Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Operation Nightmare 54-04-07 (28) The Leech
Date: August 18, 2025
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Featured Star: Peter Lorre

Episode Overview

This episode of Harold's Old Time Radio dives into a chilling tale from the golden age of radio drama: "The Leech," starring Peter Lorre. The story immerses listeners in a tense, psychological nightmare of guilt and paranoia following a crime of passion. With atmospheric narration and sharply written dialogue, the episode explores themes of fear, consequence, and the inescapability of guilt, all delivered in the haunting style that made radio thrillers classics.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. Introduction and The Nature of Nightmares

• [00:32–01:59] Peter Lorre’s character opens with an evocative monologue about nightmares—the kind where something horrific chases you and there’s no escape, even after waking.
  • Notable Quote:
    “Did you ever have a dream… you’re running… away from some grotesque, horrible thing… and you wake up and… you know you've been dreaming, but the sweat's over your body… even though you're awake, that thing's still there in the room with you. It clings. It clings like a leech.” — Peter Lorre ([00:42])

2. Setting the Scene: A Forbidden Love

• [02:09–03:27] The protagonist, Tom Fell, is introduced as a likable young man whose nightmare begins when he falls for Iris, a married woman.
  • Their conversations are laced with secrecy and anxiety as they plan to confront Iris’s husband, Peter.

3. Confrontation and Murder

• [03:36–06:44]
  • Tom and Iris go to Peter’s office intending to confess and request a divorce.
  • Peter coolly reveals he already knows about the affair and refuses the divorce, threatening to ruin Tom professionally instead.
  • The situation devolves into violence. In a chaotic moment, Peter is killed.
  • Notable Quotes:
    “I'm going to do everything in my power to ruin you… I'll have you disbarred, disgraced, talked about…” — Peter ([05:21])
    “He’s dead. And we're free now, Iris… We’re free.” — Tom ([06:51])

4. Guilt, Panic, and The Problem of the Body

• [06:56–09:49]
  • Panic sets in as Tom and Iris debate what to do with Peter's corpse.
  • They realize simply leaving or calling the police is not an option; hiding the body seems to be their only chance.
  • The narrative voice (Peter Lorre) paints the act of murder as something impossible to escape, with the dead body likened to a leech.

5. Complications: Unexpected Visitors

• [09:50–14:39]
  • A cleaning woman enters, nearly discovering the crime, adding to their anxiety and confusion.
  • Later, a package deliveryman arrives. Tom and Iris, with the body hidden in the closet, narrowly avoid detection but are visibly unraveling.
  • Notable Moments:
    • The cleaning woman's oblivious chatter contrasts with the tense mood, creating dark humor and suspense.
      “Now, don't be telling me how to do my job… 10 dollars, that's what he usually gives you, isn't it?” — Cleaning Woman ([11:20])

6. The Corpse as a Living Nightmare

• [14:39–17:23]
  • Tom and Iris experience deep paranoia, feeling haunted by Peter’s corpse.
  • They become trapped in the office, unable to leave as the closet door (with the corpse inside) mysteriously locks.
  • The narration underlines their helplessness and the corpse’s oppressive presence.
  • Notable Quote:
    “It's like a leech, isn't it? This dead body, this corpse that won't go away. … Like an indestructible leech slowly sucking fear and … terror from the heart of the killers.” — Narrator ([17:41])

7. Desperation and Apparitions

• [18:08–20:41]
  • Trapped for hours, Tom and Iris edge toward hysteria—debating how to dispose of the body and whether the dead Peter is somehow still alive.
  • In a surreal, terrifying moment, rigor mortis or fear causes the corpse to move, further unhinging them.
  • They ultimately decide to throw the body out the window, staging a suicide.

8. Tragic Conclusion

• [21:09–22:38]
  • As they attempt to stage Peter’s “suicide” by throwing him from the window, a physical struggle ensues. In the chaos, both Tom and Iris plummet to their deaths.
  • Police arrive to survey the grisly scene: two bodies on the street, a woman in the office hysterical over “the dead coming to life.”
  • Notable Quote:
    “You see, it's never simple, this job of killing… Suppose the corpse hangs on, grinning, leering, clinging, like a leech that won't be gone.” — Narrator ([22:38])

9. The Narrator’s Final Word

• [23:13–End]
  • Peter Lorre returns to gently break the tension, reminding listeners it was only a story—but warning that nightmares can begin in the most innocent places, even among the flowers.
  • Memorable Closing:
    “Well, have a good night's sleep and remember it was only a story… when you're out in the garden… watch out for the irises… it might be the beginning of a nightmare.” — Peter Lorre ([23:13])

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• About Nightmares:
  “It clings like a leech.” — Peter Lorre ([00:42])
• Rejection, Threats, and Murder:
  “There’ll be no divorce… I’ll have you disbarred, disgraced, talked about…” — Peter ([05:21])
• On the Problem of the Corpse:
  “Men kill for many different reasons… But whatever the reason, when murder is done, there is always the corpse. The corpus delicti.” — Narrator ([08:13])
• Paranoia Mounts:
  “This dead body, this corpse that won't go away… Like an indestructible leech slowly sucking fear and terror from the heart of the killers.” — Narrator ([17:41])
• Haunted by Guilt:
  “He's dead, Iris. I'll show you… Look and see. He's dead.” — Tom ([19:28])
• Ironic Afterword:
  “Suppose the corpse hangs on, grinning… clinging, like a leech that won't be gone.” — Narrator ([22:38])
• Closing Reminder:
  “Have a good night's sleep and remember it was only a story… watch out for the irises… it might be the beginning of a nightmare.” — Peter Lorre ([23:13])

Structural Highlights & Atmospheric Tone

• The episode masterfully builds tension using dialogue, narration, and a sense of claustrophobic entrapment.
• Peter Lorre’s hosting and performance create a chilling, omnipresent feel, blurring lines between reality and nightmare.
• Strong use of metaphor (the “leech”) deepens the theme of guilt as something that cannot simply be slain or hidden.

Conclusion

“Operation Nightmare: The Leech” is a dramatic meditation on guilt, inevitability, and the impossibility of escaping one’s actions. Listeners are drawn into a fraught tale where, no matter how the crime is concealed, its consequences latch on “like a leech.” The episode’s measured pace, atmospheric dread, and Peter Lorre’s inimitable voice make it a lasting example of old-time radio suspense at its best.