The Shadow: Professor X 09/18/1938

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Shadow: "Professor X" (09/18/1938)

Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Host: Choice Classic Radio
Release Date: July 9, 2026
Episode Original Airdate: September 18, 1938

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Episode Theme

This episode resurrects an exciting adventure from the classic radio serial The Shadow, featuring Lamont Cranston and his aide, Margo Lane. The story centers on the invention of a disintegration machine by Professor Kramer, the intrigue and murder that follows, and how the Shadow delivers justice. A blend of science fiction, suspense, and detective work propels this early tale of ambition, greed, and karmic retribution.

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

The Invention and Its Danger (02:57–08:17)

• Professor Kramer's Experiment:

  • Kramer demonstrates to financier Joe Martin a device that disintegrates a living creature (a cat), explaining the process as "tremendous electronic activity" breaking down matter so completely that it vanishes.
  • Kramer’s ultimate goal: reintegration—sending "living flesh by wire" to be reassembled elsewhere.

• Tension Between Kramer and Martin:

  • Joe Martin, revealed as the funder, is impatient:
    • “What I want to know is why didn’t you tell me about this before?” (05:13, Joe Martin)
  • Kramer protests: “My work is not done... Reintegration, the assembly of the body at another point, that is yet undone.” (05:44, Professor Kramer)

• Joe Martin’s Sinister Motive:

  • Martin realizes the machine could be a perfect tool for murder:
    • “The box is plenty big enough. Shoot the juice and—well, no body, no murder, no evidence.” (07:23, Joe Martin)
  • Kramer refuses, Martin threatens to take over the machine, and hints at future deadly plans.

Cranston and Margo Investigate (08:17–12:13)

• Journey to Kramer’s Lab:

  • Cranston and Margo make their way to Kramer's remote home:
    • “Professor Kramer isn’t exactly a simple character. The man’s been on the faculty of some of the greatest universities in the country. Great inventive mind. Yet he’s a man whom very few people know about.” (08:21, Lamont Cranston)
  • Mysterious note from Kramer brings them there.
  • They find the lab ransacked, Kramer missing, and his equipment stolen.

• Discovery of Murder:

  • They notice fresh plaster on the wall and break through, finding Professor Kramer’s body hidden inside with a bullet wound.
    • “A bullet through his head and a plaster wall for a grave. Well, Professor Kramer, I promise you this. Whoever did this to you will meet the Shadow.” (12:42, Lamont Cranston)

Martin’s Deadly Plans Unfold (15:28–18:15)

• Martin Reassembles the Machine:
  • Hires an electrician to wire up the stolen equipment per Kramer's notes.
  • When the job is done, Martin kills the electrician by testing the device on him:
    • “Get in there and lie down in the box... Now we’ll see if the machine works or not.” (16:51, Joe Martin)

Investigation Narrows (18:15–20:24)

• Cranston Traces Martin:

  • Cranston and Margo discover Martin is an ex-bootlegger with a shady past who had funded Kramer.
  • They sneak onto Martin’s electrified property; the barbed wire fence delivers Cranston a shock.

• Capture and Threats:

  • Martin catches Margo and takes her inside, planning to use her as a “guinea pig” for his next experiment:
    • “You’re gonna be screaming your head off because you’re gonna be more scared than any dame’s been scared in all her life.” (22:01, Joe Martin)

The Shadow Intervenes: The Showdown (23:19–26:24)

• Shadow’s Confrontation:

  • The Shadow (Cranston, using his famous invisibility trick) confronts Martin:
    • “Call me the Shadow.” (23:33, Lamont Cranston)
    • “A voice that should have talked to you a long time ago.” (23:21, Lamont Cranston)
  • Martin, desperate to see the Shadow, threatens to kill Margo if the Shadow doesn’t reveal himself.

• Martin’s Demise:

  • While distracted, Martin accidentally grabs a live, uninsulated part of the control panel, electrocuting himself:
    • “Not a pretty sight, is it?... The electricity burned him as crisply as if he had sat in the electric chair.” (26:15, Lamont Cranston)
  • Cranston had already disconnected the device to protect Margo:
    • “While he was busy threatening me, I... disconnected the wires leading to the cathode tube.” (26:51, Lamont Cranston)

Resolving the Case (26:57–27:34)

• Poetic Justice:
  • “The penalty for murder in this state is to die by electricity. Well, we can close the books on Joe Martin. The law has taken its course.” (27:07, Lamont Cranston)
• Final Moral:
  • The Shadow closes with his iconic warning:
    • “The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay. The Shadow knows.” (27:50, The Shadow)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• The Power of the Device:

  • “Living flesh by wire... It will change the world. Human beings will be able to travel from one place to other as quickly as radio waves.” (06:07, Professor Kramer)

• On Greed and Crime:

  • “No body, no nothing. Neat, eh?” (23:01, Joe Martin)

• Shadow’s Signature Style:

  • “How can you send a bullet through something you can’t see, Joe Martin?” (23:28, The Shadow/Lamont Cranston)

• The Morality Play Ending:

  • “The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay. The Shadow knows.” (27:50, The Shadow)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-------------|------------------------------------------------------| | 02:57–08:17 | Kramer’s lab, demonstration, and Martin’s plot forms | | 08:17–12:13 | Cranston and Margo investigate, discover murder | | 15:28–18:15 | Martin reassembles machine, kills electrician | | 18:15–20:24 | Cranston and Margo close in, get caught | | 23:19–26:24 | The Shadow confronts Martin, deadly climax | | 26:57–27:34 | Justice and episode resolution | | 27:50 | Famous closing moral |

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Tone and Style

• Classic Noir & Suspense: Layered with melodrama, gothic tension, and a swift-moving plot typical of The Shadow’s 1930s adventures.
• Morality and Justice: The Shadow remains an agent of retribution, reminding listeners that “crime does not pay.”

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Summary:
A mysterious scientific breakthrough meets mobster ambition in “Professor X,” drawing classic themes of invention, greed, and poetic justice. The Shadow tracks down a murderer using intelligence—and his legendary invisibility—rescuing the innocent and delivering a fitting end for the villain. Fans of radio noir and detective stories will appreciate the brisk pacing, inventive science fiction twists, and the famous closing message that has become The Shadow’s hallmark.

Transcript

[Lamont Cranston]

Welcome to Choice Classic Radio where we bring to you the greatest old time radio shows. Like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube and thank you for [e-mail].

[Joe Martin]

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? A shadow knows.

[Narrator]

Ladies and gentlemen, the Shadow's latest adventure starts in just a moment. Right now, here's a short safety reminder. Next week, next month may be too late to replace smooth unsafe tires with new Goodrich safety Silvertown. What if your tires suddenly lose their grip and skid wildly over a wet highway? What if a heat blister forms inside of your tire and bang, without warning a high speed blowout throws your car out of control? The sooner you equip with new Goodrich Silvertowns, the safer your family will be. I'll guarantee you'll never know what the word stop really means until you felt the non skid grip of the amazing lifesaver tread on a wet road. Yes, and you'll never know what real freedom from blowout worries is until you've discovered the peace of mind that comes from riding on the only tires built with the famous golden fly. Treat your family to two way protection against skids and blowouts at no extra cost. For safety's sake, ride on Goodrich safety Silvertown. The Shadow Lamont Cranston, a man of wealth, a student of science and a master of other people's minds, devotes his life to righting wrongs, protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty. Cranston is known to the underworld as the Shadow. Never seen, only heard, his true identity is known only to his constant friend and aide, Margo Lane. Today's story. Professor X.

[Lamont Cranston]

Yeah, yeah.

[Professor Kramer]

3,000 volts on the plate, 6,000 volts on the fourth amplifier. Yeah, yeah, that's right. Now, now I send a little more current through the millimeter. When we say what? Knocking, Knocking. Why do people bother me all the time? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I come bothering a man, how can I get my work done? Well, well, what is it? What are you.

[Joe Martin]

Ah, Hiya, Professor.

[Professor Kramer]

Oh, Mr. Martin, I did not know it was you.

[Joe Martin]

Yeah, that's what I figured. Working late as usual, eh, Professor?

[Professor Kramer]

Well, yeah. There's so much to do and so little time on which to do it.

[Joe Martin]

Yeah.

[Professor Kramer]

Mr. Martin, you. You didn't come over to take everything away from me.

[Joe Martin]

I sunk a lot of money in this laboratory, Professor.

[Professor Kramer]

But, but, but please, please, a little more time.

[Joe Martin]

Ah, take it easy, Professor. All I came over here was just to see how far you've cut with your work. Now why don't you show me?

[Professor Kramer]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure, sure. I show you. Over. Over here, please.

[Joe Martin]

Okay, now.

[Professor Kramer]

Now you see, under this cathode tube, I. I have a large container. You know, I open the lid. Watch.

[Joe Martin]

It's a cat. So what?

[Professor Kramer]

Wait. I close the lid. Now, now watch. Watch. Close. Now, now, now watch. Watch. Close. Mister. You see, I have done it.

[Joe Martin]

Done what? You throw a switch, a lot of sparks fly. You bang. Like a firecracker. So what?

[Professor Kramer]

Look. Look in the box.

[Joe Martin]

Okay. The cat. Why, it's gone.

[Professor Kramer]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it is gone. Disintegration complete. Disintegration?

[Joe Martin]

You mean that cat is gone into thin air?

[Professor Kramer]

Yeah, yeah. The rays of the tube ca tremendous electronic activity in the living body placed beneath it. With the result that when the potential reaches a high enough peak, the body disintegrates completely.

[Joe Martin]

Never mind the scientific stuff. What I want to know is why didn't you tell me about this before? I put up the dough for this place on a crack brained idea so no one else would listen to. Now you got put it over and you didn't want to tell me about it. What's the idea?

[Professor Kramer]

Yeah, but you don't understand. My work is not done.

[Joe Martin]

I saw it with my own eyes.

[Professor Kramer]

Yeah, but that is only half of it. Reintegration. The assembly of the body at another point that is yet undone.

[Joe Martin]

Talk English.

[Professor Kramer]

When my work is complete, I will be able to disintegrate living flesh so that it can be sent across space by wires. Like messages are now sent. You hear me, Mr. Martin? Living flesh by wire.

[Joe Martin]

What good will that be?

[Professor Kramer]

Why, it will change the world. Human beings will be able to travel from one place to other as quickly as radio waves. Now, travel. Oh, I tell you, Mr. Martin, only a few months more work and I will be able.

[Joe Martin]

Able to do nothing. What do you mean your work is through? Yeah. No, no, my done finished.

[Professor Kramer]

No, no, but my experiments have only begun.

[Joe Martin]

I say they're finished.

[Professor Kramer]

What do you. Why do you say that, Mr. Martin? You, you mean you. You don't give me any more money.

[Joe Martin]

When I first heard about your idea, I said to myself, okay, fella, maybe he's a crackpot and maybe he ain't, but it's worth putting up a little dough. Well, now you've done your work, so finish.

[Professor Kramer]

Yeah, but, but, but I. I say again, I am not too.

[Joe Martin]

And I say it's true, ain't it, that if I was to put a man in that box, pull them controls, bang. And he'd be gone just like that.

[Professor Kramer]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But the cathode tube expands itself each time the disintegration takes place.

[Joe Martin]

You mean you have to put in a new tube every time?

[Professor Kramer]

Yeah, yeah.

[Joe Martin]

Well, put in another one right now.

[Professor Kramer]

Oh, but alas, I cannot. That was the last one I have here. I have used them all experimenting.

[Joe Martin]

Where'd you get them from?

[Professor Kramer]

A new consignment is coming tomorrow. I placed a permanent order with the company who make them tomorrow.

[Joe Martin]

Okay. So you've done what I wanted you to, eh? I've got a couple of people I don't like. Oh, yeah? Now, put them in there. The box is plenty big enough. Shooting at juice and, well, no body, no murder, no evidence. How do you like that, Professor?

[Professor Kramer]

Oh, no, no, no, no. But you cannot do that. I have discovered this for the good of men. I will tell the police.

[Joe Martin]

So long, Professor. I told you you were finished. Now the machine belongs to me. I'm the only one who knows about it. And I'll have no trouble getting hold of the new tubes to make it work.

[Margo Lane]

What a strange sort of road this is, Lamar.

[Lamont Cranston]

It's leading us to a very strange man.

[Margo Lane]

Margot, what do you mean?

[Lamont Cranston]

Professor Kramer isn't exactly a simple character. The man's been on the faculty of some of the greatest universities in the county. Great inventive mind. Yet he's a man whom very few people know about.

[Margo Lane]

But why go all the way out here to this place to visit him?

[Lamont Cranston]

Congratulations.

[Margo Lane]

Why congratulations?

[Lamont Cranston]

Because in spite of the fact that you're a woman, you've controlled your curiosity for exactly one hour and 15 minutes of driving.

[Margo Lane]

All right, make fun of me. But I do want to know. Why come out here?

[Lamont Cranston]

Professor Kramer is one of my instructors in school. For some reason, he's took a sort of liking to me, and I haven't heard from him for some time. In fact, I haven't even known where he's been. You see, he left the university some time ago and has been conducting some private experiments. Something to do with cathode tubes. Whatever they are, to make it simple, call them X ray tubes. At any rate, I haven't heard from Professor Kramer until yesterday.

[Margo Lane]

And then?

[Lamont Cranston]

Then I got a rather mysterious note telling me that he had something very important to show me. Something that no one else in the world had ever seen. Well, so here we are on our way.

[Margo Lane]

Something that no one else in the world has ever seen.

[Lamont Cranston]

Now you are interested, aren't you?

[Margo Lane]

I should hope so. But it's so late. How much further do we have to go?

[Lamont Cranston]

I understand he lives in the house right at the top of this hill.

[Joe Martin]

We're climbing something that no one else

[Margo Lane]

in the world has ever seen.

[Lamont Cranston]

Intriguing, isn't it? Well, here we are at the top. But I don't see any house. This is a wild goose chase.

[Margo Lane]

Oh, no. Lamont, Look. Look through the tree.

[Lamont Cranston]

Yes, you're right. This is.

[Margo Lane]

What a weird looking place to live. Miles away from town.

[Lamont Cranston]

Plus another light company. Well, let's go see what's up.

[Margo Lane]

All right. Trees are awfully thick, aren't they?

[Lamont Cranston]

Come on. Take my arm.

[Margo Lane]

Oh, well. It's dark. I can hardly see.

[Lamont Cranston]

Come along. Looks this path. No one's been to visit the professor since last fall.

[Margo Lane]

Lamont. How strange. It's dark and yet there are no lights in the house.

[Lamont Cranston]

I notice.

[Margo Lane]

Then could it be the wrong address?

[Lamont Cranston]

Let us say the house on top of the hill.

[Margo Lane]

So does it.

[Lamont Cranston]

Well, we'll find out quickly enough whether I made a mistake here. Up these stairs.

[Margo Lane]

Somehow this place gives me the shivers.

[Lamont Cranston]

After all, Margot, I didn't say I was taking you to a haunted house.

[Margo Lane]

It must be the wrong house. I'm not. Look.

[Lamont Cranston]

No, no. You look hard under the bell. Alfred Kramer.

[Margo Lane]

Then it is the right place.

[Lamont Cranston]

Certainly. Find a bell button. Now there's a bell for

[Margo Lane]

she'd open the door. It's cold out here.

[Lamont Cranston]

Must be asleep. I'll try again.

[Margo Lane]

Not a sound from in there.

[Lamont Cranston]

Strange you should be asleep so early. I'll try knocking.

[Margo Lane]

Lamont.

[Lamont Cranston]

The door's open all the time. Come on.

[Margo Lane]

Wait for me. Lamont.

[Lamont Cranston]

Professor. Professor Kramer?

[Margo Lane]

Dark.

[Lamont Cranston]

Professor Kramer, are you here? Lamont Cranston.

[Margo Lane]

He only had some light.

[Lamont Cranston]

Yeah. Switch that doesn't. Now we see.

[Margo Lane]

Lamont.

[Lamont Cranston]

What?

[Margo Lane]

Well, Lamont. What's happened here?

[Lamont Cranston]

Gotta be torn up. Professor Kramer? Professor Kramer, are you here? Professor Kramer?

[Margo Lane]

Lamont? Is he there?

[Electrician]

No.

[Lamont Cranston]

Bedroom's empty. Everything undisturbed. Everything in this room's ripped apart.

[Margo Lane]

What happened here?

[Lamont Cranston]

Look at the wall over there.

[Margo Lane]

What?

[Lamont Cranston]

Those wires Torn. It was just as if someone ripped some equipment out.

[Margo Lane]

Yes, that's true. But why should the professor have left so suddenly?

[Lamont Cranston]

Mr. Kramer inevitably thinks suddenly in his life. I just don't get this.

[Margo Lane]

He isn't here, though.

[Lamont Cranston]

If we were going away, why should he have asked me to come out here tonight?

[Margo Lane]

We just decided to leave, that's all. You said yourself he was an eccentric old man. Come on, Lamont. Let's get out of here.

[Lamont Cranston]

No, wait.

[The Zebra Announcer]

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[Margo Lane]

Small weekend. Here I come.

[The Zebra Announcer]

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[Lamont Cranston]

I can't wait to tell my wife.

[The Zebra Announcer]

The zebra monitors your insurance and alerts you of savings so you never have to second guess your price. Nobody does insurance like the zebra. Find out how much you can save [e-mail]. savings will vary. Not all will save.

[Margo Lane]

What is it?

[Lamont Cranston]

A wall. Look.

[Margo Lane]

What is it, Lamont?

[Lamont Cranston]

Over here. See? New plaster.

[Professor Kramer]

Wet.

[Margo Lane]

Wet plaster.

[Lamont Cranston]

Yes. You see, Margot, this whole section here has been replastered within the last few hours.

[Margo Lane]

What does that mean?

[Lamont Cranston]

I'm going to find out what it means.

[Margo Lane]

Lamont, what are you going to do with that stick?

[Lamont Cranston]

Set aside, Margot. I'm going to find out why this wall was replastered.

[Margo Lane]

Lamont, you shouldn't. Damaging the wall, Professor.

[Joe Martin]

Crazy Congo.

[Lamont Cranston]

Look up these masters. Breaking up the risk of war.

[Margo Lane]

Oh. A man fell out of the wall.

[Lamont Cranston]

Professor Kramer. It's Professor Kramer. Look. Look. That bullet hole. He's been murdered.

[Margo Lane]

With who?

[Lamont Cranston]

His equipment is experiments. Oh, don't you understand? Whatever it is, he wanted me to come up here tonight and see. Someone murdered him and stole that equipment.

[Margo Lane]

How horrible.

[Lamont Cranston]

A poor old man who spent his entire life devising things to help humanity. And for that he gets this. A bullet through his head and a plaster wall for a grave. Well, Professor Kramer, I promise you this. Whoever did this to you will meet the Shadow.

[Narrator]

Ladies and gentlemen, before we again join the Shadow, let me ask you this question. If you're trying to squeeze the last few miles out of your tires, if you're driving around on smooth, worn tires, do you know what a chance you're taking?

[Lamont Cranston]

The Shadow knows it doesn't pay to gamble on tires. Thousands are killed or injured every year when skids throw cars out of control.

[Narrator]

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[Joe Martin]

Come on, come on. I thought you told me you were electrician.

[Electrician]

Sure. Sure, I am, Mr. Martin. But, gosh, I never connected up a rigamarole like this one.

[Joe Martin]

Listen, fella, you said yourself it was a simple job to connect this apparatus up following the diagrams in that notebook.

[Electrician]

Sure, Mr. Martin, but. Got it. Almost done. Just a couple more wires.

[Joe Martin]

Well, get going.

[Electrician]

Oh, sure. Say, sure is a funny setup. Like an X ray machine. And it isn't exactly like any X ray setup I ever saw.

[Joe Martin]

Hurry up. Hurry up.

[Electrician]

Sure, Mr. Martin. This wire. This wire. There you are. Got it connected up just like it says in those diagrams. Say, who is this Kramer fellow who's got his name signed on all the pages of the notebook, Mr. Martin? Is he the fellow who built this

[Joe Martin]

all connected up, eh?

[Electrician]

Yeah, sure. Just like it says right there.

[Joe Martin]

The new cathode tube has been put in.

[Electrician]

Oh, yeah. And the power is ready to be turned on. You. You're gonna tell me now, aren't you?

[Joe Martin]

Yeah, I'll let the machine itself tell you.

[Electrician]

Well, what do you mean, gun?

[Joe Martin]

I've been asking a lot of questions, fella.

[Electrician]

What are you pointing the gun at me for?

[Joe Martin]

A little. That box by the machine. Why, what are you gonna do, Open it.

[Electrician]

Okay. I don't know what you intend doing,

[Joe Martin]

but cut the talk and open the box.

[Electrician]

There, it's open now.

[Joe Martin]

Now, get in there and lie down in the box. Yeah.

[Electrician]

I ain't done nothing, Mr. Martin. Come on.

[Joe Martin]

Until you get in that box. Now, lie down. You want me to throw you with a bullet? That'll make you lie down fast enough?

[Electrician]

No, I'll do it. Don't shoot

[Joe Martin]

now.

[Lamont Cranston]

Don't shut me in the box. I ain't done nothing, Mr. Martin. Hey, let me out of here. I can't breathe. Let me out of here, Mr. Martin.

[Joe Martin]

Now we'll see if the machine works or not.

[Margo Lane]

Let me out of here, Mr. Martin.

[Joe Martin]

I throw this switch, Mr. Martin. That part of it's all right. You won't kick and yell much longer after this switch is closed. So maybe it does work. I'll know as soon as I open the box. It works. There's nothing left of them. The box is empty.

[Lamont Cranston]

All right, Margo. This is as far as we ride. We'll walk the rest of the way.

[Margo Lane]

Whatever you say, Lamont.

[Lamont Cranston]

Let's go.

[Margo Lane]

I don't understand why you came all the way out here, Lamont. What could these farms out here possibly have to do with the murder of Professor Kramer?

[Lamont Cranston]

The man who murdered the old man didn't think it that anyone would call on Kramer before that plaster wall dried up. Here, walk down this road.

[Margo Lane]

But what was your finding the professor got to do with this trip, Lamont?

[Lamont Cranston]

Not expecting anybody to dig behind that plaster wall. The murder didn't go through the professor's pockets. And in one of those pockets I found a letter. A letter signed Joe Martin.

[Margo Lane]

Martin? Who's he?

[Lamont Cranston]

I check carefully on Mr. Martin's career and I find he's a rather strange individual to be having dealings with a man of Professor Kramer's caliber.

[Margo Lane]

What do you mean?

[Lamont Cranston]

Martin is a man who made a great deal of money during Prohibition days and a great number of enemies. Police suspect him of at least half a dozen murders, but there's never been any tangible evidence against him. So many of his bootlegger friends were gunning after him shortly before Prohibition ended. He left the country turned just a short while ago and has been living in seclusion. Why he should have been furnishing money to the professors the letter indicated is something the Shadow wants to know.

[Margo Lane]

And Martin lives out here.

[Lamont Cranston]

Right. This farm right ahead. Wow, look at that fence.

[Margo Lane]

A barbed wire fence all around the place.

[Lamont Cranston]

Don't bother with the gate. Come on. Sit through these strands of wires and sort of surprise our host, Mr. Martin.

[Margo Lane]

You tear my dress.

[Lamont Cranston]

No, I'll hold the wires apart. You can slip through him.

[Margo Lane]

Oh, Lamont. What?

[Lamont Cranston]

No. Oh, come here. Wire the charge, Lamont.

[Margo Lane]

Burning your hand trying to get loose?

[Lamont Cranston]

No.

[Electrician]

No.

[Lamont Cranston]

The high voltage has paralyzed my muscles.

[Joe Martin]

Get a stick.

[Lamont Cranston]

Get a stick.

[Joe Martin]

What are you talking.

[Margo Lane]

Someone coming.

[Lamont Cranston]

Martin. Mustn't see me.

[Joe Martin]

Hey, where are you? Get away.

[Lamont Cranston]

Margot.

[Joe Martin]

You've got to get away.

[Margo Lane]

Oh, I'll get you loose.

[Narrator]

Oh, no.

[Joe Martin]

Get clear of me.

[Lamont Cranston]

Don't touch me. Margo, you all right?

[Margo Lane]

I'm. I'm all right.

[Lamont Cranston]

You took a whole fourth of the voltage through your own body in order to pull me loose. Margo, you're the.

[Joe Martin]

Where you are, woman. Stay where you are and shoot.

[Margo Lane]

I'm not running away.

[Joe Martin]

Don't you pull off the wire.

[Margo Lane]

Wire.

[Joe Martin]

Don't stall. I saw you pull somebody loose. Where is he?

[Margo Lane]

I don't know what you're talking about.

[Joe Martin]

Don't give me that something Short circuited the wire. I got the alarm at the house and I ran out just in time to see you pulled someone off. Now who is it? Where is he?

[Margo Lane]

See, I'm quite alone.

[Joe Martin]

So you're sure about that, are you, Sister?

[Margo Lane]

Of course.

[Joe Martin]

Okay, that's. Well, if there's no one with you, you can come along with me.

[Margo Lane]

Come. Come along where?

[Joe Martin]

In the house. I need a sort of a guinea pig.

[Margo Lane]

A guinea pig?

[Joe Martin]

Yeah, a human one for an experiment. Works okay, don't it?

[Margo Lane]

What is it?

[Joe Martin]

Not scared much, are you?

[Margo Lane]

Why, why should I be frightened?

[Joe Martin]

Yeah, you're a funny one all right. You're alone, there's no question about that. I found your car where you parked it. Nobody else in it. I don't know. Sure can't figure it out. I thought I saw a man on the wire.

[Margo Lane]

Tell me why I should be frightened.

[Joe Martin]

Why not, Sister? I don't look like a boy scout now, do I? And this room full of electrical stuff, it don't look like a soda fountain now does it?

[Margo Lane]

Still, see no reason to be frightened?

[Joe Martin]

No. Well, something tells me that before you're 10 minutes older, you know what you're going to be doing?

[Margo Lane]

What?

[Joe Martin]

You're gonna be screaming your head off because you're gonna be more scared than any dame's been scared in all her life.

[Margo Lane]

Do you always talk in riddles?

[Joe Martin]

Come on, take a look at this box. Come on, take a look. I tell ya.

[Margo Lane]

What's in it?

[Joe Martin]

Infested, ain't you? Take a look.

[Margo Lane]

Try it. It's empty.

[Joe Martin]

Yeah, but not for long. You see, you're gonna be in it.

[Margo Lane]

I?

[Joe Martin]

Yeah, you remember what I said? A guinea pig. Yeah. Pretty one too.

[Margo Lane]

What are you talking about? Why should I get in that box?

[Joe Martin]

Kind of stalling, ain't you? Hey, who you expecting? The Marines? The boyfriend on a white horse?

[Margo Lane]

You've got to tell me what this is all about.

[Joe Martin]

Sure, I'll tell you why not? It's your one way ticket to hell. The same ticket I'm gonna issue to a lot of my pals.

[Margo Lane]

You mean kill me? And others?

[Joe Martin]

Yeah. The old professor figured out a sure way to get rid of the rat you don't like. And a way no cop living the dead could figure out. You put him in a box, you pull a switch and finish. No body, no nothing. Neat, eh?

[Lamont Cranston]

Too neat.

[Narrator]

Joe Martin.

[Joe Martin]

Hey, who's talking?

[Lamont Cranston]

A voice that should have talked to you a long time ago.

[Joe Martin]

Come on out, wherever you are. Come on out. Now that you have it, how can

[Lamont Cranston]

you send a Bullet through something you can't see. Joe Martin.

[Joe Martin]

A voice. It's very close to me. Hey, who are you?

[Lamont Cranston]

Call me the shadow.

[Joe Martin]

The shadow?

[Lamont Cranston]

From your face I see you've heard the name.

[Joe Martin]

I heard it. Yeah, sure. The voice that comes out of nowhere. But it can't be. Voices don't talk out of air. It's a trick.

[Lamont Cranston]

I will man not to see man.

[Joe Martin]

You woman. That's why you weren't afraid. Expecting him, eh?

[Margo Lane]

And now he's here.

[Joe Martin]

But he won't get me. Get in there, Margo.

[Lamont Cranston]

Are you wrecked throwing her in there?

[Joe Martin]

No. I've got my hand on the electric switch. The minute you touch me or try to let her out of the box, I'll throw the switch and she'll be dead. And neither you or the devil be able to get her back.

[Lamont Cranston]

Margo.

[Joe Martin]

It's all right, Margo. Yeah, it's all right as long as you don't touch me or touch that fox. So you're the great shadow that's got all the smart boys worried, eh? Well, what are you gonna do about this? Don't pull that switch now. Why shouldn't I? I paid that old boy Kramer plenty for this chance.

[Lamont Cranston]

You murdered him.

[Joe Martin]

Oh, you know about that too, do you? Well, maybe that makes me all the more anxious to throw the switch and get rid of your dame.

[Lamont Cranston]

What do you want?

[Joe Martin]

Are you ready to make a deal? Arya? Well, that's smart. What do you want, Feist? I want what no one else has ever been able to add. What's that? Speak up. I want to see you.

[Lamont Cranston]

See me?

[Joe Martin]

Yes, see you. See you in flesh and blood. Nobody's kidding me. You're not just a voice coming out of here. You've got a head and a body and legs and arms and. I want to see him.

[Lamont Cranston]

No one. No one has ever seen me.

[Margo Lane]

No air.

[Joe Martin]

Oh, Lamont. Hey. Well, fella, I heard what she was yelling nowhere. Are you gonna let me see who you are so maybe I can send a slug through you? Oh, not talking, eh? Don't like the idea of me getting the best of you, eh? All right, fella. I'm giving you the count of three to make up your mind. At three, I throw the switch and. Sir, help me. There won't be enough left of that dame to put in a matchbox. 1. 2. Do I get to see your shadow? Okay, then. Here she goes. Three.

[Lamont Cranston]

It's all right, Margaret. It's all right.

[Margo Lane]

Lamar, are you all right?

[Lamont Cranston]

Let me help you out of here. There.

[Margo Lane]

Oh, that horrible sound I thought.

[Lamont Cranston]

No, no, no. I'm. I'm all right.

[Margo Lane]

But, Martin, where?

[Lamont Cranston]

Look. On the floor below the switchboard.

[Margo Lane]

Oh.

[Lamont Cranston]

Not a pretty sight, is it?

[Margo Lane]

Oh, his face.

[Lamont Cranston]

The electricity burned him as crisply as if he had sat in the electric chair. Look at him anymore, dear.

[Margo Lane]

But how did it happen?

[Lamont Cranston]

He was looking around, trying to see me. His hand reached out to the switch. Instead of touching the insulated handle, his fingers closed on the metal.

[Margo Lane]

Oh, but, Lamont, why did you let him? Why did you let him put me.

[Lamont Cranston]

Well, finish your sentence. You mean, why did I let him throw the switch? Well, because it wouldn't have hurt you anyway.

[Margo Lane]

Why not?

[Lamont Cranston]

While he was busy threatening me, I. I disconnected the wires leading to the cathode tube.

[Margo Lane]

Oh.

[Lamont Cranston]

Risking your life would have been too high a price, Margot. Even to catch a rat of Martin's sort.

[Margo Lane]

The rat caught himself in his own trap.

[Lamont Cranston]

Yes. Yes, his own trap. The penalty for murder in this state is to die by electricity. Well, we can close the books on Joe Martin. The law has taken its course.

[Narrator]

You have a listening to a dramatized version of one of the many copyrighted stories which appear in the Shadow magazine, now on sale at your local newsstand.

[Joe Martin]

The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay. The Shadow knows.

[Narrator]

All the characters and all the places named are fictitious. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

[Margo Lane]

Sa. Sam.