Podcast Summary

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Haunting Hour 45-06-23 09 – The Hands of Mr. Smith
Date: October 31, 2025
Host: Harolds Old Time Radio

Overview

This episode presents a classic suspenseful radio drama from the Golden Age of Radio, The Haunting Hour: The Hands of Mr. Smith (original air date: June 23, 1945). The story plunges listeners into an atmospheric tale of crime and supernatural vengeance, where a botched robbery and murder set off a chain of eerie events, centered on the enormous and deadly hands of a criminal known as Tiny. Unfolding through tense dialogue and evocative sound, the episode personifies paranoia and guilt, culminating in a chilling twist that merges hard-boiled crime with ghostly justice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Heist and Its Aftermath

[01:00–08:00]

• Setting the Scene:
  Two criminals, Russ and Tiny, wait in a dark alley to rob a factory cashier. Tiny is nervous and his large hands tremble with anticipation.
• The Murder:
  Despite explicit instructions from Russ to control himself, Tiny kills the cashier during the robbery, claiming, “There was something about him once I got my mitts on his throat.”
  Notable Quote – Tiny: "Once I got my mitts on his throat, I know you can't make those big paws behave." (04:30)
• Double-Cross:
  After securing the cash ($3,000), Russ betrays Tiny, shooting him and leaving him for dead outside town while revealing an affair with Tiny’s wife, Claire. Notable Moment – Russ: "I'm washed up with you. And so is Claire. You and Claire. Oh, so that's why you didn't drive to the apartment... you and Claire, crossing me up." (07:40)
  • Tiny, with his dying breath, vows revenge: “I'll get you for this. I'll get Claire and you if I have to dig my way out of my own grave.”

2. Paranoia and Apparitions

[08:00–16:00]

• Back at the Apartment:
  Russ tells Claire to hide the money in a trunk—unknowingly locked with a key only Tiny has.
  • Claire grows increasingly frantic, convinced by odd sounds and an open window that Tiny has returned from the dead. Notable Quote – Claire: "Suppose Tiny wasn't dead. Suppose he drove the car back here... you must believe in ghosts." (08:20)
• Ominous Portents:
  • The police question Claire and Russ about a car outside with bloodstains, heightening their fear. Claire is fixated on the possibility that Tiny's vengeful spirit has followed them. Memorable Exchange (11:01):
    Claire: "That black sedan out front is the one you killed Tiny in."
    Russ: "You're nuts. Tiny's dead."
• Supernatural Confrontation:
  • Sounds in the apartment culminate with the discovery of Tiny's corpse lying on the bed, holding the trunk key. In a chilling sequence, Tiny's “dead” hand clamps onto Russ’s wrist. Chilling Quote – Tiny (supernatural): "I said I'd come back, right? ... These big hands of mine... they can hold you two here maybe forever." (15:45–16:22)

3. Morning After & Unsettling Resolution

[18:28–22:46]

• Discovery by Others:
  • The building’s janitors, Dora and Monks, sense something is amiss and find the apartment unlocked with money strewn about.
  • They discover Russ in a state of shock, hand caught in the bedframe, his hair turned white. Claire is found dead with marks on her neck. Notable Dialogue – Dora: "He didn't have white hair when he was here yesterday. ... What happened to you?" (21:25)
• Unexplainable Phenomena:
  • Russ claims Tiny held him and killed Claire with his hands, but there is no body present. Police later confirm Tiny was found dead miles away, shot, with the trunk key clutched in his enormous hand.
  • The story loops back to the motif of guilt and supernatural retribution: Tiny kept his promise to exact revenge "from beyond the grave." Haunting Quote – Dora: “The funny thing is, he had a key in his hand. … a little trunk key in one of his great big hands.” (22:45)

Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• Tiny (on his hands):
  “Once I got my mitts on his throat. … I know you can't make those big paws behave.” — 04:30

• Russ (betraying Tiny):
  “I'm washed up with you. And so is Claire.… you and Claire, crossing me up.” — 07:40

• Tiny (threatening revenge):
  “I'll get you for this.… if I have to dig my way out of my own grave.” — 07:55

• Claire (paranoia):
  “Suppose Tiny wasn't dead. Suppose he drove the car back here... you must believe in ghosts.” — 08:20

• Tiny (supernatural):
  “I said I'd come back, right? … These big hands of mine… [can hold] you two here maybe forever.” — 15:45–16:22

• Dora (after the murder):
  “He didn't have white hair when he was here yesterday. ... What happened to you?” — 21:25

• Dora (on the key):
  “The funny thing is, he had a key in his hand... a little trunk key in one of his great big hands.” — 22:45

Memorable Moments

• Chilling Vow of Revenge: Tiny’s promise to come back “if I have to dig my way out of my own grave” sets the supernatural tone — 07:55
• Paranoia Mounts: Claire’s fixation on the trunk key and bloodstains, contrasted by Russ’s insistence on logic, heightens suspense — 08:20–13:14
• Supernatural Restraint: Tiny’s corpse seemingly restrains Russ, blurring the boundary between reality and horror — 15:45–16:22
• Disturbing Resolution: The inexplicable death of Claire and the mental breakdown of Russ, confirmed by the police and janitors — 21:00–22:46

Structure & Flow

The episode expertly builds tension, transitioning from gritty crime drama to gothic horror. The dialogue is crackling and direct, evoking the noir style of its era. The supernatural element is left ambiguous enough to haunt the listeners long after the final line, blending psychological terror and possible ghostly vengeance in equal measure.

Conclusion

The Hands of Mr. Smith is a vintage radio thriller that demonstrates the power of audio storytelling in conjuring both suspense and fear. It weaves together classic crime and supernatural elements, leaving the audience questioning the boundaries between guilt, paranoia, and the unexplainable.