Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: The Avenger 45-10-19 (20) The Subway Ghost
Release Date: October 29, 2025
Host: Harolds Old Time Radio

Episode Overview

This installment from Harold’s Old Time Radio features an episode of "The Avenger," a classic radio mystery series from the Golden Age. The featured story, "The Subway Ghost," revolves around a seemingly supernatural presence haunting a subway line, which soon becomes entangled with a rash of daring robberies. Through the scientific mind and investigative skills of Jim Brandon (The Avenger), listeners are led through a labyrinthine mystery blending uncanny ghostly phenomena with hard-boiled crime-solving.

Main Characters

• Jim Brandon (The Avenger): Biochemist and crime-fighter with secret technological gadgets, including a diffusion capsule that grants invisibility.
• Fern Collier: Brandon’s capable assistant and confidante.
• Inspector White: Police inspector and friend of Brandon; hot-headed but determined.
• Mike Leary: Subway motorman involved in the case.
• Mr. Stevens: Subway line controller.
• Freddy Barlow, Slick, Curly: Criminals behind the subway ghost and robberies.

Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. Ghost Sightings on the Subway (00:42–04:36)

• Jim and Inspector White investigate repeated reports of a ghostly figure seen in the subway by several motormen, always at the same spot—where a track walker died two years earlier.
• The so-called ghost appears directly before the train, apparently getting struck, yet leaving no trace—heightening the mystery.
• Notable Quote:
  • Inspector White (04:22): “Whatever it was, it certainly disappeared into thin air.”

2. Crime Wave in Midtown (07:32–11:13)

• While Jim focuses on the ghost, Inspector White is called away by a wave of high-profile robberies.
• Fern encourages Jim to consider the broader crime pattern: “You've been so engrossed in your ghost, I wondered if you realized that.” (10:12)
• Newspaper reports detail a series of successful heists—jewelry, armored trucks, banks—all in midtown.

3. Connecting the Dots: Ghost & Robberies (11:14–13:58)

• Jim meticulously links the timings and locations of the ghost’s appearance with the robberies, noting that the ghost serves as a distraction or cover for the criminals' escape.
• Notable quote:
  • Jim (12:45): “There’s a definite connection between the Ghost and the robberies…the thieves used the subway to make their getaway.”

4. The Ghost’s Gadget: Unmasking the Trick (16:28–18:57)

• Jim and White find cobwebs at the spot the ghost appears, deducing they are used as a screen for a projected image.
• Hidden projection equipment is uncovered, confirming the ‘ghost’ is technologically manufactured to halt trains and enable criminal escape.
• Notable quote:
  • Jim (18:12): “Those cobwebs served as a screen on which the moving picture of a man was projected…when we find that, we have our ghost.”

5. The Real Culprits Revealed (19:19–25:39)

• After Mike Leary is killed, Jim investigates and follows a slim clue—a matchbook from a tough local tavern.
• Surveillance at the tavern confirms the gang is meeting for their payoff with stolen loot.
• Jim identifies Freddy Barlow as the phony trainman and murderer, recognizing him despite his disguise.
• Memorable Moment:
  • Fern (24:28): “Patience is the deadliest weapon of the law. And the best detective in the world is a total loss without it.”

6. The Avenger’s Final Confrontation (25:40–28:45)

• Jim/Avenger uses his invisibility to eavesdrop on the gang, then signals the police for a bust.
• The criminals panic when they can’t find the source of Jim’s voice, and the police arrest them.

7. The Mastermind’s Method – Mystery Unraveled (28:45–29:50)

• Jim explains to Fern how the gang gained access to the subway via a locked emergency exit, with Freddy Barlow making the preparations.
• The projection and cobweb screen created a delay, allowing the robbers to board the train unseen and escape underground as police searched above.
• Notable quote:
  • Jim (29:43): “All the robbers had to do was hop aboard the end of the train and make their getaway underground while the police were combing the streets for them.”

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Whatever it was, it certainly disappeared into thin air.”
  — Inspector White (04:22)
• “There’s a definite connection between the Ghost and the robberies…”
  — Jim Brandon (12:45)
• “Those cobwebs served as a screen on which the moving picture of a man was projected.”
  — Jim Brandon (18:12)
• “Patience is the deadliest weapon of the law. And the best detective in the world is a total loss without it.”
  — Fern Collier (24:28)
• “All the robbers had to do was hop aboard the end of the train and make their getaway underground while the police were combing the streets for them.”
  — Jim Brandon (29:43)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Ghost sighting on the subway: 00:42–04:36
• Inspector departs for robbery investigation: 07:32–09:58
• Jim links ghost to robbery locations: 11:14–13:58
• Discovery of the projection equipment: 16:28–18:57
• Tavern stakeout and confrontation: 23:51–28:45
• Final explanation of the criminals’ methods: 28:45–29:50

Episode Tone & Style

• Fast-paced, suspenseful, and atmospheric, with sharp dialogue and clever deductive reasoning.
• Jim Brandon is methodical, scientific, and calm; Inspector White is brash and determined; Fern is witty and steadfast.
• The narrative is full of suspense and classic radio melodrama, including dramatic pauses and earnest exchanges.

Memorable Moments

• The group being startled by the sudden appearance and disappearance of the “ghost.”
• Jim revealing that cobwebs and projection are behind the supernatural appearances.
• Fern's dry wit at having to “diet” during the tavern stakeout.
• The Avenger’s use of invisibility to scare and trap the gang during their payoff meeting.

This episode exemplifies classic radio detective storytelling, merging spooky urban legend with clever criminal schemes, all wrapped up by the scientific rationality and heroics of The Avenger. Fans of vintage mysteries and audio dramas will find both entertainment and an exciting lesson in observation and deduction.