Radio
Bloch spent little time working within the medium of radio. Aside from penning radio scripts resulting from participation in Milwaukee political candidate Carl Zeidler’s 1940 bid for mayor and for a few local shows in the Milwaukee area, Bloch’s only commercial foray into radio broadcasting came in 1945, with the debut of Stay Tuned for Terror. A program devoted to horror and the supernatural in the same vein as Lights Out, Terror’s initial, and only season, featured 39, 15-minute radio plays. The scripts, all written by Bloch, consisted of eight originals, with the remainder adapted from his own stories, primarily from Weird Tales, who promoted the radio show within their pages. Sadly, this radio program is for the most part “lost,” apart from, to date, two episodes that have only recently been discovered (see below).
Carl Zeidler and the St. Charles Boys’ Home
In 1939, Carl Zeidler was a young assistant city attorney for the city of Milwaukee who decided to run for mayor in the following year’s election against long-standing incumbent, Daniel Hoan. Bloch and Harold Gauer became involved with Zeidler at the bequest of friend Jim Doolittle, who was at the time Zeidler’s campaign manager. Together, Bloch and Gauer were responsible for every promotional aspect of the campaign—writing speeches, advertising copy, and scripts for radio. (BTW, Zeidler won.)
During, but unrelated to the campaign, Bloch and Gauer were approached by the Morison Advertising Agency proposing the pair write a number of 15-minute radio dramas for the St. Charles Boys’ Home. In his autobiography, Once Around the Bloch, the author recalled:
“The scripts, meant to be broadcast over a wide area, were to present fictitious case histories of how youths got into trouble, then got out again with the aid of the Home’s guidance. All of which would be designed to lead up to a pitch for contributions. This was not Gauer’s specialty, but I quickly agreed to provide the necessary tearjerkers for thirty-five dollars per jerk. The fact that I’d never written a radio script before didn’t faze me, and apparently what I wrote didn’t faze the Morison Agency moguls.”
Carl Zeidler and the St. Charles Boys’ Home
In 1939, Carl Zeidler was a young assistant city attorney for the city of Milwaukee who decided to run for mayor in the following year’s election against long-standing incumbent, Daniel Hoan. Bloch and Harold Gauer became involved with Zeidler at the bequest of friend Jim Doolittle, who was at the time Zeidler’s campaign manager. Together, Bloch and Gauer were responsible for every promotional aspect of the campaign—writing speeches, advertising copy, and scripts for radio. (BTW, Zeidler won.)
During, but unrelated to the campaign, Bloch and Gauer were approached by the Morison Advertising Agency proposing the pair write a number of 15-minute radio dramas for the St. Charles Boys’ Home. In his autobiography, Once Around the Bloch, the author recalled:
“The scripts, meant to be broadcast over a wide area, were to present fictitious case histories of how youths got into trouble, then got out again with the aid of the Home’s guidance. All of which would be designed to lead up to a pitch for contributions. This was not Gauer’s specialty, but I quickly agreed to provide the necessary tearjerkers for thirty-five dollars per jerk. The fact that I’d never written a radio script before didn’t faze me, and apparently what I wrote didn’t faze the Morison Agency moguls.”
|
Stay Tuned for Terror
|
|
Adaptations of Bloch material
Dimension X: An anthology radio program featuring dramatized adaptations of science fiction stories by leading writers of the field. Broadcast from 1950-1951.
X Minus One: Initially a revival Dimension X, the first 15, 30-minute episodes of X Minus One were new versions of Dimension X episodes, but the remainder were adaptations by NBC staff writers. Broadcast from 1955-1958.
The Kate Smith Hour: A radio variety show offering comedy, music, and drama with appearances by top personalities of films and theater (1937–1945).
The Molle Mystery Theatre: "Stories from the greatest classical and contemporary mystery authors."
- Almost Human: (episode 6, May 13, 1950; script adapted by George Lefferts from Bloch’s short story.)
X Minus One: Initially a revival Dimension X, the first 15, 30-minute episodes of X Minus One were new versions of Dimension X episodes, but the remainder were adaptations by NBC staff writers. Broadcast from 1955-1958.
- Almost Human: (episode 14; Aug 11, 1955; script adapted by George Lefferts from Bloch’s short story.) Link: Almost Human
The Kate Smith Hour: A radio variety show offering comedy, music, and drama with appearances by top personalities of films and theater (1937–1945).
- Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper (Jan 7, 1944; adapted by Ken Crossen from Bloch's short story.)
The Molle Mystery Theatre: "Stories from the greatest classical and contemporary mystery authors."
- Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper (Feb 1945; adapted by Contance Smith from Bloch's short story. Encore performance Jan 2, 1948.) Link: Your Truly...