The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society

To celebrate he holidays, Tim is offering gift episodes to his co-hosts! The first offering is a present for Eric, “The Locomotive Ghost” from The Mysterious Traveler! In this story, two men engineer a train wreck in order to steal the fortune on board. But a strange old man warns them that trains are living things and that there are consequences for taking such a life. Is there really a pantheon...

For this episode, we are joined by our esteemed Patreon supporter, Atticus! Atticus has brought us an episode of CBS Radio Workshop, “A Pride of Carrots!” Written and narrated by the novelist Robert Nathan, the story concerns the first astronauts to reach Venus and the fantastical creatures they find there. Will the Earthmen be able to escape the absurd machinations of the Venusians? Does the poli...

This week we’re listening to “The House of Death,” an episode of The Mysterious Traveler recommended to us by to esteemed Patreon supporter, Patricia! Thanks, Patricia! The story features two elderly sisters whose extended visit with their nephew and niece seems to have become permanent captivity or worse, a death sentence! But despite their failing health, they’ll make every attempt to get help o...

This episode of Escape was recommended to us by to our esteemed Patreon supporter, Tim! In “Four Went Home,” a small group of soldiers held in a German POW Camp must weigh their options near the end of World War II. The longer they remain imprisoned, the more likely they are to be executed by their captors. But an escape attempt could be just as fatal! When the stakes are this high, which gamble w...

As a reward for his top-tier Patreon support of the MORLS, Brian joins us this week to discuss an episode of his choosing, “The Fisherman and his Soul!” The script is an adaptation of an Oscar Wilde story, produced for Columbia Workshop. The tale features a fisherman who falls in love with a mermaid, only to discover that his human soul prevents them from ever being together. Who does one ask abou...

Happy Halloween! We found this treat in our Listener Library. Our mysterious listener Ben recommended “Ringing the Changes” from Nightfall. Thanks, Ben! This episode adapts a story by Robert Aikman about a newlywed couple whose plans take them to the small seaside town of Holyhaven on Halloween. But for some reason the town’s bells continue to ring and the locals seem nervous to see the visitors....

Our thanks to Paul whose recommendation has sent us to the Listener Library for another episode of Dragnet, “The Big Cast!” Friday and Romero bring in a suspect who may be responsible for several missing persons cases. But once they begin to interrogate him, his peculiar behavior makes the detectives wonder what motive might connect him to the crimes. Does this man’s strange behavior justify accus...

This episode of Crime Classics features a tale of the Old West, told in a style that blends tragedy, wry comedy, and historic documentary. “Death of a Picture Hanger” is a series of a surprising vignettes that lead to the inevitable. Who is the picture hanger mentioned in the title? How should one keep track of one’s bath schedule? What was that thing we couldn’t remember? Listen for yourself and...

There’s a big event in the Listener Library this week! Our mysterious listener Jessica recommended we listen to “The Parade” from X Minus One. Thanks, Jessica! An ambitious promoter is hired to tease an impending event with the simple slogan, “The Martians are coming.” As more money gets spent to advertise the big day, the more mysterious what will happen becomes. Did actual Martians hire an adver...

It’s been a while, but this week brings us The Haunting Hour once again! In “The Hands of Mr. Smith,” a pair of criminals get a shot at one big payday. But when the moment comes, Smith can’t control his homicidal impulses. Will their partnership survive this murder? Is this ultimately a ghost story or not? How petty can Joshua possibly get in critiquing a performance? Listen for yourself and find...

For this trip to the Listener Library, we’re listening to Hume Cronyn in “Too Many Smiths” from Suspense! Our thanks to our Mysterious Listener Kimberly for recommending this tale of a man who believes he can make a fortune from a slogan writing contest for toothpaste. But complications soon demand that he go further than he intended to see the plan through to the end. What sort of person could wr...

This week we launch ourselves into the world of Rod Serling’s Zero Hour for an episode entitled “Skylab, Are You There?” William Shatner and Casey Kasem contribute to this story of an astronaut who in desperate need of medical help. What mystery awaits when that help arrives? Why have we never heard the details of these strange events on Skylab? Is this somehow an episode of “What If…?” featuring...

Our Mysterious Listener Keith kindly sent us back into the Lights Out section of our Listener Library for an episode entitled “Bon Voyage!” Two elderly women have bought passage on a ship that departs at midnight, but they soon discover that the sea offers no refuge from the secret that haunts them. Why have these women left their home? What is the ship’s destination? What is Joshua’s new title in...

“In Flanders Fields” is an unusual episode of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, featuring older versions of Holmes and Watson visiting the front lines of World War I! On the eve of a major offensive, a theatrical presentation has been planned to entertain the troops. But something sinister is waiting in the wings, a mystery that could only be solved by the keen mind of Sherlock Holmes! What s...

Our Mysterious Listener Todd has directed us to the more contemporary areas of the Listener Library, recommending “Tissue Memory” from the BBC’s Fear on Four! Thanks, Todd! This story, written by Judy Upton, features a young woman named Anna who begins to have visions of another life after receiving a donor heart. These visions seem to connect her with the fate of the heart’s former owner. Will An...

Our installment this week was the final episode of the iconic series, Escape! “The Heart of Kali” features a down-on-his-luck veteran desperate to return to India to recover a temple’s treasure. But to do so, he must sink to the depths of human brutality. How far will he go to claim his prize? What fate awaits him inside the temple? Will this break our hearts like the final episode of Suspense did...

It’s time to pay another visit to The Hermit’s Cave for an episode entitled “The House with a Past!” Our thanks to Roberta for recommending this particular contribution to our Listener Library. The story features a young couple who move into a house that has an eerie reputation in the neighborhood. Soon they begin to experience the seemingly supernatural phenomenon reported by past occupants! Is t...

This week we’re listening to a very modern adaptation of a classic story of sci-fi and horror, “Who Goes There?” from the BBC series, Chillers! The script is adapted from the novella of the same name written by John W. Campbell, Jr. (under the pen name Don A. Stuart). This tale of a small group of scientists in Antarctica who discover an alien creature frozen in the ice has been adapted and copied...

Our thanks to our Mysterious Listener Paul for recommending this adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Ring of Thoth” from Escape! Thanks, Paul! Inside the Louvre, an old Egyptian man tells the story of a near-immortal priest. To this day, the priest searches the world for a ring that will grant him his heart’s fondest wish! What secret lies hidden within this ring? How much does this early...

This week, The Shadow takes a trip to “The Village of Doom,” and we’re going with him! A small town reaches out to the crime-fighter when death itself seems to be holding the population hostage! Can the Shadow uncover the truth behind this mysterious threat before he becomes the next victim? Is this the most bizarre episode of The Shadow ever made? What kind of advertising budget is the safety com...

We’re making a particularly special trip to the Listener Library this week for an episode of Defense Attorney, a series recommended to us by our long-time supporter, Chip! Thanks, Chip, and we wish you a speedy recovery! The show featured Mercedes McCambridge in the title role, and in this particular story, “The Hot Rod Accident,” Defense Attorney Martha Ellis “Marty” Barrett is tasked to prove th...

This week we pay a visit to the early days of the legendary series, Dragnet! In this episode, “The Werewolf,” an elusive maniac is terrorizing the city with a series of seemingly random attacks on young women. Sergeant Joe Friday and the rest of the LAPD have been tasked to use every resource at their disposal to catch this menace! What will it take to finally put an end to this crime spree? How d...

This week’s visit to the Listener Library provides us with a startling view! Our thanks to our Mysterious Listener Keara for recommending “The Thing in the Window” from Suspense! This Lucille Fletcher-penned tale features an out-of-work actor who becomes fixated on a window across from his own. Despite what everyone else claims, he insists that a dead body is visible through the pane. Why does not...

Gentle listeners, please join us as we fondly recall the best episodes of 2020 and ruefully regret the worst! Based on listener polls, the learned opinions of esteemed special guests, and our own dubious blithering, one episode shall be declared a mighty champion and another shall be declared a raging dumpster fire. Which episode will take home the Cup of Gold? Which will be sentenced to The Haunt...

Not much is known about The Key, the Australian series that produced this week’s episode, “The Ghost!” The story features a puzzle master who is called upon to solve the mystery of a strange spirit haunting two elderly women. But he soon discovers that the supernatural details defy all rational explanation! (Note that the recording that your Mysterious Old Hosts listened to was of relatively poor...