New Blog - The Shadow Radio!

I was able to obtain the domain theshadowradio.com and decided I would create a blog with that domain that would be based entirely on The Shadow radio show.  Today I started building that blog and posted one article on it just to get it started.  My plan is to take any posts related to The Shadow radio show on this blog and put it on The Shadow Radio blog.  Going forward, anything related to The Shadow radio show will be posted on the new blog.  I hope you take some time to check in on the new blog as I continue to build it and post new content to it!

The History Behind the Mystery: The Red Menace and The Romanoff Jewels

This year I read "The Red Menace" and "The Romanoff Jewels."  Both of these stories are fantastic Shadow adventures!  But when I finished reading them, I felt like I was missing something in my understanding of the stories.  That led me to start digging into the background of both adventures and a study of Russian history.  The more I studied and learned, the more I began to appreciate these two Shadow stories.  Let me share some of that background with you!  Please note that some of what I share is in general terms to try and simplify some of the complexities I discovered.

Up until 1917, Russia was ruled by powerful Tsars from the Romanoff (Romanov) dynasty.  The last Tsar of Russia was Tsar Nicholas II who began to reign on November 1, 1894.  In the early 1900s there was a lot of unrest in Russia and missteps by Tsar Nicholas didn't help endear him to the people.  For example, his handling of Russian involvement in World War I was a fiasco leading to the deaths of approximately 2 million ill-equipped Russian soldiers.  

Tsar Nicholas II

In February of 1917, the first of two revolutions began.  The February revolution began when workers refused to work and started rioting.  Troops were sent in to suppress the riots, but many soldiers refused and much of the army eventually turned against the Tsar.  As a result, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated his monarchy on March 15, 1917.  Shortly after his abdication, Nicholas and his family were imprisoned.  Two factions began to run the Russian government; the Petrograd Soviet (also known as Bolsheviks - which represented workers, soldiers) and the Provisional Government (which supported the Tsar and the monarchy).   In October of 1917, the second revolution began as the Petrograd Soviet led an armed insurrection that deposed the Provisional Government and assumed all command and authority in Russia.  Shortly after the October revolution, a civil war broke out in Russian between Red armies (Bolsheviks, socialists, communists) and the White armies (Russians who supported the Tsar and the monarchy).  The Red army defeated the White army and in 1922 Russia officially became the Union of Soviet Socialists of Russia (USSR).

On July 17, 1918, Tsar Nicholas II and his entire family were murdered by Bolshevik soldiers in the basement of a home in Yekaterinburg, Russia.  

Here's a brief summary to try and sum all of this up:

• The Romanoff dynasty ruled over Russia as a monarchy for over 300 years
• Tsar Nicholas II was the last Tsar of Russia and was killed on July 17, 1918
• Russians that supported Tsar Nicholas and the monarchy were called "Tsarists" or "White" Russians
• Russians that opposed the Tsar/monarchy were called "Bolsheviks" or "Red" Russians
• Tsarists who remained in Russia had their wealth confiscated by the Reds, this led to many Russians of nobility fleeing Russia (with their wealth) for other nations, including the United States

Now let me try and fold all this background into The Shadow stories!  In "The Red Menace" we learn that The Shadow was inducted into a secret society of Royalist (Tsarist) Russia called the Seventh Star.  The Shadow tells us, "I was in Russia during the first months of the War.  As an agent of another government, I became a member of the Seventh Star."  Under the stone of The Shadow's girasol ring is engraved a seven pointed star, which is the symbol of this elite organization!

In "The Romanoff Jewels" we learn a little more about The Shadow's connection with Russia.  The Shadow shows his girasol ring and tells us that the fire opal was given to him as a gift from the Tsar and it is one of the jewels of the Romanoffs.  "Gaze upon the stone that gleams from my finger.  That priceless girasol was once owned by the Tsars of Russia...The girasol was a gift, which I accepted as a memento of friendship from the man who owned it..."

From these two stories we learn that The Shadow had known and assisted in some way Tsar Nicholas II.  For his actions, he became a member of the Seventh Star and was given a priceless girasol ring.  If you go on to read these stories, try to keep in mind the different factions in Russia (Reds, Whites) as it leads to the intrigue and plotting that happens in these stories.

It was exciting and educational to do this investigation and research on the background of these two Shadow adventures.  I hope you've enjoyed the history behind the mystery!

The Collected Shadow Comic Strip

The Shadow began to appear in newspaper comic strips (through the Ledger Syndicate) on June 17, 1942.  The stories were written by Shadow creator Walter B. Gibson and the artwork was provided by Vernon Green.  Unfortunately the comic strip was ended after only two years of publication.  According to one account, it was ended due to the impact of World War II on newspapers - needing more room for war news and printing fewer papers due to the paper shortage.

In 1988, Eternity Comics began publishing The Shadow comic strips in a collection entitled, Crime Classics.  There are 13 issues, with the final issue publishing in November of 1989.

I was able to find a copy of Crime Classics #1, here are a few pictures from the comic.

Front Cover

Inside Front Cover

I like that the stories are written by Walter B. Gibson and the artwork is pretty good.  I can imagine the difficulty in taking a book-length Shadow novel and trying to make it appealing in comic strip form.  However, some of the depictions of The Shadow aren't that great - like in the photo above where The Shadow says, "My own automatic!"  I'm trying to figure out what that is covering his face!  But the picture below it is awesome - classic Shadow!

If you want to read all The Shadow comic strips, I recommend you get your copies of these Crime Classics!

The Shadow Radio: The Tenor With The Broken Voice

Here's a brief synopsis and notes of The Shadow radio episode, "The Tenor With The Broken Voice" that originally aired on June 5, 1938.  (Note:  I've seen other dates listed as the original air date, but the June 5 date is based on what I found at a vintage radio log.)

Margo Lane and Lamont Cranston attend a night at the opera to watch the opera "Pagliacci."  They both comment on their anticipation to hear the star, Hagen Radcoffe, as he sings the aria "Vesti la giubba" which closes out the first act.  As Radcoffe sings the aria, the audience is shocked as Radcoffe's voice cracks and he is led off the stage.  

Replacement singers are brought in for other performances and death and tragedy strike them as they sing the "Vesi la giubba" aria.  Cranston, as The Shadow, investigates and foils the villain before he can set off an explosion in the crowded opera house!

It's interesting to see the conflict between Commissioner Weston and The Shadow as they both work to solve the crime and keep the public safe.  I also enjoyed hearing Detective Joe Cardona and The Shadow's agent, Clyde Burke, in this adventure.

Cast/Crew:
Lamont Cranston/The Shadow:  Orson Wells
Margo Lane:  Margot Stevenson

Announcer:  Ken Roberts (some have noted that Roberts may have played the part of one of the tenors in this episode!)

Sponsor:  B. F. Goodrich

Cranston, Arnaud, and The Shadow

I really love the cover to The Shadow magazine's July 15, 1935 edition.  It features The Shadow front and center, but it also shows him in two of his disguises!  The man on the left is Lamont Cranston, that is the primary disguise The Shadow uses in his pulp stories.  The man on the right is Henry Arnaud, which is another great disguise used by The Shadow.

According to an article by Will Murray in the reprint of this Shadow magazine, "George Rozen's triple portrait cover was intended as a gift to the loyal readers who hungered for a Shadow pinup, for it depicted The Shadow and his two main identities."* 

While Lamont Cranston is probably the more better known disguise of The Shadow, I was surprised that in a few stories, it is the Henry Arnaud disguise that The Shadow uses.  For example, in Green Eyes and The Romanoff Jewels, Cranston is not mentioned at all while The Shadow opts for the Arnaud disguise.

This is a great cover and I'm sure fans appreciated it when it was first published!

*“INTERLUDE by Will Murray.” Atoms of Death and Buried Evidence: Two Classic Adventures of The Shadow, by Maxwell Grant et al., vol. 44, Sanctum Books, 2010.

Chronology of Shadows: A Timeline of The Shadow's Exploits

Chronology of Shadows: A Timeline of The Shadow's Exploits by Rick Lai is a great resource for fans and agents of The Shadow.  Author Rick Lai provides us with a dated chronology of The Shadow's adventures in the pulp magazines.  

The book is 119 pages long and has some great information on The Shadow's exploits as well as The Shadow's activities before he became The Shadow.  The book's introduction clearly explains the book's purpose, "This article is an attempt to create a coherent chronology of the published exploits of The Shadow."  While there are references to The Shadow radio show, there is no significant information on them nor does Mr. Lai try to reconcile the activities and adventures of The Shadow on radio and in print.

One of my favorite sections of the book is a highly detailed look at the early years of The Shadow.  Mr. Lai definitely did his research and I found this section very helpful in understanding the activities of The Shadow as well as his world travels and abilities he learned overseas.

The biggest section of the book looks at each Shadow pulp story and gives it a date when the events occurred.  For example, The Living Shadow, the first Shadow story, is noted as having occurred in November of 1929.  The events in Gangdom's Doom, the fifth Shadow story, are dated to have happened in March of 1931. There are some interesting notes in this section as well, but there are not extensive notes on the story plot.  Some stories just have a date listed as when they occurred with no additional notes.

I don't have a hard copy of the book, but I did purchase an eBook copy for my Kindle.  I've enjoyed reading it and I recommend it as a good resource for fans and agents of The Shadow!

Currently Reading: Green Eyes

I'm currently reading The Shadow story "Green Eyes."  It was originally published on October 1, 1932 and was the 15th Shadow story.  I'm reading the Pyramid paperback edition.  I'm only a few chapters in and it is awesome!  So far, The Shadow has traveled to San Francisco using the disguise of Henry Arnaud.  He is there to uncover the mystery behind the murder of a man on an East bound train.  

The paperback cover was illustrated by Jim Steranko and it is a beautiful illustration.  I like the paperback cover better than the original pulp magazine cover!  Here are a few pictures of the book.

I have been reading The Shadow stories in the order they were printed and have been taking notes to write about them here on the blog.  But I'm reading Green Eyes for entertainment - just for the thrill of reading a page-turning, action packed adventure of The Shadow.  I know eventually I'll re-read the story and write about it, but for now, I'm just enjoying the adventure!