M Y S T E R Y I N T H E A I R ------------- --- ----- ----- 1947 First Show: Jul 03, 1947 Last Show: Sep 25, 1947 Number Shows: 13 Audition Show: none known Series Description: MYSTERY IN THE AIR was a Summer series consisting of 13 30-minute mystery / horror shows, replacing THE ABBOT AND COSTELLO SHOW. The series featured Peter Lorre as narrator and star and his considerable talents worked very well to make these shows good listening. Henry Morgan, who is better known as Harry Morgan in Dragnet and MASH on TV, was the announcer for the series. Other actors who appeared on the series were John Brown, Agnes Moorehead, Eric Snowden, Ben Wright, Peggy Webber, Lauren Tuttle, Joesph Kearns and Luis Van Rooten, to name a few. The shows were classic mystery and horror tales by known authors. A number of the stories were done previously in other radio series. "The Marvelous Barastro" aired on SUSPENSE, starring Orson Welles, on April 13, 1944. "The Lodger" was done in FORCAST, as a pilot for SUSPENSE, on July 22, 1940. "The Horla" was done on May 9, 1941 on INNER SANCTUM MYSTERIES. The shows were created in Hollywood, before a live audience. They were produced by Don Bernard and directed by Cal Kul. Mr. Bernard also directed THE LIFE OF RILEY, from its audition in 1943 until the 1950's, and produced and directed some ABBOT AND COSTELLO shows. Music was composed and conducted by Paul Baron. Opening announcer was Henry Morgan. The series was sponsored by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and ads for both Camel cigarettes and Prince Albert pipe tobacco can be heard in the shows. Unfortuntely, many of the shows in circulation have these commercials edited out. In New York, the series premiered on NBC's flag station, WNBC, 660 KHz, on Thursday, July 3 at 10:00 PM, according to the New York Times radio listings. It also aired in Washington, DC on WRC, 980 KHz, at 10 according to Washington Post listings. No listing were found in the Chicago Tribune or the Los Angeles Times, so it is not known if the series aired nationwide. The shows were well done. Fans of Peter Lorre in particular and mystery and horror in general will want at least a few for their collection. There was unrelated crime series that went by the same name that aired in 1945. It starred Jackson Beck but there are no surviving episodes. Log Comments: Of the 13 shows in the series, only the last eight appear to have survived. The titles for the missing shows are from the New York Times radio listings. Broadcast dates are from New York Times and Washington Post listings. Chronological Log: Date Num Title Author Avail ------------ --- --------------------------- ------------------- ----- Jul 03, 1947 1 "The Telltale Heart" Edgar Allen Poe Jul 10, 1947 2 "Leiningen versus the Ants" Carl Stephenson Jul 17, 1947 3 "Touch of Your Hand" not known Jul 24, 1947 4 "The Interruption" not known Jul 31, 1947 5 "Nobody Loves Me" not known Aug 07, 1947 6 "The Marvelous Barastro" Ben Hecht yes Aug 14, 1947 7 "The Lodger" Belloc Lowndes yes Aug 21, 1947 8 "The Horla" Guy de Maupassant yes Aug 28, 1947 9 "Beyond Good And Evil" Ben Hecht yes Sep 04, 1947 10 "The Mask Of Medusa" not known yes Sep 11, 1947 11 "The Queen Of Spades" Alexander Pushkin yes Sep 18, 1947 12 "The Black Cat" Edgar Allen Poe yes Sep 25, 1947 13 "Crime And Punishment" Fyodor Dortoyevsky yes References: * New York Times, Chicago Daily Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post radio listings, from J. Jones' Newspaper Radio Logs, http://www.jjonz.us/RadioLogs * GOLDINdex database, J. David Goldin, Box 542, Newtown, CT 06470 (http://www.radiogoldindex.com) * "The Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming and Guide To All Circulating Shows", by Jay Hickerson, 27436 Desert Rose Ct., Leesburg, FL 34748 * OTR club and vendor catalogs or web sites: * Edward J. Carr, 216 Shaner Street, Boyertown, PA 19512 * Crabapple Sound, Henry Hinkel, 254 Florida Ave., Amsterdam, NY 12010 * 'Hello Again, Radio', 10280 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042 * Jerry Haendiges Productions, Jerry Haendiges, 13808 Sunset Dr., Whittier, CA 90602 * Radio Showcase, Steve Kelez, PO Box 4357, Santa Rosa, CA 95402 * The Sci-Fi Guy, Gordon R. Payton, 118 E. Palmer Ave., Collingswood, NJ 08108 (no longer sells shows) * Radio Historical Association of Colorado, PO Box 1908, Englewood, CO 80150 * Vintage Broadcasts, Andy Blatt, PO Box 50065, Staten Island, NY 10305 Other Logs or Books: * MYSTERY IN THE AIR log, Jerry Haendiges Productions, 13808 Sunset Dr., Whittier, CA 90602 (http://www.otrsite.com) Reader Feedback: * Rich Carlson send numerous correction for the series. Last Update: Apr 14, 2008 This log is informational only. It does not imply that I or my references have these shows for trade or sale. The shows may still be protected under copyright law and should be obtained only from authorized dealers. The log may be freely reproduced and published on a no-profit basis. Please send error corrections or additional information to Frank M. Passage, 109 Elmwood Road, Verona, NJ 07044 (email: wb2ntp@arrl.net).