Moon Over Morocco (radio series)
 | |
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
|---|---|
| Running time | 12 minutes per episode (10 hours in all) |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Starring | Robert Lorick Robert Lesser Dave Adams |
| Announcer | Dave Herman |
| Written by | Meatball Fulton |
| Directed by | Meatball Fulton |
| Recording studio | United States Morocco |
| Original release | 1974 |
| No. of episodes | 50 |
| Website | http://www.zbs.org/ |
Moon Over Morocco is a 1974 radio drama, the second in ZBS's Jack Flanders series. Originally broadcast as fifty twelve-minute episodes, the serial was written and directed by Meatball Fulton.
Synopsis
Jack Flanders arrives in Tangier on a search for sites that lie along "ley lines", undercurrents of mystical energy described in ancient texts. He meets Kasbah Kelly, an expatriate bar owner, his assistant Mojo Sam and befriends one of the bar's customers, Sunny Skies. He also visits the Contessa Zarzinia, an expatriate holdover from Morocco's French colonial days and an old enemy of Kelly's.
Strange events begin to occur: Jack is pursued by owls, his hotel room crumbles away as the hotel disintegrates around him and a mysterious woman names Lila Oolupi warns him to leave Morocco immediately. Refusing to heed her warning, Jack instead travels to a music festival in Marrakech with Kelly and Sunny. Caught up in a traditional dance, Jack begins to disappear into an invisible world straight out of Moroccan legend. This first night, Kelly tackles him and prevents his disappearance, but the next night, Jack succeeds in completing the transition into the land of legend. Kelly's intervention causes Jack to (seemingly) split into two rival figures in this alternate world, a usurper Emperor (Hassan Bizel) and an upstart claimant to the throne, known as the Son of El Kabah.
Kelly, Mojo and Sunny search for Jack in our world, while the two Jacks confront one another after the "Son of el Kabah" completes a long journey through the Sahara desert, accompanied by Little Flossic (revisiting the "Little Frieda" role of The Fourth Tower of Inverness).
The ambient soundtrack was recorded on location, in Morocco. The traditional Moroccan music included in the festival scenes was originally recorded by well-known expatriate Paul Bowles.
Originally made available on cassette, the series is now available from ZBS on CD or as a podcast.
Cast
- Jack Flanders/Hassan Bizel/Son of el Kabah - Robert Lorick
- Kasbah Kelly - Robert Lesser
- Mojo Sam - Dave Adams
- Little Flossic - P.J. Orte (Billed as Spooner Duffy)
- Sunny Skies - Lee Berg
- Grand Wazir - Dave Herman
- Storyteller Mustafa - Taurean Blacque
- Contessa Zarzinia - Valerie Mamches