1001 Ghost, Chiller & Lovecraft Stories

This episode is a pulse-pounding thriller that tapped into the pre-war anxieties of the late 1930s, focusing on industrial destruction and the vulnerability of the nation's infrastructure.
Episode Overview
Title: "Sabotage"
First Aired: January 16, 1938
Network: Mutual Broadcasting System
Sponsor: Blue Coal
Cast & Voice Actors
The Shadow / Lamont Cranston: Orson Welles
Margot Lane: Agnes Moorehead
Commissioner Weston: Dwight Weist
Announcer: Ken Roberts
Supporting Players: Members of the Mercury Theatre on the Air troupe.
Episode Summary
A series of accidents at major industrial plants across the country suggests a coordinated effort to cripple American production. Bridges are collapsing, and factories are exploding with terrifying frequency. The authorities are baffled, as the perpetrators leave no trace and no clear demands. At least, not at first.
Lamont Cranston suspects that a brilliant, hidden mastermind is pulling the strings of a sabotage ring. As the destruction hits closer to home, The Shadow must navigate a world of crooked foremen and hidden explosives. The tension peaks when The Shadow confronts the lead saboteur in a race against the clock to prevent a disaster that could claim hundreds of lives. It is an episode that showcases the Shadow not just as a detective, but as a defender of national security.
Trivia & Fun Facts
Pre-War Paranoia: Aired in early 1938, this episode reflected the real-world tension regarding foreign agents and industrial espionage that was beginning to grip the United States prior to World War II.

Sound Effect Innovations: The sabotage sequences required the foley artists to create massive, grinding mechanical sounds and explosions that felt industrial, pushing the technical limits of live radio broadcasting at the time.

Orson Welles' Busy Schedule: During this period, Welles was famously juggling his work on The Shadow, his stage productions with the Mercury Theatre, and various other radio appearances, sometimes arriving at the studio just minutes before airtime.

The "Vocal" Shadow: In this episode, the Shadow's voice is used with a particularly echoing, hollow quality during the confrontation scenes to emphasize his invisibility within the cavernous factory settings.

Credits
Research and Production Gizelle Erickson
Executive Producer Jon Hagadorn
The Shadow sourced by AcousticMonster on Internet Archive
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This chapter marks a major turning point in the emotional landscape of the house. While Chapter 13 was about the ghosts of the past, Chapter 14 is very much about the changing hearts of the living.
Phoebe's Good-bye
In this episode, we explore the aftermath of Holgrave's storytelling and the quiet transformation of our protagonist. As Phoebe prepares to leave the House of the Seven Gables for a brief return to her country home, we witness a shift from the sunny girl who arrived to a woman who has been touched by the shadows of the Pyncheon legacy.
Credits
Host and Producer Gizelle Erickson
Executive Producer Jon Hagadorn
Music: Thanks to Sound Gallery By Dmitry Taras "Scary Horror Music"
LibriVox recording read by: Mark F. Smith
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This episode is a masterclass in suspense, featuring a high-stakes conspiracy that threatens the very infrastructure of the city. It remains one of the most action-oriented scripts of the Welles era.
Episode Overview
Title: "The League of Terror"
First Aired: January 9, 1938
Network: Mutual Broadcasting System
Sponsor: Blue Coal
Cast & Voice Actors
The Shadow / Lamont Cranston: Orson Welles
Margot Lane: Agnes Moorehead
Commissioner Weston: Traditionally played by Dwight Weist or Ray Collins.
Announcer: Ken Roberts
Supporting Cast: Featured members of the Mercury Theatre troupe, often used to play the various members of the "League."
Episode Summary
A shadow hangs over the city—but it isn't Lamont Cranston's. A ruthless and highly organized criminal syndicate known as the League of Terror has begun a campaign of systematic extortion and sabotage. They aren't just petty thieves; they are targeting the city's elite and critical utilities, promising destruction to anyone who refuses to pay their protection fees.
When the police find themselves outmatched by the League's military-grade precision, The Shadow steps in. The plot intensifies as Margot Lane finds herself in personal danger, forcing Cranston to balance his cold, vigilante justice with the need to protect his closest confidante. The episode culminates in a daring infiltration of the League's secret headquarters, where The Shadow uses his hypnotic powers to turn the syndicate's own fear against them.
Trivia & Fun Facts
Ensemble Acting: Because Orson Welles was simultaneously running the Mercury Theatre, this episode features a particularly tight ensemble performance. The League members are voiced with distinct, gritty personalities that make the threat feel much larger than a single villain.

Action Pacing: "The League of Terror" is noted by fans for its faster-than-usual pacing. While many episodes focus on a slow-burn mystery, this one moves quickly through multiple locations, utilizing complex sound effects for car chases and explosions.

The Blue Coal Commercials: This episode aired during the height of a particularly cold winter in 1938, making the "Blue Coal" advertisements, which promised a warmer home for less money, extremely effective and nostalgic for listeners of the time.

The Shadow Silhouette: The concept of a league of villains was a common trope in the pulp magazines, but this radio adaptation simplified the concept to focus on the psychological terror they inflicted on the public.

Credits
Research and Production Gizelle Erickson
Executive Producer Jon Hagadorn
The Shadow sourced by AcousticMonster on Internet Archive
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This episode is a fascinating psychological thriller that centers on a unique premise: a man's own voice becoming his greatest enemy. It is a standout example of the "radio-noir" style Orson Welles helped pioneer.
Episode Overview
Title: "The Voice of Death"
First Aired: December 26, 1937
Network: Mutual Broadcasting System
Sponsor: Blue Coal
Cast & Voice Actors
The Shadow / Lamont Cranston: Orson Welles
Margot Lane: Agnes Moorehead
Commissioner Weston: Traditionally played by Dwight Weist or Ray Collins.
Announcer: Ken Roberts
Episode Summary
The plot centers on a clever and ruthless murderer who utilizes a recording of a dead man's voice to commit a perfect crime. By using early 1930s recording technology, the killer creates an alibi that seems airtight. After all, how can a man be a murderer if he was heard speaking to witnesses miles away at the exact time of the crime?
As the police find themselves baffled by the auditory evidence, Lamont Cranston realizes that the ear can be deceived just as easily as the eye. The Shadow must engage in a high-stakes game of sonic cat-and-mouse, using his own vocal mastery to trap the killer. The climax features a haunting sequence where the Shadow uses his invisible voice to drive the murderer into a confession by making him believe his victims are speaking from beyond the grave.
Trivia & Fun Facts
The "Double Voice" Irony: There is a meta-textual irony in this episode; it stars Orson Welles, one of the greatest voices in history, in a story about how a voice can be faked or used as a weapon.

Early Tech-Noir: While we think of deepfakes as a modern problem, this 1937 script explored the anxiety of voice recording technology being used to subvert the law, a very forward-thinking concept for the era.

The Day After Christmas: Aired on December 26, this episode provided a dark, noir contrast to the festive holiday season, proving that The Shadow fans had a year-round appetite for the macabre.

Credits
Research and Production Gizelle Erickson
Executive Producer Jon Hagadorn
The Shadow sourced by AcousticMonster on Internet Archive
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This episode is famously cited by historians as a stylistic dry run for one of the most significant events in broadcasting history.
Episode Overview
Title: "The Death Triangle"
First Aired: December 12, 1937
Network: Mutual Broadcasting System
Sponsor: Blue Coal
Cast & Voice Actors
The Shadow / Lamont Cranston: Orson Welles
Margot Lane: Agnes Moorehead
Announcer: Ken Roberts
Dr. James Evans: Supporting cast member
Organist: Elsie Thompson
Episode Summary
The story begins with a harrowing scene from the past: the brutal lashing of a prisoner named Pierre Martin on the notorious Devil's Island. Martin vows to find and destroy the devil who betrayed him.
Years later, the "Death Triangle" comes to life. The episode takes a dramatic and confusing turn when a simulated news bulletin interrupts the program. The announcer reports that a wounded man claiming to be The Shadow has forced his way into the clinic of Dr. James Evans, a world-famous surgeon, at gunpoint. Dr. Evans is coerced into removing a bullet, and the stranger reveals he is the legendary crime-fighter before vanishing. As the police and public scramble to identify the vigilante, Lamont Cranston must navigate a web of betrayal involving former inmates of Devil's Island and protect a man whose past has finally caught up with him.
Trivia & Fun Facts
The "War of the Worlds" Blueprint: This episode is a landmark in radio technique. It used the fake news flash device to blur the lines between fiction and reality. Orson Welles would later refine this exact technique for his 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast, which famously caused a national panic.

The Vulnerable Shadow: This is one of the rare instances where the Shadow is portrayed as physically vulnerable—specifically, being shot and requiring medical attention. This added a layer of realism to a character usually seen as an untouchable phantom.

Devil's Island Influence: The French penal colony of Devil's Island was a popular trope in 1930s pulp and film (notably inspiring Papillon decades later). This episode tapped into the public's fascination with the island's reputation for cruelty and impossible escapes.

The Confusing Script: Old Time Radio historians often describe the plot of "The Death Triangle" as particularly dense or confusing, even by the standards of the genre, due to its rapid transitions and the nested story of the Devil's Island escapees.

Credits
Host and Producer Gizelle Erickson
Executive Producer Jon Hagadorn
Music: Thanks to Sound Gallery By Dmitry Taras "Scary Horror Music"
The Shadow sourced by AcousticMonster on Internet Archive
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