This Suspense offering is a three-year anniversary of the first series broadcast of this script on June 17, 1942, the premiere of the series… though it is not mentioned as such. The Burning Court was presented at that time with typically comedic actor Charlie Ruggles, marking the unique Suspense broadcast strategy of casting against type as in its very origins. This time it is presented in the bigger-budget and lusher production Roma Wines era. Here it is with a more serious actor, Clifton Webb. The original adaptation of the John Dickson Carr story was adapted by Harold Medford and has been adjusted for the format and any other changes Medford and Spier believed necessary.
Details about the story can be found at the original blogpost at https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/01/1942-06-17-burning-court.html or https://archive.org/details/TSP420617
East and west coast disc recordings became available in 2025. The west coast disc was damaged.
The dialogue differences that identify each recording are as follows:
EC 4:12: “Doubronitch was his wife's maiden name. No, no, it was ridiculous.”
WC 4:21: “Doubronitch is his wife... or was his wife's maiden name. No, no it was ridiculous.”
It was previously believed that what is now verified as the west coast recording was an east coast recording. That was not correct. Now that both recordings have been found, proper identification has been made.
An Armed Forces Radio Service recording, AFRS#107, is known to exist. It is not known if it was derived from east or west at this time. The recording is currently not available.
The west coast disc was severely damaged on its edge with disc delamination. The final recording has been restored with the previously circulating west coast recording’s first two minutes. The overall west coast recording is slightly better than the east coast recording, despite the necessary “patch.” The restored and unrestored recordings are available at the Internet Archive link below.
This is Clifton Webb’s sole Suspense appearance, though he was announced for others. His birth name was Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck. He had a long career as in theater and movies as an actor, singer, and dancer, especially in Noel Coward plays. He was nominated for three Oscars. This broadcast was weeks after his supporting actor award for Laura. Clifton Webb’s radio appearances were generally limited to variety programs and series that were related to movies, such as Lux Radio Theatre. Details of his career are at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton_Webb
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP450614
THE CAST
CLIFTON WEBB (Gaudan Croix), Jack Edwards, Jr. (Ted Covington), Cathy Lewis (Maria), Wally Maher (Captain Brennan), Joe Kearns (Signature Voice / Freddie), unknown (Mrs. Henderson)
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