"And now stay tuned for the mystery program that is unique among all mystery programs - because even when you know who is guilty, you always receive a startling surprise in the Signal Oil program: The Whistler!"
As noted in the intro above, the Whistler was a radio mystery program which offered surprise endings. Many programs promised surprise endings but in the Whistler, they were the entire reason to keep listening. You always knew there would be a surprise ending and you looked forward to recognizing the clues and predicting what the surprise might be. Since the point of view character was often a criminal often the surprise would be an overlooked element which spoiled the criminal's scheme. The Whistler aired on CBS' west coast stations from May 1942 to September 1955.
For example, take "X Marks the Murderer" from August 20, 1945. A killer is stalking the streets, murdering what seem to be random targets (and somewhat reminiscent of either Jack the Ripper or the Lodger). A housewife who puzzles over the crimes (much like today's true crime-obsessed women) begins to notice patterns in the killer's actions which the police have seemingly overlooked. But will her sleuthing draw the killer even closer to her?
You can hear "X Marks the Murderer" on the Internet Archive!
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