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Sep 02, 2016

Added (3) new reviews and (3) new plotlines for various SF 68 episodes, courtesy of zM.


Aug 31, 2016

Added (10) new CD covers created by Nick. These, and others, can be found on the CD Artwork page. Thanks Nick!


Aug 29, 2016

Added (3) new reviews and (3) new plotlines for various SF 68 episodes, courtesy of zM.


Aug 26, 2016

Added (11) new CD covers created by Nick. These, and others, can be found on the CD Artwork page. Thanks Nick!


Aug 24, 2016

Added (3) new reviews and (3) new plotlines for various Witch's Tale episodes, courtesy of zM.


Aug 22, 2016

Added (12) new CD covers created by Nick. These, and others, can be found on the CD Artwork page. Thanks Nick!


Aug 19, 2016

Added (1) new review for a Seeing Ear Theatre episode, courtesy of John in Oregon.


Aug 17, 2016

Added (1) new review for a Dark Fantasy episode, courtesy of Trevor.


Aug 15, 2016

Added (2) new reviews for various BBC episodes, courtesy of Noelle.


Aug 12, 2016

Yet another tip-of-the-hat to alert listener/reader/research editor, Noelle, who offered the following corrections and comments: (Thanks, Noelle!):


Aug 10, 2016

Added (3) new reviews for various 2000x episodes, courtesy of Cameron P.


Aug 08, 2016

Added (15) new reviews and (13) new plotlines for various Campbell Playhouse, Columbia Workshop, Dark Fantasy, Escape, Lux Radio Theatre, Mysterious Traveler, Sealed Book, and Suspense episodes, courtesy of Anonymous.


Campbell Playhouse

Columbia Worshop

Dark Fantasy

Escape

Lux Radio Theatre

Mysterious Traveler

Sealed Book

Suspense


Aug 06, 2016

Added (5) new shows to the Listening Booth:

"Pillar of Fire" - 2000x (2000)

In the distant future, there are no burials; the dead are considered unclean and are incinerated shortly after death. A long-term project to destroy all the old cemeteries—to dig up the old coffins and properly dispose of the remains—is nearly complete, but one corpse, angered at the lack of respect for the dead, objects strongly. Fuelled by hate, he strives to punish those responsible for disturbing his rest... even if it means destroying civilization. Story by: Ray Bradbury. "Excellent music and sound effects create a chilling story that will stick in your mind long after you have finished listening. Very strong on mood and imagery. Allan Miller is great as the corpse, William Lantry. If you are familiar only with Ray Bradbury's sci-fi stories (e.g., "The Martian Chronicles") you will be in for a shock. [8/10] --- zM"

"The Glass Key" - The Campbell Playhouse (1939)

Gambler Ned Beaumont investigates a murder for which his best friend, crooked politician Paul Madvig, is the chief suspect. Story by: Dashiell Hammett. "That big ham Orson Welles, who had a fetish for playing affably corrupt men of power, is unusually restrained and believable as the obtuse politico. Paul Stewart is even better as Beaumont and the rest of the cast is only a notch below them. Quite a bit of the dialogue comes directly from Dashiell Hammett's smartest novel, although the cussing is cut or softened. Reading along with the text, I almost laughed at the way Welles, with amused incredulity, utters a mild "Holy mackerel!" instead of "Jesus Christ!" Also toned down is the violence and the complexities of the plot. Given an hour to fill, the whole thing plays like a slo-mo episode of a late '40s hardboiled detective series and bad sound nearly obliterates a couple of important scenes, but this is otherwise one of the more interesting vintage radio versions of a Hammett story. --- Anonymous"

"Quiet, Please" - Quiet, Please (1949)

The last man alive on a dying world reminisces about his life and of those things that were important to him... and how those who could not live without war managed to destroy everything... in the name of preserving it. Story by Willis Cooper. "Cooper chooses to conclude Quiet, Please with a literally apocalyptic finale which, like the series' title, is an overt plea for peace. --- Anonymous"

"The Clock Strikes Eight" - Appointment with Fear (1944)

Dr Gideon Fell, schoolmaster turned detective, tells the story of "The Barton Case": A young woman, Helen Barton, wakes up on Death Row with amnesia. It is four hours before her execution. Although she can't remember much, she claims she is innocent. Of course she does. Details start to filter in... Story by: John Dickson Carr. "The introductory music, narration, pacing, and style of story-telling are very similar to Suspense and Escape episodes of the same era. Not bad, but for some reason I lit upon the solution very early and lost interest. Then, the melodramatic acting grated on my nerves. Ho hum. [5/10] --- zM"

"By the Fright of the Silvery Moon" - Seeing Ear Theatre (19xx) - By Request

From the SET sub-series Tales from the Crypt.


Jul 18, 2016

Added (1) new review for an X Minus One episode, courtesy of Michael F.


Jul 17, 2016

Added (4) new reviews for various Quiet, Please! episodes, courtesy of steelman.


Jul 16, 2016

Yet another tip-of-the-hat to alert listener/reader/research editor, Noelle, who offered the following correction: (Thanks, Noelle!):


Jun 15, 2016

Sparky, Sparky, I've been thinking,
What the heck have you been drinking,
Could be whiskey, could be wine,
Oh my gosh! It's turpentine!

I've been thinking about this ditty, lately, and variations on it: "Reuben and Rachel", "Reuben and Cynthia", "What's Inside the Earth". So I created a page to commemorate the tune and I'm posting a couple of versions in the Listening Booth.


Jun 14, 2016

Added (6) new plotlines for various Inner Sanctum episodes, courtesy of Nick.


Jun 13, 2016

Added (6) new plotlines for various Inner Sanctum episodes, courtesy of Nick.


Jun 05, 2016

Added (4) new shows to the Listening Booth:

"C-Chute" - X Minus One (1956)

Six human passengers are taken captive at the beginning of the 2nd Interstellar War when their merchant spaceship Starfire is boarded and hijacked by enemy aliens. Story by Isaac Asimov. "A story about personal courage and how it sometimes flourishes under harsh conditions and in the most unlikely places. A well-written story which mixes action and suspense with loud explosions and cool sound effects. Weak on scientific accuracy, but entertaining. [6/10] --- zM"

"Blithe Spirit" - NBC Presents: Best Plays (1952)

John Loder is a writer researching material for a mystery novel. As a lark, he invites the eccentric medium, Madame Arcati, to hold a séance. It's great fun... until Madame Arcati inadvertently materializes Loder's first wife, Elvira! Further complications arise when Elvira refuses to return to the 'other side' and seems intent on disrupting Loder's current marriage. Story by Noël Coward. "A well-written light comedy with good characterization and dialogue. Humorous and enjoyable. [6/10] --- zM"

"Corridor of Doom" - Inner Sanctum (1945)

John Clay wakes, disoriented, with no idea of where he is or how he got there. He lies on a hard white bed, in a clean white room, with a dull pain in his abdomen. A nurse and doctor visit and comfort him and administer a pain killer. As he drifts off, he dreams of a dimly-lit, endless passage with closed doors on either side... doors with names on them. Story by Robert Newman. "The build-up was mysterious, engaging and suspenseful—Boris Karloff played his part perfectly—but the surprise ending was rushed and left me wondering what just happened. I had to listen a second time to sort out all the roles and make sense of the conclusion. Still, what you'll remember from this episode are the passages describing the Corridor of Doom... and that's worth listening to. [7/10] --- zM"

"The Demon Tree" - Dark Fantasy (1941)

A night-clerk at a tourist resort tells four bored guests about an ancient oak tree that wanders a nearby forest strangling the unwary. Humphreys, Crane, Clara, and Danvers go for a stroll to see if they can find this 'strangling oak'. Of course they do. Story by Scott Bishop. "Beat-you-over-the-head foreshadowing gave the conclusion away within the first five minutes, but this was still a good episode. Strong descriptive imagery and solid acting—though a little melodramatic at times—created tension even with the foregone conclusion. Music was limited to needed accents and was not overdone. So even though I knew how the story was going to end, it still had me snuggling deeper into my chair cushion. [7/10] --- zM"


May 07, 2016

Added (4) new shows to the Listening Booth:

"Flashback" - Exploring Tomorrow (195x)

Captain Thompson, part of an experimental Space Medicine program at the base, arrives at the hospital to await the birth of his first child. He's exhausted. Worn out. He uses a new mental technique to relax and relieve his tension—to break down mental barriers—and finds himself leading a party of refugees struggling to reach Quetico—the heavily-forested backwoods area north of what used to be Minnesota. Time is running out. The Kinoys—aliens who detected the first space launch and have moved in to wipe out the human race—are hot on their heals. Flashback? Precognition? Or just plain dreaming? "An excellent story which alludes to, but does not resolve, a very difficult question: how many people should a commander sacrifice in order to save others? Science fiction is at its best when the human element is made an integral part of the story, as it is here. The commander is bewildered and disoriented, but at the same time he knows that he must make the right decision. How? Good pacing and solid acting. The recording, however, is slightly marred by poor audio quality. [8/10] --- zM"

"Tobin's Palm" - CBS Radio Mystery Theater (1977)

Desperately looking to locate his missing fiancée, a man follows his best friend's advice to seek help from a palm-reading fortuneteller. The result is a series of mishaps, odd coincidence, and finally a surprising ending. Story by Sam Dann. "A brilliant adaptation by Sam Dann, who created a story which is much, much funnier than the O. Henry original. What makes this adaptation work is the dialogue between Tobin and Malone (which was mostly created by Mr Dann) and the acting by Fred Gwynne and Jack Grimes. O. Henry's short story can be read in about 10 minutes; Dann expands the story to 45 minutes. It drags a bit at times, but the changes are mostly for the better. [8/10] --- zM"

"The Thirteenth Truck" - Escape (1953)

WW II desert commandos on a mission to locate, penetrate and destroy a secret German airfield in North Africa. Story by Douglas M. Smith. "One of the series' best efforts, with a gritty atmosphere and well realized sound effects of truck engines, machine gun fire, and diving Messerschmidts. Tense and believable (the intro seems to suggest there may be some truth behind the story); I really felt like I was there, a feeling enhanced by the quality acting and voices. No cheesy accents here - the Germans speak German. A four-star episode. --- Jeff Dickson"

"Valse Triste" - Lights Out! (1942)

Two city women vacationing in the country lose their canoe and seek help within the dark woods. Coming upon a cabin, the women are then terrorized by a mad fiddler obsessed with chance who is intent on making one of them his bride and murdering the other. Story by Arch Oboler. "Easily one of the most bone-chilling segments from the series. Oboler is in top form here and his tale unfolds with mounting dread before reaching a crescendo. Although the original 1938 recording featuring Boris Karloff unfortunately no longer exists, the story is boosted by the actor portraying "Old Man Boyd," his steady tone creepily contrasting with his violent tendencies. The horror displayed by the actresses is also top-notch, making this one a nail-biter right up to its bizarre and haunting conclusion. --- Jose Cruz"


Apr 20, 2016

Added (3) new reviews and (3) new plotlines for various Witch's Tale episodes, courtesy of zM.


Apr 18, 2016

Added (8) new plotlines for various Haunting Hour episodes, courtesy of Nick.


Apr 15, 2016

Added (2) new reviews and (2) new plotlines for various Witch's Tale episodes, courtesy of zM.


Apr 13, 2016

Added (2) new reviews and (2) new plotlines for various Witch's Tale episodes, courtesy of zM.


Apr 11, 2016

Added (8) new plotlines for various Haunting Hour episodes, courtesy of Nick.


Apr 09, 2016

Added (2) new shows to the Listening Booth:

"The Middle Toe of the Right Foot" - The Weird Circle (1944)

Mr Rosser, the editor of the town paper, is offended by a stranger, Mr Grossmith. The challenge is made... and answered. Mr Grossmith chooses Bowie knives; Mr Rosser chooses a darkened room in an abandoned house outside of town. Story by Ambrose Bierce. "A poor adaptation of a reasonably good ghost story. Ambrose Bierce tells the tale in three parts, with the second part being the back-story and the third part revealing the conclusion. In doing so, the story starts with a lethal conflict, then explains the reason for the conflict, and finally resolves the conflict. This 'backwards telling' of the plot adds some suspense, but the fact is that this is a very simple plot and there's not much you can do with it. The charm lies not in the plot, but in the descriptive imagery Bierce uses to set the stage and draw you in. By reorganizing the plot, The Weird Circle takes a simple story and makes it even simpler... while at the same time managing to lose much of the descriptive imagery that made the story so appealing in the first place! As a result, the conclusion is foregone and the suspense is simply... gone. The written story, however, is definitely worth reading. [6/10] --- zM"

"Devil Island" - The Sealed Book (1945)

Shortly after Anne Drake moves to Devil Island to live with her father (Martin), step-mother (Hester), uncle (Henry), and their servant (Abel), strange things begin to happen. Anne worries that the strain of insanity that runs in her family is taking hold and she will shortly lose her mind. The rest of the family isn't helping... Story by Robert A. Arthur and David Kogan. "A strong opening introduces Anne Drake as she approaches 'Devil Island'. She plans to live on the island with her father, whom she has never met, and she is anxious and nervous. An eerie, lonesome wind sets the mood. The mood settles down, but then ramps up again as Anne has unsettling experience after unsettling experience. The quick tempo is reminiscent of some of the best of Inner Sanctum Mysteries, like "Skeleton Bay", but the plot is not as tightly written and the tempo falters mid-stream. The result is a slightly better-than-average episode for the series, but I was left with the feeling that it could have been much better. [7/10] --- zM"


Apr 07, 2016

Added (3) new reviews and (2) new plotlines for various Witch's Tale episodes, courtesy of zM.


Apr 05, 2016

Added (3) new reviews and (3) new plotlines for various Witch's Tale episodes, courtesy of zM.


Apr 03, 2016

Added (7) new plotlines for various Mysterious Traveler episodes, courtesy of Nick.


Mar 31, 2016

Added (3) new reviews and (3) new plotlines for various Caltex Theatre episodes, courtesy of zM.


Mar 26, 2016

Added (2) new shows to the Listening Booth:

"Nightmare" - Dimension X (1951)

A statistician begins to suspect that machines worldwide are uniting to overthrow their human masters. Story by Stephen Vincent Benét. "The plot has a glaring hole in it, and if you can't get beyond it, you won't enjoy this story at all. But if you can somehow accept the idea that 'intelligence' is not the same thing as 'artificial intelligence', i.e., semiconductor-based 'electronic' intelligence, then you might be able to imagine that pencils and doorknobs can be intelligent, in their own way. And if you can buy into that, then you might be interested in this story. I can buy into it. But then again, I own some fine land in Florida and I often send money to stranded tourists in Nigeria... [8/10] --- zM"

"A Passenger to Bali" - Mercury Theatre on the Air (1938)

As the good ship Roundabout readies for departure from Shanghai to Bali, a stranger approaches Captain English and asks for passage. The stranger claims to be a Dutch missionary bringing Bibles and religion to the natives; he presents his passport, character references, and offers a healthy 'fee' to alleviate any misgivings the captain might have. The captain agrees... but once underway soon regrets his decision. Story by Ellis St Joseph. "A fast-moving psychological tale which relies heavily upon the characterization of, and conflict between, Captain English and the Reverend Mr Walkes (the stranger). Unfortunately, poor audio quality muddies the dialogue at several key points and makes listening difficult. Nevertheless, this is an engaging story of inter-personal conflict, which threatens to erupt into violence as Captain English and Reverend Walkes square off. The Escape and Sleep No More versions have much better audio quality and are worth listening to, but both suffer from being crammed into half-hour formats. [8/10] --- zM"


Mar 24, 2016

Added (5) new reviews and (3) new plotlines for various Appointment with Fear, Arch Oboler's Plays, Best Plays, Macabre, and X Minus One episodes, courtesy of zM:

Appointment with Fear

Arch Oboler's Plays

Macabre

NBC Presents: Best Plays

X Minus One


Mar 18, 2016

Added (4) new reviews and (1) new plotline for various Campbell Playhouse, CBS Radio Mystery Theater, Exploring Tomorrow, and Weird Circle episodes, courtesy of zM.

The Campbell Playhouse

CBS Radio Mystery Theater

Exploring Tomorrow

The Weird Circle


Mar 16, 2016

Added (2) new reviews and (1) new plotlines for various Maiden Music Productions episodes, courtesy of zM.


Mar 14, 2016

Added (2) new reviews and (2) new plotlines for various Maiden Music Productions episodes, courtesy of zM.


Mar 12, 2016

Added (2) new shows to the Listening Booth:

"No-Name Baby" - Beyond Midnight (1969)

Alice is convinced that her newborn baby is trying to kill her: the baby lies awake all day long, staring at her and plotting against her, and at night he cries constantly, depriving her of sleep and rest. Day after day this goes on. Sometimes Alice can hear him moving about the house, but when she looks in on him, he is always in his crib staring... staring... staring. It's enough to drive anyone mad. Story by Ray Bradbury. "Warning: Don't listen to this if you are pregnant or have an infant child! Horrifically realistic with very creepy music and a plot that is downright disturbing. The baby's voice will send chills down your spine. [9/10] --- zM"

"The Escape of Mr Trimm" - Sleep No More (1957)

The train that was transporting Mr Trimm—former president of the 13th National Bank—to prison overturns in a grisly crash. Mr Trimm is thrown clear, and in the confusion escapes into the woods. Now, if he can only get those pesky handcuffs removed... Story by Irvin S. Cobb. "I kept getting this story mixed up with "Present Tense" by James Poe which starts exactly the same way—a criminal in handcuffs on his way to prison narrowly escapes dying in a train wreck... The stories are quite different after that, however, with "Present Tense" being much more suspenseful. This story isn't bad, but not great either. ("Present Tense" is pretty darned good, though.) [6/10] --- zM"


Mar 10, 2016

Added (2) new reviews and (2) new plotlines for various Maiden Music Productions episodes, courtesy of zM.


Mar 09, 2016

Added (1) new review and (1) new plotline for a BBC episode, courtesy of zM.


Mar 08, 2016

Added (1) new review and (1) new plotline for a BBC episode, courtesy of zM. This programme can be heard on BBC iPlayer Radio and will be available for the next 12 days!


Mar 07, 2016

Added (1) new review and (1) new plotline for a BBC episode, courtesy of zM. This series can be heard on BBC iPlayer Radio and will be available for the next 7 days!


Mar 05, 2016

Added (5) new reviews for various 2000x, Dimension X, Future Tense, Mindwebs, Seeing Ear Theatre, and X Minus One episodes, courtesy of zM.


Mar 03, 2016

Updated The Witch's Tale page.

Added a guide explaining how you can identify which actress plays Old Nancy on your recordings.
I also added (6) audio clips of just Old Nancy speaking so you can test your new-found skill!


Mar 02, 2016

Added (2) new reviews and (2) new plotlines for various 2000x episodes, courtesy of zM.


Feb 29, 2016

Added (2) new reviews and (2) new plotlines for various 2000x episodes, courtesy of zM.


Feb 27, 2016

Added (2) new shows to the Listening Booth:

"Devil Car" - Mindwebs (1978)

To avenge the death of his brother, Sam Murdock and his death-car Jenny seek out the evil Black Caddy and its pack of wild cars. Story by Roger Zelazny. "There's plenty of car-vs.-car action (Jenny is not only sentient, but well-armed), a tongue-in-cheek post-apocalyptic Old West feel, and some poignant moments as Jenny vacillates between her admiration for the Devil Car and her duty to serve her driver, Murdock. This story was probably one of the main inspirations for Steve Jackson's game Car Wars, which introduced the notion that "the right of way goes to the biggest guns." "Devil Car" is a fine example of the fun sub-genre of science fiction I call the post-apocalyptic car-centered road warrior stories. If you like it, check out similar stories by other authors, such as "Why Johnny Can't Speed" and "Along the Scenic Route" (I think one of these is Harlan Ellison's). --- Anonymous"

"Witness for the Prosecution" - Radio City Playhouse (1949)

When wealthy senior Emily French is found dead, her much younger companion, Leonard Vole, is suspected of murder. Leonard seems like such a nice young man... a soon-to-be-very-wealthy, nice young man... until his wife testifies against him! Story by Agatha Christie. "A fast-moving tale with a simple plot, but with some pleasantly-surprising twists and turns along the way. The acting is a bit melodramatic in spots, but otherwise well-done. Sound quality is fairly good, except the vocals are slightly distorted and have an annoying buzz. Overall, worth listening to. [7/10] --- zM"


Feb 23, 2016

Added (7) new plotlines for various 2000x episodes, courtesy of zM.


Feb 22, 2016

Super Sleuth, Noelle, strikes again!

For a long time I've been looking for information about a BBC Radio 4 broadcast of "Bravo 74". According Noelle's research, the actual title is "The Freebooter" (which is why I couldn't find anything about it); it was written by Gregory Lyons, and was first broadcast in 1978 on Afternoon Theatre. Many thanks, Noelle!


Feb 21, 2016

Added (2) new reviews and (2) new plot summaries for various Haunted episodes, courtesy of Noelle.

Plus some additional comments and corrections... (Thanks, again, Noelle!)


Feb 20, 2016

Added (4) new reviews and (4) new plotlines for various Mindwebs episodes, courtesy of zM.


Feb 19, 2016

Super Sleuth, Noelle, strikes again!

After listening to "The Purple Planet" (formerly in the plotspot BBC archive), Noelle tried to find who the author was and when it was produced, but completely struck out at the BBC Genome project and BBC Radio Listings.

Undaunted, she pressed on... and eventually stumbled upon a listing at retrobloke.com (a site in London that sells used LPs). Retrobloke was offering for sale a used LP entitled "The Purple Planet".

The description was "1978 Super Rare adult Sci-Fi spoken word record, on the Maiden Science Fiction label. The sleeve states the story is not suitable for children. There are two stories, one each side, the 'The Mutant Strain', and 'The Purple Planet'. They feature music by Max Early, and the story is by Michael Armstrong. Catalogue Number: Maiden MR113B. Condition: EX/EX : Immaculate condition and beautiful sleeve design."

Not enough to go on, really. But the cover art suggested that 'The Purple Planet' might be the same story she just listened to. Further searching revealed a second album with the following description: "1978 Super Rare adult Sci-Fi spoken word record, on the Maiden Science Fiction label. The sleeve states the story is not suitable for children. There are two stories, one each side, 'The Spiders', and 'Ten Light Years Away'. They feature music by Max Early, and the story is by Michael Armstrong. Catalogue Number: Maiden MR115B. Condition: EX-/EX - Immaculate condition, just a couple of very very light brush marks on the record, and beautiful sleeve design."

Noelle noticed that 'The Mutant Stain' and '10 Light Years Away' were listed in the archive. This strongly suggested that the stories were the right ones. The cover art seemed to corroborate. She contacted me; I searched and discovered a Michael Armstrong who is a writer/director/producer for film, television, and theatre in England who has worked with Max Early in the past. I wrote him an email and he sent me a kind note saying that yes he was the author of all those stories. He said there was also a 3rd LP which included 'Space Station Z43' and 'The Third Star', and if I'd like to stop by for a spot of tea, he'd be happy to discuss it with me. Perhaps the next time I'm in the UK.

Noelle then noticed a story in the archive entitled 'S.S.Z. 43'! So, many mysteries have been cleared up thanks to the tireless efforts of Noelle!

All (6) stories are now listed in the BBC archive under Maiden Music Productions.


Feb 18, 2016

Added (4) new reviews and (2) new plot summaries for various Haunted, Maiden Music Productions and CBS Radio Mystery Theater episodes, courtesy of Noelle.

Haunted

Maiden Music

CBS Radio Mystery Theater

Also, Noell has kindly offered the following corrections and additions:


Feb 17, 2016

Added (3) new reviews and (3) new plotlines for various Mindwebs episodes, courtesy of zM.



Feb 16, 2016

Added (2) new reviews and (2) new plot summaries for various 2000x episodes, courtesy of zM.


Feb 15, 2016

Added (4) new reviews and (3) new plot summaries for various Fear on 4 and Haunted episodes, courtesy of Noelle.

Fear on 4

Haunted


Feb 14, 2016

Yet another tip-of-the-hat to alert listener/reader/research editor, Noelle, who offered the following link suggestions and additions/corrections: (Thanks, Noelle!):


Feb 13, 2016

Added (2) new shows to the Listening Booth:

"Last Night" - Suspense (1943)

To relieve mounting debt and avert financial collapse, the husband and wife proprietors of a dude ranch appeal to a wealthy guest. In the morning, the husband discloses that he got the loan... but the wife soon discovers that the guest disappeared during the the night. Story by Cornell Woolrich. "Woolrich is a master at weaving clever suspense yarns that undermine your expectations, often due to his stories being told from the perspective of a character with the most limited knowledge of what's happening—that way, we don't know anything more than they do. 'Last Night' is a prime example of Woolrich's talents at work. Margo is terrific in the central performance as the wife attempting to piece together what exactly happened last night—we are just as perplexed by the puzzle being assembled as she is and just as surprised when our guesses are proven wrong. This is cracker-jack storytelling at its most entertaining. [9/10] --- David Schwenker"

"Rocky Loves Julie" - Theatre Five (1965)

A pair of flatmates in a large city receive spooky phone calls from a heavy breather. Eventually the heavy breather (Rocky) makes contact with one of the flatmates (Julie) and expresses his undying love. Perhaps 'undying' is a poor choice of words. Story by Fielden Farrington. "A creepy-stalker story starring my favourite radio actress, Joan Lorring. Joan does a great job, but is overshadowed by the simple-minded stalker (Donald Buka). Corrine Orr also puts in a fine performance as the flatmate. This same script, if performed on The Man in Black or Fear on Four, would have me locking all the doors and windows. But the pacing in Theatre Five always seems too fast to properly build tension... Nevertheless, this is one of the better Theatre Five episodes, with solid acting and a well-crafted story. It will send chills down your spine, but won't make you sleep with the lights on. [7/10] --- zM"


Feb 12, 2016

Added (7) new reviews for various 2000 Plus episodes, courtesy of Brian Lane.

These reviews were posted many years ago, but were lost during a server upgrade about 7 years ago.


Feb 11, 2016

Added a section to the Links page: Research - Books, eBooks, and Audiobooks.

To start things off, I have added a link that Noelle sent me to a website about gothic literature called Mystery and Imagination: "a blog designed to provide fans of classic gothic, horror and supernatural fiction with free formatted ebooks and full text PDFs of well-known and less well-known texts, drawn from public domain sources." A great resource to know about! I also added links to LibriVox and Gutenberg - other great resources for public domain stories.


Feb 10, 2016

Added (2) new reviews for various 2000 Plus episodes, courtesy of Seth Gaines.

These reviews were posted many years ago, but were lost during a server upgrade about 7 years ago.


Feb 09, 2016

Updated the 2000 Plus page.

Expanded the introduction to provide an historical pespective. Also added some information about the series creator, Sherman Dryer, and some of the cast members.


Feb 08, 2016

Added (2) new reviews and (2) new plot summaries for various Haunted episodes, courtesy of Noelle.


Feb 07, 2016

Added a new page for Haunted in the 'Future Plot Archives' section.

Haunted: Tales of the Supernatural, was an anthology of supernatural tales broadcast over BBC World Service as three separate series in 1980, 1982, and 1984, (although some sources indicate the first series aired in 1979). Some of the episodes were repeated among the series. According to Diversity Website there were 34 episodes, with 26 unique plotlines. At least 21 of those are in circulation. I have listed the episode titles and the authors, but I don't have any plotlines or reviews... and probably won't for some time, yet.


Feb 06, 2016

Added (2) new reviews and (2) new plot summaries for various BBC and Dark Fantasy episodes, courtesy of Noelle.


Feb 05, 2016

Updated the Theatre Five page.

Expanded the introduction to provide more background on Theatre Five, including information on some of the cast members and more history of the programme.

I've also started adding cast members to each episode. This information is very similar to what you will find at radioGOLDINdex, except I have painstakingly searched the Internet to verify, as best I can, the correct spelling of each name. (This resource was not available when Dave Goldin started his massive database project.) I hope to start writing plotlines and reviews later this year. Darkman (who did some marvellous work creating new encodes for Mindwebs, has scored some reels of Theatre Five episodes and is hoping to start work on that series next. Of course, work always gets in the way of play, so this joint project (new encodes, plotlines and reviews) will probably be a multi-year project for us both.


Feb 04, 2016

Updated the CBS Radio Mystery Theater page.

Added the script-writer (in addition to the author) to each episode that was an adaptation of a previously published work. While the author is the creator of the original story idea, the writer is the person who creates the script and puts that idea into practice. A writer can destroy a great idea... or rescue a poorly-conceived idea from the ashes of history.


Feb 03, 2016

A tip-of-the-hat to alert listener/reader, zM, who noticed the following:

Although Himan Brown credits the author of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater story "Shadows from the Grave" as Wilkie Collins, he is wrong. This story is based on "The Return of Andrew Bentley", written by August Derleth and Mark Schorer. The story was first published in 1933, but was later included in a collection of stories entitled Colonel Markesan and Less Pleasant People in 1966. "The Return of Andrew Bentley" also aired as a teleplay on Thriller in 1961 (with 74 y/o Boris Karloff as the host), and is available at the Internet Archive. --- zM

Also, added (1) new review for a CBS Radio Mystery Theater episode, courtesy of zM.


Feb 02, 2016

Yet another tip-of-the-hat to alert listener/reader/research editor, Noelle, who offered the following link suggestions and additions/corrections: (Thanks, Noelle!):


Jan 30, 2016

Added (2) new shows to the Listening Booth:

"Closed Planet" - BBC (1962)

A crippled starship is compelled to make landfall on a remote colony world, where the locals refuse to allow the crew to disembark except under the strictest control. What terrible secret are they hiding? Story by John Hynam. "Many years ago, someone 'cleaned up' the recording I have. The result is a recording with no pops, crackles, static, or noise... but very muddy dialogue that can be quite hard to understand. I thought this was going to be a standard cold-war fear-of-other-cultures story, but it turned out to be much more. Although the outcome is telegraphed, the acting is solid and the story is well-written. Overall, an engaging story. I just wish I had a better quality recording! [7/10] --- zM"

"Night Rider" - Crisis (1973) - by special permission of Jim French.

A trucker carrying a load of construction materials from Stockton to Clayton picks up a hitchhiker and her young baby in the Diablo Mountains of California. Story by Michael David Naguire. "Reasonably good acting by Douglas Young, backed by excellent music, turns a mediocre plot into something worth listening to. This story is a modern twist on a classic ghost story (or is it a ghost story?) that I've heard many times before, so even though I knew how it was going to end (or thought I did), I still enjoyed listening. Mr Young carried this episode with a folksy 'down-home' delivery reminiscent of Ernest Chappell in Quiet, Please. [6/10] --- zM"

Note: The entire Crisis series is under copyright protection. Individual episodes can be purchased from Jim French Productions; current price is $1.99 per episode. This episode has been made available courtesy of Jim French. Also note that Jim French has produced perhaps a dozen different audio productions over the past 40 years and many of those episodes are also available on his website.


Jan 28, 2016

Added (3) new reviews and (3) new plot summaries for various CBS Radio Mystery Theater episodes, courtesy of zM.


Jan 27, 2016

Added (1) new plotline and (1) new review for a Hermit's Cave episode, courtesy of zM.


Jan 26, 2016

Yet another tip-of-the-hat to alert listener/reader, Noelle, who noticed that the Beyond Midnight story "The Wedding" was based on the E. Nesbit story "John Charrington's Wedding".

Reading Link: "John Charrington's Wedding", by E. Nesbit, available at Project Gutenberg Australia.

Noelle appears to be bucking for a position as Lead Research Editor as she also sent me the following notes and corrections (all of which are quite welcome!):


Jan 25, 2016

Another tip-of-the-hat to alert listener/reader, Noelle, who noticed that The Hermit's Cave story "The Black Band" and the CBS Radio Mystery Theater story "The Guillotine" are both largely based on the Washington Irving story "The Adventure of the German Student", which was first published as part of a story arc called "Strange Stories by a Nervous Gentleman" in the collection: Tales of a Traveller, 1824. However, the story may also have been published as "The Lady with the Velvet Collar".

Reading Link: "The Adventure of the German Student", by Washington Irving, available at Project Gutenberg Australia.


Jan 23, 2016

A 'scraper' site is a website that indiscriminately copies, or 'scrapes', content from other sites, posts that content on their own website, and then pretends that they are are the owners of that content. The purpose is to fraudulently build a reputation through theft, hoping that no one will notice, or care enough to take action. If the site is successful—if they are able to scrape enough content from other sites without being found out—then the automated robots at Google will start to consider them the 'trusted' site. The result is that the scraper site will rise in the Google search results and the scraped site will vanish into obscurity. Scraper sites are often characterized by excessive advertising and excessive use of PayPal pop-ups. Also, they rarely correct errors on their website, even when those errors are pointed out, because that would be too much like work.

The sites below have engaged in large-scale theft from this site. Legal action is pending. I urge you to boycott these sites and to spread the word that they engage in unethical practices.
CBS Radio Mystery Theater
www.cbsrmt.com -- Scraped 159 plotlines and reviews from my CBS Radio Mystery Theater page and posted them as 'comments' below their own plot summaries. They already had plot summaries; there was no need to copy mine, except to create the illusion of an active web site. I sent an email and have not received a response. It used to be a good site; I don't know what's going on. They might be under new management. As an alternative, use the Internet Archive or a different CBS Radio Mystery Theater site. Update: as of 2016-02-02 this site has removed all of my material. I am very pleased about this, but rather grumpy that I had to hire a lawyer to get satisfaction.
Old Time Radio Downloads
www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com -- Scraped more than 1600 plotlines, 250 comments, and almost 600 reviews representing 15 years of work -- roughly 86% of my entire website! The bulk of their website has been scraped from RadioGOLDINdex, but as I noted, a fair amount has been scraped from mine. They also offer illegal downloads of copyrighted material, such as Crisis by Jim French. I sent an email and have not received a response. As an alternative, use the Internet Archive.

Jan 22, 2016

Added (1) new plotline and (1) new review for a BBC episode, courtesy of zM.


Jan 21, 2016

Added (1) new plotline and (1) new review for a Witch's Tale episode, courtesy of zM.


Jan 20, 2016

A tip-of-the-hat to alert listener/reader, Noelle, who noticed that The Witch's Tale story "The Physician of the Dead" is largely based on the Alexandre Dumas, pere, short story "Solange". "Solange: Dr Ledru's Story of the Reign of Terror" is the title of the story as it was published in America in a book of short stories in 1910. The book itself was entitled: International Short Stories, compiled by Francis J. Reynolds, French, 1910 and is available at the Project Gutenberg.

However, the story was originally published in a collection of supernatural horror stories called Les Mille-et-un fantômes: Une Journeé à Fontenay-aux-Roses, in 1849. It seems that this collection is alternatively known as A Thousand and One Phantoms or The Pale Lady or Horror at Fontenay. The collection is a series of stories told within a frame, with one of those stories being "Solange".

Reading Link: "Solange: Dr Ledru's Story of the Reign of Terror", by Alexander Dumas, available at Project Gutenberg.


Jan 19, 2016

Updated the introductory paragraphs for many pages: Home; Intro & FAQs; What's New; Plot Archives; Overview; Series Index; Famous Authors; CD Artwork; Recommendations; Listening Booth; Futures Past; Contact Me; and Links. Also updated the Links page with some new links, deleted some obsolete links, and added a section on 'scraper' sites that steal content from sites like this one and claim that it is their own content.


Jan 18, 2016

Updated the Mindwebs page.

Expanded the introduction to provide more information about Michael Hanson, Chapter a Day, WHA radio, and some audiobooks I found that feature Michael Hanson and Carol Cowan. Carol Cowan, you might remember, was the reader on 'When It Changed'. She was also the narrator on A Canticle for Leibowitz.


Jan 17, 2016

Updated the Recommendations page.

I added some of my favourite episodes and broke them into (5) sections:

This is an ongoing project; as I discover more OTR, I will add more episodes to the list! Enjoy!

If you'd like to send me your own recommendations, I'll be happy to post them!


Jan 16, 2016

Added (2) new shows to the Listening Booth:

"If I Should Wake before I Die" - Quiet, Please (1949)

A scientist who professes to have no concern for the militaristic application of his research into the destructive potential of the atom is forced to confront his conscience. Story by Wyllis Cooper. "Many of the Quiet, Please episodes are... quiet. Without much action. Mood is shaped through the subtle use of language, music, and dialogue. This tale begins as an abstract philosophical discussion about the difference between theoretical and practical knowledge. The discussion becomes more and more heated as the difference becomes smaller and smaller. At stake is the survival of humanity. And it hinges on whether the world's most brilliant physicist can be made to understand that his theories are being used to develop weapons of unimaginable destruction. Compelling dialogue, though the acting seems strained at times. [7/10] --- zM"

"Breaking Strain" - CBC (1968)

A cargo ship en route to Venus suffers an oxygen leak which leaves only enough air for one of the two crewmen aboard to survive the trip. Story by Arthur C. Clark. "An engaging story that doesn't quite live up to its potential. Two trapped spacemen, enough oxygen for one. What to do? A similar theme was explored in the story "The Cold Equations" by Tom Godwin, which is perhaps the hardest-hitting Sci-Fi sob-story that I've heard. The Exploring Tomorrow version is especially good. By comparison, the buildup in this story wasn't enough for me to feel emotionally attached to the characters and so the ending seemed weak. [7/10] --- zM"


Jan 15, 2016

Added (3) new reviews for various Quiet, Please! episodes, courtesy of steelman.


Jan 13, 2016

Added (1) new plot summary and review for a BBC episode, courtesy of zM. UPDATE: according to Noelle, the title of this episode is actually "The Freebooter".


Jan 11, 2016

Added (4) new reviews for various Nightfall episodes courtesy of steelman.


Jan 08, 2016

A tip-of-the-hat to alert listener Nick who noticed that the Beyond Midnight episode "The Sheriff's Wife" is the same story as the Theatre Five episode "Jailbreak".

This allowed me to track down the author as Bryce Walton. Which then lead to the realization that the CBS Radio Mystery Theater story "The Hanging Sheriff" is also the same story! Taking this a step further I noticed that the Internet Speculative Fiction Database has an entry for Bryce Walton that includes a story called "Never Hang Another" which could fit the listed storyline. It was published in an Alfred Hitchcock anthology: This Day's Evil: and Other Tales of Suspense in 1967. Several other Beyond Midnight episodes were also published in Alfred Hitchcok anthologies, which suggests this may be the original published title. I'm currently tracking this story down.

Going back to the official list of Beyond Midnight titles provided by Springbok Radio, I find there is nothing about hanging, sheriffs, or jailbreaks. But there is a story simply called "Sarah". The Sheriff's wife in both the Theatre Five and CBS Radio Mystery Theater versions is called 'Sarah'. A coincidence? Perhaps. But I may be on to something... -- webmaster


Jan 07, 2016

Added (1) new review for an Dimension X episode, courtesy of Michael F.


Jan 06, 2016

Added (1) series review for Magic Island episode, courtesy of Kristin.


Jan 04, 2016

Added (1) new review for an X Minus One episode, courtesy of Michael F.


Jan 02, 2016

Added (2) new shows to the Listening Booth:

"Snow, Glass, Apples" - Seeing Ear Theatre (2002)

A well-to-do mother tries to earn the love of her recalcitrant step-daughter. And, failing that, to discipline her. Story by Neil Gaiman."Historically, what we think of today as fairy tales were often dark tales which dealt with incest, rape, dismemberment, murder and cannibalism. They were not the cutesy, whitewashed stories we have been sold by Disney. So when I hear a modern telling of a classic fairy tale, I often wonder what the other side of the story really was. Neil Gaiman tells us. This is a dark tale full of rich imagery: some erotic, some nauseating, some fantastic. The simple musical accompaniment of guitar, violin, cello, harpsichord, and recorder suggest a simpler time when everyone got along with everyone else. Or maybe not. Beautiful music, excellent acting and sound quality, gripping story. Not for children or the squeamish. [9/10] --- zM"

"Nightmare" - CBS Radio Workshop (1957)

Late at night, a man who is feeling quite ill lapses into a dream-sequence of apparently unrelated reminiscences. Story by Elliott Lewis. "Surreal, dream-like ramblings which tie together into a satisfying conclusion. Not for everybody. During most of this episode I felt disconnected and confused (as I would during a real dream), but unlike a real dream, the meaning became clear when the dream ended. [8/10] --- zM"


Jan 01, 2016

Just a reminder to everyone...

The following information was sent to me by Darkman. He asked me to share with any who may be interested...

==================================

This has been quite literally YEARS in the making. But it has reached a milestone moment that I am now very happy to give to you. GO HERE NOW!!

https://archive.org/details/MindWebs_201410

This is the new and VASTLY improved Mind Webs collection!! Get it all NOW. I am so proud of this and so happy to finally be sharing this with the world. Please feel free to spread this link around. I will be keeping it active for quite a while so everyone should be able to get this. My hope is to have this all up in the Internet Archive soon. Included are all currently available episodes in the highest quality available. This includes 30 HIGH QUALITY copies that were personally recorded by me with many, many other new encodes created directly off newly discovered reels. Most of the worst sounding shows available in the low encode series have been dramatically improved. Also included are SIX, you read that right, SIX previously un-circulated episodes!! They are:

At this time I again want to personally thank Jim 'Boxcar' Blackson for his assistance in this project. He fulfilled a dream of mine and played a great part in making this release possible. I cannot thank him enough.

This set is not perfect by any means. There are still missing episodes and some episodes remain in poor condition. Some of the shows are remixes of the previously released low bit rate versions. It is hoped that this release will spark others to come forward with tapes of this series till a true final catalog of the show in highest quality. I did not included dates as I have not been able to verify current suspect dates and because of these shows having been assembled from various versions of the episodes. Audio quality can drastically change at any time. Sometimes for good others for bad. For me however, this is as much of the puzzle that I am able to put together and I think it is an important document to share. This shows what can be done in progressive forward thinking radio and I am proud to say it originated here in Wisconsin.

I honestly envy you who are getting to hear all of this for the first time. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do and HOPEFULLY someday I will have even more updates for this amazing series.

This set is my respectful documentation of a great radio production put on by a truly great local public broadcasting radio station. They would not do things like this today and so my deep thanks to Michael Hanson and the rest of the WHA staff that created this show. This stands as a testament to not only some of our greatest speculative fiction authors, but just how well simple dialog and music minus major sound effects can convey stories so well when done properly. These stories stand the test of time and it is my sincere hope that this collection stands as the new representation of the show for future generations to hear. It is my hope that this also shows more respect to the engineers who assembled these shows. Hearing these stories in such horrible low bit rate quality copies is not the right way.

Enjoy!

==================================

I have spot checked some of my favourite episodes ("When It Changed", "Hell-Bound Train", and "The Night He Cried") and all are much improved over other encodes that I have.

I'll be listening to a lot of Mindwebs in the next few months!


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