{
  "title": "THE HOUSE OF HORROR",
  "category": "[RADIO-SERIES]",
  "article": "“This is a local program, produced by Washingtonians with a Washington cast. The scripts are\nwritten by an outstanding author of horror stories.”\n[Bryson Rush, Washington Star] “We have heard the first two and still don’t know whether to\nrecommend the program or issue a dire warning against listening… This program is out-and-out\nhorror with no tongue-in-cheek treatment at all. It is well written, well produced and the cast is\nsuperb.\n“Last Monday’s episode, ‘The Floor Between,’ had to do with a sadistic gentleman who lures\npeople to a ramshackle old hotel in New York by means of a jingle contest, so that he could get\nplasma for his flowers and himself. It turns out that he is a vampire. The title comes in when the\nyoung couple are ushered into their room on a floor from which there is no exit. The worst\nmoment in the script is when Mr. Monti, the elderly vampire who died in 1882, kills the young\nman, takes his plasma and that of his wife, then in a systematic manner proceeds to strip off their\nskins to make petals for his flowers. You can see why we might hesitate to recommend your\nlistening, but if you have a strong constitution and lots of neighbors within earshot you might try\nthe first few minutes and see what happens.”",
  "origination": "WOR, New York City, New York (MBS).",
  "duration": "January 15-[August 18], 1945 (first series), September 15-1945-June 8, 1946\n(second series), October 6, 1946-December 25, 1949 (third series).",
  "personnel": "Frances Dexter (producer), Johanna De Witt (scriptwriter), Olga Druce\n(producer, director), Max Ehrlich (scriptwriter), Al Fanelli (organist), John Marion Gart\n(composer of series theme), David Goodis (scriptwriter), John Griggs (voice of “Roger Elliott, the\nMystery Man”), Johanna Johnston (scriptwriter), Jessica Maxwell (director), Robert Maxwell\n(head of production company, Robert Maxwell Associates).\nCASTS: Vera Allen, Charita Bauer, Horace Braham, Peggy Carnegie,  Sara Fussell, John Griggs,\nBerry Kroeger, Fran Lafferty, Gilbert Mack, Ted Osborne, Hester Sondergaard, et al.\nSPONSOR: General Foods (Post Toasties, Post Raisin Bran).",
  "extant_recordings": "“The Monster from the Lake” [Part 2] (5/8/45), “The Haunters and\nthe Haunted” [Part 2] (6/13/45), “Rip Van Winkle” [Part 1]  (8/14/45), “The Ghost Who Forgot\nHallowe’en” (10/27/45), “The Mystery of the Bat Boy” (11/17/45), “A Gift from the Dead”\n(8/3/47).\n[NOTE: “The Mystery of the Bat Boy” appears to be from the “adult version” of the series. It’s\nannounced as transcribed, has no children—pseudo or otherwise—at thebeginning and end, and\nhas ads for Post Raisin Bran rather than Post Toasties.]\nTHE HOUSE OF MYSTERY (WOR, NEW YORK)\n[Monday through Friday—5:30-5:45 PM]\nJan. 15, 1945\n“The Beast of the Bayou”\n[Part 1]\n[“…has to do with the efforts of\nfrightened mansion owners in the\nswamp lands of Louisiana attempting\nto combat a werewolf.”]\nJan. 16, 1945\n“The Beast of the Bayou”\n[Part 2]\nJan. 17, 1945\n“The Beast of the Bayou”\n[Part 3]\nJan. 18, 1945\n“The Beast of the Bayou”\n[Part 4]\nJan. 19, 1945\n“The Beast of the Bayou”\n[Part 5]\nJan. 22-26, 1945\nJan. 23, 1945\nJan. 24, 1945\nJan. 25, 1945\nJan. 26, 1945\nJan. 29, 1945 etc\nFeb. 5, 1945 etc\nFeb. 12, 1945 etc\nFeb. 19, 1945 etc\nFeb. 26, 1945 etc\nMarch 5, 1945 etc\nMarch 12, 1945 etc\nMarch 19, 1945 etc\nMarch 26, 1945 etc\nApril 2, 1945 etc\nApril 9, 1945 etc\nApril 16, 1945 etc\nApril 23, 1945 etc\nApril 30, 1945 etc\nMay 7, 1945\n“The Monster from the\nLake” [Part 1]\nMay 8, 1945\n“The Monster from the\nLake” [Part 2]\nMay 9, 1945\n“The Monster from the\nLake” [Part 3]\nMay 10, 1945\n“The Monster from the\nLake” [Part 4]\nMay 11, 1945\n“The Monster from the\nLake” [Part 5]\nMay 14, 1945 etc\nMay 21, 1945 etc\nMay 28, 1945 etc\nJune 5, 1945 etc\nJune 12, 1945\n“The Haunters and the\nHaunted” [Part 1]\nJune 13, 1945\n“The Haunters and the\nHaunted” [Part 2]\nJune 14, 1945\n“The Haunters and the\nHaunted” [Part 3]\nJune 15, 1945\n“The Haunters and the\nHaunted” [Part 4]\nJune 16, 1945\n“The Haunters and the\nHaunted [Part 5]\nJune 19, 1945 etc\nJune 26, 1945 etc\nJuly 3, 1945 etc\nJuly 10, 1945 etc\nJuly 17, 1945 etc\nJuly 24, 1945 etc\nJuly 31, 1945 etc\nAug. 7, 1945 etc.\nAug. 14, 1945\n“Rip Van Winkle” [Part 1]\nAug. 15, 1945\n“Rip Van Winkle” [Part 2]\nAug. 16, 1945\n“Rip Van Winkle” [Part 3]\nAug. 17, 1945\n“Rip Van Winkle” [Part 4]\nAug. 18, 1945\n“Rip Van Winkle” [Part 5]\n[Saturday—12:00 NOON-12:30 PM]\nSep. 15, 1945\n“The Teeth of Death”\nSep. 22, 1945\n“The Ghost Car”\nSep. 29, 1945\n“The Phantom Fountain”\nOct. 6, 1945\n“The Living Buddha”\nOct. 13, 1945\n“The Silver Bells of Satan’s\nManor”\nOct. 20, 1945\n“The Ghost of Don Pedro”\nOct. 27, 1945\n“The Ghost Who Forgot\nHallowe’en”\nNov. 3, 1945\n“Death Takes The Stage”\nNov. 10, 1945\n“The Mystery of the Fire God”\nNov. 17, 1945\n“The Mystery of the Bat Boy”\nNov. 24, 1945\n“The Skeleton on the Canvas”\nDec. 1, 1945\n“The Haunted Violin”\nDec. 8, 1945\n“The Pigmy Ghost of Red\nMist Valley”\nDec. 15, 1945\n“The Merman of Coom\nBallow”\nDec. 22, 1945\n“The Ghost of Gibson Cove”\nDec. 29, 1945\n“The Mummy’s Secret”\nJan. 5, 1946\n“The Ship of Death”\nJan. 12, 1946\n“The Tunnel of Doom”\nJan. 19, 1946\n“The Invisible Killer”\nJan. 26, 1946\n“The Ghostly Sonata”\nFeb. 2, 1946\n“The Ghost on the Track”\nFeb. 9, 1946\n“The Mystery of the Deadly\nVampire”\nFeb. 16, 1946\n“The Flute with the Double\nFace”\nFeb. 23, 1946\n“The Mystery of the Great\nWhite Wolf”\nMarch 2, 1946 “The Phantom Castle of\nRanta”\nMarch 9, 1946 “The Mystery of the Screaming\nWhite Statues”\nMarch 16, 1946 “The Mystery of Brian’s\nBanshee”\nMarch 23, 1946 “The Mystery of Hangman’s\nHouse”\nMarch 30, 1946 “The Phantom Fountain”\nApril 6, 1946\n“The Ghost on the Flying\nTrapeze”\nApril 13, 1946\n“The Singing Spirits of\nZenzura”\nApril 20, 1946 “The Terror of Mellock Valley”\nApril 27, 1946 “Death by the Demon Puppet”\nMay 4, 1946\n“The Mystery of the Tiger\nWoman”\nMay 11, 1946\n“The Teeth of Death”\nMay 18, 1946\n“The Mystery of the Vanishing\nTrain”\nMay 25, 1946\n“The Mystery of the Men of\nFire”\nJune 1, 1946\n“Possessed by the Devil”\nJune 8, 1946\n“The Mystery of the Howling\nDeath”\n[Sunday—4:00-4:30 PM]\nOct.6, 1946\n“The Crimson Dagger”\nOct. 13, 1946\nOct. 20, 1946\n“The Living Buddha”\nOct. 27, 1946\n“Death Plays a Tune”\nNov. 3, 1946\n“The End of the Earth”\nNov. 10, 1946\n“The Haunted Mill”\n[“…Three mysterious deaths, a\ncurse invoked by a convicted\ncollaborationist, and a bewitched\ndog brings Roger Elliott, the mystery\nman, to a little village in post-war\nFrance to investigate a haunted\nmill..”]\nNov. 17, 1946\n“The Echoing Death”\nNov. 24, 1946\n“The Destroying Angel”\nDec. 1, 1946\n“The Ghost Train”\nDec. 8, 1946\n“The Siren of Santo Domingo”\n[“…Today’s drama centers around\nan ancient vessel, sunk off the coast\nof Santo Domingo many years ago\nwith a fortune in gold and jewels\naboard…”]\nDec. 15, 1946\n“Book of the Dead”\nDec. 22, 1946\n[“…John Griggs…will point out\nthat there is no mystery in the true\nmessage of Christmas…”]\nDec. 29, 1946\n“The Canterville Ghost”\nJan. 5, 1947\n“The Pygmy Ghosts of Red\nMist Valley”\nJan. 12, 1947\n“The Mystery of the Headless\nMonster”\n[“…Roger Elliott has a tingling story\nof a haunted tomb that brings death to\nall who invade… It is believed by the\nnatives that the spirit of King Koraker\nstill guards the tomb from disturbance\nand is responsible for the grisly\ndeaths. The Mystery Man, spurning the\nsupernatural explanation, spends a\nnight inside the tomb and discovers the\nsolution to the weird happenings…”]\nJan. 19, 1947\n“The Sobbing House”\nJan. 26, 1947\n“The Silver Bells of Satan’s\nManor”\nFeb. 2, 1947\n“The Lonesome Ghost”\nFeb. 9, 1947\n“The Jewelled Statuette”\nFeb. 16, 1947\n“The Phantom Flames”\nFeb. 23, 1947\n“The Stronghold of Death”\nMarch 2, 1947\nMarch 9, 1947 “The Spotless Knives”\nMarch 16, 1947 “The Mystery of the Rapping\nDeath”\n[“…An old Irish legend that seems to\nbe coming true is the basis of today’s\ndrama… The hero of the story, Danny,\nhears the rapping at the door while he\nis ill of a heart ailment and believes\nthat the noise signifies the approach of\ndeath. When he also hears the\nbanshees wail he believes that an old\nIrish tale of its meaning death is\ncoming true. Roger Elliott the mystery\nman is called in to disprove the legend\nand after investigation finds the secret\nof the rapping and the wail…”\nMarch 23, 1947 “Death’s Head”\nMarch 30, 1947 “The Mysterious Pool”\n[“…Approaching a remote, isolated\nIndian village in the Florida\nEverglades, Roger Elliott is stopped by\na chief dressed in ceremonial garb. The\nchief warns him to go no farther into\nthe swamp, for if he touches the waters\nof a pool immediately in front of him\nhe will suffer instant death. To prove\nit, the chief throws a pig in the pool\nand, sure enough, the pig dies. The\nIndians are about to throw a young\nman in the waters because they think\nhe has done evil. Elliott persuades\nthem to wait long enough for him to\nsolve the mystery of the deadly waters,\nusing his usual technique of finding\nthe facts behind superstitions…”]\nApril 6, 1947\n“Alice in Wonderland”\n[with Eva Le Gallienne, Bambi\nLynn, Margaret Webster}\nApril 13, 1947\n“The Haunted Circus”\nApril 20, 1947 “The Haunted Circus” ????\nApril 27, 1947\n“The Mystery of the Ship of\nDoom”\nMay 4, 1947\n“The Magic Shield”\nMay 11, 1947\n“The Ghostly Highwayman”\nMay 18, 1947\n“The House of Doom”\nMay 25, 1947\n“The Queen’s Tears”\nJune 1, 1947\n“The House of Terror”\nJune 8, 1947\n“The Buddha’s Revenge”\nJune 15, 1947\n“The Ghost Ship of Ardah”\nJune 22, 1947\n“Disappearing Monkeys”\nJune 29, 1947\n“The Window of Death”\nJuly 6, 1947\n“The Pointing Bone”\nJuly 13, 1947\n“The Phantom Voice”\nJuly 20, 1947\n“The Mystery of the Headless\nHorseman”\n[“…A rich tapestry, dating back to\nthe days when knighthood was in\nflower and gallant warriors did\nbattle for their ladies fair, is the\nobject d’art surrounded by an aura\nof violent death…”]\nJuly 27, 1947\nAug. 3, 1947\n“A Gift from the Dead”\nAug. 10, 1947\n“The Mystery of the\nDisappearing Planes”\n[“…One of Mother Nature’s most\ninexplicable phenomena plays a\nprominent role…”]\nAug. 17, 1947\nAug. 24, 1947\nAug. 31, 1947\nSep. 7, 1947\nSep. 14, 1947\nSep. 21, 1947\n“Footprints of the Devil”\nSep. 28, 1947\n“The Sea Ghost”\nOct.5, 1947\nOct. 12, 1947\n“The Bells of Manitou”\nOct. 19, 1947\n“The Bells of Manitou”??\nOct. 26, 1947\n“The Venetian Daggers”\nNov. 2, 1947\nNov. 9, 1947\nNov. 16, 1947\nNov. 23, 1947\nNov. 30, 1947\nDec. 7, 1947\nDec. 14, 1947\n“Death Lives in a Valley”\nDec. 21, 1947\nDec. 28, 1947\nJan. 4, 1948\nJan. 11, 1948\n“The Mystery of the Ghostly\nWerewolf”\nJan. 18, 1948\nJan. 25, 1948\nFeb. 1, 1948\nFeb. 8, 1948\nFeb. 15, 1948\nFeb. 22, 1948\nFeb. 29, 1948\nMarch 7, 1948\nMarch 14, 1948 “The Mystery of the Bell\nWithout a Tongue”\nMarch 21, 1948\nMarch 28, 1948\nApril 4, 1948\nApril 11, 1948\nApril 18, 1948\nApril 25, 1948\nMay 2, 1948\nMay 9, 1948\nMay 16, 1948\nMay 23, 1948\nMay 30, 1948\n“The Mystery of the Visiting\nDevil”\n[“…During an auto race in Paris, a\ndriver sees the masked face of Satan,\nand Roger Elliott finds himself in\nanother adventure…”]\nJune 6, 1948\nJune 13, 1948\nJune 20, 1948\nJune 27, 1948\nJuly 4, 1948\nJuly 11, 1948\nJuly 18, 1948\nJuly 25, 1948\nAug. 1, 1948\nAug. 8, 1948\nAug. 15, 1948\nAug. 22, 1948\n“The Mystery of the Phantoms\nof the Abbey”\n[“…Westminster Abbey will be the\nlocale for the ‘House of Mystery’\ndrama to be broadcast from\nLondon…”]\nAug. 29, 1948\nSep. 5, 1948\nSep. 12, 1948\nSep. 19, 1948\nSep. 26, 1948\nOct. 3, 1948\n“Death and the Unicorn”\n[“…While hunting in the jungles of\nAfrica, Roger Elliott encounters a\nweird experience…”]\nOct. 10, 1948\n“The Phantom of Grave’s\nEnd”\n[“…Roger Elliott debunks mine\nghosts…”]\nOct. 17, 1948\n“The Curse of Zbenda”\n[“…Roger Elliott meets the ghost of\na Nazi captain off the coast of\nHolland…”]\nOct. 24, 1948\n“The Skull on Black\nMountain”\nOct. 31, 1948\n“Fields of Gold”\n[“…Leprechauns are debunked by\nthe mystery man…”]\nNov. 7, 1948\n“The Mystery of the Erratic\nChair”\nNov. 14, 1948\n“The Mystery of the Terror of\nMellock Valley”\nNov. 21, 1948\nNov. 28, 1948\n“The Ghost of Christopher\nRock”\n[“…Roger Elliott tells of a\nfarmhouse that was haunted by the\nghost of a turkey…”]\nDec. 5, 1948\nDec. 12, 1948\n“The Warning of the Wild\nRabbit”\nDec. 19, 1948\nDec. 26, 1948\n“The King of the Golden\nRiver”\nJan. 2, 1949\nJan. 9, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Perfumed\nGhost”\nJan. 16, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Islands of\nthe Doomed”\n[“…The weird tale of a ship that drops\nanchor during the night, then in the\nmorning finds itself in the center of an\nisland… All aboard the ship die of\nhunger and disease, but the captain\nmanages to reach Dakar on the west\ncoast of Africa and bring the ‘Mystery\nMan’ Roger Elliott back to reveal how\nan ocean of water can turn to solid\nland overnight…”]\nJan. 23, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Backstage\nGhost”\n[“…The show goes on even though\nfour leading men fail to live through\nthe second act…”]\nJan. 30, 1949\n“The Witch of Dog Moon\nHollow”\nFeb. 6, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Invisible\nArrows”\nFeb. 13, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Moving\nHand”\nFeb. 20, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Clock of\nDeath”\n[“…A remorseful college student,\nwho believes his professor died\nbecause he stopped the clock as a\nprank, calls on the mystery man to\nexplain…”]\nFeb. 27, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Man Who\nWouldn’t Stay Dead”\nMarch 6, 1949 “The Mystery of the Monster in\nthe Lake”\nMarch 13, 1949 “The Mystery of the Isle of\nMists”\nMarch 20, 1949 “The Mystery of the Dying\nPortrait”\n[“…A portrait that progressively\nshows age-lines down through the\nyears and causes a widower to start\npracticing voodoo rites on a suspected\nformer rival provides the uncanny\nproblem for ‘Mystery Man’ Roger\nElliott…”]\nMarch 27, 1949 “The Mystery of the Phantom\nJockey”\nApril 3, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Ghostly\nDuet”\n[“…A music teacher who forced his\nwife to study voice, then saw her\ncollapse and die during the death scene\nof ‘Tristan and Isolde’ is haunted by\n‘The Mystery of the Ghostly Duet’…\nThe teacher takes a new pupil. But\neach time she sings, her solo seems to\nbecome a perfectly executed duet by\nwhat he believes to be the ghostly\nvoice of his dead wife. Roger Elliott,\nthe ‘Mystery Man,’ reveals a less\noccult explanation for the strange\nhappenings…”]\nApril 10, 1949\n“The Devil Bells”\nApril 17, 1949\n“The Miracle of the Trees”\n[“…A story of life, from the days of\nAdam and Eve through the\nResurrection period and the murder of\nJulius Caesar, is whispered to Roger\nElliott by the California redwoods as\nhe walks beneath their century-old\nbranches during the special Easter\nbroadcast of Mutual’s ‘House of\nMystery’…”]\nApril 24, 1949 “The Jeweled Ghost of Chaz-\nMoni”\nMay 1, 1949\n“The Dancing Skeleton of the\nTides”\n[“…A ghostly apparition, supposedly\nguarding the long buried treasure of\nCaptain Kidd, is debunked by Roger\nElliott… An aging lobster fisherman\nsold rights to dig for the treasure for\n$5,000 per party. His customers were\ndriven off by a skeleton that danced on\nthe waves…”]\nMay 8, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Ghost\nTrain”\nMay 15, 1949\n“The Living Ghost”\nMay 22, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Mad\nChessman”\nMay 29, 1949\n“Ghost Chamber”\n[“…An ancient castle, supposedly\nhaunted by an authentic ghost that did\neverything expected of it, including\nrattling chains, groaning voices, etc.,\nprovides the locale for Mutual’s\n‘House of Mystery’… Roger Elliott is\ncalled to the scene to debunk the\nlegend and to find a logical\nexplanation for the uncanny events\ntaking place there…”]\nJune 5, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Smiley\nPirate”\nJune 12, 1949\n“The Ghost of Sampson’s\nGulch”\n[“…An uncanny chain of railroad\naccidents, involving suddenly\nuncoupled cars, rock slides on the\ntrack, etc., terrorize a gang of\nconstruction workers…”]\nJune 19, 1949\n“The Spirit of Andrew\nCameron”\n[“…A woman who believes in\nspiritualism and a daughter who does\nnot both view the ghost of the\ndeceased husband and father… The\nman had been reported drowned in the\nIndian Ocean. Even Roger Elliott, the\n‘Mystery Man,’ is forced to admit that\nhe, too, has seen and heard the\napparition. But a chemical analysis of\na tiny pool of water provides the\nanswer to the seemingly supernatural\noccurrences…”]\nJune 26, 1949 “The Revenge of Genghis Khan”\nJuly 3, 1949\nJuly 10, 1949\nJuly 17, 1949\n“The Return of the Dead\nDacoit”\nJuly 24, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Haunted\nDesert”\n[“…There’s nothing unusual about a\nship’s distress siren, but when it is\nheard in the middle of an Arizona\ndesert, it becomes a strange\nphenomenon to be solved by Roger\nElliott… A man fears he is being\nhaunted by a ship whose distress signal\nhis father failed to heed, but Elliott\ndiscovers a more logical explanation\nfor the supernatural events…”]\nJuly 31, 1949\n“Death Is a Puppetmaster”\n[“…A puppeteer who became so fond\nof his little characters that he began to\nfancy them as real people provides a\nstrange story…”]\nAug. 7, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Ghostly\nFlame”\nAug. 14, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Moaning\nVase”\nAug. 21, 1949\n“The Beacon for the Dead”\nAug. 28, 1949\n\"The Curse of the White Cat”\nSep. 4, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Ghostly\nCastanets”\nSep. 11, 1949\n“The Ghost of Muggy Doone”\nSep. 18, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Harp and\nthe Black Mirror”\nSep. 25, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Charming\nBetty”\nOct. 2, 1949\n“The Book of the Dead”\nOct. 9, 1949\nOct. 16, 1949\nOct. 23, 1949\n“\n[“…Spook-buster Roger Elliott will\nexpose the superstitions believed by\nthe natives of Haiti in a special\nbroadcast celebrating the bi-centennial\nfounding of Port-au-Prince…”]\nOct. 30, 1949\n“The Devil in Massachusetts”\nNov. 6, 1949\nNov. 13, 1949\nNov. 20, 1949\nNov. 27, 1949\n“The Clutching Hand”\nDec. 4, 1949\n“The Legend of Coomhallow”\nDec. 11, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Pools of\nBlood”\nDec. 18, 1949\n“The Mystery of the Lost\nGallows”\nDec. 25, 1949\n“The Happy Prince” (by Oscar\nWilde)\nSources for log information: Variety, New York Herald-Tribune, Miami Daily News, Miami\nHerald",
  "chronology": "",
  "sources": "",
  "gallery": "",
  "images": []
}