Thought I would do a test post and ask a question. Have you ever gotten excited about a series based on something you read and then tried listening to several episodes, but just couldn't get into it? I thought I'd start with a list of some that I've tried based on recommendations, but quite frankly, I do not like them. These are in random order:
- NBC University Theater of the Air - I've listened to around 8-10 shows and I finally gave up, even though I had heard several good things about it. I find the acting is not up to usual OTR standards, the pacing is slow, and some of the supposed classics presented may not actually be classic. The worst one I recall is, "Number One."
- CBS Radio Workshop - This is probably sacrilege to some who rate this as the best of OTR, but after listening to 6-7 episodes I found that I just didn't care for it. Unlike NBC University, the productions are quite good. I just did not find the episodes interesting.
- Mutual Radio Theater - I tried about a dozen episodes before yelling, "Uncle!" For those not familiar, this was a radio drama relaunch in the early 1980's and directed by Mr. Radio, Elliott Lewis. I love Lewis as an actor, but I find a lot of his directing work uneven. That is the case here and some of the actors are not the best. Pales in comparison to CBS Radio Mystery Theater from the same era.
Those are my top 3. I have some others that I didn't like, but I'm not going to list those because I didn't give them a fair shake (only listed to 1-2 episodes). What are some of yours?
Hi this is a shout out to Larry, thanks for all you do. I have trouble with sci-fi shows
@basemike64 Great topic, Mike! I'm not sure I've tried enough to have detail on not liking one particular series, but I know the variety shows don't appeal to me as much as a story/series. Interesting to think about... I like when there are characters that draw me in and following them in other episodes appeals to me.
Thanks for getting things started! 😄
Alan's Collection: Saturday Alan Litsey announced a new collection of old-time radio shows that he will be releasing Monday to everyone in the REPS and OTRR Group who signs up for it before then. He is only the second REPS member in history besides me to do that. It is a great set of dramatic programs, some of which are very rare. If you would like to have it, including a link from his Dropbox that will let you listen to all the episodes with a click of the mouse, just send him an email to alitsey.bsc.edu and simply write "Sign Me Up." You have until Monday to register, so sending it Sunday will be fine. He will reply with something like "You are now on the list" as soon as he sees your message. You will also receive all the episode summaries.
We only have 23 forum members so far, and several are on the board. I encourage everyone who is not on the board to sign up to receive Alan's collection, and I promise you will love it. If you receive this one, you will receive an invitation to sign up for every collection and distribution that I, Alan, Jay Pollicow (he has already released one) and any that other REPS members release for the rest of this year.
Larry Maupin
Right now I haven't found any that I really won't listen to. I'm not a big fan of westerns so I stay away from those. While I can say I'm not a fan of the genre, I can't single out any series. I'm sure as time goes on I will find some that don't appeal to me.
JUST FOR FUN, A QUIZ QUESTION: WHAT OTR PROGRAM DID JOHN DUNNING IN ON THE AIR: THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OLD-TIME RADIO DESCRIBE AS "A POLICE DRAMA, A PIONEERING SERIES OF UNPRECEDENTED REALISM?" THE FIRST PERSON TO ANSWER THIS CORRECTLY GETS 100 POINTS AND A GOLD STAR.
LARRY MAUPIN
Here is tonight's quiz question: What OTR serial is famously known as "The story of mother love and sacrifice?" The first person to answer this correctly gets 200 points and a gold star.
Larry Maupin
@lm-reps Hm... Dragnet? Love the trivia!
This would be a great idea for a topic/forum on it's own, I can build one, let's do it!
Here's another quiz question: What well-known old-time radio mother lost her only son when he was killed in action during World War II?
I recently discovered that I have not received any messages in my Yahoo email account for about a month, and have concluded that it no longer works. If you wish to contact me, please send all future messages to lmaupin0116@gmail.com
