Title: Murder on Approval
Air date: June 12, 1938
Plot summary: A Dr. Colanza is selling a biological weapon to an unnamed general of an unnamed foreign power. The bioweapon is a plague of frightening deadliness, or at least Dr. Colanza claims it is, but the general demands a test of the plague's effectiveness.
Cut to the American military base that the general picked out on the map. Lamont Cranston and Margo Lane just happen to be attending a ball there, and the commandant, a Col. Torrance, tells Lamont about a strange new disease that has infected a couple of his soldiers. This is concerning, but things get much more serious when Col. Torrance receives word that in a matter of hours the infection is now raging out of control in the barracks. Torrance dispatches the base physician, Dr. Nick Harris, and Dr. Harris's civilian colleague—Dr. Colanza.
Doctors Harris and Colanza are in cahoots, of course, with Colanza paying Harris handsomely in return for deliberately infecting the soldiers on the base with plague. But Lamont Cranston smells a rat, noting how Colanza got a nervous look when Lamont talked about how he'd seen plague and illness in "the Orient". Lamont returns to the base as The Shadow to investigate. Meanwhile, Dr. Harris is unpleasantly surprised to learn that one of the infected soldiers is his own nephew Steve, who was supposed to be home on leave.
Tropes:
- As You Know:
- The general tells Dr. Colanza, "You have been many things, scientist, adventurer, spy," while explaining why he's not prepared to trust the good doctor.
- Dr. Colanza tells Dr. Harris, "That's why I insisted on shooting anti-toxin" (a vaccine) "into you!" So that's why the doctors aren't worried about catching the plague themselves.
- Instant Death Bullet: Gun goes bang, one groan from Dr. Colanza, a thumping noise, and The Shadow immediately saying "Dr. Colanza is dead, Colonel."
- No Name Given: The general of some foreign army who gets the plot rolling is not named, nor is his assistant.
- Synthetic Plague: A diabolical doctor invents a plague that he wants to sell to whoever will use it as a bioweapon.
- Title Drop: The general gives his OK "to purchase his little method for murder—on approval!"
- Villain Opening Scene: The first scene is the general, the general's assistant, and Dr. Colanza talking about his super-plague.
