BLACK FEAR
[RADIO-SERIAL]
“It is about voodooism in the African jungle; so it ought to be mysterious enough for Friday the
13th.”
Produced by radio’s original dramatic company at WGY in Schenectady.
[Information about Reed’s stage play Drums of Death]: The living-room of the Bailey home, a
half-ruined mansion on a desolate stretch of the Atlantic coast. Characters: Celeste, an octoroon
servant; Sheldon Harley, in charge of the Bailey property; Jules, a Haitian negro; Mrs. Oakley, the
housekeeper; Mrs. Gillette, Mr. Bailey’s sister; Eugenia Bowles, a distant relative; Amelia Gillette,
Mrs. Gillette’s granddaughter; Newton Cooper, the county sheriff; Doctor Cameron, a midnight
visitor; Paula Bailey, Mr. Bailey’s granddaughter.
Harley, describing Bailey: “For twenty years, he lived as a savage in the jungles of Africa. He
rose to a position of power in his tribe—became a wizard or a medicine man… His mind has been
breaking slowly for months. And when Thompson came…a deadly enmy of Mr. Bailey’s. It was to
hide from Thompson that Mr. Bailey came to this lonely spot and lived like a hermit… Mr. Bailey,
because of the belief these natives had in him, had been given a stone—a stone they considered
magic. A great many people—for a variety of reaons, would like to have that stone. This man
Thompson is the most desperately determined of all the hunters of it. Mr. Bailey’s last years hav
been a wild flight from the vengeance of Thompson. But Thompson found him at last! He came to
the door in the dead of night. Thompson didn’t enter, but he gave Jules a message. ‘Tell Bailey
that Thompson has come for the stone.’ After receiving the message, Mr. Bailey dropped out of
sight. What became of this Thompson? He’s over in the swamp. And I have a suspicion he is the
man who brought you to this house with the telegrams.”
Paula: “Mr. Harley spoke of Thompson being over in the swamp. He is not alone. He has with
him, under his command, a band of negro criminals and cut-throats, the vilest dregs of the West
Indies. It is their intention to enter this house some time before morning. Those men were
brought here by grandfather’s worst enemy, Thompson. This house has been guarded day and
night by grandfather’s servants. They’re in the cellar, in the attic, lurking in the hallways,
watching for Thompson and his men.
Doctor: Sounds like we are in the center of a miniature war.
Mrs Gillette: And we hurried to my brother’s deathbed, to be with him in his last moments—and
find this!
Celeste [in trance]: “I see—water! Black water—smooth—lak glass. Woman sleeps—and walks—
wiz ze candlelight. Body float—long tam dead!
Paula: She saw a man—long time dead—floating in black smooth water. At that moment, the
room went dark, and I saw a white shape standing here.
Paula: What terrible devices my grandfather constructed to protect that stone!
Harley: At time, his ingenuity has had me gasping. For years, he has been turning this old
mansion into a ghastly labyrinth, for the sole purpose of exterminating this man Thompson,
should he ever come.
Harley: Thompson either knew he was dead, or he wanted to have some relatives on hand, in
case he was fortunate enough to kill your grandfather. To take the stone? By the superstition of
these ignorant savages, the stone may not be removed from the body of a dead wizard, save by a
blood relative.. I wouldn’t dare take the stone from Mr. Bailey’s body myself, not with his servants
looking on.
Paula: But Thompson—he would dare!
Harley: No, I doubt it. Evidently, he’s in the same fix. That’s why you are here.
Paula: But Mr. Harley, if grandfather has been in the water for three days, I couldn’t bear to look
upon him!
Doctor: According to her (Mrs. Gillette), she came into this room, looking for Miss Bailey. She
turned and saw a dark figure all of eight feet tall back of that table. In one hand this giant held a
knife. And in the other, something which glowed.
Cooper: I looked out th’ attic window, an’ whadda yuh suppose I seen? I saw a woman all
bundled up, head to foot, carryin’ a lantern. An’ she was goin’ toward th’ pond down here. An’
back o’ her was two more women an’ a man! They was follerin’—some distance back. By jings, it
was a ghastly sight! They was walkin’ slow-like, jest as if they was goin’ tuh their doom!
Oakley: I saw a man killed in there, years ago—a negro. He tried to open the cabinet. There’s an
awful thing inside that cabinet—Devil’s Breath. Some terrible thing from Africa! The negroes here
on the place know all about it. If you breathe it once, you die instantly. His body became just like
stone! He died on his feet! The grip of his hands on the cabinet held him up. They had to pry him
loose.
Doctor: Thompson has had the house surrounded for some time.
Mrs. G: They’re closing in on us?
Doctor: No, it’s the other way round. Men are coming out of the house, evidently with the
intention of forcing the issue.
Eugenia: Why don’t somebody telephone to town for help?
Doctor: I imagine the town is satisfied to let these negroes fight it out among themselves.
Celeste: Celeste like yo’ to remembaire she do eet for Jules.
Paula: What is all this, Celeste? What have you been up to?
Celeste: Look at heem. Yo’ zink mebbe he ees one animal lak ze ox!
Paula: Why, no, of course not!
Celeste: Long tam ago in Haiti, he haf vife an’ babees! A man come once to Haiti, white man. He
makes plenty trouble. He shoot—stab—keel—Jules lose ze wife an’ babees.
Paula: Oh, Jules! that was too bad!
Jules: Some day, missie, Ah pays back!
Harley: I told you Mr. Bailey spent twenty years among the savages in Africa. He did it in the
employ of a certain government which has large colonies there. When the chance offered, Mr.
Bailey left Africa, carrying with him a certain stone. He was ordered to take it out of the country
and protect it. A year ago, he was ordered to get the stone ready to return to Africa. Before Mr.
Bailey could get himself ready to go back, this man Thompson showed up. If he can destroy the
stone, a certain European government stands ready to pay him a small fortune. It is a magic
stone, used in the ceremonials of a very troublesome African tribe.
Harley may open the curtains to show Dr. Cameron “dead,” standing with hands grasping open
doors of cabinet.
Variant title listing: Dark Fear (newspaper radio logs).
ORIGINATION: WGY, Schenectady, New York; KOA, Denver, Colorado; WGR, Buffalo, New York.
DURATION: July 6-September 7, 1928 (WGY); January 16-March 13, 1930 (KOA); August 3-September
28, 1931 (WGR).
PERSONNEL: Howard Reed (scriptwriter), Frank Oliver (director—1928, WGY).
CAST [1931, WGR]: Caroline N. Toepfer, et al.
EXTANT RECORDINGS: None.
[CHRONOLOGY]
BLACK FEAR (WGY, SCHENECTADY)
[Friday—7:30-8:00 PM]
July 6, 1928 [1]
July 13, 1928 [2]
July 20, 1928 [3]
July 27, 1928 [4]
August 3, 1928 [5]
August 10, 1928 [6]
August 17, 1928 [7]
August 24, 1928 [8]
August 31, 1928 [9]
September 7, 1928 [10]
BLACK FEAR (KOA, DENVER)
[Thursday—9:00-9:30 PM]
January 16, 1930 [1]
January 23, 1930 [2]
January 30, 1930 [3]
February [4]
February [5]
[Thursday—10:00-10:30 PM]
February 13, 1930 [6]
February 20, 1930 [7]
February 27, 1930 [8]
March 6, 1930 [9]
March 13, 1930 [10]
BLACK FEAR (WGR, BUFFALO)
[Monday—9:30-10:00 PM]
August 3, 1931 [1]
August 10, 1931 [2]
August 17, 1931 [3]
August 24, 1931 [4]
August 31, 1931 [5]
September 7, 1931 [6]
[September 14—pre-empted by political talk]
September 21, 1931 [7]
September 28, 1931 [8]
[Sources]
PERIODICALS: Buffalo Evening News.