(1947-1952)
Inner Sanctum Mysteries was a popular old-time radio program that aired from January 7, 1941 to October 5, 1952. Created by Himan Brown, the anthology series featured stories of mystery, terror and suspense. The tongue-in-cheek introductions were in sharp contrast to shows like Suspense and The Whistler. A total of 526 episodes are known to have been produced.
The early 1940s programs opened with Raymond Edward Johnson introducing himself as, "Your host, Raymond," in a mocking sardonic voice. A spooky melodramatic organ score punctuated Raymond's many morbid jokes and playful puns. Raymond's closing was an elongated "Pleasant dreeeammsss?!" His tongue-in-cheek style and ghoulish relish of his own tales became the standard for many such horror narrators to follow, from fellow radio hosts like Ernest Chappell (on Cooper's later series, Quiet, Please) and Maurice Tarplin (on The Mysterious Traveler) to EC Comics' Crypt-Keeper in various incarnations of Tales from the Crypt. In interviews, EC publisher Bill Gaines stated that he based EC's three horror hosts not on Raymond but on Old Nancy, host of radio's earlier The Witch's Tale (1931-38).
When Johnson left the series in 1946, he was replaced by Paul McGrath, who did not keep the "Raymond" name and was known only as "your host" or "Mr. Host." Beginning in 1945, Lipton Tea sponsored the series, pairing first Raymond and then McGrath with cheery commercial spokeswoman Mary Bennett, whose blithesome pitches for Lipton tea contrasted sharply with the macabre themes of the stories, and who primly chided the host for his trademark dark humor and creepy manner.
IS-410107 Amazing Death Of Mrs. Putnam IS-410803 TellTale Heart BorIS- Karloff IS-410810 Death Ship IS-411207 IS-land of Death IS-411228 Death Has Claws Santos Ortega IS-420118 Dead Reckoning Arthur Vinton IS-420503 Study for Murder BorIS- Karloff IS-430307 Black Seagull Peter Lorre IS-430801 Horla Arnold Moss IS-440415 Walking Skull IS-440422 Melody of Death Mary Astor IS-440513 Silent Hands Mary Astor Gerald Mohr IS-440610 Death IS- a Joker Peter Lorre AFRS IS-441007 Dead Man's Vengeance Raymond Edward Johnson IS-441129 Voice on Wire Leslie Woods IS-441206 Color Blind Formula Richard Widmark IS-450109 Desert Death Horace Graham IS-450123 Death IS- an ArtIS-t Lea Bowman IS-450206 Death in Depths Santos Ortega IS-450220 No Coffin for Dead Les Tremayne IS-450410 BogOak Necklace IS-450417 Judas Clock Barry Kroeger IS-450424 Song of Slasher Arnold Moss IS-450501 Girl and Gallows Wendy Barrie IS-450515 Black Art Simone Simon IS-450522 Dead To Rights Elspeth Eric Santos Ortega IS-450529 Musical Score Barry Kroeger IS-450605 Death Across Board Raymond Massy IS-450612 Portrait of Death Leslie Woods IS-450619 Dead Man's Holiday Myron McCormick IS-450626 Dead Man's Debt Joseph Julian IS-450828 Dead Man's Deal Larry Haines IS-450904 Murder Prophet Wendy Berrie IS-450911 Last Story Richard Widmark IS-450918 Terror by Night Anne Shepherd IS-450925 Lonely Sleep Karl Swenson IS-451002 Shadow of Death Richard Widmark IS-451009 Death by Scripture Stefen Schnoble IS-451016 Inner Sactum Till Death Do Us Part IS-451023 Corridor Of Doom BorIS- Karloff IS-451106 Wailing Wall BorIS- Karloff IS-451211 Dark Chamber IS-451218 Undead Anne Seymour IS-460108 Creeping Wall Irene Wicker IS-460115 Edge of Death Larry Haines IS-460122 Confession Santos Ortega IS-460129 Blood of Cain McCambridge Karl Swenson IS-460205 Skeleton Bay Betty Lou Gerson IS-460212 Elixier Number Four Richard Widmark IS-460226 I Walk in Night Larry Haines IS-460312 Strands of Death Santos Ortega IS-460326 Death IS- A Double Crosser Lawson Zerbe IS-460409 Lady with a Plan Elspeth Eric IS-460423 Make Ready My Grave-Banks Richard Widmark IS-460507 You Could Die Laughing Santos Ortega IS-460521 Detour to Terror Mason Adams IS-460604 Eight Steps to Murder Berry Kroeger IS-460614 Aus Terrible Vengence IS-460618 I Want to Report a Murder Santos Ortega IS-460819 Spectre of Rose Ben Hecht IS-460909 Murder Comes At Midnight McCambridge IS-460923 Death Laugh IS-461104 Death's Old Sweet Song McCambridge IS-470203 Death Bound Richard Widmark IS-470210 Ghost in Garden Leslie Woods AF IS-470505 Don' t Dance on My Grave Holland Moss IS-470623 Over My Dead Body Haines Allen IS-471027 Till Death Do Us Part Everett Sloane McCambridge IS-471229 Death out of Mind Larry Haines Ann Shephard IS-480112 Tempo In Blood Mason Adams Everett Sloane AF IS-480126 Doomed Karl Swenson McCambridge IS-480308 Magic Tile McCambridge Everett Sloane IS-480329 Lady Killer Everett Sloane AF IS-480705 Death Demon Everett Sloane Ann Seymour IS-480726 Murder Takes a Honeymoon Everett Sloane Shepherd IS-480802 Murder Ship Mason Adams IS-480802 The Murder Ship [Mason Adams] IS-480809 House of Doom Charlotte Holland Santos Ortega IS-480809 Inner Sactum House of Doom Charlotte Holland and San IS-480906 Death Rides Riptide Arlene Blackburn Lawson Zerbe A IS-480920 Hangman s IS-land Mason Adams Elspeth Eric IS-480927 Murder by Prophecy Joseph Julian IS-481018 Death of a Doll Mason Adams Ted Osborne AF IS-481115 Deathwatch in Boston Mason Adams Ted Osborne IS-481206 Cause of Death Berry Kroeger Santos Ortega AF IS-481213 Murder Faces East Karl Swensen Charlotte Holland AF IS-481220 Between Two Worlds Mason Adams Anne Shepherd AF IS-490103 Fearful Voyage Arnold Moss Elspeth Eric AF IS-490110 Murder Comes to Life Charles Irving Santos Ortega A IS-490117 Mark My Grave Lawson Zerbe Santos Ortega AF IS-490124 Deadly Dummy Mason Adams Elspeth Eric AF IS-490131 Devil's Fortune Karl Swenson Charles Irving AF IS-490207 Death Demon Leslie Woods IS-490214 Birdsong for a Murderer Ted Osborne Arlene BlackBur IS-490221 Flame of Death Charlotte HollandLes Tremain AF IS-490321 Only Dead Die Twice Larry Haines Alice Reinhart AF IS-490328 Appointment With Death Charlotte HollandKarl Swenso IS-490404 Death Wears A Lovely Smile Sloane McCambridge AF IS-490411 Murder Off Record Mason Adams Elspeth Eric IS-490418 Death Deal Arnold Moss McCambridge AF IS-490516 Unburied Dead Leslie Woods Everett Sloane IS-490606 Death On Highway Ted Osborne Alice Reinhart IS-490620 Corpse Without A Conscience Swenson Edward Sloane A IS-490704 Pattern for Fear Cameron Prud'Homme Everette Sloane IS-490718 Deadly Fare Larry Haines Everett Sloane WRVO NY IS-490815 Dead Heat Mercedes McCambridge Swenson AF IS-490822 Mind Over Murder Everett Sloane Elspeth Eric IS-490829 Deaths Little Brother Larry Haines Amzie Stricklan IS-490905 Murder Rides a Carousel Leslie Woods Lawson Zerbe A IS-490912 Vengeful Corpse Barbra Weeks Swenson IS-490919 Honeymoon with Death Arlene Blackburn Mason Adams IS-491003 Catch a Killer Larry Haines Barbra Weeks IS-491010 Devil's Workshop Mason Adams Joan Banks IS-491017 Image of Death Berry Kroeger Jean Ellen IS-491024 Night IS- My Shroud Kenneth Lynch Ann Shepherd IS-491031 A Corpse for Halloween Larry Haines Kroeger AF IS-491114 WIS-h To Kill Swenson and Leslie Woods IS-491219 Beyond Grave Martin Gabel AF IS-500109 Killer at Large Larry Haines IS-500116 Scream Barbra Weeks IS-500123 Hitchhiking Corpse Ken Lynch IS-500130 Skeleton Bay Charlotte Holland IS-500327 Murder Mansion Arnold Moss IS-500417 Beneficiary Death Everett Sloane Barbara Weeks IS-501106 Twice Dead Larry Haines Amzie Strickland IS-510219 Smile of Death Larry Haines 1st Half Only IS-510226 Man from GraveRalph Bell Peter Cappel Only 2nd Half IS-510528 Unforgiving Corpse LuIS- Van Rooten Lawson Zerbe IS-520622 Bird Song for a Murderer BorIS- Karloff Arlene Black IS-520629 Inner Sactum Terror By Night Agnus MooreHead AF IS-520706 Death Pays Freight Everett Sloane AF IS-520713 Death for Sale BorIS- Karloff AF IS-520720 LIS-tener Agnes Moorehead AF IS-520727 Murder Prophet Agnes Moorehead IS-520803 Murder Off Record Kenneth Lynch AF IS-520810 Magic Tile Anne Seymour AF IS-520824 No Rest for Dead Barbara Weeks and Everett Sloane IS-520831 Strange Passenger Wendell Corey AF IS-520907 Meek Die Slowly Arnold Moss IS-520914 'Till Death Do Us Part Mason Adams AF IS-520921 Corpse Nobody Loved Joan Lorring AF IS-520928 Dead Walk at Night Donald Buka IS-750801 Onyx Eye IS-Aus 520218 004 Tomorrow IS- a TwoEdged Sword IS-Aus 520310 007 Fear Points Way IS-Aus 520317 008 Mysterious Stranger IS-Himan Brown DIS-cusses Creation of