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

The Undead Trail - Where Death Comes Uninvited - Episode 2, A New Deputy in Town

Jim Wilkes, formerly of the U.S Marshal’s office, has taken a job as Sheriff in the town of Liberty Gulch. Barely preventing a lynching, Jim finds himself saddled with a deputy who, likely, owes his position and allegiance to the local mayor rather than the law. 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

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

Craufurdland Castle in Fenwick, Ayrshire, keeps its secrets close. It has been held in the same family for almost two thousand years.  It is the early 1800s.  Janet Craufurd, Lady of the house, writes in her diary, charting the progress of renovations to the estate which has suffered years of neglect.

But Janet’s mind is not easy. She suspects that the house has its own story to tell – a story lost in a secret passage, in hidden rooms, in dusty books and neglected papers. And someone is watching her as she searches for answers; someone she cannot see but whose presence she senses as she works.

There Goes Craufurdland is the final play in An Ayrshire Trilogy, three audio dramas which celebrate Ayrshire and its people. The Trilogy is supported by Creative Scotland.

In 1786, Robert Burns sent a copy of his book, Poems, Chiefly in The Scottish Dialect, to Mrs Frances Wallace Dunlop of Dunlop in Ayrshire. She was so taken with it, and with him, that she became his patron and later, his confidant.

But the voices of these two strong and determined characters still resonate across the years through their letters. Their friendship endured for a decade before their differences drove them apart. The Lady and The Poetfocuses on this platonic relationship, which was like no other in Burns’s short and eventful life.

The Lady and The Poet is the second play in An Ayrshire Trilogy, three audio dramas which celebrate Ayrshire and its people. The Trilogy is supported by Creative Scotland.

An angelic fantasy tale set on a remote Scottish island. The bees have all left , apparently forever, and spring has not arrived. Everything is out of kilter and only Breagh, it seems, can put it right. High Spirits is about finding friendship and facing fear. “You’re a child of the air. Your job is to cross the barriers that separate the different elements in this world. Your job is telling stories, and bringing back harmony.” High Spirits is part of An Ayrshire Trilogy, three audio dramas which celebrate our rich history and culture. The Trilogy is supported by Creative Scotland.

From DREAMS & SCREAMS PRODUCTIONS comes a 5-part audio horror series called The Somnilyte Sessions, produced by Sara Brooke Christian, PhD. Here we present Episodes 5, the season finale. Enjoy!

• Episode 5 The Train is Coming

          In the season finale, Rebekah comes face to face with her greatest fear. Will Rebekah be able to escape the grips of the SomniLyte Institute? 

            Cast: Emily Gray, Chase Bernard, Sydni Meyers, Victoria Myssik, Théo Lambert-Scott, Henry Southwick, Sophia Brazda, Hannah Thibodeaux, Anna Broussard, Samantha Staggs, Abbe Gail Gross, Marq Parks, Zachary Ochinko, Robin Talbot, Brandon Persica

From DREAMS & SCREAMS PRODUCTIONS comes a 5-part audio horror series called The Somnilyte Sessions, produced by Sara Brooke Christian, PhD. Here we present Episodes 3 & 4, which we promised for November, but life got in the way. As stated before, the finale is promised soon. Enjoy!

• Episode 3 Birthday Cake

            The Institute’s true intentions begin to show as Rebekah endures another session and her friends and fellow patients begin to disappear.

            Written by Chase Bernard and Desiree Carpenter

            Cast: Emily Gray, Chase Bernard, Sydni Meyers, Victoria Myssik, Théo Lambert-Scott, Henry Southwick, Sophia Brazda, Hannah Thibodeaux, Anna Broussard, Samantha Staggs, Abbe Gail Gross, Marq Parks, Zachary Ochinko, Robin Talbot, Brandon Persica

• Episode 4 In The Name of Science

            Rebekah investigates the unexplained and confronts those in charge in her most tense dreamscape yet.

            Written by Aaron Wood and Sara Brooke Christian

            Cast: Emily Gray, Chase Bernard, Sydni Meyers, Victoria Myssik, Théo Lambert-Scott, Henry Southwick, Sophia Brazda, Hannah Thibodeaux, Anna Broussard, Samantha Staggs, Abbe Gail Gross, Marq Parks, Zachary Ochinko, Robin Talbot, Brandon Persica

A FISH IN THE SEA PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS: The Screaming Skull

In the second annual edition of The Chilling Tales of Yuletide, we have a full-length adaptation of the 19th century short story, The Screaming Skull.

After the death of his friends, Dr and Mrs Pratt, Captain Braddock takes up residence in their former home. Yet he soon becomes convinced that the skull he found in the upstairs bedroom screams every night, haunting him, and that it was the cause of Dr Pratt's death. When investigators Miller and Shaughnessy (a believer and skeptic respectively) arrive to learn more about the situation on the night before Christmas Eve, Captain Braddock explains the haunting, as well as his theory that the skull belonged to Mrs Pratt and that her husband killed her. A half-tormented man himself, Captain Braddock is erratic in his explanations and retellings, and even Shaughnessy's skepticism is slowly put to the test as the haunting of the skull begins to drag them into the tale of murder and betrayal and guilty consciences.

Based on the story by Frances Marion Crawford and adapted by Lana O'Kell.

Sound Editor: Tori Taylor

Captain Charles Braddock: Pete Lutz

Miller: Joshua Chadwick

Shaughnessy: Lana O'Kell

FIND MORE "A FISH IN THE SEA PRODUCTIONS" at Apple Podcasts and all podcast providers

Continuing our special run of Christmas and holiday shows, we proudly present this episode of Pulp-Pourri Theatre, A CHRISTMAS CORNUCOPIA. Originally launched in 2016, this comes from Season Four of that series. Enjoy and have a very merry holiday season! NARADA RADIO COMPANY

PULP-POURRI THEATRE S4 E3: A CHRISTMAS CORNUCOPIA 

1. SCROOGE & MARLEY'S REUNION (Live recording):

Pete Lutz, Micah Blain, Jason D. Johnson, Ross Bernhardt, Julio Herrera

2. Robert Frost's STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING:

Lisa Michaud

3. BIX BIXBY BOOK REVIEW 1 (Dickens's "A Christmas Carol"):

Melody Gaines, Nick Wommack, Austin Hanna, Pete Lutz

4. THE MARCH SISTERS' CHRISTMAS (Live recording):

Pete Lutz, Victoria Fancki, Jessica Matthews, Paige Walker, Debby Leal-Ramirez, Wendy Sauer, Merilee Robinson, Richard Robinson

5. George Wither's A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1622)

Austin Hanna, Geri Elliff, George Hatfield, Kristy Glick

6. THE BICKERSONS' CHRISTMAS EVE:

Dana Gonsalves, Victoria Fancki, Pete Lutz

7. BIX BIXBY BOOK REVIEW 2 (Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book):

Pete Lutz, Nick Wommack

Continuing our special run of Christmas and holiday shows, we proudly present the Narada Radio Company and their solitary holiday offering -- but it's a lulu, kiddies!

Based on the hit stage play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, and adapted for radio several times in the 1940s (and from two of which productions ours is derived), The Man Who Came to Dinner is a rollicking comedy that tells the story of a tyrannical celebrity who gets injured around Christmastime in a small town in Ohio; and of his eventual comeuppance by his friends and loved ones. Filled with colorful characters and comical situations, this is a Holiday Treat that can't be beat.

Adapted from the 1949 Hotpoint Holiday Hour and 1950 Lux Radio Theatre broadcasts, directed and produced by Pete Lutz. For entertainment purposes only, no infringement is intended. Our Narada Radio Company players were...

 Darren Rockhold as Your Announcer

Les Marsden as Sheridan Whiteside

Victoria Fancki as Maggie

Rhiannon McAfee as Lorraine Sheldon

Geri Elliff as Mrs. Stanley

Duane Noch as Mr. Stanley

Rachel Pulliam as Miss Preen

Stephanie Stearns Dulli as Sarah

Bob Beaumont as Dr. Bradley

Jessica Mathews as Harriet Stanley

Dana Gonsalves as Bert Jefferson

Tom Konkle as Beverly Carlton and

Pete Lutz as Banjo, Radio Voice, Michaelson, Expressmen, and Westcott

Music was by Dr. Ross Bernhardt

Continuing our special run of Christmas and holiday shows, we proudly present the KCAL Old-Time Radio Troupe, in live performance earlier this month, performing an episode of Our Miss Brooks, entitled “Christmas Gift Mix-Up”. This program originally aired 12/20/53.

CAST (in order of appearance):

Announcer: Steve Watts

Miss Brooks: Connie McDonald

Mrs. Davis: Denise Cline

Walter: David Damron

Conklin: Doug Fain

Boynton: Norman Cline

Harriet: Galisa Watts

Mr. Stone: Steve Watts

Directed by Doug Fain. The KCAL troupe performs in their own theater in Jessamine County, Kentucky.

Continuing our special run of Christmas and holiday shows, we proudly present this episode of Pulp-Pourri Theatre, "Karpen".

Orig. rel. 12/18/14, "Karpen" was adapted from the Pulp Fiction story by Robert Neal Leath. This was Episode 3 of Season 2 of Pulp-Pourri Theatre, an anthology audio series. This is a contemporary retelling of the 16th-century "Wandering Jew" legend, set during Christmastime, 1938. Adapted, Directed and Produced by Pete Lutz, and starring the Narada Radio Company. All materials such as sound effects and incidental music in this production were sourced from the public domain. 

ANNOUNCER: Lisa Ayala

JOHN ALBERTSON/KARPEN/STURMER: Pete Lutz

JACK MURPHY: Christian Ferris

SILVERSTEIN: Jack Ward

BRENDA KARPEN: Tanja Milojevic

ELEVATOR BOY/COP: Kyle Bauer

BAHKMETEFF/CALLIERI: Dana Gonsalves

TAGUCHI: Skeeter Ullman

TELEPHONE VOICE #1: Nancy Gaugler

TELEPHONE VOICE #2: Bubba Jones

Continuing our special run of Christmas and holiday shows, we proudly present the latest release from our friends at Project Audion: My True Story: A Christmas to Remember.

Project Audion's December classic radio recreation is a lost episode from a virtually-lost series - how’s that for a Christmas present from the past! “My True Story" was on the air from 1943 to 1962 on three networks, but it's all but forgotten today, as maybe 10 vintage recordings survive from perhaps 5,000 original broadcasts!

A daily cousin to the daytime soap operas, "My True Story" produced a nearly hour-long complete drama five days a week - an astonishing achievement. Our Christmas Eve 1958 episode (#3,833), also titled "The Orphan In The Auditorium," asked the question, "What happens to a child who unexpectedly meets Santa Claus?"

It's full of poignant, heart-tugging emotion for the holidays, and was recreated from an original script saved by the 10 year old actress who played “Dot,” with a far-flung Zoom-based cast performing live…

Wendy: Holly Adams, NY

Dot: Rachel Pulliam, MO

Momma / Mother Sams: Sharon Grunwald, NJ

Santa: Ken Raney, TX

Announcer: John Bell, AL

Rachel Pulliam directed, and Larry Groebe created the music and handled production