The Shadow: The Phantom Voice February 6, 1938

Cast and Roles for The Shadow: The Phantom Voice (February 6, 1938)
Orson Welles as The Shadow (Lamont Cranston)

Agnes Moorehead as Margot Lane

Supporting roles (uncredited, likely including):
Commissioner Weston

Senator Ralph Clemmons

Henry Jordan (radio announcer)

Eddie (henchman)

Syndicate leader (unnamed political figure)

Summary
Aired on February 6, 1938, The Phantom Voice is a gripping episode of The Shadow radio series, featuring Orson Welles as the enigmatic crime-fighter Lamont Cranston. The story revolves around a sinister plot to derail a vital anti-crime reform bill championed by Senator Ralph Clemmons. A criminal syndicate, led by a shadowy figure, employs a mysterious “phantom voice” broadcast over the radio to discredit Clemmons and sway public opinion against the bill. The episode begins with radio announcer Henry Jordan, under duress, delivering a damaging speech falsely accusing Clemmons of corruption. Alerted to the crisis, The Shadow, accompanied by Margot Lane, uses his hypnotic abilities and deductive skills to investigate. They trace the phantom voice to a covert radio transmitter operated by the syndicate. The trail leads to a tense encounter with Eddie, a hired thug, and exposes the syndicate’s ties to a corrupt official profiting from organized crime. As the syndicate escalates its efforts with threats and an assassination plot against Clemmons, The Shadow intervenes, using his invisibility to infiltrate their hideout. In a dramatic showdown, he foils the murder attempt and captures the ringleader, ensuring the reform bill’s success. The episode’s suspenseful pacing, bolstered by eerie sound effects and Welles’ commanding voice, underscores The Shadow’s relentless pursuit of justice, closing with his signature proclamation: “The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay! The Shadow knows!”