Bryan Arata and Tom Konkle.  

The show comedy version script by Tom Konkle and Kurtis Bedford. 

Producers Kurtis Bedford and Tom Konkle created the Mindstream Players.

THE UNDEAD TRAIL: Where Death Comes Uninvited - episode 4

Jim Wilkes, Sheriff of Liberty Gulch, and his deputy Abe Farrow, have tracked the murderous town mayor into the desert, only to have him get the drop on them, take them captive, and to reveal that he is a shape-shifting monster. The mayor has left them to be taken captive by the local Indian tribe, on whose lands they have been trespassing in their pursuit of the mayor. CHRONOSPHERE FICTION

 Written by Craig Robotham

Cast

Jason D Johnson : Narrator

Jim Wilkes : Pete Lutz

Ilana Labourine : Annie Deemes

Paul Arbisi : Abe Farrow

Rich Greene : Dan Wilson 

Anne Ghrist : Crow's Shadow

Katelin Curtis : Leaping Toad

Joe Stofko : Chief of the Tribe

Daniel French at Fishbonius Sound Design : Production, Editing, Foley, Sound Design, Music, Mixing, Mastering 

CAMPFIRE RADIO THEATRE: Last Resort

In the midst of a surreal dreamlike reality, a broken, flawed man relives the last drunken hours of his life in pursuit of an elusive perfect moment from his past as he hurtles headlong on a collision course with fate.

Warning: Contains explicit language and graphic content.

Written, directed and produced by John Ballentine

From a story by Kevin Hartnell

Cast:

Jared Rivet

Jack Kincaid

Jessica McEvoy

Kevin Hartnell

Motzie Dapul

John Bell

Monique Bagwell

Original music score by Kevin Hartnell

PROJECT AUDION #40: I Was a Communist for the FBI

(Orig. rel. 3/10/23) What's black and white and Red all over? “I was a Communist for the FBI”, that’s what - the Cold-War era radio thriller that purported to tell the real-life story of Matt Cvetic, who posed as a member of the Communist Party while actually spying for the FBI. Whether true or fantastic, these half hour “radio noir” dramas put forward the fears which the Red Menace held for mid-century America. Most episodes of this taut melodrama can be heard today, but a handful of episodes are lost, and Project Audion’s March show is one of them. The script to “Citizens of Nowhere” was pulled from archives in New York and is performed by our nationwide cast for the first time in 70 years.

MATT CVETIC: Jeff Billard, MA

KAY MORONI: Holly Adams, NY

ANTON REISLING: Pete Fernbaugh, WV

DORA REISLING: Julie Hoverson, WA

BEEKER OF THE FBI: Caleb Fisher, VA

COLBY: Greg Vestal, TX

ANNOUNCER & VOICE: George Taylor, TN

Production, direction, and audio by Larry Groebe, TX

Old-Time Radio Essentials is back with episode 37, the Season 3 finale! Pete, Paul and Dave present an installment of the long-running series "Counterspy". The usual free-wheeling discussion follows, with Paul, Dave and Pete weighing the merits of this particular episode. Will they love it, or hate it, or try to waterboard it? Tune in and find out!

And since we're on the subject of finding things out, while you listen you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:

Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated.

Next Time: Pete brings us, for our season 4 opener, a double-feature of The Fred Allen Show, with both guest-starring Orson Welles (it's a tradition, ya know)!

Old-time Radio Essentials continues its 3rd season with an episode of Let George Do It – "There Ain't No Justice"! This one's Dave's pick, and it sparks quite an animated discussion. Who will like it? Will anybody hate it? Why wonder? Tune in and find out!

And since we're on the subject of finding things out, while you listen you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:

Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated.

Next Time: Paul brings us, for our season finale, an episode of David Harding: Counterspy!

PROJECT AUDION 39 - Little Ham from Harlem, by Langston Hughes

Project Audion presents a world premiere of an unrealized radio play by the famed Black poet Langston Hughes. What might radio drama's Golden Age of the 1930s, '40s and '50s have sounded like had Black creators been allowed time on the airwaves? Back then, radio was almost exclusively a stage for White entertainers, with only a handful of secondary roles and occasional guest appearances offered to people of color. In 1943, Langston Hughes took the lead characters from a successful theatrical comedy he had written eight years earlier - "Little Ham from Harlem" - and proposed creating a daily soap opera around them. Hamlet Jones of the Singing Shoe Shine Parlor, and Tiny Lee, his "stout but beautiful" lady friend, would have been the main focus of radio's first Black soap opera. It would have taken the radio audience around Harlem life as Hughes knew it, encompassing everything from numbers-running to local night spots. But "Little Ham" would have not been just a soap opera. It was also full of comedy, and each episode was deliberately scripted to feature songs from the cast worked into the action. Langston Hughes wrote the show's first two 15 minute episodes, then shopped his concept to networks, syndicators, and advertising agencies. But in the 1940s, no one would take a chance on such a progressive idea. As Hughes noted some years later, 'My Agents stated flatly "It is just abut impossible to sell a Negro writer to Hollywood or radio, and they use Negro subject matter very rarely."' His two completed scripts for "Little Ham" were filed away, unproduced and unheard. Now Project Audion brings the show to life for the first time.

"Little Ham from Harlem" features the talents of Black actors from across America, and is preceded by an interview with Dr. Vanessa Valdez, Director of City College of New York's annual Langston Hughes festival, who offers insights into Langston Hughes' work and impact.

Our cast features:

LITTLE HAM: Lee J. Green, NE

BUSTER: Robert Stevenson, IN

SHINGLE: Willie Macon, FL

PAPA MACK: Carl Thomas, TX

TINY LEE: Yle Blackburn, CT

SUGAR LOU: Tabetha McNeal, VA

LAWYER / STRANGER: Sean Massey, TX

ANNOUNCER / CUSTOMER: Norval Soleyn, NY

with production and direction by Larry Groebe in Texas

PROJECT AUDION #38 -- The Jack Benny Program, "Mutiny on the Bounty"

Think you've heard almost every Jack Benny radio show? Try one that was just written! Project Audion presents a recreation newly penned by Robert L. Mills, former staff writer for Bob Hope. Project Audion has gathered the classic Benny gang, guest stars Charlie McCarthy and Edgar Bergen, and a virtual studio audience for a half hour of laughter, including a send-up of "Mutiny on the Bounty." Our transcontinental cast of voice actors even recorded this show live via Zoom on a Sunday night at 7. 

Featuring the talents of...

JACK BENNY: Scott R. McKinley, NJ

CHARLIE MCCARTHY / EFFIE KLINKER / MR. KITZEL: Duane Noch, NJ

EDGAR BERGEN: Larry Groebe, TX

MARY LIVINGSTONE: Denise Cline, KY

PHIL HARRIS: Norman Cline, KY

DENNIS DAY / FRANK NELSON: Bob Beaumont, CA

STAGE HAND / SHELDON LEONARD / MEL BLANC: Pete Lutz, TX 

DON WILSON: Ken Jeffries, CA

...and produced and directed by Larry Groebe

THE SUNDOWNERS – Episode 4: Three Faces of Death
[Rated R for Violence and Adult Language]

Written by Mark Slade
Directed and Produced by Viktor Aurelius

Featured in the cast were:

David Ault as Fowler
Viktor Aurelius as Granger
Alexis Bristowe as Amy
Atticus Jackson as Mick
Austin Beach as Jakus
Snake as Heck
Josei Kage as the Little Girl, Woman and Dawn
Jeff Niles as Stranger #1 and #2
and Pete Lutz as Stranger #3 and #4

Music by Kevin MacLeod ( http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/ )
Sound Design by Viktor Aurelius

© The 4077th and ALL BETTER AUDIO (2016)

THE SUNDOWNERS – Episode Three: “BLOOD BATH”

[Rated R for Adult Language, Violence and Sexual Situations]

Written by Mark Slade

Directed and Produced by Viktor Aurelius

Featured in the cast were:

Jeff Niles as the Narrator

Keane Lutz as Joey

Mary Genevieve Fortier as Maddy

David Ault as Fowler

Viktor Aurelius as Granger

Terrence Drye as Glenndale

Pete Lutz as Boris

Angela Young as Sabrina

Jessica Mathews as Nadya

Cheyenne Gibbs as Drina

David Schütz II as Gino Thompson

and Cary Michael Ayers as Ned

Music by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/)

Sound Design by Viktor Aurelius

© The 4077th and ALL BETTER AUDIO (2016)

The Sundowners - Episode 2: Sam Hill Died Here

[Rated R for Adult Language, Sexual References and Violence]

Written by Mark Slade

Directed and Produced by Viktor Aurelius

Featured in the cast were

Jeff Niles as the Narrator

David Ault as Fowler

Viktor Aurelius as Granger

Gwendolyn Jensen Woodard, Mary Genevieve Fortier, Jeff Niles, Viktor Aurelius and Jack Ward as the Voices

Pete Lutz as Sam Hill

Keane Lutz as the Paper Boy

Ryan Vollmer as Ned

Mary Genevieve Fortier as the Little Girl

Gwendolyn Jensen Woodard as the Mother

Cary Ayers as the Tavern Keep

Jeff Niles as Chester

Cheyanne Gibbs as Dawn

and Terrence Drye as Glenndale

Music by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/)

Sound Design by Viktor Aurelius

© The 4077th and ALL BETTER AUDIO (2015)

THE SUNDOWNERS Episode 1: Elixir

It is 1887 in a Salt Mining town in Utah Territory populated by peaceful citizens who have their own "unique" way of life. Some believe that they are religious fanatics, but that only scratches the surface. But when two detectives wander into town to investigate a missing person, the truth is revealed.

ORIGINALLY AIRED AS A JEFF NILES PRESENTS EPISODE.
Featured in the cast were:

David Schütz II as the Drunk
Jeff Niles as the Tavern Keep
Matt Weller as Boone
Laura Nicole as Lucinda
David Ault as Fowler
Viktor Aurelius as Granger
and Kat Waterflame as Glory

Music by Kevin MacLeod ( http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/ )
Sound Design by Viktor Aurelius

Jeff Niles Presents: “Seeing Red”
Written by Mark Slade
Directed and Produced by Viktor Aurelius

Synopsis: Tonight, Danny and his recently wedded wife, Helen, are leaving a concert. They had a great time and were really enjoying themselves. But it seems that their evening of fun might run into a snag.

Featured in the Cast were:

Viktor Aurelius as Danny
Laura Nicole as Helen
and Rachel Rumler as Susan

Music by Kevin MacLeod ( http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/ )

Sound Design by Viktor Aurelius
© The 4077th and ALL BETTER AUDIO (2015)

S2E3: One Hour

The Tec is called in when a print shop owner is run down in the street by a stolen car. He goes looking for the perps, and when he finds them, the secret they're keeping may cost our hero his life! Adapted by Pete Lutz from the story by Dashiell Hammett.

CAST:

ANNOUNCER: Darren Rockhold

THE TEC: Pete Lutz

RICHMOND: Noah Diamond

CROSTHWAITE: Paul Arbisi

COFFEE: Jeff Moon

SOULES: Mark Kalita

THE OLD MAN: Joe Stofko

OTHER VOICES: John Bell

Theme and incidental music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt

Mixing and sound design by Fishbonius Sound Design

The Undead Trail - Where Death Comes Uninvited - Episode 3

Having exonerated the drifter, Abe Farrow, of the arson-murder of a number of children in the town, Jim Wilkes (formerly of the U.S Marshal’s office and now Sheriff of Liberty Gulch) has appointed Abe as his deputy. This is bound to rile up the crooked mayor and his supporters, who Jim is determined to face off with, down at the saloon. CHRONOSPHERE FICTION

Written by Craig Robotham

Cast

Jason D Johnson as Narrator

Pete Lutz as Jim Wilkes

Ilana Labourine as Annie Deemes

Paul Arbisi as Abe Farrow

Rich Greene as Dan Wilson 

Jeff Moon as Wallace Leach, Passersby, Townsfolk

Katelin Curtis as Passersby, Townsfolk