WBBM Channel 2 - Channel 2 News at Six - "Dracula on the Radio" (1976)

Here's an excerpt of an edition of Channel 2 News at Six on WBBM Channel 2, anchored by Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson.

This clip starts off with Walter introducing a report by Bob Wallace about a new radio production of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" by the All-Media Dramatic Workshop (known after 1978 as the National Radio Theater; they disbanded in 1987).

The program aired on WFMT 98.7 FM the next evening (Tuesday, October 19th) at 10:30pm and again on Thursday, October 21st at 1pm.

Clips of the 1931 film with Bela Lugosi (courtesy of the film library of WGN Channel 9) are shown at various points, in-between a look inside the making of this new version; director Yuri Rasovsky speaks at length about the things that could be done on the radio, and we see the faces of Sherry Narens (as Mina) and Nicholas Siman (sp?) as the Count. We also get to see how certain sound effects are created.

Bob Wallace himself played various bit roles (such as a ship crewmember and one of the townspeople), and also did some of the sound effects (as one of the flapping sails); the wind was created by Colin Stinton.

After Bob's report is over, Walter acknowledges the source for the clips of the 1931 "Dracula," and Bill previews Tom Alderman's upcoming weather report.

A brief commercial for Lincoln Continental Mark V is shown (voiceover by John Houseman) before the tape cuts out.

Technical Note: The main audio tape machine used during the course of production of this version of "Dracula" was the Ampex AG-440, which was introduced by the company in 1967 (as AG-440A) and modified in 1969 (AG-440B) and again in 1974 (AG-440C). (Had this been produced today, modern audio workstations such as ProTools or Samplitude may have been used.) Also used (for music and other sound effects not done live) was a combination of turntables and cart machines of the kind used by many "Top 40" radio stations.

This aired on local Chicago TV on Monday, October 18th 1976 during the 6:00pm to 6:30pm timeframe.

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