AMBROSE BIERCE [STORIES]
[SHORT-STORIES]
The misanthropic master of the war and horror story, Bierce was not really discovered by
broadcasters until the 1940s.
[HAND] “"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” first appeared in golden age radio on The
Witch’s Tale in an adaptation by Alonzo Deen Cole entitled “The Deserter” (January 23, 1933;
revived May 30, 1935). No recording of this adaptation exists, but fortunately several versions of
the superb dramatization by the major radio writer-producer William N. Robson do. Robson’s
adaptation – loyally entitled "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” – premiered on Escape
(December 10, 1947, starring Harry Bartell) and was revived three times on Suspense (December
9, 1956, starring Victor Jory; December 15, 1957, starring Joseph Cotton; and July 19, 1959,
starring Vincent Price). Although all three performances ostensibly used the same script, close
scrutiny reveals a number of differences between the scripted text and each performance, a result
of live broadcasts and the individual stamp given to the central role by actors as diverse but
equally accomplished as Joseph Cotton and Vincent Price. Regardless of the peculiar nuances and
differences between the various performances, the impact of Bierce’s tale is undiminished.
Indeed, the bleak, ironic twist of Bierce’s most famous short story creates a paradigm in radio
horror which is repeated, copied, or honored in countless other examples of the genre. The
statement in the preamble to the Escape broadcast that “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is
"one of the great short stories in American literature” becomes, by the time it is revived and
revised for Suspense, an assertion to the listener that the story is a “true classic," the great
exception in a literary world of short fiction in which “few are memorable, fewer still are classics."
For one of the “true classics” of fiction, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is remarkable for its
economy: Bierce’s short story is characterized by its concision (it is considerably less than 4000
words in length) and a quality of honed yet vivid description that is almost imagistic. Like an
Imagist poet, Bierce believes in the efficacy of the “hard, clear image,” [4] yet can startlingly shift
gear into a descriptive mode which could even be described as impressionistic; for example,
“Objects were represented by their colors only; circular horizontal streaks of color.” [5] The
economy of the story is not simply with regard to description; it is a simple tale with minimal
exposition, its three short sections painting three detailed scenes or three dramatic episodes. The
grotesque finale of the story is like a “punch line” to bitter Bierce’s hideous joke. The story reveals,
as Cathy N. Davidson writes, “the fatal presumption that war can have a happy ending.” [6] The
tale ingenuously exploits the reader’s naiveté in hoping for one. In hindsight, all the clues to the
ending are there: the ages it takes Farquhar to awaken after falling into the water and his other
deliriums; his impossibly microscopic visions and the fact that his run through the forest “seemed
interminable” (312); the haunting “whispers in an unknown tongue” (312). The story is also an
exploration of mortality in universal terms: the precision of Farquhar’s vision when he resurfaces
from the creek may be mocking irony or it may be a revelation of the return to dust. In other
words, the “audible music” (310) of spider’s legs and “the prismatic colors in all the dewdrops
upon a million blades of grass” (310) signify that Farquhar is at one with creation. Similarly, with
the benefit of hindsight, the story has a mythic connotation. The “Federal scout” (308) is a Grim
Reaper, the bringer of death who ultimately visits everyone, while the river of life and escape is
really the River Styx, the dizzying “vortex” (311) that represents Farquhar’s journey into oblivion.
Despite such mythic connotations, the fact that the story is set in a Civil War context lends the
work, on first reading, the possibility of being real and even anecdotal – a tale of real life
adventure and survival – although at the end of the story specific history crumbles and universal
horror prevails.
William N. Robson’s radio adaptation of Bierce’s mythic story presents a highly complex
narrative. The radio play broadly shares the same structure – indeed, in one of the broadcasts it is
specifically described as having three acts. However, the first act adapts section I of the short
story along with some of section III (the breaking of the noose and the beginnings of Farquhar’s
escape). This is because Robson’s adaptation reworks Bierce’s tale as a suspense thriller in what
was a highly competitive market; radio drama needed to hook the listeners and ensure that they
can resist the temptation to retune their radios. Therefore, the first few minutes (approximately
four minutes) are highly dramatic and suspenseful: we need to know what will happen and, even
if we are familiar with the original tale, we still need to know how the tale will be told. Another
important technique employed by Robson is a shift in narrative point of view. We, the listeners,
are often implicated: you are Peyton Farquhar; the bullet lodges under “your collar,” not “his
collar." At the same time, the action is framed – and occasionally interrupted – by an objective
account and description of Farquhar. Occasionally, Farquhar becomes a first-person narrator. In
the 1959 Suspense version, these moments are given heightened treatment with Vincent Price
using a mechanical filter which distorts and distances his voice to emphasize that it is a moment
of interior monologue, as well as lending it an uncanny quality. The adaptation also develops a
significant amount of exposition and narrative embellishment. Frequently, this is achieved as an
expansion on existing Bierce material. For example, the adaptation develops some of the short
story into a highly lyrical and even philosophical mode. As Farquhar awaits his execution we hear
his thoughts from the brink of death:
Who has come back from the dead to tell what dying is like? I don’t recall any childhood
memories now. The past does not engulf me in this naked moment. I am only aware of what’s
here, now: those Yankees lined up on the bank; the captain’s tired eyes; that turkey buzzard
circling up there, waiting for me . . .
Such material adds dimensions to Farquhar’s character. Other expansions have a more
expositionary function, simply making the story clearer and, for a performance in the genre of
suspense, more gripping. There is, for instance, a major expansion of the retrospective section II
in which the “gray-clad soldier” (307) arrives at the Farquhar plantation. The few, succinct lines
of dialogue in the short story are embellished in Robson’s adaptation to create a fuller dramatic
scene with Farquhar, his wife and, as the adaptation has it, the “confederate corporal” underneath
the “magnolia trees” on the plantation. This includes Civil War detail such as a discussion of the
war and the corporal describing the Alabama regiment he belongs to (later in the play he is
revealed to be a lieutenant in a Massachusetts regiment). The scene concludes with a clear set-up
for Farquhar’s entrapment, the corporal riding off on his horse after coaxing Farquhar into
sabotage with the words “You couldn’t do a greater service for your country.” The substantial
expansion of this scene in the process of adaptation creates a more dramatically gripping episode
inasmuch as it develops the sense of conspiracy and covert sabotage in a style similar to the many
adventure, espionage, and hardboiled crime dramas of the same period. A scene like this is
designed to hold the listener’s attention and awaken their curiosity, making one wonder “Will
Farquhar see it through? What will go wrong?” and so on.
If the plantation scene is an example of the expansion of original Bierce material, some other
scenes are complete additions. Robson adds a scene in which Farquhar is entrapped and
summarily tried. This partly serves to reinforce the Civil War setting of the play but it also
intensifies the drama, permitting Farquhar’s desperate plea for his life in the presence of an
officer who sentences the “southern patriot” Farquhar to death for his intended treason. This
scene evokes pity for Farquhar (another strategy to hook the attention of the listener), yet the
most important addition to the play is morally complex and is condemnatory of Farquhar – a
decision which ultimately enables the listener to assuage the shock and horror of Farquhar’s grim
fate. When Farquhar clambers out of the water, he is assisted by a man on the riverbank fishing
for catfish. The man turns out to be Jethro, Farquhar’s former slave. The narrator informs us that
Farquhar – or rather “you” – sold Jethro knowing that he was dying of consumption. Farquhar is
astonished that Jethro is still alive, but rather than being riddled with remorse, the increasingly
unpleasant and egotistical Farquhar believes that Jethro will exact revenge. But Jethro is imbued
with altruism and forgiveness, declaring, “I’m free! I’m free at last!” Farquhar’s inner narrative
responds with contempt that Jethro has subscribed to Abraham Lincoln’s “traitorous
emancipation proclamation.” The fact that the terminally ill Jethro is still alive is a clue to
Farquhar’s genuine fate, but Robson promptly steers us away from any further suggestion of the
supernatural when the dreaded “gray-clad soldier” returns on horseback looking for the fugitive
Farquhar. Jethro helps Farquhar hide, after which the latter swiftly departs, interpreting Jethro’s
drawn knife as a sign that “he’s gonna do you in himself” despite the former slave’s assertion that
he is merely going to “slit up them catfish."
The most successful plays in the genre of suspense radio are able to reach an unambiguous
climax. The radio listener must be able to comprehend lucidly what is happening in the
denouement of the play, no matter how ironic, fantastical, or downright implausible it may be.
Robson’s play succeeds in doing this in an inexorable final section that builds from the narrator’s
question “How long have you been running down this endless road?,” a line that serves as
Robson’s equivalent to Bierce’s “interminable” forest. The listener is cast into absolute darkness
which is either night or “blood bursting into your congested eyeballs.” However, a burst of
lightning (accompanied by the classic and ever-popular radio sound effect of thunder) reveals a
world of fierce Yankee soldiers “aiming at your heart,” Jethro baring his knife and his teeth and,
ultimately, nooses swinging from all the branches. The sequence ends in a piercing scream and
then the glorious sunshine as Farquhar finds himself in his garden. The moment of reunion with
his wife is expanded into a romantic and lyrical scene accompanied by appropriately sentimental
music: all the agonies of Farquhar’s journey and fatigue are nothing compared to the “sanctuary
of these arms, the security of these lips.” However, Robson is merely deploying a strategy of
misdirection. The seemingly happy ending is a technique to heighten the shocking final line:
“Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath
the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge.” The line is uttered by the framing narrator and is
accompanied by the rhythmically creaking sound of the swinging noose.
The creaking sound of the noose is one of the finest moments in Robson’s elaborate soundscape.
The adaptation and the brilliant skills of the live sound effects technicians variously create the
sounds of the waters of Owl Creek (varying from a gentle lapping to the frenzy of a whirlpool), the
echoing sounds of military commands, the crack of muskets and the boom of cannons, the
croaking frogs on the riverbank and even an exact replication of Bierce’s description of “the
humming of the gnats” (310). Similarly, the use of orchestral music (once again performed live on
air) enhances the production. On Escape, the score uses a register that is both lyrical and
harmonious, with the interjection of dramatic chords as a punctuational strategy. The music for
Suspense, however, is more consistently sinister, using eerie dissonances merging with military
bugle sounds. In both programs, descriptive music, such as descending scales for Farquhar’s fall
into the creek, is used. In Escape and all but the final production on Suspense, an ingenious
dramatic twist makes use of music: the narrative is accompanied by the increasing, rhythmic
beating of timpani, which is explained thus: “it’s your heart, of course, you hear, stepping up its
cadence, pounding under the forced graft of fear."
Despite differences in music, William N. Robson’s adaptation of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek
Bridge” remains broadly unchanged across Escape and Suspense. The actors cast as Farquhar all
capture and convey a distinct southern accent, although the broadness of dialect may vary. It is,
arguably, at its most broad in Harry Bartell’s performance on Escape, although, in contrast,
Jethro’s accent in the same production is less broad than in the 1950s versions. Probably the least
pronounced accent is Vincent Price’s in the 1959 production. Although Price adds considerable
southern “drawl” to certain words, such as “writhe” (lengthening the word emphatically). Overall,
the lack of heavy accentuation on Price’s part retains the distinctive quality of his own voice: Price
was one of the leading stars of golden age radio, not least as the lead star on The Saint (1947-51),
and in notable horror plays such as “Three Skeleton Key” (several productions on Suspense in the
1950s). Any radio producers who secured Price would not want their listeners to be in any doubt
as to the identity of the leading actor. In addition to Price’s performance, the other notable feature
of the final production of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” on Suspense is that it is
considerably shorter. The Escape and other Suspense productions are all around the 25-28
minute range. In contrast, the 1959 Suspense production is around a mere eighteen minutes, very
short for the standard “thirty-minute slot.” This major reduction primarily dispenses with some of
Robson’s longer descriptive material and lyrical exposition, although it retains the additional
scenes such as the entrapment retrospective and the encounter with Jethro. What this sharper
adaptation produces is a succinct, thrilling journey that never lets up its thunderous pace and is
perhaps more in keeping with the concision and pace of Bierce’s original.
Although the last adaptation of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” in the golden age of live
radio may have aimed for unprecedented concision, the most significant radio adaptation after
the golden age could not have been more different. Sam Dann’s dramatization of Bierce’s tale for
the pre-recorded CBS Radio Mystery Theater (June 4, 1974 and repeated on August 24, 1974 and
September 15, 1979) is near the forty-five minute mark in duration and turns the story into a full
drama with several characters, lengthy exposition, and substantial embellishment. These
embroideries reflected the ambitious attempt, during the 1970s, to revive American radio drama:
the longer time slot made demands on narrative sweep. The actions of, in this version, “Peyton
Forrester” are not part of a cunning entrapment but a calculated collaborative sabotage in which
his accomplice is killed. Forrester’s attempt fails, but he escapes Union custody and attempts to
blow up the bridge again. In another major plot change, the moment that Forrester thinks he has
succeeded in blowing up the bridge is the moment he hangs, dead, from Owl Creek Bridge. Dann’s
adaptation also develops the drama of the Civil War, including the domestic ructions caused by a
nation at war (“We’ve lost, we’ve lost, Peyton!” says Forrester’s wife, disapproving of her
husband’s terrorist plot). Similarly, Dann uses the development of several other characters to
expand the setting and scene of the play. At the start, for example, a Union officer supports a
young soldier who declares “I’m gonna be sick!” as the execution is about to occur. However, as
laudable and rich as Dann’s adaptation is, it does diminish the intensity of Bierce’s original tale
and the live radio versions. Similarly, although the slightly different ending may be ingenious, it is
not as powerful, poignant or disturbing as Bierce’s sex (Eros) and death (Thanatos) ending with
Farquhar – in the cruellest irony of frustrated desire – dying as he is about to embrace his wife.
[CHRONOLOGY]
STORIES BY OLMSTED (WENR, CHICAGO—NBC-BLUE)
[Monday—9:00-9:15 PM]
October 14, 1940 “The Man and the Snake”
[“…story of the man whose belief he could be hypnotized by a snake
finally resulted in his death…”]
SCRIPT: Nelson Olmsted.
PERSONNEL: Nelson Olmsted (reader).
EXTANT RECORDING
[Wednesday—
Oct. 30, 1940 “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” ???????????
NELSON OLMSTED STORY DRAMA (WMAQ, CHICAGO)
[
January 2, 1942 “A Horseman in the Sky”
SCRIPT: Nelson Olmsted.
PERSONNEL: Nelson Olmsted (reader).
EXTANT RECORDING
[Saturday—10:15-10:30 PM]
March 7, 1942 “A Man with Two Lives” / “Roast Pig”
September 9, 1942 “The Man and the Snake”
HORROR INC. (WJZ, NEW YORK—BLUE)
[Tuesday—
February 9, 1943 “The Man and the Snake”
SCRIPT: Mel
PERSONNEL: Eva La Gallienne (host, reader), Rosa Rio (organist).
(HOME SERVICE—BBC)
[
September 2, 1943 “A Horseman in the Sky”
PERSONNEL: J. G. Sarasin (adapter).
APPOINTMENT WITH FEAR (THE LIGHT PROGRAMME)
[Thursday—9:40-10:10 PM]
April 27, 1944 “A Watcher by the Dead” (Ambrose Bierce; JDC)
[Thursday—9:30-10:00 PM]
October 12, 1944 “The Devil’s Manuscript” (JDC)
THE WEIRD CIRCLE (NBC TRANSCRIPTION DISC)
Circa 1945 “The Middle Toe of the Right Foot”
APPOINTMENT WITH FEAR (THE LIGHT PROGRAMME, LONDON—BBC)
[Tuesday—9:30-10:00 PM]
October 30, 1945 “He Wasn’t Superstitious”
[BBC TITLE CARD: “Young man comes to blackmail wife of doctor who
keeps snakes—he is scornful of the power of snakes to attract—but when
he imagines he sees one in his bedroom he is drawn towards it—imagines
it strikes him and dies of shock. It was a stuffed voodoo snake put there
by native servant.”]
SCRIPT: John Dickson Carr (adapted from the story “The Man and the Snake”).
April 16, 1946 “A Watcher by the Dead”
SCRIPT: John Dickson Carr.
(THIRD PROGRAMME, LONDON—BBC)
[Tuesday—11:35 PM-12:00 AM]
October 15, 1946 “A Watcher by the Dead”
[“…Short story by Ambrose Bierce read by Valentine Dyall…”]
(HOME SERVICE, LONDON—BBC)
[Wednesday—10:30-10:45 PM]
January 15, 1947 “A Horseman in the Sky”
NELSON OLMSTED (WMAQ, CHICAGO—NBC)
[Thursday—8:15-8:30 PM]
September 18, 1947 “The Man and the Snake”
ESCAPE (KNX, HOLLYWOOD—CBS)
[
December 10, 1947 “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
CAST: Harry Bartell, William Conrad, William Johnstone, Luis Van Rooten.
(HOME SERVICE, LONDON)
[Friday—10:45-11:00 PM]
January 14, 1949 “The Man and the Snake”
[“…A short story by Ambrose Bierce. Reader, Ronald Simpson…”]
THE MAN IN BLACK (LIGHT PROGRAMME, LONDON)
[Monday—8:30-9:00 PM]
February 14, 1949 “The Middle Toe of the Right Foot”
PERSONNEL: John Keir Cross (scriptwriter).
SUSPENSE (KNX, HOLLYWOOD)
[
December 9, 1956 “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
SLEEP NO MORE (WRCA, NEW YORK)
[Wednesday—9:30-10:00 PM
January 16, 1957 “The Waxwork” / “The Man and the Snake”
SUSPENSE (KNX, HOLLYWOOD)
[Sunday—
December 15, 1957 “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
CAST: Harry Bartell, William Conrad, Joseph Cotton, Jack Kruschen, Lou
Merrill, Ellen Morgan.
AMERICA’S LITERARY HERITAGE (WMCA, NEW YORK)
[Tuesday—10:35-11:00 PM]
June 16, 1959
[“…The career and some of the short stories of Ambrose Bierce, discussed
by Prof. Theodore G. Ehrsam…”]
SUSPENSE (KNX, HOLLYWOOD)
[Sunday—
July 19, 1959 “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
CAST: Norman Alden, Sam Edwards, Cathy Lewis, Roy Glenn, Barney
Phillips, Sam Pierce, Vincent Price.
DREADFUL JOHN AT MIDNIGHT (WKCR, NEW YORK)
[
Circa 1960s “Oil of Dog”
THE BLACK MASS (
LE THEATRE DE L’ETRANGE (FRANCE INTER AND INTER VARIETES)
[????
July 18, 1965 “La Route au clair de lune”
(THIRD PROGRAMME, LONDON)
[
May 26, 1969 “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
PERSONNEL: Christopher Whelan (libretto and music).
STORIES BY AMBROSE BIERCE (THIRD PROGRAMME, LONDON)
[
May 30, 1969 “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
THE CBS RADIO MYSTERY THEATER (WRVR, NEW YORK)
[???day—10:07-11:00 PM]
June 4, 1974 “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
[“…It’s the fall of 1863 and Peyton Forrester, declared physically unfit for
service in the Southern Army, is caught by the Yankees as he
unsuccessfully attempts to blow up the railroad bridge over Owl Creek
and thus isolate the entire Union army. Union troops catch him in the
act. Forrester is convinced that nothing can harm him after the rope
wraps around his neck—and the rope miraculously snaps. Forrester now
swims for his life, dodging the bullets of Union troops, and plans another
attempt at dynamiting the bridge…”]
CAST: Mildred Clinton (Millicent), Jack Grimes (Woody), Leon Janney
(Corporal), William Prince (Peyton Forrester), William Redfield (Robbie
Tompkins).
Sam Dann (scriptwriter—1974, CBS Radio Mystery Theater).
THE BEST OF BIERCE (RADIO 4, LONDON)
[Saturday—8:45-9:00 AM]
December 31, 1977
[Tuesday-Friday—8:45-9;00 AM]
January 3, 1978
January 4, 1978
January 5, 1978
January 6, 1978
[Tuesday—8:45-9:00 AM]
October 31, 1978 “A Horseman in the Sky”
[Wednesday—8:45-9:00 AM]
November 1, 1978 “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
THE CBS RADIO MYSTERY THEATER (WRVR, NEW YORK)
[???day—10:07-11:00 PM]
November 20, 1978 “The Thing at Nolan”
[“…John May, living with his father Charles and mother Elvira in the
Ozark Mountains in 1879, is the first member of the family to learn how
to read, a skill that causes him to develop some new-fangled notions: that
women should not be mistreated and that he doesn’t have to help his
father seven days a week. The result is a fatherly punch in the face, which
John vows his father will soon regret…”]
CAST: Court Benson (Charles May), Russell Horton (John May), Arnold
Moss (Harry Odell), Bryna Raeburn (Elvira May).
Arnold Moss (scriptwriter—1978, CBS Radio Mystery Theater)
[Tuesday-Friday—8:45-9:00 AM]
September 23, 1980 (1)
September 24, 1980 (2)
September 25, 1980 (3)
September 26, 1980 (4)
AS IT HAPPENS (CBC)
[
September 21, 1990 “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
[“…Alan Maitland, as Front Porch Al, reads the story An Occurrence at
Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce. It is a tale of the U.S. Civil War,
and when we meet Peyton Farquhar, a civilian citizen of the Confederacy,
he is about to meet his fate at the hands of Union soldiers…”]
HISTORIAS (RNE 1, BARCELONA?)
[
Circa 2000 “El Guardian”
Circa 2000 “El funeral de John Mortonson” / “La alucinacion de Stanley
Fleming” / “Un habitante de Carcosa”
[SOURCES]
Hand, Richard J. “Reanimating Peyton Farquhar: The Adaptations of Ambrose Bierce’s ‘An Occurrence at
Owl Creek Bridge’ in American Radio and Television.” The ABP Journal (Fall 2005).
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
[MOTION-PICTURE; RADIO-SERIAL]
“Despite evidence to the contrary,” comments British radio drama producer Dirk Maggs, “I try to
avoid doing work with a direct filmic equivalent, but I could not refuse the opportunity to rework
a classic by one of my favourite movie directors. The fact that John Landis was also enthusiastic
to have An American Werewolf in London reworked for radio was the key. He was kindness
personified and got personally involved to see that we got permission to make this.”
“Due to the horror content and some bad language, An American Werewolf in London was first
broadcast in three-minute segments in a late night BBC Radio 1 slot, again mixed by Paul Deeley
in superb Dolby Surround Sound. To create the guttural wolf sounds, a pig and English badger
noises were used in the mix. Eric Meyers was recorded using a stereo capsule on a boom so that
there would be the feeling of frantic movement.”
“We recorded Eric Meyers using a stereo capsule on a boom so he could throw himself around
the studio and we could follow - he had no voice and a lot of bruises afterwards.
“This one had nothing to do with the cinematic release of An American Werewolf in Paris, that
was pure coincidence. Eric Meyers suggested the idea to me very early on, about 1995, but it took
two years to clear. The concession to the nature of the beast was that it aired in the Mary Ann
Evans (? apologies to the DJ, I can't remember the name) show, late nights weekdays. I do
remember I sensed we were coming to the end of our Radio 1 heyday; the people at the show
didn't seem crazy about having to play a three-minute episode every night. Later on they warmed
up a bit when they heard it. But Matthew Bannister was leaving the network and I had a feeling -
which turned out to be correct - that the new regime was going to dump us. Which was a pity
because we were one of the good things they had at that time... we were going places, then they
stiffed us.
“Of the original cast I only ever went for Jenny Agutter, Brian Glover and John Woodvine; they
were the important characters and they were accessible. I knew that Eric Meyers and Bill Dufris
would play David and Jack really well. Jenny told me she did it only because John Landis told her
I was a good bloke, which was sort of reassuring! Jenny was delightful - obviously she's still dead
sexy and all that, but she has a great sense of humour and was enormous fun to have around,
which isn't true of all actresses who are also big stars. John Woodvine had a very dry sense of
humour. One time I apologised for a slightly clumsy line I had written for him and he said, 'Don't
worry Dirk, I'm sure I can improve it somehow!' Of course it was Brian Glover's last ever acting
job (I believe), he died a couple of months later. He was terrific, sick as he was; he came to the
studio on the bus, refusing a car, said he needed the exercise. And he turned in a very powerful
performance. I dedicated the Talkie Award we won to him. A lovely man and a truly great actor.
“For the additional scenes I was looking for a backstory for the werewolf. Who was he before he
was killed on the Moors? Why were the villagers in The Slaughtered Lamb protecting him? Brian's
character was so vehement about protecting the secret. I reasoned he must have a family
connection. But at the same time I thought that Dr Hirsch must have some kind of secret
knowledge of the situation. He is such an establishment figure, yet believes in werewolves. How
could I reconcile those elements? I though maybe he too came from the area, and I wondered if
maybe there could be some kind of Eastern European settlement there - in the style of
Transylvanians coming here ... not exactly relatives of Count Dracula, but from the village! And
blow me down, as I was starting to write the scripts, on the Today programme there was a piece
about Eastern European migrants to the North of England in the 18th Century - perfect! So that
gave me a link, which I followed up. It was fun to try and tie these element up a bit.
“His updated version of John Landis's An American Werewolf in London for BBC Radio 1 won
the 1997 Talkie Award for Best TV/Film Adaptation. This was the third year in succession that
Dirk won a Talkie; in 1996 his Independence Day UK won the 1996 Talkie for Best Production,
and his productions of BBC Radio 1’s 80-episode (honest!) Judge Dredd won the 1995 Talkie for
Best Production.”
“Like Dirk Maggs’ previous Radio 1 dramatisations, the pace and production values are simply
terrific.” (KEN GARNER, The Express, 7 April 1997)
“The beast was brought triumphantly back to life ... thanks to expert direction from Dirk Maggs
...” (STEPHANIE BILLEN, The Observer, 13 April 1997)
“The hip language, vivid sound effects, insistent music and Dolby Surround bear witness to Dirk
Maggs.” (PAUL DONOVAN, Sunday Times, 7 April 1997)
“... Dirk Maggs adds new twists and grizzly sounds to John Landis’s movie ... Recommended.”
(RADIO CHOICE, Daily Mail, 7 April 1997)
“... an excellent job - congratulations!” (JOHN LANDIS (An American Werewolf In London, The
Blues Brothers) April 1997)
[Review by Ty Power] “Eric Meyers (Sargeant Bullock in Batman: Knightfall, The Human Torch
in The Amazing Spider-Man, and David here) went to college in the US with the brother of John
Landis (the director of the original 1981 film). He thought it might be a good idea for Dirk Maggs
to do the story for radio. Dirk met with John Landis to talk about the project; he was emerging
from the Abbey Road studios after recording music and a voice-over for his film The Stupids.
With him was veteran actor Christopher Lee, and Dirk got to meet them both for the first time.
Initially, Dirk was reluctant to take on what was essentially a recycled movie; it wasn't what he
considered his Audio Movies to be all about (people still approach him and say, "You do radio
versions of films." which is not the case. There has only been one: this one.). A successful meeting
changed Dirk's mind, however. Landis was keen for this to go ahead and gave Dirk permission to
flesh-out and extend the story with original material, which eventually ran to more than fifteen
percent of the running time. Landis also did everything he could topush through clearances.
“The acting talents of Jenny Agutter, Brian Glover and John Woodvine (Woodvine's rich voice
would be perfect for audio book narratives, if he hasn't already added that to his repertoire) were
secured to reprise their film roles and bring continuity to the project. Also turning in sterling
performances as David and Jack, the American backpackers, are Eric Meyers and William Dufris
(Judge Caligula in Judge Dredd - The Day The Law Died, and the title character in The Amazing
Spider-Man) respectively. William Dufris has made it known that this project is one of his career
works he's most proud of.
“As in the film, the best humour comes courtesy of the conversations between David and his
dead friend Jack. For example: "It looks like I'll have to get used to entertaining corpses. Take a
seat." "I'd better stand. I seem to leave bits of myself behind when I sit." Another example is: "I
came to see you." "You've seen me, now go away and decompose somewhere else. I will not be
threatened by a walking meatloaf!" In the brand new opening sequence there is a clever exchange
between a Inspector Villiers and his subordinates: "There's enough blood. Where's the body?"
"Over here. And over there." "Another bit over here, sir." Another powerful moment, particularly
because there are no other actors to play off of, is the scene when David is left alone in Alex's flat
on the night of his first transformation. He tries out the TV: "ITV - soccer match, BBC1 - insipid
documentary, BBC 2 - insipid documentary, Channel 4 - insipid documentary presented by
midget transvestites..." And he checks his appearance: "Everything looks the same in the mirror.
No insipient werewolf characteristics. Snarl! Growl! Grr!"
“Due to the horror content and some bad language, An American Werewolf in London was first
broadcast in three-minute segments in a late night BBC Radio 1 slot, again mixed by Paul Deeley
in superb Dolby Surround Sound. To create the gutteral wolf sounds a pig and English badger
noises were used in the mix. Eric Meyers was recorded using a stereo capsule on a boom so that
there would be the feeling of frantic movement.
“The dramatisation was released in its 110 minute entirety on cassette and CD later in 1997.
Sales were respectable, but feedback was surprisingly quiet. However, the industry obviously
appreciated the piece as Dirk's script was nominated for the Writers' Guild Award for Best
Dramatisation, and the production won the 1997 Talkie Award for Best TV or Film Adaptation. A
slightly truncated version of the complete Audio Movie aired on 13th September 2003 on the BBC
World Service as its Play of the Week, during the themed Monster Season. The BBC World Service
has a global audience of 150 million.
[SYNOPSIS, from Ty Power review] “When an attendant checks on a new patient at the lunatic
asylum, he witnesses the man, Talbot, undergo a horrifying transformation. The attendant is
brutally torn apart and Talbot escapes. On the Yorkshire Moors two young American men are
backpacking. Hitching a ride to East Proctor, they call at a small pub called The Slaughtered Lamb
where a frosty reception awaits them, especially when they question the pentagram and candles
on the wall. Unwelcome, they are dispatched back out on to the Moors with only a single warning
to stay on the path. Faced with a seven mile walk to the next town in torrential rain, matters
deteriorate further when they hear the sounds of a predatory animal circling them. Jack in
attacked by a wolf and David is injured before the special constable, George Hackett, one of the
unsociables at the pub, kills the beast with a shotgun. Before falling unconscious David sees that
what was a wolf is now a naked man.
“David wakes up in a hospital in London to be told by Doctor Hirsch and Nurse Alex Price that
his friend Jack is dead. He is sedated after becoming hysterical, but later contradicts the police
report that the attacker was an escaped madman. As far as David is concerned it was definitely a
wolf. The police learn that Talbot's real name was Hackett, the same as East Proctor's special
constable. Meanwhile, David's parents are on board an aircraft approaching Heathrow Airport
when it is taken over by the people's Liberation Front. When his father tries to protest, he is shot.
This scene within a scene turns out to be another in a series of nightmares surrounding death
which David experiences in the hospital. To make matters worse his dead friend Jack appears to
him in a state of decomposition and tells him they were attacked on the Moors by a lycanthrope, a
werewolf. Jack explains that he is cursed to walk the Earth in limbo until the bloodline is broken
and the last werewolf is destroyed. David is told he is that last werewolf; he must kill himself.
“When David is discharged from hospital, the attractive and sympathetic Nurse Alex gives him a
place to stay, and very soon they are a couple. From limbo Jack watches them make love in the
shower. He is urged by Larry, one of many undead from the werewolf line, to persuade David to
kill himself quickly so that they can pass on. Larry, he discovers, is the werewolf that killed him on
the Moors ("I'm really pissed off at you for killing me, Larry!" "I've said I'm sorry, haven't I?").
This time when Jack appears to David, he tells his disturbed friend that the next day at the full
moon he will become a werewolf. Needless to say, David thinks he is losing his mind. Intrigued by
his ex-patient's werewolf delusions, Dr Hirsch pays a visit to The Slaughtered Lamb pub in East
Proctor, where he receives a very cool reception from George Hackett and the other patrons. The
urgent warnings of a young villager are abruptly cut off by the special constable.
“Meanwhile, David is left alone while Alex goes to work the nightshift at the hospital. He
eventually undergoes a hideous transformation and disappears into the night. Dr Hirsch and
Alex, concerned about David's mental state, attempt to contact him without success. That night a
series of gristly murders are reported in and around Central London. In East Proctor the patrons
of The Slaughtered Lamb press George Hackett into taking action, as the dark secret has now
extended beyond their community. David wakes up the next morning naked and in the wolf
enclosure at London Zoo. After persuading a little boy to lift a woman's fur coat from a park
bench, he makes his way back to Alex's flat. He feels fit and invigorated, like a new man.
“When Dr Hirsch learns that David has returned he instructs Alex to bring him straight to the
hospital, but when the taxi driver starts to talk about the brutal killings of the night before David
realises he was responsible. He separates himself from Alex, telling her he's not safe to be with.
Jack makes a final appearance, beckoning David into a seedy Leicester Square porno cinema.
David is introduced to his victims from the night before. One more time they try to persuade him
to commit suicide, but the full moon rises causing David to under his metamorphosis. Although
the police arrive on the scene, the werewolf David breaks through the barriers created at the
cinema and causes havoc through the streets around Piccadilly Circus.
“Dr Hirsch and Alex arrive at the scene half-believing the werewolf story. Apparently, Hirsch's
ancestors from Eastern Europe were very big on legend and superstition. It turns out that 200
years before, the people of East Proctor migrated from Eastern Romania. The werewolf David
enters a theatre, but is then cornered in an alley by the police. Alex manages to slip through
unseen into the alley, where she attempts to protect the beast. However, George Hackett turns up
with a shotgun and puts an end to the curse. With Alex at his side, the werewolf turns back into
David. He is dead... and free.”
ORIGINATION: Radio 1, London (BBC).
DURATION: April ?-May ??, 1997.
PERSONNEL: Wilfred Acosta (music), Paul Deeley (recording engineer, mixer), Dirk Maggs (adapter,
scriptwriter, director).
CAST: Jenny Agutter (Alex Price), David Bannerman (Inspector Villiers), William Dufris (Jack Goodman),
Brian Glover (George Hacket), Eve Karpf (Nurse Gallagher), Mark Lowin (The Kid), Eric Meyers (David
Kessler), Michael Roberts (Larry Talbot), Mervyn Stutter (Sergeant McManus), John Woodvine (Doctor
Hirsch).
EXTANT RECORDINGS: All 40 episodes.
[CHRONOLOGY]
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (RADIO 1, LONDON)
[
April ?, 1997 [1] “The Sanatorium”
[2] “Beast Hunt”
[3] “Backpacking”
[4] “East Proctor”
[5] “The Slaughtered Lamb”
[6] “No Room at the Inn”
[7] “Beware the Moon”
[8] “Werewolf Attack”
[9] “Rescue”
[10] “Embassy Man”
[11] “The Police”
[12] “I Killed Bambi”
[13] “Feeding Time”
[14] “Visions”
[15] “Nightmare”
[16] “The Murder File”
[17] “Jack’s Back”
[18] “The Warning”
[19] “The Flat”
[20] “Night Talk”
[21] “Up North”
[22] “Out You Go”
[23] “I’m Not Hungry”
[24] “Metamorphosis”
[25] “First Victims”
[26] “Suspicions”
[27] “First Night”
[28] “Radio One”
[29] “Balloon Thief”
[30] “Mister Nancy Boy”
[31] “Bad News”
[32] “Arrest Me!”
[33] “Phone Me”
[34] “Blue Movies”
[35] “Kill Yourself”
[36] “Cinema Siege”
[37] “Break Out”
[38] “Cornered Beast”
[39] “Farce Slaughter”
[40] “I Love You, David”
PLAY OF THE WEEK (WORLD SERVICE, LONDON—BBC)
[
September 13, 2003 “An American Werewolf in London”
[Ty Power] “A slightly truncated version of the complete Audio Movie
aired on 13th September 2003 on the BBC World Service as its Play of
the Week,”
[GALLERY]
Dirk Maggs Brian Glover, Jenny Agutter and John Woodvine