The Mysterious Traveler

The Mysterious Traveler was a US radio program of the kind often now classed by aficionados as Old-time radio. It ran from 1943 to 1952 with stories based in science fiction, mystery, and suspense.

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US - Old-time radio - 1943 - 1952 - Science fiction - Mystery - Suspense

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Unlike many other shows of the era, The Mysterious Traveler was without a sponsor for its entire run.

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The titular narrator, played by Maurice Tarplin, introduced each weird tale over the sound of a moving train: "This is the Mysterious Traveler, inviting you to join me on another journey into the strange and terrifying. I hope you will enjoy the trip, that it will thrill you a little and chill you a little. So settle back, get a good grip on your nerves, and be comfortable--if you can!"

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Narrator - Maurice Tarplin

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The most requested episode is probably Behind the Locked Door, a story of suspense in which a pair of archaeologists, open an old cave and discover an old wagon train abandoned over one hundred years ago. Then a landslide occurs, and they are trapped in the darkness. After being attacked by apparently human assailants, they conclude that the descendants of the wagon train are still living in the cave.

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The Mysterious Traveler's staying power is best exhibited in the fact that two similar shows, The Strange Doctor Weird and The Sealed Book, reused many of the Mysterious Traveler scripts. Even the immensely successful Suspense began to do so in later years. Only 75 of the original 370 Mysterious Traveler episodes still exist.

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The Strange Doctor Weird - The Sealed Book - Suspense

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