Judson Fountain
Encyclopedia
Judson Fountain was an amateur actor-director who recorded a series of now-legendary "radio dramas" in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which are today hailed as a foremost example of "outsider dramatic art
." He has been referred to as the "Ed Wood, Jr.
of Radio Drama."
The radio dramas were written, produced, and directed by Fountain, who also starred in them. Judson portrayed a variety of wicked witches, young thugs, elderly gangsters, and gun molls. The low-budget productions were recorded in New York at Sanders Recording Studios, and released on 12" LP
records with limited edition runs. Fountain's main co-star was a Brooklyn-based actor named Sandor Weisberger, who also usually served as announcer
for the productions. A small entourage of local actors occasionally played lead or walk-on roles.
, Fountain's productions attempted to recapture the atmosphere of broadcast favorites of yesteryear such as The Shadow
, Inner Sanctum
, and Lights Out
.
Fountain's simple, derivative plotlines often employ Halloween
kitsch
—spooks, witches, haunted houses—as vehicles in morality plays about redemption for the honorable and damnation for evildoers. He also appropriates elements of crime drama, featuring detectives, thieves, gunplay, and innocent victims. Characters who embody virtue are invariably rewarded, while those of criminal bent (or those who simply misbehaved) are punished, often with ghoulish glee. A few characters manage to "repent of their evil ways," but mostly, the respective dispositions are starkly fixed in black and white.
Two compilations of Fountain's work have been released on CD by Innova Recordings, Completely in the Dark (2004) and Dark, Dark, Dark Tales (2009). Both collections were produced by outsider music
authority Irwin Chusid
and Barbara Economon. The cover of Dark, Dark, Dark Tales features an original portrait of Judson Fountain by noted illustrator
Drew Friedman.
Outsider Art
The term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut , a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane-asylum inmates.While...
." He has been referred to as the "Ed Wood, Jr.
Ed Wood, Jr.
Edward Davis "Ed" Wood, Jr. was an American screenwriter, director, producer, actor, author, and editor, who often performed many of these functions simultaneously...
of Radio Drama."
The radio dramas were written, produced, and directed by Fountain, who also starred in them. Judson portrayed a variety of wicked witches, young thugs, elderly gangsters, and gun molls. The low-budget productions were recorded in New York at Sanders Recording Studios, and released on 12" LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
records with limited edition runs. Fountain's main co-star was a Brooklyn-based actor named Sandor Weisberger, who also usually served as announcer
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
for the productions. A small entourage of local actors occasionally played lead or walk-on roles.
Themes
Based on the "theater of the mind" concept of pre-television era radio dramaRadio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
, Fountain's productions attempted to recapture the atmosphere of broadcast favorites of yesteryear such as The Shadow
The Shadow
The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town"...
, Inner Sanctum
Inner Sanctum Mysteries
Inner Sanctum Mysteries, a popular old-time radio program that aired from January 7, 1941 to October 5, 1952, was created by producer Himan Brown. A total of 526 episodes were broadcast.-Horror hosts:...
, and Lights Out
Lights Out (radio show)
Lights Out is an extremely popular American old-time radio program, an early example of a network series devoted mostly to horror and the supernatural, predating Suspense and Inner Sanctum...
.
Fountain's simple, derivative plotlines often employ Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
kitsch
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
—spooks, witches, haunted houses—as vehicles in morality plays about redemption for the honorable and damnation for evildoers. He also appropriates elements of crime drama, featuring detectives, thieves, gunplay, and innocent victims. Characters who embody virtue are invariably rewarded, while those of criminal bent (or those who simply misbehaved) are punished, often with ghoulish glee. A few characters manage to "repent of their evil ways," but mostly, the respective dispositions are starkly fixed in black and white.
Recordings
Fountain produced at least six full-length LPs. Others may exist, but a lack of source documentation and the scarcity of original copies makes this speculative. Of the known LPs, four are untitled; the other two are titled Fun in Radio and Stories in Radio.Two compilations of Fountain's work have been released on CD by Innova Recordings, Completely in the Dark (2004) and Dark, Dark, Dark Tales (2009). Both collections were produced by outsider music
Outsider music
Outsider music, a term coined by Irwin Chusid in the mid-1990s, are songs and compositions by musicians who are not part of the commercial music industry who write songs that ignore standard musical or lyrical conventions, either because they have no formal training or because they disagree with...
authority Irwin Chusid
Irwin Chusid
Irwin Chusid is a journalist, music historian, radio personality and self-described "landmark preservationist." His stated mission has been to "find things on the scrapheap of history that I know don't belong there and salvage them." Those "things" have included such previously overlooked but...
and Barbara Economon. The cover of Dark, Dark, Dark Tales features an original portrait of Judson Fountain by noted illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
Drew Friedman.
External links
- JudsonFountain.com
- Completely In the Dark, CD released by Innova Recordings, 2004
- Dark, Dark, Dark Tales, CD released by Innova Recordings, 2009
- Judson Fountain cameo TV appearance on Stairway to StardomStairway to StardomStairway to Stardom was a public-access television series aired in New York City from 1979 to the early 1990s. It was described by NPR as "an amateur talent show many see as a low-rent precursor to American Idol." Filmed "in what appeared to be a freshly carpeted Staten Island basement," the host...
, 1985 - Portrait of Judson Fountain by illustrator Drew Friedman