Terror on the Air!: Horror Radio in America, 1931-1952

TERROR IN THE AIR offers a comprehensive account of American radio drama during its so-called "Golden Age" when it captivated audiences, drew huge ratings, and attracted sponsors and star actors in equal quantities.Although many of the series were formulaic, Hand argues that the creative talents involved managed to create work of outstanding originality within that formula, making use of all aspects of the sonic landscape including music, sound-effects and dialogue. In a series of introductory chapters, he shows how each contributed to the overall mise-en-scene, illustrated with copious examples from such epoch-making series as SUSPENSE and LIGHTS OUT.The second half of the book comprises a series of detailed case-studies of individual series, which perhaps might be of only specialized interest to radio drama enthusiasts, but which show the sheer virtuosity of many of those talents involved in radio.Radio drama died out in the mid-Fifties, the victim of technological change as well as a change of interest by the sponsors, who turned their attention towards television instead. Nonetheless the legacy remains in the form of recordings, most of which are now readily available to listen on the internet. Programs made over half a century ago can now attract new listeners; and Hand's book offers a valuable guide as to what they should expect from their experience.