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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01.29.1938 | columbia workshop (075) madame curie |
+ A creatively produced, dramatized biography of the famed woman scientist. | |
| 01.15.1938 | columbia workshop (073) the house that jack didn't build |
+A drama-documentary about the housing shortage. A subjective treatment. "An experiment in vocal rhy... | |
| 01.08.1938 | columbia workshop (072) the ghost of benjamin sweet, part 1 |
+An amusing ghost story, told from the ghost's point of view. | |
| 12.30.1937 | columbia workshop (071) alice through the looking glass pt 2 |
+Alice continues her journey across the checkerboard world of Looking Glass Land. | |
| 12.23.1937 | columbia workshop (070) alice through the looking glass pt 1 |
+An experiment using music instead of sound effects. Alice's trip from the looking glass to Tweedle ... | |
| 12.16.1937 | columbia workshop (069) metzungerstein |
+A very well-done dramatization of the baroque tale of feudal noblemen, castles, and a cursed tapest... | |
| 12.09.1937 | columbia workshop marconi, the man and his wireless |
+A broadcast on the thirty-sixth anniversary of the first trans-Atlantic radio message. The story of... | |
| 11.21.1937 | columbia workshop georgia transport |
+An original dramatic verse-drama for radio. It's about the romance of commercial aviation. | |
| 11.07.1937 | columbia workshop (064) the horla |
+ A tale of insanity. A man insists he's being haunted by an invisible creature. | |
| 10.31.1937 | columbia workshop (063) sweep |
+ A dramatic portrait of four people who win the Irish Sweepstakes and what happens to them and thei... | |
| 10.17.1937 | columbia workshop (061) the killers illusion |
+ Two short stories are dramatized. | |
| 10.03.1937 | columbia workshop (059) alice's adventures in wonderland part 2 |
+ From Alice's meeting with the March Hare and the Mad Hatter, to the trial of the Jack. | |
| 09.26.1937 | columbia workshop (058) alice's adventures in wonderland part 1 |
+An experimental form of dramatization in which music plays a major narrative role. Alice's adventur... | |
| 09.12.1937 | columbia workshop (056) death of a queen |
+ A new form of dramaturgy, the story of the execution of Marie Antoinette. The program originates i... | |
| 09.05.1937 | columbia workshop (055) s s san pedro |
+ A horror tale about an old sea captain, an old ship, and an old death-figure as a passenger. | |
| 08.22.1937 | columbia workshop (053) escape part 2 |
+ A convict is chased around the countryside and learns about man's inhumanity to man in the process... | |
| 08.08.1937 | columbia workshop (051) incident of the cosmos last citation |
+ Two short stories, one about the casual destruction of the Earth, the other about the court martia... | |
| 07.25.1937 | columbia workshop (049) a matter of life and death |
+ A drama-documentary about young children who contract rheumatic heart disease because of their pov... | |
| 07.18.1937 | columbia workshop (048) fifty grand |
+ An old used up fighter, is still the champ, and must face a young challenger. | |
| 07.11.1937 | columbia workshop (047) the tell tale heart |
+ The famous tale of insanity told in a very well-done radio adaptation. | |
| 06.27.1937 | columbia workshop (045) babuouk |
+The story of a slave revolt during the time of the French Revolution. | |
| 06.20.1937 | columbia workshop (044) red head baker |
+ A drama-documentary about a juvenile delinquent and how he was saved from reform school. | |
| 06.06.1937 | columbia workshop (042) the downbeat on murder |
+ A very well-done tale of insanity in a musician with an unhappy family life. The musician hears mu... | |
| 05.30.1937 | columbia workshop (041) discovery |
+The story of the tragic last voyage of Henry Hudson, and his death. | |
| 05.23.1937 | columbia workshop (040) night at the inn |
+ The program is preceded by a news bulletin about the death of John D. Rockefeller. Three Englishme... |
COLUMBIA RADIO WORKSHOP
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