This script (which
has clearly suffered from being trampled underfoot) comes from a series
of interviews entitled 'Famous American Stars' which were issued to radio
stations by Garrison System of Beverly Hills, as promotional tools. On
this occasion, it's a promotion for the film 'Flight of the Phoenix'
starring James Stewart. The interviewee is one of his co-stars, Dan Duryea, who played
the part of Standish.
We imagine this is a similar arrangement to film promotions we used to receive in the Sixties at hospital radio stations. The script would accompany a reel-to-reel tape of an interview with one of the stars, containing only the star's response to the questions. The original interviewer's voice would have been edited out, with gaps left for an appropriate person at the receiving station to take on this role. In other words, the station could make it sound as if one of their own DJs had conducted the interview.
If the chosen 'interviewer' was sufficiently confident, he or she could run the promo tape live and simply insert the scripted questions into the gaps – i.e. conduct a conversation with the tape. If not, the interviewer could edit together a recording of him or herself 'talking to' the actor.
Whether or not Radio London ever used this script in the manner intended, or indeed at all, is unknown. Kenny Everett would have been perfect for the job as he was constantly conducting conversations with recordings of himself and became expert at doing so. However, Kenny would have been unlikely to have stuck to any script!
What is known is that in the first weeks of 1966, Big L promoted 'Flight of the Phoenix' with a 'Guess the Mystery Voice' competition. The mystery voice in question was James Stewart's and the prizewinners were invited to attend the film's London premiere (January 66) in the company of Paul Kaye.
Brian Long in 'The London Sound' records that at the premiere Kaye interviewed stars Stewart, Hardy Kruger and Ernest Borgnine for later broadcast on Big L.
(Click on script pages to see legible version) |