Join us in this celebratory toast to the peaks and valleys that we traveled through in 2022! Based on listener polls, the keen insights of esteemed special guests, and our own incoherent ramblings, one episode shall be declared the specialty of the house and another shall be declared a real punch to the groin. Who can outwit the chess master? Who will regret having followed a banjo act? Why does this episode feature a cat butt? Listen for yourself and find out!

This week’s episode is “The Man Who Stole a Planet,” from Quiet, Please! Even for this idiosyncratic, and groundbreaking series, this story is one of the stranger ones, featuring tomb raiding, the undead, and natural disasters in the Iron Range! Who is this man? What planet did he steal? Who wrote the script for the Red-Headed Stepson of Frankenstein? Listen for yourself and find out!

It’s been a while since we’ve payed a visit to The Hall of Fantasy, so we’re stopping by for an episode entitled, “The Man in Black!” The story features two men who encounter a woman terrified by a person she calls “the man in black.” Once she’s found dead, the men become obsessed with finding out the truth behind this dark-clad figure. Soon, the two are themselves targeted by this mysterious, unnatural being. Can they discover the identity of the man? What threat does he prove to the woman they both love? What do you call the guy who follows He Who Follows? Listen for yourself and find out!

Happy Thanksgiving! As always, we are most grateful for our listeners and today we’re celebrating with a visit to our Listener Library! Our Mysterious Listener Dave recommended we check out “The Black Room” from CBS Radio Mysterious Theater. Thanks, Dave! The story features a man locked against his will in a light-less, window-less room. The men who subjected him to this peculiar treatment and the purpose of the room itself are mysterious, but what is certain is that he needs to find a way to survive in utter isolation and darkness. Why was this man chosen for the black room? What might he discover in there? Is it helpful to have a guide during your honeymoon? Listen for yourself and find out!

As the weather turns cold, “The Cabin” from Gunsmoke is the perfect was to prepare for the snow! In this story, Marshal Dillon and his horse get caught in a blizzard and his only hope for survival is to find shelter in a small cabin in the middle of nowhere. But what he finds inside might be deadlier than the storm outside! What desperate situation awaits inside? How can Dillon escape? How long will it take Tim to Google the name of that movie he can’t remember? Listen for yourself and find out!

Happy Halloween! We conclude our Monster on the Air series with this adaptation Sheridan Le Fanu’s novella, “Carmilla,” from Nightfall! We previously listened to Lucille Fletcher’s adaptation for Columbia Workshop about the mysterious young girl named Carmilla who must suddenly be taken in by a kind man and his lonely daughter. As this daughter and Carmilla grow closer, strange deaths begin to plague the surrounding Black Forest of Germany. Is this new guest a threat to her host family? Can Nightfall capture the essence of the novella? Will Joshua’s trivial knowledge of the text impress his co-hosts? Listen for yourself and find out!

We continue with Monsters on the Air, our series of monster-themed episodes to celebrate the Halloween season! Our third installment features “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” from NBC Presents: Short Story! This adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s iconic novella features Victorian chemist Henry Jekyll, whose experiments transform him into a murderous new persona. Soon the compulsion to return to this dark side leads to blood in the streets and chaos in Jekyll’s own home. How similar is this radio version to the original? What metaphors and themes does this adaptation choose for its focus? What popular band from the 80s will be inevitably referenced in the post-episode discussion? Listen for yourself and find out!

This is our second installment in Monsters on the Air, a series of monster-themed episodes to celebrate the Halloween season! This time we’re listening to “No Grave Can Hold Me” from The Mysterious Traveler! The story features The Great Randolph, a magician sentenced to the death for murder. But Randolph threatens that if he dies he will return to take his vengeance on those who convicted him! What powers will he use to enact his revenge? Are his daughter and son-in-law involved? What illustration from the 1st Edition AD&D Fiend Folio inspired Tim to choose this episode? Listen for yourself and find out!

This week we begin Monsters on the Air, a series of monster-themed episodes to celebrate the Halloween season! Our first installment, “Death Prowls at Night,” from the Shadow, features Lamont and Margo taking a ski vacation in a forest that might be home to a werewolf! Is there a real lycanthrope in these woods? Why has Margo suddenly disappeared? What important Shadow-related trivia can be learned in this episode? Listen for yourself and find out!

We’re listening to that classic episode of Suspense written by Lucille Fletcher for Agnes Moorehead! No, the other classic episode. Our Mysterious Old Radio Listener and Patreon supporter Brooke recommended we pay a visit to the Listener Library for “The Diary of Sophronia Winters!” A young woman named Sophronia goes out in the world for the first time and gets caught up in a whirlwind marriage. Her new husband brings her to a hotel in Maine. What connection does Sophronia have to her new husband’s sister-in-law? What danger is waiting for her in this new home? Do we actually know how to make pudding? Listen for yourself and find out!