I am the Whistler and I understand a lot of things, for I walk by evening … many strange stories concealed in the hearts of women and men who have stepped in to the shadows. I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not really speak!

The Whistler was among radio’s top mystery programs, airing from Might 16, 1942, until Sept 22, 1955. Airing on CBS radio and sponsored by the Sign Oil Company, the Whistler (played by Joseph Kearns, Gale Gordon, and Costs Forman) was an ominous narrator who knew the killer’s about The Whistler, Vol. 4 every move also before they did. The stories followed an effective formulation when a person’s legal acts had been typically undone by their personal missteps. The Whistler frequently commented directly upon the actions in the way of the Greek chorus, taunting the legal from an omniscient perspective. One of the show’s trademarks was the ironic twist endings that helped serve as a payoff for the listener.

Radio performers heard in this collection of sixteen thirty-minute episodes include Joseph Kearns, Expenses Forman, Elliott Lewis, Gerald Mohr, Jane Morgan, Lou Merrill, Bea Benaderet, Cathy Lewis, Hans Conreid, and Frank Lovejoy.

11/29/42 – “Avarice”12/13/42 – “The Accounting”1/3/43 – “The Weakling”1/10/43 – “The Nemesis”1/17/43 – “The Thief”1/24/43 – “Mind Over Matter”1/31/43 – “The Confession”2/7/43 – “At night”2/14/43 – “Legacy of Death”5/15/43 – “The Man Who Waited”9/3/43 – “Destiny”11/20/44 – “Death Views Increase”12/4/44 – “The Doctor Operates in Crime”12/18/44 – “Windfall”1/1/45 – “Two your money can buy”1/8/45 – “The Body Wouldn’t Stay static in the Bay”