The End of an Era: Jim French Productions Closes Shop

Painting of Jim French 

On March 31, the offices of Jim French Productions/Imagination Theatre formally closed its doors, bringing to an end a nearly four-decade-long run of producing, writing, directing and airing original recorded radio dramas. Starting in 1980 with KIRO-AM’s Mystery Playhouse, and later branching out into independent syndication with Jim French’s Imagination Theatre broadcast on over 120 stations in the United States and Canada, Jim and his troupe of stalwart players (including many Seattle Local members, in addition to numerous Hollywood celebrities), kept alive the nearly extinct art of the radio drama.  

Although he showed an interest in radio from an early age and worked in the industry for several years prior to arriving in the Pacific Northwest, his local career started in 1952 at KING-AM, moving to KIRO in 1959, and later to KVI-AM, where he first started producing dramatic radio programs under the Imagination Theatre banner. In 1995, he formed his own independent production company and thereafter devoted himself full-time to producing and distributing programs both on terrestrial radio and the burgeoning platform of satellite radio. He also packaged programs such as The Adventures of Harry Nile, Raffles, The Gentleman Thief, Hillary Caine Mysteries and, most significantly, the entire canon of Sherlock Holmes stories originally penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for direct mail-order and, later, online distribution. By the end of its nearly 20-year run, JFP had created more than 800 original programs for broadcast.

But, as they say, “all good things …” With the recent passing of his beloved wife of 66 years and “partner in crime” Pat, and his own declining health, Jim has elected to hang up the microphone on an illustrious career spanning three-quarters of a century. At the final live recording session held at the Kirkland Performance Center in late January, the SAG-AFTRA Seattle Local presented Jim with a special award commemorating his extensive contributions to the field of local radio broadcasting. In addition, an original watercolor work by former Seattle AFTRA Executive Director John Sandifer, Jim Behind the Mic, holds a place of honor here in the Seattle Local office.  

To Jim, the Imagination Theatre staff, performers and fans we say, thank you for your many years of creating and supporting independent, original, locally produced radio dramas. We’ll miss Harry, Murphy, Holmes, Watson, Kincaid, Hillary, Raffles and so many other memorable characters you brought to life and to the air.

This item was originally featured in the April 2017 local newsletter.