Produced at Brigham Young University in the early 80's, this series could boast of an impressive depth of sound, effective musical cues, and no one less than Paul Frees as narrator. Some marketed editions include snippets of an interview with Bradbury following the show. All episodes were half-hour format.
This archive contains plotlines for 13 of 13 episodes
WEBMASTER RECOMMENDS:
A Sound of Thunder; Kaleidoscope; Dark They Were, and
Golden-Eyed; Here, There be Tigers
A Sound of Thunder
Genre: Time Travel
Episode: 08
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Time Safari, Inc. offers hunting enthusiasts the chance of a lifetime, the opportunity to travel back to the Cretaceous to bag the biggest trophy of all time-- Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Versions of this story also appeared on SF 68, the BBC's Golden Apples of the Sun, and as 'An Imbalance of Species' on Future Tense.
See also 'A Gun for Dinosaur' and 'Project Mastodon' (both from X Minus One)
Reviews:
My personal ALL-TIME FAVORITE audio drama! Whenever I want to turn someone on to
the pleasures of the medium, this is the one show I always use to hook them.
(Heck, it was the one show that got me hooked.) Usually it makes them hunger for
more. There is an incredible depth to the sound effects, the musical cues are
downright creepy, and the T-rex roars are guaranteed to have you hiding under
the covers. The logic of the storyline has holes large enough to drive a
herd of hadrosaurs through, but ultimately, who cares? Load up your dino-rifle
and enjoy the ride-- it doesn't get much better than this. -- Webmaster
I can remember hearing "A Gun for Dinosaur" and it was a good show but not near as real as "Sound of Thunder". GREAT SHOW!! - Don Walker
Dark They Were, and
Golden-Eyed
Genre: Mars
Episode: 06
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Harry Bittering is resigned to the idea of living on Mars, until a nuclear war back on Earth strands the settlers. Is this the chance the Red Planet has been waiting for to take revenge for the destruction of its own people? Part of Bradbury's Martian Chronicles future history.
See the listing of all Bradbury's Martian Chronicles series done for radio on the Famous Authors on Radio page.
Reviews:
Maybe it’s the acting that’s annoying me. Or maybe I’m not in a RB mood.
This tale like the episode 'The Man' seems to take forever to get to a conclusion that’s telegraphed in
the first two minutes. C- for what I heard. Not interested enough to finish it. -
HT
The Fox and the
Forest
Genre: Time Travel
Episode: 11
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Desperate to escape an inhuman war in the year 2155, a couple escape to 20th century Mexico, a virtual paradise compared to their world of disease bombs and widespread horror. The government, however, can't allow its citizens to get away so easily....
Versions of this story appeared on the BBC and CBC under the same title; Other versions appeared as "To the Future" on Dimension X and X Minus One
The Happiness Machine
Genre:
Episode: 13
Available for Listening Booth: Y
A home inventor builds a machine guaranteed to make everybody happy-- everybody, that is, except for his wife.
Reviews:
Entertaining and
light-hearted with colorful character voices. Gets a bit overly sappy and wordy
at the end, but still enjoyable overall. - Steve Franklin
Here, There be Tigers
Genre: Space Exploration
Episode: 12
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Deep space prospectors searching for planets to strip mine land on an idyllic world which seems to be eager and able to accommodate their every desire. However, if they insist upon raping the planet for its mineral wealth, that's another story.....
See also 'Colony', 'Drop Dead', and 'Student Body' (all from X Minus One)
Reviews:
Interesting idea on a very
fantastical world. The characters seem overly accepting of this fantastic world
they find, so much so that the ending doesn't seem to fit with the beginning.
Still, this story is nice for a quick diversion from our own world. - Steve
Franklin
Kaleidoscope
Genre: Space Exploration
Episode: 05
Available for Listening Booth: Y
When a meteor destroys a spaceship, its crew is hurled outward into space in a dozen directions. Their suit radios will keep them in contact range for only so long. What do men talk about when death seems imminent?
Versions of this story also appeared on Dimension X, Suspense, and The Shape of Things to Come (BBC)
See also 'Program Completed' (Miscellaneous Shows)
Reviews:
Definitely the best version of the four produced for radio. The show
opens with some clever use of sound (especially when the scene switches from the
Earth-bound control station to the ship in orbit), and a nerve-shattering
explosion when the meteor hits. The rest of the time we are dealing primarily
with voices and very little effects, but don't let that fool you-- this is a
story with a lot of heart and pathos (if occasionally a bit confusing as to
which character is doing the talking) and the ending is unforgettable. --
Webmaster.
What is Ray Bradbury to me? Well this story reminds me that he is perhaps the most… human of writers. In the best, and finest meaning of that word. As he touches universal fears, to speak of universal longings and questions… and dreams of life’s labors lived. A brilliant, well acted adaptation. A. - HT
The Man
Genre: Space Exploration
Episode: 09
Available for Listening Booth: Y
The captain of a first contact mission from Earth to a distant planet is indignant to discover upon his arrival that the natives apparently have a more important visitor to welcome.
Reviews:
First real misstep I’ve heard from this series. A slightly predictable religious allegory.
Found it trite and annoying in a, “why don’t you get to the point” way. D.
- HT
Night Call, Collect
Genre: Mars
Episode: 02
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Decades after Armageddon on Earth, the last man left on the Mars colony receives a phone call-- from himself. Part of Bradbury's Martian Chronicles series.
See the listing of all Bradbury's Martian Chronicles series done for radio on the Famous Authors on Radio page.
The Ravine
Genre: Horror
Episode: 01
Available for Listening Booth: Y
A small town is plagued by a series of murders of women, committed by a psychopath known only as 'the Lonely One'. His favorite killing ground is the dark, mist-shrouded ravine that separates Lavinia and her friends from their homes after a night on the town.
Versions of this story also appeared on The Vanishing Point; and as "The Whole Town's Sleeping" on Adventure Theater and Suspense; also as "The Lonely One" on CBC Playhouse
The Screaming Woman
Genre: Mystery
Episode: 07
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Children playing in a field claim to hear the sound of a woman screaming from under the ground. Children make up the craziest things........
Two versions of this story appeared on Suspense.
Reviews:
Completely captivated and enthralled by this tale of innocence and horror. Piles
on tension until your nerves are pulled to a razor edge. Excellent. A. - HT
There Was an Old
Woman
Genre: Ghosts/Humour
Episode: 04
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Following her unfortunate demise, Aunt Tildy's body is removed to the morgue. That's proper enough, except that Aunt Tildy isn't quite finished with it yet.
The Veldt
Genre:
Episode: 03
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Vintage Bradbury, and one of the most popular of his stories among radio producers. A couple has a virtual holograph theater installed into their house to entertain their children, but the recreation of the African savannah they create, complete with lions, seems all too real.
Versions of this story also appeared on Dimension X , the BBC, X Minus One, and CBC Playhouse.
The Wind
Genre: Horror
Episode: 10
Available for Listening Booth: Y
A man is obsessed with the idea that violent winds have a consciousness, and one in particular has been hunting him down across the globe.
Another version of this story appeared on Radio City Playhouse.
Reviews:
A fascinating premise shores up a rather passive approach to telling the
story. The entire show is told via a series of telephone conversations between
two friends, one of whom is convinced that winds are living entities and they
don't like the fact that he knows it. I found a certain frustration here, since
I wanted to be with the poor devil in his hour of need, but we never leave the
comfort and security of his friend's home. Nevertheless, the show does succeed
in keeping your interest, and may make you think twice about answering the phone
the next time a needy friend calls. -- Webmaster