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Suspense Upgrades

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Post by artatoldotr 12/21/2020, 9:08 am

Thanks greybelt
Best regards
Art
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Post by greybelt 12/22/2020, 6:09 am

The Suspense episodes from the Hehn collection up through the Roma period are available in FLAC at this site [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]  There are many other sources of upgrades that are used for this forum's postings. The Hehn pages are being expanded to many other series these upcoming weeks. The Hehn pages have some background about the various series. It is appreciated if these can be reviewed by Cobaltians for suggestions and comment for improvement by private message.

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

Today's episode has not been upgraded for seven years. It's the only network broadcast we have and its target geography has not been identified unless there is an internal dialogue or reference that has been missed. No AFRS copy has been found.

Suspense_1947-07-31_Mortmain_wJeromeCowan (6sec to ID) UPGRADE-3.mp3
Degoo [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
hubiC [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

1947-07-31 Decatur IL Herald & Review
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-264

1947-07-31 N Hollywood Valley Times
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-265

If the movie is part of your holiday season viewing, you can see Jerome Cowan as the district attorney who prosecutes Santa in Miracle on 34th Street. The movie was released in May of 1947 and was still in theaters at the time of this broadcast! Today such a movie would be held for much later release in mid-November or Thanksgiving weekend. Cowan was a very busy screen and television actor through the 1960s.
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_________________
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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 artatoldotr 12/22/2020, 9:34 am

Thanks greybelt

Best regards
Art
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Post by greybelt 12/23/2020, 6:43 am

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!

Today's episode has not been updated in more than seven years. It is the only network broadcast in circulation. We do not know for which geography it was intended. No AFRS recording has been found.

It's August, and it's hard to believe that Suspense will be cancelled four months from now, never to be on the air again. It's been on the air for five years, the last three and a half with great prominence. That's the radio business! At least that's the way it was starting to look. But we... know... the rest... of the story...

Suspense_1947-08-07_Quiet_Desperation_wWalterAbel (10sec to ID) UPGRADE-3.mp3
Degoo [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
hubiC [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Walter Abel was a very busy actor and had a long career, from silent movies through the television era, radio, and stage.
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1947-08-02 Harrisburg PA Record
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-266

1947-08-03 Shreveport LA Times
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-267

1947-08-07 Cedar Rapids IA Gazette
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-268

1947-08-07 Decatur IL Herald & Review
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-269

1947-08-07 Hanover PA Evening Sun
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-270

_________________
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 12/23/2020, 8:55 am

Thanks greybelt

Best regards

Art
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Post by greybelt 12/24/2020, 6:19 am

Today's episode is a network broadcast for which we have its corresponding coastal mate; but we don't know for which coast either was done. There is no AFRS broadcast recording that has been found.

Suspense_1947-08-14_Smiley_wDonaldOConnor (has ID, no upcoming guest annc).mp3
Degoo [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
hubiC [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

This other version was posted two years ago. It has no ID but does have announcement of upcoming guests! It is at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Donald O'Connor was scheduled, announced, and promoted for the 1952 Billy the Kid episode, but cancelled his appearance, and publicly apologized for doing so. He felt he was not suited for that role once they started rehearsals. He seems to do fine in this one. His life and career had a rough start. His best successes and celebrity came a few years after this Suspense appearance. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Newspaper clippings were posted previously.


_________________
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 12/24/2020, 9:13 am

Thanks greybelt
Best regards
Art
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Post by greybelt 12/25/2020, 5:00 pm

Santa left two upgrades in the Suspense stocking!

This first one has not been updated for more than four years. "One and One's Alonesome" (not a typo) was originally scheduled with Lund; original title of this episode was "Murder by the Alphabet."
Suspense_1947-08-21_MurderAboardTheAlphabet_wJohnLund (14sec to ID) UPGRADE-4.mp3
Degoo [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
hubiC [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

1947-08-21 Hanover PA Evening Sun
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-271

1947-08-21 Louisville KY Courier-Journal
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-272

1947-08-21 NY Daily News
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-273

1947-08-21 Syracuse NY Post-Standard
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-274

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

This episode was last updated more than a year ago. It's here in a sound upgrade and without its patched opening. The script was originally used on Columbia Workshop 1941-11-10.
Suspense_1947-08-28_DoubleUgly_wJuneHavoc&LloydNolan (4sec to ID) UPGRADE-4.mp3
Degoo [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
hubiC [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Newspaper clippings were posted previously.

_________________
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 12/26/2020, 6:11 am

It's Boxing Day! I know what it means, but I'm suspicious it really means re-gifting something you got for Christmas.

Since it is a holiday on some calendars, let's celebrate with two upgrades today.

This first one has not been updated for more than four years. Every time I see the word "argyle" I think of this SCTV skit [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] But you know the story... this radio script by Cy Endfield was done in 1945, and repeated here. It was turned into a movie that was released in May 1948. The film was retitled Argyle Secrets, was shot in 8 days, and showed it. Endfield got caught up in Red Channels and moved to the UK where he had a good career. A brief commentary about Endfield's movies is at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Endfield was friends with Orson Welles, enhanced by their mutual interest in magic tricks. He learned much about film-making by being on the set watching Welles work.

This broadcast was originally planned for another performance of Pit and the Pendulum, with Edmond O'Brien. Something may have happened in rehearsals that made them switch. The change did not make it to most newspapers in time. Pit would be held until the week after the Roma contract expired.

This is the only recording we have, with no indication of the intended coast. An AFRS recording has not been found yet.

Suspense_1947-09-04_ArgyleAlbum_wEdmondOBrien UPGRADE-3.mp3
Degoo [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
hubiC [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

1947-09-04 Miami FL News
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-275

1947-09-04 Ottawa ON Citizen
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-276

1947-09-05 Scranton PA Tribune

Scranton was proud of Endfield
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-277

1931-11-12 Scranton PA Tribune
He was active in high school theater
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1931-117

1945-01-18 Scranton PA Tribune
The family business was furs; the address of the house mentioned in the news clips
is now a neighborhood parking lot.
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1945-096

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

It's been 9 years since the network version of this one was upgraded.
Suspense_1947-09-11_The_Twist_wMichaelO'Shea (11sec to ID) UPGRADE-3.mp3
Degoo [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
hubiC [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The AFRS version was posted about a year or so ago and can be found at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Is there a C3DS tech department guru on weekend coverage to check for discrepancies that might indicate the versions differ?

Newspaper clippings posted previously.

Star Michael O'Shea helped an FBI investigation of card game cheating at the Los Angeles Chapter of the Friars! O'Shea's career is summarized at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

1968-10-29 Los Angeles CA Times
(doubleclick on the image if it is not seen in full)
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1968-110

More details
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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 chasedad 12/26/2020, 1:17 pm

These are two distinct performances of "The Twist". Wally Maher puts his own twist on this line at the climax:

Network version at 26:13:
"But like they say, there ain’t no sitchy-ation that can’t take a new twist. Here’s the twist to this one…."

AFRS version at 23:01:
"But like they say, there ain’t no situation that can’t take a new twist. Here….here’s the twist to this one…."

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Post by greybelt 12/27/2020, 5:53 am

Great catch on The Twist dialogue difference chasedad! The weekend crew at the C3DS continues to win the admiration of Suspense fans everywhere as it lives up to its motto, Et identify docere ... "to identify and teach"

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

Today's episode has not been upgraded in nine years! We have no indication of the intended coast. No AFRS recording has been found. It's a repeat of the script of 1944-05-11.
Suspense_1947-09-18_The_Visitor_wDonaldO'Connor (19sec to ID) UPGRADE-2.mp3
Degoo [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
hubiC [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

1947-09-13 Harrisburg PA Telegraph
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-278

1947-09-18 Cincinnati OH Enquirer
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-279

1947-09-18 Miami FL News
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-280

1947-09-18 Minneapolis MN Star Tribune
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-281

_________________
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.]
greybelt
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Post by artatoldotr 12/27/2020, 10:09 am

Thanks greybelt

Best regards

Art
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Post by greybelt 12/28/2020, 6:31 am

This episode has not been updated in nine years. Only this network recording exists, with no indication of its target region. No AFRS recording has been found.
Suspense_1947-09-25_TheBlueHour_wClaireTrevor (5sec to ID) UPGRADE-2.mp3
Degoo [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
hubiC [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Actor Louis Jourdan is announced as a future guest star, and will continue to be for the next couple of broadcasts. He never appeared on Suspense. According to RadioGoldindex, the only surviving two OTR programs he was on are a Lux Radio Theatre and a Screen Director's Playhouse.

1947-09-20 Harrisburg PA Telegraph
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-282

1947-09-25 Madison WI Capital Times
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-283

1947-09-25 Miami FL News
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-284

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

Prayers for the family of Jerry Haendiges, please, on the sudden passing of their son on Christmas Eve, of COVID-19. Gary Haendiges, 54, was an accomplished trombonist, well known in the Los Angeles area. Jerry announced it on his personal Facebook page. GH, RIP.

_________________
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 12/28/2020, 9:30 am

Thanks greybelt
Best regards

Art
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Post by greybelt 12/29/2020, 6:36 am

This episode has not been upgraded in 7 years. This is the only recording, and the target region is not known. No AFRS version has been found.
Suspense_1947-10-02_TheStoryOfMarkhamsDeath_wKirkDouglas (7sec to ID) UPGRADE-3.mp3
Degoo [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
hubiC [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

1947-10-02 Cincinnati OH Enquirer
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-285

1947-10-02 Miami FL News

Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-286

_________________
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 12/29/2020, 10:01 am

Thanks greybelt
Best regards
Art
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Post by greybelt 12/30/2020, 8:52 am

These drive me crazy -- and are the reason I look through so many sets of Suspense...
I looked through the collection and I have not found any replacements for these recordings since 2008. Almost everything else has been upgraded at least once, and many have been multiple times...

6 of the 8 are from the final New York run and are likely home recordings that have survived the years and have endured the damage of multi-generation reel and cassette copies followed by low encode rates.

Do any of you have copies of these? Please let me know -- I'd like at least a high encode file that I could try to clean up as my last resort.

1946-05-09 Clock and the Rope -- from a damaged or improperly transferred AFRS disc; no network recording exists or at least none has ever surfaced
1957-06-16 Trial by Jury -- this sounds like a home recording; it is missing its open and close of the episode but the drama is intact; it often has a patched open and a patched close
1959-09-20 The Beetle and Mr Bottle
1959-10-25 Easy Victim
1960-04-03 A Shipment of Mute Fate -- there is a 20 minute copy without commercials which is in good sound -- I'm looking for a replacement of the intact copy which does not have good sound
1960-08-28 Girl in the Powder Blue Jag
1960-11-27 Home is Where You Find It
1962-03-25 Memory of a Murder

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

This is the only recording of this episode, target geography unidentified. An AFRS copy has not been located. And Louis Jourdan is teased as an upcoming guest, and he'll be announced again next week. It's not clear if he would not appear because of his schedule, or be among the other planned guests whose appearances were scuttled with the expiration of the Roma sponsorship.

Today's guest star is Richard Ney... whose career may be more interesting than one might think...

Suspense_1947-10-09_TheManWhoLikedDickens_wRichardNey (14sec to ID) UPGRADE-3
Degoo [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
hubic [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

This is an addition clipping to one that was posted a while ago.
1947-10-09 Miami FL Herald
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-287

Ney's movie and television had sporadic success. He was better known at the time of this broadcast as the ex- "Mr. Greer Garson." The divorce decree was just two weeks prior to this broadcast. Garson was 12 years older than Ney, and had played his mother a few years before in Mrs. Miniver. That ways Ney's biggest movie role, and he never really had a notable role after. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

He later became known as an investment advisor. Here's a brief background of his work [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

His three now out-of-print books can still often fetch big bucks. The first was The Wall Street Jungle (1970), The Wall Street Gang (1974), and Making It in the Market (1975). Based on what I have read about his work, he would be thrilled by the emergence of ETFs and other passive investments. It seems to be in the same spirit as the rant against the brokerage industry such as the classics like Fred Schwed 1955 book Where are the Customers Yachts?, 1973's Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel (constantly updated), and the development of low cost investing spearheaded by the late John Bogle, a founder of Vanguard, his constant railing against high fees and hidden costs, and a leading proponent of ETFs and other products.

Ney's books are dreadfully out of date, but that's because his opinions were part of an important popular movement to undermine the old structure of investment firms where they got the yachts, as Schwed would say, and their clients didn't.

Ney had more consistent and larger success as an investor than as an actor. In that way, his career was similar to Philip Terry, who appeared once on Suspense (This Was a Hero) and was known for a while as "Mr. Joan Crawford." He became a highly successful investor in California real estate and acting became an occasional diversion from that lucrative career.

_________________
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 12/30/2020, 9:25 am

Thanks greybelt

Best regards
Art
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Post by greybelt 12/31/2020, 5:22 am

It's New Year's Eve... so happy to put this challenging year behind us. I try to tell young folk that this was just a year... how did families get through the Great Depression?.. and especially World War II?.. their challenges and hardships went on for years and years... The OTR recordings and research we enjoy so much helps us see history as it played out. It can be easy to forget that people who lived through it all trudged through the deep uncertainty day after day, without communications, waiting and waiting for letters to arrive for a glimpse of far away family and those serving overseas. Hearing these experiences in the programs, and "between the lines" of dramas, comedies, and variety shows, perhaps helps us in OTRdom have a fuller perspective of how time passes and how events play out, one into another, often with great surprises, good and bad.

John Abbott, author of the YTJD books, sent me a funny picture that reminded me how much things have changed... it was a picture of a dial phone with the caption "if you used one of these, you are in the high risk group." That's just as good a demarcation as any other ones are.

Thank goodness for OTR as a hobby as it has helped so many of us through this lockdown.

So here's to 2021 and good health, good friends, better times, and hope for vaccines that work as well in real life as they did in the labs, and another year of the fun of Cobaltian collaboration.

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

Help us C3DS, you're our only hope!

This is the Dead Ernest that has 2 seconds to ID, posted recently. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
This is one I found yesterday in some reels of early collector Stan Falk. It goes 4 seconds to ID. I verified it a few times (actually when I measured it in Audacity it was 1.6 seconds vs 3.6!)
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Are there any other differentiating characteristics beyond the time to ID?

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

Today's episode is the only network version in circulation, with no identifier for targeted region. There is no AFRS recording that has been found.

This episode was directed by Charles Vanda, and is uncredited. He was replacing Spier who was recovering from heart issues. Vanda was the creator of Suspense.

Louis Jourdan is announced as an upcoming guest again, but it's the last time.

There's an inside joke at approximately 21:43 "we're having dinner with the Vandas tonight"

Suspense_1947-10-16_SelfDefense_wMarshaHunt (direct to ID) UPGRADE-4.mp3
Degoo [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
hubiC [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Marsha Hunt is still alive, at age 103!
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Could Ms. Hunt and Norman Lloyd (106 this past November) be the sole survivors among 1940s Suspense stars?

1947-10-16 Victoria BC Times Colonist
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-288

1947-10-16 Ottawa ON Citizen
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-289

1947-10-16 Cincinnati OH Enquirer
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-290

1947-10-16 Scranton PA Times-Tribune
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-291

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Here's a link to a San Francisco area recreation of Sorry, Wrong Number that was done back in June. These kinds of events are important to kindle interest in and curiosity about radio drama. I'm told by Wallbreakers podcast host James Scully that such presentations are now referred to as "scripted audio." Sure, the actors are not as polished as what we are accustomed to. It affirms just how much talent, dedication, and sweat radio pros displayed back in the golden age we love so much. These productions need to be encouraged... the only way to develop talent is to keep using it. As the old joke goes: a tourist walking in Manhattan is lost needs directions; he goes up to someone who looks like a native New Yorker who knows their way around, and asks "how do I get to Carnegie Hall?" The person answers "practice... practice... practice..."

This is the link to the recreation [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

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Post by chasedad 12/31/2020, 7:09 am

Wally Maher can usually be counted on for some slight variation in his line readings:

2 seconds to ID version:
26:19: "As for the busy telephone in Dr. Fenton's office..."

4 seconds to ID versions:
26:20: "As, uh...as for the busy telephone in Dr. Fenton's office..."

And concerning 1940's stars of "Suspense" who are still with us, Margaret O'Brien (star of "Cricket" [3/15/45] and "The Screaming Woman" [11/25/48]) is still with us at age 83; also Angela Lansbury ("A Thing of Beauty" [5/29/47] at 95.

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Post by artatoldotr 12/31/2020, 10:34 am

Thanks greybelt

Best regards

Art
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Post by greybelt 12/31/2020, 10:43 am

Thanks so much CHASEDAD -- you deserve ALL CAPS today, for sure! Now we know your secret -- focus on Wally Maher!

As for Margaret O'Brien and Angela Lansbury, they're just kids compared to Hunt and Lloyd Smile  What a great Suspense trivia question!

Murder She Wrote is etched in people's minds as what Lansbury will always look like, with her younger successes forgotten except to TCM fans.

UPDATE: O'Brien and Lansbury were together in an episode of Murder She Wrote!
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When O'Brien played Cricket they made a big deal in the show publicity about her age difference with Dame May Whitty.

1945-05-06 Radio Life
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1945-097

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Post by greybelt 1/1/2021, 10:47 am

Happy 2021, everyone!! Three episodes are offered today in celebration of the turn of the calendar page. Suspense never had a New Year's Day broadcast. This is our little attempt to make up for such an oversight.

But first, an update on the discussion the other day about the oldest surviving 1940s Suspense guest stars. I took the discussion over to the OTRR FB page. We left it here at Norman Lloyd at 106, Marsha Hunt at 103, then Angela Lansbury at 95. Martin Grams added Ann Blyth at 93, who appeared in Muddy Track in 1948. Margaret O'Brien then becomes number 5.

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

It's hard to find upgrades of the earliest episodes, but I think this one qualifies. It was in a batch of reels I have been transferring from an OTRR endeavor. This is the first appearance of the "Man in Black," played by Ted Osborne. It seems strange to have a narrator in character for Suspense, but it was common at the time, with "Raymond, Your Host" as likely the most popular at the time with Raymond Edward Johnson on Inner Sanctum. The Whistler pre-dates the beginning of Suspense by about a month, and that may have had an influence on the decision. A figure whose real name is not known was thought to add an air of mystery and intrigue to the presentation. Suspense works better without the character. I'm not a fan of the pre-Hollywood Suspense. The shift away from John Dickson Carr mysteries to more first-person narratives of people in trouble or dangerous circumstance, sometimes of their own making, was one of the influences that Orson Welles had on Spier's approach to the series.

Suspense_1943-01-12_ThePit&ThePendulum_wHenryHull (NY)UPGRADE-5.mp3
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This was last updated in June 2018. It's been difficult to find a recording of this episode with reduced background noise and better-balanced sound. This one is closer. It is the sole network recording, regional intent unknown. There is no AFRS recording that has surfaced.

Suspense_1947-10-23_The_X-Ray_Camera_wDennisO'Keefe (2sec to ID) UPGRADE-4.mp3
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Lucille Ball is mentioned as upcoming guest, another casualty of the Roma contract conclusion. She would appear for Auto-Lite a year later.

Louis Jourdan was not mentioned, and his career as a most multiple-announced upcoming guest who never appeared is over, and is an entry for the Suspense history books.

O'Keefe was a very busy actor at the time, with rising popularity. His portrayal of Mr. District Attorney was playing in theaters at the time. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

1947-10-23 Los Angeles CA Evening Citizen News
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-295

1947-10-23 Richmond VA Times Dispatch
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-296

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This was last updated in October 2019. This is the only network broadcast recording; no other regional broadcast or AFRS version has been found.

Henry Morgan appeared in one of those casting-against-type roles. I only knew of him as a panelist on I've Got a Secret in the 1960s. As I got involved in OTR I realize his career was much more. The "Bad Boy" of broadcasting was never really at the top of comedic entertainment, as acceptance of his style of humor was not very broad. But his career was longer than one might guess. The Wikipedia page for him is quite detailed and a worthwhile read. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Suspense_1947-11-06_Dream_Song_wHenryMorgan (8sec to ID) UPGRADE-3.mp3
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1947-11-06 Cedar Rapids IA Gazette
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-294

1947-11-06 Miami FL Herald
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-293

1947-11-06 N Hollywood CA Valley Times

Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-292

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Post by artatoldotr 1/1/2021, 11:41 am

Thanks greybelt

Best regards

Art
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Post by greybelt 1/2/2021, 7:09 am

At this time in Suspense history, Kay Thompson and William Spier were in the final days and weeks of their divorce process. This episode might be that last of the influence that Kay had on the series. She had read Ray Bradbury's work and enjoyed it, resulting in the sale of this script in April 1946. Mel Dinelli would adapt it for Suspense a year and a half later.

Just weeks after this broadcast, Thompson would stay in Vegas developing and performing the prototypical Vegas show. Spier would leave CBS and Suspense over creative differences, and he and June Havoc would marry after many months of their relationship. He'd return for a year as producer in Fall 1949, but most of the decisions were being left to director Norman Macdonnell. Spier would work with Thompson again in television; they remained friendly and seemed to look out for each other professionally. Welles' influence on the Suspense style and Thompson's various suggestions to Spier about content and especially recruiting movie star guests played critical roles in Spier's professional rise and with the series becoming a favorite of the listening audience.

This was the first Bradbury script on Suspense. June Havoc is billed as "Armona Fargay" in the episode. No one knows why the name was created or used, an inside joke we may never know.

The script may never have made it to the air! Lucille Ball was originally scheduled for this date for another performance of Dime a Dance. It's likely that budgets for stars were cut as Roma cancelled its sponsorship and wanted to minimize its expenses on their way out the Suspense door. There could have been a scheduling conflict, but Ball loved doing Suspense. There are very few newspaper clips about Riabouchinska , and many more about Ball's return, so the decision was probably made about 7-10 days before the broadcast date, possibly less. The script would not have fit the 60-minute format, and likely not the philosophy of the first Auto-Lite year under Leader. For Bradbury, a fortuitous radio circumstance, for sure. The story would be adapted for television multiple times, starting with Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1956 [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The east coast broadcast is not available; the AFRS recording inserted a different announcer clip as it was doing for other episodes in this period, and it is pronounced correctly.

Today's recording is from the studio production, a nice-sounding copy that had fallen out of circulation, if it ever had wide circulation at all. Most copies are from a KNX aircheck, with many of those having the KNX ID edited out.

There's a flub at approximately 1:34 the story title is mispronounced as "Riaboushinskee" by Truman Bradley in the west coast broadcast. We know it's the west coast broadcast because it matches the KNX aircheck with the flub and the time to network ID.

Suspense_1947-11-13_Riabouchinska_wJKearns&LTuttle WC.mp3
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AFRS (64kps mp3) [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
KNX aircheck [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Help us, C3DS... you're our only hope!
Is the AFRS version from the missing east broadcast, or is it from the existing west coast one?


1947-11-13 Madison WI Capital Times
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-300

1947-11-13 Minneapolis MN Star-Tribune
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-299

1947-11-13 Los Angeles CA Evening Citizen News
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-298

1947-11-13 Ottawa ON Citizen
Suspense Upgrades - Page 23 1947-297

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If you're not familiar with Kay Thompson, Sam Irwin's biography is extremely well done
Wall St Journal [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Claire Kelly [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Irwin's endnotes, with great detail about Bradbury's time with the Spiers (pages 204-206) [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
The endnotes are longer than the book. Just search for "suspense" and "spier" and you pick up lots of interesting information.

Another look at Thompson's career is at Classic Film & TV Cafe [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

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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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