First Comics News: Could you tell us a bit about yourself and what drew you to old-time radio?
Pete Lutz: Where to start? My first exposure to old-time radio (OTR) came when I was about 10 years old. My mother bought a set of LPs from the Longines Symphonette Society, one of those TV offers where you called a toll-free number, remember those? The collection featured samples of various OTR shows and, as a bonus, the complete Mercury Theatre recording of The War of the Worlds. After hearing that, I was hooked.
Access to more shows was limited back then, but a lucky coincidence sealed my fate. A local radio station suddenly began playing nothing but OTR all day long, at least that’s how I remember it. My dad even broke his no-distractions-at-the-dinner-table rule and allowed the radio to stay on while we ate.
During the nostalgia boom of the 1980s, cassettes of classic programs became widely available, and my collection grew rapidly. I loved everything: comedies, mysteries, horror. For Christmas 1982, while I was overseas with the U.S. Navy, my girlfriend sent me a Metacom collection curated by Arch Oboler. It included Lights Out’s “Cat Wife,” The Green Hornet, Sherlock Holmes (with Richardson and Gielgud), The Lone Ranger, Fibber McGee and Molly, Jack Benny, Fred Allen, Burns & Allen, and more. I listened to those tapes hundreds of times.
As a kid, I dreamed of owning a radio station and producing my own dramas, but I quickly realized stations were expensive. While serving as an instructor in Atlanta during my Navy years, I staged a mock radio play as a training exercise, dramatizing the Code of Conduct for Military Personnel. I repeated the project the following year and received great feedback.
During that same tour, I was asked to provide entertainment for a convention of female Navy veterans. With help from a friend and my church organist, we created a WWII-themed sketch show called The Bluejacket Journal, borrowing inspiration from a Bob and Ray sketchbook. A recording of that show still exists on my website.
My interest in OTR has now spanned decades. I’ve recreated dozens of classic programs purely for the love of the art, including Lux Radio Theatre, Lights Out, Quiet, Please, Arch Oboler’s Plays, Night Beat, NBC’s Best Plays, Campbell Playhouse, Escape, Bob & Ray, and several BBC productions.
Podcasting ultimately changed everything; suddenly, you didn’t need to own a radio station to create radio drama. Since 2013, I’ve produced nearly 200 projects combining OTR recreations, original audio dramas, and my discussion podcast, Old Time Radio Essentials.
I’m 63 years old, divorced, a father and grandfather, and I volunteer for two radio stations, one in Corpus Christi, Texas, where I live, and another in Oregon. I’d rather listen to audio drama than music, and I’d rather write a radio play than a novel.
I’ve also published two books of plays on Amazon. The first, Get Me Out of Here and Other Plays, is a baker’s dozen collection of original audio dramas. The second, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians / Queen of Blood, adapts two public-domain sci-fi films from the 1960s.
I grew up in Central Illinois but left at 18 for a 20-year Navy career. I settled in Corpus Christi in 1998 and am currently in my 18th year as a civil servant at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. That’s the boring part. Aside from fatherhood, my real life’s work has been those 200-plus audio productions, even though I do them entirely for free.
1st: You’ve also directed live audio productions. What does that entail?
Pete: I wrote and directed my first original audio dramas in 2001 after befriending the executive director of Harbor Playhouse, our local community theatre in Corpus Christi. With strong support from management and professional publicity, we staged Science Fiction Double Feature, which included two plays: The Time-Cutter, about a time-traveling private detective, and The DNA Pit, about a scientist whose DNA-altering invention sparks geopolitical chaos.
Seventeen years later, after producing podcast audio dramas for five years, I decided to return to live performance. A local venue hosted us for the Lux Radio Theatre version of It’s a Wonderful Life in 2018 and again in 2019.
We went on to stage several successful productions at other venues, including a triple feature of Strangers on a Train, Candy Matson’s “The Black Cat,” and Fibber McGee & Molly’s “Good Grammar.” In 2019, we performed Sunset Boulevard alongside my original play, The Pin-Up Murder Mystery. We even attempted an audio version of Othello, though that one unfortunately didn’t connect with audiences.
COVID halted our 2020 holiday production, and later venue conflicts forced us to relocate again. From 2021 through 2023, we returned with It’s a Wonderful Life, which audiences loved and which proved financially successful for the theatre. Still, the venue chose a different direction in 2024, leaving us searching for a new home.
I’m currently in discussions with the only local venue where we haven’t yet performed, and I’m hopeful we’ll be back onstage soon.
Live audio drama is an absolute thrill. We stage performances like a vintage radio studio, complete with “ON AIR” and “APPLAUSE” signs. Actors sit at microphones, step forward to deliver lines, and perform alongside a visible sound-effects table and live accompanist. The audience gets to see how the magic happens while imagining the story themselves.
Before each show, I encourage audiences to let their imaginations take over. I even offer a refund if they don’t “see” the story in their minds, and no one has ever asked for their money back.
1st: Are there collaborators who stand out for their contributions?
Pete: Absolutely. A handful of performers have proven incredibly versatile and reliable.
Dana Gonsalves has been with me since Science Fiction Double Feature in 2001. His ability to perform a wide range of dialects makes him invaluable, and since he lives locally, he’s also a cornerstone of our live productions.
Angela Young first worked with me at age 15 in that same production. Years later, we reconnected when she reprised her roles during a remake project. I later sent her a microphone so she could record remotely from Florida, and she has since become a favorite among audio drama producers nationwide.
Rhiannon McAfee joined my productions after I heard her work on Rex Rivetter, Private Eye. She has delivered standout performances, particularly as Lily Garland in Twentieth Century and Lorraine Sheldon in The Man Who Came to Dinner.
And perhaps the most versatile voice actor I know is John Bell, creator of the long-running comedy series Bell’s in the Batfry. He brought incredible energy to every role I gave him and even traveled from Alabama to Texas to perform live in It’s a Wonderful Life, his first live audio drama experience.
1st: What are your plans?
Pete: I have big plans. Over the next couple of years, I’ll continue producing podcast audio dramas while working to secure a new local performance venue.
I plan to retire from civil service in 2028 and return to Central Illinois to spend more time with my mother. At the same time, I hope to open a community theatre dedicated exclusively to live audio drama. A longtime friend already owns a performance space and has offered it for productions. My goal is to recruit local actors and musicians and build a troupe focused entirely on this unique art form.
Cities across the country have thriving audio drama theatres, and I believe the format still has enormous appeal.
1st: How can people follow your work?
Pete: Everything can be found at naradaradio.libsyn.com. That includes my audio dramas and every episode of Old Time Radio Essentials. Series include Pulp-Pourri Theatre, Jake Dimes, Range Detective, Sonic Summerstock Playhouse, Adventures of the Federated Tec, Adventure Trail, Project Audion, Big Stage Audio Theatre, and The Cellar.
1st: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, Pete.
Pete: Thanks for asking! If it brings in more listeners, I’m always happy to talk.
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