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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02.17.1955 | the man with steel teeth |
+ "The Man With The Steel Teeth". An American journalist is arrested in Moscow by the Secret polic... | |
05.31.1959 | the man who would be king |
+ "The Man Who Would Be King". Sponsored by: Longines Watches, Mutual Of Omaha, Look magazine. The ... | |
10.05.1958 | the man who won the war |
+ One man’s war is another man’s history lesson yet was only in 1914 that the war before World W... | |
02.11.1962 | the man who went back to save lincoln |
+ "The Man Who Went Back To Save Lincoln". A time travel story about an attempt to alter the prese... | |
07.18.1956 | the man who threw acid |
+ CBS net origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "The Man Who Threw Acid". Once a punk, always a punk. + The... | |
09.30.1948 | the man who thought he was edward g robinson |
+ "The Man Who Wanted To Be Edward G. Robinson". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A meek man decides to kil... | |
11.25.1956 | the man who stole the bible |
+ "The Man Who Stole The Bible". It's Mardi Gras time in New Orleans, and a salesman has a date wi... | |
11.13.1960 | the man who murders people |
+ "The Man Who Murders People". Sponsored by: Kellogg's. A good story about a commuter train ride i... | |
10.09.1947 | the man who liked dickens |
+ "The Man Who Liked Dickens". Sponsored by: Cresta Blanca Wines, Roma Wines. A strange old man in ... | |
08.10.1944 | the man who knew how |
+ "The Man Who Knew How". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. An interesting story about a man who knows the ... | |
07.16.1961 | the man who knew how to hate |
+ "The Man Who Knew How To Hate". Sponsored by: Pepsi, Unguentine. A surprise ending to a commuter'... | |
02.09.1953 | the man who cried wolf |
+ "The Man Who Cried Wolf". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A cipher clerk at the Russian embassy in Mexic... | |
09.28.1944 | the man who couldnt lose |
+ "The Man Who Couldn't Lose". Sponsored by: Roma Wine. A story about an incredible run of luck...b... | |
05.11.1950 | the man in the room |
+ "The Man In The Room". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A freelance writer hires a typist in a building w... | |
08.02.1945 | the man in the house |
+ "A Man In The House". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A spinster librarian and her crippled mother are ... | |
09.24.1961 | the man in the fog |
+ "The Man In The Fog". A man prowls the London fog, killing women. + A man walks in the fog and a... | |
09.01.1957 | the man from tomorrow |
+ "Man From Tomorrow". An interesting story about a Korean war jet jockey chosen to develop his se... | |
03.08.1959 | the mad man of manhattan |
+ CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Madman Of Manhattan". A lunatic strangles his lawyer and ... | |
04.12.1955 | the lunch kit |
+ "Lunch Kit". A worker is planning to blow up the factory in which he works and must leave before... | |
06.09.1949 | the lunch kit |
+ "Lunch Kit". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A worker is planning to blow up the factory and must leave ... | |
06.17.1962 | the lunatic hour |
+ "The Lunatic Hour". Sponsored by: Alpine Cigarettes, A. T. and T.. A railroad station-master is h... | |
02.14.1946 | the lucky lady west coast |
+ "The Lucky Lady". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A boarding house for young ladies is the scene of sev... | |
02.14.1946 | the lucky lady east coast |
+ "The Lucky Lady". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A boarding house for young ladies is the scene of sev... | |
12.03.1961 | the luck of the tiger eye |
+ "The Luck Of The Tiger Eye". An eccentric millionaire's last request is to have his body burned ... | |
02.16.1953 | the love and death of joaquin murieta |
+ "The Love and Death Of Joaquin Murietta". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A well told story about the ri... |
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