Monday Matinee

Federal Stonecipher brings in the warmth in the Matinee with Sonic Society #584, Sonic Summerstock Reply #10.4, and Reimagine Radio's New Year show! 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE classic hardboiled private eye drama with just enough noir to keep things edgy. Sam Spade, Brigid O'Shaughnessy, Joel Cairo, Casper Gutman. Dashiell Hammett brought them to life with his iconic storytelling. The Maltese Falcon is enjoyed as a novel, a motion picture, and a radio drama. The novel, written by American writer Dashiell Hammett was originally serialized in Black Mask magazine, beginning with the September 1929 issue. The complete novel was published in 1930 by Alfred A. Knopf.

The novel was adapted as a motion picture four times, most notably in 1941 as John Huston's directorial debut and starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, and Gladys George. This film adaptation of The Maltese Falcon was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Sydney Greenstreet), and Best Adapted Screenplay (John Huston).

The Maltese Falcon was adapted twice as an audio book, once as a stage performance, and once as a radio drama, the 3 July 1946 episode of Academy Award, a weekly radio program featuring actors and actresses, techniques and skills chosen from motion pictures nominated or having won the Oscar award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This episode, entitled The Maltese Falcon starred Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet, who reprised their roles in the 1941 motion picture. It is from this episode of Academy Award that we adapted our re-imagined performance.

Today, whether as the novel, film, or radio drama, The Maltese Falcon is often cited as the best example of both noir and hardboiled detective fiction. From the noir subgenre comes a bleak tone with nihilistic characters whose greed causes them to lie, steal, and cheat, becoming more and more entangled in a web of machinations from which they cannot escape. The hardboiled detective genre features a somewhat fallen private detective who may bend, even break, the law in pursuit of justice, and who, despite a broken moral compass, emerges from dilemmas with a clean ethical slate.

In both noir and hardboiled detective fiction, it is the interaction between characters that moves the story forward. Our story featured a definitive cast of classic characters. First, Sam Spade, a San Francisco private detective with his own code of ethics, and a connoisseur of comebacks. Spade is hounded by police detectives, thugs, and public officials driven by personal career interests. Effie Perine, Spade's secretary, provided comfort and moral guidance, but she had Spade's number. Miles Archer, Spade's partner, was murdered within the first few minutes of the story, a consequence that required a solution from Spade. Joel Cairo was a criminal for sure, but he smelled of gardenias. Casper Gutman, The Fat Man, was wealthy, cunning, charming, obsessed with a falcon statuette. And, finally, Brigid O'Shaughnessy, a femme fatale, beautiful but treacherous, who changed her name, and loyalty, at the drop of a dime. They all were looking for a gold statue of a falcon.

It was a volatile but entertaining mix, making The Maltese Falcon arguably one of the best detective stories ever written, and Hammett one of the greatest mystery writers of all time.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this remake of a Lux Radio Theatre broadcast, The Narada Radio Company presents the audio adaptation of the classic Hitchcock film in front of a live theatre audience! Special release for the 2019 Sonic Summerstock Playhouse.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a MERRY CHRISTMAS from David and Jack, on Halloween of all things! Tonight on this hallowed pre-Yule, our hosts bring Part 1 of Finding his Voice from David Farquhar and Voices in the Wind Audio Theatre company! Also some other festive holiday shorts include a recap from Deck the Halls Season 2 and Sassquach Radio, a message from the Amigos and Flavio, and a final reading Is There a Santa Claus? from our Jack. Happy Holidays one and all! 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Halloween and Federal Stonecipher brings the thrills with Sonic Society #583, Sonic Summerstock Replay #10.3- Strangers on a Train and The Maltese Falcon! 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Valentines Day, we sampled romantic radio drama series from the 1940s and 1950s, each addressing the travails we endure, the stories we tell ourselves, the results we never expect when dealing with love.

Re-Imagined Radio sampled from the 2019 live performance by actors from Metropolitan Performing Arts and other community volunteers recorded in Kiggins Theatre, Vancouver, WA. Broadcasts and streams by our local, regional, and international partners. Archival recordings available for on demand listening.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Slade brings his take on the classic "Revolt of the Worms" originally from Light's Out and written by Arch Oboler for this episode of Sonic Summerstock Playhouse!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight’s feature series is What’s the Frequency from James Oliva and Alexander Danner and includes a trifecta of shows including “Static”, “Took a Powder” and “Kentucky Universal Meal Gravy”.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the Halloween week at the Matinee! Beginning with Sonic Society #582, Sonic Summerstock Replay #10.2- Revolt of the Worms, and Reimagine's Affairs of the Heart!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Written, produced, and voiced by, Jean King, of Dayton, Ohio, Lonesome Gal was a very successful radio series from 1947-1950s. Identified only as "Lonesome Gal," King spoke to her primarily male audience in an intimate, sultry, come hither breathless voice—"Hiiiieee Baaayyybeee"—as if they were enjoying a candlelight dinner and wine, calling them "muffin" and "baby" and other pet names, acting as if each listener was the only man in the world. For many male listeners, King, no more than a voice on the radio, was the first virtual girlfriend. When she made public appearances, King wore a cat mask to hide her identity. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices