"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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03.10.1937 | a day at the dentist |
+ Sam has toothache and has to go the dentist to have a tooth pulled. + Arch Oboler introduces littl... | |
| 04.13.1943 | archer |
A girl finds a tool which saves her from the gangsters who are hiding her away.. + “Lights Out br... | |
| 09.09.1936 | author and the thing |
"The Author and The Thing". Sponsored by: Ironized Yeast, Energene Cleaning Fluid. Arch Oboler host... | |
| 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. ... | |
| 03.09.1943 | ball paris macabre |
Two party-going men find themselves in a strange Parisian party.. | |
| 11.18.1939 | bathyshere |
A motive-laden worker descends to record ocean depths with his unsuspecting superior.. His Excellenc... | |
| 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... | |
| 07.27.1946 | battle of the magicians |
An airline owner and a zombie manipulator are warlocks who are mortal enemies trying to destroy the ... | |
| 11.10.1942 | bon voyage |
Carrying a trunk with mysterious contents to be dumped overboard, two sisters soon discover that the... | |
| 03.30.1938 | cat wife |
+ Voted as "the best" by listeners of the "Lights Out" series. A husband's feline-like wife goes to... | |
| 12.22.1937 | christmas story |
Three soldiers of different nationalities party on a train on a Christmas Day after their tour of du... | |
| 11.17.1942 | come to the bank |
A man explains about the full potentials of the human mind to do almost anything. He experiments on ... | |
| N/A | creature off the film |
+ When the moving picture show, The Monster, that Gibson and his assistant had put on for the town, ... | |
| 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... | |
| 01.19.1943 | devil mr alleycat | ||
| 04.27.1943 | execution |
During WWII, a German Officer reports being fired upon by a woman in a French village. In retaliatio... | |
| 01.05.1943 | fast one |
A man consumes a formula that speeds-up humans and starts a criminal spree.. Who among us has not ha... | |
| 08.10.1946 | ghost on the newsreel negative |
In hope of catching ghosts on film, two men tries their luck in a haunted farm.. | |
| 06.23.1937 | happy ending |
The story is a diversion from the typical when the doctor informs his wife that she is pregnant. The... | |
| 07.20.1946 | haunted cell |
A man is sentenced to death and is visited by a ghost at the |
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| 05.04.1943 | heavenly jeep |
When the jeep the soldiers are riding is blown up by a landmine, the soldiers realize they are event... | |
| 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... | |
| 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... | |
| 04.20.1943 | kill |
"Kill". Sponsored by: Ironized Yeast, Energene Shoe White. A story told through the thoughts of the... | |
| 12.15.1942 | knock at the door |
A protective mother is murdered by her sons girlfriend but her ghost keeps haunting whenever her son... |
Daniel
Daniel
Bob
Daniel
Susan
LIGHTS OUT
Dan
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