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 |
---|---|---|---|
09.02.1942 | hitchiker |
+ CBS net."The Hitch-hiker". One of the great supernatural stories ever on radio, a modern classic.... | |
08.29.1956 | hold up |
+ "Hold-Up". A quick-on-the-trigger grocer has killed three hold-up men, and is determined never t... | |
02.21.1956 | hollywood hostages |
+ "Hollywood Hostages". Two members of a movie crew arrive at a ghost town to shoot a picture. Two... | |
11.27.1960 | home is where you find it |
+ WBBM, Chicago origination. "Home Is Where You Find It". Sponsored by: Kellogg's All Bran, Phillip... | |
02.28.1948 | house by the river |
+ "The House By The River". Who killed Emily Gaunt? A British murder mystery involving a poet, his... | |
10.13.1952 | how long is the night |
+ "How Long Is The Night". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. An excellent story about a U. S. soldier left a... | |
10.29.1951 | hunting of bob lee |
+ "The Hunting Of Bob Lee". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A story based on the true incidents of 1868, a... | |
09.12.1946 | hunting trip |
+ "Hunting Trip". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A man is sure that his hunting companion and friend is ... | |
01.04.1945 | i had an alibi |
+ "I Had An Alibi". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A good "perfect crime" story with a pleasant surprise... | |
01.05.1950 | i never met the dead man |
+ "I Never Met The Dead Man". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A truck driver with a prison record is frame... | |
05.24.1955 | i saw myself running |
+ "I Saw Myself Running". A surrealistic story about a woman's battle with the creatures of her dr... | |
12.06.1945 | i wont take a minute |
+ KQW, San Jose aircheck. "I Won't Take A Minute". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A girl walks into an a... | |
01.20.1949 | if the dead could talk |
+ "If The Dead Could Talk". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. They fly through the air with the greatest of ... | |
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... | |
02.16.1943 | in fear and trembling |
+ "In Fear and Trembling". A hypochondriacal woman is sure that her husband and his lover want to ... | |
10.11.1959 | infanticide |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Infanticide". An eight year old asthmatic boy has been mu... | |
10.16.1960 | inferno |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Inferno". A couple driving across the desert are waylaid ... | |
06.08.1958 | invisible ape |
+ "The Invisible Ape". A young scientist decides to use his newly discovered secret of invisibilit... | |
07.20.1958 | its all in your mind |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "It's All In Your Mind". Telepathy pills aren't all they'r... | |
07.20.1959 | its all in your mind |
+ For sometime Jack had had the feeling that their three lives, the Laramie’s and his were on a co... | |
06.21.1959 | ivy is a lovely name for a girl |
+ "Ivy Is A Lovely Name". Sponsored by: Mutual Of Omaha, A. T. & T., Casite Tune-Up. A race against... | |
10.02.1960 | ivy is a lovely name for a girl |
+ "Ivy Is A Lovely Name For A Girl". Sponsored by: Kellogg's All-Bran. A race with the stork along ... | |
09.22.1952 | jack ketch |
+ WMT, Cedar Rapids Iowa aircheck. "Jack Ketch". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. The story of the royal ha... | |
12.01.1957 | jet stream |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Jet Stream". An interesting story about an Air National G... | |
02.22.1945 | john barbey and son |
+ "John Barbie and Son". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A man and his strangely silent son are on the ru... |
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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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