So, with a little help from PDP-XI, I managed to grab 5 out of 6 episodes of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Tertiary Phase, broadcast and streamed over BBC Radio 4. One of the files wasn’t usable so I managed to track it down with AcquisitionX. Listened to it all last night and, barring some weird mismatches in volume levels, it was a lot of fun.
Then I discovered a link to the 1939 production of The War of the Worlds, the infamous Orson Welles/Mercury Theatre[1] version.
I listened to some of it this afternoon (lots of similarly good stuff here ) and it was amazing to listen to; I understand how people tuning in might have feared a real invasion was underway.
I have always liked radio shows, though they were out of fashion when I was growing up: my father turned me onto The Goon Show, a late 50s BBC romp that still sets some kind of standard for audio-only fun.
Listening to the new HHGG series reminded me of how well a story can be told with words and voices (and the odd sound effect) and how important the story and the acting is.
There are a few more old broadcasts (the Mercury Theatre’s version of The 39 Steps, the canonical thriller, is queued up for a listen): try it for yourself and see how works for you.
[*]
fn1. Mercury Theater Episode Guide:
THE MERCURY THEATER OF THE AIR was first heard as a Summer series of nine shows, on CBS affiliated stations and in Canada on the CBC. It was the first time a theater company brought drama to the radio, primarily. The shows were hour-long dramatizations of classic books. It was produced and directed by Orsen Welles, probably one of the most versatile and creative talents in the history of entertainment.