The Columbia Workshop was an high-art radio show that aired from 1936 to 1957. The show’s creator was Irving Reis, who once worked as a radio director, as well as a sound engineer. Columbia Workshop was sort of like Reis’ experiment, since he wanted to focus on using different sound effects to bring his show to life, as opposed to other radio shows which he believes have overused popular celebrities. Hundreds of different sound effects were used for the show.
The show’s first director was William Robson, and his first show was Alice in Wonderland. Unlike Reis, Robson focused more on the brilliant acting of the characters and less on the sound effects. Then, in 1941, Norman Corwin took over and made the show more social (and political), as he focused more on delivering the day's newsworthy happenings.Most of the episodes presented, nevertheless, were derived from the work of classical authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, and more. Although quite serious in theme, Columbia Workshop was well-received by the listeners, and the fact that it lasted for over two decades is an excellent proof to that.
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Please enjoy these 332 old time radio episodes:
| Air Date | Title | Synopsis | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07.16.1938 | columbia workshop (099) national headliners |
+A dramatized awards presentation program for reporting, photography, and other categories of journa... | |
| 07.23.1938 | columbia workshop (100) murder in the cathedral |
+ The drama of Thomas a' Becket and his feuds with the king. | |
| 07.30.1938 | columbia workshop (101) tristram |
+ A story of noble love and deceit in the days of yore, set in old England. | |
| 08.06.1938 | columbia workshop (102) the devil and daniel webster |
+The courtroom trial where the famous lawyer and Satan fought over the soul of a farmer. The script ... | |
| 09.15.1938 | columbia workshop (106) outward bound |
+Stephen Vincent Benet (author), Charles Jackson (adaptor). A very well-done adaptation of the novel... | |
| 09.22.1938 | columbia workshop (107) he doubles in pipes |
+A modern fairy tale. A great story about "Joe Swing," the man who invented "swing music," played a ... | |
| 09.29.1938 | columbia workshop (108) the lighthouse keepers |
+ A unique drama, performed with only two actors, about father and son lighthouse keepers. The son s... | |
| 10.13.1938 | columbia workshop (109) the brushwood boy |
+ A stuffy British drama of England and India, youth and memories. | |
| 10.20.1938 | columbia workshop (110) the happy journey to trenton and camden |
+ A strange experimental drama that can only be called "Americana" of the past, staged in an avant-g... | |
| 10.27.1938 | columbia workshop (111) air raid |
+ A very well-done verse play with an anti-war theme. The program was later issued on 78 rpm records... | |
| 11.03.1938 | columbia workshop (112) poetic license |
+ "A new treatment of the very old art of poetry. A technique of orchestration and augmentation crea... | |
| 11.10.1938 | columbia workshop (113) drink of water |
+ A young woman who has a mortal fear of men, decides to take her vacation on Nantucket, miles from ... | |
| 11.17.1938 | columbia workshop (114) luck |
+ A twisted little man has an ultimate plan for revenge on the man who has stolen his love. | |
| 11.24.1938 | columbia workshop (115) beauty and the beast |
+An original opera (in English) commissioned by The Columbia Workshop. | |
| 12.08.1938 | columbia workshop (117) man with a gun fall of jericho |
+The program originates from Hollywood. A wild experimental drama with only one voice plus sound eff... | |
| 12.15.1938 | columbia workshop (118) trip to czardis |
+ An excellent story about two "youngins" on their way to the big city of Czardis, and the reason fo... | |
| 12.22.1938 | columbia workshop (119) bread on the waters |
+ A very well-written Christmas story about two urchins on Christmas Eve, and the flotsam of humanit... | |
| 12.29.1938 | columbia workshop (120) crosstown manhattan |
+A music-drama tour across the Island of Manhattan on one of its streets. Very well-done. | |
| 01.05.1939 | columbia workshop (121) orphan ego |
+ A play that could have been produced only on radio. The last day in the life of Maxie, a young bum... | |
| 01.09.1939 | columbia workshop (122) forgot in the rains |
+ A story of modern Spain. The horrors of the Spanish Civil War and man's inhumanity to man. | |
| 01.16.1939 | columbia workshop (123) mr whipple is worried |
+ "A slightly screwy comedy." Why is he worried? Well, it seems that suddenly he can talk to statues... | |
| 01.23.1939 | columbia workshop (124) prophecy |
+ A strange, but very well-written story of a black "conjurin' woman," ignorant Isaiah, and a wealt... | |
| 01.30.1939 | columbia workshop (125) now playing tomorrow |
+A meek little man develops the knack of seeing into the future. He therefore always knows what's go... | |
| 02.06.1939 | columbia workshop (126) do not open for 5000 years |
+ A journey 5,000 years into mankind's past and 5,000 years into the future. A production based on t... | |
| 02.20.1939 | columbia workshop (127) nine prisoners |
+ Nine American soldiers are ordered to kill twenty-two unarmed Nazi prisoners in cold blood. A very... |
COLUMBIA RADIO WORKSHOP
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