TV Tuesday: Trapped 1950
Photo Credit: A Drifting Cowboy Blog
Seventy years ago, today, the television anthology series Trapped debuted on WOR-TV in New York. Also known as Trapped: Tales of the Supernatural, the host was John Carradine and some guest actors were Charles Korvin, Elizabeth Morgan, Helen Baron, Rita Gam, Fran Malis, George L. Smith, Stanley Tackney and Harry Townes. There were 57 episodes that were 30 minutes long.
There are no pictures or video of this program and very little has been written about it. I did manage to find an article on Light’s Out host Frank Gallop that referenced Trapped:
In accordance with Gallop, other hosts who aimed to set a mood of terror at the time included Andy Christopher […] (Mr. Black), James Monks (Tales of the Black Cat […]) and Lee Bowman (Eye Witness […]). Similarly, Jack La Rue (Lights Out), Boris Karloff (The Boris Karloff Mystery Playhouse) and John Carradine (Trapped: Tales of the Supernatural […]) offered external examples of film stars hired for TV hosting roles in which an emphasis was placed on their associations with the horror genre [with] typecasting as villainous and/or monstrous characters as part of their respective series façade. Due to a lack of surviving/missing material associated with some live series pre-1955, in the cases of some hosts, it is not always possible to definitively discern to what extent horror elements were adopted as part of a series persona.
Frank Gallop: The Ghoulish Host of Lights Out
Thomas Wilson
Taylor & Francis Online
Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television
March 20, 2020
Additional Reading:
Trapped (1950-1952) (Classic TV Archive)
September 8, 2020 at 2:59 PM
I never heard of this…I guess since nothing exists…that would be the reason. Sounds really cool especially for that time. I would love to have seen one. Sounds like it prepared people for the Twilight Zone.
The Carradine’s have been around for a while.
September 8, 2020 at 5:07 PM
I’m glad IMDb has echoes of stuff even if some of it is off. Ditto the Web Archive…
So much of the early stuff was shot live and the recording equipment just wasn’t up to par…or, it never occurred to them to try…or, it wasn’t available. The film studios obviously had filming abilities. You are lucky just to find a snapshot of something.
People have a love of being scared. 😄😝🤪🤡👹💀👻👽👾🤖
Daddy Carradine was something. Married four times and fought like hell with his first two wives. He had four blood sons, one adopted son & three stepsons.
September 8, 2020 at 5:42 PM
All the scifi stories were fresh then…it was an open canvas…and The Twilight Zone really dominated.
There is a live one that Rod Serling wrote I believe called The Time Element in 1958…they have it…well I have it! Its really good.
A man wakes up at Pearl Harbor and tries to warn a young couple.
September 8, 2020 at 7:17 PM
Is it a recorded live video or a live radio broadcast or text?
September 8, 2020 at 7:50 PM
Video…and acted very well as most of them were…are the emails emptied and cleaned?
September 9, 2020 at 1:15 AM
I downloaded everything from both accounts. I would never delete anything. It’s not mine to delete.
September 9, 2020 at 9:12 AM
Oh please do…because that is the only way I know you are done…I just copy…I don’t move them.
September 10, 2020 at 12:47 AM
Okie dokie. I just wasn’t going to mess with your stuff.
On my way…
September 10, 2020 at 9:18 AM
I would appreciate it.
September 10, 2020 at 12:53 AM
All clear!
September 8, 2020 at 4:54 PM
Sounds a bit campy but fun!
September 8, 2020 at 6:27 PM
I bet it was…on both counts.
December 15, 2020 at 11:04 PM
This is a very interesting post. I like mysteries like this (strange ones). I wonder if it’s related to the 1969 movie “The Cube”
I have nominated you for the “SUNSHINE BLOGGER AWARD”, have fun with it.
https://realitydecoded.blog/2020/12/15/i-have-been-nominated-for-my-2nd-sunshine-blogger-award/
December 16, 2020 at 1:52 AM
That’s a good question. I’m not sure.
I appreciate the nomination, Lander but, I don’t participate in those things, anymore. I am an Award Free Blog these days.
🤗❤
December 16, 2020 at 7:09 AM
You have to do what’s right for you, fully understood.