SPERDVAC RECREATES

"A SUSPENSEFUL ALDRICH FAMILY"


The above is page eleven of The Society to Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama and Comedy 's May 2001 house organ, "RADIOGRAM" announcing a presentation arranged by the organization to do recreations of two shows, a "The Aldrich Family" script and an old "Suspense" show at the May meeting, free and open to the public. Earlier Bobb Lynes, the Activities Chairman of SPERDVAC called me and asked if I'd want to come on down and try out my hand in doing one of the parts in the TAF segment, and since most of my Saturdays are free these days as well as my services I responded with a enthusiastic, "Well, okay."

A couple of days later in the mail came a copy of an "Aldrich Family" script and some maps of where all the rehearsal and show activities were to take place. I'd be working with SPERDVAC's affiliated talent group, The 30 Minutes to Curtain performers who would flesh out the other parts in the casts and with technical assistance from sound effects persons generating sounds and a tape board operator cuing the musical segments of the shows, we'd be off and running.



On site at the museum the cast, and production crew were on a large stage within the building's auditorium. Both shows were presented consecutively to basically a full house resulting in a program not too overly long including introductions, questions and answers from the audience. Overall the May meeting was one of SPERDVAC'S usually interesting monthly presentations. Both shows were warmly received and the tape recordings of the event, both audio and video will be included within the archives of SPERDVAC's Tape Library.



It's a great feeling to get back together with some of the individuals one used to work with during the what is now called "Old Time Radio." Of course there are luncheons during the year held by the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, of which Art Gilmore was a founding member but working together presenting a replication of an old radio drama for entertainment is not quite the same as socializing. It's a great feeling to actually get back into harness, so to speak, and again do a radio show even knowing the show's tape may never get broadcast over the airwaves, plus a check will never come in the mail.



So many times during a SPERDVAC presentation many of the honorary SPERDVAC members show up to see their old friends and renew the feeling of being again "on mike." There were quite a number of them in the audience, pictured is George Pirrone, a colleague of mine from "One Man's Family." George played "Pinky" on the show after Dix Davis left. I really think George showed up to heckle me for a pair of WWII paratrooper boots I once promised I'd get for him. WWII was in progress and a friend of mine let me wear his while he was on leave. George admired them. I told him I'd get him a pair, of course I didn't have access to any at the time, but later when I was in the Air Force and could actually purchase a pair of jump boots, George wouldn't have it. He said he wanted the original thing, perhaps even the very same pair he'd seen me wearing. It's all still up in the air, very confusing.










The day's doings turned out quite successful, and I believe everybody had a great time and enjoyed the shows which were very well supported by the talents of the 30 Minutes to Curtain performers whom I have no doubts that had they been around during the era, all of them would have had to get their own AFRA cards.

Conrad Binyon 1