MACABRE
[RADIO-SERIES]
[Pacific Stars and Stripes—April 10, 1961—“It’s Designed to Keep You in Suspense”]
“FUCHU AS, Japan (OD—A new series of suspense programs, entitled ‘Macabre,’ will be
broadcast over Far East Network stations this summer.
“The programs are being recorded at FEN-Tokyo studios and will be sent to Armed Forces
Radio and Television Service stations throughout the world, according to FEN spokesmen.
“Writer for the ‘Macabre’ series is FEN assistant production director William Verdier, who also
directs, produces and acts in the programs.
“Other voices to be heard on the programs include Walt Sheldon, FEN production director;
John Buey, FEN program director; Mrs. Clifford Asche and Mrs. Charles B. Hennessy, wives of
military personnel stationed in the Tokyo area, and A/1C James Connalley, production
department. Technicians include M/Sgt. Bob Eddy and T/Sgt. Newell Steward, acting and sound
patterns; S/Sgt. Al LePage, announcing; and A/1C Larry Clements, engineering.
“Titles of four ‘Macabre’ productions already released by FEN are: ‘House in the Garden,’ ‘Man
in the Mirror,’ ‘Final Resting Place,’ and ‘Week End’.”
[Pacific Stars and Stripes—November 11, 1961—“FEN to Air 2 New, Locally-Produced Shows”]
“Two new—but startlingly different—weekly programs make their bow next week on the Far East
Network; one a spine-tingling dramatic thriller called ‘Macabre,’ and the other a salute to the men
of Fifth Air Force called ‘Comet and Stars’.
“Lovers of thrills, chills and tales of the supernatural will be treated to a new experience 9:30
p.m. Mondays when ‘Macabre’ will be heard weekly. The series is filled with horror and suspense
and will bring FEN listeners a new type of thriller program with an unusual approach.
“Forming the basis for the stories to be dramatized will be a procession of diabolically clever
maniacs and overzealous adventurers who tamper with supernatural powers, ultimately involving
both themselves and those around them in horrifying consequences.
“This original series was created by FEN’s assistant director of production, William Verdier.
Parts are filled locally, mainly by FEN staff members supplemented by local talent from various
organizations in the Kanto area.
“The ‘Macabre’ series is being distributed by the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service in
Los Angeles for worldwide use by AFRTS outlets.”
MACABRE (FEN, TOKYO)
[Monday—9:30-10:00 PM]
November 13, 1961 “Final Resting Place”
[“…the strange tale of what happens to a honeymooning couple when
they stop in a small town for the night and visit a carnival…”]
EXTANT RECORDING
November 20, 1961 “
EXTANT RECORDING
November 27, 1961 “Man in the Mirror”
[“…a story about a freeway accident which involves a horrified man in the
realm of the dead where he encounters an evil stranger who makes a
bargain with him…”]
EXTANT RECORDING
December 4, 1961 “
[“…a fantastic wager sets the stage for a grotesque series of murders…”]
EXTANT RECORDING
December 11, 1961 “The Midnight Horseman”
[“…A medieval painting’s occult powers stretch out over the centuries to
present its owner with a horrifying destiny…”]
EXTANT RECORDING
December 18, 1961 “
EXTANT RECORDING
December 25, 1961 “Of Frankincense and Myrrh”
[“…combines the Christmas theme with terror…”]
EXTANT RECORDING
MACABRE
[RADIO-SERIES]
[Montreal Gazette, December 15, 1978—“Tuned In” by Thomas Schnurmacher] “They should
have called the series The Tom Rack Good-time Hour. Rack is a brilliant actor who deserves the
recognition. I remember him in Shakespeare class during my salad days at McGill University.”
MACABRE (C??, MONTREAL—CBC)
[Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday—2:04- PM]
December 18, 1978 “Trilby” [PART 1]
[MONTREAL GAZETTE: “…CBC radio is re-discovering George du
Maurier’s famous story Trilby, the tragic tale of a young artist’s model
who becomes a famous singer under the influence of the sinister
mesmerist Svengali… When Trilby was first published in the 1870s, many
readers felt the hypnotic evil genius Svengali was based on a true
character. Even today, Montreal writer Arthur Samuels, who has
dramatized the story for CBC radio, confesses he thought Svengali was a
real person. Samuels says he has taken a few liberties with the story,
eliminating several characters to create a ‘sharper intimacy’ with the
three main characters—Svengali, played by Tom Rack, Trilby by Kathleen
Flaherty, and Gecko by Griffith Brewer, a Centaur perennial…”]
December 19, 1978 “Trilby” [PART 2]
December 20, 1978 “Trilby” [PART 3]
December 21, 1978 “The Black Cat”
[MONTREAL GAZETTE: “…one of Edgar Allan Poe’s well-known horror
stories… Dramatized by Ernesto Cuevas, the story is set in the here and
now—contemporary Montreal. Major parts are played by Joan Heney
and Terrence Labrosse. Other parts are by Victor Desy—except for the
Cat, played by Tom Rack…”]
December 26, 1978 “Frankenstein” [PART 1]
[MONTREAL GAZETTE: “…Mary Shelley’s classic horror story…
Dramatized by Bob Duncan, it stars Robin Gammell as Victor
Frankenstein and Tom Rack as the Monster…”]
December 27, 1978 “Frankenstein” [PART 2]
December 28, 1978 “The Cask of Amontillado”
[MONTREAL GAZETTE: “…Poe’s medieval horror tale…starring Ian Devoy
as Fortunato and guess who as Montresor? Tom Rack…”]
MAD DADDY