Radio by the Book : Adaptations of Literature and Fiction on the Airwaves

During the first half of the 20th century, radio's hunger for captivating characters and stories could not be sated. Three national networks and dozens of independent stations had to fill a vast expanse of air time with comedy, adventure, mystery, drama and music, night after night. It's no surprise that producers and writers looked to outside sources, drawing some of old-time radio's most beloved characters (Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, Hopalong Cassidy, Buck Rogers) directly from books. This work examines individual characters that jumped from prose to radio and a number of programs that specialized in dramatizing literature. It covers mystery and detective shows, adventure stories, westerns, and science fiction, and anthology shows that adapted novels by such greats as Twain, Steinbeck and Dickens. The text explores how the writers and producers approached the source material--what they changed, what they kept and what they left out. Dedication Table of Contents Preface Introduction Part I: Mystery The Saint Flashgun Casey The Falcon Boston Blackie The Lone Wolf Frank Merriwell Bulldog Drummond Charlie Chan Mr. Moto Perry Mason Nick Carter Philo Vance Ellery Queen Hercule Poirot Nero Wolfe Sherlock Holmes Mr. and Mrs. North The Thin Man The Fat Man Sam Spade Philip Marlowe Michael Shayne The Shadow The Avenger The Green Lama Fu Manchu Molle Mystery Theater Part II: Adventure Tarzan Escape Part III: Westerns Hopalong Cassidy The Cisco Kid Part IV: Science Fiction Buck Rogers Dimension X and X Minus One Exploring Tomorrow Part V: General Anthologies The Damon Runyon Theater Favorite Story The Mercury Theatre on the Air and The Campbell Playhouse The World’s Great Novels and NBC University Theater Mystery in the Air The Weird Circle NBC Presents: Short Story Miscellaneous Adaptations Bibliography Index During the first half of the 20th century, when radio reigned supreme in the living rooms of America, the medium's hunger for captivating characters and stories could not be sated. This book examines individual characters that jumped from prose to radio, and looks at anthology programs that specialized in dramatizing short stories or novels. "This book examines characters that jumped from prose to radio, and also looks at a number of anthology programs that specialized in dramatizing short stories or novels. It begins with an exploration of mystery and detective shows, followed by evaluations of adventure stories, westerns, and science fiction"--Provided by publisher.