Moonlight Audio Theatre

CRIME CLASSICS, Episode 52

Premiered Feb 9, 2024

The first woman executed for murder in the United States was hanged in 1778. In 1953 her shocking tale of love, hate, conspiracy, and murder was brought to life in the audition script for a new CBS radio drama series - "Crime Classics." Crime Classics was a sort of mid-century predecessor to today's true-crime podcasts. The audition episode, titled "The Crime of Bathsheba Spooner," featured some of radio's finest actors, writers, directors, and musicians. Unfortunately, this thoughtful adult true crime series only lasted a year before succumbing to the inexorable advance of television. Now, Project Audion premieres a recreation of the show using the original, uncut audition script, including material that never aired seventy years ago. In addition, we visit with Andrew Noone, author of a recent book on the 1778 murder, trial, and execution of Spooner. Join us and listen to the modern passions that inflamed Revolutionary America, as our transcontinental cast gathers via Zoom to perform a true "Crime Classic."

The cast includes –

David Phillips in Virginia

Patte Rosebank in Toronto Canada

Kyle Bonn in Oregon

Scott McKinley in New Jersey

Mick Wheaton in Washington

Pete Fernbaugh in West Virginia

Tom Konkle in California

Donna Patton in Tennessee

while Larry Groebe produced and directed from Texas

The Mutual Stage: A Cold Night's Death

The Mutual Stage returns with another exciting play, hosted by Jack Ward and starring the Narada Radio Company. This time, we present "A Cold Night's Death", adapted from a 1973 ABC-TV Movie of the Week and directed by Pete Lutz. NASA Scientists Robert Jones and Frank Enari are sent to the top of the world to take over a special primate-studies program on how extreme conditions affect life in space. Once they arrive, strange things start happening, that makes them wonder: are they studying the monkeys, or are the monkeys studying them?

CAST:

ANNOUNCER: Darren Rockhold

HOST: Jack Ward

VOGEL: Tom Konkle

COOPER: Joe Stofko

CHAPPELL: Dana Gonsalves

ENARI: Gino Vianelli

JONES: Pete Lutz

PRIMATE SOUNDS: John Bell

MUSIC: Dr. Ross Bernhardt

Just premiered for the International Jack Benny Society annual convention, and now available to all: a "new" episode of the classic Jack Benny radio show newly penned exclusively for Project Audion by Bob Hope comedy writer Robert L. Mills. Here, Jack and the gang do a send up of the movie "Witness for the Prosecution" - with W. C. Fields in a guest-starring role. Here's what Mr. Mills said after hearing the final product: "This as near perfection as any living humans could possibly recreate a 75-year-old radio show. You performed miracles producing this and the program will take its place among the best work you've ever done." As Jack would say... "Well!" That's a tribute to the cast and crew. Go ahead - join our virtual studio audience and laugh at the efforts of these talented voice actors... John Bell in Alabama Pete Lutz in Texas Ken Jeffries in California Carl Thomas in Texas Bob Beaumont in California Angela Young in Florida Harry Middlebrooks in CA Norman Cline in Kentucky Bob Mills wrote the script in LA While back in Texas, Larry Groebe oversaw the production

Peter Lorre is an actor with such a distinctive voice and presence that even now, 60 years after his death, he's still instantly identifiable. It's surprising he didn't do more radio dramas, but he did host and star in "Mystery In The Air" in 1947. As a summer replacement show, there were only 17 episodes, and only 8 or so recordings exist -- so Project Audion asked Pete Lutz to create a NEW Mystery in the Air script. The result is both light-hearted and supernaturally spooky, and thanks to our transcontinental cast of talented voice actors, sounds just like an unheard episode from this terrific vintage series:

Pete Lutz in Texas

Lothar Tuppan in California

Jeff Billard in Massachusetts

Geri Elliff in Texas

Angela Young in Florida

John Bell in Alabama

Bob Beaumont in California

with Larry Groebe (in TX) handling sounds, music, and production

COMING SOON from The Mutual Stage and 63audio:

A COLD NIGHT'S DEATH

Based on the 1973 ABC Movie of the Week -- screenplay by Christopher Knopf

Adapted, directed and produced by Pete Lutz

With voice talents of: Darren Rockhold - Tom Konkle - Joe Stofko - Gino C. Vianelli - Pete Lutz - Dana Gonsalves - John Bell - Jack Ward

Music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt

LAUNCHES 2-25-24 RIGHT HERE!

S2 E7 - Women, Politics & Murder

Our hero is hired by the widow of a wealthy building contractor to find out who murdered her husband. The Tec soon finds out, however, that he has more suspects than he knows what to do with.

Starring The Narada Radio Company.

Adapted by Pete Lutz from the story by Dashiell Hammett.

CAST:

ANNOUNCER: Darren Rockhold

Pete Lutz as THE TEC

Geri Elliff as MRS. GILMORE

Rhiannon McAfee as THE MAID

Jason D. Johnson as O'GAR

Angela Young as CARA KENBROOK

Jeff Moon as STANLEY TENNANT

Frank Gugliemelli as THE CABLE CAR MOTORMAN and LT. McTIGHE

Paul Arbisi as OFFICER KELLY and

John Bell as the POLICE SERGEANT and OTHER COPS

Theme and incidental music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt, other music sourced from the Public Domain

Mixing and sounds by Fishbonius Sound Design

This production was supervised by Pete Lutz

Western hero Jake Dimes, Range Detective, is back for another very special holiday tale, "Santa Claus of Bitter Creek". Jake and his sidekick Briar Buck spin a Christmas yarn for their wives and in-laws when they all gather for the holidays: A cowboy who has lost his faith in Christmas gets it back in spades when he helps a youngster buy presents for his mother. It's a heart-warming tale that's perfect for Christmas! Written and directed by Pete Lutz – adapted from a short story by A. C. Abbott, and starring the Narada Radio Company.

With the voice talents of:

Cannonball Kelly as YOUR ANNOUNCER

Dana Gonsalves as JAKE DIMES

Victoria Fancki as CHRIS GREENSLATE DIMES

Austin Beach as BRIAR BUCK

Nancy Bueler as MOLLY SUTCLIFFE BUCK

Joe Stofko as FRED GREENSLATE

Glenn Hascall as SLIM SUTCLIFFE and

Debby Gonzales Ramirez as LUPE; with

Philboyd Studge as JEFF MITCHELL

Isla Braly as BUD

Pete Lutz as MIKE GABBY

Paul Patterson as JIM BAILEY and

Lisa Michaud as BUD'S MOTHER

The Jake Dimes Theme was composed by Pete Lutz, arranged and performed by Dr. Ross Bernhardt.

Mindstream Players Christmas Special. Written, edited, mixed and directed by Tom Konkle

Starring Kurtis Bedford as Dr. John Watson

Tom Konkle as Sherlock Holmes

Stephanie Stearns Dulli as Mrs. Hudson, Lady Arabella, Penelope Chutney-Featherstone

Pete Lutz as Barnaby Winklethorpe

Jude Gerard Prest as Figgy

Gino C. Vianelli as Humphrey Carruthers

Bob Clendenin as Algernon Butterworth

And ? as Madam Zepyra.

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it! Big Story radio drama recreated by Project Audion!

Newspaper reporters were once heroic figures - exposing rackets and corruption, taking down the powerful and giving voice to the powerless. The "Big Story" series from audio drama's original classic era (the mid 20th century) celebrated the newspaper reporter - selecting true headlines and converting them into gripping dramas, much like Dragnet did with police.

Audion's December offering is a story set during the Christmas holiday, and while there IS an appearance by Santa Claus and a happy ending - this is a drama, pure and simple - of murder, greed, and redemption. Hmmm…maybe a Christmas theme after all! Our cast reaches from Canada to across the United states to recreate this lost original script just as it was done back then, so you can hear it for the first time since December 20, 1950! Our cast:

David Phillips in Virginia Donna Patton in Tenessee Trevor Rines in Canada Sean Massey in Texas Julie Hoverson in Washington Dana Gonsalves in Texas Scott McKinley in New Jersey Ken Raney in Texas and Larry Groebe did the heavy lifting

In the late 1940s and early 1950s the Phil Harris-Alice Faye radio series was a master class in radio comedy. Harris (charming, egotistical, smooth, Southern) and Faye (grounded, smart, and only occasionally the movie star) were surrounded by eccentric regulars like Elliot Lewis as Phil's band buddy Remley, and Walter Tetley as the little kid Julius - and each week the happy result could be heard in the gales of laughter from the live studio audience. Today, Harris is best remembered as the voice of Balloo the Bear in Walt Disney's Jungle Book, but former Bob Hope comedy writer Robert L. Mills fondly recalls the Harris-Faye radio shows of his youth, and has penned a pitch-perfect recreation for our coast-to-coast Project Audion cast to perform. We promise you a half-hour's classic entertainment!

Our cast -- Pete Lutz (Phil Harris) JoAnne Kurman (Alice Faye) John Bell (Frank Remley) Bob Beaumont (Willie / Mr. Scott) Angela Young (Julius / Miss Bluecross / Customer) Ken Jeffries (Announcer) Robert L Mills (Druggist, Scriptwriter) Larry Groebe (Producer/Director)