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Nelson Olmsted Collection

Known as the network's resident storyteller, Nelson Olmsted got his start making dramatized Edgar Allen Poe radio shows.

Nelson Olmsted

46 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 19 hours, 3266 min)
available in the following formats:

1 MP3 CD
or
22 Audio CDs


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Play a sample episode from July 25, 1946:

"Nelson Olmsted Playhouse"



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Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

Nelson Olmsted
(1914 – 1992)

Nelson Olmsted and pipeNo matter how much we compare radio drama with television and movies, all three of them are essentially ways to tell stories. Film has the spectacle and glamor, TV may be the most profitable, and the stories we hear over the radio may be the most personal because so much of the action takes place in our own imagination. Focusing on the differences between the three mediums tends to obscure the fact that the most important element is the story.

Considering that storytelling was the network's stock-in-trade, it seems a little surprising that someone could become NBC's resident storyteller, but that is the role that Nelson Olmstead carved out for himself. It is even more surprising that Olmstead found his greatest success in radio just as television was entering its own golden age.

Leroy Nelson Olmstead, Jr, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1914, and grew up in Texas. While attending the University of Texas at Austin, he became friends with classmates Walter Cronkite and Eli Wallach. He also met and eventually married Alma Holloway. The friends all held acting as a common interest and became involved in amateur productions at the University and in community theater around Austin. While many of his friends made their way to New York to take up the struggle of journeyman actors, Olmstead found a job with WBAP Ft Worth. He began working as an announcer but wanted to get back into acting. Although radio drama is relatively inexpensive, there was no budget for even that. He developed the most inexpensive dramas he could, taking stories from literature and reading them on the air.

Olmstead was always a big fan of Edgar Allen Poe, calling him "that great dramatist who never wrote a play". What developed was a 30-minute late night horror program titled Black Night (1937-39). The station received fan mail for the program from as far away as the upper Midwest, and since WBAP was a Red Network affiliate, it was only a matter of time before NBC took notice.

Nelson OlmstedIn 1938, Olmstead began working from NBC's Radio City in New York. In addition to Black Night, he was assigned to The World's Greatest Short Stories. His early stint at NBC was interrupted by a two-year hitch in the Army who sent him to Italy where he kept doing essentially the same thing for AFRS. There have been a number of "one-man-shows" during the Old Time Radio Period, but Olmstead's work is unique in that he truly let the stories speak for themselves. Most actors would create a whole different voice for each character in a story but Olmstead kept to simple changes in inflection and timbre. His style is best described as "an expressive monotone".

A Halloween tradition has grown in some areas during the days leading up to the spooky holiday of dusting off the LP version of Olmstead's most popular radio achievement, Sleep No More. The program aired in 1956-57, and probably would have lasted longer if the network had still been interested in radio success rather than making programming for the shiny box that had begun glowing in living rooms across America. Sleep No More was popular enough that Vanguard Records cut a master from the magnetic tape recordings of the program, and released the album at least three times.

Nelson Olmstead made a few television appearances before creating Sleep No More, including the TV version of Lights Out, The Schlitz Playhouse, Tales of Tomorrow, and Kraft Theatre. He appeared in cinema in a few small character roles, including the photographer in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). He died at the age of 78 at a nursing home in Torrance, California, from complications due to a stroke on April 8, 1992.

Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

These classic recordings are available in the following formats:

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    COMMENTS

    Nelson Olmstead was a great story-teller that I listened to on Sunday afternoons with my mom and dad in the early 40's on NBC.

    John Verified Purchase

    Just so you know, I've bought a number of copies of "Sleep No More" because I am very close friends with Nelson Olmsted's son, Marc. I made sure he and his siblings all had copies of the series from OTRCat, and I recently gave Marc one of the improved recordings. That always makes Marc very happy. A few years ago, we had a tribute to Edgar Allan Poe at the Beyond Baroque Literary/Arts Center in Los Angeles, and we played a cut from that CD of Nelson reciting "Annabelle Lee." Big hit with the beatnik crowd!

    Amelie Verified Purchase

    While understandably, the article above focuses on his national success, he helped nurture some locally based programming as well. From 1952-57 he served as narrator/actor for a Cleveland-Based radio series called THE OHIO STORY, which also evolved into a 10 minute TV version from 1953-61 aired on stations all over the state, Sponsored by what was then Ohio Bell..Also in the 1960s and 1970s he did an Oregon/Washington based set of 5 minute programs along the same lines as Ohio Story called STORIES OF PACIFIC POWERLAND. Too often these are ignored..

    Tim Lones

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  • MP3 CDs are delivered by mail. These archival quality MP3 CDs are playable in your computer and many MP3 player devices.



    46 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00. Total playtime 19 hours, 3266 min
    46 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00
    total playtime 19 hours, 3266 min
    Add MP3 CD Collection to Cart

    1. 46 shows – total playtime 19 hours, 54 minutes
    2. American Gallery Afrs 000000 02 Man Nobody Liked.mp3
    3. American Novels 470808 Luck Of Roaring Camp.mp3
    4. Authors Playhouse 410305 Elementals.mp3
    5. Cavalcade Of America 521216 Barbed Wire Christmas.mp3
    6. Chase 530111 Professor Calvin And Voice.mp3
    7. Chase 530621 Monster.mp3
    8. Crime And Peter Chambers 540622 Cafe Tropical Bruce Eldridge.mp3
    9. Dimension X 510114 Martian Death March.mp3
    10. Inheritance 541114 Nancy Hanks.mp3
    11. Lights Out 460824 008 Signal Man.mp3
    12. My Son Jeep 530201 02 Afrs Jeep Has Measles.mp3
    13. Nelson Olmstead 1947 Tarpin 15 Min.mp3
    14. Nelson Olmsted Playhouse 460725 Elementals.mp3
    15. Nelson Olmsted Playhouse 460822 Mr Acularis.mp3
    16. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 400807 Lone Journey.mp3
    17. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 470806 Mrs Sabin.mp3
    18. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 470813 Souvenir.mp3
    19. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 470820 Night.mp3
    20. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 470925 Car We Had To Push.mp3
    21. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 471014 Seed Of Destruction.mp3
    22. Radio City Playhouse 481115 15 First And Last.mp3
    23. Sleep No More 561121 Conquerors Isle.mp3
    24. Sleep No More 561128 Mr Mergenthwirkers Lobblies August Heat.mp3
    25. Sleep No More 561205 Over Hill And Man In Black Hat.mp3
    26. Sleep No More 561212 Three Oclock.mp3
    27. Sleep No More 561219 Storm.mp3
    28. Sleep No More 561226 Death Of Olivia Bicai Fishhead.mp3
    29. Sleep No More 570123 10 I Am Waiting Browdean Farm.mp3
    30. Sleep No More 570130 11 Jilting Of Granny Weatherall Escape.mp3
    31. Sleep No More 570206 Banquos Chair And Coward.mp3
    32. Sleep No More 570227 To Build Fire And 3 Skeleton Key.mp3
    33. Sleep No More 570306 14 Thus I Refute Beelzy Bookshop.mp3
    34. Sleep No More 570313 15 Escape Of Mr Trimm.mp3
    35. Sleep No More 570320 16 Woman In Grey Suspicious Gift.mp3
    36. Sleep No More 570403 18 Bet Clerks Quest.mp3
    37. Sleep No More 570410 19 Passenger To Bali.mp3
    38. Sleep No More 570417 Homecoming And Aunt Cassie.mp3
    39. Sleep No More 570424 Evening Strange Orchid.mp3
    40. Story For Tonight 070647 Semi Dramatized Stories.mp3
    41. Story For Tonight 072747 Semi Dramtzd Stories Soul Trapper.mp3
    42. Story For Tonight 470627 Miracle Man.mp3
    43. X Minus One 550605 Perigis Wonderful Dolls.mp3
    44. X Minus One 570627 100 Category Inventor.mp3
    45. X Minus One 570829 Volpla.mp3
    46. X Minus One 571031 Lulu.mp3
    47. You Are There 491127 82 Tom Thumb.mp3
  • MP3 downloads are available instantly after purchase!



    46 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00. Total playtime 19 hours, 3266 min
    46 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00
    547 MB – total playtime 19 hours, 54 min
    Add Instant Download Collection to Cart

    1. 46 shows – 547 MB – total playtime 19 hours, 54 minutes
    2. American Gallery Afrs 000000 02 Man Nobody Liked.mp3
    3. American Novels 470808 Luck Of Roaring Camp.mp3
    4. Authors Playhouse 410305 Elementals.mp3
    5. Cavalcade Of America 521216 Barbed Wire Christmas.mp3
    6. Chase 530111 Professor Calvin And Voice.mp3
    7. Chase 530621 Monster.mp3
    8. Crime And Peter Chambers 540622 Cafe Tropical Bruce Eldridge.mp3
    9. Dimension X 510114 Martian Death March.mp3
    10. Inheritance 541114 Nancy Hanks.mp3
    11. Lights Out 460824 008 Signal Man.mp3
    12. My Son Jeep 530201 02 Afrs Jeep Has Measles.mp3
    13. Nelson Olmstead 1947 Tarpin 15 Min.mp3
    14. Nelson Olmsted Playhouse 460725 Elementals.mp3
    15. Nelson Olmsted Playhouse 460822 Mr Acularis.mp3
    16. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 400807 Lone Journey.mp3
    17. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 470806 Mrs Sabin.mp3
    18. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 470813 Souvenir.mp3
    19. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 470820 Night.mp3
    20. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 470925 Car We Had To Push.mp3
    21. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 471014 Seed Of Destruction.mp3
    22. Radio City Playhouse 481115 15 First And Last.mp3
    23. Sleep No More 561121 Conquerors Isle.mp3
    24. Sleep No More 561128 Mr Mergenthwirkers Lobblies August Heat.mp3
    25. Sleep No More 561205 Over Hill And Man In Black Hat.mp3
    26. Sleep No More 561212 Three Oclock.mp3
    27. Sleep No More 561219 Storm.mp3
    28. Sleep No More 561226 Death Of Olivia Bicai Fishhead.mp3
    29. Sleep No More 570123 10 I Am Waiting Browdean Farm.mp3
    30. Sleep No More 570130 11 Jilting Of Granny Weatherall Escape.mp3
    31. Sleep No More 570206 Banquos Chair And Coward.mp3
    32. Sleep No More 570227 To Build Fire And 3 Skeleton Key.mp3
    33. Sleep No More 570306 14 Thus I Refute Beelzy Bookshop.mp3
    34. Sleep No More 570313 15 Escape Of Mr Trimm.mp3
    35. Sleep No More 570320 16 Woman In Grey Suspicious Gift.mp3
    36. Sleep No More 570403 18 Bet Clerks Quest.mp3
    37. Sleep No More 570410 19 Passenger To Bali.mp3
    38. Sleep No More 570417 Homecoming And Aunt Cassie.mp3
    39. Sleep No More 570424 Evening Strange Orchid.mp3
    40. Story For Tonight 070647 Semi Dramatized Stories.mp3
    41. Story For Tonight 072747 Semi Dramtzd Stories Soul Trapper.mp3
    42. Story For Tonight 470627 Miracle Man.mp3
    43. X Minus One 550605 Perigis Wonderful Dolls.mp3
    44. X Minus One 570627 100 Category Inventor.mp3
    45. X Minus One 570829 Volpla.mp3
    46. X Minus One 571031 Lulu.mp3
    47. You Are There 491127 82 Tom Thumb.mp3
  • Standard Audio CDs are delivered by mail on archival quality media with up to 60 minutes on each CD and play in all CD players



    46 recordings on 22 Audio CDs. Total playtime 19 hours, 54 min
    46 recordings on 22 Audio CDs
    total playtime 19 hours, 54 min

    Nelson Olmsted Disc A001

    1. Nelson Olmstead 1947 Tarpin 15 Min
    2. Story For Tonight 070647 Semi Dramatized Stories

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A002

    1. Story For Tonight 072747 Semi Dramtzd Stories Soul Trapper
    2. American Gallery Afrs 000000 02 Man Nobody Liked

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    Nelson Olmsted Disc A003

    1. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 400807 Lone Journey
    2. Authors Playhouse 410305 Elementals

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    Nelson Olmsted Disc A004

    1. Nelson Olmsted Playhouse 460725 Elementals
    2. Nelson Olmsted Playhouse 460822 Mr Acularis

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    Nelson Olmsted Disc A005

    1. Lights Out 460824 008 Signal Man
    2. Story For Tonight 470627 Miracle Man

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    Nelson Olmsted Disc A006

    1. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 470806 Mrs Sabin
    2. American Novels 470808 Luck Of Roaring Camp
    3. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 470813 Souvenir

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    Nelson Olmsted Disc A007

    1. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 470820 Night
    2. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 470925 Car We Had To Push
    3. Nelson Olmsteds Short Stories 471014 Seed Of Destruction

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A008

    1. Radio City Playhouse 481115 15 First And Last
    2. You Are There 491127 82 Tom Thumb

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A009

    1. Dimension X 510114 Martian Death March
    2. Cavalcade Of America 521216 Barbed Wire Christmas

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A010

    1. Chase 530111 Professor Calvin And Voice
    2. My Son Jeep 530201 02 Afrs Jeep Has Measles

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A011

    1. Chase 530621 Monster
    2. Crime And Peter Chambers 540622 Cafe Tropical Bruce Eldridge

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A012

    1. Inheritance 541114 Nancy Hanks
    2. X Minus One 550605 Perigis Wonderful Dolls

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A013

    1. Sleep No More 561121 Conquerors Isle
    2. Sleep No More 561128 Mr Mergenthwirkers Lobblies August Heat

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A014

    1. Sleep No More 561205 Over Hill And Man In Black Hat
    2. Sleep No More 561212 Three Oclock

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A015

    1. Sleep No More 561219 Storm
    2. Sleep No More 561226 Death Of Olivia Bicai Fishhead

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A016

    1. Sleep No More 570123 10 I Am Waiting Browdean Farm
    2. Sleep No More 570130 11 Jilting Of Granny Weatherall Escape

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A017

    1. Sleep No More 570206 Banquos Chair And Coward
    2. Sleep No More 570227 To Build Fire And 3 Skeleton Key

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A018

    1. Sleep No More 570306 14 Thus I Refute Beelzy Bookshop
    2. Sleep No More 570313 15 Escape Of Mr Trimm

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A019

    1. Sleep No More 570320 16 Woman In Grey Suspicious Gift
    2. Sleep No More 570403 18 Bet Clerks Quest

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A020

    1. Sleep No More 570410 19 Passenger To Bali
    2. Sleep No More 570417 Homecoming And Aunt Cassie

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A021

    1. Sleep No More 570424 Evening Strange Orchid
    2. X Minus One 570627 100 Category Inventor
    3. X Minus One 570829 Volpla

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Nelson Olmsted Disc A022

    1. X Minus One 571031 Lulu

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00

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