PROJECT AUDION 64: Philip Marlowe, "The Three Wise Guys"

Project Audion’s Christmas gift this year is a lost episode of the classic detective drama The Adventures of Philip Marlowe with a holiday theme! Because Audion's previous Philip Marlowe restoration became its most popular episode ever, we returned to our archives to unearth a Marlowe script which hasn't been performed or heard since December 19, 1948 -- "The Three Wise Guys." The Adventures of Philip Marlowe ran for three years on network radio, with new noir-ish tales from author Raymond Chandler's detective. In this episode, it was the night before Christmas and (as Marlowe says) "a sweet girl was in trouble.  But that didn't mean a thing to the second-story man, the four-flusher in spats, and the ex-Chicago cabbie -- until, one way or the other, they all got into the spirit of the thing..." Our cast, which recorded this episode live in the classic radio drama style, included:   Andy Hartson-Bowyer in Virginia Tom Konkle in California Hunter Adkins in Maryland Gregg McAfee in California Jessica Matthews in Texas Rhiannon McAfee in California Donna Patton in Tennessee Paul Kovit in New York Music, sounds, production, direction by Larry Groebe

SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS, based on the 1964 film and adapted/produced/directed by Pete Lutz

Martians are worried that their children are being influenced by Earth trends, so they visit the planet's wise man, who tells them that they should let their children be children, and the Earthling Santa Claus isn't such a bad thing, so their decision is to travel to Earth and kidnap the jolly old elf.

The original film has been described as one of the worst films ever made, and as a result has been spoofed by theatrical companies all over the U.S. Well, the Narada Radio Company is no exception -- originally planned for a live production in December of 2024, Murphy's Law held true and strong, so they recorded it in the director's living room instead, and said director edited the voice tracks on Saturday, December 21st, and mixed all of the music and SFX on Sunday, December 22nd. Now, if you don't like the finished product...the director wishes you a very Merry Christmas.

This play would not have been possible without the following voice talents:

Mario Aguilar as Kimar Cassandra Paige as Cowgirl Imelda, Winky, and Girmar Dana Gonsalves as Santa Claus, Slobo, and Martian Foreman Pete Lutz as Cowboy Dennis, Cho-Chim and Dr. Werner von Green Lisa Espinoza McGrew as News Anchor, Hargo, Martian and Elf Pam Pailes as Radio Announcer and Momar Dawn E. Robertson as Betty and Mrs. Claus Merilee Robinson as Billy and Dennis's Maw Richard Robinson as Dropo Carl Thomas as Henderson, Lomas and Torg Bobby Vela as Announcer and Rigna Tammy Weidemann as Bomar and Shim, and Nick Wommack as Kid-TV announcer and Voldar

Certain music passages by Dr. Ross Bernhardt; other music sourced from the public domain.

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 46: The Mel Blanc Show (our 2024 Christmas Special!)

Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 46, the 9th installment of Season 4! Pete, Paul and Patte present Paul's pick (which is our annual Christmas Special), an episode of The Mel Blanc Show, entitled "Mel Plays Santa Claus"!  Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards!

As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:

1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.")

2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection?

So with this in mind, we three bring you, as our forty-sixth number (but 9th official episode of S4), this episode of The Mel Blanc Show, from 12-24-46. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it! 

Please show your support of the podcast by doing any of the following...

To comment on how we might improve OTR-E, or give suggestions for future discussions, please write to us at [email protected] . Put the word "Essentials" in the subject line.

Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated.

Next Time: It's Pete's pick again for our first show of the New Year, and he'll bring us a New Year's-themed episode of The Whistler! Join us then, won't you?

Adventures of the Federated Tec, Season 2, Episode 10: Who Killed Bob Teal?

In this exciting second-season finale, our hero gets an assignment that hits too close to home: Find the person who murdered another Federated operative, young Bob Teal. The Tec, along with San Francisco Police Detective George Dean, soon starts sniffing out the trail of the most obvious suspect...but our nameless protagonist eventually begins to wonder if maybe they're after the wrong guy. 

Adapted by Pete Lutz from the story of the same name, originally published in the November, 1924 issue of True Detective magazine. Produced and directed by Pete Lutz. Mixing and mastering by 63audio, Corpus Christi, Texas.

Our cast consisted of the following Narada Radio Company players:

Darren Rockhold as THE ANNOUNCER

Pete Lutz as THE TEC

Joe Stofko as THE OLD MAN

Frank Guglielmelli as OGBURN

Ian Federgreen as BOB TEAL

John Bell as DETECTIVE DEAN

Rhiannon McAfee as MAE LANDIS

Geri Elliff as THE LANDLADY 

Jeff Moon as WHITACRE

The theme, and some incidental music, were composed and performed by Dr. Ross Bernhardt. 

FEDERATED TEC FANS! We're happy to report that a third season is in the works. Scripts have been written for 11 episodes so far, with a likely four more to go. Each season gets longer than the previous one, because Hammett's stories, for the most part, kept getting longer, better, and more detailed, as his writing skills improved. As a huge fan of Hammett for more than 40 years, I have no desire to condense these longer tales, preferring instead to split them, as you saw in S2, into multi-episode dramas -- S2 alone had three longer stories split into two-parters, for example. Well, S3 will have both two- and three-part story arcs, full of the Hammett hard-boiled style, full of intrigue, and full of the unusual characters he was famous for. You won't wanna miss it!

Here's the line-up for Season Three -- and just for simplicity's sake, we'll be shortening our series title to The Federated Tec:

1. Mike, Alec, or Rufus?

2-3. The Whosis Kid

4-5. The Scorched Face

6-8. Corkscrew

9-11. The Daiwan of Chinatown (orig. title Dead Yellow Women)

12-14. The Gutting of Couffignal

15. The Creeping Siamese

COMING SOON FROM 63AUDIO!

"Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" was the last detective standing at the end of radio drama's original classic era, outlasting everyone else - Sam Spade, Richard Diamond, Sherlock Holmes, The Saint, Phillip Marlowe and dozens of others. "America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator" is arguably better-loved now than he was in the middle of the 20th century. Now Project Audion presents a new Johnny Dollar script, written by Patrick Keating in the style of the original episodes, and transcribed live (via Zoom) in the classic audio drama manner. Johnny Dollar travels to Texas to learn about the Damiani Diamond and what has happened to it...

Project Audion's cast includes:

Pete Fernbaugh in West Virginia

Kristen James in California

Glenn Hascall in Kansas

Lefty Rosenthal in Toronto Canada

Caleb Fisher in Virginia

Norman and Denise Cline in Kentucky

with production by Larry Groebe in Texas

Brought back to life after nearly 90 years buried at the Library of Congress, Project Audion recreates the very first script Arch Oboler created for NBC's famous late night horror drama "Lights Out." Lights Out stories gave the listener free rein to imagine the worst. And in the hands of a master storyteller like Oboler, the worst could be terrifying indeed - like a good campfire ghost story, reinforced with sound effects.    "Burial Services" took a simple, horrifying premise - being buried alive - and wrapped a moody story around it, one whose shock value comes as much from hearing the private thoughts of the attendees as what happens to the person in the coffin. When "Burial Services" aired June 3, 1936 it upset so many listeners that it was never produced again - but it launched Arch Oboler on a long and highly successful career. Only the original script of "Burial Services" survived, resting in peace in the archives of the Library of Congress. Project Audion was able to unearth the script, and our transcontinental cast (even including a licensed mortician) performs the episode in its original as-broadcast form for the first time in nine decades. Listen with the lights out...if you dare...   Featuring: Holly Adams, New York Patte Rosebank, Canada John Mauldin, Tennessee Grace Wagner, Illinois Doug Fain, Kentucky Greg McAfee, California Sharon Grunwald, New Jersey Vincent Caruso, New York Production, direction, and sound patterns were by Larry Groebe, Texas.

The Jack Benny Program returns with a delightful all-new radio episode penned by former Bob Hope staff writer Robert L. Mills just for Project Audion. Jack and his regular gang - Mary Livingston, Phil Harris, Dennis Day, and Rochester - send up the movie classic "Casablanca" with  some of the movie's original cast in guest starring roles.  Jack takes the Humphrey Bogart part, inevitably. Join project Audion's talented transcontinental voice actors as they perform together in real time (like the old radio-drama days) this brand-new episode of the Jack Benny Program that sounds like it came from the 1940s! Our cast:   John Bell in Alabama Paul Patterson in Georgia Julie Hoverson in Washington Mel Rose in Pennsylvania Pete Lutz in Texas Scott McKinley in New Jersey Bob Beaumont in California Ken Jeffries in California Written and directed by Robert L. Mills in California Produced by Larry Groebe in Texas

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 45, the 8th installment of Season 4! Pete, Paul and Patte present Patte's pick (which is our annual Thanksgiving Special), an episode of Cincinnati, Ohio's station W-L-W comedy-variety series Fountain of Fun, called "Turkey Rationed"!  Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards!

As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:

1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.")

2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection?

So with this in mind, we three bring you, as our forty-fifth number (but 8th official episode of S4), this episode of Fountain of Fun, from 11-22-42. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it! 

Please show your support of the podcast by doing any of the following...

To comment on how we might improve OTR-E, or give suggestions for future discussions, please write to us at [email protected] . Put the word "Essentials" in the subject line.

Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated.

Next Time: It's Paul's pick again for our annual Xmas show, and he'll decide later...

S2 E9 - The Golden Horseshoe, part 2

In the conclusion of this two-part adventure, the Tec returns to Tijuana, Mexico, to discover just who murdered his client. Once he arrives, however, there's any number of possible suspects. Story by Dashiell Hammett, adapted and dramatized by Pete Lutz.

CAST:

Pete Lutz as THE TEC

Noah Diamond as VANCE RICHMOND

Jeff Moon as ED BOHANNON

John Bell as THE FOUR WITNESSES

Rhiannon McAfee as KEWPIE

Mark Kalita as GOOSENECK

Dana Gonsalves as GORMAN

Ian Federgreen as HOOPER

Jason D. Johnson as O'GAR

With Darren Rockhold as THE ANNOUNCER GUY

Music by Ross Bernhardt. Post-production and mixing by Fishbonius Sound Design.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 44, the 7th installment of Season 4! Pete, Paul and Patte present Pete's pick, an episode of the syndicated series Hall of Fantasy, called "Black Figurine of Death"!  Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards!

As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:

1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.")

2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection?

So with this in mind, we three bring you, as our forty-fourth number (but 7th official episode of S4), this episode of Hall of Fantasy, from 1-26-53. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it! 

Please show your support of the podcast by doing any of the following...

To comment on how we might improve OTR-E, or give suggestions for future discussions, please write to us at [email protected] . Put the word "Essentials" in the subject line.

Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated.

Next Time: It's Patte's pick again, and she'll decide later...