1959-03-22 Script by Mark Brady

Marie Windsor stars in a curiously-constructed script by Celeste Bollas and William N. Robson. She plays the wife, Mary, part of a love and jealousy triangle. Vic Perrin plays Mark Brady, a writer who believes Mary is being unfaithful. He decides to kill her and her lover by first writing about it in a screenplay. Jason, played by Ben Wright, is the man in the middle of the strange situation.

What makes the story so interesting in its construction is that the first act is told by Mark Brady. The second act is told from the perspective of Mary. The third act is from the perspective of Jason. As the acts pass, we learn more and more about the people, the relationships, and the murder plot. This is one of those productions that are worth making sure listening will not be interrupted or distracted to make sure all of the details are understood as they are revealed.

Act One, as told by Mark, ends with a gunshot, but we don’t know what happened. Act Two, as told by Mary, ends with us learning something about the gun. Act Three, told by Jason, has us understand more about the murder plot, and how the story ends as the script by Mark Brady is finally completed.

The program was recorded on Wednesday, March 11, 1959. Rehearsal began at 2:00pm with recording beginning at 4:30pm and included in-studio edits. The session ended at 6:00pm after which production edits continued to 8:00pm. Music was added at a later time.

It is not clear who Celeste Bollas, co-author of this script was. It is certain that she was not a scripter by profession because she does not appear in any of the data bases where one would find such a practitioner. Nor does she appear in any of the trade publications. Where she does appear, however, is in local theater in the Los Angeles area, notably in productions of the Laguna Beach Playhouse. Her co-authorship with Robson may be from the submission of a story idea and outline that Robson shaped into script format. If all of this is true, she would be another of the series’ “one-hit-wonder” authors whose only radio work was this very production.

This was Marie Windsor’s only Suspense appearance. She was best known for her roles in B-movies and film noir, but she had a very long, varied and successful career, and even wrote some gags for Jack Benny early in her career. Wikipedia has background about her and her career https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Windsor

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590322

THE CAST

MARIE WINDSOR (Mary), Vic Perrin (Mark), Ben Wright (Jason), Sam Pierce (Police Sergeant), George Walsh (Narrator)

Berry Kroeger was originally cast as “Jason,” but was replaced by Ben Wright.

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These are publicity pictures of the rehearsal and one with Robson and Windsor taken to promote this episode.

It is not clear why Christopher Robson was in the picture, but he was obviously at CBS that day. His father used his name as the pseudonym “Christopher Anthony” when he was having CBS Blacklist issues. Anthony was his younger brother.

The woman on the left is likely Celeste Bollas, co author of the script. It could be the script secretary Grace Curcio. Pictures of either of them have not been found for verification.

Windsor was tall, 5 foot 9 inches, and often had trouble matching up on screen with leading men of shorter stature. That may be one of the reasons for her sitting in the picture. Robson was 5 foot 11 inches, according to his draft registration, and in contrast, Robson may have looked “short” in relative terms. Most of the pictures published of Robson are from the 1940s as a younger man. He is 53 in this picture. Windsor was 40 at the time of the photo.

[Many thanks to John Schneider of the website www.theradiohistorian.org who found the publicity photos in his research materials.]

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1959-03-15 Death in Box Two-Thirty-Four

Frank Lovejoy offers another excellent performance, this time as a larceny-minded bank clerk named “Harry.” He has planned a foolproof way to rob an old man’s safe deposit box. His victim is a wealthy customer who owns a pet shop, Mr. Jensen, who doesn’t trust banks. His pets are his best friends, and he has been storing money in a bird cage. He explains it’s been safe since it was hiding in plain sight. Because of many neighborhood stick-ups, he has finally decided that a bank safe deposit box might be a good idea. He deposits a significant amount of cash, nothing smaller than a $100 bill, in box 234 that Harry assigned to him. Harry has a plan, and part of it is to take box 233. He knows he needs an accomplice from outside the bank to help him pull it off. He hires someone, Gil, to visit the bank regularly to deposit a small amount in the safe deposit box above the shop owner, number 233. After a while, Mr. Jensen says that he is finished with the deposits. Harry cynically tells Jensen he will take care of the money as if it was his own. The regular guard, George, is an alcoholic, and Harry spikes the drink in his thermos to get him out of the way for the day. Jensen comes in, looking strange and bandaged, after being bitten by his favorite bird in the store, and important part of the story. Jensen is in to count his money, yet again, and he is always pleased that it is exactly as he left it. The day has come for the plan to be implemented, and Gil comes in, is given the key for box 234, puts the money into an envelope. At the counter, Harry takes the key and the envelope, and then carefully gives Gil the envelope with $1,000 from Harry for his service. Gil would later get the money he deposited in box 233. The story should be over by then, with Harry able to get away with Jensen’s money. There’s a surprise ending that Harry, and listeners, were not expecting.

There are many times when dollar denominations are mentioned. As of the beginning of 2025, a US dollar in 1959 was worth 11 times what a dollar is worth at this time. The money deposited by Jensen is more than $1 million in US$2025.

The author is identified as “Don Hahne,” but no information about him is available. It could be a “one-hit-wonder” writer or a pseudonym. The name, and various possible spellings of it, do not appear in any periodical, movie, television, radio program data bases, trade magazines, or newspapers in proper time or context. Genealogy sites were also consulted.

The box number is really not all that important to the story. But since most listeners did not have safe deposit boxes, something that “the rich people” had, it added a little extra mystery to the story.

The program was recorded on Thursday, March 5, 1959. Rehearsal began at 1:00pm and recording commenced at 3:30pm. Including in-studio edits, the session concluded at 5:00pm. Further production edits were done and ended at 7:00pm. Music was added at an unspecified date and time.

The surviving recording is a network aircheck with narrow range. The recording is very listenable, and the copy posted here is better than the usual ones in circulation. It does not have the background noise or background whistle common in most of the circulating recordings. The ending announcements and music are clipped. It is hoped that an Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) transcription might be found to hear this production, and especially Lovejoy’s fine performance, in much better sound.

The script title is in complete words, but the CBS publicity used numbers. Scripts were written in a manner to make sure titles or names were pronounced by announcers, narrators, and performers in the way the writer and others desired. The best example is for a different series, The Big Story. The sponsor of the series was Pall Mall cigarettes, but the pronunciation of the name in a particular British English dialect was “pell mell” and was not to sound phonetically like “paul maul.” Therefore, all of the scripts used the phonetic spelling “Pell Mell” in capital letters to virtually eliminate mispronunciation. In the case of this Suspense script, they wanted the number sequence 2-3-4 pronounced consistently as “two thirty four” and not “two hundred thirty-four” or “two hundred and thirty-four” or “two-three-four.” Pronunciation is one thing, readability and editorial space in a newspaper is another. CBS publicity releases to the papers just used the number “234.” Had they spelled the number out as in the script, newspaper editors for radio listings and timetables would have changed it to the numerals for space considerations.

Spoiler alert: The disease mentioned in the story is psittacosis, with the common name of “parrot fever.” The story says there is no cure, but early treatment is essential and successful. The line about Jensen not trusting doctors is very important in laying the groundwork for the conclusion. It is treated with tetracycline and related antibiotics for many weeks. Untreated, it can advance into many difficult conditions, such as heart problems.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590315

THE CAST

FRANK LOVEJOY (Harry, the narrator), Edgar Stehli (Jensen), Lou Krugman (George / Man), Sam Pierce (Gil), George Walsh (Narrator)

Norm Alden was originally cast to play a character named “Joe,” but it was edited out of the script, likely for time considerations.

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1959-03-08 Madman of Manhattan

Myron McCormick stars in the second broadcast of The Escape of Lacey Abbott, this time under the title Madman of Manhattan. It is a curious play about a man who escapes from the psychiatric wing of a Manhattan hospital to expose the truth behind his wife’s murder. He believes his ex-business partner, Martin Avery, is responsible. He sneaks into Avery’s apartment and holds him prisoner throughout a terror-filled night. Some of the plot elements and sequences seem implausible, but stick with the story and accept them, and enjoy the overall production.

The 1950 production starred William Powell. Details about the production and its recordings can be found at

• https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/03/1950-01-19-escape-of-lacey-abbott.html

• https://archive.org/details/TSP500119 is where recordings can be downloaded and streamed.

The program was recorded on Wednesday, February 25, 1959. Rehearsal began at 1:00pm, with recording commencing at 4:00pm, and included in-studio edits. Production edits were done between 5:00 and 7:00pm. Music was added on Thursday, February 26.

The only surviving recording is the network broadcast, and is likely an aircheck. It has a somewhat narrow range, but is listenable.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590308

THE CAST

MYRON McCORMICK (Lacey), Doris Singleton (Fay the Waitress / Ann), Karl Swenson (Martin Avery), Barney Phillips (Admissions clerk voice / Lieutenant Creekmore), Norm Alden (West), George Walsh (Narrator)

Sandra Gould was originally cast for the program but was replaced by Doris Singleton.

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1959-03-01 The Waxwork

This is the third Suspense broadcast of the “one-man-show” of the famous A.M. Burrage short story. It is about a reporter who spends the night alone in a wax museum. It is the second of the surviving broadcasts. The debut performance of 1947 with Claude Rains is still missing. In 1956, William Conrad offered a superb performance, done live. It was quite an achievement. This performance, with Herbert Marshall was pre-recorded, and lives up to the abilities of his established and polished radio presence.

Details about the script and its history, and the 1956 performance can be found at

• https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2025/02/1956-05-01-waxwork.html

• https://archive.org/details/TSP560501 is where recordings can be downloaded and streamed.

No script cover with the dates and times of pre-recording has been located.

There are two recordings, and the Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#711) is the better of the two and is new to circulation. Its better sound quality allows for greater appreciation of Marshall’s performance. The network recording is complete but has narrow range. It is likely an aircheck. For many years, the only available copies were heavily edited network airchecks in poor sound.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590301

THE CAST

HERBERT MARSHALL (All roles: Raymond Hewson / Narrator / Waxworks Manager / Dr. Burdette), George Walsh (Suspense Narrator)

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1959-02-22 Star Over Hong Kong

Marie Wilson, comedy star of My Friend Irma, has the leading role in this William N. Robson script about a self-absorbed and clueless and unworldly Hollywood starlet on a publicity tour to the then-British territory of Hong Kong. The studio press agent, Joey Finn, arranging and accompanying her at the personal appearances, is jailed by British authorities as spying, but he’s during his aggressive public relations maneuvers to get the most publicity possible. He’s supposed to be the person assigned to keep her out of any potentially embarrassing incidents and mistakes that may affect her image. He’s one of those “it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than it is for permission” bull-in-the-china-shop guys, so almost anything can happen. Instead, the adult-in-the-room is Randolph Harvordsen-Smythe, official attache to the governor, who has to keep them both out of trouble, and basically protect them from... themselves. Ben Wright is marvelous in the role. The starlet thinks there’s a Sultan in love with her, though they’ve never met. She has no sense of geography, or any skepticism that the Sultan might be interested in the fact she’s famous and getting a “photo opp,” and not much else. Her behavior and demands create a round of bureaucratic foolishness as they work to keep her out of a diplomatic incident that would be an embarrassment for all concerned. The wise solution: get her and Finn back onto American soil before the silliness really gets out of hand.

If you think befuddled bureaucrats being overwhelmed as they attempt to herd cats is funny, this episode is for you. This may be as close as Suspense gets to presenting a screwball comedy. Others may not be inclined to enjoy this odd episode. It is entertaining if you are ready for a sugary dessert and skip the main course. It’s not a top episode, for sure.

No script cover with the dates and times of pre-recording is available at this time.

There are two surviving recordings, a complete network broadcast, and an Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#710) that is the better of the two. For many years the only recordings available were heavily edited airchecks in low quality sound. The AFRS recording was recently found in 2023 and is a significant upgrade in quality.

This was Wilson’s first appearance on radio since 1954. She was best known for starring in the highly successful series My Friend Irma on radio from 1947 to 1954 and two movies with the character, and also the television series from 1952 to 1954. Her film career started in 1934, and she was very active in supporting roles until she achieved celebrity with the “Irma” role. Her life and career is summarized at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Wilson_(American_actress)

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590222

THE CAST

MARIE WILSON (Celestine Mayhew), Ben Wright (Randolph Harvordsen-Smythe), Charlie Lung (Chinese Man / Wong), Ramsay Hill (Captain), Norm Alden (Joey Finn), George Walsh (Narrator)

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1959-02-15 The Signalman

This is the third Suspense production of the Irving Reis adaptation of the 1866 Charles Dickens story. It stars Ellen Drew. The script was first presented with Reis directing in 1937 on Columbia Workshop and was changed by Elliott Lewis for the 1953 production to have an actress play the lead role. In that case, it was for a highly publicized Agnes Moorehead appearance. William N. Robson maintained the Lewis revision with Sarah Churchill in 1956, and with Drew in this production. A reporter attempts to interview a hermit-like railroad signalman who lives in a shack huddled by railroad tracks. He has a recurring vision that has served as a warning of disaster before several train wrecks. He insists the visions are real, including one about her.

Details about the two earlier broadcasts can be accessed as noted:

1953-03-23 Agnes Moorehead has information about the changes made by Elliott Lewis and also the career of Irving Reis

• https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/09/1953-03-23-signalman.html

• https://archive.org/details/TSP530323 is also where the recordings can be downloaded or streamed.

1956-11-04 Sarah Churchill

• https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2025/03/1956-11-04-signalman.html

• https://archive.org/details/TSP561104 is also where the recordings can be downloaded or streamed.

No script cover with the dates and times of pre-recording is available at this time.

The only surviving recording is a network aircheck with commercials eliminated. It is in acceptable sound. It is hoped than an Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) recording can be found in the future to improve the drama’s sound quality.

This is the second appearance of Ellen Drew in the series. The first was more fifteen years ago, in 1943-06-29 in Uncle Henry’s Rosebush in a supporting role to Agnes Moorehead.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590215

THE CAST

ELLEN DREW (Amy Sears), Ben Wright (The Signalman), George Walsh (Narrator)

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1959-02-08 Death Notice

Victor Jory stars in a William N. Robson script about a man who has been told by his doctor that his life may end at any minute. The man considers himself as having a life of constant pain of one type or another. Now that he knows it is coming to a close, he becomes determined to live each day to the hilt. He has great difficulty bridging the gap between worldly materialism and spiritualism as he re-examines his values, but he finds them empty. He has been having an affair, and had a strained relationship with his son. He wants his son to have some values and dignity, and respect for him and his wife. He realizes, however, that he has none for himself or for her. As he nears his end, he becomes more aware of his loneliness and his emptiness, and rejects the attempted comfort and encouragement of a clergyman at a church he had wandered into.

The story is a downer, for sure, but it is a product of its times that reflected the Cold War, nuclear threat, social unrest, and other issues that weighed heavily on society at the time. Jory’s character is devoid of all optimism, likely that way for a long time. There an old saying about spirituality and faith that people die the way they lived. That’s certainly the case for this character. Materialism really brought him no joy, and neither could anything else. He was living life to the hilt before, and the hilt he tried to increase was not much of a hilt in the end.

The 1950s was a time when doctors and families or both would conceal terminal conditions from patients. It often became a charade between them all, with patients realizing it but reluctant to admit that they knew. In this script, the patient demands the truth of a full diagnosis. The terminal condition in the story is leukemia, which had a progression of improving treatments through the first half of the Twentieth Century. The second half of the Century saw more success of new chemotherapy drugs, bone marrow transplants, matching of donors, and other modalities. Childhood leukemia treatment made massive strides after 1970. At the time of this episode, it was commonly accepted that leukemia had no certain or long-lasting cure.

 No script cover with the dates and times of pre-recording is available at this time.

A complete network recording of the episode has survived. It has somewhat narrow audio range but is very listenable. It is likely the best recording available to Suspense fans until an Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) transcription disc might be found.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590208

THE CAST

VICTOR JORY (Charlie Slade), LEE PATRICK (Mildred), Brook Byron (Sandra), Peter Votrian (Chuck), Barney Phillips (Doctor / Priest), George Walsh (Narrator)

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