CIVIL WAR STORIES

Produced by the Colonial Radio Theater on the Air, these are radio dramatizations of various events or works of the Civil War. For those who are accustomed to listening to a production narrated by a single reader, with little or no music and/or sound effects, these may come as a delightful surprise. (But listening to a battle in the confines of one's automobile may have one wondering if that "ping" is a bullet or something wrong with the car.) The events covered are : Gettysburg, Shiloh, and the career of the raider C.S.S. ALABAMA. Works dramatized are John Bell Hood's memoir ADVANCE AND RETREAT, Jules Verne's fiction THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS, and Stephen Crane's masterpiece THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE. All of these productions are superb technically, and all the readers are splendid, although some listeners may find the adaptation of Crane's work a bit disappointing. Jerry Robbins does a fine job introducing each production. These make for an entertaining and exciting way to wage the war all over again. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 02]