Our 10th NO SOAP RADIO production is based on an original script written by Craig Shemin. This Jack Benny Program takes place in 1955. Jack wonders what it would be like if he was the subject on the TV show This Is Your Life. All of the usual cast of characters make appearances, including Mary Livingstone, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Rochester, Don Wilson, Frank Nelson, and Professor LeBlanc. Also a number of guest stars appear including Jack Benny's sister Florence, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Groucho Marx, and Fred Allen! The show was produced, directed and edited by Paul Kovit.
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CAST:
John Bell as Jack Benny
Eric Jacobson as George Burns
Stephanie D’Abruzzo as Gracie Allen
Noah Diamond as Groucho Marx
Larry Groebe as Fred Allen
Craig Shemin as Professor LeBlanc
Victoria Gordon as Daisy and The Lucky Strike singer
Paul Kovit as Ralph Edwards
Zach Dillinger as Phil Harris
Annette Bochenek as Mary Livingstone
Tony Semczuk as Frank Nelson and Jack Bailey
Paul Patterson as Rochester
John Henderson as Don Wilson
Zach Eastman as Dennis Day
Laura Mirsky as Florence
OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 47: The Whistler (our 2025 New Year's Special!)
Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 47, the 10th installment of Season 4! Pete, Paul and Patte present Pete's pick , an episode of The Whistler, entitled "The First Year"! Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards!
As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:
1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.")
2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection?
So with this in mind, we three bring you, as our forty-seventh number (but 10th official episode of S4), this episode of The Whistler, from 12-31-47. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it!
Please show your support of the podcast by doing any of the following...
To comment on how we might improve OTR-E, or give suggestions for future discussions, please write to us at f6point3@gmail.com . Put the word "Essentials" in the subject line.
Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated.
Next Time: It's Patte's pick again, and she'll bring us an episode of the exciting anthology series, On Stage! Join us then, won't you?
Long, long before George Burns became the senior citizen movie star of films like "The Sunshine Boys" and "Oh God!" he was familiar to radio and television audiences across the country as the grounded half of the comedy couple Burns and Allen, with real-life wife (and vaudeville partner) Gracie Allen playing the ditzy dame of the duo. Theirs was a 25-year run on the airwaves, and now for Project Audion, Pete Lutz has penned a fresh new Burns and Allen script that recalls the best of their radio work during World War II, right down to their sponsor of the time, Swan Soap. Much like Bob Hope and Jack Benny did, we find the two of them at a naval base entertaining the troops, along with guest stars Henry Fonda and Chico Marx.
You'll be entertained by Audion's transcribed-live transcontinental cast of delicious, delirious vocal talents:
John Bell (as George) in Alabama
Mel Rose (as Gracie) in Pennsylvania
Dana Gonsalves (as Bill Goodwin) in Texas
Les Marsden (as Chico Marx) in California
Scott R. McKinley (as Henry Fonda) in New Jersey
Pete Lutz (as Mel Blanc as PO2 Ferguson) in Texas
Robert L. Mills (as Adm. Tarbottom) in California
Larry Groebe supervised the production.
Written and directed by Pete Lutz
MINDSTREAM PLAYERS Present: 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
Prepare to plunge into a reimagined, atmospheric adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic tale, crafted in the brooding style with cinematic flair. This is not just a journey beneath the waves—it’s a descent into the human soul. Join Professor Aronnax, his loyal servant Conseil, and the brash harpooner Ned Land as they get swept aboard the enigmatic Nautilus, a submarine unlike any other, captained by the brilliant yet tormented Captain Nemo.
Trapped within its iron confines, they are drawn into Nemo’s obsessive quest for freedom from a corrupt world above—a quest that spirals into vengeance, tragedy, and a confrontation with the unfathomable power of the sea. From breathtaking wonders of the deep to the haunting isolation of the abyss, this adaptation explores themes of freedom, captivity, and the price of defiance.
With relentless action, vivid characters, and a chilling climax in the heart of a raging maelstrom, this is a journey that will leave you questioning: can we ever escape the weight of our own choices?
Adapted for audio and directed by Tom Konkle
The cast includes the voice talents of:
Vernon G. Wells
Tom Konkle
David Beeler
Paul Eiding
Pete Lutz
Larry Groebe
Jack Ward
Kurtis Bedford
Sean Konkle