KING SOLOMON'S MINES ARRIVES

Starting Monday, April 28th, XM Radio's SONIC THEATRE will begin broadcasting our brand new production, KING SOLOMON'S MINES! This will be the first time the program will be heard ANYWHERE! The CD release will be in June, and I think we are holding off on download release until that time as well.
It has been edited for broadcast in 10 episodes, so the run will last until May 9th. The final episode is a first for us, as it contains interviews with the cast, and bloopers! XM listeners will be able to come "behind the scenes" at a recording session and see how we record a show. This special feature will also be on the CD release.

Tonight I'm off to Bedford NH to have a dinner meeting with Walter Koenig about our upcoming production, BUCK ALICE AND THE ACTOR-ROBOT! He's in town for the weekend, and we thought it would be good to meet and discuss the script before we tape in August. I never thought that I would ever get a chance to meet Star Treks Mr. Chekov! He wrote a great story, and I can't wait to start production on it! More later.

Kate Phillips, 1913-2008

I was very sad this evening to have heard that my friend Kate Phillips had passed away on April 18th.

In Hollywood in the 1930's and 40's, she was known as Kay Linaker. She appeared in 50 motion pictures, and worked with the likes of John Barrymore, Jack Benny, Ginger Rogers, Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, Claudette Colbert, John Ford, and on and on.

The stories she would tell! Talking about screen legends who she knew only as her friends; helping Bing Crosby after a drinking binge when his wife was dying; babysitting for Jack Benny, shooting in a difficult location (when Technicolor cameras were the size of a car) for DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK.

I first met Kate when she came to our Christmas Show THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1946, which we were performing at the Claremont Opera House in NH. In that play we performed a Jack Benny Christmas skit, and after the show I was told there was a lady who wanted to meet me. Turns out it was Kate, a spry 89 year old lady with more energy than I had! She told me how she had worked with Jack Benny, and wanted me to know how much she enjoyed our performance.

I met with her many times after that, and met her a few times for lunch at the Lane Hotel in Keene NH. The stories were incredible. She also recorded with us, in a show that, unfortunately was never released.

In 2004 she joined me onstage after a performance of William Luce's play BARRYMORE, for a talk-back with the audience. That was a great night and I shall never forget it.

She always asked for my Dad, who was going through such difficult medical issues during that time; I had told her how he was a big Buck Jones fan in his youth, and she had made a picture with Jones. I showed it to my dad, and he couldn't believe I knew the leadnig lady! When she asked how he was doing, I could tell she really cared - she wasn't just saying it.

In just the last couple of weeks I was thinking I owed her a call, as it had been a few months since we spoke. Why didn't I.

It was a priveledge to have known such a wonderful person. The world is a sadder place to all those who knew her.

CRT APRIL PODCAST

The April podcast for CRT is now available. This month, it's two episodes of THE DIBBLE SHOW from 2003 (Flippin' Flapjacks and The Great Bank Robbery). Even if you heard these before, you might check them out as they have been re-edited with added sound effects. Also in this podcast, Jack Ward interviews Dibble himself, in what I think has got to be the most revealing chat fest with the star to date! You can here it HERE

Podcast Interview

Last week I did an interview about the POWDER RIVER series with Russel Hale. You can hear it on his weekly podcast HERE

Also, the third CRT Podcast comes out this Thursday! I'll post the link for it here when its out. This week it's two episodes (re-cut with added sound effects) of THE DIBBLE SHOW; FLIPPIN' FLAPJACKS and THE GREAT BANK ROBBERY, plus an interview with the ever annoying Dibble.