This is a Cornell Woolrich story that was originally released under his pseudonym "William Irish." The story was adapted by Robert L. Richards. The big news about Suspense was behind the scenes: Roma Wines agreed to sponsor the series… more information about that below.
A man whose son was murdered in a tragic elevator crash a year before invites the survivors to dinner in hopes of exposing the killer. He says he knows who the killer is but can’t prove it, so he poisoned that man’s dinner... and put the antidote on the table within reach of all of the guests. The killer has half an hour to reach for the antidote, and in doing so, will reveal his guilt. Will an innocent guest grab the antidote in case the host wrongly gave them the poison? Will the killer take the antidote and save their life but admit their guilt? Will the killer wait in case the host is bluffing? It’s a good, improbable story that is worth the listen just to see what happens.
Otto Kruger was another big and active Hollywood star (six films released in 1943 alone) whose presence was adding credibility to Suspense. He made two appearances on Suspense, and this episode is the only surviving one. The other was the hour-long Bet with Death in early 1948 that has yet to be found. He played all types of roles in film and on television, even playing a judge for an episode of Perry Mason.
This story was presented on the Suspense television program on 1949-04-12. It also starred Kruger. No kinescope of the broadcast has been found.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP431026
THE CAST
OTTO KRUGER (Hardecker), Bill Johnstone (MacKenzie), Lou Merrill (Prendergast / Elevator Operator), Hans Conried (Kenshaw), Joe Forte (Lambert), John McIntire (Police Chief), Joe Kearns (Man in Black), Ted Von Eltz (Johnson the Butler / Cop), Albert Van Antwerp (Leslie Hardecker), unknown (Mrs. McKenzie)
The surviving network recording has some disc scratchiness on the second disc. The overall sound of the recording is very good.
At the end of the presentation, there is an announcement that Suspense is moving to Thursdays beginning on 1943-12-02. It will be at 8pm Eastern time, 7pm Central time, and 6pm Mountain time. Pacific time is not mentioned. This information would be changed the next week.
Roma Wines had agreed, through its ad agency, that it would sponsor Suspense. Being a sponsor, they wanted a good time to reach their audience. This would entail having live east and west broadcasts. Unfortunately, the prime Thursday night position had already been committed to another advertiser by the CBS Pacific Network. It was not possible to clear Suspense for a single night at the times Roma wanted.
The solution to the problem was resolved after this broadcast and was announced the following week. The Eastern and Central time zones would get a live Suspense performance on Thursdays. The Mountain and Pacific time zones would get their live Suspense performance on Mondays. This format would last until the Fall 1944 season began in mid-September. By then the Pacific Network would no longer have a contract that blocked Suspense from being heard nationally on a single night.
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