Here's a bonus Off-Ramp Episode to celebrate a special anniversary!

In 1938, Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre scared the pants off the American public with the CBS Radio broadcast "The War of the Worlds."

In 2013, to mark the 75th anniversary of Welles' radio masterpiece, I commissioned RH Greene to produce a documentary telling the backstory of the broadcast, which he called "The War of the Welles." The icing on the cake is that it's introduced by the one and only George Takei. 

So let's listen to it again on the 84th anniversary, and lift a glass to the power of audio. 

(Fun fact: "The War of the Words" was broadcast on October 30, not 31, 1938.)

Support for this podcast comes from Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live; and bythe Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.

Today, we dig into the Off-Ramp archives to pay tribute to a man named Jules Bass, who was a part of our childhood. Bass died Tuesday at the age of 87.

With his partner, the late  Arthur Rankin, Jr., Bass produced some of the most beloved children's Christmas TV specials: "The Little Drummer Boy," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman," and one more that maybe isn't really a Christmasspecial at all. 

In 2012, Off-Ramp's RH Greene argued cogently that "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" was a Jewish origin story for Santa ... essentially a Hanukkah special. The clues are all there in plain sight: The villains are cartoon Nazis who burn toys instead of books. Santa is a foundling, like Moses, raised by Tante Kringle -- the Yiddish word for "aunt." And Santa is a freedom fighter, whose ragged band make an Exodus to their own promised land in the cold desert.

Support for this podcast comes from Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live; and bythe Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.

Exploring Southern California with John Rabe and Kevin Ferguson and the rest of Team Off-Ramp.

The CBS and NBC pilots chasing OJ 20 years ago are transgender; someone is killing the peacocks of Rolling Hills Estates; crowning the savior of the Wigwam Motel on Route 66.

A billion-dollar facelift for the LA River, Clipper Darrell weighs in, LA's "Big Parade," and Llyn Foulkes stars in a new doc, celebrating Disney's Golden Books.

Jelly Roll Morton is buried ... in East LA? ... Two new books explore the Chinese-American nightclub scene ... Where wannabe WWE pro-wrestlers go to get noticed ... Orson Bean and the woman who bit his father's knee

Zoey 101, Episode 3: We continue to track Bob Tur's transformation to Zoey Tur. Marc Maron, mayor of Highland Park.

RE this week's show: we reconsider the Eagles' inescapable "Hotel California," rediscover Channing Peake, revisit Jeffrey Kahane at the piano, and revere Roy Orbison.

Ben and Ellen Harper's new album and the Claremont link, Pacific Standard Time focuses on Latinos, and Jeffrey Kahane is a classical music rebel

The LA Chamber Orchestra's Jeffrey Kahane gives us a Bach master class; Ruth Reichl says she was scared to write her first novel; and hit-and-run victim Damian Kevitt finished his ride.