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 |
---|---|---|---|
08.22.1946 | great horrell |
+ "The Great Horrell". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A woman tries to escape from the mental clutches o... | |
04.05.1954 | grand theft |
+ "Grand Theft". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A gentleman planning insurance fraud files a claim on a j... | |
08.03.1954 | goodnight mrs russell |
+ "Goodnight Mrs. Russell". A madman imprisons a woman and plans to kill her in half an hour, when... | |
10.20.1949 | goodnight mrs russell |
+ "Goodnight Mrs. Russell". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A madman imprisons a woman and plans to kill h... | |
10.04.1955 | goodbye miss lizzie borden |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Goodbye, Miss Lizzie Borden". Interesting "what if" story... | |
09.16.1962 | golden years |
+ "Golden Years". Sponsored by: Parliament (one commercial deleted). When the stepfather of a sixte... | |
01.19.1953 | gold of the adomar |
+ "Gold Of The Adomar". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A well-written, exciting story about a treasure hu... | |
05.10.1955 | going going gone |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Going, Going, Gone". A couple buys a sealed trunk at an a... | |
11.23.1950 | going going gone |
+ "Going, Going, Gone". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A couple buys a sealed trunk at an auction...conta... | |
03.29.1955 | give me liberty |
+ "Give Me Liberty". A good story about an escaped prisoner trying to get those damn handcuffs off... | |
10.21.1948 | give me liberty |
+ "Give Me Liberty". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A train crash en route to the state penitentary allow... | |
06.23.1949 | ghost hunt |
+ "Ghost Hunt". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A disc jockey spends the night in a haunted house...with s... | |
03.16.1958 | game hunt |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Game Hunt". A white hunter in Africa is not too sure of h... | |
04.03.1956 | game hunt |
+ Game Hunt is the story of courage on a safari in Africa. | |
03.20.1956 | gallardo |
+ "Gallardo". A triangle on the flying trapeze. + Gallardo is a story of jealousy and hatred in a ... | |
09.13.1945 | furnished floor |
+ "The Furnished Floor". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. Mr. Jennings moves back into his old room after ... | |
06.01.1944 | fugue in c minor |
+ "Fugue In C Minor". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A good ghost story about a huge pipe organ built th... | |
11.10.1952 | frightened city |
+ "The Frightened City". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A soldier returns home to find that his brother-i... | |
08.03.1943 | friend to alexander |
+ "A Friend To Alexander". A man has a recurring dream about the Hamilton-Burr duel. The story was... | |
05.17.1959 | friend of daddys |
+ "A Friend Of Daddy's". Sponsored by: Mutual of Omaha (other ). A friend of Daddy's during the wa... | |
02.04.1962 | friday |
+ Written by: Jonathan Bundy | |
01.27.1957 | freedom this way |
+ A Man’s got to have a good reason to renounce his native land forever, a reason such as death or... | |
02.03.1957 | frankie and johnny |
+ Suspense presents the celebrated murder story of Frankie and Johnny. Everybody knows whodunit, Fra... | |
05.05.1952 | frankie and johnny |
+ "Frankie and Johnny". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. They were lovers, oh lordy, how they could love! A... | |
06.07.1955 | frankenstein |
+ "Frankenstein". Many liberties have been taken with the original, but the story is still a winne... |
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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