A New Podcast!!! A New Podcast!!!

After a long absence from them (and many requests) here is the latest podcast! In all fairness, this was done over the last few months and was actually almost complete before Christmas but I left it on the back burner. After all that time, I gave it the proper finishing touches but alas, did not have the time to add any spoken word sections aka dialogue from yours truly. So this time around, it's an all music podcast. It does feature some great songs from the likes of Blondie, Suzi Quatro, They Might Be Giants, The Muffs with CC Deville, The Beatles, the Kinks, Orson Bean and more. There's even a super cool phone message sent to me from a Sunoco station on the day of a snow storm (obviously a wrong number!) Here it is for your listening entertainment! Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #20

Gilda Is On The Air

I love Gilda Radner. I sooo wish she was still around. She never ceases to make me smile no matter what I watch that features her. In 1979 Gilda fulfilled a life-long dream to be on Broadway when she performed "Gilda Live" at the Winter Garden Theater. It was filmed and recorded and a year later it was released as an album and a film. Around that same time, Warner Brothers released a radio special to local stations across the country to promote the film. Since the LP was the way things were done back then, the radio stations received the album in the mail and then basically played it on the air, giving their listeners a "special event" to listen to. That album lovingly sits in my collection and I share it with you now. Here is that great interview with the wonderful, Gilda. Enjoy!

Warner Brothers Gilda Radner Interview Album

Halloween-A-Thon 2011: Readings From The Count (Dracula/Dooku)

Christopher Lee brought the Hammer Film's version of Dracula to life and in one of the few strokes of genius that George Lucas showed in his Star Wars Prequels, Lee appeared as Count Dooku, an evil Sith Lord. He also brought his fiendish talents to the role of the villian Saruman in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. His creepiness remains intact and he can still send a chill up my spine. Here are two collections of Lee reading from various Horror writings. The first is a collection of Edgar Allen Poe's works and the second a collection of various writers that is referred to as "Fireside Tales". The collection of Poe's tales were released as an audio book in the mid 80s while the "Fireside Tales" were originally broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on December 30th, 2004. Here they are for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

Christopher Lee Reads Tales of Horror

Podcasts Boxed Set #3

By popular request, I decided to continue with the "boxed sets" of podcasts from the last few years of The World of Wonder. This time around we get a boxed set of Podcasts 11, 12, 13 & 14. This is where things got interesting for the podcast. I tried to do themes and the first all-music podcast came from this era. Also, the Soundtrack Edition of the Podcast was released which featured nothing but songs from film soundtracks.

These podcasts were much more spread out over time as I started getting busier and busier with other things so it made each one completely different from the one that came before it. Hopefully, it was all for the best. You can decide as you delve into the archives and listen again (or for some of you, the first time) to these podcasts from the past. Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #11-14

Judy Brings Out The Stars For The Men In Uniform

It's no secret that I love Judy Garland. I love her the same way that I love Elvis. I think her voice is amazing and her behavior even more so. There is no denying that classic voice and even though "Under The Rainbow" is a great song no matter who does it, Judy always did it best. During 1944 and 1945, Judy appeared on many Armed Forces Radio Services broadcasts entitled "Mail "Call" and "Command Performance". These were usually transcribed onto "V-Discs" and sent overseas to be played on the radio for servicemen everywhere. In the 90s, Laserlight put out a CD compilation of these entitled "Mail Call". The first half of the album features a show from May 17, 1944 and features Bing Crosby, Jimmy Durante and Arthur Treacher. The second half of the album is from a June 3, 1944 broadcast of "Command Performance" that features Bing, Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra. Together they make a great compilation that I share with you today! Here is that great album. Enjoy!

Judy Garland - Mail Call

Podcast 19 is Here!!!!

Here is the newest and, in my humble opinion, one of the better podcasts I have made! I really got into this one and tried to cover a lot of bases by including a lot of variety and fun mix-ups! There's some hilarious comedy, great music and a whole lot of fun stuff. The one thing that I really like about this podcast is the introduction. When I was a DJ in college, I hosted a show called "The Rich Dart Wacky Show" and used the same intro for the radio show. Also, I didn't speak in this one. As with the last time, I just couldn't find the time to put any commentary into the mix. It does flow rather well. Hope you think so. Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #19

Podcasts Boxed Set #2

Here is the second boxed set of podcasts from the past. This time around it features Podcasts #6 - 10. This is where I really got into doing the podcasts and really found my groove. There are some great moments in these podcasts! I hope you enjoy them.
And as I said yesterday, I am about 95% finished with my next podcast which I think is one of the best ones I have done in a while. Entertain yourselves with these past ones and I'll work on getting the new one finished and posted. Enjoy!





Dartman's Wacky Podcast #6-10

The Podcast Boxed Sets

Since Rapidshare has gone and deleted all but my most recent podcasts, I decided to make all the past podcasts available through mediafire. Rather than post each one separately, I thought I would post them in "boxed sets". That way, it's easier to get the full collection. If there are some you are missing, but don't need all of them, simply download the box sets and then delete the ones you have. It's as easy as that. Here is the first box set. It features Podcasts 1 - 5. You can actually hear them getting better as I was getting a good handle on how to make them. And, as I post this, I am just putting the finishing touches on the next podcast that should be up soon. Until then, here are the first five. Enjoy!


Dartman's Wacky Podcasts #1-5

Ella On the Radio

I love Ella Fitzgerald. In my opinion, there was no one better. She was amazing. Over the years I have amassed quite a collection of Ella records. There are the standard ones that you can get anywhere but then I have a bunch or really cool ones that are much harder to find. I'm not just talking about bootlegs. I'm talking about recordings that were made way back when she was just starting out with the Chick Webb Orchestra. I have some really great albums from that era and beyond that I've rarely seen even on-line. It's one of those great albums that I am sharing with you today. It's a release from the great "Sandy Hook" label back in the 80s. I have a vary strong affinity for Sandy Hook records for several reasons. One; they were based in my home state of Connecticut and Two; they put out some of the coolest records featuring some amazing radio broadcasts from the golden age of radio. This album is no exception. It's a bunch of radio transcriptions from 1940 of Ella leading the Chick Webb orchestra. When Chick died in 1939, Ella took over the orchestra and continued to front it for many years. She had taken over as the leader when Chick started to become ill so the orchestra knew that it was the right choice. This album is extremely cool and shows Ella doing what she does best. Here is "Ella Swingin': NBC Radio 1940 Big Band Remotes". Enjoy!

Ella Swingin': NBC Radio 1940 Big Band Remotes

Podcast #17 Is Here!!!!

Finally, a new podcast! This one features a lot of interesting stuff including selections from Tiny Tim, Visqueen, Kim Shattuck, Mad Magazine, Creamed Corn, Perry Como, The Shiny Lapel Trio, DADA, Jerry Colonna and more!!! Be on the listen for some interesting Voice Mail messages. Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #17

The Three-kees of '89

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. I've been incredibly busy with all kinds of different things and getting a chance to post something on the World of Wonder has been almost impossible. I do promise that it is worth the wait. As you noticed in my last post, The Monkees (or the Three-kees as they have become known) are reuniting this summer for their 45th anniversary with a tour of England and possible the states! To celebrate, I dug into my bag of Monkees goodies and have brought forth this most impressive radio broadcast of a show they did back in 1989 in Holland. Here is The Monkees Live In The Netherlands, April 21, 1989. The sound quality is fantastic and it features a very special intimate acoustic set with just the three guys and no backing band in the middle of it all. Here is that show! Enjoy!

The Monkees Live In The Netherlands, April 21, 1989

The First Post of 2011!

For the first post of our (can you believe it) 6th year on the web, we here at Dartman's World of Wonder bring you a piece of musical history. Many people consider Louis Armstrong to be one of the greatest musicians of all time. What he added to music is immeasurable and listening to him today is just as exciting as it was when he first hit the scene. In May of 1954, Louis played to a packed house at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC. It was the annual Spring Germans dance and it was broadcast on the radio for those who could not attend. Fortunately, that broadcast still exists to this day! Of course, the only decent thing to do is to share that with you now. Here is Louis Armstrong along with Kenny Johns, Billy Kyle, Arvel Shaw, Trummy Young, Barnie Begard and Thelma Middleton from that historic night in North Carolina. Enjoy!

Louis Armstong - UNC May 1954

Dartman's Advent Calendar 2010: Day 11

Going back to the golden days of swing, we find a great Gene Krupa number when we open up day 11 on our calendar. Here is Gene with his trio made up of himself on drums, Charlie Ventura on tenor sax and Teddy Napoleon on piano, doing their rendition of the popular carol, Jingle Bells. This recording is from an AFRS broadcast of a show Gene was doing at the Clovis Army Air Field in New Mexico on Christmas Day, 1944 . This puppy swings and is one of my favorite versions of the tune. I hope you feel the same. Enjoy!

Gene Krupa Trio - Jingle Bells

Finally A New Podcast!

I knew it had been a while since I put together a podcast but had no idea it was almost a year ago! I had started this podcast back in July of last year and just finished it last night. It's a special podcast in two ways. First, it features songs from soundtracks of both films and television shows. It's a wide variety of genres and eras so it covers a lot of ground. The other odd thing about this one is that it features absolutely no talking from me whatsoever. Some of you will be pleased to hear that I am sure but at the same time, there is no list of tracks either in print or in the podcast itself. Most of the songs are recognizable and whatever talking there is in the podcast is directly from soundtracks as well. Please enjoy this very special edition of Dartman's Whacky Podcast! Here is Dartman's Whacky Podcast #14: The Soundtrack Edition. Enjoy!

Podcast #14

The NPR Strikes Back: Part 5

Here is my final Empire Post (for now) and it can only be the final two episodes of the National Public Radio dramatization of the classic sequel to Star Wars. I hope you enjoyed this past week of Empire goodies. I hope to post more Star Wars related items in the future as well as the usual fun stuff! Also, I looking to making a new logo for the blog. If anyone has any ideas or even artwork please send it my way. As my time has become limited, I would love to have someone design a logo for me. Anyway, here are the final two episodes of NPR's The Empire Strikes Back. Enjoy!

The Empire Strikes Back Radio Drama Episode 9

The Empire Strikes Back Radio Drama Episode 10

The NPR Strikes Back: Part 4

Here are episodes 7 and 8 from the great radio dramatization of The Empire Strikes Back. National Public Radio did a great job with these. The added lines of dialogue are quite interesting. The voices don't always seem to fit the characters but maybe that's because I'm jaded by hearing the story albums over the years. Anyway, here are the next two episodes. Enjoy!

The Empire Strikes Back Radio Drama Episode 7

The Empire Strikes Back Radio Drama Episode 8

The NPR Strikes Back: Part 3

Here are the next two episodes in the great NPR radio dramatization of "The Empire Strikes Back". Complete with the original music and sound effects from the film. It's kind of like listening to one of those read along records. Enjoy!

The Empire Strikes Back Radio Drama Episode 5

The Empire Strikes Back Radio Drama Episode 6

The NPR Strikes Back: Part 2

Here are the next two episodes of the National Public Radio dramatization of The Empire Strikes Back! Enjoy!

The Empire Strikes Back Radio Drama Episode 3

The Empire Strikes Back Radio Drama Episode 4

The NPR Strikes Back

After the giant success of the Star Wars films, National Public Radio got on board the Force Train with their own radio adaptations of the films. They did one for each of the films and The Empire Strikes Back got the royal treatment with a full ten episodes containing not just the original film plot but also scenes that the movie never showed you. Such as; The Imperials discover the planetary probe evidence that leads them to the Rebel base; Luke Skywalker and Han Solo await rescue in an emergency shelter on the frozen surface of Hoth; Han Solo and his first mate, Chewbacca, fix the Falcon—and demolish each other's egos; Luke encounters a medical droid that could match See-Threepio for politesse anytime; The Rebel control room on Hoth during the rescue of Han and Luke and the desperate battle against the Imperial walkers; Luke's last-minute rendezvous with his X-wing squadron during the Battle of Hoth—on foot and inside Yoda's cave on Luke's first morning of training in the mysterious ways of the Jedi. Behind-the-scenes details come to light as well in an informative introduction by the script's author, Brian Daley—who wrote the episodes, reworked scenes on the spot in the recording studio, creating the National Public Radio dramatization broadcast on stations nationwide. The story of The Empire Strikes Back comes to life again in these original scripts—this time with more background, more scenes—more Star Wars! Over the next couple of days I will be sharing these episodes with you. Here now are the first two. Enjoy!

The Empire Strikes Back Radio Drama Episode 1

The Empire Strikes Back Radio Drama Episode 2

Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?

We've talked about Alan Freed and his Camel Rock'n'Roll Dance Party before and have even featured several of those shows here at the World of Wonder. What initially sparked my interest in the R'n'R Dance Party was a record that my father had when I was a kid. (A record that has since disappeared. I have no clue where it went but was glad to find a copy of it in my travels to replace the missing gem!) The record was put out on the Radiola label back in 1978. It was called "Rock and Roll Radio" and featured Freed introducing great hits from the big names of 1956. I had always assumed that these were two complete shows from the CRRDP and never questioned it any further. Upon further inspection and research we find that was not the case. In fact, the origins of these two shows on the record were a topic of discussion amongst fans of the show for many years. The man responsible for the release of this album was J. David Goldin, owner of the Radiola label. Goldin said he had received the recordings of 23 issues of the Camel Rock'n'Roll Dance Party from a friend in Frankfurt who had access to the Armed Forces Radio archives there. However, the recordings already had been edited a lot. Among other things, the AFR had cut out Camel's (the show sponsor) name everywhere, which must have been in every second sentence Freed had said. The Radiola album Rock'n'Roll Radio (Radiola MR-1087) was a collection of the songs Goldin liked best. So, in a nutshell, they are not complete broadcasts but are a compilation of several shows edited together to make it seem like complete shows. Either way, the album is great! The recordings have amazing sound quality for tapes of shows that were, at the time, twenty years old. With such greats as Frankie Lyman, Bill Haley, Clyde McPhatter, Etta James, the Chordettes, Ivory Joe Hutton, Gene Vincent and the great, Chuck Berry. Also, be on the listen for the presentation of an award to Count Basie from Cashbox magazine as "Best Rock 'N' Roll Band in the Country," based on a nationwide poll of jukebox operators. Here is that great Radiola LP. Here is "Rock 'N' Roll Radio". Enjoy!

Rock 'N' Roll Radio