SmorgShow Theater

Recreated Radio Dramas from the Golden Age of Radio

SmorgShow Theater is a collection of classic, old-time radio dramas from the golden age of radio. Sit back and relax, turn off your lights and let us transport you to a world where your imagination takes over.

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130. SmorgShow Theater : It’s a Wonderful Life (In Honor of Domenico DeFazio)

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This episode is dedicated to Domenico DeFazio (1948-2021)

To close out the year, we are proud to look back on our archives and present once again, our radio adaptation of Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

We apologize for being absent for the past couple of months. We had a death in our immediate family. My stepdad, Domenico DeFazio passed away unexpectedly while on a business trip in Italy. We thought that it would be fitting to dedicate this episode to him.

Mimmo played the character of Martini the bartender in this radio play of “It’s a Wonderful Life”. We originally released this exactly 10 years ago back on episode 66. This is perhaps one of our most elaborate radio plays we ever made for SmorgShow Theater. Listening back to this now warms our hearts, particularly given the number of friends and family members who came together to make this production possible.

Mimmo, you certainly had a wonderful life. We love you.

  • Chris Bockay – George Bailey
  • Ally Bockay –  Narrator, The Bailey Kids, Tilly, Mrs. Hatch
  • Kim Bockay – Mary Hatch-Bailey
  • Geoff Wells – Clarence
  • Dave Jackson – Joseph, Burt the Cop, Nick the Bartender, Bridgekeeper
  • Jerry Malauskas – Mr. Potter
  • Daryl Woltman – Mr. Gower, Uncle Billy
  • Chase Woltman – Young George Bailey
  • Peet McCain – Harry Bailey
  • Baba Gonesh – Ernie the Cab Driver
  • Domenico DeFazio – Martini
  • Terrylynn DeFazio – Ma Bailey
  • Larry Coon – Peter Bailey
  • Joe Personality – Sam Wainwright

105. SmorgShow Theater: Knock at the Door

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In our 11th installment of SmorgShow Theater, we re-enact ‘Knock at the Door’, which originally aired in 1942 on the ‘Lights Out’ radio drama series that centered around horror and the supernatural.

This tale is narrated by Ella who describes her descent into madness – how she married a nice fellow and mama’s boy Jay who adores his mother to the point of Ella feeling pushed out of the way. Our narrator, after hearing some convincing voices in her head, pushes her poor mother-in-law down a well and seemingly doesn’t have to deal with her anymore. But how wrong she is when the couple hears a knock at the door while eating dinner one night…

The SmorgShow Players are: Ally Bockay (Ella), Chris Bockay (Jay), Kim Bockay (Mrs. Kruger)

090. SmorgShow Theater: Rope

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We are so excited to finally present our latest radio play that we have been working on since August.  Normally the SmorgShow players re-enact classic radio dramas, but in this episode, we aim to deliver something a bit different.  This time, we present to you a radio adaptation of “Rope”, a 1948 American psychological crime thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on the 1929 play of the same name by Patrick Hamilton.  

In our story, just before hosting a dinner party, Philip Morgan and Brandon Shaw strangle a mutual friend to death with a piece of rope, purely as a Nietzsche-inspired philosophical exercise. Hiding the body in a chest upon which they then arrange a buffet dinner, the pair welcome their guests, including the victim’s oblivious fiancée and the college professor whose lectures inadvertently inspired the killing.

The Cast (In Order of Appearance):

  • Brandon Shaw – Thomas Larsen
  • Phillip Morgan – Geoff Wells
  • Mrs. Wilson – Chris Wells
  • Kenneth Lawrence – Kip Coon
  • Janet Walker – Ally Bockay
  • Mr. Henry Kentley – Jerome Malauskas
  • Mrs. Anita Atwater – Kim Bockay
  • Rupert Cadell – Chris Bockay
  • Man on Street – Baba Gonesh

088. SmorgShow Theater: Letter from Cynthia

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As we prepare for Christmas and to close out 2016, we present to you the 10th installment of SmorgShow Theater.  “Letter from Cynthia” is a re-enactment of an episode from “The Whistler” old-time radio drama series.

Originally aired on 12-25-1949, “Letter from Cynthia” finds a medical intern receiving a letter from a lost love, the love he lost to his best friend. In a strange turn of events, the man who took his love, his best friend, ends up in an accident at the hospital where he is interning. He has to make a decision between getting revenge and doing what’s right.

This episode has a different feel to it when compared with our previous radio plays.  We hope you take some time out this holiday season to kick back and listen.  Turn out your lights, bask in the glow of your fireplace or Christmas tree lights and let our story transport you back to a simpler time when families sat around their radio for entertainment.

The Cast

  • Narrator – Geoff Wells
  • Dr. Neil Andrews – Chris Bockay
  • Patty – Ally Bockay
  • Cynthia – Kim Bockay
  • Dr. Peters – Thomas Larsen
  • Charlie – Steve Larsen
  • Police Officer – Anthony Luperini
  • Intern – Thomas Larsen
  • Dr. Graham – William Bockay

We then discuss Ally’s performance in the “Let It Be Christmas” musical and play a clip of her promoting the show on the Steve Cochran radio show on WGN-AM 720.

086. SmorgShow Theater: Sorry, Wrong Number (Take 2)

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We are excited to bring you our 9th installment in the SmorgShow Theater series.   This time around we bring to you a re-enactment of 1943’s radio classic ‘Sorry, Wrong Number’, originally starring Agnes Moorehead.

But wait a minute, you say!  Didn’t you guys already do this one before?   As a matter of fact, yes we did…way back in 2010 on Episode 9 of the SmorgShow Podcast.   However, back then Ally was only 11 years old and we were working with really basic editing equipment.

It sounded good at the time, but listening to it now, we’ve come to realize that we really didn’t do this classic play justice.  We decided to tackle this project again.  Coincidentally, the date this is being aired is April 11, 2015 (or 4-1-1).

Mrs. Stevenson is a spoiled, bedridden daughter of a millionaire. The telephone is her sole connection with the outside world. One day, while listening to what seems to be a crossed phone connection, she eavesdrops on two men planning a woman’s murder. Mrs. Stevenson calls the phone company and police, only to be ignored. Adding to her dilemma is the fact that her husband is missing.   After a number of phone calls, the terrorized Mrs. Stevenson begins to piece together the mystery.

The Cast:

  • Ally Bockay – Mrs. Stevenson
  • Chris Bockay – Man, George, Sergeant Martin
  • Kim Bockay – Operator, Chief Operator, Directory Assistance Operator, Hospital Operator
  • Anthony Luperini – Western Union Rep

In another feature, International News Correspondent, Baba Gonesh delivers the news to us in 90 seconds in a call from Mumbai – a story of Needle Man.

Featured Artist of the Week: Echosmith

085. SmorgShow Theater: Ray Bradbury’s ‘The Ravine’

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This episode of the SmorgShow Podcast includes the latest installment of SmorgShow Theater where the SmorgShow Players re-enact Ray Bradbury’s classic short story, ‘The Ravine’.    Written around 1936 during Mr. Bradbury’s formative high school years, ‘The Ravine’ emerged as a true story of his childhood fears of a dark, foreboding ravine that existed just a short distance away from his Waukegan, Illinois hometown.   The SmorgShow Players:

  • William Bockay – Narrator
  • Ally Bockay – Lavinia
  • Kim Bockay – Francine, Neighbor
  • Gabriella Vogel – Helen
  • Geoff Wells – Drugstore Clerk
  • Baba Gonesh – Mr. Tubbs
  • Anthony Luperini – Police Officer
  • Chris Bockay – Frank, The Lonely One
  • Charlie Snyder – Douglas

Chris and Ally also catch up on events that have taken place since our last program one year ago!

074. The Titanic 100th Anniversary Retrospective

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On this episode, we travel back in time and take a special look at voyage of the RMS Titanic for this special 100th anniversary of that tragic night of April 14-15, 1912.

This episode originally streamed live at exactly 100 years after the Titanic struck the iceberg.

Our special episode is chock full of facts and statistics about the Titanic:  the construction, the launch, the passengers and crew, the food that was served to both first class and third class passengers including the last meal.   We discuss the tragic accident, the lifeboats, the sinking, and the wreckage.   We get a flavor of what life on the Titanic was like by listening to readings of letters written by some of the passengers.  Music was a special part of the voyage and we play a few tracks that were played on board.       We close out the show with a special rendition of Ally singing, “My Heart Will Go On”.

066. SmorgShow Theater: It’s a Wonderful Life

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SmorgShow Theater is proud to present its latest radio play production.  This time, we bring you Frank Capra’s classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life” on the 65th anniversary of the original release.    We had an absolute blast creating this!   We had a cast of dozens out to the SmorgShow studio this past month to lay down their tracks.   The main cast includes:

  • Chris Bockay – George Bailey
  • Ally Bockay –  Narrator, The Bailey Kids, Tilly, Mrs. Hatch
  • Kim Bockay – Mary Hatch-Bailey
  • Geoff Wells – Clarence
  • Dave Jackson – Joseph, Burt the Cop, Nick the Bartender, Bridgekeeper
  • Jerry Malauskas – Mr. Potter
  • Daryl Woltman – Mr. Gower, Uncle Billy
  • Chase Woltman – Young George Bailey
  • Peet McCain – Harry Bailey
  • Baba Gonesh – Ernie the Cab Driver
  • Domenico DeFazio – Martini
  • Terrylynn DeFazio – Ma Bailey
  • Larry Coon – Peter Bailey
  • Joe Personality – Sam Wainwright

065. SmorgShow Theater: A Christmas Carol

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SmorgShow Theater returns with a new re-enactment of Charles Dickens’  “A Christmas Carol”.   We have updated our 2010 production so that we could include Dave Jackson in the performance.

The Cast:

Chris Bockay: Ebenezer Scrooge

Ally Bockay: Ghost of Christmas Past

Peet McCain: Marley, Ghost of Christmas Present, Nephew Fred

Geoff Wells: Bob Kratchit

Kim Bockay: Mrs. Kratchit

052. SmorgShow Theater: Ray Bradbury’s ‘Zero Hour’

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SmorgShow Theater Presents Ray Bradbury’s ‘Zero Hour‘, originally broadcast on April 5, 1955 as a part of the Suspense radio series.    Dave Jackson from the original Chris and Dave Smorgasbord radio show narrates this science fiction installment of SmorgShow Theater.

Featured Artist of the Week:  Jordan Martyn.   Jordan has been featured on our program before, but on this episode we present a SmorgShow Exclusive:  Jordan’s new studio version of “Runaway to Me”.   We are honored that Jordan has selected the SmorgShow Podcast as the first venue to air his new song before it is made available to the public.   Check out Jordan’s website at www.jordanmartyn.com.

028. SmorgShow Theater: The Sisters

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The SmorgShow Players return to the stage this episode to present the 1944 old-time radio play, “The Sisters”.   Mystical Melinda calls in to warn us about the retrograde of the planet Mercury.  Baba Gonesh shares one of his favorite bed-time folk tales, and News Balls: Another possible explanation for the continued  high unemployment rate; a pig-wrestling match is canceled in Great Falls, Montana; a man is shot in the head but doesn’t notice until five years later, and the corpse of a woman hoarder is finally found beneath a pile of her belongings.

014. SmorgShow Theater: On A Country Road

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Chris discusses his torn rotator cuff.  The SmorgShow Players reenact the old-time radio drama, “On A Country Road”.  Also, Baba Gonesh returns with another “Thought for the Day”.

009. SmorgShow Theater: Sorry, Wrong Number

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The SmorgShow players recreate the classic 1943 radio drama, “Sorry, Wrong Number”.  Also, strange news stories of the week, Baba Gonesh’s Indian Folk Tale of the week, and a 2010 remix of “Slime”, from the Cow Dung and Chicken Tongue collection.

008. SmorgShow Theater: Murder in the Mansion

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‘Murder in the Mansion‘ radio play.   After Ally’s recent birthday party where she hosted a murder mystery, the SmorgShow Players create a radio-play version of the party’s script.

This began the springboard for us in creating all the subsequent old-time radio dramas in our SmorgShow Theater series.