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The Shadow - "Death by Imagination Partial 1ST Half" (Old Time Radio) · The Shadow | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: At a mental institution, frightened patients speak of a phantom
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: cat as mysterious deaths are reported. On January 26, 1947,
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: the Mutual Broadcasting System brought listeners episode 394 of The Shadow,
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Death by Imagination. Brett Morrison is Lamont Cranston, known as
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: The Shadow, and Grace Matthews is Margot Lane. In William
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Morwood's script, Cranston and Margo follow reports surrounding the institution,
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: where the patient's fear is part of what confronts the investigators.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Blue Coal sponsored this mutual presentation, part of the program's
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: 1947 season with Morrison and Matthews, The script was number
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: 283 in the Street and Smith radio script holdings. And now,
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: The Shadow, Death by Imagination. We now take you back
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: to the original broadcast.
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: We'll return to The Shadow in just a minute.
• 1:17
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• 1:20
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• 1:23
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• 1:27
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• 1:29
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• 1:34
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• 1:42
  Speaker 3: Now we have even healthful warmth.
• 1:44
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• 1:45
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• 1:49
  Speaker 3: burning much less fuel.
• 1:50
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• 1:51
  Speaker 2: And remember this.
• 1:52
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• 1:56
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• 1:58
  Speaker 3: costs to have one installed. Get a blue coal TempMaster
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: with the exclusive blue coal feature, the electric eye thermostat.
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: The flashing light of the electric eye tells you the
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: exact position of furnace dampers at all times. The Tiffmaster,
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: unconditionally guaranteed for five.
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: Years, is exclusive with blue coal dealers. Call the nearest
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: blue coal.
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: Dealer and arrange for a demonstration tomorrow. You'll find him
• 2:24
  Speaker 3: listed in the classified phone book under the word blue coal.
• 2:29
  Speaker 4: And now, back to The Shadow.
• 2:33
  Speaker 5: The Shadow.
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: Involved in a mysterious murder in a mental institution, Margot
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: and Lamont have only an hour ago discovered the body
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: of Douglas, the second patient to meet strange and sudden death.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: Together, they have left Dr.
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: Stoner's sanitarium and are now driving through the moonlit countryside.
• 3:06
  Speaker 5: Well, I don't understand it, Lamont. First you announce dramatically
• 3:09
  Speaker 5: that the case is only just beginning, and then we
• 3:12
  Speaker 5: neatly say goodbye.
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: Leading the doctor to gloat over Douglas' supposed suicide. I
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: suppose you're right, Margo. I haven't a shred of evidence
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: that I could swear that so-called doctor forced him to
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: do it.
• 3:22
  Speaker 4: Made him write that note, too.
• 3:23
  Speaker 5: Well, then I really don't understand why we left for
• 3:25
  Speaker 5: San Antonio.
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: Only to give the stoner and his nurse a chance
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: to relax.
• 3:30
  Speaker 4: We catch them off guard when we get back.
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I see.
• 3:33
  Speaker 4: Right now.
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: We're driving around in a circle for the last hour,
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: and now.
• 3:37
  Speaker 4: We're back to this daughter.
• 3:39
  Speaker 5: The peritoneum, Dick.
• 3:41
  Speaker 4: Now, out you get, darling.
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: Go the rest of the way on foot.
• 3:43
  Speaker 4: A little surprise with him.
• 3:46
  Speaker 5: He's got to be surprised, that doctor.
• 3:48
  Speaker 4: He's the thought of everything. There's at least one loose
• 3:51
  Speaker 4: end around. What's that?
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: Evelyn.
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: She's told us all.
• 3:55
  Speaker 4: She knows.
• 3:55
  Speaker 5: She said to herself.
• 3:56
  Speaker 4: She may remember more. But the shadows. Now I lay
• 4:03
  Speaker 4: me down to sleep.
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: I pray the Lord not to look at me.
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: But... But... The door opened. All by itself.
• 4:37
  Speaker 5: The cat.
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: The cat.
• 4:39
  Speaker 4: No, Evelyn. There's no cat here.
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: Then who are you?
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: The shadow.
• 4:47
  Speaker 4: Your friend.
• 4:49
  Speaker 5: But how could a shadow talk to me? They're just
• 4:57
  Speaker 5: playing tricks the way the doctor does.
• 4:58
  Speaker 4: Listen to me, Evelyn. This is very serious.
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: Old Mr.
• 5:01
  Speaker 4: Burton was a good friend of yours, wasn't he?
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: Yes.
• 5:04
  Speaker 4: And Douglas, too? They've both been murdered, Evelyn. Can you
• 5:09
  Speaker 4: guess who did it? Of course.
• 5:13
  Speaker 5: I've known all along. The cat.
• 5:16
  Speaker 4: Tell me more about this cat, Evelyn. Are you sure
• 5:19
  Speaker 4: it really exists?
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: But it must.
• 5:22
  Speaker 5: To the kill, Mr.
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: Burton and Mr.
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: Douglas. Describe it to me.
• 5:26
  Speaker 5: Oh, it's big, Shadow. It eats raw meat. They have
• 5:30
  Speaker 5: to use a whip on it. Its paws are very sharp.
• 5:34
  Speaker 5: And when it snarls at me.
• 5:35
  Speaker 3: I scream and scream.
• 5:36
  Speaker 4: When does this cat snarl at you?
• 5:38
  Speaker 5: Every time the doctor ties me up in the cellar.
• 5:42
  Speaker 5: He wants the cat to kill me with him.
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: To tear me to pieces.
• 5:45
  Speaker 4: This cat is in the cellar, Evelyn?
• 5:47
  Speaker 5: Yes, Shadow. But don't go down there.
• 5:50
  Speaker 4: I like you.
• 5:51
  Speaker 5: I don't want you to die. I don't want you
• 5:53
  Speaker 5: to be torn to pieces. Oh, Shadow, where are you?
• 5:56
  Speaker 4: Where are you? Oh, shut that, Laura. I can't help it, Frank.
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: Put yourself together.
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: We'll get away with it this time just as we
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: did with... But, Frank.
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: Frank was here when Douglas died and he left thoroughly baffled.
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: He hasn't got a thing on us.
• 6:26
  Speaker 5: Are you sure, Frank?
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: You're completely in the.
• 6:29
  Speaker 4: Clear, Laura. You're wonderful. It's better, Laura. I like you
• 6:39
  Speaker 4: and your smile.
• 6:43
  Speaker 5: Oh, I wish we could get away from here.
• 6:44
  Speaker 3: I wish we could.
• 6:47
  Speaker 4: What's the matter, Laura?
• 6:49
  Speaker 5: Out the window, look. There's someone out there.
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: Cranston and Elaine, dear.
• 6:54
  Speaker 5: And they're going toward the cellar door.
• 6:56
  Speaker 4: They must have talked to Evelyn. She must have told
• 6:58
  Speaker 4: them about the cat.
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: Come on, Laura. Where? Down to the cellar where the
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: house is. We have a little surprise to prepare for Mr. Cranston.
• 7:08
  Speaker 4: It's so dark down here in the sun in the morning.
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: I can't see anything. It should be light with you
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: if we can just find it.
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: Now, turn on the light.
• 7:28
  Speaker 4: Oh, Mr.
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: Cranston.
• 7:30
  Speaker 5: Oh, what a place.
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: Full of cobwebs and rocks. More than that down here.
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: I couldn't believe Evelyn's story.
• 7:37
  Speaker 5: You mean the giant cat you're talking about?
• 7:40
  Speaker 4: She must have been exaggerated. Again, she might not.
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: It was against that war model.
• 7:49
  Speaker 4: No.
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: Evelyn said the doctor tied her up down here periodically
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: in the dark.
• 7:53
  Speaker 5: Tied her up?
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: To get her out of her mind. He kept telling
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: her that a cat would jump out and claw her
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: to pieces while she was strung up.
• 7:59
  Speaker 4: How horrible.
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: Yes. Look at that over there where I'm.
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: Shining my light, Margo.
• 8:04
  Speaker 5: A large pan with raw meat in it. And a whip. Lamont,
• 8:11
  Speaker 5: you don't think Evelyn's story of the giant cat is true.
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: I'm beginning to believe it is. Then the cat's down
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: here with us in the basement.
• 8:18
  Speaker 5: It might be hiding in a dark corner. Any one
• 8:20
  Speaker 5: of these corners.
• 8:21
  Speaker 4: Easy, darling.
• 8:22
  Speaker 5: Let's get out of here, Lamont. Let's get out of
• 8:23
  Speaker 5: this dark, horrible cellar.
• 8:24
  Speaker 4: Darling, darling.
• 8:29
  Speaker 5: The whole idea of this mental issue is just.
• 8:36
  Speaker 4: Oh, listen.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, no. Something behind the door to that cold one
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: over there.
• 8:41
  Speaker 5: Let's get out of here.
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: Stay here and hold this flashlight, Margo. I'll go over
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: and open the door. No, please. Margo, we've got to
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: find out what's down here.
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  Speaker 4: Of course.
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: There's a flashlight on the door.
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  Speaker 4: All right.
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: Here it goes.
• 8:56
  Speaker 3: There it is.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: What?
• 8:58
  Speaker 3: What?
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: There. There, that ought to hold them both for a
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: little while.
• 9:04
  Speaker 5: What do we do now?
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: Leave them here and get up as fast as we can.
• 9:07
  Speaker 5: They'll come to in a little while, shouldn't we?
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: Kill them, you mean? Oh, don't be a fool, Laura.
• 9:13
  Speaker 4: Nobody has anything on us for disposing of.
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: The patients, but if we murder these two now, we
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: might hang them.
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: All right, then.
• 9:20
  Speaker 4: What do we do? We take the cat upstairs and
• 9:24
  Speaker 4: then get Evelyn.
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: You mean the cat and Evelyn?
• 9:29
  Speaker 4: That's exactly what I mean.
• 9:31
  Speaker 3: Before they come true, we've got to destroy our last witness.
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: Come in.
• 9:47
  Speaker 4: Here, Evelyn.
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  Speaker 5: No, doctor, please.
• 9:50
  Speaker 4: I said come in here.
• 9:52
  Speaker 3: No.
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  Speaker 4: Evelyn, I haven't time to fool with you.
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: I said come into this room.
• 9:57
  Speaker 5: No, doctor, please.
• 10:01
  Speaker 4: Why did you tell Mr. Cranston the cat was in
• 10:04
  Speaker 4: the palace?
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  Speaker 3: But I didn't, I didn't.
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: Don't lie to me. You were responsible for what happened
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: to Mr. Cranston and Miss Lane. You must pay for it.
• 10:11
  Speaker 5: But what did happen to them?
• 10:12
  Speaker 4: Both of them dead, Evelyn.
• 10:14
  Speaker 5: Clawed to pieces by the wildcat.
• 10:16
  Speaker 4: Yes, Evelyn. And the wild cat's still hungry. It's up here.
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: Now, waiting for you. I don't believe it.
• 10:29
  Speaker 4: A wild cat's behind that closet door, Evelyn.
• 10:32
  Speaker 5: And when we let it out, it'll call you to death.
• 10:34
  Speaker 4: All right, Evelyn, down into this.
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: Here in front of the closet. Laura, get the trap. Yes,
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: I've got them.
• 10:41
  Speaker 3: There.
• 10:42
  Speaker 5: Now the feet don't trap me down, please.
• 10:43
  Speaker 4: Now, Evelyn, you can have one.
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: Now I'm going to count three slowly. I'm going to
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: swing open the closet door.
• 10:53
  Speaker 3: One. Two.
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: Three. What's holding my arm?
• 11:00
  Speaker 4: Who is it? The shadow, Dr. Stoner. Get away from
• 11:06
  Speaker 4: that closet, Doctor.
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: Get away.
• 11:08
  Speaker 4: Your torture of helpless people has come to an end, Dr. Stoner.
• 11:11
  Speaker 4: What do you mean? The law has a place for you.
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: You too will know the terrors of the mind when
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: you sit in the electric chair. And first, I'm going
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: to prove to your patients that her fears are only imaginary.
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: What are you talking about?
• 11:23
  Speaker 4: Your plan to frighten Evelyn to death was clumsy, Doctor.
• 11:25
  Speaker 4: Very clumsy. When I open the closet door, Evelyn, you'll see.
• 11:31
  Speaker 5: We do our best, Doctor.
• 11:32
  Speaker 4: It won't hurt you, Evelyn. Will you open that door? Yes, Evelyn.
• 11:40
  Speaker 3: But not the wild beast you were led to believe
• 11:42
  Speaker 3: it was, only a starved and frightened alien. Like everything
• 11:46
  Speaker 3: else in this wicked institution, Evelyn, a cat was merely
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: a device, calculated to cause death by imagination. The End.
• 12:09
  Speaker 5: And now let.
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: Me present Blue Coal's Distinguished Heating Authority, John Barclay.
• 12:16
  Speaker 4: Thank you, Don Hancock, and good evening, Fred.
• 12:19
  Speaker 3: Perhaps I can emphasize the easy way to run a
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: furnace if I point out today.
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: The things you should not do. Here is a list
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: of the most important zones.
• 12:29
  Speaker 4: Don't burn trash in the furnace.
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: That's a sure way to get a dirty furnace, clinkers,
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: and poor heat. Don't operate the furnace with a firebox
• 12:39
  Speaker 3: only partly filled. A thin fire wastes fuel because the
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: fire burns up too quickly. A deep fire bed actually
• 12:48
  Speaker 3: conserves fuel, so keep your fire at all times at
• 12:52
  Speaker 3: least level with the bottom of the cooling door. Don't
• 12:56
  Speaker 3: shake great roughly. You'll find that gentle shaking actually conserves fuel.
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: So stop shaking when you see the first faint red
• 13:05
  Speaker 3: glow in the ash pit.
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: Follow these simple.
• 13:09
  Speaker 4: Good firing rules and you'll.
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: Get more satisfaction.
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: And what's more important, more heat from the coal you burn.
• 13:18
  Speaker 4: I thank you.
• 13:20
  Speaker 3: Thank you. This story is copyrighted by Street & Smith Publications, Incorporated.
• 13:40
  Speaker 3: The characters, names, places, and plot are fictitious. Any similarity
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Again next week,
• 13:49
  Speaker 3: the shadow will demonstrate that the weed.
• 13:52
  Speaker 4: Of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay. The shadow.
• 14:03
  Speaker 5: Knows.
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: Next week, same time, same station, your friendly blue coal
• 14:17
  Speaker 3: dealer brings you another strange and thrilling adventure in the
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: shadow's bearing battle against the forces of evil. This is
• 14:24
  Speaker 3: Don Hancock saying keep the home fires burning with blue coal.
• 14:28
  Speaker 3: The Shadow is presented by the D, L, and W
• 14:31
  Speaker 3: Coal Company, distributors of blue coal.
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: With The Shadow, Death by Imagination, we leave the mutual
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: airwaves of 1947. Good night, and thank you for listening.