The Shadow debuted on July 31, 1930 as the mysterious narrator of the Street and Smith radio program Detective Story Hour.  After gaining popularity in pulp magazines, comics strips and other media, he got his own program.

It debuted on September 26, 1937, with the story The Deathhouse Rescue, in which The Shadow was characterized as having “the power to cloud men’s minds so they cannot see him.” One of the most famous adventure heroes of the twentieth century, The Shadow has been featured on the radio, in a long running pulp magazine series, in comic books, comic strips,television, serials, video games, and at least five motion pictures. The radio drama is well-remembered for those episodes voiced by Orson Welles. 

We’re presenting the episodes we have in original broadcast order. Only a few hundred out of over a thousand recordings survive to the current day, and our collection includes all known surviving episodes.

The Shadow was developed fully and transformed into a pop culture icon by pulp writer Walter B. Gibson. The character would go on to become a major influence on the subsequent evolution of comic book superheroes, in particular, Batman.

Tune in every Monday at 4 p.m. Pacific time to hear an episode of The Shadow.  Consult our  What’s On When page for show times in your area!

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