Fourble

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 mocking 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, from fellow radio hosts like Ernest Chappell (on Wyllis Cooper's later series, Quiet, Please) and 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 Creaking Door: 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.

Guest Stars: Its campy comedy notwithstanding, the stories were usually effective little chillers, mixing horror and humor in equal doses. Memorable episodes included "Terror by Night" (September 18, 1945) and an adaptation of "The Tell-Tale Heart" (August 3, 1941). The latter starred Boris Karloff, who was heard regularly in the first season, starring in more than 15 episodes and returning sporadically thereafter. Other established stars in the early years included Mary Astor, Helen Hayes, Peter Lorre, Paul Lukas, Claude Rains, Frank Sinatra, and Orson Welles. Most of the lead and supporting players were stalwarts of New York radio. These included Santos Ortega, Mercedes McCambridge, Berry Kroeger, Lawson Zerbe, Arnold Moss, Leon Janney, and Mason Adams. Players like Richard Widmark, Everett Sloane, Burgess Meredith, Agnes Moorehead, Ken Lynch, and Anne Seymour, also found fame via the Inner Sanctum Mysteries.

Out of more than 500 programs broadcast, only about 200 remain in circulation, sometimes minus dates or titles.

NOTE: Updated with Version 2.1 files (03-Jan-2020).

From the Old Time Radio Researchers Group.

1. Amazing Death Of Mrs Putnam (11.6Mb)
2. The Tell-Tale Heart (unknown file size)
3. The Death Ship (24.9Mb)
4. Hunter from Beyond (unknown file size)
5. Island of Death (unknown file size)
6. The Man from Yesterday (unknown file size)
7. Death Has Claws (unknown file size)
8. Dead Reckoning (20.2Mb)
9. Study for Murder (unknown file size)
10. Black Sea Gull (unknown file size)
11. The Horla (8.4Mb)
12. The Skull That Walked (unknown file size)
13. The Melody of Death (unknown file size)
14. The Silent Hands (unknown file size)
15. Death Is a Joker (14.1Mb)
16. Dead Man's Vengeance (18.6Mb)
17. The Voice on the Wire (unknown file size)
18. The Color Blind Formula (unknown file size)
19. Desert Death (unknown file size)
20. Death Is an Artist (unknown file size)
21. Death in the Depths (27.2Mb)
22. No Coffin for the Dead (unknown file size)
23. The Bog-Oak Necklace (unknown file size)
24. The Judas Clock (unknown file size)
25. Song of the Slasher (unknown file size)
26. The Girl and the Gallows (unknown file size)
27. The Black Art (unknown file size)
28. Dead to Rights (unknown file size)
29. Musical Score (unknown file size)
30. Death Across the Board (unknown file size)
31. Portrait of Death (unknown file size)
32. Dead Man's Holiday (unknown file size)
33. Dead Man's Debt (unknown file size)
34. Dead Man's Deal (unknown file size)
35. The Murder Prophet (26.5Mb)
36. The Last Story (unknown file size)
37. Terror by Night (unknown file size)
38. The Lonely Sleep (unknown file size)
39. The Shadow of Death (unknown file size)
40. Death by Scripture (unknown file size)
41. Death by Scripture (unknown file size)
42. Till Death Do Us Part (unknown file size)
43. Till Death Do Us Part (unknown file size)
44. The Corridor of Doom (unknown file size)
45. The Wailing Wall (unknown file size)
46. Boomerang (unknown file size)
47. The Dark Chamber (unknown file size)
48. The Dark Chamber (unknown file size)
49. The Undead (unknown file size)
50. The Undead (unknown file size)
51. The Creeping Wall (unknown file size)
52. The Edge of Death (unknown file size)
53. The Confession (unknown file size)
54. The Confession (unknown file size)
55. Blood of Cain (unknown file size)
56. Skeleton Bay (unknown file size)
57. The Man Who Couldn't Die (unknown file size)
58. I Walk in the Night (unknown file size)
59. I Walk in the Night (unknown file size)
60. Strands of Death (unknown file size)
61. Death Is a Double-Crosser (5.6Mb)
62. Death Is a Double-Crosser (unknown file size)
63. Lady with a Plan (26.2Mb)
64. Make Ready My Grave (unknown file size)
65. Make Ready My Grave (unknown file size)
66. You Could Die Laughing (unknown file size)
67. Detour to Terror (unknown file size)
68. Eight Steps to Murder (unknown file size)
69. I Want to Report a Murder (22.8Mb)
70. Spectre of the Rose (unknown file size)
71. Murder Comes at Midnight (unknown file size)
72. The Dead Laugh (unknown file size)
73. Death's Old Sweet Song (unknown file size)
74. Death Bound (unknown file size)
75. The Ghost in the Garden (unknown file size)
76. Don't Dance on My Grave (unknown file size)
77. Over My Dead Body (unknown file size)
78. Till Death Do Us Part (unknown file size)
79. Death out of Mind (unknown file size)
80. Tempo in Blood (22.3Mb)
81. The Doomed (unknown file size)
82. The Magic Tile (22.3Mb)
83. Death Demon (unknown file size)
84. The Eyes of My Murderer (unknown file size)
85. Murder Takes a Honeymoon (unknown file size)
86. The Murder Ship (unknown file size)
87. House of Doom (unknown file size)
88. Death Rides a Riptide (unknown file size)
89. Hangman's Island (unknown file size)
90. Murder by Prophecy (unknown file size)
91. Death of a Doll (unknown file size)
92. Deathwatch in Boston (unknown file size)
93. Cause of Death (unknown file size)
94. Murder Faces East (21.7Mb)
95. Between Two Worlds (unknown file size)
96. Fearful Voyage (23.2Mb)
97. Murder Comes to Life (unknown file size)
98. Mark My Grave (12.1Mb)
99. Mark My Grave (unknown file size)
100. The Devil's Fortune (23.4Mb)
101. Death Demon (unknown file size)
102. Birdsong for a Murderer (unknown file size)
103. Flame of Death (unknown file size)
104. Only the Dead Die Twice (unknown file size)
105. Appointment with Death (unknown file size)
106. Death Wears a Lonely Smile (unknown file size)
107. The Death Deal (unknown file size)
108. The Unburied Dead (unknown file size)
109. The Corpse Is Lonely (unknown file size)
110. Death on the Highway (unknown file size)
111. Corpse Without a Conscience (unknown file size)
112. Pattern for Fear (unknown file size)
113. Deadly Fare (unknown file size)
114. Dead Heat (unknown file size)
115. Mind Over Murder (unknown file size)
116. Death's Little Brother (unknown file size)
117. Murder Rides the Carousel (unknown file size)
118. The Vengeful Corpse (unknown file size)
119. Honeymoon with Death (unknown file size)
120. Catch a Killer (12.1Mb)
121. The Devil's Workshop (23.9Mb)
122. Image of Death (unknown file size)
123. Night Is My Shroud (unknown file size)
124. Corpse for Halloween (unknown file size)
125. Wish to Kill (unknown file size)
126. Beyond the Grave (5.6Mb)
127. The Enchanted Ghost (unknown file size)
128. Killer at Large (unknown file size)
129. The Scream (unknown file size)
130. The Hitch-Hiking Corpse (unknown file size)
131. Skeleton Bay (unknown file size)
132. Murder Mansion (unknown file size)
133. Beneficiary -- Death (unknown file size)
134. No Rest For The Dead (unknown file size)
135. Twice Dead (unknown file size)
136. The Smile of Death (5.7Mb)
137. Man from the Grave (6.1Mb)
138. The Unforgiving Corpse (unknown file size)
139. Birdsong for a Murderer (unknown file size)
140. Terror by Night (10.5Mb)
141. Death Pays the Freight (10.6Mb)
142. Death for Sale (unknown file size)
143. The Listener (11Mb)
144. The Murder Prophet (unknown file size)
145. Murder off the Record (11.5Mb)
146. The Magic Tile (unknown file size)
147. The Corpse Laughs Last (23.1Mb)
148. No Rest for the Dead (unknown file size)
149. No Rest for the Dead (16.8Mb)
150. Strange Passenger (unknown file size)
151. The Meek Die Slowly (unknown file size)
152. Till Death Do Us Part (unknown file size)
153. The Corpse Nobody Loved (unknown file size)
154. The Dead Walk at Night (unknown file size)
155. The Judas Clock (unknown file size)

MP3 files hosted by archive.org.