"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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12.22.1942 | the meteor man |
A meteorite is found by a stargazing couple. Opening it, they find it is made of flesh and transform... | |
| 12.15.1942 | knock at the door |
A protective mother is murdered by her sons girlfriend but her ghost keeps haunting whenever her son... | |
| 12.08.1942 | scoop |
An investor buys a loosing newspaper and decides to cut on manpower by dismissing staff members abov... | |
| 12.01.1942 | story of mr maggs |
From an auction, a man buys an evil trunk.. + Harold Maggs buys an old unclaimed oak travelling trun... | |
| 11.17.1942 | come to the bank |
A man explains about the full potentials of the human mind to do almost anything. He experiments on ... | |
| 11.10.1942 | bon voyage |
Carrying a trunk with mysterious contents to be dumped overboard, two sisters soon discover that the... | |
| 11.03.1942 | neanderthal man |
Program #2. CBS net origination, syndicated rebroadcast. "Across The Gap". A group of modern touri... | |
| 10.27.1942 | mungahra |
A man spends weeks in the jungle and steals a massive diamond from a native named Mungahra whom he s... | |
| 10.20.1942 | poltergeist |
After playing on a snow covered graveyard and dancing on a gravestone, a girl is hit by a rock whom ... | |
| 10.13.1942 | revolt of the worms |
An experiment backfires as a man and his assistant used human hormones and worms to make roses grow ... | |
| 02.17.1941 | special to hollywood |
+ The story is a familiar one. Hollywood celebrities fly to a town for the premier of their new pic... | |
| 12.16.1939 | nobody died |
+ Adelina, an old woman, is dying. Dr Miller is called out to attend to her. Adelina's youngest son ... | |
| 11.18.1939 | bathyshere |
A motive-laden worker descends to record ocean depths with his unsuspecting superior.. His Excellenc... | |
| 04.26.1939 | the devils due |
A man who aware of the operation of the two thieves approaches them for the possibility of joining t... | |
| 06.08.1938 | spider |
"The Spider". Sponsored by: Ironized Yeast, Energene Shoe White. Mr. Oboler mentions that this stor... | |
| 05.11.1938 | it happened |
On a tour in Paris, a rich young girl is fed up with the tour guide, and decides to explore the city... | |
| 03.30.1938 | valse triste |
Two girls on a camping trip, and while rowing docks their boat on an island to pick some flowers whe... | |
| 03.30.1938 | cat wife |
+ Voted as "the best" by listeners of the "Lights Out" series. A husband's feline-like wife goes to... | |
| 03.23.1938 | the dream |
A murderer who never had experiences a dream suddenly falls into one during his sentencing trial.. T... | |
| 03.16.1938 | super feature |
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| 02.16.1938 | murder castle |
Girls who answer advertisements for older guys keep disappearing. This prompts another girl to searc... | |
| 01.26.1938 | oxychloride x |
Out of frustration from being rejected membership in a fraternity; a gifted laboratory student formu... | |
| 12.29.1937 | the dark |
A prankster calls an ambulance which promptly responds by arriving on the scene to find a dark house... | |
| 12.22.1937 | christmas story |
Three soldiers of different nationalities party on a train on a Christmas Day after their tour of du... | |
| 11.17.1937 | little old lady |
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Daniel
Daniel
Bob
Daniel
Susan
LIGHTS OUT
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