Weird Circle 22 - A Terrible Night

"The Weird Circle. In this cave by the restless sea we are met to call from out of the past stories strange and weird. Bell-keeper - toll the bell, that all may know that we are gathered again in The Weird Circle." "Out of the past phantoms of a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: A Terrible Night.".

This episode, first broadcast on January 23, 1944, is an adaptation of the short story with the same name by Fitz-James O'Brien, first published in 1856. (This is a link to a reading, as I was unable to find the text online. Another reading with more background as part of a podcast can be found here) As in many previous episodes, we start towards the end - the protagonist, Charles Costa. is on trial, and is asked to tell his story in his own words, which leads us to the bulk of the plot. This is different from the original, that started mid-action. This action is in the woods - in the original, Upstate New York, in the adaptation, even farther north, in Canada. Costa and his brother in law are on a hunting trip. They get lost, and find shelter, but can they trust their taciturn host? Throughout there is a sense of dread as we wonder what the crime is until we reach the deeply tragic ending.

The original was very short and had little characterization beyond impressions from the protagonist and some bravado from his there future and here brother-in-law, Dick Linton. Bertha, there the fiancée and here the wife, and the host, Joel, are given more to say. The small amount of active characters made this easy listening, despite the backwards and sometimes outlandish statements ("that's the way writers are - so sure of themselves"). There is a real sense of the isolation and danger in the woods, and then at the cabin.

Weird Circle 21 - The 4:15 Express

"An ill wind blows away the present and returns Man's mind to the horror of a world gone by... listen to The Weird Circle." "Out of the past phantoms of a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: The 4:15 Express.".

This episode, first broadcast on January 17, 1944, might be an original - although it is very similar to Alfred Hitchcock's film, The Lady Vanishes, from 1938. An investigator boards a train, trying to keep a light veneer over his very important mission, and wondering what to think of the story of the ghost that haunts his compartment, 42A, and whether it has anything to do with the man he saw there, and who very quickly disappeared on him.

The limitations of the medium for a story such as this are clear here: it is very important to know who is speaking where during tense scenes of action and suspense involving multiple characters, but the voice actors are not sufficiently distinguishable, leading to some confusion at critical moments. The brevity of the show, meanwhile, makes the revelations a bit too bunched together for comfort.

Weird Circle 20 - The Lifted Veil

"By what token can man live after death?" "By his works! Poe, de Maupassant, Balzac - these great writers of horror stories live on! Listen to The Weird Circle." "Out of the past phantoms of a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: The Lifted Veil.".

This episode, first broadcast on January 9, 1944, is an adaptation of the novella of the same name by George Eliot (ironic, considering the maleness of the introduction), first published in 1879. The adaptation starts with a narration by the articulator of the ending section of the introduction. It cut down on the characters and sped up the pacing, which results in a crowding of weird issues - the protagonist's premonitions and his doctor friend's life-giving serum. To that was added a police matter to tie the whole thing together.

Weird Circle 19 - The Murders in the Rue Morgue

"Incredible! Unvelievable!" "Yes, truth is often incredible, but you must believe! Listen to The Weird Circle!" "Out of the past, phantoms of a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: The Murders in the Rue Morgue."

This episode, first broadcast on January 2, 1944, is an adaptation of the short story with the same name by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1841. The adaptation cuts right to the detective (a term that did not exist when the original story came out), Dupin, stating to a bemused audience that the murderer will arrive at his apartment shortly. His narration of the case becomes a lot of dialogue between the active participants in the story - and the conclusion is arrived at chronologically. Unlike the original, we are not really presented with a clear logical path to it.

Weird Circle 18 - Jane Eyre

"The Weird Circle. In this cave by the restless sea we are met to call from out the past stories strange and weird." (abrupt cut) "Phantoms of a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: Jane Eyre."

This episode, first broadcast on December 26, 1943, is an adaptation of the Thornfield Hall section of the novel with the same name by Charlotte Brontë, first published in 1847. The adaptation retains Jane as the viewpoint character and narrator, while cutting down on characters and subplots, and making the ending much more explicitly painful to all involved. This particular recording has a significant amount of background noise, which occasionally made it hard for me to follow what was going on (especially during a melée).

The outro again integrates a credit to the United States Armed Services Radio and Television service.

Weird Circle 17 - The Hand

"The Weird Circle. In this cave by the restless sea we are met to call from out the past stories strange and weird." (abrupt cut) "Phantoms of a world gone be speak again the immortal tale: The Hand."

This episode, first broadcast on December 19, 1943, is an adaptation of a story with the same title by Guy de Maupassant, first published in 1883. The adaptation took the basic premise of the original story - an English peer on a long sojourn to France, deathly afraid of a severed human hand - removed ambiguity, the framing story, and its narrator, and added more characters to interact with Sir John Rowell, including a daughter, a family friend turned suitor to same (also the new narrator), and a neighboring doctor. The original was somewhat unsatisfactory, but this one ties things together much too cleanly for my taste.

The outro again integrates a credit to the United States Armed Services Television and Radio, not heard since Episode 4.

Weird Circle 16 - Expectations of an Heir

"Out of the past phantoms of a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: Expectations of an Heir."

This episode, first broadcast on December 12, 1943, is an adaptation of an essay, The Lingering Expectation of an Heir by Samuel Johnson, first published in 1750. The adaptation took the minor element of the original narrator's resentment of his aunts longevity and turned that into the emotional center of the story, adding romance, crime, and punishment.

A lot of narration takes us into the mind of the protagonist, and otherwise there are very few characters around for the minor bits of dialogue. Repetition seems to be used as an expression of evil or emotional extreme, reminding me of their The Horla.