Jimmy Cagney returns to Suspense in a story that builds on Auto-Lite’s brand and corporate image by encouraging safe driving habits. It’s a sad story where Cagney’s character, a bus driver, receives an award for his safe driving, but ends up causing a fatal accident when he’s driving to the award ceremony. His cover-up of the terrible event starts to fall apart, suspicion builds about his guilt. He finally admits his fault.
The script is by radio veteran Larry Marcus. The plotline is obvious from the beginning, but how it plays out sustains listening interest. Auto-Lite will present future episodes with the safe driving theme. Auto-Lite and its agency would also stop or demand revisions to stories that involved car deaths without repentance or some redeeming value. Examples include changing the ending to Celebration (originally including a murder-suicide scene in a parked car) and not allowing Mel Dinelli’s script The Hand to be produced (details about the gruesomeness of that episode will be a topic in a future blogpost).
This Marcus script fit their corporate needs because of its ultimate positive message: well-maintained cars are important to safety, but that always needs to be combined with attentive and courteous driving skills. Marcus had to compromise entertainment factors make room for a relevant message without becoming preachy. That message ends up crowding out the dramatic entertainment. Cagney delivers a good performance despite the these issues.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP481216
THE CAST
JAMES CAGNEY (Harry Graham), Jeanette Nolan (Eve / Woman), Sidney Miller (Joe Mandel), Hal K. Dawson (Chief Blake), Bill Shaw (Voice / Man 2), Tom Holland (Ted Graham / Fraser), Paul Frees (Signature Voice)
COMMERCIAL: Bill Johnstone (Hap), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer)
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