Alive in the Grave

The second episode produced by the Radio Theatre group was a show called, Alive in the Grave.

Alive in the Grave was an episode of a South African radio program called, The Creaking Door. It was apparently modeled after the American radio show, The Inner Sanctum. While both programs focused on classic suspense and horror mysteries, the Creaking Door relied heavily on mysticism and the supernatural. The series was short-lived and lasted from 1964 to 1965, which was some time after the Golden Age of American radio. By the 1960s, television had replaced radio for storytelling and radio was converting to music and talk shows. The heyday of American radio dramas and comedies was between 1930 and 1940.

The story begins with a crusty old cemetery caretaker and an ashen faced, trembling young man standing by an open grave under the pale moon. In the grave is a coffin. The lid has been pried open revealing the corpse of a middle-aged man. The caretaker accuses the young man of being a grave robber, but the young man insists he was trying to save the dead man’s life.

The cast our remake included:

Dan Curtis: Narrator and various voices
Caretaker: Kay Curtis
Joe: Brian Friend
Lil: Maddie Hibbert
Cop: Tim Howell

Here’s the script to follow along:

Original Program: