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In 1979 the US National Public Radio broadcast a radio dramatisation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It was produced by The Mind's Eye and has since been made available by several different companies. This page refers to the year 1979. ...
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J. R. R. Tolkien in 1916. ...
Cover design for the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel by the British author J. R. R. Tolkien, and one of the most widely read books in human history. ...
It is sometimes confused with the later BBC production in 1981, but is distinguished by the fact that the most widely circulated US edition comes in a wooden box, whether on compact discs or cassette tapes. Because the Mind's Eye cast recorded their tracks separately (unlike the BBC production which, like most British radio serials, assembled the cast to record their dialogue together) this adaptation is often criticised as being inferior to the BBC version in areas such as pronunciation and voice types.
The cast includes Ray Reinhardt (Bilbo), James Arrington (Frodo), Pat Franklyn (Merry), Mac McCaddon (Pippin), Lou Bliss (Sam), Bernard Mayes (Gandalf), Gail Chugg (Narrator), Bernard Mayes (Tom Bombadil), Tom Luce (Strider/Aragorn). Franklyn, McCaddon, Chugg , Reinhardt, Bob Lewis, John Vickery, Erik Bauersfeld and Carl Hague were credited for "additional voices". Lucille Bliss was born on March 31, 1929 in New York City, New York. ...
The radio script, written by Bernard Mayes, was an abridged version of the book, and emphasised dialogue over description. The broadcasts totalled more than 11 hours. The budget was small and production time was limited. The cast were local theatre players, and the effects were homemade. The script is notable for including the Tom Bombadil scenes, unlike most other adaptation of the book.
Radio drama was a rarity in the United States at that time, and this production was popular at the time of its broadcast. It was later overshadowed by the BBC radio dramatisation.
The Mind's Eye adaptation has also been identified with Soundelux, and, most recently, with Highbridge. The name changes correspond to the companies which owned the rights at different times.
External links
- www.sf-worlds.com article on the Mind's Eye radio adaptation
- The different versions available
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