Posts Tagged ‘Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear’

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, an all volunteer radio reenactment group, will present “The Big Show” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, at the Oak Park Arms retirement community, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Originally aired on Nov. 12, 1950, “The Big Show” was hosted by Talulah Bankhead and guest starred Fanny Brice, Handley Stafford, Jane Powell, Ezio Pinza, John Agar, Frank Lovejoy, Meredith Wilson and Groucho Marx

“The Big Show” was an American comedy-variety-musical TV series that strived to revitalize what was becoming a dwindling TV genre of variety shows like the   “Ed Sullivan Show” and “The Carol Burnett Show.” Using a huge stage set complete with a live audience, ice rink and swimming pool, the 90-minute time slots were always filled to capacity.

Famous guests performing skits, songs and comedic routines were regularly featured. Although the show started out with high ratings, poor reviews resulted in its cancellation just months later.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear will now entertain the audience with renditions of radio’s last great variety show.

The performers

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear is composed of Chicagoland actors who share a common interest – to perform old time radio programs for the community. Each actor and technician donates talent and time for free.

Group founders, Ben Dooley and Pam Turlow, husband and wife, established a connection with The Oak Park Arms in September of 2002, when Turlow’s father became a resident. They’ve been volunteering/performing at The Arms ever since.

Dooley and Turlow’s group performs only once every two months due to the considerable challenges involved in creating a show. They browse through thousands of old time radio episodes, select a favorite, listen and type out the script. Many shows are not available in print and have to be painstakingly transcribed. Then they gather sound effect, rehearse and mount the show.

Sound effects were an important part of live radio shows, and the group performs them live. They have a real door for slamming, buzzers, a sound board and shoes for footsteps, and doorbells.

The shows are very popular with residents and people from the community. Some even bring their children and grandchildren to show them what entertainment was like before television.

“Since the entire cast donates its time and energy, we can only do shows six times a year,” Dooley said, “but we strive to make sure that it’s well worth the wait.”

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The radio show is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, an all volunteer radio reenactment group, will present the “Lux Radio Theatre: The Maltese Falcon,” at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 30, at the Oak Park Arms retirement community, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Based on a classic detective story, this radio show is a rendition of one of the most famous film noirs of all time. A film noir describes stylish Hollywood crime drama with an emphasis on cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Shifty characters, suspense and plenty of plot twists will keep the audience guessing until the end.

Written by Dashiell Hammett in 1930, “The Maltese Falcon” features characters like Sam Spade, Effie Guttman and Cairo, all striving to be the first to uncover a missing, jewel-encrusted statuette – the Maltese Falcon.

Named one of the greatest films of all time by both Roger Ebert and Entertainment Weekly, the film was cited by Panorama du Film Noir Americain as the first major film noir.

The Lux Radio Theater was a long-running broadcasted classic radio anthology series. The hour-long radio programs, performed live for studio audiences quickly became the most popular dramatic anthology series and were broadcast on radio for more than 20 years, after which the programs continued on television through the 1950s.

The performers

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear is composed of Chicagoland actors who share a common interest – to perform old time radio programs for the community. Each actor and technician donates talent and time for free.

Group founders, Ben Dooley and Pam Turlow, husband and wife, established a connection with The Oak Park Arms in September of 2002, when Turlow’s father became a resident. They’ve been volunteering/performing at The Arms ever since.

Dooley and Turlow’s group performs only once every two months due to the considerable challenges involved in creating a show. They browse through thousands of old time radio episodes, select a favorite, listen and type out the script. Many shows are not available in print and have to be painstakingly transcribed. Then they gather sound effect, rehearse and mount the show.

Sound effects were an important part of live radio shows, and the group performs them live. They have a real door for slamming, buzzers, a sound board and shoes for footsteps, and doorbells.

The shows are very popular with residents and people from the community. Some bring their children and grandchildren to show them what entertainment was like before television.

“Since the entire cast donates its time and energy, we can only do shows six times a year,” Dooley said, “but we strive to make sure that it’s well worth the wait.”

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The radio show is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, an all volunteer radio reenactment group, will present “When Celebrities Collide” at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 14, at the Oak Park Arms retirement community, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Many popular personalities from film and radio will be portrayed on the stage at the Arms. The star-studded cast will include the greats such as Betty Hutton and Danny Kaye, host of “The Danny Kaye Show.” Groucho Marx, Tallulah Bankhead, Baby Snooks and Daddy, Ezio Pinza, Jan Powell and Hanley Stafford will also be portrayed with a parody of “You Bet Your Life” on “The Big Show.”

The American variety show, hosted by Danny Kaye, aired from 1963 to 1967 with an emphasis on comedy. Kaye sang and danced his way through skits and monologues often assisted by semi-regular guests, singers, dancers and an orchestra.

“You Bet Your Life” is an American quiz show that aired in 1947 on both radio and T.V. Groucho Marx was the host of the original (and best-known) version of the show, which was renamed “The Groucho Show” in 1960 and aired that way for another year. In fact, the play of the game became secondary to the exchanges between Groucho and his contestants.

“The Big Show,” an American comedy-variety-musical T.V. series, was produced and broadcast in 1980. It strived to revitalize what was becoming a dwindling T.V. genre of variety shows, including the recently cancelled “Ed Sullivan Show” and “The Carol Burnett Show.” Using a huge stage set complete with a live audience, ice rink and swimming pool, the 90-minute time slots were filled to capacity. Although the show started out with high ratings, poor reviews resulted in its cancellation just months later.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear will combine the best of the best into one unforgettable show – live – at the Arms.

The performers

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear is composed of Chicagoland actors who share a common interest – to perform old time radio programs for the community. Each actor and technician donates talent and time for free.

Group founders, Ben Dooley and Pam Turlow, husband and wife, established a connection with The Oak Park Arms in September of 2002, when Turlow’s father became a resident. They’ve been volunteering/performing at The Arms ever since.

Dooley and Turlow’s group performs only once every two months due to the considerable challenges involved in creating a show. They browse through thousands of old time radio episodes, select a favorite, listen and type out the script. Many shows are not available in print and have to be painstakingly transcribed. Then they gather sound effect, rehearse and mount the show.

Sound effects were an important part of live radio shows, and the group performs them live. They have a real door for slamming, buzzers, a sound board and shoes for footsteps, and doorbells.

The shows are very popular with residents and people from the community. Some even bring their children and grandchildren to show them what entertainment was like before television.

“Since the entire cast donates its time and energy, we can only do shows six times a year,” Dooley said, “but we strive to make sure that it’s well worth the wait.”

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The radio show is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, an all volunteer radio reenactment group, will present “The New York Strip,” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, at the Oak Park Arms retirement community, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Author Damon Runyon is best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway that grew out of the Prohibition era in New York City. Runyon spun humorous and sentimental tales of gamblers, hustlers, actors and gangsters with names like “Nathan Detroit,” Benny Southstreet,” Big Jule,” Harry the Horse” or “The Seldom Seen Kid.”

He is known for writing in the present tense, and a combination of colorful slang and formal speech makes his style distinctive.

“Guys and Dolls,” is a musical based on two of Runyon’s stories written in the 1920s and 1930s, and a popular presentation of his fictional world to the general public.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear will take the audience in for a closer look at the seedy underworld of New York City through the masterful slang and gangster style of these “Runyonesque” characters.

The performers

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear is composed of Chicagoland actors who share a common interest – to perform old time radio programs for the community. Each actor and technician donates talent and time for free.

Group founders, Ben Dooley and Pam Turlow, husband and wife, established a connection with The Oak Park Arms in September of 2002, when Turlow’s father became a resident. They’ve been volunteering/performing at The Arms ever since.

Dooley and Turlow’s group performs only once every two months due to the considerable challenges involved in creating a show. They browse through thousands of old time radio episodes, select a favorite, listen and type out the script. Many shows are not available in print and have to be painstakingly transcribed. Then they gather sound effect, rehearse and mount the show.

Sound effects were an important part of live radio shows, and the group performs them live. They have a real door for slamming, buzzers, a sound board and shoes for footsteps, and doorbells.

The shows are very popular with residents and people from the community. Some even bring their children and grandchildren to show them what entertainment was like before television.

“Since the entire cast donates its time and energy, we can only do shows six times a year,” Dooley said, “but we strive to make sure that it’s well worth the wait.”

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The radio show is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, an all volunteer radio reenactment group, will perform “The Cinnamon Bear,” live at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23, at the Oak Park Arms Retirement Community, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the extremely popular holiday radio program broadcast on WGN radio.

WGN radio first aired The Cinnamon Bear radio show in 1938, broadcasting an episode every night between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Cinnamon Bear, stole the hearts and imaginations of listeners across the country with the adventures of young Judy and Jimmy Barton.

Twins Judy and Jimmy are searching the attic for the Silver Star that belongs atop their Christmas tree when they meet a stuffed bear with shoe-button eyes and a green scarf – Paddy O’Cinnamon — who offers to help them. The Cinnamon Bear teaches the twins how to “de-grow” so they can fit through the attic tunnel and flies them off to the weird and wonderfully enchanted world of Maybeland.

With only a month to find their star, the clock is ticking for the trio. Along the way they encounter other memorable characters such as the Crazy Quilt Dragon (who tries repeatedly to steal the star for himself), the Wintergreen Witch, Fe Fo the Giant, and Queen Melissa.

Eventually Judy, Jimmy and the Cinnamon Bear make their way to the North Pole and the adventure ends on Christmas morning with a special visit from Santa Claus himself.

The show was recorded in just a few weeks by a group of merchants as an advertising promotion and was first broadcast in 1937. Its immense and immediate appeal has sealed its legacy as a traditional holiday classic.

In 1951 WGN-TV produced and aired a TV series of “The Cinnamon Bear.” Judy, Jimmy and all the other characters were transitioned to the screen as hand puppets and the transcription disc recordings of the radio program were used as a soundtrack. The series was aired on WGN-TV until its final season in 1954. It was sponsored by Wieboldt’s Department Store.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear Performers

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear is composed of Chicagoland actors who share a common interest – to perform old time radio programs for the community. Each actor and technician donates talent and time for free.

Group founders, Ben Dooley and Pam Turlow, husband and wife, established a connection with The Oak Park Arms in September of 2002, when Turlow’s father became a resident. They’ve been volunteering/performing at The Arms ever since.

Dooley and Turlow’s group performs only once every two months due to the considerable challenges involved in creating a show. They browse through thousands of old time radio episodes, select a favorite, listen and type out the script. Many shows are not available in print and have to be painstakingly transcribed. Then they gather sound effect, rehearse and mount the show.

Sound effects were an important part of live radio shows, and the group performs them live. They have a real door for slamming, buzzers, a sound board and shoes for footsteps, and doorbells.

The shows are very popular with residents and people from the community. Some even bring their children and grandchildren to show them what entertainment was like before television.

“Since the entire cast donates its time and energy, we can only do shows six times a year,” Dooley said, “but we strive to make sure that it’s well worth the wait.”

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The radio show is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, an all volunteer radio reenactment group, will present “The War of the Worlds,” at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, at the Oak Park Arms retirement community, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

“The War of the Worlds” was performed as a Halloween episode of the radio drama “The Mercury Theatre on the Air” in 1938. Directed and narrated by Orson Welles, the episode was an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ novel “The War of the Worlds.”

The novel is one of the earliest stories that details a conflict between mankind and an extraterrestrial race. The plot centers around London’s countryside as Earth is invaded by Martians.

The first two-thirds of the episode was presented as a contemporary retelling of Wells’ novel through a series of simulated news bulletins. Because the show ran without commercial breaks, an element of realism was added to the program which later resulted in panic and confusion among the population.

Days after the broadcast some listeners were fearful and outraged, either believing an alien invasion had actually occurred, or upset over the deception of the broadcast. Regardless, Welles’ fame had been secured.

Despite the controversy, or maybe because of it, “The War of the Worlds” broadcast was made part of the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress on Jan. 27, 2003.

The performers

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear is composed of Chicagoland actors who share a common interest – to perform old time radio programs for the community. Each actor and technician donates talent and time for free.

Group founders, Ben Dooley and Pam Turlow, husband and wife, established a connection with The Oak Park Arms in September of 2002, when Turlow’s father became a resident. They’ve been volunteering/performing at The Arms ever since.

Dooley and Turlow’s group performs only once every two months due to the considerable challenges involved in creating a show. They browse through thousands of old time radio episodes, select a favorite, listen and type out the script. Many shows are not available in print and have to be painstakingly transcribed. Then they gather sound effect, rehearse and mount the show.

Sound effects were an important part of live radio shows, and the group performs them live. They have a real door for slamming, buzzers, a sound board and shoes for footsteps, and doorbells.

The shows are very popular with residents and people from the community. Some even bring their children and grandchildren to show them what entertainment was like before television.

“Since the entire cast donates its time and energy, we can only do shows six times a year,” Dooley said, “but we strive to make sure that it’s well worth the wait.”

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The radio show is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.