The Shadow Knows

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Way back in August 1930 one of the most popular radio shows was broadcast and it was called “The Shadow”. Back in those days with no TV people could gather around the radio and hear some really exciting radio which could make their imagination dance. Gathered around their radios people heard the announcers voice say the opening lines that must have given a shiver or two “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?” “The Shadow knows!” Then this detective story program captured everyone’s attention. This was a series of macabre tales and the narrator became a star until the series ended in 1954. The Shadow was an unbeatable crime fighter and was able to overcome any enemy. He had tremendous strength, could defy gravity, speak any language, unravel any code and best of all he could become invisible. It was his famous ability to “cloud men’s minds”. The enemies that he fought had such unusual names like The Black Master, Kings of Crime, The Five Chameleons and The Red Menace. By 1931 fans could also follow his adventures by reading The Shadow Magazine which began publishing. It was published by Street & Smith and there was a total of 325 issues. All of these stories were written by Maxwell Grant which was a fictional name that was created by the publishing company. There were actually several different people who wrote under the pseudonym with Walter B. Gibson writing the most stories. Most of the novels have been reprinted in paperback and The Shadow adventures are still popular today. There are Shadow comic books, magazines, toys, games, CDs, cassettes of the old radio shows and books. I have an interesting question for you - Who was the narrator for The Shadow? If you’re interested I have included the link to the radio show Halloween 1937 The Shadow from YouTube http://www.mysterynet.com/shadow/