The Shadow 088 The House That Vanished

THE HOUSE THAT VANISHED was originally published in the October 15, 1935 issue of The Shadow Magazine. Murder takes place in an old house. Murder that is discovered by two men. But all traces of evidence vanish along with the house itself. The Shadow must find that evidence along with the house that vanished. This story really sweeps you along on a thrilling ride. Then, after you have finished reading it, you look back on it and realize it was was pretty cliche-ridden. But all the cliches work. And it makes for a fun time adventuring with The Shadow in a lively mystery. But at it's heart, the story is firmly in the B-movie category. But that's not necessarily bad. B-movies have taken a bad rap. As it turns out, B-movies are some of the most enjoyable movies I've watched. So think of this Shadow story as a B-movie. It's like sitting down in a 1930's movie theater watching an old Monogram mystery. The film, like this pulp story, is filled with cliches. But they make the story feel familiar; comfortable. And they probably weren't noticed as cliches back then; it's only from being repeated so many times since then that they have taken on that aura. It is a dark and stormy night. Now, don't roll your eyes; yes, it's a cliche but it works in this case. Jay Goodling, the new county prosecutor of Sheffield County is driving down a muddy country road in the storm. In the car with him is his good friend Fred Lanford. The two are on their way to Westbury. The bridge is out, and they are forced to take a little-used side road. The car skids and the two find themselves seeking shelter in an old house out in the country. I don't know about you, but I can almost see the film on the screen before my eyes. It's a typical murder mystery from a low-budget studio. You rub your hands in glee, as the story unfolds. A servant answers the door. He's a huge, stoop-shouldered brute who only grunts. The two men enter to dry themselves, as the servant goes to call his master. You've seen movies like this many times before, and you know that something's going to happen. Will the master of the manor be some crazed scientist? You wouldn't be surprised. A young raven haired beauty mysteriously appears in the room with the two men. She is dressed all in black. Like her hair, the darkness of her costume accentuates her pallor. A white face; red lips. Tensely, she implores them, "You must go! It is not safe here." Then she flees the room. In an adjoining room, the two men find a horrible sight. The dead body of a man, lying on his back, his unseeing eyes staring upward. Shot through the heart at close range. Croy, the giant servant, ushers his master into the room. There is a physical altercation, and the two young men are overpowered by the hulking brute. And the lights go out. Yes, this pulp story should have been made into a movie by one of the poverty row producers. It has all the classic elements. As I read the story, it was as though an old grainy film was being projected onto a screen before me. The following morning, the storm has passed. Jay Goodling and Fred Lanford awake to find themselves in their car. It sits, not in front of an old house, but on the edge of an embankment beside the washed-out bridge. Each thinks he has had a horrible dream until the two compare notes and realize that the adventure in the storm actually did happen. They retrace their steps to find the house that holds a murder victim, but when they arrive, they find that the house has vanished. All traces of the crime have disappeared, even to the building in which it occurred! There are so many common stereotypes in this old bromide that I've already lost count. There's always the danger that such a story could become trite and boring. But in this case, they just serve to make it delightful and exciting. They don't make 'em like that, anymore. So I read on with great anticipation. Soon, The Shadow enters the picture. The Shadow reads a newspaper account of the strange occurrence of the vanishing house with it's murder victim. He sets out to solve the mystery. Clyde Burke and Harry Vincent are sent ahead to scout the situation. Clyde goes in his capacity as reporter for the Classic, and Harry joins him as a fellow newspaper man. Together, they lay the groundwork for The Shadow. These are the only two recurring characters in the story. There is a brief mention of Rutledge Mann at the story's beginning, as he collects newspaper clippings and passes them along to his master. But after that, Clyde and Harry are the only two agents involved in this exciting mystery. And The Shadow, when he appears, is always the black-cloaked scourge of crime. He never appears in any guise, whether it be Lamont Cranston, Henry Arnaud or any other. He's just... The Shadow! As the story unfolds, we discover that the beautiful young mystery woman is an heiress. But of course! Who else would we find in a B-movie? She's just days away from turning twenty-one and inheriting a vast fortune. There are two opposing factions. One group holds the beautiful Myra Dolthan. Is she their prisoner, or do they guard her from the second group who wishes her death? The second group is headed by Rufus Dolthan, her uncle. Is he really out to kill her and take control of the fortune? Or is he out to rescue her from those who would confiscate her wealth as soon as she legally inherits it? We're never sure exactly who to root for until the very end. Only then does The Shadow reveal the truth behind the entire mystery. This is the 1935 version of The Shadow. He works mysteriously in the background, and we don't see a lot of him. Clyde Burke and Harry Vincent carry most of the story. They are our proxy heroes in this story. And Myra Dolthan is the proxy heroine whom we are all pulling for. We get to visit The Shadow's blue-lit sanctum. He wears his trademark girasol ring. And when he meets up with young Myra Dolthan, he displays that distinctive ring. He explains that the ring is his token, and she will always be able to recognize him by it, no matter what his guise. One thing that puzzled me was a giant Russian wolf-hound in the story. It appeared in the house before that house vanished. When the gang moved to other quarters with Myra Dolthan, the dog was mentioned again. It seemed like a future encounter with The Shadow was being set up. A scene in which The Shadow could demonstrate his mastery over the animal. But it never happened. By the time The Shadow was skulking through the darkened headquarters, there was no further mention of the hound. Maybe those scenes got cut out by the editors to make space. Or maybe author Walter Gibson intended to write such scenes, but changed his mind. It was something I was looking forward to reading, and was disappointed to find missing. But that's about the only disappointment in this story. Otherwise, it was a top-notch mystery which I enjoyed immensely. It's a classic story in several senses of the term. I can recommend this story for both Shadow fans and casual readers. You'll be drawn into a web of intrigue and mystery that is pure joy to read. And don't be surprised if you, too, can easily imagine watching a movie of this story projected on the silver screen of your imagination.