Ron's Amazing Stories
RAS #57 - Pride of the Yankees
Download | Duration: 00:52:13
The baseball season is in full swing now. In fact we are already up to the first set of interleague games. Baseball played a huge role in the early days of radio. People would spend their Saturday afternoons glued to their Philcos listening to their favorite teams play. No other team had a following like the Yankees and for the most part that continues even today. Our story for this week comes from one of the best teams that Yankees ever fielded, “Murderer's Row” featuring Babe Ruth and of course Lou Gehrig. Our tale is of the later and is called, Pride of the Yankees.
Henry Louis Gehrig was born June 19, 1903. He played 16 seasons for the New York Yankees. Gehrig is chiefly remembered for his prowess as a hitter and his durability, a trait which earned him his nickname "The Iron Horse". He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 and in 1969 he was voted the greatest first baseman of all time by the Baseball Writers' Association. Three of the top six RBI seasons in baseball history belong to Gehrig. It is no wonder that he to this day is revered as a MLB legend the like of which I doubt we will ever see again. On June 21, the New York Yankees announced Gehrig's retirement and proclaimed July 4, 1939, "Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day" at Yankee Stadium. It was on this day he made his famous speech dubbed, "The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth" which ended with the words, “So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you.” On June 2, 1941, at 10:10 p.m, sixteen years to the day after he replaced Wally Pipp at first base Log Gehrig died of ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. What we have this week comes from Lux Radio Theater and is a radio adaption of the classic baseball story, Pride of the Yankees. It stars most of the original cast including Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig. It first aired on October 4, 1943.
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RAS #56 - Just A Number
Download | Duration: 00:33:55
On this episode we have a western hybrid story for you. It comes from the classic crime drama, Tales of the Texas Rangers. It is the audition show and is called, Just a Number. It tells the tale of a rough neck cowboy who is running from Ranger Jayce Pearson. The series was a western adventure that used the latest scientific techniques to identify the criminals. However, it still represented the old west using horses, gunplay and fisticuffs to bring them to justice. The series ran from 1950 to 1952 and were reenactments of actual Texas Ranger cases.
The show’s star Joel McCrea was born in South Pasadena, California. McCrea, a grad from Pomona College in 1928 took courses in drama and public speaking. He also appeared regularly at the Pasadena Playhouse. McCrea was working as a stunt man when he signed a contract with MGM. He was cast in a major role in the film The Jazz Age in 1929. He moved to RKO pictures in 1930, where he established himself as a handsome leading man who was considered versatile enough to star in both dramas and comedies.
A note on the Texas Rangers: They were founded in 1823. Stephen F. Austin employed ten men to protect newly settled families who arrived in Texas following the Mexican War of Independence. While there is some discussion as to when Austin actually employed men as "rangers", lore dates the anniversary year of their organization to this event. The Texas Rangers were formally constituted in 1835, and in November Robert Williamson was chosen to be the first Major of the Texas Rangers. Within two years the Rangers comprised more than 300 men.
RAS #55 - Mystery Of The Thing
Download | Duration: 00:35:01
This week we begin the program with a short presentation written by Philip K. Dick. Back in episode 38 we heard from Philip with the short story, Beyond Lies the Wub. This short, also by him, is a humorous look at writers and perceptions. What if we took everything that was said literally? Well, listen to the podcast and find out. After the funny stuff we have a freighting tale from The Hermit’s Cave. It was one of the first of the horror shows in old time radio that was best listened to in the dark. The Hermit's Cave starred John Kent and Mel Johnson as the Old Hermit who shambled out of the mouth of his cave warning the faint of heart not to listen. The show was a regional creation of G.A. Richards of WJR in Detroit, but later ran from 1940-1944 on Richard's West Coast station KMPC. Our Story, Mystery of the Thing is largely unknown and its origin was untraceable. It was most likely written for the show by its creator. The story has twists and turns that are bound to send you scurrying for your best hiding place. I was unable to determine exactly when it aired, but my best guess is the middle months of 1940.
RAS #54 - Guadalcanal Diary
Download | Duration: 00:52:36
Our story is from the wonderful series Lux Radio Theater. What we have is the Guadalcanal Diary. The origin of it comes from a memoir written by war correspondent Richard Tregaskis. The book recounts the author's time with the United States Marine Corps on Guadalcanal during the early stages of the battle in 1942. Guadalcanal Diary was also a 1943 World War II war film starring Preston Foster, Lloyd Nolan, William Bendix, and Anthony Quinn. It was directed by Lewis Seiler. The story recounts the fight of the United States Marines in the Battle of Guadalcanal, which occurred only a year before the movie's release. While the film has notable battle scenes, its primary focus is on the characters and back stories of the Marines.
It was adapted to radio by Lux and stared most of the original cast. By the time the episode aired in February of 1944 the battle for that rugged island had long since ended. Historian Eric Hammel sums up the significance Guadalcanal this way: Before the battle The Japanese Imperial Navy had the better ships and the better tactics. After November 15, 1942, its leaders lost heart and it lacked the strategic depth to face the budding U.S. Navy. The Japanese never got better while, after November 1942, the U.S. Navy never stopped getting better. This episode of Lux Radio Theater It first aired Feb 28, 1944.
RAS #53 - The First Letter
Download | Duration: 00:31:25
This week we return to the detectives. Crime based entertainment has always been part of our lives. Going back to the early efforts of Edgar Allen Poe in the mid 1800s to the current trend of TV programs like CSI or Castle. We love to watch along as our favorite sleuth takes on the challenge of the, “Who done it?” One of the best in the golden age of radio was the escapades of newspaperman-turned-mystery novelist Dan Holliday. Box 13 was a syndicated radio series starring Alan Ladd and was created by his company, Mayfair Productions. Box 13 premiered in New York City and first aired on Mutual's New York flagship, WOR. There were a total of 52 episodes and there was an attempt to bring it television in 1954. Also, the show was re-imagined as a comic book series in 2010 by David Gallaher and Steve Ellis. It is published digitally by comiXology and in print by Red 5 Comics. What we have is the very first episode of the series called, The First Letter. It tells the story of how Dan Holliday got involved in his very strange occupation. It aired on August 22, 1948.
Actor Allan Ladd portrayed Dan Holliday on Box 13. Ladd was best known for is famous role in the 1953 classic western, Shane. In addition to be a great film star he was a talented voice actor as well. Not an easy thing to do. He made 96 movies during his career and stared in countless radio dramas. He was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas on September 3, 1913. The family moved to North Hollywood, California where Ladd became a high-school swimming and diving champion and participated in high school dramatics at North Hollywood High School, graduating on February 1, 1934. He started in movies by playing bit parts until his first big break with a featured role in the wartime thriller Joan of Paris, 1942. He passed away January 29, 1964 after a successful career and family life.
RAS #52 - Toy Shop
Download | Duration: 00:21:30
Well, this is the first show being published on a Tuesday. It is my sincere hope that the new day does not cause any conflicts for anyone. Remember that this is being done to make way for the new podcast coming soon to an internet near you.We have a very special show for this week. First up we have a true science fiction classic, Toy Shop by Harry Harrison. It comes to us from our friends at LibriVox. It was written in 1962 and is a wonderful tale of capitalism verses intellect. It is a dramatic reading by Cori Samuel and I have dressed it up with music and sound effects. It was recorded on November 17, 2007.
For those who have not heard of Harry Harrison. He is an American science fiction author best known for his character the Stainless Steel Rat. A total of 12 books have been written staring the futuristic con man. Harrison’s career started in the science fiction field as an illustrator, notably with EC Comics. Entertaining Comics published from the 1940s through the mid-1950s and it was eventually absorbed into DC Comics. Harrison also wrote for syndicated comic strips, creating stories for the Rick Random character. During the 1950s and 1960s, he was the main writer of the Flash Gordon newspaper strip. However, Harrison is now much better known for his writing, particularly his humorous and satirical science fiction. He continues to work today and his most recent novel, The Stainless Steel Rat Returns was published in 2010. If you have not read any of his works I highly recommend the short story collection entitled, Two Tales and Eight Tomorrows.
RAS #51 - The Trouble With Robots
Download | Duration: 00:23:47
Our story for this week comes from the short lived radio drama series, Exploring Tomorrow. It ran on the Mutual Broadcasting System from December 4, 1957 until June 13, 1958. The program was narrated by John W. Campbell who was the editor of Astounding Magazine. Campbell was an influential figure in American science fiction. As an editor he is generally credited with shaping the so-called Golden Age of Science Fiction. Isaac Asimov called Campbell, "The most powerful force in science fiction ever, and for the first ten years of his editorship he dominated the field completely." As a writer, Campbell published super-science space operas under his own name and moody, less pulpish 
stories as Don A. Stuart. He stopped writing fiction after he became editor of Astounding.The story we have is called The Trouble with Robots and it was Adapted from the novel The Hunting Lodge, by Randall Garrett. Ever since Eastern Europe had been transformed to recreate the country of Transylvania, strange things have been happening. Special Agent, James Martin, from the U.N. manages to obtain a rare interview with the reclusive Transylvanian prime minister, who has surrounded himself with robot guards to protect himself from assassins. However, some assassins can be very determined.
RAS #50 - The Coward
Download | Duration: 00:32:18
This is Ron’s Amazing Stories fiftieth episode and with this broadcast we are now officially 1 year old. It surprises me how quickly time has passed. I want thank all you for listening each week.Our Story this week takes us back to the old west with an episode from Fort Laramie. It aired on CBS in 1956. When Norman MacDonnell created the series, he made it clear to his writers that historical accuracy was essential to the integrity of the program. Correct geographic names, authentic Indian practices and military terminology was insisted upon. This was carried out to even the names of the buildings in Fort Laramie. So, when the radio characters refer to the Sutler's store or the Old Bedlam they were naming actual structures in the original fort. What we have is an episode called The Coward and it first aired on March 25, 1956. It tells a story about a Calvary major busted to lieutenant after failing to follow orders. He is sent to Fort Laramie to redeem himself.
Fort Laramie starred Raymond Burr, a Canadian actor primarily known for his title roles in the television. His early acting career usually depicted him as the villain. However, he shed that persona and won two Emmy Awards for the dynamic role of Perry Mason. In addition to acting, Burr owned an orchid business and a vineyard. He was an avid collector of wines, art, and was very fond of cooking. Burr was a generous man. He gave enormous sums of money, including his salaries from the Perry Mason movies, to charity. He was also known for sharing his wealth with friends. He sponsored 26 children through various foster programs and he gave many of his Perry Mason scripts to the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California. In 1996, Raymond Burr was ranked #44 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.
RAS #49 - The Brian Grant Interview
Download | Duration: 00:29:20
On this week’s program we have a real treat. Brain Grant joins us to talk about his years growing up in George Town, Ohio, his time at Xavier University and his NBA career. We also talk in depth about his fight against Parkinson disease and his desire to help those who need help. Brain played 12 years in the NBA as a Power Forward and was the “heart & soul” of the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns. His career spanned from 1994-2006. In 2008 Brian was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s disease. Today he serves as both an advocate and an inspiration for those suffering with Parkinson’s. His foundation has many projects and stands as a beacon promoting hope to those afflicted. You can find out more about Brian and the Brian Grant Foundation by heading over to http://briangrant.org.
Also on this week’s show is a blooper from the interview that I think you will enjoy and my niece makes a special appearance telling us a chicken story.
RAS #48 - Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea
Download | Duration: 00:32:40
On this week’s show we are going to present a classic tale from the mind of Jules Verne. It comes to us from Favorite Story. This golden age of radio program brought classic literature to the airwaves. The series ran from 1946 to 1949 and was rebroadcast well into the 60’s. Favorite Story's high quality programs and the use of timeless literature made it a fan favorite. What we will hear is a radio adaption of the Jules Vern classic, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. It is a classic science fiction novel by Verne and it tells the story of Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus as seen from the perspective of Professor Pierre Aronnax. 
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels A Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1864, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea in1870, and Around the World in Eighty Days published in 1873. Verne wrote about space, air and underwater travel before any such practical means had been devised or even dreamed off. He is the second most translated author in history with the first being the great mystery writer Agatha Christie. Of course many of his works have been made into live-action and animated films. Mr. Verne is often referred to as the Father of Science Fiction; although some argue that he actually shares that distinction with H.G. Wells.
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