Title: Death Under the Chapel
Air date: August 28, 1938
Plot summary: Lamont Cranston goes back to his alma mater for graduation day. Lamont is looking forward to seeing his old friend, Professor Quelema. He is unpleasantly surprised to hear that Prof. Quelema has been summarily fired.
Quelema has been fired for a good reason. It seems a student, Bobby Spencer, killed himself thanks to following Quelema's nihilistic philosophy—in fact, Quelema basically egged him on. Quelema isn't interested in any talk of accountability, however, and has sworn his revenge. He has made a bomb and will detonate it during the graduation ceremony, killing everyone there.
Lamont drops by Prof. Quelema's home to offer moral support but quickly discovers that something is very very wrong with his own friend. So he comes back as The Shadow in order to stop Quelema's quest for revenge.
Tropes:
- As You Know: A frequent trope of radio drama, used a couple of times in this episode, like when The Shadow needs to tell Quelema at the end that Anton has busted through the door.
- Break Them by Talking: Prof. Quelema's teachings drove Bobby Spencer to suicide. President Winwood, president of the university, says that Quelema is just as guilty as if he'd pulled the trigger himself.
- Chekhov's Gun: The fact that Anton, Quelema's mute giant of an assistant, is deaf and that Quelema communicates with him by tapping. At the climax, in the darkened room, The Shadow taps on the walls to tell Anton that there's a bomb and he has to get out.
- Driven to Suicide
- Bobby Spencer has killed himself in the back story, resulting in Prof. Quelema being fired.
- The episode ends with Quelema taking poison after his plans for revenge are destroyed.
- Evil Cripple: Prof. Quelema has withered, useless legs and must be carried around everywhere by his brute of an assistant, Anton. This seems to have been part of what has driven him mad.
- Genius Cripple: Prof. Quelema, unable to walk, brilliant scientist and philosopher. Too bad he's also insane.
- The Speechless: Prof. Quelema is carried around by an assistant, Anton, who is a deaf-mute.
