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 |
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09.02.1948 | the morrison affair |
+ "The Morrison Affair". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A wealthy woman steals a baby on train, and convi... | |
08.26.1948 | song of the heart |
+ "Song Of The Heart". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. Boy meets girl and plans the murder of "Tante Alice... | |
08.19.1948 | crisis |
+ "Crisis". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A well-written story about a mother's vision of the future. + ... | |
08.12.1948 | beware the quiet man |
+ "Beware The Quiet Man". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A two-timing wife learns that her meek, bank-tel... | |
08.05.1948 | an honest man |
+ "An Honest Man". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A psychotic's best friend isn't always his mother. 44 y... | |
07.29.1948 | yellow wallpaper |
+ "The Yellow Wallpaper". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A madwoman suspects that things are coming out o... | |
07.22.1948 | deep into darkness |
+ "Deep Into Darkness". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. An excellent story with an unusual plot of murder ... | |
07.15.1948 | summer night |
+ "Summer Night". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A good story about a mad "Lipstick Killer" on the loose ... | |
05.15.1948 | deadline at dawn |
+ "Deadline At Dawn". The last "Suspense" program in the one hour format. A boy and a girl are tra... | |
05.08.1948 | life ends at midnight |
+ "Life Ends At Midnight". An unusual Mother's Day story. A bad boy returns home to mom with a pre... | |
05.01.1948 | the blind spot |
+ "The Blind Spot". A complex murder-mystery about an author who tries to solve the murder of an e... | |
04.24.1948 | the search |
+ "The Search". A couple in South Dakota go on the run during the winter, after they're accused of... | |
04.10.1948 | crossfire |
+ "Crossfire". A murder mystery about a fanatical anti-Semite. Which of thre soldiers committed mu... | |
04.03.1948 | suspicion |
+ "Suspicion". Who is the mysterious poisoner plaguing London? Evidence points to the new cook. Th... | |
03.27.1948 | night must fall |
+ "Night Must Fall". The story of the rise and fall of a very clever British murderer and arsonist... | |
03.20.1948 | wet saturday august heat |
+ "Wet Saturday" and "August Heat". A program of two different stories. For "Wet Saturday:" Who ki... | |
03.13.1948 | nightmare |
+ "Nightmare". A man dreams that he's committed murder. When he learns that the murder actually ha... | |
03.06.1948 | in a lonely place |
+ "In A Lonely Place". A horror tale of a strangler on the loose, who kills once a month. The stor... | |
02.28.1948 | house by the river |
+ "The House By The River". Who killed Emily Gaunt? A British murder mystery involving a poet, his... | |
02.21.1948 | beyond reason |
+ "Beyond Reason". An evil man takes over a family's wealth and begins to kill them off one at a t... | |
02.14.1948 | the lodger |
+ "The Lodger". The story of a very unusual "lodger." Is he really Jack the Ripper? The story was ... | |
02.07.1948 | donovans brain |
+ "Donovan's Brain". The classic tale of the mad scientist and his "brain in the bottle." The stor... | |
01.24.1948 | eve |
+ "The Black Angel" (also referred to as "Eve"). A better than usual one-hour "Suspense" script. Wh... | |
01.17.1948 | loves lovely counterfeit |
+ "Love's Lovely Counterfeit". A good adaption of the story about the gangster who rises to the to... | |
01.10.1948 | the khandi tooth caper |
+ "The Kandy Tooth". The story of the return of the "Fat Man!" A sequel to "The Maltese Falcon," w... |
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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