This is a new production of the Cornell Woolrich story, adapted by Robert Tallman, that was originally aired on 1944-08-31 with Brian Donlevy. This time it stars Cary Grant. He delivers a fine performance.
The basic plot is that as gangster’s ex-chauffeur runs away to Central America with the gangster’s wife. Of course, the gangster’s henchmen track him down. He has problems with the local police that complicate matters, greatly.
The original blogpost is at https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/04/1944-08-31-black-path-of-fear.html and the recordings of that first broadcast are at https://archive.org/details/TSP440831
The Lonely Road with Grant was originally planned for this broadcast. That script was used two weeks later and starred Gregory Peck.
The only complete copy of this broadcast is an Armed Forces Radio Service recording (#145). The first half of a network recording has recently been found (many thanks to collector Harvey Tow). It differs from the AFRS recording; times are approximate:
AFRS 1:47 “It was like a football scrimmage when you moved in.”
Network 2:29: “It was like a football scrimmage when you move.”
This means the AFRS is drawn from the missing network recording. It is not known if the second half of this network recording will be found, or if the other network one that was the source of the AFRS copy has survived.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP460307
THE CAST
CARY GRANT (Bill Scott), Cathy Lewis (Eve Spinelli), Elliott Lewis (Driver), Jay Novello (Inspector Acosta), Wally Maher (Spinelli), Joe Kearns (Signature Voice), unknown (Midnight), unknown (Photographer / Clerk at Sloppy Joe’s)
This script was adapted as a 1946 movie, The Chase, and starred Robert Cummings. It can be viewed online https://archive.org/details/thechase1946_202002
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