Lights Out | Old Time Radio

Lights Out presents “The Revenge of India,” episode 5 of the 1946 NBC summer revival, originally broadcast on August 3, 1946. Written by series creator Wyllis Cooper and directed by Albert Crews, the episode features Wilms Herbert and Roy Engel. After Major Treveson receives devastating news in India, he follows a dangerous trail to Chicago in search of answers. With his devoted servant Jeersing at his side, Treveson enters a shadowy world of gangsters, suspicion, and mounting unease. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:50 Original Broadcast 29:31 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “The Coffin in Studio B,” originally broadcast on NBC on July 13, 1946. This is episode 2 of the series’ eight-episode 1946 summer revival. Written by Wyllis Cooper and directed by Albert Crews, the surviving broadcast features Bob Murphy, Sherman Marks, and Don Gallagher. During a tense rehearsal in a radio studio, actors and their director find their work disrupted by an elderly coffin salesman searching for Ed Henley. As the visitor presses an increasingly unsettling catalog of caskets on the cast, the line between a routine broadcast rehearsal and something far more ominous begins to blur. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:42 Original Broadcast 28:33 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “The Dream,” originally broadcast on March 23, 1938. This NBC sustaining broadcast was written by Arch Oboler and features Boris Karloff as university biology professor Darrell Hall. Hall insists he has never dreamed—until a disturbing nightmare and an uncanny recurring presence begin to blur the boundary between sleep and waking life. Framed by a tense courtroom wait, this psychological-supernatural thriller follows Hall as visions, fear, and doubt steadily challenge his grasp on reality. The broadcast marked Lights Out’s fourth anniversary and began Karloff’s five-consecutive-appearance run in spring 1938. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:48 Original Broadcast 30:43 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “Story of Mr. Maggs,” originally broadcast on CBS on December 1, 1942. Written by Arch Oboler, this domestic horror tale features Jane Morgan and Joseph Kearns. Meek Harold Maggs brings home a locked traveling trunk purchased at auction, much to his wife’s displeasure. As the mysterious bargain takes over their modest home, an ordinary household dispute turns increasingly ominous. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:32 Original Broadcast 26:32 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “Visitor from Hades,” episode 41, originally broadcast July 13, 1943. This CBS thriller was written and directed by Arch Oboler, adapting his earlier 1939 play of the same title. In a couple’s apartment, a bitter domestic quarrel is interrupted by a terrifying visitor only the two of them can see. As isolation and shared fear tighten their grip, Oboler builds an unsettling tale of dread within four walls. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:38 Original Broadcast 21:39 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “State Executioner,” episode 41, originally broadcast on NBC on March 17, 1937. Written by Arch Oboler, this surviving installment comes from the series’ 1936–1938 run of experimental radio drama. Set in England during the reign of King George III, the story follows Samuel Jones, a state executioner whose professional certainty begins to erode as he reflects on the work that has made him feared and prosperous. Told in an unusually interior style through Jones’s thoughts, it is a tense psychological drama about conscience, duty, and consequence. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:48 Original Broadcast 22:52 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “Murder in the Script Department,” originally broadcast on May 11, 1943. Episode 32 of Arch Oboler’s CBS suspense series, this original radio play features Mercedes McCambridge. Two young typists stay late in a broadcasting company’s script department to prepare a new Lights Out script, but the familiar after-hours office begins to feel increasingly strange and isolating. Oboler turns typewriters, telephones, desk lamps, and the mechanics of radio production into sources of mounting unease. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:49 Original Broadcast 23:06 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “Until Dead,” originally broadcast on NBC on May 26, 1937. Episode 51 of the original run, this 30-minute thriller was written by Arch Oboler. Condemned man Mac Rogan is consumed by the need to settle an old score in a dark tale of vengeance that contemporary listings described as reaching beyond the grave. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:47 Original Broadcast 29:00 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “The Day the Sun Exploded,” dated September 1, 1945. Written by Arch Oboler, this unusually brief, future-facing drama survives as a local archival recording; the episode number is not supplied. In a possible future, the world listens as delegates gather in Geneva for an international assembly considering a sweeping treaty to end national divisions and secure a lasting peace. Told through the voices of the representatives and the tension surrounding their historic decision, it is a thoughtful departure from the series’ more familiar horror fare. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:45 Original Broadcast 14:15 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “Rocket Ship,” originally broadcast July 28, 1945. This was the third program in NBC’s seven-episode 1945 summer revival, a sustaining series featuring scripts by Lights Out creator Wyllis Cooper. A science-fiction fantasy of interplanetary travel, “Rocket Ship” follows a journey beyond Earth in the imaginative, suspenseful style of the revival’s fantasy-centered stories. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:39 Original Broadcast 28:59 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “Reunion After Death,” originally broadcast on July 21, 1945. This was episode 2 of NBC’s seven-episode 1945 summer revival, a sustaining series written by Wyllis Cooper. After Diane’s death, her grieving husband Adam encounters an old cemetery superstition involving a rose taken from a grave. As friends Basil and Christian recall the legend, Adam’s mourning becomes entangled with questions of memory, loss, and whether the dead can truly be called back. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:43 Original Broadcast 27:44 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “Oxychloride X,” originally broadcast on CBS on February 16, 1943. This revival-era episode, written and hosted by Arch Oboler, is commonly listed as episode 20 and was later syndicated under the alternate title “The Hole.” On a college campus, science student Ray Stuart turns to chemistry after being rejected by a fraternity. His apparent miracle—a universal solvent—soon gives frightening shape to the dangers of ambition without restraint. Frank Martin is the announcer. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:49 Original Broadcast 30:29 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “Murder Castle,” episode 44, originally broadcast on CBS on August 3, 1943. Written and directed by Arch Oboler, this crime-horror drama stars Joseph Kearns, Mercedes McCambridge, and Gladys Holland. A young woman answers a help-wanted advertisement for a secretarial position at a large, self-designed house, while her sister follows the uncertain trail she leaves behind. Inspired by the real-life H. H. Holmes “Murder Castle” case, Oboler’s tense tale turns an unfamiliar address, locked rooms, and shadowed corridors into a mounting nightmare. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:46 Original Broadcast 26:55 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “The Little People,” originally broadcast on April 14, 1937. Listed as episode 45, this early Arch Oboler-era NBC sustaining drama was written by Oboler and features Bret Morrison. Explorer Peter Stranski returns from the Amazon to find his marriage in crisis. When he invites his wife Ellen and her companion John to his home to settle the matter, memories of jungle expeditions, head-hunters, and a seemingly ordinary pen lend an ominous edge to a tense domestic confrontation. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:42 Original Broadcast 31:13 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “It Happened,” originally broadcast on NBC on May 11, 1938. Commonly cataloged as episode 90, this Arch Oboler-written, directed, and produced thriller features Mercedes McCambridge. While touring Paris, a wealthy young American woman becomes separated from her guide and is drawn into danger beneath the city streets. The sewers and catacombs provide an eerie, sound-effects-rich setting for this tense 1938 descent into subterranean horror. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:38 Original Broadcast 29:57 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “The Meteor Man,” originally broadcast June 16, 1937. Episode 54 was an Arch Oboler original for NBC’s Red Network. During a country vacation, astronomy professor Russell J. Adams and his wife, Diane, witness a spectacular meteor shower from their isolated home. When a massive object falls in a nearby field, scientific curiosity leads them toward a chilling discovery. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:39 Original Broadcast 24:02 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “Flame,” originally broadcast March 23, 1943. This archival installment is episode 25 of the 1942–43 run, written and produced by Arch Oboler and sponsored by Ironized Yeast. Arnie Douglas’s lifelong fascination with fire takes a darker turn when old lore of fire worship suggests that a flame may hold a will—and perhaps a presence—of its own. A tense supernatural horror drama of obsession, ritual, and danger. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:52 Original Broadcast 24:12 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “The Fast One,” originally broadcast on October 14, 1936. This early NBC episode, identified as episode 19, was written and directed by Arch Oboler. A baffling rash of robberies and violent accidents draws investigators toward a scientific experiment with terrifying implications. Blending detective suspense with speculative horror, Oboler’s story explores what can happen when extraordinary speed falls into dangerous hands. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:52 Original Broadcast 23:10 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lights Out presents “Organ,” originally broadcast on May 12, 1937. Episode 49 was written by Arch Oboler and aired on NBC. A family renting an old summer house finds its caretaker unsettling from the start. As night falls, mysterious organ music seems to echo through the rooms, and their young son speaks of an elderly woman no one else can see. This atmospheric chiller builds unease around the house’s hidden past. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:45 Original Broadcast 31:11 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Old Time Retro Radio presents Lights Out, “Revolt of the Worms,” originally broadcast October 13, 1942. This was episode 2 of Arch Oboler’s 1942 CBS revival of the classic horror anthology. Chemist and devoted rose grower Charles Prentice retreats with his wife and an assistant to a remote hilltop laboratory, where an experimental treatment involving hormones and earthworms begins to produce deeply unsettling results. Written, directed, and produced by Arch Oboler, the broadcast features Elliott Lewis and Cathy Lewis. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:45 Original Broadcast 22:45 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lights-out-old-time-radio--7222656/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio