The Shadow

Sooner Shadow's Old Time Radio

Return With Us Now To Those Thrilling Days Of Yesteryear, When Radio Was King.

The readers of Walter Gibson's pulp novels knew The Shadow as a master investigator who operated under the cover of darkness as he commanded a small army of agents in his war against the underworld and white-collar criminals. Radio listeners knew him as Lamont Cranston, "wealthy young man about town who years ago in the Orient learned a strange and mysterious secret--the hypnotic power to cloud men's minds so they cannot see him." However, The Shadow first materialized not as a crimefighting sleuth but as the sinister host and narrator of mystery stories adapted from the pages of the world's first detective fiction magazine.

"Who Knows What Evil Lurks In The Hearts Of Men? The Shadow Knows!" ...

These famous words, and the sinister laugh that followed, have become part of Americana, forever embodying the special magic of radio drama and mystery. The adventures of The Shadow have thrilled millions for more than 70 years, demonstrating that "crime does not pay" on radio and movie screens, in pulp magazines, Big Little Books, comics and hardcover and paperback books.

The Shadow featured radio's foremost crimefighter and was the highest-rated daytime series for many years. A man of mystery who was "never seen, only heard," The Shadow was also the first multimedia sensation and helped propel the young Orson Welles into the national spotlight. The famous character was also portrayed on radio by James LaCurto, Frank Readick, Carl Kroenke, Bill Johnstone, John Archer, Steve Courtleigh and Bret Morrison.

Orson Welles as The Shadow

Click on Shadow's picture for downloads