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The Shadow - "The Comic Strip Killer" (Old Time Radio) · The Shadow | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: A series of poison killings begins to echo the exploits
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: of Hypo, the villain in a current newspaper comic strip.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: That is the case awaiting Lamont Cranston and Margot Lane
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: in The Shadow, the comic strip killer. Broadcast over Mutual
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: on November 23, 1947, Brett Morrison stars as Cranston and
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: The Shadow, with Grace Matthews as Margot Lane. As the
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: police seek an explanation, Margo follows leads in disguise, and
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: the trail leads toward cartoonist Jack Prescott.
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: This was episode.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Number 425, written by Herb Baumgartner, from The Shadow's Blue
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: Coal-Sponsored Years. Ladies and gentlemen, the lights are low, the
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: microphones are waiting, and now our story begins.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: The Shadow knows.
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: Once again, your neighborhood blue coal dealer brings you the
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: thrilling adventures of The Shadow. The hard and relentless fight
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: of one man against the forces of evil. These dramatizations
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: are designed to demonstrate forcefully to old and young alike
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: that crime does not pay. Friends, for several weeks we
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: have repeated to our listeners the forecast of government experts
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: that all home heating fuels will be scarce this winter.
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: If you heat with coal, you're lucky, because you can
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: store most of your winter's needs and be sure of
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: warmth and comfort throughout the year. So ask your blue
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: coal dealer to schedule your delivery as soon as he can.
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: Remember, too, that.
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: Correct size of coal for your furnace and a clean
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: coal furnace with automatic temperature control help you get more
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: heat from less coal. So tomorrow, call the nearest blue
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: coal dealer and ask him to schedule your deliveries so
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: that your bin is always well filled with blue coal.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: The Shadow The Shadow, who aids the forces of law
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: and order, is in reality Lamont Cranston, wealthy young man
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: about town. Years ago in the Orient, Cranston learned a
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: strange and mysterious secret, the hypnotic power to cloud men's
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: minds so they cannot see him. Cranston's friend and companion,
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: the lovely Margo Lane, is the only person who knows
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: to whom the voice of the invisible Shadow belongs. Today's drama,
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: The Comic Strip Killer. Two weeks ago, at a busy
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: midtown intersection, a well-dressed middle-aged man starts uncertainly across the
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: street against the red light.
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: Hey, mister, look out!
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: You're gonna get hit! Oh, he got it. Lucky the
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: driver just grazed him, though. Hey, mister, you all right?
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: Poor guy must have fainted at... Holy smokes, this guy's dead.
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: A week later, as the usual crowds pour down the
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: steps of the public library at closing hour, an elderly
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: woman starts down, then suddenly plunges forward headlong and comes
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: to rest in a twisted heap at the bottom step.
• 3:48
  Speaker 4: Too bad.
• 3:48
  Speaker 5: Her heel must have caught in the step.
• 3:49
  Speaker 4: Took a nasty fall. You all right, madam?
• 3:51
  Speaker 3: Madam.
• 3:52
  Speaker 4: Well, she's dead.
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: And just 24 hours ago in the police commissioner's office.
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: And this is the third one, Cranston. That body I
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: just showed you in the morgue was the third victim
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: in three weeks. Felt in the stands during Saturday's football game. One, two,
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: three cases. Just like that. Well, accidents do happen, Commissioner.
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: Sometimes three in a row.
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: But these were not accidents, Lamont.
• 4:17
  Speaker 4: What?
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: No, Margo. Those people didn't die from being hit by
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: taxis or tripping on the stairs or falling from football stands.
• 4:22
  Speaker 3: No?
• 4:22
  Speaker 4: Then how?
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: They were poisoned.
• 4:23
  Speaker 4: Poisoned?
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: When the poison took hold, they collapsed. And it just
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: appeared they were killed accidentally. Are you positive, Commissioner?
• 4:28
  Speaker 3: Of course I'm positive, Cranston.
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: Just got the medical examiner's report on the third autopsy.
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: And all three died from the same type of poison.
• 4:34
  Speaker 4: Would they all three have been suicides, Commissioner?
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: I hardly think so, Margo. People don't usually take poison
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: and then wander around the streets or go shopping. Were
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: there any marks on the bodies, any indication of how
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: the poison was taken? Well, that's the really baffling part
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: of it. There were no marks at all, none. The
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: medical examiner's going out of his mind, along with me.
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: I see what you mean. If this killer isn't picked
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: up in a hurry, you'll have a lot of jittery
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: citizens on your hands. You're telling me. All three murders
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: took place in busy public places. It's obvious the killer
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: likes to circulate best in a crowd where he can
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: get lost fast. You haven't done any theories, have you, Cranston? Well,
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: I might have, but I think that would sound a
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: little ridiculous right now. Later, maybe. Well, come on, Margo.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: You and I have a little research to do.
• 5:15
  Speaker 4: This is our day to be mysterious, Commissioner.
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: Play along with it, Margo. Even a Cranston theory.
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: Is better than none.
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: I'll telephone you just as soon as something new turns up.
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: And let's hope it's not another victim.
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: Good luck, Commissioner.
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: Thanks, Lamont. I can show you some.
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: See you later, Margo.
• 5:28
  Speaker 4: Goodbye, Commissioner. Well, Lamont?
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: Do you like morgues, Margo?
• 5:36
  Speaker 4: Oh, they give me the creeps. Why?
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: How about newspaper morgues?
• 5:40
  Speaker 4: Oh, well, they're different. What would we be going to
• 5:43
  Speaker 4: a newspaper morgue for?
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: Well, we might be going to read up on old
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: comic strips, Margo.
• 5:47
  Speaker 4: Lamont, be serious.
• 5:49
  Speaker 3: I am.
• 5:50
  Speaker 5: Well, this doesn't have something to do with that theory
• 5:53
  Speaker 5: you said you couldn't tell Commissioner Weston about.
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
• 5:56
  Speaker 4: No wonder you thought it was too ridiculous to mention
• 5:59
  Speaker 4: to the commissioner.
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: It might not be as ridiculous as you.
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: Think, Margo.
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: Depends a lot on which comic strip you read. I'll
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: fill this needle and send the next victim on a
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: one-way trip to never, never land. For heaven's sake.
• 6:25
  Speaker 4: Lamont, what are you mumbling about?
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: Oh, sorry, darling.
• 6:28
  Speaker 5: You've been pouring over those old comic strips for the
• 6:30
  Speaker 5: last 15 minutes. Don't you think it's about time you
• 6:33
  Speaker 5: told me why this sudden interest in the funny papers?
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: I've been arranging these comic strips so they fall in
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: sequence for the past month. Here, look here.
• 6:41
  Speaker 4: Hmm. It's Jack Prescott's detective story strip.
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: Yes, featuring his latest weird character, this time an elusive
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: and deadly gentleman known as Hypo.
• 6:51
  Speaker 4: Listen to this caption.
• 6:53
  Speaker 5: Hypo, a new type of killer who's traded the old-fashioned
• 6:57
  Speaker 5: automatic for the modern hypodermic needle.
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: Ooh, horrible. Horrible and fascinating to two million readers of
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: four million on Sunday.
• 7:06
  Speaker 4: It looks like an emaciated version of Boris Karloff. Tall, thin...
• 7:12
  Speaker 4: Dress is all in gray, so it should be difficult
• 7:14
  Speaker 4: to identify. Go on, darling. Let's see. He eliminates his
• 7:20
  Speaker 4: victims with a hypodermic needle filled with a new, fast-working cordon.
• 7:27
  Speaker 4: Always attacks in crowded areas.
• 7:30
  Speaker 5: Come on, you don't think there's some connection between those
• 7:32
  Speaker 5: three mysterious murders and this comic strip character?
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: I think there might be, Margo. Of course, we still
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: don't know how the killer actually committed the murders, but
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: we do know the victims died of poison and that
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: they were attacked in crowded areas.
• 7:43
  Speaker 4: Yes, that's true.
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: Some crazy killer might have been inspired by this idea,
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: or some homicidal maniac has really taken these comic strips
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: to heart.
• 7:51
  Speaker 5: How awful. The man who draws this character, this Jack Prescott,
• 7:55
  Speaker 5: must be practically a psychopathic case himself.
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: I understand Prescott's a very mild, home-loving man. He's one
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: of the best-liked cartoonists in the business.
• 8:01
  Speaker 4: Do you know him at all?
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: Well, well enough to bluff my way through a social call.
• 8:05
  Speaker 4: Would you think he'd be able to tell you if
• 8:07
  Speaker 4: there's any basis for this theory of yours?
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: Yes, he might, Margo.
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: He has a studio around Park Place. Why don't we.
• 8:14
  Speaker 5: Go over and see? I'm afraid this Jack Prescott's not
• 8:26
  Speaker 5: going to like this idea of yours very much, darling.
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: He's a reasonable man, Margo. I think he'll admit there
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: might be a connection between his comic strip and these
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: mysterious murders. Here we are.
• 8:40
  Speaker 4: I feel sort of frightened. Isn't that ridiculous?
• 8:43
  Speaker 3: Not at all.
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: After all, you're about to visit the birthplace of some
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: of America's most notorious villains. Cyanide Susie, Wasp Waste, Gimlet Eyes.
• 8:54
  Speaker 3: Well?
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: Oh, hello, Harry.
• 8:55
  Speaker 3: I'm... Mr. Prescott can't be disturbed. He's very busy right now.
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: I phoned Mr. Prescott today, and he invited me to
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: drop in, Harry.
• 9:02
  Speaker 3: What's the name, please?
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: Lamont Cranston and Margo Lane.
• 9:06
  Speaker 3: Very well. Wait right here.
• 9:09
  Speaker 4: Am I getting ideas, or did he look something like Hypo?
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: That's Harry Borden, Prescott's handyman. The story goes he serves
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: as everything from Prescott's butler to chauffeur. He's supposed to
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: have modeled for Hypo.
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: He isn't exactly the kind of person I'd have around
• 9:21
  Speaker 4: for a man Friday.
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: Mr. Prescott will see you. Don't stay too long. He's
• 9:27
  Speaker 3: trying to make a deadline for the syndicate.
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: Thank you, Harry. Come in, Margo. This is very upsetting, Mr. Cranston,
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: this theory of yours. I know it sounds fantastic, Mr. Prescott. Well,
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: all I can say is that this gives me a
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: new reason for wanting to get out of the Crancomics
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: and switch to something lighter.
• 9:49
  Speaker 4: But, Mr. Prescott, you've made such a great success in
• 9:52
  Speaker 4: this field.
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: Oh, thanks, Miss Lane, but I'm beginning to find it
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: a little depressing dreaming up monsters and ogres. A little exhausting, too.
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: Exhausting?
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: It may sound funny, but it's real work, dreaming up
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: a bigger and better villain every month or so. I
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: spend 12 hours a day, six days a week at it.
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: Comics are a serious business, eh? How did you conceive
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: the character of Hypo, Mr.
• 10:14
  Speaker 3: Prescott?
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: Well, Dr. Murray Schumacher, he's a biochemist. first gave him
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: the idea, Mr.
• 10:20
  Speaker 3: Cranston.
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: He's an expert on poisons of all kinds.
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: Dr. Murray Schumacher.
• 10:23
  Speaker 6: Yes.
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: He gave me a lot of valuable technical material, although
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: I didn't tell him at the time I intended to
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: use it in the strip. I've been doing a little
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: research on my own, too.
• 10:32
  Speaker 3: I see.
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: Do you know where Dr. Schumacher's living now?
• 10:36
  Speaker 3: Yes.
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: I believe his laboratory is just outside of town on
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: the Hillcrest Road, I believe, yes. He hates publicity, however.
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: He'd be very upset if he became involved in a
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: sensational story like this. I'm afraid personal feelings are going
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: to have to go by the boards in this case, Mr.
• 10:49
  Speaker 3: Prescott.
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: As long as this killer's on the loose, none of.
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: Us are safe.
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: Yes, of course, of course. I feel terribly that my
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: work might be connected with these murders, Mr.
• 10:57
  Speaker 3: Cranston.
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: If you or the police want any more information, please
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: call on me. We will, Mr.
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: Prescott.
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: Thanks very much for your help. You coming, Margo?
• 11:04
  Speaker 4: Oh, yes, of course.
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: Keep in touch with me, won't you, Mr. Cranston? I'll
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: be anxious to know of any developments.
• 11:08
  Speaker 3: Be glad to.
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: Bye, Miss Preston.
• 11:10
  Speaker 4: Goodbye.
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: So long.
• 11:13
  Speaker 4: Poor man. He's really worried about this thing, Margo.
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: Yes, he seems to be.
• 11:16
  Speaker 4: He looks so tired.
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: This way, please.
• 11:18
  Speaker 4: Oh, he scared me.
• 11:20
  Speaker 3: I'll show you to the door.
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: I don't think that'll be necessary, Harry.
• 11:24
  Speaker 3: I can see it right there. I don't know what
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: your business is, Mr. Cranston. But if it has something
• 11:31
  Speaker 3: to do with those murders... I suggest you go to
• 11:34
  Speaker 3: the police.
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: How did you know we were talking about the murders, Harry? I.
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: I know everything that goes on in this house. I see.
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: Remember what I said, Mr. Cranston. If you get any
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: more ideas, don't bring them here. Understand? Yes, Harry. I
• 11:57
  Speaker 3: think I understand. Come on, Arnold.
• 12:10
  Speaker 4: Mons? Darling, you haven't said a word for ten minutes.
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: Oh, I'm sorry, Margot. I was just thinking about our
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: talk with Jack Prescott. Also the fact it might be
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: worth checking the Harry Borden's record.
• 12:25
  Speaker 4: Good idea. Where are we going now, Dr.
• 12:28
  Speaker 3: Schumacher?
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: No, Margot, not until I've had a chance to check
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: on an idea that just occurred to me.
• 12:33
  Speaker 4: That sounds very much as if you're going to drop
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: me off at home.
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: I am, darling. I'll call you in the morning after
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: I've done a little scientific research of my own. Hello.
• 13:00
  Speaker 3: Cranston. Commissioner Weston.
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: Sorry to wake you up at this hour, Cranston. No,
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: you didn't wake me, Commissioner. I was doing some work.
• 13:06
  Speaker 3: Why, what's up? Another murder, just like the others. Huh?
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: Guy collapsed in front of the Globe Building, reading the newsflashes.
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: They rushed him to the hospital.
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: Another victim?
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: Yeah. Only this time it's somebody with a name. What name, Commissioner?
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: The cartoonist, Jack Prescott. We'll return to the shadow in
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: just a moment. Your neighborhood blue coal dealer would like
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: to do this. He'd like to send you a TempMaster
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: automatic heat regulator for your furnace with a tag attached.
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: The tag would say, this TempMaster is yours. You are
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: paying for it. Here it is. Yes, that's exactly what's happening.
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: If you heat with coal and do not have a TempMaster,
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: you are paying for all the comfort and convenience of
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: automatic temperature control without getting it. You see, fuel studies
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: prove that a hand-controlled furnace fire can help running away
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: with itself at times and overheating your house. When that happens,
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: you're losing plenty of heat up the chimney. You're wasting
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: a lot of fuel. You may be wasting enough to
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: pay for a blue coal temp master in a single
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: heating season. So, if you don't have a temp master now,
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: you're missing the carefree heating comfort that you're paying for anyhow.
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: Call the nearest blue coal dealer tomorrow and ask him
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: to demonstrate the blue coal temp master, the modern electrical
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: servant that pays for itself. See how it operates. See
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: how furnace controls are operated from a thermostat in your
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: living room... automatically opened and closed as needed while you
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: take it easy. Remember, you're paying for a temp master anyhow,
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: so why not get the comfort, ease, and more helpful
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: heat you're entitled to? Call your blue coal dealer tomorrow. Now,
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: back to the shadow. Jack Prescott. creator of the comic
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: strip villain Hypo, is the fourth victim to fall as
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: a mysterious killer continues to elude the police. Cranston, Margo,
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: and Commissioner Weston are at the hospital bedside as a
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: doctor examines the semi-delirious Prescott. It's all my fault, I
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: tell you, all my fault. I've created a monster with
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: my own pen. He's spreading death in the streets.
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: Oh, there now, Mr. Prescott. Take it easy.
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: I'll never draw Hypo again, never.
• 15:27
  Speaker 3: Try and rest, Mr. Prescott. No, no, never.
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: You step over here, please.
• 15:30
  Speaker 3: Yes, sir.
• 15:31
  Speaker 4: What a shame.
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: Seems terribly upset. He's taking it hard. You think it's
• 15:35
  Speaker 3: mostly mental, Doctor? Oh, we should be able to send
• 15:37
  Speaker 3: him home today.
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: Any idea what kind of a drug it is, Doctor?
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: I can't say, Commissioner, but whenever it is, he didn't
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: absorb enough of it to make serious trouble. Probably squirmed
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: away before the killer could inflict a full dose.
• 15:48
  Speaker 3: But how the killer injected the stuff is another question.
• 15:51
  Speaker 3: I can't find a mark on the patient. That's been
• 15:54
  Speaker 3: puzzling us. We'll let you know if we learn anything new, Commissioner.
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: Thank you, Doctor. Well, if you'll excuse us, Margo and
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: I will walk out with you, Commissioner.
• 16:01
  Speaker 4: Goodbye, Doctor.
• 16:01
  Speaker 3: Goodbye, Doctor.
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: What about Pete?
• 16:05
  Speaker 3: Who was that hypo character Prescott was babbling about?
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: Jack Prescott's latest comic strip villain. He's supposed to get
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: big money for rubbing out his victims with a hypodermic needle.
• 16:14
  Speaker 5: Lamont thinks the murderer may have gotten the idea from
• 16:16
  Speaker 5: this comic strip character.
• 16:18
  Speaker 3: Cranston, you're not serious.
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: As you said, a Cranston theory is better than none.
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: These murders did have something to do with this hypo character.
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: He explained the fact that there are no marks of
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: a hypodermic needle on any of the victims. That's a
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: part of the theory I'm still working on, Commissioner.
• 16:35
  Speaker 3: Let's see.
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: Well, this is where I leave you. And if you
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: don't mind, I'll stick to the book in this case.
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: You can keep the funny papers, Cranston.
• 16:44
  Speaker 4: Good night, Commissioner.
• 16:47
  Speaker 3: Come on, Margo. We've got things to do.
• 16:48
  Speaker 4: What's the sudden rush, Doc?
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: I want to get over to Dr. Schumacher's place right away.
• 16:51
  Speaker 5: Dr.
• 16:51
  Speaker 3: Schumacher?
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: Yes, Margo. You're going to pay him a personal visit.
• 17:02
  Speaker 4: Now, just a second, darling. Let me get this straight.
• 17:05
  Speaker 4: I'm to interview Dr. Schumacher as a newspaper reporter. Is
• 17:09
  Speaker 4: that right?
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: That's right. Get him to talk to you, Margo. Find
• 17:11
  Speaker 2: out all you can.
• 17:12
  Speaker 4: Well, suppose he doesn't want to talk to the press.
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: Well, an interview may flatter his ego.
• 17:16
  Speaker 5: What Jack Prescott said about him, I'm not exactly looking
• 17:19
  Speaker 5: forward to finding myself alone with this Dr.
• 17:21
  Speaker 4: Schumacher.
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: You won't be alone, Margo. The shadow will be there, too.
• 17:33
  Speaker 4: Yes?
• 17:33
  Speaker 3: Dr.
• 17:36
  Speaker 5: Schumacher? Yes?
• 17:46
  Speaker 4: My name is Mary Morrison. I'm a reporter from the Globe.
• 17:49
  Speaker 5: I'm doing a story on the recent series of poison murders,
• 17:52
  Speaker 5: and I thought you might be able to give me.
• 17:54
  Speaker 4: Some new angles on toxicology.
• 17:56
  Speaker 5: No. But I merely wanted an authoritative viewpoint, and Jack Prescott,
• 18:01
  Speaker 5: the cartoonist.
• 18:02
  Speaker 4: Prescott.
• 18:04
  Speaker 3: You've been talking to Jack Prescott?
• 18:06
  Speaker 4: Well, yes.
• 18:07
  Speaker 5: He mentioned you as a source of his material.
• 18:10
  Speaker 3: Come in.
• 18:11
  Speaker 4: Well, I just... Come in.
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: I don't usually give interviews about my work. I can't
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: let it scatterbrain propaganda. Prescott gives to the newspapers, can't notice.
• 18:25
  Speaker 4: You think Mr.
• 18:25
  Speaker 5: Prescott's comic strip constitutes a menace to society, Dr.
• 18:29
  Speaker 4: Schumacher?
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: Prescott is an opportunist who will take a scientific topic
• 18:33
  Speaker 2: and squeeze it for every drop of its commercial value.
• 18:36
  Speaker 3: I see.
• 18:39
  Speaker 4: How did you happen to become a specialist in toxicology, doctor?
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: Poison can be one of the most Interesting as well
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: as beautiful things in the world.
• 18:48
  Speaker 3: My dear.
• 18:49
  Speaker 4: Beautiful, did you say, Dr. Schumacher?
• 18:52
  Speaker 3: Yes. Poison kills the undesirable.
• 18:56
  Speaker 4: What?
• 18:57
  Speaker 3: Yes, like weeds, insects, animals, people.
• 19:03
  Speaker 2: When undesirables are eliminated, there remains only beauty.
• 19:10
  Speaker 3: I see.
• 19:10
  Speaker 2: Dr.
• 19:11
  Speaker 5: Schumacher, the real purpose of my interview is.
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: I have a collection of notes entitled Timetable for Death,
• 19:18
  Speaker 2: telling to the fraction of a second how long it
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: takes for certain poisons to take effect.
• 19:23
  Speaker 3: I'll get it for you. Let's see.
• 19:25
  Speaker 4: Shadow.
• 19:26
  Speaker 2: I hear you, Margo.
• 19:28
  Speaker 4: I'm scared. He sounds absolutely mad.
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: Hold on for a few more minutes. There's something I've
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: still got to find out. Don't worry, Margo. The Shadow
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: is watching every move. Now you will see how accurately
• 19:37
  Speaker 2: death can be calculated. I'm fond of that title. Timetable
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: for Death. It's like looking at the schedule of trains.
• 19:47
  Speaker 2: Slow ones and fast ones. But all of these trips
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: are one-way journeys. You see, there is no round trip.
• 20:02
  Speaker 5: You have a laboratory too, I suppose, doctor?
• 20:04
  Speaker 6: Yes.
• 20:05
  Speaker 3: Would you like to see the latest specimen from my laboratory?
• 20:10
  Speaker 3: Of course. Will you see what happened to this creature?
• 20:13
  Speaker 3: It's a result of poison. You will have something worth
• 20:16
  Speaker 3: writing about. I'll get it for you.
• 20:17
  Speaker 4: Oh, Dr. Schumacher, please.
• 20:19
  Speaker 2: Disgusting.
• 20:22
  Speaker 3: Yes, never mind.
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: I'd almost forgotten about it. The flannel stairs will be
• 20:28
  Speaker 2: wheezing for the rest of the day. Excuse me a minute.
• 20:31
  Speaker 4: I'll get someone who can get it for us.
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: All right, Michael, get out, fast.
• 20:36
  Speaker 4: Shadow, I haven't found him.
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: Never mind that now, Margo.
• 20:37
  Speaker 3: Just get out of here. Hurry.
• 20:48
  Speaker 4: But, Lamont, I don't get it.
• 20:50
  Speaker 6: Dr.
• 20:50
  Speaker 5: Schumacher's just about to tell us something important, and suddenly
• 20:53
  Speaker 5: the shadow decides to call it off.
• 20:55
  Speaker 4: Why?
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: I realize you're talking to Dr. Schumacher as a waste
• 20:57
  Speaker 2: of time. It'd be a far more important thing to
• 20:59
  Speaker 2: do right away.
• 21:00
  Speaker 4: You get more puzzling by the minute.
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: I'll explain everything later, darling. Right now, we're going to
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: Prescott's studio. There's something I've got to find, and this time,
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: we've got to work fast. Now, this passkey will get
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: you in the front door here. I'm going in through
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: another entrance. When you get into Prescott's studio, your job
• 21:23
  Speaker 2: will be to delay intruders, whoever they may be.
• 21:25
  Speaker 4: Well, don't take too long, Lamont. This decoy business is
• 21:28
  Speaker 4: beginning to wear on my nerves.
• 21:29
  Speaker 3: I won't. Good luck, darling.
• 21:37
  Speaker 5: Looks like I have the place all to myself, all right.
• 21:42
  Speaker 5: What in the world can Lamont have on his mind?
• 21:46
  Speaker 5: Whatever it is, I hope it doesn't take too long
• 21:48
  Speaker 5: finding it. I didn't like this studio before, and I
• 21:51
  Speaker 5: don't like it now.
• 21:52
  Speaker 4: Oh, the door.
• 21:55
  Speaker 3: There. Isn't the inquisitive Miss Lane? Where's Mr. Cranston tonight?
• 22:01
  Speaker 4: Oh, hello, Harry. Well, I came here alone on business.
• 22:07
  Speaker 3: What kind of business?
• 22:08
  Speaker 4: Well, I'm a newspaper reporter. That's it. I... I thought
• 22:12
  Speaker 4: maybe I could do a story on Mr. Prescott.
• 22:14
  Speaker 3: Perhaps we're not interested in publicity.
• 22:18
  Speaker 4: Harry, we should sit down.
• 22:20
  Speaker 3: I'll sit down as soon as you leave. Well, are
• 22:25
  Speaker 3: you going or do I have to throw you out?
• 22:29
  Speaker 4: I can't leave right now, Harry.
• 22:31
  Speaker 3: No? Why not?
• 22:32
  Speaker 4: I have to wait until the police arrive.
• 22:35
  Speaker 3: Police? What are they coming here for?
• 22:37
  Speaker 4: They're coming here to investigate... After all, an attack was
• 22:40
  Speaker 4: made on Mr. Prescott's life, and the murderer still hasn't
• 22:43
  Speaker 4: been found.
• 22:43
  Speaker 2: And he won't be either.
• 22:44
  Speaker 4: What did you say?
• 22:45
  Speaker 3: I mean, he won't be unless they get a new angle.
• 22:48
  Speaker 3: This hypotheory is ridiculous.
• 22:51
  Speaker 4: Is it? What makes you so sure?
• 22:54
  Speaker 3: I know.
• 22:56
  Speaker 4: How do you know?
• 22:56
  Speaker 3: I just know, that's all.
• 22:59
  Speaker 5: It couldn't be that because you modeled for the character
• 23:02
  Speaker 5: of Hypo, you began to think and act like him.
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: No.
• 23:06
  Speaker 4: And that finally you had to see if you could
• 23:08
  Speaker 4: kill like him and get away with it.
• 23:10
  Speaker 5: You got away with it three times, so you tried
• 23:12
  Speaker 5: the supreme test.
• 23:13
  Speaker 2: You're crazy.
• 23:14
  Speaker 4: You tried to murder the creator of the very character
• 23:16
  Speaker 4: you were impersonating. You tried to kill Mr. Prescott, didn't you?
• 23:20
  Speaker 2: You tried to kill him. All right.
• 23:21
  Speaker 3: I did try to kill him, and I'm sorry I
• 23:27
  Speaker 3: didn't succeed.
• 23:29
  Speaker 2: But you're not going to be able to tell anybody
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: about it.
• 23:33
  Speaker 4: Now, wait a second, Harry.
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: I told you to get out.
• 23:39
  Speaker 3: Now you're going out where nobody will find you.
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: Very interesting.
• 23:45
  Speaker 5: Mr.
• 23:46
  Speaker 4: Prescott.
• 23:48
  Speaker 2: I didn't hear you come in, sir. You seem to
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: be confused, my boy. You're not talking to Mr.
• 23:54
  Speaker 3: Prescott. You're talking to Hypo. Listen to me, Mr. Prescott.
• 23:58
  Speaker 2: Notice how I move around the room swiftly, noiselessly, like
• 24:01
  Speaker 2: death itself. It might interest you to know that I'm
• 24:05
  Speaker 2: receiving $ 5, 000 in advance to have you, shall we.
• 24:09
  Speaker 3: Say, erased.
• 24:10
  Speaker 4: Mr. Prescott, please.
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: Oh, the young lady.
• 24:14
  Speaker 3: An unscheduled job. This is going to cost them extra.
• 24:18
  Speaker 3: A double feature is tricky business. Sir. Put down that instrument.
• 24:22
  Speaker 3: Listen to me for a minute.
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: One minute, I always... And one thing I always pride
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: myself on is neatness, Harry.
• 24:29
  Speaker 3: No guns, no knives.
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: That's why Hyper was the highest paid killer in the
• 24:32
  Speaker 2: murder racket.
• 24:32
  Speaker 3: Mr. Prescott, look at me. It's me, Harry Borden.
• 24:35
  Speaker 2: We're going to handle the whole thing with efficiency and distraction.
• 24:38
  Speaker 3: Mr.
• 24:39
  Speaker 4: Prescott, please.
• 24:40
  Speaker 2: Forgive me, young lady.
• 24:40
  Speaker 3: I'll take the gentleman first.
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: No. Quite painless and very swift. You'll hardly feel it
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: when I inject the poison.
• 24:46
  Speaker 4: No. Killed?
• 24:53
  Speaker 3: Yes.
• 24:55
  Speaker 2: Now you, young lady.
• 24:56
  Speaker 3: No!
• 24:57
  Speaker 2: Quickly, we... What?
• 24:59
  Speaker 3: What happened?
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: Someone's holding my arm. Who's holding me?
• 25:04
  Speaker 4: Who are you?
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: This is the Shadow.
• 25:07
  Speaker 3: Shadow?
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: Another killer as elusive as the Great Hypo. The Shadow
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: is no killer, Prescott. I'm here to keep people like
• 25:13
  Speaker 2: you from killing. You'll never stop me. I'm the greatest
• 25:16
  Speaker 2: of them all. A modern murderer who injects death with
• 25:18
  Speaker 2: a hypodermic needle. It's merely a horrible distortion of your mind, Prescott.
• 25:22
  Speaker 2: I'm not Prescott. I'm Hypo, the great killer. You've killed, yes,
• 25:26
  Speaker 2: but you're not a killer. And murdering character is only
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: a creation of your overwrought imagination and exhausted brain. I'm Hypo,
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: the great killer. You're an artist whose facile mind has
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: played a terrible trick. Hypo, the great killer. And you'll
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: pay for your crimes. Not by death, but in an institution.
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: I'm Hypo, the great killer.
• 25:41
  Speaker 3: Hypo, the great killer.
• 25:52
  Speaker 2: Well, that's the whole story, Commissioner. The peak of mental exhaustion,
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: Prescott's mind snapped, and he reverted to the character of
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: his own creation. Real schizophrenic. Good personality, huh?
• 26:03
  Speaker 4: What about Harry Borden, Commissioner? Is he going to be
• 26:06
  Speaker 4: all right?
• 26:06
  Speaker 3: The doctor said he'd pull through okay. He's gotten a
• 26:09
  Speaker 3: load of the same stuff Prescott got.
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: Yes, he did. You see, Harry found out the truth
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: about Prescott in a loyal effort to shield his boss
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: from suspicion, made what looked like an attempt on Prescott's life.
• 26:20
  Speaker 5: So Harry was the one who attacked Prescott?
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: Yes. Actually, the stuff Harry shot into Prescott must have
• 26:25
  Speaker 2: been a watered-down toxin or a powerful sedative. It's the
• 26:28
  Speaker 2: same stuff that was left in the syringe when Prescott
• 26:30
  Speaker 2: went wild and tried to kill Harry.
• 26:32
  Speaker 4: Oh, I see. I still don't understand how you discovered
• 26:35
  Speaker 4: it was Prescott, Lamont.
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: Well, Dr. Schumacher was out. He could hardly have been
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: a swift, elusive killer with a bad case of asthma.
• 26:41
  Speaker 4: Oh, of course.
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: And I remember that Prescott said he was doing research
• 26:45
  Speaker 2: on his own. So I went looking for a private laboratory.
• 26:49
  Speaker 3: And when you found it, you found the knockout drop? Yes.
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: A good deal more, too. I found the key to
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: the whole case. One of the mysterious murder weapons.
• 26:59
  Speaker 3: Look.
• 27:00
  Speaker 4: It looks like a small flashlight.
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: It's called a hypospray. It works on the basis of
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: a high-pressure air gun. You hold it against the skin,
• 27:08
  Speaker 2: and it blasts fluid painlessly through the pores. The patient
• 27:11
  Speaker 2: doesn't even feel the injection. So that's why the victims
• 27:14
  Speaker 2: didn't know they'd been poisoned. And why do we know
• 27:17
  Speaker 2: needle marks on their bodies?
• 27:18
  Speaker 4: A hypo spray. Well, it must be something new.
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: It's so new, Margo, that the first real publicity about
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: it's in this week's Life magazine.
• 27:26
  Speaker 3: Well, they're gone.
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: Well, Creston, I guess I'll have to take back what
• 27:30
  Speaker 2: I said about your comic strip theory. That's all right, Weston. Colonel,
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: I hope this doesn't set a new trend in crime deduction.
• 27:36
  Speaker 2: I've trouble enough getting through all the police stories on
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: the front page without having to comb the comic.
• 27:40
  Speaker 4: Strips every day.
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: And now let me present Blue Coal's Distinguished Heating Authority,
• 28:04
  Speaker 2: John Barclay.
• 28:05
  Speaker 6: Thank you, Andre Bruch, and good evening, friends. As the
• 28:08
  Speaker 6: old saying goes, well begun is half done. If you
• 28:12
  Speaker 6: emphasize fuel saving in your home now, you'll start fuel saving.
• 28:17
  Speaker 2: Habits that will last all winter.
• 28:19
  Speaker 6: Tell your family to always close.
• 28:21
  Speaker 2: Off rooms that are not used.
• 28:23
  Speaker 6: Ask the children to be sure to close doors behind
• 28:26
  Speaker 6: them when they come in or out of the house. And,
• 28:28
  Speaker 6: of course, now is the time to install a TempMaster
• 28:32
  Speaker 6: automatic heat regulator on your furnace. A blue coal TempMaster
• 28:36
  Speaker 6: is not only the last word in heating convenience, but
• 28:39
  Speaker 6: over the course of the winter, it can easily save
• 28:42
  Speaker 6: as much as 20% of your fuel.
• 28:45
  Speaker 3: Remember, blue coal dealers.
• 28:46
  Speaker 6: Can install a TempMaster easily and quickly, without the necessity
• 28:50
  Speaker 6: of shutting down your furnace. I thank you.
• 29:09
  Speaker 2: This story is copyrighted by Sweet and Smith Publications, Incorporated.
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: The characters' names, places, and plot are fictitious. Any similarity
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Again next week,
• 29:22
  Speaker 2: the shadow will demonstrate that the weed.
• 29:24
  Speaker 3: Of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay.
• 29:31
  Speaker 2: The Shadow knows. Next week, same time, same station, your
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: friendly Blue Coal dealer brings you another strange and thrilling
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: adventure in The Shadow's daring battle against the forces of evil.
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: The Shadow is presented by the D.L.
• 29:54
  Speaker 4: & W.
• 29:54
  Speaker 2: Coal Company, distributors of Blue Coal. Lamont Cranston is played
• 29:59
  Speaker 2: by Brett Morrison. Margot by Grace Matthews. Your announcer is
• 30:03
  Speaker 2: Andre Barouche. Remember, it's blue coal for finest heating service.
• 30:08
  Speaker 2: It's blue coal for finest modern equipment. It's blue coal
• 30:12
  Speaker 2: for the best home heat money can buy.
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: And so concludes The Shadow's The Comic Strip Killer. Follow
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: The Shadow for more classic broadcasts.