Our Patreon listener Mark recommended we pay a visit to our Listener Library to check out “The April Fool’s Day Adventure” from The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes! Thanks, Mark! In this episode, Watson recounts one of his earliest escapades with the famed detective, in which the doctor joins a conspiracy to make Holmes the target of an April Fool’s prank. But when the joke becomes a genuine crime, it’s up to Holmes to uncover the truth! Will Holmes fall for this trick? Is Joshua a fan of Sherlock Holmes or is he a super fan? Listen for yourself and find out!

Richard Widmark stars as a drifter named Jefferson in this episode of Suspense, “Too Hot to Live”! On a blisteringly hot summer day, Jefferson wanders into a small town only to lose his shoes and find a world of trouble. Did he commit the murder that he’s accused of committing? If not, is there any way to prove his innocence? What is Eric’s favorite book of the Bible? Listen for yourself and find out!

We’ve returned to The Chase! In this episode, an American reporter who has made himself unwelcome in Russia finds himself traveling by train to Nuremberg, sharing a car with an important figure in Soviet politics. After speaking together, the reporter soon finds himself in the custody of Russian agents. What information did he learn from that conversation? Will the Russians be able to keep him on the train until it reaches the Czech frontier? Was this guy in Negativeland? Listen for yourself and find out!

Happy New Year! As has become our annual tradition, we are listening to yet another adaptations of Charles Dickens’ other famous ghost story, “The Signal-Man.” This time, we are checking out the most contemporary version on our list, the episode of Nightfall first broadcast on December 17, 1982! As before, this story depicts a curious stranger who encounters a rail worker beset by visions. Why does he seem to be receiving some otherworldly warning? How will this version compare to those we have already heard? Will this version be as bizarre as what we have come to expect from Nightfall? Listen for yourself and find out!

We're celebrating Christmas with this holiday-themed episode of Suspense! In "Back for Christmas," Peter Lorre stars as a hen-pecked husband who concocts a fiendish plan to start a new life apart from his spouse. Can his scheme succeed without his wife's oversight? What might bring him back home for Christmas? Do our faces match our personas? Listen for yourself and find out!

The gauntlet has been thrown! Our mysterious listener Sam claimed we were too afraid to go to the darkest corners of the Listener Library for "Tanglefoot," an episode of Quiet, Please! The time has come to prove our courage! The story features Buck, a plumber who discovers that he doesn't know as much about flies as he thought he did. Are Herbie's wild stories about flies true? Is flypaper effective? Are you brave enough to listen to this with us? Listen for yourself and find out!

“The Man in 206” from Dark Venture was brought to us by our generous Patreon subscriber Greg, who joins us as our guest! In this story, a landlord suspects that one of his tenants is the murderous madman known as “The Executioner!” Can he convince the inspector who lives in the building of his suspicions? What about the reporter who has also taken a room? Does every superhero have an app named after them? Listen for yourself and find out! Then vote and let us know what you think! [yop_poll id=”350″]

We are joined by our Patreon subscriber Ryan as we continue to express our gratitude for our most generous supporters! Ryan has brought us an episode from a series we haven't listened to before, Rocky Jordon! This story, entitled "The Man from Damascus," features an ominous offer from a stranger who claims to have once been grievously wronged by Rocky, but Rocky has no memory of the man or alleged harm. Will Rocky accept this offer? Why can he not recall his history with this stranger? How long have we been pretending that we know what Rocky Jordan is about? Listen for yourself and find out!

Our gratitude to our most generous Patreon supporters continues, this time featuring our patron Mark! Mark joins us a for a discussion of an episode of his choosing, "The Shadow Challenged" from The Shadow! This unique installment in the series features Frank Readick, who played the title character back when he was simply the host of Detective Story Hour! An unknown killer threatens to frame the Shadow for a series of murders and unmask his true identity. Why would the Shadow be a suspect in the case? What is the true motivation behind the murders? Is invisible golf better than space golf? Listen for yourself and find out!

Remember 2021? That's what we're doing this Thanksgiving! Based on listener polls, the keen insights of esteemed special guests, and our own incoherent ramblings, one episode shall be declared the creme de la creme and another shall be declared the ham and bananas hollandaise. Who will win this Battle of Magicians? Who will feel the pride of a Pride of Carrots? Are any of the nominees so bad that we will consistently get its name wrong? Listen for yourself and find out!

In November, we say thank you to some of our most generous Patreon supporters by inviting them to join us a for a discussion of an episode of their choosing! For this installment, our guest Jeff has selected "Action" from Escape! This adaptation of C.E. Montague's short story features a man attempting a near-impossible climb in the Alps. Those who have known the man speculate as to why he would undertake such a dangerous risk. What has driven the man to this deadly precipice? What might drive him to persevere? Why would Jeff give Eric permission to email him mean things? Listen for yourself and find out!

As the last bit of our month-long encouragement to check out our Patreon, we present this adaptation of Ray Bradbury's "The Crowd" presented by Suspense! For our Patreon supporters, it's a timely accompaniment to our next Mysterious Old Book Club, featuring an online group discussion of Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes! This adaptation features Dana Andrews as a police lieutenant hunting for a murderer who has a knack for creating a public spectacle! What compels this killer to draw so much attention to himself? Will he ever make a mistake? Do we have a weird, morbid fascination with people's weird, morbid fascination? Listen for yourself and find out!

Every once in a while during our discussions, we are inspired to explore a second episode as a response or supplement to the first. (Or sometimes we just get a random whim...) That's where our semi-regular B-Sides Bonus Episodes allow us to provide that additional material for our Patreon members! For example, at the end of the Lights Out episode, "The Author and the Thing," we were intrigued by the announcement of the series, BIG TOWN! And so we brought this episode, "Adventure in Paris," to Patreon. The story features the show's heroic reporters wrapped up in a spy adventure in Nazi-occupied Paris! If you'd like to hear more B-Sides, please consider joining the amazing community of MORLS fans whose support keeps this podcast going!

For our first proper episode of the new year, we left the decision to fate! We chose at random from a collection of New Years’ themed episodes and wound up listening to “The First Year,” from The Whistler! The story features a wedded couple whose marriage began on New Year’s Eve and ended with murder exactly one year later. What legal machinations turned the wife against her husband? Is a random selection as good as our otherwise carefully curated choices? What was the original title of 101 Dalmations? Listen for yourself and find out!

On June 26, 2022 we performed our own version of "Battle of the Magicians" from Lights Out on stage at Park Square Theatre! Our Patreon members have access to video recordings of all of our performances as part of their subscription, and we're sharing this audio recording as a sample of the benefits of supporting us. "Battle of the Magicians" features a mysterious occult figure known as Saladin who fights to save an airline from the mystic machinations of the villain known as Ehrlich. Would you like to hear more of our recreations of classic radio episodes? (Not to mention our own original audio dramas?) Please consider joining the amazing community of MORLS fans whose support keeps this podcast going!

This October is our Patreon pledge drive and we continue to try to entice you to support us via Patreon with this, the only episode of Suspense to feature Bela Lugosi, "The Doctor Prescribed Death!" (Lugosi just happens to be the topic of discussion for this month's online Happy Hour, where patrons can chat live with each other and your hosts!) In this story, Lugosi stars as a psychologist who believes that he can redirect suicidal impulses, changing them into a compulsion to commit murder! Can he prove this bizarre theory? What is the significance of the opera attended by the doctor's wife? Will Eric or Tim be able to answer Joshua's trivia questions? Listen for yourself and find out!

Today is the exciting conclusion of “The McCormick Matter,” from Yours Truly Johnny Dollar! All week long we’ve been releasing one installment per day as part of our Patreon drive month! The finale begins with Dollar suffering from a bullet wound, searching for the woman he now knows to be McCormick's wife! Who did steal those jewels? Who committed the murder? Will any of your hosts know what Cosmoline is? Listen for yourself and find out!

It's our Patreon drive month and part of the celebration is listening to all five parts of "The McCormick Matter" from Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, one per day for the whole week! Today's episode is part 4 of the run, in which Dollar's investigation of a jewel theft has become a murder investigation! What's the difference between a coupe and a sedan? Will Gloria expose a shocking truth as she's changing clothes? Which of your hosts can smugly claim to have anticipated these plot twists? Listen for yourself and find out! Then tune in tomorrow for the next installment!

Today we are listening to part 3 of "The McCormick Matter"from Yours Truly Johnny Dollar as part of our Patreon drive month! In this installment, Dollar continues to dig into an unsolved jewelry theft from years ago. And as the police are close in on the main suspect, Johnny hunts for the man's ex-wife. How did such a small time crook pull off such an elaborate theft? What happened to that guy's feet? How do we connect Godzilla to Mo' Better Blues? Listen for yourself and find out! Then tune in tomorrow for the next installment!

Our Patreon drive month continues with part 2 of “The McCormick Matter,” from our week-long journey into Yours Truly Johnny Dollar! This is the second episode in the investigation of an unsolved jewelry theft from years ago. Based on a tip given by a dying convict, Johnny interviews both the owner of the jewels and the original investigator who looked into the matter. Will Johnny find the ex-con that he suspects committed the crime? Who was pretending to be Johnny? How much is a Johnny Dollar worth in today's Johnny Dollars? Listen for yourself and find out! Then tune in tomorrow for the next installment!

It's our Patreon drive month! We've got a whole bunch of special offerings to give all our listeners a taste of the extra content enjoyed by all of our Patreon supporters! For example, you can get a sample of our "Cliffhangers of Doom" bonus episodes! (And thank you to everyone who already does supports us!) We're starting out with a whole week of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar! Each day, we are going to post one installment of “The McCormick Matter,” a story in which a dying convict calls insurance investigator Johnny Dollar with a tip about an unsolved jewel theft in exchange for sharing the reward with this convict's wife. Is this deathbed bargain on the level or is it a plot take revenge on Dollar? Why are drinks so expensive in this story? What's a good metaphor for describing how dangerous a pretty girl is? Listen for yourself and find out!

In February of 2020, we debuted "Cliffhangers of Doom," a new type of bonus content for our patrons which featured serialized tales from the Golden Age of Radio! We're hoping to entice our listeners to join our Patreon page by sharing this sample of "Cliffhangers of Doom," the first episode of "City of the Dead" from Adventures by Morse! A young couple have their car stolen far from anything except the City of the Dead, a disused cemetery. What follows is a twisting tale of mystery and intrigue so dense, there isn’t even room to introduce the main character yet! Like what you hear and want to find out what happens in the rest of the series? Please consider joining the amazing community of MORLS fans whose support keeps this podcast going!

Our thanks to Kaj for sending us down to the Listener Library for the debut episode of a show we haven't checked out yet, "The First Letter" from Box 13! The series features Alan Ladd as Dan Holiday, a writer who has posted an ad seeking adventure! In this first installment, a woman asks for help to rid herself of a blackmailer. How did this woman end up in such a dilemma? Will Holiday's judgment be better or worse than the characters he writes about? Will Mr. Deus Ex Machina suddenly arrive with a third question? Listen for yourself and find out! Then vote and let us know what you think!

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Based on the novels by Frances Crane, The Adventures of the Abbotts featured the mystery-solving husband and wife team, Pat and Jean Abbott! This particular episode, "The Clicking Silver," tells the story of a visit to a steel factory that results in murder and a reunion with an old flame! (Fair warning, the story includes a reference to a husband "spanking the daylights" out of his wife, ostensibly not "fun" spanking.) What is the clicking silver? Why does Pat treat his suspects so differently than any other detective would? Can we actually lose sponsors if we don't have any? Listen for yourself and find out!

We’re starting the new year off with a sneak peek at what awaits listeners when they become one of our Patreon supporters! Our current members voted on their favorite bonus content in the past year and this episode of Frontier Gentleman, “Random Notes,” tied for the top selection! Our supporters on Patreon already know what the other bonus episode was and if you want to find out, go to patreon.com/themorls and join! But for now, please enjoy this tale of a journalist in the Old West collecting small bit and pieces of stories filled with pathos and absurdity. Can this collage of character studies come together to make a satisfying whole? Will this discussion settle the hosts ongoing feud about Frontier Gentleman? Has someone salted this Sonuvagun Stew?

We're going deep, deep into the Listener Library for this episode of Suspense, "Deep Deep is My Love," recommended to us by our mysterious listener Elena! Thanks, Elena! This production features Lloyd Bridges as a diver whose compulsion for solitude has driven him to an undersea grotto where he may have seen a miraculous vision. Or, he may have simply suffered hallucinations as he approached death. What calls to him to return to this dangerous depth? Can his friend or his wife do anything to break the hold this mystery has upon him? What new option are we considering for our end-of-show voting? Listen for yourself and find out!

We're not too old to pay a visit to "The Playground," an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's short story from Vanishing Point! The story features Charlie, a young father who wrestles with his own troubled childhood as his own son wants to go play with other children. When Charlie visits the neighborhood playground, it looks sinister and unsafe, but he can't tell if the danger is real or a product of his anxieties. Is he being over-protective or are his fears well-founded? Why does one of the kids at the playground address Charlie by name? How do playgrounds work in Canada? Listen for yourself and find out!

Our Mysterious Listener Waymon really wanted us to listen to another episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar! So we are paying another visit to the Listener Library for this standalone installment of the iconic series, “The Sidewinder Matter!” This story features Johnny and his action-packed expense account investigating a bitter feud over poisoned cattle. Along the way, he'll have to contend with gunshots, strange weather phenomena, and an unlikely menagerie of animals. Would this mean-spirited rancher shoot his own son to gratify his spite? What's in the bag? Where would Columbo fit in this story? Listen for yourself and find out!

We return to Escape for "Conqueror's Isle," an adaptation of the short story by Nelson Bond! The story features a Navy pilot who, after a three year absence, returns with a strange tale of landing on an island inhabited by a group that seems superior to humanity in almost every way. What ultimate goal is this group of superior beings pursuing? What does the pilot believe to be their one weakness? Will Tim get both a comic book reference and a Lovecraft reference in the post-show discussion? Listen for yourself and find out!

This episode of Lights Out comes from our Listener Library based on a recommendation from our mysterious listener, Zachary! Thanks, Zachary! This particular story, entitled "Death Robbery," is one of the few surviving episodes to feature a script written by the creator Wyllis Cooper, and even these extant recordings are all revivals of Cooper's writing broadcast after he left the show. The tale features Boris Karloff as an ambitious scientist who believes he has perfected the means to bring the dead back to life. Who will be the first human subject of this unorthodox procedure? Does the experiment take absolutely everything into account? What could sponsors possibly object to in this script? Listen for yourself and find out!

This is the second of two episodes recorded live in front of an audience at Open Eye Theatre, featuring special guest, Shanan Custer! Our audience joined us listening to "If a Body Need a Body Just Call Burke and Hare" from Crime Classics! In the poorest parts of mid-19th century Edinburgh, William Burke and William Hare find a path to quick money by providing medical schools with fresh cadavers. Based on true events, this story details the exploits of two characters who have a special place in the secret origin of the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society! How do two unassuming men become such notorious villains? Is free shoe cobbling worth the risk? Would this story be more terrifying if they were floating next to a large ship? Listen for yourself and find out!

This episode is the first of two recorded live in front of an audience at Open Eye Theatre, featuring special guest, Shanan Custer! We started the evening with the legendary Ethel Merman starring in "Never Follow a Banjo Act" from Suspense! In this story, Merman plays an "mature" singer hired to share the stage with a young heartthrob whose last co-star suffered an unfortunate accident. Will she meet the same fate as her predecessor? What will come of her torrid romance with a cowboy played by Paul Frees? Is this what show business is really like? Listen for yourself and find out!

We're late, but that won't stop us from celebrating Father's Day! To mark the occasion, we're heading down to the Listener Library for a dad-themed episode of Night Beat entitled "Expectant Father." Our thanks to Diana for recommending the story! Your usual hosts are joined this time by our summer intern (and Joshua's son) Aaron! We're listening to the story of journalist Randy Stone and the night he spent with a panicked man on the brink of fatherhood. Will his booze-soaked reminiscing end in a happy family? Is Stone helping the situation or making it worse? Will Godzilla appear at any point during this story? Listen for yourself and find out!

We're headed back to the Old West, this time listening to an episode of Frontier Gentleman, entitled "The Honky Tonkers!" In this story, the titular British journalist finds himself passing the night in a rough-and-tumble saloon where a drunken argument breaks out. Guns are drawn, blood is spilled, and the true natures of the assembled crowd are revealed. How will these lawless souls handle the consequences of violence? What value do they place on life? Were we referring to the cartoon characters, the exotic dancers, or the furniture? Listen for yourself and find out!

Our thanks to our mysterious listener Joe, whose extraordinary effort convinced us to visit a corner of the Listener Library we've been known to avoid, the CBS Radio Mystery Theater section! Based on Joe's recommendation, we're listening to an episode entitled, "The Chess Master," featuring a performance by Fred Gwynn! The story features a man who has recently lost his job sitting down for a game of chess with a stranger. Although the stakes seem innocuous at first, it soon becomes apparent that a much deeper game is being played! Can this man out-maneuver his opponent? Where's E.G. Marshall and who is this Tammy Grimes person? How much does the Muzio Gambit have to do with the drunk horsies? Listen for yourself and find out!

Happy New Year’s Eve! It’s that heartwarming time of year when we gather around the tunnel and try to discern the ghostly message being relayed from beyond. It’s another adaptation of Charles Dickens’ other famous ghost story, “The Signal-Man”! This year we gather in The Weird Circle for their version which they retitled, “The Thing in the Tunnel.” As before, this story depicts a curious stranger who encounters a rail worker beset by visions. Why does he seem to be receiving some otherworldly warning? How will this version compare to those we have already heard? What hat leads to the most successful military career? Listen for yourself and find out!

What's on the other side of the world's squeakiest door? Another episode of Inner Sanctum Mystery of course! This installment, entitled "The Voice on the Wire," features a young widow who is being apparently haunted by the ghosts of her late husband and their dog. She hears his voice on the phone threatening her imminent death! Is it possible that one of the visitors she is entertaining is really to blame? What caused the death of her husband (and their dog)? What grocery store item is the perfect metaphor for this story? Listen for yourself and find out!

Who's that singing in the Listener Library? Richard Diamond Private Detective, of course! Our thanks to our mysterious listener Matt for recommending "The House of Mystery Case!" A client has called on our musical protagonist to help her uncover the secrets behind her supposedly haunted house. If she doesn't have the nerve to remain, she will lose her inheritance, but staying put could prove fatal! Is something truly supernatural happening? If not, who would want to drive her from the house? Will your hosts enjoy this episode and, if so, will they enjoy it the right way? Listen for yourself and find out!

It's been more than five years since the last time we checked out an episode of Macabre. This week, we return for a story titled “Final Resting Place!” This installment of the series recorded by members of the Far East Network features a pair of young newlyweds who take up a bizarre challenge at a small-town carnival that could potentially prove fatal! Can hypnotism sustain life for a week? Does this stunt have anything to do with the escaped lunatic in the area? Why might you want to bring a Mountain Dew bottle to South Dakota? Listen for yourself and find out!

Our Mysterious Listener Anna has sent us to the Listener Library for "Clarissa," an episode of Quiet Please! Thanks, Anna! This story features a young mathematician who befriends the elderly man who rents a room to him. Soon, the younger man begins to hear the singing of an unseen child. The landlord claims that it is his daughter, but he prefer to keep her out of sight. Why does he insist on this seclusion? Is this house haunted? Where do your hosts stand on the issue of goats versus sheep? Listen for yourself and find out!

This week features Appointment with Fear’s adaptation of a classic tale of torment and despair by Edgar Allen Poe! “The Pit and the Pendulum” tells the story of a soldier in Napoleon's army who is captured and then sentenced by the Spanish Inquisition to a horrific fate. What torture awaits him in this diabolical prison? Does he have any hope of survival or rescue? What series did Eric start exploring that eventually led him to Appointment with Fear? Listen for yourself and find out!

We've had many requests for this particular installment from the Listener Library, "Specialty of the House" from The Price of Fear! As was always the case with the series, Vincent Price stars as a fictionalized version of himself, relating diabolical tales from his adventures as a globe-trotting gourmand. This particular script is actually an adaptation of a short story by Stanley Ellin about a small obscure restaurant that caters to a limited but devoted clientele. Yet behind the delicious cuisine and eccentric quirks, something sinister seems to be happening in the kitchen. How long will it be before the restaurant has its famed house special back? Is there any amount of sinister subtext that will get Vincent Price to abandon a good meal? Does this soup taste a little bland to you? Listen for yourself and find out!

This week we go way back for an episode of The Witch's Tale, “The Statue of Thor”! The story features a hedonistic sculptor who constantly ridicules the brawny model posing for him. As the artist grows more cruel and self-indulgent, he may incur the wrath of the gods! Will the the model catch on to the artist's true intentions? What will the statue look like when it is complete? Can we remember the details of any of our past episodes? Listen for yourself and find out!

Our thanks to our mysterious listener Jessica for sending us back to our Listener Library for "Never Pester Chester" from Gunsmoke! This episode features Marshal Dillon on the trail of two cruel men who made the mistake of attacking his friend Chester. But given Dillon's anger and sense of responsibility, it isn't clear if he intends to deliver justice or revenge! How will he track these men down? Will his feelings overpower his obligations as a lawman? Would our discussion afterward be better if we had beers and steak? Listen for yourself and find out!

For our 250th episode we listen to an adaptation of a landmark detective story, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Final Problem," presented by The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes! In this broadcast, Sir John Gielgud's Sherlock Holmes attempts to once and for all put an end to the criminal machinations of Orson Welles' James Moriarty! Will the World's Greatest Detective be able to outsmart the Napoleon of Crime? How far will Holmes go to succeed? Which of your hosts didn't know how this story would end the first time he encountered it? Listen for yourself and find out!

Join us this week for an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's short story, "Kaleidoscope," presented by Suspense! A group of astronauts suddenly find themselves in a hopeless situation, one that forces them to confront how they've lived their lives. Some are content, others bitter. But does any of that matter when facing death? Are we all just floating through life, isolated and scared? Are we going to listen to every different adaptation of this story ever recorded? Listen for yourself and find out!

We’re spending Boxing Day with Lurene Tuttle in this Suspense episode, “The Tip”! In this production, she plays a devoted wife being held at gunpoint by a desperate man. This intruder intends to kill her husband as revenge for crimes unknown to her. As the two wait for his intended victim to come home, she engages her captor in a battle of wills. Can she outwit this man to escape? Has her husband really done something wrong? Has Joshua successfully atoned for bringing so many ape-themed episodes? Listen for yourself and find out!

It's been almost 250 episodes and we are still discovering shows we've never listened to before! This week, we check out Up for Parole! Based on real cases, the show presents stories as told by convicts addressing a parole board. This installment, "The Case of Clarence Hogan," features a ranch hand whose hard life led him to being jailed as a cattle rustler and an accessory to murder. What path can lead a man to commit such an unusual crime? Will the parole board grant him his freedom? What's the famous Billy Martin "Cow Story"? Listen for yourself and find out!

We’re paying another visit to our Listener Library for an episode of Suspense recommended to us by our Patreon supporter, Marc. Thanks, Marc! This production adapts A.M. Burrage’s story, “The Waxwork,” and features a one-man performance by William Conrad! In this story, a journalist in need of cash bargains to pass the night in a room inside a wax museum. In this hall, each figure depicts a notorious killer, and as the hours pass, a creeping terror begins to invade the journalist's thoughts. Is this fear a product of his own imagination or is something more going on? Is William Conrad up to the task of a solo performance? Why does our discussion include Doctor Who and puppet blood? Listen for yourself and find out!

Our Patreon supporter James suggested that we listen to “The Blind Beggar Dies” from The Shadow! In this story, the enigmatic vigilante seeks justice for the murder of a blind man and fights to protect the city's poor. But even the power to cloud men's minds may not be enough to save him if the enemy knows his plan! How will the Shadow bring these vicious killers to justice? What requirements must a person meet to stand on the corner and ask for money? If fighting crime doesn't work out, does the Shadow have any skills that would allow him to succeed as a live entertainer? Listen for yourself and find out!