THE BLACK CASTLE
[RADIO-SERIES]
”Come, follow me, please, for again we visit the wizard who dwells yonder in the great hall.”
Although clearly derivative from the West Coast program The Black Chapel, this WOR series
nevertheless managed to up-the-ante on its predecessor by serving as a tour-de-force for versatile
New York radio actor Don Douglas, who supplied all the voices in each story as well as the cracked
cacklings of the Wizard of the Castle and his pet raven Diablo.
[St. Petersburg Times, August 15, 1943—“Around the Dial” by Sylvia Norman] “…a one-man
show ghost series, featuring Don Douglas, who takes the part of all of the characters appearing in
the stories…”]
[Roy Sullivan, Miami Daily News] “This is a one-man ghost show, enacted by Don Douglas.
Maybe this is so frightening that Don can’t find actors to help him out. Maybe he just wants to
take all the parts to show he can.”
[Bob Francis, The Billboard] “This comparative newcomer to the designed-for-thrill lists differs
from competitors in that all spine-icing is soloed by Don Douglas. Douglas makes the
announcements, builds the horror pattern as the wizard of Black Castle, and finally switches to
each part called for in the latter’s ensuing, chiller-diller yarn.
“One-man dramas obviously offer presentation difficulties not experienced in shows using a cast
of actors. Speed of Castle is checked here and there by over-lengthy interpolations to explain
scene changes.This may have been particularly acute in show caught (Sept. 11). The yarn about an
invisible murderer, based on an idea much better developed by a fellow named Wells, was as
tenuous as its menace. Probably a hard nut for the producer-director, W. Keys Perrin, to crack.
“Except for the fact that he is inclined to ham the wizard, making the role often seem more silly
than awesome, Douglas puts on a good 15 minutes. His vocal changes are sharp and clear, and his
characterizations come over effectively. With better material and tempo the stretch can throw as
good a punch as any of the current hair-raisers.”
[The Billboard, Jan. 22, 1944] “In line with Tiny Ruffner’s policy of building WOR’s daytime
listening audience, Don Douglas’s Black Castle, one man show chiller which has been airing
Tuesday and Thursday nights, will go on Monday thru Friday at 2:45-3 p.m., starting January 31.
The eve shots will continue for at least two weeks and if reaction is favorable, they will be dropped
in favor of five a week daytime slot. This means that Douglas will do seven shows a week for
awhile. Reversing the usual trend, if show clicks, daytime will be the reward.”
[Broadcasting, March 27, 1944] “WOR New York on April 3 starts a weekly quarter-hour
Consumer Quiz program. Studio audience will be quizzed on various products and when unable to
answer, will be given the facts from a bulletin supplied by the U. S. Testing Co., New York, which
tests fabrics and other products for quality. Consumer Quiz will form part of a ‘WOR Matinee’
including the two next pro shows, The Black Castle and Songs by Sunny Skylar, with the
audience invited to remain and view the entire performance.”
For an early-evening show the series was surprisingly heavy on physical horror, as evidenced by
elements in the two surviving broadcasts.
ORIGINATION: WOR, New York City, New York (MBS).
DURATION: August 7-September 18, 1943 (Saturday afternoon series), September 25-
November 13, 1943 (Saturday evening series), November 16, 1943-March 16, 1944 (Tuesday-
Thursday evening series), January 31-June 22, 1944 (Monday through Friday daytime series).
PERSONNEL: Don Douglas (all voices), Arthur Henley (scriptwriter), W. Keys Perrin
(producer-director), Lillian Schoen (scriptwriter).
EXTANT RECORDINGS: “Jungle Death” (9/25/43), “Escape to Death” (12/16/43).
[CHRONOLOGY]
THE BLACK CASTLE (WOR, NEW YORK—MBS)
[Saturday—3:00-3:15 PM]
August 7, 1943
August 14, 1943
August 21, 1943
August 28, 1943
September 4, 1943
September 11, 1943
[“…about an invisible murderer…”]
September 18, 1943
[Saturday—7:15-7:30 PM]
September 25, 1943 “Jungle Death”
EXTANT RECORDING
October 2, 1943
October 9, 1943
October 16, 1943
October 23, 1943
October 30, 1943
November 6, 1943
November 13, 1943
[Tuesday & Thursday—8:00-8:15 PM]
November 16, 1943
November 18, 1943
November 25, 1943
[Saturday—7:15-7:30 PM]
November 27, 1943
[Tuesday & Thursday—8:00-8:15 PM]
November 30, 1943
December 2, 1943
December 7, 1943
December 9, 1943
December 14, 1943
December 16, 1943 “Escape to Death”
EXTANT RECORDING
December 21, 1943
December 23, 1943
December 28, 1943
December 30, 1943
January 4, 1944
January 11, 1944
January 13, 1944
January 18, 1944
January 20, 1944
January 25, 1944
January 27, 1944
February 1, 1944
February 3, 1944
February 8, 1944
February 10, 1944
February 15, 1944
February 17, 1944
February 22, 1944
February 24, 1944
February 29, 1944
March 2, 1944
March 7, 1944
March 9, 1944
March 14, 1944
March 16, 1944
THE BLACK CASTLE (1944 AFTERNOON SERIES)
[Monday thru Friday—3:00-3:15 PM]
January 31, 1944
February 1, 1944
February 2, 1944
February 3, 1944
February 4, 1944
February 7-11, 1944
February 14-18, 1944
February 21-25, 1944
February 28, 1944
February 29, 1944
March 1-3, 1944
March 6-10, 1944
March 13-17, 1944
March 20-24, 1944
March 27-31, 1944
April 3-7, 1944
April 10-14, 1944
April 17-21, 1944
April 24-28, 1944
May 1-5, 1944
May 8-12, 1944
May 15-19, 1944
May 22-26, 1944
May 29-31, 1944
June 1-2, 1944
June 5-9, 1944
June 12-16, 1944
June 19-22, 1944