''The Hermit's Cave'' was a
syndicated radio
horror
Horror may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Genres
*Horror fiction, a genre of fiction
** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction
**Korean horror, Korean horror fiction
* Horror film, a film genre
*Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...
series. The syndication was done via scripts, so that stations could broadcast the program with their own casts.
The program began in September 1937 and continued into the mid-1940s on
WJR AM in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
.
[ In 1942, WJR's broadcasts of the show were recorded and broadcast a week later on WBBM in Chicago, Illinois. By 1943, transcriptions of the WJR version of the program were also being broadcast in eight additional cities.
KMPC AM in ]Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, broadcast it from 1940 to 1944, with William Conrad
William Conrad (born John William Cann Jr., September 27, 1920 – February 11, 1994) was an American actor, producer, and director whose entertainment career spanned five decades in radio, film, and television, peaking in popularity when he s ...
as producer.[ Over 800 episodes were produced but fewer than 40 are currently available.
Show sponsors included the ]Carter Coal Company
''Carter v. Carter Coal Company'', 298 U.S. 238 (1936), is a United States Supreme Court decision interpreting the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution, which permits the United States Congress to "regulate Commerce... among the seve ...
which advertised its home-heating coal product, Olga Coal, and the Simoniz Company which promoted its various automotive care products like Simoniz Cleaner.
''The Hermit's Cave'' was narrated by the character, the Hermit, with a majority of episodes beginning with the following dialogue:
Ghost stories! Weird stories. And murders, too! The Hermit knows of them all! Turn out your lights. Turn them out, and listen while the Hermit tells you ...
Throughout the years, the voice of the Hermit was provided by various actors beginning with John Kent and later by Charles Penman, Toby Grimmer, Klock Ryder, Mel Johnson, and John Dehner.
In January 1950, ''The Hermit's Cave'' returned to WJR.
Select list of episodes
*"Buried Alive"
*"Castle By The Sea"
*"Fever"
*"Footprints In The Snow"
*"From Another World"
*"Hanson's Ghost"
*"House Of Madness"
*"Inheritance"
*"It Happened On Sunday"
*"Living Or Dead"
*"Marked Hours"
*"Mr. Randall's Discovery"
*"Mysterious Return"
*"Notebook On Murder"
*"Plantation Mystery"
*"Reflected Image"
*"Sea Wolf"
*"Spirit Vengeance"
*"Spirits Of Vengeance"
*"The Author Of Murder"
*"The Black Band"
*"The Blackness Of Terror"
*"The Crimson Hand"
*"The Devil Dog"
*"The Guilty One"
*"The Gypsy's Curse"
*"The Haunted Theater"
*"The House Of Murder"
*"The House Of Purple Shadows"
*"The House On Lost Man's Bluff"
*"The House With A Past"
*"The Lost Black Crow Mine"
*"The Man With White Hair"
*"The Mystery Of The Thing"
*"The Nameless Day"
*"The Omen From The Sea"
*"The Possessed"
*"The Professor's Elixir"
*"The Search For Life"
*"The Sound That Never Ends"
*"The Unseen Force"
*"The Vampire's Desire"
*"The Will In The Book"
*"Without End"
*"You Only Die Once"
References
External links
Audio files for select episodes of ''The Hermit's Cave'' at archive.org
*[http://www.steve-calvert.co.uk/old-time-radio/the-hermits-cave/about-the-show.htm#episodes Show information and audio files/plot summaries for select episodes of ''The Hermit's Cave'' at steve-calvert.co.uk]
OTR Plot Spot: ''The Hermit's Cave''
– plot summaries and reviews.
American radio dramas
1930s American radio programs
1940s American radio programs
Fantasy radio programs
Horror fiction radio programmes
Anthology radio series
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