January may be over, but we’re making one more trip to our Listener Library before getting back to choosing our own episodes. This week, we listen to “Cat Wife” from Lights Out! Our thanks to Darrell, who requested this story of a husband whose marriage is so catastrophic, he somehow transforms her into a yowling, scratching feline. Boris Karloff stars in this truly bizarre tale by Arch Oboler. Will this unexplained change improve their marriage? How exactly would you report this to the police? What secret haunts this unique performer? How many cat-hybrid characters can we mention? Listen for yourself and find out! Then vote and let us know what you think!
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I have nothing to base my opinion on other than intuition and personal preference but I’ve always thought OTR fans had too much reverence for Oboler. I honesty don’t think there’s any subtext to any of his stories. WYSIWYG. Or, more accurately, what you HEAR is what you get.
That’s not to say I don’t enjoy his stuff on some level but as a Wyllis Cooper fanboy, I could never put Oboler on a similar pedestal.
First of all, what the heck did I just listen to?
Second, you have to give some credit to Boris Karloff. He probably said, this is absolutely ridiculous but damn if I’m not going to give this my all.
I’ve been waiting for an episode that is as hokey as Hands of Death and it has finally arrived. This episode was ridiculous and absolutely glorious. Bravo, guys.
I have to say I love listening to these types of episodes! I also love stories that are clever with a strong plot and good acting, none of which is at play here, but boy oh boy, I love the nuttiness and the sheer bonkers-ness of the scenario (more of a scenario than story) and the over-the-top performances! I was giggling with glee as Karloff’s hysteria increased and at the gross attack sounds. Just love this stuff! Yeah, and I’m the odd duck who liked When Sinatra Got Fat — the audacity of such a ridiculous plot just makes me… Read more »
I’m with you. Oboler’s scripts are so full of big ideas brazenly executed that I find them entertaining even when they don’t objectively hold together.
This is the story I most associate with OTR horror. My dad had a “Jack Benny – Golden Memories of Radio”* boxed set of LPs, which included a recreation of “Cat Wife.” As an easily-frightened boy I dreaded listening to it, knowing that those horrible cat sounds were coming.
And yeah, it’s entirely silly to adult me.
*Dad passed away at the end of 2020, and the Jack Benny set was one of the things I saved.