LIGHTS OUT was the brainchild of Wyllis Cooper. Originating out of the studios of WENR in Chicago, Cooper presented a late-night horror program - heard only in the Midwest - seething with vampires, invisible monsters, evil beings, and survivors of an atomic apocalypse. Several fan clubs sprang up and in 1935, NBC decided to expand its coverage nationwide.
Wyllis Cooper, creator of LIGHTS OUT (left), Arch Oboler, writer, director, and actor (right)
A year later, Wyllis Cooper went to Hollywood to pursue a screenwriting career, leaving the program in the capable hands of playwright Arch Oboler. Oboler wrote, directed and hosted the series confining most of the casts to two or three players. His favorite cast members included Lou Merrill, Bea Benaderet (who would later voice “Betty Rubble” on The Flintstones), Joseph Kearns, Mercedes McCambridge and Hans Conried. Oboler employed elaborate sound effects with the stark reality of no music, using only a gong sound for scene transitions.
Under Oboler’s guidance, the show broadcast psychological chillers with stream-of-consciousness narrative, each featuring an element of classic horror – from giant worms and haunted houses to monsters from outer space. Announcer Frank Martin would often banter with Oboler after the story inquiring as to Oboler’s motivation for writing it. Sponsors included Ironized Yeast tablets and Energine Shoe polish. In the summers of 1945, 1946 and 1947, Wyllis Cooper returned to the fold.
His career in Hollywood never really panned out, so he chose to return to his roots. In 1949, LIGHTS OUT made a transition to television hosted by Frank Gallop as a disembodied head introducing and closing each creepy episode.
The LIGHTS OUT vinyl box set includes 10 of the original LIGHTS OUT radio plays, meticulously remastered by Black Eye Entertainment and put on vinyl for the very first time. This box set includes illustrated sleeve art from the artists of the graphic novel revival, and the history of the actors and the productions. The box set is produced and designed by Rocketship Entertainment, 2023 and 2024 Ringo Award nominee for Best Presentation in Design.
Black Eye Entertainment, founded by Carl Amari, specializes in producing and distributing classic radio shows, as well as creating new audio dramas. Amari, a notable figure in the preservation and revival of classic radio entertainment, has made Black Eye Entertainment a key player in this niche. The company is best known for restoring and releasing vintage radio programs such as The Shadow, The Lone Ranger, and Suspense, and for producing high-quality audio dramas with modern sound design and production techniques. Through Black Eye Entertainment, Amari has contributed significantly to keeping the art of radio drama alive for contemporary audiences.
Carl Amari is a seasoned producer and entrepreneur, known for licensing and preserving classic radio shows for over 30 years. He has amassed a library of over 100,000 master recordings and broadcasts these shows on Hollywood 360, a 5-hour weekly series heard on more than 100 radio stations. Amari is also the host and producer of The WGN Radio Theatre and the founder of The Classic Radio Club. In addition to his radio work, Amari has co-authored books on classic radio, including The Top 100 Classic Radio Shows, and regularly contributes to Good Old Days Magazine.
Remastering Details: Black Eye Entertainment has digitally remastered the original source material. A 16-inch transcription disc is transferred into a digital format to maintain the highest quality without any loss during the transfer. Specialized software is then employed to remove clicks and pops, followed by equalization to optimize the sound quality while preserving the authenticity of the original recording.
There is only one episode per side, keeping the runtime on each vinyl side capped at 30 minutes to ensure the ultimate sound quality.
Featured Remastered Episodes:
“He Dug It Up” - original airing on 02/09/43: Starring Arch Oboler. An ancient stone coffin buried in the peaceful English countryside becomes an instrument of death. Inside the coffin is a woman with the head of a lion…and she’s alive! Cast: Arch Oboler (writer, host). Frank Martin (announcer). Sponsored by Ironized Yeast and Molle’ Shave Cream. CBS. Approx. 30 min.
“The Little Old Lady” - original airing on 05/25/43: Starring Shirley Mitchell (I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Perry Mason) and Cathy Lewis (My Friend Irma, Sam Spade). A college student and her friend pay a visit to her Aunt Harriet, whom she hasn’t seen in many years. Seems Aunt Harriet has some very strange pets. Cast: Arch Oboler (host, writer, director), Noreen Gammill (The Andy Griffith Show), Jay Novello (Zorro, I Love Lucy, Perry Mason), and renowned radio actor Lou Merrill (Abbott and Costello)with Frank Martin (announcer). Sponsored by Ironized Yeast and Energine Shoe White. CBS. Approx. 30 min.
“Until Dead” - original airing on 02/02/43: Starring Frank Lovejoy, the voice of the original Blue Beetle. Mac Rogan is about to be executed but escapes from prison to seek revenge against Mark Street, the man who murdered his wife and framed him for the crime. Not even death can stop Rogan from seeking revenge! Cast: Paul Stewart (War of the Worlds, Citizen Kane), and Academy Award-winning actress (All the King's Men) Mercedes McCambridge with Arch Oboler (host) and Bob Stevenson (announcer). Sponsored by Ironized Yeast and Molle’ Shaving Cream. CBS. Approx. 30 min.
"Valse Triste" - original airing on 12/29/42: Starring legendary singer and actress, Golden Globe winner, Peabody winner, and 9-time Emmy Award-winner Dinah Shore. A “gentle man” imprisons two women. One must marry him, the other must die! A story definitely not for the faint of heart! Cast: Lou Merrill (Abbott and Costello), vaudeville, radio, film, and television actress Gloria Blondell (the voice of Daisy Duck, I Love Lucy), Joseph Kearns (Dennis the Menace, Anatomy of a Murder opposite Jimmy Stewart), and Wally Maher (Screwy Squirrel) with Arch Oboler (host, writer, producer, director) and Frank Martin (announcer). Sponsored by Ironized Yeast and Energine Cleaning Fluid. CBS. Approx. 30 min.
"Death Robbery" - original airing on 07/16/47: Starring horror icon and screen legend Boris Karloff (Frankenstein, The Mummy, How the Grinch Stole Christmas). A scientist brings his wife back from the dead…with gruesome results. Cast: The "First Lady of Radio" Lurene Tuttle with Ken Niles (Bing Crosby Entertains, The Abbott and Costello Show). Wyllis Cooper (writer), Paul Pierce (writer), Bill Lawrence (producer, director). Sponsored by Schick Razors and Pens. ABC Approx. 30 min.
"The Devil's Due" - original airing on 04/26/39: Starring Arthur Kohl. Following their latest caper, a couple of hoodlums get the surprise of their lives when seeking shelter in a warehouse. Cast: Arthur Kohl (announcer and The Devil), Bob Jellison, and June Travis. Hobart Donovan (adapter), Fred France (writer), Wyn Wright (producer). CBS. Approx. 25 min.
"The Revenge of India" - original airing on 08/03/46: Starring Wilms Herbert. A man imposes an astonishing punishment on the group who murdered his brother. Cast: actor and theatre director Sidney Breese, Wallace Owen, Tony Parrish, Boris Aplon (I Spy), Arthur Hearn, prolific actor Roy Engel (Sky King, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, Bonanza), and Les Spears (I Led 3 Lives) with George Stone (announcer). Wyllis Cooper (writer), Albert Crews (producer, director). NBC. Approx. 30 min.
"The Fast One" - original airing on 01/05/43: Starring character actor Edmund MacDonald (Alan Ladd's Box 13). A man invents a formula that, when consumed, can make him move 20+ times faster than anyone. When he and an accomplice use this super ability for evil instead of good, it has dire consequences. Cast: Lou Merrill (Abbott and Costello), radio broadcast pioneer Earle Ross (The Earle Ross Theater of the Air), John Lake, actress and writer Helga Moray (Untamed), and Wally Maher (Screwy Squirrel) with Frank Martin (announcer). Arch Oboler (host, writer, producer, director) and Burne Surrey (sound effects). Sponsored by Ironized Yeast and Molle’ Shaving Cream. CBS. Approx. 30 min.
"The Coffin In Studio B" - original airing on 07/13/46: Starring 1930s screen actor Bob Murphy (After the Thin Man, It Could Happen to You). Two actors rehearsing for the LIGHTS OUT radio show are besieged by a mysterious little man selling coffins. One of the actors has a sudden need for such an item while he’s on the air. Cast: Boris Aplon (I Spy), Charles Eggleston (The Honeymooners), Donald Gallagher (the 1903 classic The Great Train Robbery, Temple Tower), Jack Bivens (Captain Midnight), future director Sherman Marks (Mission Impossible, The Untouchables) with George Stone (announcer). Wyllis Cooper (writer), Albert Crews (producer, director). NBC. Approx. 30 min.
"Money, Money, Money" - original airing on 03/30/43: Starring Lou Merrill (Abbott and Costello). After stealing the winning sweepstakes ticket of his sailor friend, a greedy deep-sea diver goes after a greater treasure. Cast: Walter Soderling (Death of a Champion), Earle Ross (The Earle Ross Theater of the Air), classic cartoon voice actor Harry Lang (Tom from Tom and Jerry), and Gloria Blondell (the voice of Daisy Duck, I Love Lucy) with Frank Martin (announcer). Arch Oboler (producer, director, writer, host). Sponsored by Ironized Yeast and Energine Shoe-White. CBS. Approx.: 30 min.
Featuring all-new stories from Ringo and Emmy Award-winner Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook, American Splendor), Underworld creator Kevin Grevioux and artist Xerx Javier (Clive Barker's Nightbreed, Doppleganger), Castlevania showrunner Warren Ellis (Planetary, Moon Knight, Fell)and Sweets creator Kody Chamberlain (30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales, Halo), Eisner nominated writer Justin Jordan (Urban Animal, Luther Strode) and Eisner and Harvey Award winning artist John Bivens, International Manga Award winner Madeleine Rosca (Hollow Fields, Rise From Ashes), and Eisner nominee and Ringo Award winner Leeanne M. Krecic (Let's Play, Dragon King Oath).
Get the LIGHTS OUT Graphic Novel Revival in PDF format! *This reward tier only includes digital items.
Get the Remastered Original Recordings of the LIGHTS OUT radio show in mp3 format for your digital devices! Comes with 10 episodes! *This reward tier only includes digital items.
Get the softcover LIGHTS OUT Graphic Novel Revival, printed at 8.4"x11.6" and featuring approximately 140 pages of content!
Reward tier includes PDF version!
*Prices DO NOT include shipping, which will be calculated during the survey that will be sent out AFTER the BackerKit campaign concludes. See "Shipping" section below for price estimates.
Get the LIGHTS OUT Graphic Novel Revival in deluxe die-cut hardcover with glow-in-the-dark ink, printed at 8.4"x11.6" and featuring approximately 140 pages of content!
Glow-in-the-dark effect of the deluxe die-cut hardcover book! Reward tier includes PDF version!
*Prices DO NOT include shipping, which will be calculated during the survey that will be sent out AFTER the BackerKit campaign concludes. See "Shipping" section below for price estimates.
Get a set of 5 vinyl records featuring 10 episodes of the remastered original recordings of the LIGHTS OUT radio show!
Reward tier includes MP3 versions!
*Prices DO NOT include shipping, which will be calculated during the survey that will be sent out AFTER the BackerKit campaign concludes. See "Shipping" section below for price estimates.
Retailer Bundles Also Available For Eligible Retailers - Click Here To View!
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Please note that shipping costs are NOT included in your pledge and you will pay actual shipping during the post-campaign survey phase. The fulfillment company is based in Portland, Oregon USA so shipping will vary depending on weight, size, and in the case of international orders, region.
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With that said, we can provide some preliminary ESTIMATES. Issues with the USPS can impact issues with the Royal Mail, Canadian Mail, and so on, as can the constantly changing rules in the EU. Fluxes around holiday seasons can also change these estimates.
The softcover books are generally around 1.5 lbs, the vinyls are around 2 lbs, and the deluxe hardcover is around 3 lbs. It is estimated that reward tiers will weigh in the "Up to 2 lbs" to "Up to 4 lbs" range featured in the shipping table below. This number could be higher depending on items added to an order.
