This week on From the Vault we showcase a great example of creative genius recently rediscovered within Pacifica Radio Archives: a beautiful 1969 radio adaptation of James Thurber’s The 13 Clocks. Produced by WBAI production superstars Charles Potter and David Rapkin, Thurber’s 1950’s fantasy tale comes to life with delightful special effects – an arduous test of endurance and ingenuity using the equipment and techniques of the late 1960’s: reel to reel tape machines, multiple overdub and splicing, and hours and hours of painstaking setup. Over forty years after the original production and broadcast, we had the opportunity to speak with sound engineer David Rapkin, who explained the challenges he faced while making this important sound recording – now being shared again for the first time in over three decades.
From the Vault is presented through the Pacifica Radio Archives Preservation and Access Project, funded in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, past grants from the Grammy Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the American Archive funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, along with the generous support of Pacifica Radio Listeners.
First broadcast on Friday, September 16, 2011.
PRA metadata view