The Last Radio Drama 1962


(8 stars; 1 review)

The Last Radio Drama 1962 Art Chimes  All Things Considered 30 September 2002 Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. September 23, 1962. CBS net. "The Deadly Crystal Matter". Sustaining. Mrs. Weatherwell's jewels have been stolen; they were worth $300,000! Johnny nearly has a traffic accident with a beautiful woman, then sits next to her on an airplane, then meets her at Mrs. Weatherwell's house when she returns the missing jewels! The final public service announcement and system cue have been deleted. Carl Frank, Sam Grey, Rennie Santoni, Walter Otto (sound patterns), Art Hannes (announcer), Fred Hendrickson (producer, director), Olive Deering, Elspeth Eric, Casey Allen, Dean Carlson, Mandel Kramer, Ethel Huber (music supervisor), Larry Solow (technical supervisor), Jack Johnstone (writer). 24:10.   Suspense. September 30, 1962. CBS net. "Devilstone". Parliament Cigarettes. An Irishman goes to investigate his haunted house, with unexpected results. The last show of the series, one of the last two shows of, "The Golden Age of Radio.". Christopher Carey, Neil Fitzgerald, Jonathan Bundy (writer), Fred Hendrickson (producer, director), Gilbert Mack, Walter Greaza, Reynold Osborne, Bright Milano, Ethel Huber (music supervisor), Walter Otto (sound patterns), Fred Cusick (technical director), Bernie Seabrooks (associate director), Stuart Metz (announcer), Mike Wallace (commercial spokesman). 24:33.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.

Reviews

When the music was over... the late great media of the mind


(5 stars)

I chanced upon this fine little page of homage, being a thanks and "Hatlo Tip of the Hat" to OTR, Old Time Radio, or better known as Network Radio Broadcasting. TV was becoming KIng of the Airwaves, and the radio, the wonderful medium of the mind that told stories and shared entertainment with only sound, was somehow doomed. This fine little page gives us the NPR Homage via a writer/reporter named Art Chimes, presented by (Sounds Like) Robert Seigel...and then, the last two episodes that actually ended Network Radio Drama. Of course, AM and FM radio continued, but the idea of doing drama on radio was over for entire networks such as NBC, CBS, Mutual, and independent stations that produced shows that were picked up by the national networks. See: https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Suspense_Singles_By_Year_1962 SO, I was 15 when I may have, or might not have, heard these last radio shows. I know I loved both Suspense and YTJD, and Have Gun Will Travel, and Gunsmoke when I was a kid in America. Here's the last of the vanishing drama on radio. Except for the final curtain of: https://archive.org/details/cbs_radio_mystery_theater Just be reassured, that here on Internet Archive there's literally hundreds of hours of radio for you to enjoy, from not only the USA, but all over the world. I must offer, for those who want to know more, the best book on the medium of Old Time Radio, the book ON THE AIR, The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Rado, by John Dunning. I have my beautiful Oxford University Press copy of 1998, and you can perhaps find that too, but in case you don't, note: https://archive.org/details/onairencyclop00dunn

Not True


(3 stars)

ABC's Theater Five( 1964-65) was broadcast over the ABC network. ABC created 260 original episodes. The CBS Mystery Theatre with 1399 broadcasts was chopped liver?! OK, The MT was highly variable -they b-cast 5 episodes a week, but, I listen to that show from the age of 15 to 21 years old. The BBC NEVER gave up on radio drama. The BCC was & is the best. I PAY my broadcast tax and SMILE! I love my BBC. PS: The demise of PBS & is a political CRIME.

You may find this link of interest


This post has a podcast about September 30, 1962 and radio drama thereafter https://archive.org/details/1962-09-30 There are also other resources about what led up to that day. One of the "last gasps" before CBS Radio Mystery Theater came to the air was ABC's Theater Five. The audio of the series has gotten a significant upgrade and has been part of a larger project to "re-discover" the series. https://archive.org/details/T5project

Thank you!


Good memories for me too!