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Suspense Upgrades

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Post by greybelt 12/12/2018, 6:07 am

Suspense_1958-08-24_RememberMe_wJackieCooper AFRS#692 FROM DISC.mp3
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There is also the AFRTS #993 copy of this program in circulation.

Cooper was one of the child actors who was able to continue a successful acting career through early adulthood and beyond. This episode aired in the summer after his successful comedy series The People's Choice went off the air in May 1958 and before his series Hennesey began in 1959. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

1958-08-24 Lubbock TX Avalanche-Journal
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1958-015

This is the third time the script was used on Suspense (1952 and also 1955), and it was also adapted and performed on the Suspense TV series in August 1952. The episode featured Cloris Leachman.


Cooper was on the TV version of Suspense three times. All three exist:
Invisible Killer [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Go Home, Dead Man [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Murderers' Meeting [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Speaking of the TV version of Suspense, about 80+ episodes are available on YouTube. This public spreadsheet has the 15 that were based on the radio scripts and notes if the TV title was different than the radio one. The links in the spreadsheet go directly to the YouTube video. Feel free to share the spreadsheet file with others.
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The 15 are:
Alibi Me
Betrayal in Vienna
Break-Up
Dead Ernest
Double Entry
Flame, The
Help Wanted
Man in the House, A
On a Country Road
Photo Finish
Post Mortem
Remember Me?
Summer Storm
Tip, The
Vidocq’s Last Case

_________________
Suspense resource page [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Research and interview links re Suspense, Whistler, Big Story, Casey, and others [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
The Theater Five Project links to research, blogposts, media [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
The Joe Hehn Memorial Collection history, recordings, radio scripts, and other items [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
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Post by artatoldotr 12/12/2018, 9:55 am

Thanks greybelt
Best regards
Art
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Post by greybelt 12/13/2018, 9:32 am

Suspense_1958-08-31_WholeTown'sSleeping_wAgnesMoorehead AFRS#693 FROM DISC.mp3
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AFRTS #994, also from disc, is also in the set and is circulating.
This was the second time the script was performed on Suspense. The first was in 1955-06-14 with Jeanette Nolan.

1958-08-31 Shreveport LA Times
(note the typo: "The Whole Town's Talking")
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1958-016

1958-08-31 Tampa Bay FL Times
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1958-017

The text of Ray Bradbury's original short story can be found at
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It originally appeared in the September 1950 issue of McCall's.
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Post by artatoldotr 12/13/2018, 9:38 am

Thanks greybelt

Best regards

Art
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Post by greybelt 12/14/2018, 6:27 am

Suspense_1958-10-05_The_Wait_wMariaPalmer AFRTS#694 FROM DISC.mp3
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This is a marvelous upgrade compared to the network version in circulation.

1958-10-04 Boston MA Globe
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1958-110

1958-10-04 Shreveport LA Times
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1958-111

1958-10-04 Columbus GA Daily Enquirer
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1958-112

This particular two month period of Suspense has been the subject of much confusion about air dates. There was research done by the late Chris Lambesis and Randy Eidemiller around the time Martin Grams was writing his Suspense book. Martin did not have access to the work of those now deceased collectors. Their work has proven accurate as I reconstructed and verified it with resources they not have (thanks to Google and newspapers.com!) at that time.

This is an image of a portion of my final spreadsheet (I had posted this in the past) where I settled on the accurate dates (there are many columns to the right that are not relevant). The "proposed" column is the correct dates, and I have since updated my collection to reflect it.
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 Re-dat10
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Post by greybelt 12/15/2018, 4:50 am

Suspense_1958-10-18_Three_Skeleton_Key_wVincentPrice NET WITH COMM UPGRADE.mp3
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This is an improved network copy. The other copy, posted previously, is AFRS #696 recorded from disc.

The first commercial is for CBS News, but the middle commercial is 4-Way Cold Tablets. I always wondered what happened to that product. I can't find anything that details when they were taken off the market. If you're wondering, the "four" items were aspirin for your headache, magnesia for your upset stomach, quinine to address the cold infection, and a laxative to, as one of their 1930s ads said, "carry away the poisons." Combination (or "multi-symptom") medicines were popular at one time, but over the years they fell out of favor as they treated symptoms that the cold-afflicted might not be experiencing. Decongestants came into favor and preference starting in the 1960s. The last combination cold remedy to make a big marketing splash was Nyquil (still a favorite of overseas air travelers to deal with jet lag and not being able to sleep on planes). There are some 4-Way TV ads from the late 1950s on YouTube.

1958-10-18 Eugene OR Guard
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1958-113

1958-10-18 Durham NC Morning Herald
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1958-115

This profile of Bill Robson has him picking "that show about the rats," as many listeners called it, as his scariest favorite.
1958-12-28 Detroit Times
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1958-114
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Post by artatoldotr 12/15/2018, 9:26 am

Thanks greybelt

Best regards
Art
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Post by greybelt 12/16/2018, 6:34 am

Suspense_1958-12-14_ForOldTime'sSake_wJohnLund ('4OfAKind' announced for next wk) UPGRADE-3.mp3
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1958-12-14 Eugene OR Guard
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1958-116

1958-12-14 Long Beach CA Independent Press Telegram
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1958-117

_________________
Suspense resource page [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Research and interview links re Suspense, Whistler, Big Story, Casey, and others [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
The Theater Five Project links to research, blogposts, media [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
The Joe Hehn Memorial Collection history, recordings, radio scripts, and other items [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
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Post by artatoldotr 12/16/2018, 9:45 am

Thanks greybelt
Best regards

Art
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Post by greybelt 12/17/2018, 7:02 am

Two selections today... and some comments below...

This first item is not an upgrade, but my recording did not have the opening with Robson's comment. This is definitely LQ, but it is intact, at least in that regard. This is likely an AFRS recording for which all of the announcements and the close were cut out -- so we don't know for sure. There are surviving network recordings, probably from home recordings, that are circulating that are in the same condition.
Suspense_1959-05-24_SpoilsForVictor_wRobertHorton LQ BUT HAS COMPLETE OPEN.mp3
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1959-05-24 Shreveport LA Times
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1959-018

1959-05-24 Tampa Bay FL
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1959-019

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Suspense_1959-07-19_AnOccurrenceAtOwlCreekBridge_wVincentPrice NETWORK UPGRADE.mp3
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1959-07-19 Augusta GA Chronicle
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1959-020

1959-07-19 Oakland CA Tribune
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1959-021

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Another Source for Upgrades!

Less than a week ago, it was definite that these recent posts of upgrades had run their course -- once you get to 1959, there are not many episodes left. Then we'd start posting recordings sometime in the future once a big enough batch accumulated.

I recently received a bunch of reels that have had a number of upgrades to episodes that I have not been able to find upgrades for over the last five or more years. This was a complete surprise, as you can imagine. I'm still going through them. Rather than ending this phase of upgrades, it looks like we'll have enough to last through the end of 2018 and through January 2019.

These reels were from a collection of a now deceased blind collector on the East US coast. He seems to have traded with others who had access to disc recordings in the 1970s. There are no contents sheets in the reels, just braille labels on the sides of the reel boxes to identify the reel number in his collection. The reel box sides also had the number written on them so a sighted person could take the reel off the shelf or place it back when he asked.

Blind collectors kept big binders of braille sheets, they punched them by hand, with the content listings of their reels. In this case, those binders were sent to another blind collector who identified which series was on each reel. The name of each series was written on the box before they were sent to me. They did not go through the listings of each reel in this process because it was too time consuming, but I have to check each show anyway, so it doesn't really matter.

A few years ago, nearly every recording from these reels would be superior to what was being assembled then. Enough upgrades are coming through to make the encoding of every track worth the effort of figuring out what it contains and evaluating the recordings. I've been through a lot of close-to-source or original source collections in recent years, but there are always episodes that do not usually come up in those disc collections that are in here. The first two reels (12 shows each) yielded 12 out of 24 that were upgrades. With the other reels that were run since, the total is up to 26. I have not had the same hit rate as I did on those first two reels. Four more reels to go, and if we get 2 per reel, that's a month worth of postings. There has been one "completist" find so far, an east or west coast companion of an existing show (we can't know which is which, but the recordings are different).

This is such a pleasant surprise. Every time I think the well has run dry, more recordings seem to appear.

Getting these organized will require a few days when no recordings are posted... but don't worry, they'll be on their way soon! We have a couple of more days of posts of this particular group to go.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

How Many Suspense Fans are on this Thread?

Every once in a while I like to check out how many Cobaltians are following this thread. There are no nefarious reasons behind this. The absence of a feedback/"thanks" button on posts for this particular forum software, and that we have to use outside servers that don't count the number of downloads, make it hare to figure out the size of this particular Suspense audience and any Cobalt audience.

Over the past weeks I have been trying to promote Cobalt membership at the OTRR Facebook page, and other OTR-related venues, specifically with some posts about the Suspense program. I wonder if that has had any effect, and the only way to figure that out is to raise your hand by sending a message.

Please private message me here on the forum or at a new email I have set up to let me know you are here, and also for any other comments.
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OTRR Certified Sets

Regarding OTRR, it was never a formal organization, so the death of Jim Beshires earlier this year has meant some level of chaos has existed. Good-hearted OTR fans stepped up to pick up the pieces and figure out where things were. Thankfully, that has been happening. Things are getting back on track and the chaos of a loose-knit collection of fans is dissipating.

In the process of going through Jim's things, some certified sets were found that had not been released because Jim's hospitalization and passing affected the ability to communicate and get them out. These are now in the works for release. The OTRR Facebook page is very active, picking up interested members and the OTR-curious at a good pace. It's worth signing up there, if you haven't already, for various news and discussions that forum-style platforms are not particularly suited for.

My interactions with the new OTRR enthusiasts has been to find ways to encourage work on more certified or complete sets using Cobalt Club as a platform for that work. We have a good track record for such with series like Whistler, Sam Spade, John Steele, Adventurer, High Adventure, Escape, Mr. Keen, and this very Suspense thread, and many others. When that first Suspense set was being produced in the late 2000s, the Cobaltian effort really got that off the ground, and I am pleased to continue in that tradition. It spurred my interest in the series!

Some of the evidence of the extensive work that went into the series was lost in the various server crashes. With each crash, we lost some Cobaltians, who were not always able to find their way back or we were not able to find them so they could return.

I hope we can get the process of diligent work on specific collections of programs growing again here. The forum format is great for that kind of work If there are any champions of particular series in Cobaltia, please step forward and I'll be pleased to assist in the effort. Cobalt Club has been key to my re-enjoyment of OTR these past years, and I hope we can get others who experience that same value of participation. If you have a favorite series, please start a thread and post it show by show. There are lots of free services to host the recordings (my dislike of Dropbox is pretty well known -- this thread seems to be getting along with Sync quite well, and there's always pcloud, as well as others). A little research here and there (and photos!) adds to the enjoyment, too.

The OTRR folks are trying to compile the official list of certified sets since OTRR's beginnings -- it's not ready yet, but it should be available soon. That may help guide whatever new efforts are started here.

Thanks again, everyone!

# # #


Last edited by greybelt on 12/18/2018, 9:39 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Post by greybelt 12/18/2018, 7:54 am

This is the first episode of the final NY run. It has a clipped open but is in better sound.
Suspense_1959-08-30_AMatterOfExecution LIKELY NETWORK (announces next ep) CL OP BETTER SOUND (returns to NY).mp3
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1959-08-29 Bridgeport CT Post
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1959-022

1959-08-30 Augusta GA Chronicle
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1959-023

1959-08-30 Canton OH Repository
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1959-024

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

So far I have heard from the following Cobaltians who are following this thread:
Wildcat44
Scooper
CRGibson
Jim9
and we know that artatoldotr is always here.

Please private message me here on the forum or at this email to let me know you are here, and also for any other comments: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].
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Post by artatoldotr 12/18/2018, 10:56 am

Thanks greybelt

Best regards
Art
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Post by chasedad 12/18/2018, 11:45 am

greybelt wrote:This is the first episode of the final NY run. It has a clipped open but is in better sound.
Suspense_1959-08-30_AMatterOfExecution LIKELY NETWORK (announces next ep) CL OP BETTER SOUND (returns to NY).mp3

Interesting footnote to this episode: writer-performer and veteran character actor Harold Huber ("The Thin Man") died one month after its broadcast, on September 29, 1959 at age 49. He wrote and performed in "Death and the Escort" which was broadcast two weeks later (9/13/59), and his script for "The Easy Victim" was broadcast a month following his death (10/25/59).

And I assumed this was taken for granted but I'll state it definitively: I'm following this thread, too! Thanks for all the hard work and generosity you've put into it, it's greatly appreciated.

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Post by greybelt 12/18/2018, 12:42 pm

Chasedad: I was holding this to post in a few days, but since you brought it up, here it is...

1959-10-01 Allentown PA Morning Call
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1959-110

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Research and interview links re Suspense, Whistler, Big Story, Casey, and others [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
The Theater Five Project links to research, blogposts, media [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
The Joe Hehn Memorial Collection history, recordings, radio scripts, and other items [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
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Post by chasedad 12/18/2018, 1:08 pm

Wow...thanks for that news article, greybelt, I'd wondered what the circumstances of his death were but hadn't known what they were until now. And how about that quote they dug up for his obit! Thanks for sharing this.

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Post by greybelt 12/18/2018, 1:17 pm

I feel really bad -- when I hear about people dying after a "minor operation" -- always makes me wonder what it was, and how it's probably treated with much less risk today than it was then. I checked if there was any video of his TV endeavor, and there was none.

His radio credits (for the recordings that survive)
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Wife Ethel was a music supervisor at CBS in New York and is on most of the episodes and also YTJD when the shows moved to NYC.
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Post by kdmarket 12/18/2018, 9:32 pm

Suspense_1959-05-24_SpoilsForVictor_wRobertHorton LQ BUT HAS COMPLETE OPEN.mp3
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this first link is not working can you fix it thanks
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Post by greybelt 12/18/2018, 9:40 pm

I just checked it and it seems to be working
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Suspense resource page [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Research and interview links re Suspense, Whistler, Big Story, Casey, and others [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
The Theater Five Project links to research, blogposts, media [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
The Joe Hehn Memorial Collection history, recordings, radio scripts, and other items [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
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Post by greybelt 12/19/2018, 6:02 am

Here's the Cobaltian Suspense Roll Call to date; if your name is not listed here, please check in:

hovea
mstevens90
Ghemrats
jeffregan
Tom-In-Ohio
chasedad
lasombra
artatoldotr
Wildcat44
Scooper
CRGibson
Jim9

Please private message me here on the forum or at this email: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Be sure to include your Cobalt name if you send an email.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Today's recordings are not upgrades, but are completist curiosities. They are lower quality files of home recordings that somehow escaped the editing impulses of previous generations of collectors. They offer a sense of what it was like to listen to Suspense as it was originally broadcast because the pre-show commercials have been left in. I found these on a hard drive of a much more veteran collector than I am, who shared his collection with me a few months ago.

Suspense_1959-11-15_The_Companion_wVirginiaPayne (Air Force ad at open).mp3
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1959-11-15 Knoxville TN News-Sentinel
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1959-111

Suspense_1959-12-20_AKoreanChristmasCarol INCLUDES PRE-SHOW COMML WROW.mp3
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1959-12-19 Columbus GA Daily Enquirer
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1959-112

Suspense_1960-01-24_Turnabout_wLeonardStone (has Albany NY car dealer ad at open).mp3
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1960-01-24 Augusta GA Chronicle
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1960-011

Suspense_1961-12-10_AndSoToSleepMyLove_wWilliamRedfield WROW opens with Welcome Wagon ad.mp3
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1961-12-09 Columbus GA Daily Enquirer
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1961-110

1961-12-10 Portland Oregonian
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1961-111

1961-12-10 Tampa Bay FL Times
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1961-112

_________________
Suspense resource page [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Research and interview links re Suspense, Whistler, Big Story, Casey, and others [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
The Theater Five Project links to research, blogposts, media [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
The Joe Hehn Memorial Collection history, recordings, radio scripts, and other items [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
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Post by artatoldotr 12/19/2018, 9:21 am

Thanks greybelt
Best regards
Art
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Post by greybelt 12/20/2018, 6:33 am

The Cobaltian Suspense Roll Call continues; if your name is not listed here, please check in:


kdmarket
JazzMan
bobh
BobbyP
hovea
mstevens90
Ghemrats
jeffregan
Tom-In-Ohio
chasedad
lasombra
artatoldotr
Wildcat44
Scooper
CRGibson
Jim9

I have not heard from bojim1, Geezer, kschriever, shadowsmom, but I know they're there because of some other interactions we have had recently.

Have not heard from JBSteele in a while -- he was in last year's roll call -- hope he's okay -- check in if you're there, JB! We miss the pictures!

The list has grown slightly, but I suspect there's a handful more. Please check in!

Please private message me here on the forum or at this email: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Be sure to include your Cobalt name if you send an email.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This may be one of the best and cleanest sounding Suspense recordings you have ever heard or will ever hear. And... there's a story behind it that involves an on-air blooper by a highly regarded actor who played Lamont Cranston for about half a decade, two missing Suspense episodes, gossip columnist Louella Parsons, the actor who starred in The Invisible Man, and Alfred Hitchcock.

Suspense_1946-12-26_PhilomelCottage_wLilyPalmer WC (noFBIiP&W mentionsAlfredHitchcock).mp3
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This is a low-circulation recording that pairs with the widely circulating east coast recording. The east coast shows in this period of Suspense mention The FBI in Peace and War as following Suspense and urges listeners to stay tuned in for it. Because FBIiP&W only had one performance, the west coast heard it earlier in their day, hours before they would hear their own Suspense broadcast. One way of spotting EC and WC Suspense in this time period is to listen for this program plug as part of the closing announcements; the WC programs omitted this FBIiP&W announcement. This is not always reliable, because the plug for the upcoming program was always subject to cutting for the sake of time if they needed to. But it is always certain that if it is part of the show close, then it is definitely an EC broadcast recording. This is also a reminder that not all series had two live broadcasts to accommodate US and Canada time zone differences. Most had just one performance.

Here's the interesting story behind this Philomel Cottage episode of December 26, 1946, as best as it can be pieced together, and why Alfred Hitchcock's name is mentioned as an upcoming guest.

The mention of Hitchcock as an upcoming guest at the end of the east and west coast episodes is curious, and the blooper of "Alexander (awkward pause!) Hitchcock" in the east coast version just makes it more curious. (Hear it at 29:25 of this recording [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] You can hear Bill Johnstone wanting to break up when he realizes his gaffe. By the end of the sign-off, Ken Niles is having trouble containing his laughter and finally ends with a chuckle as he utters the final words of the script.

A few weeks before this episode, newspapers and trade magazines (especially Louella Parsons' column) mentioned that Hitchcock was going take a turn before the microphone. It didn't happen, as we now know. It also appears that Philomel Cottage was not originally planned to be presented on this date, but rather The Wax Works, adapted by Mel Dinelli, was.

1946-12-06 Variety
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1946-112

1946-12-13 Philadelphia PA Inquirer
from Louella Parsons' column
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1946-113

As in times before, when there was a guest scheduling issue or some unexpected schedule disruption, Spier would go back into the archives and grab a prior script to fill in. In this situation, he grabbed Philomel, which had been presented in 1942 and 1943. These re-performances required less rehearsal and production coordination to stay on broadcast deadline. (The 1942 Philomel performance remains a missing episode).

There was always an interest in getting Hitchcock involved in radio drama, and the back chattering of him getting there via Suspense was always around, but it never panned out. The Wax Works script was held and held, likely in hopes of getting Hitchcock's calendar to cooperate. It was finally performed on March 20, 1947, without Hitchcock's participation. That is, as best as we can tell, because the performance is one of Suspense's missing episodes. Surely, had "Hitch" been scheduled for the March 1947 performance, it would have been publicized heavily; if he had appeared, it would have been reported for multiple days after because his appearance would have been unusual and therefore noteworthy. Instead, all of the publicity about the March 1947 centered on Claude Rains in this unusual "one-man" performance script (we don't know if Rains was the choice for that possible December 1946 broadcast or not). The only mentions of Hitchcock in the news at that time were for a potential "Suspense-like" program on NBC... or ABC... he was talking to everyone. As the old saying goes, "when all is said and done, more is said than done."

1947-03-20 Wisconsin State Journal
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1947-018

1947-03-20 Cincinnati OH Enquirer
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1947-019

Perhaps the March 20, 1947 Wax Works recording will appear one day.

We now know that the mention of Hitchcock in the closing announcements of Philomel Cottage was not an accident or a prank, but another flirtatious "script-tease" in the Hitchcock-Spier-Suspense dance that only led to more dances and no tying of a contractual knot.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next day or so will have some newspaper and Variety clippings that are quite interesting or mark some important aspect of the series. And then -- the tally of the reel conversions is another 40 recordings --- and they are almost ready to post. Hooray!
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Post by artatoldotr 12/20/2018, 8:55 am

Thanks greybelt

Best regards

Art
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Post by chasedad 12/20/2018, 10:11 am

Thanks for clearing up the mystery about Alfred Hitchcock's intended appearance on "Suspense", that's a fascinating tidbit. Unquestionably Claude Rains gave a better performance in the role than Hitchcock would have, but it would have been interesting to hear the legendary director try to carry an entire episode on his own. It's surprising to learn that "Suspense" was considering indulging in this kind of "stunt casting", they weren't known for doing that. The closest thing I can think of to that is Ben Hecht appearing as himself in "Actor's Blood", although in that case he was supporting star Frederic March.

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Post by greybelt 12/20/2018, 11:38 am

I don't think Hitchcock would have acted as the main character -- the prospect is kind of scary, but it did enter my mind, and I kept telling myself that they wouldn't have done it that way. I can't find anything about whether or not it was the plan or if they even rehearsed it that way as a trial run. "Stunt casting" it sure would have been -- the kind of thing a show in trouble might have done for attention, but Suspense wasn't in trouble and already had lots of attention.

This deserves more research, but I have no clue where that might be!

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Post by greybelt 12/21/2018, 4:18 am

The roll call continues... If you're not on this list, please private message me here on the forum or at this email: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. Be sure to include your Cobalt name if you send an email. If you're "a lurker" as one roll call respondent said they were, don't feel "guilty" or feel like you don't belong, please check in. Here's the latest roll call list of Cobaltians following this thread and enjoying Suspense:

Harlow Wilcox
Rearle1
Oday450
old timer
kdmarket
JazzMan
bobh
BobbyP
hovea
mstevens90
Ghemrats
jeffregan
Tom-In-Ohio
chasedad
lasombra
artatoldotr
Wildcat44
Scooper
CRGibson
Jim9

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

No recordings today, but we will start the new round tomorrow. Today we have some news clippings that give a behind the scenes look at the series.

The 60-minute version of Suspense went very badly, and Spier left in a huff after the first month. He went to ABC to try to save The Clock. While he was there, he used some scripts originally heard on Suspense, such as House on Cypress Canyon, John Barbey and Son, Can't We Br Friends, Search for Isabel, Bank Holiday, and My Wife Geraldine. Not many recordings exist of Spier's tenure because it was so short. The series ended in May, 1948, and nobody seemed to care. That Fall, Spier would be producing Phillip Morris Playhouse and using some Suspense scripts there, too. That gig ended in Summer 1949, and Spier returned to Suspense for a year.
1948-02-11 Variety
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1948-014

Charles Vanda was the first producer of Suspense, but left when WW2 started and was a key executive in the founding of the AFRS. He came back from the war kind of expecting to pick up where things left off but Spier had become such an icon, Vanda had to do other things. Vanda had a spectacular career, especially in owning and selling TV stations and still being involved in production. Through the years, Spier and Vanda's relationship got worse. Vanda subbed for Spier after he had another heart attack in his last season as Suspense producer, so the relationship must have been okay enough for that. There is no doubt: Vanda "founded" Suspense. But he also produced it as a British-style mystery series with plodding plots and spooky stories. Spier turned it into a franchise of exceptional production values with "people in trouble" or "things are not what they seem" storylines. But it was sad to learn of their rift and how this played out in Daily Variety. Spier died in his late 60s, but Vanda lived well into his 80s and was still very, very active, doing what he enjoyed.

1954-04-07 Variety
article says Spier founded Suspense
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1954-010

1954-04-08 Variety
not so fast, says Mr. V
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1954-011

This is an article about CBS producer Paul Roberts, who produced soap operas for many years, and also produced Suspense when it moved back to New York in August, 1959, until November 1960.
1960-07-03 Bridgeport CT Post
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1960-012

This article discusses the last day of CBS soap operas, but also mentions that Suspense was cancelled in 1960, too! It was very likely it was not coming back, but somehow they did re-assemble for June 1961 and continued to that fateful day of September 30, 1962, usually known as the "day radio drama died."

1960-11-25 Lansing MI State Journal
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1960-110

I always wondered how fast the axe fell on Suspense and YTJD. From this article, it seems like it was in the works for a while. Suspense moved to New York at the end of August 1959; YTJD moved in November 1960. The YTJD move looks like it corresponded to the end of the soap operas. I never understood why YTJD was the last to move. Perhaps a matter of studio availability was part of that. Without soaps, the studios were certainly free! YTJD and Gunsmoke were running during that time from December 1960 through most of June 1961 when Suspense was not. When Gunsmoke ended, Suspense replaced it until the end.

The cancellation of Suspense and YTJD was described to me by some of the actors as sudden, but they may not have been plugged into the grapevine inside CBS' bureaucracy. Everyone knew it was coming, but it always seemed to not be imminent. If "radio died" on September 30, 1962, and it's in Variety of August 8, and the article is citing all these committees and discussions, the process was at least six months old for this particular cancellation by the time of the Variety article. It was obviously brewing for a while. We know it was discussed in the meetings about ending the soap operas because the article says Suspense was cancelled. That probably puts the initial discussions of stopping radio drama into 1959.

1962-08-08 Variety
Suspense Upgrades - Page 14 1962-010

Suspense had reprieves for 1961 and 1962. I wonder if the end was really believed since the show had escaped cancellation those seasons. No 1963 season happened... I guess they finally believed it was over by then.

There were CBS affiliates that were still interested, and for a year or so they fed re-runs over the network and those stations could run them if they wanted. But it all dwindled and faded away...

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