Suspense Upgrades

Suspense_1947-06-05_MakeMadTheGuilty_wHumeCronyn LQ CRESTA BLANCA AD AT END.mp3
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This is not an upgrade to the master set but a different recording which has a Cresta Blanca ad at its conclusion.

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Best regards

Art

An East/West pair... with a lot of Suspense background intrigue...

Suspense_1947-06-12_Stand_In_wJuneHavoc EAST COAST.mp3
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Suspense_1947-06-12_Stand_In_wJuneHavoc WEST COAST.mp3
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1947 was an "interesting" year for Mr. Spier. First, he and Kay Thompson split in February and eventually decide on a Vegas divorce.
The divorce is complete in September

Lots of interesting stuff seems to be going on. Spier and Havoc are an item. But this clip explains something that was unclear in my previous research. Why did Suspense have some productions from New York in 1947? This may explain it. Havoc was in a Connecticut play, and Bill wanted to visit. If you're the producer, you can move big network productions to where you want to be.


There were other business reasons to be there, I'm sure, especially with the tensions in the CBS-Roma Wines advertising relationship and what that meant to the series. But those could have been done in California, too, since that is where Roma was headquartered,

I’m not certain what the requirements were then, but today, it takes six weeks to establish residency before one of the spouses can apply for divorce in Nevada. Thompson was a multi-talented entertainer at the time, so she had a show there. In today’s dollars, depending on which of the accounts you believe, she earned somewhere between $125,000 and $200,000.

Walter Winchell reports of marriage rumors. “Luff” is a term that means “love” in a semi-sarcastic way.

Finally, the couple is to wed. Havoc’s sister is Gypsy Rose Lee; that’s always mentioned, it seems. I wonder if Gypsy Rose was ever referred to as Havoc’s sister with the same frequency.

Gypsy Rose could not get out to the west coast for the wedding in February, so they moved the wedding day sooner rather than wait.

Hedda Hopper gets the scoop on the wedding plans.

Louella Parsons continues with some details. A couple of weeks after the wedding, the couple had a party in Los Angeles. Leisen was a director and producer. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Billy Daniels was a choreographer. It was rumored that Leisen had a relationship with him. Havoc was in a movie directed by Leisen in 1943, No Time for Love.

Spier had left CBS in early 1948, and worked with ABC to raise The Clock to a higher profile (it didn’t work). But he also had time to direct wife June in a play in 1948.

Spier and Havoc were married for 25 years, ending with his death in 1973. She died in 2010, at 97.

June Havoc

Thanks greybelt

Best regards

Art

As always, thanks!!!

Suspense_1947-06-19_DeadOfNight_wElliottReid UPGRADE-3.mp3
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This script was a last minute change, perhaps caused by the plans to head to New York for three episodes. Smiley, the episode promoted in the newspapers, would be delayed and presented on their return starring Donald O’Connor. The time involved in a new presentation may have been too much with the coordination of the other arrangements, so they pulled another script from the archives from November 1944. Not a single newspaper mentions Dead of Night. Another paper, perhaps having a delayed broadcast at its station, implies that Mortmain may have been considered for this date.


This one sounds like they were considering Mortmain, which would be performed a few weeks later.

Thanks greybelt

Best regards

Art

I won't be able to post for a few days, so here are some recordings to keep everyone off the streets and out of the pool halls... usually with some good and wholesome stories where some gets murdered...

Here is an East and West pair -- from New York while producer Spier checks in on June H during her theater gig in Connecticut.

Suspense_1947-07-10_MurderByTheBook_wGloriaSwanson EC NET TONE(produced in NY).mp3
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Suspense_1947-07-10_MurderByTheBook_wGloriaSwanson WC NET TONE AT OPEN (produced in NY).mp3
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Suspense_1947-07-24_MurderByAnExpert_wLynnBari UPGRADE-2 (safe driving PSA at end).mp3
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Suspense_1947-10-23_The_X-Ray_Camera_wDennisO'Keefe UPGRADE-2.mp3
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Suspense_1947-11-28_Pit_&_The_Pendulum_wJoseFerrer UPGRADE-2.mp3
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And now a big gap -- there are no upgrades to the hour-long period -- and now the upgrades pick up six weeks into the Auto-Lite run.

Suspense_1948-08-19_Crisis_wMarthaScott UPGRADE-3.mp3
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Suspense_1948-08-26_SongOfTheHeart_wVanHeflin UPGRADE-3.mp3
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Wow what a day

Thanks greybelt

Best regards

Art

Thank you Greybelt

Vunderbah!!

Dennis O'Keefe

Lynn Bari

Lynn Bari

Martha Scott

Thank you Greybelt, JB and all your supporters for improving and providing these.

Suspense_1948-09-16_Hitchhike_Poker_wGregoryPeck UPGRADE-5.mp3
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It looks like the original plan was to have this episode on September 9, but they aired Big Shot with Burt Lancaster that day instead. The original title for Big Shot was Break-Up. The first newspaper clipping is based on the originally intended date.


There weren't many newspaper clips for the actual date of Hitchhike Poker which indicates the change may have been last minute in favor of Big Shot for September 9.

Gregory Peck on CBS

Thanks greybelt

Best regards

Art

This may one of the strangest things you may ever hear...
a Suspense program, officially released by the AFRTS as if it was Inner Sanctum! This is a 1980s release (it could also be late '70s) as Inner Sanctum #5 for them.

There is an Inner Sanctum open and close with the Suspense drama sandwiched in between, followed by AFRTS music filler.

Why this was done, I’ll never know. And we’ll never know if it was an innocent mistake or a purposeful act. It is quite weird!

Suspense _1948-09-09 The Big Shot -1980s  AFRTS Inner Sanctum #5 open & close.mp3
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And here is one of the news clippings that shows the original title as Break-Up.
The broadcast for this date seems to have been Break-up which was delayed until the end of the year. That performance starred William Bendix. There is no indication when or why the script was shifted to Big Shot.

Please note the correction made about Big Shot and Break Up as detailed above.

Suspense_1948-11-04_DeathSentence_wJohnGarfield UPGRADE-3.mp3
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Thanks greybelt

Best regards

Art

Suspense_1948-11-11_Muddy_Track_wEObrien&ABlythe UPGRADE-4.mp3
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And a couple of weeks later, after the transcriptions got off the ship, Hawaii got their chance to listen in...