Horror in Radio – It Began There!

“The first step to believing something is true is wanting to believe it is true… or being afraid it is”. – Terry Goodkind

Today folks sit around the TV watching Sleepy Hallow, The Walking Dead or Supernatural to get terrified. Some even think with the arrival of TV came the advent of horror. This could not be further from the truth. Before TV, there was radio and it did a pretty good job of making folks run into the night to hide in themselves in bunkers of doom. You only have to go back to 1938, on a certain Halloween night, to learn all about this. Yes, much of early radio was made up of comedies or dramas, just like television programs today, but there were also shows dedicated to the macabre — they made goosebumps rise and sent shivers down the spine. It’s has been often said that what you can’t see is scarier than what you can. Old time radio exceled in this. They created a comprehensive spooky world right inside your own head.

We have played many of these wonderful stories on Ron’s Amazing Stories. Shows for series like Suspense, Lights Out, Quiet Please, The Mysterious Traveler and many others. We have had guests come on the show to talk about the subject. A short list of these can found at this link. Of course the granddaddy of them all is the second podcast I do with Jason Dowd, The Horror Express. This one is dedicated to all things horror.

I leave you with a quote from Stephen King. His thoughts on horror are summed up by saying, “We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones.” I fear this is very true.

This Week’s Podcast:

On the show this week we have a ghost that steals pants, ghosts that decide the fate of a kingdom and finally a short email about helpful ghost that protects and serves. So tune in this Thursday to hear all about it

You can listen to this podcast this Thursday (12/03) at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

January 28, 2016 – Mendez Genesis with Ed Hancock (RAS230)
February 04, 2016 – Flight Nurse (RAS231)
February 11, 2016 – Specter of Tappington (RAS232)
February 18, 2016 – (RAS233)
February 25, 2016 – (RAS234)

Spotlight – John Daly OTR Legend

On Ron’s Amazing Stories the blog we take a look at one of old time radios stars. You could even give him the title legend if you like. Mr. John Charles Daly was an American journalist, game show host, and radio personality, probably best known for hosting the panel show, “What’s My Line?”. The second of two brothers, Daly was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, where his American father worked as a geologist. After his father died of tropical fever, Daly’s mother moved the family to Boston, Massachusetts.

John Daly 1952 Daly began his broadcasting career as a reporter for a local CBS Radio Network in Washington, D.C. serving a White House correspondent. He became known to the nation as CBS’s announcer for the president’s speeches. In late 1941, Daly transferred to New York City, where he became anchor of The World Today. During World War II he became a war correspondent and covered the news from London as well as the North African and Italian fronts. Daly was there in 1943 during Gen. George Patton’s infamous “slapping incidents”. After the war, he was a lead reporter for and took part in the series “You Are There”. This program re-created the great events of history as if CBS reporters were on the scene. John Daly would go on to become one of the most highly recruited voices during golden age of radio and then well into the infant years of television.

As a reporter for the CBS radio network, Daly was the voice of two historic announcements. He was the first national correspondent to deliver the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and he was also the first to relay the wire service report of the death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on April 12, 1945.

This Week’s Podcast:

On the podcast we cover the subject of Flight Nurses from their beginnings during World War II to where they are today. So please join us for this special podcast.

You can listen to this podcast this Thursday (02/04) at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

January 28, 2016 – Mendez Genesis with Ed Hancock (RAS230)
February 04, 2016 – Flight Nurse (RAS231)
February 11, 2016 – (RAS232)
February 18, 2016 – (RAS233)
February 25, 2016 – (RAS234)

Spotlight – Edward Hancock II

On the blog this time we focus the RAS spotlight on a raised and true East Texan, Edward Hancock II. Ed is a graduate of Sabine High School and Kilgore College. While attending Kilgore, Hancock was Assistant Editor and Editor-in-Chief of the Ranger Yearbook, where he won more than 20 awards from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association. But his love for writing goes back much further than that.

Born with Spina Bifida, Ed was always a dreamer. These dreams became a reality at the age of 10 when he wrote what he considers to be his first real short story. By the age of 14, he had developed a deep love for writing poetry and by age 19, he was a staff member of the Kilgore College newspaper. He is also a speaker for hire, regularly speaking to children’s and disabled groups on such topics as “life with no excuses” and “never give up on a dream”. Ed is an author of five award winning novels. They are, from oldest to newest, Morning Reign, Heart Beatings, Connection Terminated and Target Mendez. Ed joins Ron this week on the RAS to talk about his latest book, Mendez: Genesis. You can find all of his books right here on Amazon.

Mendez: Genesis: After a horrible accident leaves him partially paralyzed, it takes the power of heaven to bring Lieutenant Alex Mendez back from the dead, unlocking a secret as old as time that may have been hidden inside his four-year-old daughter. To make matters worse, Detective Lisa Mendez, Alex’s wife, confronts her own demons, all the while chasing the most unlikely of suspects in connection with multiple homicides. Is it possible a seventeen-year-old boy with Spina Bifida is singlehandedly responsible for the worst crime spree to ever hit the small east Texas community?

This Week’s Podcast:

On the podcast this week we do talk to Edward Hancock II, also we present a classic tale from the OTR series Lights Out. So, be sure to join us for the show.

The Calendar:

January 07, 2016 – The Lodger (RAS227)
January 14, 2016 – Undertakings with Stanley Swan (RAS228)
January 21, 2016 – Junior G-men (RAS229)
January 28, 2016 – Edward Hancock Returns (RAS330)

Suspense Story – Revealed

In this blog we will take a look at the “Suspense Story” of one of 0ld time radio’s greatest achievements, Suspense. The show was subtitled “radio’s outstanding theater of thrills” and it maintained that mission statement throughout its run. Suspense went through several major phases, characterized by different hosts, sponsors, and directors. Plot-lines, for the most part, followed a perfected formula. The hero is dropped into a hostile or bizarre situation and solutions were suspended until the last possible second.

Suspense Story - Sorry Wrong Number. — Agnus Moorehead performing on CBS Suspense (1943)

Its very first episode, recorded in July of 1940, was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It was part of the CBS summer series called Forecast. This series tested possible shows for public approval. Hitchcock decided on, The Lodger, to bring to the airwaves. This happened to be a favorite of both his and its star Herbert Marshall. Even with some hiccups it was well received by the pubic and Suspense would become its own series in 1942.

One of the programs earliest successes and its single most popular episode was Lucille Fletcher’s “Sorry, Wrong Number.” It was about a bedridden woman (Agnes Moorehead) who panics after overhearing a murder plot on a crossed telephone connection. You can listen to this episode on Ron’s Amazing Stories Episode #3 and then again in Episode #43. In the later Jim Harold joins the program to talk about his views on this amazing story.

The early years were rough for Suspense because it had no sponsors. Then in 1944 Roma Wines bought the show and kept it going through 1948. After another brief period of sustained episodes, Autolite Spark Plugs would take over until 1954. The highest production standards and the use of famous film actors made sure that the ratings were maintained. The series expanded to television on CBS from 1949 to 1954, and again in 1962. The final broadcast of Suspense was on September 30, 1962 and is often cited as the end of the Golden Age of Radio. That episode was sponsored by Parliament cigarettes.

There you have a brief history of this OTR powerhouse. If you look through the episodes here at the RAS you will see that Suspense is one of our most used series. This is not an accident and I go on record that I am a true fan.

Thanks for reading,

-Ron

This Week’s Podcast:

As you might guess from the blog this week that that Thursday’s podcast will have an episode of Suspense. What you may not predict is that it will be, that very first attempt by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940. Also, on the show there will be a dramatic reading of Gray Eagle and this Five Brothers. Should be a good one.

You can listen to this podcast this Thursday (1/07) at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

December 17, 2015 – Two Sharp Knifes (RAS225)
December 24, 2015 – Christmas break 2015
December 31, 2015 – Called to be a Soldier (RAS226)
January 07, 2016 – A story from Suspense (RAS227)
January 14, 2016 – Undertakings with Stanley Swan (RAS228)
January 21, 2016 – (RAS229)
January 28, 2016 – (RAS330)

Spotlight – Major L. Wayne Smalls

On this week’s blog we throw the spotlight on our guest for Thursday’s podcast. Major L. Wayne Smalls is an Amazon Best Selling author from Baltimore, Maryland who retired from the United States Army at the rank of Major. His military career has consisted of 22 years of active duty service, with over 25 years of service overall. During his time in the military, he traveled the world and has seen and witnessed many great and wonderful

Called To Be A Soldier. — Available for purchase on Amazon.com.

things. Also while in the military, he received several degrees of higher learning, including an Associate’s Degree in General Studies from Northwestern State University, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from the University of Maryland, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Webster University. He is currently attending Capella University to earn a Doctoral Degree in Business Administration with a specialization in leadership.

Wayne has embarked on a new career as a writer, motivational speaker and life coach. He has a passion for helping people, especially young men. Wayne cares a great deal about the welfare of our youth and works very hard to share his life experience and knowledge in an effort to guide them onto a positive path. He focuses a lot of attention on mentoring young people, as he sees them as future leaders. He strongly believes that molding our youth will make great strides towards eliminating some of the tragedies that have affected our communities in recent times.

Wayne is a steward of positivity and motivation. He believes that anyone and everyone can reach their full potential in life if they believe in themselves. He understands that believing in yourself is only the beginning of a longer process. There also must be purpose, direction, and motivation that accompanies the desire to succeed. Wayne wants to help as many people as he can to reach their goals and dreams. He realizes that everyone needs to understand leadership and how it can play a huge part in success, no matter where they are in life.

His book, Called to Be a Soldier, was written from the heart and experiences of the Major. It personifies the sometimes inaccurate accounts and assumptions made about the personal lives of the nation’s military heroes. Small’s bares all to take readers to the training grounds, onto the battlefields of the Middle East and then all of the way back home – where the fight for a normal life often continues for many years. It’s heartfelt, shocking yet ultimately uplifting.

This Week’s Podcast:

On Thursday’s show we will have Major Smalls on the program. He shares stories from the heart, battlefield and even tells us what is like at “Fort Puke”, his name for the place, where he went from a raw recruit to a dedicated officer of the US Army.

You can listen to this podcast this Thursday (12/31) at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.