The Shadow is an American radio drama built around a mysterious vigilante crime-fighter with the power to cloud men's minds and become invisible, a character first used as a mystery-story narrator beginning in 1930 before becoming the protagonist of his own dramatized series on CBS in 1937, with actor Orson Welles voicing the role in its early seasons. The program opened each episode with its narrator's catchphrase asking who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men, followed by an ominous laugh that became one of the most widely recognized sound signatures in American radio drama. The Shadow ran for close to two decades, and its character was licensed into pulp magazines, comic books, and films, making it one of the most commercially extended properties to originate in American radio drama.
Facts
Release Year Classification
Original Language Connections
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: United States, originated there.
- Also in Language Atlas: English, original language there.
Sources
1. The Shadow (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationSecond paragraph, opening clause
On September 26, 1937, The Shadow, a new radio drama based on the character as created by Gibson for the pulp magazine, premiered with the story
Lead paragraph, opening sentence
The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson.
The Shadow, Description, original language
The Shadow is an American radio drama built around a mysterious vigilante crime-fighter with the power to cloud men's minds and become invisible, a character first used as a mystery-story narrator beginning in 1930 before becoming the protagonist of his own dramatized series on CBS in 1937, with actor Orson Welles voicing the role in its early seasons.
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