The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society

Inspired by our “Cat Wife” episode , our mysterious listener Shaun recommended we listen to “The Queen of the Cats” from The Mysterious Traveler . This episode features a man who has been lured into an ill-advised marriage by a seductive woman with a strange affinity for cats. How does she always seem to know where he goes and who he sees? How far would he be willing to go to free himself from her...

To celebrate our 150th episode, we listen to a series that we have never featured before, Night Beat starring Frank Lovejoy ! Randy Stone’s nightly search for stories leads him to a crowd of people awaiting a gunfight between the police and a cornered fugitive. Why does a particular couple in the crowd have such a strong interest in the fugitive’s fate? Can a person truly escape where they came fr...

Our thanks to Flannery, one our Mysterious Listeners who recommended this week’s Listener Library episode, “I Saw Myself Running,” from Escape ! A young woman’s sleep is plagued by recurrent nightmares in which she sees a version of herself tormented by an ambiguous figure. The more she tries to help her double in the dream, the more vulnerable she makes herself to the phantasmal threats! Can she...

Today is the exciting conclusion of “The Indestructible Mike Matter,” from Yours Truly Johnny Dollar ! All week long we’ve been releasing one installment per day as a reward for meeting our Patreon goal, and today Johnny hopes his insurance fraud case ends with an arrest! How much leeway are the police willing to grant Johnny on this case? Can you guess Johnny’s final tally of expenses without goi...

It’s the penultimate episode of “The Indestructible Mike Matter,” from Yours Truly Johnny Dollar ! All week long we’ve been releasing one installment per day as a reward for meeting our Patreon goal, and we will post the conclusion tomorrow! Thank you, Patreon supporters! Johnny’s potential insurance fraud case has turned into an investigation of multiple murder attempts and the facts are starting...

Today we present our third installment in “The Indestructible Mike Matter,” from Yours Truly Johnny Dollar ! This five-part, week-long series is a treat for our listeners and a reward for our generous Patreon supporters! Johnny’s investigation into potential insurance fraud now leads him from the poorest part of town to a lavishly-furnished apartment. Will Johnny find any evidence to prove Cosgrav...

We continue listening to “The Indestructible Mike Matter,” as part of our week-long journey into Yours Truly Johnny Dollar ! This break from our usual routine is a reward for meeting our Patreon goal! Thank you, Patreon supporters! This is the second episode in Johnny Dollar’s investigation of potential insurance fraud. Can Mike’s assailants kill him before the alcohol does? Would you think to men...

As a reward for meeting our Patreon goal (thank you to all our supporters!), we are dedicating this entire week to Yours Truly Johnny Dollar ! Each day, we are going to post one installment of “The Indestructible Mike Matter,” a story in which insurance investigator Johnny Dollar looks into potential fraud when a homeless man’s life is insured by a wealthy stranger. Why would an insurance company...

This week’s visit to the Listener Library features an episode of the Lone Ranger recommended to us by Will. Thanks, Will! “Legacy for a Ghost” features a conspiracy to frame and murder an innocent man. But the Lone Ranger and Tonto have other plans! Will the ghost story concocted by the Masked Man bring two criminals to justice? How many times can the same man be murdered? How hard is it to preten...

Jimmy Stewart stars in “Mission Completed,” an episode of Suspense about a veteran whose experiences in a Japanese POW camp left him paralyzed. When he sees the face of his former captor working across the street, his strength begins to return. Will he get the revenge he has longed for? Can he keep his newfound health a secret? What does Admiral Ackbar think of Colt 45? Listen for yourself and fin...

We’re listening to another episode of Mystery Playhouse , a series which repurposed other shows (in this case Inner Sanctum Mystery ) for the Armed Forces Network ! This story, “Murder Comes at Midnight,” depicts a woman at home alone with her child when when a dangerous stranger shows up at her door, nursing a broken arm. Why is her husband so late getting home? Who will prevail in their battle o...

We’ve been listening to a lot of Lucille Fletcher -penned stories lately, and this week we check out an episode she wrote for The Clock , “Bad Dreams!” A Hungarian husband who has just immigrated to America with his wife begins suffering from terrible dreams of imprisonment and death. Why is he suddenly tormented by these nightmares? Will they ruin his ability to work and support himself and his w...

UPDATE: The date we give for the episode’s initial broadcast is incorrect! The actual date was March 9, 1953 and was rebroadcast on November 23, 1953. This week’s visit to our Listener Library features an episode of Hall of Fantasy , “The Masks of Ashor,” recommended to us by Clarence! Thanks, Clarence! A couple receives two gold masks as a gift from a relative traveling through Istanbul. They soo...

Horror icon Boris Karloff made a handful of appearances on Lights Out and this week, we’re listening to a peculiar example, “The Dream!” Templeton Fox joined Karloff for this story of a man who never dreams suddenly experiencing strange visions both in his sleep and while awake! What is the source of these horrific imaginings? What end are these dreams driving him toward? Is this a story written b...

We pulled this episode of The Shadow from our Listener Library, recommended to us by Chris. Thanks, Chris! In “The Circle of Death,” the Shadow plays a dangerous game, manipulating the police in his hunt for a madman who is terrorizing the city! Will the Shadow’s plan lead to disaster? Is the Shadow really just a voice in someone else’s head? Who are the enigmatic powerful theater moguls presiding...

We follow up last week with another episode written by Lucille Fletcher ! This time we are listening to “Remodeled Brownstone” from Columbia Workshop . While her husband renovates their newly purchased Victorian home, a woman fears that their brownstone is haunted by a ghostly child. Is she simply imagining this spirit? How much renovation does it take to completely change a home? How on earth did...

Our thanks to Scott for this week’s visit to the Listener Library! Scott recommended an episode of Suspense entitled, “Fugue in C Minor!” Vincent Price and Ida Lupino star in this story written by Lucille Fletcher about a woman whose widowed suitor lives in a home built around an enormous pipe organ. She soon discovers that his children believe their mother haunts the house after their father murd...

Can you solve the mystery in this episode of The Adventures of Ellery Queen ? This week, we’re listening to “The Adventure of the World Series Crime,” a story of baseball sabotage and the disappearance of a very special bat! This time, famed detective Ellery Queen only has three hours to find the culprit! Will he find the lost bat in time to restore the Eagles’ chances in the World Series? Wait, t...

It’s time for another visit to the Listener Library! “Til Death Do Us Part” is an episode of Inner Sanctum recommended to us by Marc. Thanks, Marc! In this tale, a couple’s honeymoon is cut short when they witness a murder! Soon the newlyweds are on the run and making desperate decisions. Just how bad can their honeymoon get? How long can Mr. Host continue to say things that sound like jokes, with...

Happy Father’s Day! We’re celebrating with a paternally themed episode of Quiet Please , entitled, “My Son John.” A doting father aches for the return of his son who has been lost overseas. In his desperation, he turns to the occult, but soon discovers, “there’s always a catch.” Will what he finds truly be his son? Will his love for his child carry him past the point of no return? Do we have any a...

This week, we listen to an episode of Obsession entitled “The Silver Cord,” in which a young woman longs to leave home. But an overbearing matriarch is determined to keep her near. Soon, a dark secret forever changes the bond that connects the two of them. Will the young woman ever escape to begin a new life? Why does the older woman find lightning storms so entertaining? Would this have been impr...

We’re paying another visit to our Listener Library! This time we’re checking out “The Golem,” an episode of CBS Radio Mystery Theater recommended to us by our mysterious listener, Clare! (Thanks, Clare!) This World War II-era tale features a married couple who must choose between protecting their own family and sheltering a young Jewish woman and her grandfather. As the story unfolds, the grandfat...

This week, we listen to an episode of X Minus One , “The Cave of Night,” which tells the story of messages sent from an astronaut trapped in orbit. Presented as an unfinished news report, this unique tale depicts the world’s desperate attempt to rescue the man before his oxygen runs out! Can they reach this brave explorer’s ship in time? How does the story compare to genuine historic events that f...

This week’s installment features another visit to our listener library with an episode of Favorite Story , recommended to us by our mysterious listener, Tim (author of numerous books including Radio by the Book: Adaptations of Literature and Fiction on the Airwaves )! In this case, the series is presenting Fred Allen’s “favorite story,” an adaptation of “Frankenstein.” How will this version of the...

The Society is finally paying another visit to The Hermit’s Cave ! This episode, entitled “The House on Lost Man’s Bluff,” tells the story of a husband, wife, and her brother on a road trip. But when the weather turns stormy, the trio is forced to take shelter in an abandoned house. Once inside, a sinister plan begins to unfold! Why would the husband return to this house a second time? Why has he...