The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society

The celebration of our fourth anniversary continues with Joshua’s present for Tim, a specially chosen episode of Vanishing Point, “Death and the Compass!” In this adaptation of Jorge Luis Borges’s short story, detective Erik Lönnrot is on the case when a rabbi and has been found murdered. A message found with the body suggests the crime is related to the name of God, and as more murders are report...

We’re celebrating our fourth anniversary with presents! Specifically, Joshua has chosen an episode of The Shadow as a gift for Eric! (Tim will get his present next week…) In this tale, “The Temple Bells of Neban,” Lamont Cranston and his heroic alter ego investigate a rash of drug abuse among young, wealthy socialites. However he quickly comes face-to-face with a sinister woman who seems connected...

Our apologies for running late with this episode, but we’re launching ourselves into the Halloween season with this adaptation of a classic M. R. James tale! In “The Ash Tree” from The Black Mass , a woman convicted of witchcraft lays a curses upon the man who accused her. Soon his home is beset by mysterious deaths that continue for generations. What malicious presence has taken up residence in t...

This week we listen to an episode of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes recommend to us by our mysterious listener Daniel. Thanks, Daniel! In this story, entitled “The Case of the Double Zero,” Holmes and Watson are portrayed by the two actors most associated with the roles, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce . This case finds the duo enjoying some leisure time at a casino until an apparent suicide...

Pat Novak for Hire was a radio series with enough snappy dialogue to metaphor a whole podcast full of patter. This episode, “John Saint John,” features Jack Webb ’s titular character trying to fulfill a stranger’s dying wish to see a letter delivered. But no good deed goes unpunished and soon Novak is the target of several sinister figures with plans of their own! Who is the mysterious John Saint...

After a long stretch of recording remotely, we finally assembled in the same room for this week’s episode! It features a story entitled “Cat’s Cradle” from the series, Price of Fear ! Our mysterious listener Monica recommended the story of a tour of a sinister medieval castle, but the tourists themselves may be the true horrors. Why do these visitors seem to have such interest in these artifacts o...

“The Case of the Killer Cards” is an episode of The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe that was recommended to us by our mysterious listener Rob in an actual letter that was sent in the mail! Sydney Greenstreet stars as Rex Stout’s famous corpulent detective. This particular mystery features four criminals who decide to play one winner-take-all game of poker for ownership of their shared illegal enterpr...

Our sincere thanks to mysterious listeners Lionel and Abby for recommending this episode of Lights Out , “The Haunted Cell!” You are both awesome! In this story, the police get their hands on a suspected murderer and lock him in a cell— a cell that is allegedly occupied by the ghost of an executed felon! There in the dark, this prisoner must confront both a disembodied voice and his own guilt. Can...

This week we’re checking out an episode of a series that we haven’t featured before! Our mysterious listener Nathan recommended a story called “Disappearance” from the Canadian show, Vanishing Point . In this tale, a woman starts leads a bartender to a philosophical journey down a bizarre path. Are the strange moments that begin to manifest simply changes in his perception or alterations to realit...

This week we’re listening to “The Black Door” from Suspense , yet another installment in our ongoing Lockdown Listener Series. Thanks to our mysterious listener Roberta for recommending this episode to us! An ambitious archaeologist partners with a treasure hunter to uncover a lost city in the mountains. But the legend of this city contains a dire warning about a “Black Door!” What horrors await t...

We’re back this week with another recommendation from our listeners, in this case “The Deadly Hour” from CBS Radio Mystery Theater , an episode suggested by Cindy. Thanks, Cindy! In this tale, heartbreak has driven a man to years of self-imposed silence, but now a bizarre turn of events has compelled him to share his story with a doctor. Can anything be done to comfort this man’s tortured soul? Ca...

As we continue to record these episodes under lock-down conditions, we also continue to listen to suggestions provided by our Mysterious Listeners! This week, we check out “Border Town,” an episode of Escape recommended to us by Marc. Thanks, Marc! Jack Webb stars in this tale of an aspiring actor who decides to explore the seedy underworld in a small Mexican town. The show does include some racia...

Apologies for running a little late, but we are back with an episode recommended to us by our mysterious listener, Swearoh! Thanks, Swearoh! This week, we are listening to “The Wig Makers of Doom Street,” from The Shadow ! A ghoulish couple is killing young women to harvest their victims’ hair for theatrical wigs! Can Lamont and Margo put an end to this diabolical business plan? Is this a crime th...

Our thanks to our mysterious listener Tim, who recommended we check out “Delay en Route,” from Cloak and Dagger ! This series took its inspiration from the files of the OSS , the American organization dedicated to espionage during World War II! In this particular episode, an OSS agent must face a difficult decision after helping the Italian partisans oust the fascists from their town. Who can trul...

Our long-time listener David recommended that we check out “Short Order,” another all-star episode of Suspense! Thanks, David! The owner of a small but successful diner gains a new customer, a man whose face has been horribly disfigured. Even as this new guest starts to drive away his other customers, the owner seems to fall victim to other misfortunes. Are these woes all just a coincidence? Is so...

This week we kick off the first in a series of episodes recorded during stay-at-home orders, beginning with “Ancient Sorceries” from  Escape  recommended to us by our Mysterious Listeners Marc and Anton! Based on the story by Algernon Blackwood , “Ancient Sorceries” tells the tale of a buttoned-up British man who finds himself mysteriously drawn to a Welsh village where the taciturn inhabitants se...

April 2nd would have been the late Jack Webb ’s 100th birthday! Our mysterious listener Mark recommended that we celebrate the occasion and by happy coincidence, our mysterious listener Tim recommended that we listen to “The Big Ruling” from Webb’s signature series, Dragnet ! This particular episode depicts an investigation of a heroin ring and evidence that law enforcement is no longer what it on...

This week we seek high adventure with the episode “The Shanghai Secret,” from the series, Voyage of the Scarlet Queen . Ship’s Master Kearney cannot set sail until the murder of his first mate is solved. But staying ashore makes him an easy target for an international conspiracy. Can Kearney trust anyone? Who did kill his first mate? Just how amorous are his feelings for his ship? Listen for yours...

Our thanks to Dawn who recommended this week’s visit to the Listener Library, “Where Do We Go From Here?” from Nightfall ! This episode of the beloved series tells the tale of a man who has been left completely immobilized in a death-like state after a car crash. Can he find a way to communicate that he is awake and alert? What fate awaits him if he fails? Are Canadian ambulances better than those...

Our Valentine’s Day celebration is over a month late and still not what we intended, but we won’t let that stop us! As a gift for his wife Adrienne, Joshua chose an adaptation of a story by one of her favorite authors, Dorothy Sayers . “The Cave of Ali Baba,” was an early episode of Suspense that tells the story of an infiltration into a secret cabal of thieves. The tale is notable for featuring a...

When the world has turned upside down and nothing makes any sense, it’s time for Dark Fantasy ! This week’s episode, “Cup of Gold,” features a golf tournament where the winner has been murdered! The prime suspect is a woman who can recall neither why she was there nor why she presented the winner with a counterfeit trophy. What secret drove her to this dire situation? What past crime was being ave...

This month marks 100 years since the birth of actor/writer/director/ producer Antony Ellis ! Our listener Mark suggested we celebrate Ellis’ remarkable career and we have chosen an episode of Escape to do just that! The Abominable Snowman was written and directed by Ellis and it tells the tale of a hunting expedition in the Himalayas determined to track down the legendary yeti. What do the local g...

Our thanks to Mark for sending us to the Listener Library this week for a special treat, “The Case of the Flaming Skull,” an episode of The Shadow that was rebroadcast as part of Mystery Playhouse . It’s a treat because we get Peter Lorre serving as host to the Shadow! In this particular episode, our masked hero squares off against a glowing skeletal thief who may have abducted a scientist! What h...

There’s been a murder and we’re joining San Francisco P.I. Candy Matson to find the solution to “The Cable Car Case!” When a shopping trip puts Candy on the same cable car as a murder victim, our sharp-witted heroine sees a chance to earn a few bucks if she can solve the crime before the police. How was the murder even possible in such a crowded space? Will Candy’s investigation put her in the kil...

This week is the second of two episodes in which we check out the beginning of Suspense and its end! “Devilstone” was the last episode of the classic series to be broadcast and it features the tale of a haunted Irish manor that has a peculiar effect on the dead. What secret drove the previous tenant mad? Will this story serve as the ideal finale for the famous series? What sound does a peahen make...