We start off with the original old-time radio western, “Death Valley Days.”  In this episode, a female prospector goes to extraordinary lengths to prevent claim jumpers.  Then on “The Jack Benny Program,” Rochester is cleaning Jack’s den while Jack travels to the Department of Motor Vehicles to renew his driver’s license.

Episodes

Death Valley Days

June 16, 1939

“Shoo Fly” 

2:11

The Jack Benny Program

November 16, 1947

“Cleaning Jack’s Den”

28:32

Episode 58—Geek Actors Live on Stage

Science fiction writer and editor Scott Pearson’s cohost Ella Pearson puts the “geek” in “theatre geek,” sharing stories of living in London and seeing various plays live on stage which featured actors we all know and love from genre movies and TV.

Segments

02:56 English Actors vs. American Actors

04:04 Scott’s Adventures at the Theatre, Pt. 1

06:56 Martin Freeman in The Dumb Waiter

10:21 Scott’s Adventures at the Theatre, Pt. 2

10:56 Danny Dyer in The Dumb Waiter

12:54 Rupert Graves in Victoria Station

13:51 Celebrity Distractions

15:59 Scott’s Adventures at the Theatre, Pt. 3

17:20 Charlie Cox, Zawe Ashton, and Tom Hiddleston in Betrayal

23:09 Go to the Theatre

23:34 Tom Hiddleston and Shakespeare

24:56 Ella IS Frau Schmidt

25:56 Arthur Darvill in Sweet Charity (plus Hiddleston in Coriolanus)

31:40 Scott’s Adventures at the Theatre, Pt. 4

33:42 Missed Plays

34:50 Halley Atwell in Rosmersholm

37:42 At the Stage Door

39:58 Favorite Performances

"The General"

UK Airing: November 3, 1967

US Airing: July 13, 1968

The Prisoner goes on a quest to find "The General", the force behind a learning method that is being adopted by the entire Village.  But what is the purpose of this learning method and why does it seem more devious than it first appears?

John and writer Jim Beard discuss applied learning techniques, the music of the series, and the types of episodes one finds in this series in an episode that does not match John's memories of watching it growing up and has never been a favorite of Jim's.

Take a moment to comment on the episode here or by writing thechronicrift@gmail.com.

"The Schizoid Man"

UK Airing: October 27, 1967

US Airing: July 6, 1968

The Prisoner awakens to find himself in a new home with a new look and everyone calling him Number Twelve.  And who is this Number Six who looks exactly like him?

John and writer Jim Beard discuss the appearance of actress Jane Merrow, the use of Rover, and McGoohan's performance as both The Prisoner and Number Twelve.  

Take a moment to comment on the episode here or by writing thechronicrift@gmail.com.  

Vincent Price returns as Simon Templar, aka “The Saint,” the Robin Hood of Modern Crime, solving tricky problems for all sorts of folks.  Here the case of a kidnapped heiress takes him to an exclusive finishing school where romance has led to danger.  Then on “The Great Gildersleeve,” a fishing expedition lands Gildy and Leroy hot water.

Episodes 

The Saint

November 5, 1950

“Miss Godby’s School for Girls” 

2:37

The Great Gildersleeve

May 5, 1948

“Fish Fry”

32:00

 We start off with the first episode of “Big Town.”  Edward G. Robinson creates the role of Steve Wilson, the crusading, yet sometimes muckraking, editor of a big city newspaper.  There’s dark humor, drama, and plenty of melodrama.  Then Joan Davis, who would eventually star in the early television classic comedy “I Married Joan,” begins her career in radio.  She plays the proprietress of a small village store in “The Sealtest Village Store.”  She’s prone to all the difficulties an unmarried woman in radio comedy had to face, but there’s some great laughs and songs.

Episodes

Big Town

October 19, 1937

“Steve Wilson Is Shot”

3:44

The Sealtest Village Store

June 7, 1945

“Sell Bonds, Win a Screen Test”

35:05

"Free For All"

UK Airing: October 20, 1967

US Airing: June 29, 1968

The Prisoner is thrust into the politics of the Village as he runs for the position of Number Two.

John and writer Jim Beard discuss an episode that was produced second and yet aired fourth and that bothers Jim.  They discuss how the episodes actually played out on television regardless of production, how this episode is timeless in its commentary on elections, and the dig the episode takes at the Fifth Estate.  

Take a moment to comment on the episode here or by writing chronicrift@gmail.com.  One source used for this episode was The Official Prisoner Companion by Matthew White and Jaffer Ali.

 “Lux Radio Theatre” presents yet another star-studded adaptation of a cinema classic.  This time, it’s the 1950 film “All About Eve.” Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, and Gary Merrill reprise their roles from the Academy- Award-wining film originally written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

Lux Radio Theater 

October 1, 1951

“All About Eve”

2:14

"A. B. and C."

UK Airing: October 13, 1967

US Airing: June 22, 1968

Number Two has only one more chance to get the information they need from The Prisoner.  He turns to a new brain scanning technique of Number Fourteen's for help.

John and author Jim Beard discuss the direction of this episode, how it is a much smoother episode than fan favorite, "The Chimes of Big Ben" and continue their discussion of episode order in light of how this episode plays out.  Please make sure you comment here or by writing us at chronicrift@gmail.com.

Episode 57—The Immersive War of the Worlds

Science fiction writer and editor Scott Pearson’s cohost Ella Pearson recounts surviving a Martian invasion with a walkthrough of her visit to Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of the War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience. Sets, actors, and VR headsets put her into the middle of a nineteenth-century London swarming with Martian tripods! Warning: spoilers for people lucky enough to be able to attend the Immersive Experience themselves.

Segments

00:27 Intro

01:04 A Musical War of the Worlds?!

03:15 An Immersive Overview

15:25 The Invasion Begins

17:35 Looking for Carrie

19:45 Evacuating London

21:00 Captured by Martians

26:00 Going Underground

29:00 Into the Air

30:15 The End of the Martians

31:10 Surviving the Invasion

32:13 Down the Pub

33:18 Final Thoughts