First Prize - Death: Tarzan (January 31, 1952)

“First Prize - Death” is an episode of Tarzan, the old-time radio show, first broadcast January 31, 1952. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Tarzan agrees to guide a young American woman, Peggy Johnson, through the Congo after Mr. Whiting, a travel agent in Africa, arranges an all-American girl contest with an African safari prize. Peggy is chosen as winner despite never entering. Tarzan grows suspicious of Whiting's motives, and during a visit to a tribal village the group encounters unsettling dancing and ceremonies. Tarzan and Whiting set out to find Peggy once she is taken away, and the search leads toward a place called El Qashar in Egypt. The episode is part of the Tarzan radio series, aired January 31, 1952.

Africa, including a colonial capital, the Congo jungle, a tribal village, and the catacombs of El Qashar in Egypt

Characters: Tarzan, Mr. Whiting, Peggy Johnson, Governor, Captain Hassan

Listen for: Whiting's sinister plans and the tribal dance sequence

Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.