Comments on: . .. and now, it's time to scare you half to death.

. .. and now, it's time to scare you half to death.

ryanshepard — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 07:50:34 -0800

Nightfall was a popular and controversial horror and sci-fi series that aired on CBC Radio between 1980 and 1983.

Producer and poet Bill Howell had recently wrapped up cult favorite "Johnny Chase, Secret Agent of Space" when he approached newly-hired Radio Drama head Susan Douglas Rubes with the concept for a program to push the staid boundaries of Canadian radio. They pushed: episodes featured the sound of a man tearing out his heart and a graphic aural portrait of a serial child murderer. The gore - and genuinely frightening episodes like "The Porch Light" - resulted in hundreds of complaints during the show's 100-episode run, with some affiliate stations dropping it as a result. In addition to many original productions, Nightfall included adaptions of stories by Robert Aickman^* and other important but neglected writers. Some highlights: Safely in the Arms of Jesus All-Nighter Angel of Death Baby Doll Brides of Olivera The Body Snatchers Child's Play Sources for episodes: My Old Radio, archive.org, Nightfall Project Wikipedia has an episode list and production details. * Recommended enthusiastically on the Blue recently.

By: fleetmouse

fleetmouse — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 07:59:10 -0800

[this is awesome]

By: Foci for Analysis

Foci for Analysis — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:10:31 -0800

This sounds absolutely terrific.

By: Mezentian

Mezentian — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:13:21 -0800

I had no idea this sort of thing existed. Awesome.

By: Sticherbeast

Sticherbeast — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:32:39 -0800

YES

By: ricochet biscuit

ricochet biscuit — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:37:52 -0800

hundreds of complaints during the show's 100-episode run, with some affiliate stations dropping it as a result. For better or worse, when I read this sentence, listening to this show goes to the top of the mental to-do list.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:55:10 -0800

Never heard of this, sounds terrific!

By: Rustic Etruscan

Rustic Etruscan — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 09:12:24 -0800

All these Robert Aickman posts are making really wish I had an extra $50 to drop on a collection of his work.

By: pla

pla — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 09:18:49 -0800

Sweet, thanks! You've just provided me with my commute-listening for the next week or two!

By: bicyclefish

bicyclefish — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 09:40:59 -0800

Wait, "affiliate stations"? I didn't even know the CBC had affiliate stations. But apparently such a thing existed.

By: littlerobothead

littlerobothead — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 09:42:21 -0800

I've been obsessed with X-Minus one for several years now, and radio dramas in general, but I didn't know this existed. I'm now filling my house with the sound of "The Porch Light". Thanks!

By: lkc

lkc — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 10:50:35 -0800

Does 1983 count as old-time radio?

By: Doleful Creature

Doleful Creature — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 10:57:02 -0800

CBC Radio is so cool, one of the things I really miss about living in Canada. Thanks for sharing this.

By: New Frontier

New Frontier — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 11:13:40 -0800

Thanks so much for posting this. I remember my Grade 8 teacher playing the episode "Where Do We Go from Here?" for my class. What a horrifying plot twist at the end - revealed in the last few lines of dialogue. Rod Serling would've been proud.

By: Seamus

Seamus — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 11:57:34 -0800

I have listened to X Minus One, all in order. I listen to old time radio way too much. I think 1983 counts as old time radio. That's almost 30 years now! As a kid we used to listen to Doc Savage serials on the radio. Replays. This was sometime around 1983. I love this post. Thank you.

By: mule98J

mule98J — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:56:51 -0800

1983? Old Time? crap. I haven't even gotten used to James Arness yet. Conrad IS Dillon.

By: Trace McJoy

Trace McJoy — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 15:13:08 -0800

I got to listen to these first-run, thanks to WCBU in Peoria. At the time, Frank Thomas was the station manager, and he was a huge radio drama fan, so Sunday evenings were a mix of old radio from the 30s to the 50s and new productions from the BBC, CBC, NPR playhouse (back before NPR became all news all the time), and independent production houses like ZBS, Seeing Ear, and the National Radio Theater. The Hitchhiker's Guide had just made its way to the US and the Star Wars radio adaptations were a big thing; this was also the time of the Canticle for Leibowitz production. Nightfall ran late in the evening—I think it was around 10, and I would fall asleep listening on my walkman. I remember especially All-Nighter and The Book of Hell, which terrified me. Most of the episodes have been available online as dodgy MP3s for years, but it would be nice to actually buy them. Also, if anyone can find me a copy of Yuri Rasovsky's production of The Dark Tower (the Louis MacNeice play, not that Stephen King shit), please let me know. I actually made contact with Mr. Rasovsky back in the days of Usenet and he said he'd look for a recording for me but then he never did.

By: quazichimp

quazichimp — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 19:15:13 -0800

I just listened to All-nighter... it was definitely creepy.

By: doctornemo

doctornemo — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:54:37 -0800

Excellent. Looking forward to listening to these as I drove New England roads alone, at night. I wonder if the "Devil's Backbone" episode played a role in the film's genesis.