So it's time for a dinner break. But while you wait... why not enjoy a real American Halloween tradition, and give a listen to this myterious radio broadcast from 1938, when the Martians attacked New Jersey. Just, please, whatever you do... DO NOT PANIC!
Keep your nerves steady, and start listening... after the jump.
Showing posts with label radio play. Show all posts
Showing posts with label radio play. Show all posts
Sunday, October 31, 2010
The Chicken Heart
So here's a Halloween classic for you, courtesy the classic radio program Lights Out: it's the spine-tingling tale of... The Chicken Heart!
Of course, just between you and me... I like Bill Cosby's version better...
Of course, just between you and me... I like Bill Cosby's version better...
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Dork 40 Radio Theatre of the Air
So I thought I’d take a little time tonight to share with you one of the dorkier corners of our Halloween Punkin Patch: The Dork 40 Radio Theatre Of the Air, our radio drama mix-tape!
A playlist and download link will follow after the jump, but first… a little history. Radio plays were the favorite entertainment of America for more than 30 years. Telling stories with nothing but voice, music and sound effects, radio drama thrilled millions of listeners coast-to-coast. It was killed by the advent of television, of course, but thousands of radio plays were produced between the 1920s and 50s, and one of the most popular genres in the medium was horror.
There were any number of horror radio series back in the day, with titles like Suspense, The Mysterious Traveler, The Hermit’s Cave, The Inner Sanctum, and Lights Out (famous for its trademark opening: “It‘s… Later… Than… You… Think!”). As with much radio drama, these shows were anthologies, with each week bringing a new and different story. Many of the shows had a regular host as their only common thread from episode to episode, and these hosts ranged from regular radio announcers to morbid characters who added a bit of color to the proceedings.
Sound familiar? It should, if you’ve been visiting the Dork Forty much this month. It was on radio that the whole concept of horror hosts began. The idea was copied first by EC Comics for their infamous horror line, and then on TV by the likes of Vampira, Zacherley, and all those who followed them. But it all got its start on the radio. My favorite of the radio horror hosts I’ve heard is the Old Hermit from The Hermit’s Cave, if only because I love the “crazy old coot” voice.
There were any number of horror radio series back in the day, with titles like Suspense, The Mysterious Traveler, The Hermit’s Cave, The Inner Sanctum, and Lights Out (famous for its trademark opening: “It‘s… Later… Than… You… Think!”). As with much radio drama, these shows were anthologies, with each week bringing a new and different story. Many of the shows had a regular host as their only common thread from episode to episode, and these hosts ranged from regular radio announcers to morbid characters who added a bit of color to the proceedings.
Sound familiar? It should, if you’ve been visiting the Dork Forty much this month. It was on radio that the whole concept of horror hosts began. The idea was copied first by EC Comics for their infamous horror line, and then on TV by the likes of Vampira, Zacherley, and all those who followed them. But it all got its start on the radio. My favorite of the radio horror hosts I’ve heard is the Old Hermit from The Hermit’s Cave, if only because I love the “crazy old coot” voice.
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