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Theater of the Mind
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29, 2022 |
The
Sixth Hour |
Program
No. 515
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Well,
this is it! The mother load when
it comes to "Theater of the Mind,"
for this is the one that proved
it's true potential. So much so
that new rules went into effect
shortly after the broadcast,
essentially forbidding Orson
Welles from ever pulling such a
stunt again. Of course everybody
knows the old story of Orson
Welles "punking" America with this
broadcast back on the night before
All Hallow's Eve in the year 1938.
Tonight you will hear how it was
done, as our own Brian Helix and
Sally Belle-Époque present The
Mercury Theater on the Air and
their historic, for all the wrong
reasons, presentation of H.G.
Wells War of the Worlds.
Orson Welles always gave credit to
his good friend, the character
actor Ray Collins, for putting it
over. He played three key roles,
including the radio announcer who
apes the tone of the crash of the
Hindenburg broadcast from just the
year before. Sure it sounds dated
today because it is vintage radio
1938 style, but that's just what
made it work back then. Imitating
the regular, mediocre fare that
comprised much of the commercial
radio diet was child's play for
the Mercury Theater gang, and that
set Mr. Collins up to break in and
make history. Most remember him as
Lt. Arthur Tragg on the old Perry
Mason show. Tonight we learn
he was much more the troublemaker
as a younger man, and, of course,
this was before he joined the
LAPD. |
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| April
22, 2022 |
The
Sixth Hour |
Program
No. 510
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It's
been a while, but Brian and Sally are
back with a new entry in their
"Theater of the Mind" series, and when
you hear The Day the Earth Stood
Still as presented by the Lux
Radio Theater, you'll realize that it
was well worth the wait. In this early
1954 adaptation of the highly
acclaimed 1951 film, Michael Rennie
returns to the role of Clatu, the man
from space who has all the answers for
a world that doesn't even know how to
ask the right questions. Or behave
hospitably to strangers for that
matter. For some reason, nothing ever
upsets the powers that be like someone
who shows up unexpectedly from the
outside, preaching peace on earth, and
pointing out the myriad of human flaws
that keep us from ever achieving it.
If humanity behaves like a bunch of
brutish louts when someone calls
humanity out for behaving like a bunch
of brutish louts, then you'd think
humanity would eventually realize that
it proves the other's point not
theirs. But, alas, it never happens.
That was Clatu's point after all.
Humanity isn't smart enough to even
know there is a galactic shed, let
alone that we're not the sharpest
tools in it. As for our latent
virtues, they're not all they're
cracked up to be either, and that's
the little subplot that makes this
story so disturbing and, at the same
time, so utterly compelling.
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March
18, 2022
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The
Sixth Hour |
Program
No. 485
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"Theater
of the Mind" returns with this
terrific adaptation of Ray
Bradbury's classic tale of
government and society run amok, Fahrenheit
451. This
appears to be another of those
strange cases in which Brian Helix
finds himself mysteriously in
possession of a classic radio drama
from the BBC's archive. It was first
broadcast by the Beeb in 1982, then
somehow went missing about the time
of Brian's dismissal over that
unfortunate incident concerning the
Royals, Jimmie Saville and all that.
The BBC's loss ends up as our gain
here at RNJ, and so it is our
pleasure to share this story that
seems to pertain much more to our
world than the one it was written
for in 1953. It's all happening
right now when you consider that all
of the tech and media censorship
going on is merely a less incendiary
form of the same thing. In the end,
it's the people who get burned and
not just the books. That's
Bradbury's point, and he hits you
over the head with it like it's the
library's Funk and Wagnalls
Dictionary. You could stay warm all
night and bake a meatloaf
with one of those.
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January
18, 2022
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The
Sixth Hour |
Program
No. 442
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Join
Brian and Sally for this exciting
foray into "Theater of the Mind" that explores
some of the many mysteries surrounding
the sinking of the Titanic. Or
was it her nearly identical twin
sister ship, the Olympic?
Chances are if you were to play this
program in the pubs and draught houses
of Belfast, where the Titanic
conspiracy is as fresh today as it was
in 1912, you might pick up a few bob
betting the tourists that it's really
the Olympic down in Davy
Jones' Locker and not the Titanic.
That's how convincing the evidence is.
And all the more reason for the crowds
to shout that J. Bruce Ismay should be
down there with her, had they only
known which one it actually was. One
of the great classic conspiracy
theories, expertly presented here in
this RNJ radio adaptation of the 2009
James Harrington documentary, Evidence
the Titanic Was Sunk on Purpose. Typical Brit
understatement. I've got a quid
and a pint that says you're convinced
by the end.
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THE
SIXTH HOUR |
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New
Year's Eve at RNJ -
1984 - Lux Radio
Theater - 1955
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December
31, 2021
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Program No. 430
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Happy New Year!
Gather 'round the crackling fire with
Brian and Sally, as they ring in the
new year in the new Christmas sweaters
they got for each other, drinking
David Icke's killer egg nog, and
listening to -- you guessed it --
smooth jazz. But that's only a
warm up for what they have in store
once you folks have joined the
party. Then it's on to our
traditional retelling of that most
cautionary of all cautionary tales,
George Orwell's 1984. It is
"Theater of the Mind" at it's finest,
and with a twist, as this version of
1984 is done by Lux Radio Theater Australia.
That's right, mate! And to make it a
truly international event, the star of
this show is none other than that
scary man himself, Mr. Vincent
Price. Winston Smith was never
more erudite and polished in his
speech, at least until the Room 101
scene, but why spoil it for those who
haven't heard it? That's 1984 up
ahead in 2022. What better way
to start off the new year than with
this classic that predicted it all? |
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THE
SIXTH HOUR |
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ObamaGate:
The Radio Drama
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December
16, 2021
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Program No. 426
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Welcome back to
RNJ's "Theater of the Mind." Tonight,
RNJ News Director Brian Helix, and the
always lovely and vivacious one, Sally
Belle-Époque, take you on the
comic/tragic journey of our times, as
they host the RNJ adaptation of Tom
Fitton's already classic, ObamaGate:
The Movie. The movie
really works as radio, as the magic
takes over and "Theater of the Mind"
takes effect. The inspired cast of
Dean Kane, Kristy Swanson, James Jones
and Paul Michael Nieman bring to life
Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, James Comey
and John Brennan, and are up to the
creative task of breathing life into
these larger than life, hot air
balloon like characters, and then
parading them down the Main Street of
America for all to see. What
fun! In a tragic sort of way. You
don't want to miss it! Heart!
Heart! Wink! Wink! You'll
see! |
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Welcome to RNJ's
"Theater of the Mind," a special
edition of The Sixth Hour hosted by
RNJ News Director Brian Helix, and
co-hosted by the always lovely and
vivacious Sally Belle-Époque.
Join Brian and Sally as they introduce
this premiere edition of the CBS Radio
Workshop from 1956, featuring Aldous
Huxley's Brave New World, and
featuring Mr. Huxley himself as
narrator. The dystopian future
is a concept that has been around for
quite awhile, and Huxley's version
goes back to the novel by the same
name that he published in 1932.
And Brian has chosen a letter that
Huxley wrote to George Orwell in 1949,
congratulating him on the publication
of 1984, to serve as the
introduction. Welcome to
"Theater of the Mind." We hope
you like it. If you do, it will
encourage Brian and Sally to continue
rummaging around in the RNJ archives
for other gems, just like this.
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The
Sixth Hour - 2022
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| RNJ Staff |
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Chaplain
Phil
Chaplain Phil grew up
listening to alternative points of
view, and the underground
perspective, that characterized
late night AM and shortwave radio
in the 1960's. In the cold
winter months following the events
that transpired in Dallas on
November 22, 1963, he came to
realize that the death of
President Kennedy represented an
even deeper and more profound
tragedy - the death of the nation.
In the summer of 1964, he read None
Dare Call It Treason by
John Stormer and understood how
this had come to pass. He
was 10 years old.
Through
the ensuing years, he has followed
the flow of free information, as
what we now call the "mainstream
media" banished independent
Christian broadcasting, and honest
political thought, from the AM band to shortwave, then
to the internet, and now, in the
face of internet censorship, back
to shortwave. After a
lifetime of listening, he now
feels the time has come to
speak. His message is
simple. We are living in a
godless false reality created for
the purpose of destroying most of
us and enslaving the rest.
The
time of Revelation is here. Take
heart. For what is being
revealed is the eternal truth of
Jesus Christ.
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Brian Helix -
News Director
As
one of the BBC's "Young
Lions," Brian Helix was
known for his honest
reporting and take no
prisoners attitude towards
the truth. He is an
expert on conspiracies and
the theories thereof, both
modern and classic, and a
top flight investigative
journalist. He
brings these talents along
with his many others to
the post of News Director
here at RNJ.
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Sally
Belle-Époque - Production
Manager
Sally
Belle-Époque made her mark in both
video production and A.I. research
with the famed Hanson Robotics in
Hong Kong, and now brings her
varied talents and unique skills
to bear as Production Manager at
RNJ. Sally is a no nonsense
professional with all the Left
Coast flair and style her
background as a "Valley Girl"
would suggest - a Silicone Valley
Girl.
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Catholic
Pirate Radio
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What
is Catholic Pirate
Radio?
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Pirate
radio or a pirate
radio station is a
radio station that
broadcasts without a
valid license.
Catholic Pirate
Radio is broadcast
without the official
sanction or approval
of the Catholic
Church, any of its
connected agencies
or organizations, or
any member of its
hierarchical
structure (bishops,
cardinals, pope,
etc.).
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Queen of Catholic Pirate Radio
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"You
see, God expects His people
to do the ridiculous so
He can do the
miraculous." - Mother
Angelica
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Father
Coughlin
Father
of Pirate Radio |
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Mother Angelica: Queen
of Catholic Pirate Radio
Mother Mary Angelica
founded the EWTN television
network, and, more
significantly for my purposes
here, WEWN, a global shortwave
broadcast service with
transmitters located in
Irondale, Alabama. In
the 1990's, Mother Angelica
became one of the most
dominant Christian voices on
the shortwave bands, and WEWN
a torch that beamed her
message of the truth of
believing and faithful
Catholicism across the nation
and the world. She was a
major influence concerning my
conversion to the Catholic
Faith in 2002, and it is
truthful to say that my
formation as a Catholic took
place with her over many
nights of listening to the
most powerful voice on 41
meters. She gets much
credit for her pioneering work
in Catholic television, while
her savvy for international
shortwave broadcasting goes
largely unheralded and is just
as significant. It made
her a worldwide voice for the
faith rather than just an
American phenomenon, and paved
the way for the globalization
of EWTN.
Mother Angelica
earned the title of Queen of
Catholic Pirate Radio when she
publicly took on and disputed
the apostate Archbishop of Los
Angeles, Roger
Cardinal Mahony,
concerning the Real Presence
of Jesus in the Holy
Eucharist. While Mahony
was unleashing his wrath upon
Mother all the way to Rome,
it should also be noted that
he retreated quickly and
issued a statement taking
offense at her for daring to
question his belief in the
Real Presence. Thanks to
Mother's widespread and
profound media influence, I'm
sure a lot of bishops, cut
from the same cloth as
Mahoney, also thought twice
about peddling the "Spirit of
Vatican II" nonsense in an
overt way that might end up on
TV.
Here's some vintage
Mother for you:
I’m so tired of you
liberal Church in America!
And everything you’ve ever
done has gone in silence.
Nothing, nothing you’ve done
– from your witchcraft to
your enneagrams to your
centering prayer to all
this ‘earth
spirituality’ to replacing
holy water with sand to
destroying our churches and
closing churches that are
viable and ready to go…no,
this is not an accident.
We’ve swallowed this now for
thirty years. I’m tired of
it. We have swallowed enough
of your idea of God! You
have, really, no God,
no dogma, no doctrine,
and no authority, because
the only authority in the
Catholic Church is
our Holy Father and the
Magisterium, and you have
disclaimed that. You don’t
believe in the Eucharist,
you don’t believe in the
Immaculate Conception, you
don’t believe in the Virgin
Birth, you don’t believe in
Mary’s power of
intercession, you don’t
believe in religious life,
you don’t believe in being a
spouse of Christ! You do believe in teaching
to little children in the
third grade sex education,
you do believe in forcing
centering prayer and forcing
inclusive language upon us,
and now you depict Jesus as
a woman?! You’re sick!
Nothing to add to
that. As a layman, my
duty as a Catholic is to point
out these things just as it
was Mother's duty as a
religious - a Carmelite
nun. She taught me
well. It's time for
Catholic Pirate Radio, the
next generation.
Father Charles
Coughlin: Father
of Pirate Radio
In
1926,
Father Charles Coughlin
first took to the airwaves
on WJR radio in Detroit to
denounce the Ku Klux Klan,
which had recently burned
crosses on the grounds of
his parish. Turning to
politics in 1929, Father
Coughlin quickly became a
dominant and highly
influential radio voice on
the CBS network, with a
weekly listening audience
estimated at 30,000,000
during the peak of his
popularity in the early
1930's. While at first
a fervent supporter of the
policies and person of
President Franklin D.
Roosevelt, his views became
more controversial and his
rhetoric more strident as
the Great Depression
lingered on. By 1936,
he was expressing a
viewpoint that was
anti-capitalist and
anti-socialist, and invoked
no little controversy by
expressing a certain
sympathy concerning the
fascism of Benito Mussolini
and Adolph Hitler. He
was accused of anti-Semitism
based upon this and his
searing critique of the
European Jewish banking
establishment, which he
sought to qualify as
follows:
My purpose is to
help eradicate from the
world its mania for
persecution, to help align
all good men, Catholic and
Protestant, Jew and Gentile,
Christian and non-Christian,
in a battle to stamp out the
ferocity, the barbarism and
the hate of this bloody era.
I want the good Jews with
me, and I'm called a Jew
baiter, an anti-Semite.
My point here is not
to speak out for or against
Father Coughlin and his
political opinions, but merely
to point to him as an early
example of the efforts to
censor and silence unpopular
viewpoints. He remains
the textbook example of church
and state teaming up to remove
from public influence someone
deemed too controversial to
have his views heard by the
great unwashed masses of the
general public. The
Roosevelt Administration
determined a priori
that the First Amendment did
not apply to radio
broadcasting, and new
regulations and restrictions
were created specifically to
remove Father Coughlin from
the airwaves. For the
first time, public
broadcasters had to obtain a
permit and seek approval to
speak on the air, and this was
the impetus for those who
refused to do so taking to the
airwaves in protest: the birth
of pirate radio. While
Father Coughlin was able to
circumvent his banishment from
network broadcasting by buying
airtime on local stations, his
reach and influence were
drastically reduced. In
1942 he was ordered to remove
himself from public life by
Bishop Edward Aloysius
Mooney. He complied
without complaint and spent
the remainder of his career as
parish priest at the Shrine of
the Little Flower in Royal
Oak, Michigan. He
retired from active ministry
in 1966.
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| Facilities |
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| Welcome
to our broadcast facilities here at
RNJ. This is where Chaplain Phil and
our crew make the magic happen.
Stars of the Show are a Sweetwater Studio
Computer powering Jean and Ginger, two
1950 Canadian Philips Table Radios that
serve as broadcast monitors. That's Ginger
on the right channel, and Jean on the
left. Auxilliary Computer is "Old
Faithful," a 2009 Hewlett Packard (that's
like about a 1930 model in American Tube
Radio Years (ATRY). You'll also notice
three communication receivers, two 1959
Hallicrafters S-108's and a 1947 National
NC 57. Standby monitors include a 1937
Coronado 725 and 1953 Philco 53-960. It's
all sorted out through a Behringer Xenyx
802 Mixer. Our antenna array (not
shown) is an 80 foot sloping copper long
wire antenna, fastened to a Royal Palm and
running from there to the studio.
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