Mystery House  returns with an episode entitled  “Laugh, I Thought I’d Die.”  Be part of the audience as the staff and writers of the Mystery House publishing company perform an audio adaptation of a possible novel that they will publish, depending upon the audience reaction to this production.  A unique concept makes for some very interesting stories.  Circa 1942. 

Vincent Price returns as Simon Templar in The Saint.  Tonight’s cleverly written and superbly acted show is entitled “The Ghost that Giggled,” from September 17, 1950.  Once you hear the quality and entertainment in The Saint, you will be looking forward to the next episode.

Brett Reid is the Green Hornet and Robert Hall is the star. Tonight’s action-packed adventure is entitled “Figure in the Photograph” from April 16, 1945.  This show was on the air for 16 years and originated from Detroit’s WXYZ radio who also produced The Lone Ranger and Sgt. Preston of the Yukon.  Join Brett and his sidekick, Kato, as they zip about town in The Green Hornet.

We finish tonight’s show with The Adventures of Superman starring Clayton “Bud” Collyer.  Tonight is Part 2 of “The Happyland Amusement Park” adventure.  The caped crusader appears most every week on Audio Theatre…. blue tights and all!  Look!  Up in the Sky!  It’s a bird…. you know the rest!

Join John Lovering for two hours of classic radio programming.  Sit back, relax and let your imagination paint a story that is unique to you.  The art from of audio theatre is truly fun… so give it a try from 6 to 8 pm every Tuesday on Portsmouth Community Radio Audio Theatre at 106.1 FM locally or streaming live online at www.wscafm.org and click on the “Listen Online” at the top menu.  Oh, and bring a friend to the “theatre.”

This Saturday 8AM-10AM October 29th on Stage Door there will be a special Halloween inspired double header of two well known radio dramas from Orson Welles’s theatrical company Mercury Theatre.  The first will be the infamous “The War of the Worlds” radio drama which was originally aired on October 30, 1938 and reportedly caused a widespread panic since many listeners believed the story was “real.”

The second will be the first radio drama produced by the Mercury Theatre -  Bram Stoker’s  “Dracula” which originally aired on Jul 11, 1938. Listening to these radio dramas will put you right into the Halloween spirit. Join WSCA DJ Robin Nitschelm, who is filling in for your regular host April Mulkern, for this Halloween spectacular!

Listen locally at 106.1 FM or streaming online at www.wscafm.org  and click on “Listen Now” at top of the page.   BOOOOooooo!

 Join host  John Lovering for another two hours of classic old time radio… designed to entertain and educate!  Sit back, relax and enjoy some of the best radio had to offer  from the 1940′s - 1960′s.   During the “Golden Age of Radio,” the radio was king.  Millions upon millions of Americans gathered around their radios to listen to thousands of broadcasts designed to entertain, inform, and enrich the lives of their listeners.  Radio did more to bring America together during the Great Depression and World War II than any other medium.

 More information about tonight’s show, including photos?  Visit:  http://heirloomradio.com/audio_theatre_page.htm    Comments?  Questions?  Show Requests?  - email: jlovering@wscafm.org

Listen locally at 106.1 fm or streaming live online at www.wscafm.org and click on the “Listen Now” link at the top of the page.

This evening you will hear The Most Dangerous Game, an episode of Escape from October 1, 1947.  Then Quiet Please with narrator and actor, Ernest Chappell…from November 21st, 1948 in One for the Book.   Next The CBS Workshop (AKA Columbia Workshop) from May 26, 1957 features I Have Three Heads, a very unique and creative production about a talking tape recorder… really! 

Finally you will hear episode #4 of Hans Holbin’s Doll Factory from June 15, 1940 on The Adventures of Superman starring Clayton “Bud” Collyer.

GO HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PHOTOS REGARDING TONIGHT’S FEATURED SHOWS: http://heirloomradio.com/audio_theatre_page.htm

Join host John Lovering (photo above) for two hours of classic old time radio programming…. part of the over 3000 shows in his collection…. that are not only entertaining, but educational as these programs give listeners  insite into the American culture at the time these programs were produced.

Comments?  Questions?  Requests for Shows?  Interested in our Audio Theatre group? - email: jlovering@wscafm.org

Locally at 106.1 FM or Streaming online at www.wscafm.org and click on “Listen Now” at the top of the page.

Join host John Lovering for a relaxing two hours of classic old time radio programming combined with anecdotal information about the stars, directors, writers, and sponsors… and maybe a couple of surprises tossed in for good measure.   Tonight we are featuring two classic detective shows, a down home American folk show, and a juvenile adventure series… bring back some memories or experience audio theatre from the Golden Age of Radio for the first time, but tune in and bring a friend!

More details and photos available on tonight’s show here: http://heirloomradio.com/audio_theatre_page.htm

Listen locally at 106.1 FM or streaming live online at www.wscafm.org and click on “Listen Now” at top of page.

Comments, requests, information about our Audio Theatre Players…  email: jlovering@wscafm.org

Join Portsmouth Community Radio!   Become a member!   www.wscafm.org and click on “Join Online”

CBS Radio’s acclaimed series that took listeners back to historic events.  Using popular news commentators, historic events were recreated as if the listener was teleported back in time and the event is being reported as if it were taking place in the present.

Tonight’s show is a compilation show featuring excerpts from some of the most famous events in history as “reported” on CBS radio and “You Are There!”.   Entertaining AND Educational   Original  Air Date: 11/6/47

Elliot Lewis is the host and narrator of this excellent series that brought the listeners back to some of the most famous crimes ever committed.  The scripts were well-researched and historically accurate in every way.  The sound effects and music reflect the period in which the crime of the evening took place.

Tonight’s Show: The Killing Story of William Corder and the Farmer’s Daughter”
Original Air Date:  11/25/53

A spin-off from the Jack Benny Program, this sitcom starring bandleader Phil Harris and his  movie star songstress wife, Alice Faye and  featuring Elliot Lewis as Frankie Remley will have you laughing out loud.   Show title: “ Health Food Diet”   Original Air Date: 11/21/48

Clayton “Bud” Collyer stars as the man of steel AND Clark Kent in this 1940 series of The Adventures of Superman. Tonight hear Episode 4 of 6 with the title  ”Airplane Disaster”    Original Air Date: 5/1/40  Remaining episodes will be aired next week.

SPECIAL ADVANCED NOTICE:  August 23rd - Our very own WSCA Audio Theatre Players will star in a revival of a Suspense tale known as I Saw Myself Running. This mesmerizing story concerns the blurring of the boundary between a recurring nightmare and reality… and features Kim Sedlock, Sofia Piel,  and Mike Nelson (photo l-r).  The program was directed and edited by John Lovering. Don’t miss this one… it is something really good on radio!

It’s X-Minus One Night on Portsmouth Community Radio Audio Theatre.  Yes, four of the highest rated back to back  X Minus One programs: ” Cold Equations”, “Protection”, “Martian Death March”, and “ The Seventh Victim” - 1957.  If you like Sci-Fi, this is the place to be on Tuesday, August 2nd from 6 to 8 pm.   More Info: http://heirloomradio.com/audio_theatre_page.htm

Alfred Hitchcock made his first big radio appearance when he produced and directed the very first episode of Suspense on July 21st, 1940.   It was the first in a string of over 900 stories heard on Suspense.   Hitchcock’s show was “The Lodger” …. based on a film he had produced a year or so earlier.   An unsuspecting couple rents a room to a rather strange-acting man.  After a few days they begin to wonder if he could be Jack the Ripper… the serial killer they have been reading about in the local papers.   Great show!  What a way to start a new series!

An ensemble cast plays a group of mystery writers who write and then act out the mysteries that they create.  They work in a publishing house known appropriately as the Mystery House.  This is a very creative and unique program… wel-acted and entertaining mystery stories that began on NBC in 1929 and ran until about 1951.  This show is a premier program for Portsmouth Community Radio Audio Theatre… this is the first time we have aired an episode of this show in seven years.   Don’t miss “Death Passed My Window” from the Mystery House.

Jean Shepherd is a most beloved radio hosts, humorist and storyteller.  He wrote the now classic film “A Christmas Story,” and during his radio shows (1948-1970′s) he would always spin a tale or two about his childhood.  Tonight you will hear part of a show from Jean’s WOR in NYC days.. . as he tells the tale of the Western Spectacular movie and other tales.   Note:  Jean is the man that Jerry Seinfeld modeled his humor after…  Shepherd was also the model for Garrison Keillor of A Prarie Home Companion fame.   Yes, Jean Shepherd was that good!

Join host John Lovering for two hours of some great radio from the Golden Age of Radio…. locally at 106.1 fm or streaming online at www.wscafm.org and click on “Listen Now” at the top of the page.  6-8 pm every Tuesday.  Tell your friends about Audio Theatre and Portsmouth Community Radio.

Comments/Requests: jlovering@wscafm.org      More info:  www.heirloomradio.com 

Starring Ed Gardner as Archie… who wrote and co-created the series …that was on radio for a decade from 1941-51.  This show was the basis for Norman Lear’s television hit series, “Archie’s Place” starring Carroll O’Connor.

A sitcom set in NYC…. third avenue… Duffy’s Tavern… where an ensemble cast of strange and funny characters had a weekly banter with Archie.

The show opens with “When Irish Eyes Are Smilin’” played on a honky-tonk piano… a phone call where Archie talks to Duffy… though we never hear Duffy’s voice….. and then the episode begins.

This show is always funny.. especially given the malapropisms that Archie uses consistently throughout the dialog… much like Carroll O’Connor did in “All in the Family” and “Archie’s Place.”   Tonight’s episode is entitled “Hiring Slappsie Maxie Rosenblum” and is from 2/23/1951.  30 min.

Starring Frank Lovejoy…as Randy Stone, a tough and streetwise reporter who worked the nightbeat for the Chicago Star, looking for human interest stories.  He meets an assortment of people, many of them frightened, and sometimes he can help them, sometimes not.

This was a quality show and stands up extremely well, even today.  Lovejoy’s portrayal of Rand Stone as tough guy with humanity was perfect.

The show ran from 1950 to 1952 on NBC.  Tonight’s episode is entitled “Sanctuary” and is from June 22, 1951.  30 min.

Broadcast from 1942 to 1962, this was one of the premier drama programs of the Golden Age of Radio. It was subtitled “radio’s outstanding theatre of thrills” and focused on suspense-thriller-type scripts, usually featuring leading Hollywood actors of the era.  There were about 950 episodes broadcast and about 900 of them have been preserved.

The series was on CBS and ran from 30 minutes to an hour at different times during it’s twenty-year run.

The show is hosted by “the man in black”…played by Joseph Kearns or Ted Osborne.  The series was sustained by CBS for the first two years and eventually was sponsored by Roma Wines and Autolite Spark Plugs.  Tonight’s episode is entitled; “Thieves Fall Out” and is from November 16, 1943    30min.

Listen locally at 106.1 FM or streaming online at www.wscafm.org and click on Listen Now at top of the page.

Requests/Comments?  jlovering@wscafm.org   More info: www.heirloomradio.com

Dick Powell stars as Richard Diamond, Private Detective in an episode entitled “Insurance Matters” from August 23, 1950.  Powell played the character from 1949 to 1953 on NBC.  Richard Diamond was a quick witted PI with a sense of humor and considerable musical talent.  The script is exellent, written by Blake Edwards (Pink Panther series and many others).

William Bendix plays Chester A. Riley in this The Life of Riley episode entitled “Junior is in Love” from January 27, 1950.  Digger O’Dell, the friendly undertaker, played by actor John Brown, will be shoveling his puns and jokes… and all in all this sitcom is as funny today as it was when it first aired.  Of course, at some point in the show, Riley has to utter his famous catchphrase, “What a revoltin’ development this is!”…

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello star in their comedy variety show from December 9, 1948.  This half-hour program features routines between Abbott and Costello as well as a musical number or two and skit with the guest star.  The show was on radio from 1942 to 1950, when it made the transfer to television.  Their routines always used a “play on words”…. most everyone knows the famous “Who’s On First?” routine, which is probably the most famous example of the type of comedy for which this duo is best remembered.

Finally, Peg Lynch and Alan Bunce retun with The Couple Next Door, a 15 minute, five-day per week series that featured situations with whic every couple could identify.  Tonight’s episode is entitled “The Marriage Bet” and is from January 27, 1958.

Join host, John Lovering, for two hours of some of the Golden Age of Radio’s best shows.  “Escape” from the news and problems of the day… just for a while.  Put your feet up and listen to comedy and mystery on tonight’s Audio Theatre.   Listen locally at 106.1 FM or streaming live online at www.wscafm.org and click on “Listen Now” at the top of the page.  Consider this your formal invitation.

Questions, Comments, Requests?   jlovering@wscafm.org

Inner Sanctum starts us off with our “Horror-Thriller Night” Program.   The episode is “Dead Man’s Holiday” and it was originally aired on September 18, 1950.  Your host, Raymond (Paul McGrath) greets you as the creaking door makes its spooky appearance.  Prepare yourself for another ghostly tale accompanied by Raymond’s sickly puns!   Inner Sanctum ran from 1941 to 1952 producing over 520 episodes.  It was a premier horror series on radio.

Escape is up next… with “The Fourth Man” from August 18, 1947.    Producer, Norman MacDonald (Gunsmoke) utilizes the talents of Paul Frees and William Conrad in another episode of “ESCAPE.”  Our protagonist is in dire straits… all wrapped up in the supernatural.  Tonight’s episode stars William Johnstone… and will definitely give you an opportunity to “get away from it all… Escape!”

From the famous Lights Out series comes our own Audio Theatre Players in “Coffin in Studio B”. 

This episode of “Lights Out” that was originally written by Wyllis Cooper in 1934 and aired on July 13, 1946.  Our local actors got together in the WSCA studio on July 22nd, 2008 and performed the script live for our listening audience.  Our players (l-r in above photo) include: James Darling, James Sears, Chuck Curtis, Dan Comly and Brian Gregg.   Melanie Lovering (photo below) did the manual sound effects.  Audio editing and mixing was done by John Lovering.   This story takes place in Studio B of a radio station where the actors are rehearsing a murder mystery one last time before they go on the air.   They are interrupted by a strange visitor who happens to be selling coffins!

Join host, John Lovering, for two hours of classic old time radio with a special performance by our own Audio Theatre Players… Tune in locally at 106.1 FM or streaming live online at www.wscafm.org and click on “Listen Now” at the top of the page.  Consider this your formal invitation!    Questions, comments, requests, interested in joining our Audio Theatre Players?  jlovering@wscafm.org

The Adventures of Maisie (aka Maisie): was a radio comedy series starring Ann Sothern, as under-employed entertainer Maisie Ravier, a spin-off of Sothern’s successful 1939-1947 Maisie movie series. Sponsored by Eversharp, the first series ran on CBS from July 5, 1945 to March 28, 1947, airing on Thursdays at 8:30pm during the first two months, then moving to Wednesdays at 9:30pm (1945-46), then Fridays at 10:30pm (1946-47).  The series ended in 1952 on the Mutual Broadcasting System.

Tonight’s episode is entitled “Clothes for the Poor” from 1950

Lew Ayers as Dr. James Kildare and Lionel Barrymore as Dr.  Leonard Gillespie star in “The Story of Dr. Kildare.”  Tonight’s Episode: The Case of Marjorie Northrup , from February 8, 1950.  This is the radio version of the film… the TV version followed with Richard Chamberlain playing Dr. Kildare and Raymond Massey as Dr. GIllespie.

Humphrey Bogart guest stars in Stars in the Air - Tonight’s episode: “The House on 92nd Street” from May 3rd, 1952.  Bill Dietrich becomes a double agent for the FBI in a Nazi spy ring.
Bogart plays FBI Inspector Henry Briggs.   This program is an excellent example of Radio’s Film Noire.

Join host, John Lovering, for two hours of classic radio programming form the Golden Age of Radio (1935-1955).  The featured shows are not only entertaining, they are educational in the sense that the depict the American culture and values at the time they were produced.  Listening to classic radio programming is indeed a lesson in American history.

Hear locally at 106.1 FM or streaming online at www.wscafm.org and click on “Listen Now” at top of page.   More info: www.heirloomradio.org   or email: jlovering@wscafm.org