The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society

It’s time to listen to another episode of The Clock! This week we’re checking out an episode entitled “The Hitchhiker,” about a traveling salesman driving across Utah who agrees to help out a young woman looking for a ride. But along the way, unexpected complications may be putting one or both of them in deadly peril! Is either one of them hiding a secret from the other? What is waiting for them a little further down the road? Are they on their way to a Renaissance Festival? Listen for yourself and find out!

This week, our Patreon supporter Ryan has sent us down to our Listener Library for a series we’ve never checked out before, Tales of the Texas Rangers! Based (to some degree) on true cases, the series stars Joel McCrea as Texas Ranger Jace Pearson and in this episode, “Double Edge,” he’s assigned the case of a brazen pair of bank robbers. How much like Dragnet is this show? Can Pearson track down both of the robbers? What do they mean, “obvious reasons”? Listen for yourself and find out!

This week we’re listening to an episode of Inner Sanctum Mystery featuring Boris Karloff. “The Corridor of Doom,” features a man who wakes up after a medical procedure he doesn’t recall surrounded by a medical staff he doesn’t know. And even as he struggles to understand his surroundings, the strange medicine they prescribe him gives him nightmares of a hallway where each doorway has a name. How did he end up in this bizarre place? What will happen when he reaches the door with his own name? Would Bartles and Jaymes wine coolers be a better sponsor for this series than Lipton Tea? Listen for yourself and find out!

Join us for Escape’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s short story, “Poison.” William Conrad and Jack Webb star in this story of an encounter with a deadly krait snake. But one man’s chances of survival are diminished by his own prejudices! Will he survive the night? How does the adaptation compare to others? Why does this podcast smell like tires? What flavor of Slurpee requires a note from a parent or guardian? Listen for yourself and find out!

Once again, we’re checking out a series we haven’t listened to before. This time it’s The Adventures of the Falcon! This episode, “The Widow’s Gorilla,” features private detective Michael Waring’s hunt for a suicide note that might or might not exist which could prove or disprove a murder that may or may not have happened. How much money could this note be worth? Who or what is the widow’s gorilla? Does the pronunciation of Miracle Whip change depending on how it’s being served? Listen for yourself and find out!

This week is a double-feature exploration of Anthony Boucher’s story, “They Bite,” featuring a reading of the original by our own Joshua and the adaptation produced by Nightfall! The story features a mysterious loner in the desert camped out by an adobe ruin. The locals claim this ruin is the home to some mysterious entity that kills those who come to close. Folks cannot give this threat a name, but ominously warn, “They bite!” What is the cause of these strange deaths? How do these two different audio presentations compare in capturing the story? Will Joshua be reading to his co-hosts on a regular basis after this? Listen for yourself and find out!

As we discussed in episode 405, "The Hat, the Bed, and John J. Catherine," from Quiet Please, our first attempt at a secret episode for our Patreon supporters was featured “Hat on a Bed,” from the series Origin of Superstition. Unfortunately, the recording had a few sound issues (including Tim having a cold) so we redid our inaugural episode with a different show to discuss. For the curious who are willing to overlook these flaws, we offer this abandoned alternative which tells the tale of an uninvited guest, an accusation of murder, and a truly outlandish courtroom stunt. Thank you again for your support of the podcast and we hope you enjoy this strange cautionary tale!

This week we bravely check out an episode Dangerous Assignment entitled (arguably) “Investigate Missing Scientists”! Globetrotting adventurer Steve Mitchell is sent to Alaska to track down a former Nazi scientist and an American physicist who appear to have gone missing. Confronted by an unpaid hotel bill and a wide range of dialects, Mitchell will stop at nothing to solve this mystery! What happened to these scientists? What is that smell? Who made cartoon theme music so complicated? Listen for yourself and find out!

We’ve been sent to discover “Nasty People” in our Listener Library! It’s an episode of Frontier Gentleman recommended to us by our Patreon supporter Melissa. Thanks, Melissa! In this story, Kendall needs to stop for the night in Kansas, relying on the hospitality of a small family. But he’s warned to be careful around them and their daughter seems haunted by unseen forces. Is there truly something sinister about his hosts? What is it that has afflicted their daughter? Where do the MORLS go to hang out with other podcasts? Listen for yourself and find out!

It’s our 400th episode! And we are celebrating by revisiting the first series featured on our podcast, Suspense! All those years ago, our first episode featured The House in Cypress Canyon, but this time we’re listening to “Fury and Sound,” a story that both roasts and pays tribute to William Spier (and other radio luminaries)! (For more details about this episode, check out what The Suspense Project has to say about it!) The script features a tyrannical radio producer who screams abusive tirades at his cast and crew. But his assistant producer plans to use his boss’ keen hearing as a weapon for revenge! Does this sound like a great way to celebrate 400 episodes? Does everyone who produces audio drama become a narcissistic maniac? What facts have our dedicated Patreon supporters uncovered about our voting history? Listen for yourself and find out!

We are counting down to episode 400 by revisiting the first three series featured on our podcast! We start with The Price of Fear, the series Tim brought for our third episode! This time we’re listening to “Is There Anybody There”! The story depicts a spiritualist and her attempt to contact a man’s late wife. But her spirit guide seems focused on other matters and her own theatrical background suggests that she may be a fraud. Is she truly able to speak to the dead with the assistance of an ancient king? What will her client do if he believes she is a fraud? Will Eric and Joshua be any more enthusiastic about this episode of The Price of Fear than they were nine years ago? Listen for yourself and find out!

When the days grow short and the air grows cold, it’s time for Fear on Four! This week we’re listening their adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “The Judge’s House”! The story features a student moving into a rat-infested home as he prepares for upcoming exam. But something worse than rats is waiting for him in the night! Why has this house sat empty for so long? What secret lies within the dust-covered portraits in the house? How will Eric adapt Carmilla into a play for high school students? Listen for yourself and find out!