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 |
---|---|---|---|
10.09.1956 | the digger |
+ "The Digger". Three men are in a mine shaft that's filling with smoke...and man-eating rats! + T... | |
10.02.1956 | waiting |
+ "Waiting". A man's wife, mother and sister await his execution. The story was previously produce... | |
09.25.1956 | a case of identity |
+ "A Case Of Identity". A man takes out a $100,000 life insurance policy, then murders a bum whom ... | |
09.05.1956 | the security agent |
+ "The Security Agent". A dramatized version of one of the first airplane highjackings. The story ... | |
08.29.1956 | hold up |
+ "Hold-Up". A quick-on-the-trigger grocer has killed three hold-up men, and is determined never t... | |
08.15.1956 | a friend to alexander |
+ "A Friend To Alexander". The story of a very personal reaction to the Hamilton-Burr duel. The st... | |
08.08.1956 | double identity |
+ "Double Identity". A man steals $50,000 from the company safe and heads off towards Paris. Who g... | |
07.25.1956 | the tramp |
+ "The Tramp". A trio of Limeys has a go at the piracy of an old hulk and her drunken captain. The... | |
07.18.1956 | the man who threw acid |
+ CBS net origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "The Man Who Threw Acid". Once a punk, always a punk. + The... | |
07.11.1956 | want ad |
+ "Want Ad". A robber uses the newspaper to find mink coats to steal, but a murder complicates his... | |
07.03.1956 | the music lovers |
+ "The Music Lovers". Scotland Yard is on the trail of a gang of spies who torture and murder for ... | |
06.26.1956 | the treasure chest of don jose |
+ "The Treasure Chest Of Don Jose". A search for a treasure chest is successful...too successful! ... | |
06.19.1956 | a sleeping draught |
+ "A Sleeping Draught". Revolt aboard a prison ship to Australia. The system cue is added live. Th... | |
06.12.1956 | a matter of timing |
+ "A Matter Of Timing". A man hires a professional killer to bump off his partner, with surprising... | |
06.05.1956 | the twelfth rose |
+ "The Twelfth Rose". Death and eleven roses. What about the twelfth rose? + The Twelfth Rose is t... | |
05.29.1956 | the flame |
+ "The Flame". A pyromaniac decides to help his best friend, in the only way he knows how. The stor... | |
05.22.1956 | fragile contents death |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Fragile, Contents Death". An interesting story about a Po... | |
05.15.1956 | the death parade |
+ The Death Parade is the story of a woman who finds a letter warning of death and has only three ho... | |
05.08.1956 | the phones die first |
+ The Phones Die First is a story based on fact of a man’s last hours in a death cell awaiting exe... | |
05.01.1956 | the waxwork |
+ "The Waxwork". A reporter spends the night in an eerie wax museum. All voices are by William Con... | |
04.17.1956 | the seventh letter |
+ "The Seventh Letter". The story of the death of a postman and the search for a missing letter. A... | |
04.10.1956 | the lonely heart |
+ Lonely Heart is the story of a murder and a body that couldn’t be found. | |
04.03.1956 | game hunt |
+ Game Hunt is the story of courage on a safari in Africa. | |
03.27.1956 | the murderess |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Murderess". A woman with a bad conscience awaits the ... | |
03.20.1956 | gallardo |
+ "Gallardo". A triangle on the flying trapeze. + Gallardo is a story of jealousy and hatred in a ... |
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