KINCAID, THE STRANGE-SEEKER ---------------------------- 1996 - Present By: Stewart Wright Initial Compilation: 08/17/2001 Last Update: 06/30/2004 Copyright 2002 by Stewart Wright First Show: 09/15/1996 Last Show: Series is still in production Number of Shows: 26 and counting Audition Show: See Note: Audition/Pilot Show in SERIES BACKGROUND: SERIES BACKGROUND: KINCAID, THE STRANGE-SEEKER is a contemporary radio drama series created in the mid-1990's by Jim French and stars Terry Rose as Michael Kincaid, a television investigative reporter, whose specialty are stories that generally fall into the category of strange or unexplained events. KINCAID, THE STRANGE-SEEKER currently airs as part of IMAGINATION THEATRE on KIXI in Seattle and is syndicated internationally as part of IMAGINATION THEATRE over the Internet and on about 135 radio stations in the United States, Canada, and Australia. It is also heard in many countries via satellite. (IMAGINATION THEATRE also airs French's THE ADVENTURES OF HARRY NILE, CALL SIMON WALKER, and THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES.) Previously, KINCAID, THE STRANGE-SEEKER was heard in the Seattle area as part of IMAGINATION THEATRE on KNWX (03/26/2000 - 01/05/2003), THE PEMCO IMAGINATION THEATRE on KNWX (02/21/1999 -03/19/2000) and The KIRO MYSTERY PLAYHOUSE on KIRO (09/15/1996 - 02/21/1999.) Note: Audition/Pilot Show The Kincaid character first appeared in a KIRO MYSTERY PLAYHOUSE episode, "The Man Who Died Twice," on 02/11/1995. In this episode, the main character was Robert Kincaid, an investigative reporter for the fictional New York Bulletin newspaper. He investigated the death of a terminally-ill patient at a nursing home. His investigation turns up much more than just a possible case of euthanasia. Terry Rose also played Kincaid in this episode. The following background information was provided by Larry Albert of Jim French Productions. "The episode 'The Man Who Died Twice' was not a pilot per se. After the show was recorded and aired, several of Jim's friends saw the potential of this character for a series. However, we were all thinking of a newspaper series. When Jim decided to develop the show we were all surprised to see where he was taking it. I guess you could say that 'The Man Who Died Twice' is a de facto pilot." The de facto pilot audition/pilot and many of the episodes of this series have been recorded before a LIVE audience. The episodes through "The Star Channel" were recorded at the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle. The episodes "A Town Called Limbo" and "A Work In Progress" were recorded at The Kirkland Performance Center (KPC) in Kirkland, WA. Jim French records shows for IMAGINATION THEATRE in front of a LIVE audience every three months at the KPC. The web site of Kirkland Performance Center is located at: http://www.kpcenter.org/ SERIES DESCRIPTION: Michael Kincaid is an investigative reporter for the fictional cable TV Investigative Channel and specializes in stories that are strange, bizarre, supernatural, and/or extra-terrestrial. He is assisted by his "shooter" or videographer, Shelly Mars. The emphasis of the story line and characters is often on investigating and not reporting - in fact some of his stories (cases) don't even make it to the tube. Often his boss won't believe him; you might not either unless you follow Kincaid on some of his assignments. Here's a sample story line from a KINCAID, THE STRANGE-SEEKER episode. In "The Place," Kincaid investigates a series of robberies in which the crooks always fire a Tommy Gun, but there are no bullet holes and no bullet casings. The fingerprints left at the crime scenes are those of criminals that have been dead for 30 years. Just your nice, neat, typical news story? Starting with the episode "The Find," Kincaid got a new managing editor, Randall Bigelow, played by Richards Sanders of WKRP IN CINCINNATI fame. CREW: Creator: Jim French Directors: Pat French and Jim French Writers: Jim French "A Dog Named Who" by Jim French and Terry Rose "A Work In Progress" by Terry Rose "The License Plate Caper" by Terry Rose "A Fly on the Wall" by Terry Rose "Gravity" by Terry Rose (See Episode Note:) Music: Graham Pleet Sound Effects: Cheryl Jacobs, David Persson, Scott Anderson, David Freed and Sean O'Meara. Engineers: Peggy Stokes and Jason Chevy Announcers: Dean L. Smith and Jim French CAST: Starring: Terry Rose as MICHAEL KINCAID, John Gilbert as FRED "LIPPY" LIPPMAN through "A Town Called Limbo," Richard Sanders as RANDALL BIGELOW starting with "The Find," Katherine Shield, Kelly Lloyd (in "The Reluctant Vampire" only), and Mary Anne Dorward (in "The Dobsky Engine" only) as SHELLY MARS, Dean L. Smith as DEAN - the announcer, and Pat French as PAT - the director. Guest Stars: Larry Albert, Bill Brooks, Frank Buxton, Pat Cashman, Karen Kay Cody, Karen Corbitt, Jan D'Arcy, Diane Felty, David Freed, Cynthia Geary, Demene Hall, Phil Harper, Kit Harris, Paul Herlinger, Russell Johnson, Peggy Jordan, Kelly Lloyd, Daniel von Koschembar, Rick May, Mike McLaughlin, Jerry Miller, Jack Morton, Lee Paasch, Marlene Phillips, Joy Rinaldi, Bhama Roget, Terry Rose, Chris Rose, Dave Ross, Wantland Sandel, Richard Sanders, Sarah Schenkkan, Stephan Weyte, Jim Wilkie, Douglas Young and others. Episode Note: The episode "Gravity" is a new production of an episode of the DAMERON series, "The Berryman Chamber," which aired on KVI 06/26/1973. The plot line is quite similar to the DAMERON script, but had different characters. The script was written by Terry Rose and is an adaptation of the DAMERON script "The Berryman Chamber" originally by Jim French. LOG: All dates are the date of original airing on Seattle radio. Collector-assigned titles that have surfaced are shown in square brackets [] Date Title ---------- ---------------------------------- 09/15/1996 Felicia 04/20/1997 Place, The 10/19/1997 The Woman From Under The Ice 01/18/1998 Final Mission 02/08/1998 Appointment In Time [An Appointment In Time] 08/23/1998 The Dobsky Engine 10/11/1998 The Thirst Of The Blade 10/25/1998 The Goblin Factory 11/08/1998 New Guy At the Morgue 01/10/1999 Something for Everyone 02/21/1999 A Dog Named Who 08/22/1999 Writers' Block 10/10/1999 The Final Chapter 12/04/1999 The Star Channel 12/31/2000 A Town Called Limbo 09/16/2001 The Find 10/14/2001 A Work In Progress 12/23/2001 The Santa Test 04/21/2002 The License Plate Caper 09/22/2002 Natural Causes 01/26/2003 Not Another Ghost Story 07/13/2003 Gravity 09/14/2003 The Reluctant Vampire 02/15/2004 A Fly On The Wall 03/14/2004 Rhythm 04/18/2004 Mr. Abbadon's Pyramid JIM FRENCH WEB SITE: There is now a place on the Internet where fans of the contemporary radio dramas of Jim French can find out more about Jim, his various series, and some of the actors who star in them. Fans can even purchase some of his shows. The following URL will get you there: http://www.jimfrenchproductions.com AVAILABILITY: THESE SHOWS ARE PROTECTED UNDER COPYRIGHT LAW and should be purchased only from authorized dealers. HELP KEEP CONTEMPORARY RADIO DRAMA ALIVE! Purchase from Authorized Dealers. Compact Discs and Tapes IMAGINATION THEATRE, TransMedia The syndicator of IMAGINATION THEATRE, TransMedia, has all 25 episodes available on compact disc and tape. TransMedia can be reached at: TransMedia Inc. 719 Battery St. San Francisco, CA 94111 1-800-BAY-RADIO or http://www.transmediasf.com/imag.html KINCAID THE STRANGE-SEEKER Tape & CD Sets Jim French Productions has released a two cassette volume with 8 episodes and a pair two Compact Disc volumes with 6 episodes. They are available from: Jim French Productions P. O. Box 75296 Seattle, WA. 98125 jrfproductions@yahoo.com http://www.jimfrenchproductions.com/ The above addresses are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement. INFORMATION SOURCES: Interviews conducted by Stewart Wright with Jim French in 1998. Larry Albert of Jim French Productions who provided episode titles, episode initial airing dates, and recurring characters information. Correspondence and conversations with Jim French and Larry Albert 1999 - 2004. Jim French Productions can be reached at: jrfproductions@yahoo.com