| Title | QP in Sioux City and other stuff |
| Message Text | 1. A long illustrated essay that discusses, among other things, QP's "Camera Obscura": http://www.raisethehammer.org/index.asp?id=565 The first mention of the episode is about halfway down the page. ___________________________________________ 2. Two articles that mention a recent performance of QP in Iowa: [April 2, 2007 WIT'S UP -- "Published for staff, students, and friends of Western Iowa Tech Community College"] BLACK BOX THEATER PREMIERES WITH LIVE RADIO MYSTERIES The new black box theater at Western Iowa Tech Community College (WIT) will premiere April 26 with a dinner-theater event, An Evening of Radio Mystery Theatre. A lasagna dinner will be served at 6 p.m. The performance follows at 7:30 p.m. Three classic radio mysteries of the golden age of radio from the late 1940s and early 1950s will comprise the evening’s program. “The Hitchhiker,†one of Lucille Fletcher’s best known scripts, opens the evening, followed by “Sorry, Wrong Number,†another Fletcher classic. The program ends with Wyllis Cooper’s “Quiet, Please!†which was the final episode of a very successful radio suspense series of the same name that was broadcast between 1947 and 1949. The program will be performed by Western Iowa Tech students and faculty and local actors. Punctuating the three radio mysteries will be authentic radio commercial jingles from the golden age of radio performed by members of the WIT choir. Sound effects will be reproduced digitally and acoustically. The audience will be able to see a sound effects table on stage containing hand-operated devices. An Evening of Radio Mystery Theatre is a one-night engagement with limited seating. Tickets for the show are $5 or $15 for dinner and show. Dinner will be served in Room B138, Corporate College Building. The performance will be in Room D210 in the Applied Technology Building. Tickets may be purchased by cash or check at the WIT bookstore or at Permanent Solutions, 1957 S. St. Aubin Street. Tickets must be purchased in person by April 19 or until sold out. For ticket information, call WIT bookstore at 712-274-8733, extension 1218. On April 25, the day before An Evening of Radio Mystery Theatre, a multimedia lecture and discussion on radio suspense dramas of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s will take place in the Large Lecture Hall from 7 to 9 p.m. Ralph Swain, WIT humanities chair, and Larry Fuller, KSCJ-AM radio’s nostalgia radio co-host, will focus on the careers of radio mystery writers Lucille Fletcher and Wyllis Cooper. Early radio memorabilia from the era will be on display. Admission to this lecture is free. [April 20, 2007 Sioux City Journal] Radio theater premiers at college By Joanne Fox Journal staff writer The old 44- x 48-foot machine shop on the Western Iowa Tech campus has been transformed into a performing arts area that will premiere its first performance next week. "An Evening of Radio Mystery Theatre" will be presented in the new black box theater, featuring WIT faculty, students and community members. The event will present three classic radio pieces by a dozen performers. A radio presentation, with the actors in front of live microphones reading from scripts, was chosen over a more traditional play or musical, explained Ralph Swain, WIT department chairman for humanities. "The reason we went with the radio approach was the success of last year's 'War of the Worlds' event at the Orpheum Theatre that WIT spearheaded," he said. "People told us how they would love to see more of that type of presentation." Swain co-produced that event and WIT instructor Paul Guggenheimer directed the Oct. 28 show. "I had the idea years ago to do such a show and when I mentioned it to Ralph, he not only supported the idea but was able to secure a Humanities Iowa grant for it," Guggenheimer recalled. "People just went nuts for it after it was presented, and even people who heard it broadcast later on the radio wanted more." With that success in hand and no one else doing live radio theater, Swain and Guggenheimer decided to reprise their producer and director roles and went forth to put together another show. They believed so strongly in the format, that the two of them, with Tom Jones and Russ Gifford, recently formed the Great Plains Radio Theatre Project. The newly-established Iowa nonprofit corporation was organized exclusively for literacy and educational purposes to help foster, encourage and promote an understanding of the history of early radio entertainment broadcasting. The group is in the process of constructing a Web site at www.greatplainsradio.org. The three presentations for the WIT black box premier are "The Hitchhiker" and "Sorry, Wrong Number!" both by Lucille Fletcher and "Quiet, Please!" by Wyllis Cooper. "A lot of people are in for the nostalgia of these radio productions, but there's a lot of powerful theater in each of these scripts," Guggenheimer insisted. "Fletcher and Cooper were both prolific writers who continued with their careers in Hollywood after the heyday of radio." Fletcher's "The Hitchhiker" starred a young Orson Welles in a Twilight Zone approach to a man on a cross-country trip who repeatedly runs into an individual thumbing for a ride. "Sorry, Wrong Number!" may ring bells with movie buffs. Although Agnes Moorehead read for the radio show, Barbara Stanwyck took over the part in the 1948 movie and earned an Academy Award nomination. Airing from 1947 to 1949, "Quiet, Please!" was a series presented by the Mutual Broadcasting System until it moved to ABC Radio. This installment is the final episode, a science fiction look about people on another planet wondering how to best coexist with others in the universe. In addition to Swain, Guggenheimer and Jones, the cast for the evening includes Andrea Conrad, Hedda Dekker, Eddie Dunn, Lenny Koupal, Kelly Meyers, Kathy Pfautsch, Dorene Titus, Nolley Vereen and Lindsay Washburn. Brian Ross serves as the sound effects technician. WIT had provided drama and acting classes over the years for students, but never offered performances for the community. Last year's who-done-it, "Murder, She Met," was the first attempt at bringing in an audience for a theatrical event in a large classroom. "An Evening of Radio Mystery Theatre" will be presented at 7:30 p.m., April 26, at the black box theater, Room D210 on the campus of Western Iowa Tech Community College. A dinner precedes the event at 6 p.m. in Room B138 on WIT campus. Dinner tickets are $15 each which includes the show. Show-only tickets are $5 each. Seating is limited and there are no reservations. Tickets are available at the WIT bookstore or Permanent Solutions, 1957 S. St. Aubin. For more information, call 274-8733, ext. 1274. ___________________________________________ 3. An article that mentions "Beezer's Cellar": [November 3, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle] A belt of bourbon stands up to the herbs in a drink named after a 6-toed cat by Gary Regan "Saw Bill Eichinger last night, Professor. He gave me this cocktail recipe to give to you." Doc, our cocktailian bartender's friend and regular customer, hands The Professor a slip of paper. "And just how is 'Chili Bill'?" "Ornery as ever, Professor. Still has that heart of gold though, and this is a great drink if you're into whiskey." Eichinger, sometimes known as "Chili Bill," is a bartender at Finnegan's Wake in San Francisco's Cole Valley, and he is presumed to be the subject of a posting on the Web about the bar that notes, "The bartender is crusty but lovable (just don't be stupid and interrupt him while he's working or order some stupid girly drink)." The Professor loves crusty bartenders. "Hmm ... the Beezer Cocktail, huh? Bourbon, B & B and peach bitters. Interesting," says The Professor. "He says to use high-octane bourbon, though. Muttered something about the whiskey standing up to the sweetness of the liqueur." "And why Beezer?" "Named for a polydactyl cat that just passed away, apparently. Six toes on every paw and as cantankerous as Bill himself, they say." B & B, a mixture of brandy plus Benedictine, the complex herbal liqueur, should be used judiciously in cocktails lest it dominate the drink, and although there's a full half-ounce of B & B in the Beezer Cocktail, Eichinger combats its intensity by using a high-proof bourbon, another good way of taming liqueurs such as this one. Most bottlings of Wild Turkey are issued at 50.5 percent alcohol by volume, so it makes a good candidate for this drink. Other bourbons that are viable in the Beezer Cocktail include Baker's (53.5 percent), Booker's (barrel-proof, usually around 62.5 percent), Fighting Cock (50.5 percent), George T. Stagg, Fall, 2005 (70.95 percent), Knob Creek (50 percent), Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond (50 percent), Old Forester 100 (50 percent), Old Rip Van Winkle 10-year-old (53.5), and W.L. Weller Centennial (50 percent). The Professor is assembling the cocktail when Alfred and David, two old-time radio aficionados who frequent the bar, walk through the door. "Whatcha making, Professor?" asks Alfred. "Beezer Cocktail. New drink from Chili Bill Eichinger." "Hope it's straight from Beezer's Cellar," says David. "Beezer's Cellar?" "It was an episode of 'Quiet, Please,' this great radio series back in the '40s." David quotes Wyllis Cooper, creator of the series: "The characters in tonight's 'Quiet, Please' are neither living nor dead." The Professor smiles and places the Beezer Cocktail in front of Alfred and David. They each take a sip. "Nice drink, Professor. Hats off to Chili Bill. You could call it Six Fingers of Redeye instead of the Beezer," says David. The Professor is puzzled. The radio freaks weren't in the bar when Doc mentioned the polydactyl cat. "What makes you say that?" he asks. "Beezer's Cellar. It was about the ghost of a six-fingered man." The Professor shakes his head and walks over to Doc. "Would you mind popping out to get me a lottery ticket, Doc? We can split it if you like. I gotta hunch." "Sure, Professor. What numbers do you want to play?" "All numbers with sixes." Beezer Cocktail Adapted from a recipe by William "Chili Bill" Eichinger, bartender at Finnegan's Wake in San Francisco. INGREDIENTS: 2 ounces bourbon (high-proof recommended) 1/2 ounce B & B liqueur 2 dashes Fee Brother's peach bitters (see Note) 1 maraschino cherry, for garnish (optional) INSTRUCTIONS: Fill a mixing glass two-thirds full with ice and add all of the ingredients. Stir for approximately 30 seconds, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add the garnish. Note: Available from Fee Brothers in Rochester, New York; (800) 961-3337 or www.feebrothers.com Gary Regan is the author of "The Joy of Mixology: The Consummate Guide to the Bartender's Craft" and other books. |
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| Ownership | MS |
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| Submission Date | May 02, 2007 |