Classic TV : OT: Before the TV years - the Radio Days

Re: 'Nothing up my Sleeve' by Carr

Great, thanks a lot for the tip!


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

'In Fear and Trembling' by J. Donald Wison

In Fear and Trembling by J. Donald Wilson

--starring Mary Astor

A couple's life is changed forever when the wife's stepsister arrives to stay with them for awhile. The wife starts to have certain visions and she refuses to take a certain tonic which has been prescribed to her for fear that it's been poisoned.

Good and atmospheric story, but I was a bit disappointed with the ending.

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: 'In Fear and Trembling' by J. Donald Wison

Starring Mary Astor, eh?! I bet she was just IDEAL for this kind of role!


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: 'In Fear and Trembling' by J. Donald Wilson

Oh yes, and I just picked up on a typo. Should be "Wilson", not "Wison"...

I should proofread my posts a bit better!

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: OT: Before the TV years - the Radio Days

I am just curious, was there ever radio versions of the following stage plays:
A Phoenix Too Frequent (written by Christopher Fry)
Tomorrow's Child (written by John Coates)
Black Chiffon (written by Lesley Storm)
One Bright Day (written by Sigmund Miller)

I know there were a lot of radio anthology series, so I am curious if any of these were adapted as radio plays.

I know there was a radio version of "The Multi-Coloured Umbrella" (written by Barbara Vernon), which interests me since the 1958 television adaptation is apparently lost.

(if you post a reply of interest, it might be an idea to also send me a PM (private message) telling me about the reply. I am very very tired and will have probably forgotten having posted this by tomorrow. So if you have a link to any radio versions of these stage plays, again, it would be helpful if you sent me a PM informing me of you having made the reply).





George? Oh, for a man his age who's been through as much as he has, he looks terrible

Re: OT: Before the TV years - the Radio Days

Well, Christopher Fry wrote some TV scripts, but his plays, like "A Phoenix Too Frequent", never seem to have been adapted for radio, just like Joan Coates'. "Black Chiffon" was adapted for TV a couple of times, and so was "One Bright Day" in Australia" - but no radio adaptations, unfortunately...


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: OT: Before the TV years - the Radio Days

That's why I asked: Because there were various television adaptations of plays like "Black Chiffon" and "One Bright Day", so I wondered if there was radio versions (and really, even if they were unsuitable for radio, that never stopped anyone before. I mean, they had ventriloquists on radio and baseball coverage...)




George? Oh, for a man his age who's been through as much as he has, he looks terrible

Re: OT: Before the TV years - the Radio Days

Yeah, that's quite right; but for some reason, none of them were ever adapted for radio...


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

the radio play 'Laura'

Laura...based on the movie. Some of the actors from the film did the voices of the characters in the radio play. I'm listening to it now and enjoying it!

https://ia700407.us.archive.org/7/items/Lux10/Lux_45-02-05_Laura.mp3

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: the radio play 'Laura'

Wow!! Who's in the radio play from the film cast, is Gene Tierney playing the title role there as well??


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: the radio play 'Laura'

Oh yes, Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews are there, as is Vincent Price.

I wonder why Clifton Webb wasn't there? They even renamed his character: Paul Lydecker.

I mentioned in the other reply that this radio play is extremely similar to the movie, except half an hour shorter. I'm a bit surprised that they didn't change it around a bit more.

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: the radio play 'Laura'

Well, they probably relied on the success of the movie - and since Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews AND Vincent Price are playing, I bet the radio play must have been a great success as well!


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: the radio play 'Laura'

I hope it was!

It's a story which works well on the big screen AND on radio!

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

…and Martha Ivers…

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers:

https://ia600308.us.archive.org/31/items/ScreenDirectorsPlayhouse/SDP_ 50-06-23_ep074-The_Strange_Love_of_Martha_Ivers.mp3

Barbara Stanwyck does Martha's voice here.

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: …and Martha Ivers…

FANTASTIC, thanks a GREAT lot!!


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: …and Martha Ivers…

This is one that they really had to shorten, because the movie is nearly 2 hours long and the radio play is only half an hour.

I also heard The Best Years of Our Lives...the movie is 3 hours long and the radio play is half an hour. Talk about getting just the bare bones of a story....

I should check to see if the two slowest moving (and very lengthy) films in the history of movies were done as half-hour radio plays: The Hallelujah Trail and It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. They would probably be very effective radio plays. I tolerated It's a Mad World, but I gave up on the other after 75 minutes when I tried to watch it 2 years ago.

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: …and Martha Ivers…

Yes, it's very often that the producers make the mistake to make a movie with a good cast and a good subject a whole epic, while the plot could easily be told in an hour or so and the result would have been a great, fast-paced movie. I've noticed that lots of times lately with all the 'Boston Blackie' and 'Charlie Chan' movies that I've watched: they're all about 60 minutes of wonderful entertainment without a dull moment! And the 'Boston Blackie' radio plays were again cut down to 30 minutes, which makes them just fine and enjoyable for the listener...


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: …and Martha Ivers…

And yet some movies, like Martha Ivers, are well paced at two hours.

Also The Sound of Music at nearly 3 hours. Ditto with The Best Years of Our Lives.

Poor pacing seems to be more of a problem with contemporary films.

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: …and Martha Ivers…

Well, I must admit that "Martha Ivers" IS well-paced even at two hours - but I also must admit that I found both "The Sound of Music" and "The Best Years of Our Lives" (especially the latter) overlong and - sorry - boring at times...


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: …and Martha Ivers…

Were you able to hear the Martha Ivers radio play, or did you have trouble with the security certificate, too?

If those radio plays aren't available outside of North America, then all I can say is...move to Canada!

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: …and Martha Ivers…

Good idea...!


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: …and Martha Ivers…

You know what might work? Go back a couple of steps in the links I posted. Start with the home pages of the various radio programs, and try clicking on the actual radio plays. Maybe that'll make a difference.

It might also help if you reboot your computer and do various upgrades on it. I can't guarantee anything, though.

Not that I'm an expert on these things. Not that I know much about computers.

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: …and Martha Ivers…

You seem to know QUITE a lot, though! Thanks a lot


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

getting those radio plays to play on your computer

Did you manage to get it to work?

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: getting those radio plays to play on your computer

Well, I haven't come around yet even to try - I've been busy with my daughter all day (they had no lessons today, because tomorrow's our national holiday)...


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: getting those radio plays to play on your computer

Sounds like fun...good luck with that later this week!

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: getting those radio plays to play on your computer

Well, it wasn't exactly fun; and today's not gonna be much fun either, since she'll be at home all day... When I'll return to 'my' murder mysteries tomorrow, that'll be a GREAT relief!!


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: getting those radio plays to play on your computer

Ha ha.....

Parents are usually happy when their kids are back to school!

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: getting those radio plays to play on your computer

You BET!!


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: getting those radio plays to play on your computer

My parents had FOUR of us. Any back to school day would have brought joy to my mom!

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: getting those radio plays to play on your computer

Oh, I'm sure about that! But, well, back then we used to be at least kinda 'good kids' - while my daughter's generation (at least here in Greece) seems to consist ENTIRELY of spoilt, loud-mouthed, ill-behaved BRATS!!


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

The Petrified Forest

Re: The Petrified Forest

It's too bad, but for some reason ('security certificate', it says) I can't open the link...


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: The Petrified Forest

Maybe these radio plays aren't available to people in Europe? I don't know...I had no trouble at all.

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: The Petrified Forest

It's a mystery to me...


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

The Ghost Breakers / Pitfall

The Ghost Breakers (radio play): I heard a few minutes of it. Unfortunately, this one seemed to revolve around Bob Hope and his forced humor. Besides, they have a laugh track on this radio play! I got used to hearing annoying laugh tracks in 1980s sitcoms which I watched as a kid, but I don't appreciate it in 1940s radio plays. After about 5 minutes of the laugh track, I had enough.

I'm listening to the radio play Pitfall now. What an improvement over the other radio play! I'm sure I've seen this movie, but I don't remember it.

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: The Ghost Breakers / Pitfall

So they had that silly background laugh even in the 50s? Oh boy; degeneration was starting even then...


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: The Ghost Breakers (movie + radio play)

In this radio play (The Ghost Breakers) they did. Terrible. I couldn't even listen to most of it! They overdid Bob Hope's humor. When it comes to humor, less is more...and they totally forgot this when they filmed the movie and then the radio play. Even in The Cat and the Canary, his lines were toned down a bit compared to this movie/radio play.

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: The Ghost Breakers (movie + radio play)

Oh, I guess I can imagine - since I've seen "The Cat and the Canary"...


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: The Ghost Breakers (movie + radio play)

It seemed to be a lot more extreme in this film.

A couple of months ago, someone was telling me that he had seen the 1960s Bob Hope film Bachelor in Paradise. He was impressed at how toned down Bob Hope's humor was. At that time, I wasn't sure what he meant. After I saw & heard The Ghost Breakers, I'm beginning to think that his humor was overdone in a lot of his films. Therefore, a movie like Bachelor in Paradise would be a welcome change. (I've seen that one a number of times.)

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: The Ghost Breakers (movie + radio play)

I haven't seen "Bachelor in Paradise" (too 'new' for me ); but I could imagine that it's better than his older movies...


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: The Ghost Breakers (movie + radio play)

I used to think that, too...that 1960s films were too new for me. However, once I discovered Jim Hutton and started to watch the comedies he was in (along with other 1960s comedies), I found that the comedies were a nice change from the older mysteries which I normally watch. It's good to mix it up a bit, and I'd rather watch comedies which didn't rely on bathroom humor to be enjoyable.

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: The Ghost Breakers (movie + radio play)

Of course, there are quite some good comedies from the 60s and later - in fact, one of my very favorites is from 1967: "When the Lights Went Out"... Just plain, simple, silly, hilarious FUN!


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: The Ghost Breakers (movie + radio play)

I haven't seen that one!

Two very silly comedies from 1967 are:

Who's Minding the Mint?

A Guide For the Married Man


~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: The Ghost Breakers (movie + radio play)

Well, here again I must admit I haven't seen those... "When the Lights Went Out" ( or "Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?", set during the big blackout in New York City), though, is REALLY hilarious; it stars Doris Day, Robert Morse, Terry-Thomas, and Patrick O'Neal!


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: The Ghost Breakers (movie + radio play)

It sounds like fun! I watch mostly comedies over the summer, so I'll be sure to catch that one. Also some silents, so that I can contribute more to your thread on that board. I tried a few Keaton silents a couple of weeks ago, but found myself going right back to the mysteries...

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: The Ghost Breakers (movie + radio play)

Same here; I think we just can't help it... But soon it'll be comedy time!


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: The Ghost Breakers (movie + radio play)

Each day, we're getting more sunlight in the evenings, so it's getting harder and harder to get into the right mystery mood. Unless, of course, I wait until 1 am to watch a film. Obviously I can't do this each night, unless it's the weekend!

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

Re: The Ghost Breakers (movie + radio play)

Right! But I've got a 'trick' for the 'disturbing' daylight: on the weekends, when we can stay in the bedroom all day, I just don't open the shutters and turn the lights very low, and so we've got almost a 'nightly' mood for our mysteries...


Let's be realists, let's demand the impossible.

Re: The Ghost Breakers (movie + radio play)

My windows face south and east. Doing what you do simply won't help. I want to move to a place with northern exposure ONLY.

I'm starting to miss Mr. Cutie. I think that I might make this a Jim Hutton weekend.

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen
Top