1945-1-21 Death is Just Around the Corner

Broadcast January 21st 1945 on Mutual at 5:30 p.m. EST sponsored by D.L. & W. Coal Company "Blue Coal" and syndicated for the summer by Goodrich Tires

This is a lost episode and no recreation of it has yet been made.

This episode was adapted and recorded for broadcast in Australia as "Out of This World" by Grace Gibson Productions. This episode has not been officially released by Grace Gibson Productions.

Written by: Alfred Bester

Announcer: Don Hancock

Cast: John Archer (Lamont Cranston/The Shadow) Judith Allen (Margot Lane) Ted De Corsia (Commissioner Weston) Mandell Kramer (Hackie and voice one) Bill Smith (voice two) Luis Van Rooten (Bland and man in crowd) Lesley Woods (central voice and the reporter)

Music: Elsie Thompson

Synopsis:

Lamont investigates a series of unsolved assassinations with the victims scarred with a strange symbol representing the planet Venus. The solution points to Mr. Bland, a resident of the same apartment complex as Lamont’s. Bland uses his scientific equipment to describe the physical identity of the invisible man. Further investigation reveals Bland is the general in a cult that supposedly maintains three million members — a secret society bent on destroying Earth by wiping out mankind through an invasion. Lamont, exchanging words with Commissioner Weston, adds the remark: “Are other world people so unbelievable? Do they have to look like giant lobsters or monster spiders the way they do in fantasy magazines? How do we know?” When Margot is kidnapped by Bland, Lamont asks the help of Commissioner Weston and Detective Cardona to locate her — at the deserted Venus Island Carnival where thousands of cult worshipers have gathered. The Shadow threatens to expose the so-called space aliens as nothing more than petty criminals, so Bland sets off a series of explosions that sends the carnival deep beneath the sea. Even though many of his followers perish, Bland manages to escape, as do Margot and Lamont. The police arrive and find themselves forced to shoot and kill the escaping Bland.

Listen to the Australian broadcast of Out of This World

Note:

The script for this episode was published in Sanctum Reprint #92 Murder House & Death in the Crystal

According to the Wikipedia page for The Shadow Episodes this episode is preserved. This may be referring to the Australian broadcast and not the original, to my knowledge the original is lost.