Retro Radio: Old Time Radio in the Dark Darren Marlar

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When the dramatic anthology series "Suspense" premiered over CBS Radio on June 17, 1942, it did so as both a summer series and as a sustaining program. The network had no idea how well the series would perform - its only previous showcase was as an hour-long audition on the 1940 series "Forecast" - so running out and getting a sponsor didn’t seem to be important at that particular stage. Besides, in the show’s salad days, the guest stars that did appear were of considerably low wattage. But as "Suspense" grew in popularity and began to attract a more upscale acting clientele anxious to participate in “radio’s outstanding theater of thrills,” finding someone to pick up the weekly tab became a top priority for CBS. Luckily, in December 2, 1943, the series found its 'angel' in the sponsorship of Roma Wines. "Suspense’s" long association with Roma (and co-branded Cresta Blanca) was good for both the series and the company; a bigger budget attracted bigger guest stars and, as the program began to climb in the ratings, the company began to enjoy substantial profits. This fruitful arrangement came to an end on November 20, 1947. Roma had been admittedly seeing other programs behind "Suspense’s" back and the bright array of top Hollywood talent began to dim a bit as many of the stars began to tire of the program. CBS rolled the dice and took one heck of a chance in keeping "Suspense" on the air; the network still felt that the series was popular with audiences and they agreed to sustain the program until another sponsor could be found.How serious was CBS about keeping its prestige show? Beginning January 3, 1948, "Suspense" was moved to Saturday nights and was broadcast from 8:00 to 9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. That’s right: a full hour of “Suspense.” Hour-long dramatic shows were a gamble at best; many stars tended to shun these programs - a half-hour show was grueling enough to get through - and only a few, "The Lux Radio Theater" being the best example, managed to continue on the air for very long. But Lux had a sponsor all too willing to write checks on a weekly basis...while CBS, without a sponsor to back them up, was still the sole support of "Suspense." What's more, the network learned soon enough that by doubling the show from half-hour to hour-long status, they had to double the pay of the individuals working on the show as well. (Networks, as a rule, cringe at the thought of giving money away.) To jazz up "Suspense," CBS hired actor Robert Montgomery to be the host and occasional performer, figuring that on the weeks when they had to resort to a less-than "A" list of guest stars, at least Montgomery would be around to provide a certain degree of glitter. Montgomery, at it turned out, made appearances in quite a few of the hour-long shows, including both the premiere, “The Black Curtain”, and most notably in “Night Must Fall”, which allowed him to reprise the role he had created in the 1937 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture of the same name. "Suspense’s" hour-long experiment closed up shop on May 15, 1948 and the show moved back to Thursday night in its familiar half-hour form through September 1962.
00:00:00.000 = INTRODUCTION
00:01:54.350 = The Ten Grand (June 22, 1944)00:31:15.744 = The Walls Came Tumbling Down (June 29, 1944)01:00:28.813 = The Search For Henri LeFevre (July 06, 1044)01:30:02.526 = The Beast Must Die (July 13, 1944)01:59:29.689 = The Black Shawl (July 27, 1944)02:28:49.817 = Banquo’s Chair (August 03, 1944)02:58:17.500 = The Diary of Saphronia Winters (August 17, 1944)03:27:47.412 = Black Path Of Fear (August 31, 1944)03:57:20.238 = Voyage Through Darkness (September 07, 1944)04:26:51.081 = You’ll Never See Me Again (September 14, 1944)br...

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By the mid 1950s, science fiction had largely fallen into a familiar pattern, regardless of medium. When fans tuned into the radio or caught the latest science fiction movie, they either encountered space opera adventures or fare aimed largely at a juvenile audience. Only in magazines such as Astounding Science Fiction and Galaxy were stories grounded firmly in science fiction being told with mature themes aimed at character development, true literature taking off to the stars. The debut of X Minus One in April 1955 changed that on radio, making this program not only the best of its type, but in many ways one of the only shows from Radio’s Golden Age to present science fiction for a well-rounded adult audience. It is an often debated point among experts and fans as to whether or not X Minus One was simply a new season of Dimension X, a program that ran on NBC in 1950-51, or a revival of sorts of this previous show. The latter is probably more accurate since the first 15 episodes of X Minus One were new productions of Dimension X episodes. What makes X Minus One stand out, however, is the fact that the remaining programs were actually adaptations of works from two of the best science fiction magazines of the period. NBC staff writers, primarily Ernest Kinoy and George Lefferts, scoured the pages of Astounding Science Fiction and then later Galaxy Magazine for tales that would thrill and chill their listeners, aiming most assuredly at the more sophisticated science fiction fans. Stories penned by noted science fiction and genre authors such as Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, Frederik Pohl, and Isaac Asimov, and many others found themselves expertly adapted for radio over the program’s nearly three-year run. Listen to X Minus One and rocket to new heights of top-notch science fiction old time radio!

00:00:00.000 = INTRODUCTION
00:01:54.470 = The Embassy (July 28, 1955)
00:25:49.998 = The Veldt (August 04, 1955)
00:49:44.039 = Almost Human (August 11, 1955)
01:13:13.099 = Courtesy (August 18, 1955)
01:36:44.580 = Cold Equation (August 25, 1955)
02:00:18.990 = Shanghaied (September 01, 1955)
02:23:11.605 = The Martian Death March (September 08, 1955)
02:46:33.950 = The Castaways (September 15, 1955)
03:08:36.379 = The Moon Be Still As Bright (September 22, 1955)
03:32:25.135 = First Contact (October 06, 1955)
03:55:03.177 = Child’s Play (October 20, 1955)
04:18:08.170 = Requiem (October 27, 1055)
04:41:50.103 = Hello, Tomorrow (November 03, 1955)

SOURCES AND ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS…
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"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
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A creaking door and a chorus of haunting organ music. No radio show opening is more memorable for many fans than the one heard on Inner Sanctum Mysteries. This disturbing simple salvo led people into thirty minutes of suspense and horror sprinkled with puns from a creepy host, all of which can now be heard again in sparkling audio quality from Radio Archives.
Inner Sanctum Mysteries was the brainchild of producer Himan Brown, inspired by the unsettling creaking door in the basement of a studio where he once worked. Brown took that inspiration and built around it a formula that lived on beyond the show itself. Listeners tuned in every week to hear that door open and be welcomed by the sinister, yet often humorous host to join him in a chair near the fire inside the Inner Sanctum for a story sure to chill them to the bone.
Stories on Inner Sanctum Mysteries originally included both classic and original tales, the new stories taking center stage as the show continued. With writers like pulp scribes Emile Tepperman and Robert Newman, as well as Robert Sloan, Milton Lewis, and others, it is little surprise that Inner Sanctum is still beloved by fans today. Utilizing numerous clichés and literary devices, Inner Sanctum Mysteries carried listeners into the heart of horror, a liberal dose of camp often thrown in. Using voices ranging from star Boris Karloff to a veteran crew of New York radio actors, Inner Sanctum set the standard for horror programs both on radio and even inspired decades of horror hosts on television.
Inner Sanctum Mysteries features some of the best of fright, terror, and fantastic storytelling old time radio has to offer!

00:00:00.000 = INTRODUCTION
00:01:54.794 = Over My Dead Body (June 23, 1947)
00:26:33.106 = Till Death Do Us Part (October 27, 1947)
00:55:25.238 = Death Out Of Mind (December 29, 1947)
01:19:37.154 = Tempo In Blood (January 12, 1948)
01:44:00.097 = Magic Tile (March 08, 1948)
02:08:12.114 = Lady Killer (March 29, 1948)\
02:32:40.929 = The Corpse Laughs Last (June 28, 1948)
02:58:18.135 = Death Demon (July 05, 1948)
03:28:00.959 = Eyes Of My Murderer (July 19, 1948)
03:53:29.093 = Murder Takes A Honeymoon (July 26, 1948)
04:17:39.242 = Murder Ship (August 02, 1948)
04:42:54.281 = House Of Doom: AFR Version (August 09, 1948)

SOURCES AND ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS…
This episode is sponsored by http://RadioArchives.com
Weird Darkness Retro Radio theme by Storyblocks.
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"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
Find out how to escape eternal darkness at https://weirddarkness.com/eternaldarkness
WeirdDarkness® - is a registered trademark. Copyright, Weird Darkness, 2024.
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“I am the Whistler and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak!”
Haunting stories of fate, dramas of crime, deception, and manipulation building to a sudden and shocking denouement...and, through it all, the sardonic, mocking laughter of — The Whistler!
One of radio’s most memorable thriller anthologies, The Whistler was a west-coast favorite for over a decade but, despite two attempts to go nationwide, never was able to achieve the same success as a coast to coast feature. But for listeners across the western states served by the Signal Oil Company, the program’s eerie theme music opened a weekly window into the very darkest corners of the human soul. It was so popular, in fact, that Columbia Pictures produced eight second-feature films based on the concept, all but one of which starred Richard Dix.
The Whistler himself was an omniscient narrator -- the voice of Fate itself, one might suggest, or perhaps of conscience. And his stories revolved around ordinary people, pushed by the pressures of daily life into taking drastic actions. Or perhaps a sudden circumstance, an unexpected twist of life’s path, suddenly placed these protagonists on a road leading inexorably to their own destruction. Greed, lust, and perfidy of every kind figure in the plots -- and when Fate inevitably catches up with these unfortunate, driven souls, The Whistler is always ready, at the very end, to see that the knife is properly twisted.
Produced by George W. Allen, with hauntingly evocative musical scores by Wilbur Hatch, The Whistler was a prime outlet for the cream of Hollywood’s top radio performers - actors such as Wally Maher, Cathy and Elliott Lewis, Gerald Mohr, Lurene Tuttle, and Betty Lou Gerson, who emphasized skill over star power - as well as announcer Bill Forman in the title role, with Marvin Miller voicing the commercials.
00:00:00.000 = INTRODUCTION
00:01:54.231 = Panic (February 04, 1946)
00:31:23.901 = Murder In Haste (February 25, 1946)
01:00:53.363 = Decision (March 04, 1946)
01:30:21.771 = Boomerang (March 11, 1946)
01:59:51.049 = The Trigger Man (March 25, 1946)
02:29:20.311 = Three Times A Sinner (April 01, 1946)
02:58:47.786 = Terror Stricken (April 08, 1946)
03:28:16.398 = Smart Boy (April 15, 1946)
03:57:45.278 = The Waterford Case (April 22, 1946)
04:26:58.944 = The Judas Face (June 03, 1946)

SOURCES AND ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS…
This episode is sponsored by http://RadioArchives.com
Weird Darkness Retro Radio theme by Storyblocks.
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"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
Find out how to escape eternal darkness at https://weirddarkness.com/eternaldarkness
WeirdDarkness® - is a registered trademark. Copyright, Weird Darkness, 2024.
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One of the most popular radio shows in history, “The Shadow” went on the air in August of 1930. "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" The opening lines of the "Detective Story" program captivated listeners and are instantly recognizable even today. Originally the narrator of the series of macabre tales, the eerie voice known as The Shadow became so popular to listeners that "Detective Story" was soon renamed "The Shadow," and the narrator became the star of the old-time mystery radio series, which ran until 1954. A figure never seen, only heard, the Shadow was an invincible crime fighter. He possessed many gifts which enabled him to overcome any enemy. Besides his tremendous strength, he could defy gravity, speak any language, unravel any code, and become invisible with his famous ability to "cloud men's minds." Along with his team of operatives, the Shadow battled adversaries with chilling names like The Black Master, Kings of Crime, The Five Chameleons, and, of course, The Red Menace. The Shadow's exploits were also avidly followed by readers in The Shadow magazine, which began in 1931 following the huge success of the old-time mystery radio program. The magazine was published by Street & Smith, who had also sponsored the old-time mystery radio program. Over the course of 18 years, Street & Smith published 325 issues of The Shadow, each one containing a novel about the sinister crime fighter. These stories were written by Maxwell Grant, a fictional name created by the publishing company. Although several different people wrote under the pseudonym, Walter B. Gibson wrote most of the stories, 282 in all. Most of the novels published have been reprinted in paperback and The Shadow adventures remain popular today, with Shadow comic books, magazines, toys, games, cds and cassettes of old-time radio shows, and books bringing top dollar among collectors the world over.
00:00:00.000 = INTRODUCTION
00:01:54.735 = The Phantom Of The Lighthouse (September 07, 1947)
00:31:07.218 = When The Grave Is Open (September 14, 1947)
00:59:43.429 = The Face (September 21, 1947)
01:28:09.034 = Death Takes The Wheel (September 28, 1947)
01:53:31.546 = The Ruby Of Karavahl (October 19, 1947)
02:23:06.173 = Dream of Death (November 09, 1947)
02:53:49.190 = Doom And The Limping Man (November 16, 1947)
03:23:46.663 = The Comic Strip Killer (November 23, 1947)
03:48:44.704 = Murder And The Medium (November 30, 1947)
04:11:29.916 = Gift Of Murder (December 21, 1947)
04:35:05.483 = The Legend of Crownshield Castle (December 28, 1947)

SOURCES AND ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS…
This episode is sponsored by http://RadioArchives.com
Weird Darkness Retro Radio theme by Storyblocks.
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"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
Find out how to escape eternal darkness at https://weirddarkness.com/eternaldarkness
WeirdDarkness® - is a registered trademark. Copyright, Weird Darkness, 2024.
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This Mutual entry in the horror and mystery genre was far from the best remembered, such as Suspense, Quiet Please, and Inner Sanctum. But The Sealed Book offers a glimpse into a dusty archive that serves as a reminder that comics and was roasted at the stake of public opinion in the mid-50s, grew into print from just such gnarled roots as these old time radio macabre shows. The Sealed Book begins with a classic intro, in which when gonged, we are escorted by the tuxedoed announcer with unseen organist as the keeper of the book opens the ponderous, albeit squeaky door "to the secret vault wherein is kept the great sealed book, in which is recorded all the secrets and mysteries of mankind through the ages, Here are tales of every kind, tales of murder, of madness, of dark deeds strange and terrible beyond all belief."

00:00:00.000 = INTRODUCTION
00:01:54.482 = Hands Of Death (Mary 18, 1945)
00:31:52.505 = King Of The World (March 25, 1945)
01:01:49.355 = Death Spins a Web (April 01, 1945)
01:31:12.477 = Devil Island (April 08, 1945)
02:00:34.488 = The Accusing Corpse (April 29, 1945)
02:30:03.576 = Stranger In The House (May 06, 1945)
02:59:33.360 = Out Of The Past (May 13, 1945)
03:29:03.345 = I’ll Die Laughing (May 27, 1945)
03:58:26.973 = Design For Death (June 03, 1945)
04:27:50.797 = Ghost Makers (June 10, 1945)

SOURCES AND ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS…
This episode is sponsored by http://RadioArchives.com
Weird Darkness Retro Radio theme by Storyblocks.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
Find out how to escape eternal darkness at https://weirddarkness.com/eternaldarkness
WeirdDarkness® - is a registered trademark. Copyright, Weird Darkness, 2024.

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