Radio Sound Effects

To today’s radio listener, it is difficult to imagine the influence radio once held over the American people. Unlike movies or newspapers, radio both informed and entertained its audience without requiring them to participate. Part of its success depended upon the people who created the sound effects—a squeaking door, the approach of a horse, or a typewriter. The author did live sound effects during the “Golden Age” of radio. He provides many insights into the early days of the medium as it grappled with entertaining an audience based on a single sense (hearing). How the sounds were produced is fully covered as are the artists responsible for their production. Stories of successful effects production are balanced by embarrassing or funny failures. A list of artists and their shows is included.

The late Robert L. Mott had a long career doing sound effects for films, cartoons, theater, commercials—and for radio (such as Gangbusters, Philip Morris Playhouse and Perry Mason), and television (including Ed Sullivan, Jackie Gleason, The Tonight Show, Playhouse 90, Captain Kangaroo and Bob Hope). Twice nominated for Emmy awards for Days of Our Lives, he also wrote for Dick Van Dyke and Red Skelton. The Academy of Television Arts and Science selected him for their website honoring the legends of live television.

Robert L. Mott
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 303
Bibliographic Info: 110 photos, index
Copyright Date: 2005 [1993]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2266-1
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments     iv
Preface     vii

I. Walk Like a Woman     1
II. ColBeeS     36
III. Some Good News and Bad News     56
IV. Whinny Like a Horse     72
V. The Directors     88
VI. The Comedians     112
VII. And Now—A Word from Our Sponsors     137

VIII. Gunshots and Other Strange Sounds     148
IX. The Soaps     181
X. Television—The End of the Good Times     202
XI. Captain Kangaroo     220
XII. The Artists and Their Credits     234

A Few Final Words     283
Index     285

• Choice Outstanding Academic Title
• “Valuable reference tool…recommended”—Classic Images
• “A delightful mixture of amusing anecdotes with serious documentation…a highly readable history of the entire medium of radio”—Choice
• “A wonderful addition”—National Audio Theatre News
• “Delightful…entertaining”—Radio Collectors of America
• “Mott is extremely knowledgeable…a very talented writer”—The Illustrated Press
• “A very interesting and valuable book”—Monitoring Times
• “Highly recommended…interesting…a wealth of information”—Golden Radio Buffs of Maryland
• “Outstanding job of research and writing…liberally sprinkled with some wonderful anecdotes and philosophies”—Thrilling Days of Yesteryear
• “Fantastic, wonderful”—Radio Spirits
• “Fantastic”—North American Radio Archives
• “A gem”—Mayland Public Radio
• “A delightful behind-the-scenes story…entertaining and charming”—SPERDVAC Radiogram
• “Well-written…very useful”—Communication Booknotes Quarterly