Saturday, December 28, 2013

Old Time Radio: Damon Runyon Theatre (1949)

Author Damon Runyon's works have been adapted into movies (i.e. "The Lemon Drop Kid" & "Sorrowful Jones", both with Bob Hope), but did you know there was also a radio show devoted to Runyon? Well, neither did I, until I latched onto a 3-CD set from Radio Spirits a few months back.

Damon Runyon Theatre spent two years on the air (1949-51), the second year made up entirely of reruns, it would appear. Your tour guide through Runyon's vision of New York is a chap named Broadway (John Brown), who often spins his yarns as 1st person narratives. Broadway, then, figures into the plot of "Little Miss Marker":



Yes, "Little Miss Marker" was also made into a movie. Today's Hollywood isn't interested in revisiting Runyon's New York, but maybe they should.

Rating: B-.

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