A Radio Christmas Sampler
Re-Imagined Radio celebrates the Christmas holidays with selections from Christmas episodes of radio programs like Suspense, Rocky Fortune, The Damon Runyon Theatre, The Jack Benny Program, Bing Crosby and The Kraft Music Hall, Vic and Sade, and the 2020 recorded performance of "A Radio Christmas Carol" by Metropolitan Performing Arts. Since 2013 Re-Imagined Radio has offered a holiday celebration. We continue this tradition with "A Radio Christmas Sampler."
A scene with Scrooge begins "A Radio Christmas Sampler." Jeffrey Puukka voices Scrooge. Another scene with Tiny Tim closes the episode. Greg Shilling voices Tiny Tim. Both are sampled from the 2020 Re-Imagined Radio broadcast of "A Radio Christmas Carol" with Metropolitan Performing Arts.
Selections from "Vic’s Christmas Card List," from the radio series Vic and Sade, created and written by Paul Rhymer and broadcast five days a week from 1932-1944, feature Rhymer’s unique comedic style and outrageous character names. In this sample from a December 1939 episode, Victor Gook, a bookkeeper for Plant 14 of the Consolidated Kitchenware Company, Sade, his homebody wife, and Rush, their adopted son discuss why Vic has to send Christmas cards to people he rarely, if ever, meets.
Our sampling of "Dancing Dan’s Christmas," speaks to how, at Christmas, we may chart a new course for our lives. It’s from the March 13, 1949 episode of The Damon Runyon Theatre, a year long series featuring dramatizations of stories by the author Damon Runyon set against the backdrop of New York City. John Brown narrates as Broadway, a small time criminal with a heart of gold. His story has warmth and appeal.
"Decorating the Christmas Tree," proves a shocking experience for Jack Benny, host of the 23 December 1951 Christmas episode of The Jack Benny Program.
"Department Store Santa" samples a performance by Frank Sinatra, the singer and musical artist from the 22 December 1953 episode of his little-known radio series, Rocky Fortune. Sinatra plays Rocky Fortune, a footloose young gentleman who accepts odd jobs. Here he is a part-time Santa Claus in a downtown department store. Sinatra is street wise and hep talkin’ but he’s just the man to deal with the robberies and help out a young girl who wants a particular Christmas gift, and her older, attractive sister.
"Korean Christmas Carol" considers, from a paranormal perspective, being away from family and friends at Christmas, in our sample from the 20 December 1959 episode of Suspense. Bill Lipton narrates.
"A Radio Christmas Sampler" closes with a joyful rendition of "Jingle Bells" by Bing Crosby and others sampled from the 12 December 1944 episode of Bing Crosby and The Kraft Music Hall.
Metropolitan Performing Arts, of Vancouver, WA, provide Christmas songs throughout.
