The Hermit's Cave

The Hermit's Cave was a long-running, syndicated old-time radio horror anthology series that began in 1937 and continued into the mid-1940s. The show was sponsored by Olga Coal and featured creepy tales narrated by the titular Hermit, who famously introduced his stories with the cackle "Ghost stories! Weird stories. And murders, too! The Hermit knows of them all!". The series was originally broadcast from WJR in Detroit, with recordings later broadcast on WBBM in Chicago and KMPC in Los Angeles.

In 1942, WJR's broadcasts of the show were recorded and broadcast a week later on WBBM in Chicago, Illinois. By 1943, transcriptions of the WJR version of the program were also being broadcast in eight additional cities. KMPC AM in Los Angeles, California, broadcast it from 1940 to 1944, with William Conrad as producer. Over 800 episodes were produced[citation needed] but fewer than 40 are currently available. Show sponsors included the Carter Coal Company which advertised its home-heating coal product, Olga Coal, and the Simoniz Company which promoted its various automotive care products like Simoniz Cleaner. 

The Hermit's Cave was narrated by the character, the Hermit, with a majority of episodes beginning with the following dialogue: "Ghost stories! Weird stories. And murders, too! The Hermit knows of them all! Turn out your lights. Turn them out, and listen while the Hermit tells you ..." 

Throughout the years, the voice of the Hermit was provided by various actors beginning with John Kent and later by Charles Penman, Toby Grimmer, Klock Ryder, Mel Johnson, and John Dehner. In January 1950, The Hermit's Cave returned to WJR.

The Hermit's Cave is a notable example of the "best heard in the dark" radio horror shows, with many episodes now available for listening on platforms like Audible and Spotify.