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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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... | |
05.03.1951 | when the bough breaks |
+ "When The Bough Breaks". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. Tensions mount between newlyweds after the brid... | |
12.19.1947 | wet saturday |
+ Frederick Princey was just an ordinary family man with a son a daughter and a wife. He would have ... | |
12.16.1943 | wet saturday |
+ "Wet Saturday". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. Who killed the curate? Almost everybody, it seems! A ve... | |
06.24.1942 | wet saturday |
+ "Wet Saturday". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. Who killed the curate? Almost everybody it seems! A very... | |
03.20.1948 | wet saturday august heat |
+ "Wet Saturday" and "August Heat". A program of two different stories. For "Wet Saturday:" Who ki... | |
01.18.1951 | well dressed corpse |
+ "The Well-Dressed Corpse". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. One of the "ten best dressed women" is reject... | |
05.24.1954 | weekend special death |
+ "Weekend Special: Death". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. Agnes has another tangle with a telephone oper... | |
07.29.1962 | weekend at gleebes |
+ "Weekend At The Gleebes". Sponsored by: Alpine, A.T.&T. Long Distance. A woman from America canno... | |
07.11.1956 | want ad |
+ "Want Ad". A robber uses the newspaper to find mink coats to steal, but a murder complicates his... | |
01.25.1954 | want ad |
+ "Want Ad". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite ($100,000 Charity Giveaway). "A story based on fact" about a s... | |
06.29.1944 | walls come tumbling down |
+ "The Walls Came Tumbling Down". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. There's some nice detection by a newspap... | |
10.02.1956 | waiting |
+ "Waiting". A man's wife, mother and sister await his execution. The story was previously produce... | |
02.22.1955 | waiting |
+ "Waiting". As the execution hour approaches, the relatives of the condemned man are waiting. An ... | |
09.07.1944 | voyage through darkness |
+ "Voyage Through Darkness". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. The "Blackout Killer" is hiding somewhere a... | |
09.29.1952 | vidocqs final case |
+ "Vidocq's Last Case". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. France's greatest detective, himself a former crim... | |
05.18.1953 | vial of death |
+ "Vial Of Death". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A vial of cholera bacteria is loose in the city, and it... | |
05.25.1950 | very much like a nightmare |
+ "Very Much Like A Nightmare". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A man awakes in an office building late at... | |
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... | |
04.07.1957 | vanishing lady |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Vanishing Lady". A retelling the classic tale about t... | |
09.29.1957 | vamp till dead |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Vamp 'Til Dead". A woman goes to work for a crazed writer... | |
01.11.1951 | vamp till dead |
+ "Vamp 'Til Dead". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A woman goes to work for a crazed writer who is suspec... | |
06.29.1943 | uncle henrys rose bush |
+ "Uncle Henry's Rosebush". What on earth is Aunt Julie up to? And where is Uncle Henry? The story... | |
06.07.1945 | two sharp knives |
+ "Two Sharp Knives". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A man is arrested for murder in a small town and is... | |
12.22.1942 | two sharp knives |
+ "Two Sharp Knives". A story about a bumbling small town assistant police chief who's not as dumb... |
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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