The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society

It’s time to look back over the last year and choose which of the episodes we listened to stood above the rest and which sank to the bottom! Based on listener polls, the learned opinions of esteemed special guests, and our own unfocused rambling, one episode shall be declared champion and another shall be declared the worst. Which episode will bask in glory? Which will wallow in shame? Do we actually remember all of what we listened to last year? Listen for yourself and find out! Plus, we have some announcements about the coming year and other fun surprises!

Pardon our delay! Apparently we were a little slow getting back from the Listener Library where we found “The Dark Wall,” from Escape, recommended to us by Sarah. Thanks, Sarah! This story, written by Kathleen Hite, tells the story of a man traveling through Andora with his wife. She starts to behave strangely, her love sometimes being replaced by blind terror, a fear that could cost either of them their lives! What could drive a woman to such strange extremes? Did the small mountain village just disappear? Why does anyone go to Andora? Listen for yourself and find out!

We are still celebrating the new year by listening to “Rain on New Year’s Eve,” an episode of Quiet, Please that was probably inspired by Wyllis Cooper’s time spent working on Son of Frankenstein! The story features a beleaguered screenwriter who is trapped in a seemingly endless film production. Can anything convince this director to stop changing the script and just finish the movie? Where did this writer find his inspiration for the monster in this picture? How much resentment does Cooper still harbor toward Hollywood? Listen for yourself and find out!

Happy holidays, everyone! Please join us as we celebrate with Campbell Playhouse’s 1939 version of A Christmas Carol featuring Orson Welles and Lionel Barrymore. This treasured annual tradition tells the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge, whose miserly ways summon three spirits to teach him the true meaning of Christmas. Was Barrymore’s performance the definitive Scrooge? Is death really the only alternative to Christmas? Are we really going to sit around critiquing A Christmas Carol? Listen for yourself and find out!

It’s time once again for our annual holiday trip to the danger light by the rails! For the third year, we are listening to an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ other famous ghost story, “The Signal-Man,” this time adapted by the South African series, Beyond Midnight! As before, this story depicts a curious stranger who encounters a rail worker beset by visions. What tragedy do his visions portend? How will this version compare to those we have already heard? What will it take for you to be proud of your underwear? Listen for yourself and find out!

There’s no better way to celebrate a winter wonderland than listening to “The Snowman Killing” from Fear on Four! This intense tale of suburban horror features a chilling performance by Imelda Staunton. (And at no point in the discussion afterwards do we identify her as the actress who played Dolores Jane Umbridge in the Harry Potter films!) Is this mother of twins truly facing some supernatural disturbance or is she just married to a yuppie? Why are her children obsessed with a snowman that doesn’t seem to really exist? Does Eric own the DVD of Schindler’s List? Listen for yourself and find out!

This week, our visit to the Listener Library brings us an episode of Lights Out, “Come to the Bank,” recommended to us by our Mysterious Listener Kristaps! Thanks, Kristaps! In this Arch Oboler story, a desperate woman pleads with the listener to accompany her to the bank. She has an improbable tale about a man who believes the power of concentration and will can accomplish supernatural feats. Could this man manifest the abilities he claimed? What happened at the bank to make this woman so distraught? Is this story flawed because it is a typical Arch Oboler story or is that what makes it awesome? Listen for yourself and find out!

We recently polled our mysterious listeners to recommend a show that we have not listened to yet. The winner was Broadway is My Beat! Detective Danny Clover is called down to the morgue to examine a body that has evidently been killed twice. The ensuing investigation presents Danny with a wide array of eccentric suspects. Will he be able to discern the truth amid all these peculiar conversations? Is this story a classic hard-boiled mystery or an over-the-top oddity? WHY WON’T THAT GUY SPEAK UP? Listen for yourself and find out!

We finish our month of gratitude by saying, “Thank you!” to David, who supports this podcast at the highest level on Patreon! David requested that we listen to “The Martian Chronicles” from Dimension X! Thanks, David! Ray Bradbury’s famous anthology of interconnected stories presents the colonization of the red planet and explores the impact it has on humanity. Is Mars the perfect place to watch the end of humanity? Can all of these stories really be condensed down to thirty minutes? Will David appreciate our jokes about Oslo? Listen for yourself and find out!

We continue to spend November saying, “Thank you!” to those who support our Patreon at the highest level! David wrote us a lovely message which included a request that we listen to “Quiet Please,” a script which served as the final episode of the series, Quiet Please. Thanks, David! The tale features the lone survivor of a war-torn civilization who rhapsodizes about all that was lost and the path that led his culture to its end. What lessons can be gleaned from an old man’s bittersweet memories? How well does this tale serve as a final episode to this legendary series? Are we truly nothing more than just a bunch of people sitting around talking? Listen for yourself and find out!