"Dead men's wills are often strange; we cannot attempt to understand them, or try to find the answers; we can but tell the story."Strange Wills was a syndicated program from Teleways that was hosted by Warren William. It was apparently aired from June 8-December 7, 1946. The show was produced by Robert Webster Light, directed by Albert Ulrich and featured the music of Del Castillo (of Escape).
Warren William had a long career in films that mostly peaked in the 1930s; I thought he was great in Employees' Entrance. He mostly starred in Warner Bros. films and played a lot of detectives, including Perry Mason, Philo Vance, the Lone Wolf and, uh, the not-Sam Spade in Satan Met a Lady.
Some of the dramas were the story of how an unusual will was written, with the will not entering the drama until the climax. In others, the will's reading would set off the drama as the inciting incident. Frequently, the emphasis of Strange Wills was on romance, only occasionally on mystery or thrills.
The episode "Madman's Diary" (August 17, 1946) features the diary of a scientist who claimed he could send people's minds backwards in time to their past lives; it plays out like an episode of the Mysterious Traveler -- it's nothing like the rest of the show!
Warren William usually portrayed a character in the drama in addition to his role as narrator; the cast included the likes of William Conrad, Lurene Tuttle, Howard Culver and Peggy Webber.
Strange Wills is a bit of odd fare; if you want to experience something well-made but off-the-wall, it might fit the bill.
You can hear the Old Time Radio Researchers' collection of Strange Wills episodes with the YouTube playlist below; it opens with the show's audition and pitch, which features a variety of clips from episodes:
