Wednesday, July 9, 2025

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

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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Tuesday, July 8, 2025

1959-03-01 The Waxwork

This “one-man-show” of the famous A.M. Burrage short story about a reporter who spends the night alone in a wax museum is presented for a third time. 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

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

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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Monday, July 7, 2025

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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Sunday, July 6, 2025

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

1956-11-04 Sarah Churchill

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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Saturday, July 5, 2025

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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Friday, July 4, 2025

1959-02-01 Return to Dust

Richard Beals stars in a George Bamber story as a lab scientist working on human cell structure whose experiment goes quite wrong. Beals’ performance is outstanding. It is tempting to compare this script to the movies The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957 release, and highly regarded) or Attack of the Puppet People (1958 release, not so highly regarded) that were in theaters prior to this production. That would take away from this innovative production.

The Bamber story is based on the search for ways to shrink cancer cells and the project lab work goes wrong. All of the patient’s cells shrink. The script is good, but concept is not ground-breaking and had been done before. When you consider the kinds of special effects and props that were needed for The Incredible Shrinking Man, the synergy of effectiveness of Bamber, and Robson, and especially Beals, do all of that, and more, with effects, music, and acting ability. It becomes an example of how powerful radio drama can be. Beals’ character realizes that his death is imminent. He endures frustrating attempts to warn others, and makes plans for his warnings and remains to be found after his demise. Some may consider this to be schlock sci-fi that was common in the 1950s, but the production rises well above that. Then there’s the professional voice acting challenge that Beals had to meet and exceed.

Richard Beal's wide ranging performance did not require any special effects beyond his vocal skills to produce the high-pitched voices, and have them change to indicate the character’s steadily reducing size. He was interviewed at a SPERDVAC meeting on April 16, 1988. It included this exchange with interviewer Larry Gassman; the text has been edited for clarity:

Richard Beals: The toughest radio show for me was the Suspense show Return to Dust. It was the toughest, toughest radio show I ever had to do. It's the scene where I start out just about my size, three feet tall, from average size down to three feet. And then I keep getting smaller and smaller and smaller. I think I’ve taken a potion of something that is going to give eternal life, but it's just making me smaller. And then in the final scene, I’m so small, the parakeet eats me. [audience chuckles] Getting that voice down that small to sustain it was the toughest radio show I ever had to do.

Larry Gassman: They didn’t speed that up?

Beals: No, no… that was me.

Gassman: You did all that, really?

Beals: No, that was me.

Gassman: I figured they just sped it up.

Beals: No. We did it. We taped it, of course. But it was live on tape. We didn't have any retakes on that.

The one-minute audio clip of the discussion can be found at the same link as the program recordings.

Beals was a fascinating participant of the golden age of radio, animation entertainment, and television advertising. He had a very long and successful career. His voice was affected by, as he explained it, a glandular issue where he did not go through puberty. Wikipedia has an overview of his career and life https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Beals

His biography, Think Big, published in 1992, can be viewed at The Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/thinkbig0000beal and can often be found as used copies for $15 or thereabouts. His biography does not mention his performance in Return to Dust.

Thank you again to SPERDVAC’s Barbara Watkins for access to the recording and to Corey Harker, president of the organization, for permission to make the audio clip available.

In his monologue, Robson has high praise for the earlier Bamber script, and refers to it as The Tennis Shoe. The title of that play was actually Like Man, Somebody Dig Me.

The title of the episode comes from Genesis 3:19. The King James Version translates it as “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” The Complete Jewish Bible translates it as “You will eat bread by the sweat of your forehead till you return to the ground — for you were taken out of it: you are dust, and you will return to dust.”

The original title of the episode was “Specimen.”

The program was recorded on Thursday, January 22, 1959. Rehearsal began at 2:00pm and recording started at 4:30pm. Including in-house edits that session ended at 6:00pm. Production edits were completed by 8:00pm. Music was added at a later time before broadcast.

There are three surviving recordings. There is a network recording that is complete but is in low quality sound with narrow range and some wow and flutter. There is an edited network recording without commercials that is the best quality recording. The surviving Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) recording is of moderate quality and is complete.

The Incredible Shrinking Man can be viewed at The Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/incredible-shrinking-man-1957 as can be Attack of the Puppet People https://archive.org/details/AttackOfThePuppetPeople1958

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590201

THE CAST

RICHARD BEALS (James Howard), Lawrence Dobkin (Dr. Warren Bader), Paula Winslowe (Miss Prichard), George Walsh (Narrator)

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Thursday, July 3, 2025

1959-01-25 Four of a Kind

The script for Hitch-hike Poker by John and Gwen Bagni is re-titled as Four of a Kind for a second performance. It stars Elliott Reid as a hitch-hiker who finds that a friendly game of “license plate poker” turns into a deadly life and-death situation. Things take a bad turn as Reid’s character becomes involved in a murder plot—with himself as the victim!

The original 1948 broadcast starred Gregory Peck. Important information about hitch-hiking are and the game of license plate poker are also detailed in the blogpost for that broadcast:

The script was by radio veterans John and Gwen Bagni. John passed away six years after the broadcast in 1954. Gwen married screenwriter Irwin Gielgud in 1955, but they divorced in 1961. In 1963, she married actor Paul Dubov, who passed away in 1979. Gwen lived for many years after, and died in 2001.

The program was recorded on November 14, 1958. Rehearsal began at 4:00pm with recording starting at 6:30pm. It was completed with in-studio edits by 8:00pm. Additional production edits were completed between that time and 9:00pm.

The original intended broadcast date was December 7, 1958. It was held until this new 1959 date. The title was changed by Robson, but details beyond him thinking it was better are not known.

Three recordings have survived. The surviving network recording is complete aircheck with a narrow range, but is listenable. There are two Armed Forces Radio Service recordings, AFRS#704 and an AFRS recording with an unknown number. The two AFRS recordings can be differentiated by the announcement that follows

  • AFRS#705: The Oregon Territory

  • AFRS#unknown: Military medals

The “AFRS#unknown” one is the best of the recordings with a rich, full-range sound. For many years, this episode circulated as a heavily edited aircheck from and Armed Forces Radio station in low quality sound. This recording will allow full enjoyment of the story and Reid’s performance.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590125

THE CAST

ELLIOTT REID (Ridge Fowler), Joan Tompkins (Virginia), Alan Reed (J. Stuart Belden), Jack Kruschen (Police Sergeant / Truck Driver), Barney Phillips (Al), George Walsh (Narrator)

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