Arch Oboler’s first play forLights Outcreated a furor among listeners and network executives.
“Oboler produced a radio play entitled ‘Burial Service’ which brought thousands of indignant
telephone calls and angry letters. Oboler’s play told of a girl, completely paralyzed, though
possessed of all her senses, who is buried alive. Using scanty dialogue and long, suggestive
pauses, he so frightened listeners that thousands said they never wanted to hear him again.”
[Oakland Tribune, June 10, 1936] “Herbert Hoover's speech to the convention will be broadcast
at approximately 6 p. m. and you will be able to dial it locally over KPO and KGO.
“A still later bulletin says Hoover's talk is to be heard on KYA and KFRC, top, and that it may
begin as early as 5:30. . . . Better tune in at the earlier hour to be on the safe side.”
A Minnesota paper announced: “HERBERT HOOVER SPEAKS TONIGHT Over All Networks at
Approximately 8:30 O'CLOCK Central Standard Time TUNE IN.”
“His voice will go out on the air waves, just a few minutes after the family radios cease to give
forth the voice of his arch political foe-President Roosevelt.”
“But [Roosevelt’s] schedule called for a full day of appearances across the state, climaxed by a
broadcast speech at Little Rock ending only a few minutes before former President Hoover's radio
address from the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.”
[Greeley Daily Tribune] “The Republican national convention tonight devoted an hour to an old
time welcome to Herbert Hoover. Appearance of Hoover touched off the first prolonged
demonstration of the convention. As he stepped onto the platform wearing his usual high collar
and conservative dark, gray suit, the delegates let loose in a 15 minute period of shouting and
parading.
“Again when he finished the delegates got. out of hand. For 88 minutes they jammed the aisles
and filled the hall with some shouts, "We want Hoover" and all sorts of side antics.
“But the former president had left almost as soon as his last word was spoken and boarded a
train for New York. Chairman Snell adjourned the session at 8:08 p.m. m.s.t….”
Oakland Tribune, June 12, 1936] “This is one of those occasions when a radio
editor feels like pouring out a few vials of wrath. So bear with me while I spill at least a thimbleful
of vitriol in a deserved direction.
Did you listen to that grisly ‘Lights Out’ thing Wednesday night? It was a Grand Guignol horror,
except that, as far as I could tell, it was pointless, and utterly lacking in the macabre deftness of
the French school of morgue drama.
A young woman was being buried alive. She was conscious. She could hear, but could not move
nor open her eyes. Horror was piled upon horror. Listeners were permitted to hear her shaping in
her mind the words she was trying to say aloud. They heard a detailed word picture of the funeral
obsequies for a live ‘corpse,’ apparently a victim of catalepsy. I prefer live talent, myself.
I am sincerely sorry for any sensitive children who may have been listening in. What burns me
up is that censors will hold up their hands in holy horror if a casual ‘damn’ happens to slip
through the mike, and then permit a ghastly thing like this to go wandering at large through the
ether.”
[Oakland Tribune, June 15, 1936] “In reply to indignant queries: No, that horror drama that
followed after half an hour of Town Hall Tonight last Wednesday was NOT Fred Allen’s. Fred was
held down to half an hour, in case the convention wanted a portion of the time. The convention
didn’t come on at that time, so the 30-minute horror was piped through from the East as a fill-in.”
Oakland Tribune, June 18, 1936] “Most parents watch the reading of
their children, according to temperament. In the early years they can control their children's
motion picture fare…
“The one thing beyond their control is the turn of the dial in almost every living room which
brings plays of sheer horror at the bed time hour to responsive but uncritical nerves.
“The youngsters who listen are unlikely to be ruined for life by an occasional word of profanity.
If their home life is normal, they will merely be bewildered by the radio plays or movies that shock
the censors by their unconventionality.
“But horror in the name of adventure is more serious in its effect, as our own radio editor
pointed out in his recent criticism of a sweet little bedtime tale regarding a girl being buried alive.
No child will go to bed in a better mood for that.”
A surviving memo from network executive Sidney Strotz reports that he and his Chicago office
"have received many complaints from listeners on the West Coast" and, although he mentions
reading Oboler's script and agreeing it should not have been broadcast, he also says, "I think it
was a mistake to feed Lights Out to the Coast for the period 8:30 to 9 Pacific Coast time. It
certainly is not the type of show that should go on at such an early hour. I don't think Lights Out
ever should be on earlier than 11 o'clock at night." Another June '36 NBC memo reports "getting
vitriolic complaints" about the series and "particularly" during the week that "Burial Service"
aired.
[Beaver Valley Times, May 17, 1947—“Frightening Man” by Patricia Clary] “Orson Welles and
Oboler have more in common than that both write, direct and act. Both have nearly been banned
from radio for being too effectively frightening. Long before Welles stagged [sic] his invasion from
Mars, Oboler produced a radio play entitled ‘Burial Service’ which brought thousands of
indignant telephone calls and angry letters.
“Oboler’s play told of a girl, completely paralyzed, though possessed of all her senses, who is
buried alive.
“Using scanty dialogue and long, suggestive pauses, he so frightened listeners that thousands
said they never wanted to hear him again.”
WMAQ, Chicago, Illinois (NBC-RED).
June 10, 1936.
Arch Oboler (scriptwriter).
June 10, 1936“Burial Service”
June 10, 1936“Burial Service”