Spotlight on Stanley Swan

On Ron’s Amazing Stories – the blog this time we introduce Mr. Stanley Swan.

What do the following have in common? A Funeral Director, an Undertaker and a Mortician. Quite simply they are the names for a job that is of huge significance to humanity but often shunned by society’s spotlight. The ironic thing is that everyone will one day become a paying client for this age-old industry. Stanley Swan was an undertaker for more than 30 years.

Stan was brought up with his three siblings on a dairy farm in the Southern Tier of New York State. At a very young age, he knew he was destined to be in the funeral business, but first, he spent 15 years as an on-air radio personality. At age 31, he returned to college and obtained his NYS directors license. He then, with his wife Sandra, purchased a small funeral home, which they operated for twenty years. Also during that time, Stan worked with the local Sheriff’s department in corrections. After having a bout of cancer Stan and Sandra sold their firm. However, a short time later they returned to the ‘calling’ he felt so strongly about. After thirty-seven years, Stan retired and began his new career as an author.

His first book was called Undertakings Of An Undertaker and it received critical success. It told stories about his life in the funeral business. In his newest book, Tales Unleashed, you’ll experience the chill of a fortune teller, a pumpkin weeping for home, a crow who stands guard over his domain and being ‘lost’ at the drive-in. There are twenty-eight short stories in all and they are just that good.

This Week’s Podcast: On the podcast this week Stanley Swan joins Ron and they talk about his new book, Tales Unleashed. Also, we have a ghost story from Old Mexico and a short sci-fi story called Spacemen Never Die. You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

Ron’s Amazing Stories is produced and hosted by Ronald Hood:
Email: ronsamazingstories@gmail.com
Blog Page: https://ronsamazingstories.blog/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ronsamazingstories/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RASpodcast

Helpful Links:
Podcast Survey – Help the podcast by taking this survey.
Story Submissions – Use this link to submit your stories to the show.
Podcast Archives – Looking for the first 100 episodes of the podcast?

RAS #390 – More Black Eyed Kids

On Ron’s Amazing Stories this time we have a full train ticket! We talk a bit more about radio series The Shadow as requested by Jarrod. Then we have two ghost stories from the listeners and our featured segment is The Horror Express with Jason Dowd. Jason and Ron discuss Black Eyed Kids. Are they an Urban Legend or Demons in disguise?

Featured – The Horror Express with Jason Dowd

On the Horror Train, Jason and I answer a listener’s question about what we think the Black Eyed Kids phenomenon really is. Also, we bring you up to date on what Jason and Ron are up to these days.

Jason’s Links: FaceBook, Twitter, Gladdy’s Goodies, AME Magazine, and Imagine-nation Art Studios.

Where To Get OTR

Over the years I have received a number of requests to share where I get my old time radio shows. I recently was asked by Jarrod Nichelous to relist where The Shadow can be found. When I first started the podcast every episode had an OTR story. Today with all of your stories coming in and the new segments, I don’t play them as often. But I still listen to OTR a lot.

But where is the treasure? All you have to do is go to the Internet Archive and a whole century of classics is at your fingers. Everything that I have ever used on Ron’s Amazing Stories can be found there. This includes a whole more than just stories. The archive also contains most of the News Reports that you have heard from time to time.

Here are some links to a few of my favorites:

GunSmoke – Classic Western Starring William Conrad.
Dimension X – Classic Science Fiction Stories.
Suspense – Probably the very best of all OTR series.
Richard Diamond – The Private Detective series by Blake Edwards.
The Shadow – America’s most popular hero ever!

I hope you find this useful. There is one more link that I will share. It is the Top Menu of all of the OTR shows available on the Internet Archive.

Enjoy,
-Ron

This Week’s Podcast: On the podcast this week, Jason Dowd returns to the Horror Express train to chat with about Black Eyed Kids and much more. You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listings or find the station closest to you at this link.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RASpodcast

RAS #389 – The Myrtles Plantation

On Ron’s Amazing Stories this week we have a tale about a sister who is followed by a ghost, A complete history of a haunted mansion, and Silvia Shults is back with another edition of Ghost Stories With Sylvia. So buckle your safety belt and press that play button.

Featured – Ghost Stories With Sylvia

This time Sylvia reads the introduction to her new book Fractured Souls. We also talk about one of her latest ghost hunting adventures at the Villisca Axe Murder House. Sylvia Shults is a Librarian, Author, and Ghost Hunter. She has spent a lifetime in the pursuit of the weird and strange. Her non-fiction works include Ghost of the Illinois River, Fractured Spirits, 44 Years in Darkness, Hunting Demons, The Spirits of Christmas, and just published is her latest work Fractured Souls. All of her books are available on Amazon. You can find out more on her WordPress Home Page.

Old Time Radio Quiz

I was sitting at my desk trying to decide what to write my blog about. Then it hit me that my head is full of Old Time Radio facts that I have no real use for. So, why not do a kind of true or false with OTR? Here are some facts that you may or may not be interested in:

Q1 – Which fictional detective was an “Enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend”?
Answer: Boston Blackie – Boston Blackie was created by Jack Boyle and appeared in a series of short stories as a safecracker and jewel thief. In radio, television, and film appearances, Boston Blackie has reformed and become a detective. The radio program ran from 1944 to 1950 with more than 200 episodes made.

Q2 – This show featured mystery, suspense, and horror stories. It began with the elongated sound of a creaking door followed by organ music. Which show was it?
Answer: The Inner Sanctum – One of my very favorites! The Inner Sanctum Mystery was broadcast in 526 episodes between 1941 and 1952. The creaking door was actually a rusty desk chair. The narrator closed with an extended “Pleasannnt dreeeaamms, hmmmmmm.”

Q3 – Richard Boone was known for his television role as Paladin on Have Gun Will Travel in 1957. Which famous character actor played the gunfighter on the radio?
Answer: John Dehner – He was an in-demand character actor who also had the lead role in the 1958 radio Western, Frontier Gentleman. When the radio series premiered the episodes mirrored the television stories. However, as the radio show became more successful original scripts were written.

Q4 – Vincent Price played the character Simon Templar in a popular radio series of the 40s and 50s. What was his alias, which also was the name of the program?
Answer: The Saint – The Saint was a radio adventure program in the United States that featured a character, who in his attempt to help people, remained just one step ahead of the police and the crooks. Several versions of the program appeared on different networks, but the best of them starred Vincent Price!

That is our quiz for this time. If you want to answer more of these type of questions head to US Old Time Radio Trivia Questions & Answers. Thank you for reading.

-Ron

This Week’s Podcast: On the podcast this week we have more stories. A man tells us about his sister ghost that just didn’t like him very much. Also, we have a ghost tale from the famous Myrtles Plantation, and Slyvia Shults is back with another edition of ghost stories with Sylvia. This time we hear about her adventure with an ax murder. You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listings or find the station closest to you at this link.