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All Nighter by Graham Pomeroy

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Nightfall: All Nighter by Graham Pomeroy. Dir. Bill Howell. Perf. Elva Mai Hoover, Don Francks, Linda Sorenson. CBC Radio, 5 May 1981. Download http://www.thenightfallproject.org/category/episode/

Following in the illustrious tradition of the American radio anthology series, "Nightfall" began in March 1980 and ran for 100 episodes. Originally commissioned by Susan Douglas Rubes, actress and founder of Toronto's Young People's Theatre, it was designed to reinvigorate CBC's drama output. This supernatural anthology series was a huge hit: director/ producer Bill Howell tried his best to push the boundaries separating mystery, fantasy and science fiction. Some episodes were so explicit that they attracted huge numbers of complaints: the fear factor being greatly enhanced by the atmospheric music played on a synthesizer.

In "All Nighter" Cheryl (Elva Mai Hoover) works at a 24-hour laundromat, and discovers to her horror that a serial killer has been washing and drying his victims in the large machines therein. She obtains the help of amenable police officer Charlie Burns (Don Francks) to help her with the investigation, but things do not go according to plan ...

The story is a straightforward one that has been told many times previously. What renders this playlet so exciting is the combination of music and structure, which works in layered fashion to reveal information gradually so as to maintain suspense. Definitely worth a listen, even if the sound quality leaves something to be desired.

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