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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:
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 thirty-sixth number (but 11th -- and penultimate -- official episode of S3), this episode of Let George Do It, from syndication, likely 1954 or '55. 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!
NOTE: Please stay with us after the regular show for a very special interview with novelist Mark Miller, discussing his new novel, The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World!
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: 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)