Laughin' in Meetin' (radio)

Laughin’ in Meetin’ is a radio program from the American radio anthology series "Radio Tales". The anthology series adapted classic works of American and world literature for the radio. The series was a recipient of numerous awards, including four Gracie Allen Awards from the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television (in 2004, [ [http://www.awrt.org/press-releases/2004/Press_Release_%20Announce_Winners.pdf "AWRT Press Release"] AWRT.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] 2003, [ [http://www.npr.org/about/press/030402.gracie.html "NPR Productions Win Gracie Allen Awards"] NPR.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] 2001, [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20011126020253/www.awrt.org/awards/2000GracieWinners.html "2001 Gracie Allen Award Winners"] AWRT.org, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] and 1998), a New York Festivals WorldMedal, [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20050207122048/http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/res/pdf/2004RPwinners.pdf "2004 Winners, Radio Programming and Promotion, New York Festivals"] NewYorkFestivals.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] and a Golden Reel Merit Award. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20010802161539/www.nfcb.org/2001reelsinfo.html "NFCB Announces 2001 Golden Reel Award Winners"] NFCB.org, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] The “Laughin’ in Meetin’" program from the Radio Tales series was an adaptation of the classic short story of the same name by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Broadcast History

The Radio Tales production of “Laughin’ in Meetin’” was first broadcast via NPR on September 26, 2000 [National Public Radio: "NPR Quarterly Edition Summer 2000". NPR Marketing, July – Sept. 2000, Vol. VI, No. III] . The program encompassed one half-hour installment that was distributed to NPR member stations as part of the NPR Playhouse cultural series. Since November 28th, 2002, the entire Radio Tales series has aired in reruns on the Sonic Theater channel (163) of the XM Satellite Radio service [ [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/features/sonictheater.xmc "Sonic Theater"] XMRadio.com. Accessed May 22, 2008.] . The “Laughin’ in Meetin’” program debuted on XM Satellite Radio on July 26, 2003.

Production Information

The program was produced and script edited by series producer Winnie Waldron, who also served as the on-air host [ [http://www.winifredphillips.com/wp_bio.html "Winifred Phillips Official Site: Biography"] Winifredphillips.com. Accessed May 19, 2008.] . Composer Winifred Phillips created over twenty-eight minutes of music for the program, and also performed as the featured actress [ [http://www.mninter.net/~jstearns/nprPH.html#top "NPR Playhouse - January - March, 2001"] MNinter.net. Accessed March 21, 2008.] . “Laughin’ in Meetin’” was part of the fifth year of Radio Tales on NPR Playhouse [National Public Radio: "NPR Quarterly Edition Summer 2000". NPR Marketing, July – Sept. 2000, Vol. VI, No. III] .

Media

The Radio Tales production of “Laughin’ in Meetin’” has been available in numerous formats and venues, including burn-on-demand CDs manufactured and distributed by MP3.com [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20031129193548/artists.mp3s.com/artists/33/npr_radio_tales.html "MP3.com: Radio Tales"] MP3.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed July 15, 2008.] and Ampcast.com [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20060212003627/http://www.ampcast.com/music/25229/artist.php "Ampcast.com: Radio Tales"] Ampcast.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed July 15, 2008.] . Beginning in 2005, programs from the series, including the “Laughin’ in Meetin’” program, have been available for download via the Audioville.co.uk web site [ [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view.php?Id=560&ProductCategoryId=59 "audioVille | Stor>>Fiction | Radio Tales | Download Audio Books, Podcasts and more in MP3. Comedy, Fiction, sport, news, science, drama."] Audioville.co.uk. Accessed September 30, 2008.] .

Opening narration

Plot Summary

The story begins with the narrator recounting a childhood memory of a humorous incident involving a prayer meeting, a guest minister, and a dog. The usual minister, Parson Lothrop, has temporarily swapped pulpits with Parson Summeral – a spindly man with unusually high energy and a squeaky voice. When Parson Lothrop’s dog begins to howl just as Parson Summeral announces the hymn, the narrator finds the situation overpoweringly funny, and collapses in laughter. Some days later, a family friend named Sam Lawson visits, and relates another story about laughing during prayer time.

Sam begins by saying that the entire situation was really Ike Babbit’s fault, because Ike would let his sheep graze on the meeting house lawn. The minister at that time was Parson Morrel, who was popular with the congregation due to his goodnatured disposition, but irked a few traditionalists who thought preachers should always be somber. Morrel disapproved of the sheep feeding on the lawn. Of all the sheep, old Dick the bell-wether ram was the most infamous for his aggression and tendency to run at people. Another colorful local with a tendency to run at people was Deacon Titkins the tithing-man, who was responsible for keeping the congregation alert and respectful during prayer meetings. Titkins often used his stick to awaken those who had drifted off, which was a situation difficult to avoid one boiling-hot day in August. After darting about the congregation for most of the sermon and tapping various people on the head to awaken them, Deacon Titkins became sleepy himself. He set a chair in the doorway of the meeting house, and fell to sleep.

While leading the congregation in prayer, Parson Morrel could see the sleeping deacon very well as he sat at the end of the aisle and bobbed his white-wigged head in the open doorway. Parson Morrel could also see old Dick the ram as the animal stopped chewing the lawn outside and started watching the deacon’s bobbing head. Becoming more and more agitated by the bobbing and bowing (which seemed like an act of aggression), old Dick stamped, and shook his horns, and finally charged Deacon Titkins and knocked him into the aisle, carrying off the deacon’s white powdered wig on his horns.

Seeing this, Parson Morrel laughed until he cried, and the whole congregation laughed with him. But later, the wife of deacon Titkins began complaining to the other ladies of the congregation that Parson Morrel had set a terrible example by laughing at old Dick and Deacon Titkins, and at length the hubbub had reached a point where a town council was necessitated to settle the matter. During the council, Parson Morrel told the entire story of how old Dick knocked Deacon Titkins across the aisle, and the entire town council erupted in laughter. Once things had calmed down again, it was decided that Parson Morrel should thereafter pray with his eyes shut, to avoid such temptations in the future.

References

External Links

* [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view.php?Id=560&ProductCategoryId=59 Laughin’ in Meetin’ Streaming Audio Sample on Audioville.co.uk]

* [http://www.radiotales.com/ The Official Radio Tales® Web Site]
* [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view_productcategory.php?Id=59 Radio Tales® Streaming Audio Samples on AudioVille]
* [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/channelpage.xmc?ch=163 XM Satellite Radio – Information on the Sonic Theater Channel]