Ron's Amazing Stories

On this episode of Ron's Amazing Stories we have one from the OTR series CBS Radio Mystery Theater. It involves a man whose brand of justice takes him down a dark path. Will you recognize the story? Could this be the forerunner to a famous Jody Foster film? What can I say about CBS radio mystery theater that we haven’t already said in the past shows? I found it on the air sometime 1978 and was an avid listener until the day it closed its doors for the last time in 1982. In 1974 long-time radio producer Himan Brown convinced CBS to green-light a new anthology of Radio Dramas and CBS Radio Mystery Theater was born. This was a major win for Himan because the Radio Drama had been declared "dead" some twelve years before. Although the radio drama did not make a come back CBSRMT was a hit and managed a run of eight seasons (1974-1982). The story we have for this episode is called simply, “Them!” and first aired on February 27, 1975. Here is the LINK to the CBSRMT website that Ron spoke of during the podcast.

This episode of Ron’s Amazing Stories is dedicated to the past, current and future presidents of the USA. On the program you will hear a very special speech from one of our most famous presidents. Also, I found a little known OTR series called “Mister President”. We round the show out with story from Mark Twain. I have found a new OTR series called Mr. President. It ran on the ABC Network from 1947 to 1953. Each half-hour episode was based on an incident in the life of the President of the United States. The scripts were written in such a way as not to reveal the name of the President until the end of the program. Someone in the cast would address the president by name. As you can imagine some were more difficult to figure out than others. In keeping with the wishes of the program I will not reveal the show title to you, but can give you this much, the show first aired on October, 31 1948.

On the show this week we have a ghost that steals pants, ghosts that decide the fate of a kingdom and finally a short email about a helpful ghost that protects and serves. So press that play button down there on the bottom and settle in.

Can ghost have fetishes? Can they be attracted to worldly items to fulfill some ancient need? In this episode we take a look at this notion. It comes in the form of a story from a quirky series called The Weird Circle. It was a syndicated radio drama series produced in New York and originally broadcast between 1943-1945. What you will hear is a story about man being driven insane by a ghost that steals pants. It is called The Specter of Tappington and first aired on April 12,1944.

On this podcast we cover the subject of the Flight Nurse. We share stories from their beginnings during World War II to where they are today. There is even some World War II propaganda to enjoy. One thing is for sure these folks have a rough job. The main story is all about the the flight nurse. It tells us what it must be like every given day on that job. The tale comes from one of OTR’s finest, Cavalcade of America, which was broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953. What you will hear is a story called Fight Nurse. It is a day in the life of two WWII nurses as they cope with war, weather and the injured. It first aired on February 25, 1945. We also share an article from Roto Magazine, February of 1943. It tells the story of the Flight Nurse from a war’s perspective. The photos below ran with this article. They show some action shots from the November graduation class of 1943.

Rocket ships and detectives, that’s what we have today. Ed Hancock II is here to talk about his new book Mendez Genesis and we have a story from Lights Out that should send chills through you.  Sounds like a pretty good show so press that play button. Back in June of 2015 we had our first encounter with our guest this week. His story was so amazing that we invited him back when his new book published. Well Mr. Edward Hancock II did write Mendez Genesis and is back to tell us all about it. Ed was a dreamer from the start, born with Spina Bifida, his dreams became a reality at the age of 10 when he wrote what he considers to be his first real short story. By the age of 14, he had developed a deep love for writing poetry and by age 19, he was a staff member of the Kilgore College newspaper. Ed is the author of five award winning novels. They are, from oldest to newest, Morning Reign, Heart Beatings, Connection Terminated, Target Mendez and Mendez Genesis. All which are available right now here at amazon.com.

On the program this week we have the B-side of the golden age of radio, a story from Beth Myers who listens to us in Calgary and an odd little tale that I know you will enjoy. There is a lot to listen to so stop reading this and press the play button.

For this episode we focus on a story sent in by you guys, the listeners. Beth Myers from Calgary, Canada contacted me a few months ago wanting to tell her story. She said that she was not a writer and wanted it told well. I suggested that we collaborate on getting it on paper and what you will hear is the result. I have to say of all the stories we have had on the show. This one really shook my core. Beth herself titled it “The Night Run” and you’ll not be the same after hearing it. It truly is an amazing story.

On this edition of Ron’s Amazing Stories, we have quite the undertaking, or rather, the undertaker. When I first was contacted by our guest today I almost passed on it. Then I gave his book a read, talked to the man and what I found was a subject that was badly neglected and needed to be told. What is that subject? It is the story of the funeral director and Stanley Swan is just guy to tell us about it.

Mr. Stanley Swan was raised on a dairy farm in Jasper, NY, spent a dozen years in broadcasting and finally over 35 years as a licensed NYS funeral director. Stan joins us on this podcast to talk about his new book Undertakings of an Undertaker, true stories of being laid to rest. It is a book told from the point of view of the funeral director in a simple, direct and warm manner. It covers his life from the lost graveyard to the aftermath clean-up of 911. It is book that everyone should read.

This is the first podcast of the new year and it is a good one, but with a few twists. We have a story about a guy who swears his river moved. Another one from Suspense that will leave you suspended and a challenging season in the life of six orphan eagles. All of this in one show? I guess you will have to listen and see. Our OTR story for this episode comes from Suspense. If you have not read my blog this week I suggest doing so, because I cover the history of the series. You can find the blog at ronsamazingstories.com. What we will listen to is the audition episode of Suspense. It was directed by Mr. Alfred Hitchcock and is called The Lodger. It is an adaptation of Mr. Hitchcock’s play of the same name released in 1927. This story aired during the summer of 1940 as a forecast and would become the forerunner of the Suspense era.

I am excited about this episode. We begin with a look back at 2015 with a short presentation of what was. Then I sit down with Major Wayne Smalls, US army retired, to talk about his book, “Called to be Soldier”. We end the show with something I like to call, “Really! Even in the 1860s?" L. Wayne Smalls is an Amazon Best Selling author from Baltimore, Maryland who retired from the United States Army at the rank of Major. His military career has consisted of 22 years of active duty service, with over 25 years of service overall. During his time in the military, he traveled the world and has seen and witnessed many great and wonderful things. His book, Called to Be a Soldier, was written from the heart and experiences of the Major. Small’s bares all to take readers to the training grounds, onto the battlefields of the Middle East and then all of the way back home.

On this episode of Ron's Amazing Stories we have a classic tale from the folks at Suspense, a short story that is simply out of this world and I will give sort of a state of the union address.

For our main story we will listen to one of the early broadcasts of Suspense. Suspense started out on the airwaves in 1942 with the Man in Black at the helm. It was one of the very last series to close their doors in 1962 and mark the end of the golden age of radio. Our story is called Two Sharp Knives and is episode twenty-two of the series. It aired exactly one week before Christmas in 1942. Odd coincidence, if you look at the publish date of this podcast you will note that it is exactly one week before Christmas. Almost as if I planned it.