The 2013 REPS SHOWCASE Old Time Radio Convention promises fans of the Golden Days of Radio a really great time this coming June. This year's convention will be the 21st time REPS has produced the SHOWCASE event. That's right, the 21st time! Can you believe it? This year Stan Freberg makes a very special appearance to join the merriment. On Saturday afternoon June 22nd, Stan will be bringing to REPS, a special 90 minute presentation that will include time allotted to answer questions from fans.
The REPS Showcase really is a special event. Whether it's meeting the people who appeared in many of our favorite radio shows of yesterday or getting together with other fans, it's always a great time to be had.
Enjoy the many performances that are staged at each convention. Performers love coming to REPS and the creative freedom they have in producing truly fun shows. In the last couple of years Chuck McCann has played Phil Harris in a recreation of the Phil Harris and Alice Faye show as well as performing as Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy in a Chase and Sanborn Hour reenactment. Tommy Cook thrilled us in the title role in 2011 when he performed in a terrifying tale from Lights Out. We have produced thrillers from Suspense, a full production of The Wizard of Oz from The Lux Radio Theater, The Great Gildersleeve (with Shirley Mitchell reprising her original role of Leila Ransom)and many more. The list of shows that have entertained the Showcase crowd the last few years has been too numerous to all list here.
We certainly have had a fun time and fans travel from around the country to join the merriment.
Gregg Oppenheimer,Michael Kacey and Tim Knofler have each made the trip up from California to produce and direct shows for the REPS SHOWCASE each year. They have been telling others around the country what a great time they have and they encourage other fans to head on out to the SHOWCASE! Among those fans are Edward Blanchard from New Hampshire, Joel Klein from New York, quite a few folks from California and more.
We are really excited that our good friends John and Larry Gassman, hosts of Same Time Same Station, will be heading out to Seattle to host a few panels and presentations spotlighting events in radio history, and interviews with the special guests. And to top it all off, radio performances with live music, sound effects, vocalists and top notch performances will highlight the convention.
Most of all we are thrilled to spend a weekend with our very special guests:
Terry Moore, worked in radio in the 1940s, most memorably as Bumps Smith on The Smiths of Hollywood. As an adult actress her films included Mighty Joe Young (1949), Come Back, Little Sheba (1952) - for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and Peyton Place (1957). In 1962 she appeared as a rancher's daughter in the NBC Western drama Empire, opposite Richard Egan and Ryan O'Neal.
Tommy Cook was one of the busiest child actors in radio playing, simultaneously, ‘Alexander’ on Blondie, ‘Junior’ on The Life of Riley, and ‘Little Beaver’ on both radio and in the movie serial The Adventures of Red Ryder. Additionally, he made frequent appearances on The Lux Radio Theatre, Arch Oboler’s Plays, and The Mercury Theatre on the Air.
Don Hastings, who is best known for playing Dr. Bob Hughes for 50 years on the long running TV soap opera As the World Turns.
Bob Hastings, who played the title role of Archie on the Archie Andrews series on NBC radio for over ten years.
Gloria McMillan began her performing career at age four on KGW radio in Portland, Oregon. Later, her mother Hazel McMillan, Hollywood’s first female talent agent for children, soon had her working with the industry greats including Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Fanny Brice, Agnes Moorhead, and Lionel Barrymore. Her radio program credits include appearances on The Lux Radio Theatre, The Great Gildersleeve, The Jack Benny Program, The Baby Snooks Show,and Meet Corliss Archer. Too, she created and performed in the role of ‘Harriet Conklin’ on the radio and TV versions of Our Miss Brooks.
Stuffy Singer, was one of the original ‘Beverly Hills Beavers’ on Jack Benny’s radio program, and he appeared often in juvenile roles on shows like The Great Gildersleeve, Suspense, The Lux Radio Theatre, Fibber McGee and Molly, Our Miss Brooks, and Amos ‘n’ Andy to name a few.
Beverly Washburn appeared on the Jack Benny radio show as one of the ‘Beverly Hills Beavers’ and went on to tour with Benny. She became television’s first child star and has made over 500 TV appearances in shows including The Jack Benny program, Dragnet, Adventures of Superman, Wagon Train, 77 Sunset Strip, and Star Trek just to name a few.
Frank Ferrante will appear as the legendary Groucho Marx.
The Friday night ice cream social was a big hit last year and it returns for 2013. The ice cream social is a fantastic time to mingle with the stars and enjoy ice cream at the same time.
REPS is about celebrating those days of Old Time Radio and encouraging the art of modern audio theater. That's our niche - the REPS identity and who we are. With this specific focus we don't have the thousands of people who come crashing through the gate to attend the convention as if REPS were Comic Con or Monster Bash. However, as a smaller event, fans have the experience and pleasure to enjoy a more intimate experience and a better opportunity to mingle with the special guests! We hope you can join us for the 2013 REPS SHOWCASE.
