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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04.26.1954 | the bertillion method |
+ "The Bertillion Method". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. The scientific super sleuth of the French Suret... | |
05.03.1954 | the giant of thermopylae |
+ "The Giant Of Thermopylae". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A man framed for murder is trapped in an amu... | |
05.10.1954 | last days of john dillinger |
+ "The Last Days Of John Dillinger". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. An excellent radio-noir portrait of a... | |
05.17.1954 | the revenge of captain bligh |
+ "The Revenge Of Captain Bligh". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. The story of how the captain brought the... | |
05.24.1954 | weekend special death |
+ "Weekend Special: Death". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. Agnes has another tangle with a telephone oper... | |
05.31.1954 | listen young lovers |
+ "Listen Young Lovers". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A supposedly true story about a young Czechoslova... | |
06.07.1954 | a terribly strange bed |
+ "A Terribly Strange Bed". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. The famous horror tale about the bed that pres... | |
06.15.1954 | the earth is made of glass |
+ "The Earth Is Made Of Glass". A laboratory experiment in murder? It's not as easy as it sounds! ... | |
06.22.1954 | sequel to murder |
+ "Sequel To Murder". An editor with no imagination follows the plot in a novel in order to commit... | |
06.29.1954 | too hot to live |
+ "Too Hot To Live". A guy wandering through town finds himself accused of murder...and barefoot! ... | |
07.06.1954 | the tip |
+ "The Tip". A man bent on revenge holds a woman captive in her own home while they wait for her h... | |
07.13.1954 | run sheep run |
+ "Run, Sheep, Run". An average guy with a nagging wife picks up a beautiful hitch-hiker and quick... | |
07.20.1954 | telling |
+ "Telling". A weak son just back from Ceylon, gathers his courage and commits murder...but no one... | |
07.27.1954 | destruction |
+ "Destruction". The story of a very small man, who is being cheated on by his wife, is fired from... | |
08.03.1954 | goodnight mrs russell |
+ "Goodnight Mrs. Russell". A madman imprisons a woman and plans to kill her in half an hour, when... | |
08.10.1954 | never steal a butchers wife |
+ "Never Steal A Butcher's Wife". A clerk in a supermarket plays around with the wife of the big s... | |
09.30.1954 | a little matter of memory |
+ "A Little Matter Of Memory". A mad killer is loose on the English moors, but where is he...and w... | |
10.07.1954 | chicken feed |
+ "Chicken Feed". For want of a nickel, a great deal was almost lost. The story was produced on "S... | |
10.14.1954 | lost |
+ "Lost". A woman with amnesia is found lost in New York City and is accused of murder! + Lost pr... | |
10.21.1954 | rave notice |
+ "Rave Notice". A good story about an actor who commits a murder and then tries to convince the p... | |
10.28.1954 | the shelter |
+ "The Shelter". A man and a woman wait at a deserted bus stop. One of them is possibly an escaped... | |
11.04.1954 | last letter of dr bronson |
+ "The Last Letter Of Dr. Bronson". A doctor who is slowly going insane, tries to get someone to m... | |
11.11.1954 | the sure thing |
+ "The Sure Thing". A bookie bets $250,000 on a sure thing...and loses. + The Sure Thing is the st... | |
11.18.1954 | blind date |
+ "Blind Date". A good story about a madman with a knife, threatening a vaudeville performer in he... | |
11.25.1954 | shooting star |
+ AFRTS rebroadcast. "Shooting Star". A good story about an aging movie star who enacts a strange r... |
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