A live recreation of the Arch Obler's Light's Out radio drama "Chicken Heart" performed by the Post-Meridian Radio Players

1 MP3 Songs in this album (38:22) !
Related styles: Spoken Word: Radio Drama, Holiday: Spoken Word, Type: Live Recordings

People who are interested in Mercury Theatre on the Air should consider this download.


Details:
âChicken Heartâ first aired on Lights Out! , a Chicago-based radio horror series created by Wyllis Cooper, on March 10th, 1937. A repeat followed the next year, and again in 1942. The episodeâs author and later host of the series, Arch Oboler, is said to have accidentally dropped the master transcription disc â the method used for preserving live programs in those days â and the original âChicken Heartâ was lost forever.

Twenty-five years after it first aired, Oboler revived âChicken Heartâ as part of "Drop Dead: An Experiment in Horror", an LP of newly-recorded, but abbreviated, selections from the best episodes of Lights Out! In this 7-minute production, Oboler cast one of Hollywoodâs most famous character actors, Hans Conreid, in the role of Dr. Alberts. Over the years the Drop Dead version has created some confusion, leading a few inexperienced Old Time Radio collectors to believe theyâd found the fabled âLost Episode of Lights Out!â.

Though not the Holy Grail of Old Time Radio, the "Drop Dead" release did have a very special effect on an up-and-coming young comedian named Bill Cosby. It reminded him of listening to scary radio shows as a child and sparked one of the most famous comedy routines of all time. His tale of being frightened to death as a child by a "Lights Out!" episode about âa Chicken Heart that ate up New York Cityâ â and how he spread Jell-O on the floor and set fire to the family sofa to drive off the pulsing, bloodthirsty monster waiting outside his front door â was an instant and memorable sensation.

Cosbyâs routine gave âChicken Heartâ a kind of immortality that no other radio drama from the Golden Age â with the possible exception of Orson Wellesâ âWar of the Worldsâ panic broadcast of 1938 â has ever enjoyed. The Post-Meridian Radio Players are proud to bring you this re-creation of a long-lost piece of radio history.

â Neil Marsh, March 2006

"Chicken Heart"
Original Story Written by Arch Oboler
Produced & Directed by Neil Marsh

THE CAST

Rob Noyes as Dr. Alberts
Michael McAfee as Mr. Lewis
Tom Arena as the Police Captain
Dante Blando as Dr. Atkins & the Civil Defense Radio Announcer
Alex Feinman as Mr. Rosen, the Mayor & the Fire Chief
Renée Johnson as the Secretary
Neil Marsh as Arch Oboler
Jason McIntosh as the Street Cop & the Army Lieutenant
Matt McIrvin as the Lab Assistant & the Fireman
James âKiboâ Parry as Frank Martin & the Army Captain
Jennifer Pelland as Mrs. Halop & the Busybody Woman
Masha Sten-Clanton as Sam

ADDITIONAL VOICEWORK BY
Samantha Wilkinson & Renni Boy

CROWD SCENE EXTRAS
Joseph Averett, Rebecca Dowgiert, Rebecca Hunter, Shava Nerad, Hy Richman, Gilly Rosenthol, Jude Shabry, Albert Sten-Clanton

THE CREW

FoleyFX Team: Tom Arena, Chris DeKalb & Rebecca Dowgiert
FoleyFX ConstructionâWood & Metal Devices: Ron Brian
FoleyFX ConstructionâElectronic Devices: Rich Macchi

THE PRODUCTION TEAM

Audio Engineer: Darren Ottaviani (THE MOONTOWER RECORDING STUDIO, CAMBRIDGE, MA)
Sound Design, Post-Production & CD Packaging Design: Neil Marsh
âChicken Heartâ Image Design: Alida Saxon (ALIDASAXON.COM)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many thanks to the Arisia Convention Committee, Lindsay Ellison, the First Congregational Church of Somerville MA, Mare Freed, Ari Herzog, Rebecca Hunter, Jamie Lawson, Steve Lewis, Josh Mahler, Joe Medina, Austin Moss at SweetWater Sound, Tony Palermo, Max Schmid, Brenda Shaw, Chelsea Spear, Andie Stabler, and the folks of Theater@First.

Special thanks to CBC Radio Drama producer Joe Mahoney for his enthusiastic technical advice, and to former CBC Radio Drama producer Bill Gray for his support and encouragement.

Closing music: âThe Chicken Experimentâ by Alan Mason

PRODUCED IN MEMORY OF ARCH OBOLER AND WYLLIS COOPER:
FOR THE INSPIRATION AND THE LEGACY THEY LEFT BEHIND

ABOUT THE PMRP

Founded in 2005 and based in the Boston area, The POst-Meridian RadiO Players are a group of actors, writers, FoleyFX artists, composers, sound designers and other interested people dedicated to the preservation of radio drama, and the development of audio theater, as unique art forms. The PMRP offer live performances and studio productions of both classic tales from the Golden Age of Radio and original works by new and experienced writers, with a special emphasis on science-fiction, fantasy, and horror.