Sound to Screen Adaptation: Difference between revisions

In America, this was more common in the 1950s, as a number of "golden age" [[Radio Drama]] programs made the transition to the tube.

 

 

For the reverse of this, see [[Audio Adaptation]].

 

== Radio to Television ==

** Slightly lesser known, (and shorter lived), ''[[The Frantics]]''.

** Probably the most famous was ''[[Wayne and Shuster]]'', who started in radio in 1941, moved to TV in the 1950s, stayed on until the 1980s, and their show was in reruns well into the 1990s.

* This was one step taken by the ''Doctor in the House'' series of stories; originally a collection of books by Richard Gordon, they were adapted into a series of films starring Dirk Bogarde and directed by Ralph Thomas in the 1950s and early 1960s. In the late 1960s, some of the stories were adapted for radio in two thirteen-episode series, ''Doctor in the House'' and ''Doctor at Large'', starring [[The Good Life|Richard Briers]] and Ray Cooney (Cooney also wrote the scripts). Between 1969 and 1979, the stories were adapted for television, with the characters re-named, in the series ''Doctor in the House'', ''Doctor at Large'', ''Doctor in Charge'', ''Doctor at Sea'', ''Doctor on the Go'', the Australian transplant ''Doctor Down Under'', and the short lived early 1990s revival ''Doctor at the Top''. The television series is perhaps more notable for its writing staff and its guest cast than for its primary cast (which at various times included Martin Shaw (''[[The Professionals]]''), Jonathan Lynn (co-writer of ''[[Yes Minister]]''), George Layton (successful comedy writer and initial star of ''[[It Aint Half Hot Mum|It Ain't Half Hot Mum]]''), and Richard O'Sullivan (''Man About the House'')). Graeme Garden (himself a qualified doctor) and Bill Oddie wrote many episodes together before ''[[The Goodies (TV)|The Goodies]]'' became successful enough to demand their full attention, and Graham Chapman (also a qualified doctor) and John Cleese wrote many more scripts, both together and with other co-writers, during breaks in the writing schedule for ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]''. (An episode of ''Doctor at Large'' written by Cleese and featuring a brusque hotelier with a domineering wife later provided the blueprint for [[Fawlty Towers]].) [[Only Fools and Horses|David]] [[Danger Mouse|Jason]] was a guest star in various episodes of both the radio and the television series.

* ''[[This American Life]]'' on <s>[[NPR]]</s> PRI, and now [[Showtime]]. Very, very rare modern American example.

* ''The Life of Riley'' had two TV versions, the first starring a young Jackie Gleason and the other with original radio star William Bendix.

* A TV pilot of ''[[I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (Radio)|I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue]]'' was produced but never broadcast, owing to difficulties in making the show "visual". Much later, the stage show and video ''I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue - Live!'' proved very successful simply by treating it as a radio recording - the only concessions to the medium being that the teams stood up for the singing rounds, and [[The Ghost|Samantha]] couldn't ever quite make it to a show.

* Italian radio show ''[[Lo Zoo Di 105]]'' became a [[Comedy Central]] show in 2011.

* ''[[Bold Venture]]'' was turned into a TV series in 1959.