Customer Reviews

Radio Sound Effects: Who Did It, and How, in the Era of Live Broadcasting

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ok, so I am an Antique Radio hobbyist who really enjoys the "Golden Age of Radio"...but anyone who enjoys well written, humorous real life stories will enjoy this gem from the talented and expert Robert Mott.

Though not very technical in its information, the excellent vintage photos, anectdotes, and relaxed writing style will capture anyone who has the least bit of interest in finding out how the illusion of radio theatre was created, way back when it was truly "On the Air"

This is a wonderful book. First of, it's not that technical, it's more of a history book of the Golden Age of radio. The book has so many wonderful and hillarious stories about those days, that it was strong in nostalgia, even though I wasn't born until 1971!

I wouldn't call this a book for 'audio' people, anyone who lived during the time of old radio, or anyone who still loves to listen to old reruns of The Shadow will LOVE this book.

Tim.

RADIO SOUND EFFECTS by ROBERT L. MOTT McFarland & Company Publishers, 1993 283 pages, 140 pictures & illustrations, comprehensive 11 page index.

This is an excellent book on the subject. The author tells his many stories from the wide variety of shows he worked on through radio's golden age. Very specific examples and descriptions on the working of all the sound effects from the simple footstep to the complicated Fibber closet gag. The book also chronicles much about the history of dramatic radio from it's beginnings up through the television age. For those interested in the technical aspects of sound on radio in those days, dozens of pictures are included with detailed descriptions of their uses and mechanical workings- In fact, a great deal of information on the history of recorded sound in general is included within it's pages. Best of all, the book also contains hundreds of great anecdotes which will have you laughing out loud and make you feel like you were really there!! Overall this book is loaded with facts, a wonderful collection of star studded historic photographs, amazing histories, and hilarious stories all told with Mott's witty and charming style which will keep you glued to the book as if it were a riviting detective novel! Highly recommended!!

Jason

I purchased this book from Amazon and almost immediately returned it. The reason is that this is a very poor reproduction of McFarland's hardbound edition of 1993.

The text is very informative and having lived through the golden age of radio in the 1930's and 40's this book answered a lot of questions about how all those woderful sounds were made that accompied the radio shows of that era and in essence made them so much more enjoyable.

My main objection is that the reproduction of the photos in the paperback (and there are quite a number) look like they were done on a cheap copy machine. It is nearly impossible to distinguish what is in each picture. The paperback paper is also only a little better than newsprint.

To say the least I was terribly disappointed. I then went on line and looked for hard bound copies of the original book and the prices were about ten dollars and up - a far cry from the cost of even the paperback. I now have the hardbound copy and the pictures are exactly what you would expect - crystal clear and the paper is of a much better quality.

If you are only interested in the text then the paperback book is fine (I would give the text 4 stars) but if you want to see all the pictues of the equipment then do not buy this book.

This is the 2nd paperback reprint that I have had to return in the last month for the same reason - totally unacceptable reproduction of the photographs in the text. Finding the hardbound copies fixed all the problems found in the paperback edition.

Richard

This book is written so that everyone, not just entertainment industry veterans, can understand it. I actually remember the items in his chapter on Captain Kangaroo, and the older programs, like Jack Benny, are fascinating, even if I missed the Golden Age of Radio. He also details the transition from radio to television in detail. It really does read like a novel, but it all happened. A great read, but I docked it one star for the poor reproduction of the photos, my only complaint.

I was disappointed in Radio Sound effects, as the subtitle "Who Did It, and How, in the Era of Live Broadcasting" is a bit misleading.

While it is an interesting and even somewhat intriguing read if you are into the comings and goings and mishaps of radio's most often heard non-actors, it does little to document the methods that they had to resort to to create the sound effects.

There is a story here and there about the creation of effects, but most of the emphasis is on what went wrong or who had drinks with who, and who got fired afterwards.

While a readable social narrative, the book just doesn't come up to snuff in the technique and method area.