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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04.20.1953 | public defender |
+ "Public Defender". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. The program is interrupted for a Korean War |
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12.16.1954 | pretty girl |
+ "Pretty Girl". A campus "tease" meets up with the one man who won't take "No" for an answer. + P... | |
03.03.1957 | present tense |
+ WCBS-FM, New York City aircheck. "Present Tense". A strange, well-written story of an axe murder... | |
12.23.1954 | premonition |
+ "Premonition". In a small inn on a snow covered side of the Alps, a stranded American has a fear... | |
04.04.1946 | post mortem |
+ "Post Mortem". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. Josephine Archer has a winning sweepstakes ticket...but ... | |
03.02.1944 | portrait without a face |
+ "Portrait Without A Face". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. Who is the model for this strange painting, ... | |
01.28.1962 | please believe me |
+ "Please Believe Me.". A cheap, two-voice production with a cop-out ending. It nevertheless has a... | |
02.02.1953 | plan x |
+ "Plan X". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. Zeno the Martian is sent to meet the first rocket from Earth t... | |
12.27.1945 | pink camellias |
+ "Pink Camellias". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A meek and quiet lady decides to poison her rich aunt... | |
08.11.1957 | pigeon in the cage |
+ "Pigeon In The Cage". A paperhanger trapped in an elevator overhears a murder, and finds himself... | |
05.25.1953 | pigeon in the cage |
+ "Pigeon In The Cage". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A paper-hanger trapped in a residential elevator w... | |
07.18.1946 | photo finish |
+ "Photo Finish". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A street photographer takes a picture of a man being mu... | |
06.26.1947 | phobia |
+ "Phobia". Sponsored by: Roma Wines, Cresta Blanca Wines. Who shot Henry? The crippled millionaire... | |
12.26.1946 | philomel cottage |
+ "Philomel Cottage". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A woman living in an isolated English house discove... | |
10.07.1943 | philomel cottage |
+ "Philomel Cottage". A couple living in the English countryside has a few secrets to hide, from e... | |
05.29.1960 | perfect plan |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Perfect Plan". A couple has an unusual scheme to make a f... | |
03.18.1962 | perchance to dream |
+ "Perchance To Dream". Sponsored by: Alpine Cigarettes, Rexall. A woman suspects that her husband,... | |
04.20.1950 | pearls are a nuisance |
+ "Pearls Are A Nuisance". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A private eye tries to recover a string of stol... | |
04.19.1945 | pearls are a nuisance |
+ "Pearls Are A Nuisance". A Runyonesque comedy about thieves and detectives and a trip to the unde... | |
08.18.1957 | peanut brittle |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Peanut Brittle". A good story about a new guy in the peni... | |
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... | |
08.19.1962 | pages from a diary |
+ "Pages From A Diary". Sponsored by: Marlboro. The system cue has been deleted. + John used to tel... | |
01.16.1947 | overture in two keys |
+ "Overture In Two Keys". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A musician murders a deaf conductor when he fal... | |
05.31.1951 | overdrawn |
+ "Over Drawn". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A bank teller with seventeen years of faithful service emb... | |
09.14.1950 | over the bounding main |
+ "Over The Bounding Main". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A man battles the captain of a charter fishing... |
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
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