Inner Sanctum Mystery is a radio drama that originally aired on the Blue Network between January 7, 1941, and October 5, 1952. The majority of the original episodes are thought to be lost. However, Episode 10 entitled “The Patient Vanishes,” written for March 11, 1941 airdate, exists and was written by Frank R. Gould, who also wrote Episode 1 and Episode 7. Below is a list of episodes and the original airdates.[1][2]
A total of 527 episodes were produced, but a majority are presumed to be lost. Less than 200 are known to exist today. A number of the episodes that exist are edited versions that were rebroadcast on Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) as part of Mystery Playhouse hosted by Peter Lorre. These episodes edited out the commercials as well as the original introductions and postscripts by Raymond. They were replaced with an introduction by Peter Lorre.[3]
A Mrs Putnam calls the police and tells them she is being murdered. Police Detectives Jeff Hanson and Ed "Porky" Lamb trace the call to the Putnam house and pay them a visit only to find that Mrs Putnam supposedly died 2 hours before the phone call was made. Mrs Putnam's niece, Lois, and Doctor Halloway tell the police that Mrs Putnam died from a blood clot in her heart (coronary thrombosis). But a few things don't add up and Mrs Putnam's brother, Joel Adams (the gardener) and Williamson (the butler) all had reasons to kill her. Aired on NBC and sponsored by Carter's Little Liver Pills. Note: The episode "Death for Sale" from July 13, 1952 was mistakenly thought to be from this date.
2
2
"Nursery Rhyme Murders"
Lost
TBA
January 14, 1941 (1941-01-14)
3
3
"The Magic Curse"
Lost
TBA
January 21, 1941 (1941-01-21)
4
4
"The Vampire Strikes"
Lost
TBA
January 28, 1941 (1941-01-28)
5
5
"Murder in the Air"
Lost
TBA
February 4, 1941 (1941-02-04)
6
6
"Mystery of the Howling Dog"
Lost
TBA
February 11, 1941 (1941-02-11)
Note: This show is presumed lost. The show "The Amazing Death Of Mrs Putnam" from January 7, 1941 was mistakenly labeled "Mystery of the Howling Dog".
Starring Paul Lukas Note: This show has the same title as the August 1, 1943 episode.
19
19
"Imperfect Crime"
Lost
TBA
May 11, 1941 (1941-05-11)
Starring Boris Karloff
20
20
"Dead Freight"
Lost
TBA
May 18, 1941 (1941-05-18)
Starring Peggy Conklin, Myron McCormick Note: Episodes labelled "Dead Freight" actually turn out to be "Death Pays the Freight" starring Everett Sloane from either July 6, 1952 or October 5, 1952.[5]
21
21
"Death Is a Joker"
Lost
TBA
May 25, 1941 (1941-05-25)
Starring Paul Lukas Note: This show is presumed lost. This show has the same title as "Death Is a Joker" from June 10, 1944, but is performed by different voice actors and may be a modified story.[5][6]
An adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart. Simon is a former musician that went tone deaf. After spending six months with Doctor Adair, he now has exceptional hearing. He meets Oliver, another patient of the doctor, who was previously blind but now can see. Simon is filled with love having regained his hearing, but Oliver is still bitter from his previous blindness. Simon is very troubled to find out that Oliver wants to spread hate and misery when he kills a bird that Simon was trying to save. Simon decides that Oliver is a danger to society. Starring Boris Karloff (as Simon), Everett Sloane (as Dr. Adaire) and Santos Ortega. Written by Robert Newman. Aired on the Blue Network and sponsored by Carter's Little Liver Pills.
A ship, the Mary Kay, sailing the Caribbean, crashes on a reef off Skeleton Key and loses all hands except 5 men. One of the men is dying and accuses Captain Pike of murder. He puts a curse on the Captain and another man right before he dies. The remaining men find another ship and board it, hoping to be rescued, only to find it abandoned and filled with pirate treasure. One of the men says they're hallucinating the whole thing and that they're actually dead. Starring Paul Lukas, Arthur Vinton (as Captain Pike), Myron McCormick (as Tom) and Gilbert Mack (as Fred). Written by Robert Newman. Sponsored by Carter's Little Liver Pills.
33
33
"The Dark Squadron"
Lost
TBA
August 17, 1941 (1941-08-17)
Starring Paul Lukas
34
34
"The Wail of Death"
Lost
TBA
August 24, 1941 (1941-08-24)
35
35
"The Hands of Death"
Lost
TBA
August 31, 1941 (1941-08-31)
Starring George Coulouris Note: This show has the same title as the September 29, 1947 episode.
A man and a woman are on top of a mountain and find out the woman's father was killed by being sprayed with liquid air. They also find a prehistoric hunter from 100,000 years ago, frozen in the ice. As they are climbing down, a second man is trying to kill them by untying their rope. This causes an avalanche that kills the second man. Note: The version of this show that exists is a partial episode and only includes the last 5:24 minutes of the original 25:00 minute program.
37
37
"The Stallion of Death"
Exists
TBA
September 14, 1941 (1941-09-14)
Note: This episode exists in the Library of Congress.[4]
John and Muriele lose their way while driving in a storm on Haiti. They see an old man and try to get his attention by honking at him when their horn mysteriously stops working. The old man says he stopped the horn and gives them directions to their friend Alan's plantation. Muriele wonders if the old man was a witch doctor. Once at Alan's plantation, they are told stories about the local voodoo. When John wants to find out more, Pierre does some voodoo with some knuckle bones and predicts an unhappy future. Written by Robert Newman. Aired on the Blue Network and sponsored by Carter's Little Liver Pills. Note: This show begins with a 25 second news report about the attack on Pearl Harbor that happened earlier the same day of the broadcast, December 7, 1941.
50
50
"The Song of Doom"
Lost
TBA
December 14, 1941 (1941-12-14)
Note: This show has the same title as the January 22, 1944 episode.
Doctor Robert Rand, and his museum crew, visit Africa to catch a large gorilla named Ungagi. Doctor Rand and his wife Ruth bring Ungagi back to New York with them to go in a zoo. Ruth teaches Ungagi a trick on the way there, how to shake hands with a lady. Ungagi ends up taking Ruth's wedding ring, but learns to give it back. They deliver Ungagi to Professor Carver's museum. As time goes on, Ungagi seems to remember Dr. Rand from somewhere. We hear Ungagi's thoughts as he remembers a memory from another gorilla from 10,000 years ago. In Ungagi's thoughts, he hears the voice of the jungle speaking to him and telling him of a similar human to Dr, Rand and an awful experience from the past. Starring Anne Seymour, Myron McCormick and written by Milton Geiger. Aired on NBC and sponsored by Carter's Little Liver Pills.
Dan Kirsch lives in an apartment building on Bailey Street and has not been able to sleep for three nights because of cats howling in the alley. Mr. Kirsch grabs his bat to go out to silence the cats, but is confronted by Harold Higgins who and tells him to leave the cats alone. When Mr. Kirsch swings the bat to kill the cats, Mr. Higgins intervenes and kills him. The police investigate the murder and question Mrs. Kirsch, who doesn't know anything. The police decide to question all the tenants of the apartment building, starting with Mr. Higgins. They question Higgins for a bit, and when they're leaving, one of the cops steps on his cat's tail which infuriates Mr. Higgins. The police leave, but say they'll keep an eye on him. Starring Santos Ortega (as Harold Higgins) and written by Sigmund Miller Aired on the Blue Network and sponsored by Carter's Little Liver Pills.
Season 2: 1942
No
Ep
Title
Status
Listen
Original air date
53
1
"Appointment for Murder"
Lost
TBA
January 4, 1942 (1942-01-04)
54
2
"Scarlet Widow"
Exists
TBA
January 11, 1942 (1942-01-11)
Note: This episode exists in the Library of Congress.[4]
A tramp steamer is sailing through the fog off the Great Banks on the eastern seaboard. Mr. Ross and the Captain see a schooner come out of the fog off the port bow. They have to react fast to miss running into it. Joe Banning dives off the schooner and swims to the ship. He tells the Captain that everybody aboard was killed by a thing from the sea. Several of the crew take a small boat to the schooner and board her to investigate. They find the ship abandoned and return to their tramp steamer when they start getting nervous. Banning tells the Captain the story of how the water aboard turned to blood and how the crew started disappearing one by one. Starring Arthur Vinton (as Captain Big) and written by Robert Newman. Aired on the Blue Network and sponsored by Carter's Little Liver Pills.
Note: The original version of this story is thought to be lost. The only known version to exist is an Australian broadcast from 1952.[1][5][4]
77
25
"The Grey Wolf"
Lost
TBA
June 21, 1942 (1942-06-21)
Starring Boris Karloff
78
26
"Meeting in the Madhouse"
Lost
TBA
June 28, 1942 (1942-06-28)
79
27
"Terror Is a Double-Edged Sword"
Lost
TBA
July 5, 1942 (1942-07-05)
80
28
"Road to Death"
Lost
TBA
July 12, 1942 (1942-07-12)
81
29
"The Garden of Death"
Lost
TBA
July 19, 1942 (1942-07-19)
82
30
"Strange Cat"
Lost
TBA
July 26, 1942 (1942-07-26)
83
31
"Death Keeps a Date"
Lost
TBA
August 2, 1942 (1942-08-02)
84
32
"Death Has Four Faces"
Lost
TBA
August 9, 1942 (1942-08-09)
85
33
"Moon Murders"
Lost
TBA
August 16, 1942 (1942-08-16)
86
34
"Dead Man's Magic"
Lost
TBA
August 23, 1942 (1942-08-23)
Note: This show is presumed lost. The show "No Rest For The Dead" from August 24, 1952 was mistakenly labeled "Dead Man's Magic".[5]
87
35
"Visitor at Midnight"
Lost
TBA
August 30, 1942 (1942-08-30)
88
36
"Design for Dying"
Lost
TBA
September 6, 1942 (1942-09-06)
89
37
"Death's Four Faces"
Lost
TBA
September 13, 1942 (1942-09-13)
90
38
"The Dead Walk at Night"
Lost
TBA
September 20, 1942 (1942-09-20)
Note: This show has the same title as the September 28, 1952 episode. The show from 1942 is presumed lost, but the 1952 version with Donald Buka does exists. The 1942 version does not star Donald Buka.[5][4]
Charles Rupert is an actor and comedian, accused of murder, who is explaining his story to a jury. Charles had visited the apartment of his friend, Robert Langwell, to talk about Robert's upcoming marriage to Julie Winthrop. Charles tells Robert he shouldn't marry Julie and admits he is in love with Julie. Robert laughs at the idea of Charles being in love with Julie, which infuriates Charles to no end and causes him to kill his friend, Robert. Starring Peter Lorre (as Charles Rupert). Note: The version of this show that exists is a Mystery Playhouse (1944) re-broadcast for the Armed Forces Radio Service. The commercials and closing were edited out as well as most of the introduction.[3] These were replaced with an introduction by Peter Lorre. This show has the same title as "Death Is a Joker" from May 25, 1941, but is performed by different voice actors and may be a modified story.[6]
181
25
"The Mind Reader"
Lost
TBA
June 17, 1944 (1944-06-17)
Starring Peter Lorre (same show title as 1947-10-20 episode)
Starring Barbara Weeks, Larry Haines (same show title as 1950-09-11 episode)
511
25
"Ghost in the Garden"
Lost
TBA
June 18, 1951 (1951-06-18)
Starring Lesley Woods
Season 12: 1952
Many of the shows in season 12 reused previous stories. Some used exactly the same scripts while others used slightly modified scripts. Most of these were recorded using one or more different voice actors than were in the original stories. Because of these differences, they are not technically re-runs, though they are often referred to that way.[6][8]
^
Husch, Larry; Schroeder, Rianne; White, Dave (2010). "Inner Sanctum Mysteries, The". OTRRpedia. Old Time Radio Researchers. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
^ abc
Wright, Stewart (2005). "First Line Caveats". Old Time Radio Researchers Group. Old Time Radio Researchers. Retrieved March 27, 2012. When scripts were reused during prime-time broadcasting hours, it was Generally as a New Production and usually WAS NOT simply a re-airing of a previously transcribed show ...
^ abcd
Goldin, J. David (April 22, 2012). "Inner Sanctum". radioGOLDINdex database. J. David Goldin. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
Terrace, Vincent (1981). Radio's golden years: the encyclopedia of radio programs, 1930–1960, San Diego, CA: A.S. Barnes, ISBN978-0498023934
Lackmann, Ronald W. (2000). The Encyclopedia of American Radio: An A–Z Guide to Radio from Jack Benny to Howard Stern, New York: Facts On File, ISBN978-0816040773
