WFMU: Dimestore Radio Theater with Austin Rich: Playlist from January 1, 2024

Listener comments!
	👻 8:25pm Austin Rich: Good Hello.
	👻 8:45pm Austin Rich: Be forewarned: the story of "Bachelor Mother" is completely bonkers, and gets stranger and stranger as it goes! Hopefully you are prepared.
	9:00pm Imaginos: Ahoy!
	9:01pm Webhamster Henry: Hi Dimestorers and Dimestore restorers!
	👻 9:01pm Austin Rich: ↳ Imaginos @9:00 Nice to see you in the chat! Strap in... this one is odd.
	👻 9:02pm Austin Rich: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:01 Webhamster Henry! Yay!
	9:02pm Imaginos: Fredric March? Death himself?
	👻 9:04pm Austin Rich: ↳ Imaginos @9:02 Perhaps! I'm not as familiar with his career, actually.
	👻 9:05pm yerfriendpaul: Hey Austin, everyone!
	9:05pm Imaginos: ↳ Austin Rich @9:04 He played the title character in Death Takes a Holiday
	👻 9:05pm Austin Rich: ↳ yerfriendpaul @9:05 Nice to see you, yerfriendpaul! Hopefully you enjoy this presentation.
	👻 9:06pm Austin Rich: ↳ Imaginos @9:05 I'll have to check it out. I don't think I've seen that one yet.
	9:06pm laurapanic: here for it....
	👻 9:06pm Austin Rich: ↳ laurapanic @9:06 laurapanic! Get ready... this one is really odd.
	👻 9:07pm WR: Hello Austin and Dime Store Sheena Stalwarts!
	👻 9:07pm Austin Rich: These days, I suspect you would end up going to jail if you left a baby on the steps of a church, especially in the depths of December.
	👻 9:07pm Austin Rich: ↳ WR @9:07 WR! Happy New Year, you and everyone else!
	9:08pm laurapanic: oh god
	👻 9:08pm Austin Rich: Of course, this story wouldn't work in an era when you could actually take a simple blood test.
	👻 9:08pm Austin Rich: ↳ laurapanic @9:08 Remember: this is supposed to be a comedy!
	9:08pm laurapanic: my feminisms are gonna get all spiky aren't they?
	9:08pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ Austin Rich @9:07 I dunno, i just happened in Dr. Who (although "19 years ago")
	9:09pm laurapanic: ↳ Austin Rich @9:08 I will do that
	👻 9:10pm Austin Rich: Yes, let's FORCE the mothers to take care of kids they gave up. That sounds like a brilliant idea.
	9:10pm laurapanic: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:08 btw, did you enjoy the episode
	9:11pm Imaginos: ↳ Austin Rich @9:10 Yeah. Nothing could possibly go wrong
	9:12pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ laurapanic @9:10 Well, Dr. Who needs to know who they are writing for. I'm not really a Who-head like my son, but I thought it was a bit of a shaggy dog tale. (that is, Xmas Special #4.. I thought #2 was more intriguing, SF plot wise, and of course, I'm a huge NPH fan, so #3 could basically do anything and I wouldn't care).
	👻 9:13pm Austin Rich: I do love it when two men decide the future of young women. They don't even think twice, do they.
	👻 9:14pm Austin Rich: Yes, in case you were wondering: they ARE gonna force her to raise this kid. And its a comedy!
	👻 9:14pm yerfriendpaul: This is nuts!
	👻 9:15pm WR: Going to try to enjoy this for humor their intent and not be too distracted by the social construct.
	👻 9:15pm Austin Rich: ↳ yerfriendpaul @9:14 It gets even more bonkers, too.
	👻 9:15pm Austin Rich: ↳ WR @9:15 It's a very interesting artifact, no matter how you slice it.
	9:15pm Webhamster Henry: Baby turns out to be Superboy...
	👻 9:16pm WR: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:15 LOL!
	9:16pm Imaginos: I hope it is alive
	👻 9:16pm WR: Live audience?
	👻 9:16pm Austin Rich: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:15 He might be. It's not precisely addressed, so it's possible.
	9:17pm laurapanic: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:12 #2 and #3 were my faves too. I'll go a long for the ride, you know?
	👻 9:17pm Austin Rich: ↳ WR @9:16 Yes! Lux Radio Theater was recorded in front of an audience.
	9:17pm laurapanic: now there is canned laughter so we know its funny
	9:18pm Imaginos: Nope no misunderstanding there
	👻 9:18pm WR: This bit of saying things that implies the baby is Mr Merlin's is more humor set up.
	👻 9:18pm Austin Rich: In fact, a lot of radio shows were recorded in front of audiences. Radio was big entertainment, and some shows would let their audiences in for free.
	9:19pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ laurapanic @9:17 There's a Dr. Who themed restaurant, Pandorica, in Beacon NY in case you want to get your Who on.
	👻 9:19pm Austin Rich: Mr. Merlin rescuing her at the last second is played for laughs, but... yikes!
	9:19pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ Austin Rich @9:18 Even weirder is that those music breaks are by live musicians!
	👻 9:21pm Austin Rich: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:19 I've seen a few shows like that, where actors are reading from scripts, and there's live music. It's impressive! The performers are operating on a very high level.
	👻 9:21pm yerfriendpaul: Why is the audience laughing? Crazy
	👻 9:22pm Austin Rich: ↳ yerfriendpaul @9:21 Yeah... those were... jokes?
	👻 9:22pm WR: ↳ yerfriendpaul @9:21 yes, bruise from coffee pot gets a laugh?
	👻 9:22pm Austin Rich: I hope I adequately prepared everyone for how bonkers this story is!
	👻 9:23pm WR: Must have been some slap stick involved in showing the bruise that amused the studio audience but no evident over radio. I hope...
	👻 9:23pm Austin Rich: It is interesting that this story goes out of its way to shame her for dancing. How "old school religious" can you get?
	9:23pm Imaginos: Today it would be presented as a tragedy or drama
	👻 9:24pm Austin Rich: ↳ Imaginos @9:23 It would probably be a horror movie.
	👻 9:24pm WR: What about child care during the day job. Oh, well, details.
	👻 9:26pm Austin Rich: That landlady is the secret hero of this story.
	9:27pm Laura Panic: Its getting angery making
	👻 9:27pm Austin Rich: The men just can't seem to keep their noses out of her life. They just keep stopping in, telling her how to live her life. Horror movie!
	9:28pm Imaginos: Gauze?!
	👻 9:29pm Austin Rich: I feel like this scene is a specific critique of the up-and-coming world of "parenting" books, which were becoming much more common in the 40's and 50's. I have a feeling a lot of parents were of the opinion that there couldn't possibly be anything useful in a book that a parent couldn't figure out on their own.
	👻 9:29pm yerfriendpaul: Pages must be stuck together
	👻 9:29pm Austin Rich: "You read very well." Ooof. That seems like a backhanded compliment.
	9:29pm Imaginos: ↳ yerfriendpaul @9:29 Yeah
	👻 9:30pm yerfriendpaul: Aha!! Bingo!
	👻 9:30pm Austin Rich: The duck-winding joke is a little subtle in this version, but I love that she tells her boss to do what she does all day at work.
	👻 9:31pm Austin Rich: "ha-ha"
	👻 9:31pm Austin Rich: I am IN LOVE with that laugh.
	9:32pm Imaginos: I love his accent
	👻 9:32pm yerfriendpaul: The first “Undercover Boss”
	👻 9:33pm Austin Rich: She takes all of this in stride, to my astonishment. A commentary on how women are used to the worst possible circumstance anyway, and are non-plussed by these kinds of situations? Yikes.
	👻 9:33pm Austin Rich: A critique of the "receipt" in 1940.
	👻 9:35pm Austin Rich: Celebrating New Year's in Times Square in 1940. Instead of watching it on TV, they used to listen on the radio.
	👻 9:36pm Austin Rich: Ginger Rogers in a sweater and a skirt...? Va-Va-Va-Voom!
	👻 9:37pm Austin Rich: ↳ Imaginos @9:32 It's pretty good.
	9:38pm Imaginos: Baby spit on the coat right?
	👻 9:39pm Austin Rich: Girls Supporting Girls.
	👻 9:39pm yerfriendpaul: I love the baby noises . Wish I could see the person making them
	9:39pm Imaginos: Getting sleepy
	👻 9:40pm Austin Rich: The first time I listened to this, I essentially shook my head in disbelief the entire time.
	👻 9:40pm Austin Rich: ↳ Imaginos @9:39 Sleep well! We'll see you next time.
	9:42pm laurapanic: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:19 I"m in Australia but that is a TERRIFIC restaurant name
	👻 9:44pm Austin Rich: ↳ laurapanic @9:42 I'm so behind on Who. I've seen a few of all these new chaps, but the last time I watched Who seriously, it was OG Who. Tom Baker and the like. (It was on public television all the time back in the day.)
	👻 9:46pm Austin Rich: "Maybe I was to blame?" Oooof. Yikes.
	👻 9:46pm WR: Ha, not Grandpa assumes his son is the dad.
	👻 9:46pm Austin Rich: Dad's demanding grandchildren can sometimes be creepier than Mom's demanding grandchildren.
	👻 9:47pm WR: now...
	👻 9:47pm Austin Rich: ↳ WR @9:46 Yeah. I did NOT expect this turn at all.
	👻 9:48pm Austin Rich: I mean, he did assume that baby was hers. Turnabout IS fair play.
	👻 9:48pm yerfriendpaul: A taste of his own medicine!
	9:48pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ Austin Rich @9:44 I barely know any Dr. Who, no matter the face!
	👻 9:49pm Austin Rich: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:48 I used to love staying up late and watching old Dr. Who.
	👻 9:50pm Austin Rich: So, at this stage in the story, she's now DEDICATED to raising the kid. She's reached complete stockholm syndrome. The world they constructed for her is now something she's come to believe is true. She MUST raise the baby.
	👻 9:51pm WR: LOL, But Mama! What could go wrong with that.
	👻 9:52pm Austin Rich: "This is your chance to do a good deed." So much of this story is about parallels unfolding.
	9:52pm Webhamster Henry: The joke is a "white" baby will have a "Jew" for the father..
	👻 9:54pm Austin Rich: "I don't care who the father is. I'm the grandfather."
	👻 9:54pm Austin Rich: SO WEIRD.
	👻 9:54pm yerfriendpaul: Run Polly run!
	👻 9:57pm yerfriendpaul: Crazy story!
	👻 9:57pm WR: Well written played even for the time.
	👻 10:01pm WR: Interesting, the male lead played by Lou Merrill (new to me). From Wikipedia: "Merrill began working in radio in 1928.[1] He performed in Lux Radio Theater as a utility supporting player in nearly every broadcast from 1937 to 1939 (notably as Sleepy in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), and also served as an assistant director handling the crowd scenes during that time. He continued to work the show sporadically until 1953." en.wikipedia.org...
	👻 10:03pm WR: A possible final twist to that script: Her final "ha ha" could be interpreted as foretelling of the lead's surprise at finding out she is a virgin.
	10:13pm laurapanic: OK I feel seen about the Christmas decorations
	10:13pm laurapanic: ↳ Song: "[Excerpts]" by "Command Performance" yay yay!!!
	👻 10:13pm Austin Rich: ↳ laurapanic @10:13 We haven't even tried to take ours down. Maybe next week.
	👻 10:13pm yerfriendpaul: Java Jive! Fantastic!
	👻 10:14pm WR: Taking a look at the Wikipedia page for the movie, it was adopted for radio multiple times with many different well know actors. en.wikipedia.org...
	👻 10:14pm Austin Rich: ↳ WR @10:14 Interesting! I'll have to compare some of them.
	👻 10:15pm Austin Rich: I do love coffee. "Shoot the juice to me, loose." I wonder if that is what the song "Transfusion" is riffing on?
	👻 10:15pm Austin Rich: I think that was The Inkspots?
	10:17pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ Austin Rich @10:15 "Shoot the crimson to me, Jimson!" I think it may have been someone's catchphrase.
	👻 10:18pm Austin Rich: ↳ Webhamster Henry @10:17 I'll have to re-listen to "Transfusion," but I feel like he does a few similar riffs. That guy had some excellently weird songs.
	10:19pm Webhamster Henry: There was a nice picture on Facebook of the transcription device setup for recording radio shows for delayed broadcast, over dedicated phone lines!
	10:20pm Webhamster Henry: "Third base!"
	👻 10:20pm Austin Rich: ↳ Webhamster Henry @10:19 Oh! Very cool!
	👻 10:20pm Austin Rich: This is one of those moments where you realize how good they were, live. Abbot & Costello were very good in front of an audience.
	👻 10:21pm yerfriendpaul: I think they made the song famous, yes. My Dad got a chance to play piano for the Inkspots one night in Hartford in the early 60s. He remembered he played with them on the day we landed on the moon. Only just recently I’ve learned the Inkspots had many incarnations, some with none of the original members - so I’ll never know which version of the Inkspots Dad played with. Still, I love that he played with them (whoever they were)
	👻 10:22pm yerfriendpaul: ↳ Austin Rich @10:20 So great! Brilliant!
	👻 10:22pm yerfriendpaul: ↳ yerfriendpaul @10:21 Actually it was the late 60s
	👻 10:23pm Austin Rich: ↳ yerfriendpaul @10:21 That's so great! I love stories like that.
	👻 10:25pm Austin Rich: Command Performance really was such a great variety show. Stars from such different parts of entertainment, all together on one show. That's pretty cool.
	👻 10:26pm Heather Z: Happy New Year, all! I'm starting the year off right, tuned in and enjoying the show!
	👻 10:26pm Austin Rich: If anyone is looking for something fun to listen to, Bob Barth's show last night was fantastic! Six hours of "countdowns" for various time zones, and tons of cool songs. You can put it on after this and enjoy!
	👻 10:26pm WR: That was a great extended version of the Abbott / Costello Who's on first. And makes me wonder if that, at least for a while, they were probably performing that routine at nearly every live performance they did.
	👻 10:27pm Austin Rich: ↳ Heather Z @10:26 Nice to see you in the chat, Heather!
	👻 10:28pm Austin Rich: ↳ WR @10:26 Probably. And they probably counted on the fact that people hadn't seen them a bunch of times, or had a recording of it, and that they could wow people every time with something that seemed so off the cuff, but was so well rehearsed.
	👻 10:28pm Heather Z: ↳ Austin Rich @10:27 Great stuff, as always. I'm almost over the panic of a baby being foisted on a lady who is entirely not its mom but then just gives in and takes it on.
	10:29pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ Austin Rich @10:28 Obligatory, actually even better version: www.patheos.com...
	👻 10:30pm Austin Rich: ↳ Heather Z @10:28 Don't worry. Just start thinking about the therapy that kid is gonna need, after years of being raised like that, and the panic will come right back.
	👻 10:30pm Austin Rich: ↳ Webhamster Henry @10:29 Nice!
	👻 10:31pm WR: ↳ yerfriendpaul @10:21 Yes, if it was the first Apollo moon landing, July 20, 1969.
	👻 10:31pm Heather Z: ↳ Austin Rich @10:30 I meannnnnm that was WILD. Phew.
	👻 10:32pm Austin Rich: ↳ Heather Z @10:31 No, it's a comedy. You are supposed to laugh at all of it! The abuse jokes! The gaslighting! It's all jokes! Sigh.
	👻 10:33pm yerfriendpaul: ↳ WR @10:31 Yeah, my memory got hazy there trying to recall the story. But yes, he played with them in 1969
	👻 10:33pm Heather Z: ↳ Austin Rich @10:32 I'm a woman! Everyone knows we can't take jokes! shudder
	10:35pm Webhamster Henry: Radio people get married at the drop of a hat.
	👻 10:36pm Austin Rich: ↳ Song: ""First Year"" by "The Whistler" I believe the man's voice is Gerald Mohr, none other than Philip Marlowe himself! Gerald Mohr had a very active career playing bit-parts on the radio, and he pops up all over the place. He played Phillip Marlowe in "The Adventures of Phillip Marlowe" for almost three years.
	👻 10:37pm Austin Rich: ↳ Heather Z @10:33 She does get her revenge by forcing him to live with her and raise the child with her, supposedly so she can abandon them both and move to Europe one night. She's poor. He's rich. He wants the kid anyway. Everyone wins. And if she takes him for a few grand first, then is that really that bad?
	👻 10:39pm Austin Rich: Among the many other things that Gerald Mohr is known for: Orson Welles recruited him to be a part of the Mercury Theater. en.wikipedia.org...
	👻 10:40pm Heather Z: ↳ Austin Rich @10:37 It did sound like she actually maybe liked him, too. And, credit where due, I didn't pick up on any single mom shaming. There was nothing wrong with her being a single mom (which.... way to assume). The shaming was just for dropping off the kid. It could have gotten way worse. For jokes, of course.
	👻 10:41pm Austin Rich: In my on life, I would know Gerald Mohr as an occasional guest player on "Perry Mason," and as the voice of Green Lantern in the 1968 cartoon.
	👻 10:43pm yerfriendpaul: Jeez, they both turned quick!!
	👻 10:46pm WR: ↳ Heather Z @10:40 I agree, and I'm starting to think that Austin is right, that that movie / radio show would be worth fully unpacking.
	👻 10:47pm Austin Rich: The Whistler ran for 13 years, and hundreds of episodes were made. It was incredibly popular, so much so that it was adapted into a series of films, too. (Sort of hard to do, as they only recurring character in the show is the narrator.) Regardless, they made 8 Whistler movies, and it re-ran on a number of stations for years. Apparently, you can hear part of an episode in the movie, "The Two Jakes," as Jack Nicolson is driving around, listening to the radio.
	👻 10:49pm Heather Z: ↳ WR @10:46 I'd read that paper! There was a ton to think about. It's often interesting to realize, "omg that could have gotten so much worse," too. Phew.
	👻 10:49pm Austin Rich: 772 Episodes of "The Whistler" were broadcast. Only around 493 exist today.
	👻 10:50pm Austin Rich: ↳ Heather Z @10:49 Being forced to raise a baby by a church seems pretty bad. They did threaten her with watching her every day, to make sure she stays the course.
	10:51pm laurapanic: ↳ Austin Rich @10:49 lost media is fascinating
	👻 10:51pm Austin Rich: ↳ laurapanic @10:51 Agreed. Sometimes, when I'm listening to radio, I think I can feel the sounds disappearing into the past.
	👻 10:52pm Heather Z: ↳ Austin Rich @10:50 Oh, it's super bad. And the gaslighting was horrifying. But! It could have been worse....
	10:53pm Webhamster Henry: Paul Frees cameo!
	👻 10:54pm Austin Rich: The way that the announcer talks to the characters, BY NAME, is sort of a trademark of The Whistler. Sooner or later, the narrator starts talking directly to ONE character. Gotta love a Paul Frees cameo! He's come up a few times on Dimestore.
	👻 10:55pm yerfriendpaul: Which character was Paul Frees? I must’ve missed it
	10:55pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ yerfriendpaul @10:55 The radio announcer!
	👻 10:56pm Austin Rich: We're almost done for the night. Thanks again, everyone, for enjoying the show! Back to our regularly scheduled programming, starting next week! See you then!
	👻 10:56pm Heather Z: Happy new year to all!
	👻 10:56pm yerfriendpaul: Darn it, I missed it
	10:58pm univac: Hello, all! Happy New Year. Been lurking...
	👻 10:58pm Austin Rich: ↳ univac @10:58 univac, you old lurker you!
	👻 10:59pm yerfriendpaul: Thanks Austin! Enjoyed the show!! Take care, everyone!
	👻 10:59pm Austin Rich: He believes she wasn't going to try and kill him! That's the twist!
	11:00pm laurapanic: nighty night
	👻 11:00pm Austin Rich: ↳ laurapanic @11:00 See ya next time, laurapanic!
	👻 11:00pm WR: thank you, Austin. Laters all. Onward.
	11:01pm Webhamster Henry: Happy New Year and drive at a sensible speed!
	11:01pm univac: Nice!

Dimestore Radio Theater with Austin Rich: Playlist from January 1, 2024

View austinrich's profile

Join us for two hours of old time radio dramas, as we present four different pulp fiction stories, every week! Noir Stories with everymen getting wrapped up in dangerous adventures! Sea-faring Tales that are as two-fisted as they are filled with romance! Mysterious Magicians from the Far East, or maybe a Science Fiction yarn from the Atomic Age! Dimestore Radio Theater offers a chance to engage in Theater of The Mind, and enter a world of incredible tales from both yesterday and tomorrow!

Monday 9 - 11pm (EST) | On WFMU's Sheena's Jungle Room
Sheena's Jungle Room LIVE Audio Streams (Get help): Pop-up | 128k MP3

<-- Previous playlist | Back to Dimestore Radio Theater with Austin Rich playlists | Next playlist -->

January 1, 2024: Holiday Film Fest!: "Bachelor Mother" & "The Whistler"

Listen to this show: Pop-up listen Pop-up player!

Artist	Track	Album	Label	Approx. start time
Lux Radio Theater	"Bachelor Mother"	22 January 1940	CBS	0:00:00 (Pop-up)
Music behind DJ: Boston Pops	Sleigh Ride "Sleigh Ride" by "Boston Pops"			0:59:27 (Pop-up)
Command Performance	[Excerpts] "[Excerpts]" by "Command Performance"	2 January 1943		1:12:42 (Pop-up)
The Whistler	"First Year" ""First Year"" by "The Whistler"	31 December 1947		1:30:59 (Pop-up)

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Listener comments!
	👻 8:25pm Austin Rich: Good Hello.
	👻 8:45pm Austin Rich: Be forewarned: the story of "Bachelor Mother" is completely bonkers, and gets stranger and stranger as it goes! Hopefully you are prepared.
	9:00pm Imaginos: Ahoy!
	9:01pm Webhamster Henry: Hi Dimestorers and Dimestore restorers!
	👻 9:01pm Austin Rich: ↳ Imaginos @9:00 Nice to see you in the chat! Strap in... this one is odd.
	👻 9:02pm Austin Rich: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:01 Webhamster Henry! Yay!
	9:02pm Imaginos: Fredric March? Death himself?
	👻 9:04pm Austin Rich: ↳ Imaginos @9:02 Perhaps! I'm not as familiar with his career, actually.
	👻 9:05pm yerfriendpaul: Hey Austin, everyone!
	9:05pm Imaginos: ↳ Austin Rich @9:04 He played the title character in Death Takes a Holiday
	👻 9:05pm Austin Rich: ↳ yerfriendpaul @9:05 Nice to see you, yerfriendpaul! Hopefully you enjoy this presentation.
	👻 9:06pm Austin Rich: ↳ Imaginos @9:05 I'll have to check it out. I don't think I've seen that one yet.
	9:06pm laurapanic: here for it....
	👻 9:06pm Austin Rich: ↳ laurapanic @9:06 laurapanic! Get ready... this one is really odd.
	👻 9:07pm WR: Hello Austin and Dime Store Sheena Stalwarts!
	👻 9:07pm Austin Rich: These days, I suspect you would end up going to jail if you left a baby on the steps of a church, especially in the depths of December.
	👻 9:07pm Austin Rich: ↳ WR @9:07 WR! Happy New Year, you and everyone else!
	9:08pm laurapanic: oh god
	👻 9:08pm Austin Rich: Of course, this story wouldn't work in an era when you could actually take a simple blood test.
	👻 9:08pm Austin Rich: ↳ laurapanic @9:08 Remember: this is supposed to be a comedy!
	9:08pm laurapanic: my feminisms are gonna get all spiky aren't they?
	9:08pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ Austin Rich @9:07 I dunno, i just happened in Dr. Who (although "19 years ago")
	9:09pm laurapanic: ↳ Austin Rich @9:08 I will do that
	👻 9:10pm Austin Rich: Yes, let's FORCE the mothers to take care of kids they gave up. That sounds like a brilliant idea.
	9:10pm laurapanic: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:08 btw, did you enjoy the episode
	9:11pm Imaginos: ↳ Austin Rich @9:10 Yeah. Nothing could possibly go wrong
	9:12pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ laurapanic @9:10 Well, Dr. Who needs to know who they are writing for. I'm not really a Who-head like my son, but I thought it was a bit of a shaggy dog tale. (that is, Xmas Special #4.. I thought #2 was more intriguing, SF plot wise, and of course, I'm a huge NPH fan, so #3 could basically do anything and I wouldn't care).
	👻 9:13pm Austin Rich: I do love it when two men decide the future of young women. They don't even think twice, do they.
	👻 9:14pm Austin Rich: Yes, in case you were wondering: they ARE gonna force her to raise this kid. And its a comedy!
	👻 9:14pm yerfriendpaul: This is nuts!
	👻 9:15pm WR: Going to try to enjoy this for humor their intent and not be too distracted by the social construct.
	👻 9:15pm Austin Rich: ↳ yerfriendpaul @9:14 It gets even more bonkers, too.
	👻 9:15pm Austin Rich: ↳ WR @9:15 It's a very interesting artifact, no matter how you slice it.
	9:15pm Webhamster Henry: Baby turns out to be Superboy...
	👻 9:16pm WR: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:15 LOL!
	9:16pm Imaginos: I hope it is alive
	👻 9:16pm WR: Live audience?
	👻 9:16pm Austin Rich: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:15 He might be. It's not precisely addressed, so it's possible.
	9:17pm laurapanic: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:12 #2 and #3 were my faves too. I'll go a long for the ride, you know?
	👻 9:17pm Austin Rich: ↳ WR @9:16 Yes! Lux Radio Theater was recorded in front of an audience.
	9:17pm laurapanic: now there is canned laughter so we know its funny
	9:18pm Imaginos: Nope no misunderstanding there
	👻 9:18pm WR: This bit of saying things that implies the baby is Mr Merlin's is more humor set up.
	👻 9:18pm Austin Rich: In fact, a lot of radio shows were recorded in front of audiences. Radio was big entertainment, and some shows would let their audiences in for free.
	9:19pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ laurapanic @9:17 There's a Dr. Who themed restaurant, Pandorica, in Beacon NY in case you want to get your Who on.
	👻 9:19pm Austin Rich: Mr. Merlin rescuing her at the last second is played for laughs, but... yikes!
	9:19pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ Austin Rich @9:18 Even weirder is that those music breaks are by live musicians!
	👻 9:21pm Austin Rich: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:19 I've seen a few shows like that, where actors are reading from scripts, and there's live music. It's impressive! The performers are operating on a very high level.
	👻 9:21pm yerfriendpaul: Why is the audience laughing? Crazy
	👻 9:22pm Austin Rich: ↳ yerfriendpaul @9:21 Yeah... those were... jokes?
	👻 9:22pm WR: ↳ yerfriendpaul @9:21 yes, bruise from coffee pot gets a laugh?
	👻 9:22pm Austin Rich: I hope I adequately prepared everyone for how bonkers this story is!
	👻 9:23pm WR: Must have been some slap stick involved in showing the bruise that amused the studio audience but no evident over radio. I hope...
	👻 9:23pm Austin Rich: It is interesting that this story goes out of its way to shame her for dancing. How "old school religious" can you get?
	9:23pm Imaginos: Today it would be presented as a tragedy or drama
	👻 9:24pm Austin Rich: ↳ Imaginos @9:23 It would probably be a horror movie.
	👻 9:24pm WR: What about child care during the day job. Oh, well, details.
	👻 9:26pm Austin Rich: That landlady is the secret hero of this story.
	9:27pm Laura Panic: Its getting angery making
	👻 9:27pm Austin Rich: The men just can't seem to keep their noses out of her life. They just keep stopping in, telling her how to live her life. Horror movie!
	9:28pm Imaginos: Gauze?!
	👻 9:29pm Austin Rich: I feel like this scene is a specific critique of the up-and-coming world of "parenting" books, which were becoming much more common in the 40's and 50's. I have a feeling a lot of parents were of the opinion that there couldn't possibly be anything useful in a book that a parent couldn't figure out on their own.
	👻 9:29pm yerfriendpaul: Pages must be stuck together
	👻 9:29pm Austin Rich: "You read very well." Ooof. That seems like a backhanded compliment.
	9:29pm Imaginos: ↳ yerfriendpaul @9:29 Yeah
	👻 9:30pm yerfriendpaul: Aha!! Bingo!
	👻 9:30pm Austin Rich: The duck-winding joke is a little subtle in this version, but I love that she tells her boss to do what she does all day at work.
	👻 9:31pm Austin Rich: "ha-ha"
	👻 9:31pm Austin Rich: I am IN LOVE with that laugh.
	9:32pm Imaginos: I love his accent
	👻 9:32pm yerfriendpaul: The first “Undercover Boss”
	👻 9:33pm Austin Rich: She takes all of this in stride, to my astonishment. A commentary on how women are used to the worst possible circumstance anyway, and are non-plussed by these kinds of situations? Yikes.
	👻 9:33pm Austin Rich: A critique of the "receipt" in 1940.
	👻 9:35pm Austin Rich: Celebrating New Year's in Times Square in 1940. Instead of watching it on TV, they used to listen on the radio.
	👻 9:36pm Austin Rich: Ginger Rogers in a sweater and a skirt...? Va-Va-Va-Voom!
	👻 9:37pm Austin Rich: ↳ Imaginos @9:32 It's pretty good.
	9:38pm Imaginos: Baby spit on the coat right?
	👻 9:39pm Austin Rich: Girls Supporting Girls.
	👻 9:39pm yerfriendpaul: I love the baby noises . Wish I could see the person making them
	9:39pm Imaginos: Getting sleepy
	👻 9:40pm Austin Rich: The first time I listened to this, I essentially shook my head in disbelief the entire time.
	👻 9:40pm Austin Rich: ↳ Imaginos @9:39 Sleep well! We'll see you next time.
	9:42pm laurapanic: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:19 I"m in Australia but that is a TERRIFIC restaurant name
	👻 9:44pm Austin Rich: ↳ laurapanic @9:42 I'm so behind on Who. I've seen a few of all these new chaps, but the last time I watched Who seriously, it was OG Who. Tom Baker and the like. (It was on public television all the time back in the day.)
	👻 9:46pm Austin Rich: "Maybe I was to blame?" Oooof. Yikes.
	👻 9:46pm WR: Ha, not Grandpa assumes his son is the dad.
	👻 9:46pm Austin Rich: Dad's demanding grandchildren can sometimes be creepier than Mom's demanding grandchildren.
	👻 9:47pm WR: now...
	👻 9:47pm Austin Rich: ↳ WR @9:46 Yeah. I did NOT expect this turn at all.
	👻 9:48pm Austin Rich: I mean, he did assume that baby was hers. Turnabout IS fair play.
	👻 9:48pm yerfriendpaul: A taste of his own medicine!
	9:48pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ Austin Rich @9:44 I barely know any Dr. Who, no matter the face!
	👻 9:49pm Austin Rich: ↳ Webhamster Henry @9:48 I used to love staying up late and watching old Dr. Who.
	👻 9:50pm Austin Rich: So, at this stage in the story, she's now DEDICATED to raising the kid. She's reached complete stockholm syndrome. The world they constructed for her is now something she's come to believe is true. She MUST raise the baby.
	👻 9:51pm WR: LOL, But Mama! What could go wrong with that.
	👻 9:52pm Austin Rich: "This is your chance to do a good deed." So much of this story is about parallels unfolding.
	9:52pm Webhamster Henry: The joke is a "white" baby will have a "Jew" for the father..
	👻 9:54pm Austin Rich: "I don't care who the father is. I'm the grandfather."
	👻 9:54pm Austin Rich: SO WEIRD.
	👻 9:54pm yerfriendpaul: Run Polly run!
	👻 9:57pm yerfriendpaul: Crazy story!
	👻 9:57pm WR: Well written played even for the time.
	👻 10:01pm WR: Interesting, the male lead played by Lou Merrill (new to me). From Wikipedia: "Merrill began working in radio in 1928.[1] He performed in Lux Radio Theater as a utility supporting player in nearly every broadcast from 1937 to 1939 (notably as Sleepy in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), and also served as an assistant director handling the crowd scenes during that time. He continued to work the show sporadically until 1953." en.wikipedia.org...
	👻 10:03pm WR: A possible final twist to that script: Her final "ha ha" could be interpreted as foretelling of the lead's surprise at finding out she is a virgin.
	10:13pm laurapanic: OK I feel seen about the Christmas decorations
	10:13pm laurapanic: ↳ Song: "[Excerpts]" by "Command Performance" yay yay!!!
	👻 10:13pm Austin Rich: ↳ laurapanic @10:13 We haven't even tried to take ours down. Maybe next week.
	👻 10:13pm yerfriendpaul: Java Jive! Fantastic!
	👻 10:14pm WR: Taking a look at the Wikipedia page for the movie, it was adopted for radio multiple times with many different well know actors. en.wikipedia.org...
	👻 10:14pm Austin Rich: ↳ WR @10:14 Interesting! I'll have to compare some of them.
	👻 10:15pm Austin Rich: I do love coffee. "Shoot the juice to me, loose." I wonder if that is what the song "Transfusion" is riffing on?
	👻 10:15pm Austin Rich: I think that was The Inkspots?
	10:17pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ Austin Rich @10:15 "Shoot the crimson to me, Jimson!" I think it may have been someone's catchphrase.
	👻 10:18pm Austin Rich: ↳ Webhamster Henry @10:17 I'll have to re-listen to "Transfusion," but I feel like he does a few similar riffs. That guy had some excellently weird songs.
	10:19pm Webhamster Henry: There was a nice picture on Facebook of the transcription device setup for recording radio shows for delayed broadcast, over dedicated phone lines!
	10:20pm Webhamster Henry: "Third base!"
	👻 10:20pm Austin Rich: ↳ Webhamster Henry @10:19 Oh! Very cool!
	👻 10:20pm Austin Rich: This is one of those moments where you realize how good they were, live. Abbot & Costello were very good in front of an audience.
	👻 10:21pm yerfriendpaul: I think they made the song famous, yes. My Dad got a chance to play piano for the Inkspots one night in Hartford in the early 60s. He remembered he played with them on the day we landed on the moon. Only just recently I’ve learned the Inkspots had many incarnations, some with none of the original members - so I’ll never know which version of the Inkspots Dad played with. Still, I love that he played with them (whoever they were)
	👻 10:22pm yerfriendpaul: ↳ Austin Rich @10:20 So great! Brilliant!
	👻 10:22pm yerfriendpaul: ↳ yerfriendpaul @10:21 Actually it was the late 60s
	👻 10:23pm Austin Rich: ↳ yerfriendpaul @10:21 That's so great! I love stories like that.
	👻 10:25pm Austin Rich: Command Performance really was such a great variety show. Stars from such different parts of entertainment, all together on one show. That's pretty cool.
	👻 10:26pm Heather Z: Happy New Year, all! I'm starting the year off right, tuned in and enjoying the show!
	👻 10:26pm Austin Rich: If anyone is looking for something fun to listen to, Bob Barth's show last night was fantastic! Six hours of "countdowns" for various time zones, and tons of cool songs. You can put it on after this and enjoy!
	👻 10:26pm WR: That was a great extended version of the Abbott / Costello Who's on first. And makes me wonder if that, at least for a while, they were probably performing that routine at nearly every live performance they did.
	👻 10:27pm Austin Rich: ↳ Heather Z @10:26 Nice to see you in the chat, Heather!
	👻 10:28pm Austin Rich: ↳ WR @10:26 Probably. And they probably counted on the fact that people hadn't seen them a bunch of times, or had a recording of it, and that they could wow people every time with something that seemed so off the cuff, but was so well rehearsed.
	👻 10:28pm Heather Z: ↳ Austin Rich @10:27 Great stuff, as always. I'm almost over the panic of a baby being foisted on a lady who is entirely not its mom but then just gives in and takes it on.
	10:29pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ Austin Rich @10:28 Obligatory, actually even better version: www.patheos.com...
	👻 10:30pm Austin Rich: ↳ Heather Z @10:28 Don't worry. Just start thinking about the therapy that kid is gonna need, after years of being raised like that, and the panic will come right back.
	👻 10:30pm Austin Rich: ↳ Webhamster Henry @10:29 Nice!
	👻 10:31pm WR: ↳ yerfriendpaul @10:21 Yes, if it was the first Apollo moon landing, July 20, 1969.
	👻 10:31pm Heather Z: ↳ Austin Rich @10:30 I meannnnnm that was WILD. Phew.
	👻 10:32pm Austin Rich: ↳ Heather Z @10:31 No, it's a comedy. You are supposed to laugh at all of it! The abuse jokes! The gaslighting! It's all jokes! Sigh.
	👻 10:33pm yerfriendpaul: ↳ WR @10:31 Yeah, my memory got hazy there trying to recall the story. But yes, he played with them in 1969
	👻 10:33pm Heather Z: ↳ Austin Rich @10:32 I'm a woman! Everyone knows we can't take jokes! shudder
	10:35pm Webhamster Henry: Radio people get married at the drop of a hat.
	👻 10:36pm Austin Rich: ↳ Song: ""First Year"" by "The Whistler" I believe the man's voice is Gerald Mohr, none other than Philip Marlowe himself! Gerald Mohr had a very active career playing bit-parts on the radio, and he pops up all over the place. He played Phillip Marlowe in "The Adventures of Phillip Marlowe" for almost three years.
	👻 10:37pm Austin Rich: ↳ Heather Z @10:33 She does get her revenge by forcing him to live with her and raise the child with her, supposedly so she can abandon them both and move to Europe one night. She's poor. He's rich. He wants the kid anyway. Everyone wins. And if she takes him for a few grand first, then is that really that bad?
	👻 10:39pm Austin Rich: Among the many other things that Gerald Mohr is known for: Orson Welles recruited him to be a part of the Mercury Theater. en.wikipedia.org...
	👻 10:40pm Heather Z: ↳ Austin Rich @10:37 It did sound like she actually maybe liked him, too. And, credit where due, I didn't pick up on any single mom shaming. There was nothing wrong with her being a single mom (which.... way to assume). The shaming was just for dropping off the kid. It could have gotten way worse. For jokes, of course.
	👻 10:41pm Austin Rich: In my on life, I would know Gerald Mohr as an occasional guest player on "Perry Mason," and as the voice of Green Lantern in the 1968 cartoon.
	👻 10:43pm yerfriendpaul: Jeez, they both turned quick!!
	👻 10:46pm WR: ↳ Heather Z @10:40 I agree, and I'm starting to think that Austin is right, that that movie / radio show would be worth fully unpacking.
	👻 10:47pm Austin Rich: The Whistler ran for 13 years, and hundreds of episodes were made. It was incredibly popular, so much so that it was adapted into a series of films, too. (Sort of hard to do, as they only recurring character in the show is the narrator.) Regardless, they made 8 Whistler movies, and it re-ran on a number of stations for years. Apparently, you can hear part of an episode in the movie, "The Two Jakes," as Jack Nicolson is driving around, listening to the radio.
	👻 10:49pm Heather Z: ↳ WR @10:46 I'd read that paper! There was a ton to think about. It's often interesting to realize, "omg that could have gotten so much worse," too. Phew.
	👻 10:49pm Austin Rich: 772 Episodes of "The Whistler" were broadcast. Only around 493 exist today.
	👻 10:50pm Austin Rich: ↳ Heather Z @10:49 Being forced to raise a baby by a church seems pretty bad. They did threaten her with watching her every day, to make sure she stays the course.
	10:51pm laurapanic: ↳ Austin Rich @10:49 lost media is fascinating
	👻 10:51pm Austin Rich: ↳ laurapanic @10:51 Agreed. Sometimes, when I'm listening to radio, I think I can feel the sounds disappearing into the past.
	👻 10:52pm Heather Z: ↳ Austin Rich @10:50 Oh, it's super bad. And the gaslighting was horrifying. But! It could have been worse....
	10:53pm Webhamster Henry: Paul Frees cameo!
	👻 10:54pm Austin Rich: The way that the announcer talks to the characters, BY NAME, is sort of a trademark of The Whistler. Sooner or later, the narrator starts talking directly to ONE character. Gotta love a Paul Frees cameo! He's come up a few times on Dimestore.
	👻 10:55pm yerfriendpaul: Which character was Paul Frees? I must’ve missed it
	10:55pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ yerfriendpaul @10:55 The radio announcer!
	👻 10:56pm Austin Rich: We're almost done for the night. Thanks again, everyone, for enjoying the show! Back to our regularly scheduled programming, starting next week! See you then!
	👻 10:56pm Heather Z: Happy new year to all!
	👻 10:56pm yerfriendpaul: Darn it, I missed it
	10:58pm univac: Hello, all! Happy New Year. Been lurking...
	👻 10:58pm Austin Rich: ↳ univac @10:58 univac, you old lurker you!
	👻 10:59pm yerfriendpaul: Thanks Austin! Enjoyed the show!! Take care, everyone!
	👻 10:59pm Austin Rich: He believes she wasn't going to try and kill him! That's the twist!
	11:00pm laurapanic: nighty night
	👻 11:00pm Austin Rich: ↳ laurapanic @11:00 See ya next time, laurapanic!
	👻 11:00pm WR: thank you, Austin. Laters all. Onward.
	11:01pm Webhamster Henry: Happy New Year and drive at a sensible speed!
	11:01pm univac: Nice!

Dimestore Radio Theater with Austin Rich: Playlist from January 1, 2024

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