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.

Clint Eastwood Exclusive!; Eastwood on Directing; Eastwood on the Magic of Music; The Inner Life of Miranda July; The Big Cheese in Food; Trailblazing in The 'Bu; Skunk Be Gone; Invasive Recipes; A June Wedding; The Rock Fish Files; Music on Off-Ramp - Priscilla Ahn's "I Don't Think So"

Stay-At-Home Dad; MYOB; Dad's in Jail; Dad's in Jail - Part II; It's A Good Day to Be a Songwriter in L.A.; Retro Surf Photos; Alice in Puppetland; Father's Day Traditions; Decoding the Graduation Garb

This week we hit some of Southern California's most historic sites: Rancho Los Alamitos in Long Beach, Los Encinos State Historic Park, and the Palomares Adobe in Pomona (pictured).

The Voice of an Angel; Angel Gets her Wings; My Teacher Alma; Singin' on the Bus; Mateo Stoneman, White Mariachi; Mid-Century Chimes; From Face Paint To Real Paint; Throat Singing, Inuit Style; Art Tatum Rises...Again

Garrison Keilor Loves LA; Song: "California" by Joni Mitchell; A Way With Words; Song: "You and Onions" (Hidden Track) by Meiko; Straight Story; Creating Vintage Photos; Something Fishy; Song: "Frank's Wild Years" by Tom Waits; Bunker Hill Revisited; Sad Life, Great Writer; Tarzan of Tarzana; My Way on the Highway

Gay About Marriage!; Jazzing up the Classics; A Late Composer's Early Birthday Bash; Bike to Work Day; Aesthetes, Bohemians, and Craftsmen; Auctioning Art for AIDS Research; Ode To Teacher; Grade A Investigator; Gotcha!; Crime Buster; To Catch a Thief; Before Pimlico; 2008 Youth Film Fest; Letters

Emergency is Hottest Ticket; Tango the Night Away ...; Last Mother's Day?; New York Times adds to Off-Ramp story; Bus To Mom; Singin' on the Bus; Shining Hollywood Stars; Hep (Web) Cat ...; All Grown Up; Reservoir Memories; Bonaduce v Buddha?; Garden of Flowing Fragrance; Listener Sleuth; Classical Variations

Congratulations to John Rabe; Silver-No-Lake; In Search of Water; Sign of Life; A Map of LA; Fire Season Starts in Sierra Madre; Taco Trucks; A Family Affair; Pacific Islander Art; "Grandpa," the Revolutionary; The Dresser's Answer; Fight Fire with Lemonade; The LAPD unveils a new device for crowd control