The Relic Radio Show (Nov 4, 2025):

"Theater Five – Congratulations, Mr. Mayor" & "Night Beat – Fear"

Overview

This episode of The Relic Radio Show showcases two classic audio dramas from radio's golden age. The first story, "Congratulations, Mr. Mayor" from Theater Five (original airdate Dec 8, 1964), is a chilling small-town allegory about leadership, sacrifice, and dark tradition. The second, "Fear" from Night Beat (original airdate May 25, 1951), follows reporter Randy Stone as he confronts the primal terror that lurks within himself—and within us all.

Both stories delve into human nature from different angles: one with dystopian, even Shirley Jackson-esque horror, and the other with noir-tinged psychological suspense.

1. "Congratulations, Mr. Mayor" (Theater Five)

Main Theme

An outsider is celebrated as the new mayor of a seemingly idyllic town—until he discovers a nightmarish ritual at the heart of its tranquility.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• The Election Victors and Small-Town Hospitality

  • Grant, a relative newcomer, wins the mayoral election with strong local support.
  • The outgoing mayor, Harry, hints at the cyclical nature of town leadership.
  • Peggy and Grant’s budding romance provides a soft counterpoint to underlying unease.

• Foreshadowing and Traditions (00:45–03:26)

  • Jokes about the "real loser is the man who wins" allude to the town's dark secret.
  • The tradition: Each mayor serves a single seven-year term, preventing stagnation.

• Establishing the Town's Perfection (11:26–13:43)

  • Harry and Alice reminisce about their own arrival and swift rise to local prominence.
  • The town seems untouched by crime, addiction, or social ills—framed as almost "too perfect."

• The Shocking Truth Unveiled (14:13–18:57)

  • On election night, Judge Saunders and others reveal the town’s secret:
    • Every seven years, the outgoing mayor is ritually executed (“sacrificed”) by the entire adult populace to release the buried violence and ensure continued peace.
    • Alice, Harry’s wife, struggles with her role in his fate.
    • The incoming mayor, often an outsider, is chosen specifically to take the fall.

• Emotional Aftermath and Irony (19:14–20:39)

  • Grant and Peggy, oblivious, enjoy a romantic moment at the lake—mirroring Harry and Alice’s past.
  • Symbolism: Grant skips stones in the lake, and Peggy desperately pleads, “Please don’t, Grant, for me... You might hit something. Hurt it.” (19:41)
  • Grant promises, “I’ll never throw another stone as long as I live,” unaware of the ritual he’s inherited.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the nature of the town and tradition:
  “The real loser is the man who wins.” (00:45, B)

• Harry on the mayor’s term:
  “The town fathers knew what they were doing when they decided that a mayor should have a single seven year term. This way a man can finish what he starts, but he won’t grow stale on the ground.” (06:13, B)

• The Judge reveals the ritual:
  “Every seven years. The sacrifice of one man who can help release the violence every one of us keeps hidden and controlled for the 2,625 days or more between elections. And who could do this better than the personification of the town, its elected representative, its leader?” (16:15, C)

• Harry, understanding his fate:
  “That’s why I was picked. None of your good citizens would sacrifice themselves. It had to be a stranger like myself or Grant. Someone who would fall in love with a town and convince themselves that it fell in love with him.” (16:34, B)

• Peggy and Grant at the lake:
  “I’ll never throw another stone as long as I live. And with a wife like you to take care of me, I have a feeling that’ll be a very long time.” (19:41, B)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:45 – Opening, campaign aftermath, Grant’s gratitude
• 06:13 – Discussion of mayoral term limits and town virtues
• 11:26 – Harry and Alice’s reflection, foreshadowing displacement
• 14:13 – Ritual revealed, Harry’s realization and confrontation
• 16:34 – Harry’s bitter clarity and judgment
• 18:57 – The sentence pronounced; Alice must cast the first stone
• 19:14–20:39 – Epilogue at the lake; chilling irony

2. "Fear" (Night Beat)

Main Theme

Randy Stone, a big-city reporter, receives a death threat from a stranger. As he navigates a night thick with paranoia, he journeys through a gauntlet of fear, realizing its universal grip.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Opening Reflection on Human Fear (22:18–24:34)

  • Randy is haunted by “the panic at the nightclub fire,” feeling humanity is closer to the jungle than it believes.
  • A salty, wise proofreader ("Fraser") challenges his moral superiority, urging humility and empathy.

• Letters and Threats—The Descent Starts (26:32–29:26)

  • Randy receives an anonymous letter: “Sometime between the evening of May 24th and the following morning, I am going to kill you.”
  • The killer wants him to live in fear, heightening the tension by claiming he’ll strike at random.

• The Night Becomes Ominous (30:07–33:30)

  • A cryptic phone call from Winona, Illinois, further unsettles Randy.
  • Suspicion falls on a seedy cafe regular, leading to a humorous yet tense soup-swapping episode where paranoia peaks.

• Fear’s Irrational Grip (35:54–36:09)

  • Every encounter—a nervous man, a philosopher in a doorway—feeds Randy’s spiraling anxiety.
  • “For the first time in my life, it was all strange. I hated it. I hurried toward Fullerton...the whole city was against me.” (41:56, D)

• A Real Cry for Help (42:28-48:12)

  • Upon hearing a cry from a condemned building, Randy’s fear nearly prevents him from saving a trapped stranger—paralyzed, he fears the mysterious letter-writer might be inside, lying in wait.
  • After the rescue, the killer is revealed to be a harmless sanitarium patient—a case of mistaken fear and misunderstanding.

• Perspective Restored (49:20–50:18)

  • Fraser comforts Randy:
    "Don't you get it yet, brain? We're all in the same jungle, and fear is what keeps us there. And the only way we're ever going to get out is hand in hand." (49:55, C)

• Randy’s Closing Reflection (50:18–51:55)

  • “As soon as you stop hiding it, as soon as you share it around, the sting is gone...maybe the day we all stop being afraid, maybe that’s the day the new world...will begin.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Fraser, on understanding fear:
  “You won’t ever understand fear until you’ve really been afraid. I mean, afraid in every drop of blood, in every nerve. Then you’ll...maybe climb down off that pedestal.” (25:03, C)

• Randy, feeling the primal grip:
  “For the first time in my life, it was all strange. I hated it.” (41:56, D)

• Fraser’s summation:
  “We’re all in the same jungle, and fear is what keeps us there. And the only way we’re ever going to get out is hand in hand.” (49:55, C)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 22:18 – Randy’s introduction, panicked recollection
• 24:13 – Fraser challenges Randy’s assumptions about fear
• 26:32 – Letter of threat arrives
• 30:07 – Call from Winona, suspicion, paranoia grows
• 35:54 – Winner’s arrival, more evidence of fear taking hold
• 42:28 – “Please help me,” the condemned building crisis
• 47:21 – Resolution, killer revealed as harmless patient
• 49:20 – Fraser and Randy reflect on fear and compassion
• 50:18 – Randy’s final monologue on sharing fear

Conclusion

This hour from The Relic Radio Show offers two masterful examinations of the shadows beneath everyday life. “Congratulations, Mr. Mayor” presents a community that purchases peace at an unthinkable price, while “Fear” is a psychological odyssey where terror proves to be the great human equalizer.

Both dramatize that what we repress—be it violence or panic—will inevitably surface, and only by facing it honestly (or communally) can we hope to transcend it.

For more relics from radio's golden age, visit relicradio.com.