Jerry Haendiges Productions 1996
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Certainly within the wide range of programs in the
series, OTR fans will have their personal favorites. One which
stands out in my memory is the program entitled "Northern
Lights." I was driving to Tennessee on a vacation and I had
just transcribed 80 Quiet Please shows onto cassettes so that
I could listen to some of them while on my trip. I was driving
through the mountains when the show began as usual with the narration
of Ernest Chappell...
"...Teleportation...stay right there and listen and I'll
tell you everything you want to know...and maybe a couple of things
you're not too terribly anxious to know..."
The story opens with two scientists who are attempting to transport
an object (a lighter) through time from one side of the room to
the other. The experiment is successful except the lighter is
almost frozen..it is so cold the scientists cannot handle it easily.
But wait! in the original site from which the lighter was transported
is a...brown and black caterpillar!! It was as cold as ice, but
wiggling! As the caterpillar warmed up, it became sluggish, so
hopping to revive it, the scientists put it into the freezer.
In 10 minutes, the caterpillar was wriggling happily at 10 degrees
below zero!
A week later, one of scientists returns to the lab and sees his
associate looking pale and drawn. He asks if he's feeling o.k.
The scientist relies, "The caterpillar is singing..something
like, A..E..I..."
In disbelief, the other scientist opens the freezer and listens
intently....nothing is heard. "I think you better take a
Christmas vacation, Norm." As they leave the lab, they notice
the evening sky illuminated with the brilliance of the Northern
Lights. As they are about to close the door, one says to the other,
"Norm, look at the deep freeze there in the dark. It's glowing
right in step with the Northern Lights... listen"....
(The listener can faintly hear a small voice from the caterpillar
singing "..A...E...I...O...U..."
At this juncture, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck tingling,
and I stopped the car and turned the car cassette recorder off...Wyllis
Cooper had done it again! He exceeded even the benchmarks he had
established in his previous stories. I recall just sitting in
my car shaking my head in amazement (and disbelief) at the imaginative
range of this one-of-a-kind writer. Where did this creativity
spring from?
NOTE: The above synopsis of "Northern Lights" encompasses
only the first 16 1/2 minutes of the program. (I won't describe
the remainder of the show so that you may enjoy what follows.)
This program is among the most memorable.
For what it's worth, and though highly subjective, my favorite
10 shows in the series are:
** My choice for the best horror show ever
broadcast on radio.
Lest anyone believe that Wyllis Cooper never produced any "clinkers",
his show of 6/11/49, "The Hat, The Bed, and John J. Catherine"
was not only very disappointing, but especially surprising since
it came almost at the end of the series' two year run. Fans may
find "Catherine" as confusing and non-sensical as I
did.
Some concluding thoughts about Quiet Please...
* Never in the history of radio has one writer produced the range
of brilliant and imaginative stories as Wyllis Cooper. Quiet Please
is a virtual treasure chest of exceptional radio drama.
* Until the series began, never had silence been used so sparingly
or effectively on radio.
* The respect and admiration of Chappell's narrative style and
acting range continues to grow.
* Only Suspense and Escape produced more radio classics during
their long runs, but Quiet Please comprised only 106 shows compared
to 900+ for Suspense and 215+ for Escape.
* Following Quiet Please, neither Cooper or Chappell achieved
the success of the Quiet Please series. (Cooper would go on to
do several Quiet Please TV shows and would write the 44 scripts
for the 1951-52 British crime series, Whitehall-1212.)
* Efforts are underway to improve the sound quality on many early
Quiet Please programs. Stay tuned.
Randy Eidemiller researched, and Chris Lembesis wrote an interesting
booklet on the Quiet Please series. The booklet contains a remembrance
of Wyllis Cooper by Frank Thomas Jr., articles and commentary
on the series and a listing of the TV shows Cooper produced following
the radio series.
The booklet also contains a complete log of the 106 shows which
comprise the series, (including the missing shows), story lines
and the supporting cast of each show and photos of Wyllis Cooper
as well as a commentary on Ernest Chappell.
Copies of the booklet are available directly from Randy Eidemiller.
The cost is $10 plus $3 for shipping. Randy's address is: 7700
Lampson #37, Garden Grove, CA 92641.
The "Quiet Please" Radio Log reflects the 88 Quiet Please shows
in my collection and in circulation.
In conclusion, on behalf of many OTR enthusiasts, "Thank
you Mr. Cooper for sharing your creativity with us, and for giving
us immeasurable listening pleasure that has withstood the test
of time. Oh, and one last question, Mr. Cooper:
"Where did you get your ideas?"
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