Weena

Jeff Corey stars as Dr. Dudley in this CBS presentation of Escape, adapted for radio by Irving Ravitch from H.G. Wells' novel, The Time Machine.

Originally broadcast on May 9, 1948, episode 40 also features Eric Rolfe as Dudley's skeptical friend, Fowler, and Kay Brinker as Weena, Norman MacDonald produced and directed.

In a 1948 laboratory, Dudley persuades Fowler to test his machine, and their journey carries them forward to the year 100 through 80.

There, the two travelers find themselves separated from their means of return and must learn the ways of a future society.

There was nothing hostile in their attitude.

They were more like simple, wondering children.

Only one, the young woman, Weena, whose life we had saved on our first day had become really friendly.

She went with us wherever we walked and brought us presents of garlands of flowers, slept near us at night in the hall, and we in turn had taught her a few words of English.

I did the same to hers.

Then I tried talk, and found that her name was Weena,

which, though I don't know what it meant, somehow seemed appropriate enough.

That was the beginning of a queer friendship which lasted a week, and ended, as I will tell you.

But they were interested by my matches, and I struck some to amuse them.

I tried them again about the well, and again I failed.

So presently I left them, meaning to go back to Weena, and see what

I could get from her.

Wells drops his protagonist into a world where progress hasn't just stalled, it has grotesquely inverted.

Yeah, so our time traveler rescues an Eloi named Weena from drowning.

They explore a ruined museum called the Palace of Green Porcelain and find the ultimate weapon, a box of matches.

A simple box of matches.

Right, but Weena tragically dies in a forest fire while they're fleeing the Morlocks.

The traveler gets his machine back and escapes even further into the future.

30 million years ahead.

All right.

Now, of note, mostly the main characters in this film are going to be the time traveler, Wells, and then the character, Weena, who is a far future Eloy.

But there are some contemporary late Victorian characters that are encountered early on, and then we have some descendants of one of those characters.

The main character here that is one of the time traveler's friends is the character, David Philby, and then later James Philby, his descendant, and they are both played by Alan Young, who lived 1919 through 2016.

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All right, now let's come back to Weena, played by Yvette Minou.

We've talked about her before because she was in 1979's The Black Hole, which we discussed in Weird House.

You want bouging up, I see.

Bring your little dog for a run to rout up some rabbits or monkeys for Tipler and have a good run yourself, my boy." Without stopping to think, for his mind that day had been a dream to him, Craddock Knoll went down the side with Weena on his arms, and she took advantage of the occasion to lick his face all over.

Then he shuddered unconsciously at the gun which lay under the transoms.

"Look sharp, Cracklings," shouted the captain from his window.

The boatswain with three more made away to the left.

Only Craddock and the supercargo walked directly inland.

Weena found several rabbits, all of a sandy color, and she did enjoy most wonderfully her little chivies after them.

Most of the birds were going to rest as the rapid twilight fell, but the trees were full of monkeys, and here and there a squirrel shook the light tracery of the branches.

I did the same to hers.

Then I tried talk, and found that her name was Weena, which, though I don't know what it meant, somehow seemed appropriate enough.

That was the beginning of a queer friendship which lasted a week, and ended, as I will tell you.

she was exactly like a child she wanted to be with me always she tried to follow me everywhere and on my next journey out and about it went to my heart to tire her down and leave her at last exhausted and calling after me rather plaintively but the problems of the world had to be mastered i had not i said to myself come into the future to carry on a miniature flirtation yet her distress when i left her was very great her expostulations at the parting were sometimes frantic and i think altogether i had as much trouble as comfort from her devotion nevertheless she was somehow a very great comfort I thought it was mere childish affection that made her cling to me.

Darkness to her was the one thing dreadful.

it was a singularly passionate emotion and it set me thinking and observing i discovered then among other things that these little people gathered into the great houses after dark and slept in droves to enter upon them without a light was to put them into a tumult of apprehension I never found one out of doors, or one sleeping alone within doors, after dark.

Yet I was still such a blockhead that I missed the lesson of that fear, and in spite of Weena's distress I insisted upon sleeping away from these slumbering multitudes.

it troubled her greatly but in the end her odd affection for me triumphed and for five of the nights of our acquaintance including the last night of all she slept with her head pillowed on my arm but my story slips away from me as i speak of her it must have been the night before her rescue that i was awakened about dawn I had been restless, dreaming most disagreeably that I was drowned, and that sea anemones were feeling over my face with their soft palps.

You want bouzing up, I see.

Bring your little dog for a run to rout up some rabbits or monkeys for tippler, and have a good run yourself, my boy." Without stopping to think, for his mind that day had been a dream to him, Craddock Knoll went down the side with Weena on his arms, and she took advantage of the occasion to lick his face all over.

Then he shuddered unconsciously at the gun which lay under the transoms.

"Look sharp, Cracklings," shouted the captain from his window.

The boatswain with three more made away to the left.

Only Craddock and the supercargo walked directly inland.

Weena found several rabbits, all of a sandy colour, and she did enjoy most wonderfully her little chivies after them.

Most of the birds were going to rest as the rapid twilight fell, but the trees were full of monkeys, and here and there a squirrel shook the light tracery of the branches.

I did the same to hers.

Then I tried talk and found that her name was Weena, which, though I don't know what it meant, somehow seemed appropriate enough.

That was the beginning of a queer friendship which lasted a week and ended as I will tell you.

She was exactly like a child.

To enter upon them without a light was to put them into a tumult of apprehension.

I never found one out of doors or one sleeping alone within doors after dark.

Yet I was still such a blockhead that I missed the lesson of that fear, and in spite of Weena's distress, I insisted upon sleeping away from these slumbering multitudes.

It troubled her greatly, but in the end her odd affection for me triumphed, and for five of the nights of our acquaintance, including the last night of all, she slept with her head pillowed on my arm.

It was a small black Swedish spaniel, skillful only in woodcocks, and pretty well up to a snipe or two, but actually afraid of a pheasant on account of the dreadful noise he made.

She knew not any more than the others why her name was Weena, and she was perfectly contented with it, though it must have been a corruption.

The men said it ought to be Winifred, the maids more romantic, Rowena.

But very likely John Rocedew was right, being so strong in philology, when he maintained that the name was a syncopated form of Wadstena, and indicated her origin.

Now she was cuddled close into his bosom, moaning and shivering and licking him, staring wistfully at his eyes and the wound where the blood was welling.

She would not let John Rocedew touch him, but snapped as he leaned over, and then she began to whimper softly and nuzzle her head in closer.

Weena, he said in a very low voice, pretty Weena, let me.

And then she understood that he meant well, and stood up and watched him intently.