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 |
---|---|---|---|
04.07.1957 | vanishing lady |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Vanishing Lady". A retelling the classic tale about t... | |
03.31.1957 | a good neighbor |
+ "A Good Neighbor". A well-written story with a fine performance by Jeff Chandler. A jewel thief ... | |
03.24.1957 | shooting star |
+ WGBI, Scranton Pennsylvania aircheck. "Shooting Star". A good story about an aging movie star wh... | |
03.17.1957 | the outer limit |
CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Outer Limit". The oft-repeated story about the experime... | |
03.10.1957 | the paralta map |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Paralta Map". An excellent story, about the search fo... | |
03.03.1957 | present tense |
+ WCBS-FM, New York City aircheck. "Present Tense". A strange, well-written story of an axe murder... | |
02.24.1957 | two hundred and twenty seven minutes of hate |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Two Hundred and Twenty-Seven Minutes Of Hate". A man just... | |
02.17.1957 | murder and aunt delia |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Two Hundred and Twenty-Seven Minutes Of Hate". A man just... | |
02.10.1957 | door of gold |
+ "Door Of Gold". An excellent edge-of-your-chair horror tale about two archeologists trapped in a... | |
02.03.1957 | frankie and johnny |
+ Suspense presents the celebrated murder story of Frankie and Johnny. Everybody knows whodunit, Fra... | |
01.27.1957 | freedom this way |
+ A Man’s got to have a good reason to renounce his native land forever, a reason such as death or... | |
01.20.1957 | second class passenger |
+ Ronald Dawson is taking a cruise around the world. He’s a second-class passenger but what’s im... | |
01.13.1957 | russian new year |
+ In these last hours of his life he wonders how will he be remembered? Will he be forgotten or wors... | |
01.06.1957 | a shipment of mute fate |
+ Christopher Warner has spent two months on the jungle trail where he was sent by the museum to ret... | |
12.23.1956 | back for christmas |
+ "Back For Christmas". A delightful British murder with a henpecking wife jolly well bashed on th... | |
12.16.1956 | eyewitness |
+ What you are about to hear is more than the lurid figment of this writers imagination. It has happ... | |
12.09.1956 | an occurrence at owl creek bridge |
+ An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is a weird and wonderful story of the civil war. "A man stood up... | |
12.02.1956 | the rim of terror |
+ "The Rim Of Terror". The story of a spy in the desert and a beautiful girl with a Mercedes. The ... | |
11.25.1956 | the man who stole the bible |
+ "The Man Who Stole The Bible". It's Mardi Gras time in New Orleans, and a salesman has a date wi... | |
11.18.1956 | the long night |
+ "The Long Night". An air traffic controller tries to talk down an inexperienced pilot through a ... | |
11.11.1956 | three skeleton key |
+ "Three Skeleton Key". The story of a lighthouse island over-run by large rats. The story was pre... | |
11.04.1956 | the signalman |
+ "The Signalman". Sustaining. + More often than not a classic suffers in transition from one mediu... | |
10.30.1956 | red cloud mesa | ||
10.23.1956 | the doll |
+ "The Doll". The first show of the program's 15th year on the air. This is the first show of the ... | |
10.16.1956 | the prophecy of bertha abbott |
+ "The Prophecy Of Bertha Abbott". The story of the brief but doomed criminal careers of two young... |
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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