Coming up on

Orson Welles, performing as the Stage Manager/Narrator in Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” the Pulitzer Prize winner as The Best Play of 1938. Also featured in this performance are John Craven as George, the role he created in the original Broadway production, Agnes Moorehead, Everett Sloane, and many other fine New York actors. In fact this play has one of the largest casts of any produced for radio. In this hour-long version, remarkably little of the original dialogue has been deleted. "Our Town" is a thoughtful, remarkably effective look at everyday life, The play tells a worthwhile story that leaves a lasting impression on the listener. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to enjoy what many have labelled as Wilder’s most poignant and brilliant work, performed as only Orson Welles could do on the next ‘From The Vault’ program.

Wednesday night (16th June)

At 6:00 pm on The Shoalhaven’s own Community Radio Station, Shoalhaven FM, Harold Ellison’s program of Old-Time Radio Shows, ‘From The Vault,’ will be playing a thoroughly delightful selection of old radio shows, guaranteed to pick up the spirits of virtually any listener effected by these sometimes depressing cold winter‘s nights, in an evening overflowing with variety…including an award-winning, heart-warming drama, a beguiling British comedy and a masterfully magical murder mystery on a program we‘re calling, ‘From The Vault’s “Mixed Bag” Night.’

We’ll begin with Bob Bailey starring as George Valentine in ‘Let George Do It.’ This is a freelance detective with a real difference who obtained his cases with a newspaper ad, that read: “Personal Notice - Danger‘s my stock-in-trade. If the job‘s too tough for you to handle, you‘ve got a job for me, George Valentine.” In “A Matter of Honour,” George and his secretary, Brooksie, are invited to the Annual Convention of The Magicians Club on a night when a new illusion is to be unveiled before distinguished guests. The fact that Princess Ilsa has asked that there be a last minute change in the name of the illusion from “The Ilsa Illusion” to “The Deadly Avenger,” has not only caused concern, but in fact has struck fear in the minds of members that something terrible is going to happen and shock-horror… something terrible DOES happen. Needless to say, it falls on George’s shoulders to get to the bottom of it. A fine action-packed mystery.

Then, there’ll be many a hearty laugh, the kind only the British can provide, in an episode of ‘To The Manor Born.’ Penelope Keith is nothing short of brilliant, as always, in this British upper and lower class distinction comedy. Audrey Forbes-Hamilton (Keith) was very upper class, but when her husband died, leaving her with unpaid bills and not much else, the bottom dropped out of her world, and her class. She must now come to terms with living like us common folk, all the while giving the appearance that nothing in her life has changed. Lately Audrey has attracted the attentions of a British Naval Officer who appears to be serious about the relationship, that is, until the now owner of the manor has him investigated in the hilarious episode, “Plenty More Fish.”

And then, our final presentation of the evening will be Orson Welles remarkable production of American playwright, and Welles' early mentor, Thornton Wilder’s beloved, Pulitzer Prize winning play, “Our Town,” on ‘The Campbell Playhouse,’ an hour-long dramatic radio program that began in the summer of 1938 on the CBS radio network. It was clear to Welles, and his business partner, John Houseman, that the medium of radio suited the telling of this story far better than the stage dramatization of it. “Our Town” is a character story about an average town's citizens in the early twentieth century as depicted through their everyday lives (particularly George Gibbs, a doctor's son, and Emily Webb, the daughter of the town's newspaper editor and George's future wife). Wilder uses the actions of the Stage Manager/Narrator (Welles) to create the town of Grover's Corners for the audience as scenes from its history between the years of 1901 and 1913 play out. In a word: Magnificent!

‘From The Vault’ immediately follows Harold Ellison's other Shoalhaven FM program, ‘The Jazz Café,’ featuring the soothing sounds of mellow, Smooth Jazz, 4 to 6 pm Wednesdays.

Bing Crosby and Bob Hope were two of the most popular entertainers of all time. Crosby was the best-selling recording artist until well into the rock era, with over half a billion records in circulation. One of the first multimedia stars, from 1934 to 1954 Bing Crosby held a nearly unrivalled command of record sales, radio ratings and motion picture grosses and was widely recognized as one of the most popular musical acts in history. Yank magazine recognized Crosby as the person who had done the most for American G.I. morale during World War II and, during his peak years, around 1948, polls declared him the "most admired man alive," even ahead of the Pope. In a poll of U.S. troops at the close of World War II, Crosby topped the list as the person who did the most for G.I. morale, beating out President Franklin D. Roosevelt, General Dwight Eisenhower, and Bob Hope. In 1996, the U.S. Congress honoured Bob Hope by declaring him the "first and only honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces." Hope appeared in or hosted 199 known USO shows. His 1970 and 1971 Christmas specials for NBC—filmed in Vietnam in front of military audiences at the height of the war—are on the list of the Top 30 U.S. Network Primetime Telecasts of All Time. Of Hope's USO shows in World War II, writer John Steinbeck, who was then working as a war correspondent, wrote in 1943: “When the time for recognition of service to the nation in wartime comes to be considered, Bob Hope should be high on the list. This man drives himself and is driven. It is impossible to see how he can do so much, can cover so much ground, can work so hard, and can be so effective. He works at a pace that would kill most people.” Don’t miss the celebration of the careers of Bing and Bob on the next ‘From The Vault’ program.

Wednesday night (9th June)

At 6:00 pm on The Shoalhaven’s own Community Radio Station, Shoalhaven FM, Harold Ellison’s program of Old-Time Radio Shows, ‘From The Vault,’ will play some of Bing Crosby’s and Bob Hope’s fabulous old radio shows, all with an amazing array of guest stars, in an evening filled with so much wonderful music and laughter that you’ll think you’ve died and gone to radio heaven on a program we‘re calling, ‘From The Vault’s “Road To The Shoalhaven” Night Starring Bing Crosby & Bob Hope.’

We’ll begin our “Crosby/Hope-athon” with ‘Philco Radio Time,’ and as Bing’s guests are non-other than Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, the timing seems right for a tongue-in-cheek look at how the three originally got together to do their famous “Road” motion pictures with a parody called “The Road to Hollywood” which takes a satirical look at what led up to “The Road To Zanzibar,” “The Road To Morocco,” “The Road To Bali,” “The Road To Singapore” and many more. Besides the songs especially written for this comical mock-history, Bing sings, “My Heart Goes Crazy” and “You Keep Coming Back Like a Song.” In addition, Skitch Henderson plays a positively beautiful piano solo.

Then, Frank Sinatra is Bob‘s guest on ‘The Bob Hope Show.’ As for comedy, besides Bob’s customary monologue, as this show was from just before Christmas 1953, Bob presents “A Yuletide Incident In The Lives of Sinatra and Hope,” and Frank sings “South of The Border.“

And then, we present an historical episode of Bing Crosby‘s ‘Philco Radio Time,’ with this show’s significance being that it was the first show in the history of broadcasting to be recorded using the new technology of magnetic tape recording. Bing, ever the perfectionist, was never happy with live broadcasting, which also tied him down to certain days of the week AND the entire show had to be repeated for each time zone. The only alternative had been either transcription on a 78 rpm record or wire recording, both of which were of comparatively poor quality. When the German-invented magnetic tape recording was demonstrated for Crosby after WWII, giving a sound indistinguishable from live broadcasting, Crosby invested his own money in the technology and then set out to find a network that would allow him to use it. His previous network, NBC, flatly refused. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) agreed to the experiment and Crosby's season premier on 1 October 1947 was the first magnetic tape broadcast in history. The difference in sound quality is nothing short of incredible and when compared to the other transcribed shows played on this evening’s program, even those from several years later, you will be amazed at the increased fidelity. Harold will fill you in on the fascinating story of this development in sound technology, and Bing’s guests will be Gary Cooper and Peggy Lee.

Finally, you’ll hear ‘The New Swan Show,’ as Bob Hope’s program for Swan Soap was called. Bob’s guests are Bing Crosby and Doris Day. Bing sings “A Little Bird,” Doris sings “My Darling” and Bing and Bob do a very funny version of “Buttons and Bows.” It’s the perfect ending to ‘From The Vault’s “Road To The Shoalhaven” Night Starring Bing Crosby & Bob Hope.’

‘From The Vault’ immediately follows Harold Ellison's other Shoalhaven FM program, ‘The Jazz Café,’ featuring the soothing sounds of mellow, Smooth Jazz, 4 to 6 pm Wednesdays.

Rodney Wingfield (a.k.a. R.D. Wingfield), was for twenty years a stalwart of BBC radio drama, producing a steady stream of intelligent mystery plays with a built-in guarantee of enjoyment for the listener. He is, of course, famous now as the creator of Inspector Jack Frost, reaching a wide audience through his Frost novels and a spin-off TV series with David Jason starring; but it was on radio that he honed his skills, and even the celebrated Frost made his bow on the wireless. Mystery writers aren’t generally known for having a sense of humour, but this was definitely not the case with Wingfield, who of course, had to have the last laugh. At his funeral, the officiating priest had just informed the congregation that Rodney had insisted on being buried with his mobile phone, “just in case of oversights”. Right on cue, with immaculate timing, a mobile phone began to ring and everyone in the church held their breath. It turned out to be the priest’s own mobile which he’d forgotten to turn off. You’ll be able to hear Rodney Wingfield’s first ever radio play, “Compensating Error,” on the next ‘From The Vault’ program.

Wednesday night (2nd June)

At 6:00 pm on The Shoalhaven’s own Community Radio Station, Shoalhaven FM, Harold Ellison’s program of Old-Time Radio Shows, ‘From The Vault,’ will feature two magnificent dramas produced by BBC radio. The BBC has never stopped producing fine radio drama, and much of it has to do with the fact that they actively seek out and uncover the work of some of the best and most popular mystery writers. R.D. Wingfield, for one, has been selling his work to the BBC for decades. His main detective is Jack Frost (first radio, then novels and TV), but his radio plays are usually about people scrambling for a buck. He writes about business and what happens to small lives when something huge happens. Wingfield at his very best can be gruesome, funny, and engrossing from the first line, a quality he shares with another writer we’re featuring on this program, Max Marquee. Their work is as good as radio mystery gets and this evening you‘ll have an opportunity to hear outstanding hour-long examples of work from both Wingfield and Marquee on a program we‘re calling, ‘From The Vault’s The Best of British Drama Night.’

Our first BBC drama is “Dead Drop” by Max Marquee. June and Harold found a body beside a road in Hampstead, England, reported it and then the body seems to have vanished. The police, believing it to be a hoax, quickly lost interest. But then some grey types turn up in the person of Mr. Hart, who asks more and harder questions. And when the police get nasty, you can’t blame a girl for getting a little upset and a little paranoid. The cast features Douglas Blackwell, Nigel Anthony, Edward Kelsey and Patricia Gallimore.

Then, also from the BBC, we present R.D. Wingfield’s “Compensating Error.” “Dog Eat Dog,” as a phrase, may have gone out of fashion, but it still describes what goes on in business. Mr. Davenport and Mr. Desmond are a couple of old dogs, accountants who after 35 years on the job, find themselves being chased out of the yard by a younger mutt with a substantial bite. A thoroughly modern take on white collar crime, after spending their lives being absolutely honest bank employees, Davenport and Desmond have discovered an error in accounts caused by their new replacement and it could spell financial independence for them both. The cast features Derek Guyler and George Benson.

‘From The Vault’ airs immediately after Harold Ellison's other program, ‘The Jazz Café,’ featuring the soothing sounds of mellow, Smooth Jazz, 4 to 6 pm Wednesdays.

Mickey Rooney, is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. During his career he has won multiple awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award. Best known for his work as the Andy Hardy character, Rooney has had one of the longest careers of any actor in Hollywood. In 1937, Rooney was selected to portray Andy Hardy in “A Family Affair,” which MGM had planned as a B-movie. Rooney provided the film’s comic relief making it an unexpected success, and led to thirteen more "Andy Hardy" films. Also in 1937, he made his first film alongside Judy Garland. They became close friends and a successful song and dance team. They appeared together in a string of successful musicals, including the Oscar nominated Babes in Arms (1939). Although Rooney was most famous for his comic relief roles, he was also a fine dramatic actor, which you’ll hear a fine example of in an episode of ‘Suspense’ on the next ‘From The Vault’ program.

Wednesday night (26th May)

At 6:00 pm on The Shoalhaven’s own Community Radio Station, Shoalhaven FM, Harold Ellison’s program of Old-Time Radio Shows, ‘From The Vault,’ will feature four episodes of radio’s outstanding theatre of thrills… ‘Suspense,’ with each episode starring one of Hollywood’s finest actors in “tales well calculated to keep you in… Suspense!” Due primarily to the high tension developed by these award-wining dramas, Harold usually tries to limit the episodes of this series to one in an evenings program, but under the circumstances where he wishes listeners to be as effected as possible by the brilliance of these productions, one entire program will be dedicated to hearing nothing but some of the series most terrifyingly suspenseful performances on a program we’re calling, ‘From The Vault’s Most Suspenseful Night.’

Our first ‘Suspense’ episode stars John Lund, a leading man of motion pictures of the 1940’s and 50’s, who appeared in films opposite Olivia de Havilland, Marlene Dietrich and Grace Kelly, amongst others, stars in “Experiment 6R.” Lund plays an Assistant Hotel Manager who sees no other way of ending up in the hotel’s top position as long as the current Manager is alive… and he is very healthy indeed. But then an opportunity too good to pass up presents itself where with the help of a hotel guest’s medical experiments he can rid himself of the man blocking his way to the top… and it would have worked too, had it not been for one little idiosyncrasy of the Manager’s which leads to the wrong man’s demise, in the terrifying ‘Suspense’ episode, “Experiment 6R.”

Then Mickey Rooney takes on the unusual role of a small time gangster whose only real enemy was another small time gangster. The police have told them both that if one is ever killed, they will know immediately that it was the other who did it. Well, without giving too much thought to that threat, Mickey’s character does bump off his rival, but being smart he know that if he can come up with a good alibi for his whereabouts at the time of the murder, he’s home free. But that’s easier said than done in the ‘Suspense’ gem, ‘Alibi Me.”

And that will be followed by the superb British actor, Herbert Marshall, starring in Geoffrey Household’s classic thriller, ‘Rogue Male.’ In the most famous work of this prolific British author, Household’s 1939 novel is about a hunter who attempts to murder Adolph Hitler… and this was before England was even at war with Germany. He is captured before he gets to do the deed, and is brought back to England to embarrass the Government. This story gets much too exciting to tell you any more and risk ruining it for you. Suffice to say, you simply MUST listen in to hear the astounding ending to, ‘Rogue Male.’

And we‘ll end our evening of thrills and chills with William Holden starring in “Blood On The Trumpet,” with special trumpet effects by the famed musician-composer Ziggy Elman. Holden plays a down-and-out trumpet player in New Orleans who is constantly tormented by his unfaithful wife, until he can take no more and kills her… or so he thinks, until the police find otherwise in the shock ending to yet another brilliant ‘Suspense’ drama that’s filled with some great music.

‘From The Vault’ airs immediately after Harold Ellison's other program, ‘The Jazz Café,’ featuring the soothing sounds of mellow, Smooth Jazz, 4 to 6 pm Wednesdays.