Omar Wizard Persia

A Lover's Oath (Omar, center)

There is very little information on this terrific serial, and what information is available appears to be contradictory and often wrong.

Most reports are that the program was produced for syndication and lasted for 12 or 13 episodes, although there are reports that the program ran for 200 installments on the Mutual Network, where it was sponsored by Taystee Bread. (There are 13 episodes in our collection.)

Whatever the true origins of the program, the available episodes of the serial are a lot of fun, and the story is a good one. American gem dealer, Henry Mason, is traveling with a caravan somewhere in the East. When the caravan is raided, we find out that on a previous expedition, Mason bought a beautiful square cut emerald at a fantastic bargain. Soon we learn that the emerald was a bargain because there is a curse on it! The only way that the curse can be broken is if the jewel is returned to the family of the "rightful owners". Meanwhile, the curse continues to affect all who come in contact with the emerald, including Mason family. Of course there are more bad guys involved who want to keep the Masons from breaking the curse, and through his quest, Mason is aided by the mysterious Omar, the Wizard of Persia. Omar is a mysterious voice that only Henry Mason can hear, and he does most of his communication with Mason with "mysterious bells" which ring out a code at opportune times.

Omar the Tent Maker

Most resources highlight the program's connection with the Persian poet and mathematician Omar Khayyam. Omar is best known for writing the Rubaiyaat, a series of quatrains which were incredibly popular in Victorian England after they were translated by Edward Fitzgerald. Mostly it seems that Omar Khayyam became a symbol of the mysterious orient. Several films about Omar were made, including the 1922 silent film Omar the Tent Maker (it is supposed that Omar's father was in the tent making trade, and the name "Khayyam" indeed means tent maker.)

(Please note that many of the rare recordings
in this collection may be of inferior sound quality.)