That Dr Weird, he's Strange!
THE STRANGE DR WEIRD
A short-lived program, THE STRANGE DR WEIRD aired in 1944 for only 28 fifteen-minute episodes (all of which have survived). It was a horror anthology with a ghoulish host, much like INNER SANCTUM, and was written and directed by Robert A Arthur (who also created the better-known THE MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER). Arthur also wrote for the classic pulp WEIRD TALES.
The setting was "the house on the other side of the cemetery" where our sepulchral-voiced host (Maurice Tarplin) would welcome us, relate a hair-raising story, make a few sardonic remarks and bid us to return. The opening used creepy organ music, a crack of thunder and a bombastic voice-over, "The Strange Dr Weird." (You might think being named 'Dr Weird' would be distinctive enough, without also being strange...)
At only fifteen minutes, the stories raced right along to their punch lines, making this a good choice for someone curious about OTR horror shows. A neat touch in some of the episodes was that the characters who met gruesome demises turned out to be buried in that very cemetery. This couldn't always be included, but it gave the show a certain underlying premise. Dr Weird somehow knew these dreadful stories about the people buried in the graveyard-- perhaps he was the caretaker or mortician.
"The Summoning of Chandor" gives a clue as to the nature of this show. A hideous man, long obssessed with a beautiful woman, finally decides to ask the Hindu mystic Chandor to summon her to him. Under this spell, the woman will be drawn against her from wherever she is and be compelled to stay with the froglike creep. Chandor agrees and casts the spell, and a slim figure in a wedding dress appears. The man is delighted, until she lifts her veil....
Then there was "Journey Into the Unknown", where a scientist experiments with a serum that increases his son's strength enormously, and keeps increasing it. They have hopes of ending disease, extending lifespans, curing the disabled. Then the young man notices how very hairy he's becoming and that his arms seem to be getting longer...
Not all the stories had an actual supernatural element, but were straight thrillers. "Murder Ship" tells of a couple trapped underwater in the stateroom of a wrecked ship. They know they will be rescued in four days. "There may not be enough air in here to last TWO people for four days."
Back in the dim mists of prehistory (that is, the early 1970s) an album was available featuring episodes of this show. The cover used a photo of Lon Chaney in LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT, and that album (like the ones for LIGHTS OUT and QUIET PLEASE!) must have been real surprises for young readers who sent their dollars in to FAMOUS MONSTERS.
A short-lived program, THE STRANGE DR WEIRD aired in 1944 for only 28 fifteen-minute episodes (all of which have survived). It was a horror anthology with a ghoulish host, much like INNER SANCTUM, and was written and directed by Robert A Arthur (who also created the better-known THE MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER). Arthur also wrote for the classic pulp WEIRD TALES.
The setting was "the house on the other side of the cemetery" where our sepulchral-voiced host (Maurice Tarplin) would welcome us, relate a hair-raising story, make a few sardonic remarks and bid us to return. The opening used creepy organ music, a crack of thunder and a bombastic voice-over, "The Strange Dr Weird." (You might think being named 'Dr Weird' would be distinctive enough, without also being strange...)
At only fifteen minutes, the stories raced right along to their punch lines, making this a good choice for someone curious about OTR horror shows. A neat touch in some of the episodes was that the characters who met gruesome demises turned out to be buried in that very cemetery. This couldn't always be included, but it gave the show a certain underlying premise. Dr Weird somehow knew these dreadful stories about the people buried in the graveyard-- perhaps he was the caretaker or mortician.
"The Summoning of Chandor" gives a clue as to the nature of this show. A hideous man, long obssessed with a beautiful woman, finally decides to ask the Hindu mystic Chandor to summon her to him. Under this spell, the woman will be drawn against her from wherever she is and be compelled to stay with the froglike creep. Chandor agrees and casts the spell, and a slim figure in a wedding dress appears. The man is delighted, until she lifts her veil....
Then there was "Journey Into the Unknown", where a scientist experiments with a serum that increases his son's strength enormously, and keeps increasing it. They have hopes of ending disease, extending lifespans, curing the disabled. Then the young man notices how very hairy he's becoming and that his arms seem to be getting longer...
Not all the stories had an actual supernatural element, but were straight thrillers. "Murder Ship" tells of a couple trapped underwater in the stateroom of a wrecked ship. They know they will be rescued in four days. "There may not be enough air in here to last TWO people for four days."
Back in the dim mists of prehistory (that is, the early 1970s) an album was available featuring episodes of this show. The cover used a photo of Lon Chaney in LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT, and that album (like the ones for LIGHTS OUT and QUIET PLEASE!) must have been real surprises for young readers who sent their dollars in to FAMOUS MONSTERS.