Title: The League of Terror
Air Date: January 9, 1938
Plot summary: A grocery store owner, one Michael Sullivan, is a witness at a trial of Slater and Marino, some counterfeiters. After Sullivan refuses to testify, the counterfeiters walk free, and Sullivan goes to jail for perjury. Lamont Cranston, who attends the trial, swings into action.
Lamont and Margo Lane go to the grocery store and approach Sullivan's daughter Mary. Believing that Mary is likely doomed anyway because She Knows Too Much, and with Mary's enthusiastic cooperation, Lamont comes up with a plan. Mary approaches Rakkin and Trigger, two goons from the counterfeit ring, insisting that she knows who the "Big Boss" is and that she must contact him. She doesn't, but the goons take her seriously enough to take her to the Big Boss—and The Shadow follows.
Tropes:
- Artistic License – Law: After Mary Sullivan plays an integral part in bringing down the counterfeiting ring, The Shadow urges Commissioner Weston to release her father, and Weston agrees, saying "He'll be freed in the morning." Apparently police commissioners can unilaterally nullify guilty verdicts.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Trigger and Rakkin literally twist Mary's arm to find out what she knows. She faints.
- Counterfeit Cash: The main plot of this episode, as The Shadow works to crack a counterfeiting ring.
- Fainting: Mary faints after the two goons literally twist her arm to get her to tell what she knows.
- Murder by Inaction: The Shadow, casting his voice about on the Big Boss's boat, basically taunts Rakkin into opening fire. Rakkin shoots Trigger instead.
- Mutual Kill: After Rakkin shoots Trigger several times while trying to shoot The Shadow, a dying Trigger shoots and kills him. Trigger tries to do the same with the Big Boss but the Big Boss finishes him off.
- Narrating the Obvious: The Big Boss reveals his self-destruct switch to The Shadow and the audience by saying "I suppose you can see this little switch on my desk? My hand's resting on it."
- No Name Given: The Big Boss is never named.
