Radio Retropolis

A woman says she is the next target of the Bluebeard of Bellac and to convince the authorities that is true is by confessing the killer is her husband.  Commentary on the clever plot and the real life Bluebeard.  Plus stars Merle Oberon and Ludwig Donath.

A lonely kid living in the attic of an old house befriends a spider who is killed and soon believes he is taking on his characteristics and abilities.  Commentary on the first person narrative of this episode that changed the dynamic of sympathy towards key characters. Plus the link between this episode and Stan Lee's Spider-Man!

A newlywed wife marries into one of the oldest families in the state and finds the family’s private cemetery already has a freshly dug hole and tombstone bearing her name.  Commentary on Richard Widmark's John Loomis and other unusual actors Anthony Perkins and Donald Pleasence.  Plus actress Joan Banks.

Last time, Superman lay in the streets near death under the complete control of Sniggers who is planning to take him to The Black Widow.  Commentary on why Superman is the most famous anonymous citizen in Metropolitan.

The co-owner of a pawn shop has been found murdered in the back room. A laundry mark on a shirt provides the only clue. Commentary on star Olan Soule including parts of a rare 1990 interview.

With Sniggers successfully absconding with the Kryptonite rock from the museum for the Scarlet Widow, we now worry just what diabolical plan she has to defeat Superman once and for all.  Commentary on Superman's little blunder.

After a husband and wife argue, she leaves him supposedly heading for her mother’s house.  But a phone call from the husband to the mother-in-law confirms she never made it.  Commentary on star Joseph Cotten.

While investigating a murder, Lamont and Margot meet the victim’s stepdaughter who is under the spell of a spiritualist named Swami.  Commentary on the rise of spiritualism in the 1940's. Plus the scandal of medium Helen Duncan.

A prison warden’s wife arranges to have her husband murdered by an inmate who believes she wants to run away with him when she really wants to run off with another man.  Commentary on the expert use of cause and effect in storytelling and how that dynamic changes when an unknown cause enters the scene which ties directly to the art of "the misunderstanding" as it relates to the plot.

The Black Widow read Lois Lane’s full account of the deadly effects of Kryptonite on Superman and where she can get it.  Now, the Black Widow is preparing to do just that.  Commentary on Inspector Henderson and the relative ease in stealing the Kryptonite.

A florist has been found strangled to death in an alley for no viable reason whatsoever.  Commentary on actor Eddie Firestone and Carolyn Jones who would later go on to play Morticia Addams in The Addams Family.

Our Superman adventure takes on a whole new twist and the who’s who of villains including our headliner who gets a hold of the only piece of Kryptonite known on earth  This is The Scarlet Widow.  Commentary on the origin of Superman.

A woman who embarked on a passage to America to bury the remains of her employer becomes involved with a mysterious man also on the ship who may be a serial killer.  Commentary on  the bait and switch principle in storytelling that was very effective in the 40's.  Plus legendary actress Olivia de Havilland and actor Reginald Gardner.

Lamont and Margot investigate a ring of alien smugglers who murder their human cargo rather than deliver them to the United States.  Commentary on the real human trafficking after WWII on which this episode story is based.

An ex-con murders his employer in order to steal the $100,000 King Midas diamond.  Commentary on the predictability of sequences in this story.  Plus writer Michael Sklar and star Lawson Zerbe.  Also, why Sing Sing is such a funny place for a prison.