Himan Brown was a busy philanthropist and producer during the two decades following the end of Golden Age broadcast radio, creating over 100 films in support of causes he believed in, and a concert series in Madison Square Garden among other projects. He also opened a production studio in Chelsea.  But Brown was finally able to return radio drama to the air with the CBS Mystery Theater, which he established in 1974. It was a fully realized artistic vision, with Brown acting as producer, director, and script editor.  He brought a new generation of actors to the medium, including Marian Seldes, Tammy Grimes, Paul Hecht, Tony Roberts, and EG Marshall, as well as continuing to work with stars of the Golden Age like Agnes Moorehead.  In this episode we’ll hear from some of them, and from Brown himself on how he assessed actors, cast them, and worked with them, as well as visiting his former studios. 

Credits

- Executive Producers: Melina Brown, Sarah Montague

- Executive Director, CUNY TV: Chiqui Cartagena

- Director of Production, CUNY TV: Susan Iger

- Producer/Director: Sarah Montague

- Narrator: Margot Avery

- Concept and Script: Sarah Montague

- Associate Producer: Corinne Wallace

- Audio Production intern: Lucia Funaro

- Audio Engineer, CUNY TV: Lisa Gosselin 

- Senior Audio Engineer, CUNY TV: Richard Kim

- Mixing: Lisa Gosselin

- Sound design and final mixing: John DeLore and Bart Warshaw

- Staff photographer, CUNY TV: Laura Fuchs  

- Script editor: Allison Behringer

- - Composer: Allison Leyton-Brown

- Archivists, CUNY TV: David Rice, Catriona Schlosser

-Closed Caption Coordinator: Amy Monte 

- Branding and Graphic Design: Shae McMullin

- Publicity & Marketing: Multitude

Excerpts from the Himan Brown Oral History courtesy of Directors Guild of America, Inc. www.dga.org. All rights reserved.

- Audio Maverick was produced at THE HIMAN BROWN TV AND RADIO STUDIOS at CUNY TV, and made possible by the Radio Drama Network

About Us

The history of radio crackles to life with Audio Maverick, a 9-part documentary about one of the most visionary figures in radio, Himan Brown. Explore the Golden Age of radio through Brown's life, as we travel from the birth of audio drama to the programs that brought millions of families into their living rooms every night.

CUNY TV and the Himan Brown Archive assemble the story of how radio became an entertainment medium through archival audio of some of the most famous audio dramas, contemporary interviews with media scholars, and discussions with a new generation of audio mavericks that he inspired. New episodes monthly.