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Mystery / Crime drama · CBS / NBC / Mutual

The Shadow

January 5, 1932 – December 26, 1954 · 749 broadcasts

"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" -- and for nearly a quarter-century that icy laugh opened one of radio's most beloved crime dramas. Born in 1930 as the faceless narrator of pulp publisher Street & Smith's Detective Story Hour, The Shadow grew into a series of his own: wealthy Lamont Cranston, who learned in the Orient the hypnotic power to cloud men's minds and pass unseen, wages a private war on murderers, madmen and racketeers -- aided by his companion Margot Lane, the only soul who knows his secret. A 22-year-old Orson Welles gave Cranston his voice at the 1937 Mutual relaunch; Bill Johnstone and then Bret Morrison carried the role through the 1940s and into 1954, with Agnes Moorehead and later Gertrude Warner as Margot. Part mystery, part supernatural-tinged pulp thriller, each half-hour is a self-contained descent into shadow -- Sunday evenings on Mutual, sponsored for years by Blue Coal.

Collection status: 200 of 749 held (27% complete)
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Episode Spine

Grouped by year. Jump to the full list below, or open a season on its own page.

1932

January 5, 1932 The Dynamite Moll
January 12, 1932 Wee Willie's Ghost
January 19, 1932 Turn of the Tide
January 26, 1932 Friday the 13th
February 2, 1932
October 5, 1932
October 12, 1932
October 19, 1932
October 26, 1932
November 3, 1932
November 10, 1932
November 17, 1932
November 24, 1932
December 1, 1932
December 8, 1932
December 15, 1932
December 22, 1932

1933

January 4, 1933
January 11, 1933
January 18, 1933
January 25, 1933
February 1, 1933
February 8, 1933
February 15, 1933
February 22, 1933
March 1, 1933
March 8, 1933
March 15, 1933
March 22, 1933
March 29, 1933
April 5, 1933
April 12, 1933
April 19, 1933
April 26, 1933

1934

October 1, 1934
October 3, 1934
October 8, 1934
October 10, 1934
October 15, 1934
October 17, 1934
October 22, 1934
October 24, 1934
October 29, 1934
October 31, 1934
November 5, 1934
November 7, 1934
November 12, 1934
November 14, 1934
November 19, 1934
November 21, 1934
November 26, 1934
November 28, 1934
December 3, 1934
December 5, 1934
December 10, 1934
December 12, 1934
December 17, 1934
December 19, 1934
December 24, 1934
December 26, 1934
December 31, 1934

1935

January 2, 1935
January 7, 1935
January 9, 1935
January 14, 1935
January 16, 1935
January 21, 1935
January 23, 1935
January 28, 1935
January 30, 1935
February 4, 1935
February 6, 1935
February 11, 1935
February 13, 1935
February 18, 1935
February 20, 1935
February 25, 1935
February 27, 1935
March 4, 1935
March 6, 1935
March 11, 1935
March 13, 1935
March 18, 1935
March 20, 1935
March 25, 1935
March 27, 1935

1937

September 26, 1937 Death House Rescue Listen (MP3)
A jobless man is framed for a policeman's murder and condemned to the chair; only The Shadow can find the overlooked clue that proves his innocence.
October 3, 1937 The Red Macaw
A society seance is really a cover for jewel theft -- and the police blame The Shadow for the very crime he is trying to stop.
October 10, 1937 Danger in the Dark
October 17, 1937 Murder by the Dead Listen (MP3)
A hanged convict's threat against the judge and prosecutor who sent him to the gallows begins coming true, one killing at a time.
October 24, 1937 The Temple Bells of Neban Listen (MP3)
A woman from Cranston's past resurfaces, schooled in the same Indian mysteries that taught him to cloud men's minds.
October 31, 1937 The Three Ghosts Listen (MP3)
A new bride is being driven toward madness in her husband's grim manor, and the terror conceals a scheme against her will.
November 5, 1937 Death Rides the Subway
November 14, 1937 Terror Island
The Shadow pits his invisibility against the voodoo sorcery of King Malo on an island of terror.
November 21, 1937 The Ruby of Modoc
A honeymooning bride drowns under the curse of a blood-red ruby, drawing The Shadow and Margot to a sinister island.
November 28, 1937 Circle of Death Listen (MP3)
December 5, 1937 The House of Greed
Two heirs must keep up their late father's charity or forfeit the fortune -- and someone means to see them fail, fatally.
December 12, 1937 The Death Triangle Listen (MP3)
A doctor still scarred by his years in the Devil's Island penal colony turns to The Shadow for help.
December 19, 1937 Cold Death
December 26, 1937 The Voice of Death Listen (MP3)
A fake spiritualist is hired to torment a wealthy widow into insanity -- and out of her fortune.

1938

January 2, 1938 Goddess of Death
A wave of suicides among the rich is blamed on a cursed temple idol; then the professor investigating it turns up dead.
January 9, 1938 The League of Terror Listen (MP3)
The Shadow moves against a counterfeiting ring terrorizing a struggling neighborhood.
January 16, 1938 Sabotage Listen (MP3)
The Shadow hunts a spy ring wrecking shipyards and sinking submarines.
January 23, 1938 The Society of the Living Dead Listen (MP3)
A ruthless businessman locks his partner in a burial vault, demanding a false confession before he kills him.
January 30, 1938 The Poison Death Listen (MP3)
Someone poisoning the municipal water blames The Shadow by name, forcing the real one to expose the fraud.
February 6, 1938 The Phantom Voice Listen (MP3)
Bribery charges are engineered to destroy a senator, and The Shadow works to expose the frame.
February 13, 1938 The House of Horror Listen (MP3)
A guardian commits his young ward to an asylum, scheming to seize her inheritance.
February 20, 1938 Hounds in the Hills Listen (MP3)
A deranged old woman and her hunchback son hold four boys captive, while criminals share their sinister mansion hideout.
February 27, 1938 The Plot Murder Listen (MP3)
A hypnotist seizes control of an experimental flying torpedo and aims it at the War Department.
March 6, 1938 The Bride of Death Listen (MP3)
In a remote fishing village, a human-sacrifice cult has taken root in a wealthy widow's home.
March 13, 1938 The Silent Avenger Listen (MP3)
A condemned man goads his brother into avenging him on everyone who sent him to the chair.
March 20, 1938 The White Legion Listen (MP3)
A brazen gang striking in broad daylight abducts one man, and the trail leads The Shadow into their ranks.
March 27, 1938 Hypnotized Audience Listen (MP3)
To spare his brother the electric chair, an Indian mystic seizes the Governor as a hostage.
April 3, 1938 Death from the Deep Listen (MP3)
April 10, 1938 Firebug Listen (MP3)
The Shadow races to rescue Margot Lane from a gang of pyromaniacs.
April 17, 1938 The Blind Beggar Dies Listen (MP3)
When a sightless street singer is slain, The Shadow targets a ring that preys on the city's beggars.
April 24, 1938 Power of the Mind Listen (MP3)
A kidnapped psychiatrist, held aboard a foreign freighter, summons The Shadow by telepathy.
May 1, 1938 White God Listen (MP3)
An island expedition sets out to explain a dozen disappearances in a stretch of ocean sailors call the Pacific graveyard.
May 8, 1938 Aboard the Steamship Amazon Listen (MP3)
Smuggled munitions turn a luxury liner into a floating powder keg when the conspirators decide to sink her.
May 15, 1938 Murders in Wax Listen (MP3)
A killer engineers his revenge from prison, arranging his victims among a wax museum's figures.
May 22, 1938 Message from the Hills Listen (MP3)
May 29, 1938 The Creeper Listen (MP3)
A phantom thief eludes every guard and leaves no ransom note -- until one of Margot's friends becomes a victim.
June 5, 1938 Tenor with a Broken Voice Listen (MP3)
A star tenor loses his voice mid-opera, and each performance since has ended in a fatal 'accident'.
June 12, 1938 Murder on Approval Listen (MP3)
Enemy agents test a plague meant to wipe out the U.S. Army, and The Shadow must stop it before it spreads.
June 19, 1938 The Tomb of Terror Listen (MP3)
A death ray disguised as a mummy's curse strikes down all who enter a museum's Egyptian exhibit.
June 26, 1938 The Old People
Vanished airliners lead The Shadow to an Amazon madman whose serum ages its victims into decrepitude.
July 3, 1938 Voice of the Trumpet
A spiritualist who claims to read minds is secretly feeding two agents the War Department's secrets.
July 10, 1938 He Died at Twelve
A hanged man appears to live on, picking off the jurors who condemned him.
July 17, 1938 Reincarnation of Michael
A millionaire who fancies himself a 12th-century duke lures Cranston and Margot into a mad scheme at his castle.
July 24, 1938 The Mark of the Bat
A guardian breeds giant vampire bats to murder his ward before she can claim her inheritance.
July 31, 1938 Revenge on the Shadow
A crime boss and a Hindu mesmerist plot to turn a hypnotized Margot into The Shadow's assassin.
August 7, 1938 The Mine Hunters
A spy ring lays mines near the Panama Canal, and The Shadow moves to stop them.
August 14, 1938 The Hospital Murders
In Cairo, Cranston investigates why patients keep vanishing from the city's general hospital.
August 21, 1938 The Caverns of Death Listen (MP3)
A cave-tour disaster hides a secret ruby mine deep beneath the earth.
August 28, 1938 Death Under the Chapel Listen (MP3)
A disgraced professor plans to detonate a bomb at his old school's graduation.
September 4, 1938 The Black Buddha
A shopkeeper will kill anyone to reclaim a far-eastern statue sold by mistake.
September 11, 1938 The Witch Drums of Salem
A 1692 witch-burning curse reaches down the generations to claim a reverend's son.
September 18, 1938 Professor X
A murdered scientist's disintegration machine is stolen, and Cranston must recover it before it is used.
September 25, 1938 Traffic in Death Listen (MP3)
Sanitarium patients are turning up drained of blood, and the doctor who summoned Cranston is murdered on arrival.
October 2, 1938 The Black Abbot
October 9, 1938 Death Stalks the Shadow Listen (MP3)
A lawyer's manipulated young client faces the chair for a murder the attorney himself arranged.
October 16, 1938 Night Without End Listen (MP3)
A blackmailer plunges the city into darkness with a stolen fog machine, threatening poison gas unless he is paid millions.
October 23, 1938 Gun Island Listen (MP3)
Shipwreck-faking pirates lure a rescue vessel and seize it -- with Cranston aboard.
October 30, 1938 The Isle of Fear Listen (MP3)
In Haiti, a voodoo cult abducts a child, and Margot must pose as a priestess to win the boy back.
November 6, 1938 Shyster Payoff Listen (MP3)
A crooked lawyer wins his clients' freedom only to press them into a chain of robberies.
November 13, 1938 Black Rock Listen (MP3)
The Shadow tracks an embezzler and his gang to their hideout on a remote island off Nova Scotia.
November 20, 1938 Death Is Blind Listen (MP3)
A lab accident blinds a doctor's assistant, and the doctor's revenge sets a deadly chain in motion.
November 27, 1938 Fountain of Death
A madman murders the scientist who perfected a serum for restoring youth.
December 4, 1938 Murder in E Flat Listen (MP3)
A deranged composer threatens the city with a 'symphony of silence' whose loud notes trigger hidden bombs.
December 11, 1938 Murder by Rescue
An uncle hypnotizes his heir with a recording, turning an imagined rescue into real murder.
December 18, 1938 Guest of Death Listen (MP3)
A prison tour goes wrong when a deranged guard straps a visitor into the electric chair.
December 25, 1938 Give Us This Day
A Dickensian miser skims an orphanage's funds until The Shadow pays a Christmas call.

1939

January 1, 1939 The Man Who Murdered Time Listen (MP3)
A dying scientist's time machine lets him relive one day over and over, to keep killing the cousin who wronged him.
January 8, 1939 Island of the Devil Listen (MP3)
Twenty years of prison have left a wronged man craving revenge, but the one who could free him is murdered first.
January 15, 1939 Ghosts Can Kill Listen (MP3)
An executed convict vows revenge from beyond the grave, and the killings begin.
January 22, 1939 Valley of the Living Dead Listen (MP3)
The Shadow flies to a hidden valley where the villagers move like zombies under a madman's rule.
January 29, 1939 Prelude to Terror Listen (MP3)
Explosive light bulbs hidden across the city are a mobster's tool for holding it hostage in darkness.
February 5, 1939 The Ghost of Captain Bayloe
A dead sea captain's curse is blamed for a rash of shipwrecks until Cranston investigates.
February 12, 1939 Hypnotic Death Listen (MP3)
The sinister Dr. Dharma hypnotizes victims into suicide for the insurance -- and Cranston is next.
February 19, 1939 Friend of Darkness Listen (MP3)
A blind man with uncanny touch is forced to crack safes for robbers who threaten his guide dog.
February 26, 1939 Horror in Wax Listen (MP3)
A woman is reported murdered, yet the only trace of her is a wax statue.
March 5, 1939 Sabotage by Air
A shortwave message tips Cranston and Margot to a spy's plot to steal a new warplane.
March 12, 1939 Appointment with Death Listen (MP3)
A freed convict hunts the man who put him away -- The Shadow himself.
March 19, 1939 Can the Dead Talk? Listen (MP3)
Cranston fakes his own death so The Shadow can go undercover against a villain who has learned his secret.
September 17, 1939 Conversation with Death
Buried alive while sunk in a hypnotic, death-like trance, a man has only The Shadow to save him.
September 24, 1939 Dead Men Talk Listen (MP3)
A racketeer's supposed death draws Cranston to a suspicious funeral home.
October 1, 1939 The Night Marauders
A zookeeper trains a gorilla to pull off a string of high-rise robberies.
October 8, 1939 The Diamond Murders
Visiting pitchers are being electrocuted on the mound, and The Shadow talks the commissioner into restaging a killing.
October 15, 1939 Village of Doom
October 22, 1939 House of Fun Listen (MP3)
October 29, 1939 Phantom Fingerprints Listen (MP3)
A medical examiner is murdered in the commissioner's own office, marked by the prints of a knife-thrower executed years before.
November 5, 1939 Mansion of Madness Listen (MP3)
November 12, 1939 The Inventor of Death Listen (MP3)
November 19, 1939 The Shadow Returns
A phony doctor smuggles 'blood-red rubies' past customs -- hidden inside infected crewmen.
November 26, 1939 The Sandhog Murders Listen (MP3)
December 3, 1939 Death Shows the Way Listen (MP3)
December 10, 1939 The Flight of the Vulture Listen (MP3)
December 17, 1939 Murder Incorporated Listen (MP3)
December 24, 1939 The Stockings Were Hung Listen (MP3)
December 31, 1939 The Cat That Killed Listen (MP3)
A monstrous cat has slain three watchmen, so The Shadow takes the next man's post himself.

1940

January 7, 1940 Murder in the Death House Listen (MP3)
Margot's crusade against crooked politics collides with an execution where the executioner is the real target.
January 14, 1940 Suicide Resort
January 21, 1940 The Precipice Called Death Listen (MP3)
A hypnotized giant strangles on command, and one of Cranston's friends is next on the list.
January 28, 1940 Murder Host
February 4, 1940 The Return of Carnation Charlie Listen (MP3)
February 11, 1940 Death Is an Art
February 18, 1940 Coinage of Death
February 25, 1940 The Great Submarine
March 3, 1940 Death on the Bridge Listen (MP3)
Disguised as a laborer, Cranston learns why bridge workers keep falling -- and hears a whisper naming him next.
March 10, 1940 The Laughing Corpse Listen (MP3)
A poison that kills with laughter claims two scientists, and The Shadow must trace how it is delivered.
March 17, 1940 Murderer's Vanity Listen (MP3)
March 24, 1940 The Plot That Failed Listen (MP3)
March 31, 1940 Up from the Grave
April 7, 1940 Revenge Beyond Death
September 29, 1940 Death in a Minor Key
October 6, 1940 Ghost Town
Cranston and Margot are the only guests in a deserted hotel -- except for its old owner and the spirits guarding a nearby gold mine.
October 13, 1940 The Isle of the Living Dead Listen (MP3)
October 20, 1940 The Oracle of Death Listen (MP3)
October 27, 1940 The Mark of the Black Widow Listen (MP3)
November 3, 1940 The Creeper
November 10, 1940 Carnival of Death Listen (MP3)
In a carnival's wax museum of famous deaths, real corpses are quietly replacing the figures.
November 17, 1940 The House of Horror Listen (MP3)
November 24, 1940 The Green Man Listen (MP3)
December 1, 1940 The Curse of Shiva Listen (MP3)
December 8, 1940 The Voice of Death Listen (MP3)
December 15, 1940 The Killer's Rendezvous Listen (MP3)
December 22, 1940 Joey's Christmas Story Listen (MP3)
December 29, 1940 The Ghost of the Stair Listen (MP3)

1941

January 5, 1941 The Leopard Strikes Listen (MP3)
A black leopard seems to be killing near the zoo, until The Shadow finds a darker hand behind the deaths.
January 12, 1941 The Ghost Building Listen (MP3)
January 19, 1941 The Shadow Challenged Listen (MP3)
A museum murder and a stolen manuscript are pinned on an impostor wearing The Shadow's name.
January 26, 1941 The Ghost of Caleb Mackenzie Listen (MP3)
February 2, 1941 Nightmare at Gaelsberry Listen (MP3)
February 9, 1941 The Man Who Lived Twice Listen (MP3)
February 16, 1941 The Phantom Voyage
Rescued at sea, Cranston and Margot find their new ship is a smuggling operation run by thugs.
February 23, 1941 The Chess Club Murders Listen (MP3)
A triple murder at the Chess Club sets up The Shadow's checkmate of the killer.
March 2, 1941 Death Rides a Broomstick Listen (MP3)
An old friend fears a two-century-old witch's curse is picking off his family one by one.
March 9, 1941 Murder Underground Listen (MP3)
March 16, 1941 The Ghost Walks Again Listen (MP3)
March 23, 1941 The Death Prowls at Night Listen (MP3)
A werewolf is blamed for a series of killings in the snowbound mountains.
March 30, 1941 Voodoo Listen (MP3)
April 6, 1941 Murder from the Grave Listen (MP3)
A revived convict kills the doctor who resurrected him, then turns his stolen second life to crime.
April 13, 1941 Death on the Rails Listen (MP3)
April 20, 1941 The Case of the Dancing Elephant
September 28, 1941 Headsman of the Camerons
October 5, 1941 Assignment with Murder
October 12, 1941 Dragon's Tongue Murders
October 19, 1941 The Hoodoo Ship Listen (MP3)
October 26, 1941 The Devil's Hour
November 2, 1941 The Terror by Night
November 9, 1941 The Organ Played at Midnight
November 16, 1941 The Case of the Three Frightened Policemen
November 23, 1941 The Ring of Light Listen (MP3)
November 30, 1941 Beggars of Death
December 7, 1941 The Curse of Baldring Heights
December 14, 1941 The Undead
December 21, 1941 Death Imported
December 28, 1941 The Case of the Priceless Pompano

1942

January 4, 1942 Death Pulls the Strings
January 11, 1942 The Drums of Doom
January 18, 1942 The Thing in the Swamp
January 25, 1942 Dead Man's Revenge
February 1, 1942 The Return of Anatole Chevanic Listen (MP3)
February 8, 1942 Design for Death
February 15, 1942 Death Speaks Twice Listen (MP3)
February 22, 1942 Death Gives an Encore Listen (MP3)
March 1, 1942 Dead Men Tell
March 8, 1942 Death for a Messenger
March 15, 1942 Alter of Death Listen (MP3)
March 22, 1942 Murder Deferred
September 27, 1942 The Red Room
Trapped in a chamber known as the Red Room, The Shadow faces a menace of swarming ants.
October 4, 1942 Death Comes to the Magician
October 11, 1942 The Master Strikes
October 18, 1942 The Riddle of the Endless Cave
October 25, 1942 The Mystery of Madman's Deep
November 1, 1942 Death Keeps a Deadline Listen (MP3)
Told he has six months to live, a petty crook goes on a killing spree with Cranston and Margot on his list.
November 8, 1942 The Wailing Corpse Listen (MP3)
November 15, 1942 Star of the Orient
November 22, 1942 The Lady in Black Listen (MP3)
November 29, 1942 Death from the Sky
December 6, 1942 Death Shoots an Arrow Listen (MP3)
December 13, 1942 The Bells Toll Death
December 20, 1942 The Case of the Talking Skull
December 27, 1942 The Case of the Phantom Werewolf

1943

January 3, 1943 The Glowing Death
January 10, 1943 The League of Death
January 17, 1943 The Case of the Mechanical Monster
January 24, 1943 The Eyes of Death
January 31, 1943 Secret Weapon
February 7, 1943 The Song of Fear
February 14, 1943 The Mark of Cain
February 21, 1943 The Language of the Dead
February 28, 1943 The Touch of Death Listen (MP3)
A man with a lethal touch demands Cranston hand over The Shadow -- or watch innocents die.
March 7, 1943 The Man Who Bought Life
March 14, 1943 The Crystal Globe
March 21, 1943 Mystery of `snake House'
September 26, 1943 The Gibbering Things Listen (MP3)
A mad scientist's blood-hungry creations feed on the victims he abducts for them.
October 3, 1943 The Crystal Globe Listen (MP3)
October 10, 1943 Dolls of Death
October 17, 1943 The Weird Sisters
October 24, 1943 The Man Who Could Not Die
A convict brought back from death pulls a heist, and The Shadow baits a trap for the 'lifeless' felon.
October 31, 1943 The Secret of Valhalla Lodge
A vengeful professor traps Cranston and Margot at his Catskill resort over an old courtroom grudge.
November 7, 1943 Ship of Doom
November 14, 1943 The Phantom of the Skyscraper
November 21, 1943 The Secret of the Shadow
November 28, 1943 Death at Graveyard Post
December 5, 1943 Bubbling Death Listen (MP3)
December 12, 1943 The Race with Death
December 19, 1943 Club of Doom Listen (MP3)
December 26, 1943 The Juggernaut Listen (MP3)
Two promoters murder for the rights to a fearsome military vehicle called the Juggernaut.

1944

January 2, 1944 The Black Serpent
January 9, 1944 Case of the Immortal Beauty
January 16, 1944 Death Stalks at Night
January 23, 1944 The Red Domino
January 30, 1944 The Case of the Avenging Brain
February 6, 1944 A Pass to Death Listen (MP3)
A student's prison tour turns deadly when a deranged guard straps him into the electric chair.
February 13, 1944 Flames of Death
A firebug sprays burning oil on chemical-plant workers, and Margot uncovers who is really behind it.
February 20, 1944 The Hungry Hand
February 27, 1944 The Death Ride
March 5, 1944 House Where Madness Dwelt
March 12, 1944 Death to the Shadow Listen (MP3)
March 19, 1944 Drums of Doom Listen (MP3)
March 26, 1944 Death in the Tomb
A mad scientist keeps kidnapped victims in glass chambers for his human-hibernation experiments.
April 2, 1944 Death Makes Headlines
April 9, 1944 A Date with Death
April 16, 1944 Pattern for Crime
September 24, 1944 The Ebony Goddess
October 1, 1944 The Sweepstakes Ticket
October 8, 1944 Death Pays the Premiums
October 15, 1944 The Rocks of Doom
October 22, 1944 The Stolen Cab Racket
October 29, 1944 Halloween in Vermont
November 5, 1944 Murder in the Museum
November 12, 1944 Death Goes Fishing
November 19, 1944 The Man Who Dreamed Too Much Listen (MP3)
A man tormented by nightmares is driven to suicide, and the commissioner asks Cranston to unravel why.
November 26, 1944 The Man Who Wished Death
December 3, 1944 The Lizard of Fire
December 10, 1944 The Immortal Murderer
December 17, 1944 The Ghost on Horseback
December 24, 1944 Merry Christmas by the Thousand
A boy's holiday gift of thousand-dollar bills to the poor proves to be counterfeit money, and it puts his life in danger.
December 31, 1944 The Phantom Brother

1945

January 7, 1945 The Man with the Missing Memory
January 14, 1945 The Jekyll and Hyde Murders
A stage actor's mind snaps, and he carries his Jekyll-and-Hyde role into real life.
January 21, 1945 Out of This World Listen (MP3)
January 21, 1945 Death Is Just Around the Corner
A string of assassinations leaves each victim scarred with the symbol of the planet Venus.
January 28, 1945 The Invisible Alibi
February 4, 1945 Lucifer Has a Plan
February 11, 1945 The Face of Death
February 18, 1945 The Night Marauders
February 25, 1945 The Disappearing Corpse
March 4, 1945 The Mother Goose Bandit
March 11, 1945 The Brief Fame of John Cooper Listen (MP3)
March 18, 1945 The Case of the Flaming Skull
A 'burning skull' abducts Cranston's friend and turns to robbery, with a rising body count.
March 25, 1945 The Destroyer Listen (MP3)
A man bent on being remembered embarks on a rampage of destruction.
April 1, 1945 The Sword of Dengri-La
At the circus, Cranston and Margot witness a magician's assistant killed during his sword act.
April 8, 1945 The Little Man Who Wasn't There Listen (MP3)
An invisible thief robs victims in plain sight, and the commissioner starts to suspect The Shadow has gone bad.
September 9, 1945 The Shadow in Danger
A hypnotist robs pedestrians who never recall the crime -- and Cranston himself falls under the spell.
September 16, 1945 The Thoughts of Death
September 23, 1945 Death in the Darkness
September 30, 1945 The Heartbeats of Death
October 7, 1945 Blind Man's Folly
October 14, 1945 The Murdering Ghost
October 21, 1945 Bayou
October 28, 1945 I Must Never Sleep Again
A wife drugs her husband into believing he murders in his sleep, feeding his conviction that he has lost his mind.
November 4, 1945 Spotlight on the Duchess Listen (MP3)
After a play in which a woman poisons herself, life begins to imitate art among the cast.
November 11, 1945 Spider Boy
A lonely attic-bound boy befriends a giant spider, and a girl's terrified scream sets tragedy in motion.
November 18, 1945 Death Rises Out of the Sea
A bride who vanished years ago seems to haunt the Devil's Point lighthouse.
November 25, 1945 The Four Giants of Amsterdam
A Midwest town endures brutal murders as one of the dead returns from the grave for revenge.
December 2, 1945 Murder by Candlelight
December 9, 1945 Relax and Murder
Sheltering from a storm at a sanitarium, Cranston and Margot find bodies buried in the cellar and no crime reported.
December 16, 1945 Ship of the Living Dead
December 23, 1945 Three Crimes on Christmas Eve
December 30, 1945 Back from the Grave
Double-crossed and buried alive, a gang member claws his way back for revenge.

1946

January 6, 1946 The Creature That Kills
January 13, 1946 Murder in the Carnival
A traveling circus loses performers one by one, and a secret marriage lies at the heart of it.
January 20, 1946 Curse of the Cat Listen (MP3)
An explorer's daughter is believed to have become a were-cat, and murder follows to keep her secret.
January 27, 1946 Dream of Death
A psychiatrist hypnotizes a patient to his death, then stages a false widow to claim the estate.
February 3, 1946 Murder with Music Listen (MP3)
February 10, 1946 The Living Head Listen (MP3)
February 17, 1946 Murder for Money
February 24, 1946 The Hiss of Death
A snake-cult leader murders unfaithful wives to avenge the one who left him.
March 3, 1946 Island of Ancient Death Listen (MP3)
A husband will do anything to keep his wife on their Caribbean island, even as her plea for help reaches Margot.
March 10, 1946 The Ghost Without a Face Listen (MP3)
March 17, 1946 Etched with Acid Listen (MP3)
Racketeers extort society women, disfiguring with acid those who cannot pay.
March 24, 1946 The Walking Corpse Listen (MP3)
A search for a missing brother uncovers voodoo murders marked by a dead convict's fingerprints.
March 31, 1946 Mind over Murder Listen (MP3)
April 7, 1946 The Ghost Wore a Silver Slipper Listen (MP3)
A hitchhiker picked up near a cemetery vanishes, leading Cranston and Margot to a narcotics ring.
April 14, 1946 The Unburried Dead Listen (MP3)
A phony burial service is harvesting corpses to swindle insurance companies.
April 21, 1946 The Gorilla Man Listen (MP3)
A glandular disorder gives a zookeeper a simian look, and slowly convinces him he is turning into an ape.
April 28, 1946 The Dreams of Death
May 5, 1946 The White Whichman of Lawaiki Listen (MP3)
May 12, 1946 The Bride Wore Black Listen (MP3)
May 19, 1946 The Touch of Death
May 26, 1946 They Kill with a Silver Hatchet Listen (MP3)
Waterfront hatchet-killers smuggle in immigrants, then rob and murder them.
June 2, 1946 Death in a Minor Key Listen (MP3)
September 8, 1946 Vampires Prowl by Night
A horror writer becomes, by night, the very murderer he imagines.
September 15, 1946 The Killer on High Cliff Road
September 22, 1946 Die, Lover--Die!
September 29, 1946 Death Rides the Merry-Go-Round
October 13, 1946 The Valley of the Living Terror Listen (MP3)
October 20, 1946 Blood Money Listen (MP3)
November 24, 1946 Gang Doctor Listen (MP3)
December 1, 1946 Makeup for Murder Listen (MP3)
Strange deaths stalk a skid-row flophouse.
December 8, 1946 The Devil Takes a Wife Listen (MP3)
A swindler called 'the Devil's Wife' cons swamp folk with threats of a supernatural curse.
December 15, 1946 Murders on the Main Stem Listen (MP3)
A jealous killer picks off actors one by one, and Margot lands next on the list.
December 22, 1946 The Fine Art of Murder Listen (MP3)
December 29, 1946 The Shadow of Suspicion Listen (MP3)

1947

January 5, 1947 The Werewolf of Hamilton Mansion Listen (MP3)
January 12, 1947 The Cat and the Killer Listen (MP3)
January 26, 1947 Death by Imagination
February 2, 1947 The Scent of Death Listen (MP3)
February 23, 1947 The Witch of the Crescent Moon
April 27, 1947 Death Stakes a Handout
May 4, 1947 Suicide League
May 11, 1947 The Shadow's Revenge Listen (MP3)
Escaped killers seize Margot as bait for Cranston -- but The Shadow answers the trap instead.
May 18, 1947 Death Rides High Listen (MP3)
A smuggling ring dumps its refugee passengers from planes before reaching America.
May 25, 1947 Seance with Death Listen (MP3)
June 1, 1947 Spider Boy Listen (MP3)
September 7, 1947 The Phantom of the Lighthouse Listen (MP3)
September 14, 1947 When the Grave Is Open Listen (MP3)
September 21, 1947 The Face Listen (MP3)
A handsome actor disfigured in a crash turns to murdering the women who have seen his ruined face.
September 28, 1947 Death Takes the Wheel Listen (MP3)
October 5, 1947 The Curse of the Gypsies Listen (MP3)
October 19, 1947 The Ruby of Karvahl Listen (MP3)
A cursed ruby brings death and ruin to everyone who owns it.
October 26, 1947 Death Hunt Listen (MP3)
November 2, 1947 Death Has Eight Arms Listen (MP3)
November 9, 1947 Dream of Death
November 16, 1947 Doom and the Limping Man Listen (MP3)
A hanged man telephones the three lawyers who condemned him, vowing to hang them one by one.
November 23, 1947 The Comic Strip Killer Listen (MP3)
A wave of poisonings eerily mirrors the plot of a newspaper detective comic strip.
November 30, 1947 Murder and the Medium Listen (MP3)
December 7, 1947 Death Has Sharp Claws
December 14, 1947 The Three Mad Sisters of Lonely Hollow
December 21, 1947 A Gift of Murder Listen (MP3)
December 28, 1947 Terrible Legend of Crownshield Castle Listen (MP3)

1948

January 4, 1948 The Chill of Death Listen (MP3)
A kindly old couple murder their maids for the insurance, so Margot hires on as the next one.
January 11, 1948 The Bones of the Dragon Listen (MP3)
During the Chinese New Year, a friend and a chest of charity cash vanish, leaving a dead hatchet man behind.
January 18, 1948 Death and the Black Fedora Listen (MP3)
January 25, 1948 The House That Death Built Listen (MP3)
February 1, 1948 One Dead and Two to Go Listen (MP3)
February 8, 1948 The Thing in the Cage Listen (MP3)
February 15, 1948 The Terror at Wolf's Head Knoll Listen (MP3)
February 22, 1948 The Nursery Rhyme Murders Listen (MP3)
February 29, 1948 The Man Who Was Death Listen (MP3)
Dying of radiation poisoning, a scientist robs to provide for his soon-to-be widow, and will not be stopped easily.
March 7, 1948 The Beast of Darrow House Listen (MP3)
March 14, 1948 Stake Out Listen (MP3)
March 21, 1948 Death Coils to Strike Listen (MP3)
March 28, 1948 Death and the Easter Bonnet Listen (MP3)
April 4, 1948 The Ghost That Gleams Listen (MP3)
April 11, 1948 The Mystery of the Fatal Flowers
April 18, 1948 The Geni and the Honorable Thieves
April 25, 1948 The Dark Horse Called Death
May 2, 1948 The Legend of the Living Swamp Listen (MP3)
May 9, 1948 Reflection of Death Listen (MP3)
An antique-shop mirror bought by newlyweds seems to foretell whose face will be next to die.
May 16, 1948 The Giant of Madras Listen (MP3)
Aboard a train, Cranston and Margot are caught in a robbery aimed at a courier's Indian jewel.
May 23, 1948 Flight Through Darkness
May 30, 1948 The Ruby of Karvahl
September 12, 1948 Murder at Dead Man's Inn Listen (MP3)
A developer inspecting a 'haunted' inn for a hotel finds corpses instead, and calls on Cranston.
September 19, 1948 Revenge Is--Murder! Listen (MP3)
September 26, 1948 Death Is a Colored Dream Listen (MP3)
October 3, 1948 The Phantom Racketeer
October 10, 1948 A Mask for Murder Listen (MP3)
October 17, 1948 Dead Man's Ride Listen (MP3)
October 24, 1948 The Drum of Obi Listen (MP3)
October 31, 1948 Murder by a Corpse Listen (MP3)
November 7, 1948 Evil in the House Listen (MP3)
November 14, 1948 Death and the Throttler of Havenmoor
November 21, 1948 The Uncaged Terror
November 28, 1948 The Wig Makers of Doom Street Listen (MP3)
December 5, 1948 The Laughing Dead
December 12, 1948 The Head of Doom
December 19, 1948 The Lost Dead
December 26, 1948 Murder Marked Merry Christmas

1949

January 2, 1949 Death and the Crown of Odalph Listen (MP3)
January 9, 1949 The Disciple of Death
January 16, 1949 The Sabbath of the Talons
January 23, 1949 Death and the Double Cross
January 30, 1949 The House of the Ravens
February 6, 1949 The Half Dead Corpse
February 13, 1949 Minotou the Avenger
February 20, 1949 Trail of the Knifer Listen (MP3)
February 27, 1949 The Collectors of Death Listen (MP3)
March 6, 1949 Unto Death Do Us Part Listen (MP3)
March 13, 1949 The Ring of Mahlalayee Listen (MP3)
March 20, 1949 The Big Ace
March 27, 1949 The Darkcliff Terror
April 3, 1949 Creature of Darkness
April 10, 1949 Hear No Evil
April 17, 1949 Death and the Easter Bonnet Listen (MP3)
April 24, 1949 Partners in Crime
May 1, 1949 The Double Slug Killer
May 8, 1949 The Buddha and the Snarling Dog
May 15, 1949 Trial by Fire
May 22, 1949 Murder Counts Ten
May 29, 1949 Monkey Woman Listen (MP3)
June 5, 1949 Preview of Terror Listen (MP3)
September 11, 1949 The Secret of the Hidden Room
September 18, 1949 The Big Break
September 25, 1949 The Death Peddlers
October 2, 1949 Death Tips the Odds
October 9, 1949 The Phantom Rider
October 23, 1949 The Whispering Killer
October 30, 1949 The House of Deadly Dreams
November 6, 1949 The Bloody Alley Incident
November 13, 1949 The Three Queens of Death
November 20, 1949 Deadline
November 27, 1949 The Man with No Face
December 4, 1949 The Ghost from Chinatree
December 11, 1949 The Nightmare of the Ghouls
December 18, 1949 The Slipper of Death
December 25, 1949 The Christmas Ghost

1950

January 1, 1950 Resolution of Death
January 8, 1950 The Monster of Blackmire
January 15, 1950 The Bride of Death
January 22, 1950 The Ritual of the Hoof
January 29, 1950 The Girl and the Doomed Tiara
February 5, 1950 Dead Head
February 12, 1950 The Bride of the Knotted Cord
February 19, 1950 The Man with the Burning Head
February 26, 1950 The Stroke of Doom
March 5, 1950 The Dynamite Dummy
March 12, 1950 The Hound of the Long-Dead Lady
March 19, 1950 The Curse of the Great Nirvan
March 26, 1950 The Four Forgotten Hours
April 2, 1950 The Insidious Serpent
April 9, 1950 The Case of the Curious Easter
April 16, 1950 The Case of the Hanging Ghost
April 23, 1950 Death Is Your Destination
April 30, 1950 Night of Terror
May 7, 1950 The Other World of Death
May 14, 1950 The Guest Named Murder
May 21, 1950 Murder by Scandal
May 28, 1950 The Man Out of Time
June 4, 1950 Death and the Duchess
June 11, 1950
June 18, 1950 Corpse in a Straw Hat
June 25, 1950 The Lost Mind of Death
July 2, 1950
July 9, 1950 The Mark of the Shark
July 16, 1950 The Curious Corpse
July 23, 1950 Date with Death
July 30, 1950 The Big Boss
August 6, 1950 The Trail of Treachery
August 13, 1950 Death Strikes Out
August 20, 1950
August 27, 1950 Murder on Wheels
September 3, 1950 The Man Who Mailed Murder
September 10, 1950 Ring of Death
September 17, 1950 Death Plays a Repeat
September 24, 1950 Messenger of Death
October 1, 1950 The Fix
October 15, 1950 The Gambler
October 22, 1950 The Chamber of Death
October 29, 1950 The Ten Dollar Corpse
November 5, 1950 The Gift of Gold
November 12, 1950 Career in Crime
November 19, 1950 Death Is a Double Shadow
November 26, 1950 Flowers for a Corpse
December 3, 1950 The Cobra
December 10, 1950 The Forgotten Corpse
December 17, 1950 The Broker of Treason
December 24, 1950 Out by Christmas
December 31, 1950 Murder by Midnight

1951

January 7, 1951 The Treasonous Triple Cross
January 14, 1951
January 21, 1951 Double Death
January 28, 1951 The Friday Fugue
February 4, 1951 Man Trap
February 11, 1951 Cargo of Death
February 18, 1951 The Land Pirates
February 25, 1951 The Lisp of Death
March 4, 1951 Listed for Death
March 11, 1951 The Unwilling Bridegroom
March 18, 1951 The Bartering Bride
March 25, 1951 The Sound of Poison
April 1, 1951 The Golden Deceiver
April 8, 1951 The Terror Squad
April 15, 1951 The Thought of Murder
April 22, 1951 Crime in Cash
April 29, 1951
May 6, 1951 Murder by a Hair
May 13, 1951 Death Is a Quack
May 20, 1951 Trial by Fire
May 27, 1951 The Deadly Pawn
June 3, 1951 The Red Chain
June 10, 1951 The Curator of Murder
June 17, 1951 The Twin-Engine Terror
June 24, 1951 Terror in the Night
July 1, 1951 The Loom of Death
July 8, 1951 Crime on Wheels
July 15, 1951 Death on the Diamond
July 22, 1951 Swamp Creature
July 29, 1951 Last Will and Testament
August 5, 1951 The Death of Father Neptune
August 12, 1951 Vacation from Murder
August 19, 1951 The Ten Thousand Dollar Fish
August 26, 1951 The Lively Corpse
September 2, 1951 The Deadly Design
September 9, 1951 The Absolute Alibi
September 16, 1951 The Curious Ottoman
September 23, 1951 Invitation to Murder
September 30, 1951 Bet with Death
October 7, 1951 Factory of Death
October 14, 1951 A Mind for Murder
October 21, 1951 The Deadly Bargain
October 28, 1951 Revenge by Special Delivery
November 4, 1951 The Final Curtain
November 11, 1951 Record of Murder
November 18, 1951 The Perilous Portrait
November 25, 1951 The Sound of Dying
December 2, 1951 The Dance of Death
December 9, 1951 Material Witness
December 16, 1951 The Search for the Rose Kiss
December 23, 1951 The Doll with the Yellow Hair
December 30, 1951 The Eve of Murder

1952

January 6, 1952 Time to Kill
January 13, 1952 The Case of the Cardboard Club
January 20, 1952 Journey to Danger
January 27, 1952 Death Rides the Range
February 3, 1952 The Memory of Murder
February 10, 1952 Motive for Murder
February 17, 1952 Murder by Proxy
February 24, 1952 Vacation with Death
March 2, 1952 Murder on Time
March 9, 1952 The Curious Mr. Jill
March 16, 1952 The Fall Girl
March 23, 1952 The Ghoul of Darkmoor Graveyard
March 30, 1952 Sometimes Death Wears Medals
April 6, 1952 The High Death
April 13, 1952 Murderous Counterfeit
April 20, 1952 The Blue Plague
April 27, 1952 The White Eyes of Death
May 4, 1952 The Black Pool
May 11, 1952 Death Is the Master
May 18, 1952 The Terror at Seacliff Castle
May 25, 1952 Murder Always Kills Twice
June 1, 1952 The Demon of Devil's Cove
June 8, 1952 The Silent Killer
June 15, 1952 Death Walks Underground
June 22, 1952 The Terrified Wife
June 29, 1952 The Case of the Heavenly Body
July 6, 1952 The Deadly Doll
July 13, 1952 The Plans of Death
July 20, 1952 The Curse of the Emerald Scarab
July 27, 1952 The Mystery of the Murdering Host
August 3, 1952 The Restless Corpse
August 10, 1952 The Silent Watch of Death
August 17, 1952 The Mad Dog Murders
August 24, 1952 Case of the Vanishing Baseball Player
August 31, 1952 Death by Proxy
September 7, 1952 The Eleventh Hour
September 14, 1952 The Black Witch of Hightower
September 21, 1952 The Mystery of Angkor Vat
September 28, 1952 The Forest of Death
October 12, 1952 The Secret of the Grisly Coffin
October 19, 1952 The Fourth Strike Is Death
October 26, 1952 The Case of the Twisted Mystery
November 2, 1952
November 9, 1952 Death Is a Glass House
November 16, 1952 The Queen of Death
November 23, 1952 The Fangs of Death
November 30, 1952 The Dancing Doll of Death
December 7, 1952 The Beast of Falcon Square
December 14, 1952 Escape to Death
December 21, 1952 The Case of the Santa Claus Killer
December 28, 1952 Voyage into Darkness

1953

January 4, 1953 The Queen of Asia
January 11, 1953 The Valley of the Black Totem
January 18, 1953 The Man Who Died Four Times
January 25, 1953 The Thing in the Cage
February 1, 1953 The Chill of Death
February 8, 1953 The Meteor
February 15, 1953 Phone Call of Death
February 22, 1953 Death by the Dozen
March 1, 1953 Death Makes a Wish
March 8, 1953 Rendezvous with Death
March 15, 1953
March 22, 1953 The Dark Cellar
March 29, 1953 The Crying Kitten
April 5, 1953 The Marsh Murders
April 12, 1953 The Death Master
April 19, 1953 The Torch
April 26, 1953 Rendezvous with Doom
May 3, 1953 White Angel of Death
May 10, 1953 Murder Will Speak
The Shadow takes on an unusual homicide that refuses to add up.
May 17, 1953 The Case of the Living Dead
May 24, 1953 The Shadow of a Doubt
May 31, 1953 Auction of Death
June 7, 1953 The Ring of Zanlaghora
June 14, 1953 The Howling Beast
June 21, 1953 The Invisible Weapon
June 28, 1953 Policy of Death
July 5, 1953 One Shoe Off
July 12, 1953 Full House for Murder
July 19, 1953 Killer of the Stone Jungle
July 26, 1953 Three Must Die
August 2, 1953 Hex Marks the Spot
August 9, 1953 The Kidnapped Equation
August 16, 1953 The Smuggler's Secret
August 23, 1953 The Green Star of Lhasa
August 30, 1953 Death Rings a Requiem
September 6, 1953 Chalice of Quetzecoatl
September 13, 1953 Stand-in for Murder
September 20, 1953 The Mystery of the Stage Door Killer
September 27, 1953
October 4, 1953 Death from the East
October 11, 1953 Murder at the Coliseum
October 18, 1953 Death and the Twin Cadavers
October 25, 1953 The Hangman's Noose
November 1, 1953 Murder and the Ghost of Vengeance
November 8, 1953 Mystery of the Man-Eating Marsh
November 15, 1953 The Gray Ghost
November 22, 1953 To Be or Not to Be - Dead
November 29, 1953 Death and the Viking Groom
December 6, 1953 The Curse of the Catletts
December 13, 1953 The Grip of Death
December 20, 1953 The Mask of Death
December 27, 1953 The Little Big Shot

1954

January 3, 1954
January 10, 1954 Phantom of the Swamp
January 17, 1954 The Valley of Death
January 24, 1954 Death Draws the Bow
January 31, 1954 Death and the Terror at Ravenscote
February 7, 1954 The Face of Death
February 14, 1954 Murder of the Mind
February 21, 1954 The Terror at Cazatan
February 28, 1954 The Crawling Death
March 7, 1954 Footprints of Death
March 14, 1954 I.o.u. Death
March 21, 1954 Voice of Death
March 28, 1954 Death in the Deep Listen (MP3)
April 4, 1954 Murder Walks by Night
April 11, 1954 Struggle with Death
April 18, 1954 Bells of St. Peter's
April 25, 1954 The Horror in the Night
A producer scouting a haunted inn for a film studio finds corpses waiting, and telephones Cranston.
May 2, 1954 The Defender
May 9, 1954 The Manhunter
May 16, 1954 The Model Murder
May 23, 1954 The Orchid
May 30, 1954 Master of Torture
June 6, 1954 The Vision of Death
As heirs gather for a will reading, an estate caretaker's visions of the future foretell deaths in the family.
June 13, 1954 Temple of Death
June 20, 1954 Death Paints a Picture
June 27, 1954 The Vengeance of Angela Nolan Listen (MP3)
This time it is Cranston behind bars for a murder he did not commit -- so how can The Shadow save his own alter ego?
July 4, 1954 Death by Chapter
A would-be novelist blurs fact and fiction until his imagined murders turn real.
July 11, 1954 Death Rides the Subway
July 18, 1954 Death and the Conjure Man
July 25, 1954 The Case of the Dead Man's Shoes
August 1, 1954 Murder in the Sun
A scientist at the Solar Institute tries to forge the sun's energy into a deadly solar gun.
August 8, 1954 The Case of the Vanishing Killer
August 15, 1954 Murder in C Sharp Minor
August 22, 1954 The Eyes of the God
August 29, 1954 The Blackball Murder
A blackballing at the Bay Yacht Club opens the door to murder and treachery.
September 5, 1954 Heartbeat of Death
The Shadow must judge whether an old woman is truly marked for murder or losing her grip on reality.
September 12, 1954 No Corpse for the Killer
September 19, 1954 The Nightmare Combination
September 26, 1954 Visions of Death
October 3, 1954 The Cult of Death
October 10, 1954 Murder Before the Storm
Three deaths at a summer resort draw The Shadow and Margot to check in and investigate.
October 17, 1954 The Hands of Death
October 24, 1954 Tunnel of Terror
October 31, 1954 The Final Hour
An innocent man faces death row on false testimony, and The Shadow has five hours to find the real killer.
November 7, 1954 The Long Arm of Death
November 14, 1954 The Corpse with the Lying Face
November 21, 1954 Cross Currents of Death
November 28, 1954
December 5, 1954 Murder by Proxy
December 12, 1954 The Cloth of Death
The survivors of an old diamond expedition are being murdered one by one.
December 19, 1954 Happy Doomsday
A press agent frames a dancer for murder to force her into working for him.
December 26, 1954 Murder by the Sea
Lost on a wrong turn, Cranston and Margot take refuge at Dunmor Manor and stumble into a family murder -- or a witch's work.
The Story

"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" -- and for nearly a quarter-century that icy laugh opened one of radio's most beloved crime dramas. Born in 1930 as the faceless narrator of pulp publisher Street & Smith's Detective Story Hour, The Shadow grew into a series of his own: wealthy Lamont Cranston, who learned in the Orient the hypnotic power to cloud men's minds and pass unseen, wages a private war on murderers, madmen and racketeers -- aided by his companion Margot Lane, the only soul who knows his secret. A 22-year-old Orson Welles gave Cranston his voice at the 1937 Mutual relaunch; Bill Johnstone and then Bret Morrison carried the role through the 1940s and into 1954, with Agnes Moorehead and later Gertrude Warner as Margot. Part mystery, part supernatural-tinged pulp thriller, each half-hour is a self-contained descent into shadow -- Sunday evenings on Mutual, sponsored for years by Blue Coal.

Full story — coming soon while it's being curated.
Gallery
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