Scar Stuff

Somewhat in the tradition of “Georgie”, here’s a 1977 audio reading from the “I Can Read About” series from Troll (“I Can Read About Ballet”, I Can Read About Good Manners”, etc). I confess that the post is a bit of a cheat since I didn’t scan each & every page along with the sound, but I think you’ll be able to follow the story easily enough all the same — in fact the Alibris description of this title sums it up succinctly; “Andrew is just a little ghost who is afraid of the dark, but he must be brave if he doesn’t want to be a ghostling forever”. As with all glimpses into ghostly life there are oddball touches here & there (ghosts always seem to have very specific job demands when it comes to haunting and scaring humans, don’t they?); personally I just hope I’ll be able to present myself successfully to the “Ghost Counsel” when the time comes.

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Amazingly not available on CD (though throughout the ’70’s it was released on vinyl in a variety of formats; long playing 12″, book & record 7″, etc), this is the shortened-for-LP adaptation of the beloved Halloween special from 1966. Recently the subject of a “making of” book (and readily available on DVD), its return to the yearly Halloween television lineup was always welcome for me as a kid (well, aside from all of that “World War I Flying Ace” stuff which just made me impatient for the most part). Just like tons of kids I can remember liberally quoting the “I got a rock” line while Trick or Treating, and the less said about the time I tried to cut up one of my bedsheets in an attempt to emulate the ghost costumes worn by many of the characters the better.

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…and hey, while we’re at it; here’s the whole damn teevee special right offa youtube:

Another fantastically spooky Caedmon Halloween LP from the early ’70’s, this time with the narrative duties ably handled by William Conrad, then in the thick of his popularity as the private eye “Cannon”. This was another public library childhood favorite of mine, and I can recall being quite frightened by the music in “The Secret Commonwealth” for some reason. I’ll just quote copiously from Paul Kresh’s evocative liner notes and then get along to the downloading:

“Hallowe’en — All Hallow’s Eve — the eve of All Saint’s Day — a night for mischief, when the goblins all are out playing pranks, when witches and warlocks cavort through autumn air, when dark clouds scud across the moon’s scared white face and the wanton October wind strip the branches of trees bare leaf by leaf…

Just listen, as William Conrad, that master spieler of spooky tales, inhabits the grooves of this disc for a spine-tingling session of storm-tossed rhymes and tales. Children, especially, will love to be frightened by him: ‘After all, it’s only a story.’ Or is it?

This night, and more for the wonder,
The ghost from the tomb affrighted shall
come,
Called out by the clap of the thunder.

With this record in your collection, mischief need know no season, Any night can be Hallowe’en. Spin it at your risk.”

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