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.