Speaking as an certified armchair observer I'm a little surprised that Mr Hall (and other investigators) were so blase about the break out of those other events at some houses on the same side of the street. While there may not have been a commonality among them it still seems like it would have been a path worth pursuing.
Why do you think the investigators ignored these events or dismissed them? I got the impression that Mr Hall tried to get more information about these phenomena, but the witnesses, if he could reach them, didn't want to appear in the book. And he does have some of these events in the book. Other than Hall's research there seem to have been only those investigations that were conducted at the time: the Warrens, the police and the psychic researchers. I guess they never even heard of the "peripheral events", because people don't go around advertising they have seen something high strange. Not unless they really need help, like the Goodins did.
@Gene and Chris: Thanks a lot for following up on my guest suggestion and asking my questions. This show was a veritable roller-coaster ride, between scary, strange and hilarious. I think it's a good thing not to ignore the absurdity of some of the situations, like the talking cat, because it helps to take a step back and put things in perspective. Maybe that's why at the time the policemen and Marcia were joking around, to release the tension and make things less scary.
I'm glad you played the radio interview, because I couldn't get the soundfiles on Mr Hall's website to play. There's just no way I can think of that the man could have been tricked into seeing the fridge leaving the floor.
Unfortunately, the interview doesn't leave me any smarter than before. I'm still undecided, as to what to think about the whole case. How much was hoaxed, how much did Marcia really confess to and why was there no immediate refusal of the police explanation from the Goodins? It's really frustrating, how these things never seem to lead to answers, just more questions.
EDIT ...maybe I'll ask Steve Cash if he can get Sylvester the swearing cat, to say "Let me out, you dirty Frenchman." Or do you think that'd be rude?