The Black Mass | Old Time Radio (original) (raw)
dark tales featuring adaptions by Virginia Woolf, Edgar Allen Poe, HP Lovecraft, and Gogol.
30 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 13 hours, 1 min)
available in the following formats:
Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2025 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.
The Black Mass is one of those strange treasures of Old Time Radio. The program came at the very end of the golden age of radio era, produced between 1963 and 1964. Most of the OTR programs we are used to hearing from OTR were from the commercial networks, and their ultimate purpose was to make money for the networks and the sponsors. The Black Mass was a production of KPFA Berkley and the Pacifica Network. Pacifica was the first "Listener Supported" radio network in the US.
Because the Pacifica Network is listener funded, the staff feels obligated to provide the best programing possible for the audience without commercial consideration. Often this leads to very artful programing. (Pacifica was founded in 1946 by pacifist Lewis Hill, dedicated to the preservation of Free Speech and the advocacy controversial programming. It should be pointed out that the network is a lot more notorious for its liberal political stance than note worthy for its quality programing.)
KFPA Drama & Literature Director Jack Nessel came up with the concept for The Black Mass and suggested it to Erik Bauersfeld, professor of aesthetics and philosophy at the California School of Fine Arts. Bauesrsfeld was already reading classic and modern literature over the air and was not immediately enthusiastic about The Black Mass concept. The idea of seeking out tales of the supernatural from authors who were not widely known for writing in that genre eventually won him over.
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_The production was exceptionally well done with relatively primitive, for the time, technology. Bauersfeld first adapted the stories as radio plays; adapting them to a workable length and creating dialog in a dramatic form. KPFA Production Director John Whiting would record Bauersfeld, sometime, assisted by other actors, reading the scripts, and Bauersfeld then took the tapes for editing. After editing, the pair would secure what studio time they could, painstakingly adding music and effects to the voice track. Because they did not have access to multitrack recording equipment, this process could run late into the night.
The result deserves a place among the best of late-night horror radio shows like Quiet, Please, Hall of Fantasy, Mysterious Traveler, The Whistler, Lights Out, or Suspense.
The Black Mass featured adaptations of "Bartleby the Scrivener", Virginia Woolf's "Haunted House", Edgar Allen Poe's "Imp of the Perverse" and "The Tell Tale Heart", "The Outsider" and "The Rats in the Walls" by H.P. Lovecraft, and Gogol's "Diary of a Madman", among others.
Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2025 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.
These classic recordings are available in the following formats:
Instant DownloadMP3 CDStandard Audio CDReview
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* ## MP3 CDs are delivered by mail. These archival quality MP3 CDs are playable in your computer and many MP3 player devices.
30 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00
total playtime 13 hours, 1 min
- Filenames of old time radio shows which are dated as yy-mm-dd. For example:
This episode from the series "Fort Laramie" was broadcast on February 5, 1956 with the episode title "Squaw Man" - Black Mass 630900 All Hallows.mp3
- Black Mass 631218 Ash Tree.mp3
- Black Mass 640118 Nightmare.mp3
- Black Mass 640124 Squaw.mp3
- Black Mass 640212 Boarded Window.mp3
- Black Mass 640212 O Mirror Mirror.mp3
- Black Mass 640520 Death of Halpin Fraser.mp3
- Black Mass 640603 Proof Positive.mp3
- Black Mass 640620 A Predicament Tell Tale Heart.mp3
- Black Mass 640700 Rats In Walls.mp3
- Black Mass 640701 Disillusionment.mp3
- Black Mass 640701 Feeder.mp3
- Black Mass 640729 Imp Of Perverse Ms Found In A Bottle.mp3
- Black Mass 640814 A Country Doctor.mp3
- Black Mass 640900 Esme.mp3
- Black Mass 641010 Atrophy.mp3
- Black Mass 641031 An Evenings Entertainment.mp3
- Black Mass 641100 Jolly Corner.mp3
- Black Mass 641216 Diary of a Madman.mp3
- Black Mass 651000 Outsider.mp3
- Black Mass 651100 Moonlit Road.mp3
- Black Mass 691024 Fliespoor Quality.mp3
- Black Mass 691030 Evening Primrose -Pr Quality.mp3
- Black Mass 701113 Oil Of Dog Esme.mp3
- Black Mass Bartleby Scrivener.mp3
- Black Mass Haunted House.mp3
- Black Mass Judgement.mp3
- Black Mass Man In Crowd.mp3
- Black Mass Shidah And Kuziba.mp3
- Black Mass Tales By Lord Dunsany.mp3
MP3 downloads are available instantly after purchase!
30 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00
358 MB – total playtime 13 hours, 1 min
- Filenames of old time radio shows which are dated as yy-mm-dd. For example:
This episode from the series "Fort Laramie" was broadcast on February 5, 1956 with the episode title "Squaw Man" - Black Mass 630900 All Hallows.mp3
- Black Mass 631218 Ash Tree.mp3
- Black Mass 640118 Nightmare.mp3
- Black Mass 640124 Squaw.mp3
- Black Mass 640212 Boarded Window.mp3
- Black Mass 640212 O Mirror Mirror.mp3
- Black Mass 640520 Death of Halpin Fraser.mp3
- Black Mass 640603 Proof Positive.mp3
- Black Mass 640620 A Predicament Tell Tale Heart.mp3
- Black Mass 640700 Rats In Walls.mp3
- Black Mass 640701 Disillusionment.mp3
- Black Mass 640701 Feeder.mp3
- Black Mass 640729 Imp Of Perverse Ms Found In A Bottle.mp3
- Black Mass 640814 A Country Doctor.mp3
- Black Mass 640900 Esme.mp3
- Black Mass 641010 Atrophy.mp3
- Black Mass 641031 An Evenings Entertainment.mp3
- Black Mass 641100 Jolly Corner.mp3
- Black Mass 641216 Diary of a Madman.mp3
- Black Mass 651000 Outsider.mp3
- Black Mass 651100 Moonlit Road.mp3
- Black Mass 691024 Fliespoor Quality.mp3
- Black Mass 691030 Evening Primrose -Pr Quality.mp3
- Black Mass 701113 Oil Of Dog Esme.mp3
- Black Mass Bartleby Scrivener.mp3
- Black Mass Haunted House.mp3
- Black Mass Judgement.mp3
- Black Mass Man In Crowd.mp3
- Black Mass Shidah And Kuziba.mp3
- Black Mass Tales By Lord Dunsany.mp3
Standard Audio CDs are delivered by mail on archival quality media with up to 60 minutes on each CD and play in all CD players
30 recordings on 13 Audio CDs
total playtime 13 hours, 1 min
| Black Mass Disc A001Black Mass Bartleby ScrivenerBlack Mass Haunted HouseBlack Mass Judgement | Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00 |
|---|---|
| Black Mass Disc A002Black Mass Man In CrowdBlack Mass Shidah And KuzibaBlack Mass Tales By Lord Dunsany | Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00 |
| Black Mass Disc A003Black Mass 630900 All HallowsBlack Mass 631218 Ash Tree | Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00 |
| Black Mass Disc A004Black Mass 640118 NightmareBlack Mass 640124 Squaw | Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00 |
| Black Mass Disc A005Black Mass 640212 Boarded WindowBlack Mass 640212 O Mirror Mirror | Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00 |
| Black Mass Disc A006Black Mass 640520 Death of Halpin FraserBlack Mass 640603 Proof PositiveBlack Mass 640620 A Predicament Tell Tale Heart | Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00 |
| Black Mass Disc A007Black Mass 640700 Rats In WallsBlack Mass 640701 DisillusionmentBlack Mass 640701 Feeder | Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00 |
| Black Mass Disc A008Black Mass 640729 Imp Of Perverse Ms Found In A BottleBlack Mass 640814 A Country DoctorBlack Mass 640900 Esme | Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00 |
| Black Mass Disc A009Black Mass 641010 AtrophyBlack Mass 641031 An Evenings Entertainment | Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00 |
| Black Mass Disc A010Black Mass 641100 Jolly Corner | Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00 |
| Black Mass Disc A011Black Mass 641216 Diary of a MadmanBlack Mass 651000 Outsider | Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00 |
| Black Mass Disc A012Black Mass 651100 Moonlit RoadBlack Mass 691024 Fliespoor Quality | Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00 |
| Black Mass Disc A013Black Mass 691030 Evening Primrose -Pr QualityBlack Mass 701113 Oil Of Dog Esme | Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00 |
Instant DownloadMP3 CDStandard Audio CDReview