The Lost Radio Adventures of "THE SHADOW" (1953)

As many fans of the radio program know, not every broadcast of The Shadow exists in recorded form. The radio episodes were melodramatic, with The Shadow often tracking down mass murderers and psychotic killers who were carrying out bizarre crimes. In one episode, a modern-day pirate uses a privately-owned submarine to wreak havoc on the high seas, and in another a mad scientist rips airplanes out of the sky with a giant magnet. Using his invisibility to cloud men’s minds so they cannot see him, he appeared more like an avenging conscience that plagued the guilty culprits until the criminals fell victim to their own demise. Less than fifty percent of the radio broadcasts exist in recorded form, which is a darn pity considering the cult fanbase that exists for this series. Thankfully we have the radio scripts to consult. Enclosed are five plot summaries for radio episodes that do not exist in recorded form.

 

Episode #613 “THE CRYING KITTEN KILLER”

Broadcast March 29, 1953

Copyright Registered in U.S. Copyright Office, #DU33868, April 24, 1953.

Renewal Copyright Registration #RE97-144, July 27, 1981.

Script written by Jerry McGill.

Plot: Commissioner Weston is baffled. There have been two muggings and one murder in three nights. The mugger uses hungry kittens to lure victims into dark alleys and vacant lots to rob them. When the body of a half-starved Siamese kitten, too sick to move, is found next to the recent victim, Lamont and Margot question all the veterinarians and pet shop owners in the neighborhood. A pet store owner named Squires gives Lamont and Margot a tip, leading to an old brownstone occupied by a man named West and his landlady, Hilda. After questioning the suspects, Lamont discovers that Hilda is the Crying Kitten Killer. She stole West’s kittens and starved them so they would meow when someone passed by. Having knocked West unconscious, she attempts to rout through his room for the money he supposedly hoarded in a mattress. Squires discovers Hilda’s scheme and attempts to blackmail her, becoming another victim. It turns out that West never had a fortune stashed away and the police arrive to take control of the situation. In a desperate attempt to escape, Hilda trips over the kitten she used to trap her victims, breaking her neck in the fall down the rickety stairs.

 

Trivia, etc. The crying sound of the hungry kitten was pre-recorded and not performed by an actor.

 

Episode #615 “THE DEATH MASTER”

Broadcast April 12, 1953

Copyright Registered in U.S. Copyright Office, #DU33870, April 24, 1953.

Renewal Copyright Registration #RE97-142, July 27, 1981.

Script written by J.G. Leighton (a pseudonym of John Cole).

Plot: The vicious insurance racket of Hugo Guttman and his accomplice, Snapper, remains unobserved by the law until an underworld informant named Charlie tips off Lamont and Margot. Arranging with an unscrupulous doctor to sign a death certificate testifying that the body of a vagrant was actually that of the insured, they employ a mortician named Latisse to work with the bodies and to make them bear a resemblance to the deceased. The deceased’s wife would then hold a formal funeral and later join her actual husband in another part of the country. Latisse applied his skills as an artist to help with the crimes, unaware that he was being duped into participating in a racket. Margot investigates Latisse while The Shadow searches Guttman’s office. Guttman arrives and attempts to eliminate Margot, accidentally shooting Latisse instead. Before Margot takes the next bullet, The Shadow knocks the gun out of the crook’s hand and holds him until the police arrive.

 

Episode #616 “THE TORCH”

Recorded April 14, 1953. Broadcast April 19, 1953

Copyright Registered in U.S. Copyright Office, #DU34351, June 15, 1953.

Renewal Copyright Registration #RE97-141, July 27, 1981.

Script written by Max Ehrlich.

Plot: Professor Landry of the local observatory has perfected a new celestial telescope capable of reversing the science of the lens. A notorious arsonist known as The Torch and his two henchmen murder the professor and use the machine for evil. Hidden in the telescopic tube is a special howitzer that fires Thermite shells. When the tube is sighted accurately using precision machinery, the arsonist commits his crime while staying a good distance from the scene. As Carl Brand, the owner of a fur company is about to file bankruptcy, The Torch makes him an offer to collect fire insurance that would clear his debts and handsomely pay The Torch. Brand, however, switched furs with imitations in the warehouse before the scheduled fire, giving Lamont and Margot a clue to suspect foul play. Angry, The Torch uses his machine to burn a hole through Brand’s chest. Realizing the power of the sun and a telescope would be needed to commit such a crime, Lamont investigates the nearby observatory. As The Shadow, he discovers that The Torch is none other than John Stearns, an employee of the insurance company, who was using his inside information for personal profit. Stealing The Torch’s gun, The Shadow holds the criminals at bay while Margot fetches Commissioner Weston.

 

Trivia, etc. This episode was a rewrite of a former Shadow broadcast titled “Death from the Sky” (November 29, 1942). The plot and dialogue remained the same but the names of the fictional characters were changed.

 

Episode #618 “WHITE ANGEL OF DEATH”

Recorded April 28, 1953. Broadcast May 3, 1953

Copyright Registered in U.S. Copyright Office, #DU34353, June 15, 1953.

Renewal Copyright Registration #RE97-139, July 27, 1981.

Script written by Judith and David Bublick.

Plot: After witnessing a hit and run in the streets, Lamont follows the dying man’s last words to the White Angel, a nightclub known in police circles as a hangout for big time gamblers with many criminal operations in the city. Lamont goes undercover as a singer to learn what goes on behind the scenes but when his cover is exposed he flees into the night. Margot attends as a respectable customer and together with what they learn the truth becomes known. Prominent out-of-state customers are blackmailed after the club photographer takes incriminating photos. If the victims choose to face the consequences of malicious gossip, they are silenced for their efforts. Learning the name of the hotel where the most recent victim resides, The Shadow observes the blackmail attempt followed by efforts to push the victim from a sixteenth story window to give the appearance of suicide. The Shadow tricks Angelo, the owner of the White Angel, into shooting about the room, emptying his gun and alerting the police who respond to his wild shooting.

 

Episode #619 “MURDER WILL SPEAK”

Recorded April 29, 1953. Broadcast May 10, 1953

Copyright Registered in U.S. Copyright Office, #DU35507, November 13, 1953.

Renewal Copyright Registration #RE97-124, July 27, 1981.

Script written by Bret Morrison.

Plot: Accepting an invitation to Seacliff Mansion, Lamont and Margot investigate a mysterious death during a rehearsal of “Hamlet” that lends suspicion to a rare poison as the cause. In the dark, they soon find themselves confronted by a horrible glowing face and a voice with a puzzling message. During the confusion, and protected by the darkness, an unknown assailant attacks Lamont. After questioning all the suspects on the premises, Lamont finally solves the mystery. Pop Worth, the caretaker and theatre custodian, wanted to thwart a massive buy-out of real estate on the island because of the fond memories he had of the past. Using a Medici poison ring which he brought back from Africa, Pop committed the murder in hopes of exacting revenge on the man who not only stole his only love but now tried to steal the theater. Attempting to evade The Shadow, Pop races up the

stairs to the stage and puts the noose meant for the ghost of Hamlet’s father around his own neck.

 

NOTES: The plot summaries above were reprinted with permission from The Shadow: The History and Mystery of the Radio Program, 1930-1954 by Martin Grams, Jr.

The Lone Ranger and the War Horse

For fans of The Lone Ranger, here is a PDF of a children's book featuring the character, one of thousands of premiums sold in the stores during the 1950s. This retro classic will only be available for a few weeks so be sure to grab this today. Enjoy!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1aygovrji1193ul/Lone%20Ranger%20and%20the%20War%20Horse.pdf?dl=0

Calling DICK TRACY! Six Decades of Dick Tracy

Back in the 1980s, before the days of the Internet, there were books published about retro pop culture that were a feast for folks like myself. Often with historical documentation, these books were heavily illustrated and covered all of the topics they could from collectibles to comic books. As as child in the 1980s, I found them to be a treasure trove of information. Our local library had a couple about The Three Stooges and I digested every piece of trivia from them.

Earlier this week I came across one of those books while wandering a comic con. This one, written by James Van Hise, focuses on the character of Dick Tracy. The book covers the history of the newspaper strip, comic books, television series, Republic Pictures serials, RKO movies, and collectibles. Even more intriguing is an interview with Chester Gould that was never in print until the publication of this book. 

While many books exhaust their tomes with lengthy plot summaries, this one covers all the basics. A great starting point for knowing the facts about Dick Tracy and his incarnations. I spent the past day or two enjoying the content in the pages of this book. Perhaps this post bring up memories of those same types of publications you had way back when: The Marx Brothers, John Wayne, Batman, and so on. Perhaps you still have one or two of them in your collection?

The Wine Lover's Daughter: A Memoir (Book Review)

 

In The Wine Lover’s Daughter, Anne Fadiman examines – with all her characteristic wit and feeling – her relationship with her father, Clifton Fadiman, a renowned literary critic, editor, and radio host whose greatest love was wine. An intellectual and public personality, Clifton Fadiman was perhaps best known as a literary critic for The New Yorker magazine. Pop culture enthusiasts know him as the weekly host of Information, Please, which later spawned an annual Almanac. Fadiman's witticisms and sayings were frequently printed in newspapers and magazines. "When you reread a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before, you see more in you than there was before," was one of the better known. Fadiman became a prime example of the "witty intellectual" and if you remember those “Book of the Month” mail order clubs… you can thank Fadiman for establishing that good ol’ pastime.

Anne’s book arrived in my mail box this week and like many of those 250-page memoirs that are overshadowed by the tens of thousands of books available on library shelves, this one is worthy of your time and attention. In full disclosure, I was partly responsible for the contents of this book. When Anne’s daughter contacted me, assisting her mother with this book, seeking information about her grandfather’s professional career, I mailed complimentary copies of my book on Information, Please, published many years ago by Bear Manor Media in Oklahoma. Hence the reason why the complimentary, autographed copy arriving at my door.

This book documents the personal side of Clifton Fadiman, his appreciation of wine – along with a plummy upper-crust accent, expensive suits, and an encyclopedic knowledge of Western literature – which was an essential element of his escape from lower-middle-class Brooklyn to swanky Manhattan. But wine was not just a class-vaulting accessory; it was an object of ardent desire. The Wine Lover’s Daughter traces the arc of a man’s infatuation from the glass of cheap Graves he drank in Paris in 1927; through the Château Lafite-Rothschild 1904 he drank to celebrate his eightieth birthday, when he and the bottle were exactly the same age; to the wines that sustained him in his last years, when he was blind but still buoyed, as always, by hedonism.

Clifton Radioman

Along the way, this book educates you with the basic appreciation of fine wine. After Fadiman sampled a glass, he once remarked how wine lived “a triple life: one in the mouth, another in the course of slipping down the gullet, still another, a beautiful ghost, the moment afterward.” As Anne revealed, her father was a lousy driver and a two-finger typist, but he could open a wine bottle as deftly as any swain ever undressed his lover.

Along the way this book provides us with the reminder that not all greats are destined to perfection of the basic tasks that we take for granted and assume everyone is capable of performing. After all, we ourselves generate fallacy and live within its shadows. Whether we discover something new about ourselves or a gentle reminder to forgive and forget the fallacies of others, perfection is rarely a word to brand about… and the true reason why memoirs are a full-course meal for the wise. Wine is the spine of this touching memoir; the life and character of Anne Fadiman’s father, along with her relationship with him and her own less ardent relationship with wine, are the flesh. The Wine Lover’s Daughter is a poignant exploration of love, ambition, class, family, and the pleasures of the palate by one of the finest essayists. Anne may not have inherited her father's love of wine, but she most definitely has his gift for writing and love of all things literacy.