The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society

This week we pay a visit to the early days of the legendary series, Dragnet! In this episode, “The Werewolf,” an elusive maniac is terrorizing the city with a series of seemingly random attacks on young women. Sergeant Joe Friday and the rest of the LAPD have been tasked to use every resource at their disposal to catch this menace! What will it take to finally put an end to this crime spree? How does this production compare to later installments in the series? Which is worse, being a police woman or playing a police woman on the radio? Listen for yourself and find out!

This week’s visit to the Listener Library provides us with a startling view! Our thanks to our Mysterious Listener Keara for recommending “The Thing in the Window” from Suspense! This Lucille Fletcher-penned tale features an out-of-work actor who becomes fixated on a window across from his own. Despite what everyone else claims, he insists that a dead body is visible through the pane. Why does nothing seem to banish the vision of this corpse? Are the two elderly women across the street as innocent as they seem? How different could Suspense’s two productions of this script possibly be? Listen for yourself and find out!

Not much is known about The Key, the Australian series that produced this week’s episode, “The Ghost!” The story features a puzzle master who is called upon to solve the mystery of a strange spirit haunting two elderly women. But he soon discovers that the supernatural details defy all rational explanation! (Note that the recording that your Mysterious Old Hosts listened to was of relatively poor quality, but the version we included here was cleaned up by Eric.) Will puzzle-solving skills be enough to solve this mystery? Can any of the other people who seem to just lurk in the house be responsible? Does Tim know that he’s still missing both “U” and “Z”? Listen for yourself and find out!

This week’s visit to the Listener Library was requested by two Mysterious Old Radio fans from overseas! Thanks to both Katherine and Stuart for recommending we listen to “The Author and the Thing!” This recording of Arch Obloler’s script served as the final episode of Lights Out in 1943. Of course, the series could never quite stay dead and it was revived again later. But when Oboler said goodbye this time, he did so with all the metafictional gruesome humor he could muster. The story features Oboler himself struggling so hard to come up with one last tale of terror, he may have invoked a real nightmare! Can a person's preoccupation with stories of darkness manifest a genuine monster? How many family members and friends need to die to finish a script? What series could possibly ever fill the space left behind by Lights Out? Listen for yourself and find out!

This month includes Orson Welles’ birthday and we celebrate with this episode of The Lives of Harry Lime! The series chronicles the adventures of the notorious rogue before his famous appearance in the classic film, The Third Man. In this story, entitled “Ticket to Tangier,” Lime answers an enigmatic message inviting him to Tangier. This exotic locale provides the perfect backdrop for a tale of whirlwind romance and cunning deceits! Can Lime turn this mysterious situation to his advantage? Which version of Lime will show up for this episode, impish prankster or charming sociopath? Is this too much zither or just the right amount? Listen for yourself and find out!

Our thanks to James for sending us back to the Listener Library for this episode of Suspense! “One Hundred in the Dark” is a tale of mystery told to the members of a gentleman’s club for art appreciation. In this story, the hostess of a dinner party discovers that a crime has been committed and one of her guests is the guilty party! Will this mystery be resolved with a satisfying solution? Given the promise of no dead bodies, will you listen to the whole thing? Is Harpo Marx or Julia Child more likely to be the culprit? Listen for yourself and find out!

No, we’re not repeating ourselves (yet). You may recall that back in episode 166 we listened to the adaptation of Marie Bellic Lowndes’ short story/novel, “The Lodger” that was used to launch Suspense! This week we are checking out a different interpretation, presented by Mystery in the Air and featuring Peter Lorre and Agnes Moorehead! Inspired by Jack the Ripper, this story tells the story of a woman who suspects her tenant may secretly be a killer! Can she discover the truth without making her daughter the next victim? How will this interpretation compare to the Suspense version? Will everyone cut loose, footloose? Listen for yourself and find out!

Despite Joshua’s illness, we’re making another trip to the Listener Library! This time we’re checking out an episode of The Mysterious Traveler, recommended to us by both Jeffery and Paul! Thanks to you both! This story, entitled “S.O.S.,” features three men who have been cast adrift recalling their supposedly fool-proof crime! What could have possibly gone wrong during the theft of diamonds aboard a ship? Who are the real masterminds behind this trickery? Do professional podcasters such as ourselves ever make mistakes? Listen for yourself and find out!