Welles Holiday Radio Broadcasts

[Wellesnet]

Back up for the Holidays:
http://www.wellesnet.com/?page_id=8449

[Wich2]

Always worth lending an ear to!

(And for some on-air discussion of same, see the nearby WHAT THE DICKENS? thread.)

Merriest,
-Craig

[Wich2]

[tadao]

While I'm in the Christmas Spirit of making gift recommendations, I'd heartily recommend Craig's book which I purchased two years back (seems like yesterday!), based on hearing his participation in the 'Same Time Same Station' broadcast mentioned above. I'm not an avid reader of anything other than internet articles, although I love books and dipping into them rather than reading cover to cover, but I read through 'Standing in the Spirit at Your Elbow' in its entirity in three sessions from Boxing Day onwards. I intend to revisit it this year.

Off topic, my own favourite (unabridged) recording of 'A Christmas Carol', by Geoffrey Palmer for Penguin Books, is outside the remit of 'Standing in the Spirit at Your Elbow' as an audiobook rather than a broadcast, but it has marked the start of my holiday season entertainment for the past decade or so, and gets me into the festive mood every time. CD copies seem to be rather expensive at the moment, but cassette copies are quite cheap if anyone can still play those, or it's still currently online for free from Penguin in the following five parts:
http://thepenguinpodcast.blogs.com/podcast/files/achristmascarolepisode1.mp3
http://thepenguinpodcast.blogs.com/podcast/files/achristmascarolepisode2.mp3
http://thepenguinpodcast.blogs.com/podcast/files/achristmascarolepisode3.mp3
http://thepenguinpodcast.blogs.com/podcast/files/achristmascarolepisode4.mp3
http://thepenguinpodcast.blogs.com/podcast/files/achristmascarolepisode5.mp3

Mr Palmer also gave an excellent rendition of Welles favourite 'The Man Who Was Thursday' which enjoys approximately annual repeats on our BBC Radio 4 Extra, but he is more frequently employed as a cast member of radio programmes rather than giving full text recitations like he does for these. It's always a pleasure to hear him, and I wish there was a whole library of his unabridged readings available!

[Wich2]

Sincere thanks for the kind words about my labor of lovem, tadao!

Actually, I do touch on audiobooks a bit in the latter Staves of the book; and I've come across several more audio CAROLs of that type, and others, since I wrote it.

Perhaps someday, an updated edition - in hardback, with color illos. (I can dream, can't I?)

Merriest,
-Craig

[Johnwhite]

Craig
I must confess to having just discovered your February 2014 post. My bad for not keeping up.

You note: "But the NY airing listed as 8pm would have been done at 5pm LA time, yes? And the Chicago airing is verified in newspaper listings as being at 9pm local time - in other words, it would be a 7pm LA show. But the longer recording, without the mistakes, has the WBBM i.d. So if these are East and Wests, the earlier, East show seems to be the one with the problems."

If I understand correctly the East Coast broadcast was also used for the Central Time Zone and the Pacific Coast broadcast was use for the Mountain Time Zone. There do appear to have been East and West Coast broadcasts as noted in Jonathan Rosenbaum’s Chronology on page 353 of This Is Orson Welles:

"Aug 21 For the second season of The Campbell Playhouse, he initially has to commute to
New York every Thursday night and return after the two Sunday broadcasts (the
second for the West Coast). The show moves to Los Angeles by early October,
by which time most of the production staff and actors have already moved to the
West Coast as well."

Since the show originated from KNX in Los Angeles, the East Coast and Central time zone broadcasts would have started at 5 P. M. Pacific Time and the Mountain and Pacific Coast time zone broadcasts would have originated at 7 P. M. Pacific Time. That appears to be borne out by the following from Radio Guide:

RADIO GUIDE DECEMBER 29, 1939 EDITION
(Date was the last date of the week’s schedule so it included the Christmas Eve programming)

http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Arc ... -12-29.pdf

"Campbell Playhouse, CBS.
Christmas without a hearing of Charles Dickens' immortal legend, "A Christmas Carol," just wouldn't seem complete. And with Lionel Barrymore breathing life into the warped soul of Ebenezer Scrooge once again we will get the story at its best. The familiar legend of the skinflint who thought Christmas celebrants should "be boiled in their own puddings and buried with a holly through their hearts" -and who learned to "wish the whole world a Merry Christmas" promises once more to be one of the highlights of the season's schedule of special programs. This year it will be the "Playhouse" presentation on Christmas Eve.
Eastern Central Mountain Pacific
8:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m."

So it would appear the longer version, which has the WBBM station ID would have been the 5 P.M. origination instead of the 7 P.M. broadcast.

That would leave the only “puzzlement” why the missing 5 minutes? Your suggestion that it might have been shortened to bear a commercial load is a good one. But that would mean we are still missing the full broadcast.
John White

[Johnwhite]

All
Please disregard my just posted response. I had the time zones backward. The Central Time Zone broadcast at 9 would have been the 7 pm origination from LA. I must have had the television scheduling in mind. As an old editor of mine once told a reported: "Another good story spoiled by an eyewitness."

The mystery remains.

John White

[Wich2]

Hey there, John.

Orson, and the Carol, are always subjects I'm happy to revisit.

That would leave the only “puzzlement” why the missing 5 minutes? Your suggestion that it might have been shortened to bear a commercial load is a good one.

Actually, if I recall correctly, it was a News slot.

But that would mean we are still missing the full broadcast.

As far as ALL material, yes - but not concerning the WELLES portion. I used to wonder, why all the vamping by Orson on the "longer" show - introducing everyone, them making noise in response, etc.?

They're filling that time taken by the news in the other market!

The Carol itself is presented the same in both runs.

-Craig