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 |
---|---|---|---|
07.21.1940 | forcast the lodger audition |
+ CBS Presented The Lodger as its audition program of the hugely successful radio series Suspense. M... | |
06.17.1942 | the burning court |
+ "The Burning Court". A story of poisoning with supernatural overtones. One of the guests at a di... | |
06.24.1942 | wet saturday |
+ "Wet Saturday". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. Who killed the curate? Almost everybody it seems! A very... | |
08.19.1942 | the cave of ali baba |
+ "The Cave Of Ali Baba". An adventure of Lord Peter Whimsey, the gentleman crime buster. A secret... | |
09.02.1942 | hitchiker |
+ CBS net."The Hitch-hiker". One of the great supernatural stories ever on radio, a modern classic.... | |
09.16.1942 | the kettler method |
+ CBS net."The Kettler Method". A chilling, exciting story about inmates taking over an asylum for ... | |
09.23.1942 | a passage to beneris |
+ "A Passage To Benares". A beautiful Hindu maiden is beheaded in a temple on the island of Trinid... | |
09.30.1942 | one hundred in the dark |
+ "One Hundred In The Dark". A strange series of tales with no conclusive endings. The show actual... | |
10.27.1942 | lord of the witch doctors |
+ "The Lord Of The Witchdoctors". English diplomats outwit the Germans in the eyes of the dumb Cal... | |
11.03.1942 | devil in the summerhouse |
+ "The Devil In The Summer House". A crime decades old is brought to light again by means of a rec... | |
11.10.1942 | will you make a bet with death |
+ "Will You Make A Bet With Death?". A great, suspenseful story about a man who matches his life a... | |
11.17.1942 | menace in wax |
+ "Menace In Wax". 9:30 P.M. Two English reporters discover a secret code hidden in Mme. Toussaud'... | |
11.24.1942 | the body snatchers |
+ "The Body Snatchers". 9:30 P.M. A well-written tale of old England at a time when doctors bought... | |
12.01.1942 | the bride vanishes |
+ "The Bride Vanishes". A haunted balcony in an Italian villa encourages a madman to try a second ... | |
12.15.1942 | til death do us part |
+ ''Til Death Do Us Part". A well-written tale of a would be murder and suicide in a desolate Engl... | |
12.22.1942 | two sharp knives |
+ "Two Sharp Knives". A story about a bumbling small town assistant police chief who's not as dumb... | |
01.05.1943 | nothing up my sleeve |
+ "Nothing Up My Sleeve". A suspenseful tale of robbery and missing money in a locked room. + Dor... | |
01.12.1943 | the pit and the pendulum |
+ "The Pit and The Pendulum". "The Man In Black" introduces the famous horror tale of the Spanish ... | |
01.19.1943 | the devils saint |
+ CBS net."The Devil's Saint". The "Man In Black" introduces Peter Lorre playing a sinister noblema... | |
02.02.1943 | the doctor prescribed death |
+ "The Doctor Prescribed Death". The good doctor's theory is that a person about to commit suicide... | |
02.09.1943 | the hangman wont wait 1st half | ||
02.16.1943 | in fear and trembling |
+ "In Fear and Trembling". A hypochondriacal woman is sure that her husband and his lover want to ... | |
02.23.1943 | will you walk into my parlor 1st half | ||
03.16.1943 | cabin b13 | ||
03.23.1943 | customers like murder |
+ "The Customers Like Murder". An English mystery writer and his secretary are kidnapped. They use... |
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Jamie
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SUSPENSE
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