I just finished up my Navy term paper last night and now that I have a chance to breathe I thought I’d voice my excitement about the announcement that Radio Spirits recently unearthed [2] additional episodes of The Shadow that have never been released and will be offering them in an upcoming collection anthology.
But I’ll let The Scoop tell you the rest:
Radio Spirits announced the release of The Shadow: Knight of Darkness, a new audio CD collection of classic radio shows. Starring Orson Welles in the title role, the set features the iconic crime fighter, including the first release of two previously lost and newly discovered episodes. New episodes “The Old People and The Voice of the Trumpet” which was first aired in 1938 season of the long running radio series.
The Shadow began as a narrator of Street & Smith’s Detective Story Hour radio program, then became a star of his self-titled pulp fiction magazine and radio show. He captured the imagination of millions of readers and listeners, becoming a pop culture icon.
“We’re thrilled to be able to offer these newly found episodes of the Shadow,” Mark Tepper, General Manager of Radio Spirits said. “The series is one of the most popular and sought after classic ‘Old Time Radio’ shows, particularly the episodes starring Orson Welles. It has been many years since any lost recordings from the series have emerged. It truly is a rare and welcome event.”
The Shadow: Knight of Darkness features 18 digitally remastered episodes of the program on 9 CDs. Two “lost” Orson Welles episodes are included, along with entries on the set that feature Bill Johnstone and Bret Morrison, the other two actors best known for portraying The Shadow. The set also holds three unedited Johnstone episodes from the BF Goodrich sponsored run of the series that were previously unavailable in this format.
According to Radio Spirits, the episodes in this collection include:
CD 1 Hounds in the Hills – 2/20/1938 and The Creeper – 5/29/1938
CD 2 The Old People – 6/26/1938 and The Voice of the Trumpet – 7/3/1938
CD 3 Horror in Wax – 2/26/1939 and Sabotage in the Air – 3/5/1939
CD 4 Appointment with Death – 3/12/1939 and Can the Dead Talk? – 3/19/1939
CD 5 The Return of Carnation Charlie – 2/4/1940 and Death is an Art – 2/11/1940
CD 6 Carnival of Death – 11/10/1940 and Death to the Shadow – 3/12/1944
CD 7 Blood Money – 10/20/1946 and The Ruby of Karvahl – 10/19/1947
CD 8 Terrible Legend of Crownshield Castle – 12/28/1947 and Terror at Wolf’s Head Knoll – 2/15/1948
CD 9 The Man Who Was Death – 2/29/1948 and Stake Out – 3/14/1948
The collection might be a little pricey for some at ~ $35 dollars but I’ve gotten an awful lot of enjoyment out of the last collection I picked up and found it more than worth the price. That, and you can find it $10 cheaper at Amazon.com. You can’t lose.
“Ha, ha, Ha, ha…Ha ha ha Ha ha ha…Ha ha Ha ha ha ha…!”
Yipes! This is huge! I was beginning to think there were no more “lost” episodes to be found for any of my favorite shows…and now two more episodes of the Shadow?
I think I need to start a Christmas wish list NOW.
It is huge! I really would love this as a Christmas gift as well!
“Moooooooom…” ; )
I hope they eventually find some of the several hundred “lost” episodes of the Shadow from September 1949-December 1954. The only known surviving episode from this period is “The Vengeance of Angela Nolan” from June 27, 1954.
According to accounts, the Mutual Network began to pre-record the shows onto tape when it returned in the fall and that after each broadcast the tapes were erased for the following weeks’ show.
I believe deep in my heart that some of these 200+ shows may exist in some form or another (like the Armed Forces version, or perhaps airchecks lost in an engineering room of a radio station, or in the hands of someone who is waiting for the most opportune time to release these episodes to the world).