Try Not to Scream: Horror Programs in the Golden Age of American Radio

By: karl donald

Horror was a genre that was uniquely suited to American radio of old time. In the 1930s and 1940s, radio had a profound hold on the imaginations of listeners, which various horror programs could readily exploit. With just a few well-chosen sound effects or choice lines of dialogue, radio could evoke a mad scientist's lab, to a planet filled with aliens or a swamp filled with creatures ready to eat the unwary visitor.

The large majority of radio programs that featured horror did not specifically focus on this genre, but mixed such stories with mystery and suspense thrillers. The most popular radio programs from the Golden Age of Radio that featured horror were Lights Out, Inner Sanctum, and Suspense.

Lights Out was the first of these programs to air, appearing in 1934 and continuing on various networks until 1947 before making the transition to the more popular televison. Although the program was created by Wyllis Cooper, the show would become most associated with Arch Oboler, who took over the show in 1936. Lights Out attracted some publicity in 1938 when Hollywood horror star Boris Karloff appeared for five consecutive episodes. Its most notorious episode may be "Chicken Heart" about an ever-growing and still-living chicken heart which, because of a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong, eventually engulfs the world.

Although Inner Sanctum (which aired from 1941 to 1952) focused primarily on mystery stories, it also featured many horror-themed programs, such as an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's classic short story "The Tell-Tale Heart". It was most famous for its sardonic host, "Raymond," and its trademark sound effect of an eerie creaking door. "Raymond" would go on to influence several generations of horror hosts, including the Crypt Keeper from the "Tales from the Crypt" comics to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

Suspense (1942-1962) similarly focused on crime stories, albeit with a dark bent that edged many of the stories into the terriotory of horror. The program was most noted for the high level of its writing and production values, which attracted many film stars to the show. The Hollywood stars who appeared on the show included Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant and Henry Fonda. The most famous Suspense program is "Sorry, Wrong Number" in which an invalid woman overhears a murder plot over a crossed phone line. This popular story was done 7 times over the course of the program's run and was adapted into a successful film starring Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster.

Today, horror has become primarily a visual genre due to the movies and television. However, for those who would like to sample the sound of horror from the Golden Age of Radio, many episodes of old-time radio shows are readily available for listening on the Internet.

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

George Brown is an expert when it comes to old time radio. To take a trip down the memory lane, visit his website at www.rusc.com and find out more about old time American radio.

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