Rare Rod Serling baseball script resurrected by WVXU

[Roy Tucker]

Tune in to WVXU (www.wvxu.org online) “at 8 pm Wednesday March 25 at 8 pm.

“Four years before launching his iconic series “Twilight Zone,” Serling wrote “O’Toole from Moscow,” a Cold War comedy involving Russians and the Cincinnati Reds”. It originally aired Dec 12, 1955 on “NBC Matinee”.

“ The story follows a couple of low-level staff members at the Russian embassy who run off to Cincinnati to flee their superiors. But one of them panics, looks up “Reds” in the phone book, and turns himself in, mistaking the Reds baseball team for the nickname used for communists.”

https://amp.cincinnati.com/amp/5073301002

[Bruce Berenyi]

i hope pete whisenant and bob thurman were in it

[Roy Tucker]

From John Erardi’s Facebook

“Looking fwd to Rod Serling's hilarious Reds-related comedy, "O'Toole from Moscow" tonight (8 o'clock ET) on WVXU-FM (91.7), streaming on wvxu.org. Not widely known (learned it in Nick Parisi's fine 2018 book, "Rod Serling") is that the Cincinnati-bred Serling wasn't at all pls'd 65 years ago w/ the director's work on the lone airing of his live 1955 NBC teleplay (no recording made). Won't be a problem tonight, tho, given the light hand of director Richard Hess (CCM) and boffo performances by CCM students. Kudos to pal John Kiesewetter, who adapted the script for radio. Narration by Serling's daughter, Anne.”