Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Episode: The Shadow: The Three Ghosts
Original Air Date: 10/31/1937
Summary Date: November 6, 2025

This episode features an atmospheric tale of deception and supernatural intrigue, as Lamont Cranston (The Shadow) investigates a series of hauntings and a suspicious marriage that may disguise far more sinister motives. The story unfolds in a remote country house, where psychological fear, criminal pasts, and a clever mastermind intertwine, ultimately leading to murder and justice at the hands of the Shadow.

Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. Setting the Scene: A Haunted House and Unhappy Marriage

Timeframe: 01:36–04:52

• Professor Arthur Sneed and Carolyn are living in a country house Carolyn finds frightening and believes to be haunted.
• Margot Lane, concerned for her friend Carolyn, convinces Lamont Cranston to visit the Sneed house.
• Lamont remarks on Carolyn's drastic change since marrying Sneed, hinting at possible danger.

Notable Quote:

• Margot Lane: “She looks positively haggard. I never saw such a change come over a person.” (03:40)

2. Suspicion and Unease

Timeframe: 04:52–07:38

• Margot and Lamont arrive at the Sneed house.
• Sneed claims Carolyn's illness is “mostly imaginary,” attributing it to nerves and haunted house tales.
• Lamont, underplaying his Shadow persona, subtly investigates Sneed’s odd behavior and the rare book “Neuroses of Death.”

Notable Quote:

• Lamont Cranston: “You see it on men who spent some time in prison. There are many little traits of his behavior that interest me as a psychologist.” (08:07)

3. The Shadow’s First Confrontation with Sneed

Timeframe: 09:09–10:51

• The Shadow warns Sneed, dropping half of an ace of spades playing card as an omen.
• The unseen vigilante exposes Sneed’s conscience and foretells doom when he finds the missing half-card.

Notable Quote:

• The Shadow: “When you find the other half, that will be the end.” (10:36)

4. Collusion and Blackmail: Criminal Past Resurfaces

Timeframe: 11:03–12:44

• Two former criminal acquaintances, Spike Collins and Wilson, confront Sneed in his office, blackmailing him over a previous suspicious death (his past marriage).
• They pressure Sneed to help with another scheme: faking a burglary to kill Carolyn for her inheritance.
• The Shadow, unseen, warns Spike that Sneed will double-cross him.

Notable Quote:

• Spike Collins: “You ain’t got no time to stall this old dame you married–she’s got plenty.” (11:45)

5. Paranormal Pressure and a Fatal Car Accident

Timeframe: 15:09–17:24

• As Sneed drives home, The Shadow’s voice haunts him from the back seat, causing Sneed to hallucinate and ultimately run over Spike’s associate, Wilson, on Old Mill Road.
• The Shadow blurs the line between reality and hallucination to manipulate Sneed’s actions.

Notable Quote:

• The Shadow: “No, I willed you to see it and you saw it.” (17:29)

6. Aftermath and Investigation

Timeframe: 18:46–20:37

• The next day, a newspaper reports the death of Spike Collins, but the body turns out to be mistaken identity—Wilson’s body was misidentified due to swapped personal effects.
• Lamont and Margot discuss Sneed’s strange behavior and the imminent departure plans for Carolyn and Sneed.
• Commissioner Weston and the police are alerted by the Shadow to search Sneed’s house for real evidence.

7. Climax: The Ghost Revealed & Justice Served

Timeframe: 21:55–26:10

• In the Sneed house, Spike (not actually dead) confronts Sneed, revealing how he faked his own death using Wilson’s body.
• Tension peaks as Spike reveals Sneed’s trick to haunt Carolyn: an electric sound box controlled by a hidden switch.
• The Shadow’s voice returns, overwhelming the would-be murderers with supernatural terror and manipulating them into confrontation.
• Spike shoots Sneed in the confusion; police arrive just in time.

Notable Quotes:

• Spike Collins: “He’s been scaring you to death, ain’t he? Making you think the place was haunted.” (24:12)
• The Shadow: “I am coming up these stairs. I will enter and stand beside you.” (25:15)

8. Denouement: The Shadow Explains

Timeframe: 26:10–27:23

• The Shadow reveals himself and clarifies the deaths and the elaborate deceptions to the police, tying up the case and cementing his reputation.

Notable Quote:

• The Shadow: “The man killed last night, Commissioner, is a ghost. … You really should believe in ghosts now, Commissioner. And in shadows.” (26:35)

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Margot Lane’s Concern for Carolyn:
  "She looks positively haggard. I never saw such a change come over a person." (03:40)
• Sneed’s Skepticism of Ghosts:
  "Haunted houses have always fascinated me. I always wanted to meet a ghost, shake hands with him, invite him to tea.” (02:13)
• The Shadow Delivers an Ominous Warning:
  "When you find the other half, that will be the end." (10:36)
• Spike’s Blackmail:
  “You ain't got no time to stall this old dame you married has got plenty.” (11:45)
• The Shadow Manipulates Reality:
  “No, I willed you to see it and you saw it.” (17:29)
• Spike Explains Sneed’s Haunting Method:
  "He’s been scaring you to death, ain’t he? Making you think the place was haunted." (24:12)
• Climactic Confrontation:
  "I am coming up these stairs. I will enter and stand beside you." (25:15)
• The Shadow’s Final Word:
  "You really should believe in ghosts now, Commissioner. And in shadows." (26:35)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Haunted House/Open: 01:36
• Margot and Lamont Concern: 03:33
• First Meeting with Sneed: 05:17
• The Shadow Confronts Sneed: 09:34
• Spike & Wilson Blackmail: 11:12
• The Shadow Manipulates Spike: 12:52
• Fatal Car Scene: 15:51
• Body Found—Mistaken Identity: 18:46
• Spike’s Return, the Trick Exposed, Final Confrontation: 22:18–26:03
• Case Summed Up: 26:03–27:23

Tone and Style

The episode skillfully mixes suspense, psychological tension, and supernatural suggestion, led by The Shadow’s ominous, penetrating manner and punctuated by Margot’s genuine anxiety and Sneed’s growing panic. Period dialogue, hardboiled suggestiveness, and a chilling soundscape capture old-time radio drama at its finest, with the Shadow’s distinctive cadence and eerie wisdom tying it all together.

For anyone who’s missed the episode:
This installment of The Shadow delivers a complex mystery combining ghosts—both literal and figurative—with greed, fear, and poetic justice. The terror is as much psychological as supernatural, with Lamont Cranston/Shadow orchestrating events between the living and (so-called) dead to ensure justice and rescue for the innocent. The episode is rich with classic radio atmosphere and clever, satisfying twists.