Radio Legends:
The Whistler, Volume 2
Liner notes written by Elizabeth McLeod

^{Item #RL43 - Ten CD Set $19.95}

"I am the Whistler and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak."

Haunting stories of fate, dramas of crime, deception, and manipulation building to a sudden and shocking denouement...and, through it all, the sardonic, mocking laughter of -- The Whistler!

One of radio's most memorable thriller anthologies, "The Whistler" was a west-coast favorite for over a decade but, despite two attempts to go nationwide, never was able to achieve the same success as a coast to coast feature. But for listeners across the western states served by the Signal Oil Company, the program's eerie theme music opened a weekly window into the very darkest corners of the human soul. (It was so popular, in fact, that Columbia Pictures produced eight second-feature films based on the concept, all but one of which starred Richard Dix.)

The Whistler himself was an omniscient narrator -- the voice of Fate itself, one might suggest, or perhaps of conscience. And his stories revolved around ordinary people, pushed by the pressures of daily life into taking drastic actions. Or perhaps a sudden circumstance, an unexpected twist of life's path, suddenly placed these protagonists on a road leading inexorably to their own destruction. Greed, lust, and perfidy of every kind figure in the plots -- and when Fate inevitably catches up with these unfortunate, driven souls, The Whistler is always ready, at the very end, to see that the knife is properly twisted.

Produced by George W. Allen, with hauntingly evocative musical scores by Wilbur Hatch, "The Whistler" was a prime outlet for the cream of Hollywood's top radio performers - actors such as Wally Maher, Cathy and Elliott Lewis, Gerald Mohr, Lurene Tuttle, and Betty Lou Gerson, who emphasized skill over star power - as well as announcer Bill Forman in the title role, with Marvin Miller voicing the commercials.

Hear more of The Whistler's strange stories in this second 10-CD "Radio Legends" collection - all original CBS network broadcasts sponsored by Signal Oil, just as originally aired between January and October of 1948.

Night Final
Wednesday, January 28, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

Undertow
Wednesday, February 4, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

Money is the Root of All Evil
Wednesday, February 11, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

Quiet Suicide
Wednesday, February 18, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

Return Engagement
Wednesday, March 10, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

The Human Catalyst
Wednesday, March 17, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

The Dark Room
Wednesday, March 24, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

Bird of Prey
Wednesday, March 31, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

The Silent City
Wednesday, April 21, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

Tough Guy
Wednesday, April 28, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

Chain Reaction
Wednesday, May 12, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

Stranger in the House
Wednesday, June 2, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

Farewell Party
Wednesday, July 21, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

Lady from the Sea
Wednesday, July 28, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

A Question of Murder
Wednesday, August 4, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

Payment in Full
Wednesday, September 1, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

Conspiracy
Wednesday, September 29, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

Whirlpool
Sunday, October 10, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

Package for Emily
Sunday, October 17, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil

Search for an Unknown
Sunday, October 24, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Signal Oil
 

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