NIGHT BEAT

Pounding drums and fanfare set the stage for the dark streets of Chicago in this starkly written drama from the glory days of radio. In Radio Spirits' signature style, this collection has been well chosen and lovingly restored. In the quest for a good story, brash reporter Randy Stone, portrayed by Frank Lovejoy, goes wherever it takes—condemned apartment buildings, raucous night clubs, rough-and-tumble truck stops, and other edgy haunts. While the forensics science and weak female characters won't impress members of the CSI generation, the stories still have enough grit to engage listeners throughout each thirty-minute episode. Trifles aside, this collection is an old-time radio delight, reminding us that extravagant effects aren't needed to tell a good crime story. F.G. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2008]