The Shadow: The Poison Death January 30, 1938

Cast and Roles for The Shadow: The Poison Death (January 30, 1938)
Orson Welles as The Shadow (Lamont Cranston)

Agnes Moorehead as Margot Lane

Supporting roles (uncredited, likely including):
Commissioner Weston

Clyde Burke

The City Mayor

Dan Brinkley (Commissioner of Sanitation)

Gerber (the villain, a mad chemist)

Summary
The Poison Death, aired on January 30, 1938, is an episode of The Shadow radio drama, featuring Orson Welles as the titular crime-fighter. The story begins with a wave of mysterious poisonings across the city, causing panic as victims, including children and adults, die unexpectedly. A terrorist posing as The Shadow sends a ransom letter to the mayor, demanding $100,000 for his supposed good deeds, threatening more deaths if unpaid. The real Shadow, Lamont Cranston, and his companion Margot Lane investigate, suspecting the poisoner is tampering with the water supply. When the impostor specifically targets and kills Dan Brinkley, the Sanitation Department Commissioner, Cranston deduces the culprit must be someone within the department with personal knowledge of Brinkley. Focusing on the Sanitation Department, Cranston and Margot break in and find a typewriter with distinctive misaligned E’s and blurry A’s, matching the ransom letter. Their search is interrupted by Gerber, the department’s chief chemist, who is revealed as the madman behind the poisonings. A tense chase ensues, culminating in a rooftop confrontation atop a water tower, where Gerber attempts to poison the city’s water supply. Despite Gerber throwing acid that burns The Shadow’s hands, the hero prevails, and Gerber falls to his death in a failed attempt to take The Shadow with him. The episode, enhanced by dramatic sound effects and Welles’ commanding performance, underscores The Shadow’s deductive prowess and invisibility, ending with the reminder: “The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay! The Shadow knows!”