The Radio Detectives - BBC - The Shadow Knows

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: "The Radio Detectives – BBC – The Shadow Knows"

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode Date: July 28, 2026
Main Theme:
A deep dive into one of the most iconic characters of the golden age of radio—The Shadow. This episode explores the origins, evolution, and cultural significance of The Shadow across pulp fiction and radio, with a special focus on Orson Welles’ memorable interpretation, and a consideration of The Shadow’s enduring legacy in media and crime fiction.

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Harold's Old Time Radio transports listeners to the crime-fighting world of The Shadow, a principal figure in both pulp fiction and American radio drama of the 1930s and 1940s. Through documentary-style narration, dramatized excerpts, and commentary from biographers and actors, the episode uncovers The Shadow's mythos—his powers, moral code, and larger-than-life presence—while offering behind-the-scenes insights about the creative minds, particularly Orson Welles, who brought him to life.

---

Key Discussion Points

1. The Shadow: Origins and Cultural Context

[01:01 – 05:07]

• The Shadow debuted as a mysterious narrator for Street & Smith’s thriller radio dramas, quickly becoming a cult figure.
• The character’s popularity led to his own magazine (1931), created and largely written by Walter B. Gibson (under pseudonym Maxwell Grant).
• Quote:
  • “The cackling laugh and the strains of Saintson's Omphale spinning wheel introducing one of the most celebrated thriller series on American radio. The Shadow. He was as much a superhero as a detective…” (Documentary Narrator, 01:01)
• Pulp magazines: Cheap, sensational, and widely read—setting the tone for The Shadow’s morally charged, noir world.

2. The Writing Machine: Walter B. Gibson

[05:07 – 07:30]

• Gibson’s prolific writing: sometimes producing 15,000 words a day to meet pulp publishing schedules.
• Quote:
  • “I made 10,000 words my goal and found I could reach it. Some stories I wrote in four days each, starting early Monday morning, finishing late Thursday night.” (Story Narrator/Reader as Gibson, 06:38)

3. The Shadow on Radio: Evolution and Adaptation

[07:30 – 09:21]

• The radio Shadow diverged from the books: Lamont Cranston became the primary alias, with Margo Lane (a new companion) and Eastern-influenced powers (“clouding men’s minds”).
• Embodying the era’s fear of crime and conspiracy; the radio format amplified The Shadow's supernatural presence through sound and mystery.

4. Orson Welles as The Shadow: Inside the Studio

[09:21 – 14:13]

• Welles’ portrayal in 1937–38 is legendary despite his short tenure.
• Welles described the loose, improvisational nature of recording episodes—“I didn’t rehearse them, you know… I didn't have dress rehearsals. I didn't know how I'd get out of the well ever when I was thrown in.” (Orson Welles, 09:37)
• Simon Callow’s analysis: Welles gave Cranston an almost English accent, reflecting both the Scarlet Pimpernel inspiration and Welles' own theatrical aspirations.
• Quote:
  • "There's a sort of sense of a silk dressing gown and a cigarette and a long cigarette holder about the performance… it's very charming indeed." (Simon Callow, 11:38)

5. The Radio Dramas: Audio Cinema and Performative Techniques

[14:13 – 18:08]

• Dramatized scenes showcase The Shadow’s gravitas and atmospheric tension:
  • Threatening criminals with mind tricks
  • Investigating diabolical cults
  • Enduring cliffhangers (e.g., trapped in a flooding vault)
• Memorable Scene:
  • “No, I… I can't even save myself. If help doesn't come soon, if this vault fills to the roof, The Shadow will die as quickly as you, Burger.” (Orson Welles as The Shadow, 18:54)
• Influences from Hollywood cinema, using montage and “oral movie” techniques to build suspense and drive the narrative.

6. The Shadow’s Morality and American Paranoia

[19:05 – 22:45]

• The Shadow battles not just gangsters, but secret societies and saboteurs—mirroring societal anxieties about threats to American democracy (e.g., Ku Klux Klan analogs, foreign infiltrators).
• Episodes sometimes carried strong political and anti-war messages.
• Quote:
  • “He was a victim. A human instrument of destruction fashioned by mankind that teaches men to kill their enemies in time of war, yet expects them to forget their murderous art in time of peace.” (Orson Welles as The Shadow, 23:08)

7. The Shadow’s Psychology and Welles’ Connection

[24:04 – 24:29]

• Simon Callow speculates on Welles’ fascination with the character, connecting The Shadow’s preoccupation with guilt and conscience to Welles’ own personal struggles.
• Anecdote:
  • Welles was so spooked by his own character’s omniscience during an intimate moment that “he quickly put his pants back on and went back home to his wife.” (Simon Callow, 24:04)

8. The Shadow’s Legacy: Beyond Radio

[24:29 – 27:43]

• After Welles, The Shadow was played by Bill Johnston, John Archer, Steve Corkley, and Brett Morrison until 1954.
• The character crossed into British thrillers, film serials, and B-movies—even a contemplated Welles film project.
• The 1994 Alec Baldwin film tried to recapture the magic but failed to match the original’s style or impact.

9. Farewell from Orson Welles: Lasting Influence

[27:43 – 29:00]

• Welles delivers a heartfelt address, thanking cast, sponsors, and fans for their support.

• Quote:

  • “Words can hardly express my great enjoyment in doing this program for you… we all hope you’ve enjoyed listening to the shows as much as we have playing them.” (Orson Welles, 27:43)

• Classic closing line:

  • “As you sow evil, so shall you reap evil. Crime does not pay. The Shadow knows.” (Orson Welles, 29:00)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• The Shadow’s iconic opening:
  • “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows.” (Orson Welles, 00:47)
• On the writing grind:
  • “I made 10,000 words my goal and found I could reach it…” (Story Narrator/Reader as Gibson, 06:38)
• Welles’ radio confession:
  • “I didn't rehearse them, you know, I didn't have dress rehearsals. I didn't know how I'd get out…” (Orson Welles, 09:37)
• Political message:
  • “There is no credit, no glory in the death of Danny Brecker, Commissioner Weston…” (Orson Welles, 23:08)
• The Shadow’s sign-off:
  • “As you sow evil, so shall you reap evil. Crime does not pay. The Shadow knows.” (Orson Welles, 29:00)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:01] The Shadow’s introduction and cultural origin.
• [06:38] Gibson’s writing process.
• [09:37] Orson Welles recalls playing The Shadow.
• [11:38] Simon Callow on Welles’ performance style.
• [14:13–18:08] Representative radio drama scenes performed.
• [23:08] Orson Welles’ anti-war speech as The Shadow.
• [24:04] Welles’ personal connection to The Shadow.
• [27:43] Orson Welles’ closing address and farewell.
• [29:00] Classic end line: “The Shadow knows.”

---

Conclusion

This episode masterfully illuminates The Shadow’s enduring shadow over US popular culture—from his pulp origins to a radio legend and beyond. Through expert commentary and evocative dramatizations, it underscores the fusion of escapist entertainment, psychological depth, and social commentary that defined The Shadow, particularly under Orson Welles’ haunting interpretation. Audiences are left with an appreciation not only for the genre-defining hero but for the golden age of radio itself, and the artistry that went into creating “the living legend in the annals of crime fighting.”

---

Transcript

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

All new drinks are now at McDonald's with refreshers like the Strawberry Watermelon Refresher

[Simon Callow (Narrator/Commentator)]

and the Mango Pineapple Refresher with Popping

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

Boba to crafted sodas like the Sprite Berry Blast with berry flavors and cold foam. Who knew ice cold drinks could be so fire six? All new drinks are here now at McDonald's.

[Commercial Announcer]

Refreshers contain caffeine.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows.

[Documentary Narrator]

The cackling laugh and the strains of Saintson's Omphale spinning wheel introducing one of the most celebrated thriller series on American radio. The Shadow. He was as much a superhero as a detective, using his mysterious powers to fight crime in the seamy underworld of Depression era America. In this, the last of our programmes on the radio, detectives will hear recordings never broadcast in Britain before and look under the Shadow's wide brimmed hat to find one of the most famous actors of the century.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

I am looking for a man with blood on his hands, the blood of a minister and 10 innocent people he murdered.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

Are you a man hiding in the fog?

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

Do not try so hard to pierce the fog. You cannot see me, for I am a shadow.

[Documentary Narrator]

The character emerged from the richly creative relationship in the 1930s and 1940s between pulp fiction and radio. The pulps were mass circulation thrillers of 50 to 60,000 words in length, churned out monthly by an army of overworked, underpaid hack writers and decorated with eye catchingly vivid, not to say lurid, covers, tempting the would be readers to part with their cash for the chance of sampling the thrills and sensations contained within their nickname, derived from the wood pulp from which their cheap paper was manufactured. But it also carried the onomatopoeic ring of a savage beating, which appropriately signified the world of crime fiction. The battle against crime was a staple of the pulps, reflecting widespread public concern at the level of organized crime in 1930s America. To combat it, it sometimes seemed that a man with supernatural powers was needed. The flavour of the stories can be gleaned from the first page of the first ever shadow story, the Living Shadow.

[Story Narrator/Reader]

The fog was thick at the center of the bridge where the man stood leaning against the rail. Although the streets of New York were scarcely a hundred yards away, he might have been in a little world of his own, for the only light in the midst of that cloud of black night fog came from an arc light on the bridge. A taxicab carrying a late passenger home shot through the mist. The man stepped away from the rail and crouched Beside a post, he saw a flash of the red tail light on the cab. A moment later it was lost in the fog. As the noise of the motor died away, the man stood up again and placed his hands on the rail. He listened as though afraid that another cab might be coming across the bridge. Then, reassured, he leaned over the rail and stared downward. Mist. Thick, black mistake. Nothing but mist. It seemed to invite his plunge. Yet he hesitated as many wait when they're upon the brink of death. Until with a mad impulse, he swung his body across the rail and loosened his hands. Something clamped upon his shoulder. An iron grip held him balanced between life and death. Then, as though his body possessed no weight whatever, the man felt himself pulled around in a sweeping circle. He staggered. As his feet struck the sidewalk of the bridge, he turned to confront the person who had interfered. He swung his fist angrily, but a hand caught his wrist and twisted it behind his back with irresistible power. It seemed as though the man's strength had been rested from him as he faced a tall, black coated figure that might have represented death itself. The stranger's face was entirely obscured by a broad brimmed felt hat bent downwards over his features. The man who had attempted suicide was too startled to speak. He felt himself pulled across the sidewalk and at the curb he stumbled through the open door of a large limousine which he had not seen until that moment. The door closed and the car moved on. A voice spoke through the darkness. It was a weird, chilling voice, scarcely more than a whisper, yet clear and penetrating. Your life is no longer your own. It belongs to me now.

[Documentary Narrator]

The leading pulp publishers were street and Smith, and they had a weekly radio mystery show in which their thriller stories were dramatized. The program was introduced and narrated by a mysterious figure with a sinister laugh known only as the Shadow. This character became so popular with radio audiences that street and Smith decided to feature him in his own magazine. And in April 1931, the first Shadow magazine appeared on the newsstands. It was written under the pseudonym of Maxwell Grant by Walter b. Gibson, a 33 year old magician and crime writer who turned the disembodied voice with a chilling laugh into a mysterious crusader against evil. Clad in black cape, slouch hat and concealing scarf, sporting twin colt.45 revolvers and acting through a network of agents and a series of multiple identities, the character was a potent mixture of Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel, the cloaked and masked French master criminal, Fantomas, and Frank Packard's now forgotten New York club man and crime fighter, Jimmy Dale. The Living Shadow was a sensational success and the saga was launched. It ran in pulp magazine form from 1931 to to 1949, eventually comprising 325 complete novels. Gibson wrote 282 of them, delivering two 60,000 word novels every month. He composed directly onto the typewriter, moving from one to another of three machines as the words poured out of him. Gibson explained his method of work.

[Story Narrator/Reader]

I had gone on the theory that 2 to 3,000 words a day was a writer's proper stint. Perhaps the maximum one is capable of, certainly a good day's work. But to meet the Shadow schedule, I had to hit 5,000 words or more per day. I geared for that pace and found that instead of being worn out by 5,000 words, I was just reaching my peak. I made 10,000 words my goal and found I could reach it. Some stories I wrote in four days each, starting early Monday morning, finishing late Thursday night. On these occasions, I averaged 15,000 words a day by living, thinking, even dreaming the story in one continued process. The ideas came fast. Sometimes the typewriter keys would fly so fast that I wondered if my fingers would keep up with them. And at the finish of the story, I often had to take a few days off as my fingertips were too sore to begin work on the next book.

[Documentary Narrator]

The success of the novels led inevitably to the new version of the Shadow returning to radio in his own show. Gibson had nothing to do with the radio show and indeed it developed differently from the novels. In the books, the Shadow was in reality Kent Allard, internationally famous aviator. But when he was not being the Shadow, he posed as Lamont Cranstoun, big game hunter and explorer who was frequently away on expeditions. For the radio series, the Shadow really was Lamont Cranstoun. In place of a network of agents, he acquired a glamorous female companion, Margo Lane, and also a powerful and unusual weapon in his fight against crime. He'd mastered in the Orient the technique of clouding men's minds so they couldn't see him, only hear his voice. And he used this ability to terrorize evil doers. It was a perfect radio device.

[Commercial Announcer]

When you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns. With Grainger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts and hard to find parts, you can get what you need fast and all in one place. So nothing gets in the way of getting the job done. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. If the world were like a Sleep Number mattress, everything would adapt for your comfort. Your coffee would never get cold, your flight would always be on time, and your mattress would always respond to you and your unique sleep needs. Sleep number mattresses are designed to respond to your body and shift with your changing life, helping you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. To experience a whole new world of comfort, visit a Sleep number store or go to sleepnumber.com sleep number to a good life Sleep.

[Documentary Narrator]

The first Shadow in the new radio incarnation was Robert Hardy Andrews. But the most famous, even though he played it only for the 1937-38 season, was Orson Welles. In conversation with Peter Bogdanovich, he recalled his involvement in the series.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

I was the original Lamont Kratz, as far as I know, but I wouldn't. But you didn't write that. Oh, no. My God. I didn't even know how they came out. I didn't rehearse them, you know, I didn't have dress rehearsals. I didn't know how I'd get out of the well ever when I was thrown in. And the laugh was your laugh. Yes. And all the children in the world did it, you know, in those days everybody did. Yeah. Well, that was my favorite radio show. People keep talking about it. I hear on television. People keep talking, making jokes about Lamont Cranston. They still remember that name, remember it, the Shadow. And they don't know I was it. I keep wanting to say that was me. You hear Margo, the temple bells of Niban Listen. Three soft notes will strike and then the spell will be broke.

[Documentary Narrator]

How did Wells get the part of the Shadow? His biographer Simon Callow explains, his first

[Simon Callow (Narrator/Commentator)]

really big scale venture in radio was sort of so independent effort of his called Les Miserables, which he adapted himself extremely well in my view and played Jean Valjean. And the company that had commissioned this decided that if they were going to revitalize the Shadow, which had already existed with another performer, and adapt it so that there was a sort of dual personality, so that the Shadow became something rather like Superman, that he had a double identity, that maybe Wells would be the man for the job. It was supposed to be secret. Nobody was supposed to know that it was him. But Wells being Wells, the secret got out or was let out at the that fact opportunity.

[Documentary Narrator]

Perhaps reflecting the Scarlet Pimpernel inspiration and the upper class gentleman crime fighter tradition, Wells opted to give Lamont Cranston a virtually English accent.

[Simon Callow (Narrator/Commentator)]

There's A sort of sense of a silk dressing gown and a cigarette and a long cigarette holder about the performance. He was quite Anglophile, but he also loved doing his English accent. I mean, it gave him great pleasure to do that. And he sort of did it at every possible opportunity. And Wells, who came from the Midwest, was one of the best spoken actors on the American stage in the sense that almost all American actors who worked in the classics aspired towards a sort of English accent. And in this case it's almost comic to think of Wells doing this rather clipped drawing room comedy sort of voice. And it's very charming, I think. Very charming indeed. And as I say, the. The drawing room comedy and the relationship with Agnes Moore, who was the actress that Wells admired more than any other actress in the world. It's very amusing, the by play between them. It's delightful, really.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

Well, here we are, Margot.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

Yes, but where? Lamont? The fog so thick I can't see a thing.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

This is the little village where the Reverend Colby and 10 of his parishioners

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

were killed by a mysterious explosion in his church.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

Oh, it was horrible. But Lamont, it happened days ago. What can we do?

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

Murder has been committed, Margot.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

Wholesale murder.

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

And the killer or killers are still at large.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

But according to the newspaper report.

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

Yes, I know.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

The paper said the authorities have been unable to uncover a possible motive.

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

Investigation is hampered by the refusal of the fisher folk of this quaint little village to cooperate.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

Perhaps they're afraid to talk. Lamont.

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

It's surprising what superstition can be.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

What about this rich Mrs. Ackley you were talking about? Lamont. Where does she fit into the picture?

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

I don't know, Margot. All I know is that about three

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

months ago she returned from the Far

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

east with a man who calls himself the Prophet. This man claims to be the leader of a cult worshipping a deity known as the Ancient One.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

Is there such a cult?

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

There was. But it was stamped out nearly five centuries ago because its ceremonies and rituals included human sacrifice.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

Human sacrifice?

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

Yes.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

Oh, how horrible. Then you think there is a connection between this so called prophet, the destruction of this Christian church and the murder of Reverend Colby?

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

Margo, I don't know.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

I'm going into that cottage down the road. There are some questions.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

I'll wait in the car. That awful foghorn, it gives me the creep.

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

You'll be safe here, Margot. But don't get out of the car.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

All right.

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

Now, Lamont Cranston and the Shadow are going to find out something more about

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

this mystery of the house on the cliff.

[Simon Callow (Narrator/Commentator)]

When he becomes the shadow. This rather. This famous oriental trick of the disembodied voice. Then he becomes very grave and he. He sort of plunges into his double bass area. And as. As Lamont Cranston, he sort of plays rather more bassoons and flutes, and it's. It's a very effective contrast.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

So you weren't expecting me. And yet prisons are filled with shadows. Shadows in the minds of men walking in the shadow of death itself.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

What do you want? You put me here. Send me to the chair. Why can't you let me alone?

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

Because your career of murder is not over. Because I know you mean to carry out the threat you made in court.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

Yeah.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

Yeah.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

And you can't stop me, Shadow.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

I can't because you're going to tell me how the jury, the prosecuting attorney and Judge Wilson are going to be killed.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

You're crazy. I'm not telling you anything, Shadow. I'm not afraid of you anymore. I got nothing to lose.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

You are telling me, Brecker.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

Yeah.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

You see, I can read your mind. One thought is race through your mind now. It's mirrored in your eyes, etched on your brain.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

You're lying, trying to trick me into telling you.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

All right. I'll tell you what you're thinking about. You're thinking of a man. He acts strangely. He's shell shocked. Am I right? No.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

No. Stop it.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

This man is very close to you. I've got it. Your brother, his name is. Let's see. Danny. Danny, isn't it?

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

No. No. Go away. Leave me alone.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

Even now, your brother Danny is hurrying home to get a high powered rifle. That's all I need to know, Brekker. All I need to know.

[Documentary Narrator]

What made Welles's shadow so arresting and mysterious was his idiosyncratic delivery of the lines, introducing pauses at unpredictable moments.

[Simon Callow (Narrator/Commentator)]

He was very admired for his rhythmic irregularities. He later developed a much kind of smoother overall legato delivery. But as a young man, his phrasing took everybody by surprise. Part of it was because he generally hadn't read the script before, so he's kind of busking it a little bit. Sometimes he didn't know how a sentence was going to end when he said started it. But nonetheless, he. He did. Very consciously and cleverly phrased in. In a constantly surprising way.

[Documentary Narrator]

The Shadow radio shows were strongly influenced by the contemporary Hollywood cinema. They were, in effect, half hour oral movies employing techniques such as montage to create atmosphere and advance the plot.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

Engine room, stand by for test. Number 11. Engine room, standing by. Commander ship, full speed.

[Documentary Narrator]

Ahead.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

What? The Engine room. Hello? Hello? Engine room? Chief Engineer Queen reporting boiler explosions, sir. Three casualties, sir.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

Good Lord.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

What happened, Commander? Boiler explosion, Lieutenant. Hard luck, sir. Luck nothing. You mean another case of sabotage? Yes, sabotage. Submarine L21 calling submarine base. Submarine L21 calling submarine base. Submarine base answering L21. Go ahead, L21. Submarine L21 in distress. Submarine L21 down off Diamond Head cannot rise. Emergency. Emergency. I'm standing. Looks like sabotage. Looks like sabotage.

[Documentary Narrator]

Like the cliffhanging cinema serials the shows gloried in trapping the Shadow in impossible situations and seeing him extricate himself. As for instance, when he was trapped in a rapidly flooding burial vault in Society of the Living Dead.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

So long, Shadow. Let's see you get out of that spot, Shadow.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

Michelle.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

Water.

[Documentary Narrator]

Water.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

It's water. Water. Shannon, the water's moving. Stink on the floor already.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

Yes, and it's rising every minute. I'm going to try to break down the door. Useless, Burger. What do you mean?

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

You can't even save yourself.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

No, I. I can't even save myself. Help doesn't come soon. If this ball fills to the roof, the Shadow will die as quickly as you, Burger.

[Documentary Narrator]

The Shadow not only used terror to obtain his ends, he also applied the deductive reasoning that was the stock in trade of the radio detective.

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

Let me see those notes, Margot.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

What makes you think Hot Neck Clay's is mixed up with this White Legion Lamont?

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

Clay seemed rather confused when I appeared to him this afternoon as the Shadow. This may clean up matters.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

What have you got there?

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

It's a copy I made of a memorandum that was on Clay's desk.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

Let's see. Oh, what in the world does it mean? These two words. Convocation, Water, Chapel. Then this string of letters and numbers. S U N m a R21 one. Doesn't make sense.

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

Yes, it does. S U N is Sunday. M A R is march and then 20 and 11. Convocation, water chapel. Sunday, March 20, at.

[Margo Lane (Shadow Companion)]

But that's today.

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

Yes, probably at 11 tonight. And I have an idea that the Water Chapel is the place where they're holding Alton Parker prisoner. We're going to find out. Bring the car and meet me in the block next to Clay's house at 8:00'.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

Clock.

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

Margot, if Clays is going to that meeting, we'll follow him.

[Documentary Narrator]

The Shadow pitted himself against what were seen as the major threats to American society in the 1930s. A series of conspiracies confirming what historian Richard Hofstadter saw as the paranoid strain in American politics. There were gangsters before you pass sentence

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

on me, I'm going to pass sentence on you. You, Judge Wilson. On Sloan, the prosecuting attorney. On those 12 good and true saps on a jury. The guy that really trapped me in the first place. The only guy smart enough to get me. The Shadow.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

That will do, Joseph. Richard.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

You have nothing to say in your own behalf. This is in my own behalf. And you'd better listen, all of you. I know I'm on my way to that death house, to the chair.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

But I'm warning you.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

For every day I sit in the death house, one of you will be killed. Starting with the foreman of the jury. He'll die to say I burned.

[Documentary Narrator]

Sinister secret societies like the White Legion, a Ku Klux Klan type organization, also threatened American democracy.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

The prisoner, William Devens, has confessed his part in a conspiracy against the sacred institution. To the White Legion we give him to the all high commander. Let the accused know his fate. Have you anything to say, Devens? I plead with you, don't kill me. I've got a wife. Silence. Please. Let me go. Give him another taste of the whip.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

That's better.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

Now secure the prisoner and stand him over the trap door. Don't. Don't open the trap.

[Documentary Narrator]

Rings of foreign saboteurs threatening the defense systems of the nation were another recurrent element.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

What are you waiting for, Shadow? Why don't you speak? How long have you known I was in this room, Doctor? For quite some minutes, Shadow.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

While I'm not a master of your

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

art of invisibility, my mind is sensitive to such a forceful concentration as you exert to cloak your presence. I see. Since you sent Rigo away, it is evident you are not afraid of me. Fear has a luxury I do not allow myself, Shadow. Your career of Sabotage is over, Dr. Arnheim. I think not. I have never met a man who did not have a prize, Shadow. I have only one price for your kind, Doctor. Prison.

[Documentary Narrator]

Sometimes the stories contained a hard hitting political message. As in the Shadow's powerful anti war speech at the end of the Silent Avenger.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

Well, I guess that's that. Don't suppose we'll ever know what really happened. Anyway, there's one consolation. Looks as if the Shadow fell down on this case just as badly as we did.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

Not quite, Commissioner Weston.

[Narrator/Shadow Radio Actor]

Oh, so you got here in time to take credit for this, eh, Shadow?

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

There is no credit, no glory in the death of Danny Brecker, Commissioner Weston. He was a victim. A human instrument of destruction fashioned by mankind that teaches men to kill their enemies in time of war. Yet expects them to forget their murderous art in time of peace. Danny Brecker was an enemy of society, a killer, but only because you and I and countless thousands made him one. No, Commissioner, there is no glory in this for you or the Shadow, or for any man.

[Documentary Narrator]

Simon Callow believes that the Shadow had a particular appeal for Welles in the

[Simon Callow (Narrator/Commentator)]

context of Wells himself. They're very striking because they're all about guilt and conscience and how criminals would be caught out. And as Wells himself was so full of guilt about so many different things. And famously, the radio happened to be on when he was making love to one of his girlfriends, and the Shadow's claim to know everything rather chilled him and he quickly put his pants back on and went back home to his wife.

[Documentary Narrator]

Wells gave up the role of the shadow in 1938 and it was taken over by radio actor Bill Johnston, who played it until 1944, being succeeded in turn by John Archer, Steve Corkley and Brett Morrison, none of whom quite matched Welles in power or mystery. The series finally came off the air in 1954, five years after the Shadow magazine had ceased publication. It had become an integral part of the imaginative lives of the successive generations of young Americans growing up in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. We in Britain never heard the Shadow radio shows, but his adventures appeared from the late 1930s in the thriller magazine and British audiences were able to see the Shadow in films. For he had a low budget movie career, beginning with a couple of features in 1937 and 1938 starring former silent screen idol Rod La Rock, a Columbia serial with Victor jory made in 1940, and a trio of Monogram B pictures starring Caine Richmond in 1946. In the late 1940s, Wells himself contemplated a film version of the Shadow.

[Simon Callow (Narrator/Commentator)]

Wells did consider making a film of the Shadow, amongst various other projects which seemed to somehow come from his past. He kind of reached this tremendous peak with Citizen Kane, obviously, and then almost as if he wanted to, Citizen Kane had been almost too serious for him. He then tried to spread himself back out again into all sorts of popular entertainments, magic shows, comedy shows on the radio. You know, he would sub for Jack Benny quite often and he was always looking for whimsical, comical, melodramatic material. He'd really considered so many things and the Shadow was just one of those many things that, that. And I think he, he's right, it might well have made a rather marvellous film in his hands.

[Documentary Narrator]

The Shadow finally returned to the big screen in 1994. The film was written by David Kepp, who steeped himself in the radio shows and the pulp novels and came up with an amalgam of the two in which he explained how Cranston acquired his mysterious powers. He'd had an earlier career as a Chinese warlord and drug baron and had plumbed the depths of evil before transforming himself into a crusader against crime. The film pitted Cranston against his alter ego Shiwan Khan, a descendant of Genghis Khan, who arrives in New York dreaming of world conquest.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

The shallow nose.

[Documentary Narrator]

The film was an exhilarating exercise in pure style, with some stunning art, deck echo sets and an epic Jerry Goldsmith score. But it was compromised by the injection of the inevitable post modern irony and by a hopelessly bland and uncharismatic performance from Alec Baldwin in the title role. For the real and inimitable experience of the Shadow, you have to go back to those original radio shows of the 1930s, when Orson Welles brought his formidable talents to the airwaves to create a living legend in the annals of crime fighting.

[Lamont Cranston (Shadow Alter Ego)]

The part of Lamont Cranston. And the Shadow has been played by one of the most distinguished figures in the theatre today, Mr. Orson Welles. Mr. Wells, still a very young man, is making for himself a unique place in the field of dramatic art. We have been indeed fortunate in having Mr. Wells on our Shadow programs. Now, I know all of you would like to hear a few words from Mr. Well, Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Words can hardly express my great enjoyment in doing this program for you. And now, before I leave you, I want to thank our sponsors for giving me the opportunity of doing this show. I want to thank our cast for the wonderful work they've done throughout our entire season. And above all, I want to thank you, our listeners, for your loyalty. We all hope you've enjoyed listening to the shows as much as we have playing them. And now, ladies and gentlemen, good night and goodbye. You have just heard a dramatized version of one of the many copyrighted stories which appear in the Shadow magazine.

[Orson Welles (Shadow Character)]

As you so evil, so shall you reap evil. Crime does not pay. A Shadow knows.

[Commercial Announcer]

Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure, you can post your job to some job board, but then all you can do is hope the right person comes along. Which is why you should try ZipRecruiter for free at ZipRecruiter.com zip. ZipRecruiter doesn't depend on candidates finding you. It finds them for you. Its powerful technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites them to apply to your job, you get qualified candidates fast. So while other companies might deliver a lot of hay, ZipRecruiter finds you what you're looking for. The needle in the Haystack See why 4 out of 5 employers who post a job on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. ZipRecruiter the smartest way to hire and right now you can try ZipRecruiter for free. That's right, free at ZipRecruiter.com Zip that ZipRecruiter.com Zip ZipRecruiter.com Zip DQ presents the

Blizzard Double Flip Deal for a Limited Time when you buy one Blizzard Treat, you get a second for just that's two blizzards, two spoons, two flavors and two flips. So don't miss out on the Blizzard Double Flip Deal, available only for a limited time and happening now at dq. Because the only thing better than a Blizzard treat is a second Blizzard treat. For just 99 cents, it's a deal to flip for the Blizzard Double Flip Deal. Get it in the app Participation may vary.