Pulp-pourri Theatre Audio Drama

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS episode 56, part 2: We conclude this special, extended, two-part episode! Special guest John Tefteller is armed with more terrific stories about Groucho Marx and his zany brothers, plus we learn how John himself started working for Groucho at the tender age of 15! (Part 1 was last week, in case you missed it.) SPECIAL NOTE: At the behest of Mr. T, we've removed a special announcement about the release of some "new" Marxian material, so you'll hear a 5-second gap at that point. Don't turn away, just wait 5 seconds and the show will continue!

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 56: In part one of this very special extended installment of the long-running OTR discussion series, co-hosts Pete, Patte (pat) and Paul welcome guest programmer John Tefteller, a fellow OTR podcaster and a life-long collector of radio transcription discs – not to mention somebody who worked for Groucho Marx as a young man! John is sharing an episode of 'You Bet Your Life', as well as many wonderful stories about the Marx Brothers, and old radio in general. JOIN US NEXT WEEK FOR PART TWO! If you like OTR Essentials and have a suggestion for a future series we should discuss, please write us at our NEW email address: themoonlightaudiopodcast@gmail.com! If we take your suggestion, you'll be eligible for some cool Narada and Moonlight swag.

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Ep 55.5 -- 10th Anniversary of Mickey Mouse Co-hosts Pete, Paul and Patte divert from their usual format to bring you this diversion -- a standalone production from 1938 that honors Walt Disney on the 10th anniversary of the very first Mickey Mouse cartoon. Discovered by OTR aficionado John Tefteller in his vast collection of acetate (and other) recordings, he released it on Thanksgiving Day 2025 on his own podcast, The Good Old Days of Radio, thus letting listeners hear it for the first time (probably) since its first release 88 years ago. Mr. Tefteller has graciously allowed us to re-re-release it, since our listeners and his likely follow parallel lines, thus allowing more folks to enjoy it. The three co-hosts are not judging it by their usual criteria (see previous episodes), merely bringing it to you for your entertainment.  If you like OTR Essentials and have a suggestion for a future series we should discuss, please write us at our NEW email address: themoonlightaudiopodcast@

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 55: The Great Gildersleeve (S5 Holiday Special) Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 55, and as we continue Season 5, we present Paul's pick, an installment of the NBC comedy series, The Great Gildersleeve, from 12/24/44. Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards! As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria: 1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.") 2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection? So with this in mind, we four bring you, as our fifty-fifth number (but 6th official episode of S5), this episode of The Great Gildersleeve, from Christmas Eve, 1944. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it!  Please show your support of the podca

SIX-GUN SANTA CLAUS, A Jake Dimes Christmas Number Western detective Jake Dimes returns for a third holiday adventure! At a family gathering in Celestial City, Jake and his sidekick Briar Buck tell the "one hundred percent true" tale of a youngster, living a hardscrabble existence in a small Arizona town, who gets a new lease on life through the kindness of a circus performer. Aside from the main story, two members of the family reveal some important news! Enjoy this new offering from the Narada Radio Company, and Happy Holidays to all of our listeners! With the voice talents of: Dana Gonsalves as JAKE DIMES Victoria Fancki as CHRIS GREENSLATE DIMES  Austin Beach as BRIAR BUCK  Nancy Bueler as MOLLY SUTCLIFFE BUCK  Joe Stofko as FRED GREENSLATE  Glenn Hascall as SLIM SUTCLIFFE and Debby Gonzales Ramirez as LUPE; with Nick Wommack as TODD Alan Clower as NEVADA Andy Hartson-Bowyer as ACE GARLAND Paul J. Patterson as COLONEL BRAGG Mel Rose as FREDERICA "RICKY" DIMES Additional voices by Pete Lutz Cannonball Kel

THE BEETLE WHO WENT ON HIS TRAVELS by Hans Christian Andersen Originally produced for Mutual Audio Network's Saturday Story Circle, I decided to share my narration of this enchanting story with my regular listeners, in case they missed it at Mutual a couple years ago. Enjoy!

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 54: I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 54, and as we continue Season 5, we present Patte's pick, an early episode of the groundbreaking BBC comedy series, I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, from April, 1964. Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards! As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria: 1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.") 2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection? So with this in mind, we four bring you, as our fifty-fourth number (but 5th official episode of S5), this episode of I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, from 04/64. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it!  Please show your suppor

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 53: NBC Presents: Short Story Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 53, and as we continue Season 5, we present Pete's pick, or rather Special Guest Programmer Jack Ward's pick, an example of the NBC Radio Anthology series NBC Presents: Short Story. Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards! As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria: 1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.") 2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection? So with this in mind, we four bring you, as our fifty-third number (but 4th official episode of S5), this episode of NBC Presents: Short Story, from 3-15-51. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it!  Please show your su

THE AMBITIOUS GUEST by Nathaniel Hawthorne Read by Pete Lutz Originally narrated for the Tales to Terrify podcast in 2017, I thought I'd share this reading of Hawthorne's 1835 short story with you for the Halloween timeframe. While it isn't necessarily horror, it does have some suspenseful elements and a strange twist, which are apropros to the season, no? Listen and enjoy.

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 52: Hancock's Half-Hour Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 52, and as we continue Season 5, we present Paul's pick, an example of the BBC Radio comedy series Hancock's Half-Hour. Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards! As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria: 1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.") 2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection? So with this in mind, we three bring you, as our fifty-second number (but 3rd official episode of S5), this episode of Hancock's Half-Hour, from 1-11-56. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it!  Please show your support of the podcast by doing any of the following... To comment on how

MUTUAL PRESENTS: RETRO-ROCKETS! Crisis on Titan (Orig. rel. 9-4-24 on Mutual Audio Network) On one of the many moons of Saturn, a troop of Interplanetary Soldiers have been given scut-duty: digging in the dirt to find an element vital to the survival of Earth and other planets. They long to get back to the job they were trained for: fighting whatever enemy is before them. These hard-bitten grunts soon get more than they bargained for, when the enemy takes over the garrison they'd left just a few hours before! Crisis on Titan first appeared in Planet Stories magazine, and was adapted for this series by Pete Lutz from the short story by James R. Adams. CAST: Andy Hartson-Bowyer as SGT. HALLIHAN Ebony Rose as CORPORAL RODRIGUEZ and Carole Krohn as CAPTAIN STALEY The voices of the SOLDIERS were by Julie Krohn and Pete Lutz The sounds of the THE BARBER'S DELIGHTS and THE SQUEAKERS were by Julie Krohn

PROJECT AUDION 72: Jimmy Durante - Garry Moore Show Jimmy Durante: so famous for so many decades that just a caricature of his face was enough to elicit a smile. His outsized "Schnozz" matched the outsized personality from the 1920s through the 1970s. Even today, when his name and face are no longer common currency, his catchphrases and songs have endured. You can hear Durante singing in the "Joker" movie of 2019, imitated in lines from the "Lion King," and showing up every year in animated Christmas specials.  In this Audion Original, Pete Lutz revisits this unique talent, imagining a 1940s episode of the Jimmy Durante Comedy Caravan with his on-air partner Garry Moore, and guest stars Sydney Greenstreet and Rose Marie. "Everybody wants ta' get inta de act!" and they do for a half hour of mirth and music. Pete Lutz, in Texas, as Jimmy Durante Bob Beaumont, in California, as Garry Moore Scott McKinley, in New Jersey, as Sidney Greenstreet Jessica Matthews, in Texas, as Rose Marie Laura Mirsky in New Jersey,

THIS IS HOLLYWOOD: The Stranger The Narada Radio Company proudly presents a re-imagined episode of a lost radio series, This is Hollywood! Little is known about this series, other than the fact that it, like many other series in the Golden Age, presented radio adaptations of popular films. When director Pete Lutz was working on his adaptation of the screenplay, he discovered that The Stranger had been adapted for this lost series. Since no recording of this episode, nor any episode, could be located, Mr. Lutz created an introduction and a closing segment that might've been the way This is Hollywood presented them. Right or wrong, there it is, and who can dispute it? In this production, the Narada Radio Company presents an adaptation of the full film -- indeed the running times of this audio play and the motion picture are very similar -- so you get an hour and a half of suspense, action, adventure, and thrills, all surrounding the story of a post-WWII Nazi hunter, on the track of her prey, the mastermind beh

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 51: Wayne & Shuster Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 51, and as we continue Season 5, we present Patte's pick, an example of the Canadian comedy duo Wayne & Shuster, in which they present their famous routine, "Rinse the Blood Off My Toga" -- a sort of Julius-Caesar-meets-Mickey-Spillane. Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards! As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria: 1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.") 2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection? So with this in mind, we three bring you, as our fifty-first number (but 2nd official episode of S5), this episode of Wayne & Shuster, from 2-4-54. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us,

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 50: Sherlock Holmes Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 50, our Season 5 premiere! Pete, Paul and Patte welcome Essential Listener Andy, who has suggested an episode of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Gielgud and Richardson, entitled "The Final Problem." Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards! As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria: 1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.") 2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection? So with this in mind, we three bring you, as our fiftieth number (but 1st official episode of S5), this episode of Sherlock Holmes, from 4-17-55. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it!  Please show

Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 49, the 12th installment of Season 4 (and our Season Finale)! Pete, Paul and Patte present Paul's pick , an episode of Dangerous Assignment, entitled "Investigate Flying Saucers"!  Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards! As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria: 1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.") 2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection? So with this in mind, we three bring you, as our forty-ninth number (but 12th official episode of S4), this episode of Dangerous Assignment, from 4-17-50. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it!  Please show your support of the podcast by doing any of the following... To comment on

Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 48, the 11th installment of Season 4! Pete, Paul and Patte present Patte's pick , an episode of On Stage, entitled "Heartbreak"!  Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards! As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria: 1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.") 2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection? So with this in mind, we three bring you, as our forty-eighth number (but 11th official episode of S4), this episode of On Stage, from 2-17-54. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it!  Please show your support of the podcast by doing any of the following... To comment on how we might improve OTR-E, or give suggestions for future dis

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 47: The Whistler (our 2025 New Year's Special!) Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 47, the 10th installment of Season 4! Pete, Paul and Patte present Pete's pick , an episode of The Whistler, entitled "The First Year"!  Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards! As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria: 1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.") 2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection? So with this in mind, we three bring you, as our forty-seventh number (but 10th official episode of S4), this episode of The Whistler, from 12-31-47. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it!  Please show your support of the podcast by doing any o

Long, long before George Burns became the senior citizen movie star of films like "The Sunshine Boys" and "Oh God!" he was familiar to radio and television audiences across the country as the grounded half of the comedy couple Burns and Allen, with real-life wife (and vaudeville partner) Gracie Allen playing the ditzy dame of the duo. Theirs was a 25-year run on the airwaves, and now for Project Audion, Pete Lutz has penned a fresh new Burns and Allen script that recalls the best of their radio work during World War II, right down to their sponsor of the time, Swan Soap. Much like Bob Hope and Jack Benny did, we find the two of them at a naval base entertaining the troops, along with guest stars Henry Fonda and Chico Marx. You'll be entertained by Audion's transcribed-live transcontinental cast of delicious, delirious vocal talents: John Bell (as George) in Alabama Mel Rose (as Gracie) in Pennsylvania Dana Gonsalves (as Bill Goodwin) in Texas Les Marsden (as Chico Marx) in California Scott R. McKinley (as He

SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS, based on the 1964 film and adapted/produced/directed by Pete Lutz Martians are worried that their children are being influenced by Earth trends, so they visit the planet's wise man, who tells them that they should let their children be children, and the Earthling Santa Claus isn't such a bad thing, so their decision is to travel to Earth and kidnap the jolly old elf. The original film has been described as one of the worst films ever made, and as a result has been spoofed by theatrical companies all over the U.S. Well, the Narada Radio Company is no exception -- originally planned for a live production in December of 2024, Murphy's Law held true and strong, so they recorded it in the director's living room instead, and said director edited the voice tracks on Saturday, December 21st, and mixed all of the music and SFX on Sunday, December 22nd. Now, if you don't like the finished product...the director wishes you a very Merry Christmas. This play would not have been possible