Radio Books

Hours of thrilling entertainment!
Going on a trip? Put them in the tape player, cruise on down the road, and you'll be surprised how the time flies!

This is a great collection of eight half-hour 'Suspense' episodes, unabridged! The acting is excellent, and the stories themselves are very suspenseful. Below is a list of the eight shows:

1. A Little Piece of Rope: This is one of the shows where Lucille Ball proves her talent in drama. She plays a young criminal whose latest victim will turn out to be one she, herself, will be terrified of.

2. Too Perfect Alibi: Danny Kaye stars in this story about a murder and an alibi that turned out to be too 'perfect'.

3. The Earth is Made of Glass: Joseph Cotton stars in this episode... Expect a twist ending.

4. The Name of the Beast: Vincent Price stars as a painter who is determined to do anything to finish his painting 'The Name of the Beast'. Sadly, his model Beast turns out to be quite murderous.

5. Deep into Darkness: This is a story, starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., about a man who finds out that he has suffered in the past for something he never actually did. And he wants revenge.

6. Death Has a Shadow: Bob Hope stars in this episode as a business-man who is frightened of a blackmailer.

7. Ghost Hunt: An immensely creepy story concerning a radio host who decides to spend the night in a haunted house, recording his every move. Listen to this one in the dark.

8. Murder Through the Looking Glass: Gregory Peck stars in this tale concerning split personalities.

Over all, the collection is excellent, you can skip the commercials if you want, and I'd definitely recommend this to anyone interested in old-time radio.

"Suspense" set the bar for all other shows of mystery and suspense. Old radio was a theatre of the imagination and perhaps no show had our imaginations so enthralled each week as did "Suspense." We were led into dark corners of murder and crime, and sometimes even the supernatural. Listeners around the country were glued to their chairs and stools as families huddled around the radio for entertainment.

While radio will never rule the airwaves as it once did, these shows are an opportunity to revisit this fabulous medium once again and discover its greatness. Big stars appeared often and eagerly on "Suspense" because of its quality. It was nice exposure between films and a chance to stretch their acting skills. The scripts and productions were all topflight. "Suspense" was one show which never disappointed the listener.

Included in this collection is "Ghost Hunt" with Ralph Edwards. It ranks right up there with "The House on Cyprus Canyon," "The Hitchhiker," and "A Thing of Beauty" as one of the finest episodes of "Suspense" ever aired. A man spends the night in a lonely house on a ghost hunt, recording what happens. It is tense and exciting and a little eerie. Though there are other excellent shows included here, it alone makes this one worth owning.

"A Little Piece of Rope" stars Lucille Ball. "Too Perfect Alibi" stars Danny Kaye. "The Name of the Beast" stars Vincent Price. "Deep into Darkness" stars Douglas Fairbanks Jr. "Death Has a Shadow" stars Bob Hope. "Ghost Hunt" stars Ralph Edwards. "Murder Through the Looking Glass" features Gregory Peck.

The catch-phrase, "Roma wine presents" or "Autolite presents" voiced over those famous and ominous chimes are recognizable to anyone who loves old radio. Radio ruled the airwaves for decades and "Suspense" was one of the finest and most popular shows ever produced. These eight gems will have you using your imagination as no television show or feature film can.

Radio was a theatre of the imagination, stretching the mind into shadowed corners and crimes with a twist. An excellent introduction to old radio, and especially "Suspense." Those curious about this now nearly forgotten medium which once ruled the nation can discover why with this sterling collection of stories guaranteed to keep you in, Suspense!

This is a great collection of Suspense thrillers!! I especially love the story "Ghost Hunt," starring Ralph Edwards. It's a MUST that you listen to this one in the dark! It's about a radio host and a paranormal researcher that spend the night in a haunted house--just imagine what happens! I also love "The Earth is Made of Glass," starring Joseph Cotton. It is a story about a man would commits a murder for experiment--awesome collection!!

This is a great collection of eight half-hour 'Suspense' episodes, unabridged! The acting is excellent, and the stories themselves are very suspenseful. Below is a list of the eight shows:

1. A Little Piece of Rope: This is one of the shows where Lucille Ball proves her talent in drama. She plays a young criminal whose latest victim will turn out to be one she, herself, will be terrified of.

2. Too Perfect Alibi: Danny Kaye stars in this story about a murder and an alibi that turned out to be too 'perfect'.

3. The Earth is Made of Glass: Joseph Cotton stars in this episode... Expect a twist ending.

4. The Name of the Beast: Vincent Price stars as a painter who is determined to do anything to finish his painting 'The Name of the Beast'. Sadly, his model Beast turns out to be quite murderous.

5. Deep into Darkness: This is a story, starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., about a man who finds out that he has suffered in the past for something he never actually did. And he wants revenge.

6. Death Has a Shadow: Bob Hope stars in this episode as a business-man who is frightened of a blackmailer.

7. Ghost Hunt: An immensely creepy story concerning a radio host who decides to spend the night in a haunted house, recording his every move. Listen to this one in the dark.

8. Murder Through the Looking Glass: Gregory Peck stars in this tale concerning split personalities.

Over all, the collection is excellent, you can skip the commercials if you want, and I'd definitely recommend this to anyone interested in old-time radio.

There are so very few books that convey a sense of "being there" when it comes to the Kennedy assassination. This outstanding book takes the reader back to that fateful weekend of November 22nd 1963 in Dallas, Texas and does so in an open, honest and compelling manner.

"When the News Went Live" is written by four journalists who were in Dallas on that day covering the presidential visit. Bob Huffaker and the other three newsmen share many interesting stories that you will not find elsewhere and that have been untold for many years no doubt to all but their personal friends. This is why the book is such a valuable contribution to the historical record. Such first hand observation regarding not just those few seconds in Dealey Plaza, the murder of Officer Tippet and the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby, but how in fact the entire story unfolded, makes fascinating reading.

As an aid to anyone interested in the assassination, this book is a must have. I would emphasize - rarely do you find first hand knowledge like this - much of what is written on this subject is written by people many steps removed from the event where fact and fiction merge into one. Not so here. A fabulous book which is refreshingly free of the conjecture and myth that is so common in the Himalayan pile of work on the Kennedy assassination and is highly recommended.

We have become accustomed (yea, verily, some would say desensitized)to horror unfolding before our eyes in our very own living rooms. Bob Huffaker's book brings us back to a time before the desensitization, when we could scarcely believe what our eyes were telling us. I recommend this book highly to those who were there, watching as I was, and even more so to those who were not there. The young, raised in an era of suicide bombers, need to understand that it was not always thus.

1963 nov 22 brought to life again but with more professionalism.some very interesting facts that confirmed my own thoughts .

I stayed up all night reading when my copy of When The News Went Live, Dallas 1963 arrived. This book is a classic and should be included in the curriculum of every journalism and political science classroom in America.

Huffaker, Mercer, Phenix and Wise have written the Texas story of the Kennedy assassination, the inside scoop on Oswald's murder and the history of the evolution of modern journalism. These four men were Dallas television reporters, on the scene and on their own, in the middle of the news story of the century.

It is a salute to their training and their integrity as newsmen that their coverage under duress stands today as a compelling rendering of those fateful moments. I am glad they were the early ones on the scene, for they were the ones who broke the news to me in my elementary classroom. The story gives their perspectives more fully; all these years later, this book helps me understand the events and how they affected Texas and the nation.

Bob, Bill, George and Wes were there in Dallas with their Southern sensibilities. They weren't easily pushed around or manipulated that dark day and still aren't. They were taught to tell the truth as objectively as possible, and they reverted to that training and their good common sense when placed in positions lesser men might have blown or exploited. These four men cared about truth and justice and fairness and still do. I hope all young journalists will read this and learn about balanced reporting.

"With three shots from a mail-order rifle, Lee Oswald set off a worldwide tragedy that developed too fast to print. .... Broadcast journalism came of age in that crisis of grief and uncertainty, and as it drew its mourning audience, it helped to hold the nation together." -- Bob Huffaker; From the Preface of "When The News Went Live: Dallas 1963"

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"When The News Went Live: Dallas 1963", published in 2004, paints a vivid word picture of many of the incredible events that surrounded President John F. Kennedy's assassination in November of 1963, as seen through the eyes of four journalists -- Bob Huffaker, Bill Mercer, George Phenix, and Wes Wise -- who covered those events as they happened for CBS affiliate KRLD-TV and Radio in Dallas.

President Kennedy's shocking and appalling assassination on November 22, 1963, was the very first really big "Watch It Unfold Live On TV" news event of the television era, with four full commercial-free days being devoted to nothing but exclusive assassination-related coverage by all three major TV networks (with KRLD's on-the-scene Dallas reporters frequently feeding CBS-TV headquarters in New York).

And the four reporters whose intriguing stories unfold within this 224-page hardcover volume were right smack in the thick of things during the rapidly-developing events -- from the initial sketchy bulletins that told of the President being shot in Dealey Plaza during a motorcade drive through the city of Dallas -- to the announcement of JFK's death at Parkland Hospital -- to the capture of the accused assassin (Lee Harvey Oswald) in a nearby movie theater -- to Oswald's very own murder on live TV (with Bob Huffaker reporting live from the basement of the Dallas Police Department, where the single gunshot from Jack Ruby's pistol added yet another hard-to-believe chapter to the weekend's nightmarish story).

It was a mesmerizing weekend in American (and television) history, to say the least. And those days are re-lived with clarity in this engaging book by way of the recollections of four men who lived through and reported on those events when they were occurring.

"When The News Went Live" contains several excellent black-and-white photographs, too (some of them I haven't seen published elsewhere).

On a personal level, I have had the pleasure of communicating (via e-mail) with Bob Huffaker several times. He has been very cordial and gracious whenever answering the questions that I had for him. His personal insights into the events revolving around JFK's death are fascinating glimpses into the past, and are insights that I have enjoyed reading immensely.

A sample e-mail excerpt from Mr. Huffaker:

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"David, you're right about the presidential visit and motorcade being the main attraction that all Dallas media were covering, of course. But all our stations had limited capabilities for doing mobile TV, which then demanded either cables or microwave dishes--as well as a receiving dish within line-of-sight beaming or bouncing.

Hence the pool TV arrangements, limited to three planned locations. The local TV stations did live TV from the FTW {Fort Worth} breakfast, Love Field, and the Trade Mart. But this was, indeed, the day the news went live on television, unplanned.

WBAP-TV in Fort Worth had a non-running TV van, which they had towed all the way from Cowtown to Dallas Police headquarters, and we sent both of our KRLD-TV vans into duty--the Bread Truck at DPD and the Blue Goose on the 24th to the county jail, etc.

This was the first time in TV history when on-the-spot news suddenly demanded to go live from the scene. Before that, radio news on-the-spot descriptions such as ours that day were common (like the Hindenburg broadcast--radio only), and live TV was usually reserved for major speeches, sports, etc.

Bob" -- E-mail to this writer; May 30, 2006

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Relating to the subject of "WHEN THE NEWS WENT LIVE", I'd like to offer up the following observations as an extension of this book review.....

To those JFK conspiracy theorists who seem to favor the Oliver Stone-like or Robert Groden-promoted assassination scenarios (that feature a minimum of three gunmen and anywhere from 6 to 10 gunshots being fired at President Kennedy in Dallas' Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963) -- I always suggest to them that they ought to dig up some of the originally-aired "As It Is Happening" live TV or radio broadcasts from that dark Friday in American history.

After performing that exercise of watching a few hours of the November 22 television coverage of the assassination (in real time), or listening to some of the radio broadcasts in real time (which works just as well) -- I challenge anyone to then arrive at the same conclusion that was slapped up on the big theater screen in 1991 via Director Oliver Stone's blockbuster, conspiracy-laden motion picture "JFK".

Watching the day's events unfold "live" in front of you (or listening to them unfold on the radio as it was happening) should, in my opinion, provide everyone with a good general idea of how utterly impossible a task it would have been to have "faked" so much stuff that was being IMMEDIATELY reported to the world on live television and radio within minutes and hours of the President's assassination (and within a very short space of time following Police Officer J.D. Tippit's murder as well).

Via those original live TV/Radio broadcasts, you're not going to hear a SINGLE report that resembles anything close to the Oliver Stone/Jim Garrison-endorsed nonsense of:

"Three gunmen fired six shots at President Kennedy's motorcade today here in Dallas!!"

What you will hear, instead, is live coverage, as it happened, of a ONE-GUNMAN assassination taking place from where the majority of witnesses said it took place (the Texas School Book Depository Building), with no more than three shots having been fired by the SINGLE SHOOTER, which is a shot count that over 91% of the witnesses concur with -- including the small percentage of witnesses who heard only one or two shots, who are witnesses that certainly don't do Mr. Stone's "6-shot ambush" theory any favors.

Upon evaluating virtually all of the TV networks' live assassination footage from November 22nd, 1963, there is no possible way that a reasonable person could arrive at a conclusion that JFK was shot by three assassins, firing from both front and rear. Let alone arriving at an even more-cockeyed "8-to-10-shot" shooting scenario, as purported by Mr. Groden and some other CTers, which is an outlandish conspiracy-flavored scenario that has John Kennedy and John Connally being shot by way more than just the two Warren Commission-backed Mannlicher-Carcano bullets from Lee Harvey Oswald's rifle.*

* = And Mr. Groden's theory (that sports from 8 to 10 gunshots) also features an additional hunk of lunacy, in that Groden thinks it's very likely that NONE of these eight to ten shots came from the "Oswald window" in the Book Depository! (I'm not making this crazy stuff up here. I promise. Anyone who owns a copy of Robert Groden's 1993 book "The Killing Of A President" can check out Groden's preposterous theory for themselves, on pages 20-40.)

The bottom line is -- Very nearly all of the information being reported on TV and radio that November day favored a "Lone Assassin" shooting scenario (including the info concerning the Tippit murder in Oak Cliff), with very little evidence and information being broadcast that would support any type of a "conspiracy" whatsoever; and certainly no "conspiratorial" evidence that has ever panned out and "proved" that a multi-gun plot ended JFK's life in Dallas.

This is quite a telling "One Killer" fact. Because, in my view, if a vast conspiracy and subsequent "cover-up" had been in place on November 22nd (given the immense amount of TV and radio coverage, with reporters scrutinizing everything coming across their desks and digging hard for any type of case-solving clues during those first hours and days after JFK and J.D. Tippit were killed), I think that at least SOME pieces of the conspiracy would have leaked through to the sweeping television and radio coverage surrounding the two Dallas murders.

And I'm guessing that every reporter and newsman in the country (including Messrs. Huffaker, Mercer, Phenix, and Wise) would have loved to dig up some "conspiracy"-proving angle during that weekend in November of '63. Being the person who uncovered such a huge story would certainly be a feather in that reporter's cap, to be sure. But, as it turned out, nothing of that nature occurred....and has yet to occur all these many years later.

To think (as many theorists do) that these conspirators were so smart and so quick to have had the capabilities to immediately eliminate virtually every last scrap of information leading to a conspiracy plot of some kind, making sure that none of the "multi-gunmen shooting event" details seeped through to the media (multiplied by TWO separate murders as well, counting Tippit's!), is to think that any such evil-doers had powers similar to "Superman".

For example -- Almost every one of the initial reports concerning the number of gunshots heard by witnesses stated "3 shots". And while it's true that the very first report of the shooting from UPI's Merriman Smith (which was broadcast over all the television networks) stated "Three shots were fired...", it's also worth noting that Smith's initial bulletin was not the ONLY "three shots" account that was reported during those early hours just after the shooting.

For instance, Jay Watson of ABC affiliate WFAA-TV in Dallas (who happened to be in Dealey Plaza during the shooting and nervously reported the first bulletins to the unaware Dallas TV audience) is heard multiple times on November 22nd saying he heard "3 shots" fired.

Plus, several other members of the media are also on record stating their own PERSONAL beliefs that exactly three shots were fired by the assassin, including Robert MacNeil, Jack Bell, Bob Clark, Jerry Haynes, and Pierce Allman, among still others.

Some of the other "Three Shot" witnesses who were riding right in the Presidential motorcade itself include -- Photographers Tom Dillard, Robert Jackson, Mal Couch, and James Underwood. Plus, both John and Nellie Connally, who were riding in the same car with President Kennedy.

In addition, Presidential aides Ken O'Donnell and David Powers, who were both riding in the Secret Service follow-up car directly behind JFK's limousine, can also be added to the lengthy list of witnesses who heard precisely three gunshots.

And then there's also amateur filmmaker Abraham Zapruder, who took the most famous 26-second home movie in history when he captured the entire assassination with his 8mm Bell & Howell movie camera -- Zapruder showed up on live TV about 90 minutes after the President's murder took place and gave a graphic account of the horrifying event that had taken place in front of his very eyes.

Mr. Zapruder told the WFAA-TV viewing audience that he had heard two or three shots (but definitely no more than three), and he also demonstrated on live television where on the President's head he had seen the effects of the fatal gunshot. Zapruder puts his hand over the right-frontal portion of his own head to demonstrate where he saw the blood coming from JFK's head.

That's pretty amazing "LIVE" stuff from Mr. Zapruder's own lips (within approx. an hour-and-a-half of the assassination). And it's especially incredible and amazing if there had actually been many more than just two or three shots fired at the President, and if the fatal shot had actually (as many CTers believe) caused a huge hole in the BACK of John Kennedy's head, instead of the location where Zapruder placed it on live television -- i.e., the RIGHT SIDE AND FRONT portion of the head.

How could the so-called "conspirators" have possibly gotten THAT lucky with respect to Abraham Zapruder's live "on-the-air" WFAA-TV statements and head-wound "demonstration"? How?

And -- Could these ultra-clever conspirators have somehow managed to "manipulate" several reporters who were relaying the news live to the world immediately after the event, and have them ALL report on hearing just "three shots" (or, in a few cases, hearing only TWO shots, which is a number that certainly does not favor a "Multi-Shooter Conspiracy Plot")?

Or did the plotters just happen to get really, really LUCKY (again) when virtually all of the news reports favored the "Three Shots Fired" conclusion? With this 3-shot scenario matching the precise number of bullet shells that were found on the 6th Floor of the Book Depository after the shooting; and also perfectly matching the exact number of shots heard by TSBD witness Harold Norman, and also perfectly matching the precise number of bullet shells (3) that Norman heard hitting the plywood floor directly above his 5th-Floor location within the Depository.

Which, per Oliver Stone's movie, would mean that a full 50% of the ACTUAL number of gunshots were somehow inaudible to the enormous majority (91%+) of the earwitnesses! And, remember, Oliver has NONE of the shots within his movie's six-shot assassination ambush being "synchronized" in order to merge together with the sound of some of the other shots.

And yet, per Mr. Stone, we're supposed to actually believe that approximately 9 out of every 10 witnesses somehow missed hearing HALF of the gunshots fired that day! A reasonable thing to believe....or not? I ask you.

Were these so-called conspiratorial shooters so good that they could make 4 to 10 shots sound like only three to the vast majority of witnesses scattered all throughout Dealey Plaza? Highly doubtful, to say the least.

Again -- I'd advise all conspiracy theorists to sit down and watch the live TV footage....or listen to some of the surviving 11/22/63 radio tapes....and then try to find a "Multi-Gunmen Conspiracy" lurking within ANY of those original broadcasts. If anybody finds proof of a conspiracy via those means, please let me know. And let the world know too.

David Von Pein
December 2006
January 2007

Writing about race, specifically about the black race, in American entertainment is a dicey business--at best.

Then, not unlike a latter-day Alexis de Tocqueville or even Gunnar Myrdal, along comes Melvin Patrick Ely. Mr. Ely has written a well researched, passionately dispassionate analysis of the origins of the entertainment industry's racial miasma.

He takes us back to minstrelsy; on to the advent of radio before networks; then into the networks' formative years when an iconic show ruled the ether: "Amos'n'Andy". He informs us that even in 1930 blacks vigorously, if ineffectually, protested the show.

Mr. Ely has deconstructed more than a few of the racial myths that even today swirl around the "Amos 'n' Andy" radio program. He has eloquently put into context the television episodes and the NAACP's reaction to them.

He is objective and he is clear. Be forewarned, however, that this is not a coffee table book. It is written at 2nd to 3rd year undergraduate level, ie the book is not unlike a history text book, and all that that implies.

But it is, above all, lucid. And highly recommended.

History, well-researched and engagingly written, is as fascinating as the greatest fiction, if not more so. Melvin Ely combines a professor's concern for factualness with thorough, ground-breaking research and a novelist's way with narrative into an unfailingly entertaining work that is also of great and lasting academic, social and cultural importance. Ely has delivered a fascinating show business yarn with absorbing insight into human nature, sometimes noble, often naive, and occasionally downright repugnant. While not afraid to add an edge of attitude or a clear point of view when he chooses, the author still eschews easy answers and the predictable pedantics and prejudice of an ideologue of any political persuasion. With subtle surety, and never a trace of condescension, Ely ultimately shows us ourselves--good, bad and ugly--in an absorbing saga of American life and culture.

At a basic level, this book is a detailed, well-researched history of America's longest running (1929-1960 on both radio and television) comedy show. Ely does a fine job of describing the factors that led to the show's great popularity and the successful efforts of its creators, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, to maintain that popularity.

At a more sophisticated level, however, the book provides an intimate view of one of the great political events of this century, the American Civil Rights movement. Because Amos `N Andy was the only nationally popular series prior to 1960 featuring black characters, and because its creators and principal actors were both white, the show repeatedly drew both praise and criticism from the press and various organizations seeking to promote their own political agendas.

Ely describes in detail how Gosden and Correll went to great lengths to keep the show from being viewed as racist, yet in the long run they failed. As he points out,! that failure may have caused the major networks to shy away from shows featuring black performers and delay their introduction into television for another 20 years.

Having listened to Amos `N Andy on the radio as a child and subsequently watched it on TV, I was, like many other white Americans, was dumbfounded when the NAACP decided to attack it for being racist. For me at least, Gosden and Correll succeeded in their objective of establishing their characters as human types, not racial types. Sapphire was the spitting image of my best friend's mother, and Algonquin J. Calhoun came to typify every crooked lawyer (Is that redundant?) I later had the misfortune to meet.

Unfortunately, Ely touches only peripherally on the black sitcoms of the 80s and 90s (e.g., "The Jeffersons" and "In Living Color") which I (and many other Americans) personally found to be racist.

Despite dealing with a highly emotional topic, Ely has produced a lucid, objective and thought-provoking work! . His shortcomings consist of his failure to take into consideration the effects of the other great events of the period (the Great Depression, World War II, etc.) and his seeming assumption that all Americans cared about the Civil Rights movement. In fact, I think that more people (both black and white) cared more about putting food on the table and raising their families well.

There are few phrases in the English language as divisive as "Amos 'n' Andy." It is frequently a euphamism for humor at its most racist and simplistic. Yet could a program based on little more than a handful of stereotypes be able to thrive on radio for more than 30 years? This book answers that question by putting "Amos 'n' Andy" into perspective, through the evolution of the program, its roots in the minstrel shows, and its context within its own time. Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, the white creators of the program, are portrayed quite fairly in this book, and their motives are also presented in a fair way. Their goal was not to offend, though inevitably they did, but rather to entertain. This book shows how the core characters were portrayed in their own circle, the mythical Mystic Knights of the Sea lodge, and how they were portrayed beyond that inner circle, as the characters would intermingle with other blacks, and also whites. Also worth reading is the efforts by the Pittsburgh Courier and a few other black newspapers to boycott the show as early as 1931. More interesting, is how those attempts stalled, only to regain momentum 20 years later, with the advent of the television version. The phenomenon of "Amos 'n' Andy" is more complex than it would seem, as it tells us more about American society and racial relations than perhaps any othe program ever. This book is not just about "Amos 'n' Andy," but rather about ourselves. And for that, it should be a must-read. I was able to finish this book in two days it was so engrossing.

As the title indicates Ely's work is frankly a work of social history, not a performance biography, and is less interested in exploring "Amos 'n' Andy's" significant impact on the broadcasting medium than in viewing it as window into mid-20th Century American racial attitudes. Analysis of the program's content focuses on that perspective to the exclusion of all others, and detailed examination of the original scripts is confined primarily to the first two years of "Amos 'n' Andy."

Ely therefore fails to discuss in any detail the evolution of the characters and their relationships beyond 1929 -- and this is perhaps the book's greatest flaw, given that the characterizations and the dramatic sophistication of the program evolved substantially between 1929 and the mid-1930s It's unfortunate that Ely shortchanges this period of the program's history, as it in fact coincided with the peak of the program's popularity, and in my view an understanding of the evolution of the characters during the 1929-35 period is essential to an understanding of the series' appeal. (I have, in fact, read all of the scripts for the first decade of the series as part of my own research into "Amos 'n' Andy's" history.)

While Ely occasionally draws conclusions regarding the program's content that are contradicted by a detailed reading of the original 1930s scripts, and sometimes tends to over-interpret in his examination of public reaction to the program, in general his account is balanced and thoughtful, and his research into the African-American response to "Amos 'n' Andy" presents the definitive study of this aspect of the series.

Ely also deserves much praise for avoiding the self-indulgent deconstructionist jargon which tends to dominate current academic studies of popular culture -- his book is a rare example of an academic work which is both scholarly and extremely well-written. I'm very pleased to see the book is back in print.

The ARRL Antenna Book: The Ultimate Reference for Amateur Radio Antennas, Transmission Lines And Propagation (Arrl Antenna Book)

I agree totally with the text on the cover, this is the ultimate reference on antennas. I had a specific target in mind when I bought it and as expected I found the topics I was looking for but also and to my surprise found the other chapters very interesting to read and I am now reading the book from cover to cover - really enjoyable, interesting and packed with info.
Especially I appreciate the fine balance between theory and practical info
Further it's a great feature to get the complete book on a CD in the PDF format - great!

Ejner Nicolaisen OZ9EU

The Arrl Antenna Book is a must have for any antenna designer. Amateur radio operators, shortwave listeners and commerical users will benefit from both the theory provided and the practical examples of proper design executions.

This is the bible for ham radio antenna design. Also covers transmission lines and propagation. Both theory (at graduate EE level) and practice (at the level of mere mortals). -- ws2i

The definitive book on antennas theory, design, and construction. If you're serious about building your own antennas then you need this book as part of your collection!

I've really been enjoying this book, ten minutes at a time. It explains the rules (I'm not sure I had realized there were any)behind the action, and includes capsule looks at number of bots I've seen locked in the box. The author talks about the costs of some bots, the time involved in designing them, and the number of upgrades they've gone through. I suggest this book for any fan of the TV show or the sport.

Fun book, lots of great pix, and a spread on my favorite robot: Dr. Inferno, Jr. What's not to love?

If you or someone you know likes BattleBots, Robotica, or Robot Wars, this is a great book. It has tons of high quality still and action photos. It also has great descriptions and pictures of famous bots and bio's of their builders. Find out how much your favorite BattleBot cost or how long it took to build! The book also has basic instructions on how to build a bot plus simple examples of different design types. It also has the Win-Loss record plus stats (like # of Knock-outs) for every bot. This book has something for everyone. It has enough "meat" to it that die-hard fans will love it and the photos and stats will keep even young kids engaged.

This glossy coffee table book is packed with photos, robot CAD drawings and a thorough history of the BattleBots competition. The abundant photos, in depth builder and robot profiles and stylized design caputres the real spirit of BattleBots. I love the chapter on "How to Build a Bot"- the step by step tutorial and comparison of materials provides solid advice to newbie builders like me. It is the best book on robotic combat I have ever seen. A must for all robot enthusiasts.

Great book! The history and the personalities behind Battlebots are really interesting. The machines are given the level of attention you always wanted to get on the show. Great looking too. Put it on you coffee table; guests will actually pick it up (and spend half an hour with it!).

I thoroughly enjoyed this book because of its realness. In this book, the authors explanations of the real life stories make the reader think about issues that we would sometimes overlook or disregard as someone else's problem. Some of the stories were purley ment to entertain, and they made me laugh untill I couldn't breath. I enjoyed this book because I could see myself in almost every story I read.

I had the privilege of reading the first ever copy of The Best of Radio Free Bubba as it came from Pat"Bubba"Jobe's computer. This book had me rolling in a hurricane of laughter for two solid hours. I finally had to stop while the second half of the book printed, and I was afraid that if I didn't go to the bathroom soon, I would wet myself! I recommend this book to anyone who can read, including teens like myself. :)

This book is a joy and delight. Of course it helps to be able to identify somewhat with down-home Southern culture, but most readers will be able to relate to the writers' wisdom and humor no matter where they're from.

Finally, the world can get to know some real "Bubbas." With the publication of "The Best of Radio Free Bubba" by the Hub City Writers Project, the South has unleashed a powerful force and sent it out to create havoc among the prejudiced. For those of us who have been listening for years to "Radio Free Bubba" on WNCW in Spindale, N.C., the book holds no surprises, just 170 pages of some of the best essays we've already heard by four writers who believe in people. Meg Barnhouse, Pat Jobe, Kim Taylor and Gary Phillips share their thoughts on everything from blister packs to making lists. The book's philosophy is summed up by a bumper sticker: "It's Not Up To Somebody Else." Here in the South, we know that "Bubba" is short for "Brother," or rather it's the sound small children make when they call to that older sibling who looks out for them, protects them and teases them. Bubba is the real "good ol' boy" who will haul your furniture in her pickup, pull your car out of the ditch with his tractor, take care of your children in times of distress, and pray for your body and soul.

Barnhouse et al have penned stories that see life from a wonderful perspective. They notice the small things, they wonder about life and how to make it better. They are gentle and kind and hilarious. These are people who you long to talk to on your front porch, who you wished lived next door. They encouraged me to look through new eyes at an amazing array of subjects. A refreshing collection of stories that will make you laugh and cry.

i find that this audio was a good example about faith
and i find that everybody needs alot more faith for jesus is alive and well

Listening to this series inspired me and made me look at my life in a new Christian perspective. The characters are so real as are the emotions and settings. I listened to part one four times. I never knew about Dietrich Bonhoeffer until this broadcast I am very grateful for this series. I promise that who ever listens to this will be inspired. There are good people in the world who speak up when things are wrong.Unfortunately, they have to die because of other's sin. A good true story!

Dietrich Bonhöffer was a man who found that he had to choose between his conscience and convenience. That he is a true hero is proven by his choice.

At at time when most of the German church knuckled under Nazi threats and stayed silent or even acted in complicity with the Holocaust, he courageously joined the Confessing Church to oppose Nazism, and later pretended to cooperate with the Nazis so that he could help smuggle Jews to safety.

Bonhöffer's courageous struggle against a storm of religious intolerance and racial hatred maintains its relevance today.

This is an excellent audio dramatization of his life. Both exciting and inspiring, it captures the drama and conviction of this man's life.

It also won the prestigious Peabody Award in 1997. (This award recognizes distinguished achievement and meritorious public service by radio and television networks, stations, producing organizations, cable television organizations and individuals and is administered by the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.)

It's an excellent dramatization of the life of Bonhoeffer. I'd never heard of him until I heard this drama. It's historical, and masterfully done by the crew at Radio Theater and Focus on the Family. Definitely worth listening to.

For the parents: I'd definitely suggest you listen along with younger children...in the beginning as a precursor to the drama, and then in the end, in the actual drama, Bonhoeffer is led to the execution, read his sentence, and then, as you hear Dietrich's panicked breathing, the trapdoor falls, the rope goes taunt, and you can hear the weight of a body swinging back and forth from the gallows. An intense scene for youngsters. But history is history, and that's what happened.

Very dramatic, very worth listening to.

No doubt this outstanding drama has brought the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer at least as much attention as all of his books have combined. This excellent radio drama won the Peabody Award for good reason: it is an incredible radio play of the highest quality. From start to finish, this amazing work has all the essential elements of good fiction- - but it is historically true ! Drama, suspense, action, intrigue, romance, sacrifice, faith, and hope for the future all shine brightly in this stirring performance of a man who fought against the Nazi Machine. This unique and fresh look at the life of a German who plotted against Adolph Hitler "from the inside" needs to be heard by anyone with an interest in history. So many of the history books today tells us that Christians did nothing to help the Jews against the Nazi machine. This fine drama dispells this mistaken belief with a sincere dignity and open appeal that is both inspiring and enriching. Definitely a "must listen to" for any high school or college history student.

For anyone that has ever heard Jerry Williams on the air and wondered what he was like off the air, this book will make you feel like you've followed Jerry around for forty years. It's an intimate and objective portrait of both the public persona and the private man. The authors clearly admire Jerry's radio skills, and their personal bond with him comes across in the writing, but they also pull no punches when it comes to Jerry's character flaws. The result is an interesting and candid portrait of the man. The book has the added benefit of giving one an inside view of the radio business. Even if you never heard of Jerry Williams, there's a breezy down to earth honesty in the writing that makes it a great read.

Okay, this was written by a buddy of mine, and I worked in Boston radio for a number of years, years ago. And so I'm biased. But for anyone into talk radio, Boston radio, business history (Westinghouse Group W) and of course Jerry Williams, this is a must read. Nicely put into historic and personal context, the stories illustrate the times and the people, not necessarily in a nostalgic way, but in a way that brings the times alive once again. Nice job Steve! and the other guy...
Vic Wheatman ex-WBUR, WNTN, WBZ-FM

What a great book... you captured the parts of Jerry that I knew, and illuminated the parts I didn't. Made it easy to love and respect a flawed man (and since I'm a flawed man... gave me hope).

I just finished a 40 year career... essentially on the road all over the US. Could never have made it without the company and education provided by Jerry Williams and those who followed him.

I heard Boortz when he was doing WRNG in Atlanta, and the whole WWDB gang in PHL. Bob Grant at WOR and WABC, and Rush Limbaugh before he was Rush Limbaugh.. You brought back so many fine memories.

Thank you for telling the story, and telling it so artfully. Literally could not put it down. You guys were him.

And thank you, and all the other guys behind the scenes who made it possible. My life has been made so much better by your work.

I reviewed this for the Sturbridge Times Magazine (also on the web at [...]). I started listening to Jerry Williams around 1957-58 as a kid. He was great fun and he lasted just into the new millenium. He has as much right as anyone to claim to have invented the genre of talk radio.

The Elman and Tolz book is as good a bio as you will find and it includes a lot of local history as well. You won't put it down.

I would also suggest going to the website and listening to the clips. He knew how to use his voice. I had never thought that he had some voice training until I read the book. Knowing his instrument did not hurt his success.

No doubt about it. Jerry Williams was the real deal. As a young broadcaster in the early 1950's Jerry Williams recognized the enormous potential of two-way talk radio. Rock & roll was great for young audiences but with the demise of network radio and the emergence of television what would radio have to offer adult listeners? Before just about anyone else, Jerry understood the fascinating dynamic at play between callers, the host and the audience. And for the better part of the next four decades Jerry Williams would play a major role in shaping and molding the format we now call talk radio. "Burning Up The Air" chronicles the life and times of this legendary radio icon.
My introduction to Jerry Williams came on July 29,1968 when the highly touted "Jerry Williams Show" debuted on WBZ-TV in Boston. I remember it like it was yesterday. Although that television show would be short-lived, the host sure made one hell of an impression on this 17 year old. Within a matter of weeks I found "The Spirit of New England" WBZ--1030 on my AM radio dial and I quickly became hooked on Jerry's nightly radio program. By this time, Jerry Williams had already spent more than 15 years in the business. He was a master at his craft. One of the co-authors of "Burning Up The Air" is Steve Elman. Steve had the distinct privilege of producing "The Jerry Williams Show" for a time during the programs eight year run on WBZ radio from 8:00 P.M. to midnight. This was appointment listening for sure. What made the "Jerry Williams Show" so compelling during those troubled times was that WBZ's booming 50000 watt signal reached 38 states at night. This was in effect a national issues-oriented radio talk show, most likely the first of its kind anywhere. "Burning Up The Air" recalls all of the hot-button issues that were being discussed on the program during those tumultuous years. From the Vietnam war and the anti-war activists to Dita Beard and the ITT scandal and on to Tricky Dicky and Watergate, Jerry Williams covered it all! In fact, he was even a proud member of Richard Nixon's "Enemy's List". More than three decades later I would have to point to those shows as the best talk radio I ever heard! Sadly, in 1976 WBZ chose not to renew Jerry's contract. For the next five years Jerry Williams was in radio limbo searching for just the right situation to get back on top. It was one of the most difficult periods of his life.
The worm would finally turn for Jerry in the summer of 1981. WRKO radio in Boston was dumping music in favor of a new all-talk format and they wanted to feature Jerry Williams in the afternoon drive slot from 2:00 to 6:00. This was a time slot that Jerry had always coveted. He jumped at the opportunity to return to the Hub and within a matter of months Jerry was on top of the heap once again. But in this incarnation of his program the focus was radically different. Jerry would primarily discuss local issues. In those days his primary targets were Boston mayor Kevin White and Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis. Of course when circumstances dictated Jerry was still quite capable of discussing topics of national concern. The other co-author of "Burning Up The Air" is Alan Tolz. Like Steve Elman before him, Alan would produce the "Jerry Williams Show" during a good portion of its highly successful run on WRKO. You will learn just what issues made the show tick during the 1980's. There was the attempt to make wearing seatbelts mandatory in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the proposal to build a maximum security prison facility in the rural community of New Braintree. Once again, this was compelling radio that reached a huge audience. The program would continue to be a ratings success until late in the 1980's when Jerry's increasingly acerbic style began to wear on listeners. Within a few years Jerry was consigned to weekends only on WRKO and his run on The Talk Station would finally come to an end in October 1998.
While most of the focus of "Burning Up The Air" is on Jerry's radio career, the authors chose to spend a fair amount of time discussing his personal life. I was quite surprised and extremely disappointed to learn that in many ways it was a mess. It would appear that Jerry always put his work and career ahead of the interests of his wife Teri and his three daughters. He was simply never there for them. Likewise, he seemed to have no qualms about cheating on his wife and even on his live-in girlfriend of many years. It was a side of him that I knew nothing about. It also appears that Jerry was very tight with a buck. But one must try to seperate the private life from the public persona. As a lifelong fan of the man I greatly appreciated the work that Steve Elman and Alan Tolz put into this book. For them, writing "Burning Up The Air" appears to have been a labor of love. For both of these men had the distinct honor of working with one of talk radio's true pioneers. Jerry Williams was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in the fall of 1996. There will never be another quite like him. I found this to be an extremely well written book that I enjoyed from cover to cover. It belongs on the shelves of every public library in the Bay State! Very highly recommended!

I bought this for my 41 yr old daughter to play for her 4 yr old daughter. We used to play this for our 3 kids at Christmas every year and they looked forward to coming home after Thanksgiving and listening to the first episode. Back then it was on cassette tape and they wld sit and listen very quietly just before being put to bed. My daughter can't wait until Thanksgiving this year. I remember watching it on TV in still cartoon form when I was a teenager (my bros & sisterswere much younger than me) on Sat afternoons We hve been looking for a good presentation for years This was our choice of all we researched.

Enjoy this wonderful production and don't forget to get your free Cinnamon Bear Coloring book at http://amazinggrace.org/radioarchive/CinCBook.pdf

Thrilled to see these cd's available. I used to listen to this old radio broadcast when I was growing up and look forward to listening to them again. Paddy O'Cinnamon is one wild Bear! & that Crazy quilt dragon; look out! I love this story.

I had the tapes of this program years back and foolishly lent them to someone else. I'm thrilled to see them on CD. My kids and I would curl up on the sofa each night before Christmas and listen to this great tale unfold. They are now young adults and asked me where the story was and why we hadn't listened to it in so long. With one on his way to college and the other only 3 years behind, you can bet I'm getting these CD's if for nothing more than one more round together. Great for kids of any age and it get's their mind working as the images are painted in words, not video, animation or live action.

I listened to this on cassette tapes from WSOY in Decatur, Illinois many years ago. It is a truly good story. It helps count down the days until Christmas as there are 26 episodes to listen to - starting on the 30th of November.
This is a good example of entertainment in the pre-television days.
If you want an adventure that is good and safe for the whole family to listen to, you won't be disappointed!

I can't believe I'm the first person to review this masterpiece! Maybe it's because Bennett seems so very British, English even, that he's not appealled to American readers. I'm sure you're missing something worth having.

Bennett is a masterful observer of character and the six monologues gathered in this collection all display strong characters revealled with a sharp eye and a compassionate heart. Bennett is witty and controlled in his approach, allowing his characters to reveal themselves and their foibles subtley. I find these little tales deeply moving as well as funny, despite the apparently mundane subjects he's dealing with.

I can't think of a comparison to make to illuminate his style, especially since monologue is very rarely seen these days. I can see an affinity to A. Maupin and R.Rodi in terms of waspish observations of people and their social milieu. Bennett's characters aren't blatantly queer like Maupin's or Rodi's, they're not young and tre! ndy things either, but Bennet's own sensibilites and sensitivities give queer readers pause for thought, especially about the older, isolated members of society.

He takes us right inside the heads of six very ordinary people and lays bare their lives, their self-delusions and their petty snobberies in their own words. The texts were originally written as television plays and were broadcast on the radio by the BBC too, however, they work perfectly well on the page, rather like short stories. Why not try it and see for yourselves!

I suppose I am a bit biased because I grew up in the same town as Alan Bennett (Leeds, Yorkshire) but this book is truly remarkable. The characters are a mixture of people we all know. A chip in the sugar is the man who lives down the street, A lady of Letters is always in the post office (usually in front of me !). All these people exist, what Alan Bennett does is drag them out of their lives and our heads and put them there in front of us. We may read about them and dismiss them as characters in fiction but they all exist and in most cases there's bits of them inside each of us. Thanks Alan Bennett for entertaining us and teaching us at the same time.

Alan Bennett has been called England's National Teddy Bear, so beloved is his work and person. It's a sweet moniker, but misleading to those who may not have yet read Bennett. Insightful and compassionate with a wit so sharp it effectively amputates sentimentality, this is a Teddy Bear with laser eyes and sharp claws that are only just retracted.

Bennett's character sketches in Talking Heads are devastating. The grown man whose safe little existence begins to unravel as he discovers his dear old mum has taken a lover, the vigilent, upright busybody who ends up in prison for invading her neighbor's privacy, the widow of "Soldiering On" whose emptiness of purpose is revealed through her inability to grieve--each uncomprehending character Bennett has created in these astonishing soliloquies is undone by his or her brave and steadfast unwillingness to acknowledge the bare-knuckled truth of human emotion.

Bennett is not cruel in revealing the weaknesses of his characters, but he is uncompromising in revealing those weaknesses. This is the Teddy Bear who brings to the picnic the sharp knives that cut through the bread and fat prepared and packaged by his companions.

Also recommended are Bennett's Writing Home, The Clothes They Stood Up In, and any and all of his other plays, particularly The Old Country; and, for those who just must have the soft and fuzzy version of the Teddy Bear, listen to Bennett's reading of Winnie the Pooh, or go see his stageplay of The Wind in the Willows.

Honestly I thought the story was quite dull he tells us about the dull part of their lives, I'm surprised I didn't sleep reading it. It's the worst book I've ever read. You probably won't put this on display on the computer, but you asked what I thought of it and I told you the truth, I'm sure many others agree with me that the story was boring. . Thankyou

I have been studying Alan Bennett and like many others find it highly amusing. It works remarkably well as a television series and not just on the page. The personalisation and connection to the viewer draws you in and makes it appear that each character is actually talking to you. Excellent work