Radio Recap: The Lives of Harry Lime

"That was the shot that killed Harry Lime. He died in a sewer beneath Vienna, as those of you know who saw the movie the Third Man. Yes, that was the end of Harry Lime-- but it was not the beginning; Harry Lime had many lives and I can recount all of them. How do I know? Very simple; because my name is Harry Lime."

Continuing from last Friday's post on the Black Museum, I'd like to talk about another syndicated radio program by Harry Alan Towers: The Lives of Harry Lime (1951). Er, if that is indeed the series' name; it's almost as often given by announcers as "the Third Man."

The Third Man was, of course, the 1949 movie directed by Carol Reed from Graham Greene's story. The film featured author Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) as a man who goes to post-war Vienna to accept a job from his old friend Harry Lime. He soon discovers Harry is actually a criminal.

I learned of the Third Man through the Lives of Harry Lime and when I finally saw that film, it became my favourite movie. But the radio series is not really part of the same continuity as the movie; they both star Orson Welles as a criminal named Harry Lime; they both feature the zither music of Anton Karas (believe it or not, Karas' score to the movie was a hit at the time). But perhaps the reason Orson's opening narration refers to Lime's "many lives" is because these stories aren't meant to be about the same person in the Third Man - instead they present alternate takes on him.

In the Lives of Harry Lime, Harry is roguish fellow; although he loves to swindle people, sometimes his inner goodness causes him to take pity on his victims; sometimes he gets outwitted; and sometimes he's pit against corrupt government or Nazis where it's considered morally correct for Lime to fleece them. But that's not the Harry Lime of the Third Man; part of the plot of the movie is Holly realizing that Harry isn't who he thought he was; Harry views himself as a good-natured rogue, but Holly is forced to confront the results of Harry's actions, the innocent children who die because of Harry's black market penicilin.

So, although the program invites comparisons to the Third Man it's really best that you take this series on its own terms - it's an adventure program. Harry gets to be genuinely heroic at times, such as in a nice playful moment at the climax of "5,000 Pengoes and a Kiss" where Harry forces a patrol of Hungarian policemen to give him their belts so that they'll be unable to chase him. Harry: "In all the famous chases in history, no policeman has been known to catch a fugitive and hold up his pants at the same time."

Other good episodes include "Turnabout Is Foul Play" in which Harry pretends to be an immensely moral man in order to swindle a government official; "The Bohemian Star" in which Harry masquerades as a journalist and gets the goods on a jewel heist; and there's the very intriguing episode "Man of Mystery" which was apparently written by Orson himself; he later expanded the plot another motion picture, Mr. Arkadin.

Welles appeared in a lot of radio shows for Harry Alan Towers but the quality of his output was variable. In the Lives of Harry Lime he was being called on to be the lead man - not merely a supporting player or narrator. Frankly, he wasn't always up to it. In much of Orson's radio work, he'd read through his scripts recklessly and even contemptuously; knowing that he sometimes didn't read scripts until he showed up for the broadcast, his performances could come over as unpolished (to put it politely). Sometimes Orson seemed very invested in his performance; other times, he sounded bored; on other occasions, he was speeding through the script, talking over his fellow performers as if in a hurry to be done with it; and then there are time where he garbles his dialogue (which is amazing for a transcribed program; I guess he refused to do retakes) and sounds either sleepy or drunk. All of this drags down the program.

You can hear every episode of the Lives of Harry Lime in this YouTube playlist created by a fan.

Radio Recap: The Black Museum

"The Black Museum, the repository of death. Yes, here in the grim stone structure on the Thames which houses Scotland Yard is a warehouse of homicide... where everyday objects: a skillet, a screwdriver, a photograph... all... are touched by murder!"

Somehow it's taken this long for me to post a Radio Recap of a Harry Alan Towers program.

In the 1950s, Harry Alan Towers produced a number of syndicated radio dramas, usually employing many of the same performers in each series - programs like Secrets of Scotland Yard, the Scarlet Pimpernel, the Adventures of Horatio Hornblower and today's entry - the Black Museum (1952). He liked to produce 52 episodes of his shows so they could be broadcast across an entire year. As best as I can tell, the syndicated episodes of the Black Museum were aired in the USA on Mutual.

The series was a crime anthology hoted by Orson Welles. Towers' shows tended to use a big-name actor to draw listeners to the show - but he went specifically after big-name actors who were having trouble in their career, and thus were desperate enough to work for him. Orson was then having an awful time with the IRS in the USA, hence the attraction to recording a lot of radio shows with Towers. The problem, of course, is that when Orson was just there to collect a paycheck he didn't put in his best effort. At least as narrator, that didn't mean he would sink the whole show-- but I've seen plenty of online reviewers remark that Orson sounded bored as he hosted the Black Museum. To me, it's variable - in some episodes he seems very into his craft; in others, not so much.

The show's gimmick is that Orson would be within Scotland Yard's Black Museum, introducing an object which was related to a crime of some kind; then the drama would begin in earnest, with Orson piping up only when exposition required his assistance. The Scotland Yard inspectors were played by a number of uncredited performers and changed with each episode.

I think the Black Museum is the best of Towers' programs; the man liked to recycle his music, whether the music fit the mood of the script or not. But the musical transitions on the Black Museum work pretty well. Towers also didn't like to use many sound effects on his shows, which really diminishes them; but because the Black Museum would be centered around a particular object, there would usually be a noise to accompany that object, giving the show a bit more heft.

There are some gruesome crimes recounted on the Black Museum, especially violence committed against women - "the Baby Jacket" and "the Brass Button" are two of the more violent episodes. There's a Jack the Ripper episode called "the Razor"; and there's a ghost episode, "the Chain!"

But some episodes don't quite work for me - "the Postcard" doesn't have a conclusion to its crime, ending on an ambiguous note.

As I noted before, the program Whitehall 1212 was also about items from Scotland Yard's Black Museum, but it's nowhere near as good, despite being produced by Wyllis Cooper. Stick to the Black Museum if this is a subject you're interested in.

You can hear the Black Museum on the Old Time Radio Reserchers' YouTube playlist.

"Are the readers still with us?" The Mythmakers review

Last years Abrams published the Mythmakers, a graphic novel by John Hendrix. It's the story of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien's friendship and focuses in primarily on those years they spent sharing ideas and writing their stories together - but with biographical details stretching across both men's lives (and beyond). Some passages are told through text but most of the book is a proper graphic novel. Dramatic license is employed in recounting moments from both men's lives, but Hendrix used direct quotes where possible.

What's unusual about this book is that it's introduced by a lion and a wizard, who guide the audience through the book's narrative. At first it seemed a bit patronizing to me to have these fictional characters talking through Lewis and Tolkien's lives - it left me wondering if the book was meant for younger readers. Still, the lion and the wizard are deployed to discuss ideas outside the scope of Lewis and Tolkien's lives, especially for discussions about how to define a myth and where the two men's works fit in the academic definitions of myth. There's also a deeply personal reason why Hendrix uses these two characters, which is not revealed until the end of the book.

I only learned of the Mythmakers because it was being promoted in Christian circles as a very good book - it's rare that I see Christians promoting a graphic novel, much less one that was published for the general market, not the Christian bookstore speciality market. Hendrix discusses his own faith in the book's back matter and how that influenced his depiction of Lewis and Tolkien's friendship. I won't lie, Hendrix touched my heart.

I think all fans of Lewis and Tolkien feel as Hendrix does - that the loosening of their bond is a tragedy. And that's ultimately what the Mythmakers is walking through - it's the story of how a friendship was made, how that friendship fell apart and how to draw a happy conclusion despite that. This was a fine read and I'm very happy I read it.

Radio Recap: The Big Story

The Big Story is a fascinating concept for a program - although the execution isn't that different from other shows. It was an anthology program in which each week they would dramatize a story taken from the newspapers, usually with the story's journalist as the lead character in the drama.

The problem with the series is that while, in theory, a newspaper story could glance upon almost any aspect of social life, the majority of episodes of the Big Story are about crime; either the journalist is trying to help the police catch a criminal or he's trying to clear the name of a wrongly-convicted felon by finding the actual criminal. So although the Big Story could have been a great dramatic program, it's mostly yet another crime program.

The series was broadcast over NBC for a respectable run from April 2, 1947 until March 23, 1955. Pall Mall cigarettes sponsored the show for most of its run, although Lucky Strike sponsored the final year. The series was produced by Bernard J. Prockter, who had previously been a radio game show producer; the announcer was none other than Ernest Chappell, best-remembered as "the man who spoke to you" on Wyllis Cooper's Quiet, Please.

If you're a classic film buff, you probably remember the 1948 James Stewart film Call Northside 777, in which Stewart portrayed a journalist who rescues an innocent man from a life sentence. If you enjoyed that film then you'll probably like the Big Story, which hits a lot of the same beats as that movie.

One interesting episode that deviates from the norm is dubbed "The Bitterest Man on the Earth" (June 8, 1949) which concerns a wrongly-convicted black man. It sounds like at least a few of the performers were black people, and the majority of characters in the cast were black-- that's always a rarity in radio. Another interesting story is "Puritan Morality and Violent Death" (October 18, 1950) which drew parallels to the case of Lizzie Borden and involved a wife who grew frustrated with her philandering husband.

If you want a newspaper drama, you'll be a bit disappointed (maybe you should listen to Big Town?), but as a crime program with a rotating cast of journalist protagonists drawn from true-life cases, it's not bad.

You can hear 38 surviving episodes (from 383 broadcast!) of the Big Story on this YouTube playlist created by the Old Time Radio Researchers.

Creator Credits for Captain America: Brave New World

It's been a while since I generated a list of creator credits for a Marvel Cinematic Universe project; 2024 saw fewer productions than usual, and of those that did appear, I was barely interested in any of them. But heck, here's a new Captain America movie and in spite of it all, I have a lot love for Cap.

Below are the comic book creators whose work is represented in the film Captain America: Brave New World. If you see an omission, tell me in the comments!

Stan Lee (writer/editor): co-creator of the Avengers, a team of super heroes (Avengers #1, 1963); of Captain America as one of the Avengers (Avengers #4, 1964); of Captain America throwing his shield so that it ricochets and returns to his hand (Avengers #5, 1964); of the Falcon, Sam Wilson, a black super hero and ally of Captain America; the Falcon wearing green; of Redwing, Sam's winged ally (Captain America #117, 1969); of Leila Taylor, a woman involved with Sam Wilson (Captain America #139, 1971); of Wakanda, an African nation with incredible scientific resources (Fantastic Four #52, 1966); of Vibranium, a rare metal found in Wakanda with unusual properties (Fantastic Four #53, 1966); of Bruce Banner, a famous scientist who transformed into the Hulk, an enormous brute with superhuman strength; of General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, a mustache-wearing Air Force officer who used military resources to combat the Hulk; of Betty Ross, the general's daughter, who loves Banner (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); of the Hulk having green skin (Incredible Hulk #2, 1962); of the Hulk leaping vast distances (Incredible Hulk #3, 1962); of the Black Widow, an espionage agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); of Ant-Man, a costumed hero who can alter his size (Tales to Astonish #35, 1962); of the Hulk's transformations caused by anger (Tales to Astonish #60, 1964); of the Leader, a super-intelligent man (Tales to Astonish #62, 1964); of the Hulk creating shockwaves by clapping his hands together (Tales to Astonish #65, 1965); of the Abomination, a Russian transformed by gamma radiation into a huge green scaly monster who fights the Hulk (Tales to Astonish #90, 1967)

Jack Kirby (artist/writer): creator of the Celestials, immense cosmic beings who visit Earth (Eternals #1, 1976); co-creator of the Avengers, a team of super heroes (Avengers #1, 1963); of Captain America as one of the Avengers (Avengers #4, 1964); of Captain America throwing his shield so that it ricochets and returns to his hand (Avengers #5, 1964); of Bucky Barnes, a costumed hero and best friend of Steve Rogers; of Captain America, Steve Rogers, super hero from World War II who gained his peak human abilities from the Super-Soldier Serum; of Captain America wearing a red, white and blue costume with 'A' on forehead and star on chest (Captain America Comics #1, 1941); of Captain America's round shield with red and white stripes (Captain America Comics #2, 1941); of Wakanda, an African nation with incredible scientific resources (Fantastic Four #52, 1966); of Vibranium, a rare metal found in Wakanda with unusual properties (Fantastic Four #53, 1966); of Bruce Banner, a famous scientist who transformed into the Hulk, an enormous brute with superhuman strength; of General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, a mustache-wearing Air Force officer who used military resources to combat the Hulk; of Betty Ross, the general's daughter, who loves Banner (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); of the Hulk having green skin (Incredible Hulk #2, 1962); of the Hulk leaping vast distances (Incredible Hulk #3, 1962); of the Black Widow, an espionage agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); of Ant-Man, a costumed hero who can alter his size (Tales to Astonish #35, 1962)

Mark Gruenwald (writer/editor): creator of Sidewinder's real name Seth Voelker (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #10, 1983); co-creator of Sidewinder as an enemy of Captain America; of Sidewinder's ease at escaping prison (Captain America #315, 1986); of Dennis Dunphy as an ally of Captain America (Captain America #328, 1987); of Dennis Dunphy suffering a heart attack (Captain America #330, 1987); of Dennis Dunphy as an ally of Sam Wilson (Captain America #336, 1987); of Copperhead, a serpent-themed mercenary who battles Captain America (Captain America #337, 1988); of Sidewinder, a serpent-themed mercenary (Marvel Two-in-One #64, 1980)

Sal Buscema (artist): co-creator of a team of serpent-themed mercenaries who battle Captain America (Captain America #157, 1973); of the Falcon utilizing mechanical wings built for him by the Wakandans (Captain America #170, 1974); of Ruth Bat-Seraph, an Israeli agent and expert fighter (Incredible Hulk #250, 1980); of Ruth Bat-Seraph's name (Incredible Hulk #256, 1981); of Betty and General Ross having a falling out because of his actions against the Hulk (Incredible Hulk #277, 1982); of Karen Ross, Thaddeus Ross' wife, who died from cancer (Incredible Hulk #291, 1984)

Robert Morales (writer): co-creator of Isaiah Bradley, a black soldier who was subjected to a variant of the Super-Soldier Serum in an attempt to duplicate Captain America's origin; of Faith, Isaiah's lover (The Truth: Red, White & Black #1, 2003); of Isaiah Bradley undergoing missions for the US government but then becoming a prisoner and subjected to horrifying experiments over decades; of Isaiah attempting to keep a low profile after his release (Truth: Red, White & Black #7, 2003)

Kyle Baker (artist): co-creator of Isaiah Bradley, a black soldier who was subjected to a variant of the Super-Soldier Serum in an attempt to duplicate Captain America's origin; of Faith, Isaiah's lover (The Truth: Red, White & Black #1, 2003); of Isaiah Bradley undergoing missions for the US government but then becoming a prisoner and subjected to horrifying experiments over decades; of Isaiah attempting to keep a low profile after his release (Truth: Red, White & Black #7, 2003)

Joe Simon (writer/artist): co-creator of Bucky Barnes, a costumed hero and best friend of Steve Rogers; of Captain America, Steve Rogers, super hero from World War II who gained his peak human abilities from the Super-Soldier Serum; of Captain America wearing a red, white and blue costume with 'A' on forehead and star on chest (Captain America Comics #1, 1941); of Captain America's round shield with red and white stripes (Captain America Comics #2, 1941)

Jeph Loeb (writer): co-creator of the Red Hulk, a red-skinned version of the Hulk who wearing black shorts and generates intense heat from his body (Hulk #1, 2008); of the Red Hulk and the Leader manipulating each other for their own benefit; of the Leader being responsible for transforming Thaddeus Ross into the Red Hulk, basing his transformation on that of Bruce Banner's (Hulk #23, 2010)

Ed McGuinness (artist): co-creator of the Red Hulk, a red-skinned version of the Hulk who wearing black shorts and generates intense heat from his body (Hulk #1, 2008); of the Red Hulk and the Leader manipulating each other for their own benefit; of the Leader being responsible for transforming Thaddeus Ross into the Red Hulk, basing his transformation on that of Bruce Banner's (Hulk #23, 2010)

Bill Mantlo (writer): co-creator of Ruth Bat-Seraph, an Israeli agent and expert fighter (Incredible Hulk #250, 1980); of Ruth Bat-Seraph's name (Incredible Hulk #256, 1981); of Betty and General Ross having a falling out because of his actions against the Hulk (Incredible Hulk #277, 1982); of Karen Ross, Thaddeus Ross' wife, who died from cancer (Incredible Hulk #291, 1984)

Nick Spencer (writer): co-creator of Joaquin Torres, a Latino man who is an ally of Sam Wilson (Captain America: Sam Wilson #1, 2015); of Joaquin Torres inheriting the mantle of the Falcon from Sam Wilson, wearing a modified version of the Falcon's green costume with a helmet and working as sidekick to Sam Wilson's Captain America (Captain America: Sam Wilson #6, 2016)

Rick Remender (writer): co-creator of Sam Wilson wearing a Captain America costume which incorporates his Falcon technology, becoming a hybrid of the two costume styles (All-New Captain America #1, 2015); of Steve Rogers asking the Falcon to become the new Captain America (Captain America #25, 2014)

Ed Brubaker (writer): co-creator of the Winter Soldier, a legendary assassin whose left arm is cybernetic (Captain America #1, 2005); of the Winter Soldier revealed to be Bucky Barnes having been brainwashed and kept in stasis except when sent on missions (Captain America #8, 2005)

Steve Epting (artist): co-creator of the Winter Soldier, a legendary assassin whose left arm is cybernetic (Captain America #1, 2005); of the Winter Soldier revealed to be Bucky Barnes having been brainwashed and kept in stasis except when sent on missions (Captain America #8, 2005)

Steve Ditko (artist): co-creator of the Hulk's transformations caused by anger (Tales to Astonish #60, 1964); of the Leader, a super-intelligent man (Tales to Astonish #62, 1964); of the Hulk creating shockwaves by clapping his hands together (Tales to Astonish #65, 1965)

Joe Bennett (artist): co-creator of Joaquin Torres inheriting the mantle of the Falcon from Sam Wilson, wearing a modified version of the Falcon's green costume with a helmet and working as sidekick to Sam Wilson's Captain America (Captain America: Sam Wilson #6, 2016)

Tom Morgan (artist): co-creator of Dennis Dunphy suffering a heart attack (Captain America #330, 1987); of Dennis Dunphy as an ally of Sam Wilson (Captain America #336, 1987); of Copperhead, a serpent-themed mercenary who battles Captain America (Captain America #337, 1988)

Jim Krueger (writer): co-creator of the Celestials seeding the Earth with a new Celestial and seeking to bring it to life which would result in the destruction of Earth (Earth X #10, 2000); of the Celestial prevented from destroying the Earth (Earth X: X, 2000)

Alex Ross (artist/writer): co-creator of the Celestials seeding the Earth with a new Celestial and seeking to bring it to life which would result in the destruction of Earth (Earth X #10, 2000); of the Celestial prevented from destroying the Earth (Earth X: X, 2000)

John Paul Leon (artist): co-creator of the Celestials seeding the Earth with a new Celestial and seeking to bring it to life which would result in the destruction of Earth (Earth X #10, 2000); of the Celestial prevented from destroying the Earth (Earth X: X, 2000)

Steve Englehart (writer): co-creator of a team of serpent-themed mercenaries who battle Captain America (Captain America #157, 1973); of the Falcon utilizing mechanical wings built for him by the Wakandans (Captain America #170, 1974)

Gene Colan (artist): co-creator of the Falcon, Sam Wilson, a black super hero and ally of Captain America; the Falcon wearing green; of Redwing, Sam's winged ally (Captain America #117, 1969)

Stuart Immonen (artist): co-creator of Sam Wilson wearing a Captain America costume which incorporates his Falcon technology, becoming a hybrid of the two costume styles (All-New Captain America #1, 2015)

Bruce Jones (writer): co-creator of the mysterious figure "Mr. Blue" (Incredible Hulk #34, 2002); of Samuel Sterns trying to obtain Banner's blood for his experiments (Incredible Hulk #36, 2002)

John Romita Jr. (artist): co-creator of the mysterious figure "Mr. Blue" (Incredible Hulk #34, 2002); of Samuel Sterns trying to obtain Banner's blood for his experiments (Incredible Hulk #36, 2002)

George Perez (artist): co-creator of half the universe's population being eliminated (Infinity Gauntlet #1, 1991); of Sidewinder, a serpent-themed mercenary (Marvel Two-in-One #64, 1980)

Gil Kane (artist): co-creator of the Abomination, a Russian transformed by gamma radiation into a huge green scaly monster who fights the Hulk (Tales to Astonish #90, 1967)

Roy Thomas (writer): co-creator of Adamantium, a metal which is virtually indestructible (Avengers #66, 1969); of the Leader's name Samuel Sterns (Incredible Hulk #129, 1970)

Paul Neary (artist): co-creator of Sidewinder as an enemy of Captain America; of Sidewinder's ease at escaping prison (Captain America #315, 1986)

Ralph Macchio (writer): co-creator of Sidewinder, a serpent-themed mercenary (Marvel Two-in-One #64, 1980)

Don Heck (artist): co-creator of the Black Widow, an espionage agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964)

Don Rico (writer): co-creator of the Black Widow, an espionage agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964)

Mark Waid (writer): co-creator of the Falcon wearing Captain America's costume as his replacement (Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #8, 1999)

Christopher Priest (writer): co-creator of the Falcon wearing a beard (Captain America & the Falcon #1, 2004)

Steve Gerber (writer): co-creator of a team of serpent-themed mercenaries who battle Captain America (Captain America #157, 1973)

David Michelinie (writer): co-creator of the Falcon as one of the Avengers (Avengers #183, 1979)

Brian Michael Bendis (writer): co-creator of the Raft, a high-security prison used by the US government for superhuman adversaries (New Avengers #1, 2005)

John Romita (artist): co-creator of Leila Taylor, a woman involved with Sam Wilson (Captain America #139, 1971)

David Finch (artist): co-creator of the Raft, a high-security prison used by the US government for superhuman adversaries (New Avengers #1, 2005)

Cully Hamner (artist): co-creator of the Falcon wearing Captain America's costume as his replacement (Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #8, 1999)

Daniel Acuña (artist): co-creator of Joaquin Torres, a Latino man who is an ally of Sam Wilson (Captain America: Sam Wilson #1, 2015)

Carlos Pacheco (artist): co-creator of Steve Rogers asking the Falcon to become the new Captain America (Captain America #25, 2014)

Bart Sears (artist): co-creator of the Falcon wearing a beard (Captain America & the Falcon #1, 2004)

John Byrne (artist): co-creator of the Falcon as one of the Avengers (Avengers #183, 1979)

Mark Millar (writer): co-creator of the Abomination being massive and partially armored (Ultimates 2 #9, 2006)

Bryan Hitch (artist): co-creator of the Abomination being massive and partially armored (Ultimates 2 #9, 2006)

Jim Starlin (writer): co-creator of half the universe's population being eliminated (Infinity Gauntlet #1, 1991)

Todd McFarlane (artist): co-creator of the Leader's head being round to indicate a larger brain (Incredible Hulk #342, 1988)

Peter David (writer): co-creator of the Leader's head being round to indicate a larger brain (Incredible Hulk #342, 1988)

Herb Trimpe (artist): co-creator of the Leader's name Samuel Sterns (Incredible Hulk #129, 1970)

Jeff Parker (writer): co-creator of Thaddeus Ross being imprisoned after being identified as the Red Hulk (Hulk #25, 2010)

Gabriel Hardman (artist): co-creator of Thaddeus Ross being imprisoned after being identified as the Red Hulk (Hulk #25, 2010)

Barry Windsor-Smith (artist): co-creator of Adamantium, a metal which is virtually indestructible (Avengers #66, 1969)

Christos Gage (writer): co-creator of Ruth Bat-Seraph wearing a black costume with blue trim (Union Jack #1, 2006)

Mike Perkins (artist): co-creator of Ruth Bat-Seraph wearing a black costume with blue trim (Union Jack #1, 2006)

Belinda Glass (writer): co-creator of Ruth Bat-Seraph, an Israeli agent and expert fighter (Incredible Hulk #250, 1980)

Brian Patchett (writer): co-creator of Dennis Dunphy serving in the U.S. military (Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular #1, 2009)

Xurxo G. Penalta (artist): co-creator of Dennis Dunphy serving in the U.S. military (Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular #1, 2009)

Mike Carlin (writer): co-creator of Dennis Dunphy, a red-haired man (The Thing #28, 1985)

Ron Wilson (artist): co-creator of Dennis Dunphy, a red-haired man (The Thing #28, 1985)

Larry Lieber: co-creator of Ant-Man, a costumed hero who can alter his size (Tales to Astonish #35, 1962)

Ta-Nehisi Coates (writer): co-creator of the Red Hulk battling Captain America but ultimately standing down (Captain America #26, 2021)

Leonard Kirk (artist): co-creator of the Red Hulk battling Captain America but ultimately standing down (Captain America #26, 2021)

J. G. Jones (artist): co-creator of the Red Room, the spy program which created the Black Widow (Black Widow #2, 1999)

Devin Grayson (writer): co-creator of the Red Room, the spy program which created the Black Widow (Black Widow #2, 1999)

Radio Recap: Hollywood Spotlight

"The Hollywood Spotlight! Presenting an all-star revue from the entertainment center of the world-- Hollywood!"

Hollywood Spotlight was a syndicated 15-minute program comprised primarily of musical numbers with occasional comedy interludes. Each episode opened and closed with about 2 minutes of the ditty "Rose Room," which was probably where local advertisements were intended to be inserted.

I'm not normally one for musical programs but I made an exception for this one because the featured band on Hollywood Spotlight was led by Phil Harris! This was a year before Harris would come aboard the Jack Benny Program. Although Hollywood Spotlight didn't afford him many opportunities to banter, it is interesting to hear these early examples of him on the radio. Certainly his voice was different - he hadn't yet been transformed into the ignorant slob Benny's writers invented and his southern drawl is much stronger.

Also of interest is that Don Wilson appears on some episodes as an m.c. Wilson was already Benny's commercial spokesman at that time - I'm left to wonder if Wilson's encounters with Harris led to Harris joining Benny's show?

The comedy sketches on Hollywood Spotlight are generally performed by Bob Burns. His backwoods rural humour really isn't to my liking (especially when he dons "blackface" and performs as "Brother Athsma"). Each time he performed a routine, I couldn't help but think that a much more talented comedy performer was in the same room-- heck, by 1935 Harris had already starred in his own Academy Award-winning comedy short (So This Is Harris), he could've handled a few minutes of comedic banter.

There are also a variety of other singers on the show, including the Five Jones Boys and Clarence Muse; there's also the female vocalist Leah Ray, who sings a few solos (and duets with Phil Harris).

The songs themselves are, um, of their time. Ditties like "Underneath the Harlem Moon" and "That's Why Darkies Were Born" have pretty racist lyrics. On the other hand, Phil sings "Minnie the Mermaid," which he'd end up repeating many, many times over the years, up to 20 years later on the Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show.

The Old Time Radio Researchers have a YouTube playlist of Hollywood Spotlight!

Radio Recap: The Club Car Special

"The Club Car Special is based on the march of events and city life section of the Hearst Sunday newspapers throughout the country. This section is devoted to the cartoons and writings of America's foremost humorists: O. O. McIntyre, Will Rogers, George Ade, Sam Hellman, Arthur 'Bugs' Baer, Milt Gross, Damon Runyon and many others. So let's climb on board the Club Car Special right now just for a lark and a laugh!"

Okay, here's a real oddity. The Club Car Special was a 15-minute syndicated program heard on NBC in 1934. It was produced by Hearst syndication and drew from content in Hearst's newspapers. It's just one of many Hearst radio programs designed to promote its publications (ie, Flash Gordon, Jungle Jim, Front Page Drama) but this one is different because it relayed comedic segments from Hearst's publications. This included some really talented creators - Milt Gross, Will Rogers, Damon Runyon - which means this series merits a look if you're a fan of those names.

Each episode features several comedy routines with a variety of performers. Even single-panel cartoons are dramatized, which require a bit of padding, naturally. They also dramatize Milt Gross's comics, which is a rare and unusual experience.

Each sketch is introduced by a train porter calling out the next creative person's name ("All aboard, Club Car Special! Next stop, Will Rogers! All aboard!") although the creators themselves were impersonated. Each sketch ends with a 'wah-wah' trombone and a small chorus of voices fake-laughing which, frankly, does a lot to make this series sound unfunny. Just to further impede your enjoyment, the fake laughter is always immediately followed by the porter calling out the next sketch. Even if you do find something amusing in the sketch, the show refuses to give you time to pause and enjoy it.

I did find the humourous boxing stories written by Arthur 'Bugs' Baer were pretty amusing but it looks as though very little of his work was ever anthologized-- shy of digging up the original newspapers, I don't think he can be read now.

Ultimately, I cannot recommend the Club Car Special unless you're a fan of the creators whose works were being read on the air. Even then, I think you'll find that these very funny jokes were told with the least funny delivery that was possible for 1934.

You can hear the 10 surviving episodes of Club Car Special on this YouTube playlist created by the Old Time Radio Researchers.