Advertising The Shadow on radio

Would love to have scoured the daily papers for ads like these and clipping them out just to put them in a desk drawer to yellow until one day I pull them out and get transported back to a simpler time.

Midweek Clew

Um... Burbank... this is a bit embarrassing but I seem to be a bit tied up.  Could you send Vincent around.  Just don't tell Margo, she might get ideas...

Last shot

Back in the day

These photos from the '30s show our hero keeping an eye on the streets of New York. Man, to go back in time just for a day, how cool would it be to see what it was like when these great stories were written. At least we have the words of Walter B. Gibson to give us a glimpse into what was.

Another cool poster

Another poster I wish I had purchased back in the 70's. I cleaned this one up a bit and added a small touch.

Radio ads

The level of artwork ranges wildly in these ads. I remember cutting out these kinds of ads from the TV Guide when I was a kid. It's unfortunate that this type of work doesn't appear any longer. Photography ruined the mystique that only an illustration could create.

Premiums

I love the premiums and advertising that were linked to The Shadow. Blue Coal had some nice ones. There were lots of ads for the local broadcasts of the radio program. Everyone seemed to want to jump on the bandwagon and it really made the experience so much more fun. When the new movie comes out I hope there are some more adult (as in serious) ancillary items that go beyond cereal incentives and action figures. Perhaps reinstating The Shadow Club, or more to the point, The National Protective League. Yeah, I know, not relevant to the world today. At least that's how many people feel. I would argue that it is more relevant now than ever before. But that's another issue. As to the premiums I would hope that some of the replica companies would be interested in recreating items like the ring, the slouch hat and the cloak. Even the guns would be great, circa 1929. An autogyro model would be incredible as well. Sigh, I'll quit geeking out now. Regarding the two pins I've posted, the simplicity harkens to a less complicated time, when we didn't need that much to really make ourselves happy.