As I mentioned a couple weeks back, I had the amazingly well-timed opportunity to talk to Rich Fish who happens to feature prominently in the new documentary by Georgia Southern University, Theater of the Mind.
Oh and yes, we talked to James Kicklighter who was kind enough to chat on the phone about a month ago. Thereafter, James was so kind as to send me a screening version of the DVD to check out.
The documentary is far from comprehensive, but a refreshing primer and a worthy tribute to OTR. It highlights a group of modern college students — painted as a tad spoiled by non-linear digital editing — as they to learn the art of creating live radio plays, interspersed with experts talking about the magic and challenge of live radio as well as interviews with voice actors of the era (including Edith Ivey and Rosemary Rice).
As the new generation learns more about the art form they soon realize that it was real work to make this happen, and the historians highlight the professional qualities needed to succeed in the Golden Age of Radio. Both Ms. Ivey and Ms. Rice have some great anecdotes to share about working on the air, and how the get into broadcasting to begin with.
Running at just over 20 minutes and created in just a few months, it’s again only a flavor, not a full meal. One feature I felt was sorely overlooked was the creation of live sound effects — what an opportunity to show visually what can be created in audio! I would’ve love to have seen a sound effects demo with a professional, either from the day or a modern equivalent.
I do hope “Theater of the Mind” gets wide circulation, and even more, I hope it sparks a more in-depth series that deeply examines the terrain that this merely skips across. This could easily be a multi-part PBS style documentary, and radio is well worth. Georgia Southern, I hope you’ve started that effort!
This week we speak with James Kicklighter, a talented young filmmaker who was recruited to direct the new documentary on the golden age of radio, Theater of the Mind. The project was sponsored by Georgia Southern university and kicks off a decade-long celebration of radio for the Broadcast Education Association. It also marks the beginning of a long term research project on radio.
The cast of the documentary includes:
Edith Ivey: performer in numerous markets and Radio Soaps, including “Guiding Light”
Rosemary Rice: Grammy, Peabody, and Emmy award-winning performer, from “Archie Andrews,” “When A Girl Marries,” and many othertitles
Michael McDougald: performer and current Vice-Chairman, Georgia Public Broadcasting
Michele Hilmes: Director of the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, home of the NBC Archives
Richard Fish: founder of The Lodestone Catalog and broadcaster on WFHB in Bloomington, IN
Barry Stoltze: AFTRA Atlanta President
We talk with James about how the project came together and what learned about the age of radio, and the role of audio arts as it remains in our cultural backdrop today.
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Theme music by Roger Gregg. ?The offer still stands — first three people to correctly guess the Gerry Murphy Poetry where the theme comes from get a Crazy Dog CD shipped to them free of charge!
Theater of the Mind Credits:
Produced by James Kicklighter and Jonathan Pope.
Executive Producers Melanie Stone and Joanna Bastarache
This week we speak with James Kicklighter, a talented young filmmaker who was recruited to direct the new documentary on the golden age of radio,