Home » The Sonic Society – Sonic Echo 108: A Shadow of the Past

The Sonic Society – Sonic Echo 108: A Shadow of the Past

Two old time radio episodes of “The Shadow,” starring the grandfather of radio drama Orsen Welles as Lamont Cranston AKA The Shadow. Showcased on the Sonic Society as part of their “Sonic Echo” series, these two episodes are wonderful for those who have never experienced an old time radio program.

The first episode, titled “Circle of Death” is how the shadow stops a mass bomber by tricking them. The second shadow story is about a mafioso organization which is threatening an entire town. Needless to say, The Shadow stops both of them.

Where this really shines is that its not outdated, even by today’s companies making a living off creating audio dramas. The ambience and sound effects make it like your listening to a 40s-60s black and white film. The same thing occurs in modern audio dramas. The difference is the culture and period of time one grew up in.

There also needs to be a sense of immersion through sound effects. Dialogue which tells the listener what the scene looks like is often clunky and can be spotted in a heartbeat. This story has moments, because these types of programs were where the “scene exposition” dialogue thing originated, but even with that fault it still stands the test of time.

You can find the episode as a podcast or on The Sonic Society’s YouTube channel.

4.5/5 Stars

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