Theater of Romance (aka Romance) aired “The Strip Teaser and the Space Warp” on March 24, 1956, as the 97th episode of the 1954-57 incarnation. Some 468 shows were broadcast, though best estimates are that only between 200-250 still exist. It ran on and off for shorter or longer seasons as needed, for it was a “schedule filler” when regularly scheduled programs would go on summer or winter breaks. It would fill in for numerous popular radio programs, among them Gunsmoke and Lux Radio Theater. Each series might have a different producer or director and of course writers and actors, so no one ever knew quite what to expect. Subject matter would range from drama to comedy and anything in between, and from dramatizing classic literary or film works to entirely original efforts. In fact, the show became so popular it rivaled some of the programs it filled in for, such as the well respected hour-long Lux Radio Theater, but in Romance’s shorter half hour format, no easy feat. It didn’t hurt that it sported some of Hollywood’s and Radio’s biggest performers (Gregory Peck, Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Edward G. Robinson, Errol Flynn on the film side to name but a few, and such as the incomparable Lurene Tuttle, Gerald Mohr, William Conrad, Orson Welles, and Frank Lovejoy among others on the radio side) their star power evident in many memorable episodes.

[CD top left: This week’s episode is included in the CD collection linked above. Photo top right: Gypsy Rose Lee (1911-1970) famous burlesque strip tease artist of the 1930s-40s]

“The Strip Teaser and the Space Warp” takes us into the 25th century and a space bum named Benny as he relaxes in a Venusian bar knocking back a few Plutonian Stingers. His story is a strange one, but to cut to the chase it involves a popular stripper who has unwittingly invented as part of her act a special shimmy of her hips, that when executed just right, makes her disappear into the 4th dimension. Turns out she has a very mean boyfriend who is after the fellow he thinks is seeing his girlfriend the stripper (Helen Latour), though the poor fellow is just as befuddled as Helen is when she disappears during part of her act. The actors portraying Benny and Helen are superb in their over the top roles, especially Charlotte Lawrence (1921-1993, photo above left) as Helen Latour with her ditzy New York street-speak and attitude. I can envision the late Hollywood actress Judy Holliday (1921-1965, photo above right) playing this ditzy role on the big screen, much like her Oscar Winning role for Best Actress in 1950’s Born Yesterday. Parley Baer (1914-2002), known to many as Chester on radio’s Gunsmoke and Mayor Roy Stoner on TV’s The Andy Griffith Show, plays the part of Benny, the down and out self-acknowledged “space bum,” through whose eyes this story is told. The whole episode is performed with joyful tongue-in-cheek playfulness (as the script was meant to be), and makes for enough fun and games to make it definitely worth a listen. There are also one or two plays on words (double entendres, as it were) slipped in that elicit a more adult smile, and they are worded just right to make it by the censors. So listen carefully for these adult grace notes hidden among the more obvious chuckles as you find yourself enjoying this light-hearted bit of frivolity titled “The Strip Teaser and the Space Warp.”

Play Time: 24:39

{This fun episode originally aired on a Saturday evening at 9:30 Eastern time in March of 1956, so the neighborhood gang was allowed to stay up a little later than if it was a school night. As usual, after church the next morning they changed clothes and met up at the nearby newsstand to check out more science fiction adventures. Astounding SF (1930-present, now Analog) was a certain purchase, and they were in luck with this March issue, for it featured Murray Leinster’s soon to be classic story and winner of the 1956 Hugo Award for Best Novelette, “Exploration Team.” Also in this issue (along with other stories) was Part 2 of 3 of Robert A. Heinlein’s novel Double Star. The editor was John W. Campbell, Jr. and Astounding was a monthly in 1956. The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (1949-present) was chock full of stories in the issue below, with 7 short stories and a pair of novelettes by some of the most well known authors in the field, including Poul Anderson, Ray Bradbury, Chad Oliver, and the magazine’s editor Anthony Boucher. F&SF was a monthly in 1956. Galaxy (1950-80) was in full stride in 1956, featuring in its March issue Part 1 of Frederik Pohl’s generally well received novel Slave Ship. Also in this issue were tales by none other than L. Sprague de Camp, Gordon R. Dickson, James E. Gunn, and Robert F. Young. A stellar lineup. Horace Gold was the editor at this point in time and Galaxy, like Astounding and F&SF, was also a monthly in 1956.}

[Left: Astounding, March 1956 – Center: F&SF, March 1956 – Right: Galaxy, March 1956]

To view the entire list of weekly Old Time Radio episodes at Tangent Online, click here.