Radio Recap: The Player

The Player was a 15-minute syndicated program from 1948. It starred Paul Frees as virtually every character in the show ("your one man theater"), just as he would in the later series Black Book. Some places online refer to the Player as "Studio X."

The series called on a lot from Frees; he tended to narrate the stories while performing as the characters. It's not the most effective way to tell a story in radio (I prefer stories without narrators) but Frees was so adept at switching between voices that it works very well. The series was also augmented by the use of guitar as the primary musical accompaniment - that gives the series a sound that's very different from other radio programs. There are also plenty of sound effects, which make this series stronger than other shows I've heard which featured just one performer.

The stories on the Player vary; some are mystery stories, other adventure, some simply dramatic, other humorous. It seems as though primarily it was about demonstrating Frees' range, spending some time in his company as he narrates/performs a story. Four of the surviving episodes feature a character called "the Professor," a very smart and soft-spoken man who uses his wits to resolve conflicts in a light-hearted and humorous manner.

I found the Player to be pretty effective; Paul Frees was certainly a treasure and he was in fine form. My favourite episode is "Fate Upsets a Plan," concerning a bank robbery that goes wrong in a very Whistler-esque manner.

You can listen to the Player at the Old-Time Radio Researchers' Library.