THE WEIRD CIRCLERestless Sea

Program Guide by Karl Schadow

Literary works by such luminaries as Edgar Allan Poe, Wilkie Collins and Guy de Maupassant have entertained generations in their original form on the printed page. Many of these classics of mystery, horror and fantasy have been adapted successfully for stage, film and television. Radio also played a major role in bringing these tales to life. For example, the 1938 Mercury Theatre production of the H. G. Wells novel War of The Worlds is often cited as one of the outstanding achievements in broadcasting. There were numerous programs dedicated to such works, each bearing an appropriate title. Both The World’s Greatest Short Stories and The World’s Great Novels explored various genres. These live programs were also accompanied by transcribed series, such as Radio Theatre of Famous Classics (Kermit-Raymond Corp.). Another member in this latter category was The Weird Circle, packaged by the Radio-Recording Division of NBC

(NBCRRD) at its New York City studios. (The program was not, as many sources cite incorrectly, a Frederick Ziv production.)

This program’s initial announce-ment, in May of 1943, stated the availability of twenty-six episodes to accommodate half-hour slots. It joined several other transcribed, syndicated series in NBC’s “network within a net-work,” including both dramatic and musical endeavors. Poli-cies were still in place at both NBC and CBS mandating that network programs were to be broadcast as live productions. This was to alleviate the per-

CD 8A: “The Thing in the Tunnel” - 1944(Program # 66)This episode, adapted from Charles Dickens’ (right) 1866 story “The Signal Man,” includes performances by James Van Dyk, Walter Vaughn and Alan Devitt.

CD 8B: “The Pistol Shot” - 1944 (Program # 68)Arnold Moss, Walter Vaughn, Inge Adams, Edwin Jerome, Elizabeth Morgan, and Richard Morgan are heard in this Prosper Mérimée translation of Alexander Pushkin’s 1831 work.

Acknowledgements: The author thanks David Grabarek and Jerry Haendiges for their invaluable assistance.

If you enjoyed this CD set, we recommendThe Weird CIrcle: Toll the Bell,

available now at www.RadioSpirits.com.

www.RadioSpirits.comPO Box 1315, Little Falls, NJ 07424

© 2017 RSPT LLC. All rights reserved. For home use only. Unauthorized distribution is prohibited.

Program guide © 2017 Karl Schadow and RSPT LLC. All rights reserved.

47652

Charles Dickens wrote "The Trail for Murder" and "The Signal Man"

(from which "The Thing in the Tunnel"was adapted).

2 7

ceived inferior quality, and general stigma, often associated with pre-recorded shows. Alex Russo documents the early days of the NBCRRD in his book Points on the Dial: Golden Age Radio Beyond the Networks. When it was first orga-nized as the Electrical Transcription Service in 1934, there existed a great debate among NBC executives as to the proposed venture’s worth. However, it soon be-came apparent that it was fulfilling a need for many local stations, providing pro-gramming which could also be most profitable for the network. The Division was administered by Vice-President C. Lloyd Egner, who oversaw a staff of some 200 employees functioning in similar jobs to their ‘live’ network counterparts.

Production of The Weird Circle was originally supervised by Oscar Turner, with scripts adapted by Peggy Mayer. She stated in a 1943 press release that the series enabled her to achieve a lifelong goal: “to bring enduring works by masters of literature to radio.” She also co-directed this initial block of episodes with Morris Hamilton. Her radio career commenced as an actress in Chicago. She then moved to New York and acquired a job as a radio director’s secretary. Mayer turned script writer at age 24, becoming the youngest authoress of a network daytime serial (The Story of Bess Johnson). The Weird Circle was auditioned for the press, as well as the radio and advertising industry, on June 10, 1943 with Poe's "The Fall of The House of Usher."

Although Variety (June 23, 1943) reported that the Longines-Wittnauer Watch Co. was the first advertiser to pick up the series for distribution in the U.S., no further information has been discovered regarding this particular endeavor. The series was, however, contracted by many local sponsors. The first was Peter Hand Brewery Co. of Chicago, whose product endorsements were heard each Thursday night at 9:30 pm via WGN, starting on July 8th. (Though WGN was a

key station of the Mutual network, The Weird Circle was not aired as a program of that network). In New York, The Weird Circle was bankrolled by Howard Clothes, Inc., airing at 6:00 pm Sunday nights on the independent WNEW. In Los Angeles, listeners tuned in to KECA (the Blue Network affiliate) on Thursdays at 7:30 pm for episodes sponsored by Sanford Laboratories.

In addition to the trio of authors cited in the opening paragraph, the first twenty-six episodes included the works of Fitz-James O’Brien, Nathaniel Hawthorne (left) and Marian Evans (using the pen name George

CD 3B: “Frankenstein” - 1943 (Program # 26)This 1818 classic by Mary Shelley features Chester Stratton, James Van Dyk and Richard Saunders.

CD 4A: “The Spectre of Tappington” - 1944 (Program # 29)Richard Harris Barham’s 1840 ghost story is performed by John Moore, Michael Fitzmaurice, Elizabeth Morgan, and Alfred Shirley.

CD 4B: “The Cask of Amontillado” - 1944 (Program # 33)The thespians in Poe’s 1846 tale of revenge include Norman Lloyd and Bernard Lenrow.

CD 5A: “Falkland” - 1944 (Program # 35)Arnold Moss and Edwin Jerome head the cast in this 1827 story by Edward Bulwer-Lytton (below).

CD 5B: “The Trail for Murder” - 1944 (Program # 36)This 1865 tale of the supernatural crafted by Charles Dickens features James Van Dyk, Kay Loring and Humphrey Davis.

CD 6A: “The Phantom Picture” - 1944 (Program # 41)Carl Frank, Alan Devitt, Carl Eastman, and Inge Adams are heard in this spine-chiller, which was adapted from an early nineteenth century story by Washington Irving.

CD 6B: “The Burial of Roger Malvin” - 1944 (Program # 47)This Nathaniel Hawthorne yarn, penned in 1832, features Stacy Harris and Inge Adams.

CD 7A: “The Fatal Love Potion” - 1944(Program # 48)Michael Fitzmaurice and Ted de Corsia star in this Edward Bulwer-Lytton tale from 1834, transformed from “The Last Days of Pompei.”

CD 7B: “The Spectre Bride” - 1944(Program # 60)Elizabeth Eustis, Lesley Woods, Michael Fitzmaurice, and Edwin Jerome are heard in William Harrison Ainsworth’s unearthly narrative from 1822.Nathaniel Hawthorne (Portrait by

Charles Osgood)Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote "Falkland"

and "The Fatal Love Potion"

6 3

was the immediate successor to the former series), he created patterns for daytime serials (Stella Dallas) and juvenile adventures (Terry & The Pirates). Formulating sounds of a different nature was Donald Bain, who garnered a reputation for being able to "imitate everything from a mosquito to an elephant." Bain’s avocation initially blossomed during World War I, becoming a morale booster for fellow troops. He enjoyed an extensive career in vaudeville and radio, on Broadway, in Hollywood, and later on television. In this collection, listen for his renditions of a wide array of beasts. The Weird Circle continued to be offered throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s by NBC’s parent company RCA.

Episode Guide:(Note: Episodes were assigned individual program numbers in a continuous sequence regardless of the year or block in which they were recorded.)

CD 1A: “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym” - 1943 (Program # 4)This Edgar Allan Poe tale, penned in 1838, features Carl Frank, Santos Ortega, Irving Goldwater, Earl George, Ted de Corsia, and Roc Rogers.

CD 1B: “A Terribly Strange Bed” - 1943 (Program # 6)Chester Stratton, Dwight Weist (below), Julie Stevens, Roc Rogers, and Carl Eastman star in this Wilkie Collins yarn from 1852.

CD 2A: “The Horla” - 1943 (Program # 9)Guy de Maupassant’s 1886 thriller is brought to life by Julie Stevens, James Van Dyk, Santos Ortega, Ted de Corsia, and Cameron Andrews.

CD 2B: “The Lifted Veil” - 1943 (Program # 20)Carl Frank, Dwight Weist and Richard Gordon are heard in this story, which was written by Marian Evans (better known as George Eliot) in 1859.

CD 3A: “A Terrible Night” - 1943 (Program # 22)This Fitz-James O’Brien tale, penned in 1856, features Michael Fitzmaurice, Lesley Woods, Arnold Moss, and Will Geer.

Eliot). (These are all featured in this collection). The initial set of 26 episodes was so highly lauded that another cycle of thirteen was produced. The creation of additional blocks continued during 1944 and, by the start of 1945, there were a total 78 episodes. Stations and sponsors continued to purchase the program. In 1945, station KWK in St. Louis inaugurated a ‘Mystery of the Month’ slot, in which listeners were presented with episodes of the same series each weekday night (at the same time) over a four week period. The station scheduled The Weird Circle for September at 10 pm. NBCRRD continued to offer The Weird Circle throughout the 1940s.

In 1949, Frigidaire (then a General Motors subsidiary) invited its local appliance dealers to engage in a joint advertising plan. They offered a 50% partnership in bankrolling one of twenty-four different radio series from four different packagers, including The Weird Circle. An interesting example of the way this collaboration worked can be found in the participation of Collins & Magill of Troy, New York. The program was broadcast at the unusual hour of 1 pm on Friday’s via station WABY. (After all, the one family member who might be listening at that time of day would also be the person who had the most interest in a new refrigerator.) A similar venture was profiled in a 1945 issue of Cooperative Digest, in which the Harmony Valley Creamery Association of San Luis Obispo, California interacted with its member dairy farmers to promote the interests of the industry and to increase enrollment. The program was broadcast via the local KVEC on a weekly basis at assorted times and on various days.

The local flavor of The Weird Circle invited critique of the program by the radio editors at city newspapers. In assessing the program's competition in The Windy City, Paul K. Damai (The Times, Munster, Indiana, January 26, 1944) rated the quality of the show about equal with that of two network programs: Nero Wolfe (Blue, WENR) and Stage Door Canteen (CBS, WBBM). In the Wednesday, August 28, 1946 edition of Oregon’s Roseberg News-Review, the columnist of the KRNR DIAL-LOG wrote: “Spotlight Bands, Cisco Kid, Main Line, [all three Mutual/Don Lee Network series] and The Weird Circle are your high spots for tonight’s listening. The Weird Circle draws the top recommendation in spite of the comparative lateness of the hour [10:30 pm]...The stories are classics and Dwight Weist is heard in "A Terribly Strange Bed" and

"The Lifted Veil"

4 5

profile in The Billboard (December 18, 1943) surveying this market indicated that the NBCRRD would pay between $100 - $150 per script. This was about average for network productions. Naturally, programs that were packaged by advertising agencies would pay more (up to $250) for an original script. Among the series offering top dollar were Theatre of Today and Mollé Mystery Theatre. The Billboard article stated that these prices were still reflecting the lower pre-war commissions. One freelance scripter who contributed to The Weird Circle later wrote a “How To” piece in The Writer (December 1951). His first bit of advice to the novice who wished to enter radio was to reap the benefits of joining the Radio Writers Guild (RWG). Indeed, it was a 1945 RWG Bulletin that revealed Alfred Bester as a wordsmith of The Weird Circle, though it us unknown which individual stories he adapted. His radio ventures, which followed work in comics, commenced with The Return of Nick Carter and Charlie Chan. He also contributed to The Shadow, Harvest of Stars and many others before moving into television. He later wrote some of the most hailed novels of the science fiction genre: The Demolished Man and The Stars My Destination.

As was the policy of many transcribed series, there were no on air credits for The Weird Circle. A promotional piece in Radio Daily (May 19, 1944), stated that 119 different actors/actresses had been cast during the first thirty-nine episodes. Kudos to the NBCRRD production staff for providing this opportunity to so many performers. Those AFRA-ites identified to date are listed in this booklet’s Episode Guide. James Van Dyk and Julie Stevens were among the established thespians heard on the show, while Irving Goldwater and others were relative newcomers to radio in 1943. Of special note is Norman Lloyd (below), whose impressive career continues to this day. He is well-known from the Hitchcock films Saboteur and Spellbound, in addition to the 1980s television series St. Elsewhere. The deep-voiced announcer heard in the opening and closing segments, and who also articulated various character roles, was Robert Anthony Dean (pseudonym of actor/announcer Ted Jewett). He also served in the same capacity for another NBCRRD dramatic series, Your Playhouse of Favorites, which debuted in 1945. One of soundmen on The Weird Circle was F. Tilden Brown, whose career at NBC commenced at the network’s Guest Relations Department in 1934. He climbed the ladder from page to tour guide, and then became a member of the setup staff prior to his promotion to Sound Effects in 1937. In addition to The Weird Circle and The Haunting Hour (which

they’re bloodcurdling enough to suit the most rabid fan.” However, Van Hemert -- the columnist’s counterpart at the Herald & News in Klamath Falls (also in Oregon) -- emphasized that the series was “easily as bad as Lights Out” and predicted that “the Weird Circle will some day be widely known as very inferior entertainment.” However, no details were offered in support of this opinion. An ecstatic follow-up column (August 15, 1947) reported: “It gives me very great pleasure that ‘The Weird Circle’ Thursday night KFJI thriller will give way to a new program ‘Ports of Call.’” Readers were also informed that The Weird Circle had just completed a 52-episode run. This termination was probably determined by the contract negotiated during the previous year and not the scathing review. One wonders about the nature of Van Hemert’s reaction when the series returned to KFJI for a second round in 1956? Obviously, that editor was no John Crosby, who praised the quality of the transcription business in his newspaper column (New York Herald Tribune, June 16, 1947). Though he did not mention The Weird Circle by name, the medium’s most acclaimed pundit cited the various program types (including mystery) in which NBC was involved in its syndicated offerings. Moreover, Crosby acknowledged the critical role recorded programs played in providing avenues for local advertisers.

Throughout radio’s Golden Age, there were the periodic (though largely unfounded) complaints by various organizations that the medium’s horror and mystery programs were contributing to the detriment of juveniles. In the U. S., The Weird Circle was rarely considered one of the guilty parties. Interestingly, however, the show was included in a December 1944 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation report recommending that stations not renew contracts for such programs. Not surprisingly, this generated extensive coverage in trade publications in both the U.S. and Canada. The Weird Circle was extremely popular in Canada, with Imperial Tobacco Company of Canada, Ltd. sponsoring the program on some 40 stations (including CJAD in Montreal). In 1944, The Montreal Kiwanis Club included The Weird Circle on its list of questionable programs, along with The Shadow, Dick Tracy and The Green Hornet, among others. Though there was much discussion of the matter, Canadian stations continued to broadcast these programs.

The 1944 and 1945 episodes of The Weird Circle were directed by Bert Wood. Some of these scripts were written by Jack Barefield, a member of the NBCRRD continuity staff. He contributed to both dramatic (Five Minute Mysteries) and music (Three Suns & A Starlet) programs for NBC. Upon departing the network, he pursued an academic career, published several plays and created San Diego's Vantage Theatre. The series was also open to submissions from freelancers. A

Norman Lloyd is heard in"The Cask of Amontillado."

4 5

profile in The Billboard (December 18, 1943) surveying this market indicated that the NBCRRD would pay between $100 - $150 per script. This was about average for network productions. Naturally, programs that were packaged by advertising agencies would pay more (up to $250) for an original script. Among the series offering top dollar were Theatre of Today and Mollé Mystery Theatre. The Billboard article stated that these prices were still reflecting the lower pre-war commissions. One freelance scripter who contributed to The Weird Circle later wrote a “How To” piece in The Writer (December 1951). His first bit of advice to the novice who wished to enter radio was to reap the benefits of joining the Radio Writers Guild (RWG). Indeed, it was a 1945 RWG Bulletin that revealed Alfred Bester as a wordsmith of The Weird Circle, though it us unknown which individual stories he adapted. His radio ventures, which followed work in comics, commenced with The Return of Nick Carter and Charlie Chan. He also contributed to The Shadow, Harvest of Stars and many others before moving into television. He later wrote some of the most hailed novels of the science fiction genre: The Demolished Man and The Stars My Destination.

As was the policy of many transcribed series, there were no on air credits for The Weird Circle. A promotional piece in Radio Daily (May 19, 1944), stated that 119 different actors/actresses had been cast during the first thirty-nine episodes. Kudos to the NBCRRD production staff for providing this opportunity to so many performers. Those AFRA-ites identified to date are listed in this booklet’s Episode Guide. James Van Dyk and Julie Stevens were among the established thespians heard on the show, while Irving Goldwater and others were relative newcomers to radio in 1943. Of special note is Norman Lloyd (below), whose impressive career continues to this day. He is well-known from the Hitchcock films Saboteur and Spellbound, in addition to the 1980s television series St. Elsewhere. The deep-voiced announcer heard in the opening and closing segments, and who also articulated various character roles, was Robert Anthony Dean (pseudonym of actor/announcer Ted Jewett). He also served in the same capacity for another NBCRRD dramatic series, Your Playhouse of Favorites, which debuted in 1945. One of soundmen on The Weird Circle was F. Tilden Brown, whose career at NBC commenced at the network’s Guest Relations Department in 1934. He climbed the ladder from page to tour guide, and then became a member of the setup staff prior to his promotion to Sound Effects in 1937. In addition to The Weird Circle and The Haunting Hour (which

they’re bloodcurdling enough to suit the most rabid fan.” However, Van Hemert -- the columnist’s counterpart at the Herald & News in Klamath Falls (also in Oregon) -- emphasized that the series was “easily as bad as Lights Out” and predicted that “the Weird Circle will some day be widely known as very inferior entertainment.” However, no details were offered in support of this opinion. An ecstatic follow-up column (August 15, 1947) reported: “It gives me very great pleasure that ‘The Weird Circle’ Thursday night KFJI thriller will give way to a new program ‘Ports of Call.’” Readers were also informed that The Weird Circle had just completed a 52-episode run. This termination was probably determined by the contract negotiated during the previous year and not the scathing review. One wonders about the nature of Van Hemert’s reaction when the series returned to KFJI for a second round in 1956? Obviously, that editor was no John Crosby, who praised the quality of the transcription business in his newspaper column (New York Herald Tribune, June 16, 1947). Though he did not mention The Weird Circle by name, the medium’s most acclaimed pundit cited the various program types (including mystery) in which NBC was involved in its syndicated offerings. Moreover, Crosby acknowledged the critical role recorded programs played in providing avenues for local advertisers.

Throughout radio’s Golden Age, there were the periodic (though largely unfounded) complaints by various organizations that the medium’s horror and mystery programs were contributing to the detriment of juveniles. In the U. S., The Weird Circle was rarely considered one of the guilty parties. Interestingly, however, the show was included in a December 1944 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation report recommending that stations not renew contracts for such programs. Not surprisingly, this generated extensive coverage in trade publications in both the U.S. and Canada. The Weird Circle was extremely popular in Canada, with Imperial Tobacco Company of Canada, Ltd. sponsoring the program on some 40 stations (including CJAD in Montreal). In 1944, The Montreal Kiwanis Club included The Weird Circle on its list of questionable programs, along with The Shadow, Dick Tracy and The Green Hornet, among others. Though there was much discussion of the matter, Canadian stations continued to broadcast these programs.

The 1944 and 1945 episodes of The Weird Circle were directed by Bert Wood. Some of these scripts were written by Jack Barefield, a member of the NBCRRD continuity staff. He contributed to both dramatic (Five Minute Mysteries) and music (Three Suns & A Starlet) programs for NBC. Upon departing the network, he pursued an academic career, published several plays and created San Diego's Vantage Theatre. The series was also open to submissions from freelancers. A

Norman Lloyd is heard in"The Cask of Amontillado."

6 3

was the immediate successor to the former series), he created patterns for daytime serials (Stella Dallas) and juvenile adventures (Terry & The Pirates). Formulating sounds of a different nature was Donald Bain, who garnered a reputation for being able to "imitate everything from a mosquito to an elephant." Bain’s avocation initially blossomed during World War I, becoming a morale booster for fellow troops. He enjoyed an extensive career in vaudeville and radio, on Broadway, in Hollywood, and later on television. In this collection, listen for his renditions of a wide array of beasts. The Weird Circle continued to be offered throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s by NBC’s parent company RCA.

Episode Guide:(Note: Episodes were assigned individual program numbers in a continuous sequence regardless of the year or block in which they were recorded.)

CD 1A: “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym” - 1943 (Program # 4)This Edgar Allan Poe tale, penned in 1838, features Carl Frank, Santos Ortega, Irving Goldwater, Earl George, Ted de Corsia, and Roc Rogers.

CD 1B: “A Terribly Strange Bed” - 1943 (Program # 6)Chester Stratton, Dwight Weist (below), Julie Stevens, Roc Rogers, and Carl Eastman star in this Wilkie Collins yarn from 1852.

CD 2A: “The Horla” - 1943 (Program # 9)Guy de Maupassant’s 1886 thriller is brought to life by Julie Stevens, James Van Dyk, Santos Ortega, Ted de Corsia, and Cameron Andrews.

CD 2B: “The Lifted Veil” - 1943 (Program # 20)Carl Frank, Dwight Weist and Richard Gordon are heard in this story, which was written by Marian Evans (better known as George Eliot) in 1859.

CD 3A: “A Terrible Night” - 1943 (Program # 22)This Fitz-James O’Brien tale, penned in 1856, features Michael Fitzmaurice, Lesley Woods, Arnold Moss, and Will Geer.

Eliot). (These are all featured in this collection). The initial set of 26 episodes was so highly lauded that another cycle of thirteen was produced. The creation of additional blocks continued during 1944 and, by the start of 1945, there were a total 78 episodes. Stations and sponsors continued to purchase the program. In 1945, station KWK in St. Louis inaugurated a ‘Mystery of the Month’ slot, in which listeners were presented with episodes of the same series each weekday night (at the same time) over a four week period. The station scheduled The Weird Circle for September at 10 pm. NBCRRD continued to offer The Weird Circle throughout the 1940s.

In 1949, Frigidaire (then a General Motors subsidiary) invited its local appliance dealers to engage in a joint advertising plan. They offered a 50% partnership in bankrolling one of twenty-four different radio series from four different packagers, including The Weird Circle. An interesting example of the way this collaboration worked can be found in the participation of Collins & Magill of Troy, New York. The program was broadcast at the unusual hour of 1 pm on Friday’s via station WABY. (After all, the one family member who might be listening at that time of day would also be the person who had the most interest in a new refrigerator.) A similar venture was profiled in a 1945 issue of Cooperative Digest, in which the Harmony Valley Creamery Association of San Luis Obispo, California interacted with its member dairy farmers to promote the interests of the industry and to increase enrollment. The program was broadcast via the local KVEC on a weekly basis at assorted times and on various days.

The local flavor of The Weird Circle invited critique of the program by the radio editors at city newspapers. In assessing the program's competition in The Windy City, Paul K. Damai (The Times, Munster, Indiana, January 26, 1944) rated the quality of the show about equal with that of two network programs: Nero Wolfe (Blue, WENR) and Stage Door Canteen (CBS, WBBM). In the Wednesday, August 28, 1946 edition of Oregon’s Roseberg News-Review, the columnist of the KRNR DIAL-LOG wrote: “Spotlight Bands, Cisco Kid, Main Line, [all three Mutual/Don Lee Network series] and The Weird Circle are your high spots for tonight’s listening. The Weird Circle draws the top recommendation in spite of the comparative lateness of the hour [10:30 pm]...The stories are classics and Dwight Weist is heard in "A Terribly Strange Bed" and

"The Lifted Veil"

2 7

ceived inferior quality, and general stigma, often associated with pre-recorded shows. Alex Russo documents the early days of the NBCRRD in his book Points on the Dial: Golden Age Radio Beyond the Networks. When it was first orga-nized as the Electrical Transcription Service in 1934, there existed a great debate among NBC executives as to the proposed venture’s worth. However, it soon be-came apparent that it was fulfilling a need for many local stations, providing pro-gramming which could also be most profitable for the network. The Division was administered by Vice-President C. Lloyd Egner, who oversaw a staff of some 200 employees functioning in similar jobs to their ‘live’ network counterparts.

Production of The Weird Circle was originally supervised by Oscar Turner, with scripts adapted by Peggy Mayer. She stated in a 1943 press release that the series enabled her to achieve a lifelong goal: “to bring enduring works by masters of literature to radio.” She also co-directed this initial block of episodes with Morris Hamilton. Her radio career commenced as an actress in Chicago. She then moved to New York and acquired a job as a radio director’s secretary. Mayer turned script writer at age 24, becoming the youngest authoress of a network daytime serial (The Story of Bess Johnson). The Weird Circle was auditioned for the press, as well as the radio and advertising industry, on June 10, 1943 with Poe's "The Fall of The House of Usher."

Although Variety (June 23, 1943) reported that the Longines-Wittnauer Watch Co. was the first advertiser to pick up the series for distribution in the U.S., no further information has been discovered regarding this particular endeavor. The series was, however, contracted by many local sponsors. The first was Peter Hand Brewery Co. of Chicago, whose product endorsements were heard each Thursday night at 9:30 pm via WGN, starting on July 8th. (Though WGN was a

key station of the Mutual network, The Weird Circle was not aired as a program of that network). In New York, The Weird Circle was bankrolled by Howard Clothes, Inc., airing at 6:00 pm Sunday nights on the independent WNEW. In Los Angeles, listeners tuned in to KECA (the Blue Network affiliate) on Thursdays at 7:30 pm for episodes sponsored by Sanford Laboratories.

In addition to the trio of authors cited in the opening paragraph, the first twenty-six episodes included the works of Fitz-James O’Brien, Nathaniel Hawthorne (left) and Marian Evans (using the pen name George

CD 3B: “Frankenstein” - 1943 (Program # 26)This 1818 classic by Mary Shelley features Chester Stratton, James Van Dyk and Richard Saunders.

CD 4A: “The Spectre of Tappington” - 1944 (Program # 29)Richard Harris Barham’s 1840 ghost story is performed by John Moore, Michael Fitzmaurice, Elizabeth Morgan, and Alfred Shirley.

CD 4B: “The Cask of Amontillado” - 1944 (Program # 33)The thespians in Poe’s 1846 tale of revenge include Norman Lloyd and Bernard Lenrow.

CD 5A: “Falkland” - 1944 (Program # 35)Arnold Moss and Edwin Jerome head the cast in this 1827 story by Edward Bulwer-Lytton (below).

CD 5B: “The Trail for Murder” - 1944 (Program # 36)This 1865 tale of the supernatural crafted by Charles Dickens features James Van Dyk, Kay Loring and Humphrey Davis.

CD 6A: “The Phantom Picture” - 1944 (Program # 41)Carl Frank, Alan Devitt, Carl Eastman, and Inge Adams are heard in this spine-chiller, which was adapted from an early nineteenth century story by Washington Irving.

CD 6B: “The Burial of Roger Malvin” - 1944 (Program # 47)This Nathaniel Hawthorne yarn, penned in 1832, features Stacy Harris and Inge Adams.

CD 7A: “The Fatal Love Potion” - 1944(Program # 48)Michael Fitzmaurice and Ted de Corsia star in this Edward Bulwer-Lytton tale from 1834, transformed from “The Last Days of Pompei.”

CD 7B: “The Spectre Bride” - 1944(Program # 60)Elizabeth Eustis, Lesley Woods, Michael Fitzmaurice, and Edwin Jerome are heard in William Harrison Ainsworth’s unearthly narrative from 1822.Nathaniel Hawthorne (Portrait by

Charles Osgood)Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote "Falkland"

and "The Fatal Love Potion"

THE WEIRD CIRCLERestless Sea

Program Guide by Karl Schadow

Literary works by such luminaries as Edgar Allan Poe, Wilkie Collins and Guy de Maupassant have entertained generations in their original form on the printed page. Many of these classics of mystery, horror and fantasy have been adapted successfully for stage, film and television. Radio also played a major role in bringing these tales to life. For example, the 1938 Mercury Theatre production of the H. G. Wells novel War of The Worlds is often cited as one of the outstanding achievements in broadcasting. There were numerous programs dedicated to such works, each bearing an appropriate title. Both The World’s Greatest Short Stories and The World’s Great Novels explored various genres. These live programs were also accompanied by transcribed series, such as Radio Theatre of Famous Classics (Kermit-Raymond Corp.). Another member in this latter category was The Weird Circle, packaged by the Radio-Recording Division of NBC

(NBCRRD) at its New York City studios. (The program was not, as many sources cite incorrectly, a Frederick Ziv production.)

This program’s initial announce-ment, in May of 1943, stated the availability of twenty-six episodes to accommodate half-hour slots. It joined several other transcribed, syndicated series in NBC’s “network within a net-work,” including both dramatic and musical endeavors. Poli-cies were still in place at both NBC and CBS mandating that network programs were to be broadcast as live productions. This was to alleviate the per-

CD 8A: “The Thing in the Tunnel” - 1944(Program # 66)This episode, adapted from Charles Dickens’ (right) 1866 story “The Signal Man,” includes performances by James Van Dyk, Walter Vaughn and Alan Devitt.

CD 8B: “The Pistol Shot” - 1944 (Program # 68)Arnold Moss, Walter Vaughn, Inge Adams, Edwin Jerome, Elizabeth Morgan, and Richard Morgan are heard in this Prosper Mérimée translation of Alexander Pushkin’s 1831 work.

Acknowledgements: The author thanks David Grabarek and Jerry Haendiges for their invaluable assistance.

If you enjoyed this CD set, we recommendThe Weird CIrcle: Toll the Bell,

available now at www.RadioSpirits.com.

www.RadioSpirits.comPO Box 1315, Little Falls, NJ 07424

© 2017 RSPT LLC. All rights reserved. For home use only. Unauthorized distribution is prohibited.

Program guide © 2017 Karl Schadow and RSPT LLC. All rights reserved.

47652

Charles Dickens wrote "The Trail for Murder" and "The Signal Man"

(from which "The Thing in the Tunnel"was adapted).