Walter Gibson, creator of The Shadow, was also the host of Strange.
Strange was a 15 minute anthology series from ABC with stories of the supernatural. The narrator was Walter Gibson, who also created The Shadow. A short highlight of the story would play, then the announcer would cut in to introduce "your narrator -- famous author, lecturer and expert on strange and weird events, Walter Gibson." Gibson would discuss the theme of the story, then it would begin with a full cast, music, and sound effects. When it was finished, Gibson would return and sum everything up.
The Standard Intro:
(SFX: A Gong)
Announcer: "The story you are about to hear is true, but --
(SFX: Echo added)
"STRAAAAANGE!"
(MUSIC: Big, weird, fades out for preview of show)
An Opening Narration:
Announcer: "ABC Radio Network presents STRANGE! True stories of the supernatural, with your narrator -- famous author, lecturer and expert on strange and weird events, Walter Gibson."
Host: "Thank you, Charles Woods. Tonight I want to tell you about a man whose daily newspaper was often one day ahead. A man who had the uncanny ability to know tomorrow's headlines!"
A Typical Closing
Host: "A man's life saved, because of a premonition that gave advance warning of a disaster before it happened. And this story can be verified by theatre records and written memoirs of the theatre manager, Andrew Blair!"
(Music: Sting)
Host: "Monday, I'll bring you another story of the supernatural. A story true, but strange!"
(Music, Theme and under)
Announcer: "Tune in tomorrow and every weekday evening over most of these stations at this same time for Walter Gibson, your expert on the supernatural. Stories of ghosts - of spirits, werewolves and voodoo! And each story you hear is true but --
(SFX: With Echo added)
"STRAAAANGE!"
Hear It Now, FREE!
(Courtesy of Mike Stevens)
1. The Phantom Wagon -
2. Capt. Robinson -
3. Déjà vu in France -
4. Deadman’s Reef -
5. Greenwood Acres -
6. Hillbilly Feud -
7. The Flying Dutchman -
8. The Ghost Train -
9. The Great Eastern -
Sample Shows:
Captain Robinson - A British soldier fighting in India is mortally wounded. His dying wish is to see his mother one last time, a wish he's determined to fulfill despite the fact she's thousand's of miles away.
Deja Vu in France - A young woman on her honeymoon in France has never visited the country before. And yet, she has premonitions that it was "home" in another life.
THE SCRIPTS
You can read three of the actual scripts from this series, courtesy of GenericRadio.com:
The Haunted Scarf (from Sept. 29, 1955) - A scarf purchased in a Middle Eastern curio shop causes weird flashbacks to the woman who wears it.
Tomorrow's Paper (from Oct. 14, 1955) - A man discovers details of the future in a most unusual newspaper.
The Executed Ghost (from Oct 18, 1955) - The ghost of a German soldier returns at night to face the firing squad.
A personal remembrance of the show (from one of our visitors):
"I was ten years old when I happened to have the radio on during the early evening, around seven. That's when I first heard the show, Strange, on our ABC outlet, WFIL in Philadelphia. I loved the musical interludes, the mood-setting echo at the beginning and, of course the weird stories which at the age of ten, I was sure they could very easily be true, as well as Strange! I remember one about lightning striking twice in the same place, and another involving Haitian voodoo. The shows were only fifteen minutes long-too short. I remember that some of the music sequences were used on other suspenseful shows, too. That was pretty common practice back then." - Linda D., Pa.