T H E W E I R D C I R C L E
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1943 - 1947
First Show: Nov ??, 1943 Last Show: Oct 6, 1947
Number Shows: 78 Audition Show: not known
Series Description:
THE WEIRD CIRCLE was a syndicated series that was heard on Mutual
stations November, 1943 through October, 1947 and very briefly in
September/October of 1947 on ABC.
THE WEIRD CIRCLE presented 30 minute tales of horror, frequently
inspired by classic horror or ghost stories, frequently done by
French authors. It opened with the sound of the surf and the chant-
like opening, "In this cave by the restless sea, we are met to call
from out of past, stories strange and weird. Bell keeper, toll the
bell, so that all may know that we are gathered again in the Weird
Circle".
Log Comments:
Although many catalogs showed episode numbers, none listed broadcast
dates, so this field is not used. Gordon Payton's catalog listed one
show that didn't match other catalogs. It is listed after the last
show.
Chronological Log:
Num Title Author
--- ----------------------------------- ---------------------------
1 "The Fall Of The House Of Usher" Edgar Allen Poe
2 "The House And The Brain" Lord Lytton
3 "The Vendetta"
4 "Narrative Of Arthur. Gordon Pym" Edgar A. Poe
5 "Declared Insane"
6 "A Terribly Strange Bed" Wilkie Collins
7 "What Was It" Fitz-James O'Brien
8 "The Knightsbridge Mystery"
9 "The Horla" Guy de Maupassant
10 "William Wilson" Edgar A. Poe
11 "Passion In The Desert" Honore de Balzac
12 "Matteo Falcone" Prosper Merimee
13 "The Man Without A Country"
14 "Dr. Mannettie's Manuscript"
15 "The Great Plague"
16 "Expectations Of An Heir"
17 "The Hand"
18 "Jane Eyre" Charlotte Bronte
19 "The Murders In The Rue Morgue" Edgar Allen Poe
20 "The Lifted Veil" George Eliot
21 "The 4:15 Express" Amelia Edwards
22 "A Terrible Night"
23 "The Tell-Tale Heart" Edgar Allen Poe
24 "The Niche Of Doom"
25 "The Heart Of Ethan Brand" Nathanial Hawthorne
based on "Ethan Brand"
26 "Frankenstein" Mary Shelley
27 "The Feast Of The Red Gauntlet"
28 "The Murder Of The Little Pig"
29 "The Spectre Of Tappington" Richard Barham
from 'The Ingoldsby Legends'
30 "The Strange Judgment"
31 "Wuthering Heights" Emily Bronte
32 "The Curse Of The Mantle"
33 "The Cask Of Amontillado" Edgar Allen Poe
34 "The Rope Of Hair" Guy de Maupassant
Based on the story "Apparition"
35 "Falkland" Edward George Bulwer-Lytton
36 "The Trial For Murder" Charles Dickens
37 "The Werewolf" Frederick Marryat
38 "The Old Nurse's Story" Elizabeth Gaskell
The announcer calls it "The Old
Nurse's Tale", the host calls
it "The Old Nurse's Story".
39 "The Middle Toe Of The Right Foot" Ambrose Bierce
40 "The Dream Woman" Wilkie Collins
41 "The Phantom Picture"
42 "The Ghost's Touch" Wilkie Collins
43 "The Bell Tower" Herman Melville
44 "The Evil Eye" Theophile Gautier?
45 "The Mark Of The Plague"
46 "The Queer Client"
47 "The Burial of Roger Malvin" Nathanial Hawthorne
From "Roger Malvin's Burial"
48 "The Fatal Love Potion"
49 "Mad Monkton" Wilkie Collins
50 "The Returned"
51 "The Executioner"
52 "Rappacine's Daughter" Nathaniel Hawthorne
53 "The Wooden Ghost"
54 "The Last Days Of A Condemned Man" Victor Hugo
55 "The Warning"
56 "The Doll"
57 "The Diamond Lens" Fitz-James O'Brian
58 "The History of Dr. John Faust"
59 "The Duel Without Honor"
60 "The Specter Bride"
61 "The Tapestry Horse"
62 "The River Man"
63 "The Ancient Mariner" Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Based on "The Rime of the
Ancient Mariner"
64 "The Oblong Box" Edgar Allen Poe
65 "The Mysterious Bride"
66 "The Thing in the Tunnel"
67 "The Moonstone" Wilkie Collins
68 "The Pistol Shot"
69 "The Possessive Dead"
70 "The Goblet"
71 "The Case of Monsieur Valdemar" Edgar Allen Poe
72 "The Shadow"
73 "The Bride of Death"
74 "Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde" Robert Louis Stevenson
75 "The Red Hand"
76 "The Haunted Hotel" Wilkie Collins
77 "Markheim" Robert Louis Stevenson
78 "The Black Parchment"
(last show)
... Unmatched show titles ...
"The Last Days of Pompeii"
Possibly based on the novel by
Edward George Bulwer-Lytton
References:
* "The Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming and Guide To All
Circulating Shows", by Jay Hickerson, Box 4321, Hamden, CT 06514.
The Appendix section contains a listing of all shows.
* OTR club and vendor catalogs or web sites:
* AVPRO, Don Aston, PO Box 1392, Lake Elsinore, CA 92531-1392
* Edward J. Carr, 216 Shaner Street, Boyertown, PA 19512
* Erstwhile Radio, PO Box 2284, Peabody, MA 01960
* Great American Radio, Gary Kramer, PO Box 504, Genesee, MI 48437
* Jerry Haendiges Productions, Jerry Haendiges, 13808 Sunset Dr.,
Whittier, CA 90602
* McCoy's Recordings Inc., Pat McCoy, PO Box 1069, Richland, Wash.
99352
* North American Radio Archives, 134 Vincewood Dr., Nicolasville, KY
40356
* Radio Memories, Ted Davenport, 1600 Wewoka St., North Little Rock,
AR 72116
* The Sci-Fi Guy, Gordon R. Payton, 118 E. Palmer Ave., Collingswood,
NJ 08108 (no longer sells shows)
* Vintage Broadcasts, Andy Blatt, PO Box 50065, Staten Island, NY
10305
Other Logs or Books:
* THE WEIRD CIRCLE log, Jay Hickerson, Box 4321, Hamden, CT 06514
* THE WEIRD CIRCLE log, Jerry Haendiges Productions, 13808 Sunset
Dr., Whittier, CA 90602 (http://www.otrsite.com)
Reader Feedback:
* Erik Smith supplied the correct title for episode 12 as heard on
the show.
* Keith Smith provided a number of authors name for the original
story.
* Dick Judge provided title corrections for seven episodes and
announcer/host comment for #38.
* Dave Stohel provided authors for a number of shows.
Last Update: May 20, 2004
This log is informational only. It does not imply that I or my
references have these shows for trade or sale. The shows may still
be protected under copyright law and should be obtained only from
authorized dealers.
The log may be freely reproduced and published on a no-profit basis.
Please send error corrections or additional information to Frank M.
Passage, 109 Elmwood Road, Verona, NJ 07044 (email: wb2ntp@arrl.net).