 Welcome, Weirdos! I'm Darren Marlar and this is Retro Radio, old time radio in the dark, presented by Weird Darkness. Each week I bring you a show from the golden age of radio but still in the genre of Weird Darkness. I'll have stories of the macabre in horror, mysteries and crime and even some dark science fiction. If you're new here, welcome to the show and be sure to subscribe or follow the podcast so you don't miss future episodes. And if you're already a member of this Weirdo family, please take a moment and invite someone else to listen in with you. Spreading the word about the show helps it to grow. If you're here because you're already a fan of nostalgic audio and print, you'll want to email WeirdDarkness at RadioArchives.com. When you do that, you'll get an instant reply with links to download full-length pulp audio books, pulp ebooks and old time radio shows for free. That's Weird Darkness at RadioArchives.com. Coming up it's an episode from The Shadow. Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men. The Shadow knows. The Shadow was and arguably still is one of the most popular radio shows in history. The show debuted August of 1930 and ran until 1954. The Shadow was never seen, only heard and possessed many gifts which enabled him to overcome the criminals he sought to bring to justice. He had tremendous strength, could defy gravity, speak any language, unravel any code and become invisible with his famous ability to cloud men's minds through powerful hypnosis. In this episode from October 17, 1937, after the verdict is read in a criminal's trial, a judge and DA are threatened by the condemned man. The convict is then hanged and the judge is later found murdered, as is the district attorney. How is the dead man following through with his threat? Can he be stopped? The Shadow knows. Now, bolt your doors. Lock your windows. Turn off your lights and come with me as we tune in to The Shadow from October 17, 1937 with Murder by the Dead. Be sure you get this finest answer tonight. Ask for it by name. Ask for Blue Coal, the coal that is colored a harmless blue at the mines for your protection. In reality, the Mont Cranston, wealthy young man about town. Years ago, in the Orient, Cranston learned a strange and mysterious secret. The hypnotic power to cloud men's minds so they cannot see him. Cranston's friend and companion, the lovely Margo Lane, is the only person who knows to whom the voice of the invisible shadow belongs. Tonight's episode, Murder by the Dead. I got something to say. Well, be brief. Oh, I'll be brief, all right. You think you're going to kill me, but you ain't. I'll get you, yes, you up on the bench there, and I'll get that district attorney too. And just for good luck, I'll get the foreman of that crooked jury that railroaded me. Do you understand? Perfectly. Your threats against the district attorney and the foreman of the jury will, I am sure, go as unnoticed as your threat against myself. Peter Swift, I hereby sentence you to be taken from here to the place from whence you came, and that there you be executed in the manner provided by the law. That may God have mercy on your soul. You will hang me, will you, you fool. I'll get you, all three, and if I can't get you living, I'll get you dead. Back in America again? Margo, I cabled you that I was coming at once, just as soon as I got that frantic message from you. What's it all about? Lamont, the district attorney's star was murdered last week. Yes, I know. I saw it in the papers. I cabled you because I was afraid. Afraid? You? What's the matter, spooks? Well, I'm trying to believe it, isn't it? Oh, darling, you're talking nonsense. Oh, I only hope I am. Lamont, it was district attorney Stowe who prosecuted that murderer Peter Swift six months ago. Yes, I remember the chapel threatened to come back and get Stowe and Judge Clive and the foreman of the jury. You haven't forgotten who the foreman of the jury was, have you? Not by George. It was your father, wasn't it, Margo? Your father is the third on the list to die. Yes, now do you understand? Oh, but my dear Skode, you surely don't intend to suggest it, but I mean, Peter Swift was hanged. All I know is that three men were threatened, and one of them is dead. Oh, go into this, of course. Well, perhaps. But I know you'll think I'm a fool, Lamont, but I don't know how, but perhaps Peter Swift has come back. Peter Swift was executed. Hanged. It was usually effective. But there is something in what you say. I wonder. So we're asked to believe that Peter Swift has come back from the land of Shades to kill three men. Three were threatened. One is dead. Murdered. The killer must be, then, a ghost. A shame. Well, my dear, I suppose there's only one thing that can be opposed to a shame. And that is? A shadow. My dear Margo, a shadow. Will there be anything else, Judge Clyde? No, no, no. That's all, Taylor. You might as well go to bed. I've got some work to do here in the library. May I keep me up for quite a while? Yes, sir. Good night, sir. Oh, so I wish I could forget him. What's that? Go open that window. You! Oh, yes. Me, Judge. Peter Swift? But this is impossible. The dead has come back to keep my promise. You're mad. Or I am. Ghosts ain't never mad. You're our ghosts. But that can't be done, sir. Yes, Commissioner. I'll shoot her in. I'll get to the bottom of Judge Clyde's murder if it's the last thing I ever do. Come in, Taylor. Commissioner Wilson wants to talk to you. Oh, yes, sir. This is Taylor. I want to check your story. You told Sergeant Riley you left Judge Clyde in his library about eleven o'clock. Yes, that's right, sir. Then what did you do? I locked the front door, and then I started to go up to bed. On? As I was passing the library door, I heard voices inside, so I listened. You see, I had let no one in, as I was surprised. No, don't apologize. What did you hear? I heard, and then there were two shots, and a bell jangled. You tried the door, it was locked. So you ran around outside the house to the window, which you found open, right? That's right, sir. What kind of a voice was it? You heard? Well, it was a kind of a horse whisper. I couldn't make out what it said. I see. All right, Mrs. Taylor, that'll be all of the press. Yes, sir. Commissioner Wilson. Yeah, yeah. You think the Shadow Murdered Judge class? We don't know what to speak. You. Recognize my voice, Commissioner. I'm flattered. You just get my answer, and you get it. This whip has been dead for six months. What do you want me to do, get you a lock on his head? No. Even if I did, I suspect you couldn't get it for it. What was that all about? Gardening. Where you coming, boys? Just hit the corp and, sir, we'll have it out soon, then. Well, snap it away and get the rope shot. The thing of murderers in the middle of the night isn't my style. I'll have to take sharks, sir. I know. This is more or less of a personal matter between myself and Shadow. All right, boys, pull those ropes. All right, hold that rope shot. We don't want it slipping back on us. No pull. Here she comes, sir. She's just nailed on, Commissioner. Then try it off. She's open, Commissioner. Well, let me look. Let me, like bricks. The coffins filled with bricks. But where is the money? Where has made this whip? While we're waiting for the Shadow, I want to pass on a bit of advice and particular interest to all homeowners. If you're anxious to cut down your doctor's bills this winter, to keep your family free from a lot of sniffles and colds, then, by all means, burn anthracite, or hard coal, because anthracite is the helpful fuel. It gives steady, even, helpful heat in contrast to the flashy kind of heat you get from the on and off types of quick-burning fuels. And, friend, don't forget this point. Furnaces, cook stoves, and space heaters in this section of the country were especially designed to burn anthracite and to get America's finest anthracite as for blue coal. Blue coal burns long and evenly with the furnace dampers practically closed. There's no waste up the chimney. It gives economical as well as helpful heat. Blue coal is mined by the Glen Alden Coal Company, the world's largest producers of pencil-banging anthracite. It is laboratory-tested at the mines for purity and for uniformity of size. If you have never tried blue coal, place a trial order tomorrow. You'll find the name of your nearest blue coal dealer listed in the where-to-buy section of your classified telephone directory under the name Blue Coal. Oh, Lamont, thank heavens you're back. Well, come in, Marlon. Lamont, I was right about Peter Swift. I was right. Yes, I know you were. I found out from another source. By doubting your trembling, what's the matter? Oh, I'm all right. I've just come from the prison now. I guess all that talk about bodies and executions has unnerved me a little. I'm terribly sorry I had to ask you to do it, but the time was so short and I had to be somewhere else. Oh, I understand. Now, now, calm down and tell me just what happened from the beginning. Well, I went to see the warden, said I was a newspaper reporter, as you told me to, and asked him what happened to the bodies and executed them. Yes. Well, he told me if the relatives don't claim the body, it's turned over to the state medical college. So I asked him about Peter Swift. Go on. The warden said that according to the record, Peter Swift's family called for his remains. However, he said as long as I was interested, he'd send for the guard at the south gate. He'd know all about it. Pretty soon, the guard came up from the warden's office. Why'd he send me a warden? Come in, Sloan. This is Miss Lane. She's a newspaper reporter. Oh, pleased to meet you, Miss. She wants to ask you about the removal of bodies. I can tell you about every stick that's left here in the past 15 years. Well, you see, I just wanted to ask you. Well, the first one I ever saw was Grimes. He was strung up from murdering his mother with an axe. Well, ma'am, when he'd come for him, they'd... Just a minute, Sloan. There's one in particular Miss Lane is interested in. Swift. Oh, Peter Swift, huh? That's right. Remember him? Oh, certainly. His family was supposed to come for him, but they didn't come at all. No. Ah, a croaker named Craig came for the body in an old truck. A croaker? He means a doctor, Miss Lane. Oh. That's the rather unflattering prison term for a medico. Oh. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I recognize Croaker Craig had bought the body. Anyways, he took it away quick. He was in a great hurry, too. The stick wasn't even called yet. Do you know where this Dr. Craig came from? Sure, from the city. I got his address and he registered down at the gate. You want it? Oh, yes, please. Thank you very much, Sloan. A doctor named Craig. Amago, do you have his address? Yes, here it is. Oh, thank you. Not Miss Amago. I've got to go out now. Lamont, I'm going with you. No, no, no, you're not. You're going home to be sure that your father doesn't leave the house until this thing is cleared up. I don't think it'll be for long, but I don't thought it'd take chances on your safety. But where are you going? Seattle is going to pay a visit to a certain Dr. Craig. Salvant, at last. I've got it. Dr. Craig. Huh? Who's that? Who spoke? I'm the only person in the room. Where's that boy's coming from? I could swear on this woman else here. I'm saying, saying, What do you want? Yes, a good price. Well, what's that got to do with me? What am I supposed to do about it? So, why? You tell it! You can't shoot. You don't mean it. I did it. I did it. I've proved I can do it. But it's my secret. I don't care if you are a shadow or a bee shadow. You can't have my secret. No one can have it. It's mine. You're not too afraid. You're not a secret from mine. I can teach it to you in a third degree disability. I'm not interested in your secret. Some psychological touch. What's the power of making oneself invisible compared to the secret of making the dead live? Perhaps you're right. Perhaps there is no comparison. I won't tell you. I won't tell you. It's mine. How long does I want it to be? Forever and for all eternity. Because only I know the secret and I shall never reveal it. No. They call me a madman. They threatened to put me in an institution. You're a madman, Drach. No, no, no. I am a genius. You were lucky. You benefited by exceedingly rare coincidence. No, no. And coincidence might happen one time in a billion, one time in a trillion. There was no coincidence. I tell you, it was my genius. And I shall hold my secret. I shall continue to make the dead live. You're making the dead swift live as cause two other men to die. To die in the hands of Peter Swift. And what if this is up to me? I am not interested in that. I'm interested in the fact of the third man, Ross Lane. What do I care about Ross Lane alive or dead? It is nothing for me. Will you bring Ross Lane back to life? Oh, I could. I could. I can bring anyone back from the dead. I tell you, I have found the secret of life over death. I can prove it. Prove it again and again. I can prove it on myself. I can die and bring myself back to life. You are afraid of you, even though I can't see you. You see? Yes, Frank. And I will prove to you. But I just said, I am not mad. I am a genius. I have found the secret of life. It's lame, sir. Miss Margo, that speaks instructions that she would not to go out with the house. Oh, she did. Well, when she comes back, you tell her I went out. I'm not going to be ordered around. I am my own daughter as if I were a child of three. Ridiculous. I can take care of myself. Well, open the car, Jenkins. But, Mr. Lane, the danger in my eye. I'm going straight to my own club. It's my own car with my own chauffeur. The club, Jenkins. Why, you're not Jenkins. I don't care who you are. Stop this car. Let me out. Broken neck. This is funny. What's that, doc? The sofa has a metal brace on his neck now. He must have broken it once before. It is swift. The only guy that ever died twice. Yeah, we're giving him a swell up. You're all right. I bet this guy's from every mob in town. Right in this room. Now, why don't you look natural? Well, at least I'm natural. And cast your lamps on the reed. Yeah. He don't like flowers. They used to let him mold the glass and sing-sing. Uh, who sent this little bunch of funny blue flowers? Huh? Oh, oh, that means, uh, forget me, nuts. Ain't there no card? I guess there isn't that. My gosh. Look here. Huh? What does it say? The shadow. Gentlemen, before today's thrilling episode in the life of the shadow comes to a close. We have an announcement that I'm sure will be of interest to everybody. Beginning today, Mr. John Barclay, our blue-cold heating expert, will give a series of practical talks on the subject of automatic heating. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Barclay. Good evening, friends. Today, more than ever before, we realize the need for absolutely uniform heat in order to enjoy really helpful living conditions. However, many people are under the impression that it is necessary to spend huge sums of money and install elaborate equipment in order to have this uniform heat. In other years, that was true. But, but today, you can have uniform heat 24 hours a day for as little as $18.95. That's the price of the blue-cold automatic heat regulator. Is this a simple device which could be installed on anybody? Oh, yes. It works equally well. Hot air, hot water, steam or vapor, heating plants, even on space heaters, which you probably know of as the parlor stoves. Not only is the blue-cold heat regulator so inexpensive that anyone can afford one, but its operation is simplicity itself. It consists of a thermostat located right upstairs where it's always handy, or you could have it in your living room, your dining room, your kitchen, anywhere at all. This thermostat is then installed to a silent, connected to a silent motor located in the basement near the furnace. Is it easy to install? Why, yes. Yes, the installation of the blue-cold heat regulator is such a simple matter that it requires but an hour or two. In fact, you don't even have to let the fire in your furnace go out. And the charge for installation is very low, averaging around $5. Why not drop in to see your nearest blue-cold dealer and let him tell you more about this remarkable new heat regulator? You'll find he's the outstanding heating authority in your community and take advantage of his John Barkley train service man who has qualified to give you expert counsel on any heating problem at no charge whatever. Thank you. Thanks for listening to this week's Retro Radio Sunday episode of Weird Darkness. If you haven't done so yet, be sure to subscribe or follow the podcast so you don't miss future episodes. And if you like the show, please share it with someone you know who also loves old-time radio and pulp audio. If you want to hear even more, drop an email to weirddarknessatradiorchives.com and get an instant reply with links to download full-length pulp audio books, pulp e-books and old-time radio shows absolutely free. That's weirddarknessatradiorchives.com. Weird Darkness is a production and trademark of Marlar House Productions. Copyright, Weird Darkness 2023. I'm Darren Marlar and I'll see you next week for Weird Darkness' Retro Radio Sunday.