Southern OTR Comfort


Southern OTR Comfort For some reason, there was little representation of the American South in old-time-radio, beyond weekly doses of bandleader Phil Harris on his show and Jack Benny's.  Tennessee Williams received four productions of his early plays, one of which is presented here -- Best Plays ' version of Summer and Smoke , starring Missouri's Geraldine Page.  The original file had her sounding like a cartoon chipmunk; I've returned this great lady of the stage to her normal voice.  Katharine Anne Porter's Noon Wine comes courtesy of NBC University Theater , with narration by Clifton Webb; Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' Florida-set classic, The Yearling, features the film's original cast and some kind soul has already removed most of Lux Theater 's promo material.  Although Texas Rangers and the New Orleans-set Michael Shayne have a definite sense of place, Rogers of the Gazette is a little less specific -- I'm guessing Oklahoma, home of Will Rogers, Sr.  Grand Ol Opry of course represents Tennessee and All-Star Western Theater gives TX another nod.  Purists can find Screen Guild Theater 's version of The Little Foxes in my Half-Hours With Bette collection.  As usual, audio files have been cleaned of most static and volume adjusted.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.

License