OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 52: Hancock's Half-Hour
Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 52, and as we continue Season 5, we present Paul's pick, an example of the BBC Radio comedy series Hancock's Half-Hour. 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?
So with this in mind, we three bring you, as our fifty-second number (but 3rd official episode of S5), this episode of Hancock's Half-Hour, from 1-11-56. 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!
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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.
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Next Time: It's Pete's pick again, and also our annual Halloween Special! Pete's making it extra-special by inviting friend of the show and Essential Listener Jack Ward (Grand Poobah of the Mutual Audio Network) to be our guest programmer. At the time of recording we didn't know what Jack was going to bring us, but we're sure it's something spooky. Join us then, won't you?
MUTUAL PRESENTS: RETRO-ROCKETS! Crisis on Titan
(Orig. rel. 9-4-24 on Mutual Audio Network) On one of the many moons of Saturn, a troop of Interplanetary Soldiers have been given scut-duty: digging in the dirt to find an element vital to the survival of Earth and other planets. They long to get back to the job they were trained for: fighting whatever enemy is before them. These hard-bitten grunts soon get more than they bargained for, when the enemy takes over the garrison they'd left just a few hours before! Crisis on Titan first appeared in Planet Stories magazine, and was adapted for this series by Pete Lutz from the short story by James R. Adams.
CAST:
Andy Hartson-Bowyer as SGT. HALLIHAN
Ebony Rose as CORPORAL RODRIGUEZ and
Carole Krohn as CAPTAIN STALEY
The voices of the SOLDIERS were by Julie Krohn and Pete Lutz
The sounds of the THE BARBER'S DELIGHTS and THE SQUEAKERS were by Julie Krohn
PROJECT AUDION 72: Jimmy Durante - Garry Moore Show
Jimmy Durante: so famous for so many decades that just a caricature of his face was enough to elicit a smile. His outsized "Schnozz" matched the outsized personality from the 1920s through the 1970s. Even today, when his name and face are no longer common currency, his catchphrases and songs have endured. You can hear Durante singing in the "Joker" movie of 2019, imitated in lines from the "Lion King," and showing up every year in animated Christmas specials.
In this Audion Original, Pete Lutz revisits this unique talent, imagining a 1940s episode of the Jimmy Durante Comedy Caravan with his on-air partner Garry Moore, and guest stars Sydney Greenstreet and Rose Marie. "Everybody wants ta' get inta de act!" and they do for a half hour of mirth and music.
Pete Lutz, in Texas, as Jimmy Durante
Bob Beaumont, in California, as Garry Moore
Scott McKinley, in New Jersey, as Sidney Greenstreet
Jessica Matthews, in Texas, as Rose Marie
Laura Mirsky in New Jersey, as Vera Vague
Sheree Whichard, in New York, as Florence Halop
Trevor Rines, in Ontario Canada, as Candy Candido
Andy Hartson-Bowyer, in Virginia, as Verne Smith
Written and directed by Pete Lutz
Produced by Larry Groebe in Texas
