"From out of the past comes the hoofbeats of the great horse Silver! Hi Yo Silver Away!"
"Who knows what evil Lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!!"
"Hey Abbott!"
Tuesday, 6:00 pm. The family gathers around the Victor, the radio. The year is 1947, and you are waiting for the adventure to begin. No television, it hasn't reached the average home yet. Your father turns on the radio, the tubes glow, hum, then time stands still. The golden age of radio drama lives!
The era of radio drama (1932-1957) was a unique period in the history of entertainment. Many stars, fresh from the movies found their home in the ears and imaginations of Americans. Many radio stars, fresh from the radio waves, found their way into the first television shows. The medium of radio provided an outlet for popular stars to expand their repertoire, to keep their names fresh in the minds of millions of fans, and lastly, to extend their influence just long enough to catch on and join the television revolution. As a matter of fact, television, in its infancy, was affectionately tagged, "radio with pictures".
Born out of an intense desire for escapism, radio drama rose to an art form during the 1930's. The Shadow and the Lone Ranger led the parade and lasted until the bitter end. The Ranger went off the air in 1954 after over 5400 performances, and the shadow not long before that with almost an equal amount of shows. Comedy shows like Fibber McGee and Molly, Popeye, Life With Father, Burns and Allen, filled the airwaves with comedic vignettes that only sound effect experts could emboss. Science Fiction shows such as Superman, Batman, X Minus One, Captain Midnight, The Inner Sanctum, Suspense, The Whistler played on the paranoia the Cold war generated. Recognized science fiction authors (Isaac Asimov, Jose Farmer, etc) contributed short stories during the Cold Peak. Hollywood too, had its long finger in the radio production wars with adaptations of popular movies, or series based on popular movies (The Thin Man, Bold Venture, Abbott and Costello, Sherlock Holmes, the Green Hornet).
"The War of the Worlds" made radio drama history on October 31, 1939. Orson Welles, after his departure from the Shadow, with Mercury Players dramatized the immortal H G Wells story in segments during the day and caused national riots! So realistic were the broadcasts that the station was deluged with calls. Paranoia was rampant, and Orson Welles secured his place in entertainment history! The recording is still available on cd and cassette and is probably the best selling radio drama ever.
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