The Shiver Show

This week on The Shiver Show, co-hosts Mary Labrie and Greg Flynn head out into space with a science-fiction classic, “The Green Hills of Earth,” from the legendary radio series Dimension X.

Written by Robert A. Heinlein, one of the founding giants of modern science fiction, this story showcases a softer, more lyrical side of his work. Heinlein is best known for shaping the genre with novels such as Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, and Starship Troopers, but “The Green Hills of Earth” reminds us that he could also write with deep humanity, wit, and aching nostalgia. 

The Dimension X adaptation brings Heinlein’s tale to life with a strong ensemble cast. Set in a future where humanity routinely travels the solar system, the story centres on Rhysling, a blind, space bard, who longs to return to Earth.

At its heart, this is a story about exile, belonging, and the quiet grief of loving a world you may never see again. Heinlein’s famous poem, beginning with the line “We pray for one last landing on the globe that gave us birth,” resonates powerfully.

Mary and Greg explore how “The Green Hills of Earth” stands apart from harder, gadget-driven sci-fi, offering instead a meditation on home, sacrifice, and growing old. You may not like the folksy music, but you might find that this is a moving tale. Tune in and brings some tissues. 

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This week on The Shiver Show, co-hosts Mary Labrie and Greg Flynn take you deep into the murky shadows and mean streets of 1940s Los Angeles, where danger leans in a darkened doorway. Our featured tale is a gripping slice of classic noir: Raymond Chandler’s “The Ebony Link," from The Adventures of Philip Marlowe series (1949).

Chandler’s writing is at its sharpest here, weaving a tale thick with deception, misdirection, and characters you wouldn’t trust to water your plants. There’s a sketchy manicurist, a slippery chauffeur, a trophy wife, a mysterious artist, and a rich old man with more money than sense. 

At the center of this web is Philip Marlowe, brought to life by the incomparable Gerald Mohr, who played Marlowe in 114 of the series’ 119 episodes. Mohr was legendary for a reason—charismatic, smooth, and packed with riz. In 1949 he was named “Best Male Actor on Radio” by Radio and Television Life magazine. 

Host Greg Flynn turns into a gushing fanboy when Raymond Chandler's on the Shiver Show and our latest episode is no exception. So, if you like your crime served smoky and very noir, settle in. “The Ebony Link” does not disappoint.

Thank you for listening!   If you like the show, please share us with your friends and family AND give us a review! If you have a suggestion for a show or a question, please drop it in the comments!

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The Shiver Show plunges headlong into one of the Suspense radio series’ most delicious gothic tales: Fugue in C Minor (1944), starring the incomparable Vincent Price and the extraordinary Ida Lupino.

Price plays the eccentric Theodore Evans, a rich widower who invites Ida Lupino’s Amanda Peabody into his life.  Add into the mix Theodore's creepy children, and the untimely death of Theodore's first wife, and you’ve got the ingredients for vintage horror.

Mary and Greg talk about Ida Lupino's groundbreaking career, Lucille Fletcher's terrific radio play, and whether an unhinged Vincent Price is too much (or just the right amount). One thing is for certain, you won't want to miss Price when he pulls out all the stops!  

Thank you for listening!   If you like the show, please share us with your friends and family AND give us a review! If you have a suggestion for a show or a question, please drop it in the comments!

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This week on The Shiver Show, co-hosts Mary Labrie and Greg Flynn take you on a journey to the Red Planet—a mission wrapped in nostalgia and dread. Our featured old time radio drama is the 1951 Dimension X adaptation of “Mars Is Heaven!”, an award-winning tale from the golden age of radio drama.

Written by Ray Bradbury and published in Planet Stories (1948), the tale later became part of The Martian Chronicles under the title “The Third Expedition.” It has since earned a place in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame (1929–1964) for its chilling reminder of the fallibility of man.

The Dimension X radio version—adapted for broadcast by scriptwriter Ernest Kinoy—first aired in January 1951. The show features an ensemble cast including Wendell Holmes, Peter Capell, Joseph Julian, Bill Zuckert, Bill Lipton, Bill Griffis, Ethel Everette, and Charme Allen.

Set in the year 1986, the story follows a crew of Earth astronauts who land on Mars expecting desolation, and instead find a small Midwestern American town from the 1920's. Stranger still, the inhabitants are their long-dead relatives and friends. Is it heaven, or something more sinister?

Join Mary and Greg as they wriggle into their spacesuits, and set out to explore this eerie classic. 

Thank you for listening!   If you like the show, please share us with your friends and family AND give us a review! If you have a suggestion for a show or a question, please drop it in the comments!

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Return to Manderley this week on The Shiver Show, as we present the 1950 Lux Radio Theatre production of Rebecca—the only time Hollywood’s golden couple Vivien Leigh and Sir Laurence Olivier performed on radio together. Recorded before a live audience this broadcast brings Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 gothic masterpiece to life.

Olivier is prickly and brooding as Maxim. Leigh’s unnamed narrator is meek, sweet, and utterly alone in this haunting tale. Strong supporting turns from Betty Blythe as a chilling Mrs Danvers and John Dodson as Jack Favell keep the drama simmering. 

We talk about the real-life drama of Vivien Leigh’s health struggles, and the cracks forming in her marriage to Olivier. Their love—complicated as it was—still glows through this performance. We also explore the little known controversy surrounding the similarities between Rebecca and the earlier Brazilian novel, The Successor, by Carolina Nabuco.

Thank you for listening!   If you like the show, please share us with your friends and family AND give us a review! If you have a suggestion for a show or a question, please drop it in the comments!

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All aboard for a journey where chance, obsession, and murder share the same carriage. This week on The Shiver Show, we feature the Lux Radio Theater adaptation of Strangers on a Train (December 1951) — a chilling broadcast based on Patricia Highsmith’s acclaimed novel of the same name.

Just months earlier, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 film had dazzled audiences with its sleek black-and-white cinematography and psychological menace. The radio dramatization captures that same creeping dread through the power of voice, sound, and imagination.

Ray Milland stars as Guy Haines, a well-mannered tennis professional whose chance meeting with the unsettling Bruno Antony — played superbly by Frank Lovejoy — changes everything. With unnerving charm, Bruno proposes the unthinkable: a “murder swap” — his father for Guy’s unfaithful wife. No motive. No connection. No trace.

After the drama, Mary and Greg discuss the challenges of performing before a live audience, the stellar cast, and that master of suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock. Strangers on a Train proves that stranger danger is real.

Thank you for listening!   If you like the show, please share us with your friends and family AND give us a review! If you have a suggestion for a show or a question, please drop it in the comments!

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Clutch your rosary and uncork your vial of holy water! This week on The Shiver Show, we unleash one of the creepiest episodes of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater: “Possessed by the Devil” (1974). Hosted by the unflappable E.G. Marshall, written by Ian Martin, and scored by horror maestro Hyman Brown, this is a delicious horror classic.

There must have been something in the air, because this cautionary tale of possession and damnation came one year after the release of, "The Exorcist" - a film that scared the pants off of anyone who watched it. 

In Possessed by the Devil, an injured man is wheeled into a hospital ward, and placed beside a dying patient - that’s when all hell breaks loose. Donald Buka stars as Mike, the man who falls under spell of Satan - or is it Beelzebub? Greg, our Shiver Show theologian, is still pondering this important question. 

Mary and Greg discuss the off-the-leash acting, whether the cat was feline or human, and how to make holy water. This is perfect Hallowe'en listening! Join us!

Thank you for listening!   If you like the show, please share us with your friends and family AND give us a review! If you have a suggestion for a show or a question, please drop it in the comments!

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This week on The Shiver Show, we bring you The Lonely Hearts Matter from the legendary detective series Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

Bob Bailey stars as Johnny Dollar, the cool-headed insurance investigator with the “action-packed expense account.” Johnny never shies away from danger—or a dame in distress.  A young woman hires Johnny Dollar to investigate the suspicious death of her recently remarried (and very insured) father. But would the new step-mother commit murder just to be the beneficiary to a $50,000 insurance policy?

Produced and directed by Jack Johnstone, this 1956 broadcast showcases Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar at the height of its Golden Age glory. Bailey’s performance remains the definitive portrayal of the wisecracking, world-weary gumshoe—equal parts charm, grit, and moral conviction. Backed by sharp writing and atmospheric sound design, this episode delivers everything you’d want in a classic radio noir: smoky voices, crackling suspense, and a touch of heartbreak.

Time Warp Studios has remastered the episode and removed all the advertisements, so that you get the Johnny Dollar story, and nothing but the story. So pour yourself a whiskey, dim the lights, and listen in as Johnny Dollar tallies up another billable adventure.

Thank you for listening!   If you like the show, please share us with your friends and family AND give us a review! If you have a suggestion for a show or a question, please drop it in the comments!

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Turn out the lights, lock the doors, and prick up your ears — this week on The Shiver Show, we’re hitting the open road with a woman who should have stayed home. Our featured presentation is “Terror by Night,” a spine-tingling installment from the legendary radio series Inner Sanctum Mysteries, first broadcast in 1945 and written by Amo Tepperman.

Anne Shepherd stars as Linda Dixon, a weary traveller heading into the mountains for a well-earned holiday. But when her car breaks down on a lonely road and the rain begins to fall, she learns of an escaped killer — Lee Hartley — on the loose.

Inner Sanctum was famous for its trademark creaking door, its tongue-in-cheek host, and its perfect balance of humour and horror. Terror by Night is a masterclass in atmosphere — produced by Hyman Brown, this chilling half-hour of radio suspense delivers the shivers.

Co-hosts Mary Labrie and Greg Flynn get under the hood of Terror by Night, exploring how its masterful sound design, voice performances, and classic horror tropes combine to create a perfect fright night. Find out what the patented Scream-o-Meter reading is for this episode eighty years on.

So buckle up, keep your headlights on, and don’t pick up any strangers — the night may be darker than you think.

Thank you for listening!   If you like the show, please share us with your friends and family AND give us a review! If you have a suggestion for a show or a question, please drop it in the comments!

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First Contact — Dimension X (1951)

Before Star Trek imagined the Prime Directive, Murray Leinster dreamed up a story about the most dangerous meeting in the universe — the first contact between two intelligent species. His 1945 novelette, later honored with a Retro Hugo in 1996, introduced the idea of a universal translator — decades before science fiction made it standard issue.

In this Dimension X adaptation by Howard Rodman, two ships — one human, one alien — encounter each other in deep space. Neither can turn back without risking the safety of its home world, and neither can advance without trust. Should they trade, communicate… or destroy each other? As tensions rise, the Earthlings grapple with curiosity, fear, protocol, and the thin line between self-defense and a senseless preemptive strike.

Co-host Greg and Mary talk about the thought-provoking themes in First Contact, and contrast the radio drama with the novella. What do you think happens at the end of this enigmatic sci-fi thriller? 

Thank you for listening!   If you like the show, please share us with your friends and family AND give us a review! If you have a suggestion for a show or a question, please drop it in the comments!

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