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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07.27.1954 | destruction |
+ "Destruction". The story of a very small man, who is being cheated on by his wife, is fired from... | |
07.20.1954 | telling |
+ "Telling". A weak son just back from Ceylon, gathers his courage and commits murder...but no one... | |
07.13.1954 | run sheep run |
+ "Run, Sheep, Run". An average guy with a nagging wife picks up a beautiful hitch-hiker and quick... | |
07.06.1954 | the tip |
+ "The Tip". A man bent on revenge holds a woman captive in her own home while they wait for her h... | |
06.29.1954 | too hot to live |
+ "Too Hot To Live". A guy wandering through town finds himself accused of murder...and barefoot! ... | |
06.22.1954 | sequel to murder |
+ "Sequel To Murder". An editor with no imagination follows the plot in a novel in order to commit... | |
06.15.1954 | 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! ... | |
06.07.1954 | a terribly strange bed |
+ "A Terribly Strange Bed". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. The famous horror tale about the bed that pres... | |
05.31.1954 | listen young lovers |
+ "Listen Young Lovers". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A supposedly true story about a young Czechoslova... | |
05.24.1954 | weekend special death |
+ "Weekend Special: Death". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. Agnes has another tangle with a telephone oper... | |
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... | |
05.10.1954 | last days of john dillinger |
+ "The Last Days Of John Dillinger". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. An excellent radio-noir portrait of a... | |
05.03.1954 | the giant of thermopylae |
+ "The Giant Of Thermopylae". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A man framed for murder is trapped in an amu... | |
04.26.1954 | the bertillion method |
+ "The Bertillion Method". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. The scientific super sleuth of the French Suret... | |
04.19.1954 | the card game |
+ "The Card Game". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A good suspenseful story about a compulsive gambler out... | |
04.12.1954 | parole to panic |
+ "Parole To Panic". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. An ex-con trying to go straight is tracked down and s... | |
04.05.1954 | grand theft |
+ "Grand Theft". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A gentleman planning insurance fraud files a claim on a j... | |
03.29.1954 | somebody help me |
+ "Somebody Help Me". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A divorced loser commits a murder, but buys his vict... | |
03.22.1954 | the guilty always run |
+ "The Guilty Always Run". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite (a salute to Kyser-Fraser). When a man is accuse... | |
03.15.1954 | the girl in car 32 |
+ "The Girl In Car Thirty-Two". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite ($100,000 Charity Giveaway). A plainclothes... | |
03.08.1954 | circumstantial terror |
+ "Circumstantial Terror". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite (a salute to Nash). A good story about an unempl... | |
03.01.1954 | the barking death |
+ "The Barking Death". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite (a salute to Studebaker). An infected dog escapes an... | |
02.22.1954 | murder by jury |
+ "Murder By Jury". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite ($100,000 Charity Giveaway). A courtroom drama about a ... | |
02.15.1954 | the outer limit |
+ "The Outer Limit". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite (a salute to Dodge). A warning to mankind from "The Gu... | |
02.08.1954 | death at skreikerodd pond |
+ "Death At Skirkerud Pond". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite ($100,000 Charity Giveaway). An elderly couple... |
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Dale
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Kenneth
Jamie
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SUSPENSE
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