Radio's Twilight Zone

 I love The Twilight Zone. Many people who write get their inspiration from accomplished authors: Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, etc. I, however, got inspiration from two people: Alfred Hitchcock and Rod Serling. Rod Serling was a connoisseur of the written word. From his unique manner of articulation, his way of speaking (Which he despised, but became part of his character), and especially his way of writing science fiction, Rod Serling was, and should continue to be, a legend. His most popular effort, The Twilight Zone was, at first glance, like many other horror/sci-fi anthology shows of the time. It was only after its first season that the show truly took off. The five seasons of the show has since spawned movies, references and parodies that are still easily recognizable today. But that's not what I'm here to talk about; I'm here to talk about the radio equivalent of shows like these, of which there are many, so here are the ones I know.


CBS' A Tale of Suspense. People loved this show, which is exactly why it lasted for over 20 years. It kept going at a time when radio was mainly used for telling the time and playing Beatles' songs. Suspense was a horror anthology show that reveled in its twist ending each week. Rod Serling was a big fan of this show, having paid many of the original authors of the story to use them in The Twilight Zone. I highly Recommend Suspense if you enjoy dramatic thrillers, or, of course, if you enjoy The Twilight Zone. The show has had many famous celebrities show up across its run, such as Lucille Ball, Gene Kelly, Orson Welles, Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant just to name a few. 


Next is Inner Sanctum. Much like Suspense, this show was also long lived, lasting over 11 years. This show had a more tongue in cheek style with its mystery, and there was a small trace of humor to be found in its stories. Like Suspense, this show also had a star-studded casts with Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Frank Sinatra. My favorite part of Inner Sanctum is the narrator, with his self-aware sort of comedic delivery, and the classic ending of, "Pleasant dreams, hmmm?"


Finally, we have CBS Radio Mystery Theatre. Made pretty late in radio's lifespan premiering in 1974, lasting until 1982, Radio Mystery Theatre is a sort of callback to the early days of radio at a time when radio is much like it is today, mostly reserved for music and talking. Listening to it, you'd still believe it was made in 1952, it stays quite true to the old style of anthology show, with the added advantage of having learned from television.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Steve Allen: Extemporaneous Entertainment

Image
 Steve Allen is the most influential man you've never heard of. For over 50 years, he's been a mainstay of radio and television, delighting audiences and fuming sponsors and networks with his off-the-cuff, spur of the moment antics and increasingly inventive ideas for new shows an new laughs. He was a quick thinker on his feet, and he was truly a man who walked so many future entertainers could run. Purportedly, Steve wasn't a big fan of Elvis,  and believed him to be just a flash in the pan. I don't doubt this,  Steve wasn't a huge fan of new things. Stephen Allen was born in 1920, and joined into radio shortly after the second world war. After achieving success there, he moved on to the rising medium of television, where he truly gained fame through his many shows and appearances, most notably his first hosting of the Tonight Show, a new idea meant to be juxtaposed against the already existing Today Show. Though Steve Allen's Tonight Show didn't last as lo...
Read more

Band Leaders: Vintage Rockstars

Image
 Jazz is possibly one of the longest surviving musical genres, rivaling the nursery rhyme. Jazz and its many variants have been around since vaudeville, and to this day still remain a hit. I'm here to talk about a few pioneers in this long-lasting genre, as well as many others. Introducing the band leader, who commanded orchestras and were as well known by themselves as they were as part of a group. They were conductors, songwriters, singers, musicians, they were jacks of all trades and excelled in their field. I liken them to the rockstar of their day, though the genre and the time period may be different, they were just as big. Here's just a sample of three of these stars. Cab Calloway seen here on stage in his trademark "Zoot Suit" Cab Calloway. Cabell Calloway is a man of many firsts. He was the first African American to have a nationally syndicated radio show, which he did alongside Bing Crosby, and his most famous song, "Minnie the Moocher," Was the fi...
Read more

Early Television: The Dawn of a New Era

Image
Where to even begin with television? Without sounding like a wikipedia page, the concept of television has been around since the 1800s. However, any version with even a minute resemblance to television now, only came to be in the 1920s. Television broadcasts became commonplace post World War II. For the sake of this editorial, we shall be discussing television from 1950 onward.  After being on radio since 1932, Jack Benny went on to do television for 15 years, with a five year overlap between the TV and radio shows. Well! Television was a completely new media. Interesting to the consumer, but rather daunting for show business. They were now being asked to combine the production scale, time and effort required for film-making, with the regularity and recurring cast members of radio. For some, this was not an issue. Jack Benny, for instance, made his journey into television as early as 1950. Quiz shows also came out of the woodwork at alarming speeds.  Bud Collyer's Beat the Clo...
Read more