This Is Charles Laughton

In addition to being a gifted actor and one-time director (of the macabre masterpiece Night of the Hunter), Charles Laughton was also an accomplished storyteller. In this quartet of tales, he reads the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, from the Book of Daniel. These men of God were cast into the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar-- with less than incendiary results. Deftly mixing comic reading with fire from the pulpit, so to speak, Laughton brings new life to this aged story. After prefatory remarks about the terror which the original story of "Red Riding Hood" inspired in him, he reads Thurber's comic rendition "The Little Girl and the Wolf." The third piece is an inspired rendition of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, while the fourth, Saki's "The Storyteller" is a wonderful tale about the possible pitfalls of sterling behavior. This is an enjoyable half-hour with a master thespian. Recommended. (Available from: K. L. & M. Marketing, 101-06 67th Dr., Forest Hills, NY 11375.)