Lit Between the Ears

We've moved

2007-01-14T13:05:00.000-05:00

Lit Between the Ears has moved. Click through to our new home. We're still covering radio drama, its power and people, but at a different location.

William Spear
Publisher and Editor
Lit Between the Ears - Celebrating the Power and People of Radio Drama
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Dramatic Radio - "Oh, the humanity"

2006-08-27T21:10:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, May 6, 1937, Herbert Morrison, a correspondent with Chicago's WLS, was in Lakehurst, New Jersey to cover a routine transatlantic crossing of Germany's airship, Hindenburg.

What Morrison saw was one of the first examples of radio's power to deliver dramatic events in realtime.

As he stood with a crowd of onlookers in Lakehurst watching the airship moor, Morrison reported as follows: "The ship is riding majestically toward us like some great feather, riding as though it was mighty good...mighty proud of the place it's playing in the world's aviation. ...

"The ship is no doubt bustling with activity as we can see; orders are shouted to the crew, the passengers probably lining the windows looking down at the field ahead of them, getting their glimpse of the mooring mast. And these giant flagships standing here, the American Airline flagships, waiting to direct them to all points in the United States when they get the ship moored. ...

"It's practically standing still now. They've dropped ropes out of the nose of the ship, and it's been taken a hold of down on the field by a number of men. It's starting to rain again; the rain had slacked up a little bit. The back motors of the ship are just holding it, just enough to keep it from --

"It burst into flames! Get out of the way! Get out of the way! It's fire and it's crashing! It's crashing terrible! Oh, my! Get out of the way, please! It's burning, bursting into flames and is falling on the mooring mast. ...

"This is the worst of the worst catastrophes in the world! Oh, it's crashing...oh, four or five hundred feet into the sky, and it's a terrific crash, ladies and gentlemen. There's smoke, and there's flames, now, and the frame is crashing to the ground, not quite to the mooring mast...Oh, the humanity, and all the passengers screaming around here!"

Harrowing or entertaining, radio moves its audience.

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Three Questions: an interview with ...

2006-08-22T08:29:00.000-04:00

The press release for "Lit Between the Ears, Volume One: Chekhov, O. Henry, Spear and Tarkington On the Air" started with a simple premise - radio drama in the United States is not dead. That statement was expanded in the book's Introduction to reference dramatists and performance companies across the country shaping radio to meet their creative visions.

Those dramatists and performance companies will be offered an opportunity to present themselves and offer insight on their work here in Lit Between the Ears. The format is modest: three questions, a line or two of biographical information and a glimpse into what they are currently working.

The questions are straightforward:
1) How is radio drama similar to, and different from, stage, film or television?
2) What should our industry do to reach new listeners?
3) What is your favorite piece of radio drama and why?

Look for columns titled "Three Questions: an interview with ...". Perhaps you'll find a writer or story that confirms the press release for Lit Between the Ears - "Radio drama in the United States is not dead."

Enjoy.

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Public Service Announcement: Radio drama as a cure for cranky cel calls

2006-08-20T23:28:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend was realized an usual phenomenon - the cel phone seems more of an anchor than a liberator. And an aggravating anchor at that.

The devil you say. So said.

Scenario: Friday, Saturday and Sunday were spent in the world of retail shopping. Not at all uncommon. Here in New Jersey, malls and shopping are celebrated more than Bruce Springsteen.

How amazing to note the lowly and dead common cel phone - the must-have accessory - more often than not put the calls' recipients into funks rather than a fantastic moods. For minutes on end, office topics were debated, family divisions were made public and marital discord was aired. From the outside listening in, none of the three were of significant interest.

What if those frustrated cel call recipients were receiving the next installments of their favorite radio dramas instead of audio migraines from colleagues and loved ones? What if they were listening to 10 minutes of comedy, mystery or suspence instead of profits and losses, cranky children or sour spouses.

Welcome to the Handheld Radio Drama Network (HRDN) - relief for the miserable cel call. HRDN could cel-cast programs to mobile phone and audio-enabled PDA owners on regular schedules or for delayed playback Tivo-style. All for a very reasonable monthly subscription fee.

If readers find that business sounding familiar, the Handheld Radio Drama Network was debuted right here. ("Radio drama and the passing of the PC"; Lit Between the Ears; Tuesday, August 01, 2006) We'll keep you posted on its progress.

Long live great drama. Long live the power of voices.

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Focus On: Westwood One

2006-08-18T15:17:00.000-04:00

In Sarah McBride's August 8, 2006 Wall Street Journal article titled, "Westwood One's Radio Revival," the journalist spoke with Peter Kosann, President and Chief Executive Officer, of Westwood One.

Westwood One supplies radio and television stations with information services and programming. It provides a broad range of programming and information services, which deliver audience to advertisers and also deliver traffic, news, talk, sports and entertainment programs to its affiliate stations.

Mr. Kosann spoke of content as the key to future growth. Quoting Mr. Kosann and Ms. McBride's article directly:

"I want our content to jump off the radio," he says. "So if you're in a car, even if you're distracted, even if you're on your cellphone, even if you've got your iPod, I want you to seek and scan for the Westwood One content."

Nothing jumps off he radio better than radio drama, comedy or suspense.

Imagine regularly scheduled dramatic programming supported by the performers being interviewed on Westwood One's Access Hollywood and ET Radio Minute. Add in appearances on America In the Morning with Jim Bohannon or First Light with Dirk Van. The shows' composers would be candidates for interviews on Westwood One's music shows. Toss in the potential for podcasts or web streaming and radio drama can have a broad impact across media companies.

Given the accessible cost of production, radio drama is a cost-effective means to produce entertainment that "jumps off the radio."

Rock on.
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"When the Last Leaf Falls" from Lit Between the Ears, Volume One

2006-08-10T16:19:00.000-04:00

When the Last Leaf Falls, an adaptation of O. Henry's The Last Leaf, is included in Lit Between the Ears, Volume One: Chekhov, O. Henry, Spear and Tarkington On the Air. The story is about Sue and Jonesy, two artists sharing a studio. Sue is a no-nonsense transplant from Maine and Jonesy is a delicate newcomer from California. During a bout of cold harsh weather, pneumonia ravages the area and Jonesy succumbs to its embrace.

Compounding Jonesy's condition is her belief that she'll die when the last ivy leaf falls from its vine outside their studio window. Sue doesn't believe life or death matters are determined in such a way and tries logically arguing the point. However, she is fearful for her friend's life and despite her most reasoned debates, a raging storm blows more leaves from the vine and Jonesy's life fades further.

Sue enlists the help of Behrman, another resident living in the same building. Behrman is an older artist seeking inspiration for a masterpiece. As Jonesy counts down the remaining ivy leaves, she offers her imminent death as an inspiration which Behrman accepts. Sue chastises them both but Jonesy insists she'll die when the last leaf falls. Sue forms a plan around the phrase "when the last leaf falls" and agrees to the idea of Jonesy's death inspiring Behrman's art but under one condition - Jonesy must sleep while Behrman is painting.

Sue and Behrman rush to help Jonesy get well. But what will happen When the Last Leaf Falls?

Lighting the Fuse: An Excerpt from When the Last Leaf Falls
The first excerpt is early in the play. Sue, Jonesy and Behrman are having dinner at a local cafe. Behrman has complained that another artist of middling rank will stage an exhibition at a nearby gallery. Sue and Behrman good-naturedly go back and forth over the competing artist's abilities before Sue realizes Jonesy is quiet.

...

SUE: Are you all right Jonesy? You look pale.

JONESY: It's a bit warm Sue. More sherry'll ...

SUE: (ALARMED) Jonesy? Are you okay? (CALLS OUT) She's fainting. Somebody help.

MUSIC: UP AND ESTABLISH: SEGUE. UNDER TO BED.

ANNOUNCER: When the Last Leaf Falls is based upon an O. Henry short story and stars __________ as Sue and __________ as Jonesy. __________ directs the performance and William E. Spear wrote the script.

MUSIC: LET BED BREATHE.

ANNOUNCER: Pneumonia is ravaging the county. Stalking its victims without remorse. Sue - rough and tumble from Maine's timber country - resisted Pneumonia's embrace. But Jonesy - sensitive and delicate from California's shores - fell seriously ill. And the Doctor's prognosis is grave.

...

The easily overlooked aspect of this excerpt in particular, and of radio drama in general, is the importance of an Announcer. Summing up what has just happened and setting the stage for what is about to come is a skillful art. Announcers are worth their weight in gold.

Lighting the Fuse: Another Excerpt from When the Last Leaf Falls
Later in the play, after Jonesy's been diagnosed with pneumonia and she's counting the falling leaves to her death, she and Behrman speculate that her passing might serve as an inspiration for Behrman's next painting.

Sue is appalled at their casual talk of Jonesy's looming death and finally is unable maintain her composure.

...

SFX: OFF MIC: BEHRMAN KNOCKS ON DOOR.

SUE: Come in.

SFX: OFF MIC: BEHRMAN OPENS AND CLOSES DOOR.

SUE: Hello Behrman.

BEHRMAN: (COME ON MIC) Hello. How iss the patient?

JONESY: Not vell ... I mean not well. I'll be dead before dark.

BEHRMAN: With that icestorm blow-ingk outside vee'll all be dead of Pneumonia before morning. (BEAT) I come look-ingk vor inspiration. I must haff inspiration for my masterpiece.

JONESY: Death inspires. Use me.

BEHRMAN: Dat's a goot idea. Ven Miss Jonesy crosses to dee other side …

SUE: (BITE CUE: FRUSTRATED) Jonesy isn't crossing to the other side.

BEHRMAN: But I must haff inspiration. Behrman he must haff the inspiration.

JONESY: You heard him Sue. He must haff the inspiration. (ALOUD) Three. Only three are left.

SUE: (MORE FRUSTRATION) Stop counting.

BEHRMAN: Vot are you count-ingk?

JONESY: Ivy leaves. When they're all gone I'll die.

BEHRMAN: Then I haff my inspiration.

JONESY: Then you haff inspiration.

SUE: Both of you stop.

JONESY: But it's true. I'll die when the last leaf falls.

SUE: Say that again.

JONESY: When the ivy leaves are gone I'll die.

SUE: All right - you can be Behrman's inspiration. But you must let me close the shades to help Behrman. And close your eyes while he's working.

...

Sue's plan, with Behrman's assistance, is classic O. Henry. He is a master of the short story and his twist endings are widely known. However, O. Henry's short story and When the Last Leaf Falls diverge.

Enjoy both.

# 30 #

Dramatic Radio - "The Giants win the pennant"

2006-08-08T07:32:00.000-04:00

Lit Between the Ears honors dramatic radio as well as radio drama. Both are comprised of the same four components - voices, music, sounds and silence. Voices from the world of sports - particularly the announcers - have often added to the legacy of dramatic radio.

In 1951, Major League Baseball began on April 17 for the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers. Although the Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies and the Dodgers lost to the Boston Braves, both teams' fortunes quickly moved in opposite directions.

Nonetheless, five and one-half months and 157 games later, the Giants were National League Champions. And in between was one of the greatest comebacks in sports history and a radio call that thrilled the Giants' faithful and deflated Dodger fans.

After their opening game loss, the Dodgers romped to a huge lead. On the August 11th, their lead over the Giants was a formidable 13 1/2 games. The Dodgers won 26 of their next 48 games and appeared headed for the playoffs.

But the Giants caught fire and streaked after the leaders. Over the next 44 games, the Giants won 37 and ended the season in a tie with the Dodgers. The pennant would be decided by a three-game playoff.

Each team won once and the final game would determine the National League champion. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Dodgers led four to two with the Giants batting. They had two men on the bases. Russ Hodges described the action as follows:

"Branca throws. There's a long drive. It's gonna be, I believe -- The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! Bobby Thomson hits into the lower deck of the left-field stands! The Giants win the pennant! And they're going crazy! They're going crazy! Oh-ho!"

Hodges' chanting, commanding, joyous and disbelieving screams of "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!" has become one of the best known calls in radio history and nearly overshadowed the Giants' pennant victory.

Long live the power of voices. Long live radio.

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"The Splendor in Midland" from Lit Between the Ears, Volume One

2006-08-04T07:19:00.000-04:00

The fourth script in Lit Between the Ears, Volume One: Chekhov, O. Henry, Spear and Tarkington On the Air is The Splendor in Midland. Splendor chronicles the changes in fortunes and social positions of three Midland families: 1) The Ambersons; 2) The Minafers; and, 3) The Morgans. The Ambersons and Minafers are both financially decimated. The Ambersons also lose their prominence and standing within the community. Concurrent with the decline of the Ambersons and Minafers is the rise in wealth and status for the Morgans.

The focal character, and catalyst for events, is Georgie Amberson Minafer. Georgie is the third generation of Ambersons in the Midwestern town of Midland. His abundance of manly beauty and Amberson lineage is noticed by everyone. However, his antics as a spoiled youth make Midlanders hope and pray for his come-upance - something that will take him down a notch or two. When his come-upance ultimately arrives, it delivers a fierce thrashing "three times filled and running over."

The Splendor in Midland is currently a script-in-progress, an attempt to show how scripts are written and the considerations behind story and character development. It is adapted from Booth Tarkington's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Magnificent Ambersons. Tarkington (born 29 July 1869, died 19 May 1946) was an American writer and The Magnificent Ambersons was the second book of his Growth trilogy. Orson Welles adapted the novel to a film in 1942.

Lighting the Fuse: An Excerpt from The Splendor in Midland
The writing of The Splendor in Midland has begun and the following passage has received interesting feedback. In June, Hunterdon Radio Theatre (Clinton, NJ; http://www.hrtonline.org) conducted a script development session for its writers. The Splendor in Midland was included and the following passage was particularly noted for: 1) Setting tone for the characters; 2) Backfilling story details; and, 3) Setting the current story.

The session also demonstrated the requirement of two actors of contrasting styles to successfully perform the piece. These insights are routinely revealed through script development sessions.

In the passage, Eugene, the protagonist, is returning to Midland after an absence of 20 years. Fred Kinney, a minor character, is updating Eugene on the town's recent history. In 23 lines of dialogue, barely a page, Eugene and Fred establish the following: 1) Their friendship after a 20 year interruption; 2) They have both aged during that time; 3) An undetermined painful moment in Eugene's past 20 years ago; 4) Fred's bachelor party was raucous; and 5) Midland's residents don't think much of the story's main character, Georgie Amberson Minafer. Eugene also foreshadows what will ultimately be his greatest obstacle: A Mother's love for her children.

Excerpt from The Splendor in Midland
MUSIC: OFF MIC: ORCHESTRAL.

KINNEY: (OFF MIC: CALLS TO EUGENE) Gene Morgan! (ON MIC) I'd heard you were in town. I don't believe you know me!

EUGENE: Yes, I do, Fred Kinney! Your real face - the one I used to know - it's just underneath the one you're masquerading in tonight. You ought to have changed it more if you wanted a disguise.

KINNEY: Twenty years! It makes some difference in faces, but more in behavior!

EUGENE: So it does. My own behavior began to be different about that long ago - quite suddenly.

KINNEY: I remember.

EUGENE: Well ... Know what I remember? Your wedding. I saw your lovely wife upstairs.

KINNEY: She wasn't going to miss a big Amberson show for anything.

EUGENE: I remember your bachelor dinner too - most of it, that is.

KINNEY: More than what I can say about the night we went serenading.

EUGENE: That's a night I try not to remember.

KINNEY: Sorry Gene.

EUGENE: Don't think anything about it. Tell me, what's the old town been like for twenty years?

KINNEY: There's an heir to the Amberson line. Have you seen young Georgie?

EUGENE: Real good-looking boy. Seems like fine Amberson stock.

KINNEY: Too much Amberson, it seems, to some folks. His mother just fell down and worshipped him from the day he was born.

EUGENE: That's what Mothers are supposed to do.

Closing
Tarkington's The Magnificent Ambersons, the basis for The Splendor in Midland, is an outstanding novel and accessible. Welles' movie is equally entertaining. Enjoy both and stay tuned to the progress of The Splendor in Midland.

# 30 #

Radio drama and the passing of the PC

2006-08-01T23:30:00.000-04:00

Mr. Ray Ozzie, Chief Software Architect at Microsoft Corporation, has declared the passing of the personal computer as the center of the technology universe. Speaking at Microsoft's annual analyst meeting on July 27, he said, "In a previous era - the PC era - Microsoft would naturally begin with a PC mind-set." Ozzie went on to say: "We're in a new era, an era in which the Internet is at the center."

This is barely news to the radio drama industry which is already marketing, performing, distributing and selling over the Internet. However, later in his talk he speaks of the possibility of richer experiences due to "the power of software on mobile devices [and on] each device that we carry around."

Perhaps there's something worth contemplating.

What if a theoretical Handheld Radio Drama Network was cel-casting to mobile phone and audio-enabled PDA owners? Suppose the people that owned laptop and tablet computers received broadcasts from HRDN?

Don't like the sound of Handheld Radio Drama Network? Try these: Cel Phone Theatre; Mobile Mysteries; Cel SciFi, or maybe CelFi; ThrillCasts; or even SoapTones.

The point of this is that as our industry produces its entertainment offerings, technology continues to advance and find new applications. CDs, satellite radio and webcasts opened new markets in the past few years. Perhaps the Handheld Radio Drama Networks is the next.

Which begs the question: How might "The Wager" from Lit Between the Ears, Volume One, sound as a ringtone?

# 30 #

Radio drama in the United States is not dead

2006-07-31T06:20:00.000-04:00

"It still occupies niches over the air and across the Internet. America's first great mass entertainment medium retains its capacity to develop characters and advance plot lines in a singular manner. Lit Between the Ears offers plays for this power."
-excerpted from "Playwright's Introduction" of Lit Between the Ears, Volume One: Chekhov, O. Henry, Spear and Tarkington On the Air by William E. Spear.

Classic literary adaptations and contemporary drama have been brought together in Lit Between the Ears, Volume One: Chekhov, O. Henry, Spear and Tarkington On the Air (ISBN 0-9778-4022-0). Written by William E. Spear and published by Wolfmont Publishing in Ranger, GA, Lit Between the Ears, Volume One celebrates radio's unique capacity to entertain.

The plays include a self-imposed 15-year prison sentence in "The Wager," a countdown to death in "When the Last Leaf Falls," a singing debut and attempted murder in "You Didn't Have To Go" and three families' diverging fortunes in script-in-progress "The Splendor in Midland." Geraldine Downes, Jonesy, Donna Herb, Georgie Amberson Minafer and other characters tell their stories set in a banker's mansion, art studio, nightclub and Midwest America.

Radio drama survives on compact discs, podcasts and Internet broadcasts. The medium's flexibility and adaptability to various genre are strengths. Its individualized impact on listeners is another. Lit Between the Ears, Volume One: Chekhov, O. Henry, Spear and Tarkington On the Air offers plays for the enduring power of radio.

William E. Spear has written for radio since 1994. He founded Hunterdon Radio Theatre in 1999 and has written over 15 plays since. Spear's work has been broadcast in New York and New Jersey and his plays have been published on web sites across the country. Lit Between the Ears, Volume One is his second appearance in print.

Lit Between the Ears, Volume One: Chekhov, O. Henry, Spear and Tarkington On the Air was released on July 31, 2006. It is in 6 x 9 perfect-bound format, 128 pages, and retails for $14.95 in the U.S. and for £7.99 in the UK. It is available from major distribution chains, and listed in both Ingram’s and Baker & Taylor’s catalogs. It is also available for order on the publisher’s website, at http://www.wolfmont.com.

William E. Spear
President
Two Plus Plus Productions LLC
PO Box 5126
Clinton, NJ 08809-0126
TwoPlusPlus@earthlink.net
http://www.twoplusplus.com/

# 30 #

Welcome

2006-07-26T22:17:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Lit Between the Ears. The news and posts offered are meant to highlight radio drama in the US, identify new opportunities for the individuals and organization within the industry and spotlight where and how audiences can experience the medium.

In the United States, radio drama is a dramatic format whose prominence, but not practice, has passed. Colleagues in Great Britain, Canada, Ireland, Australia and other countries continue to entertain their audiences with stories ranging from comedy to suspense. Perhaps the US is ready to be reacquainted with an old friend.

New technologies such as internet radio, podcasts and satellite broadcasts are expanding the means to reach listeners. Audio editing software, CD burners, and affordable professional grade computers are enabling talented dramatists, actors, musicians, sound effects artists, technicians and engineers to enter the market.

Lit Between the Ears is also a series of forthcoming books of radio scripts. The stories range from adaptations of classic literature to contemporary drama. Starting with authors such as Chekhov and O. Henry, the series eases readers into a format which captures the power of the original works but presents them for the ear.

Whether you grew up listening to radio drama or think Walla Walla is only a city in Washington, Lit Between the Ears presents the enduring power of radio to entertain.

Enjoy.