Episode 351: The Night Marauders

[00:00:16] Speaker A: The mysterious old Radio Listening Society podcast. [00:00:25] Speaker B: Look out. [00:00:27] Speaker A: Welcome to the mysterious old Radio Listening Society, a podcast dedicated to suspense, crime, and horror stories from the golden age of radio. I'm Eric. [00:00:36] Speaker C: I'm Tim. [00:00:37] Speaker D: And I'm Joshua. [00:00:38] Speaker C: We love mysterious old time radio stories, but do they stand the test of time? That's what we're here to find out. [00:00:44] Speaker D: Today, I chose the night marauders from the Shadow, starring Bill Johnstone and Marjorie Anderson. [00:00:51] Speaker A: The Shadow made his radio debut in 1930 as the sinister host of the detective story magazine Hour, a radio series based on the magazine of the same name. The mysterious voice of the Shadow proved so popular, the publishers street and Smith hired writer Walter B. Gibson to transform the radio host into the crime fighting star of his own pulp magazine. [00:01:13] Speaker C: In turn, the popularity of the pulp magazine inspired another shadow radio series. This time, the Shadow was more than just a host. He was the protagonist. Debuting September 26, 1937, this new incarnation of the shadow starred two up and coming radio stars, Orson Welles and Agnes Moorhead. [00:01:30] Speaker D: When Wells left the role in 1938, he was replaced by veteran radioactor Bill Johnstone. In contrast to Welles brooding intensity, Johnstone brought maturity and a sense of authority to the voice of the shadow, while at the same time revealing a much lighter side to Lamont Cranston, particularly in his interactions with Margot. [00:01:52] Speaker A: And now let's listen to the night marauders from the shadow, first broadcast October 1, 1939. [00:02:00] Speaker C: It's late at night, and a chill has set in. You're alone, and the only light you see is coming from an antique radio. Listen to the sounds coming from the speaker. Listen to the music and listen to the voices. [00:02:29] Speaker E: Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The shadow knows. [00:02:51] Speaker F: And now for another thrilling adventure of the shadows. Today's story, the Night Marauders. The shadow mysterious character who furthers the forces of law and order, is in reality Lamont Cranston, wealthy young man about town. The shadow uses his hypnotic power to cloud men's minds so that it cannot see him. Cranston's friend and companion, the lovely Margot Lane, is the only person who knows to whom the unseen voice of the shadow belongs. As the scene opens on our story, it is night, dark, still night, and we find ourselves, the unseen observers of two vague figures moving almost silently across a windowsill and into a darkened bedroom, where lies asleep a beautiful girl at peace with the world. Then, out of the stillness. [00:04:10] Speaker G: Hello, boy. Hello, darlingen. What? Well, what happened? Are you all right? Well, who was it? A short, powerful man. A monster. Why, you're dreaming, darling. Yes, they ransacked your whole room. That sounds like the night marauders. Margo, I'm coming right over as soon as I call Commissioner Weston. Now, don't worry. I'll be right there. Goodbye. [00:04:51] Speaker H: Come in, Lamont. [00:04:52] Speaker G: Margo, are you all right? [00:04:53] Speaker H: Yes, I guess so. My throat's a little bruised. [00:04:57] Speaker G: Your throat? [00:04:57] Speaker H: Yes, one of them had his fingers wrapped around my neck. [00:05:00] Speaker G: That's horrible. [00:05:01] Speaker H: I guess that's what's known as getting fingerprints the hard way. [00:05:04] Speaker G: Now, this is no joking, Madame Margot. [00:05:07] Speaker H: I'm aware of that every time I swallow. [00:05:09] Speaker G: Did you see what they looked like? [00:05:10] Speaker H: Only the one by my bed. But I could hear the other one prowling around the room. [00:05:15] Speaker I: Whew. [00:05:15] Speaker H: It was creepy. [00:05:16] Speaker G: What did the one by your bed look like? [00:05:18] Speaker H: Well, the best description I can think of at the moment is Frankenstein's homely brother. He was quite short, with long arms and a really bestial face. [00:05:27] Speaker G: That's an ugly description. [00:05:28] Speaker H: It was an ugly face. [00:05:29] Speaker G: That's probably Commissioner Weston. I asked him to come over. Come in, commissioner. [00:05:34] Speaker I: Thank you, Cranston. How are you, Miss Lane? [00:05:38] Speaker H: All right now, thanks. [00:05:39] Speaker I: Now, where did it happen? [00:05:41] Speaker H: Right in here, in my bedroom. [00:05:42] Speaker I: Did they take anything of value? [00:05:44] Speaker H: A few years off my life, no doubt. [00:05:47] Speaker I: Tell me just what took place, Miss Lane. [00:05:49] Speaker H: Well, I'm a little hazy as to detail. You see, I was asleep and I was dreaming about punk and pies. [00:05:56] Speaker B: What? [00:05:56] Speaker H: Honest punk and pies. You know, the kind that mother never makes. [00:06:01] Speaker I: Yes, Miss Lane, but tell me about your waking moments. [00:06:04] Speaker H: Don't you like pumpkin pies? [00:06:06] Speaker I: I adore pumpkin pies, Miss Lane. But this is a police investigation, not a cooking class. [00:06:11] Speaker G: I'll listen to your dream later, Margot. [00:06:13] Speaker H: Thank you. Darling. [00:06:13] Speaker A: Do you mind? [00:06:15] Speaker H: Sorry. Well, I was awakened by the realization that something was grasping my throat. And it, incidentally, wasn't pumpkin pie. [00:06:23] Speaker I: Miss Lane, please. [00:06:24] Speaker H: I started to scream, but the man put his other hand across my mouth. [00:06:27] Speaker I: And then the other man ransacked your room, is that right? [00:06:30] Speaker H: Yes. How'd you know? [00:06:31] Speaker G: You ought to know. These same two nocturnal nimrods have been driving Commissioner Weston and his department slightly insane. [00:06:38] Speaker I: No, it's not that bad, Cranston. We'll have them both under lock and key any day now. [00:06:42] Speaker G: Oh, then you know who they are? [00:06:44] Speaker I: Well, not exactly. [00:06:46] Speaker G: Do you even vaguely know who they are? Well, not exactly. Eh, commissioner? [00:06:51] Speaker I: We know how they work and. Well, we. [00:06:53] Speaker H: And you know they're burglars? [00:06:55] Speaker I: Yes, we know they're burnt. I mean, the department always catches up with crimes, Miss Lane. [00:06:59] Speaker G: Well, I'd like to catch up with these criminals myself, commissioner. If you need a running mate, I wish you'd count on me. [00:07:05] Speaker I: No, thanks, but I appreciate your offer. [00:07:08] Speaker G: I see. [00:07:09] Speaker I: There's just one thing I think you should know before I leave, Miss Lane. [00:07:13] Speaker H: Yes, commissioner? [00:07:14] Speaker I: I really do like pumpkin pie. Good night. [00:07:19] Speaker H: Well, it was a nice, chummy little investigation, but I failed to see that it proved anything. [00:07:24] Speaker G: It didn't. And Weston's plenty worried too. [00:07:28] Speaker H: Lamont, I don't like that glint in your eye. Are you gonna get mixed up in this? [00:07:33] Speaker G: Definitely. [00:07:34] Speaker H: Oh, Lamont. [00:07:35] Speaker G: Now, you go back to bed, Margot. I'll come over in the morning, and we'll figure out how the shadow can track down the night Marauders. [00:07:47] Speaker I: Yeah. [00:07:48] Speaker G: Margo, you don't know how fortunate you were last night. [00:07:50] Speaker H: What do you mean, Lamont? [00:07:51] Speaker G: Look at this newspaper. Night marauders turned to murder. [00:07:55] Speaker H: Murder? [00:07:56] Speaker G: Yes. The body of John Kenyon was discovered this morning by his valet. He'd been brutally murdered sometime before dawn today. Due to the deep bruises on his throat and the fact that his bedroom had been ransacked, Commissioner Weston admitted that the night marauders were unquestionably guilty. [00:08:13] Speaker H: Oh, le Mondez. It might have been I. [00:08:15] Speaker G: Yes, Margot? May I use your phone? [00:08:17] Speaker H: Yes, surely. [00:08:19] Speaker G: I'm going to ask Weston again if I can work with him. If he doesn't want me, I'm going to work on this case by myself. [00:08:24] Speaker H: You can't tell Lamont. Maybe he'll make you a special deputy or something. [00:08:28] Speaker G: That's right. He might. Hello, police department? I'd like to speak to Commissioner Weston, please. Commissioner Weston? No, no, no. Weston. W e s T o ndez. You know, the head of your department. Yes, that's it. That's right. The operator said he'd try to find him. [00:08:48] Speaker H: Oh, that's fine. They're supposed to catch criminals, and they can't even find their commissioner. [00:08:53] Speaker G: Hello? This is Cranston, commissioner. I just read about the night Marauder's latest crime, and I'd still like to lend a hand in rounding them up. I think that I could. Oh, I see. You are not running a school for detectives. Ehdhdeme. Goodbye. Nice fellow. [00:09:11] Speaker H: Did you read this, Lamont? [00:09:13] Speaker G: What, dear? [00:09:14] Speaker H: Henry Burns, an employee of the city, is quoted as having seen two figures leap from Kenyon's window at about the same hour that the crime was committed. [00:09:21] Speaker A: Good. [00:09:22] Speaker G: That's something to work on. [00:09:23] Speaker H: Well, what do you plan to do? [00:09:24] Speaker G: I wouldn't be surprised if the shadow paid a call on Henry Burns tonight. [00:09:46] Speaker J: Thanks for making sure I got home safely. I guess you can go now, officer. [00:09:50] Speaker A: Oh, no. Not until I take a look around your apartment. Mister Burns, are you so nervous enough? [00:09:56] Speaker I: Nervous? [00:09:58] Speaker J: How would you like to be locked up all day in a room the size of a cigar box. And hour after hour face the inquisition of questions hammered at your head? [00:10:05] Speaker I: Ah, now, they were only trying. [00:10:06] Speaker J: How would you like it? Answer me. How would you like it? [00:10:09] Speaker A: Say, look, Mister Burns, you'd better take it easy. [00:10:12] Speaker J: I'll be dead before morning. [00:10:14] Speaker A: No one's going to kill you, Mister Burns. Not with me on the job. I'll be right downstairs. [00:10:20] Speaker I: Good night. Pleasant dreams. [00:10:29] Speaker E: Well, Mister Burns. [00:10:31] Speaker B: What? [00:10:32] Speaker J: Who said that? [00:10:33] Speaker E: I did. [00:10:34] Speaker J: Well, where are you? Who are you? [00:10:36] Speaker E: I am the shadow. [00:10:39] Speaker J: Shadow? I've heard of you, but I can't see you. [00:10:43] Speaker E: I cloud men's minds so they cannot see me. [00:10:46] Speaker J: Oh, you did that to me, huh? [00:10:49] Speaker E: Yes. Now see here, Mister Burns. I haven't come here for any other purpose than to act as your friend, to help you. Please believe me. [00:10:58] Speaker J: Somehow I do believe you, Shadow. [00:10:59] Speaker E: Good. Then tell me what you saw last night. [00:11:02] Speaker J: Oh, I can't. I can't, I tell you. I just can't. [00:11:04] Speaker E: Why can't you? [00:11:05] Speaker J: I was hoping that you'd be different from the rest. But it's just the same series of questions. What did you see? What did they look like? [00:11:11] Speaker A: What? [00:11:11] Speaker E: Wait a minute, Mister Burns. I came in with you and the officer that escorted you home. You told him you expected to die. [00:11:18] Speaker J: Yeah. [00:11:19] Speaker E: To die. [00:11:19] Speaker J: Yeah, that's right. I expect to be killed. I'm not afraid to die. [00:11:24] Speaker E: Since you're not afraid to die, Mister Burns, why shouldn't you tell me what you saw last night? [00:11:30] Speaker J: I hadn't thought of it that way. As long as you're gonna get me anyway, why shouldn't I tell? All right. I did see something. It was horrible, shadow. Horrible, I tell you. [00:11:41] Speaker E: Don't be afraid. [00:11:42] Speaker J: Well, I I was walking home. I passed the apartment house where the murder was committed. I heard a weird call. An unearthly sound from nowhere. I turned and saw two figures that appeared silently from a second story window. They slipped to the ground without a sound and hurried. Half running, half walking. Disappeared in the shrubbery across the street at the edge of the park. One of them was short, massive, unbelievably horrible to see. And the other in his hand. What was that? [00:12:11] Speaker G: Look at your feet. [00:12:12] Speaker J: Huh? [00:12:12] Speaker E: A piece of rock with some paper tied to it. [00:12:14] Speaker J: I know. I know. It's the night marauders. I know. It's from them. [00:12:18] Speaker E: Read it. [00:12:18] Speaker G: Pick it up and read it. [00:12:20] Speaker J: All right. All right. Dead men and wise men say nothing. You have the choice of being either dead or wise. Sign the night marauders dead or wise. [00:12:36] Speaker E: Put the note on the table. [00:12:38] Speaker J: All right. [00:12:39] Speaker E: It's the first clue. And from that very scrap of paper, the police may be able to get fingerprints. A hundred leads to the solution of these crimes. [00:12:46] Speaker J: Maybe you're right. Maybe the police could find the nightmarish. [00:12:50] Speaker A: Hurry. [00:12:51] Speaker J: Take it. Take it to the police. That note may save my life. [00:12:54] Speaker E: I will. And now, Mister Burns. [00:12:56] Speaker J: Yeah? [00:12:57] Speaker E: I suggest that you try to get some rest. The police are on guard. You're safe enough here. [00:13:02] Speaker J: I guess you're right. You go out this way. Good night. [00:13:06] Speaker E: Good night. Rest well. [00:13:10] Speaker J: Rest well. Dead men and wise men say nothing. [00:13:45] Speaker B: Mister Burns. Open it up. Open it up. [00:13:48] Speaker I: Mister Burns. No answer. [00:13:51] Speaker B: Come on, help me break this guard down. [00:13:52] Speaker I: Okay. [00:13:55] Speaker B: Here we go. [00:13:58] Speaker D: Oh, look at the poor devil. [00:14:02] Speaker I: Oh, good lord, is he dead? [00:14:04] Speaker A: Let me look at the body. [00:14:05] Speaker H: I can't stand. [00:14:06] Speaker A: Quiet. [00:14:06] Speaker E: Quiet. [00:14:06] Speaker J: Quiet. [00:14:07] Speaker B: Still breathing a little, can we? [00:14:09] Speaker E: Quiet. [00:14:09] Speaker G: Stand back. [00:14:10] Speaker B: Mister Burns. [00:14:12] Speaker A: Mister Burns, can you hear me? Can you hear me? [00:14:17] Speaker J: Shadow. [00:14:20] Speaker E: Shadow. [00:14:22] Speaker A: There's Shadow. So he's the guy behind the riddle of the night marauders. [00:14:41] Speaker I: Murphy. Murphy. [00:14:43] Speaker B: Yes, Commissioner Weston. [00:14:44] Speaker I: I want a list of every piece of jewelry that the night rotters have stolen from their victims. [00:14:49] Speaker B: Yes, sir. [00:14:49] Speaker I: Has any of it turned up at the pawnshop shed? [00:14:51] Speaker B: No, sir, not a piece. We've been checking every fence for months, sir. [00:14:54] Speaker I: All right, then we'll. Yes? [00:14:58] Speaker E: Good morning, commissioner. I believe you're looking for me for the murder of Henry Burns. [00:15:04] Speaker I: Who's this? [00:15:05] Speaker E: The shadow, commissioner. [00:15:07] Speaker I: The shadow? [00:15:08] Speaker E: Yes. [00:15:08] Speaker B: Murphy. [00:15:09] Speaker I: Have this call traced at once. Get every squad car and tower in action. [00:15:13] Speaker B: Right, sir. [00:15:14] Speaker I: Now, uh, what did you say, shadow? [00:15:17] Speaker E: Commissioner, I know you're having this call trace, but I called to tell you that I was in Henry Byrne's apartment last night. While I was there, a stone was thrown through the window. It had a note attached to it. [00:15:31] Speaker I: We didn't find any note. [00:15:32] Speaker E: I know you didn't. I have the note. I'll send it to you tomorrow. I'd better hang up now. You may trace this call faster than I anticipate. Goodbye, commissioner. [00:15:43] Speaker I: Wait, wait, commissioner. Well, Murphy, did you trace the call? [00:15:49] Speaker B: Yes, sir. [00:15:49] Speaker I: Squad car's on the way? [00:15:50] Speaker B: No, sir. [00:15:52] Speaker I: Why not? [00:15:52] Speaker B: The car came from the phone booth here in headquarters. [00:15:55] Speaker I: The call here in headquarters. Where did you get him? [00:15:57] Speaker B: No, sir. There was no one in sight, sir. [00:16:00] Speaker I: Well, this is great. The shadow is now insulting the department with the department's own nickels. [00:16:17] Speaker G: The park's beautiful tonight, isn't it? [00:16:19] Speaker H: Mm, yes, Lamont. What good does it do me? Now, margot, don't be alarmed. I'll behave. You know, Lamont, I made a dreadful mistake last night. [00:16:29] Speaker G: And what was that? [00:16:30] Speaker H: Well, I just remembered. It wasn't the kind of pumpkin pies that mother made at all. [00:16:35] Speaker G: What wasn't the kind of pumpkin pies that my dream. [00:16:37] Speaker H: It was apple dumplings. Now, wasn't that silly of me? Whatever made me think it was funny? [00:16:44] Speaker G: Driver, watch out for that car. It's crowding off the road. [00:16:46] Speaker B: I see the gondar in full. Woo. Did you know? [00:16:50] Speaker I: Good evening, Mister Cranston. [00:16:51] Speaker G: Commissioner Weston. Say, you gave us a scare. [00:16:54] Speaker A: Oh, I'm sorry, commissioner. [00:16:55] Speaker H: I was just telling Lamont it wasn't pumpkin pie at all last night. It was apple dumpling. [00:17:00] Speaker I: What was which? [00:17:01] Speaker G: A dream, commissioner. Last night, you remember? [00:17:03] Speaker A: Oh, yes. [00:17:04] Speaker I: I see. Well, I recognized you two riding along, and I thought I'd give you a little tip on detecting Mister Cranston. [00:17:11] Speaker G: Really? What's that? [00:17:12] Speaker I: While you're driving around the park for a breath of fresh air, enjoying the sunset, after a good dinner, and a. [00:17:20] Speaker G: Very good dinner, it was to commissioner. [00:17:22] Speaker I: I'm driving around in the park because after analysis, I discovered that all of the crimes of the night marauders have taken place within a block of the park. What do you think of that? [00:17:31] Speaker G: Well, is that what you call a clue, commissioner? [00:17:35] Speaker I: Is that what I call it? It's the first significant fact we've unearthed. [00:17:40] Speaker H: Do you really think that the shadow is guilty, commissioner? [00:17:42] Speaker I: What else am I to think? He tried to mislead us today by calling up about some phony letter. And furthermore, I think he's right here in this park. [00:17:50] Speaker H: Oh, no, commissioner. [00:17:52] Speaker I: Yes, sir, that's what I think. And I have a hunch we'll pick him up tonight. Well, I must be going. [00:17:57] Speaker F: Goodbye. [00:17:58] Speaker B: Goodbye. [00:17:58] Speaker H: Good measure. Well, maybe he's going to beat you to the punch after all. [00:18:04] Speaker G: Maybe you've got something. What is it, Mazon? You're white as a sheet. [00:18:12] Speaker A: That's it. [00:18:14] Speaker H: Did you hear that weird call? [00:18:16] Speaker G: Oh, yes. Well, what about it? [00:18:17] Speaker H: That's the call I heard last night. I heard it while that man still had his hand on my throat. And when he heard it, he looked up and then let go immediately. [00:18:26] Speaker G: Are you sure it's the same call? [00:18:27] Speaker H: Oh, Lamont, do you think I could forget one detail of that awful experience? [00:18:30] Speaker G: Driver, stop here. [00:18:32] Speaker A: Yes, sir. [00:18:32] Speaker H: It sounded as though it came from over there. But the zoo. [00:18:35] Speaker G: We're going to walk a bit. We'll be back shortly. [00:18:37] Speaker J: Very good, sir. All right. [00:18:38] Speaker G: Don't you get, margo? [00:18:39] Speaker D: All right. [00:18:40] Speaker G: Here, Margo. On second thought, I think you'd better go back and stay in the carriage. [00:18:48] Speaker H: All right. Oh, but be careful, Lamont, please. [00:18:51] Speaker G: I'll be as quiet as a shadow. [00:19:03] Speaker B: Get back, Freddie. Get back. You want me to clean your cage, don't you? There. That's better. Now, you'll stay over there where you belong. Freddy. Ah, you know, Freddy, you're a very interesting playmate. Oh, you're a little rough once in a while, but when you figure it out, you're quite like a human. We've been friends for a long time, eh, Freddy? [00:19:26] Speaker A: Yes. [00:19:27] Speaker B: I remember when you first came here. Yes, you were just a little fellow. And now you're a full grown gorilla. The finest specimen in captivity. Why, when you came here, you weren't any bigger than Jocko. Ah, if you could only read, Freddy, you'd laugh too. Do you know what the papers said today, Freddie? They said that the shadow killed that man last night. [00:20:00] Speaker A: Yes. [00:20:01] Speaker B: Silly fools. As if the shadow had the strength to do what you did to that man. But fools. Why should he get credit for those murders? Oh, but it's just as well until you get more experience, Freddy. Yes, yes. Then no one will take Freddy for our work. You know, Freddie, we can rule this whole city. And do you know how Freddie flew? Fear. Now, now, what's the matter with you? Shut up, Freddy. Shut up. There, now, what's the matter with you? What was that? [00:20:41] Speaker E: It's the shadow. [00:20:43] Speaker B: Shadow? Where are you? [00:20:45] Speaker E: Here in the cage with you and your gorilla. [00:20:48] Speaker B: Oh, you're the man nobody can see. What are you doing here? [00:20:52] Speaker E: I've been standing here listening to you talk to your friend Freddie. [00:20:57] Speaker B: You've heard everything I said? Yes, and we keep, as always, talk to our animals. They are more quiet when they hear our voices. It doesn't make any difference what we say, just so long as we talk. Now, what I said meant nothing, shadow. Nothing at all. No. Now, Shadow, you and Freddy are locked alone in the cage, and he knows you're in the cage. You may be able to hypnotize my mind, so I can't see you. But you can't do it to a gorilla, can you? Can you? [00:21:34] Speaker E: Alright. I can't. [00:21:36] Speaker B: Oh, the shadow isn't afraid of Freddy, is he? [00:21:41] Speaker E: No. [00:21:41] Speaker B: But you will be. Because in a minute, I'm going to tell Freddy to kill you. But first I thought maybe you'd like to ask me about the night marauders. Shadow, may I present the night marauders, little jocko the monkey, who is in the cage down at the end, Freddy the gorilla, and their trainer and brains, Joseph Shankrell. Yes, it's a pleasure to at last be able to introduce us, even if it is only to a doomed Mandev. [00:22:17] Speaker J: Yes. [00:22:19] Speaker B: Tell me, Shadow, will you be visible after Freddy kills you? [00:22:26] Speaker E: That remains to be seen. But tell me more about your crimes, Joseph Shankrew. [00:22:32] Speaker B: They are not crimes. They are adventures. You're not. Quiet, Freddy. Quiet. It's not quite the time yet, Shadow. I'm going to be a great power. Power through fear is my motto. [00:22:48] Speaker E: Why did you turn to murder? [00:22:50] Speaker B: Oh, I was tired of taking jewelry. I wanted a new adventure. I have all the jewelry I need right now hidden beneath you. Yes, beneath the cage you're standing in. But now, Shadow, comes the newest of my adventures. I'm going to see you die. Yes. You know too much. Besides, I'm tired of talking to. Oh, this is going to be fun. That's very amusing. Yeah, that's right, Freddy. Now's the time. Kill. Kill, Freddy. Kill Freddy. Do you hear me? Kill him. Thrash him to death. Kill him. [00:23:34] Speaker E: Well, Joseph Shankro, your power is gone. Your gorilla will no longer do what you want. [00:23:40] Speaker B: Let he obey me. Kill him. [00:23:43] Speaker G: He will not obey you anymore, Joseph. [00:23:44] Speaker B: He belongs to me. [00:23:46] Speaker E: I, too, know and understand animals. Freddy won't kill me. [00:23:50] Speaker B: Yes, he will, Freddy, kill him. Do you hear me? I'm coming in there with this whip. I'll cut you to ribbons, Freddy. Then you'll know who your master is. You fool. Don't open a door. [00:24:02] Speaker E: Stay out. [00:24:03] Speaker B: Stay away from him. You learn your master. [00:24:07] Speaker E: Don't hit him. [00:24:08] Speaker B: Then you'll kill when I tell you. Stop it. You feel less ferret. You're mad. Stop it, I tell you like that. You know who's your master, and you'll do what I say. Now kill, Freddy. Kill. No. No, no. Stop. [00:24:26] Speaker A: Stop. Stop. [00:24:26] Speaker B: Let go. Freddy. [00:24:30] Speaker C: The gorillas. [00:24:31] Speaker H: Move. [00:24:31] Speaker B: Stay back. [00:24:32] Speaker I: Miss Lane. [00:24:32] Speaker B: Stay back. [00:24:37] Speaker I: Are you all right, Miss Lane? [00:24:39] Speaker H: Yes. Oh, Commissioner Weston. Did you fire those shots? [00:24:41] Speaker I: Yes, I did. I was standing behind that tree there. Oh, just a second. [00:24:45] Speaker H: What are you doing? [00:24:45] Speaker I: I am shutting the cage door. A shadow's in here. Ah, this is a great moment for me. The gorilla is dead. The night marauders are no more. And I have at last caught the. [00:24:58] Speaker E: Shadow quite yet, commissioner. [00:25:01] Speaker I: Shadow. I was right here. I heard everything that went on between you and Joseph Jankreu, I know you're not guilty of murder, but still, there are a lot of things I want to know about you. And you won't get out of that cage until I find them out. [00:25:13] Speaker E: But I am out, commissioner. I came out when the gorilla escaped. And if you don't believe it, you'll find a bullet in the back of the gorilla that didn't come from your gun. Better luck next time, commissioner. [00:25:24] Speaker I: Miss Lane, if. If you were not here, I say a few things that no gentleman should ever say. [00:25:29] Speaker H: Well, I don't mind if you do say them. But let me first say thank you for saving my life. [00:25:33] Speaker I: Well, I did my bit, but I'm afraid that some of the thanks belongs to the shadow. So help me, someday I'm going to find out who he is. Margo. [00:25:40] Speaker G: Margot. [00:25:40] Speaker B: Are you all right? [00:25:41] Speaker H: Yes, Lamont. [00:25:41] Speaker G: I heard shots. Good heavens. Gorilla. He didn't hurt you, did he? [00:25:45] Speaker H: No, Lamont. He was dead before he got near me. The commissioner saved my life. [00:25:48] Speaker G: Well, for that, commissioner, I shall never be able to thank you enough. [00:25:52] Speaker I: Well, sir, you weren't in on the kill. Lamont, in case the Night Marauders has been solved. And, Lamont, except for a very bad break, I would have been able to introduce you to the Shadow. [00:26:02] Speaker G: Really, commissioner, I can think of nothing more interesting than to have you introduce me to the shadow. [00:26:17] Speaker F: Today's program is based on a story copyrighted by the Shadow magazine. All the characters and all the places named are fictitious. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. The Shadow magazine is on sale at your local newsstand. [00:26:39] Speaker E: The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does nothing. The shadow knows. [00:26:53] Speaker A: That was the night marauders from the shadow here on the mysterious old radio listening Society podcast. Once again, I'm Eric. [00:27:00] Speaker C: I'm Tim. [00:27:00] Speaker D: And I'm Joshua. [00:27:02] Speaker A: Nobody handles horrible circumstances with such calm as Margo Lane, to the point where it comes off somewhat disturbing. Like you're so okay with what's going on. [00:27:24] Speaker C: Just layers of trauma upon layers of trauma. There's just nothing and nothing. [00:27:30] Speaker A: Someone broke into my house, choked me so hard that I'm having a hard time swallowing. There's marks around my neck. [00:27:41] Speaker D: Here's some pumpkin piece called getting fingerprints the hard way. [00:27:44] Speaker A: Right? Here's some pumpkin pie talk. It's. It's insane. So I. [00:27:51] Speaker D: It's not insane. I think this is one of those episodes where she is actually written to be at the same level of flippancy as all the male characters, right? Isn't forced to be hysterical she gets to respond with nonchalance that all the square jawed, heroic men get to. So I really. [00:28:06] Speaker A: It's a fair point. [00:28:07] Speaker D: This episode, conversely, my top of the. [00:28:11] Speaker C: Hat reaction, it's not a phrase, was that opening scream. [00:28:15] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:28:15] Speaker C: Was just like, that's so visceral and kind of right out of the gate. And it even made me think, like, wow, 1930s. These are early days of theater at home for a lot of people because it's jarring to me, and I'm used to having people scream in my home. [00:28:31] Speaker D: How many years have you been married? [00:28:34] Speaker C: But, you know, if you've only had radio in your home for little while, to hear someone scream in your home is alarming. [00:28:41] Speaker D: Yes. [00:28:42] Speaker A: Right? Yeah. Great point. Right. So I am. There are things about this episode from the writing standpoint. There are some moments in this that I need some discussion to help me work my way through it. Here's my immediate reaction. Okay. [00:29:03] Speaker D: It's been a serious episode to have to somehow come to terms with it emotionally. Would you. [00:29:07] Speaker A: It is because I love. Because I love the shadow. But there in this particular episode, a few moments where three or four, where I'm like, that seems like, oh, here we go. Really lazy writing. [00:29:22] Speaker D: Let's get to them. But first, I do want to point out something from the top, since we were talking about the scream of Margo. [00:29:29] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:29] Speaker D: And talking about what troubled you about the episode. But one of the things I thought would be Eric nip in this episode is that opening sequence that is done almost entirely with sound effect and leaves the listener to put it all together. [00:29:48] Speaker A: So, yeah, I was going to jump in when Tim was saying that I loved that opening as well, where you're like, I'm not 100% sure what's going on, and it's not being narrated to me. And if you listen to it twice right now, that you know the story and what is going on, when you go back and listen to it again, it's exactly what should be happening with those being ranked people walking around like a monkey. [00:30:14] Speaker D: You hear that strange call that almost sounds like an owl. [00:30:17] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:30:18] Speaker D: That he uses to signal the gorilla and his donkey pal jocko. And the phone every which way but loose. It's just a great sequence. And then just even the transition from. From her dialing, there's a little fade out of sound, and then it comes up ringing to the recipient. Keeping in mind you don't know yet that this is Margo Lane. [00:30:45] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:30:45] Speaker D: So you don't even understand who you're listening to be attacked until Lamont picks up the phone and says, darling. [00:30:53] Speaker A: Yep. [00:30:54] Speaker C: And that could be anyone. [00:30:55] Speaker D: You're right. I was like, never mind. [00:30:58] Speaker A: I loved all that. It was great. Like I said, there's a lot of shadow in here that I was just finding. There's just these. [00:31:06] Speaker D: It's an incredibly silly episode of the shadow, and I didn't put it in the intro because I. In case people forgot that this is the second in my trilogy of ape related shadow episodes. Right. They saved the guerrilla reveal toward the end. So I thought, in case anyone hadn't figured out that it's probably a gorilla. [00:31:28] Speaker A: Right. [00:31:29] Speaker D: Not read murders in the rue morgue. [00:31:33] Speaker C: Knowing that I spent so much of the episode just waiting for. They broke in my apartment. They took my bananas. [00:31:43] Speaker A: Right. And I forgot we were doing gorilla episodes because, you know, it's me. [00:31:49] Speaker D: I was wondering if you didn't remember the gorilla theme, if you would just think they were being brutally cruel to this suspect that they keep describing as just beastly. Homely. Frankenstein's homely brother. And did anyone else get nerdy and go, Frankenstein's monsters, homely brother. [00:32:09] Speaker C: Franklin's monster's brother is quite good looking. [00:32:13] Speaker A: No, because there's a number of. I can't. They're not coming to my head right now. Couple of different movies are that Dick Tracy short. Karloff plays that type of character a couple times where he's just so horrifyingly ugly in description. And I think few radio shows, they've done that as well, where they've described him as beastly and ugly. So I just thought it was a, you know, Karloff looking guy that was coming in. [00:32:41] Speaker D: How hungry did you guys get for pumpkin pie while. [00:32:44] Speaker A: Okay, so I don't know when this is gonna air, but I had a moment where. Cause I forgot about the gorilla trilogy. I went, oh, he selected this. Cause this is gonna go up before thanksgiving. I thought, this is our Thanksgiving episode. I was re listening to it. [00:33:01] Speaker D: Nuts. I really missed an opportunity. [00:33:04] Speaker A: Right? What's the tie into thanksgiving? It's quick. [00:33:10] Speaker D: But it's a lot of pie also. [00:33:13] Speaker A: God, this is. We're really in the minutiae here. It's interesting not only in this episode, but in life. How many people say pumpkin and how many people say punkin? [00:33:24] Speaker C: Yep. [00:33:25] Speaker A: And in this episode, all the actors were either pumpkin or punkin. [00:33:30] Speaker C: I don't know many folks who do the full pumpkin. [00:33:32] Speaker A: I do, because I don't know. Pumpkin. [00:33:35] Speaker C: Pumpkin. [00:33:36] Speaker D: I'm wondering how many actors made the choice, the comedic choice to pronounce pumpkin as punkin. Punkin pie. [00:33:46] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:33:48] Speaker C: I had a reaction that. Akin to your reaction? I felt the same way, is what I'm struggling to say, that I enjoyed the. The level of goofiness, but it. It sets a sort of tone of, don't take these things too seriously. Don't get too invested, because this is just frivolous fun. And then they kill a guy. [00:34:08] Speaker D: You should be paired in the shadow. The sillier it gets, you should know next a bird is gonna be killing an infant. [00:34:15] Speaker C: Set a baby on fire. [00:34:17] Speaker A: Bird's gonna kill an infant. [00:34:20] Speaker D: You don't remember the village of Doom? [00:34:22] Speaker A: Kinda. [00:34:25] Speaker C: Oh, yes, that was the hilarious one. [00:34:27] Speaker A: That's the one where the weird, floating, dead baby. Yes, yes, yes. Now I remember. [00:34:33] Speaker D: They soften you up. [00:34:35] Speaker C: But not just the murder. Not just that sort of ridiculous and fun. It's specifically Margot's reaction to I was nearly just killed five minutes ago. [00:34:44] Speaker D: Or, yeah, she's possibly drunk for most of this. She called Lamont, got really drunk waiting for him to show up at the apartment. [00:34:55] Speaker A: He calls and says, hey, I want to help out Cranston. I want to help out with this case. And he says, no. We assume he says no on the other end. I'm not running a school for detectives. We know that because he said, not running a school for detectives. A and hangs up. All right, so we know that, yes, please help. [00:35:14] Speaker C: We need all the help I can get. [00:35:15] Speaker A: So they. So we know that commissioner Weston has told him you're not involved. Now he gets an idea, a clue, a lead, and finds Cranston to tell him. So that's the first thing, is like, wait, you just. You don't want him involved, but now you race over. Also, little thing. They're in a horse drawn carriage. And in my head, he just about killed that horse pulling up with that car. Like, slow down. Holy crap. Also, this entire conversation happens. Someone is driving the carriage, and there's a lot of really police type information being just shouted, shouted out to the driver of the carriage. So he pulls up, right? Almost kills the horse and says, hey, I'm here. I found you. I. How he found him, who knows? But it's important that I tell you. So that was the first one. Like, either you don't want him involved, or you do. So that was a thing where. That threw me away. [00:36:19] Speaker D: Not if your ego is at stake. This is the pure comedy side of this, right? Weston turns it down out of pure ego. And that's why, once he thinks he's nailed the case, he goes to rub it in. Lamont's face. [00:36:30] Speaker C: Well, he was in the. He was in the park. Not for Lamont. Right. He was there just because, like. [00:36:36] Speaker D: Or, no, he did say, I saw you. And then I had to come race high speeds toward this horse. [00:36:40] Speaker A: See what I said at the beginning? I'm going to bring him up and a couple things might happen. Well, you just solved that one. [00:36:46] Speaker D: You point out something that is unusual, because Lamont is very hard on the police, and so is Margo in this one. I mean, they might as well, at one point just be, like, grabbing Weston's fist and making him punch himself, right? Why are you hitting yourself, Commissioner Westin? Why are you hitting yourself? I mean, like, they. And when he calls to offer help, I mean, he's already belittled them, right? So much. He's like, hey, Weston, we'd like to help you find your ass with both hands. What do you say? [00:37:14] Speaker A: Well, even then, when he. When he says, oh, is that something that's known as a clue. So, yes, you just cleared that one up. This is a small one, but it took Weston that long to find that pattern, that all of this is happening within a block of the park. Wow. You should get a map and some pins. That's police 101. Get the map out. Get the pins out. [00:37:46] Speaker D: Ridicule is not undeserved. [00:37:48] Speaker A: The writer goes out of his way to have a conversation that Lamont has, calling them Weston. Weston, he's your commission. Oh, my. It's. You don't know your commissioners. And then they go, oh, okay, we'll get him. And that has nothing to do with the story. It's just, I think, establishing the ineptness of this fictional town's police force. Right. That's what that's in there for. [00:38:13] Speaker D: Through line of a lot of 1930s genre fiction, as cops were just treated as bumbling idiots. [00:38:21] Speaker A: Right. [00:38:21] Speaker D: The early Hardy boys, before they rewrote them in the fifties and sanitized them, treated the cops just like this. [00:38:27] Speaker A: Really? [00:38:28] Speaker D: Hardy boys used to play pranks on them and make fun of them and belittle them. [00:38:33] Speaker B: Huh. [00:38:33] Speaker C: Did it also used to be the case that most parks in a city would have gorillas in them? [00:38:38] Speaker D: There were a lot of park zoos. [00:38:40] Speaker C: That people would walk by and just look at them and know, like, if that gorilla had a chance, he'd kill me. [00:38:46] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm with Joshua. It seems to me like city parks had a few animals in a cage. I think it was a law. [00:38:55] Speaker C: That's the part. [00:38:56] Speaker A: But it just. [00:38:56] Speaker C: It seemed. It seems so universal of this era to assume that, like, given a chance, a gorilla will kill everyone with near the park. [00:39:07] Speaker A: Yes, yes. That's why you put him in the park. [00:39:11] Speaker D: Yes. [00:39:11] Speaker A: Just see what would happen. Now explain this. [00:39:14] Speaker D: We need some tigers to hunt the gorillas. If they get. [00:39:19] Speaker A: I couldn't follow this. Listen. Twice. And I gave up. So I just went. I'll just ask the boys. Gentlemen, he says, okay, so we're staking out the park. I've told you what's going on. THEY LAUGH Ha ha. You know, he hopes to find the shadow here because he thinks he's the murderer. And then we're in the lair of the evil guy and the shadow shows up. Was there a moment that was explained to us? Where they figured out who the guy was, where he was? How did they find the guy? Does anybody remember that moment in the story? [00:39:59] Speaker D: I do not remember the story. The moment where Lamont makes that connection. [00:40:04] Speaker A: I don't think it is in there. [00:40:05] Speaker D: It could be. It's just what's fun about this story are all the big set pieces and all the jokes. So those moments of narrative connective tissue are. [00:40:16] Speaker A: That's a big one. How did you figure out who the guy was that was doing this and where he was? [00:40:23] Speaker D: Wasn't it a clue? I thought that the shadow got from the witness, Mister Burns, who he left in the care of the cops that he knows 100% are utterly incompetent to be killed. [00:40:42] Speaker C: But he so much about that scene. I'm sorry. You're going to keep this man safe from the marauders, who have previously all come in through the window of, I'm assuming, second story. Like they do not come into the front door. Why the police guarding the front door? [00:41:00] Speaker A: Right. [00:41:01] Speaker C: Why did he go to burns as the shadow? Like I'm going to strike fear into the heart of this innocent witness. [00:41:07] Speaker A: Right? And then this great moment. I'm not afraid to die. Well, then why are you afraid to tell me what you saw? Good point. [00:41:19] Speaker C: I'm terrified of public speaking. [00:41:21] Speaker A: That moment was just like, uh oh. It felt like a writer wrote himself into a corner. And instead of going back with some whiteout, they just went, ah, we'll have him. We'll have him say that my mental. [00:41:32] Speaker D: White out is in that moment. The shadow is actually using hypnotism on him. Make him change his mind and to make me believe that bad writing was intelligent. [00:41:42] Speaker A: Okay, yeah, he's agree with you. [00:41:44] Speaker D: I don't mean silly. [00:41:46] Speaker C: I don't sound good at pep talks. [00:41:48] Speaker A: I'm not afraid to die. So why are you withholding this information, then it gets even weirder. You're right. What am I doing? I'm going to tell you everything because I'm not afraid to die. And I'm telling all the information that I have amounts to nothing. I saw some people go out of this window and run, walk into those bushes. So why the evil guy is throwing a rock through his window, threatening him. He doesn't have any information. He didn't even say, oh, it's a gorilla, a monkey, and Bill. You know Bill, who lives over there? They went into Bill's house. You know Bill, the crazy one with the flat earth sign in his front yard? Yeah, Bill. No, he doesn't have any information. So not only having him come clean and say, all right, I'm gonna give you all the. Doesn't help with the crime at all, but to be threatened for the information he has doesn't make sense. And that he's protected by, I don't know, you got bodyguards, this guy somehow. Why all of it? [00:42:53] Speaker D: I'm with you about halfway through that. In that, yeah, the dialogue's really clunky, and the fact that he would not talk to the police matches the tone of the rest of the show. This guy has no more faith in the police than the shadow and Margot and anyone else. But it's a little clunky how the shadow talks him into confessing to him. [00:43:14] Speaker C: I suppose, too, because the police then, like, well, you gave us nothing, but we will make your name public. [00:43:20] Speaker A: But he doesn't have any information. [00:43:22] Speaker D: Joseph and his gorilla and monkey do not know that. And we learn later that he's just a sociopath. He just is murdering for the fun of it. He's got all sorts of jewelry he's stolen buried underneath the gorilla cage. And now he just moved on to murder next. Who knows? Yeah. [00:43:39] Speaker A: And his plan and his motivation. You haven't thought this out. And then we'll control the city through fear. That's his entire plan. [00:43:50] Speaker C: Infrastructure would be interesting to see played out again. [00:43:54] Speaker A: Yeah, right. Again. When you're listening to the shadow, you're an absolute idiot to be doing what I'm doing. [00:44:03] Speaker D: Yeah, just go with it. [00:44:05] Speaker A: Just go with it. Hear me? And you know this. We've been doing this for 73 years. This podcast, shadow episodes come and I say all the time. Yeah, that's not. But it was super fun. Right. For some reason, these loopholes in this particular episode stood out harsher than other episodes seemed, lazier and non connective, more than normal. [00:44:29] Speaker D: I agree with you, but I think it bothers you more because you don't enjoy the absurd elements of the shadow as much as I do. Because I'm like, that's a fair exchange. Thank you. I will take that plot hole for these over the top villains and these ridiculous lines. I mean, Commissioner Weston literally does a comic. [00:44:51] Speaker C: Whoa, whoa, whoa. [00:44:52] Speaker A: What? [00:44:52] Speaker D: Yeah, Marco says pumpkin pie, right? [00:44:56] Speaker A: Right. Oh, he also does it when he answers the phone. This is the shadow. [00:45:00] Speaker B: The shadow. [00:45:05] Speaker C: Oh, that's another one. Sorry. The shadow calls him from a payphone. [00:45:11] Speaker A: Yep. [00:45:11] Speaker C: In the police department. To make an appointment to drop something off to him later. [00:45:17] Speaker A: Right. The next day. Yes. I'll bring it to you tomorrow. I'm not done looking at it. [00:45:25] Speaker D: I just wanted you to know I had it. [00:45:27] Speaker A: Right, or it's on your desk. Because I'm invisible. I just walked in and plopped it down, and I'm here. [00:45:35] Speaker C: It's in your pocket. Cause I'm amazing. [00:45:38] Speaker D: The guy. [00:45:38] Speaker A: Right, right. It would have been so cool. The note, by the way, look in your hand. [00:45:47] Speaker D: The guy who wrote this got a speeding ticket the week before, and he was like, I got this shadow script, and I'm just going to turn it into an excuse to just rail against the cops. [00:45:58] Speaker A: Yeah, the connective tissue is tough for me in this one. And Tim brings up another great one. I'm standing next to you. I'll bring this tomorrow. [00:46:07] Speaker D: The call is coming from inside the. [00:46:12] Speaker A: Yeah, that part's great. But Tim's right. Like, don't ruin it with that loophole. [00:46:17] Speaker D: It's so ridiculous that not much can ruin it. Like, here's some need, like, foundation in mind. [00:46:21] Speaker C: The shadow looks like. Did you not know how close you were to just giving it to him again? [00:46:26] Speaker D: I always believe the shadows knows exactly how Weston's gonna react and is just there to call him and say, look, it wasn't me. I know. The papers are saying it was me. It wasn't me. I have this. You can have it if you want. [00:46:40] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:46:41] Speaker D: Cause he even goes, I know you're tracing this call. That's why I'm calling you from your own police station, you moron. [00:46:47] Speaker A: So here's another part of this that I don't like. You ready? Listening to the gorilla get beaten. [00:46:53] Speaker D: And then it's a horrible scene. [00:46:55] Speaker A: It's horrible. And then things getting beaten. So he goes after the guy, and they all shoot the gorilla. Boo. [00:47:04] Speaker D: It's a fictional gorilla. I'm far more concerned about the suffering of actual, real animals. And I don't think this actually encourages and shoot gorillas. In the park. [00:47:13] Speaker A: You don't know. Look what video games did to our kids. [00:47:17] Speaker D: But to make a connection to our previous gorilla related shadow episode. Shriby shot a gorilla. [00:47:26] Speaker A: Yeah. And so now I didn't like that either. [00:47:28] Speaker D: Weston has shot a gorilla. [00:47:30] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:47:30] Speaker D: Lamont refusing to let Weston have anything, at least claims that. Uh, look in his back. [00:47:38] Speaker A: I know. [00:47:38] Speaker D: I shot him, too. Harder. [00:47:40] Speaker A: But not only that, that's his proof that he's not in the cage. [00:47:43] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:47:44] Speaker A: Oh, well, I'll be back in five days after we dig this bullet out, run forensics, and prove that it came from your gun. Or you could just come and tap me on the shoulder, and I would know you're not in the cage. [00:47:59] Speaker D: At this point, though, Margo is the only major shadow character to have not shot a gorilla in cold blood, which I. [00:48:08] Speaker A: Please tell me that's. And the third one is just called Margot shoots a gorilla. [00:48:13] Speaker D: We may have to write that one. I do. Like when Joseph is ranting the zookeeper to Freddy the gorilla. [00:48:22] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:48:23] Speaker D: And bragging. And the shadow catches him and says, I heard everything you just said. He has this, like, I was just saying things to entertain Freddy. You can't charge me for that. Like, he's almost like he's claiming, like, some spousal immunity, that you like privileged information. What a man says to his gorilla in his own cage? [00:48:47] Speaker A: Well, the gorilla has a therapist license. [00:48:52] Speaker D: And I do enjoy. [00:48:53] Speaker A: My dog should have a therapist license. With the amount of crap I tell my dog, and my dog makes me feel better without doing anything. [00:49:01] Speaker D: I work in a grocery store. Everyone brings their pet in and says they're an emotional support animal. [00:49:06] Speaker C: Oh, no, this is my emotional support gorilla. [00:49:11] Speaker D: Don't they have to show us care? Because I have children, and anyone who's raised children know that children are 20 times more filthy and disgusting than a pet chihuahua that you're carrying under your arm. [00:49:25] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:49:26] Speaker D: It's when people have a hysterical reaction to pets in the grocery store. [00:49:29] Speaker A: Like, they don't like it. [00:49:30] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:49:31] Speaker D: And, you know, you should have that reaction every time you see a kid walking an aisle, touching literally every piece of uncovered produce. [00:49:40] Speaker A: It's the emotional support great dane that creates. They're always chihuahuas. They're always small. [00:49:46] Speaker D: But we find out that the shadow cannot cloud a gorilla's mind. [00:49:51] Speaker C: But yet that's according to shadow expert Joe. [00:49:55] Speaker D: The shadow concedes it, though. At one point, you got. But I have a special affinity with gorillas. [00:50:03] Speaker A: Animals. [00:50:04] Speaker D: Animals in general. [00:50:04] Speaker A: Animals in general, he says. I, too, am good with animals. [00:50:09] Speaker D: I also like the oldest man about town. [00:50:14] Speaker A: So, yeah, so he's not afraid the girl is going to kill him because the gorilla can see him and he's looking at the gorilla. You. This is such a non audio thing I'm about to do. So he's looking at gorilla going. [00:50:30] Speaker D: Little thumbs up, tells you audience use up. [00:50:33] Speaker A: We got this little wink, little, little point of the finger. You're not gonna kill me. And the girl's like, yeah, you're right. You're cool, you're cool. So, yeah. Want to vote? [00:50:46] Speaker D: Although I will say that there's multiple episodes of the shadow in which the bad guy is just has this scientific curiosity of whether or not the shadow will be visible when he becomes. Yeah, and it seems pretty obvious if the shadow is clouding your mind and you shoot his brains out or your gorilla rips his head off. [00:51:06] Speaker A: Yes. [00:51:06] Speaker C: If you still can't. The problems with your mind, not with the shadow. [00:51:10] Speaker A: Right. That he'll, he'll appear. [00:51:13] Speaker C: Yeah, I can't see him. I'm not clouding your mind. I can't see you. I'm right here. [00:51:21] Speaker A: If we're voting, listen, anybody that's listening to this podcast enough knows that we all love the shadow. This one stood out more than the others of my forgiveness factor just didn't kick in. I just, I usually have it. Who cares? It's the shadow. The whole premise is stupid to begin with. Or fun, I should say. Stupid fun. It's just ridiculous escapism. Fun. Right? That's what the shadow is. This one in particular, I just. Wait, what now? What now? [00:51:50] Speaker D: And it asks a lot. [00:51:51] Speaker A: It asks a lot. So I'm going to just say no to this. No, I know I will not. I don't think this one stands the test of time. It's definitely not one of the better shadows. Uh, and then they beat a gorilla and shoot it and, uh, nothing. There's no one to root for in this. [00:52:10] Speaker D: Jocko, the little monkey. [00:52:12] Speaker A: Yeah. Whatever happened to Jocko? He disappears. [00:52:16] Speaker D: No, watching Freddy. [00:52:17] Speaker A: What's he, what's he eating? [00:52:19] Speaker D: Pumpkin pie. [00:52:22] Speaker C: I'm nearby there. This was like the, as you say, most of the shadow episodes are just fun. So you, you know that some of them is like, that is a classic shadow episode. That's a classic of radio because it is so much fun. This one is fun. But in some ways, to me, it did not stand the test of time, that it is kind of old and quaint in ways that feel very separate of the particular way that Margot and the mantra are teasing each other and having a good time, despite what's happening in the plot, which is not much in the way of critique, but it did not have the same timeless insanity that so much of sanity does to me. Um, but like I said, had a great time. Very fun. [00:53:08] Speaker A: It just occurred to me, ten more minutes of just some random connective tissue writing would have saved this, because that first two minutes, and you guys are right, was a really cool opening. They were on the road to something cool. [00:53:26] Speaker D: I'm going to essentially agree with much of what Tim said, but just reach a slightly different conclusion in that, um, this is this. [00:53:33] Speaker A: Wait, Tim said pretty much what I said in a lot of ways. But you're agreeing with him, not me. You're doing that on purpose. [00:53:41] Speaker D: Yes. You just said no. [00:53:47] Speaker A: Okay. [00:53:47] Speaker D: That was your response Tim gave. Tim elaborated that more information than no. Okay, so maybe to me, this is narrow band of the shadow, and it's this period, right when William Johnstone took over the village of Doom, which we referenced, is a couple episodes after this. There are a number of others in the same tone that does remind me of that grand guignol style of weird horror and then broad comedy just whiplashing back and forth. Because as much as we focused on the silliness in here, it's got animal whipping, strangulations, shootings. It's really. The horror is amped up and it is tonally schizophrenic. But I honestly think that does stand the test of time in a way. Some of the standard shadows maybe don't and seem like antiquated, old school, square jawed hero things, where this has that winking at the audience without losing its commitment to the violence and stakes at the same time from scene to scene. It might toss those out the window, but it keeps picking it back up in a way that I think think is interesting. But yes, it's going to depend on your taste. It feels more contemporary to me. And I. I don't think this is an all time radio classic, but it's definitely one of the styles of the shadow that I thoroughly enjoy. And before we go, I thought, what if we had a fourth vote on this episode of the Shadow? Because I was reading through. [00:55:25] Speaker C: I knew you brought some corroborating text. [00:55:28] Speaker D: No, it doesn't. [00:55:29] Speaker A: It's just to make my point, your. [00:55:31] Speaker D: Honor, a totally different perspective from the time, because I am reading from the shadow, the history and mystery of the radio program by Martin Graham's junior, who. [00:55:41] Speaker A: I gave the book. I gave you. [00:55:43] Speaker D: Yes. Thank you, Eric. And he dug up a review of the time of this episode. [00:55:49] Speaker A: Wow. [00:55:50] Speaker D: Written by Jaco hey, it's from the radio Daily October the Shadow remains a saco mystery thriller for thems, as likes their drama of the spine curling type episode in question concerned the doings of the Night Marauders, a pair of suspicious characters who terrorize the section in and around Central park by thefting jewelry, later turning to murder. And as usual, the shadow solves the case despite the bluff, hardy but not too intelligent commissioners efforts to keep him out of the case. Just how the mothers of the nation felt about Sunday's show is not immediately apparent, of course, but there is probably room to suspect that one or two of the smaller tots in the audience might have reacted to the stupendous groans, grunts, shrill screams, and heavy breathing of the Central park zoo gorilla, which turned out to be one of the night marauders, name of Freddy. Incidentally, one of the new touches of humor other marauder was the animal's keeper, with whom the shadow has a knockdown, drag out battle of wills to see who could command Freddy to kill whom. All the actors turned in. Good workman like jobs, especially Freddy. Despite whatever effect the show may have on the kitties, grown ups eat it up, and they, after all, buy the coal. [00:57:14] Speaker A: Wow. Socko. [00:57:16] Speaker C: I wish we had reviews like that these days. [00:57:18] Speaker A: Right? [00:57:20] Speaker D: But it's interesting. In 39, they were like, kids are listening to this, right? [00:57:24] Speaker A: Right. I like how it's put to it. The jury's out of what the moms of America are gonna say about this. Tim, tell them stuff. [00:57:32] Speaker C: Please go visit ghoulishdelights.com, home of this podcast. You'll find other episodes there. You can leave comments. You can vote in polls. Let us know what you think about these episodes. Let us know what you think about what we think. Because we're not always right. I mean, at least two of us are not always right. And you can also find links to our social media pages. You can find a link to our swag store. You can get some merchandise, t shirts, coffee mug, whatever you like. And you'll find a link to our Patreon page. [00:58:04] Speaker D: Yes, go to patreon.com themorals and support this podcast. Guys, we really need your money. Come on. In exchange, we've got all sorts of exciting rewards or awards. I don't know how you say it. I don't know. You don't even have to do anything. I guess it's a reward for giving us money. So that works. Yeah. Yeah. [00:58:28] Speaker A: Way to work that out. [00:58:29] Speaker D: Thank you. Next time I'll do it off the air. Oh, for example. Exciting. This is episode 351. Hopefully you've listened to episode 350, which featured our live discussion of the most dangerous game. Well, if you're a patreon, you can listen to the b side of episode 350, which will be our discussion of the most dangerous game from escape and comparing that to the suspense version of the most dangerous game. How much would you pay for that? Probably not much, but it's just one of literally hundreds of bonus podcasts available to you if you become a member of the mysterious old Radio Listening society. [00:59:15] Speaker A: And the mysterious old radio listening Society theater company. We perform live on stage recreations of classic old time radio and a lot of our own original work. Come out and see us perform audio drama on stage somewhere monthly. We're somewhere, just go to ghoulish delights.com to find out where we're performing, what we're performing, and how to get tickets. That's ghoulishdelights.com. and if you're a Patreon, we also record them, either video and or audio, and those are provided to you as well of our in case you can't make it to our performances as part of your Patreon perks. What's coming up next? [00:59:53] Speaker D: Next, we have a recommendation from one of our Patreon supporters. We will be listening to the earthmen from escape. Until then, the b side of episode 350, which will be our discussion of the most dangerous game from escape. [01:00:12] Speaker C: The other most dangerous game, which you. [01:00:14] Speaker D: Didn'T listen to, did you, Eric? [01:00:16] Speaker A: I looked at that list and went, oh, that's the one we recorded at the bowl, so we don't move on. [01:00:21] Speaker D: We'll have to figure out another time. [01:00:22] Speaker A: No, no, figure this out. Oh, you don't understand, though, right? I looked at that and went, oh, that's our live recording that goes here. [01:00:31] Speaker D: I did write b sides on it. [01:00:32] Speaker A: I know, but. So the other one was from suspense? [01:00:37] Speaker C: Yes, the one that we've already done was from suspense. We're gonna, we gotta keep all this material. [01:00:42] Speaker A: Keep talking. [01:00:43] Speaker C: I'm gonna listen.