Theater of the Mind
Inner Sanctum Mysteries
143 episodes · 1941–1952 · CBS, Armed Forces Radio Service, Blue Network, ABC · Thriller
Radio Hall of Fame inductee.
Play Inner Sanctum Mysteries on Radio Days
The creaking door opened on January 7, 1941, and closed for the last time October 5, 1952, after 526 episodes. Producer Himan Brown found the famous creak in a rusty office chair, and borrowed the name from Simon & Schuster's mystery books. "Raymond, your host" (Raymond Edward Johnson) greeted listeners with gruesome puns until 1945; Paul McGrath followed. Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre were among the guest stars, and from 1945 Lipton Tea sponsored it.
Sources: Inner Sanctum Mysteries, Wikipedia
Episodes
Tap a year to see its episodes, then a title to play it on Radio Days.
19416 episodes
- The Amazing Death of Mrs. Putnam
The first show. A woman is shot while on the phone to the police, but she was really killed two hours earlier. - The Tell-Tale Heart
Boris Karloff stars in Edgar Allan Poe's tale of a murderer betrayed by the beating of a heart. - Death Ship
A sea captain finds a whaling ship with one man aboard, dead and lashed to the wheel, and a hoard of gold. Where did the crew go? - The Island of Death
Voodoo in Haiti. - The Man from Yesterday
A scientist captures a giant gorilla, and the gorilla remembers him from long, long ago, and wants revenge. - Death Has Claws
A cat lover sharpens his claws.
19422 episodes
- Dead Reckoning
In thick fog, a freighter rescues the only survivor of a derelict ship, and strange things start to happen aboard. - Study for Murder
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
19433 episodes
- The Black Seagull
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date. - The Black Sea Gull
A dying woman promises her husband she'll come back from the grave, and she does, several times. - The Horla
A pianist is haunted and driven to kill.
19447 episodes
- The Walking Skull
A skull dug up from an old burial ground finds its way into the house, and keeps coming back after it's reburied. It bites, too. - Melody of Death
A gypsy violinist warns a bride-to-be of a curse: she must never hear a certain melody. Beware the cat with yellow eyes. - The Silent Hands
One of two sisters, the woman in white, is a murderess. Which one? A surprise ending. - Death Is a Joker
Peter Lorre stars as a small, ugly man who commits a needless murder for love. - Dead Man's Vengeance
Host Raymond Edward Johnson gets a call from Gideon Blake, who has been dead for ten years. - Voice on the Wire
Trapped on an island, a woman is warned by a voice on the phone that she has four hours to live. - The Color Blind Formula
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
194528 episodes
- Desert Death
Two men driving across the desert pick up three hitchhikers, who turn out to be escaped Nazi prisoners. - Death Is an Artist
Four dead cats and a man are found in an apartment, and behind it is a hated wife and murder. - Death in the Depths
A deep-sea diver thinks too much while he works, and at nine bells he meets some old friends in a shipwreck. - No Coffin for the Dead
Who killed Peter Frame? The housekeeper's insane son is named, but he was shot escaping from an asylum and can't walk. - The Bog-Oak Necklace
A necklace on a skeleton brings back the forty-year-old murder of a woman's sister. - The Judas Clock
Death comes to whoever owns this clock, whose counterweights are Judas's thirty pieces of silver. - Song of the Slasher
A policeman finds he's living in the same building as a homicidal maniac. - The Girl on the Gallows
A strange woman who can see the future and can't be killed foretells death on the gallows for a beautiful girl. - The Black Art
A woman with strange powers rescues a murderer from the gallows. Raymond Edward Johnson's last show as host. - Dead to Rights
An inept couple murder for profit, then run when the net closes in. - Musical Score
A man has to share a lifeboat with a composer who keeps humming a maddening tune. - Death Across the Board
A murdering madman plays the police like a game of chess. - Portrait of Death
A cursed painting always kills the person who owns it. - Dead Man's Holiday
A man finds his face changed, a grave with his name on it and his wife married to someone else. - Dead Man's Debt
A clever lawyer gets a murderer off, but the fee turns out to be very high. - Dead Man's Deal
The season opener: a poker game where the stakes are murder. - The Murder Prophet
On a stormy night, a woman picks up a hitchhiker by a cemetery, and he seems to know everything about her, including that her husband has just been murdered. - The Last Story
A reporter falls in love with the girl with yellow eyes, who was born to kill. - Terror by Night (1945)
A mad killer is on the prowl, and there's a body in the trunk. - The Lonely Sleep
A lonely window trimmer invents the perfect mannequin, and she's so lifelike. - The Shadow of Death
Death follows Howard everywhere. Howard dreams, and people die. - Death by Scripture
A refugee camp in China and the Black Dragon Society's revenge on its enemies. - Till Death Do Us Part (1945)
A honeymoon couple see a murder, and the killer chases them through a night of horror. - Corridor of Doom
A sick man in a "hospital" walks down an endless hallway toward a door with his name on it. - The Wailing Wall
A man strangles his wife and is haunted by her moans for forty years. - Boomerang
- The Dark Chamber
A mad scientist kidnaps a laundryman and a woman for an "experiment in fear." - The Undead
A woman's husband is a vampire.
194619 episodes
- The Creeping Wall
A woman feels the walls closing in, so her husband buys a huge mansion, full of snakes and a portrait of Delilah. - The Edge of Death
A man is given the jeweled rapier once owned by Rasputin, on the night Satan played a game of murder. - The Confession
A dying bank robber gives a poor pharmacist a taste of death and murder. - The Blood of Cain
A woman who poisons pigeons learns she's the latest in a long line of murderers. - Skeleton Bay (1946)
A mystery writer sees a murder, and when the killer sees him, he offers to help get rid of the body. - The Man Who Couldn't Die
A man kills a chemist for his formula for immortality, and it doesn't work out as planned. - I Walk in the Night
What does a man think of when there's murder in the air? A double surprise ending. - Strands of Death
A man kills his wife with a pair of nylons. Or does he? - Death Is a Double-Crosser
An ex-convict becomes an apprentice diamond cutter to steal the huge King Midas diamond. - Lady with a Plan
The warden's wife gets an inmate to kill her husband, then double-crosses him. - Make Ready My Grave
John Loomis brings his new bride to the family mansion, where she finds the nooses and learns the family curse. - You Could Die Laughing
Elwood has a year to live. A hit-and-run, a blackmailer and a tough gangster follow, and a happy ending that disappoints the host. - Detour to Terror
A man and his twin sister are lured off a country road and meet a strange blind man and his brother. - Eight Steps to Murder
A newsman plans to murder a Broadway producer and marry his wife. - I Want to Report a Murder
A man with an insanely jealous wife accidentally kills a woman's husband, and she starts blackmailing him. - The Spectre of the Rose
Under the spell of music, a ballet dancer knifes his wife. After he remarries, the urge comes back. - Murder Always Comes at Midnight
A visit from the Gentleman Killer, just escaped on his way to the death house. - The Dead Laugh
A merciless judge shrugs when a condemned man swears revenge, until the tables slowly turn. - Death's Old Sweet Song
An old man waiting to die in a locked room is killed with a poker while an organ grinder plays outside. Then it happens again.
19476 episodes
- Death Bound
A stranger in the park tells a man he'll get $10,000 tonight and be dead by morning. At home, he finds the $10,000. - Ghost in the Garden
A woman murders her uncle. His blackmailing friend comes calling, and he's found stabbed to death too. - Don't Dance on My Grave
A woman dreams her husband plans to kill her, then sees him digging a grave in the garden. - Over My Dead Body
A man has himself shut in a coffin, with a telephone to call for his release, to find out whether his relatives really care. - Till Death Do Us Part (1947)
Newlyweds witness a murder and run from the gunman, then find the body back in their tourist cabin. - Death Out of Mind
A reporter who killed with words meets a killer who uses a more ordinary weapon. A surprise ending.
194817 episodes
- Tempo in Blood
A murderer introduces himself to his victim, and a piano player hits a wrong note. - The Doomed
A man cheating on his wife wakes up next to her dead body. - Lady Killer
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date. - Thecorpselaughslast
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date. - Death Demon
A murdered father returns from the grave for revenge. - The Eyes of My Murderer
A woman is murdered standing on a dock at night. - Murder Takes a Honeymoon
Newlyweds buy a house in the country and find themselves expected and unwelcome. - The Murder Ship
Aboard the Gypsy Princess, with death along for the ride. - House of Doom
A man's first wife died on a New England beach, covered with seaweed. After he remarries, seaweed turns up at the front door. - Death Rides a Riptide
A narrow ledge at the foot of a cliff holds the clue to murder, and the rising tide evens the score. - Hangman's Island
A madman on a booby-trapped island, a crazed woman living in a cave with her mother preserved in a coffin, and a treasure in gold. - Murder by Prophecy
A man inherits an old mansion, and maybe much more, if he can read a cryptic prophecy that begins with a murder. - Death of a Doll
A reporter falls in love with a nameless girl in the morgue, and her talking doll leads him to the Devil himself. - Deathwatch in Boston
At midnight a raven says, "It is later than you think!" Dr. Dickens has a head in a box, and Charon can predict who'll die next. - Cause of Death
The coroner's wife dies of no clear cause, then vanishes from her grave and comes back to him. - Murder Faces East
An Eastern idol promises riches in return for a murder. - Between Two Worlds
A rotten gangster about to be killed by the mob gets one last chance to do something decent, from the strange Mr. Whiskers.
194931 episodes
- Fearful Voyage
It's bad luck to have a woman aboard a fishing boat, and worse if she's a ghost. - Murder Comes to Life
An amnesiac killer tries to live up to his own image. - Mark My Grave
A corpse goes in and out of his coffin, with interludes at the organ. - The Deadly Dummy
A ventriloquist's wife and her lover kill the man, but not his dummy. - The Devil's Fortune
A madman uses terror to take control of a Mexican gold mine. - Death Demon 1949
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date. - Flame of Death
A woman gets a letter from her husband, who burned to death in a cabin fire. - Only the Dead Die Twice
A hearse driver and a string of murders. - Appointment with Death
Madness and cruelty in a New York mansion. - Death Wears a Lonely Smile
Walter is big, slow and strong. Is he a killer too? - The Death Deal
A man is killed when his car explodes. Or is he? - The Unburied Dead
A woman learns she isn't who she thinks she is, that she's been dead for six years, and that she's wanted for murder. - The Corpse Is Lonely
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date. - Death on the Highway
An embezzler runs down a hitchhiker and is blackmailed by one "eyewitness" after another. - Corpse Without a Conscience
A man comes back from the grave for Aunt Edna, who cheated him out of his land. - Pattern for Fear
A waiter overhears a plot to murder Guthrie Stewart and warns him, with unusual results. - Deadly Fare
A cabdriver picks up a killer, then watches him murder two more people and stuff their bodies in the cab's trunk. - Dead Heat
A woman's dead sister has come back, and she is killing again. - Mind Over Murder
There's no such thing as an innocent bystander. Or is there? What does 4826 mean? - Death's Little Brother
A drifter murders a man he meets on a train and plans to pose as him to collect his inheritance. - Murder Rides the Carousel
Murder on the fairground merry-go-round. - The Vengeful Corpse
A woman burned as a witch comes back for revenge. - Honeymoon with Death
A woman on her honeymoon learns her husband is a killer. A double surprise ending. - Catch a Killer
A seedy reporter tries to save a beautiful girl's brother, who's about to be executed for murder. - The Devil's Workshop
Murder and madness in a wax museum, and a man with no face. - Image of Death
A sculptor murders his wife and becomes a tombstone cutter under a new name. Then a man dead five years phones him. - Night Is My Shroud
A man has the power to kill people just by wishing them dead. - A Corpse for Halloween
Halloween night: a tiger hunt in the jungles of New York City. - Wish to Kill
A man too timid to kill his wife wills another man to do it. But is she dead? - Beyond the Grave
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date. - The Enchanted Ghost
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
19508 episodes
- Killer at Large
Blackmailed by a girl photographer in Mexico, a killer climbs Monte Muerto after an unlikely treasure. - The Scream
A new bride in the old family mansion learns her husband was accused of knifing his first wife. - The Hitch-Hiking Corpse
A motorist driving west meets a strange, beautiful hitchhiker. - Skeleton Bay (1950)
A mystery writer sees a murder, and when the killer sees him, he offers to help get rid of the body. - Murder Mansion
A haunted house with bodies all over the place. - Beneficiary...Death
A businessman who needs money sees his chance when a hitchhiker killed in a car crash is identified as him. The last show of the season. - No Rest for the Dead (1950)
A gambler kills three times, then learns none of it was necessary. - Twice Dead
A woman seems to have come back from the dead. A box with $100,000 is missing.
19512 episodes
- The Smile of Death
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date. - The Unforgiving Corpse
A railroad stationmaster sees ghosts and gets messages from a man dead ten years.
195214 episodes
- Birdsong for a Murderer
Boris Karloff stars: murder, madness and a surprise ending. The first show of the season. - Terror by Night (1952)
A mad killer is on the prowl, and there's a body in the trunk. - Death Pays the Freight
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date. - Death for Sale
A seven-year insurance scheme runs into two complications: a blackmailer and his wife. - The Listener
Auntie Ellen killed her husband and buried him under the floorboards. - The Murder Prophet (1952)
Who killed Claudia's first husband, and her second, and the man who loved her? - Murder Off the Record
A weighing machine at a Reno drugstore seems able to foretell the future. - The Magic Tile
A look into the past, where a dead madman points a finger at a murderer. - The Corpse Laughs Last
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date. - No Rest for the Dead (1952)
Scientist George Denning borrows money from Dr. Tarleton in return for his brain after death. Then Tarleton dies that same day. Or is he really Mr. Macabre? - Strange Passenger
A strange woman hitchhiker named Ann loves the song "Stardust" and can't be killed. - The Meek Die Slowly
It starts with Mr. Narco stabbing Jane Carter to death with garden shears. - The Corpse Nobody Loved
A woman finds a body in a taxi and calls the police for protection, a bad mistake. - The Dead Walk at Night
The tap of a blind man's cane drives a young man to murder.