The Whistler, Vol. 5

I am The Whistler and I know many things for I walk by Night … many strange tales hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak!

The Whistler was one of radio’s top mystery programs airing from May 16, 1942, until September 22, 1955. Airing on CBS radio and sponsored by the Signal Oil Company, The Whistler (Joseph Kearns, Gale Gordon, and Bill Forman) was an ominous narrator who knew the killer’s every move even before they did. The stories followed an effective formula in which a person’s criminal acts were typically undone by their own missteps. The Whistler often commented directly upon the action in the manner of a Greek chorus, taunting the criminal from an omniscient perspective. One of the show’s trademarks was the ironic twist endings that helped serve as a payoff for the listener. Radio performers heard in this collection of sixteen episodes include Bill Forman, Elliott Lewis, Gerald Mohr, Joan Banks, and Frank Lovejoy.

7/16/47 - “Beyond Reasonable Doubt” 8/6/47 - “Dark Future” 8/27/47 - “Curtain Call” 9/10/47 - “Bridge on Black Mountain” 10/8/47 - “Career Man”10/22/47 - “A Case for Mr. Carrington” 10/29/47 - “The Back Door” 11/5/47 - “The Big Prison” 11/19/47 - “Dark Moon” 11/26/47 - “Body Off Billingsgate” 12/10/47 - “Wedding Gift” 12/17/47 - “Murder in Haste” 12/31/47 - “The First Year” 1/14/48 - “Silent Partner” 1/21/48 - “Twelve Portraits of Marcia” 3/3/48 - “Boiling Point”