The Odyssey of Runyon Jones
1990



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Highlights
  • Written for The Odyssey of Runyon Jones, a children’s musical stage show written by Norman Corwin with a musical score by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans.
  • The Odyssey of Runyon Jones follows the adventures of a young boy on an intergalactic journey in search of his dog, killed in an auto accident.
  • The show is based on the book A Dog in the Sky written by Norman Corwin, a writer, screenwriter and producer famous for writing and directing radio dramas during the 1930s and 1940s. Simon and Schuster published the book in 1952.
  • The first production of the show was directed Norman Corwin and produced by Nick Mayo. Ray Evans and Jay Livingston wrote 15 songs for the original score which was conducted by Jack Quigley.
  • The original cast included Jeanne Arnold, Johnny Whitaker, Johnny Silver and John Mhyers.
  • In the Los Angeles Times’ review of The Odyssey of Runyon Jones from December of 1972, Norman Corwin likened the show to “a bowl of sugar-coated cereal laced with vitamins, a yummy treat that is also good for you.”
  • The Odyssey of Runyon Jones was first presented at the Valley Music Theater in Woodland Hills, California in December of 1972.



Recording History