Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio

00:00 Welcome to Choice Classic Radio, where we bring to you the greatest old-time radio shows. Like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube, and thank you for donating at choiceclassicradio.com. 00:32 What evil lurks in the hearts of men. 00:38 The Shadow knows. 00:45 Again, blue coal dealers present radio's strangest adventurer, The Shadow. Mystery man who strikes terror under the very hearts of sharpsters, lawbreakers, and criminals. 00:56 Before The Shadow begins today's exciting adventure... Let me remind you that there's no time like the present to ensure your family of real heating comfort this fall and winter. Don't gamble with fuels of the on and off type. Play safe. Enjoy the steady, dependable heat of America's finest anthracite, blue coal. 01:16 Colored blue at the mines for your protection, blue coal comes to you direct from Pennsylvania's richest anthracite field and offers you far better heat at less cost. 01:26 Remember the name Blue Coal for home heating at its best. Order your supply from your nearest Blue Coal dealer tomorrow. 01:40 The Shadow, Lamont Cranston, a man of wealth, a student of science, and a master of other people's minds, devotes his life to righting wrongs, protecting the innocent, and punishing the guilty. 01:52 Cranston is known to evildoers as the Shadow, Never seen, only heard. His true identity is known only to his constant friend and aide, Margot Lane. 02:04 Today's story, The Black Abbot. 02:18 How does this carbon look, huh? Okay. 02:21 Say, what time is it? 02:23 That's a little after midnight. 02:25 No. 02:26 I don't like this much, working in the church in the nighttime. It just don't seem right. 02:32 Well, it's got to be done. 02:35 The whole inside of this place has to be restored by the end of next month. 02:38 Yeah, but I hate working nights to do it. I get a creepy feeling. It's so quiet here. 02:46 Huh. 02:46 What are you expecting? 02:48 Ghost? 02:50 It's just... Hey, Joe. 02:53 What's that? 02:55 What? 02:56 Somebody coming down the aisle to church. 02:58 Oh, stop it. Well, yeah, it's probably one of them. 03:00 Look at him. He's all dressed in black. Like a monk. 03:03 That's one of the ministers. Look at him. 03:06 He's coming right at us. 03:07 That ain't no minister. Yeah, I guess it ain't. Look at that face. Hey, let's get away from here. Come on. Come on. 03:25 Gentlemen, gentlemen, silence, please. 03:29 Thank you. 03:32 We have called this special meeting of the Church Finance Committee at the specific request of Mr. Paul Randall, the architect in charge of the reconstruction of our church. A problem has arisen which has considerably delayed his efforts. I'll let him tell you about it himself. Mr. Randall, would you please? 03:50 Thank you, Mr. Miller. Gentlemen, for the past week, the workmen who are restoring the ancient stone carvings in the interior of the church have positively refused to do any work. Any amount of coaxing has failed to change their minds. 04:03 What is their reason for this attitude? 04:05 Just this. They say that the church is haunted. 04:09 Haunted? 04:10 Well, now, I'm merely repeating the facts that have been told to me. 04:13 My workmen swear they have seen the black-robed figure of a monk stalking through the aisles of the church. 04:19 This is ridiculous, Mr. Randolph. Have you yourself ever seen this, uh, this vision? 04:24 No, I haven't. 04:25 Good heavens, do you men realize the great harm that this can do the church? 04:30 Fortunately, gentlemen, we may still have time to dispel it. How? By several of us spending the night in the church and disproving once and for all this nonsense about a ghost. 04:41 I will gladly be one of the volunteers in this experiment. Will anyone join me? I will, Phillips. Of course. Well, I think there need only be two of us. 04:50 I'll select Mr. Williams to accompany me. When will you visit the church, Mr. Phillips? Tonight, Randolph. 04:57 We'll visit the church tonight. 04:59 The End 05:22 Phillips? 05:23 Huh? 05:24 What? 05:26 Oh, sorry, Williams. I must have dozed off. You just got free. 05:31 Still no sign of our black-robed friend, eh? No. 05:36 I thought not. 05:37 Now you see how these stories can start. Oh, what's that? Don't be so jumpy, Williams. It's nothing but the wind. 05:44 Are you sure? Of course I'm sure. Look, Phillips. Don't you think we've been here in the church long enough to prove that the whole story is untrue? We're staying here until morning. Now, brace up, Williams. There's nothing to fear. 05:57 Listen. 05:59 That isn't the wind. 06:01 No. Someone... Someone's playing the organ. I don't like this. I... Don't be a fool, Williams. Come quickly. We'll find out who it is. No, no. Come on. Look. 06:14 Look. 06:17 No one is seated at the keyboard. I don't understand it. 06:23 And yet it continues to play. Yes. Let's get out of here, please. No, we're going to stay. We've got to learn what this is all about. It's stuck. Come on, come on. Can't we go and get the others and then come back? No, we must investigate this now. 06:40 Look, coming down the aisle of the church. A black robe figure. 06:46 The black abbot. He's coming toward us. I can't stand this, fellows. I can't stand this. Come back here, Williams. Come back here. 06:51 No, no, I'm going. 06:52 Williams. 06:54 Williams. 06:58 You have been left alone, John Phillips. 07:02 You? 07:03 You can't frighten me. 07:05 Who are you? 07:06 I am the true abbot of this church. 07:09 Keep away from me. You have desecrated my church, John Phillips. 07:14 And by sour killing, you must pay for your sins. No. No, keep away, I say. Pay. Pay, do you hear? No. Who is it? I must see the rector at once. 07:40 Why, Mr. Williams. Get Mr. Miller, please. What's the trouble down there? It's me, Williams, Mr. Miller. Will you come down quickly, please? What's happened, Williams? The abbot. The black abbot. We just saw him in the church. I came as fast as I could. 07:51 No, no. 07:51 Calm yourself. Where is Mr. Phillips? He's still in the church. We must go to him at once. He's alone with the abbot. 07:57 Listen. Up there, he's at the church. 08:00 That's strange. Phillips must be ringing for help. We'll go to him at once. 08:15 Hold the candle higher, Mr. Williams. Can't see the stairs. Why should Phillips come up here to the bell for us? Why didn't he just leave the chair? 08:23 We'll find that out in a moment. 08:25 Careful with that candle. Yes, yes. Supposing it isn't Phillips. Supposing it's the abbot that's ringing the bell. Nonsense. 08:32 Here we are. 08:33 Open the door. I mean, can't we do this? 08:36 Oh, stand aside, Williams. 08:38 There. Look, it's Phillips. Mr. Phillips. 08:43 Mr. Phillips, he's swinging the bell rope. Phillips! 08:47 I am afraid he can't answer us. Why not? Because the bell rope is swinging him by the neck. 08:55 He's dead. 08:56 You say, Mr. Miller, that since the death of Phillips, three other members of your church committee have mysteriously disappeared... 09:12 That's right, Mr. Cranston. And I believe that somewhere at the bottom of all this is this ghost called the Black Abbot. Knowing of your reputation, I've come to you. 09:23 How long is it since the body of Phillips was found? 09:25 About a month, Miss Lane. These three disappearances, was there any clue as to where the men were last seen? 09:30 Yes. In each case, they were somewhere in the vicinity of a church. 09:35 I see. 09:36 And how long have they been missing? Different periods, Mr. Cranston. The last one was less than a week ago. 09:42 Lamar, do you suppose that they've met the same fate as Philip? 09:46 Do you suppose they met the Black Abbot? 09:48 I don't know, Margot. So far, we've been able to keep the true facts of this mystery from the newspapers. But we can't do it much longer. 09:56 I realize that. 09:56 Mr. Cranston, the work of the church is at a standstill. And this will never be completed unless these disappearances and Philip's death are explained. You must help us. 10:08 Please. 10:09 Well, I don't know how much I can find out for you, Mr. Miller. 10:12 I should be glad to do what I can. Thank you. 10:15 Thank you very much. 10:17 Now, if you want any further information or assistance, you can call on me at the rectory. 10:22 Very well, I shall do that. 10:24 Good day. 10:25 Good day. 10:26 Goodbye, Mr. Miller. 10:27 Goodbye. 10:30 What do you make of all this, Lamont? 10:32 I don't know yet, Marlowe. 10:35 There's only one way to find out. 10:36 How? How? 10:37 By spending a night in the church. 10:40 There is a so-called black abbot. 10:43 I believe there's a way to deal with him. 10:44 But how? 10:45 I can't tell you just now. 10:47 You see, that will be a job for me as the shadow. The End 11:09 Lamont, I don't think that the ghost will appear here in the church tonight. 11:13 The evening isn't over yet, Martha. 11:16 Not frightened, are you? 11:17 No. 11:18 No, Lamont. 11:20 How do you account for so many people seeing what they believe to be a ghost? 11:24 Well, imagination sometimes plays tricks on us. 11:28 But in this case, I'm inclined to think that it's more than just that. 11:32 What do you mean? 11:34 I learned this afternoon that the stone figures... that are being used for the reconstruction work here in the church, were brought from the remains of an ancient abbey in Europe. Oh, I didn't know that. And there was a great legend attached to that ancient abbey. 11:49 It concerned an abbot who centuries ago disgraced his church and was forever after doomed to haunt the place. 11:57 I see. 11:59 Now, if someone were to have heard of the ancient curse, spread it among the workmen, and then actually allow the apparition to be seen, the effect would be devastating. 12:12 But why would anyone want to have the work on the church stopped? 12:17 Your guess is as good as mine, Margot. 12:19 Well, whatever it is, I wonder why it hasn't bothered us tonight. 12:24 Suppose we find that out, Margot, right now. 12:29 Black Abbott. Black Abbott. 12:31 Black Abbott. 12:33 If you are within sound of my voice, I defy you to show yourself. 12:39 No one answers. 12:43 I don't understand it. 12:44 I felt certain that we would be visited if I were to... Do not. 12:52 That did it, Marco. He's coming. 12:54 Where? 12:55 We can't see him yet. It sounds as if he were descending the belfry stairs. 12:59 What shall we do? 13:00 Just follow my instructions. 13:02 You remain seated where you are. 13:04 I shall be right beside you, but as the shadow. 13:10 Very well. 13:12 Look. 13:14 There he is. 13:16 He sees me. 13:17 He's coming toward us through the church. 13:23 Who called for me? 13:26 Speak up, girl. Where is the man who shouted my name? 13:31 I warn you, your silence will bring destruction upon you. 13:36 Where is he? Don't come any closer. Where is he, I say? Get away! Get away! 13:44 Stay where you are, Black Abbot. What? 13:47 Who speaks? 13:48 I am he who defied you to show yourself. 13:50 Where are you? I can't see you. 13:52 I am right here, beside you. 13:55 the shadows. Where? Where? Strange that a ghost should react in such a human passion. 14:01 What kind of victory is this? 14:02 Black Abbott, you're no supernatural being. You are a creature of blood and flesh masquerading behind the ancient legend of the church. No! No! 14:11 I accuse you of the murder of John Phillips and the disappearance of his companions. It's a lie! Unmask yourself, Abbott. Reveal your true identity. 14:19 Look out. He's running away. Come back here. He went over there by the side of the church. 14:23 He disappeared. 14:25 Listen to me, the both of you. Lamont, he must have gone through a secret pen. You have defiled and desecrated the Abbey. And by my word, you shall both die for it. 14:53 Before the shadow's adventure continues, here's an important question for every homeowner. 14:58 Have you ever considered the many advantages of heating with anthracite? 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You'll find your dealer's name listed in the Where to Buy It section of your classified telephone directory under the name Blue Coal. 16:05 In any of the four popular domestic sizes, egg, pea, chestnut, or stove, you're sure to get better heat at less cost When you ask for blue coal. 16:34 Lamont, did you tell the rector about what happened last night in the church? 16:37 No, Margot. 16:38 I thought it best not to mention it to anyone for the present. 16:42 One thing is certain after last evening's encounter, however. 16:44 What's that? 16:45 Our elusive Black Abbott proved himself to be a very human ghost. 16:49 Yes. 16:50 But who he is, what his motive might be, still remains to be discovered. 16:55 And how he got away. 16:56 Yes. 16:57 That's the first thing to find out. Well, here we are. 17:02 We'll leave the car right here. 17:04 Come along, Margot. 17:06 Church looks altogether different in the daytime, doesn't it? 17:09 Yes, quietly. 17:11 I believe this door is open. 17:13 Yes, there it is. Shall we go in? 17:16 Yes. 17:19 What shall we examine first, Lamont? The belfry? 17:21 No. 17:22 I'd rather have a look at the wall. 17:25 I have an idea that there's some secret doorway in the paneling through which the Abbott made his getaway. 17:29 That would be here, wouldn't it? 17:32 Yes. 17:33 I'll look down by the altar, Lamont. 17:35 If you find anything suspicious, call me. 17:38 Yes, I will, Lamont. 17:41 This panel is solid. False projections. 17:44 Good afternoon. 17:45 Oh! 17:46 Oh, so sorry. Did I frighten you? 17:47 Well, it's quite all right. I just didn't hear you coming. 17:50 Please accept my apology. I'm Paul Randolph, the architect in charge here. 17:54 Oh, how do you do? I'm Margot Lane. 17:56 Oh, Miss Lane. 17:57 Oh, Lamar, will you come here? Yes, coming. 18:01 Mr. Cranston, this is Mr. Randolph, the architect of the church. 18:04 It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Randolph. 18:05 Thank you. 18:06 May I be of any assistance to you? Well, I don't suppose so. You see, we've just been testing our curiosity. 18:12 Oh, how's that? 18:13 Well, we'd heard something of the so-called ghost that's supposed to be here, and we believe that ghosts always use secrets, passageways and such, and we were just looking for one. Oh, I see. Of course, this has all been done with the rector's permission. Naturally. Oh, Mr. Randolph, as architect, you no doubt have the original plans of this church, haven't you? Of course. Do you suppose they might indicate any secret passages? I have never noticed. 18:37 But I'd be glad to have you look at them. Splendid. Well, you may see them tonight if you wish. I'll bring them to you. Thank you. Suppose we meet tonight here in the church. 19:03 Lamont, do you think Mr. Randolph will keep his word? 19:06 Oh, yes, Margot. He'll be here. 19:09 I shouldn't like to spend many more nights here, Lamont, even though I know that the abbot is not a ghost. 19:14 It's so frightening being alone in this great church. 19:17 Well, if all goes as I expect. Lamont, listen. 19:24 Hear those footsteps? 19:25 Yes. 19:27 Can it be the abbot again? 19:28 We'll soon find out. 19:30 Oh, yes. 19:32 It's Mr. Randolph. 19:33 Hello there. 19:34 Sorry to be late. That's all right, Randolph. 19:36 You gave us quite a scare. 19:37 That seems to be a habit with me, doesn't it? Did you bring the plans? Yes, two copies. Here's one for you. Oh, thanks. 19:44 Well, let's get to work. We can each start at one end of the wall, Randolph. Very well. Margot, you come with me. 19:48 Well, Mr. Cranston, I wonder if Miss Lane would mind accompanying me instead. You see, my eyesight is rather poor and in this darkness I... Well, all right. 19:59 I'll go with you, Mr. Randolph. Good. 20:00 Good. Here are the plans. And here is my flashlight, Miss Lane. Thank you. 20:05 Call out to me if you find anything. 20:06 Oh, yes, surely, Mr. Granston. 20:09 We can stop right here, Miss Lane. 20:10 All right. 20:11 Do the plans indicate anything for this section? 20:15 Well, there does seem to be one thing here that might mean something. 20:19 It would be at about this point on the wall. 20:23 Where? 20:24 This little cornerstone. 20:27 Look, Mr. Randolph, it moved. 20:29 Why, so it does. 20:31 I'll turn it down all the way. 20:34 The panel is opening. We must call Lamont. Shut up! Let me go! 20:39 Shut up, I say! You found the secret, now you must share it with me. No! No! Come on, come on! No! No! 20:48 Help me! 20:49 Up those stairs, Miss Lane. 20:50 Why are you talking to me? You'll see in a minute. 20:53 Why are you doing this? I thought you were helping me. 20:56 What? 20:57 I am helping you. You were seeking the Black Abbott, weren't you? Weren't you? And I am taking you to him. 21:04 No, no. 21:05 Go through that door. I won't. Then I shall have to carry you through. 21:08 I'll go. 21:10 That's very sensible. 21:13 Here we are. 21:14 Where are we? 21:15 If you must know exactly, we are safely hidden between the vaulted ceiling and the outer roof of the church. 21:22 You'll excuse me if I lock the door just as a precaution. 21:28 There. 21:29 You said you were taking me to the Black Abbot. Where is he? 21:32 You're quite anxious to meet him, aren't you? 21:36 Very well. Hand me that rope. You. You're the Black Abbot. I am. 21:42 Le Mans. Le Mans. Go on. Scream. 21:47 Scream louder. No one will hear you. No sound ever passes these walls. Come. I want you to meet some of the congregations. 21:58 Here they are. These are the gentlemen of the church committee who disappeared so mysteriously. 22:07 What? 22:08 They're dead? 22:09 Yes. 22:11 Quite dead. 22:13 But tonight they shall be entertained. Tonight they shall witness the arrival of a new member of their group. 22:20 You mean? 22:20 Yes, you. 22:23 Now come here. 22:25 No! No, you can't do this! 22:27 No! Oh, I see I have to use force. I shall have to bind you. 22:31 No, no. Take that rope away. You're hurting me. 22:34 You won't feel the pain for long. Soon you will join the others. 22:38 You don't know what you're doing. 22:40 Prepare yourself for the sacrifice, Miss Lane. The service is about to begin. 22:45 Please let me go. Please. 22:47 First, the music. 22:49 The music. 22:59 Margot Lynn, you are about to receive the greatest of all honors. 23:05 Make yourself ready for the beauties of the death that is about to befall you. 23:12 But she isn't going to die, Black Abbot. You? Where are you? I am right here beside you. Unbind that girl. How did you get here? Just as you did. But the door is still locked. I came in with you in the shadows. So that's who you are. The shadow. Yes. You're a very clever shadow. But not clever enough to outwit me. We shall see. But first, unbind that girl. No, no. 23:37 She must die. She knows the abbot's secret. 23:40 After tonight, everyone will know the abbot's secret. Paul Randolph. 23:46 You are Paul Randolph. Yes. 23:50 Yes, that's who I am. I don't care if you do know it. Because neither of you will ever live to tell it. You're wrong, Randolph. 23:59 We both shall live. 24:02 And you will be turned over to the police for the murders of the church committee men. 24:08 And how do you propose to do that? You shall see. 24:15 Why did you murder these men? 24:19 Why? 24:20 I'll tell you. 24:22 Buried within these walls are many priceless relics. 24:27 No one knows of them but me. 24:30 And when I have disposed of all who stand in my way, they'll be mine. 24:36 Mine, do you hear? And no one shall take them from me. That's why I've killed those men. I hung Phillips as a warning to keep them away. But they were fools. They learned my secret. 24:50 That's why you both must die too. You heard his confession, Margot. No, no. never live to repeat it. 24:56 Here's a knife. Drop that, Randolph. Oh, no. If you attempt to come near me, Shadow, I'll plunge this into her heart. No, you won't. Let go of my arm. Drop that knife. No. Let go of it. She must die. The knife is almost touching me. I'm afraid I'll have to break your arm, Randolph. 25:18 He's fainted. 25:19 Here. I'll untie your bonds, Margot. 25:22 Oh. 25:23 Oh, thank heaven you arrived in time. 25:27 There's a lot under my shoulder. 25:29 Yes, I've got it. 25:31 There we are. 25:31 Look. Randolph's come too. He's running for the door. Come back here, Randolph. 25:36 You'll never get me. You'll never get me. Come quickly, Margot. He mustn't get away. There he is. 25:42 He's running toward the belfry. 25:44 Don't try to escape, Randolph. He'll never do it. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. 25:49 Thought you had me, didn't you, Shadow? He's going to run down the belfry stairs. 25:53 He mustn't get away, Marco. 25:55 Randolph, you'll never get out through the belfry. Oh, no? No. When I came up those stairs, I locked the door. That won't stop me. 26:03 Look, he's going to slide down the belfry. He's jumping for it. Goodbye, Shadow. 26:09 Oh, Lamont. He slipped up the wall. He's falling. Oh. 26:19 Oh, look. 26:21 He's fallen the hallway. 26:24 Hundreds of feet. 26:25 So horrible. 26:29 Perhaps it's best. 26:32 Randolph was a dangerous man, Margot. 26:35 But his lust for wealth was his undoing. 26:39 Strange, isn't it, that the bells that tolled the death of John Phillips should be repeated by fate for his murderer The Black Abbot. 26:59 Before the shadow concludes his exciting adventure, here's John Barclay, Blue Coal's heating expert, with a few words of seasonable advice you're bound to profit by. 27:08 Thank you, Ken Roberts. Good evening, everybody. 27:12 This is the time of year when all homeowners have a common problem. 27:16 namely how to get your furnace or heating plant in proper shape to give you the best possible service during the fall and winter ahead of us. 27:26 Furnaces usually require a thorough checkup after long months of idleness. You want to be sure your thermostats, dampers, drafts, and grates are all in perfect working condition. 27:38 So here's a timely tip on how to make sure, and perhaps save yourself real money in the long run. 27:45 Simply phone your blue coal dealer first thing in the morning. 27:49 Ask him to send a John Barclay serviceman around to your home. 27:54 You'll find him a trained heating expert, fully qualified to show you how to get the best heating results and answer any questions regarding your home heating problem. 28:04 And remember, no matter what kind of fuel you use or what your individual heating problem may be, your blue coal dealer will only be too glad to place one of these trained John Barclay servicemen at your disposal. 28:19 Always feel free to call on your blue coal dealer. I thank you. 28:31 This has been a dramatized version of one of the many copyrighted stories which appear in the Shadow magazine, now on sale at your local news staff. 28:39 All the characters and all the places named are fictitious. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. 29:03 The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. 29:09 Crime does not pay. 29:18 Next week, same time, same station, Blue Coal, America's finest anthracite, will again present another thrilling adventure of the shadow. Be sure to listen, and be sure to burn Blue Coal, the solid fuel for solid comfort.