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
- Radio Shows
- Comments
- Photos
Please enjoy these 914 old time radio episodes:
Air Date | Title | Synopsis | Rating |
---|---|---|---|
12.06.1955 | when the bough breaks |
+ When The Bough Breaks is the story of a woman who holds death over her husband’s head. It is a s... | |
12.13.1955 | a present for benny |
+ "A Present For Benny". A comedy/gangster story about two boxes. One box contains an ermine coat,... | |
12.20.1955 | the cave |
+ "The Cave". The thoroughly delightful Christmas story about two boys who enter a cave filled wit... | |
12.27.1955 | the mystery of the marie celeste |
+ "The Mystery Of The Marie Celeste". A most imaginative interpolation of a true-to-life mystery a... | |
01.10.1956 | two platinum capsules |
+ "Two Platinum Capsules". A story about two small boys who "carried death in their pockets." The ... | |
01.17.1956 | end of the string |
+ "The End Of The String". A jeweler steals a million dollar necklace, and then learns that it's n... | |
01.24.1956 | the cellar door |
+ "The Cellar Door". A predictable and annoying story about a two-year-old boy trying to free his ... | |
01.31.1956 | arctic rescue |
+ "Arctic Rescue". The story of the attempted rescue of the Franklin expedition to the arctic in 1... | |
02.07.1956 | variations on a theme |
+ "Variations On A Theme". The ultimate wife-in-the-trunk story. + Variations On A Theme is the st... | |
02.14.1956 | listen young lovers |
+ Listen Young Lovers is a Suspense story dedicated to the crusade for freedom. It is a true story i... | |
02.21.1956 | hollywood hostages |
+ "Hollywood Hostages". Two members of a movie crew arrive at a ghost town to shoot a picture. Two... | |
02.28.1956 | the diary of captain scott |
+ "The Diary Of Captain Scott". A well-done story of a tragic journey to the South Pole. The story... | |
03.06.1956 | quiet night |
+ "Quiet Night". A good story about a group of escaped convicts in the Florida swamps. + Quiet Nig... | |
03.13.1956 | the groom of the ladder |
+ "The Groom Of The Ladder". A story of the many problems of a servant of the king...the hangman. ... | |
03.20.1956 | gallardo |
+ "Gallardo". A triangle on the flying trapeze. + Gallardo is a story of jealousy and hatred in a ... | |
03.27.1956 | the murderess |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Murderess". A woman with a bad conscience awaits the ... | |
04.03.1956 | game hunt |
+ Game Hunt is the story of courage on a safari in Africa. | |
04.10.1956 | the lonely heart |
+ Lonely Heart is the story of a murder and a body that couldn’t be found. | |
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... | |
05.01.1956 | the waxwork |
+ "The Waxwork". A reporter spends the night in an eerie wax museum. All voices are by William Con... | |
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... | |
05.15.1956 | the death parade |
+ The Death Parade is the story of a woman who finds a letter warning of death and has only three ho... | |
05.22.1956 | fragile contents death |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Fragile, Contents Death". An interesting story about a Po... | |
05.29.1956 | the flame |
+ "The Flame". A pyromaniac decides to help his best friend, in the only way he knows how. The stor... | |
06.05.1956 | the twelfth rose |
+ "The Twelfth Rose". Death and eleven roses. What about the twelfth rose? + The Twelfth Rose is t... |
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
Leave a comment