SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS, based on the 1964 film and adapted/produced/directed by Pete Lutz

Martians are worried that their children are being influenced by Earth trends, so they visit the planet's wise man, who tells them that they should let their children be children, and the Earthling Santa Claus isn't such a bad thing, so their decision is to travel to Earth and kidnap the jolly old elf.

The original film has been described as one of the worst films ever made, and as a result has been spoofed by theatrical companies all over the U.S. Well, the Narada Radio Company is no exception -- originally planned for a live production in December of 2024, Murphy's Law held true and strong, so they recorded it in the director's living room instead, and said director edited the voice tracks on Saturday, December 21st, and mixed all of the music and SFX on Sunday, December 22nd. Now, if you don't like the finished product...the director wishes you a very Merry Christmas.

This play would not have been possible without the following voice talents:

Certain music passages by Dr. Ross Bernhardt; other music sourced from the public domain.

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 46: The Mel Blanc Show (our 2024 Christmas Special!)

Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 46, the 9th installment of Season 4! Pete, Paul and Patte present Paul's pick (which is our annual Christmas Special), an episode of The Mel Blanc Show, entitled "Mel Plays Santa Claus"!  Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards!

As you listen, perhaps 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?

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 for our first show of the New Year, and he'll bring us a New Year's-themed episode of The Whistler! Join us then, won't you?

Adventures of the Federated Tec, Season 2, Episode 10: Who Killed Bob Teal?

In this exciting second-season finale, our hero gets an assignment that hits too close to home: Find the person who murdered another Federated operative, young Bob Teal. The Tec, along with San Francisco Police Detective George Dean, soon starts sniffing out the trail of the most obvious suspect...but our nameless protagonist eventually begins to wonder if maybe they're after the wrong guy. 

Adapted by Pete Lutz from the story of the same name, originally published in the November, 1924 issue of True Detective magazine. Produced and directed by Pete Lutz. Mixing and mastering by 63audio, Corpus Christi, Texas.

Our cast consisted of the following Narada Radio Company players:

Darren Rockhold as THE ANNOUNCER

Pete Lutz as THE TEC

Joe Stofko as THE OLD MAN

Frank Guglielmelli as OGBURN

Ian Federgreen as BOB TEAL

John Bell as DETECTIVE DEAN

Rhiannon McAfee as MAE LANDIS

Geri Elliff as THE LANDLADY 

Jeff Moon as WHITACRE

The theme, and some incidental music, were composed and performed by Dr. Ross Bernhardt. 

FEDERATED TEC FANS! We're happy to report that a third season is in the works. Scripts have been written for 11 episodes so far, with a likely four more to go. Each season gets longer than the previous one, because Hammett's stories, for the most part, kept getting longer, better, and more detailed, as his writing skills improved. As a huge fan of Hammett for more than 40 years, I have no desire to condense these longer tales, preferring instead to split them, as you saw in S2, into multi-episode dramas -- S2 alone had three longer stories split into two-parters, for example. Well, S3 will have both two- and three-part story arcs, full of the Hammett hard-boiled style, full of intrigue, and full of the unusual characters he was famous for. You won't wanna miss it!

Here's the line-up for Season Three -- and just for simplicity's sake, we'll be shortening our series title to The Federated Tec:

1. Mike, Alec, or Rufus?

2-3. The Whosis Kid

4-5. The Scorched Face

6-8. Corkscrew

9-11. The Daiwan of Chinatown (orig. title Dead Yellow Women)

12-14. The Gutting of Couffignal

15. The Creeping Siamese

COMING SOON FROM 63AUDIO!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 45, the 8th installment of Season 4! Pete, Paul and Patte present Patte's pick (which is our annual Thanksgiving Special), an episode of Cincinnati, Ohio's station W-L-W comedy-variety series Fountain of Fun, called "Turkey Rationed"!  Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards!

As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:

Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated.

Next Time: It's Paul's pick again for our annual Xmas show, and he'll decide later...

S2 E9 - The Golden Horseshoe, part 2

In the conclusion of this two-part adventure, the Tec returns to Tijuana, Mexico, to discover just who murdered his client. Once he arrives, however, there's any number of possible suspects. Story by Dashiell Hammett, adapted and dramatized by Pete Lutz.

CAST:

Pete Lutz as THE TEC

Noah Diamond as VANCE RICHMOND

Jeff Moon as ED BOHANNON

John Bell as THE FOUR WITNESSES

Rhiannon McAfee as KEWPIE

Mark Kalita as GOOSENECK

Dana Gonsalves as GORMAN

Ian Federgreen as HOOPER

Jason D. Johnson as O'GAR

With Darren Rockhold as THE ANNOUNCER GUY

Music by Ross Bernhardt. Post-production and mixing by Fishbonius Sound Design.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 44, the 7th installment of Season 4! Pete, Paul and Patte present Pete's pick, an episode of the syndicated series Hall of Fantasy, called "Black Figurine of Death"!  Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards!

As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:

Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated.

Next Time: It's Patte's pick again, and she'll decide later...

THE CELLAR MS4 EP5: TWIN PEEKS

RATED PG

For adult language. LISTENER DISCRETION ADVISED.

Welcome to the fourth miniseries of The Cellar! This is the fifth of five planned episodes of this long-running series, and in this, our finale, we bring you the pièce de résistance. We hope you've enjoyed all of our entries for this miniseries, and will come back next year for another one.

Episode 5, Twin Peeks, is set in the present day. Twins Judy and Jeff come back from a near-death experience, and each has a vastly different account of what they saw on the other side. Written by father and daughter team Pete and R. C. Lutz, and directed/produced by Pete Lutz.

CAST:

CADAVERA QUIVRY (Host): Angela Young

ANNOUNCER: Trevor Rines

REPORTER/ANCHOR: Carole Krohn

COP: Les Marsden

DOCTOR 1: Stephanie Stearns Dulli

YOUNG JEFF: Huck Dulli

CAPTAIN: Andy Hartson-Bowyer

FATHER PAUL: Pete Lutz

DOCTOR 2: Rhiannon McAfee

YOUNG JUDY: Piper Dulli

BROTHER MAXWELL: Tony Semczuk

TALK SHOW HOST: Tom Konkle

TEEN JEFF/TEEN JUDY: Mel Rose

PROFESSOR: Laura Mirsky

SCIENTISTS: Aileen Corpos, Mark Kalita

The Cellar theme by Tom Rory Parsons

Additional music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt 

Here's a tribute to my late friend Viktor Aurelius, a fellow audio dramatist and friend, who collaborated with me on several projects, some being his, and some being mine. A number of health problems shortened his life, and the audio drama community has never really recovered from the loss.

One of the bits he provided voice talent for was this fake commercial for "Redneck Airlines", which can't be described without spoiling the whole effect, so just listen and enjoy. Viktor's playing the "Bubba" character, and he overshadows my character completely. 

Miss Daisy is played by Katie Loftin. 

THE CELLAR MS4 EP4: RETURN TO THE SABBATH

RATED PG

For adult language and depictions of violence. LISTENER DISCRETION ADVISED.

Welcome to the fourth miniseries of The Cellar! This is the fourth of five planned episodes of this long-running series, and in our humble opinion, the plays keep getting better and better. 

Episode 4, Return to the Sabbath, is set in 1930s Hollywood. A film studio public relations man relates his negative experience with hiring a horror actor. Adapted from a short story by Robert Bloch, and directed/produced by Pete Lutz.

CAST:

CADAVERA QUIVRY (Host): Angela Young

ANNOUNCER: Trevor Rines

MILO MAYO: Andy Hartson-Bowyer

LESLIE KINCAID: Rhiannon McAfee 

EDWARD RELCH: David Ian

THE STUDIO BOSS: Nick Wommack 

BLESKIND: Austin Beach 

VITO: George Hatfield 

KARL JORLA: Tom Konkle 

THE REPORTER: Dana Gonsalves 

SYLVIA CHANNING: Carole Krohn

The Cellar theme by Tom Rory Parsons

Additional music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt 

THE CELLAR MS4 EP3: DEATH HOLDS THE POST

RATED PG

For depictions of war and murder. LISTENER DISCRETION ADVISED.

Welcome to the fourth miniseries of The Cellar! This is the third of five planned episodes of this long-running series, and in our humble opinion, the plays keep getting better and better. 

Episode 3, Death Holds the Post is set in mid-20th-century Algeria. A remote outpost of the French Foreign Legion has a squadron missing, and they're hearing reports of a German scientist in the area, who has escaped from a sanitarium. Adapted from a short story by August Derleth and Mark Schorer, and directed/produced by Pete Lutz.

CAST:

CADAVERA QUIVRY (Host): Angela Young

ANNOUNCER: Trevor Rines

CRANE: Mark Kalita

RADIOMAN: Nick Wommack

PRAGEUR: Les Marsden

GASPARRI: Tony Semczuk

OURLET: Andy Hartson-Bowyer

PRETTWEG: Jason D. Johnson

VOICES OF SOLDIERS: Pete Lutz

"The Cellar" theme by Tom Rory Parsons

Additional music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt

THE CELLAR MS4 EP2: THE HANGING OF ALFRED WADHAM

RATED PG

For depictions of murder and execution. LISTENER DISCRETION ADVISED.

Welcome to the fourth miniseries of The Cellar! This is the second of five planned episodes of this long-running series, and in our humble opinion, the plays keep getting better and better. 

Episode 2, The Hanging of Alfred Wadham is set in late 19th-century England. An author invites a Catholic priest to dinner and they talk about religion vs. spiritualism, plus a few other things. The priest tells about a recent experience with a young man who is wrongly accused of murder, and his experience after the execution. Adapted from a short story by E. F. Benson and directed/produced by Pete Lutz.

CAST:

CADAVERA QUIVRY (Host): Angela Young

ANNOUNCER: Trevor Rines

BENSON: Les Marsden

HANBURY: Karim C. Kronfli

KENYON: Dana Gonsalves

GUARD/WADHAM/CARDINAL/HOME SECRETARY: Pete Lutz

"The Cellar" theme by Tom Rory Parsons

Additional music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt

THE CELLAR MS4 EP1: INCIDENT IN THE LIGHTHOUSE

WARNING: RATED NC-17

For adult language, sexual situations, violence. LISTENER DISCRETION ADVISED.

Welcome to the fourth miniseries of The Cellar! This is the first of five planned episodes of this long-running series, and in our humble opinion, the plays keep getting better and better. 

Episode 1, Incident in the Lighthouse, is set in early 20th-century France, in a coastal town. Lighthouse-keeper Remy is a shy young man, very pious, whose older brother Remy, a sailor, is 180° different -- fun-loving, irreverent, and impulsive. When they get together, Remy brings along two women of questionable morals. When the brothers learn that their mother is in danger, will Remy deal with the stress in a positive way? TUNE IN AND FIND OUT!

CAST:

CADAVERA QUIVRY (Host): Angela Young

ANNOUNCER: Trevor Rines

FLEUR: Carole Krohn

LISETTE: Aileen Corpos

THE PRIEST: Chuck Wilson

ACHILLE: Mark Kalita

REMY: Ian Federgreen

PADRIG: Les Marsden 

"The Cellar" theme by Tom Rory Parsons

Additional music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt

SONIC SUMMERSTOCK PLAYHOUSE 2024:

QUIET, PLEASE: How Are You, Pal?

Originally released in August 2024 on the Mutual Audio Network as part of the annual Summerstock podcast series, we proudly present this remake of an episode of Wyllis Cooper's classic old radio series. The only extant recording seemingly available is very difficult to listen to: full of scratches and badly damaged. I like to say that the record it came from might've been used in the owner's house to level out a table leg or something. 

Anyway, this is the tale of a guy who hooks up with an old friend after a couple decades, and it turns out they have a lot to chat about. In Cooper's inimitable style, it's mostly told in first-person, with some bits of dialog coming in as flashbacks. Still, the actor we hired to imitate Ernest Chappell, the guy who tells the story, isn't too awful. But don't take our word for it. Listen and decide for yourself.

CAST:

ANNOUNCER/COOPER/MAN ON PHONE: Andy Hartson-Bowyer

THE GIRL/HER MOTHER: Jesirae Kesler

CHAPPELL/DANE: Pete Lutz

Music by Ross Bernhardt

People, I can't believe I never posted this one three years ago! And we're coming up on the anniversary of the original launch date, too, September 3rd, 2021. I'm sorry to unintentionally hold back on ya, gang! This is actual Bob & Ray material, unlike the show four entries down from this one, which was written by Yr Obdt Svt. OK, enough apology, read on...

Not too many stars from the OTR era have also hosted Saturday Night Live and a Broadway show, but comic geniuses Bob & Ray did it - and so Project Audion salutes them with a re-creation of the offbeat, deadpan humor that aired on radio networks across the country for years starting in the early 1950s. John Bell in Alabama, and Pete Lutz in Texas take on the many characters created by Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding in an assemblage of sketches - both familiar and obscure - designed to replicate the kind of free flowing absurdity they did so well. Larry Groebe is there as well, handling the production aspects from Dallas.

In case you're a stubborn type who doesn't want to scroll down to find the aforementioned "other Bob & Ray", here's a handy link to help you get there, ya ol' curmudgeon:

https://naradaradio.libsyn.com/project-audion-58-matinee-with-bob-ray

Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 43, the 6th installment of Season 4! Pete, Paul and Patte present Paul's pick, an episode of the syndicated series Bold Venture, called "Black Tie Affair"!  Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards!

As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:

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 Essential Listener Andy along for the ride, as they discuss an episode of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes!

In terms of sheer fun and laughter during radio's classic mid-century era, it's hard to beat the Phil Harris/Alice Faye show. A spinoff from Jack Benny, bandleader Phil Harris and his family found themselves in classic sitcom predicaments week after week. Now, Robert L. Mills, former writer for Bob Hope, has created another fresh script that brings all those characters -- including Frankie Remley, Julius, brother Willie, your friendly Rexall druggist and others -- back to life.

Project Audion's talented voice actors came together live with a virtual studio audience to create a delightful - and delightfully accurate - recreation of a radio comedy classic:

PETE LUTZ in Texas (Phil)

ANGELA YOUNG in Florida (Alice and Nurse Syringe)

DUANE NOCH in New Jersey (Remley)

JULIE HOVERSON in Washington (Julius)

BOB BEAUMONT in California (Willie/Doctor)

MEL ROSE in Pennsylvania (Phyllis/Little Alice/Store Patron)

HARRY MIDDLEBROOKS in California (Admiral)

RANDY KERDOON in Washington (Announcer)

ROBERT L. MILLS, in California, who also scripted the show (Druggist)

Production was handled in Texas by Larry Groebe

S2 E8 - The Golden Horseshoe, part 1

In this two-part adventure, the Tec is sent by a worried wife down to Tijuana, Mexico, to find her husband. Our hero has a swell time south of the border, but when he returns, he finds a house full of murder! Story by Dashiell Hammett, adapted and dramatized by Pete Lutz.

CAST:

Pete Lutz as THE TEC

Noah Diamond as VANCE RICHMOND

Amanda Sisk as MRS. ASHCRAFT

Carole Krohn as the LANDLADY

Jeff Moon as ED BOHANNON

Paul Arbisi as LUSK and JAMOCHA

John Bell as THE POLICE CAPTAIN, THE BARTENDER and PEDRO

Frank Guglielmelli as THE NEIGHBOR and THE COP

Angela Young as CORA and the STENOGRAPHER

Rhiannon McAfee as KEWPIE

Joe Stofko as the OLD MAN and

Jason D. Johnson as O'GAR

With Darren Rockhold as THE ANNOUNCER GUY

Music by Ross Bernhardt. Post-production and mixing by Fishbonius Sound Design.

PROJECT AUDION EPISODE 56 - The Jack Benny Program w/guest star James Stewart (orig. rel. 6/14/24)

Project Audion once again brings you laughs, with an all-new original episode of the Jack Benny Program sponsored by Lucky Strike cigarettes. This Audion Original was written for us by former Bob Hope staff writer Robert L. Mills. Jack Benny was his childhood comedy inspiration, and once again Mr. Mills has recreated that classic Benny style and humor so faithfully, it's like discovering a lost episode! This week, Jack has snagged Jimmy Stewart as his guest star, so the Benny gang (Mary Livingston, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Mel Blanc, and the rest) can stage their send-up of the Alfred Hitchcock film "The Man Who Knew Too Much." Also, after a trying violin lesson with Professor LeBlanc, Jack faces a tax audit which requires a trip to the IRS to explain some of his more mysterious deductions. Performing live in our virtual Zoom studio, our coast-to-coast cast and crew once again capture the sound of the Benny show right down to the studio audience. Tune in and join in the laughter! 

 JOHN BELL (as Jack) In Alabama

SCOTT MCKINLEY (as James Stewart) in New Jersey

ANGELA YOUNG (as Mary) in Florida

PAUL PATTERSON (as Rochester) in Georgia

PETE LUTZ (as Mel Blanc/Phil Harris) in Texas 

BOB BEAUMONT (as Dennis Day/Frank Nelson) in California 

RACHEL PULLIAM (as child) in Missouri 

KEN JEFFRIES (as Don Wilson) in California

LARRY GROEBE produced and directed from Texas

Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 42, the 5th installment of Season 4! Pete, Paul and Patte present Patte's pick, an episode of the NBC Radio series The Phil Harris - Alice Faye Show, called "Improvement is Necessary"!  Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards!

As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:

Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated.

Next Time: It's Paul's pick again, and he'll bring a surprise (translation: he has no idea yet)!

SUSPENSE, Episode 55

Premiered May 10, 2024

Suspense is one of classic radio's most highly-regarded dramas -- with good reason. It sustained a remarkably high quality level of dramatic tension for 20 years, as the many surviving recordings attest. But a handful of episodes are lost - and Project Audion now recreates one of them. "The Life of Nellie James" was intended as Suspense's premiere, but circumstances pushed it back to the third episode. It was performed once, live, on July 1, 1942, but never heard again. Until now -- as Project Audion, kicking off its fifth season, brings together a transcontinental cast in a live transcription of "The Life of Nellie James" from the original 1942 script. A dreadful murder takes place in the Simon James home, and justice is done ...or is it? It's a tale well-calculated to keep you in ...Suspense!

Featured in our cast are –

Patte Rosebank in Canada

Tim Burns in Kansas

Andy Hartson-Bowyer in Virginia

Richard Huitema in Florida

Mel Rose in Pennsylvania

Pete Lutz in Texas

Art Brown in California

Denny Thompson in Colorado

Frank Guglielmelli in Pennsylvania

Sharon Grunwald in New Jersey

Larry Groebe produced and directed from Texas

Old-Time Radio Essentials is back after a months-long hiatus, with episode 41, the 4th installment of Season 4! Pete, Paul and Patte present an episode of the ABC Radio series The Henry Morgan Show. This time it's Pete's pick, called "Morgan's Around the World Listening Post"!  Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards!

As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:

Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated.

Next Time: It's Patte's pick again, and she'll bring an episode of The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show!

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