On the Air: A Collection of Radio and TV Plays

by Brodkin

Eight original and adapted radio and television scripts reflect the range of broadcast drama from the 1930s to the seventies

345 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Kate Shanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm surprised there is not more information about this book on Goodreads. There are 339 pages in the collection. I love that "On the Air" includes both radio and television play dramas. The radio play titles include; "Return to Dust" (Suspense) by George Bamber, "The Final Hour" (The Shadow) by Jerry McGill, "The Lady or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton and adapted by Lewy Olfson, and "The Speckled Band" (Sherlock Holmes) by Arthur Conan Doyle and adapted by Michael and Mollie Hardwick. All of the radio plays would work in a classroom setting. I especially liked "Return to Dust" simply because of its use of sound effects to enhance the plot line. The script is about a scientist who is working on developing a cure for cancer. He develops a concoction which shrinks cancer cells. Unfortunately, he exposed himself to it and is now shrinking in size himself. He must get a fellow scientist over to the lab to give him the anecdote before he disappears completely. Extremely suspenseful and very fun to read! As for the television plays, the book contains; "Twelve Angry Men" by Reginald Rose, "The Foundling" (The Waltons) by John McGreevey, "Back There" (The Twilight Zone) by Rod Serling, and "The Trouble with Tribbles" (Star Trek) by David Gerrold. The television plays are not nearly as user friendly as the radio dramas simply because of their long length. The play, "Twelve Angry Men" could be studied as part of a whole drama unit. There is also a full length movie with Henry Fonda (1957) that could be viewed afterward to culminate a whole-class reading of the script. The premise is 12 jurors must decide whether a teenage boy is guilty or not guilty in killing his father with a pocketknife. 11 out of the 12 jurors believe the boy is guilty, but when juror number 8 raises some legitimate concerns with the evidence, there is a regular free-for-all of discussions, arguments, and full on debate. The television drama which would work best is the Twilight Zone episode "Back There". A man is brought back in time to the date, April 14th, 1865. He has the opportunity to change the course of history by stopping Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth. Again, the play could be read and then the television episode viewed. Camera angles and acting technique could then be analyzed by the students. I can't recommend this book enough! I'm glad to have found such a rare gem.