Inner Sanctum

Inner Sanctum Mysteries was a popular old-time radio program that ran from January 7, 1941 to October 5, 1952. Its creator was Himan Brown, who later created the long-running CBS Radio Mystery Theater. It featured stories of mystery, terror and suspense told, in sharp contrast to shows like Suspense and The Whistler, with a broad tongue-in-cheek approach. A total of 526 episodes are known to have been produced, a great many of which are lost today.

Your Host

Each show opened with a jovial greeting from the host. The original host was Raymond Edward Johnson, from 1941 until 1945, introducing himself as "your host, Raymond." Speaking in an exaggeratedly "spooky" voice, Raymond would spout morbid jokes and puns over a melodramatic organ score. Raymond's closing was an elongated "Pleasant dreaaaaams," and 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 The Mysterious Traveler to The Cryptkeeper in various incarnations of Tales from the Crypt.

Related Topics:
Raymond Edward Johnson - 1945 - The Mysterious Traveler - Tales from the Crypt

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When Johnson left the series in 1945, he was replaced by Paul McGrath, who did not keep the "Raymond" name and was known only as "your host," or "Mr. Host." Also beginning in 1945, Lipton Tea sponsored the series, pairing first Raymond and then McGrath with its cheery commercial spokeswoman, played by Mary Bennett, whose pitches for Lipton contrasted sharply with the subject matter of the stories, and who would primly chide the host for his dark humor and creepy manner.

Related Topics:
Paul McGrath - Lipton Tea

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