This article on Geekscape was floating around the Internets, and we’re a little upset we didn’t see it sooner.
The author, Witney, provides a list of the top ten old time radio dramas along with links. The shows selected are in order…
10. Brave New World
9. Superman
8. Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
7. Escape “Three Skeleton Key”
6. The Knox Riots
5. Ruby 4(ZBS)
4. War of the Worlds (Mercury Theatre)
3. Johnny Got His Gun
2. Moon Over Morocco (ZBS)
1. Sorry Wrong Number
So what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Write your own list in the comments! Goodness knows we have a few that would have included!
Tags: Brave New World, Escape, Geekscape, Johnny Got His Gun, Mercury Theatre, Moon Over Morocco, Old Time Radio, OTR, Ruby 4, Sorry Wrong Number, Superman!, The Knox Riots, Three Skeleton Key, War of the Worlds, Witney, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, ZBS
This entry was posted by Jack
on Wednesday, April 20th, 2016 at 6:36 am and is filed under Public Domain, Radio.
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About The Author
Born to Teachers and Amateur Audio Enthusiasts in the small rural community of Belwood, Jack's first love was stories- writing, reading, telling, and singing. He developed his acting skills through High School, University, and through film and community theatre.
Jack writes the lion's share of Electric Vicuna's Audio Drama scripts and has his own writing site at www.jackjward.com
He's thrilled to co-host the Sonic Society with his wonderful, talented, friend David Ault!
I enjoy the noir stories or crime dramas of the 40’s and 50’s. Anything by Cary Grant such as The Philadelphia story or The Awful Truth
I also am an Orson Welle’s fan but more to the noir/crime genre than sci-fi, like the Suspense stories
I love to rave about “The Shadow,” my first and favorite radio drama series. Some others I’ve come to discover in recent years include “Bold Venture” with Bogie and Becall…yeah they did a show, Also “Have Gun Will Travel” where Palladin is portrayed by John Dehner set in 1870s San Francisco. I cannot resist “The Six Shooter” where Jimmy Stewart is the most laidback cowboy… most of the time and Orson Welles’ adaptation of and performance in “Les Miserables” is too often overlooked. These are all American series but I love the BBC’s Paul Temple Mysteries where its so much fun to schlep around London and environs with Paul and his lovely wife “Steve.” So many more but that’s the list for now….
Those are some great pics… but of course… Some of those we had on “Sonic Echo” last year, so great minds think alike!
I agree. Phillipa Graves research has me digging into the noir radio drama a whole lot more lately as well. Thanks so much!
I came to “The Shadow” surprisingly late, but I agree with some of the above posters, it’s great fun and some of the most radiogenic writing ever made (with a hero who cannot be seen, only heard, etc). Also I have a huge crush on Orson Welles (even though I’ve read his biography and I know he was not exactly a paragon of virtue …). I don’t understand why “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar” crops up so often, I’ve heard a few episodes from the beginning and middle of the run (and a truly awful Christmas episode) and I find it average, even for the “late” Golden Age stuff. My favorites that I don’t see trumpeted very often are “You Are There” (CBS) and “Frontier Gentleman,” (also CBS) a late-era Western with John Dehner playing a British army veteran-cum-journalist out in the West going on varying adventures. It’s fantastic.
Great shows! “You are There” is often overlooked and I wonder if its the history angle. “Frontier Gentleman” is another favourite of mine too. Thanks so much Leslie!