Nelson Olmsted, (January 28, 1914, Minneapolis, Minnesota - April 8,
1992, Torrance, California) was an actor in films, recordings, radio
and television from the 1950s to the 1970s. Sometimes billed as Nelson
Olmstead, he was best known for an unusual NBC radio series, Sleep No
More (1956â€"57), in which he narrated his own adaptations of terror
tales and science-fantasy stories. Ben Grauer was the program's
announcer.After study at the University of Texas, Olmsted began in
radio in the late 1930s as an announcer for WBAP in Fort Worth, Texas.
When he launched Black Night (1937â€"39), a late night 30-minute
horror series, it was only a local program, but it created a
sensation, with mail arriving at WBAP from ten states. A review in
Radio News took note of the chilling music (by Gene Baugh) and
horrific sound effects (by A.M. Woodford). Produced by Ken Douglass,
the series began November 5, 1937, with Edgar Allan Poe's "The
Tell-Tale Heart" and then continued on with original scripts by
Virginia Wiltten. Olmsted starred and was heard in a variety of
different roles.Within a year, the impact of Black Night catapulted
Olmsted to New York, where he was immediately established as NBC's
resident storyteller, a position he held for over a decade, beginning
with The World's Greatest Short Stories (1939, 1944, 1947) and Dramas
by Olmsted (1940â€"41).Today, Olmsted is best remembered for his
spoken word recordings released by the Vanguard Recording Society. One
of these was the LP version of Sleep No More! The album's back cover
featured a box in which Olmsted delivered a capsule summary of his
life:
1992, Torrance, California) was an actor in films, recordings, radio
and television from the 1950s to the 1970s. Sometimes billed as Nelson
Olmstead, he was best known for an unusual NBC radio series, Sleep No
More (1956â€"57), in which he narrated his own adaptations of terror
tales and science-fantasy stories. Ben Grauer was the program's
announcer.After study at the University of Texas, Olmsted began in
radio in the late 1930s as an announcer for WBAP in Fort Worth, Texas.
When he launched Black Night (1937â€"39), a late night 30-minute
horror series, it was only a local program, but it created a
sensation, with mail arriving at WBAP from ten states. A review in
Radio News took note of the chilling music (by Gene Baugh) and
horrific sound effects (by A.M. Woodford). Produced by Ken Douglass,
the series began November 5, 1937, with Edgar Allan Poe's "The
Tell-Tale Heart" and then continued on with original scripts by
Virginia Wiltten. Olmsted starred and was heard in a variety of
different roles.Within a year, the impact of Black Night catapulted
Olmsted to New York, where he was immediately established as NBC's
resident storyteller, a position he held for over a decade, beginning
with The World's Greatest Short Stories (1939, 1944, 1947) and Dramas
by Olmsted (1940â€"41).Today, Olmsted is best remembered for his
spoken word recordings released by the Vanguard Recording Society. One
of these was the LP version of Sleep No More! The album's back cover
featured a box in which Olmsted delivered a capsule summary of his
life:
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