CBC: The Mystery Project: Flynn – RADIO DRAMA

Jesse Willis

Aural Noir: News

Fynn was a thirteen episode radio drama series of The Mystery Project (CBC Radio’s long running series featuring original radio drama produced in Canada and the UK). Flynn aired weekly in the Fall of 1994. Its eponymous hero was a private detective who lived on a sailboat in Vancouver harbour. The show was recorded in Vancouver too.

Here’s the description from the Thrilling Detective website:

“A middle-aged drop-out from UBC Law School , he now lives on the “Blarney Boy”, a weather-beaten sloop moored at the marina on Granville Island in the trendier-than-thou False Creek area, and works, when he feels like it, for his ex-boss lawyer Sam Greene, an eccentric old coot. All in all, though, he’d rather be sailing. It’s a simple life, and Flynn’s more than happy with things just the way they are. And then Sam’s niece, W.P. (Willie) Greene, arrives from Toronto to complicate life for everyone.”

Written by Lyal and Barbara Brown
Produced and Directed by Don Kowalchuck

Regular cast:
Boyd Norman as Flynn
Colleen Winton as Willie
Robert Clothier as Sam

Here are the broadcast details:
Episode 01 – Overdue Account – October 8, 1994/10/08
Episode 02 – Red Tiger – October 15, 1994
Episode 03 – Whirlpool October 22, 1994
Episode 04 – Ghosts – October 29, 1994
Episode 05 – Imaginary Enemies – November 5, 1994
Episode 06 – The Stalker – November 12, 1994 <-NEVER COMMERCIALLY RELEASED Episode 07 - The Box – November 19, 1994
Episode 08 – The 12 Penny Black – November 26, 1994
Episode 09 – Framed – December 3, 1994
Episode 10 – Hollywood North – December 10, 1994
Episode 11 – The Fall – December 17,1994
Episode 12 – A Christmas Carol – December 24, 1994
Episode 13 – Year End Clearance – December 31, 1994

Durkin Hayes, which bankrupt itself in the early oughts, produced at six audio cassettes (each with two episodes) of the CBC radio drama series in the mid to late 1990s. Here’s all the remaining stock I have left:

Durkin Hayes audiobooks - The Flynn Series

In order from left to right here are the audiobooks and remaining stock levels:

Flynn: Whirlpool (also includes The 12 Penny Black) Quantity 1
ISBN: 0886467705

Flynn: Red Tiger (also includes Overdue Account) Quantity 3
ISBN: 0886468620

Flynn: A Christmas Carol (also includes Year End Clearance) Quantity 2
ISBN: 0886469805

Flynn: Ghosts (also includes Framed) Quantity 2
ISBN: 0886469783

Flynn: Imaginary Enemies (also includes The Box) Quantity 7
ISBN: 0886467608

The only one not pictured above is Flynn: Hollywood North (also includes The Fall) ISBN: 1552046087, I have one opened copy of it:

Flynn: Hollywood North (also includes The Fall)

If you’re a fan of the show, remember it fondly, or are intrigued enough to give it a try. I’ll sell you cassettes for $5.00 each (that’s just 1¢ above the original retail price). Send me an email with the subject line THE MYSTERY PROJECT.

And with all six cassette releases above that makes twelve of the thirteenth episodes released. The unreleased episode, The Stalker, shall remain a mystery to me and the world until it gets some sort of release.

Posted by Jesse Willis

The Book Cave interviews James Campanella

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

The Book Cave podcastProfessor James Campanella, of the Science New Update and Uvula Audio podcasts, is the latest guest on The Book Cave podcast!

Here’s the show |MP3|

But, if we’re competing with The Book Cave for Campanella content I’d say we had Jim on our show first (SFFaudio Podcast #089)! But, if the truth is told, The Book Cave actually had Jim on earlier (in their episode #84) |MP3|.

Myself, I think our show is slightly better – but that’s mostly because of the sound quality. The sound on The Book Cave #084 is REALLY AWFUL – and the sound quality on #160 is only passable. With that in mind, and taking an idea from the RateMyProfessor.com site, here’s my rating of the sound quality on the two Book Cave episodes I’ve heard so far:

Rate My Podcast

Incidentally, according to his students Professor Campanella is a very hard marker.

Podcast feed: http://thebookcave.libsyn.com/rss

Posted by Jesse Willis

New CBC RADIO DRAMA begins today – “Trust, Inc.”

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

CBC’s sole radio drama series, Afghanada, finished off late last year. But there’s a brand new series beginning today at 11:30am!

Trust Inc

Unlike Afghanada this new series will be podcast, making it CBC Radio’s second ever podcast radio drama series (the first being Backbencher).

Here’s the official description of Trust, Inc.:

“A new satirical drama that takes listeners within the walls of a public relations firm. The show follows the schemers and spinners who develop the messages and plot the ideal news narrative for their clients, and their counterparts in the news media who ultimately determine whether they succeed or fail in the quest for just the right headline and soundbite.”

The official Trust, Inc. site: cbc.ca/trustinc/

Here’s the promo |MP3|

Fletcher Pratt Meeting Room

Podcast feed: http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/includes/trustinc.xml

iTunes 1-Click |SUBSCRIBE|

Episode 1 – “Serena Jordan is thrilled. Just three weeks ago, she snagged an awesome new job at the major public relations firm, Leger & Pratt. Hired to be their social media expert, she’s been assigned to the Special Projects Unit, a boy’s club made up of team members Ben Lederman, Ricardo Sandoval and Marshall Whitman. Eager to impress, she’s at the table as the team meets the new ‘brief,’ city councillor, James Yearwood.The assignment: raise his profile as he prepares to make the jump to federal politics. No sweat. Yearwood’s articulate, passionate, good-looking and social media savvy. The boys think it’s s slam dunk. And so does Serena. Until he starts sexting her, that is. Now, Serena is stuck. Should she keep quiet? Tell her team? Confront her client? And possibly risk it all.”

The series is supported with a few fake websites, with real links (like legerpratt.com for the fake firm being portrayed ), the usual social media websites like Twitter and Facebook and such. There is also a promise of YouTube videos.

The “flacklife blog” – a blog about public relations – has a substantial interview with the series creator, Gregory J. Sinclair, HERE.

Posted by Jesse Willis

The Flayed Hand by Guy de Maupassant

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

Guy de Maupassant’s short story, La Main Écorchée (which translates to The Flayed Hand), is a creepy supernatural tale of horror. The title delivers exactly what you might suspect – a gruesome story that doesn’t end at all well for one of the characters. More surprising to me, as compared to W.W. Jacobs’ The Monkey’s Paw, are the characters.

They were not what I expected at all. The story played itself out like a black comedy. Then, in researching the story I learned that in his teens Maupassant was shown, by the poet Algernon Swinburne, a mummified hand!

The Flayed Hand by Guy de MaupassantThe Flayed Hand
By Guy de Maupassant; Read by Alan Winterrowd
1 |MP3| – Approx. [UNABRIDGED]
Published: Boomcoach’s Audiobooks
Published: 2009
|ETEXT|
Published under the pseudonym Joseph Prunier, this was Guy de Maupassant’s first short story. It appeared in L’Almanach Lorrai in 1875.

The Weird CircleWeird Circle – The Hand
Based on The Flayed Hand by Guy de Maupassant; Perfomed by a full cast
1 |MP3| – Approx. 30 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Broadcaster: MBS, NBC, ABC
Broadcast: October 14, 1943 or December 19, 1943
A severed hand in a trophy room gets its revenge on the one who cut it off.

CBS Radio Mystery TheaterCBS Radio Mystery Theater – #0080 – The Hand
Based on the short story The Flayed Hand by Guy de Maupassant; Adapted by Ian Martin; Performed by a full cast
1 |MP3|- Approx. [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBS
Broadcast: April 24, 1974
Source: CBSRMT.com
A postal surprise in the form of a human hand leaves a man convinced of its apocalyptic portents.
Cast:
Mildred Clinton
Ian Martin
Alexander Scourby
Guy Sorel

Here is the splash page from the Classics Illustrated comics adaptation:

Classics Illustrated - The Flayed Hand by Guy de Maupassant

Incidentally, one of my favourite Michael Caine movies, the schlocky 1981 film, The Hand, was probably indirectly inspired by The Flayed Hand:

Posted by Jesse Willis

Commentary: What use is public radio in a time of podcasts?

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Commentary

Of what use is public radio in a time of podcasts?

That is, other than providing the funding for programmes that can be podcast – is there any use for radio medium specifically?

I suggest there is.

BBC - Transmissions To Schools (1927 and 1928)

Beyond giving local news and weather, there’s a traditional use which could be used again. Consider these two 1920s BBC publications, pamphlets in the “BBC Transmissions To Schools” series:

Boys And Girls Of The Middle Ages by Rhoda Power with illustrations by Elinor Lambert |PDF|
Broadcasts on Mondays from September 26 – December 12, 1927 at 2:30pm

Boys And Girls Of Other Days by Rhoda Power with illustrations by Elinor Lambert and others |PDF|
Broadcasts on Mondays from January 16 – March 26, 1928 at 2:30pm

BBC, CBC and ABC Radio National do a tremendous job at providing excellence in public adult programming with an educational bent, but in terms of children it seems to fall very short

The above documents show how public radio broadcasting can help with education of elementary school children. I’d love to see some education programming of this sort, aimed at children, turning up on CBC radio, with PDF downloads and podcast feeds as a compliment to national broadcasts.

For more information on the use of radio in schools, BroadcastForSchools.co.uk

Posted by Jesse Willis