The Sealed Book

The Sealed Book

In 1945, the Mutual Network aired The Sealed Book, a radio series that consisted of mystery and terror stories. The show began with the sound of a huge gong and followed with an announcement by the host, Philip Clarke that “the keeper of the book has opened the ponderous door to the secret vault wherein is kept the great sealed book in which is recorded all the secrets and mysteries of mankind through the ages. Here are tales of every kind, tales of murder, of madness, of dark deeds -- strange and terrible beyond all belief.”

After this ominous message to the listeners the episode began. The Hands of Death was the first Sealed Book episode and You Only Die Once, the last of 26 episodes. These tales of horror and the supernatural were accompanied by sinister sound effects that kept the audience on the edge of their seats.

Radio was the perfect venue for horror, mystery and the supernatural. The cast of these series could use their most menacing voices and the sound effects could go wild to make such sounds that would make the hair stand up on the necks of the audience. Thunder, lightening, squeaks and moans were just a few of the sound effects used in these themed series.

The Sealed Book was a takeoff of The Witches Tale, which also featured the foreboding and cackling voice of a narrator, “Old Nancy, the witch,” who had a black cat named Satan. The narrators who made up the cast of The Witches Tale included Adelaide Fitz-Allen, Miriam Wolfe and Martha Wentworth. It was one of the first radio series to try out horror on their radio listening audience.

During its radio broadcast, between March 18, 1945 and September 9, 1945, The Sealed Book was produced and directed by Jock MacGregor.

I will be adding episodes of The Sealed Book throughout the week and for more shows to get you in the Halloween spirit click on the link.

Happy listening my friends,