The Shiver Show
The Shiver Show brings you the most spine-tingling tales of crime, horror, and sci-fi from the golden age of radio. This was an era before TV, before screens—when families huddled around the radio, hearts pounding, as stories of suspense crackled through the airwaves.
From the 1930s to the 1960s, these Old Time Radio dramas captured imaginations like nothing else—and you can hear them now. Carefully curated and lovingly remastered to cut the static but keep the chills, The Shiver Show brings you the very best of that haunting era.
Co-hosts Mary Labrie and Greg Flynn prise open the coffin lid on what made these vintage dramas so unforgettable: eerie scores, masterful voice acting, immersive soundscapes, and themes that still resonate today.
Press play, close your eyes, and get ready to shiver.
The Shiver Show
First Contact - Old Time Radio Science Fiction
First Contact — Dimension X (1951)
Before Star Trek imagined the Prime Directive, Murray Leinster dreamed up a story about the most dangerous meeting in the universe — the first contact between two intelligent species. His 1945 novelette, later honored with a Retro Hugo in 1996, introduced the idea of a universal translator — decades before science fiction made it standard issue.
In this Dimension X adaptation by Howard Rodman, two ships — one human, one alien — encounter each other in deep space. Neither can turn back without risking the safety of its home world, and neither can advance without trust. Should they trade, communicate… or destroy each other? As tensions rise, the Earthlings grapple with curiosity, fear, protocol, and the thin line between self-defense and a senseless preemptive strike.
Co-host Greg and Mary talk about the thought-provoking themes in First Contact, and contrast the radio drama with the novella. What do you think happens at the end of this enigmatic sci-fi thriller?
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