You will listen to any two (2) of the eight Old Time Radio shows listed below and write a one-page response for each episode, answering the following questions for each show: 1. Title of the show to which you listened. 2. Give a one-paragraph synopsis of the show (i.e., what was the episode about?) 3. What was the listening experience like for you? How did listening to a radio show compare to watching a show on TV? How is the storytelling different? Was it easier or more difficult to follow the story? 4. Try to imagine what it would have been like living in the 1930s or 1940s when most of these shows were first broadcast and the medium of radio was considered new and high tech. What would the listening experience have been like then? How would audiences have regarded the medium of radio?
Show Episode Original Air date Genre Amos ‘n’ Andy “The Locked Trunk’s Secret” 1943 Situation Comedy* Fibber McGee and Molly “Cleaning The Hall Closet” March 5, 1940 Situation Comedy The Green Hornet “The Corpse that Wasn’t There” April 18, 1943 Crime Drama Gunsmoke “Hinka-Do” April 26, 1952 Western The Jack Benny Program “Captain Horatio Hornblower” September 23, 1951 Comedy / Variety Mystery in the Air “The Black Cat” September 18, 1947 Horror / Suspense Suspense “Sorry, Wrong Number” May 25, 1943 Thriller X-Minus One “The Veldt” August 4, 1955 Science Fiction *Amos ‘n’ Andy features white actors playing African American characters. Please regard it as an artifact of its era.
