THE CALL OF CTHULHU
[SHORT-STORY]
A keystone work in the output of H. P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulu has…
[Gerald W. Page] “I did the first Lovecraft ARTC ever did, which was The Call of Cthulhu. I
would not have done if I had reread it before I agreed. Tom Fuller, the founder of ARTC who died
not too long ago, called me up and said, “ARTC is going to start performing at Dragon-Con.”
Previously, they had had a radio series for which I had given The Happy Man . They had
performed The Happy Man on the radio, and it had been a good script for them, so they wondered
if I could do the script for The Call of Cthulhu. Naturally I said, yes.
“So, I put it off until finally the deadline was getting close. I pulled the story out and reread it
and quickly realized it had no suitable dramatic structure for radio. If you remember the way the
story is built, it is three separate incidents that only add up together when they are taken side-by-
side. They’re totally unrelated; they don’t involve the same characters. The narrator finally comes
across newspaper clipping describing the other two events and realizes that this all fits together.
There’s really no character involved in all of that.
“All of a sudden, I’ve got to figure out how to make it work. So, I just threw words at it. I added
some characters that allowed me to bring in some things and to, incidentally, make use of a few
actors. There are no female characters in the story, so I introduce one. I can’t remember her last
name, but Joyce, an older woman, was working with ARTC, and she was just an absolutely
magnificent actress, and I wanted her in there, so I created a role for her. Anyway, I sent it to
them, and they respond with this long silence. Doug Kaye told me a few months ago that when
they rehearsed, they cut like hell. It was the worst script I ever did; it was just awful.
“Finally, Dragon-Con comes around. This is the first performance of ARTC at Dragon-Con,
which has since become a regular annual event. They go in there, and this thing is performed. I
just sat there, kind of excited but kind of nervous too, because I know it is not my finest hour.
And, when they called me up on stage afterwards, I got a standing ovation from the crowd.
“The only thing I can say is that Lovecraft is very good for his adapters, because there’s no way
that script would have stood up without the force of that story. It didn’t hurt that we had a pretty
good cast, either. I remember that Doug Kaye was in it. Tom Fuller. I think Bill Jackson, but I’m
not sure. ARTC had a very good group. They still do.
“That was the only Lovecraft they let me get close to. If I had given it to them three months
earlier, they would have thrown that one away. I’m convinced that the only reason I got the story
is because Tom read the story and said, “I’m not tackling this!”
THE CALL OF CTHULHU
[RADIO-SCRIPT]
Information on Werner Ihlenfeld: “Werner was involved with Community Radio Station 92
THE FM where he hosted a weekly programme, and from 1990-1994 was the President and
Programme Co-ordinator, Broadcast Regulations and Marketing Supervisor and the Secretary.
Werner’s primary experience includes: Enzian Folk Dance Group from 1981-1988; production for
Deadmen on Holiday: Metro Primitive Myths; Recital of New Australian and American works;
director and performer in the radio drama, The Call of Cthulu by H. P. Lovecraft.”
WERNER IHLENFELD - Foundation Director
Co-founder of IHOS, Werner was primarily responsible for project management, production
logistics, sponsorship and support from the corporate sector and community groups until 2004.
Werner operates Flaming Eye Productions, a special effects and pyrotechnical company. Werner
has served on numerous boards including the German Australia Club and the executive
committee of 92FM community radio.
Flaming Eye Productions
64 Liverpool St
7000 Hobart TAS
Phone: (03) 6231 2219
[CHRONOLOGY]
(COMMUNITY RADIO STATION 92FM, HOBART)
[Monday— PM]
August 20, 1990 “The Call of Cthulhu”
PERSONNEL: Werner Ihlenfeld (director).
CAST: Werner Ihlenfeld, et al.
EXTANT RECORDING
THE CALL OF CTHULHU
[SHORT-STORY]
The most recent radio dramatization of The Call of Cthulhu came from WRMC in Champlain
Valley, Vermont.
[CHRONOLOGY]
THE MIDDLEBURY RADIO THEATER OF THRILLS AND SUSPENSE (WRMC,
CHAMPLAIN VALLEY)
[Saturday—7:00- PM]
February 23, 2008 “The Call of Cthulhu” / “New Tales from Kafka City” / “Hearing Test”
/ “5”
SCRIPT: Stefan Claypool.
CAST: Mio Igarashi, Andrew McDonald, Noah Mease.
EXTANT RECORDING
[OG-NOTE: Recordings of the show are available at the website.]