The Cold Touch of Death - YouTube - Short Story Theater

Do you dare to 'Sit Up With The Dead' 

in a desolate cabin at the edge of

the Hockomock Swamp in the Bridgewater Triangle?

My Second-Most Weird Paranormal Sighting

by Bill Russo

In 2013, with the release of the Bridgewater Triangle Documentary Film, my encounter with a little-foot creature that may have been a Puckwudgie, was seen and heard by some 1200 people attending the premiere of the movie.  Many more thousands of people have seen it since.  The work was shown in a brief theatrical run and then settled in for a long stay on Amazon Prime where it has recorded millions and millions of viewing minutes.  

That meeting with the pint-sized hairy little thing that kept calling me with the eerie cry "Eee Wan Chu!" remains the most singular paranormal event in my 77 years on this planet.  

The second weirdest thing that I have ever seen or experienced took place late in 2020.  During the autumn, I started work on 'The Jilted Arbor of Bell's Neck', a new short story and audio-play for my podcast series, 'Bill Russo's Short Story Theater'.  

The story is about a word - "J I L T E D" - that was carved by a lover into the largest tree in the town square.  In that one word is contained a sad tale of love, betrayal and ultimately, redemption.  

I hope you will listen to the episode - it can be heard for free on all podcast sites.  https://www.spreaker.com/user/11578348/the-jilted-arbor-of-bells-neck

The story, I have been assured, is an interesting little yarn - but what made it weird was the ending. Actually there were two endings.  The first ending was the finish of the story which I was typing into my HP Laptop.

As I was typing the ending, which involves a large woodpecker tapping away at the letters carved into a tree - I heard a tapping on my window.  

I knew it wasn't a person, because that window is three floors above the ground!  I ignored the tapping at first because I was intent on finishing my story - but the hammering on the window got so loud I was afraid it was going to break!  I looked over and saw a large bird, at least a foot long, feverishly smashing its beak into the window.  

I dashed over to the window and shooed it away but it paid no attention to me.  While it continued to hammer even more intensely at the window, I felt a real concern that it was indeed going to smash the window and fly in!  

I reached for my Nikon Coolpix and took three photos.  With the last click of the shutter, the fierce woodpecker launched one last window-shaking tap and flew off.  

In my life I have never had a bird attack any of my windows - except for that one, huge Yellow Hammer Woodpecker.  It was a singular event - and made more so, by the fact that it began its frenzied attack just as I was typing a similar attack into my PC for the ending of my story.  

What does all this mean?  I have no idea.  Co-incidence?  I have no idea.  Significance? I'm open to suggestions!  Make a comment here or send me a comment to Billrrrrr@yahoo.com 

 

The Night of the Living Dead - the Audio Play - Warning: Explicit Langua...

In 1968 John Russo teamed up with George Romero and they transformed John's story idea into the entire Living Dead Genre.

Here now, from my Short Story Theater Podcast (on all audio platforms) is the Video Version of our Audio Adaptation of the Night of the Living Dead.

On the podcast site, it's presented in two parts....for the video version we have combined the sections into a complete one hour performance. If you enjoy the video, please subscribe to the channel. Thanks in advance.

 Now Playing on my Classic TV and Film YouTube Channel - https://youtu.be/RBrKl10HU2s with the permission and cooperation of the copyright holder

Notes by Bill Russo

In 1955 Ernest Borgnine would star in 'Marty' which won the Academy Award for the best motion picture of the year. But, here is the original, live, 1953 television production of 'Marty' - starring a relatively unknown Rod Steiger, at the age of 27. It was just one year before his breakout role as Marlon Brando's mobster brother in “On the Waterfront”.

The TV script is by Paddy Chayefsky, the American writer who is the only person to win three solo Academy Awards for his work on both original and adapted screenplays.

The program has a celebrated cast including Nancy Marchand, well known to later audiences for her work in 'Lou Grant' as well as in the 'Sopranos'. Look for other notables including Betsy Palmer, Nehemiah Persoff, and a young George Maharis as a dancer in a dance club. The narrator is Durwood Kerby, best known from the Gary Moore TV show.

Sponsored on alternate weeks by Goodyear and Philco, this dramatic series had a healthy run on NBC-TV from 1948 to 1955.

Science Fiction Theater – Death at 2 A.M. - S 1 E 9 -1955

Science Fiction Theater – Death at 2 A.M. - S 1 E 9 -1955

Notes by Bill Russo - watch for free on YouTube!

A scientist discovers a strength serum that gives a monkey the chance to escape his incarceration by twisting the iron bars of his cage into pretzels! Did the simian do the same thing to the hulking guy who was blackmailing the professor's assistant?

Familiar face Ted DeCorsia (if not familiar name) plays the dogged cop who's trying to untwist this tangled mystery. The professor is played by another actor whose face is far more familiar than his name – John Quale. Think Norwegian. He must have played guys named Olaf a million times in his career!

The opening scene, shot in sepia, is a deft homage to classic 'noir' with grotesque shadows flying about the screen as a death struggle silently plays out.

This may not be the best episode of SFT, but any entry in this series is automatically worth watching. It is the ninth episode, (in color) of the first season.

Before the Twilight Zone, One Step Beyond, and the Outer Limits, there was Science Fiction Theater, which ran from 1955 to 1957. Hosted by Truman Bradley, a radio/TV announcer and 1940s film actor, each episode of Science Fiction Theater introduced stories based on scientific or pseudo scientific Principles. The tales usually related to the life or work of scientists, engineers, inventors, and explorers. The program concentrated on such concepts as space flight, robots, telepathy, flying saucers, time travel, and the intervention of extraterrestrials in human affairs. Broadcasting a total of 78 25–26 minute episodes, I t was also known as Beyond The Limits for repeat syndication during the 1960s, and alternatively as Science Fiction Theater.

If you enjoy this episode hit the 'Like' button and be sure to also tap on the subscribe button to be able to easily access the playlists.

Far ahead of its time, SFT never really was able to grab a large audience for a few reasons, all of which were beyond the control of the producers. The series could not find a home on network TV, so it was sold to stations on a syndicated basis. It was generally shown on Saturday nights, which was a very good TV night back in the 50s. But it was hard to draw viewers because Saturday night belonged to Gunsmoke (ran for 20 years), The Lawrence Welk Show (still running after about 70 years!), Perry Mason, and Richard Boone’s series Have Gun Will Travel.

SFT disappeared after the 78^th and final episode, but thanks to YouTube and other venues, it is slowly gaining cult status and recognition.

Before the Twilight Zone, One Step Beyond, and the Outer Limits, there was Science Fiction Theater, which ran from 1955 to 1957. Hosted by Truman Bradley, a radio/TV announcer and 1940s film actor, each episode of Science Fiction Theater introduced stories based on scientific or pseudo-scientific Principles.

The tales usually related to the life or work of scientists, engineers, inventors, and explorers. The program concentrated on such concepts as space flight, robots, telepathy, flying saucers, time travel, and the intervention of extraterrestrials in human affairs. Broadcasting a total of 78 25–26 minute episodes, I t was also known as Beyond The Limits for repeat syndication during the 1960s, and alternatively as Science Fiction Theater.

The producers were an early adopter of ‘color’ TV. All of the season one episodes were produced in color, which was an expensive extra in the early days of TV. In season two, they apparently decided the extra expense was not warranted, so all of the second season episodes are in black and white.

Broadcasting a total of 78 episodes, I t was also known as Beyond The Limits for repeat syndication during the 1960s, and alternatively as Science Fiction Theater.

Science Fiction Theater – Spider, Inc, with Audrey Totter - S 1 E 8 -1955

Science Fiction Theater – Spider, Inc, with Audrey Totter - S 1 E 8 -1955

Notes by Bill Russo

The highlight of this episode, in color, is seeing Film Noir Queen Audrey Totter, just a few years after her iconic performances in The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Unsuspected, Tension, The High Wall and many more.

Gene Barry plays a researcher who believes that he can use a 50 million year old chunk of amber with a spider encapsulated in it, to develop a synthetic oil. Audrey has some news for him that might (but probably not) take his mind off spiders.

Barry was featured in 1953's The War of the Worlds and later had a star turn on TV in “Bat Masterson” and “Burke's Law”.

If you enjoy this episode hit the 'Like' button and be sure to also tap on the subscribe button to get notified of all our shows.

Far ahead of its time, SFT never really was able to grab a large audience for a few reasons, all of which were beyond the control of the producers. The series could not find a home on network TV, so it was sold to stations on a syndicated basis. It was generally shown on Saturday nights, which was a very good TV night back in the 50s. But it was hard to draw viewers because Saturday night belonged to Gunsmoke (ran for 20 years), The Lawrence Welk Show (still running after about 70 years!), Perry Mason, and Richard Boone’s series Have Gun Will Travel.

SFT disappeared after the 78^th and final episode, but thanks to YouTube and other venues, it is slowly gaining cult status and recognition.

Before the Twilight Zone, One Step Beyond, and the Outer Limits, there was Science Fiction Theater, which ran from 1955 to 1957. Hosted by Truman Bradley, a radio/TV announcer and 1940s film actor, each episode of Science Fiction Theater introduced stories based on scientific or pseudo-scientific Principles.

The tales usually related to the life or work of scientists, engineers, inventors, and explorers. The program concentrated on such concepts as space flight, robots, telepathy, flying saucers, time travel, and the intervention of extraterrestrials in human affairs. Broadcasting a total of 78 25–26 minute episodes, I t was also known as Beyond The Limits for repeat syndication during the 1960s, and alternatively as Science Fiction Theater.

The producers were an early adopter of ‘color’ TV. All of the season one episodes were produced in color, which was an expensive extra in the early days of TV. In season two, they apparently decided the extra expense was not warranted, so all of the second season episodes are in black and white.

Broadcasting a total of 78 episodes, I t was also known as Beyond The Limits for repeat syndication during the 1960s, and alternatively as Science Fiction Theater.

The Lawless Years - Four the Hard Way -S1 E 13 - 1959

The Lawless Years - Four the Hard Way - Season One E 13 - 1959

The game is at 22 West 43^rd in Murray Hill in the heart of Manhattan – it's a fine old building with a rooftop deck that perfect for throwing guys off of. The spacious structure has a little news-stand on the ground floor run by Benny. If you're in on the action, Benny will point you to a telephone booth in the corner. If you go into the booth and push on the back wall, it will open up to a huge room with the Big Apple's finest illegal gaming action. You can get in – but sometimes getting' out 'ain't' so easy.

'Four the Hard Way' – besides being the title of this episode – is the toughest way to roll a four in 'Craps'. It means you have to throw a pair of twos, in order to make the four. If you toss a one and a three, it's no good! You gots to get 'Four the Hard Way' – a pair of deuces!

Another good episode of the little known series from the Roaring 20s (the ones from the 1900s, not the 2020s) come to life again in “The Lawless Years”. Gravel voiced James Gregory (Detective Frank Luger in the 1975 to 82 Barney Miller series) stars as the real life NYPD cop Barney Ruditsky. Ruditsky was a celebrity cop involved in dozens of high-profile cases and was credited with breaking up ‘Murder Incorporated’.

After he left the force, Ruditsky went to Hollywood and worked on many projects including The Lawless Years, to which he was a technical advisor.

This series never really got off the ground and lasted for just 48 episodes – it predated “The Untouchables” by six months.

The lawless years ran on NBC TV from 1959 to 1961.