Landing the Big One

Landing the Big One

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Saturday Is Old Radio Day: The Whistler "Shrunken Head"

About the The Whistler:
Each episode of The Whistler began with the sound of footsteps and a person whistling.
*** The haunting signature theme tune was composed by Wilbur Hatch and featured Dorothy Roberts whistling with an orchestra.

A character known only as the Whistler was the host and narrator of the tales, which focused on crime and fate. He often commented directly upon the action in the manner of a Greek chorus, taunting the characters, guilty or innocent, from an omniscient perspective. The stories followed a formula in which a person's criminal acts were typically undone either by an overlooked but important detail or by the criminal's own stupidity. An ironic ending, often grim, was a key feature of each episode. But on rare occasions, the plot's twist of fate caused the story to end happily for the protagonist.


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