Witches and Witchcraft in Old Time Radio

Practicing magic is simultaneously wonderful and frightening. Probably the easiest definition of magic is the ability to harness forces which are not commonly understood. Science and religion fall under this definition to a certain extent. Religionists generally accept science, but any other magic which is practiced outside the tenets of their belief system is usually considered witchcraft.

Witches, those who practice witchcraft, have been regarded from benign crackpots to the personification of evil, depending on social circumstance. Science (which many would consider its own religion) has trouble with witchcraft because it embraces concepts and powers which cannot be explained or understood. Science, religion, and witchcraft are all methodologies to aid people in understanding and manipulating the world we share.

"Witch" is a gender-neutral term for someone who practices witchcraft, although the most feared witches in the Western tradition are female. Many believe that this is a result of the paternalism of the early Christian church. If women have the ability to tune into the supernatural, then perhaps they do not need men and therefore must be evil.

This seems to be the attitude of the Puritans in the New England colonies which were the scene of witch hunts during the mid-1600s. The victims of the Salem Witch trials are seen as scapegoats for other social problems of Puritan life, and witch hunt has become a metaphor for unjust prosecution.

Modern-day adherents of witchcraft often practice the Wiccan religion. Wicca is perceived as an embodiment of ancient British and Celtic pre-Christian nature worship; however, the Wiccan movement is largely a Twentieth-century phenomenon. Satanism is also related to witchcraft in popular culture, although demonic worship is generally not a Wiccan ideal.

• Anthology, October 31, 1954, NBC, "The Three Witches of Macbeth". Finding poetry about witches and spooks for Halloween was a simple task, being such a popular subject. The "weird sisters" from Shakespeare's Macbeth represent the three fates and lead the tragic king to his demise.
• Columbia Workshop, December 14, 1939, CBS, "The Story in Dogtown Common". Those who go down to the sea to earn their daily bread are an especially superstitious lot. This blank verse story deals with the fishermen in an isolated New England village and the women who wait for them on the shore.
• Escape, February 21, 1948, CBS. "Ancient Sorceries". An Englishman returning from vacation in Wales finds the crowded train unsettling, so he decides to spend the night in the village of Molton and catch a quieter train in the morning. With increasing dread, he realizes that the people of the village all recognize him although he has never been in this part of England.
• The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre, May 26, 1975, "The Witches Almanac". A tale of witches and witchcraft in modern times. One of the biggest problem's witches have is finding the ingredients for their brew, and they are willing to stoop to nefarious means to get them.
• Let George Do It, January 16, 1950, Mutual-Don Lee Network, "Juniper Lane". George gets a thank you letter for a gift of wristlets, but, of course, he did not knit them. He and Brooksie investigate to find the writer and discover "the Queen of Juniper Street" has been stabbed in the neck with her knitting needles.
• Mark Trail, October 13, 1950, Mutual, "The Witch of Lost Forest". Riding his horse home through Lost Forest, Scotty hears the frightening cackle that can only be a witch. When he gets home just before the storm breaks, Jerry laughs at his imagination but when the lights go out, she hears it, too.
• Quiet Please, October 27, 1947, Mutual, "Don't Tell Me About Halloween". While visiting Salem, where they hanged the witches, Craig meets Candice who wants to marry him. She is beautiful, and she promises him wealth and eternal life. There is a catch, of course. Candice is a witch and will only visit him once a year on Halloween. It sounds like a good arrangement, but after a couple of hundred years, it feels like time for a change.
• The Adventures of Sam Spade, October 31, 1948, CBS, "The Fairly Bright Caper". Mr. Bright's attorney hires Sam to protect the Halloween party, but Mr. Bright has hired a witch to concoct a brew for the party. The host has the bright idea to combine an engagement party with a Halloween fete, but before the witch's brew can work its magic, shots ring out.

See also: Witch's Tale and Salem Witch Trials.