With over 900+ broadcasts written by various authors and directors of their time, Suspense is a conglomeration of some of the most acclaimed old time radio shows that graced the airwaves from the years 1942 until 1962.
Suspense was a radio series broadcasted on the CBS Radio Network in the early 1940’s that featured many of the era’s famous Hollywood stars. Most notable among them are the highly talented Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Orson Welles and Marlene Dietrich to name a few.
Living up to its name, majority of the program’s episodes were dedicated to the thriller and mystery genre wherein the protagonist was usually thrown into strange and unusual circumstances that seemingly had no resolution. Miraculously, a means of salvation would somehow manifest towards the finale to illustrate the triumph of good over evil.
Suspense is one of the classics of old time radio. Some fans have special favorites in the thriller/chiller/macabre genre, but all will agree that Suspense did it best. The guiding light of this show was William Spier, who developed the formula into a human drama that attracted the finest of Hollywood's elite as well as the cream of radio's great actors.
Orson Welles was in many episodes, and Cary Grant was quoted in 1943, "If I ever do any more radio work, I want to it on Suspense, where I get a good chance to act." Spier's method with his show's stars was to keep them under-rehearsed, somewhat uneasy. In Suspense, as it were. He got great performances, and the show gained greater and greater popularity.
The Roma Wine sponsorship in 1943 allowed the show to create works that are a lasting part of the old time radio entertainment experience. All the production values were first class. The great Bernard Hermann did the musical scores. He previously had worked with Orson Welles in his Mercury Theater series, and went on to do of Alfred Hitchcock film fame. Lucian Moraweck did many of the greatest episode scores.
The "Man in Black" is your host, reminding one of the many thriller show presenters, but Suspense was the best of the bunch, and never did the show lapse into over-the-top melodrama. William Spier was so deft in his weaving of the spell of Suspense, he was dubbed "the Hitchcock of the airwaves."
The Suspense anthology marked the end of the golden age of radio drama as the 1960’s gave birth to other forms of more colorful entertainment. Relive the glory days of old time radio and hear Suspense! Click here to read more about Suspense
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Please enjoy these 914 old time radio episodes:
Air Date | Title | Synopsis | Rating |
---|---|---|---|
10.06.1957 | misfire |
+ "Misfire". A well-written story (by a CBS sound effects man) about an atomic-bomb test that fails... | |
09.29.1957 | vamp till dead |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Vamp 'Til Dead". A woman goes to work for a crazed writer... | |
09.22.1957 | shadow on the wall |
+ "Shadow On The Wall". A slightly mad man kills his brother and buries the body behind the firepl... | |
09.08.1957 | old army buddy |
+ CBS net origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "Old Army Buddy". A pompous foreign correspondent is amazed... | |
09.01.1957 | the man from tomorrow |
+ "Man From Tomorrow". An interesting story about a Korean war jet jockey chosen to develop his se... | |
08.25.1957 | leinengen vs the ants |
+ "Leinengen vs. The Ants". Sponsored by: Kent, Jet Bon-Ami, Scott Towels, Look Magazine. A determi... | |
08.18.1957 | peanut brittle |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Peanut Brittle". A good story about a new guy in the peni... | |
08.11.1957 | pigeon in the cage |
+ "Pigeon In The Cage". A paperhanger trapped in an elevator overhears a murder, and finds himself... | |
08.04.1957 | flesh peddler |
+ "Flesh Peddler". Sponsored by: Kent. A well-written, suspenseful story about a strange ventriloqu... | |
07.28.1957 | murder on mike |
+ "Murder On Mike". Sponsored by: Kent. A radio mystery writer, fired by the show's producer, plans... | |
07.21.1957 | americas boyfriend |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "America's Boyfriend". A murder is solved by a two-year-ol... | |
07.14.1957 | flood on the goodwins |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Flood on the Goodwins". A Nazi and a one-armed Englishman... | |
07.07.1957 | alibi |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Alibi". A businessman hires an assassin to murder his par... | |
06.30.1957 | the yellow wallpaper |
+ "The Yellow Wallpaper". Sponsored by: Kent. A well-written story, excellently performed by Agnes ... | |
06.23.1957 | a load of dynamite |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "A Load Of Dynamite". A good story about a dynamite truck ... | |
06.16.1957 | trial by jury |
+ "Trial By Jury". A lady attorney is married to a gambler. She has a unique plan of revenge, whic... | |
06.09.1957 | the green and gold string |
+ "The Green and Gold String". Sponsored by: Kent. Dr. Alkazar, a Coney Island fortune teller, know... | |
06.02.1957 | crossing paris |
+ "Crossing Paris". Sponsored by: Kent. Four suitcases of black-market pork, a meek man and a bully... | |
05.26.1957 | the big day |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Big Day". Which is the fastest car on Earth? The Stan... | |
05.19.1957 | death and miss turner edited |
+ Agnes Moorehead in Death and Miss Turner, a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense… please... | |
05.12.1957 | tarawa was tough |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Tarawa Was Tough". A well-done dramatization of what it w... | |
05.05.1957 | celebration |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Celebration". A woman checks out of her "club"...which ha... | |
04.28.1957 | escape to death |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Escape To Death". A Hungarian doctor is forced by the Com... | |
04.21.1957 | chicken feed |
+ "Chicken Feed". Sponsored by: Kent. For want of a dime (a nickel in previous broadcasts of this s... | |
04.14.1957 | thou shalt not commit |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Thou Shalt Not Commit". A doctor's wife on a tropical isl... |
Mike
Jerry
John
Peggie
Dave
Daniel
Daniel
John
Michael
Kristi
Travis
Dan
Michael
Tommy
Jim
Robert
Joe
Jay
Russ
David
Dale
David
Kenneth
Jamie
Archie
Scott
David
Mark
Rick
Annette
John
Mike
Damian
Randy
Kim
Joe
Steve Hodel
SUSPENSE
Martin
Lynne
Dan
Bert
SM
Norma
Judy
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