The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society

This episode of Lights Out comes from our Listener Library based on a recommendation from our mysterious listener, Zachary! Thanks, Zachary! This particular story, entitled “Death Robbery,” is one of the few surviving episodes to feature a script written by the creator Wyllis Cooper, and even these extant recordings are all revivals of Cooper’s writing broadcast after he left the show. The tale features Boris Karloff as an ambitious scientist who believes he has perfected the means to bring the dead back to life. Who will be the first human subject of this unorthodox procedure? Does the experiment take absolutely everything into account? What could sponsors possibly object to in this script? Listen for yourself and find out!

This is the second of two episodes recorded live in front of an audience at Open Eye Theatre, featuring special guest, Shanan Custer! Our audience joined us listening to “If a Body Need a Body Just Call Burke and Hare” from Crime Classics! In the poorest parts of mid-19th century Edinburgh, William Burke and William Hare find a path to quick money by providing medical schools with fresh cadavers. Based on true events, this story details the exploits of two characters who have a special place in the secret origin of the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society! How do two unassuming men become such notorious villains? Is free shoe cobbling worth the risk? Would this story be more terrifying if they were floating next to a large ship? Listen for yourself and find out!

This is the second of two episodes recorded live in front of an audience at Open Eye Theatre, featuring special guest, Shanan Custer! Our audience joined us listening to "If a Body Need a Body Just Call Burke and Hare" from Crime Classics! In the poorest parts of mid-19th century Edinburgh, William Burke and William Hare find a path to quick money by providing medical schools with fresh cadavers. Based on true events, this story details the exploits of two characters who have a special place in the secret origin of the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society! How do two unassuming men become such notorious villains? Is free shoe cobbling worth the risk? Would this story be more terrifying if they were floating next to a large ship? Listen for yourself and find out!

This episode is the first of two recorded live in front of an audience at Open Eye Theatre, featuring special guest, Shanan Custer! We started the evening with the legendary Ethel Merman starring in “Never Follow a Banjo Act” from Suspense! In this story, Merman plays an “mature” singer hired to share the stage with a young heartthrob whose last co-star suffered an unfortunate accident. Will she meet the same fate as her predecessor? What will come of her torrid romance with a cowboy played by Paul Frees? Is this what show business is really like? Listen for yourself and find out!

We’re late, but that won’t stop us from celebrating Father’s Day! To mark the occasion, we’re heading down to the Listener Library for a dad-themed episode of Night Beat entitled “Expectant Father.” Our thanks to Diana for recommending the story! Your usual hosts are joined this time by our summer intern (and Joshua’s son) Aaron! We’re listening to the story of journalist Randy Stone and the night he spent with a panicked man on the brink of fatherhood. Will his booze-soaked reminiscing end in a happy family? Is Stone helping the situation or making it worse? Will Godzilla appear at any point during this story? Listen for yourself and find out!

We’re headed back to the Old West, this time listening to an episode of Frontier Gentleman, entitled “The Honky Tonkers!” In this story, the titular British journalist finds himself passing the night in a rough-and-tumble saloon where a drunken argument breaks out. Guns are drawn, blood is spilled, and the true natures of the assembled crowd are revealed. How will these lawless souls handle the consequences of violence? What value do they place on life? Were we referring to the cartoon characters, the exotic dancers, or the furniture? Listen for yourself and find out!

Our thanks to our mysterious listener Joe, whose extraordinary effort convinced us to visit a corner of the Listener Library we’ve been known to avoid, the CBS Radio Mystery Theater section! Based on Joe’s recommendation, we’re listening to an episode entitled, “The Chess Master,” featuring a performance by Fred Gwynn! The story features a man who has recently lost his job sitting down for a game of chess with a stranger. Although the stakes seem innocuous at first, it soon becomes apparent that a much deeper game is being played! Can this man out-maneuver his opponent? Where's E.G. Marshall and who is this Tammy Grimes person? How much does the Muzio Gambit have to do with the drunk horsies? Listen for yourself and find out!

What’s on the other side of the world’s squeakiest door? Another episode of Inner Sanctum Mystery of course! This installment, entitled “The Voice on the Wire,” features a young widow who is being apparently haunted by the ghosts of her late husband and their dog. She hears his voice on the phone threatening her imminent death! Is it possible that one of the visitors she is entertaining is really to blame? What caused the death of her husband (and their dog)? What grocery store item is the perfect metaphor for this story? Listen for yourself and find out!

OWho’s that singing in the Listener Library? Richard Diamond Private Detective, of course! Our thanks to our mysterious listener Matt for recommending “The House of Mystery Case!” A client has called on our musical protagonist to help her uncover the secrets behind her supposedly haunted house. If she doesn’t have the nerve to remain, she will lose her inheritance, but staying put could prove fatal! Is something truly supernatural happening? If not, who would want to drive her from the house? Will your hosts enjoy this episode and, if so, will they enjoy it the right way? Listen for yourself and find out!