- for the World War II broadcasts, see The Zero Hour (WW II)
The Zero Hour (aka Hollywood Radio Theater) was a 1973-74 radio drama anthology series hosted by Rod Serling.[1] With tales of mystery, adventure and suspense, the program aired in stereo for two seasons. Some of the scripts were written by Serling.[2]
Originally placed into syndication on Septermber 3, 1973, the series was picked up by the Mutual Broadcasting System in December of that year. The original format featured five-part dramas broadcast Monday through Friday with the story coming to a conclusion on Friday. Including commercials, each part was approximately 30 minutes long. Mutual affiliates could broadcast the series in any time slot that they wished.
In 1974, still airing five days a week, the program changed to a full story in a single 30-minute installment with the same actor starring throughout the week in all five programs. That format was employed from late April 1974 to the end of the series on July 26, 1974.
Producer J.M. Kholos was a Los Angeles advertising man who acquired the rights to suspense novels, including Tony Hillerman's The Blessing Way, for radio adaptations. In some cases, the titles were changed. For example, the five-part "Desperate Witness" was an adaptation of The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing. To create a strong package, Kholos followed through by lining up top actors, including John Astin, Edgar Bergen, Joseph Campanella, Richard Crenna, John Dehner, Howard Duff, Patty Duke, Nina Foch, George Maharis, Susan Oliver, Brock Peters and Lurene Tuttle.
The opening theme music was by Ferrante & Teicher. Don Hill produced the series for StudioHouse, which also produced the Salvation Army's Heartbeat Theatre. Counting each five-part show as five episodes, there were a total of 130 episodes. It failed to find a large audience due to the initial weekly serial format and the lack of promotion. According to director Elliott Lewis, "They wanted as much name value as possible to help with sales. They forgot they had to sell it. Everybody sat in the office and waited for someone to call them up and buy the show."[3]
Highbridge Audio released some of the five-part stories on audiocassettes.
Episodes
| Broadcast date | Episode title |
|---|---|
| November 15, 1973 | Promo Show |
| December 17, 1973 | "Wife of the Red Haired Man" - Part 1 |
| December 18, 1973 | "Wife of the Red Haired Man" - Part 2 |
| December 19, 1973 | "Wife of the Red Haired Man" - Part 3 |
| December 20, 1973 | "Wife of the Red Haired Man" - Part 4 |
| December 21, 1973 | "Wife of the Red Haired Man" - Part 5 |
| December 24, 1973 | "Desperate Witness" - Part 1 |
| December 25, 1973 | "Desperate Witness" - Part 2 |
| December 26, 1973 | "Desperate Witness" - Part 3 |
| December 27, 1973 | "Desperate Witness" - Part 4 |
| December 28, 1973 | "Desperate Witness" - Part 5 |
| December 31, 1973 | "If Two of Them Are Dead" - Part 1 |
| January 1, 1974 | "If Two of Them Are Dead" - Part 2 |
| January 2, 1974 | "If Two of Them Are Dead" - Part 3 |
| January 3, 1974 | "If Two of Them Are Dead" - Part 4 |
| January 4, 1974 | "If Two of Them Are Dead" - Part 5 |
| January 7, 1974 | "Fourth of Forever" - Part 1 |
| January 8, 1974 | "Fourth of Forever" - Part 2 |
| January 9, 1974 | "Fourth of Forever" - Part 3 |
| January 10, 1974 | "Fourth of Forever" - Part 4 |
| January 11, 1974 | "Fourth of Forever" - Part 5 |
| January 14, 1974 | "But I Wouldn't Want to Die There" - Part 1 |
| January 15, 1974 | "But I Wouldn't Want to Die There" - Part 2 |
| January 16, 1974 | "But I Wouldn't Want to Die There" - Part 3 |
| January 17, 1974 | "But I Wouldn't Want to Die There" - Part 4 |
| January 18, 1974 | "But I Wouldn't Want to Die There" - Part 5 |
| January 28, 1974 | "Heir Hunters" - Part 1 |
| January 29, 1974 | "Heir Hunters" - Part 2 |
| January 30, 1974 | "Heir Hunters" - Part 3 |
| January 31, 1974 | "Heir Hunters" - Part 4 |
| February 1, 1974 | "Heir Hunters" - Part 5 |
| February 4, 1974 | "A Die in the Country" - Part 1 |
| February 5, 1974 | "A Die in the Country" - Part 2 |
| February 6, 1974 | "A Die in the Country" - Part 3 |
| February 7, 1974 | "A Die in the Country" - Part 4 |
| February 8, 1974 | "A Die in the Country" - Part 5 |
| February 11, 1974 | "Someone's Death" - Part 1 |
| February 12, 1974 | "Someone's Death" - Part 2 |
| February 13, 1974 | "Someone's Death" - Part 3 |
| February 14, 1974 | "Someone's Death" - Part 4 |
| February 15, 1974 | "Someone's Death" - Part 5 |
| February 18, 1974 | "Face of the Foe" - Part 1 |
| February 19, 1974 | "Face of the Foe" - Part 2 |
| February 20, 1974 | "Face of the Foe" - Part 3 |
| February 21, 1974 | "Face of the Foe" - Part 4 |
| February 22, 1974 | "Face of the Foe" - Part 5 |
| February 25, 1974 | "Blessing Way" - Part 1 |
| February 26, 1974 | "Blessing Way" - Part 2 |
| February 27, 1974 | "Blessing Way" - Part 3 |
| February 28, 1974 | "Blessing Way" - Part 4 |
| March 1, 1974 | "Blessing Way" - Part 5 |
| March 4, 1974 | "Princess Stakes Murder Case" - Part 1 |
| March 5, 1974 | "Princess Stakes Murder Case" - Part 2 |
| March 6, 1974 | "Princess Stakes Murder Case" - Part 3 |
| March 7, 1974 | "Princess Stakes Murder Case" - Part 4 |
| March 8, 1974 | "Princess Stakes Murder Case" - Part 5 |
| March 11, 1974 | "Queen in Danger" - Part 1 |
| March 12, 1974 | "Queen in Danger" - Part 2 |
| March 13, 1974 | "Queen in Danger" - Part 3 |
| March 14, 1974 | "Queen in Danger" - Part 4 |
| March 15, 1974 | "Queen in Danger" - Part 5 |
| April 29, 1974 | "Bye-Bye Narco" |
| April 30, 1974 | "Terror in the Night" |
| May 1, 1974 | "Scream of the Hawk" |
| May 2, 1974 | "The Extortionist" |
| May 3, 1974 | "Price of Admission" |
| May 6, 1974 | "A Shortage of Story" |
| May 7, 1974 | "Escape to Nowhere" |
| May 8, 1974 | "Fair's Fair, You Know" |
| May 9, 1974 | "The Housecall" |
| May 13, 1974 | "An Arm's Length" |
| May 14, 1974 | "The Reward" |
| May 15, 1974 | "Villainous Verdict" |
| May 16, 1974 | "The Stranger" |
| May 17, 1974 | "White Flame Burning Bright" |
| May 21, 1974 | "Mind of the Beholder" |
| May 22, 1974 | "Driving Aunt Sally Insane" |
| May 23, 1974 | "There is a Man in 211 |
| May 24, 1974 | "Death is a Perfect Cure" |
| May 27, 1974 | "Dr. Rivington Presumably" |
| May 28, 1974 | "Wanted: A Willing Companion" |
| May 29, 1974 | "Pigs Could Put You in the Pen" |
| May 30, 1974 | "Sky Lab Are You There?" |
| May 31, 1974 | "A Favor You Can't Refuse" |
| June 3, 1974 | "Death at Half a Length" |
| June 4, 1974 | "Floating Down the River" |
| June 5, 1974 | "Once a Thief" |
| June 6, 1974 | "Murder Shrieks Out" |
| June 7, 1974 | "Rehabilitation of Citizen Fimple" |
| June 10, 1974 | "Bonnie and Clyde are Alive and Well" |
| June 11, 1974 | "Sisters of Satan" |
| June 12, 1974 | "Mannequin" |
| June 13, 1974 | "Double Date to Destiny" |
| June 14, 1974 | "Clay Pigeons" |
| June 17, 1974 | "Past is Always Present" |
| June 18, 1974 | "Woman in Black" |
| June 19, 1974 | "Come Light My Fire" |
| June 20, 1974 | "Riders Wanted: Share Expenses" |
| June 21, 1974 | "Death on Canvas" |
| June 24, 1974 | "House That Clement Built" |
| June 25, 1974 | "Joint Account" |
| June 26, 1974 | "Tiger Cages" |
| June 27, 1974 | "Violence Takes a Curtain Call" |
| June 28, 1974 | "Children Are Dying" |
| July 1, 1974 | "Bend Spindle and Mutilate" |
| July 2, 1974 | "Murder is a Work of Art" |
| July 3, 1974 | "Edwards Tug and Salvage" |
| July 4, 1974 | "Larceny on the Lake" |
| July 5, 1974 | "On the Lam" |
| July 8, 1974 | "Corpse Takes a Sleigh Ride" |
| July 9, 1974 | "Marionettes" |
| July 10, 1974 | "Ghost of Black Plague" |
| July 11, 1974 | "Trunkful of Trouble" |
| July 12, 1974 | "The Grand Prize" |
| July 15, 1974 | "Welcome Home Denny Shackleford" |
| July 16, 1974 | "Death of a Genius" |
| July 17, 1974 | "Remember Me" |
| July 18, 1974 | "Lost in Time" |
| July 19, 1974 | "Once Upon a Truck" |
| July 22, 1974 | "Corpse Takes a Stand" |
| July 23, 1974 | "Carnival of Menace" |
| July 24, 1974 | "Chicago John & The Glitter People" |
| July 25, 1974 | "Smoke Screen" |
| July 26, 1974 | "The Holdout" |
References
- ^ The Zero Hour Radio Log
- ^ Judge, Dick. Hollywood Radio Theater: Zero Hour
- ^ Dunning, John. On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-19-507678-8.
External links
- Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs: The Zero Hour
- Rod Serling's ZERO HOUR PROMO PODCAST - Original audio promo for the series from 1973.
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