Cole's spooky show was hosted by Old Nancy, the Witch of Salem, who introduced a different terror tale each week. The role of Old Nancy was created by stage actress Adelaide Fitz-Allen, who died in 1935 at the age of 79. Cole replaced her with 13-year-old Miriam Wolfe, and Martha Wentworth was also heard as Old Nancy on occasion. Cole himself provided the sounds of Old Nancy's cat, Satan. Cole's wife, Marie O'Flynn, portrayed the lead female characters on the program, and the supporting cast included Mark Smith and Alan Devitte.
For syndication, the shows were recorded live during broadcast and distributed to other stations. These recordings were destroyed by Cole in 1961, so few episodes survive. Cole was also the writer, producer, and director of the radio mystery-crime drama, Casey, Crime Photographer.
In November 1936, Alonzo Deen Cole edited The Witch's Tales magazine with the lead story by Cole. It ran for only two issues.
The show's narrator, Old Nancy, inspired other radio narrators of the time, such as Raymond of Inner Sanctum. She is also credited with inspiring the creation of the Old Witch by EC Comics, a publisher famous for its horror comics, such as Tales From the Crypt.
Because the original recordings were destroyed by Cole in 1961, only a small number of episodes have survived. However, some episodes can be found available on platforms like Audible and on vintage radio collections like Relic Radio and Spotify.
