Ron Bottitta has narrated 3 audiobooks on Listento.it by 3 authors, with an average listener rating of 5★ across 1 ratings. The most-rated is The Real Hornblower.
The Real Hornblower
Summary
Ever since C. S. Forester's fictional hero Horatio Hornblower began to delight audiences, there has been speculation that his adventures were based on the career of a real naval officer. Several names were suggested, but the general conclusion was that Hornblower was a composite character. In this thoroughly researched book the author argues convincingly that Forester's model was Adm. James Gordon, a flesh-and-blood hero of Nelson's navy. Gordon entered the Royal Navy as a semi-literate eleven-year-old and rose to become Admiral of the Fleet. He took part in major sea battles, frigate actions, single-ship duels, and operations far behind enemy lines. It was the fire of Gordon's ships against Fort McHenry that inspired the American national anthem. When he died, after more than 75 years of service in the navy, The Times called him "the last of Nelson's captains". To support his claim, Bryan Perrett points to The Commodore and Hornblower's venture into the Baltic to harass the seaward flank of Napoleon's army during its retreat from Moscow as a remarkable parallel to Gordon's invasion up the Chesapeake in 1814 and his return down the Potomac with 21 prizes. He explains that Forester lived in the United States at the time he wrote The Commodore and fearful of offending his American readers, studiously obscured the identity of the real Hornblower. In telling the largely unknown story of Admiral Gordon's active service career, the book will be appreciated not only by the thousands of fans who have enjoyed the adventures of Hornblower, but also by those interested in the naval warfare of the Napoleonic period. Listeners who enjoy biography will find that they have the added bonus of an absorbing literary and historical detective story.
©2014 Bryan Perrett First published 2013 Pen & Sword Books Limited (P)2014 Audible Inc.
I Love Lucy
Summary
The onscreen pairing of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz is at the heart of one of the most popular TV shows in history. Who would have thought that to get on the air, they had to battle both a network and a sponsor who thought the show couldn't possibly succeed? Playwright Gregg Oppenheimer - son of I Love Lucy’s creator Jess Oppenheimer - spins the hilarious true story behind America’s beloved TV comedy. Directed by Michael Hackett. Includes an interview with playwright Gregg Oppenheimer. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast production, starring (in alphabetical order): Ron Bottitta as William S. Paley, William Frawley, and others; Seamus Dever as Jess Oppenheimer; Sarah Drew as Lucille Ball; Abigail Marks as Vivian Vance, Betty Garrett, and others; Matthew Floyd Miller as Don Sharpe, Bob LeMond, and others; Rob Nagle as Hubbell Robinson and others; Oscar Nunez as Desi Arnaz; and Nick Toren as Harry Ackerman. Music performed by Doug Walter. The I Love Lucy theme song used with permission of MPL Music Publishing and Songwriters Guild of America. Original music by Doug Walter. Sound Effects Artist, Aaron Lyons. Production Manager, Rick V. Moreno. Script Supervisor, Nikki Hyde. Senior Radio Producer, Ronn Lipkin. Associate Artistic Director, Anna Lyse Erikson. Editor, Mitchell Lindskoog. Recording Engineer, Sound Designer, and Mixer, Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood Recorded before an audience at UCLA's James Bridges Theater.
©2018 Gregg Oppenheimer (P)2018 L.A. Theatre Works
Sisters Matsumoto
Summary
After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the US government sent thousands of Japanese American citizens to detention camps. In 1945, three Japanese-American sisters return to their farm in Stockton, California, after years in an internment camp, but the once prosperous family finds it’s not easy to pick up the pieces of their former lives. As the details of their deceased father’s final arrangements emerge, the sisters must work together to keep their dreams alive. This recording is sponsored in part by California Civil Liberties Program from the California State Library. Includes a conversation with actor George Takei, playwright Philip Kan Gotanda, and director Tim Dang. Directed by Tim Dang. An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring: Keiko Agena as Rose Matsumoto June Angela as Grace Matsumoto Ron Bottitta as Mr. Hersham Kurt Kanazawa as Henry Suzy Nakamura as Chiz Matsumoto Greg Watanabe as Bola Ryun Yu as Hideo Sound Effects Artist, Jeff Gardner. Script Supervisor, Daniel Trostler. Production Manager, Nikki Hyde. Music Supervisor, Ronn Lipkin. Associate Artistic Director, Anna Lyse Erikson, Editor, Mitchell Lindskoog. Recording Engineer, Sound Designer and Mixer, Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood. Recorded in Los Angeles before a live audience at The James Bridges Theater, UCLA, in November of 2018.
©2019 L.A. Theatre Works (P)2019 L.A. Theatre Works