Title: The Temple Bells of Neban
Air Date: October 24, 1937
Plot summary: A nefarious drug ring is selling dope on the streets of New York. They've made the mistake of ensnaring the son of a VIP, namely Jerry Gleason, the son of Andrew Gleason. Andrew Gleason demands action but Police Commissioner Weston sneers at the idea of being a "wet nurse" to a rich druggie.
Meanwhile, at Margo's urging, Lamont Cranston has taken the case. He traces the drug ring to Sadi ben Adda, an exotic dancer and snake charmer whose nightclub act is just a cover for her drug-running activities. It turns out that Sadi is the niece of the Indian yogi who taught Lamont all his mysterious secrets of telepathy and mind-control. Sadi has a charm, the Temple Bells of Neban, which she can use to nullify the Shadow's powers and defeat him.
Tropes:
- Anti-Magic: The temple bells of Neban, a charm possessed by Sadi which will allow her to defeat the mystic powers of the Shadow.
- Drugs Are Bad: A heroin ring gets an unfortunate young man addicted, and draws the attention of The Shadow.
- Origin Story: Lamont explains to Margot that he learned his powers by studying with an Indian priest, the "Keeper of the Temple of Cobras" in Delhi". When Margot suggests that he come out into the open as a crime fighter, Lamont further explains that he operates in secret as The Shadow for fear that, if he went public, others would learn his secrets and use them for evil.
- Snake Charmer: Sadi ben Adda is an exotic dancer and snake charmer who can use her skills to make a cobra attack. What she doesn't bargain for is the Shadow switching out her trained cobra for another one. She gets bit and dies.
