Debunking the Myths of Inner Sanctum Mystery... or Mysteries

Inner Sanctum Mystery book

Inner Sanctum Mystery was not a great staple of American Broadcasting -- but the signature sound effect, that of the creaking door, was imprinted in the memories of radio listeners for generations. Himan Brown, the creator, producer and director of the 1941-52 radio program, would ultimately register the sound of the creaking door for Federal Copyright Protection on February 17, 1949, under the name "The Creaking Door," submitted in the form of a sample radio program -- marking one of two sounds ever copyrighted (the other was the three NBC chimes). Sounds cannot be copyrighted which is why, on a technical standpoint, the copyright on a creaking door stands to be challenged in court... but Brown did make much use with the sound effect by incorporating it as the signature opening for a later series, The CBS Radio Mystery Theater.

"The door told me to use it. The door spoke to me. 'Make me a star,' it said. It was a door that I used on the Dick Tracy series," Himan Brown later recalled. "I used all kinds of doors. When I did a sequence on Tracy with haunted houses or criminal background or some such thing, I used this door, and the door creaked. You didn't have to fake it; you didn't have to play with it. It was a door with rusty hinges that was badly sprung and it creaked."

Inner Sanctum Mystery advertisement

Simon & Schuster, publishers, was at that time publishing a monthly mystery novel under the byline of "An Inner Sanctum Mystery." The first was published in July 1930, I Am Jonathan Scrivener, written by Claude Houghton. The series initially took on a variety of genres, always indicated by the color of the book's binding: blue for serious drama, red for lighter fare (romance); and green for detective stories. Later, as a result of the radio program, the Inner Sanctum books contained solely mysteries. It was through Simon & Schuster that Himan Brown licensed the name for his radio program -- under one condition. At the conclusion of each broadcast the announcer revealed this month's Inner Sanctum mystery novel -- free publicity for the publisher.

If you can get your hands on a copy of The Lunatic Time, published in 1956 and written by John Roeburt, you will discover that the story is actually based on the Inner Sanctum radio broadcast, "The Unforgiving Corpse" from May 28, 1951. Roeburt, recycling his own stories, re-titled the same Inner Sanctum drama for the June 17, 1962 broadcast of Suspense, "The Lunatic Hour."

All this reminds me of the Warner Bros. cartoon, Racketeer Rabbit, from 1946. Bugs Bunny performs his usual antics against two caricatures of Peter Lorre and Edward G. Robinson. In one scene, a door opens with a long creak and Bugs Bunny makes a direct reference to Inner Sanctum Mystery.

For clarification, the exact name of the program is Inner Sanctum Mystery, not "Mysteries." Singular, not plural. A number of people have been challenging me on this, but I continue to ask them to listen to a recording of Inner Sanctum. While the earliest scripts of the series list "Inner Sanctum Mysteries," the announcer clearly refers to the program singular.

In 2002, I amateurishly put together a book about the radio program. (Yes, I titled the book Inner Sanctum Mysteries. That was done on purpose because most people incorrectly type the title wrong in search engines. And the book refers to the series as a whole plural so the title of the book was not meant to be the same as the program itself.) No one wanted to publish the book (probably my young age had something to do with it) so I self-published a compilation of assorted trivia and other pertinent information so fans of the program could learn more about the series beyond a brief entry in an encyclopedia. Since then, I finally acquired a complete run of each and every Inner Sanctum Mystery radio script, along with files of material from advertising agencies, library archives and other private collections.

One recording that circulates today is "The Amazing Death of Mrs. Putnam" and fans continue to debate whether or not the recording is the first broadcast of the series. I do not know the origin of the controversy, or why people insist it was never broadcast on the evening of January 7, 1941. Maybe it is because the announcer and host Raymond Edward Johnson never make reference to it being the premiere episode. Regardless, last week I received yet another e-mail telling me that my episode guide is inaccurate and "The Amazing Death of Mrs. Putnam" aired later in the series' run. So to close the file on this debate, enclosed is the NBC announcer sheet for that very broadcast, two production sheets verifying the cast, the announcer, the organist, the producer, and the title of the broadcast. Also enclosed are the first two pages of the radio script to verify the January 7, 1941 broadcast date.

An altered advertisement

For more information about existing Inner Sanctum Mystery radio broadcasts, CLICK HERE.

The advertisement featured to the right is "altered" and not original. Sadly, four different websites now reprint this ad and I do not believe the website owners are aware of this potential error. Take a closer look and you will see all reference to the name of the program, station call letters, broadcast time and celebrity has been superimposed in newer font. That means someone took the original advertisement and altered it. Not sure why -- there is a difference between an "alteration" and a "restoration" but whatever the reason, it's a darn shame that people are reproducing it on their websites. Altered advertisements have already begun creeping into published reference guides and that means whatever form of preservation and validity was attempted with those books... the authors failed. Reprinting an altered advertisement rather than the original is more terrifying than the creaking door.

Anyway, I am reprinting it for you to check out with your own eyes and verify. If someone wants to reprint an old newspaper advertisement for a radio program, all they have to do is simply visit newspapers on microfilm at their local library and print them out. You can go home and scan the advertisement and what little effort it takes to do so will be much more rewarding than high profile egg on face when the altered version appears in print and is pointed out in a book review. (My sole purpose of pointing this out is for others to reconsider if they gave any credence to plucking images off the web for illustration.)

2013 Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention Recap

Photos by www.GuptillPhotography.com

My mother-in-law, Mary Ethel, runs the front registration desk at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention. This past weekend one of the attendees, Roger Sirk, told her, "I would rather miss Christmas than miss this convention." Based on the feedback flooding my inbox, that appears to be the overall opinion from attendees after the convention came to a close. Michelle, my wife, convinced one of her co-workers at her day job to attend and they went back to work on Tuesday, they scolded the other employes for not going to the show, describing the event this way: "it was not a geek thing." MANC is not the kind of event that sparks comic con impressions. And after eight years I find it difficult to describe just what the three-day festival is all about.

Like many conventions, vendors offered a variety of products for sale ranging from books, tee shirts, movies, lobby cards, movie posters, glossy photos and vintage collectibles. Like many conventions, a handful of Hollywood celebrities signed autographs, posed for photographs and participated in Q&A sessions on stage. Quoting Brad Rogers, an annual attendee, "The Nostalgia Con is a throwback to conventions 20 and 30 years ago when they were fun and not like those today that try to rake people over with large admission costs and autograph fees." When Ed Asner got up on stage, he opened by telling the interviewer, "Okay, Chuckles, let's get this over with." The audience laughed and clapped with appreciation. Everyone loves the grumpy old man but Asner proved he has a soft heart and there is no doubt a special place in heaven for him.

Ed Asner and interviewer Tom Doty. Courtesy www.GuptillPhotography.com

Actress Margaret O'Brien and author Gregory William Mank.

Julie Newmar doing her Catwoman purr.

During her Q&A session, Julie Newmar answered a request from a fan in the audience and reprised her Catwoman purr over the microphone... the audience cheered and clapped. Margaret O'Brien talked about the dance sequence with Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis (1958), followed by a special screening of the movie. For fans of The Rifleman, Johnny Crawford talked about his five years on the program and Jeff Connors talked about his father, Chuck Connors. The panel went over so well that Jeff asked me to make a copy and send it to him.

This year's bill of fare included almost two dozen slide show presentations ranging from the history of DICK TRACY in the comics (courtesy of Garyn Roberts), Gracie Allen's run for Presidency in 1940, and home movies of Brace Beemer (radio's LONE RANGER) courtesy of his grandson, Bob Daniel. Attendees included museum curators, magazine editors, authors and historians, obsessed fan boys and folks who share a common interest in the times gone by. Live re-enactments of old-time radio dramas, complete with scripts, sound effects and microphones were among the highlights. On display was The Blob silicone from the 1958 Steve McQueen horror classic. Yes, the original Blob! How cool is that?

That's the real movie monster, folks!  The Blob silicone on display.

Larry Storch. Photo courtesy of Melissa Saka Ginsberg.

Abbott and Costello impersonators walked around the hotel performing routines (including "Who's On First?). They even took time out to pose for photos with the celebrities. "Mr. Asner seems to like to come off as 'cantankerous', but we found him to be playful, funny and warm," said Joe Ziegler, pictured on the right.

Ed Asner with Abbott and Costello

Who wouldn't smile when Abbott and Costello are around?

Actor Robert Loggia was among the celebrity guests who took time to talk about his appearances in movies... let's see if we can name them all... the piano sequence with Tom Hanks in Big, the general in Independence Day, Scarface, The Sopranos, The Nine Lives of Elfago Baca, Hawaii Five-O, Jagged Edge, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, three Pink Panther movies, Psycho 2, Prizzi's Honor, An Officer and a Gentleman, and a guilty pleasure of mine called T.H.E. Cat. When is that ever going to come out on DVD commercially? I asked Mr. Loggia, and his wife, and they both were as puzzled as I am.

Actor Robert Loggia with fan Kelly J. Sheridan.

Elizabeth Shepherd talked about her days on the stage in Shakespearean dramas, then introduced a late night screening of The Tomb of Ligeia (1964), directed by Roger Corman, and co-starring Vincent Price. Larry Storch was just as funny today as he was during his days on F Troop. Diana Sowle talked about her screen roles including Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Margaret O'Brien was a sweetheart and I had the honor of taking her back to the train station after the convention was over.

Talk about crowds. Last year's attendance spiked past 2,000. We hit 2,250 this year. Combating an aging fan base and a declined economy, it is nice to know our attendance record continues to grow. 

"I just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed the convention. It’s the best one we’ve ever participated in. I thought driving 3,000 miles would make Roy want to swear off conventions, but he’s talking about doing it again next year. Wow!"

                              -- Sandra Grabman, author of numerous biographies

"The time seemed to pass rather fast and we didn't get to do everything we wanted to do, which indicates a good time was had by all."

                              --Ed Pippin of the Solar Guard Fan Club

"Please thank your great crew for being so courteous and treating us so nicely. This was the best show I've ever appeared at in thirty years of work in the industry. I will never forget it."

                               -- Rusty Gilligan, commercial artist

"Congratulations on a fantastic convention. Although it was my first, it will not be my last. I had a great time."

                              -- Bob Tevis

At times the convention was a bit crowded.

But who doesn't love a crowd? Adds to the excitement of the show.

Lewis Forro has a blog and posted two pages of photos from the convention. Check it out here:
http://pristine.webspaceforme.net/Facebook/dragoncon13_baltimorecon13_nostalgiacon13/nostalgiacon13/nostalgiacon1.html

 

Couldn’t get by without posting this photo.
I bumped into this beauty at the end of the show
as everyone was tearing down and packing up.
Love the Sock Hop poodle dress!

Want to see three minute news coverage? Click here: http://www.wbaltv.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/Mid-Atlantic-Nostalgia-Convention-features-classics/-/10136486/22026776/-/w2mjt0/-/index.html#.Uj8Q7AmrizE.facebook

Check out Samantha's review on the Dick Powell blog: http://www.dickpowell.blogspot.com/

No event can run smooth without a speed bump along the way. On Friday afternoon, the power went out momentarily throughout the hotel (and from what I heard, the traffic lights outside as well). Thankfully the hotel had backup generators. We video streamed the seminars so folks in Alaska, Canada and France (among other places) could view the events live on their home computers. While the attempt was merely a field test this year, we do feel confident that the technology is good enough to warrant a permanent fixture starting next year. So this time there is no excuse to overlook the event in September 2014.

Many of the photos on this site were provided by www.GuptillPhotography.com

Dragnet: The "Lost" Premiere Radio Broadcast

Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday

The evolution of detective programs on old-time radio began in the late twenties when most original detectives were inspired by the murder mystery stage plays often dramatized on stage on Broadway. By the early thirties, Philo Vance and Charlie Chan began inspiring imitations and programs of their own... sometimes adapted from the novels themselves -- others to help promote major motion pictures.

In 1946, CBS began offering The Adventures of Sam Spade and those early adventures revealed a different kind of gumshoe -- one who stole money out of a dead man's wallet and shot a crooked thief (a woman) in the back when she tried to escape. Radio listeners (and script writers) took note and began their own imitations of the Sam Spade series, more tame than the Sam Spade character. By 1947, radio detectives became a common staple in network broadcasting -- so much so that concerned parents formed organizations in an effort to curb the vicious murders that intrigued impressionistic young minds. But after you listen to a dozen of those programs -- Philo Vance, Boston Blackie, Nero Wolfe, Richard Diamond, etc. -- the conclusion is the same. The detective programs are relatively the same -- each with their own variation-on-a-theme.

Then came Jack Webb and Dragnet, which was far more original than any detective program on the airwaves. So original that it is difficult to name another radio program that attempted to imitate Dragnet. (It is far easier to name a number of programs that spoofed Dragnet.) Many collectors today know that the first broadcast of the series, June 3, 1949, does not exist in recorded form. There are numerous stories of why that disc was accidentally broken before it could be transcribed but thankfully I was able to find the original script and it is reprinted below for your enjoyment.

Vintage radio advertisement with Jack Webb

A few small notes to point out: the theme song for the first two radio broadcasts was not the classic theme you hear today. It was not until the third broadcast of the series that Webb began using an excerpt from Miklos Rozsa's soundtrack score for The Killers (1947). The second episode of the series does exist in recorded form. Listen to that one beforehand and get a general idea what the theme song was for the premiere broadcast.

There is no origin for the Sergeant Friday character.

The earliest episodes never had an official script title. Some people created their own title for the earliest episodes but be aware that not all of them really had a title -- just because a recording in your collection has a title doesn't mean the information is accurate.

There is a big misconception that the radio program is in the public domain. This is usually stated on websites providing free downloads in an effort to play stupid... and use as a scapegoat should they get into trouble for offering the recordings. The script here is reprinted with permission from the copyright holders.