OLD TIME RADIO HOUR synopsis

LOGLINE

What’s behind the curtain?

PITCH

When 10-year-old Rosalie Pinker isn’t invited to meet the guests on Uncle Frank Boyd’s “Old Time Radio Hour,” she sets out to figure out what is going on in his recording studio, only to find out that her uncle was faking the voices all along, and he never had any guests. He says he was only telling her what she wanted to hear to make her happy. As she gets older, she has her own national radio show with real guests and never fakes a thing. 

SYNOPSIS

Uncle Frank Boyd runs his “Old Time Radio Hour” every Sunday night from the studio in his home. His niece, 10-year-old Rosalie Pinker, who is intrigued by the guests on his show, always tries to sneak on the set. This Sunday night is no different. Before she can whisk her way into the studio, the door slams shut. Returning to her house to listen to the show on the radio, she props her feet up on the sofa, turns on the living room radio, and positions a pillow behind her head. As Rosalie listens to the end of the show, she turns the radio off and runs next door back to Frank’s house. At the chance that she might meet one of the sensations leaving his home, she stands by the studio door. 

For the next few weeks, Rosalie is so angry at Uncle Frank that he doesn’t let her meet the guests on his show, so she unplugs the radio and refuses to listen to one word of Uncle Frank’s “Old Time Radio Hour.” In fact, she sticks her fingers in her ears anytime she hears his voice. Instead, Rosalie starts to read. She loves a particular classic called The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Then, after months pass, Rosalie finishes reading all fourteen full-length Oz books by the famous author. One morning, she sits up straight in bed and determines that she will get to the bottom of Uncle’s Frank “business.” After having toast with butter and jam for breakfast, Rosalie creates a plan to outsmart Uncle Frank. She buys a dog at the puppy shop just like Dorothy’s dog Toto in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and names him Scarecrow after Dorothy’s friend. She trains him to stick his tail in the studio door, so that when Uncle Frank tries to lock her out, she can slip in after she starts recording. 

After coming back from the puppy shop with her new dog Scarecrow, Rosalie spends days training him to stick his tail in her bedroom door. As Rosalie walks down into her mother’s kitchen, Uncle Frank eats strawberry shortcake from a bowl, explaining how he has secured L. Frank Baum for his next radio show. When the author supposedly arrives, Uncle Frank pops his head out of the studio door as Rosalie holds Scarecrow in her arms, and he explains that Mr. Baum is so sorry, but he just can’t possibly speak to her with a dog. Then, she peers through the crack in the studio door, looking at an empty guest chair. Rosalie wonders where he went. As he turns to shut the studio door, Rosalie drops Scarecrow onto the ground, and he runs to stick his tail in the door. Rosalie puts her finger in front of her mouth, motioning to Scarecrow not to bark. Then, she puts her foot in the door. She slips through with Scarecrow in her arms and discovers that Uncle Frank has been faking the voices of the guests on his show. He says he thought he was making Rosalie happy. Rosalie runs out of the studio with Scarecrow and slams the door shut. Her mother stands at the kitchen door with tears in her eyes. As Rosalie gets older, she studies broadcasting and had her own national radio show every Sunday night with real guests.

Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters