The Whisperer (1951) aired “What Ye Sow” on August 5, 1951 as the 6th of its 13 summer replacement episodes. This is only the fifth we have showcased since the first back in October of 2022 and the first in over a year, so a reprise of the introductory material from the previous episodes is in order for newcomers.

The man known as the Whisperer is in reality one Philip Galt, a lawyer who was in a terrible accident in which his vocal chords were crushed. He decided to take advantage of this unusual disability as a cover to infiltrate the organized crime Syndicate in Central City, passing on to this local crime affiliate their next crime or proposed illegal operation from the Syndicate’s national bosses in New York. Following the completion of a successful operation by Dr. Benjamin Lee and his nurse Ellen Norris that returned his voice, Galt decided to continue his undercover role as the Whisperer, setting up the local Syndicate branch and then foiling their crimes and getting them arrested, convicted, and behind bars as lawyer Philip Galt. Ellen Norris (played perfectly by Betty Moran, 1920-1998, photo at left) is now Galt’s assistant and love interest and is the only one (other than the doctor who performed Galt’s corrective surgery) who knows Galt doubles as the Whisperer.

Philip Galt/The Whisperer was played by Carleton G. Young (1907-1971, photo top right). He appeared in a number of radio shows, had roles in a number of films, and did quite a few TV shows into the early 60s.

“What Ye Sow” is an object lesson in consequences if problems are not confronted. It is one of those stories with a social message underneath the front story of a crime syndicate attempting to fix the vote on an upcoming bit of liquor legislation by intimidating the official sure to be the deciding vote. As the Whisperer, having worked his way inside the New York Syndicate and who now takes orders from them to do their dirty business here in Central City, real life lawyer Philip Galt must tread the fine line between protecting his secret identity while just as cleverly making sure the Syndicate’s plans go awry without them suspecting him. Thus, the writer of these episodes must come up with ever more ingenious storylines to keep the listener involved. This time the back story becomes the reason for the public, the criminal Syndicate, and Galt as the Whisperer to get involved, for if the liquor legislation fails it will become much easier for the Bad Guys to infiltrate the liquor trade in the city, allowing their own henchmen easier access to selling their products to underage adolescents. Concerned parents and city officials are aware of the underage drinking problem and realize where it might lead and that if they do not act now the chances are great they will soon learn the hard way that “What Ye Sow” might very likely come back to bite them in unexpected ways, and from their own children.

Play Time: 29:58

{Airing on the first Sunday in August of 1951, this episode got the neighborhood gang in the mood to hit the nearby newsstand the next morning, before the August summer heat dampened their mood. They went home with quite a disparate selection of material this time around. Famous Fantastic Mysteries (1939-53), under the astute guidance of editor Mary Gnaedinger, reprinted SF and Fantasy classics before the time of specific genre magazines, this issue offering up H. G. Wells’s classic The War of the Worlds, a sure buy. Famous Fantastic Mysteries was a bi-monthly in 1951. Popular Detective (1934-53) proved that you don’t have to be flashy to be a success, witness the magazine’s 133 issues in 19 years. Its secret was providing “a consistent high quality of material from most of the top detective authors.” It was also a bi-monthly in 1951. Suspense (1951-52) was the second try at a magazine attempting to cash in on the popularity of the long-running classic radio program of the same name. Unfortunately, both attempts closed shop after a mere 4 issues, despite this second attempt offering quality fiction by the likes of John Dickson Carr, Ray Bradbury, William Tenn, John Wyndham, Will Jenkins (aka Murray Leinster), A. E. van Vogt, and Fritz Leiber, Jr.. It was a quarterly in 1951.}

[Left: Famous Fantastic Adventures, 7/51 – Center: Popular Detective, 7/51 – Right: Suspense, Summer/51]

To view the entire list of weekly Old Time Radio episodes at Tangent Online, click here.