"Three Skeleton Key" is a short story by the French author Georges-Gustave Toudouze. The January 1937 edition of '' Esquire'' marked its first appearance in English. This suspenseful tale and " Leiningen Versus the Ants" were discovered by the magazine's editor

Arnold Gingrich Arnold W. Gingrich (December 5, 1903 – July 9, 1976) was the editor of, and, along with publisher David A. Smart and Henry L. Jackson, co-founder of ''Esquire'' magazine. Among his other projects was the political/newsmagazine ''Ken''. Influenc ...

.''The Greatest Survival Stories Ever Told'' edited by Lamar Underwood, (Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press, 2001) pp. 61–71. Georges-G. Toudouze (1877–1972) was born in

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

. His father, Gustave Toudouze, was a well-known author of the time. The younger Toudouze wrote on such topics as art, architecture, travel and French naval history. Although he penned numerous adventure novels and short stories, he is today remembered for a single work: "Three Skeleton Key". One Act Virtual Museum
''oneact.org''. Retrieved: May 20, 2012.

Plot

The plot involves three men tending a lighthouse on an island off the coast of

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas. ...

. The rock the lighthouse stands on is dubbed 'Three Skeleton Key', named after a tragedy when three convicts escaping from Cayenne became ship-wrecked on the rock and eventually died of hunger and thirst – the only thing left of them were a heap of bones cleaned off by scavenging birds. The three lighthouse attendants are headkeeper, Itchoua (the eldest of the men), Le Gleo, and the narrator (whose name is never given). An

abandoned ship A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

, infested with ferocious rats, makes landfall. A life-and-death struggle ensues as the men seek to save themselves from the hungry horde, who swarm over the lighthouse. The three men barely survive fending off the rats when they break into the tower. The men escape into the lighthouse gallery, which has a metal trapdoor that the rats cannot gnaw through, and are able to use the light to signal an investigating patrol boat. Eventually the rats are lured off the island onto a barge loaded with meat, which is then set on fire by incendiary shells. Many of the rats die and the survivors are devoured by the sharks that infest the waters. The fates of the men are then revealed by the narrator: Le Gleo went insane from the events and was locked away in a French asylum, and Itchoua dies of infection from rat bites and scratches. The narrator continues to work in the lighthouse until his service time is over.

Publishing history

This work first appeared in French in 1927 as "La tour d'épouvante", and was featured in Toudouze's 1946 short story collection ''Aux Feux tournants des Phares...: Récits de Mer et de Haute Mer'' with illustrations by P. Peron. The first English edition of "Three Skeleton Key" was in 1937 in ''Esquire''.

Adaptations

James Poe James Wilber Poe (October 4, 1921 – January 24, 1980) was an American film and television screenwriter. He is best known for his work on such films as ''Around the World in 80 Days'' (for which he jointly won an Academy Award for Best Ad ...

adapted the story for radio in a version that aired on '' Escape'' on November 15, 1949. Poe's script gave different names to the three characters: the narrator is named "Jean", the head keeper Itchoua is named "Louis" and Le Gleo is now a hunchbacked former actor named "Auguste"; the adaptation also provides a different and more chilling reason as to why the rats eventually leave the lighthouse. * The 1949 broadcast featured William Conrad as "Louis",

Harry Bartell Harry Alfred Bartell (November 29, 1913 – February 26, 2004)Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . p. 34. was an American actor and announcer in radio, television and film. Wit ...

as "Auguste" and

Elliott Reid Edgeworth Blair "Elliott" Reid (January 16, 1920 – June 21, 2013) was an American actor. Early life Reid was born in Manhattan, the son of artist Christine Challenger Reid and banker Blair Reid. He attended the Professional Children's Sc ...

as "Jean". * Poe's adaptation was rebroadcast by popular demand in 1950 and 1953, each with a different cast:

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

as "Jean", Harry Bartell again as "Auguste" and Jeff Corey as "Louis" in the March 17, 1950 broadcast; and

Paul Frees Solomon Hersh "Paul" Frees (June 22, 1920November 2, 1986) was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during ...

as "Louis", Ben Wright as "Jean" and

Jay Novello Jay Novello (born Michael Romano, August 22, 1904 – September 2, 1982) was an American radio, film, and television character actor. Early life Novello was born in Chicago to Joseph Romano and Maria (Salemme) Romano. He had three siblin ...

as "Auguste" in the August 9, 1953 broadcast. *

is the actor most associated with the radio play, performing the role of "Jean" again in 1956 and 1958 for '' Suspense''. The One Act Audio Theatre revisited "Three Skeleton Key" in 2001. A modern recording of the piece can be found at the organization's web site as well as the script by

.One Act Audio Theatre
''oneact.org''. Retrieved: May 20, 2012.

Plot

Publishing history

Adaptations

References

External links