Rumble Falls is the kind of sleepy mining town where the neon flickers, the saxophone never sleeps, and somebody is always “accidentally” falling into a shaft. Into this glitter-dusted grit strolls a most 80s power-couple: Tycho Brahe—yes, the 16th-century Danish astronomer with the polished brass nose—reborn by unexplained TV science and forever quoting the heavens, and Mrs. Longfellow—cocktail-wielding socialite, magazine maven, and problem-solver who can spot a murder motive faster than she can finish a bourbon. Think Hart to Hart chemistry, Simon & Simon stakeouts, and Murder, She Wrote coincidence—all poured over crushed ice and served with a cheeky umbrella.

The unaired two-hour pilot drops our lovers into “A Case of Miss Dynamite,” where a pageant queen goes boom, a mayor sweats rosewater, and a foreman insists a lit stick of dynamite is a “romance candle.” Crane shots you can practically hear, freeze-frame laughs you can definitely feel, and a theme song that says “lighthearted crime show” before the first commercial bumper. Tycho charts trajectories and blood spatter like star maps; Mrs. Longfellow reads people like a society page. The clues point left-handed, the alibis go right out the window, and every time Tycho’s about to solve it, she solves him instead. Do they crack the case? Eventually. Do they sizzle? Constantly. (Cue the rim-lit promo still, police tape just out of focus, and a jet that keeps “turning around” for one more kiss.)

In true 80s fashion, the town’s brass can’t stand them, the townsfolk adore them, and the captions were supposed to explain everything… not that anyone read those during the key change. The result is a gloriously anachronistic, neon-noir valentine to prime-time sleuthing: part telescope, part tumbler, all chemistry.

Credits (1985 pilot)

• Written & Directed by Tom Konkle
• Produced by Tom Konkle and Kurtis Bedford (Mindstream Audio)
• Stephanie Dulli … Mrs. Longfellow
• Tom Konkle … Tycho Brahe
• Jude Gerard Prest … Mayor Gribbons
• Kurtis Bedford … Lt. Hassellhoff
• Jill Maglione … Darla / Barmaid
• David Beeler … Foreman Steve
• Andy Hartson-Bowyer … Narrator

(Never aired. Cult status inevitable.)

Write us we would like to hear from you

Support the show

Lumen Actus Productions, Inc.

Comedy - Faux-cumentary Podcast episode from Radio that explores the baffling, invisible world of certain radio genres. Through interviews with delusional producers, haunted technicians, and emotionally unstable tap soloists, this satirical audio documentary uncovers the lost legacy of those who danced for the ears… and sometimes against common sense. The Radio Dance Teams is a tribute to the forgotten, the footlighted, and the deeply confused. Written, Edited, and Directed by Tom Konkle

Cast (in alphabetical order):

• Kurtis Bedford as Clarence Klomper / Bobby “Big Breath” Mulligan / Big Tony Radio Announcer 3
• David Beeler as Foxtrot Radio Announcer 2 / Neville Spon
• Jude Gerard Prest as Big Tony Two Feet / Radio Critic
• Tom Konkle as Cecil Periwinkle / Various Radio Announcers / Ventriloquist and Dummy / Disenchanted Dancer
• Les Marsden as Trev Coddlington
• Jill Manglione as Doris Mabel “Mabby” Smoot-Haversham / Midge / Mabel Dobbins / Chesty
• Pete Lutz as Intro Announcer / Edgar
• Zander Schaus as Skip McDaniel
• Stephanie Stearns Dulli as Glenda / Dorothy “Dotty” Sweeney / Myrtle Finkelbaum
• Gino C. Vianelli as Lorne Cagney / Sid Gersback

Music, sound sound effects editing and post sound by Tom Konkle

Write us we would like to hear from you

Support the show

Lumen Actus Productions, Inc.

Comedy Sketch - A man enters the Economy Bookstore to complain about a book he just purchased. Written by Tom Konkle. Performed by David Beeler as the shopkeeper and Tom Konkle as the customer

Write us we would like to hear from you

Support the show

Lumen Actus Productions, Inc.

Drama Science Fiction - Prepare to plunge into a reimagined, atmospheric adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, crafted in the brooding style with cinematic flair. This is not just a journey beneath the waves—it’s a descent into the human soul. Starring Vernon Wells, Paul Eiding, Tom Konkle and David Beeler. Directed by Tom Konkle.

Join Professor Aronnax, his loyal servant Conseil, and the brash harpooner Ned Land as they are swept aboard the enigmatic Nautilus, a submarine unlike any other, captained by the brilliant yet tormented Captain Nemo. Trapped within its iron confines, they are drawn into Nemo’s obsessive quest for freedom from a corrupt world above—a quest that spirals into vengeance, tragedy, and a confrontation with the unfathomable power of the sea.

From breathtaking wonders of the deep to the haunting isolation of the abyss, this adaptation explores themes of freedom, captivity, and the price of defiance. With relentless action, vivid characters, and a chilling climax in the heart of a raging maelstrom, this is a journey that will leave you questioning: can we ever escape the weight of our own choices?"

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Tom Konkle, bidding you goodnight from the shadowy corridors of the mind, where stories are told and dreams are shaped into the sounds you’ve just heard. Tonight’s production has been a humble offering An Audio Podcast of Questionable Distinction —our attempt to bring you the extraordinary, the macabre, the moving, and the marvelous.

I wanted to do an adaption of this Jules Verne classic but honor it by having a new take on it as a moody, introspective fever dream. Audio fiction leads itself to such things and so I began this tale.

But of course, no such endeavor is truly the work of one man. For tonight’s voyage into the theater of the mind, I owe my deepest thanks to my dear and talented friends: Vernon Wells as Nemo, Tom Konkle as Professor Aronnax, David Beeler as Ned, Paul Eiding as Conseil, with Pete Lutz, Larry Groebe, Kurtis Bedford Jack Ward, and my son, Sean Konkle. Their voices have lent life to the characters that moved and breathed within this little world we built together.

As always, the writing adaption, the music, the editing, and the direction—such as it is—are mine. A pleasure, as ever, to weave the tale. But the magic is yours, dear listeners. You make these stories live, simply by hearing them.

And so, until next time, we leave you here—between the ticking seconds, the fading echoes, and the whisper of dreams yet untold.

Write us we would like to hear from you

Support the show

Lumen Actus Productions, Inc.

Dear Listeners of An Audio Podcast of Questionable Distinction,

Thank you — truly — for lending us your ears, your time, and your tolerance for exploding puddings, rogue Festivus celebrations, and the occasional Flash Gordon-related temporal anomaly.

This odd little show would be nothing without your support, your curiosity, and your willingness to follow us down whatever rabbit hole we stumble into each episode.

If you’ve enjoyed the chaos, we’d be absolutely chuffed if you’d do two very distinguished things:

1. Share a link to your favorite episode with a fellow oddball, eccentric relative, or time traveler.
2. Leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform — even a few words helps more listeners discover the questionable glory of what we do.

As always, we remain proudly low-budget, semi-coherent, and joyfully ridiculous — and it means the world that you’re along for the ride.

Wishing you joy, nonsense, and pudding (of the non-explosive variety),

Write us we would like to hear from you

Support the show

Lumen Actus Productions, Inc.

"The Reasonably Amazing Adventures of Flash Gordon" is a 10-episode comedy science fiction series produced by the Tom Konkle and Kurtis Bedford. This series on An Audio Podcast of Questionable Distinction offers a humorous take on the classic "Flash Gordon" radio serials, blending absurd comedy with science fiction elements. The narrative follows Flash Gordon, portrayed by Tom Konkle, as he navigates encounters with Hawkmen, Bluemen, and a peculiar queen, all while satirizing the original 1930s radio adventures.

The series is available on multiple podcast platforms:

Apple Podcasts: Radio Reborn

Spotify: Radio Reborn

Amazon Music: Radio Reborn

iHeartRadio: Radio Reborn

TuneIn: The Reasonably Amazing Adventures of Flash Gordon

Podcast Addict: The Reasonably Amazing Adventures of Flash

Podchaser: The Reasonably Amazing Adventures of Flash

Buzzsprout: Radio Reborn

Player FM: Mindstream Radio Reborn

Audible: Reasonably Amazing Adventures of Flash Gordon

Listeners can enjoy this series on their preferred podcast platform and on YouTube.

Write us we would like to hear from you

Support the show

Lumen Actus Productions, Inc.

Comedy - Final episode! Dr. Zarkov—previously turned into a human popsicle—finally thaws out, only mildly annoyed by the persistent pins and needles in his extremities. He and Dale promptly decide that making a quiet, dignified exit from Azura’s palace is absolutely out of the question. After all, where’s the fun in that?

Armed once more with their trusty meat-roasting electrodes (surely the greatest upgrade to any action-packed arsenal), they storm Azura’s throne room and demand she vacate the premises—or at least hand over the fancy crown. In the midst of thunderous zaps and a flurry of singed drapery, they manage to corner Flash and gently suggest that he might be under the influence of a mind-scrambling substance.

In a neat bit of role reversal, the insidious, memory-altering wine is duly administered to Azura herself, leaving her as befuddled as Flash had been. Our heroes, presumably quite pleased with themselves, gather their wits (what few remain) and prepare to ride off into the cosmic sunset.

Will there be celebratory toasts, awkward small talk about iced beverages, and a collective sigh of relief that Flash has finally regained his faculties? Possibly—after all, it’s not every day you dethrone an intergalactic queen with a meat thermometer and some well-aimed static electricity. And thus concludes another thoroughly Reasonably Amazing adventure! Directed and edited by Tom Konkle. Written and Produced by Tom Konkle and Kurtis Bedford. Starring Tom Konkle as Flash Gordon and Hawkman, Stephanie Stearns Dulli as Dale Arden, Kurtis Bedford as Announcer 1 and Ming, Gino C. Vianelli as Thune and David Beeler as Dr. Zarkov.

Music various in the public domain 1934.
Support the work it takes to make the show here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TomKonkle

If you're enjoying the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or any place you're listening, and subscribe now for future episodes.

Write us we would like to hear from you

Support the show

Lumen Actus Productions, Inc.

Comedy - Picture Dr. Zarkov and Dale, typically found bickering over cosmic equations or snappy comebacks, suddenly teaming up with an unexpected set of meat-roasting electrodes—an implement that’s half rotisserie, half lethal lightning rod—to stage a palace coup against Queen Azura.

Meanwhile, Saul (evidently thinking, “Why should Lord Magician General Saul have all the fun?”) takes a stab at ending Flash once and for all. Once again, our well-meaning hero responds with saintly forgiveness, presumably because he misplaced his vengeful streak along with his memory.

Not to be outdone in the department of socially unacceptable behavior, Flash promptly hurls an icicle bomb at Dr. Zarkov, probably under the logic that everyone enjoys a good frostbite now and then. Will they all kiss and make up over the sizzling remains of Azura’s palace décor, or is this particular meltdown too chilly for even the greatest of interstellar friendships to survive? Stay tuned for more misguided magnificence!

Directed and edited by Tom Konkle. Written and Produced by Tom Konkle and Kurtis Bedford. Starring Tom Konkle as Flash Gordon and Hawkman, Stephanie Stearns Dulli as Dale Arden, Pete Lutz as Saul, Hawkman Envoy and Guard 2, Kurtis Bedford as Announcer 1 and Ming, Gino C. Vianelli as Thune and David Beeler as Dr. Zarkov.

Music various in the public domain 1934.

Support the work it takes to make the show here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TomKonkle

Write us we would like to hear from you

Support the show

Lumen Actus Productions, Inc.