debor009

Actors draw inspiration from many sources, including the fine acting to be found in silent films and old radio shows.   I’m a huge, huge fan of the radio drama, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar , which aired from 1949 to 1962.   It's the story of an insurance investigator, but one that rivals any private detective from Sam Spade to Lew Archer. I was in Nevada and Arizona a couple of weeks ago and stopped by the Lake Mojave Resort near Bullhead City, Arizona, because it was the location for several YTJD episodes, including “The Mojave Red Matter” and “The Red Mystery.” Sixty years ago when it took 10 hours and $153.00 to fly non-stop from New York to Las Vegas, getting to the Lake Mojave Resort sounds like a trek to an exotic place.   Here’s an excerpt from “The Red Mystery” that mentions the resort: “…the awesome beauty of the clear night sky over the desert with its billions of stars twinkling in the black sky above is something I’ll never tire of.   The stars seem clos...

I'm a great fan of old radio shows (the acting is wonderful!) and sometimes I hear someone who's so good it makes me think "Whatever happened to......?" Such was actress Patricia Bright, who I heard for the second time yesterday on a January 12, 1941 broadcast of a show called Behind the Mike . She was only 19 at the time, and an up-and-coming actress with stars in her eyes. The bit for the show was an audition for two well-known talent scouts. She presented a dramatic monologue and then did a very funny routine demonstrating how to play ladies of different nationalities, using the appropriate accents – English Cockney, Scottish, Russian, etc. She was terrific and, not surprisingly, the talent scouts praised her performance and said they would have no problem submitting her for work. Patricia Bright's "Oscar" I always wondered what happened to her. She was so talented. But there is little beyond her IMDb listing of a few roles in early TV (and a couple ...