The Mutual Stage: A Cold Night's Death The Mutual Stage returns with another exciting play, hosted by Jack Ward and starring the Narada Radio Company. This time, we present "A Cold Night's Death", adapted from a 1973 ABC-TV Movie of the Week and directed by Pete Lutz. NASA Scientists Robert Jones and Frank Enari are sent to the top of the world to take over a special primate-studies program on how extreme conditions affect life in space. Once they arrive, strange things start happening, that makes them wonder: are they studying the monkeys, or are the monkeys studying them? CAST: ANNOUNCER: Darren Rockhold HOST: Jack Ward VOGEL: Tom Konkle  COOPER: Joe Stofko CHAPPELL: Dana Gonsalves ENARI: Gino Vianelli JONES: Pete Lutz PRIMATE SOUNDS: John Bell MUSIC: Dr. Ross Bernhardt

MUTUAL STAGE - A Cold Night's Death

Just premiered for the International Jack Benny Society annual convention, and now available to all: a "new" episode of the classic Jack Benny radio show newly penned exclusively for Project Audion by Bob Hope comedy writer Robert L. Mills. Here, Jack and the gang do a send up of the movie "Witness for the Prosecution" - with W. C. Fields in a guest-starring role.    Here's what Mr. Mills said after hearing the final product: "This as near perfection as any living humans could possibly recreate a 75-year-old radio show. You performed miracles producing this and the program will take its place among the best work you've ever done." As Jack would say... "Well!” That's a tribute to the cast and crew. Go ahead - join our virtual studio audience and laugh at the efforts of these talented voice actors...   John Bell in Alabama Pete Lutz in Texas Ken Jeffries in California Carl Thomas in Texas Bob Beaumont in California Angela Young in Florida Harry Middlebrooks in CA Norman Cline in Kentucky Bob Mills wrote the script in LA While back in Texas,  Larry Groebe oversaw the production

PROJECT AUDION 51 - Benny's Back!

Peter Lorre is an actor with such a distinctive voice and presence that even now, 60 years after his death, he's still instantly identifiable. It's surprising he didn't do more radio dramas, but he did host and star in "Mystery In The Air" in 1947. As a summer replacement show, there were only 17 episodes, and only 8 or so recordings exist -- so Project Audion asked Pete Lutz to create a NEW Mystery in the Air script. The result is both light-hearted and supernaturally spooky, and thanks to our transcontinental cast of talented voice actors, sounds just like an unheard episode from this terrific vintage series: Pete Lutz in Texas Lothar Tuppan in California Jeff Billard in Massachusetts Geri Elliff in Texas Angela Young in Florida John Bell in Alabama Bob Beaumont in California with Larry Groebe (in TX) handling sounds, music, and production

PROJECT AUDION 50 - Mystery in the Air

COMING SOON from The Mutual Stage and 63audio:  A COLD NIGHT'S DEATH Based on the 1973 ABC Movie of the Week -- screenplay by Christopher Knopf Adapted, directed and produced by Pete Lutz With voice talents of: Darren Rockhold - Tom Konkle - Joe Stofko - Gino C. Vianelli - Pete Lutz - Dana Gonsalves - John Bell - Jack Ward Music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt LAUNCHES 2-25-24 RIGHT HERE!

TEASER - A Cold Night's Death

S2 E7 - Women, Politics & Murder Our hero is hired by the widow of a wealthy building contractor to find out who murdered her husband. The Tec soon finds out, however, that he has more suspects than he knows what to do with. Starring The Narada Radio Company. Adapted by Pete Lutz from the story by Dashiell Hammett. CAST: ANNOUNCER: Darren Rockhold Pete Lutz as THE TEC   Geri Elliff as MRS. GILMORE Rhiannon McAfee as THE MAID Jason D. Johnson as O'GAR Angela Young as CARA KENBROOK Jeff Moon as STANLEY TENNANT Frank Gugliemelli as THE CABLE CAR MOTORMAN and LT. McTIGHE Paul Arbisi as OFFICER KELLY and John Bell as the POLICE SERGEANT and OTHER COPS Theme and incidental music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt, other music sourced from the Public Domain Mixing and sounds by Fishbonius Sound Design This production was supervised by Pete Lutz

ADVENTURES OF THE FEDERATED TEC S2E7 - Women, Politics and Murder

Western hero Jake Dimes, Range Detective, is back for another very special holiday tale, "Santa Claus of Bitter Creek". Jake and his sidekick Briar Buck spin a Christmas yarn for their wives and in-laws when they all gather for the holidays: A cowboy who has lost his faith in Christmas gets it back in spades when he helps a youngster buy presents for his mother. It's a heart-warming tale that's perfect for Christmas! Written and directed by Pete Lutz – adapted from a short story by A. C. Abbott, and starring the Narada Radio Company. With the voice talents of: Dana Gonsalves as JAKE DIMES Victoria Fancki as CHRIS GREENSLATE DIMES  Austin Beach as BRIAR BUCK  Nancy Bueler as MOLLY SUTCLIFFE BUCK  Joe Stofko as FRED GREENSLATE  Glenn Hascall as SLIM SUTCLIFFE and Debby Gonzales Ramirez as LUPE; with Philboyd Studge as JEFF MITCHELL  Isla Braly as BUD Pete Lutz as MIKE GABBY  Paul Patterson as JIM BAILEY and Lisa Michaud as BUD'S MOTHER   The Jake Dimes Theme was composed by Pete Lutz, arranged and performed by Dr. Ross Bernhardt. 

SANTA CLAUS OF BITTER CREEK - A Jake Dimes Christmas Number

Mindstream Players Christmas Special. Written, edited, mixed and directed by Tom Konkle Starring Kurtis Bedford as Dr. John Watson Tom Konkle as Sherlock Holmes Stephanie Stearns Dulli as Mrs. Hudson, Lady Arabella, Penelope Chutney-Featherstone Pete Lutz as Barnaby Winklethorpe Jude Gerard Prest as Figgy Gino C. Vianelli as Humphrey Carruthers Bob Clendenin as Algernon Butterworth And ? as Madam Zepyra.

SHERLOCK HOLMES & THE CASE OF THE EXPLODING CHRISTMAS PUDDINGS

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it! Big Story radio drama recreated by Project Audion! Newspaper reporters were once heroic figures - exposing rackets and corruption, taking down the powerful and giving voice to the powerless. The "Big Story" series from audio drama's original classic era (the mid 20th century) celebrated the newspaper reporter - selecting true headlines and converting them into gripping dramas, much like Dragnet did with police. Audion's December offering is a story set during the Christmas holiday, and while there IS an appearance by Santa Claus and a happy ending - this is a drama, pure and simple - of murder, greed, and redemption. Hmmm…maybe a Christmas theme after all! Our cast reaches from Canada to across the United states to recreate this lost original script just as it was done back then, so you can hear it for the first time since December 20, 1950! Our cast: David Phillips in Virginia Donna Patton in Tenessee Trevor Rines in Canada Sean Massey in Texas Julie Hoverson in Washington Dana Gonsalves in Texas Scott McKinley in New Jersey Ken Raney in Texas and Larry Groebe did the heavy lifting

PROJECT AUDION 49 - The Big Story

In the late 1940s and early 1950s the Phil Harris-Alice Faye radio series was a master class in radio comedy. Harris (charming, egotistical, smooth, Southern) and Faye (grounded, smart, and only occasionally the movie star) were surrounded by eccentric regulars like Elliot Lewis as Phil’s band buddy Remley, and Walter Tetley as the little kid Julius - and each week the happy result could be heard in the gales of laughter from the live studio audience. Today, Harris is best remembered as the voice of Balloo the Bear in Walt Disney's Jungle Book, but former Bob Hope comedy writer Robert L. Mills fondly recalls the Harris-Faye radio shows of his youth, and has penned a pitch-perfect recreation for our coast-to-coast Project Audion cast to perform. We promise you a half-hour's classic entertainment! Our cast -- Pete Lutz (Phil Harris) JoAnne Kurman (Alice Faye) John Bell (Frank Remley) Bob Beaumont (Willie / Mr. Scott) Angela Young (Julius / Miss Bluecross / Customer) Ken Jeffries (Announcer) Robert L Mills (Druggist, Scriptwriter) Larry Groebe (Producer/Director)

PROJECT AUDION 48 - Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show

Who was it who made that phone call to the emergency room, the one that set off the horrible chain of events that took place in The Dark? Project Audion recreates the episode "The Dark" from LIGHTS OUT - one of classic radio's most imaginatively gruesome shows. It's an episode show that hasn't been heard in its complete form since January 1938! "Lights Out" was the work of master radio dramatist Arch Oboler, and he memorably redid "The Dark" 25 years later as a highly abridged adaptation for an LP called "Drop Dead" - the only recording you could hear until now. But Project Audion worked from the original half-hour 1938 script to deliver extra thrills and chills, and leading to a climax where -- well, that would be telling, wouldn't it? Who's afraid of The Dark? You will be! Our cast features: Jacob Palka in Illinois Douglas Herrman in California Denise Cline in Kentucky Robert Stevenson in Indiana Sounds, production, and direction by Larry Groebe in Texas

PROJECT AUDION 47 - Lights Out

Hi-Yo, Silver! The Lone Ranger is perhaps vintage radio drama's single most famous creation. Yet the Masked Man's formative years from 1933 until 1938 are essentially lost to us because no recordings were made. Original scripts DO survive, and Project Audion has selected episode #266 (out of nearly 3000!) from October 12 1934 to recreate. In 1934 the Lone Ranger and Tonto are not quite as we remember them, and the story -- featuring a cattle rancher, the coming of the railroad, and a "greasy half-breed" named Magdalena -- is rough-edged, less sensitive and streamlined than in later years. But this was the Lone Ranger that took the country by storm during the Great Depression. Now, for the first time in nine decades, this early version of the Lone Ranger rides again! The cross-country cast of Project Audion's transcribed-live recreation includes Lone Ranger: Dennis Thompson Tonto: Ken Raney Announcer: Greg Vestal Steve Greencliff: Norman Cline Magdalena: Pete Lutz Tad Brewster: Scott McKinley Gwendolyn Wiggs: Angela Young Mother Wiggs: Sharon Grunwald Father Jerimy Wiggs: Chuck Daugherty Larry Groebe produced, directed, and cleaned up after the horses.

PROJECT AUDION 46 - Lone Ranger

The short-lived noirish radio detective series "Pat Novak for Hire" is probably better loved now than it was in the late 1940s, thanks to its darkly-comic quips and the dry-as-dust performance of Jack Webb in the title role (just before his blockbuster turn on "Dragnet.") Novak - the man, like the show - was one of those "hard-boiled" types - he may bounce or crack, but he doesn't break easily. Novak shows are loved for their Raymond Chandler-esque plots and style, where the lead character never met a crook or a lady he couldn't describe with a delirious simile. Project Audion offers up a brand-new episode penned for Project Audion by long-time network television writer Casey Keller. Mr. Keller's script matches the late-1940s originals blow for blow, dame for dame, gunshot for gunshot, metaphor for metaphor. Step into the perpetual foggy night of the San Francisco waterfront to meet "Pat Novak, For Hire" in our transcribed-live adventure.  Pat Novak: PETE FERNBAUGH (WV) Jocko Madigan: TOM KONKLE (CA) Inspector Helleman: TEE QUILLAN (TN) Hannah Gordon: JOANNE KURMAN (CA) Stripper 1: DONNA PATTON (TN)) Stripper 2: JULIE HOVERSON (WA) Jack Silver: KIM TITUS (TX) Announcer/Goon: LOTHAR TUPPAN (CA) Goon: BOB MILLS (CA) Coroner: CASEY KELLER (CA) Written by Casey Keller Sound, Direction, and Production by Larry Groebe

PROJECT AUDION 45 - Pat Novak for Hire

It's the year 2090. There are signs that a pandemic is coming - a pandemic which will kill millions of innocent people - again. Because it's happened before. But this time, just maybe, we know what - or who - is causing it...and a chance to stop it. That's the setup for "Syndrome Johnny," a lost episode from a nearly-forgotten science-fiction anthology radio drama from 1953 called "Tales of Tomorrow." The television version of "Tales of Tomorrow," which actually came before the radio edition, is considered one of the first serious scifi video series. The TV edition spawned the radio offshoot, which hoped to fill the void of the recently-cancelled and now-classic series "Dimension X," adapting stories from Galaxy Magazine. Failing to find a sponsor, it only lasted a few months. The sound quality of the few recordings that survive is mostly quite poor, and our recreation "Syndrome Johnny" doesn't survive at all.Our transcontinental cast performs in the classic audio drama tradition - live in one uninterrupted take - to recapture the spirit of this pioneering science fiction show for a national audience for the first time in 70 years. In our cast: Trevor Rines, Canada Tim Burns, Kansas Jack Ward, Canada Greg McAfee, California Rhiannon McAfee California Gary Layton, Texas and Larry Groebe, Texas

PROJECT AUDION 44 - Tales of Tomorrow

Old-Time Radio Essentials is back with episode 40, the 3rd installment of Season 4, and our fourth Holiday Special! Pete, Paul and Patte present an episode of the long-running Mutual series Nick Carter, Master Detective. This time it's Paul's pick, called "Nick Carter's Christmas Adventure"!  Will Pete dwell on technical details and miss the historical context? Will Patte compare this to something Canadian? Tune in and find out! And since we're on the subject of finding things out, while you listen you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:  1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.") 2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection? So with this in mind, we three bring you, as our fortieth number (but 3rd official episode of S4), this episode of Nick Carter, Master Detective, from 12/25/43. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it!  Please show your support of the podcast by doing any of the following... To comment on how we might improve OTR-E, or give suggestions for future discussions, please write to us at f6point3@gmail.com . Put the word "Essentials" in the subject line.  Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated. Next Time: It's Pete's pick again, and he'll bring an episode of The Henry Morgan Show!

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS 40 - Nick Carter

THE CELLAR Miniseries 3.5: Far Below The Cellar's third miniseries concludes with this adaptation by Pete Lutz of one of the most famous pulp-horror tales to appear in Weird Tales magazine! Robert Barbour Johnson's story of a special squad of the NYPD, assembled to combat strange subterranean creatures in the subway tunnels, was voted the best story ever to appear in those pages. Mr. Lutz's adaptation takes a few liberties with the story, but only enough to keep it moving along at a good clip. We think you'll approve! Thanks for joining us for this year's miniseries, and be sure to come back next year for our fourth outing in...The Cellar! NARADA RADIO COMPANY Announcer: Trevor Rines Cadavera Quivry (Your Ghostly Host): Angela Young   INSPECTOR CRAIG: Pete Lutz LIEUTENANT: Dana Gonsalves DR. BLOOM: Paul Arbisi HAGGERTY: Nick Wommack CAPTAIN RICHTER: Les Marsden THE VOICES OF "THEM": Sarah Leight, Larry Cashion   Theme by Tom Rory Parsons Incidental music by Ross Bernhardt Produced & directed by Pete Lutz

THE CELLAR Miniseries 3.5: Far Below

    DESECRATE (HORROR)  Philamena was a seer, a psychic by modern vernacular. And somewhere among these stones is her gravesite. Tonight, we're going to contact her." On All Hallows' Eve, a graveside Ouija board session descends into a nightmare, unveiling a web of lies and betrayal between longtime friends and perhaps a doorway to something far more disturbing.   Warning: Explicit language, violence, and graphic content. Written, directed, and produced by John Ballentine. Original music score by Kevin Hartnell. CAMPFIRE RADIO THEATER

DESECRATE

TIES OF BLOOD – PART TWO (HORROR, MYSTERY) "All predators aren't created equal." Nikki's inquisitive instincts lead her into dangerously precarious situations as the mystery of the Red Hill Adductions deepens. Warning: Explicit Language and Graphic Content. Written, directed, and produced by John Ballentine. Original music score by Kevin Hartnell. CAMPFIRE RADIO THEATER

TIES OF BLOOD – PART TWO

OF BLOOD – PART ONE (HORROR, MYSTERY) “All the freaks come out before daybreak.” A rash of abductions in the small community of Red Hill leads a young woman to suspect her mysterious nocturnal neighbor might be hiding a sinister side. Warning: Explicit Language and Graphic Content. Written, directed, and produced by John Ballentine. Original music score by Kevin Hartnell. CAMPFIRE RADIO THEATER

TIES OF BLOOD – PART ONE

THE CELLAR Miniseries 3.4: The Renegotiation The Cellar Miniseries continues with this thrilling retelling, by Kevin Kordis, of an old folktale. In order to save the people of his village from marauders, a blacksmith must enter into an agreement with the agent of a mysterious figure. Some years later, he feels that he should revisit this situation with the agent. The agent doesn't agree, but the smith is...quite persuasive. Mr. Kordis wrote this play for the 2019 Cellar Scriptwriting Competition, and received Honorable Mention. We're very proud to be finally presenting it.  This episode has the added thrill of having been edited and mixed in a single marathon production session lasting approximately 10 hours! We hope you enjoy it. NARADA RADIO COMPANY Announcer: Trevor Rines Cadavera Quivry (Your Ghostly Host): Angela Young   Nick Wommack as The ORATOR Jason D. Johnson as The SMITH Chuck Wilson as The ELDER Orlando Segarra as The AGENT The Cellar theme by Tom Rory Parsons Incidental music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt Produced & directed by Pete Lutz

THE CELLAR Miniseries 3.4: The Renegotiation

THE CELLAR Miniseries 3.3: Gear Jammin'  The Cellar Miniseries continues with this exciting horror tale by Mark Slade, with characters taken from a 1970s TV series, Movin' On, but with a supernatural element the creators of that series never dreamed of adding! Sonny and Will, long-haul truckers who share driving duties, are down on their luck as usual. A stranger offers them a considerable amount of money to carry a strange parcel cross-country, with the usual unforeseen consequences. This episode has the added thrill of having been edited and mixed in a single marathon production session lasting approximately 12 hours! We hope you enjoy it. NARADA RADIO COMPANY Announcer: Trevor Rines Cadavera Quivry (Your Ghostly Host): Angela Young   Pete Lutz as SONNY Dana Gonsalves as WILL Carole Krohn as CATHY Chuck Wilson as TRUMAN Mark Kalita as NICHOLS Jason D. Johnson as the SIX COPS Teddi Giggy as DOREEN and John Bell as RALPH SPARE The Cellar theme by Tom Rory Parsons Incidental music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt Produced & directed by Pete Lutz

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