Arabian Nights Three (radio)

“Arabian Nights: Sindbad the Sailor” is a 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 [Hear Here: "Tales by American Masters". AudioFile Magazine, pg. 8, Feb/March 1999, Vol. 7, No. 5.] ) 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 “Arabian Nights: Sindbad the Sailor" program from the Radio Tales series was an adaptation of the story from "The Book of One Thousand and One Nights ("Arabian Nights")".

Broadcast history

The Radio Tales production of “Arabian Nights: Sindbad the Sailor” was first broadcast via XM Satellite Radio on September 22, 2003 as part of the Sonic Theater channel (163) lineup of the XM Satellite Radio service. [ [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/features/sonictheater.xmc "Sonic Theater"] XMRadio.com. Accessed May 22, 2008.]

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 fifty-six 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.]

Media

The Radio Tales production of “Arabian Nights: Sindbad the Sailor” 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 "Arabian Nights: Sindbad the Sailor” program, have been available for download via the Audioville.co.uk web site. [ [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view.php?Id=553&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 October 8, 2008.]

Opening narration

Plot summary

The son of a wealthy merchant of Baghdad, Sindbad inherits a great fortune upon his father’s passing, but he spends it recklessly, and soon has almost nothing. Selling all his remaining possessions, Sindbad uses the money to buy supplies for a voyage on the sea – he has decided that he will make his fortune as a trader. Sindbad is very successful from the start, and enjoys the adventure. One day, the ship casts anchor near a gorgeous island, and the passengers (Sindbad included) go exploring. After awhile, the island begins trembling and shuddering, and everyone runs for their lives back to the ship.

The island had in fact been a whale, asleep on the sea so long that trees had grown on its back, but now it has awakened and is readying itself to dive. Sindbad doesn’t reach the ship in time – the whale dives, and to keep from drowning Sindbad holds on to a wooden trough in which one of the passengers had been washing clothes. For days Sindbad is tossed on the sea, but at last comes to an island with fruit trees and fresh water streams, on which he survives. At length the ship that had left him to the mercy of the sea now finds him again – they had been searching for him, and Sindbad is overcome with relief.

Sindbad continues on his adventure with the ship, trading his goods from port to port, doing very healthy business and building his fortune. Reaching another picturesque island, the passengers disembark to enjoy the scenery, and Sindbad makes the mistake of taking a nap. When he wakes up, he learns that the ship has mistakenly left without him. Wandering in despair, Sindbad finds a huge white dome embedded in the sand, which he learns is the egg of a giant eagle known as a Roc. While he stands there, the mother eagle descends and lands on her egg without ever noticing tiny Sindbad, and goes to sleep with her foot over Sindbad’s prone body. Seeing an opportunity to escape the desert island, Sindbad unwraps his turban and ties his body to one of the huge toes of the bird. The next morning, the bird flies out over the sea, unaware that Sindbad is dangling from one of her toes. She crosses the sea, lands on another island, and Sindbad frantically unties himself before the Roc takes off again.

Now in a wide valley surrounded by impassable mountains, Sindbad notices two things – the ground is piled with priceless diamonds, and monstrous snakes are slithering everywhere. Sindbad faints from terror. Waking up the next day (and grateful to still be uneaten) Sindbad sees a quarter of sheep meat fall from the sky to the ground. This is how jewelers procure the diamonds from this inaccessible area – they launch meat into it, hoping it will land on diamonds that will get stuck in it. Then the eagles grab the meat and fly it out, after which they scare the eagles into dropping the meat, and collect the diamonds. Remembering all this from stories he’d heard, Sindbad ties himself to the quarter of sheep (after stuffing his clothes full of diamonds). Soon an eagle picks up the meat (and Sindbad), and carries it over the mountain. The jewelers come and scare the eagle away, rescuing Sindbad in the process. Sindbad gives them huge diamonds, and they arrange for his passage back to Baghdad. Sindbad returns home a wealthy man.

References

External links

* [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view.php?Id=553&ProductCategoryId=59 Arabian Nights: Sindbad the Sailor Streaming Audio Samples Audioville]
* [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]