Post by musicradio77 on Oct 19, 2005 23:36:02 GMT -5
By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Arthur Anderson recounts the old story about the young boy who says he prefers stories on radio to stories on TV because "the pictures are better."
Anderson's with him on that one.
"Radio is theater of the imagination," he says. "It will always have a place."
Radio drama's most prominent age, of course, lies in the past, when it was inventing much of what TV would do and training the performers who would do it.
That golden age is the focus for Friends of Old-Time Radio (FOTR), who kick off their 30th annual weekend convention tomorrow at the Holiday Inn North, near Newark Liberty Airport.
Anderson, who started on radio's "Let's Pretend" in 1930, will direct two productions, a re-creation of Norman Corwin's "The Plot to Overthrow Christmas" and a Lone Ranger takeoff, "The Lone Ranger's Mother Comes for a Visit."
The Ranger will be played by Will Hutchins, also known as TV's Sugarfoot.
Other guests on the dozens of panels and dramas include Sonny Curtis of Buddy Holly's Crickets, who wrote the "Mary Tyler Moore" theme; Jon Provost of "Lassie"; Fred Foy, the "Lone Ranger" announcer; pianist Irving Fields; Rosemary Rice of "Let's Pretend," and Soupy Sales.
A notable guest will be Simon Jones, who is probably best known for "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
On panels running tomorrow through Saturday, topics will include Eddie Cantor, "The Shadow," radio comedy, Superman, Fox Movietone News, "Amos 'n' Andy," Orson Welles, Lucille Ball and live music.
Joe Franklin will do a "Joe Franklin Show" Saturday, and Max Schmid of WBAI will talk tomorrow with biographer Eugene Bergmann about Jean Shepherd.
"Many people don't understand how much of TV started on radio," says Anderson. "I loved 'Gunsmoke' on radio. It was so beautifully written."
Happily, he says, groups like FOTR not only save the past, but nurture a new generation of artists who recognize the imagination as a performer's best weapon.
Admission to the event, which also has much memorabilia for sale, is $25 a day. Call Sean Dougherty at (201) 739-2541.
AROUND THE DIAL: "City Watch" today on WBAI (99.5 FM), 11 am.-2 p.m., features Odetta. ... Night jock Funkmaster Flex of WQHT (97.1 FM) started his show Monday with a long declaration that Hot-97 is still No. 1. "It's time for the end of false radio stations," he said. ... WWPR (105.1 FM) morning host Star yesterday paid respect to WBLS (107.5 FM) night host Vaughn Harper and his long-running "Quiet Storm."
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Arthur Anderson recounts the old story about the young boy who says he prefers stories on radio to stories on TV because "the pictures are better."
Anderson's with him on that one.
"Radio is theater of the imagination," he says. "It will always have a place."
Radio drama's most prominent age, of course, lies in the past, when it was inventing much of what TV would do and training the performers who would do it.
That golden age is the focus for Friends of Old-Time Radio (FOTR), who kick off their 30th annual weekend convention tomorrow at the Holiday Inn North, near Newark Liberty Airport.
Anderson, who started on radio's "Let's Pretend" in 1930, will direct two productions, a re-creation of Norman Corwin's "The Plot to Overthrow Christmas" and a Lone Ranger takeoff, "The Lone Ranger's Mother Comes for a Visit."
The Ranger will be played by Will Hutchins, also known as TV's Sugarfoot.
Other guests on the dozens of panels and dramas include Sonny Curtis of Buddy Holly's Crickets, who wrote the "Mary Tyler Moore" theme; Jon Provost of "Lassie"; Fred Foy, the "Lone Ranger" announcer; pianist Irving Fields; Rosemary Rice of "Let's Pretend," and Soupy Sales.
A notable guest will be Simon Jones, who is probably best known for "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
On panels running tomorrow through Saturday, topics will include Eddie Cantor, "The Shadow," radio comedy, Superman, Fox Movietone News, "Amos 'n' Andy," Orson Welles, Lucille Ball and live music.
Joe Franklin will do a "Joe Franklin Show" Saturday, and Max Schmid of WBAI will talk tomorrow with biographer Eugene Bergmann about Jean Shepherd.
"Many people don't understand how much of TV started on radio," says Anderson. "I loved 'Gunsmoke' on radio. It was so beautifully written."
Happily, he says, groups like FOTR not only save the past, but nurture a new generation of artists who recognize the imagination as a performer's best weapon.
Admission to the event, which also has much memorabilia for sale, is $25 a day. Call Sean Dougherty at (201) 739-2541.
AROUND THE DIAL: "City Watch" today on WBAI (99.5 FM), 11 am.-2 p.m., features Odetta. ... Night jock Funkmaster Flex of WQHT (97.1 FM) started his show Monday with a long declaration that Hot-97 is still No. 1. "It's time for the end of false radio stations," he said. ... WWPR (105.1 FM) morning host Star yesterday paid respect to WBLS (107.5 FM) night host Vaughn Harper and his long-running "Quiet Storm."