Sam Weller will give a talk on Ray Bradbury Thursday, September 9th at 7 p.m. at the Lisle (IL) Public Library. The public is cordially invited. Call (630) 971-1675 to register or to get directions.

Sam: I'm on the City of McKinney Library advisory board. You up for coming here and lecturing on Bradbury? We're volunteers, so no money, but I'd love to hear you speak and have you over for a nice Spaghetti dinner!

Found my way to Lisle, Illinois, and found Sam Weller there....along with Richard, who posts frequently here on the board. Great meeting.

Sam presented us with a picture of the actual cover of his biography on Ray and talked at length about some of the great stuff he has put into the book. And, lo and behold, Ray called from his home and spoke to all those attending thru a loud speaker, a makeshift telephone hook up that eventually worked out well.

Thanks, Sam... it was a great time.

________

And thanks to Julia, at publisher Harper Collins, for getting those in the know to un-jam topic forum 'RESOURCES'. At last the board seems to be working smoooooothly again.

YEA JULIA!!!

Well, RESOURCES is getting stuck AGAIN!!

Will give Julia another call.... It's 9:24 am Chicago time, Friday

Just to add my thoughts...the drive out from Chicago to Lisle in the western suburbs was well worth the trip. Sam Weller was his usual gracious and knowledgable self, it was great to meet Nard, and the group gathered at the Lisle Public Library was enthusiastic and attentive. Best of all, Sam was able to hook Ray up live via telephone, and allow Ray to speak to the entire group. Ray announced to the group that he is currently working on radio adaptations of several of his short stories. Let's hope a radio version of THE RAY BRADBURY THEATER becomes a reality. As Sam said during his talk, it's high time for dramatic radio to make a comeback!

It was a wonderful evening...I wish you all could have been there.

Just wanted to say thanks to Nard and Richard for making the sojourn out to the lovely hamlet of Lisle last night. It was great to see you both! The highlight was when Ray, after learning that that this dynamic duo was in attendance, told them over the loud speaker "I Love You Nard and Richard!" Pretty cool.

Ray was, of course, his ever-entertaining and inspirational self. I too wish you all could have been there to say hello to him. He's doing great, by the way.

The idea for the Ray Bradbury Radio Theater, which Ray discussed last night, is just in its infancy. Ray is hard at work as we speak selecting stories to adapt. I believe the pilot episode will be "The Fog Horn." We shall see.

When my book is released in April, there will be many more library lectures and book store events like this all over the country. Mr. Dark, I am in Texas at least twice a year and would love that spaghetti dinner!

Aloha,

Sam

I'm pleased to hear that Ray is doing some more radio. Do you know who is producing it, and where it might be heard? And is Ray doing the scripts himself?

Phil
www.bradburymedia.co.uk

The idea of a Ray Bradbury Radio Theatre is very exciting to me. I am of a age to remember radio shows during the infancy of Television such as "The Shadow" and "The Green Hornet" among others. I remember sitting by the radio and eating pop corn with my family and "seeing" what was happening. It was great! And now to think about Ray's stories being in such a format. Excellent!

Thanks again Sam, for sharing news about Ray and his health and demeanor.

Biplane,
I've checked out from my local library "Vanishing point: radio dramas from the fourth dimension" / produced by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which includes a fairly well-done dramatization of "The Playground". I think there may be more of his stories done on radio...
I dearly love the radio format. I, too, recall some programs from childhood, albeit at the end of radio's Golden Age.
I still frequently listen to some recordings of these; including Stan Freberg, Jack Benny, Dragnet, and Fibber McGee & Molly.
Can't wait for this series!

Sam: The offer is in earnest. Hope you'll take me up on it. Pete?

Braling II,

there has been a lot of Bradbury on radio, some of it still available on tape or CD. There are some clips on my site, and I plan to put add more in a week or two.

Phil
www.bradburymedia.co.uk

Mr. Dark,

Once again, you're generosity is beyond measure. Only trouble is, if I accept, you'll have to end up feeding the wife and kids as well.

But let me put it before the committee (i.e., family.) It'd be rewarding, to say the least.

Best,

Pete

Braling II

It is nice to hear of a younger person knowing who Stan Freberg is. He is a good friend of Ray's and when my family and I were visiting Ray in August of 1996 Marguerite called out to Ray that Stan Freberg was on the phone. I am not sure if Stan is still alive or not. I am remember Stan playing character parts on The Danny Thomas Show and others.

Nard has a story about Stan as well.

biplane1, Stan Freeberg is most definitely alive. He also hosts a syndicated radio show called, "When Radio Was," which plays vintage radio shows. Unfortunately, here in the Chicago area, the show starts at midnight! Her's a link to a "Stan Freeberg Page" on the internet:

http://freberg.8m.com/