The Good Old Days of Radio Show

It's the final pick in our brief series examining the diverse work of radio writer/director Arch Oboler. We've explored just about every type of script Oboler did, from fantasy, horror, drama, comedy, and pulp. Today we are going back to 1938, when Arch Oboler wrote a comedy sketch for a primetime radio variety show that infamously caused such a fervor, it almost destroyed hundreds of network radio stations. John takes a fresh look at the show that got Mae West banned from radio, to see if it's as scandalous today as it was 85 years ago.

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We continue to explore the innovative work of radio writer/director Arch Oboler. This series would not be complete without an Oboler fantasy play. The oddly named story "The Word" appeared on Lights Out!, but it was not as Oboler points out at the beginning a horror story. It's about a man and a woman visiting the Empire State Building when everyone in the world suddenly and inexplicably vanishes. 

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Tommy Cook is back with us this week. Tommy is just turning 93 years old, and his memories of working with Arch Oboler as a child actor are still extremely vivid. Today we also hear Tommy at age 15 performing in a humorous, light-hearted Oboler script about a boy corresponding with a Chinese "pen pal." 

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This show was so unbelievably campy and weird, we almost didn't do it. Arch Oboler wrote the script for this episode of the legendary radio series, "The Shadow," and Orson Welles was the star, along with Agnes Moorhead. With the powerhouse of talent involved, it's a radio misfire that is fascinating to listen to on so many levels.

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Actor Tommy Cook is our special guest today. Tommy was the youngest member of Arch Oboler's stock company during the 1940s. Today Tommy joins us to talk about Arch Oboler, and also his own prolific radio and movie career. We hear Tommy in his first leading role (and his amazing performance!), on Oboler's "Everyman's Theater." 

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Today we are back to Arch Oboler's series "Lights Out!" This show is interesting, because it's about two network radio typists preparing scripts for Lights Out! when strange things begin to happen. Arch Oboler's stream of consciousness technique of using continuous repetitive dialogue is put to good use here. Also one of Oboler's favorite actresses, Mercedes McCambridge, gives a stellar performance. 

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During the 1930s, Arch Oboler became very famous for his serious plays, many of which had anti-fascist undertones. When war was declared, Oboler's occasional story with hints of isolationist views went away, and he became one of the strongest pro-war writers on the air. Today we hear a beautifully written story starring Raymond Massey, about a single dad who sees his two children go off to war.

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Arch Oboler's career was sparked in the early days in horror radio when he was brought on to replace Wyllis Cooper on the series "Lights Out!" Oboler discovered that very late night radio could be used to experiment with unusual techniques in writing and sound effects. Today we hear another episode from the later revival series of Lights Out! with a dark story of a newspaper tyrant, and the ghost who serves his revenge. 

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We are taking out an entire month to look briefly at the prolific body of work of Arch Oboler. The 1930s saw Oboler in a position of prominence in radio with his own series "Arch Oboler's Plays." Today we hear the most dramatic of these, with an riveting production of Dalton Trumbo's "Johnny Got His Gun," starring James Cagney as the blind and deaf soldier with no arms, and no legs. 

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Those regular listeners of the show will know the name Arch Oboler. We have featured many Arch Oboler shows, particularly his famous horror series "Lights Out!" But Arch Oboler was much more than just a horror writer. He was also a highly regarded radio innovator, right next to Norman Corwin and Orson Welles. For the next few weeks we are going to be exploring his work from drama to adventure to comedy. We begin with an episode from "Lights Out!" about a man who digs up a mysterious coffin in his backyard!

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