The Star Wars Radio Dramas

By 1977 National Public Radio (NPR) was in trouble, plagued by too little funding and small audiences. The phenomenal success of its adaptation of Star Wars as a radio drama in 1981 gave NPR the needed ratings, publicity, and boost in donations that kept it afloat at exactly the time it was threatened the most. Most importantly, Star Wars brought a new audience to NPR. As it did in theaters, where George Lucas’s films redefined movie making, so too did NPR’s Star Wars forever change the artistic world of radio drama.
That a radio network, dependent exclusively on audio, would find a lifeline in one of the most visually dynamic movies ever released is the stuff of irony. Utilizing new interviews with creatives such as Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Ann Sachs (Princess Leia), Perry King (Han Solo), and director John Madden, and archival research, this book details how an unlikely alliance of academics, radio executives, Lucasfilm employees, actors, and behind-the-scenes artists banded together, despite the obstacles, to create a unique and consequential work. It is also the story of how writer Brian Daley was the fulcrum who made it all possible.

Professor of sociology Maria Jose Tenuto was named the 2019 Outstanding Illinois Adjunct Faculty of the Year by the Illinois Community College Trustees Association. She lives in Altoona, Iowa.

John Tenuto is a retired sociology professor. He was named the 2020 Central Regional Faculty Member of the Year for the United States by the Association of Community Colleges. He lives in Altoona, Iowa.

Maria Jose Tenuto and John Tenuto
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 213
Bibliographic Info: appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9563-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5337-2
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments viii
Preface 1
Prelude 5
1. The Opening Crawl 7
2. Giants Marking Time 14
3. The Deal 24
4. The Brian Daley Solution 32
5. The Winds That Shook the Stars: The Script, the Director and the Sound Engineer 48
6. Purest Acting 58
7. The Nexus 72
8. Sound Advice 85
9. Clear Receptions 89
10. A Rebellion Reunites for The Empire Strikes Back on Radio 95
11. Our Own Little World: Recording at A&R 105
12. Some Herb Stew and a Side Mission to Ord Mantell 109
13. The Rise and Return of the Jedi 122
14. An Incomplete Family Reunion at Westlake 133
15. Losing Brian 144
16. Audio Drama That Was, Audio Drama to Be 149
Appendix A: Related Star Wars Audio Projects 155
Appendix B: NPR Affiliates 169
Chapter Notes 177
References 187
Index 193