Inspired by a spate of new Chicago stage adaptations of the Faust story, This American Life brings you stories of people who made a deal with the devil.
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Act One
Dangerous Minds
LuAnne Johnson is a teacher who sold her story to Hollywood and saw it made into the film and TV series Dangerous Minds, in which a character named LuAnne Johnson does things the real LuAnne believes are unethical and silly. (15 minutes)
Act Two
The Undiscovered Country
Found tape of a conversation about bringing back the dead. (11 minutes)
Act Three
Voyager
Alix Spiegel tells the story of her friend Jayna, who made a Faustian bargain at 11 years old. (12 minutes)
Act Four
Carmen Becomes Faust
Carmen Delzell on a deal she made with the devil when she turned 30. (14 minutes)
Act Five
First Contact
Daniel Pinkwater reads his children's picture book Devil in the Drain. (4 minutes)
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Act Two: Scientists in a Haunted House
An excerpt from Your Radio is Haunted. (6 minutes)
Act Five: When Attacks Really Count
There's little in adult life that can hurt as much as a character assassination attack when it happens in junior high school.
Act One: Take That, Copper
Monica Childs's story continues.
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