The Star Wars Radio Dramas: Brian Daley and the serialization that saved NPR
By 1977 National Public Radio (NPR) was in trouble, plagued by too little funding and small audiences. The phenomenal success of its adaptation of Star Wars as a radio drama in 1981 gave NPR the needed ratings, publicity, and boost in donations that kept it afloat at exactly the time it was threatened the most. Most importantly, Star Wars brought a new audience to NPR. As it did in theaters, where George Lucas’s films redefined movie making, so too did NPR’s Star Wars forever change the artistic world of radio drama.
That a radio network, dependent exclusively on audio, would find a lifeline in one of the most visually dynamic movies ever released is the stuff of irony. Utilizing new interviews with creatives such as Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Ann Sachs (Princess Leia), Perry King (Han Solo), and director John Madden, and archival research, this book details how an unlikely alliance of academics, radio executives, Lucasfilm employees, actors, and behind-the-scenes artists banded together, despite the obstacles, to create a unique and consequential work. It is also the story of how writer Brian Daley was the fulcrum who made it all possible.
Publisher: ‎McFarland
Authors: Maria Jose Tenuto and John Tenuto
Release Date: June 28, 2024
Page Count: ‎ 170 pages
ISBN-10: ‎ 1476695636
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1476695631
In the pantheon of lost Star Wars gems, few are as undervalued as the Star Wars Radio Dramas. Arriving on NPR in March of 1981, the 13 episode adaptation of Star Wars gave listeners young and old the chance to dive deep, deep, deeper into the story of A New Hope, bringing new information to eager fans ears and delivering an experience unlike any other available at the time. The voices were a mixture of the familiar (Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker) and the new (Perry King – who auditioned for the role in the big screen version – as Han Solo, Anne Sachs as Princess Leia) but the story told was uniquely crafted and delivered to give a fresh spin on this already classic tale – and help fill the interminable gap between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, a chasm of time that to kids of the day seemed endless.
So, how to convey the struggles and challenges required to bring this magnificent prduction to the page. Enter John and Maria Jose Tenuto who have stripped the story back to its constituent parts and delivered a book that not only details the many nuts and bolts elements of production, but also gives us an insight into the players and the crew behind the scenes. As older fans know, Brian Daley was already a legend in the world of Star Wars, having completed the very first Star Wars trilogy in the form of his three blockbuster Han Solo novels (Han Solo at Stars End, Han Solo’s Revenge and Han Solo and the Lost Legacy). His innovation and professionalism married to his knowledge and love of Star Wars made him a logical choice to write the drama, and he did on the recomendation of the late Carol Titelman.
It’s also incredible to think of the cost to NPR to attain the rights to make the Star Wars Radio Drama – the princely sum of $14.00. Keen for radio to grab back some of the lustre it once had when he was a boy, George Lucas struck a deal that allowed the flagging National Public Radio to produce Star Wars, giving access to the score and sound effects, and allowing Daley (who had been quietly told of the huge reveal at the end of The Empire Strikes Back so’s not to have Luke and Vader meet in his A New Hope expansion) to delve deep into all the nooks and crannies of the story.
In its day the series was a smash hit, precipitating a sequel which arrived in February of 1983 ahead of the release of Return of the Jedi. What a treat for fans, an adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back timed perfectly to prime audiences for Episode VI once again from the pen of Daley and with many of the cast returning (along with Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian). As well as looking at the dramas, the Tenuto’s also bed the series in it’s time, explaning the stunning Ralph McQuarrie poster that accompanied Empire, Daley’s work on Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell (did you know that in addition to voiceing Cad Bane in The Clone Wars and The Book of Boba Fett, Corey Burton was the voice of Luke in Rebel Mission and also the voice of Hobbie in The Empire Strikes Back?), and the long wait until the eventual arrival of the HighBridge Audio adaptation of Return of the Jedi, the final Star Wars project Daley would work on before his passing on 10th February 1996, also the final day of recording.
To say much more would be to give too much away. Loaded with information, interviews and insight, this book glows with adoration for its subject matter, a love letter to the radio dramas and the people who made them. If you’ve ever heard the radio dramas this is a must-buy (and if you haven’t, hunt them down and set some time aside, then buy this book). A timely reminder that it really is more important to save the things we love than fight the things we hate.
- Tenuto, Maria Jose (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 213 Pages - 07/29/2024 (Publication Date) - McFarland (Publisher)
