Sharks in Old Time Radio

A fear of sharks is something primal, a fear that has haunted the superstitions of seamen for as long as ships have gone to sea. While they may not be the blood thirsty monsters of our imagination, they are predators worthy of our respect and admiration.

Hawaiian Fantasies (1933) A tale of jealousy, treachery and revenge from Transco. Kuakuku, the Shark God, delivers justice for the priest whose sons are murdered by the king. Some of the Polynesian singers have recognizable cowboy accents.

The Witch's Tale (1935) "The King Shark God" A missionary visiting Hawaii meets an old friend who has plans to take advantage of a native girl. As much as the missionary wishes to protect the girl, he will not be able to help her as much as the Shark God.

Lux Radio Theater (1938) "The Prisoner of Shark Island" The story of the doctor who unknowingly treats John Wilkes Booth's broken leg after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Dr. Mudd has not even heard that the President has been murdered, but he is convicted as an accessory. Sentenced to life imprisonment in the West Indies. When yellow fever grips the prison, the doctor treats prisoners and guards alike.

Ripley's Believe It or Not (1940) Bob Ripley travels to the Marine Studios in Florida where he dons a heavy diving suit in which he will go below water to actually feed man-eating sharks. Will the monsters snack on the fish he is carrying or will they munch on Bob himself?

Jack Armstrong, The All American Boy (1941) "Adventure of the Sunken Reef" Jack and Uncle Jim are diving on a sunken yacht in the Philippines to recover a treasure of Uranium-235 but have to deal with pirates on the Schooner Black Shark as well as real sharks in the water!

The Adventures of Jungle Jim (1941) Jim's friend Kitty St. John tries to escape the island of evil Dr. Beard to pass Jungle Jim's message about saboteurs, but as she swims away from the island a shark gives chase!

Escape (1950) "Shark Bait", a fishing charter captain in Nicaragua gets involved with gun runners who want to provoke revolution in neighboring Honduras. What would happen if there was blood in the shark infested waters?

See also: Gone Fishing: Fishing Themed Tales in Old Time Radio