This episode is a pulse-pounding thriller that tapped into the pre-war anxieties of the late 1930s, focusing on industrial destruction and the vulnerability of the nation's infrastructure.

Episode Overview

• Title: "Sabotage"
• First Aired: January 16, 1938
• Network: Mutual Broadcasting System
• Sponsor: Blue Coal

Cast & Voice Actors

• The Shadow / Lamont Cranston: Orson Welles
• Margot Lane: Agnes Moorehead
• Commissioner Weston: Dwight Weist
• Announcer: Ken Roberts
• Supporting Players: Members of the Mercury Theatre on the Air troupe.

Episode Summary

A series of accidents at major industrial plants across the country suggests a coordinated effort to cripple American production. Bridges are collapsing, and factories are exploding with terrifying frequency. The authorities are baffled, as the perpetrators leave no trace and no clear demands. At least, not at first.

Lamont Cranston suspects that a brilliant, hidden mastermind is pulling the strings of a sabotage ring. As the destruction hits closer to home, The Shadow must navigate a world of crooked foremen and hidden explosives. The tension peaks when The Shadow confronts the lead saboteur in a race against the clock to prevent a disaster that could claim hundreds of lives. It is an episode that showcases the Shadow not just as a detective, but as a defender of national security.

Trivia & Fun Facts

• Pre-War Paranoia: Aired in early 1938, this episode reflected the real-world tension regarding foreign agents and industrial espionage that was beginning to grip the United States prior to World War II.

• Sound Effect Innovations: The sabotage sequences required the foley artists to create massive, grinding mechanical sounds and explosions that felt industrial, pushing the technical limits of live radio broadcasting at the time.

• Orson Welles' Busy Schedule: During this period, Welles was famously juggling his work on The Shadow, his stage productions with the Mercury Theatre, and various other radio appearances, sometimes arriving at the studio just minutes before airtime.

• The "Vocal" Shadow: In this episode, the Shadow's voice is used with a particularly echoing, hollow quality during the confrontation scenes to emphasize his invisibility within the cavernous factory settings.

Credits

• Research and Production Gizelle Erickson
• Executive Producer Jon Hagadorn
• The Shadow sourced by AcousticMonster on Internet Archive

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