00:23Peabody here with two prime examples of horror.
00:25First, we have this book, Murders in the Rue Morgue, which completely shocked the entire world.
00:30Secondly, we have Sherman's Report Card, which completely shocked P.S. 32.
00:34Which brings us to the man we're going to visit today.
00:37My teacher, Mr. Peabody?
00:38No, the man who wrote the most famous horror stories of all time, Edgar Allan Poe.
00:43We set the way back controls for Baltimore, Maryland in the year 1832.
00:47I did get an A in hockey, Mr. Peabody.
00:49That's hooky and step inside.
00:52The way back, which I invented one morning while waiting for a bus, responded magnificently.
00:56And there we were in Poe's study.
00:58And with that, the steel door closed shut, never to open again.
01:04Ooh, our timing is perfect.
01:06I bet he just finished the fall of the House of Usher.
01:09Peeking over to his shoulder, we were thoroughly stunned by the title of the book.
01:13Winnie the Pooh?
01:14Yes, and tomorrow I shall write Little Women.
01:18But you can't do that, Mr. Poe.
01:19You're supposed to write horror stories.
01:21I've tried, but they all come out with happy endings.
01:24Perhaps if you were put into an environment of horror...
01:27That gives me a keen idea, Mr. Peabody.
01:30Let's take Mr. Poe to a haunted house.
01:32I was all for staying where we were, but it being Sherman's birthday, I decided to humor him.
01:37In those days, Baltimore was simply rampant with haunted houses.
01:40Reaching the outskirts of town, we turned onto the old mill road, leading past the cemetery, and approached Grizzly Manor.
01:46The only thing we need now is a good old spooky storm.
01:52It seemed that someone else was humoring Sherman on his birthday.
01:58Three things went up and down.
02:00Sherman's Adam's apple, the hair on the back of my back, and Poe's yo-yo.
02:04It doesn't seem as though your scheme is working too well, Sherman.
02:07Yeah, but wait till he gets inside.
02:08Come on.
02:10With Sherman leading the way, we entered the foreboding abode and fell victim to a cleverly concealed trapdoor on the
02:15floor.
02:20In the dim light, we saw that we were now in a chamber of horrors.
02:24Mr. Peabody, do you see what I see?
02:27Implements of torture, Sherman.
02:29An iron lady, the rack, a spiked boot, and a television set, the most fiendish means of torture known to
02:36man.
02:37This was enough to frighten anyone out of his wits.
02:39That is anyone but Edgar Allan Poe, who had now taken the string from his yo-yo and was happily
02:44playing cat's cradle.
02:46Gosh, won't anything scare him?
02:47We would soon know, for it was then that a panel in the wall slid open and it walked into
02:52the room.
02:57Battle axe in hand, the loathsome creature prepared to deal Poe a devastating blow.
03:01And that was when the second cleverly concealed trapdoor opened and we plunged down to a pool of evil-smelling
03:07brackish water.
03:10You all right, my boy?
03:11I think so, Mr. Peabody.
03:13Oh, some haunted house, huh?
03:15Well, it would scare the dickens out of dickens, I'll say that.
03:18But not Edgar Allan Poe.
03:20Not Edgar Allan Poe.
03:22In fact, there he was, floating next to us, inside an old inner tube, having the time of his life.
03:27Gosh, nothing scares him.
03:28Something might.
03:29Look.
03:30Pinch!
03:30And they don't belong to a Cadillac.
03:32Grabbing Sherman with one paw and paw with the other, I headed for the bottom of the pool.
03:36If that shark got in here, there must be a way of getting out.
03:39Sure enough, there was a drainage pipe just large enough for all three of us to get through.
03:43We swam through the pipe for what seemed like hours until finally we came to a point where the water
03:47emptied into Chesapeake Bay.
03:49Seconds later, we were sunning ourselves on the beach.
03:51Some experience, huh, Mr. Poe?
03:53Poe was busy constructing castles of sand.
03:56I give up, Mr. Peabody.
03:58I guess Mr. Poe will never be frightened enough to write horror stories.
04:02Oh, yes, he will.
04:03Edgar, what time does the postman arrive at your house?
04:06Twelve noon, exactly.
04:07Then we just have time.
04:08We caught the first ferryboat going west, transferred to a horse and buggy going north, took a streetcar going east,
04:13and there we were in the southern part of Baltimore, right in front of Poe's house.
04:17Twelve on the nose, Mr. Peabody.
04:18And here comes the mailman.
04:21Under my instructions, Poe took the letter he was given and opened it right on the spot.
04:26Mr. Peabody, he's scared stiff.
04:29Naturally.
04:30You see, today is April 15th.
04:32That letter contained his income tax report, enough to frighten the wits out of anyone.
04:36Who's that gentleman giving Mr. Poe smelling salt?
04:39Well, that's his brother Richard, a noted writer in his own right.
04:42What did he write?
04:43An almanac.
04:44Richard Poe's almanac.
04:46Don't you mean Poe Richard's almanac?
04:49Come to think of it, I guess I do.
04:51Don't you mean Poe Richard's almanac.
04:56Don't you mean Poe Richard's almanac.
04:59Don't you mean Poe Richard's almanac.
05:00Don't you mean Poe Richard's almanac.
05:00Don't you mean Poe Richard's almanac.
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