Ongoing History Daily: The weirdness of Co-Star Records

One of the strangest record labels of the late 50s and early 60s was Co-Star Records. Starting in 1958, they began releasing albums designed to appeal to wannabe actors.

A series of professionals were signed up (including Vincent Price, Cesar Romero, Fernando Lamas, and Basil Rathbone) to read one part of an audio adaptation of a play or story. The listener’s job was to fill in the missing parts of the story by following a script included with the record, thereby “performing” with a real star. There was also an attempt to sell these things through stores with a series called “The Record Acting Game.”

The concept was a failure, even after some reissues in 1977. Today, however, Co-Star albums can be quite collectible.