Dark Fantasy
1941 -1942
Keith Paynton was the announcer (Photo above advertised the series)
"Dark Fantasy was an series dedicated to dealings with the unknown. Originating from radio station WKY, Oklahoma City, it was written by Scott Bishop (of Mysterious Traveler and The Sealed Book fame) and was heard Fridays over stations. Keith Paynton served as announcer.
"The shows covered horror, science fiction and murder mysteries. Although a short series, the shows are excellent with some stories way ahead of their time." - Frank Passage, Old-Time.com
Ed. Note: This is not one of my favorite series, although the shows themselves seem pretty good. What is lacking most is any sort of series persona. There's no host, really, just a guy who repeats the title of the series in a menacing voice. But even that is kind of fun because it implies the authors thought this series was sooooo scary, that just the mere mention of the name would be enough to get people nervous and in the right (spooked) mood. This series was short lived, probably because of the lack of flashy book ends (host introduction and conclusion). It's a pity though, because the stories themselves were enjoyable.It just goes to show how much excitement a repeating series theme and regular host could provide, plus the continuity they also added.
The Standard Intro:
(Music: foreboding.)
Narrator: "Dark.... Fantasy..."
An Opening Narration:
(Excerpt from the play is played as a teaser.)
Hear An Actual Episode!
(Courtesy of The Monster Club)
Coffin for Two - A husband and wife inherit a very creepy and dangerous estate, corpses and all.
The Thing From the Sea - A sea creature commandeers the ship of a film director, his actress daughter and her actor fiance.
The Man with the Scarlet Satchel - An electronics scientist finds a creepy way to extract revenge for his murder.