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RADIO DRAMA
 RADIO DRAMA

A story performed with only dialogue, sound

effects, and music. Reached the height of
popularity in the 1930s and 40s.
 RADIO HISTORY

In 1930, over 65% of

homes had radios.

Due to the widespread

popularity of radio shows,
this increased to over
80% by 1939.
 RADIO HISTORY
The radio became the
central piece of furniture in
living rooms –much like
TVs today.

Families would gather

around to listen nightly.
 RADIO HISTORY

Studies showed that people

listened to the radio an average
of 5 hours a day.

Child development specialists

worried kids could be harmed by
‘too much radio.’
 RADIO HISTORY

During it’s ‘golden age’ in the

1930’s and 40’s, radio was
everyone’s primary source of
news and entertainment.
RADIO SHOWS
 RADIO SHOWS

Variety Shows such as The Bob Hope Show centered

around a host who presented musicians, comedians,
& celebrities.

This was the origin of the late-

night talk show format still
popular today.
 RADIO SHOWS

There were also drama and comedy series of

almost every genre - complete with voice actors,
sound effects, and music.

This led to the development of two genres still

popular today: the sitcom and the soap opera.
 RADIO SHOWS

Sitcom: A series about the same

people, often a family, in wacky
circumstances.

Ex. Friends, The Simpsons

 RADIO SHOWS
Soap Opera: A drama
characterized by tangled
personal situations and a
melodramatic tone

Ex. Days of Our Lives,

Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars
 RADIO SHOWS
Other genres included:
Westerns, Police Dramas,
Mysteries, Sci-Fi, and
Children’s Programing.

The story of Little Orphan

Annie began in radio
 RADIO SHOWS

One sci-fi show, War of the

Words, about an alien
invasion, created panic as
people thought aliens were
really attacking! .

VIDEO 1: War of the Worlds

RADIO ACTING
 RADIO ACTING

Radio actors were similar to

animation voice-over artists
today.

They had to perform a

variety of voices, accents,
ages, and characters.
 RADIO ACTING

Since radio actors read from

scripts, they didn’t need to be
memorized.

A performer might have 2-3

rehearsals before performing
live on the air.
 RADIO ACTING

The best radio actors often

performed with no rehearsal at
all.

They could “cold read” the

script and still be able to bring
characters to life.
 RADIO ACTING

Just like TV, radio had

commercials, which had to be
live, just like the show.

Radio actors would often also

be responsible for voicing
commercials.
RADIO SOUND EFFECTS
 SOUND EFFECTS
Sound effects were essential to
radio drama.

They created the environment,

enhanced the action, and
helped tell the story.
 SOUND EFFECTS

Some effects could be

performed by the actors.

For example: a baby crying,

animal sounds, crowd
reactions
 SOUND EFFECTS
Most were created by the sound
effect or ‘foley artists.’

Foley: creation of sound effects

for radio, tv, or film. Often uses
ordinary objects creatively.

VIDEO 2: Radio Foley

 SOUND EFFECTS

Foley artists created “atmosphere” such as cars

driving by, plates clinking in a diner, or
typewriters in an office.

They also created sounds specific to the story

such as boots running in the snow, thunder,
punches, galloping horses, etc…
 SOUND EFFECTS

Foley artists had limited space to work in and

objects to work with, so they had to be creative in
finding new ways to make sound!

VIDEO 3:
Foley is still an important part of film and
TV today!
RADIO Transitions to TV
 RADIO to TV
Radio remained popular
throughout the 1940s.

Only about 10,000 households

had TVs in 1945 and the
programming was low quality.
 RADIO to TV
But ground-breaking shows
like I Love Lucy premiered in
the 1950’s.

This changed everything for

entertainment and caused
radio’s popularity to fade in
the US.
 RADIO to TV
Most radio actors were able to
successfully transition to
television.

Many early TV shows were

simply continuations of
popular radio shows.
 RADIO to TV

The types of programs we watch today were

greatly influenced by radio.

With the popularity of the podcast, radio styled

dramas are making a come-back.
THE END