Suspense has no sponsor with the expiration of the Roma Wines contract. William Spier filed any new scripts away for the future time when the series attracted a new sponsor. At this time, however, it still seemed unlikely that Suspense could continue. To manage show expenses, Suspense was aired nationally and the period of separate east and west broadcasts ended, never to return.
The first repeated script for this period was John Dickson Carr’s for the Edgar Allen Poe classic The Pit and the Pendulum. It originally starred Broadway star Henry Hull, so it is fitting that a highly regarded Broadway star, Jose Ferrer, be cast in this role. Background on the 1943 script and performance can be found at
https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/02/1943-01-12-pit-and-pendulum.html
https://archive.org/details/TSP430112 which is where the recording can be accessed
This is a much richer production than the original from 1943. The script would be produced again in the Robson years of Suspense. This 1947 production is the best of the three.
This script was originally planned as a repeat a few weeks earlier with Edmond O’Brien. It could be that the signing of Ferrer was the reason for the switch to The Argyle Album for that broadcast. Suspense was usually booking guests six to eight weeks prior to an appearance. Some guests were being cancelled once it was determined that the Roma contract would expire.
This was Jose Ferrer’s only Suspense appearance. He was active in theater, especially Broadway, but had not completed a motion picture. That was already in the works, as the filming of Joan of Arc with Ingrid Bergman had started in September, and was the reason why Ferrer was in Hollywood and available for Suspense. Ferrer won an Oscar nomination for his role in the movie. We won a best actor Oscar for the 1950 film Cyrano de Bergerac. His long and notable career is summarized at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Ferrer
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP471128
THE CAST
JOSE FERRER (Jean D’Albret), John McIntire (Pedro Espila, the Grand Inquisitor), Jeanette Nolan (Beatrice Valdez), Elliott Lewis (Antonio, the 2nd Inquisitor), Eric Snowdon (Clerk of Court), Joe Kearns (Signature Voice / 3rd voice), Paul McVey (Braunton, the 4th voice), Lucille Jones, Jack Kelly, Dick Pedicini, Corinne Scott (Ad-Lib murmers)
The following is the payroll report for the episode with amounts adjusted for inflation to September 2023 values in US dollars. Kearns got paid more since he acted in the drama and also served as the signature voice of the series. The image is from the KNX Collection, formerly held at Thousand Oaks Library.
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