# Lamont Cranston **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 25, 2015, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869 "2015-01-25T16:56:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/41 "2015-01-27T02:20:40Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > What is the name of the Lone Ranger’s nephew’s horse? 😃 Victor. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/42 "2015-01-27T02:44:47Z")
> [@MsKaren](#): > > The Shadow, Lamont Cranston, is significant to the wonderful novel ‘Mystery’ by Peter Straub. I just happen to be re-reading ‘Mystery’ for the zillionth time so this caught my eye. Read it. You’ll like it. Lamont Cranston is not the Shadow. Kent Allard is the Shadow. Lamont Cranston is a name he uses. ---
**Author:** ![MsKaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@MsKaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsKaren)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/43 "2015-01-27T03:11:13Z")
Well, yeah, I know that. I was just trying to keep the OP in the reference. The point I poorly made was that the novel posits a whole different backstory for the Shadow including use of the Lamont Cranston name. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/44 "2015-01-27T03:50:09Z")
Wait, so who is the rich guy on **Gilligan’s Island**? The Shadow knows? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/45 "2015-01-27T14:33:07Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Wait, so who is the rich guy on **Gilligan’s Island**? > > The Shadow knows? Wasn’t that Thurston Howell III? ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/46 "2015-01-27T14:37:52Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Only Billy is a Batson, Mary is his sister but has a different last name Bromfield, Freddy Freeman is unrelated. > > And SHAZAM’s meaning changes depending on who it’s for. Or at least it meant something different for Black Adam than it did for Cap. > > (and I’m basing this on the excellent Jerry Ordway Power of Shazam series of the 90’s, I’m sure other versions might vary a bit) Yes, Mary had the power of Minerva, I think. And Uncle Dudley wasn’t actually related to the Batsons. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/47 "2015-01-27T14:50:10Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > There’s also “Shazoom”. Strength of an oz, strength of another ox… As strong as an ox, and almost as smart… (a Benny Hill gag, but I am sure it was not original to him.) > [@Eonwe](#): > > I know this, but interestingly only from a MAD Magazine parody (I’ve got a bunch of MAD paperbacks that were my dad’s when he was a kid in the 50s/60s). Shadowskideboomboom? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/48 "2015-01-27T15:47:55Z")
_The Lone Ranger_ fans on board might enjoy the Wiki article on [Brace Beemer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brace_Beemer) whose voice I can remember about as well as any from that era. Does anybody else know the voice of [J. Scott Smart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Scott_Smart)? Name some other radio actors and let us try to guess which character(s) they voiced… ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/49 "2015-01-27T17:37:46Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Name some other radio actors and let us try to guess which character(s) they voiced… Bud Collier; William Conrad; William Bendix. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/50 "2015-01-27T17:40:40Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Reid was the surname. The Cavendish Gang were the baddies. The LR was John Reid; Dan was his brother; Butch Cavendish was the gang leader. Who often goes by the name of Sebastian Toombs? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/51 "2015-01-27T17:58:21Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Bud Collier; William Conrad; William Bendix. Good ones! Before looking them up, I’m going to guess Superman, Matt Dillon and Riley. Anybody else got others like these? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/52 "2015-01-27T18:57:28Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Good ones! Before looking them up, I’m going to guess Superman, Matt Dillon and Riley. Kee-rect! Well done! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/53 "2015-01-27T19:38:30Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > The LR was John Reid; Dan was his brother; Butch Cavendish was the gang leader. > > Who often goes by the name of Sebastian Toombs? Not Val Kilmer, that’s for sure. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/54 "2015-01-27T20:40:19Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > The LR was John Reid; Dan was his brother; Butch Cavendish was the gang leader. > > Who often goes by the name of Sebastian Toombs? I broke down and did a look-up on ST and was surprised that Sonny Tufts wasn’t the right answer. Also, the sources I checked on the John Reid issue have that coming much later in the LR legend than radio. Dan as the nephew was the only one I was sure of back in the days when I hadn’t even seen Clayton Moore yet. Did you ever order LR stuff from Merita Bread? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/55 "2015-01-27T21:56:09Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > That’s _Hedly!_ de Mo_net_! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/56 "2015-01-27T21:56:39Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Wasn’t that Thurston Howell III? Ah yes. I think I say both names with a snotty Hahvahd underbite. But I did used to hear The Shadow on olde timey radio – Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men. The Shadow knows - mwhahaha! ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/57 "2015-01-27T22:34:05Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Name some other radio actors and let us try to guess which character(s) they voiced… > [@terentii](#): > > Bud Collier; William Conrad; William Bendix. that would be Bud Collyer as Superman. William Bendix as Chester A. Riley. though William Conrad is best known as Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke he did many hundred appearances as minor characters and as a announcer. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/58 "2015-01-27T22:48:46Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Ah yes. I think I say both names with a snotty Hahvahd underbite. > > But I did used to hear The Shadow on olde timey radio – Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men. The Shadow knows - mwhahaha! You’ve just pointed to an idea that might make a fun thread of is own: identifiable laughs and the characters/actors associated with them. The key issue with such a thing would be whether mere typing could make the specific laugh stand out enough for its uniqueness to be seen. As an example, could simple typing get at the gist of [Three Stooges Curly " Certainly, Whoop, Whoop, Whoop, Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk"?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5j8Jioan1w) ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/59 "2015-01-28T00:00:19Z")
That would be fun…but I won’t even try typing the laugh of The Great Gildersleeve! ---
**Author:** ![breezman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@breezman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breezman)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869/60 "2015-01-28T01:56:00Z")
I know of Lamont Cranston because of an episode of Sanford and Son when Lamont Sanford, says something like “Hi I’m Lamont…” and then he changes his mind–he doesn’t want to give his last name, and finishes with “Cranston. WHo knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men.” EDIT: I’ll fess up. Until I googled, I thought that Lamont Cranston was a character in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamont-cranston/710869.md?page=4)