Couch and Coffee Table

For today's podcast, we present The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes starring Sir John Gielgud and Sir Ralph Richardson. This show started out on the BBC in 1954 and then was broadcast on NBC in 1955. The episode presented for this podcast is called Dr. Watson Meets Sherlock Holmes, the first from The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes. This episode first aired on the BBC on Oct.5,1954 and on NBC on Jan.2,1955.

Today's podcast features another episode from The New Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes starring Basil Rathbone. The name of the episode from that series that is ran for today's podcast is called The Strange Case Of The Demon Barber and it aired on Jan.28,1946.

Continuing on with Sherlock Holmes month, Couch And Coffee Table present The New Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes starring Bail Rathbone. In this episode, it's The Case Of The Out Of Date Murder which aired on Sept.17,1945.

Couch And Coffee Table is pleased to present another installment for their Sherlock Holmes month with The New Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes starring Basil Rathbone in The Unfortunate Tobacconist which aired on April 30,1945.

Mike and Heather discuss Sherlock Holmes and his author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The New Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce is also presented with The Bruce Partington Plans. The Bruce Partington Plans was aired on Nov.6,1939.

Mike and Heather present the final Halloween Houdini seance from 1936. This is set up in an audio documentary but this is an actual event that took place, It is not dramatised. The audio you hear of the seance is from the actual seance. The final Halloween Houdini seance was October 31, 1936 (the tenth anniversary of Harry Houdini's death), on the roof of the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood. This was the greatest attempt to contact a spirit. Houdini's widow made her final effort to reach her husband, Harry Houdini, after his death, according to an elaborate plan that they had agreed to, that whichever of them died first would try for ten years to get in touch with the other, on the other (living) side. Although Harry Houdini was known as an antagonist to the spiritualists, he seems to have wanted to believe that it was possible for the living and the dead to communicate, but he demanded proof. Some 300 invited guests formed the outer circle, with 13 scientists, specialists in the occult, reporters, magicians, and spiritual leaders joining Mrs. Houdini in an inner circle. This documentary recording is narrated by George L. Boston. The voice of Mrs. Harry Houdini is included.

Mike and Heather discuss Frankenstein on film, tv and stage. They briefly talk about Frankenstein's author Mary Shelley and how she herself came to create a monster. The selection from the old time radio collection for this episode is The Weird Circle and an adaptation of Frankenstein. The air date for this episode is uncertain because in the research there were found two different dates, Jan.8,1944 and Feb.20,1944.

Mike and Heather discuss Bram Stoker and Dracula along with his many other works. Heather also delves into the story structure of Dracula along with it's many adaptations. Couch And Coffee Table also present The CBS Radio Mystery Theater adaptation of Dracula from May 2,1974. 

Last year for October Nights, Couch And Coffee Table presented the 1948 hour long version of Donovan's Brain from Suspense. This year, Couch And Coffee Table present the two part version from 1944 starring Orson Welles. Part one of Donovan's Brain aired on May 18,1944 and Part two aired on May 25,1944.

Mike and Heather discuss The Phantom Of The Opera in its many forms from the original book to film to musical and back again. Mike and Heather also present Lux Radio Theater's adaptation of the 1943 film on radio. Lux Radio Theater presents The Phantom Of The Opera aired Sept.13,1943. Basil Rathbone starred in this adaptation as the phantom.