Weird Circle 15 - The Great Plague

(New voice, now with some reverb) "The Weird Circle. In this cave by the restless sea we are met to call out of the past stories strange and weird. Bell-keeper - toll the bell, so that all may know that we are gathered again in The Weird Circle!" (Bell tolling) (Old voice) "Out of the past phantoms of a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: The Great Plague."

This episode, first broadcast on December 5, 1943, is an adaptation of A Tale of the Great Plague by Thomas Hood, first published in 1840. To the original was added a sympathetic protagonist - a poor transient pulled into a monstrous crime through the company he keeps - who drives some of the transitions with his monologues, while the Great Plague of London itself as background is not properly established until later. A bit of humor mixed with the gruesomeness of the planned deeds makes for an entertaining twenty minutes of radio.

Weird Circle 14 - Dr. Manette's Manuscript

(New voice) "The Weird Circle. In this cave by the restless sea we are met to call out of the past stories strange and weird. Bell-keeper - toll the bell, so that all may know that we are gathered again in The Weird Circle!" (Bell tolling) (Old voice) "Out of the past phantoms of a world gone by speak again their immortal tale: Dr. Manette's Manuscript."

This episode, first broadcast on November 28, 1943, is a very loose adaptation of incidents from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, first published in 1859. The original was a wide-ranging condemnation of both the French aristocracy and the horrors of the Revolution. This is merely a tale of violence and comeuppance, focusing on the ills resulting from the privileges of the ancien regime.

In this story we are promised a happy end from the start, which reduces the tension dramatically. The repeated abductions, the cruelty, and the wild chase don't make up for it. There just isn't a sense of stakes. Can't say that the added framing by a much goofier voice actor helped much, either. Another one to skip.

Weird Circle 13 - The Man Without a Country

"Out of the past phantoms of a world gone by speak again their immortal tale: The Man Without a Country."

This episode, first broadcast on November 21, 1943, is an adaptation of a short story with the same title by Edward Everett Hale, first published in 1863. While short, the original had many details which were cut out to hone this down to its core. The result is an effective piece of patriotic propaganda, suitable for a World War II audience. This is only fitting, as the original was a pro-Union piece, published during the American Civil War.

The story is told from the perspective of a former colleague of the eponymous man, Philip Nolan, who is a huge, embarrassing fan of Aaron Burr, and follows him through thick and thin. When the latter is tried for treason, so is Nolan. He ends his very minimal defense by damning the United States, and wishing to never hear of it again. In a fantastical ruling, the judges give him what he wants, and he is condemned to spend the rest of his days aboard ships, under guard, with all around him forbidden from mentioning the US or anything about it. This has a chilling effect on all who interact with him, so not only does he never hear of his homeland, but few people will share his company for long, when they have to avoid mentioning anything to do with a significant world power, even then. In a pivotal scene, Nolan is tasked with using the Portuguese he has learned in his isolation to communicate with the crew and captives of a slaver ship. The people once enslaved and now free yearn to return to their home, while Nolan cannot go to his. On his deathbed he allows a crew member to see his cabin, which is a shrine to as much of the US as he could remember, and he is finally told of its subsequent development.

The surreal punishment makes for compelling listening, despite the melodrama. The story is mostly told through narration by Nolan's former colleague, with some dialogue mixed in.

Weird Circle 12 - Mateo Falcone

"Out of the past phantoms of a world gone by speak again their immortal tale: Mateo Falcone."

This episode, first broadcast on November 14, 1943, is an adaptation of a short story with the same title by Prosper Merimee, first published in 1829. A subplot was added, and the fugitive in the original was made into the eponymous Mateo's brother, making him the capricious Fortunato's uncle, intensifying the drama. To add a bit of confusion, the online title in most places is "Matao Falcon", even though that is not the exact title of the original, and not how the name is pronounced throughout the episode.

Fortunato is established as extremely bright and curious at first - it's only with time that more unsavory aspects come to the fore. The child's moral quandary is set up throughout: will he follow the dictates of his stereotypical Corsican familial honor, or the rule of law? He chooses his path, with tragic results.

Most of the voice actors are attempting Italian accents, except for the child's, who jarringly sounds like a precocious Midwesterner. The story is driven by a series of dialogues involving the many characters - again there is a bit of a free-for-all when violence is afoot, but here it's pretty clear what ultimately happens.

Weird Circle 11 - A Passion in the Desert

"Out of the past phantoms of a world gone by speak again their immortal tale: A Passion in the Desert."

This episode, first broadcast on November 7, 1943, is an adaptation of a short story with the same title by Honoré de Balzac, first published in 1830. Some of the elements of the original were retained, but they were put together to make a different story.

"Have you ever noticed how very much a woman is like a beast?" The story unfortunately does not improve from there. This sexist metaphor is the driver of the story - of a French Foreign Legionnaire being seduced by a woman to abandon his post, befriending a female panther they encounter on the way, and confusing the two as all come to an unfortunate end. One to skip.

Weird Circle 10 - William Wilson

"Out of the past phantoms of a world gone by speak again their immortal tale: William Wilson."

This episode, first broadcast on October 31, 1943, is an adaptation of a short story with the same title by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839. The adaptation seems to have mostly kept the core of the story, while transporting the setting across the Atlantic to the Northeast.

We start with Charlie Vernon coming unexpectedly to a party where his former college fraternity brother, William Wilson, is to announce his engagement to Laura St. Clair, although that was supposed to be a secret. Soon, shots are heard from the library, and it seems like Wilson has shot himself. He insists he did not, and so starts a story of his unpleasant deeds, of which Charlie was but one victim, and of another, younger William Wilson, who stalked and taunted him through the low points of his life.

This story is very similar in structure to The Knightsbridge Mystery, which also starts at the end and then fills in the gap through a long flashback, mostly seen from the point of view of a single individual, although it's more dialogue- than description-driven nonetheless. The other William Wilson serves a similar function to the outsider in The Horla.

Weird Circle 9 - The Horla

"Out of the past phantoms of a world gone by speak again their immortal tale: The Horla."

This episode, first broadcast on October 24, 1943, is an adaptation of a short story with the same title by Guy de Maupassant, first published in 1887. From reading a summary and skimming over the story, it seems that the creators took the journal-based original, gave the unnamed protagonist a name, compressed a lot of his internal world into instances of him speaking to himself out loud, added an objective narrator for descriptions, and upgraded the outside presence and the people mentioned into fully active characters.

The story starts with an objective narration of the protagonist, Gabriel Bouvet, spending his days enjoying the view of the boats from his dilapidated sea-side home, until a Brazilian schooner casts a shadow over him that starts haunting him. He writes a letter to his cousin, Renee Sable, who is so disturbed she arrived with her friend, Dr. Parent, to have a look at him. She initially rejects the idea of a supernatural presence, while the Doctor is more methodical, skeptical but open to belief. In the end it doesn't matter much - despite the content added by the dialogue between them, it's ultimately the conflict between Bouvet and the Horla, the outsider, that drives all the action, up to the horrible conclusion.

The violence that precedes this conclusion reverts to the confusing free-for-all of much earlier episodes. The evil presence is characterized a bit too extremely to my taste. I'll have to give the original a good read at some point.