Radio Books

This is the best book of scripts I've ever read! Philip Rapp was a master of radio comedy and it's good to see that there's finally a book of this material out on the market. With
every line you read you can hear the shrew Frances Langford egging poor husband Don Ameche to get out of bed at 3 in the morning to do something foolish like make out a will or find the cat a husband. A must have for the ture diehard Bickersons/OTR buff !

For the past 20 years or so, television has introduced situation comedies about married life where the couples are anything but happy (Married With Children, for example) or not even married. We move with the times. But in television's infancy, all couples kissed at night, never quarreled but had a little "spat" and by the final fade out, money never seemed to be an issue.

The Honeymooners seemed to break out of that mold more than any other sitcom. But how did it begin?

Well, I was surprised but Mr. Ohmart wrote a short and sweet history of the first "realistic" look at married life where things were not always rosy.

Don Amache and Frances Langford portrayed the characters of John and Blanche Bickerson (sometimes known as The Battling Bickersons) on radio. The segment was captured as "The Honeymoon Is Over" and on radio, it did its best to shake up American listeners. Gone were the "more juice, darling?" conversations while junior came home late from a date. The Bickersons were deeply etched, quite complex characters who were way ahead of their time. And radio audiences loved them!

It is to Mr. Ohmarts credit that he gives us a very liberal sampling of the scripts which, even without the actors voices leading the way, show how sharp and witty the writing was.

Furthermore, the author traces the history of the radio program both forward and back in time. It seems that some variation of the Bickersons existed until the early 70's!

Cable radio is rebroadcasting some of the episodes and this book (although quite good as a stand-alone) is an excellent companion to a fantastic, nearly forgotten, series.

One of the undisputed classic reference works for the old-time radio enthusiast, first published during the original wave of nostalgia over 25 years ago, "The Big Broadcast" lists many network and syndicated radio shows that ran in the timeframe of the 1920's-50s, more commonly referred to as "the golden age of radio". A great source for cast lists (if you can't put a name to a voice) with informative articles on genres and more technical matters (sound effects, "independent" networks, etc.). This type of thorough reference work is usually frustratingly hard to find for the old-time radio. This book has been out of print for years, and when you found a copy of the first edition, you could expect to pay premium prices, especially if the seller knew what he had. The introduction, by radio comedian Henry Morgan (not to be confused with the guy who played Colonel Potter on "MASH"), is a beauty.

I purchased these audiobooks within a week of purchasing "Farewell my Lovely". The Big Sleep" and "The High Window" are my favorites. I love the plot, the wit (beautifully excecuted by Ed Bishop) The stories are really interesting and fun. It is unique to rely on your audiotory sense in a world usually focusing on the visual. These are a must to own for the Raymond Chandler, Philip Marlowe or Mystery theme fan. Personally my primary reason was for my favorite actor Ed Bishop being the star!! His voice and the delivery of each line with pinpoint precision is music to the ears :0)

This edition of Billy Budd, written by Herman Melville, is another literary classic set to dramatized audio by Focus on the Family. As usual, they do a wonderful job of stirring the imagination and bringing out the themes of the book. I'd highly recommend this production.

I would highly recommend this biography to anyone! Imagine a movie about Dr. Brinkley starring Robin Williams............

The FBI Crime Laboratory is the most respected forensic science lab in the USA. Scotland Yard is the most respected in the world. Orson Welles narrates eighteen true stories of murder and mayhem, each revolving around some artifact (a bullet, an empty bottle, a bloody sheet) that played a pivotal role in the solution of the crime. Welles takes the listener into the Black Museum, Scotland Yard's warehouse of evidentiary artifacts, describes one of the items located there, and tells its story. The stories are interesting, well-told, and have a ring of authenticity lacking in modern day "true crime" literature. Well told and instructive, this collection entertains the listener. It even includes some stories where the "bad guys" get away.

If you like Old-Time-Radio, then this book is the book for you. It is very Thorough and intriguing. There is very little text as the entire book is pictures of important radio figures beginning with the creation of radio all the way into the 80's. It has been a treasure of study and learning.

In Blowout, Bob Orrell recounts the dramas of life on board "Hewett A", a North Sea oil and gas drilling rig. Life on an oil rig is arduous, brutal, highly dangerous. But the men who work there persevere with humor and camaraderie despite the appalling accidents, atrocious weather, and occasional clashes of temper. In Blowout, Orrell's rig suffered a disastrous bowout and he gives a vivid, harrowing account of how rescue boats and helicopters battled gale-force winds and raging seas to evacuate men from the gas-filled platform. There was a tremendous loss of life and Orrell found himself abandoned with only one colleague on the gas and oil spewing rig. When Red Adair (the legendary Texan oil rig firefighter) returned to the rig to cap the well, Orrell was there to man the communications equipment. Blowout is a riveting true story, the stuff of which legends are made.

This is the zillionth collection of Bob and Ray recordings. In these four hours on four cds, there is very little repeated from other recordings. It is all great and, astoundingly, fresh. From Linda and David, to Edna, to Matt, to Jack and Mary, and Bert and Harry, this is as good a collection as any other produced by the Radio Foundation. The truth is, if you are a Bob and Ray fan, you have already got this set; it's been out for over a week.