Executive
April 8th, 2007, 01:33 AM
The ABC Radio Network did a half-hour anthology series as their last attempt at dramatic radio in the mid 1960s, and I just discovered it today looking around at Archive.Org. It's called Theater Five, and got that title because ABC aired it weekday afternoons at 5 PM. :)
There were 260 episodes produced and aired from 1964 to 1965, and it seems that 256 of them are still around online (thanks to the OTTR Research Group). Edward Byron was Executive Producer and Fred Foy was the announcer.
Many of these stories are sci-fi, but there are other genres from both fiction and even some non-fiction (those based on current news events). I love the jazzy 1960s theme music, which is similar to a lot of what was on TV at that time. :cool:
Looking at the guest star log from another site, it seems that a lot of the character actors who later turned up on CBS Radio Mystery Theater were on Theater Five too in the previous decade. They included Ralph Bell, Robert Dryden, Bryna Rayburn, Evie Juster, Jackson Beck, and William Redfield to name a few.
Famous TV actors turn up too: Yaphet Kotto has a small role in one of the early episodes as does
Harry Bellaver (who previously played Det. Frank Arcaro in the NAKED CITY series).
Check it out: www.archive.org/details/OTRR_Certified_Theater_Five
There were 260 episodes produced and aired from 1964 to 1965, and it seems that 256 of them are still around online (thanks to the OTTR Research Group). Edward Byron was Executive Producer and Fred Foy was the announcer.
Many of these stories are sci-fi, but there are other genres from both fiction and even some non-fiction (those based on current news events). I love the jazzy 1960s theme music, which is similar to a lot of what was on TV at that time. :cool:
Looking at the guest star log from another site, it seems that a lot of the character actors who later turned up on CBS Radio Mystery Theater were on Theater Five too in the previous decade. They included Ralph Bell, Robert Dryden, Bryna Rayburn, Evie Juster, Jackson Beck, and William Redfield to name a few.
Famous TV actors turn up too: Yaphet Kotto has a small role in one of the early episodes as does
Harry Bellaver (who previously played Det. Frank Arcaro in the NAKED CITY series).
Check it out: www.archive.org/details/OTRR_Certified_Theater_Five