Writing the Radio Play.

 

The adaptation which follows is based on Hush Money, a play in one act by Percival Wilde, found in his collected volume Three -minute Plays. The adaptation is printed here with Mr. Wilde's special permission. The play is copyright, 1927, by Mr. Wilde, and no performance or broadcast either of the play or of this or any other adaptation may be given without the written permission, in advance, of one of Mr. Wilde's agents.' The version printed here is a very free adaptation; many of Mr. Wilde's lines being omitted and many for which he is not responsible being inserted. Among the latter, for instance, are more than a dozen lines inserted at the beginning to demonstrate the sound effects used to create atmosphere at the beginning of a radio play and to set the scene or locale of the play, which would have been accomplished by scenery on the stage; and the two at the end, none of which are to be found in Mr. Wilde's play. The stage play commences at the moment that the manuscript begins on the man's second hand and thus avoids presenting an action in less time than it would take in real life. A radio broadcast often takes greater liberties with time; hence we commence with the telephone call for the manicurist, thus introducing desirable movement, and if the girl finishes the man's second hand in eight speeches, which she does not do in the play, it is not contrary to the canons of radio. As the purpose of this program is to present instruction, the illustrative play had to be cut to a minimum in order that adequate instructive material might be given in an allotted time.