Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Inner Sanctum 49-10-31 Corpse for Halloween

Date: October 21, 2025
Host: Harolds Old Time Radio

Overview

This episode features a classic, atmospheric rebroadcast of "Corpse for Halloween" from the legendary mystery/horror series, Inner Sanctum. The story dives into the haunted psyche of a man tormented by guilt, paranoia, and supernatural threats on a twisted Halloween night. It’s a suspenseful tale with noir overtones, psychological tension, and a few macabre laughs sprinkled in.

Key Discussion Points and Episode Breakdown

1. Setting the Stage: The Obsessive Power of Memory

[00:39–02:00]

• The Narrator ushers listeners through the “creaking door,” setting the eerie, playful tone characteristic of Inner Sanctum.

• He describes the "fanatical hold of memory"—specifically the lingering trauma of one terrible event.

  “What’s a little insanity among friends? Tonight’s story dramatizes the fanatical hold of memory… the one terror that’s with you when you dine and walk and sleep.” — Narrator/Host [01:33]

2. Haunted by Guilt: The Burma Incident

[02:00–03:26]

• Jimmy Foxx (aka Jimmy Scott) narrates his inner torment, revealing he’s haunted by repeated visions of a traumatic moment in the Burma jungle five years prior.
• He recalls the death of two men, Boxer Dolan and Kavanaugh, caused when their rifles fired blanks during a tiger attack.

3. Psychological Horror: The Delivery of Macabre Parcels

[03:26–05:49]

• Jimmy is approached by mysterious figures who hand him parcels— a tiger's head, then a human skull—each intensifying his anxiety and confusion.

• A recurring character—sometimes hidden, sometimes masked—delivers these grim reminders and then vanishes.

  “A cardboard box. Heavy kind of, and tissue. Lots of tissue around. Something that had the feel of a head. It is a head. The stuffed head of a jungle tiger. Its mouth fixed in the snarl. It sends the blood hammering to my head. Doesn’t make sense.” — Jimmy Foxx/Scott [03:48]

4. Enter the Stranger: The Halloween Game

[06:01–08:22]

• Jimmy's tormentor reveals himself on Halloween night, masked and relentless. The psychological games escalate as Jimmy is dared to "identify the skull"—hinting it's Boxer Dolan’s.

• The masked man gives Jimmy an hour to figure out the identity, connecting past crimes to present events.

  “Suppose I give you an hour to identify the skull. It’s eight now… until nine o’clock, then.” — Boxer Dolan [06:38]

5. Confession and Condemnation: The Charge of Murder

[08:22–10:22]

• The challenger is revealed as Kavanaugh—one of Jimmy’s presumed-dead partners.

• He accuses Jimmy of purposely loading rifles with blank cartridges, causing their deaths for the sake of loot.

  “You engineered the murder of two men. You murdered your two partners in crime. Just one day’s push from the Hindu temple… and then you murdered them.” — Boxer Dolan/Kavanaugh [09:47]

6. The Deadly Hunt: A 24-Hour Nightmare

[10:22–13:32]

• Kavanaugh, disfigured and fueled by revenge, announces a deadly game: Jimmy will be hunted in the “jungle of the city” for 24 hours by Kavanaugh and a deadly network of hired killers.

• The city is reframed as a predatory jungle teeming with real and symbolic “beasts.”

  “I’m gonna hunt you for 24 hours in this jungle, the jungle of the city, with every beast of prey I can find…” — Kavanaugh [11:22]

7. Desperation and Paranoia: Fleeing Through the City

[15:15–18:14]

• Jimmy tries to evade his hunters, hiding in cellars and alleyways, and is attacked and injured.
• He witnesses the city’s Halloween revelers morphing into potential threats, unable to trust who’s real and who’s part of the torment.

8. Tables Turning: The Illusion of Escape

[17:20–18:44]

• Jimmy manages to disarm an apparent criminal (“Dead Eyed Dick”) and arms himself to take the offensive.

• When he tries to shoot Kavanaugh, he discovers his gun has been loaded with blanks—another echo of the original crime.

  “How does it feel to hunt game with blank cartridges, like Boxer Dolan and I did once?” — Kavanaugh [18:14]

9. Hallucinatory Encounters: The Subway Ordeal

[18:57–21:12]

• In a surreal subway sequence, Jimmy is menaced by strange characters, including a woman with a tiger cub.
• The boundaries between reality, guilt, and delusion grow ever more blurred.

10. The Final Standoff: The Collapsing Mind

[21:27–26:26]

• Exhausted, Jimmy seeks refuge with the Mask Vendor (“the witch with brown eyes”), hoping for salvation and sleep.
• Awakening, he finds himself paralyzed, accused of murder, as the narrative shifts to the perspective of bystanders and police.
• Was it all real, or was it madness? The reality of events remains ambiguous.

11. Fallout: Sanity Shattered

[26:42–28:06]

• The Narrator/Host and characters offer final commentary, with macabre humor and reflection on the blending of insanity and terror.

  “Quite a chase. It got so poor Jim didn’t know whether he was coming or going nuts. What got his goat most was the way he kept seeing animals everywhere. Very confusing to a guy on the lam.” — Narrator/Host [26:42]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On insanity and memory:
  “Let’s unhinge our minds a little. After all, what’s a little insanity among friends?” — Narrator/Host [01:33]
• On vengeance:
  “I spent five years finding you, Jimmy. I’ve waited a long time to let you see my face.” — Kavanaugh [10:00]
• On the hunt:
  “I’m gonna hunt you, Jimmy… with every beast of prey I can find.” — Kavanaugh [11:22]
• On the macabre humor:
  “You know, Jimmy might win out over Kavanaugh now that he’s got an extra skull to go with the one he’s stuck with. After all, two heads are better than one.” — Narrator/Host [13:11]
• On confusion:
  “It got so poor Jim didn’t know whether he was coming or going nuts.” — Narrator/Host [26:42]

Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:39] — Opening greeting, creaky door, introduction of themes.
• [02:00] — Jimmy’s obsessive memories of the Burma jungle.
• [03:48] — First macabre package: the tiger’s head.
• [05:49] — Second package: the human skull.
• [06:38] — Kavanaugh gives Jimmy one hour to “identify the skull.”
• [09:47] — Kavanaugh’s accusation of murder.
• [11:22] — The commencement of “the hunt.”
• [17:20] — Jimmy takes a gun, turns from prey to hunter.
• [18:14] — Kavanaugh reveals Jimmy’s new gun is loaded with blanks.
• [21:27] — Jimmy’s desperate conversation with the Mask Vendor.
• [23:20] — The psychological breaking point; time’s up.
• [26:42] — Narrator’s closing, reflective and sardonic.

Tone & Style

• Atmospheric, macabre, and tongue-in-cheek: Classic Inner Sanctum ambiance, balancing grim suspense with wry commentary.
• Dialogue-driven: The immersive drama is carried by distinctive voices, tense exchanges, and inner monologue.
• Psychologically intense: It’s a noir story of guilt, paranoia, and possibly madness, never letting the listener feel entirely secure.

Takeaway

Corpse for Halloween is a masterclass in psychological radio suspense, blending supernatural touches, unreliable narrators, and classic urban paranoia. As Jimmy Foxx races against guilt, killer, and time, listeners experience his spiraling terror and questionable grasp on reality—fitting entertainment for a spooky Halloween night around the radio.