In this Halloween-week finale, Adam wraps up Season One (or Two… or Three, depending how you count) with a grab-bag of strange stories, lost film history, and fascinating footnotes from past episodes. From forgotten Hollywood tragedies to Cold War psy-ops, and from gullible TV audiences to Miyazaki’s spirit world, this episode is a mix of the eerie, the absurd, and the enlightening.
Highlights & Segments
1. Peg Entwistle & “13 Women” (1932)
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Discusses 13 Women, tragic early Hollywood actress Peg Entwistle’s only film – a noir-ish thriller about murder by astrology.
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Explores how the film reflected 1930s racial anxieties, “yellow peril” tropes, and early proto-slasher structure.
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Commentary on Myrna Loy’s early typecasting as “exotic” before becoming Nora Charles in The Thin Man.
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Available on DVD and occasionally online; just 59 minutes after heavy studio cuts.
2. The Price of Fame: Secrets of the Hollywood Walk of Fame
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It’s not free – a star costs about $85,000 today.
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Celebrities who’ve declined or skipped the ceremony include Clint Eastwood, Julia Roberts, Prince, Madonna, and Oprah.
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Denzel Washington, Clooney, Pacino, and Springsteen accepted stars but never held ceremonies.
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Once a star is damaged, it’s destroyed and remade, not repaired.
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Shout-out: Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) is getting his star!
3. Believing the Unbelievable: Gilligan’s Island Rescue Requests & the Great Spaghetti Tree Hoax (BBC, 1957)
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In 1964, the U.S. Coast Guard received real telegrams urging rescue of the “castaways.”
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Some viewers apparently thought the laugh track was broadcast live from the island – proof that media literacy had a long way to go.
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BBC’s April Fool’s broadcast showing “spaghetti harvesters” fooled much of Britain.
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Some viewers called in asking where to buy spaghetti trees.
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A reminder that Forgotten Silver (Peter Jackson’s 1995 mockumentary) carried on the same tradition – so dryly it fooled its audience too.
5. The Exorcist & the CIA Connection?
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Draws from a 1974 Ann Arbor Sun article quoting CounterSpy magazine.
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Claims William Peter Blatty once worked for the CIA and Air Force psychological warfare division.
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Raises questions about whether The Exorcist’s themes of faith and fear reflected Cold War propaganda techniques.
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Not proof, but an intriguing historical footnote about Blatty’s pre-Hollywood career.
6. Spirits of Spirited Away: A Field Guide
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A condensed “bonus segment” exploring the Shinto and folkloric roots behind Miyazaki’s Spirited Away:
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Haku — river dragon kami symbolizing lost connection to nature.
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No-Face — derived from Noppera-bō, the faceless ghost of desire and pollution.
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Yubaba/Zaniba — mountain hags (Yamamba), embodying greed and wisdom.
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Kamaji — inspired by the underground tsuchigumo spider spirits.
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Susuwatari (soot sprites) — tsukumogami born of forgotten dust.
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Bathhouse guests — echoes of the Hyakki Yagyō, the “Night Parade of 100 Demons.”
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Draws parallels to other Japanese mythic creatures, including Hedorah the Smog Monster.
Closing Notes
Adam signs off this Halloween-week finale with thanks to listeners, a short seasonal break, and hints of what’s to come.
Revisit the back catalog or explore Magical Mystery Radio, the earlier conversational series of paranormal and conspiracy discussions with co-host John.