"This is the witching hour! It is an hour when dogs howl, and evil things are let loose on a sleeping world. Want to hear about it? Then turn out your lights!"
Lights Out debuted in 1934 and was radio's premier horror series. Director and writer, Wyllis Cooper's writing was characterized by grisly stories always matched with the appropriate acting and sound effects, he conceived in 1933 the idea of writing a dramatic midnight mystery serial catchy enough to the listeners' attention at a time when the competition was mostly airing music. It was however dropped in favor of an anthology emphasizing crime thrillers and the supernatural. He stayed with this program until June 1936 when another Chicago writer, Arch Oboler, took over. By the time Cooper left, the series had inspired about 600 fan clubs.
Arch Oboler was eccentric and ambitious when he took over and picked up where Cooper left off, following the latter's general example but investing the scripts with his own concerns using streams of conscious narration and sometimes social and political themes that reflected his commitment to anti-fascist liberalism. Although Lights Out would be closely associated with Oboler later on, he would always credit Wyllis Cooper as the series' creator and spoke highly of him as "the unsung pioneer of radio dramatic techniques" and the first person he knew who understood that radio drama is an art form.
"Burial Service", Oboler's first script in 1936, was initially flooded with outraged response but was followed with the more accepted and frequently repeated "Catwife" and Caligula-inspired "The Dictator". This set the pattern for Oboler's run of two horror episodes followed by a drama on more serious subjects dealing with moral, social and political issues Click here to read more about Lights Out
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Please enjoy these 91 old time radio episodes:
| Air Date | Title | Synopsis | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07.16.1947 | death robbery |
A man tries to bring back to life his scientist friends wife who died in a car accident. They have f... | |
| 08.24.1946 | the signal man |
A old train signalman is interviewed by a reporter. He says he saw a signaling figure just before th... | |
| 08.10.1946 | ghost on the newsreel negative |
In hope of catching ghosts on film, two men tries their luck in a haunted farm.. | |
| 08.03.1946 | the revenge of india |
An influential Indian gets kidnapped by gangsters and hidden in the trunk of their car. Unknowingly,... | |
| 07.27.1946 | battle of the magicians |
An airline owner and a zombie manipulator are warlocks who are mortal enemies trying to destroy the ... | |
| 07.20.1946 | haunted cell |
A man is sentenced to death and is visited by a ghost at the |
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| 07.13.1946 | the coffin in studio b |
While participants are rehearsing for the "Lights Out" show, a coffin salesman enters promoting his ... | |
| 09.20.1945 | rocket from manhattan |
+ Rocket from Manhattan is set in the future some 55 years hence; the date is 20th September in the ... | |
| 09.01.1945 | the day the sun exploded | ||
| 08.25.1945 | man in the middle |
A secretary and her boss are having an affair which is discovered by her brother. The brother threat... | |
| 07.28.1945 | the rocket ship |
In the year 2000, a crewman returns from the moon and notes moon craters being similar to atom bomb ... | |
| 07.21.1945 | reunion after death |
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| 09.28.1943 | author and the thing |
+ It is now 11:00 pm and Mr Oboler has to have the next Lights Out play done by tomorrow morning. ... | |
| 09.21.1943 | mirage |
A couple notices that a silent old man on the beach can make people pass out by erasing their names ... | |
| 09.14.1943 | the word |
Two honeymooners climbs to the 100th floor of a tower to watch the city skyline and simply forget th... | |
| 09.07.1943 | lord marleys ghost |
A rich man is hooked on his mistress and leaves his wife. Their affair ends tragically in a boating ... | |
| 08.31.1943 | immortal gentleman |
A man is born to live a normal life from among the immortal and genius Adavars, so the gods wished t... | |
| 08.24.1943 | sub basement |
Something horric occurs when a girlfriend and boyfriend are stuck in their office building basement. | |
| 08.17.1943 | state executioner |
A wife leaves her husband after she finds out that he is an executioner. Later, the man goes crazy a... | |
| 08.10.1943 | sakhalin |
A megalomaniac murderer roams Russia.. | |
| 08.03.1943 | murder castle |
"Murder Castle". Sponsored by: Ironized Yeast, Energene. A kindly gentleman murders young ladies fo... | |
| 07.27.1943 | the little people |
"The Little People". Sponsored by: Ironized Yeast, Energene Shoe White. The eternal triangle seems ... | |
| 07.20.1943 | profits unlimited |
An heiress is taken to an island where she inherits a factory from her grandfather. She soon finds o... | |
| 07.13.1943 | visitor from hades |
A couple who is terminally ill suddenly receives a macabre visit from someone whom is invisible to o... | |
| 06.29.1943 | bathysphere |
+ His Excellency is set to break the record for diving over half a mile to the bottom of the ocean i... |
Daniel
Daniel
Bob
Daniel
Susan
LIGHTS OUT
Dan
Mike
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