Suspense Upgrades

Today's Suspense episode is To Find Help with Gene Kelly and Ethel Barrymore. Frank Sinatra was originally scheduled for the lead role once again, but other commitments had his MGM musical partner and friend Kelly take the role. This Mel Dinelli script became a franchise for the writer, becoming a stage play on big stages, regional, and community theater, the movie Beware, My Lovely, and some TV productions. This was Ethel Barrymore's only Suspense appearance.

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Today's Suspense episode is The Too Perfect Alibi with Danny Kaye. It's a somewhat complex story by Martin Stern and adapted by pulp writer Ken Crossen. It relies a bit on knowing NY metro area geography and what 1940s cars were like. Kaye's character is jealous of a friend who is newly engaged to a young woman he has great desires for. It's a good story, but casual background listening won't catch a lot of the details. Enjoy!

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There are pictures of the rehearsals for the episode from the April 1949 Radio Mirror. In that issue, the magazine announced its award for radio's best mystery. There are some curious comments about what happened in the studio that day.

It's worth a full read of the blogpost which has comments about geography, cars, side comments in the dialogue, and other items that will help enjoy this episode to the fullest.

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greybelt wrote:And thanks so very very much for your prayers, thoughts, encouragement of our 33-yr-old son and his wife as they deal with the endocarditis that started with an innocent dental cleaning on October 31.

greybelt wrote:Today I am writing up Three O'Clock, which as many of you know is my favorite Suspense episode and what I believe might be the series most astounding performance, and possibly that of the golden age.

greybelt wrote:Someone mentioned to me that Johnny's Got His Gun with Cagney might be the only other performance that would share the same accolade of a drama with long monologues with wide ranges of emotions and contexts.

Today's Suspense episode is If the Dead Could Talk and stars Dana Andrews. It's a Cornell Woolrich story that shows how romantic jealousy, lack of foresight, and circus trapeze artistry don't mix well. It's a good story and Andrews is excellent in it.

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Today's Suspense episode is Lucille Fletcher's The Thing in the Window, a repeat performance about a deceitful and strange way to get the apartment you want during a housing shortage. It's a fascinating story once you realize it's a hoax that's being perpetrated.

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Actor Robert Montgomery, ex-producer and host of the ill-fated hour-long Suspense series, returns as if that misadventure never happened.

The script originally aired in 1946 with Joseph Cotten. He could make a line like "pass the butter" have a sinister undertone which makes his performance the preferred rendition of the two. The blogpost has links to that performance and script details.

This was not the script originally planned for Montgomery. Odd Man Out was originally scheduled, but the 1947 film was still in theaters. It is possible that permission from the studio was not available. It would not be produced on Suspense until 1952.

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Today's Suspense episode is Back Seat Driver and stars Jim and Marion Jordan in a script by Sally Thorson. The casting of Jim and Marion Jordan boosts the story's entertainment value. Fibber and Molly? A stowaway in their car? This is considered one of the most beloved Suspense episodes because of the of the Jordans. Jim seems more comfortable in his dramatic performance, while Marion sounds a bit tentative. Heavenly days! They get some goodwill and leeway for any rough spots because they’re Fibber and Molly, for goshsakes. Variety gave the episode a great review, "... they handled the assignment masterfully. It showed, once again, that comics can play it straight and that switch casting can put some spice into the radio diet." Enjoy the listening fun.

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Sally Thorson was a radio veteran scripter, actor, and director in local productions in Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Two of her Whistler script productions have survived. But there was another side of Sally's career. She was in sales for radio production technology for Sonovox! The 1942 ad that featured her is in the blogpost.

This is another story where today's listeners have to be aware of how spacious seating was in cars in the 1940s. The stowaway idea would not work in the streamlined cars of today.

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Today's Suspense episode is John Collier's story with the "strange" Latin title De Mortuis, and stars Charles Laughton. It seems to start out as a clone of Back for Christmas, but it's not. This is an evil character who intends to intimidate his small town gossipy neighbors into silence.

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The story is different, occasionally tedious, but it gets back on track. Listen closely to catch it all; it’s worth the effort. The story was adapted for Suspense by pulpwriter Ken Crossen.

Newspapers reported that producer Tony Leader had a long platform constructed to give the actors a better sense for scenes that involved stair climbing and descent and calling downstairs to Laughton's character. Leader said “the actors do a better job when I let them move around and make some of their own sound effects naturally.” Listen and decide if it made a difference! Wish there were photos or film of that!

The title is part of the phrase that translates "don't speak ill of the dead."

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Leader said “the actors do a better job when I let them move around and make some of their own sound effects naturally.” Listen and decide if it made a difference!

Today's Suspense episode is Catch Me if You Can and stars Jane Wyman. It's an interesting Patricia McGerr story that has a twist in that we know who is murdered, we know who did it, but we don't know who the detective is! We only know the name "Rocky Rhodes" and don't know if it's a man or a woman or if the detective is working undercover under a different name or if the person is yet to arrive or arrived a while ago. The CBS publicity says that Wyman told “...Tony Leader some time ago that I’d like to play a really evil woman on Suspense.” She continued “and he fixed me up—but good.” Raymond Burr makes another Suspense appearance and the broadcast also includes Frank Lovejoy. Enjoy!

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Today's Suspense episode is an Agatha Christie story, Where There's a Will, with James Mason and Pamela Kellino. Gambling debts seem to start a lot of Suspense plotlines, and this is one of them. Mason’s character lives with his elderly frail widowed wealthy aunt and her house servant, played by Kellino. He’s piling up gambling debts, almost $700,000 in today's dollars. That makes it pretty clear where the story is headed. It just so happens the rich aunt can literally be scared to death, which should be as easy as hiding in a corner or behind a curtain, jumping out and shouting “boo!” That won’t happen. There’d be too much broadcast time left over! It's not the best Suspense offering but it's entertaining enough to hear one of Hollywood's popular couples of the time.

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Today's Suspense episode is The Love Birds and stars Joan Fontaine. A husband and wife live a contradiction of a happy life to the outside but vastly different one in private. They don’t just dislike each other, they want to kill each other, and each is waiting for the right opportunity.

Between the sleeping pills or the poison, be attentive when listening because you don't know which nasty spouse will deliver on their threats. The ending is surprising, because their acrimony doesn’t end in a particular event.

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It's veteran writer Shirl Hendryx' story, and adapted by Harold Swanton. He started writing for radio in the 1940s and is cited in RadioGoldindex for Suspense, Radio City Playhouse, and Under Arrest. He wrote for television and the stage in later years. At 94, he even wrote a short play for Smartphone Theatre in 2020! He passed away in December 2023, a few months before his hundredth birthday.

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Today's Suspense episode is Three O'Clock with Van Heflin. It may be one of the finest performances and productions of radio’s golden age. There is a marvelous convergence of a great Cornell Woolrich story, a superb actor, excellent effects, a terrific supporting cast, superior use of music to heighten the mood, the many (and quick) changes of scenes and timeline, innovative direction, and much more.

The blogpost has a significant amount of detail and analysis of each scene and Heflin's performance.
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If you're hearing this episode for the first time, or if you're listening again, the information will enhance your enjoyment of the episode and Heflin's performance. Some listeners may want to read the blogpost prior to listening to get a heads-up about the subtle aspects of the production to listen for.

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Today's Suspense episode is Murder Through the Looking Glass with Gregory Peck. It's an adaptation of the Craig Rice novel by pulp author Ken Crossen.

Peck plays a man who wakes up on an evening train to Philadelphia and is confused as to why he is there. He’s been having spells of forgetfulness, but this one is not like the others. He knows for certain that he’s Jeffrey Bruno, a mystery writer, but papers in his coat and in his wallet indicate he’s insurance seller John Blake. When he gets off the train, he spots a newspaper headline that Blake is wanted for the murder of a very wealthy client! Now what?

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Today's Suspense episode is Dead Ernest with Pat O'Brien. This is the final performance of the famous script that played a big part in Suspense winning its Peabody Award. It’s a marvelous story that has you chuckling and squirming and riveted at different points of the performance.

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While this performance is very good, it is somewhat disappointing that a big Hollywood star leads the cast. The script was originally rejected but reconsidered for broadcast back in Summer 1946. All of its performers were radio pros and not movie stars. It was so fitting that the day-in, day-out performers, not any of the movie luminaries, were the ones who brought home the Peabody. No offense against Mr. O'Brien, but it seemed out of place to not have this performance of one of the series beloved scripts in a big year for its listenership not give a nod to its special history and its ensemble cast. That history may not have been understood at that time, so it is easy for us, with the perspective of 75 years later, to make such judgments. Enjoy the show!

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Today's Suspense episode is You Can't Die Twice with Edward G. Robinson. He's a milkman who is mistakenly declared dead, because the person who stole his wallet was in a fatal accident. The only identification that person had was the stolen one. Robinson's character and his wife decide to take advantage of the situation and send him into hiding while she files to collect his life insurance. It seems so simple until they each become suspicious of the other's behavior and interests while he's away. The scheme isn't as easy as originally thought! Some of the script is played for chuckles as the day after broadcast is April Fool's Day. Robinson is entertaining as the husband who tries to play the loyal husband but whose expected windfall is easily scammed away from him and he's not so loyal after all. Schemers seem to be easy prey of other schemers!

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Today's Suspense episode is Noose of Coincidence with Ronald Colman. He's a a wealthy London bookshop owner who meets a customer with the same name as he does. He predicts that Colman's character will meet a red-headed woman and marry her, which he has. He soon predicts that “he will be hanged by the neck until dead” on November 9th. It's a fun (but oh so very serious) story. At the end you learn the meaning of the title. (An overdone scuffle is part of the process to the conclusion of the story -- amusing to listen to -- must have been interesting to watch how they did it without cracking up at the microphones). It's a good episode.

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Hans Conried returns to the series after a 13 month absence. He is so marvelous to hear. Knowing his beloved part as the uncle on TV's Danny Thomas Show, should this have been called "Tonoose of Coincidence"? (Sorry, could not resist).

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Today's Suspense episode is Murder in Black and White with Edmund Gwenn. (The show has a curious connection to I Love Lucy!). Gwenn acts and plans and speculations are very detailed and precise, carefully written his notebook. When everyone and circumstances around him insist his partner is still alive, his concocted world is turned upside down. He must retrace his notes, and steps, and return to the office to learn what happened.

The original short story was by Anne Wormser and Jess Oppenheimer. Yes, it's that Jess Oppenheimer, whose remarkable talents helped create the incredible I Love Lucy franchise not long after.

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There is an important announcement at the end of today's post.

Today's Suspense episode is The Copper Tea Strainer and features Betty Grable, film star and wartime pin-up sensation. Known for her insured legs ($1 million as a publicity stunt, $12.5 million in today's money), skeptics wondered “can she act?” Her performance defied those critics and she received positive reviews after broadcast, even from the always grumpy but highly esteemed syndicated columnist John Crosby.

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Betty plays a photographer's model nagged by her sickly mother. Mom's attention-craving drives away potential suitors and hopes for long-term happiness and independence. This is Suspense, so there must be an evil plan to "take care of Mom" without legal and moral consequences. Mom enjoys tea in the morning… hmmmm... It’s a good story with a Whistler-esque conclusion.

The story is by Los Angeles Times police reporter John Q. Copeland (at the end they mis-announce him as "John T"). It's from a 1937 short story he wrote. This program has never circulated in very good sound. Learn the details about why at the blogpost. Today's recording is much improved and Grable's performance can be better enjoyed.

IMPORTANT: The project postings will be on hiatus until about March 1. I will be monitoring messages here now and then and will be writing and researching while things are paused. Please continue to tell fellow classic radio enthusiasts about the blog and the project. And please explore what's been posted already at the blogsite. March 1 will be here before we know it!