Very nice take on the English accent! That's quite a talent to be able to talk in (bleeps) ;-)

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In Breaking Walls Episode 73 we spotlight the 1970s CBS and Mutual Broadcasting dramatic radio revival and why it ultimately failed.

Highlights:  
• Go Inside the November 1, 1973 Mutual Broadcasting closed circuit press conference from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City announcing Zero Hour 
• How Jay M. Kholos came to create The Zero Hour
• How Elliot Lewis came to produce and direct the Zero Hour
• How Himan Brown got CBS to say yes to the CBS Radio Mystery Theatre
• Why Himan Brown wanted the Mystery Theatre on 7-nights per week
• Rod Serling’s feelings about radio
• How the AFRS furthered Howard Duff and Elliott Lewis’ lifelong friendship
• New storytelling methods for the 1970s
• New recording technology
• Why the Zero Hour had immediate Advertising difficulties 
• How Tom Bosley of Happy Days got involved in the radio revival
• Why Sears paid $1.2 Million to get involved in dramatic radio in 1979
• What Richard Widmark, Cicely Tyson, Vincent Price, Lorne Greene, and Andy Griffith had in common
• Dramatic Radio of the 1980s
• Why the popularity of FM hurt The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre
• Major Network Dramatic Radio Comes to a close
• What’s next?


Beginning February 15th, 2018 Breaking Walls will be presenting the first in a long-term story arc: Chapter 1 on The History of American Dramatic Radio. To support the show for as little as $1 per month and receive all kinds of BTS material, please go to http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers


Today’s episode of Breaking Walls could not have been possible without the interviews by Chuck Schaden, Dick Bertel, Ed Corcoran, SPERDVAC, and John Dunning.

• Chuck’s interviews are available at http://www.speakingofradio.com
• Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran’s interviews are at http://otrrlibrary.org by searching for The Golden Age of Radio program.
• John Dunning’s interviews are also located at http://otrrlibrary.org under “John Dunning interviews”
• The Society To Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Variety and Comedy can be found at http://sperdvac.com


The reading material used in today’s episode was:

• The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio by John Dunning
• A Pictorial History of Radio’s First 75 Years by B. Eric Rhoads
• The Radio Career of Rod Serling by Martin Grams Jr’s
• The CBS Radio Mystery Theater Handbook by Martin Grams Jr’s and Gordon Payton

I’d like to thank them both for providing fantastic information that helped me put this episode together today.

as well as The Digital Deli’s page on the Mutual Radio Theater - http://www.digitaldeliftp.com/DigitalDeliToo/dd2jb-Mutual-Radio-Theater.html

WallBreakers Links:
Patreon - http://patreon.com/thewallbreakers
Social Media - @TheWallBreakers
URL - http://thewallbreakers.com
Online Store - jamesthewallbreaker.com/shop/

BW - EP73: The 1970s Revival of Dramatic Radio and Why It Failed (1973 - 1982)

In Breaking Walls episode 90 and on the second part of our western trilogy, dramatic radio goes from boom to bust in a nine year period after World War II, as a group of actors become radio legends, while the radio western grows up.


Highlights:
• William S. Paley’s Plan to Overtake NBC
• The West-Coast Hollywood Actors 
• Robson, Yarborough, Lewis, and Hawk Larabee
• Escape Moves the Western Forward
• The Life and Death of Jeff Chandler
• CBS Becomes Number 1
• NBC Fires Back with New Western Shows
• Elliott Lewis, Suspense, On Stage, and Crime Classics
• The Birth of Gunsmoke
• Jack Johnstone, Jimmy Stewart, and The Six Shooter
• The Networks Pull the Plug in 1954
• What’s Next


The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.

To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers


The reading material used in today’s episode was:
• On The Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio - by John Dunning
• Radio Rides The Range: A Reference Guide to Western Drama on the Air, 1929 - 1967 by Jack French and David S. Siegel
• Network Radio Ratings, 1932-1953 - by Jim Ramsburg

As well as passages from
• Broadcast Magazine — 12/22/1947, 2/16/1948, 3/1/1948
• Sponsor Magazine — 10/1/1951


On the Interview Front:
• Parley Baer, Harry Bartell, Lillian Buyeff, Mary Jane Croft, John Dehner, Lawrence Dobkin, Sam Edwards, Herb Ellis, Virginia Gregg, Jack Johnstone, Byron Kane, Elliott Lewis, Jeanette Nolan, and Herb Vigran were with SPERDVAC, the Society to Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Variety, and Comedy. For more information, please go to SPERDVAC.com

• Hans Conried, Howard Duff, and Elliott Lewis with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC’s The Golden Age of Radio. The full interviews can be heard at GoldenAge-WTIC.org 

• Jack Benny, Hans Conried, Betty Lou Gerson, Elliott Lewis, and Lurene Tuttle were with Chuck Schaden. Chuck’s interviews from an over 39-year career can be listened to for free at SpeakingofRadio.com

• Eve Arden, Elliott Lewis, and E. Jack Neuman were with John Dunning for his 1980s 71KNUS Radio program from Denver. Some of his interviews can be found at OTRRLibrary.org

• William Conrad, John Dehner, Rex Koury, Norman Macdonnell, John Meston, William N. Robson, and George Walsh were John Hickman of WAMU for his Gunsmoke documentary. 

• Mr. Hickman was the longtime host of “Recollections.” A modern version of this program is heard each Sunday evening as “The Big Broadcast.” For more information, please go to WAMU.org

• William Conrad was also with collector Chris Lambesis for a December 15th, 1969 interview

• Jimmy Stewart was with Larry King in 1986

• And William S. Paley and Frank Stanton were interviewed for CBS’s 50th Anniversary program in 1977. 



Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:
• The Fireside Mystery Theatre
https://www.firesidemysterytheatre.com

• The Mutual Audio Network
http://mutualaudionetwork.com

• Twelve Chimes, It’s Midnight
https://www.twelvechimesradio.com

Find them all on itunes or at their links in the written credits



Selected Music Featured in Today’s Episode Was:
• I’ve Got the World on a String - by Frank Sinatra
• Pyramid of the Sun & Voodoo Dreams - by Les Baxter
• I’ll Be Seeing You - by The Harry James Orchestra
• Route 66 - by Nat King Cole


I’d also like to thank Walden Hughes and John and Larry Gassman of SPERDVAC. Listen to their shows on the Yesterday USA radio network.


A Special Thank you to:
Ryan Kramer
Barry Nadler
Christian Neuhaus
Aimee Pavy
Terry Wallace



WallBreakers Links:
Patreon - patreon.com/thewallbreakers
Social Media - @TheWallBreakers
URL - thewallbreakers.com
Online Store - jamesthewallbreaker.com/shop/

BW - EP90: The Hollywood People Behind Radio’s Baby Boomer Boom (1945 - 1954)

In June of 1950, Elliott Lewis was named producer and director of Suspense, replacing William Spier.

The program’s new sponsor Autolite preferred to keep its commercials humorous. The contention was that the very change of pace shocked the audience to attention. 

Each 30-minute episode required over 500 total hours of work from 50 people. Writers spent 80 hours on each story with Lewis spending 10 hours reviewing and editing. Sound technicians spent 20 weekly hours finding and rehearsing their effects.

On December 14th, 1950 Suspense took a cue from Escape and aired one of its first western dramas, called “A Killing in Abilene,” with Alan Ladd.

That month Suspense was Thursday night’s top rated program—heard by over 40 million people.

How Elliott Lewis Advanced the Radio Western When He Took Over Suspense

Greetings from Patte (with a silent e)!

I'm a very versatile character actress, with a 3-octave voice and a huge range of dialects.

I also sing, do impressions, and mimic animals. 

I can even voice multiple characters in a single scene, switching between them as I go.  It's fun for me, and economical for you!

I've narrated 12 very steamy audiobooks for Silver Publishing, and voiced 31 characters on the children's TV show, "Mighty Machines".  And I wrote & voiced the radio spots for the long-running Toronto production of "Forever Plaid".

My latest project is an online radio theatre group, performing with vintage radio scripts.  The scripts may be old, but our performances are timeless and natural.

I'm also the owner of the world's largest privately owned tiara collection, and I'm available for Tiara Talks, showcasing pieces from my collection.

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Patte Rosebank

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