Bud and Lou Go Hunting [a.k.a. “Lion Hunting”]

Originally broadcast: December 12, 1946

This script is copyright to its original writers as an unpublished work. It is provided here, under reasonable use provisions of the copyright act as an educational resource for those who wish to learn radio scriptwriting (for their study and dissection).
The subsequent analysis is copyright © Philip Craig Robotham 2017 and © Weirdworldstudios 2017.

CHIEF DRAMATIS PERSONAE

ANNOUNCER: PROMOTER OF CAMEL CIGARETTES

SECOND ANNOUNCER: PROMOTER OF CAMEL CIGARETTES

PRINCE ALBERT ANNOUNCER: PROMOTER OF PRINCE ALBERT TOBACCO

BUD ABBOTT: STRAIGHT MAN

LOUS COSTELLO: FOIL

THE FOUR HITS MALE SINGING QUARTET

MARILYN MAXWELL SINGER AND STARLET

SKINNAY ENNIS SINGER

GAME WARDEN GAME WARDEN

VOICES NEBRASKA FOOTBALL TEAM

MALE VOICE PORCUPINE

FEMALE VOICE PORCUPINE

NANCE VOICE HERMIT DRESSED IN LION SKIN

SFX ARTIST (MIN 1 REQUIRED) SFX ARTIST

Bud and Lou Go Hunting [a.k.a. “Lion Hunting”]

ACT 1

SCENE 1: (INT) STUDIO (ANNOUNCER, BUD ABBOTT, LOU COSTELLO)

1. MUSIC: THE FOUR HITS (singing): C-A-M-E-L-S!
2. ANNOUNCER: That’s right, folks!
3. MUSIC: MUSICAL STING
4. ANNOUNCER: C for comedy!
5. MUSIC: MUSICAL STING
6. ANNOUNCER: A for Abbott!
7. MUSIC: MUSICAL STING
8. ANNOUNCER: M for Maxwell!
9. MUSIC: MUSICAL STING
10. ANNOUNCER: E for Ennis!
11. MUSIC: MUSICAL STING
12. ANNOUNCER: L for Lou Costello!
13. MUSIC: MUSICAL STING
14. ANNOUNCER: Yes, they spell “Camels” — your taste will tell you about Camels’ rich full flavor! Your throat will welcome Camels’ cool mildness. So draw up a chair for tonight’s show starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello!
15. SOUND: APPLAUSE, MUSIC
16. BUD: Hey, Costello! Costello! Costello!
17. SOUND: APPLAUSE, LAUGHTER
18. BUD: Will you listen to me, please? Did you go hunting with your Uncle Artie Stebbins last Saturday?
19. LOU: What’d you say?
20. BUD: I say, did you go hunting with your uncle Artie Stebbins last Saturday?
21. LOU: Yeah and a terrible thing happened. A great big bear sneaked up behind us, grabbed Uncle Artie’s gun out of his hands and stuck it in his back.
22. BUD: What did Uncle Artie do?
23. LOU: What could he do? He married the bear’s daughter.
24. BUD: Eh-?
25. SOUND: LAUGHTER
26. BUD: Never mind that. Did you see any big game?
27. LOU: I saw a giraffe but I didn’t shoot him. He had a sore throat.
28. BUD: Well, there’s nothing worse than a giraffe with a sore throat.
29. LOU: Oh, yes there is.
30. BUD: What?
31. LOU: A centipede with corns.
32. SOUND: LAUGHTER
33. BUD: You dummy. I’ve never heard that you went hunting in your life… and I don’t believe you did. I bet you haven’t even got a hunting license.
34. LOU: I have, too. Here it is.
35. BUD: Wait a minute, wait a minute. This is no hunting license. This is a picture of Hedy Lamarr.
36. LOU: You hunt what you like and I’ll hunt what I like.
37. SOUND: LAUGHTER
38. BUD: You a hunter! Why that’s ridiculous.
39. LOU: Oh, yeah? My brother-in-law used to hunt alligators.
40. BUD: Alligators?
41. LOU: Yeah. One time an alligator was just about to attack my brother-in-law. I fired off both barrels of my trusty rifle.
42. BUD: Did you kill the alligator?
43. LOU: See this wallet?
44. BUD: Genuine alligator?
45. LOU: No. Genuine brother-in-law.
46. SOUND: LAUGHTER
47. BUD: Talk sense! Come here, look at this. You see this picture? Now, I caught all these rabbits last winter. Now, how many would you say there are?
48. LOU: (QUICKLY) Eight hundred and seventy-six.
49. BUD: (AMAZED) That’s exactly right. Wait a minute. How did you guess it?
50. LOU: Oh, I just count the legs and divide by four.
51. BUD: I–
52. SOUND: LAUGHTER
53. BUD: Costello, have you ever been in Africa on safari?
54. LOU: No, but I’ve been in New York on safari.
55. BUD: Eh–? A safari in New York?
56. LOU: Yeah, the Staten Island Sa-Ferry.
57. SOUND: LAUGHTER
58. LOU: And also the Hoboken Sa-Ferry.
59. BUD: Aw, now, come on, that’s ridiculous.
60. LOU: There’s lots of safaris around there.
61. BUD: Hey, listen to me, though. You should have been with me on my elephant hunt. Oh, there I was, surrounded by elephants. One big bull elephant started towards me. I said to myself, “I’m trapped! Abbott, you’re trapped! Should I run or stand here and shoot the bull?”
62. SOUND: LAUGHTER
63. BUD: Well, I shot him. The elephant fell and broke a tusk.
64. LOU: Broke a what?
65. BUD: A tusk, tusk.
66. LOU: Tusk, tusk to you, too, and a couple o’ pooh-poohs!
67. SOUND: LAUGHTER
68. BUD: A tusk is valuable. We use fifty thousand elephants a year just to make billiard balls.
69. LOU: Wow! How do they train ‘em to do such delicate work?
70. SOUND: LAUGHTER
71. BUD: I can see you know nothing about elephants.
72. LOU: I once hunted elephants in India — with an old acquaintance of mine. And an elephant sat on him. Someday I gotta go back there.
73. BUD: Why?
74. LOU: To scrape up an old acquaintance.
75. SOUND: LAUGHTER
76. LOU: Hey, Abbott, hey, Abbott, did you ever shoot a zebra?
77. BUD: Yes, I did.
78. LOU: Could I have that zebra skin?
79. BUD: Aw, what do you want with a zebra skin?
80. LOU: My Aunt Minnie is in Alcatraz and she needs a new fur coat.
81. BUD: Aw…
82. SOUND: LAUGHTER
83. BUD: That’s silly, Costello. However, I have a stuffed rhinoceros you can have. Course, you know what a rhinoceros is, don’t you?
84. LOU: Oh, sure. That’s a hippopotamus with a radiator cap.
85. BUD: Naw…
86. SOUND: LAUGHTER
87. BUD: Costello, this is the last week of the big game hunting season. Now, tomorrow I’m going hunting in the High Sierras and I’d like you to come along with me.
88. LOU: Oh, gee, thanks, Abbott. Say, you’ve done a lot of huntin’. What do they call those little flies that buzz around the animals?
89. BUD: Gnats.
90. LOU: I asked you a civil question.
91. SOUND: LAUGHTER
92. LOU: What do they call those little flies?
93. BUD: Gnats. Gnats.
94. LOU: Gnats to you, too, brother!
95. BUD: No, no, no, you dummy, gnats are the flies that annoy the animals. Of course, some of them have ticks.
96. LOU: Why don’t they take the ticks and give those flies a good thrashing?
97. BUD: I didn’t say “sticks,” I said “ticks”! For instance, there’s deer’s ticks.
98. LOU: The deer ticks?
99. BUD: Uh, certainly, deer ticks.
100. LOU: Who wound ’em up?
101. BUD: Aw, nobody wound ’em up.
102. SOUND: LAUGHTER
103. LOU: Then what makes ’em tick? (TO THE AUDIENCE) Somebody must’ve slipped a grume in his gruel.
104. SOUND: LAUGHTER
105. BUD: Costello… Listen to me, please. When I say “deer ticks” I don’t mean the deer ticks. I mean, deer ticks.
106. LOU: Abbott, let me smell your breath.
107. BUD: Aw, come on, please, talk sense.
108. SOUND: LAUGHTER
109. BUD: The deer has ticks and the ticks bother the deer.
110. LOU: They used to bother me when I went to school.
111. BUD: Ticks bothered you in school?
112. LOU: Yeah. Arithme-tics … Mathema-tics…
113. SOUND: LAUGHTER
114. LOU: And, one time, a tick got me in trouble with the teacher.
115. BUD: Aw, now, wait a minute, how could a tick get you in trouble with the teacher?
116. LOU: (IN A CHILD’S VOICE) I ticked my tongue out at the teacher and she twounced the tweat of my twousers with a twap! Now…?
117. SOUND: LAUGHTER
118. BUD: Costello… Look, Lou, I’m talking about animal ticks. Hundreds of animals in the woods have ticks.
119. LOU: That must be a pretty sound … when hundreds of animals get together and they all start tickin’ at once.
120. SOUND: LAUGHTER
121. BUD: Naw, no, listen, Costello, listen to me. Deer have ticks. Elks have ticks. And, one time, my father shot a moose with ticks. Now, do you know what I’m talking about?
122. LOU: Sure, your father’s moose ticks!
123. BUD: Aw, now…
124. SOUND: LAUGHTER
125. BUD: Costello, you’re getting more stupid every day. I don’t know what to do with you. I don’t know what to say to you. I’ve tried and I’ve tried to improve your mind but I just can’t seem to get anywhere.
126. LOU: Why don’t you face it, Abbott? You’re a failure.
127. SOUND: LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

ACT 2

SCENE 2: (EXT) OUTSIDE THE STUDIO (ANNOUNCER, BUD, LOU, SKINNAY)

128. MUSIC: MUSIC IN
129. ANNOUNCER: And here, for Camel cigarettes, is Skinnay Ennis and the boys with
130. MUSIC: “For Sentimental Reasons” — Skinnay on the vocal – LET IT FINISH.
131. SOUND: APPLAUSE
132. ANNOUNCER: The pages of American history are illumined by the names of doctors who worked unceasingly to overcome disease and to make life happier and more secure for humanity. The makers of Camels are pardonably proud of the standing of this cigarette among doctors. A nationwide survey of doctors’ cigarette preferences was recently made. Three leading independent research organizations asked this question of one hundred thirteen thousand five hundred and ninety-seven doctors — doctors in every field of medicine: “What cigarette do you smoke, Doctor?” The brand named most was Camel. Yes … (FILTERED VOICE) according to a recent nationwide survey, more doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.
133. MUSIC: MUSIC IN AND OUT
134. LOU: Well, here I am, Abbott. And I’m all ready to go hunting with you up in the mountains.
135. BUD: Ah, that’s fine, Costello. How is your hunting equipment?
136. LOU: I got the best, Abbott. Look, Cornel Wilde’s old address book.
137. SOUND: LAUGHTER
138. BUD: Costello, hunting is a serious sport. Now, suppose you came face to face with a big bruin. What would you do?
139. LOU: Ask him for a ticket to the Rose Bowl game.
140. BUD: Aww…
141. SOUND: LAUGHTER
142. BUD: You know, Marilyn Maxwell and Skinnay Ennis are going to meet us at the hunting lodge. And I hope you brought something along.
143. LOU: I did. I brought a quart of bourbon in case somebody gets the chills. What are you bringing, Abbott?
144. BUD: Mmm… the chills.
145. SOUND: LAUGHTER
146. BUD: Costello, did you bring a gun?
147. LOU: Why, yes. Here it is. This is my sawed-off shotgun.
148. BUD: Wait a minute. Where is the handle?
149. LOU: How do you like that? I sawed off the wrong end.
150. SOUND: LAUGHTER
151. BUD: Well, come on, Costello, Marilyn and Skinnay are waiting for us at the hunting lodge in the mountains, let’s go.
152. MUSIC: MUSICAL BRIDGE

SCENE 3: (EXT) AT THE HUNTING LODGE (SKINNAY, BUD, LOU, MARILYN, GAME WARDEN, VOICES, MALE VOICE, FEMALE VOICE)

153. SKINNAY: (WITH A SOUTHERN DRAWL) Hiya, Fat, Flabby, and Flat-Headed!
154. BUD: Aw, now, wait a minute. Don’t insult Costello, Skinnay. Don’t be a pill.
155. LOU: Skinnay ain’t no pill. He’s too long and narrow.
156. SOUND: LAUGHTER
157. SKINNAY: Well, thank you, Costello.
158. LOU: You’re a capsule!
159. SOUND: LAUGHTER
160. LOU: You’re a funny-lookin’ hunter, Skinnay. Do you know anything about guns?
161. SKINNAY: I know guns inside and out. Why, man, when I was a kid with the circus, they used to shoot me out of an air rifle.
162. SOUND: LAUGHTER
163. SKINNAY: What do you know about huntin’, Costello?
164. LOU: Have you seen that big bear rug in my living room?
165. SKINNAY: Sure.
166. LOU: Well, I shot that bear myself. What a battle! It was either me or the bear.
167. SKINNAY: Well, I’m glad it was the bear. You’d make an awful lumpy rug.
168. SOUND: LAUGHTER
169. BUD: Hey, look, Costello, here comes Marilyn Maxwell.
170. MARILYN: Hiya, boys!
171. SOUND: WOLF WHISTLE
172. MARILYN: And hello Louis, honey, my chubby little chucklin’ chipmunk.
173. LOU: Aw, Marilyn, my sugar-coated sharpshooter. Plug me with the buckshot of your kisses.
174. SOUND: LAUGHTER
175. MARILYN: Awww. Louis, honey, how do you like my hunting outfit? Saks Fifth Avenue.
176. LOU: Get a load of mine. Army Surplus.
177. SOUND: LAUGHTER
178. MARILYN: Aw, Louis, it’s gonna be fun hunting with you. What’s your favorite wild game?
179. LOU: Post Office?
180. SOUND: LAUGHTER
181. MARILYN: Louis! Louis, Post Office isn’t a wild game.
182. LOU: It is the way I play it.
183. SOUND: LAUGHTER
184. MARILYN: Aw, Louis, my little snow man. Come melt in my arms.
185. LOU: Gee, Marilyn, when I’m close to you like this I just can’t seem to break away.
186. MARILYN: Why not?
187. LOU: My nose is caught in the trigger of your shotgun.
188. SOUND: LAUGHTER
189. MARILYN: Well, Louis, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go up to the hunting lodge and freshen up. As they say in Spanish, “Mañana [o ya] noches” to you.
190. LOU: And your mama’s own nightshirt to you, too.
191. SOUND: LAUGHTER
192. BUD: Hey, Costello, Costello. Look up on that mountaintop. Now, there’s a mother stork and two little storks.
193. LOU: Yeah, Abbott. Can I ask you a question?
194. BUD: Well, certainly.
195. LOU: When the mama stork talks things over with the little storks, who does she say brings the babies?
196. SOUND: LAUGHTER
197. SKINNAY: (AT A DISTANCE) Help! Help!
198. GAME WARDEN: Beg pardon, pardners. Is there a skinny hombre in your party?
199. BUD: Uh, yes, there is. Why?
200. WARDEN: Well, you’d better go over thar and get him. A gopher just dragged him down into its hole.
201. SOUND: LAUGHTER
202. BUD: Uh, who are you, stranger?
203. WARDEN: I’m the game warden.
204. LOU: Yeah? What’s your game, Warden?
205. SOUND: LAUGHTER
206. WARDEN: You want to know mah game, partner? I’ll yell ya! It’s parchesi!
207. SOUND: LAUGHTER
208. WARDEN: But bein’ up here in the wild country so much, I trained three little skunks to play bridge with me.
209. LOU: Is it a steep game?
210. WARDEN: No, we only play for a tenth of a (s)cent. Huh haah!
211. SOUND: LAUGHTER
212. BUD: Uh, Warden, we’re after some big game. Have you seen any hereabouts?
213. LOU: Hereabouts? Abbott, I thought we came up here to shoot deer. I wouldn’t shoot a poor little hereabouts for anything in the world.
214. SOUND: LAUGHTER
215. LOU: Anybody that would shoot a little hereabouts and make a widow out of a she-abouts ought to be ashamed of themselves.
216. SOUND: LAUGHTER
217. BUD: Oh, shut up, you idiot. Uh, how about it, Warden? Is there any big game around here?
218. WARDEN: Well, there’s a ferocious mountain lion that has been terrorizin’ the countryside. He’s been killin’ the farmers’ chickens and he’s even been stealin’ eggs.
219. LOU: At the price, eggs are now, I don’t blame him.
220. SOUND: LAUGHTER
221. WARDEN: There’s a reward of a thousand dollars to the man that gets that mountain lion. One of you boys ought to trap him.
222. LOU: Which one of us would you suggest?
223. WARDEN: Why don’t you try, Tubby? You’ve got the biggest trap. Huh haah!
224. SOUND: LAUGHTER
225. VOICES HOWLING IN PAIN: Ooooh! Ow! Oooh! Don’t beat us anymore! Oh, no! Don’t beat us anymore, please! Please, don’t beat us anymore!
226. SOUND: LAUGHTER
227. LOU: Hey, who are those guys?
228. WARDEN: That’s the Nebraska football team!
229. SOUND: LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE
230. [Under coach Bernie Masterson, the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers football team went 5-13-0 (.278) in 1946-47.]
231. WARDEN: Now, remember, if you shoot that lion, I’ll give you a thousand dollars for his skin. I need it to make stockings.
232. LOU: What kind of stockings can you make out of lion’s skin?
233. WARDEN: Ny-lion stockings! Huh haah!
234. SOUND: LAUGHTER
235. WARDEN: So long, Lard Head!
236. SOUND: LAUGHTER
237. SOUND: GROWLING SOUNDS
238. SKINNAY: Hey! Hey, you hear that, fellas? The lion’s just north of us.
239. LOU: Which way’s south?
240. BUD: Eh–!
241. SOUND: LAUGHTER
242. BUD: Come here, you coward. You’re not afraid to take a chance, are you?
243. LOU: Yeah.
244. BUD: Now, take this cane. You see it?
245. LOU: Yeah.
246. BUD: The lion won’t bite you if you’re carrying a cane.
247. LOU: Yeah, but how fast do I have to be carryin’ the cane?
248. SOUND: LAUGHTER
249. LOU: I ain’t monkeyin’ around with no lions, Abbott. The last time I saw a lion was in the Adirondack Mountains.
250. BUD: What happened?
251. LOU: I snapped at the lion. Then the lion snapped at me. And then somethin’ whizzed past.
252. SKINNAY: What was it?
253. LOU: Kansas City.
254. SOUND: LAUGHTER
255. BUD: Shh. Quiet. I hear something. Listen.
256. MALE VOICE: I love you, ouch!
257. FEMALE VOICE: I love you, ouch!
258. MALE VOICE: I love you, ouch!
259. FEMALE VOICE: I love you, ouch!
260. BUD: Costello, what was that?
261. LOU: Two porcupines necking.
262. SOUND: LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

ACT 3

SCENE 4: (EXT) OUTSIDE LION’S CAVE (ANNOUNCER, MARILYN, BUD, LOU, SKINNAY)

263. MUSIC: MUSIC IN
264. ANNOUNCER: Camel cigarettes bring you the lovely Marilyn Maxwell from M-G-M, producers of their Academy Award contender, “The Yearling.” Accompanied by the Four Hits, Marilyn sings “Blue Skies”:
265. MARILYN: (SINGS) “Blue Skies”
266. SOUND: APPLAUSE, MUSIC OUT
267. ANNOUNCER: When you take your first puff from a Camel cigarette, there’s a delighted response from your T-Zone. That’s T for Taste and T for Throat, the proving ground for any cigarette. Your taste and your throat tell you you’ve made a wise selection. See how choice tobaccos, superbly blended and properly aged, give Camels a rich, mellow flavor that’s extra delightful to your taste. See if Camels own cool mildness isn’t exactly what you’ve always wanted to suit your throat. Yes, millions say, “Camels suit my T-Zone to a tee.” You know a nationwide survey of doctors’ cigarette preferences was recently made. Three leading independent research organizations asked this question of one hundred thirteen thousand five hundred and ninety-seven doctors: “What cigarette do you smoke, Doctor?” The brand named most was Camel. Yes …(FILTERED VOICE) according to a recent nationwide survey, more doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.
268. MUSIC: MUSIC IN AND OUT
269. SOUND: GROWLING NOISES
270. BUD: All right, Costello. All right, now, take it easy, kid, I’m right in back of ya. Don’t worry about me. Here’s the mouth of the cave. Now, go in there. That’s a pal for ya. I let you go in and get the lion, didn’t I?
271. LOU: You want me to go in and get the lion?
272. BUD: Certainly, I’m your friend.
273. LOU: Why don’t you go in and get the lion?
274. BUD: Aw, what do you mean? You want me to go in? I have a family.
275. LOU: Oh. What’ve I got?
276. BUD: Never mind what you’ve got. You go ahead in and get that lion.
277. LOU: Okay.
278. SKINNAY: Hey, what’s the matter? You scared? Look at you. Your knees are knockin’.
279. LOU: I always knock before I enter a cave.
280. SOUND: LAUGHTER
281. SOUND: GROWLING
282. BUD: Take it easy. Buck up, Costello. And, remember, make the lion believe you’re not afraid of him.
283. LOU: I couldn’t be that deceitful.
284. SOUND: LAUGHTER
285. BUD: You’ve got to think of those poor people who’ve lost their cattle and their chickens and their eggs on account of that lion. How can you face them, Costello? Think of it! How can you face them … when they may be starving?
286. LOU: How can I face that lion? He may be starving, too.
287. SOUND: LAUGHTER
288. MARILYN: Oh, there you are, Louis, honey. Oh, I’m so proud of you. I know you’re going in that cave and kill that lion just for me.
289. LOU: I am?
290. MARILYN: Yes. And, Louis, honey, I’d do anything for you. Why, I’d climb the highest mountain. I’d swim the deepest river.
291. LOU: How do you like that? Here I am facing death and this dame is gonna go out climbing and swimming.
292. SOUND: LAUGHTER
293. LOU: Okay. I’ll go in. But if that lion runs out, don’t nobody shoot at him.
294. BUD: Why not?
295. LOU: I may be inside of him.
296. SOUND: LAUGHTER

SCENE 5: (INT) INSIDE THE CAVE (LOU, NANCE)

297. MUSICAL BRIDGE: WHO’S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD WOLF?
298. SOUND FX: A SLIGHT ECHO ON THE VOICES TO INDICATE CAVE INTERIOR
299. LOU: Gee, it’s certainly dark in this lion’s cave.
300. NANCE VOICE: Why don’t you light a match?
301. SOUND: LAUGHTER
302. LOU: Who said that?
303. NANCE VOICE: It’s me. The lion.
304. SOUND: LAUGHTER
305. LOU: What do you know? A talkin’ lion. I gotta tell Abbott, Skinnay, and Marilyn about this.
306. NANCE: Oh, no, no, you must never tell anyone. I’m a hermit and I just hate people.
307. SOUND: LAUGHTER
308. NANCE: I wear this lion skin to scare them away. I live in this cave all alone.
309. LOU: How’d you find this cave with all the housing shortage?
310. NANCE: I subleased it from a bear that went on the road with a skating act.
311. SOUND: LAUGHTER
312. LOU: You must get lonesome here all alone. Why don’t you get a roommate?
313. NANCE: I had a roommate. An elk. And then the meat shortage came along …
314. SOUND: LAUGHTER
315. LOU: You mean that, uh, …?
316. NANCE: You see this tooth hanging on this watch chain?
317. LOU: Yeah.
318. NANCE: Well, it ain’t mine!
319. SOUND: LAUGHTER
320. LOU: Look, Mr. Hermit, my girl is outside. I promised her I’d bring out the lion. Give me that lion skin and I’ll take it out there and everybody’ll think you’re dead and nobody will bother you anymore.
321. NANCE: Here, take the skin. Oh, goody, goody! Now, I can be a real hermit and then I won’t be bothered by Lucille Ball, Betty Grable, or Marilyn Maxwell.
322. SOUND: LAUGHTER
323. LOU: Gee, do they call you?
324. NANCE: No! That’s what bothers me!
325. SOUND: LAUGHTER
326. SOUND: ECHO OUT

SCENE 6: (EXT) OUTSIDE THE CAVE (BUD, MARILYN, THE FOUR HITS, LOU)

327. MUSIC: MUSIC IN
328. BUD: Say, look! Here comes Costello out of the cave.
329. MARILYN: Oh, my hero! Look, he has the lion’s skin!
330. THE FOUR HITS: (SINGING) Who is the greatest hunter of them all?
331. “Bring ‘Em Back Alive” Costello!
332. MARILYN: (SINGS) When there is danger, who’s the one they call?
333. “Bring ‘Em Back Alive” Costello!
334. LOU: (SINGS) Once I found a baby leopard – with milk I filled his tummy
335. And then in some Egyptian tomb I helped him find his mummy
336. SOUND: LAUGHTER
337. THE FOUR HITS: (SINGING) He taught Tarzan everything he knows
338. When in danger, he’s not yellow
339. MARILYN: (SINGS) Who looks dapper in his hunting clothes?
340. No one but my handsome fellow.
341. LOU: (SINGS) One day I caught a tiger – I wasn’t even tryin’
342. And in the movie house, I caught a Metro-Goldwyn lion
343. SOUND: LAUGHTER
344. THE FOUR HITS: (SINGING) Brave, yes, indeedy – a threat to Clyde Beatty
345. The greatest hunter of them all
346. MUSIC: THE MUSIC PAUSES
347. BUD: Costello.
348. LOU: Yeah?
349. BUD: You’ve hunted a lot of big game. Tell me, did you ever hunt bear?
350. LOU: I can’t, Abbott. The bushes tickle me.
351. SOUND: LAUGHTER
352. LOU: Once I saw a mink, though. I saw a mink playin’ in the woods…
353. MUSIC: MUSIC IN
354. LOU: I picked ‘im up and I said to him…
355. (SINGS, TO THE TUNE OF “Laugh, Clown, Laugh”)
356. Though you’ll be a coat for Lana Turner
357. Laugh, mink, laugh
358. Though you’ll be a lovely hat for Myrna
359. Laugh, mink, laaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!
360. SOUND: LAUGHTER
361. LOU: (SINGS)At Cyril’s you’ll have the best table
362. Think of those cold nights with Bettyyyyyyy … Shapiro!
363. SOUND: LAUGHTER
364. LOU (SINGS): When you’re on display at Bullock’s Wilshire
365. Giggle, mink, giggle
366. SOUND: LAUGHTER
367. LOU: (SINGS) All your cares will vanish if your tail will
368. Wiggle, mink, wigglllllllle, minnnnnnnk!
369. SOUND: LAUGHTER
370. LOU: (SINGS): And don’t be depressed – keep your skin up
371. When you see Frank Buck, just laaaaaaugh
372. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
373. SOUND: LAUGHTER
374. LOU: (SINGS)Laaaaaugh!
375. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
376. SOUND: LAUGHTER
377. LOU: (SINGS HIGHT NOTE) Laaaaaugh!
378. SOUND: LAUGHTER, SONG ENDS, APPLAUSE
379. MARILYN: Aw, Louis, honey, my brave adventurer. Some day you must take me hunting with you.
380. LOU: I will, Marilyn, my love. And you can ride on my papa jackass.
381. SOUND: LAUGHTER
382. MARILYN: A papa jackass? Well, how do you know he’s married?
383. LOU: All jackasses are married.
384. SOUND: LAUGHTER
385. MARILYN: Oh, my hero. Let’s celebrate tonight. We’ll go to the smartest restaurant for dinner, see the best show in town, and then visit all the swanky nightclubs.
386. MUSIC: MUSIC IN
387. MARILYN: Then, I’ll kiss you good night and …
388. LOU: (SQUEALS WITH DELIGHT) Oooohh.
389. MARILYN: (SINGS “After You’ve Gone”) After you’ve gone and left me cryin’
390. After you’ve gone, there’s no denyin’
391. How lonesome I’ll be
392. There’s no one I’ll see …
393. LOU: (SINGS) Until she finds another sucker like me!
394. SOUND: LAUGHTER
395. THE FOUR HITS: (SINGING) Who knows his jungles better than a book?
396. “Bring ‘Em Back Alive” Costello!
397. MARILYN: (SINGS) Who’ll charm a snake with one hypnotic look?
398. “Bring ‘Em Back Alive” Costello!
399. LOU: (SINGS)I caught a baby penguin – he looked so awful cute
400. I haven’t got the penguin but I’m wearing his dress suit!
401. SOUND: LAUGHTER
402. THE FOUR HITS: (SINGING) Who makes the wildest trapper look so tame?
403. No one else but Lou Costello
404. MARILYN: (SINGS)He makes the others hang their heads in shame
405. He’s so groovy, he’s so mellow!
406. LOU: (SINGS)I’ve captured famous animals from every living herd
407. I even caught a De-troit Tiger sliding into third!
408. SOUND: LAUGHTER
409. THE FOUR HITS: (SINGING) Brave, yes, indeedy – a threat to Clyde Beatty
410. The greatest hunter of them all
411. LOU: Heyyy, Abbooooooott!
412. THE FOUR HITS: (SINGING) The greatest hunter of them all
413. SONG ENDS, PROLONGED APPLAUSE

Act 4

SCENE 7 (EXT) OUTSIDE CAVE (LOU BUD, ANNOUNCER, SECOND ANNOUNCER)

414. LOU: Oh, boy. What a tough battle. But I won. Hey, Abbott, there is the lion’s skin.
415. BUD: Wait a minute, Costello. There’s something phony about this. Turn that skin over. Ah ha! I thought so! There’s a label on that lion’s skin, Costello. Come on, read it!
416. LOU: Eastern Columbia, Broadway at Night!
417. SOUND: LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE, MUSIC IN AND OUT
418. ANNOUNCER: Abbott and Costello will be back in just a moment for Camel cigarettes.
419. 2ND ANNOUNCER: During the war, the makers of Camel cigarettes sent a total of more than one hundred and fifty million free Camels to our fighting men overseas. Now, free Camels are sent to servicemen’s hospitals instead. This week the Camels go to Veteran’s Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia; U.S. Army Valley Forge General Hospital, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania; U.S. Naval Hospital, Newport, Rhode Island; U.S. Marine Hospital, Staten Island, New York; and Veteran’s Hospital, San Fernando, California.

SCENE 8 (INT) INSIDE THE STUDIO (ANNOUNCER, BUD, LOU, 2^nd ANNOUNCER, PRINCE ALBERT ANNOUNCER, THE FOUR HITS)

420. ANNOUNCER: Camel broadcasts go out to the United States three times a week, are re-broadcast to practically every area in the world where our men are still stationed, and to our good neighbors in Central and South America. And here are Abbott and Costello with a final word.
421. BUD: By the way, Costello, the December tenth issue of Look Magazine has printed the pictures of your big barbecue party for the kids.
422. LOU: Yes, did you see it, Abbott?
423. BUD: (ANGRY) I did! I saw your picture, your wife’s picture, your kids’ pictures, and my picture! But I didn’t see my wife Betty’s picture! And I know they took Betty’s picture! Now, where’s my wife’s picture? Why wasn’t it in there?
424. LOU: Well, the fella that took your wife’s picture couldn’t develop it.
425. BUD: Why not?
426. LOU: He was afraid to go into the dark room with it alone!
427. BUD: Aw, good night, folks!
428. LOU: Nyaaah!
429. SOUND: LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE, MUSIC IN AND OUT
430. PRINCE ALBERT ANNOUNCER: More pipes smoke Prince Albert than any other smoking tobacco. And that’s a perfect guide to your choice of a Christmas gift for any pipe smoker. Prince Albert, naturally. Prince Albert’s rich, full-bodied flavor and cool mildness spell Christmas joy because they spell lasting smoking joy. Trim-cut to burn cool and even, specially treated to ensure against tongue bite. That’s Prince Albert. Give the big pound package of Prince Albert with its special Christmas wrapping to all the pipe smokers on your list. Be sure to hear Prince Albert’s “Grand Ole Opry” Saturday night. Red Foley, the new singing sensation, sings American folk songs in a way that’ll make your heart beat faster. Remember, Saturday night on NBC, “Grand Ole Opry” with Red Foley, the Duke of Paducah, and Minnie Pearl!
431. MUSIC: MUSIC IN
432. ANNOUNCER: Be sure to tune in next week for another great Abbott and Costello show brought to you by Camel cigarettes. And, remember, try Camels in your T-Zone. See if they don’t suit your taste, your throat to a tee. And, remember, too, that giving a carton of Camels is a specially warm-hearted way to say “Merry Christmas” to all smokers on your gift list.
433. THE FOUR HITS (singing): C-A-M-E-L-S!
434. ANNOUNCER: This is Jim Doyle in Hollywood wishing you all a pleasant good night for Camels. Thursday night is another all-star night on NBC. Stay tuned for “The Eddie Cantor Show” which follows immediately over most of these stations.
435. SOUND: APPLAUSE
436. NETWORK ANNOUNCER: This is NBC, the National Broadcasting Company.
437. MUSIC: MUSIC OUT

ANALYSIS

The overt cigarette advertising on a family show creates a certain amount (A LOT) of discomfort.

The show had a standard format (varying a little over time) in which it would showcase the comedy as a series of sketches, to begin with culminating in one of the duo’s signature “who’s on first” dialogs. Followed by a story or narrative that would be used to develop a series of jokes. The show also needed to fit a number by each of its two musical stars (Skinnay Ennis, and Marilyn Maxwell) into the program.

The first section of the show is a series of gags linked around the show’s topic (hunting).

The repetition of the question at the beginning captures audience concentration and helps focus them on the gags – an old vaudeville trick from their time on stage.

A great deal of Abbott and Costello’s humor is based on unexpected observations, ambiguous language, wordplay, misunderstanding, and subversion of expectations. Costello’s amiable fool character is essential as the foil for all the misunderstandings that take place.

Abbott and Costello don’t use the setup, punch, topper, second topper joke structure much at all. Instead, they group a series of distinct gags around their topic moving from one to another in sequence. They use the laughs as a form of curtain that allows them to switch topic at need. They then add transitional phrases to segue into each new gag (usually in the form of mild insults).

Two types of dialog gags are regularly in use here – the story (where one comedian supplies the setup and punchline in the form of a story with the other prompting the story with questions ) and the exchange (where one comedian supplies the setup while the other supplies the punchline).

Abbott is usually the straight man, putting the setup in place or prompting the story with questions while Costello delivers the punch. These are great examples of jokes as dialog.

Their most famous (signature) gag structure is showcased here as well (typified by the famous “who’s on first” gag). It is an extended dialog based around the ambiguity of language. Costello’s amiable fool finds numerous ways to misunderstand Abbott and the exchange ends with an insult (but one based on a misunderstanding as well). It is the comedic climax of the show before switching to a comic narrative structure. This sequence is as close to the setup-punchline, topper, second topper pattern as this comedy duo come… but they extend it into one long laugh.

The second half of the show is built around a loose narrative structure. The scene setting is incredibly economic (a single line of narrative, delivered in character, does the job in each case).

The story is merely an excuse to tie the gags together, but it is a solid story structure nonetheless.

STORY STRUCTURE

Inciting incident – In line 87 Bud invites Lou to go hunting.

Characters introduced – In line 134 we are told that Skinnay and Marilyn will also be going.

Problem introduced (call to adventure) – In line 218 the warden arrives and informs the group of the presence of a dangerous mountain lion and offers a reward for shooting it. At line 237 they find the lion’s cave.

Resisting the call – In line 248, Lou resists tackling the problem. Of course, in the end, Lou is coerced into tackling the problem (line 292) and agrees to enter the cave.

Embracing the call – Inside the cave, Lou discovers that the lion is, in fact, a hermit in disguise.

Problem transformed – Cleverly, the problem (facing a lion) is transformed inside the cave into one of how to appear to be brave, save face, and protect the hermit’s privacy (line 319).

Problem solved – Lou solves the problem and emerges with the lion skin in line 328.

Denouement – Lou’s success is celebrated by a silly song (which didn’t really grab me at all) in which he is lionized (pardon the pun) as a hunter, but subverts the praise he is given each time he adds a line of his own about his prowess. In line 366 he receives the reward for his bravery (a night on the town with Marilyn).

Twist – In line 386 the twist occurs, revealing his cowardice to Bud – but of course, as audience members, we already know Lou’s bravery is a lie.

TAKEAWAYS

The setup, punchline, topper, second topper structure isn’t the only way to do comedy.

Story structure matters, and is present, even in a simple narrative.

Even in a simple story, a redirection can add surprise and interest to an otherwise okay narrative.

A single line or phrase is all the setup most scenes require.

This script contained in this article is copyright to its original writers as an unpublished work. It is provided here, under reasonable use provisions of the copyright act as an educational resource for those who wish to learn radio scriptwriting (for their study and dissection).

The subsequent analysis is copyright © Philip Craig Robotham 2017 and © Weirdworldstudios 2017.

The post Script Analysis #1 – Bud and Lou go Hunting appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

I’m not particularly good at doing action scenes so a while back I did a bit of research and thinking in order to improve what I do. Here are some general principles for designing action scenes that I arrived at. They help me to be a bit more deliberate about what I want to achieve when I write one – but they shouldn’t be seen as a prescription (more suggestions to think about).

1. Find a story to tell within the story.

Action scenes must serve the plot. They are wasted text if they do not advance the plot in any meaningful way. If an action scene can be deleted without affecting the story at all, it is unnecessary and shouldn’t be there.

A good action scene is a movement from intention to outcome, but like all scenes, must be one that would diminish the story if it was absent.

2. Make it subjective and personalize it.

The scene should focus on the experience of the combatants. It should be a dialog between them that reveals character in some way. It should also include stakes that are genuinely high; that is the participants should have something genuinely important to lose as a result of the outcome… and the outcome must be genuinely uncertain.

3. Decide on a mood.

Is the action short and brutal (like in Unforgiven)? Is it extended, civil, and swashbuckling (like in The Princess Bride)? Is it realistic? Is it stylized? Is it desperate etc.?

4. Have a broad outline of the action.

Plan the scene (goal, obstacle, disaster, reaction/choice, outcome) in broad terms. Because the pace is intentionally quick, don’t worry about rehearsal of options and anticipation of outcomes – they belong to more leisurely scenes. Don’t choreograph every move… that isn’t going to work. Let the audience choreograph the fight by harnessing the listener’s own ability to supply the detail. Give the audience enough detail (via sound cues and dialog) that it is easy for them to imagine the detail without confusion.

5. If possible, heighten the emotion.

Use the protagonist’s point of view, sound and dialog to provide reactions to being in the midst of the action. Confusion, pain, surprise, fear, anger etc.

6. Keep the action fast paced.

Use short sentences of dialog. Make sound cues short and evocative. Resolve the action quickly – don’t let the audience start to wonder if/when its all going to end. It’s better to leave the audience wanting more than bored by too much.

7. Surprise the listener.

A fight or action scene is a story telling opportunity and cliches and predictability should be avoided.

8. Don’t fill the scene with uninterpreted or uninterpretable sound.

Incomprehensible soundscapes create confusion in the mind of the audience and destroy any sense of immersion that the audience might have.

9. Don’t over narrate.

Use supporting characters and your protagonists to keep the action clear. Have them speak to each other about what they are seeing etc. But don’t overdo it. You don’t want your action scene to sound like a prize fight commentary (unless it happens to be a prize fight commentary).

Example

Here’s a quick example scene…

SCENE 1: INT – CAPTAIN’S CABIN ON THE PIRATE SHIP THE FLOATING SAVAGE – NIGHT (FIRST MATE, PIRATE KING, PIRATE 1, PIRATE 2, PIRATE 3)

1. SOUND: BOAT RIGGING, WAVES, ETC. – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.

2. SOUND: A KNOCK, DOOR OPENS – LET IT FINISH.

3. FIRST MATE: ‘Evening Captain. There’s four of us as would like a word if it’s all the same to you.

4. PIRATE KING: Well, lads, come in and gather round. I’ve word of a fat ship heading to the West Indies with a payroll for the plantations. What do you say? A worthy target?

5. SOUND: DOOR CLOSES, PIRATES SHUFFLE IN – LET IT FINISH.

6. FIRST MATE: Well, Captain, it’s like this. We’re feeling a little concerned… Ye’ve led us into one disaster after another recently and we were wondering why we should keep on following you?

7. PIRATE CAPTAIN: Are ye thinking I’ve led ye wrong then?

8. FIRST MATE: Aye Captain, we are. Begging your pardon, but we’ve seen no decent plunder these past months… and come close to capture more’n a few times.

9. PIRATE KING: So what would you have me do? The pickings have been meagre, true, and the King’s navy has dogged our every step. But I defy you to show me anyone who could have done any better.

10. FIRST MATE: I reckon “some of us” think perhaps we could do a better job.

11. PIRATE KING: Then call a vote. Let’s see how many this “some of us” amounts to.

12. FIRST MATE: Well, Captain, that would be the way to do it, right enough, but I think a quicker and more straight forward solution be presenting itself.

13. PIRATE KING: Ah, it’s like that is it?

14. FIRST MATE: Aye, ‘tis.

15. PIRATE KING: And that’d be why you brought these three lads with you. You never were one to face a man squarely.

16. FIRST MATE: Oh they ain’t going to interfere. They’re just here to make sure no-one else does either. (BEAT) What say you to my challenge, Captain? How will ye answer?

17. PIRATE KING: Like this…

18. SOUND: SMACK OF FIST ON FACE – LET IT FINISH.

19. FIRST MATE: Ugh. Your sneaky reputation is well earned, Captain. But it will take more’n that to fell me.

20. PIRATE KING: Something more like this then?

21. SOUND: SMACK (BEAT) SMACK, SMACK – LET IT FINISH.

22. FIRST MATE: (DISCONCERTED AND WORRIED) Aye. Something very much like that.

23. PIRATE KING: So why are you smiling?

24. FIRST MATE: Because of this…

25. SOUND: KNIFE UNSHEATHES – LET IT FINISH.

26. PIRATE KING: A knife? Really?

27. FIRST MATE: It’s the least I could… do!

28. SOUND: SWISH OF KNIFE – LET IT FINISH.

29. PIRATE KING: … and I didn’t bring anything for you. (BEAT) I guess it will have to just be this…

30. SOUND: SMACK – LET IT FINISH.

31. PIRATE KING: And this…

32. SOUND: SMACK – LET IT FINISH.

33. PIRATE KING: And this, and this, and this…

34. SOUND: SMACK, SMACK, SMACK – UNDER

35. PIRATE KING: And this!

36. SOUND: SMACK – LET IT FINISH.

37. FIRST MATE: (GROANS) Ugh!

38. SOUND: BODY DROP!

39. PIRATE KING: (SLIGHTLY OUT OF BREATH) Now… are any of you other wretches inclined to add your weight to this cur’s challenge?

40. PIRATE 1: (SCARED) No!

41. PIRATE 2&3: No, no!

42. PIRATE KING: Good. Then I suggest you get this maggot ridden carcass off my floor and over the side of my ship.

43. PIRATE 1: Er, yes Captain. Right away Captain!

44. PIRATE KING: … and then get something to clean the blood out of my carpet. His nose appears to have bled all over it.

45. PIRATES 2&3: Yes, yes, Captain!

46. PIRATE KING: Well, get going!

47. SOUND: HURRIED ACTIVITY, JOSTLING, DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES – LET IT FINISH.

48. PIRATE KING: Damnit! I’ll need a new first mate after this.

49. MUSIC: SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH

Analysis

In the above scene I’ve tried to keep the action simple and easy to follow (a few short sharp blows and the swish of a knife). From a story point of view this brawl is an exercise in dominance, the Captain is being challenged for his ship and meets it decisively, reasserting control over his crew by beating the challenger down. His skill is demonstrated in the dialog and his courage is demonstrated by facing down his First Mate with just his fists when the coward produces a knife. The fearful reaction of the crew and the reference to blood on the carpet are intended to help sell the violence of the moment. Structurally, the scene establishes the captain’s goal (to assert his right to be Captain), the obstacle (a challenge from the First Mate), the disaster (the First Mate pulls a knife), the captain’s reaction (bravado), and the captains choice (to defeat the First Mate with only his fists).

What techniques do you employ to write action scenes? Tell us your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.

This article is © 2017 by Philip Craig Robotham – all rights reserved.

The post 9 tips to Help Write Action Scenes in Audio Drama Scripts appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

Enjoy!

Appreciating Radio Drama

In our last lesson we looked at the history of radio (and in particular radio drama) from its inception through the war years and up to its purported death at the hands of television toward the end of the 1950s.  We looked at its amazing social impact and the manner in which it disrupted other media of the time.  We also looked at the commercialization and control of radio and the way it supported and curbed artistic expression.

This lesson takes approximately x hours to complete.  Add time according to the varying  length of the programs you have selected for listening and review.

There are no pre-requisites for completing this lesson.

This booklet contains everything you need to complete this lesson.  If you would like to play sections of audio drama as example material then you will need an audio player capable of playing .mp3 files and you will need to download the audio files listed from our website.

At the end of this lesson you will be able to…

• list from experience the unique features of radio drama
• critically analyse and assess the elements of radio drama (acting, music, sound effects, narration, script, direction, etc.)
• construct a well argued review and summary of the play with a unique thesis supported by examples and evidence.

• Appreciating Audio Drama
  • Analyzing a Play
    • 1st Listen (an overall appreciation)
    • 2nd Listen (Listening for details)
    • 3rd Listen (Analyzing the mechanics)
      • Consider the story
      • Consider the mechanics of the story-telling.
      • Evaluate the script
      • Consider the editing
      • Evaluate the sound design
      • Think about the music or sound-track
      • Consider the voice acting
    • 4th Listen (A final listen)
  • Constructing a Draft Review of the Play
    • Create an original thesis based on your analysis (1 paragraph)
    • Briefly describe the plot (1 paragraph)
    • Provide an analysis of the play (several paragraphs)
    • Complete your review with a conclusion (1 paragraph)
  • Revising your Review

Dialog

Speech delivered by an actor within a play, specifically speech delivered in-character.

Director

An individual who is who supervises and is responsible for the integration of all the elements of a radio play (sound, music, voice acting, narration, editing, etc.).

Editing

An individual who is responsible for the collection, preparation, and arrangement of the recording of a radio play; one who cuts and splices the recording into its final form.

Fade

The process of gradually reducing the volume of a sound in a recording (fade out) or gradually increasing the volume of a sound in a recording (fade in).

Lead Actors

The actors who represent the main characters in a radio play.

Mp3 files

A digital file format used for storing sound (music, audio etc.) in relatively small file sizes.

Narration

A recital of facts (often setting the scene or bridging between scenes), usually delivered by someone other than a character, that provides information to the audience.

Plot

The plan, scheme, or main story of a literary work or drama.

Review

A critical article or report aimed at helping potential audience-goers evaluate the worth of a production.

Script

The written text of a radio play.

Sound Effect

Any sound, other than music or speech, artificially reproduced to create an effect in a dramatic presentation, as the sound of wind or a door opening.

Theme

The unifying or dominant idea or ideas within a creative work.

Thesis

A statement put forward for consideration, especially one to be discussed and proved or to be maintained against objections:

Voice Acting

Voice acting is the art of providing voices for characters in audio drama.

NA

NA

A surprising number of people today have never heard a radio play.  To truly understand the magic of Audio Drama it is essential to, at the very least, have listened to some.  But even then, a superficial listening tells us very little.  This lesson provides us with a framework for going below the surface to really appreciate how this art-form works.  It lays a foundation in appreciation that will let us then participate in the hands on construction of our own live radio theater.

It is impossible in this day and age to truly capture the novelty and excitement of gathering the family around the radio of an evening to listen to a new episode of a favourite radio drama.  Unlike television where all viewers see and hear the same thing, radio provided an experience unique to each listener.  No-one saw the characters in the same way, or the setting, or the scenes.  Radio drama’s uniqueness lay in the way it cooperated with the imagination of the listener to bring stories to life.  Unlike stage plays (which were very limited in the number of scenes and amount of physical space that could be used to tell a story), radio plays could go anywhere in time and space and present huge panoramic vistas to the audience (albeit inside their heads).  A judicious sound effect or two could evoke an entire universe in the minds of the audience.  The listener’s imagination provided a canvas on which stories could be told that exceeded the capacity of even today’s most ambitious special effects budgets.  It is little wonder that radio drama was, in its day, the most popular available form of entertainment.  In this lesson we are going to experience radio’s ability to engage our imaginations by listening to one or more Old Time Plays.  We will critically engage with the stories and their construction in order to review this medium in our modern context.  At the end of this lesson you will have listened to, studied in detail, and constructed a review of, at least one famous radio drama broadcast.

Here are some questions to get you started…

Have you ever listened to an audio drama?  What age groups do you think they were aimed at?  How serious or frivolous do you think they were?  How many genre’s do you think were represented by radio plays? Do you expect to enjoy listening?  Why? Why not?

A note to teachers

Depending on the time available to you, it might be worthwhile repeating this lesson to give students a chance to experience a variety of plays and genres.  A careful analysis of four  separate plays across a number of genres can greatly strengthen a student’s understanding and appreciation of the form.

Appreciating Audio Drama

A critical appreciation of Audio drama comes about through repeated listening to and reflecting upon the dramatic and mechanical effects employed to tell a story through drama constructed purely for the ear (script, acting, editing, sound, music, and story-telling techniques).  The following lesson helps you to construct a written review of an audio drama.

Choose one of the dramas in the box below.  This will be the focus of your listening and the piece on which you will base your review.

A selection of titles to choose from and listen to (available free from Weirdworldstudios)

Adventure

• The
  Adventures of Superman: The Meteor from Krypton (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-19-superman-meteor-krypton/)
• Escape: Leiningen vs the ants (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-21-escape-leiningen-versus-ants/)
• Bold Venture: Deadly Merchandise (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-26-bold-venture-deadly-merchandise/)
• Adventures by Morse: Girl on Shipwreck Island Part 1 (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-34-adventures-morse-girl-shipwreck-island-part-1/)
• Adventures by Morse: Girl on Shipwreck Island Part 2 (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-35-adventures-morse-girl-shipwreck-island-part-2/)
• Adventures by Morse: Girl on Shipwreck Island Part 3 (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-36-adventures-morse-girl-shipwreck-island-part-3/)
• Cloak and Dagger: Frank Baker’s Story (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-12-cloak-dagger-frank-bakers-story/)

Western

• Gunsmoke: Kitty (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-33-gunsmoke-kitty/)
• Gunsmoke: Home Surgery (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-s2-gunsmoke-home-surgery/)
• Gunsmoke: The Blacksmith (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-s4-gunsmoke-the-blacksmith/)
• The Six Shooter: Britt Ponsett’s Christmas Carol (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-s5-the-six-shooter-britt-ponsetts-christmas-carol/)
• Have Gun Will Travel: The Outlaw Manfred Holt (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-s6-have-gun-will-travel-the-outlaw-manfred-holt/)

Drama/Suspense

• Arch Oboler’s Plays: Johnny Got His Gun (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-17-arch-oblers-plays-johnny-got-gun/)
• Suspense: Sorry Wrong Number (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-6-suspense-sorry-wrong-number/)
• CBS Radio Mystery Theatre: Old ones are hard to kill (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-37-cbs-radio-mystery-theater-old-ones-hard-kill/)

Horror/Thriller

• Escape: Three Skeleton Key (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-5-suspense-three-skeleton-key/)
• Lights Out : Death Robbery (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-s7-lights-out-death-robbery/)
• Quiet Please: The Thing on the Fourble Board (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-22-quiet-please-thing-fourble-board/)
• Lights Out: The Chicken Heart (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-6-lights-chicken-heart/)
• Suspense: Ghost hunt (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-s8-suspense-ghost-hunt/)
• Mercury Summer Theatre: The Hitchhiker (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-23-mercury-summer-theatre-hitchhiker/)

Science Fiction

• The Mercury Theatre on the Air: War of the Worlds (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-4-mercury-theatre-war-worlds/)
• CBS Radio Workshop: Brave New World Part 1 (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-51-cbs-radio-workshop-brave-new-world-part-12/)
• CBS Radio Workshop: Brave New World Part 2 (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-52-cbs-radio-workshop-brave-new-world-part-22/)
• Dimension X: The Outer Limit (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-1-dimension-x-the-outer-limit/)
• X Minus 1: No contact (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-10-x-minus-one-contact/)
• Dimension X: The Martian Chronicles (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-25-dimension-x-martian-chronicles/)

Crime/Detective

• Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Todd Matter (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-s9-yours-truly-johnny-dollar-the-todd-matter/)
• The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe: The Lost Heir (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-50-the-new-adventures-of-nero-wolfe-the-lost-heir/)
• The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe: Stamped for Murder (http://weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-18-new-adventures-nero-wolfe-stamped-murder/)
• Dragnet: The Nickel-plated Gun (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-39-dragnet-nickel-plated-gun/)
• The Lives of Harry Lime: Too many crooks (http://weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-15-lives-harry-lime-many-crooks/)

Comedy

• Our Miss Brookes: Lack of Coal at Madison High (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-10-miss-brooks-lack-coal-madison-high/)
• The Jack Benny Program: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-42-jack-benny-program-hunchback-notre-dame/)
• Fibber McGee and Molly: Fibber builds a dog house (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-40-fibber-mcgee-molly-fibber-builds-dog-house/)
• The Great Gildersleeve: Gildy arrives in Summerfield (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-27-great-gildersleeve-gildy-arrives-summerfield/)
• Baby Snooks: House Breaking (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-30-baby-snooks-house-breaking/)
• Burns and Allen: Grandpa’s 92nd Birthday (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-49-the-burns-and-allen-show-grandpas-92nd-birthday/)
• Abbott and Costello: Costello is invited to join the yankees (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-31-abbott-costello-costello-invited-join-yankees/)

Experimental

• Columbia Workshop: The Fall of the City (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-24-columbia-workshop-fall-city/)
• Columbia Workshop: We hold these truths (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-27-columbia-workshop-hold-truths/)
• Columbia Workshop: On a note of triumph (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/showcase-32-columbia-workshop-note-triumph/)
• Columbia Workshop: The undecided molecule (http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/audio-showcase-20-columbia-workshop-undecided-molecule/)

Reviewing a Play

Choose one of the available titles to listen to.

Record the title and the year it came out.

Can you uncover the writer’s name?  The director’s?  Do some online research and see what you can find out.

What are the names of the lead actors?

What genre does the story represent?

1st listen (An overall appreciation)

Now listen to the story for the first time (just for fun) and without interruption.

Did you enjoy it?

Did it make sense?

Did it have an overall message or theme?

What did you like most?

What did you like least?

How strongly did it activate your imagination?

Which moments stand out to you?

How does this kind of drama differ from books, plays, television, and movies?

What similarities exist between audio drama and other media?

What is unique about audio drama?

2nd listen (Listening for details)

This time listen to the drama and take detailed notes. Use the pause and rewind button frequently.

Make  a note every time something stands out to you, whether it’s good or bad.  This could be a sound effect, some background music, a piece of voice acting, the delivery of a particular line, a plot twist etc.  Think about how this detail helps or hinders the story being told.

Note any patterns that appear; repeated phrases, sounds, transitions etc.  Look out for themes
etc.

Consider the characters.  Do they seem real or stereotyped?  Are they portrayed as weak, strong, passive, active etc?  Do they reflect unconscious biases regarding race or gender?

What about narration?  Too much, too little?  Did you lose track of what was happening at any point in the story?

3rd listen (Analyzing the mechanics)

Listen once more, but this time pay attention to how the audio drama is presented and constructed. Again, use the pause and rewind button frequently.

Consider the story-telling

How did the writer and director choose to portray/explain the events in the story?  Whose point of view is being expressed primarily?  Did the story drag or was it overly truncated?  Does the story contain a “signature’ moment; something that clearly identifies the story as coming from that director or writer?  How does it compare with other works by the same individuals?  How does the story overcome the lack of visual representation and communicate the action?

Consider the mechanics of the story-telling

Did the microphone follow the actors, or did the actors seem to move into and out of the range of the mic?  How effectively were characters “kept alive” in scenes when they didn’t have much dialog?  How are transitions between scenes accomplished; using music, fades, etc.?  How effective is this?  How are volume and silence used to create emphasis?

Evaluate the script

Do you consider the script well written?  Was the plot inventive and unpredictable or boring, formulaic, and weak?  Did the language used by the characters seem realistic and believable?  Did they behave in believable ways and make realistic choices?  Were the characters well defined and individual or grey and generic?  Were the characters necessary?

Consider the editing

Was the drama choppy or did it flow smoothly from scene to scene?  Did the narrative, dialog, sound, and/or music set the scenes appropriately or were the scenes confused and difficult to figure out?  Did the various elements of the presentation cooperate or compete in presenting the story?

Evaluate the sound design

Did the sound design support the story?  Were the sounds clearly identified or confusing?  Did they overwhelm the story or were they subtle?  Did they set and deepen the scene or were they distracting?

Think about the music or sound track

Did any music enhance the mood of the scenes?  Was it over/under used?  Was it irritating, suspenseful, sad etc.?.  Did the music convey its own message?

Consider the acting

Were the characters well portrayed?  Did the voices sufficiently distinguish the characters?  Did the voices give an accurate sense of the characters?  Were the lines well and clearly delivered?  Did any of the acting choices surprise, delight, bore, or horrify you? Why?

4th listen (A final listen)

It’s difficult to get a full understanding of a drama when you are constantly pausing it to take notes.  Give it one final listen (straight through without pausing it).  Pay attention to details you might have missed the first time around.  Think about how all the details are brought together to create the whole; the overall effect of the play.  Has your impression of the play changed since your first listen?  How and why?

Constructing a Draft Review of a Play

Create an original thesis based on your analysis (1 paragraph)

Any good piece of writing begins with a great introduction.  Having thoroughly studied the play, ask yourself what unique insights you have to share?  Invent a central idea to discuss and back up with your observations on the play.  Having a good thesis will take your review beyond simply summarizing the plot and on into the realm of genuine critique.  Analyzing and critiquing the plays of others is a great first step towards being able to create plays of your own.

Consider the following questions as you try to come up with a thesis statement of your own.

Does you relate to the play on a personal level?  How and why?

Does the play comment on a current event or issue?  How does the play relate to the “real” world?

Does the play have a message?  Does it attempt to persuade the audience to a point of view?  Does it try to generate a specific emotional response?  Does it achieve the goals it sets for itself?

Briefly describe the plot (1 paragraph)

Identify the main characters, the setting, and the central conflict in the story… but don’t give away too much.  You don’t want to spoil the play for those who haven’t heard it.

If you feel you can’t do the review justice without giving away something that might spoil the play, then make sure you give your readers fair warning first.

Be sure to mention the director and or writer’s name as well as the full title of the play.

When you mention characters in the plot summary, be sure to place the actors’ names directly afterwards in brackets.

Provide an analysis of the play (several paragraphs)

Discuss the interesting elements and characteristics of the drama that support your thesis.  This is the place to talk about the things you noticed about the storytelling, effects and techniques used, script, editing, sound-design, music, and voice-acting… just be sure that each point contributes evidence in support of your thesis.

As you write, be clear.  Make your text easy to understand and avoid using jargon or technical language.  In a review of this sort you can present both the facts and your opinions regarding those facts.

Provide plenty of descriptive examples in support of your points.  Describe the settings, the special effects, the way that lines were delivered etc.  You can also quote dialog in support of your
points.

Bring the play to life for your readers and give the writing some personality.  Let your own personality come through in your writing and the review will be much more readable.

Complete your review with a conclusion ( 1 paragraph)

Your conclusion should tie back to and restate your original thesis.  It should also attempt to objectively guide readers regarding whether they are likely to enjoy the play or not.  This is also the place to give your own personal rating of the play.

Revising your Review

Now that your first draft is complete, as with any piece of writing that is meant to be read by others, you will need to do some revision.  Give your review as many revisions as you need in order to feel like you produced your best work.  You may need to shift paragraphs around, trim some areas, expand others, and even rewrite sections.

Does your draft flow well and reflect the right structure?

Did your  review support your thesis?  Does your conclusion mesh with your original ideas?

Does your review contain enough details about the play?  You may need to add more description to properly convey what the play is about.

Is your review interesting?  Have you contributed something original through your review?  What will readers get from your review that they wouldn’t get by simply listening to the play?

Be sure to proof read your review for spelling, typos, and grammar issues.  Check your facts (names, dates, etc. before handing it in.

Are you satisfied that your review reflects your best effort?  Then, hand it in.

Why is it helpful to listen to a play more than once when reviewing it?

What elements of a play should be analyzed when constructing a review?

How does a summary of the plot of a play differ from an analysis of a play?

What is a thesis statement?  Why is a unique thesis statement helpful?

Use this worksheet to organise your observations.

What big themes were addressed in the program?

What message (obvious or disguised) did the program present?

How might the show’s message have been shaped by its sponsorship, network, censorship, and the unconscious moral standards of the day?

Did the show succeed in subverting any of these standards?  How?

What features of the show were acceptable at the time but would not be so acceptable today?

Does the program’s theme or message have any relevance for today’s world?

What can be learned from this program (if anything)?  Are there examples to follow or avoid? Are there propositions to be convinced of or refute? Is the subject matter safe, or discomforting?  Why? Why not?

After listening to your chosen radio drama, prepare a thesis statement (a statement regarding the program that you are prepared to defend with evidence).

Write a short paragraph summarizing the plot of your chosen program.

Choose 2 topics from the analysis list (story, storytelling techniques, script, editing, sound design, music and voice acting).  Write a paragraph of analysis on each of the two you have topics chosen with reference to your chosen program.

For assessment:

Prepare a complete review (using the model provided in the lesson) of one radio drama for assessment (1700 – 2000 words).

• 1 paragraph  (250 words) introduction and thesis statement
• 1 paragraph (250 words) summary of plot
• 5 paragraphs (1000 words) analysis of program
• 1 paragraph (250 words) conclusion.

Listening to audio drama is the best way to learn to appreciate it.  There is an awful lot going on beneath the surface of audio drama that the casual listener can easily miss.  In this lesson we have explored a method of analyzing audio drama that, hopefully, has helped you to peel back the layers and gain a far deeper understanding of the medium.

Deep understanding of audio-drama comes through conscious
and repeated listening and analysis.

This lesson presents a method of undertaking such analysis
through preparing a review.

Listen through the program 4 times.

• 1st time (just for enjoyment)
• 2nd time (listening for details)
• 3rd time (analyzing the play in terms of storytelling, mechanics, script, editing, sound design, music, and voice acting)
• 4th time (a final listen to spot anything missed)

Prepare a review

• Write an introductory paragraph and thesis statement Provide a summary of the plot
• Discuss your analysis and its relationship to your thesis Write a conclusion showing how it all fits together.

What is a thesis statement?

What elements of a play should you consider in your analysis?

What are the elements of an Audio Drama Review?

In our next lesson we will conduct a live read-through and analysis of a modern audio-drama script.

The content of this lesson is copyright © 2015 Weirdworldstudios.com

Lessons

• Lesson 1 : The Science Behind Radio
• Lesson 2 : The History of Commercial Radio
• Lesson 3 : Appreciating Radio Drama
• Lesson 4 : Reading Radio Drama Scripts
• Lesson 5 : Performing Radio Drama
• Lesson 6 : Scripting Radio Drama

Worked Example (Radio Adaptation of Rapunzel)

• Appendix : Writer’s Notes on Adapting Rapunzel for Radio
• Example Radio Play (with writer’s notes) : Rapunzel for Schools Episode 1, Gustav the Hunter
• Example Radio Play (with writer’s notes) : Rapunzel for Schools Episode 2, Kidnapping
• Example Radio Play (with writer’s notes) : Rapunzel for Schools Episode 3, Desperate Measures
• Example Radio Play with writer’s notes) : Rapunzel for Schools
• Example Radio Play with writer’s notes) : Rapunzel for Schools Episode 5, Fateful Meeting
• Example Radio Play with writer’s notes) : Rapunzel for Schools Episode 6, Just Desserts

The post Appreciating Radio Drama – Audio Drama for Schools Lesson 03 appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.