Infinity Radio: Inner Sanctum Mystery | Episodes 1-25

Inner Sanctum Mystery, also known as Inner Sanctum, is a popular old-time radio program that aired from January 7, 1941, to October 5, 1952. It was created by producer Himan Brown and was based on the imprint given to the mystery novels of Simon & Schuster. In all, 526 episodes were broadcast. On January 7, 1941, the Inner Sanctum radio program premiered, the name licensed by Simon & Schuster on condition that at the end of each broadcast the announcer would promote the latest book title published in the series. The anthology series featured stories of mystery, terror and suspense, and its tongue-in-cheek introductions were in sharp contrast to shows like Suspense and The Whistler. The early 1940s programs opened with Raymond Edward Johnson introducing himself as "Your host, Raymond" in a mockingly sardonic voice. A spooky melodramatic organ score (played by Lew White) punctuated Raymond's many morbid jokes and playful puns. Raymond's closing was an elongated "Pleasant dreeeeaams, hmmmmm?" His tongue-in-cheek style and ghoulish relish of his own tales became the standard for many such horror narrators to follow, such as Maurice Tarplin (on The Mysterious Traveler). When Johnson left the series in May 1945 to serve in the Army, he was replaced by Paul McGrath, who did not keep the "Raymond" name and was known only as "Your Host" or "Mr. Host". (Berry Kroeger had substituted earlier for a total of four episodes.) McGrath was a Broadway actor who turned to radio for a regular income. Beginning in 1945, Lipton Tea sponsored the series, pairing first Raymond and then McGrath with cheery commercial spokeswoman Mary Bennett (aka the "Tea Lady"), whose blithesome pitches for Lipton Tea contrasted sharply with the macabre themes of the stories. She primly chided the host for his trademark dark humor and creepy manner. The program's familiar and famed audio trademark was the eerie creaking door which opened and closed the broadcasts. Himan Brown got the idea from a door in the basement that "squeaked like Hell." The door sound was actually made by a rusty desk chair. The program did originally intend to use a door, but on its first use, the door did not creak. Undaunted, Brown grabbed a nearby chair, sat in it and turned, causing a hair-raising squeak. The chair was used from then on as the sound prop. On at least one memorable occasion, a staffer innocently repaired and oiled the chair, thus forcing the sound man to mimic the squeak orally. Inner Sanctum Mystery | Episodes 1-25 0:00 - 25:14 - Mrs. Putnam 25:14 - 50:14 - The Howling Dog 50:14 - 1:14:52 - Fog 1:14:52 - 1:39:05 - Dead Freight 1:39:05 - 2:05:56 - Death is a Joker 2:05:56 - 2:33:07 - Death Ship 2:33:07 - 3:01:38 - Island of Death 3:01:38 - 3:31:05 - The Man from Yesterday 3:31:05 - 4:01:58 - Death has Claws 4:01:58 - 4:31:15 - Dead Reckoning 4:31:15 - 4:53:44 - A Study for Murder 4:53:44 - 5:18:57 - Terrible Vengeance (Australian Version) 5:18:57 - 5:48:47 - The Black Seagull 5:48:47 - 6:09:40 - The Horla 6:09:40 - 6:35:48 - The Bog-Oak Necklace 6:35:48 - 7:00:01 - The Death Laugh 7:00:01 - 7:22:02 - Birdsong for a Murderer 7:22:02 - 7:51:46 - The Walking Skull 7:51:46 - 8:18:09 - Melody of Death 8:18:09 - 8:44:05 - The Silent Hand 8:44:05 - 9:04:25 - Dead Man's Vengeance 9:04:25 - 9:33:31 - The Voice on the Wire 9:33:31 - 9:58:30 - The Color-Blind Formula 9:58:30 - 10:28:00 - Desert Death 10:28:00 - Death is an Artist