The Shadow

Orson Welles as "The Shadow"

The Shadow is a fictional character created by the American magazine publisher Street & Smith and the writer and professional magician Walter B. Gibson. Initially created to be a mysterious narrator of a radio program and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter B. Gibson, The Shadow has been published as novels, comics, and films, among other media. The Shadow radio soap opera includes episodes narrated by Orson Welles. This is a mysterious vigilant, hidden behind a wide-brimmed hat, a long coat and a kind of red scarf that covers part of his face. Fight crime in the dark, armed with two guns and mental powers. He announces his presence with a sinister laugh. His alter ego is the sophisticated millionaire Lamont Cranston, although he also protects his secret identity with two other appearances: the aviator Kent Allard, and Fritz, a janitor at a police station. In this way of maintaining a dual personality, the character resembles other figures such as Batman and Zorro.

The Shadow debuted on July 31, 1930 as the mysterious narrator of the radio program Detective Story Hour, which was created to increase sales of publisher Street & Smith's monthly pulp magazine Detective Story Magazine. When listeners of the program began Asking newsstands for copies of "that Shadow detective magazine," Street & Smith launched a magazine based on the character, and hired Gibson to create a concept to fit the name and voice and to that I wrote a story in which he appeared. The first issue of The Shadow Magazine pulp series went on sale on April 1, 1931.

On September 26, 1937, The Shadow, a new radio soap opera based on the character as created by Gibson for the pulp magazine, premiered with the story "The Death House Rescue." in which the Shadow was characterized as having "the hypnotic power to cloud the minds of men so that they cannot see him." In the magazine stories, The Shadow did not literally become invisible.

The introductory phrase of the radio adaptation of The Shadow – «Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? "The Shadow knows!" – narrated by actor Frank Readick, became an idiomatic phrase in the US. These words were accompanied by an ominous laugh and a musical background, Le Rouet d'Omphale by Camille Saint-Saëns (composed in 1872).

At the end of each episode, The Shadow reminded listeners that “The weeds of crime bear bitter fruit! "Crime doesn't pay... The Shadow knows it!"

Some early episodes used the alternative phrase, "If you sow evil, you will reap evil!" "Crime doesn't pay... The Shadow knows it!"

Given the success of the project, the novelist Walter B. Gibson was hired to make a literary serial starring the character. For this, Gibson adopted the pseudonym Maxwell Grant, and with that name he published a long series of novels.3 In 1937, a new radio serial was launched, and for this the interpretation of The Shadow was entrusted to Orson Welles.

Illustrator Vernon Greene drew The Shadow comics from 1940 to 1942. Since then, comics of the character have been carried out by authors such as Al Bare, Jack Binder, William A. Smith, Frank Robbins, Howard Chaykin, Mike Kaluta and Bill Sienkewicz.

Throughout the character's entire history, he has been characterized by the use of the slogan: "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow Knows!". Likewise, another characteristic of the character's personality is to laugh when appearing in a place and/or disappearing, in the same way he uses this to intimidate or sometimes scare his enemies before starting a physical combat.

A Journey to the Center of the Earth

A Journey to the Center of the Earth is an Old Time radio Show, alternatively titled A Journey to the Interior of the Earth, stands as a timeless science fiction masterpiece crafted by Jules Verne in 1864, initially published in its native French as "Voyage au centre de la Terre." The narrative unfolds with a professor leading his nephew and a hired guide on a daring expedition down an Icelandic volcano, all in pursuit of reaching the Earth's very core. Along this perilous journey, they confront a series of captivating adventures, from encounters with prehistoric creatures to navigating through treacherous natural phenomena, ultimately emerging back onto the Earth's surface in southern Italy.From a scientific perspective, this tale may not have retained its factual accuracy as effectively as some of Verne's other works. Many of his conjectures regarding the Earth's inner composition have been disproven over time. It is important to recognize, however, that Verne's writings were largely products of his vivid imagination rather than earnest attempts at scientific hypothesis. 

Furthermore, during the period when he penned this novel, knowledge about the Earth's core was severely limited.Nevertheless, a noteworthy aspect of the narrative is Verne's personal conviction, relayed through one of the characters in the story, that the inner realms of the Earth diverge significantly from the experiences encountered by the protagonists.

A seven-part radio serial was broadcast on the BBC Home Service in 1962. It was produced by Claire Chovil, and starred Trevor Martin and Nigel Anthony.

An eight-part radio serial was produced for BBC Radio 4 by Howard Jones in 1963. It starred Bernard Horsfall and Jeffrey Banks.

A radio drama adaptation was broadcast by National Public Radio in 2000 for its series Radio Tales.

A 90-minute radio adaptation by Stephen Walker directed by Owen O'Callan was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 28 December 1995, and rebroadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra on 20 November 2011, on 11 and 12 November 2012, and on 20 and 21 December 2014. Nicholas Le Prevost stars as Professor Otto Lidenbrock, Nathaniel Parker as Axel, and Oliver Senton as Hans. Kristen Millwood plays Rosemary McNab, a new character who funds and accompanies the expedition.

A two-part BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Journey to the Centre of the Earth broadcast on 19 and 26 March 2017. Featuring Stephen Critchlow as Professor Lidenbrock, Joel MacCormack as Axel, and Gudmundur Ingi Thorvaldsson as Hans, it was directed and produced by Tracey Neale and adapted by Moya O'Shea.

Boris Karloff

Son of Edward John Pratt Jr. and his third wife Eliza Sarah Millard, he was born in Camberwell (London), and grew up in Enfield. Orphan in his youth, he attended classes at Enfield Grammar School before moving on to Uppingham School, Merchant Taylors' School, and finally the University of London. Karloff's first goal was to join the diplomatic service; his brother John Henry Pratt became a famous and distinguished diplomat. In 1909, Pratt traveled to Canada, changing his name. For health reasons, he did not fight in the First World War.

Once he arrived in Hollywood, California, Karloff participated in numerous silent films, before appearing as Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), the film that made him a star. A year later he played another iconic character, Imhotep, in The Mummy.

Boris Karloff's first role on the silver screen was as a $5-a-day extra as a Mexican soldier in the 1919 silent film, His Magistry the American.

His height and the success of Frankenstein, typecast him in the horror genre (where he made numerous films for Universal Pictures), although he participated in other genres such as John Ford's The Lost Patrol in 1934. Karloff played Frankenstein's monster twice more; The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939), with Lugosi as the mad Igor.

Precisely with Lugosi he coincided in two other important titles The Black Cat (1934) and The Raven (1935). The long make-up sessions with collodion and cotton he had to undergo under the direction of make-up artist Jack Pierce are well known, as well as the uncomfortable costume and platform shoes that caused him back injuries that he would carry with him for the rest of his life.

As for his theatrical career, on the Broadway stage he premiered in 1941 the play Arsenic and Old Lace in which he played a homicidal gangster, who in the development of the show was often confused with Karloff himself. He reprised the character in the 1962 television version. He also appeared in The Linden Tree, by J. B. Priestley, Peter Pan, in the character of Captain Hook and in The Lark (1955), by Jean Anouilh, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.

Despite the roles that made him famous, Karloff was known in real life as a generous gentleman, especially with children. It is said that during the filming of the first “Frankenstein” the crew feared that the little actress Marilyn Harris would run away terrified at the sight of Boris, but this was not the case because they hit it off as soon as they saw each other. In his later years he acted several times on television (he appeared in the series The CIPOL Girl in 1966, in which he played the role of a woman, “Mama Muffin”, in the episode “The Mother Muffin Affair”) and never left the theater.

Karloff never minded being typecast as an actor in horror films, on the contrary, he considered it a wonderful opportunity to show his talents and was always grateful for it. During his last years he filmed a series of films of little repercussion, being three of them broadcasted after his death (The Corpse Collector in 1970; Sinister Invasion and The Living Dead in 1971). Boris Karloff died of pneumonia at King Edward VII Hospital, Midhurst, at the age of eighty-one, and was later cremated.

For his contribution, Boris Karloff was awarded two stars on the legendary Walk of Fame, at 1737 Vine Street (for his films) and 6664 Hollywood Boulevard (for television). He is considered one of the great classic horror film actors, alongside Béla Lugosi (as Dracula) and Lon Chaney Jr. (as a werewolf).

This collection embodies his many guest appearances and roles in various old time radio programs including Bergen & McCarthy, Creeps by Night, Duffy's Tavern, Inner Sanctum, Information Please, Jack Benny Program, Lights Out, Martin and Lewis, NBC University Theater, Suspense, Theater Guild on the Air and many others.