When last we met, Buster and his trusty sidekick Ray had just escaped from the underground lab of the evil Dr. Heinsmueller and his dark army, who close in on them even as we speak...
(sound of water dripping in a cave and the hum of something electric.)
Buster: Forget the diamonds Ray! We are lucky to be alive!. Dr. Heinsmueller's ray could have turned us into goose-stepping zombies. Now we need to concentrate on finding Helen. Come on!
Ray: Ah just a few Buster. It will mean so much to the orphans.
Buster: All right you big lug. You got me. Fill your pockets.
(sound of pebbles dropping into a frying pan.)
Buster: That's enough, now let's make a break for it. Grab that torch Ray and let's head down this passage way. We're sure to find the slave quarters from there, and that just might bring us one step closer to Helen.
(sound of echoing footfalls in a cave.)
Narrator: Buster and Ray follow the passage until they reach a large cavern.
Ray: Look Buster! It's our Cave Car! Boy am I ever glad to see that bucket of bolts.
Buster: Check it over Ray and make sure it hasn't been tampered with, then get it warmed up. I'm going on to find Helen and I'll meet you back here.
Ray: Sure thing boss.
(clank of metal tools followed by the sound of running footsteps and a woman's voice singing softly in the distance.)
Buster: Helen? Is that you Helen?
Helen: Oh Buster, darling, help me. I'm chained to the wall and I think I hear those dreadful creatures coming back!
(sound of chains falling to the floor.)
Buster: I've got you my love. You're safe now.
Helen: Oh Buster. (kissing sounds, then Helen screams) Buster! There, behind you!
Mole Man: Roar, hiss. (gunshots)
Buster: My bullets just bounce right off of him! No wonder Dr. Heinsmuller created these abominations for the Nazis. Quick Helen! Run!
Mole Man: Roar, hiss. (running footsteps and some more gunshots)
Buster: Quick Helen, get in the Cave Car. Ray, fire the rock cutting beam down that passageway.
Ray: But Buster, why? It might bring down the roof on us!
Buster: It's a chance we'll have to take. Fire!
(zap. zap, zap.)
Buster: Whoa, that was close. Thanks Ray.
Ray: Anything for a pal.
Buster: Now let's use the rock cutting beam to blast our way out of this cavern and get back to the Professor. Maybe he has discovered some way to defeat these evil Mole Men and stop Dr. Heinsmueller.
(sounds of blasting slowly fade away, music swells)
Narrator: That's this weeks installment of Buster Benson and the Mole Men. Remember kids, this Friday is the scrap rubber drive, and keep saving those box tops from Miracle Soap Suds for your official Buster Benson decoder ring. Bye bye and buy bonds. Goodnight.
AWESOME! Doc, now this was a real home run! By chance did you ever catch any of the Flash Gordon serials like I did as a kid? One of the local Charleston, South Carolina television stations ran them late Saturday nights right before the late night scary movie.
ReplyDeleteNow that was a great time to be a kid.
You've captured it! Nice work! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm not old enough to have experienced listening to such shows on the radio, however, judging from the snippets I hear in some movies, you nailed this prompt. nice work indeed! Even the commercials, 'If it gets it clean, it's a Miracle!' lol
ReplyDeleteIsn't that wild? The first thing that popped in my head too were the old Flash Gordon serials that I adored. My mom would tell me about the radio shows and I would watch Flash and all the rest on our TV (you know the one that was the size of an upended dining room table with a screen the size of your fist), and all in glorious black and white. All so thrilling and all so real, just like your story. You captured it all and the memories of that time are front and center and how wonderful they are. Thanks so much for this--I absolutely adored it!
ReplyDeleteI love a happy ending to an action romance, bromance, SciFi , complete with sound effects and soap ads. That's worth collecting box tops for!
ReplyDeleteBeach Bum- They played the same serials but it was Saturday afternoon. Benny Hill was before the late movie!
ReplyDeleteFlannery- Thank you dear. I wasn't sure if a radio script would work as a story but I'm happy with the way it turned out.
Reg- I'm never above throwing in an old joke. I've got some of The Shadow done by a young Orson Wells.
Joyce- You and I had the exact same TV. The reason we had such a large family is because it was my dad's way of having a remote he couldn't lose. I based the story on a couple of comic books I vaguely remember from childhood. It was called Cave Carlson and he had a car with a laser on the front that let him bore through rock and rescue busty maidens from villians of the underdark. I gave it the 1940's feel from the old war comics I read like Sgt. Rock, Haunted Tank, and G.I. Combat. I'm delighted you like dear.
Barbara- You official decoder ring is in the mail. You'll recognize it. It'll be in a vintage lunch box with a flashlight and compass. The newsletter will soon follow.
Doc
Doc, got you comment about bringing other writers into our flash fiction group.
ReplyDeleteI'm all alone in Redneckland as far as writing. Hell there is a serious question as to the precetage of people around here that read books. Other than Randal and Mike Macrum I don't know anyone else who writes.
Wow, are you sure you weren't from the "let's listen to Little Orphan Annice on the radio" days? Nice work.
ReplyDeleteSorry I was not able to participate. Been sick.
Oh Bravo, Doc! Of course, over here in the UK we didn't have such a variety of Radio drama shows (& certainly never with advertising!)
ReplyDeleteMy perception of such entertainment is confined to the vignettes demonstrated in films of American home life - a (seemingly far more glamorous) world away from post-war austerity in Britain.
Glad I got the chance to read this on the 'replay' - thanks to Flannery's 'anthology'! ;-)
OMG!!! This is the sort of stuff that used to be on th radio? Not the utter inanity that passes for non-music entertainment now? Oh, I definitely grew up in the wrong decade!
ReplyDeleteHumor... suspense... danger... love interest.. .adventure... my heart is pounding! Where do I turn my radio dial?
Bravo, Doc... Bravo!
Ha ha.. Loved it. I am ten years old again and hiding behind the sofa..xx
ReplyDelete