Bummer, Man
Per
L.A. Observed, our local news station KNX has axed its nightly hour of old-time radio drama. The final episode aired last Friday night; fittingly for Halloween, it was "War of the Worlds." This saddens me. I didn't tune in every night, but it was great to hear some of those old shows - "Gunsmoke," "Dragnet," and "The Lone Ranger" among others.
Some nights when I was either on call and coming back from the hospital, or just leaving the office really late, I'd turn on the radio to KNX and drive slowly, listening to the sound effects, corny music and snappy dialogue. Radio really is a "Theater of the Mind," as they say... it's amazing how wrapped up you can get in the action, driving along. Some nights I'd pull into the garage and sit there for another five minutes, waiting for the show to end.
My dad used to do the same thing; KNX has had a "Drama Hour" for decades. He'd sit in the driveway, too, waiting for the Lone Ranger to track down his man and bring him in, or for Marshal Matt Dillon to solve the problems of the town and have a chat with Miss Kitty on the side. (Incidentally, did you know that the actor who played Matt Dillon on the radio was
William Conrad?) The first time I heard that, I almost lost control of the car, I was laughing so hard.)
If I ever want to hear those shows again I'll probably have to buy them on tape or CD or something. Unless we, the radio audience, get lucky and some other station decides to pick up where they left off.
posted by Dr. Alice at #
