Suspense had separate east and west broadcasts during the Roma Wines sponsorship. When the east broadcast concluded, the next performance would begin 3-1/2 hours later. (Yes, Suspense usually started an hour later on the clock than it did on the east coast, an hour longer than the time difference; it was to allow for the west coast's different demographic and listening patterns).
What did they do between the east and west broadcasts? Did they bring catering in? I figured that international voice actor and Suspense researcher Keith Scott of Australia would know. He had many conversations with the Suspense actors when he visited the states in the 1970s and 1980s. He said...
As far a as I know there were two places they hung. One was the restaurant in KNX, Brittingham’s Restaurant in the CBS courtyard, the other was the Key Club, across the street. Many of the guests at SPERDVAC [panel discussions] recalled that the West repeat was always a bit looser because people back then would drink martinis. Some were able to take it, had a good tolerance, but other performers might get a bit tipsy which could affect a performance. I’d love to know the real story. If it was three hours it was plenty of time to have a solid dinner and maybe a couple of drinks. I can only imagine that the majority were professionals who kept a watch on their intake knowing they had to give a performance later. Everyone met there. It was the big radio hangout.
There are many pictures in this blogpost https://jhgraham.com/2020/11/17/6121-sunset-cbs-radio-square-brittinghams-radio-center-restaurant/#more-6166 and also at https://martinturnbull.com/hollywood-places/
Brittingham’s would be referred to as "the commissary" by workers and performers because it was in the KNX building. This means that this is the likely place where Welles and Spier would meet and conspire to add his "gas attendant" role to Ava Gardner's Suspense performance Lady in Distress of May 1, 1947, just hours before the broadcast.The Key Club was the lounge section of a restaurant that was close to NBC's radio studios, They may not have gone there when working on Suspense, but I'm sure all those freelance radio pros were quite familiar with the menu.
Pictures and other details are at https://waterandpower.org/museum/Early_Views_of_Hollywood_(1920_+).html and also at https://www.cafelamaze.com/history
(The name "The Key Club" would be used by another club in the 1960s where rock acts like The Doors would appear, and had no relation to the original restaurant.)
Glenhall Taylor, in his book Before Television, notes that the only time he saw entertainer Frank Morgan flub a line was when dress rehearsal went long and Frank could not get to The Key Club for his pre-show martini. All the other times, he would have flawless performances with one and possible two of the noted cocktail before airtime.
Some of Keith's information about the hangouts came from Paul Frees. Ben Ohmart wrote a bio of Frees and interviewed Keith. When Keith had conversations with Frees over the years, Frees would always do the voices of the other people in the stories he told. So imagine the paragraph in the review of the book https://dearoldhollywood.blogspot.com/2014/06/welcome-foolish-mortals-life-and-voices.html that is about Frees and Lionel Barrymore being told to Keith with Frees doing Barrymore's voice. What a blessing that was for Keith to have heard that and to have known Frees the way he did.
The vintage pictures in this blogpost show the proximity of the studios, making it all walkable... https://eyesofageneration.com/a-new-perspective-nbc-cbs-and-abc-hollywood-neighbors-allwhen-you-read-ab
