Our Shadow Collection
Now With A
Total of 215 shows - Over 96 Hours of Total
Playtime
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Visit Volume 5 |
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"The Shadow, mysterious character who aids the forces of law and order, is in reality Lamont Cranston, wealthy man about town. Years ago, in the Orient, Cranston learned a strange and mysterious secret; the hypnotic power to cloud men’s minds so they cannot see him. Cranston’s friend and companion, the lovely Margo Lane, is the only person who knows to whom the voice of the shadow belongs." |
The first voice of The Shadow as a character in the stories (and Lamont Cranston, also) was Orson Welles. Welles set the example for The Shadow's strange and mirthless laugh, as well as the way in which Lamont Cranston spoke. Unfortunately, Orson Welles only recorded about 40 radio shows as The Shadow. After one regular season and a summer season as The Shadow, Orson Welles went to seek a career in Hollywood.
The next actor to give voice to The Shadow and Lamont Cranston was Bill Johnstone. Bill Johnstone voiced the Shadow for a total of 5 years along with Agnes Moorehead and then Majorie Anderson as the voice of Margo Lane. Johnstone recorded over 60 radio shows with Agnes Moorhead, and about 40 with Majorie Anderson, before leaving the role.
Bret Morrison took the role as The Shadow for a year in 1943, then it was passed to John Archer. Morrison returned to play The Shadow until the radio show was taken off the air in 1954. Grace Matthews took the voice of Margo Lane in 1946, and when she left in 1949, Gertrude Warner spoke for Margo until the end of the program in 1954.
Of course, there were several other people who took on the roles of The Shadow and Margo Lane when the main actors could not make it. Some of these names include: Kenny Delmar, Steve Courtleigh, Margot Stevenson, Margot Anderson, Jeanette Nolan, Marion Sharkley, Laura Mae Carpenter, and Lesley Woods.