“The Hitchhiker”

As a young adult Lucille wanted to become a novelist. After she took her first job as a script typist and began reading scripts with other writers, she decided she wanted to write plays as well. She was successful at both. Fletcher penned more than twenty radio plays, including the well know Sorry, Wrong Number and The Hitchhiker. In addition she wrote several novels. Her works were suspenseful, full of mystery and often terrifying. Lucille Fletcher

Though television was invented in the 1920’s, most American households did not have television sets till the late 1950’s. Before then families gathered around the radio to listen to their favorite radio plays. These plays took the form of dramas, mysteries, or comedies. Actors on the radio station read their lines into a microphone with dramatic flair. Background music help set the mood. Sound effects were an important part of radio plays. They were often produced in the radio studio. Sheet metal shaken up and down, replaced rolling thunder. A wooden match, broken close to a microphone, sounded like a baseball bat striking a ball. Coconut halves clapped against wood imitated the sound of horses’ hooves. Radio Plays

Route 66- In the 1940’s Route 66 was the primary highway connecting the Midwest with the West Coast. Route 66 opened in 1926 and was finally rendered obsolete in 1985 when a new interstate bypassed the last section in use. Featured in songs, ads, novels, and other elements of popular culture, Route 66 is now considered an important part of the country’s history. Auto Camps Along Route 66 and other major highways came a phenomenon know as auto camps. These were originally sections of land alongside highways that were roped off for the use of travelers. People carried their own tents and gear in their cars. Later, toilets, showers and eventually cabins, were added to these locations Background

Lark – a source of or quest for amusement or adventure Junction- an intersection of roads especially where one terminates Nondescript-belonging or appearing to belong to no particular class or kind : not easily described; lacking distinctive interesting qualities Vocabulary

Sinister- singularly evil or productive of evil Assurance- pledge, guarantee Monotony- sameness of tone or sound Vocabulary

Foreshadowing is a way of indicating or hinting at what will come later. Foreshadowing can be subtle, like storm clouds on the horizon suggesting that danger is coming. Example from The Hitchhiker: Adam’s mother warns him against falling asleep, speeding and the hitchhikers. Literacy Devices

Dialogue, or the words spoken by the actors. Stage direction, which include instructions to the actors about how the dialogue should be spoken and instructions to the crew about sound effects. Drama Elements

CHARACTERS Protagonist Ronald Adams Antagonist Phantom Hitchhiker (Voice) Adams’s Mother Orson Welles Mechanic Henry, a sleepy man Woman’s Voice (Henry’s wife) Mrs. Whitney Minor Characters Hitchhiker Girl Operator Long-distance Operator Albuquerque Operator New York Operator

CLIMAX WHEN RONALD DECIDES TO CALL HOME “HALL-OOO….HALL-OOOO….” -”Hitchhiker”