In the meantime, get a "Suspense fix" by listening to the 80th anniversary marathons and a video interview about the series
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Betty Grable, film star and wartime pin-up sensation, stars on Suspense. She was known for her insured legs ($1 million as a studio publicity stunt, $12.7 million in US$2024) and skeptics wondered “can she act?” Her performance defied the critics who believed she was movie eye-candy with meager acting ability. It was not a demanding script in terms of some Suspense classics, but the script had long segments of monologue and dialogue. This means that Tony Leader had some confidence in her abilities and did not reserve a simpler script for her appearance.
She plays a photographer's model who is nagged by her sickly mother. Her mother's craving for attention drives away the model’s male friends who might become romantic interests and a chance for long-term happiness and independence. This is Suspense, of course, so there has to be an evil plan to do away with the mother and escape legal and moral consequences. Mom does enjoy her tea in the morning… and maybe, she wonders, she could give her something to help the process along. There is a surprise ending, like many Suspense stories, that are resolved with justice in the end but for a very different reason. It’s a good story with a Whistler-esque conclusion.
The original story was by Los Angeles Times police reporter John Q. Copeland. It had appeared in Liberty magazine’s 1937-10-02 edition. These years later, he sent the story to Suspense for consideration, and it was accepted. Because no adapter is noted, he may have re-written the original story into script form himself, and then the usual series editing process for commercials and flow was applied. He is mentioned in the credits as “John T. Copeland,” but his newspaper byline was always with “Q” and not “T.” The script cover sheet has "Q," but the script itself has "T" on page 25, making this a typo. This seems to be his only radio script submission, but he did have some television scripts produced in the 1950s.
The original casting plan may have been to have Barbara Stanwyck in the lead role.
CBS knew that movie fans would be pleased with the Grable appearance. The 1949-04-21 Fort Worth TX Star-Telegram had an item in the summary of its radio programming for that evening and stated:
Casting of Miss Grable in the role of a murderess was by popular request according to Producer Tony Leader who said he had received more letters asking for Miss Grable on Suspense than any other star.
The hiring of Grable was a perfect opportunity for more publicity about the casting strategy of Suspense. It was reported that she was paid US$3,500. That's about $45,000 in US2024$.
The CBS publicity department supplied the following quote of Grable in press releases, picked up by many newspapers:
“It sort of took my breath away when Tony suggested it. I remember I asked him if he didn't think he'd better write in a song, but now I’m crazy about the script and am as excited over the whole thing as I was over my first screen test.”
This additional quote of Leader was also in many papers:
“Betty always has been a great performer, in her field, and there's no reason why she shouldn't try another field. I have a feeling she'll be good -- very good.”
Fans may have been looking forward to it, but Grable’s appearance was not greeted with cheerful anticipation in many newspaper radio pages. The 1949-04-17 Port Huron MI Times Herald radio columnist was not optimistic:
Betty Grable, whose brand of emoting ranks, in my opinion, with that of Dorothy Lamour, pays a guest visit Thursday night to the Suspense thriller entitled The Copper Tea Strainer. In this one, Miss Grable plays a frustrated actress. She ought to be in character.
But Grable did well. Days after the broadcast, the usually grumpy and disagreeable but highly respected syndicated radio critic John Crosby was impressed by her performance:
As this aging, unhappy model, ridden by a whining invalid mother, speaking a role which was almost a half hour monologue, in a medium where her voice, as it were, had to stand on its own legs, Miss Grable was wonderful. She was surrounded by extremely competent and experienced radio actors and actresses who normally make monkeys of pretty ladies from the films, and the fact she could hold her own in that company was a high accomplishment.
The storyline includes the chemical strychnine. That was also a plotline element for nefarious use in 1943-02-16 In Fear and Trembling.
Tea bags were available in the time of the story’s writing in the 1930s and at the time of broadcast in the late 1940s. But there were many people, especially older tea drinkers, who insisted on using loose tea and tea strainers to prepare their favorite drink. Use of tea bags is much more common today than it was then. The phrase “tea strainer” might not be as broadly understood today.
The original title of the radio script may have been “Copper Tea Kettle.”
This broadcast has never been available in the best quality sound, especially compared to many of the Auto-Lite and later Roma programs. Today’s classic radio listeners are accustomed to much better sound for many of the recordings from this era. This episode was not part of the large cache of discs that were retrieved from CBS archives over the years. The recording is therefore from a different collection of discs that probably did not have the best storage conditions. The recording has slight wow and flutter from a tape recorder, affecting the audio somewhere along the line of transferring and copying, that may have had worn belts in its mechanism. Despite all of those issues, this is likely the best quality recording that Suspense fans have heard of this program. Special thanks to Keith Scott for his sharing of this recording. He remembers getting it from Skip Craig, legendary collector and VP of production for Jay Ward Productions (Rocky and Bullwinkle and may other animated features). Skip noted the wow and flutter issue in his notes and there was always hope that a different disc transfer would be made using different reel equipment by Skip’s original source or by another collector. All these decades later, it is clear that was never done. The problem is particularly evident in an upcoming broadcast, 1951-09-24 The McKay College Basketball Scandal. It is hoped that AFRS recordings may be found of these recordings in the future.
This was Betty Grable’s only appearance on Suspense. She was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars and biggest box office attractions, making most if her mark in musicals. She started in movies in 1929 in many uncredited “Goldwyn Girl” roles through 1932. She worked her way up through background and supporting roles and had her first starring role in the 1938 movie Campus Confessions. Her movie career waned after the mid-1950s, and she moved to Las Vegas productions and Broadway roles. She was not on radio often, but did appear in many of the movie-based radio programs and as a variety show guest. She was often on Armed Forces Radio Services programs such as Command Performance. She and husband Harry James, famous bandleader, had a radio talk show in the mid-1950s. More information about her career can be found at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Grable
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP490421
THE CAST
BETTY GRABLE (Jeannie Dunn), Raymond Burr (Detective), Bill Conrad (Ted Wark), Marc Lawrence (James Irwin), Ruth Perrott (Mrs. Dunn), Sidney Miller (Waiter / Harmon the druggist), Paul Frees (Signature Voice)
COMMERCIAL: Bill Johnstone (Hap), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer), Sylvia Simms (Operator)
###
Edmund Gwenn stars in a story written by Anne Wormser and Jess Oppenheimer (yes, that Jess Oppenheimer), adapted by Eli David. Gwenn plays a businessman who murders his partner to prevent him from conducting an audit that would lead to the discovery of his misuse of company funds. This way Gwenn can cover up his malfeasance without the intervention of the honest partner. The murder is committed in the first 30 seconds of the broadcast. He leaves town and is sure to establish his alibi. The rest of the story is about his confusion that no one is acknowledging that his partner has been killed. Instead, and that everyone is acting like he is still very much alive!
Gwenn’s character is so obsessive about his actions he plans everything to the smallest detail in a notebook. Every nuance of every action is carefully noted, including comments about what he must do the when he is confronted with the situation in the future. These notes include possible dialogue and his responses to questions. The murder was planned with the utmost care, all written down, including his plans to travel to another town and how he should act surprised for the best effect, and what comments would work best to indicate his shock and dismay.
He stays at the hotel and scours newspapers looking for some mention of his prominent partner’s demise. He expects a telegram requesting his return to the office to take care of this tragic situation. The fact that there is no news or contact frustrates him terribly. He finally decides to go back to the business office, but everyone is still acting as if the partner is in the building and having meetings and running things. That is, until he gets the surprise ending of the story. In many ways, it’s more of a surprise to the character than the listener. But the listeners are bound to be amused and entertained by Gwenn’s performance even if they suspect what the ending will be. His obsessive note-taking becomes his undoing.
In Three O’Clock, the internal dialogue clearly takes place in Van Heflin’s character’s thoughts. In this episode, it’s easy to believe that Gwenn’s character is so psychologically quirky that he is talking out loud to himself, alone. This way he hears how his voice will sound in all of the possible conversations he plays out to make sure he is convincing. He’s muttering to himself and there’s no one to hear him, but he seems to have every reason to believe it is perfectly normal to do so. Everyone, it seems to him, should be as careful about things as he is. This is a very strange and almost emotionless man, and Gwenn is superb at it.
The original story appeared in The American Magazine July 1947 issue and was authored by Anne Wormser and Jess Oppenheimer. Wormser was a novelist and freelance writer for many magazines in the 1930s through the 1950s. Jess Oppenheimer worked in radio for many years, became a writer for My Favorite Husband and then played a key role in the design, development, and production of the legendary I Love Lucy franchise. An overview of his long, varied, and successful career is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jess_Oppenheimer
We appreciate the assistance of Gregg Oppenheimer (his bio is at https://greggoppenheimer.wordpress.com/about-gregg-oppenheimer/) who responded to our questions about whether or not this story had appeared in print before (it did, as noted above). He also added this note: “Interestingly, the maiden name of Dad's grandmother on his mother's side was Wormser . I have no idea whether Anne Wormser was a distant relative, or how they came to collaborate.”
It may be the case that somehow they made contact because Anne Wormser was the sister of Francis Cockrell. He was a very active writer and screen writer who is familiar to many because of his adaptations and stories found on the Alfred Hitchcock Presents television series. It seems that generation of Cockrells, including Anne’s husband, were professional writers in some way. Anne had also worked on screenplays. Whatever the reason, by chance or circumstance, Anne and Jess collaborated on this short story that evolved into this broadcast. Some background on the Cockrells can be found at https://barebonesez.blogspot.com/2017/10/an-interview-with-amanda-cockrell.html
The story was adapted by Elye Dovid. No information can be found about him. It is not known if it is a pseudonym. Researcher Keith Scott wonders if it is a nom de plume of David Ellis. We may never know.
Variety magazine had a small news item that teased this particular week as the Suspense production of an Arch Oboler script, Him or Me. It was never produced during the golden age of radio, as best as can be determined, but was presented 15 years later as part of the 1964 Arch Oboler’s Plays syndicated series.
This is the second and final appearance of Edmund Gwenn on Suspense. He was also in the cast of the pilot episode on CBS Forecast.
This title was also used on the series Casey, Crime Photographer and is a different story.
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TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
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https://archive.org/details/TSP490414
THE CAST
EDMUND GWENN (Rice Archer), Carleton Young (Room Service Voice / Clarke Henley), Herbert Rawlinson (Man / Widdicombe), Terry Kilburn (Bellhop / Desk Clerk), Irene Booth (Operator / Thomasina), Paul Dubov (Waiter / Man 3), Shep Menken (Man 2 / Man 4), Joe DuVal (Police Officer), Eleanor Audley (Miss Gordon / Ethel), Paul Frees (Signature Voice)
COMMERCIAL: Bill Johnstone (Hap), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer), Sylvia Simms (Operator)
###
Ronald Colman portrays a wealthy London bookshop owner named Christopher Swann. He is surprised and very annoyed when a man enters his shop one day, and says that he, too, has the very same name. The visitor starts predicting the future of Colman’s character, saying he will marry a red-headed woman. He thinks it’s just a coincidence when he meets, falls in love, and marries her, just as predicted. It does not take long for him to regret making that prediction come true. She nags him about the smallest of his decisions, even belittling him in front of customers.
The next prediction by the “other Mr. Swann” is more dire: he is told “he will be hanged by the neck until dead” on November 9th. On that day, the shop owner wakes up, and is confident no such thing will happen. Later in the day he learns that the “other Mr. Swann” had a partner who had plans to make sure the prediction came true! In the end, you learn where the title comes from. It’s not really a noose, but it is a deadly coincidence and not a deadly plan.
The story was by William Fifield, who adapted the script Where There’s a Will a few broadcasts prior. Information about his interesting career is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Fifield The script was adapted by Herb Meadow.
There are two recordings of this broadcast, with the network recording as the better of the two. The network discs had some damage, and some disc noise is evident. The overall sound of the drama is very, very good. The other recording is a low-quality Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS), presumably from the 1980s.
The D.H. Lawrence book mentioned was published in 1925 and is St Mawr https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mawr
Hans Conried is back on Suspense after a 13-month absence. He is so marvelous to hear. Knowing his beloved part as the uncle on TV's Danny Thomas Show, should this have been called "Tonoose of Coincidence"? (Sorry, could not resist).
An overdone scuffle is part of the process to the conclusion of the story -- amusing to listen to -- must have been interesting to watch how they did it without cracking up at the microphones.
Murder in Black and White with Clifton Webb was scheduled for this broadcast date. The script was moved to the next week with Webb replaced by Edmund Gwenn. Noose of Coincidence was broadcast a week earlier than originally planned.
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mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP490407
THE CAST
RONALD COLMAN (Christopher Swann), Ben Wright (Constable Smithers), Bea Benaderet (Margaret), Hans Conried (Christopher Swan #2, aka Kit), unknown (Anne Stevens), Paul Frees (Signature Voice)
COMMERCIAL: Bill Johnstone (Hap), Sylvia Simms (Operator), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer)
###
Edward G. Robinson returns to Suspense as a milkman who is declared dead in an accident, but it’s a case of mistaken identity. When they hear about it from the police, they think it’s an April Fools Day joke, but it’s not. He and his wife decide to take advantage of the situation and collect his insurance. It turns out his wallet was stolen, and the thief was killed in a hit-and-run car accident. Police assume that the wallet belongs to the accident victim. The wife seems to be the motivating force behind the scheme to get the $20,000, which is more than $250,000 in US$2024. She sends her milkman husband off to Chicago, where he won’t be recognized. When he calls home, something seems fishy, and he thinks his wife has taken the money and her “widow freedom” as an opportunity for a love interest. Robinson’s character inadvertently falls into a relationship with a woman he met at a Chicago bar. She has her eyes on some of the insurance money, too. His liquor-assisted loose lips spilled details about the scheme. Now the girlfriend wants him to eliminate the phony widow. As for the ending… remember it’s April Fools Day.
The story is by radio veteran Joseph Ruscoll and adapted by Walter Brown Newman. Since Ruscoll was an experienced radio scripter, Brown’s work may have been in editing to the Suspense format and time requirements. The attribution at the end of the broadcast is that Brown “prepared” the script for the show.
The story would not work in the age of modern forensics. Another factor is that drivers licenses in all states have pictures. Pictures were not common until the late 1950s and grew in use into the 1970s.
An Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#278) is known to exist but is not available at this time.
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TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP490331
THE CAST
EDWARD G. ROBINSON (Sam Brown), Ross Forrester (Luther / Voice), Jeanette Nolan (Katie), Frank Gerstle (Announcer), Peter Prouse (Ryan the Cop’s Voice / Man), Hal K. Dawson (Harry / Captain), Betty Lou Gerson (Cleo Carter / Operator), Paul Frees (Signature Voice)
COMMERCIAL: Bill Johnstone (Hap), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer), Sylvia Simms (Operator)
###
This is the final performance of the Seeleg Lester - Merwin Gerard script about a cataleptic who is believed dead and luckily avoids embalming. It’s a marvelous story that has you chuckling and squirming and riveted at different points of the performance.
It is somewhat sad that this story, which played a major role in Suspense receiving a Peabody Award, was only heard three times in its 20-year history. It is sadder that the initial performance, and its post-award “victory lap” was cast with the supporting radio performers who made that performance and the series so great. Instead, Tony Leader cast Pat O’Brien to play the role that Wally Maher played so well in the first two broadcasts. Leader was not a favorite among the CBS executives, nor was he among many of the actors, even though the program was doing extremely well in the ratings and the broadcasts were top-notch.
The first broadcast was done in the summer of 1946, when Hollywood stars and others were typically on vacation and hard to recruit for the series. If the usual supporting cast members could take what was once a rejected script and turn it into a Peabody winner, should they not be able to take another “victory lap”?
Information about the first two performances can be accessed at:
1946-08-08 (with details about the rejection of the script and how it was saved)
https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/08/1946-08-08-dead-ernest.html
https://archive.org/details/TSP460808
1947-05-08 (with details about how it won a Peabody Award and the reactions of critics)
https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/10/1947-05-08-dead-ernest.html
https://archive.org/details/TSP470508
Why Dead Ernest was not repeated on radio is not known. Perhaps it was felt that it was “too dated” and the producers who followed Leader decided to move on.
The story was presented on the Suspense television series, however. The broadcast was 1949-05-03, just a few weeks after this final radio presentation. It can be viewed at https://youtu.be/VxoWmUbw8ak or https://archive.org/details/Dead_Ernest--Suspense Television production was primitive at the time, and it was hard to replicate the power of a radio listener’s imagination to the screen. The television production falls flat, especially in comparison to the radio ones. There is a funny typo in screen as one of the authors is billed as “Seelog” Lester. It’s worth watching the program just to see the attempt to bring it to the tube.
This was the first of two Suspense appearances by Pat O’Brien. His movie career began in the 1930s and continued through television into the early 1980s. He often played characters of Irish descent, which mean he played a lot of priests and police. But his career was more varied than that. One of his most famous roles was in the movie biography of Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne. The scene where he urges the team to press on despite the death of beloved teammate George Gipp led to the famous line “win one for the Gipper” that was always associated with O’Brien (and of course, Rockne). Most of his radio appearances were as himself or in radio adaptations of his movies. More details about his life can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_O%27Brien_(actor)
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP490324
THE CAST
PAT O’BRIEN (Lt. Steve Healy, the narrator), Paul Frees (Signature Voice / Dr. Weldon), Herb Vigran (Officer Abbott / Minelli), Ed Max (Payne / Al, the first embalmer), Alan Reed (Honest Jerry Murdock), Jeanette Nolan (Mrs. Brawley the Landlady), Frank Nelson? (Theodore Tobey), unknown (Bobby Minelli), Jerry Farber? (Tommy Stoner), Ruth Perrott? (Nurse / Mrs. Bowers), unknown (Henry Prince), unknown (Frances Prince), unknown (Anthony, the 2nd embalmer), unknown (Ernest Bowers)
COMMERCIAL: Bill Johnstone (Hap), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer)
###
Gregory Peck stars in the adaptation of Michael Venning’s 1943 novel. Well, not Michael Venning, but Craig Rice. And not Craig Rice, either. The writer is Georgiana Ann Randolph Craig, who used the Venning and Rice pseudonyms through her very prolific career. The novel was adapted for Suspense by pulp author Ken Crossen.
Peck plays a man who wakes up on an evening train to Philadelphia and is confused as to why he is there. He’s been having spells of forgetfulness. For some reason, he remembers the song Red River Valley and starts singing it on the train, but he doesn’t know why. He knows for certain that he’s Jeffrey Bruno, a mystery writer. Papers in the coat he’s wearing and in the wallet indicate he’s John Blake. The business cards he finds says that Blake sells insurance. When he gets off the train, he spots a newspaper headline and sees his picture on the front page. It turns out that John Blake is wanted for the murder of a very wealthy man! Now what? Why can 't he remember such an incredible event?
He heads back to New York to figure out what happened. He learns from Rosalie, an acquaintance and love interest, that he’s been blacking out and disappearing for days at a time. She thinks that he might have schizophrenia, or “split personality.” From the newspaper, he learns that Blake worked for the murdered Rufus Carrington and his family’s business. He visits a doctor who is skeptical about the situation, and recommends he goes to the police. The police? He then goes to the Carrington home, but the butler does not recognize him... that’s strange. What’s even stranger is that he lets Bruno borrow Carrington 's gun... and sees the “doctor” in the house. He was an imposter, the nephew of the deceased. Bruno is being framed... and Rosalie 's in on it!
It’s a good story, but you can sense where the plot is likely headed. Enjoy it for Gregory Peck who gets to play a befuddled amnesiac. He may have been an expert at it. He was also an amnesiac in Hitchcock’s 1945 movie, Spellbound. It could have been a playful reason for his being cast in this role for the broadcast.
The opening is has some similarity to Woolrich’s The Black Curtain, but this novel was published 17 years before that. Amnesia was a common plot device for mysteries of the time, and was more fantasy in it portrayals than accurate. The idea of “split personality” was more not particularly correct as a description of schizophrenia, either. There was great fascination with psychology in the middle of the century. It was a new field and much of the good research in the field was yet to be done. Writers could get away with practically anything related to psychology in their stories and make it seem plausible.
“Craig Rice” was a very popular writer of mystery short stories, novels, and screenplays. She was the first mystery writer to be featured on the cover of Time magazine (January 28, 1946). She may be best known in the golden age of radio for a character in her writings, John J. Malone, who came to radio in two series, Murder and Mr. Malone and The Amazing Mr. Malone. Background about her life, much of it tragic, can be found at these websites:
https://crimereads.com/rediscovering-the-gin-soaked-screwball-mysteries-of-craig-rice/
Time magazine https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,855365,00.html
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP490317
THE CAST
GREGORY PECK (John Blake, aka Jeffrey Bruno), unknown (Rosalie), Sidney Miller (Newsboy 1 and Newsboy 2), Joe Kearns (Roger Gunn, alias Doctor), Charles Seel (Clark the butler), Paul Frees (Signature Voice), Carleton Young (Train conductor), Ralph Moody (Train passenger)
COMMERCIAL: Bill Johnstone (Hap), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer)
###
The broadcast of Three O’Clock with Van Heflin may be one of the finest performances and productions of radio’s golden age. It is a marvelous convergence of a great Cornell Woolrich story, a superb actor, excellent effects, a terrific supporting cast, superior use of music to heighten the mood and many changes of scenes, innovative direction that demarcates the present and a flashback so well, and much more.
The Woolrich story is adapted by Walter Brown Newman, a noted writer whose career would include three Oscar nominations for best screenplay spread over three different decades.
If a reader of this analysis would prefer to listen to the program first, now is the time to do it. Go to this link for the network broadcast recording https://archive.org/details/TSP490310/Suspense+1949-03-10+Three+O'Clock+NETWORK.flac
If you have heard the program before, it is hoped that these observations and background will create a richer experience when listening again.
The story begins with husband Paul, played by Heflin, recounting the circumstances that lead to his decision to enact a plan to destroy his home to murder his cheating wife while escaping detection with an unshakable alibi. After setting up the timed explosion, his exit from the home is thwarted by burglars. They tie him to a chair in the basement and gag him, placing him right next to the device he set for his selfish revenge.
It is later revealed that the premise for that marital retaliation is flawed; she has not been cheating on him. She has been keeping her activities secret as she assisted her troubled brother. She was concerned that Paul might not like her getting involved with her convict sibling. Paul’s lack of trust for her leads to his misinterpreting her actions. Once he learns the truth, the fear, panic, and regret he has drives the Heflin performance. Paul’s remorse grows deeper in his helplessness. The emotional whirlwind brings him to sudden death as the clock alarm rings at the end of the story. Paul only has himself to blame for his dilemma. He suffers alone, pleading for help and forgiveness that no one can hear, and pondering the misfortune his actions will create. He will never know how lucky he was that his plan failed, and that he will become the sole victim of his plan.
That is the general background of the story… there are many more details and subtleties about Heflin’s performance.
The drama begins with Paul justifying his actions against his cheating wife. He is methodical in his process. He describes what he is doing, how his bomb is being created and connected, and how it’s timed to trigger in 75 minutes. That will give him plenty of time to get back to his watch and clock repair shop. His career is the repair and admiration of timekeeping devices. How fitting is it that he will soon be trapped in a situation where a clock’s every secondhand movement and click dominates his focus, making him acutely aware that his very life ticks away with each one? His repair shop is loaded with clocks, but this one becomes the singular timepiece that matters to his precious life.
His plan goes wrong all at once, a common plot device of Woolrich. Burglars break into the house just as he’s ready to depart. They are very surprised to find him there. They force him down to the basement, tie him to a chair, and gag him. He sits in full view of the bomb he created, hearing the loudly-ticking alarm clock, and knowing it will trigger a murderous explosion at three o’clock. It is at that point that the story’s foundation has been set, and there is an Auto-Lite commercial.
Suspense did not follow an in-show schedule for its first commercial. In its early years, a “mid-show” commercial was at the mid-point of the program. That changed over time as the series developed. This is one of the values of a sponsored program: the show content could be presented in its own time and manner that enhanced the story’s development. In the 1950s, when shows did not have sponsors and there was a more rigid schedule with affiliate stations, breaks in stories had to be at specific times that local advertisers and the stations agreed to by contract. The flexibility of story development had to change, and radio scripters had to plan accordingly. At this time in Suspense history, however, the sponsor knew that great storytelling held their audience. They would set the stage for the story in whatever time it took, get their message out of the way, and then let the drama play out on its own within the overall broadcast time allotment. Three O’Clock is not a long story, in that regard, but it is compact and concentrated. It’s hard to believe so much can happen in a short time, and such a wide range of emotions can be expressed and include changes in time periods and scenes.
In this case, only seven minutes of broadcast time has passed, with half of that used for the show opening and the two commercials. Just about three and a half minutes has been used to set up the drama that will unfold after the mid-show commercial. What do we know so far? We know a man believes his wife is cheating, he is so distraught and angry that he will resort to blowing up his own house with her alone in it. He is confronted by burglars who subdue him quickly, and he fights and squirms valiantly to get away from them but also to warn them about what he is done, and they are in danger, too. Heflin’s performance goes way beyond yelling or grunting. There’s a sincerity and subtlety in everything and every moment he’s immersed in the role. You can sense the fear that would be part of the event if it was real. Please! Let the commercial end! The audience is hooked and wants more!
Note how the loud ticking clock is a key element of the story. Woolrich did not have the benefit of audio when he wrote the story. He did it in text such as this:
It
went tick-tick, tick-tock; tick-tick, tick-tock,
so
rhythmically, so remorselessly, so fast.
Paul’s life is clocks. He’s around the sound of ticking clocks all day. It’s background noise that he may actually enjoy as he works. But that changes today. There is only one clock that matters now. Each tick is suddenly precious. It’s not background noise any more. The sound develops the tension and urgency of the situation. The CBS publicity for the show says that the listener “sweats it out with Heflin,” and we certainly do.
As a listener, you don’t realize the significance of the sound effect in the production until the story plays out. The ticking of the clock is a subtle marker that a dramatic scene occurs in the present. The story has many flashbacks, and the effect is not used in those scenes. When that flashback is over, and the scene shifts to the present, the ticking is obvious upon its return. The story keeps going back and forth with flashbacks that fill in the story, and listeners realize the ticking is the signal that we’re back to the present and each tick is Paul’s life slipping away.
In his first minutes of restraint, Paul goes through the justification of his actions. His wife has been cheating, and he knows it for a fact. She’s out of the house at times outside of her established routine. When he asks her about it, she covers up her whereabouts in an evasive manner. He pokes holes in her stories, making him certain that she is unfaithful and undeserving of his affections. Later in the story we learn that she’s actually helping a family member overcome legal troubles. Paul, tied up in the basement, overhears the truth. It’s much too late; he can’t undo what he’s already done.
His lecturing to himself about justifying his actions and setting up the explosive lasts 1:30 (one minute, thirty seconds). He’s cool and calm and confident as he prepares to leave. The sequence of the home invasion, getting tied up and gagged lasts 2:25. The burglars comment about the intensity of his resistance. Note how convincing Heflin is. This is not your basic radio fight or scuffle. As they restrain him he works hard to fight back, but he can’t. He’s panicking and can barely contain his breath. He tries to yell at the burglars and can’t. You can hear him squirm from his voicing of his attempt to speak! Only he knows why it’s so important to get out; the burglars just want to “grab and go” and he’s preventing them from doing so until he is fully restrained. It’s two opposing forces, but Paul is just outnumbered and unable to resist. Everyone in the basement is intent on completing their own selfish evil act. The burglars leave, complaining as they exit that there was really nothing worth taking. Paul is stranded. That all happened in three and a half minutes. We learned so very much.
The main drama begins after the seven minute mark. It’s hard to believe that such rich storytelling with so many swaps between the past and the present, the expression of raw emotion will take less than 20 minutes. Heflin's performance is incredible. He realizes what he’s done and starts pleading with his wife, who is not there, to come home and get him out of the situation. What if she did? What would she say? How would he explain it? He expresses his sorrow for his plan, even though she deserved it. He has some sorrow, but no remorse. That will come later.
The first flashback is about 8:30. The ticking effect ends. Heflin has to switch from his portrayal of growing panic and frustration to the ordinariness of just another day coming home from work. There is happiness in seeing his wife and they are playful with each other. He is calm as he sits down in the living room to read the paper as she talks about her day. Then he realizes someone was in the house earlier in the day, when he sees a cigar butt, still warm, in the ash try. He asks if there were any visitors, and she says no. He knows she is lying.
The ticking begins again at about 9:40 and the drama switches back to the interior dialogue. His voice is less panicky but as he talks to himself that the clock seems to be going faster, you can sense the frustration starting to build. At about 10:15 he hears the doorbell ring. It’s the gas service meter reader whom he wants so desperately to come in and rescue him. There’s hope that there’s an excuse for the gas reader to go into the house. But the two workers will not enter the house unless someone is home. Frustration is in his voicing, even though it’s an internal dialogue. He realizes his time for escape with their help is gone. Heflin’s breathing pattern makes that clear.
At 12:10 it’s another flashback, and the ticking stops. He thinks he’s caught his wife in a lie about where she’s been. Her excuse was seeing an evening movie. He picks apart her alibi by asking questions about it. You can hear his disbelief becoming more intense as she talks. The conversation starts as casual and becomes more pointed.
The drama returns to the present at 13:10 with the return of the ticking. He calmly explains how that conversation, combined with the cigar butt, sealed his wife’s fate. Then he looks at the clock and the panic starts setting in again. He is getting lost in his jealous thoughts so much that he forgets about the time! The listener is still clued into it because the clock has been ticking all along.
He hears his wife upstairs in the kitchen as she returns from food shopping. He wants so desperately for her attention, to have her come downstairs. Notice how Heflin’s voicing has moved from calm to panicked to conciliatory is a very short time. The phone rings, and she answers. She tells the caller that she thinks the house was robbed. He overhears the conversation and that she tried to reach Paul at the shop, and that he will be mad if the small amount of money that was in the house is gone.
He keeps stating how much time is left; it’s passing so quickly. He has to reassure himself that she deserves the trap he’s set. At 16:00 the ticking stops for a flashback about his returning from work on another day. She seems very happy to see him, but his demeanor is still cautious and unsmiling. She starts tickling him and they start laughing together. How can this couple not be getting along? It’s a happy, playful moment where their cares are set aside until she discovers he has a package. He tells her it’s fertilizer so they can start a garden. It’s his turn to lie. That laughter ended so quickly.
16:55 The ticking begins again. He explains how he’s been bringing home everything needed to make the bomb. His thoughts move to talking to her, hoping she will come downstairs and find him. The ticking continues.
At 17:40 her brother comes over and they sit down to talk. He realizes it’s only 28 minutes left on the clock. He wonders: is this person her love interest? The man seems to know about Paul and mentions him by name. He realizes that she’s been helping her brother, and not having an affair. The brother has been in trouble, and is an escaped convict. He wants to set things right, and get back into society again. He’s concerned that if she goes to the police station to turn himself in, she will get into trouble. He suggests that they call Paul and ask him to come. She says no, that she will do it. Paul finds a way to make noise in the cellar. It’s dismissed. They leave the house to go to the police station. It’s clear there is a decency about Paul’s wife that he did not appreciate. Rather than trusting her, offering a benefit of the doubt, or having a relationship where family matters could be discussed, his mind and jealous instincts fled to the worst possibility.
Heflin is out of breath; he starts calling her to come back, all in his mind, in great panic. He is so distraught starts calling for his mother to help him. How fitting that is, as a child enters the story.
At 20:15, the clock still ticking, a neighborhood boy starts bouncing a ball against the house. His mother tries to get him to stop. He peers in the basement window. He asks his mother to look at the “funny man.” She implores him to stop. He leaves, saying to his mother “bye, bye, funny man, tied up,” and goes away. Knowing they are gone, Paul starts crying. All seems lost. He has ten minutes left. He starts thinking of his mother and apologizing for some past childhood offense. He claims he was a good boy, and such claims make one wonder if his thinking pattern of mistrust is something he’s suffered with since childhood that has affected other relationships.
At 22:10 the phone starts ringing, likely the wife trying to reach Paul. She was probably checking if he came home from work while she was at the police station. He tears up and says bye to her.
He starts talking to the clock, as the minutes pass, he keeps repeating how much time is left. The ticking stops as he hopes time will stand still, but it keeps going. He starts crying, catches himself. He says “Paulie says ‘bye bye five’” as a child as the five minute mark passes. The ticking starts and the furthest flashback, back to childhood, begins.
At 23:45 he’s talking to his mother, in a soft voice that implies childhood trust and innocence. She asks him if he knows what time it is. He says “one minute to three.” The ticking begins again at 24:10, and he’s convinced he was dreaming. He may have briefly passed out from exhaustion. Many of these flashbacks could have been in a sleeplike state as his mind drifted off.
Each tick of the clock is more important now. He counts down the clock as he pleads for his life, for his mother, for his wife, crying throughout. He counts it down, crying with each number. Listeners may have been ready for someone to burst in and save him. But as each second passes, it becomes obvious that won’t happen.
At 25:10 the alarm rings, suddenly, loudly, startling to anyone who was listening, and then retreats. The music comes up to change the scene. A police officer is questioning the wife about the scene in the basement. We hear the coroner pronouncing Paul as dead of heart failure. The officer asks if she knows anything about the box and the wires and the clock. She explains how she had used the powder that Paul was bringing home to plant flowers, because he loved flowers so much! After all, he said he wanted a garden, a lie he told her, when he was gathering what was needed for his horrible plan. This also means that she trusted exactly what he said to her, and he did not trust her in the least. The innocent person was saved in this story, the wayward brother may be on a road to reform through her efforts, and the person whose jealousy and selfishness led to this horrible incident met justice of his own making. The story is a strange twist of good over evil.
The concluding music comes up and completes the drama.
Available recordings: the network recording is preferred
There are two recordings of this broadcast. The better recording is of the network broadcast. The other recording is an Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) highly edited version that is in low quality. The Heflin performance can be fully enjoyed and understood only in the best possible sound, which makes the network recording the best choice.
Heflin’s challenge and an actor’s perspective
Craig Wichman, classic radio historian and enthusiast, and professional actor, says that he “...always found Heflin to be a very solid actor, in both film and radio… ‘One-hander’ solo roles are a unique challenge. And that challenge is doubled, when it's a very emotional piece -- where the risk of overacting is a pitfall for some. Van, here, is about as good as Cagney in Johnny Got His Gun - which is to say, about as good as such things get.”
That Cagney performance is exceptional and is from Arch Oboler’s Plays of 1940-03-09. It is an adaptation of Dalton Trumbo’s book of the same name. It is about a multiple amputee who cannot speak after his war injuries, and has a similar acting challenge that Heflin had in this script. It can be heard at https://otrr.org/OTRRLibrary/jukebox/Arch%20Obolers%20Plays%2040-03-09%20(51)%20Johnny%20Got%20His%20Gun.mp3 Background about the original novel is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Got_His_Gun
Craig is also steadfast in his enthusiasm about Heflin’s lead role in the short-lived Philip Marlowe series on ABC. That series was truer to Raymond Chandler’s gritty detective than the later CBS version with Gerald Mohr that offered a lighter and sarcastic characterization. Unfortunately, few of the Heflin episodes have survived, but there are enough to know that the vision of the ABC series was quite different and Heflin was superb in it.
Other notes about this broadcast
Why does the mid-show commercial mention tax returns? The deadline for US Federal tax filings was still March 15. It was changed to April 15 in 1954.
Near the end of this broadcast, at 27:45, Heflin calls director Tony Leader from the production studio to the microphone. He is presented with a special scroll for their selection as best mystery drama by Ann Daggett of Radio Mirror. Heflin sounds happy and enthused. He’s probably pleased that there is no second performance on the same night as there was in the Roma era. He must have been exhausted.
A television presentation of the Woolrich story
Alfred Hitchcock had a TV series that was separate from the better-known Alfred Hitchcock Presents. It was a series on NBC that ran from 1957 to 1958. Suspicion had 42 productions, and like the legendary Playhouse 90, had half of its productions as filmed and the other half as live. Hitchcock produced this story himself as Four O’Clock. It starred EG Marshall and the ending was truer to the original story. Paul is driven to the point of insanity, and does not die, but is carried off in a straitjacket. The hour-long production can be viewed at https://youtu.be/fv7b10Vd8hc or at https://archive.org/details/Suspicion_1_01_Four_O_clock Details about the casting and original broadcast can be found at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0714191/
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https://archive.org/details/TSP490310
THE CAST
VAN HEFLIN (Paul), Georgia Ellis (Francie / Bobby), Ted de Corsia (Duke / Cop), Walter Craig (Lou / Gas Man), Walter Burke (Earl / Gas Man 2), George Baxter (Dave / Doc), Ann Morrison (Bobby’s Mother), Paul Frees (Signature Voice)
COMMERCIAL: Bill Johnstone (Hap), Sylvia Simms (Operator), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer)
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The Love Birds is a story about a husband and wife, and the contradiction of what seems to be a happy life to those who see it from the outside but is vastly different in their private life. They don’t just dislike each other, they want to kill each other. Each waits for just the right opportunity when they won’t be suspected of the heinous act.
Groundwork for the husband’s medical issues is established quickly. It’s mentioned that he has asthma and has vision issues and takes sleeping pills. Yes, sleeping pills… and he can’t read the bottle… it’s easy to anticipate where this is going. He can’t stand her because of her badgering and her gradual loss of attractiveness. She buys rat poison, and he knows it, and tells her that the plan to use it is already thwarted by a positive exterminator’s report just days before. Be attentive when listening because you never know which nasty spouse will deliver on their threats to the other. The ending is surprising, because their acrimony doesn’t end in a particular event.
The story was written by Shirl Hendryx and adapted by Harold Swanton. Hendryx is listed in some sources as “Shirl Hendricks” or “Cheryl Hendricks.” He started writing for radio in the 1940s and is cited in RadioGoldindex for Suspense, Radio City Playhouse, and Under Arrest. There were likely many others. He wrote on a freelance basis for television in the 1950s through the 1970s, as well many as theatrical plays. The 90-year-old Hendryx had one of his new plays premiere in 2014, and even wrote a short play for Smartphone Theatre in 2020! He passed away in December 2023, a few months before his hundredth birthday.
Harold Swanton was a busy radio pro who did a lot of work for The Whistler for both radio and television, as well as many other series.
It’s a different kind of episode, but not different enough to stand out and be in a top ten list. It’s not one that is likely to drive classic radio fans to listen to again and again. It is a worthwhile listen just to think about its final dialogue and whether or not all their anger was really worth the energy they put into it.
The title of the episode is “The Love Birds” which is how it appears on the script cover. Most of the show’s publicity matches that. There are some instances of “The Lovebirds” in some newspaper listings, likely the result of that paper’s editing preference. Dictionaries seem to accept both the separate words or the compound word as correct.
Two recordings have survived. The network recording is the better of the two. An aircheck originally recorded on 78s lacks the show opening and parts of the close. It is a low quality recording which may have been recorded for one of the performers, an ad agency, or for a station to check its signal coverage, or some other reason.
This episode is Joan Fontaine’s only appearance on Suspense. She had a very long film and television career. She and her sister, Olivia de Havilland, were the only siblings to win Oscars for lead roles. They did not get along for much of their lives. In thinking about this episode and the family history, the undercurrent of hostility of the characters seems somewhat parallel to real life. Background about her career and life can be found at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Fontaine
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https://archive.org/details/TSP490303
THE CAST
JOAN FONTAINE (Martha), Lester Sharpe (Sam), Ed Begley (Doc Roberts), unknown (Woman), unknown (Jim), Paul Frees (Signature Voice)
COMMERCIAL: Bill Johnstone (Hap), Jerry Hausner, Harlow Wilcox (Announcer)
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Gambling debt plays a role in may Suspense stories, and this one is from one of mystery literature’s greatest names, Agatha Christie. James Mason and Pamela Kellino, one of Hollywood’s popular married couples of the time, star in the production.
Mason’s character lives with his elderly widowed aunt and her house servant, played by Kellino. He’s piling up gambling debts ($50,000 after conversion from British pounds, which is nearly $700,000 in US$2024!). It’s pretty clear where this is headed. Dispose of the aunt, get her insurance and assets, pay the debt, and run off with the servant and live happily ever after. It is so convenient that the aunt’s medical condition requires that she stay as calm as possible, as any sudden shock may lead to her demise. Oh, how lucky everyone is! The aunt can literally be scared to death without any detectable physical harm. It should be as easy as hiding in a corner or behind a curtain and just jumping out and shouting “boo!” That won’t happen. There’d be too much broadcast time left over.
Instead, he starts a ruse to be the haunting voice of the aunt’s deceased husband with a microphone and radio speaker system. She is convinced it’s a true communication with the spirit world. He dresses up as the husband, delivers a final message over the speaker. We hear the thump of the aunt’s freshly deceased body hitting the floor.
There’s something he did not count on. His aunt was in the process of reconsidering the terms of the will which he believed would make him wealthy even after paying the debts… She didn’t make the revisions he was counting on. The story is entertaining but not as compelling as other episodes.
The Christie story was adapted by William Fifield, who had a very interesting career. He started as a radio announcer and writer and he became involved in numerous literary and other projects in the US and in Europe. He made acquaintances with many influential artists and creators of the 1950s and 1960s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Fifield Another Fifield endeavor will be presented on Suspense in April 1949.
The original working title for this script was “The Bedford Case.”
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https://archive.org/details/TSP0224
THE CAST
JAMES MASON (Charles Ridgeway / “Patrick”), PAMELA KELLINO (Elizabeth), Ben Wright (Jepson / Newsreader), Herb Butterfield (Dr. Meynell), Ruth Rickaby (Aunt Mary Harter), Don Morrison (Inspector / Spanish radio voice), Ramsay Hill (Hopkinson / French radio voice), Paul Frees (Signature Voice)
COMMERCIAL: Sylvia Simms (Operator), Bill Johnstone (Hap), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer)
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Here’s a twist: someone is murdered, we know who did it, but we have to figure out who the detective is! Patricia McGerr was a mystery writer who used these kinds of quirky twists in her short stories and novels. Her novel of this same name was adapted by Silvia Richards. Jane Wyman stars in her only appearance in the series. The 1949-02-17 Montreal QB Gazette picked up CBS publicity about Wyman’s performance. It says that she told “Tony Leader some time ago that I’d like to play a really evil woman on Suspense.” She continued “and he fixed me up—but good.”
Her character is at an off-season lonely resort in the Colorado mountains. She is sitting at the bedside of her very ill husband. They don’t get along, and he accuses her of attempting to poison him. He started saving the pills he was given as evidence. He tells her that he’s contacted a detective friend, “Rocky” Rhodes, and told him where the pills were hidden. Rhodes will monitor his status, and in case of his demise, the pills would be tested and prove the poisoning. She is aghast, or at least acts that way. He falls asleep and then she suffocates him. Then she puts on a performance of great sorrow.
There are two problems: she does not know where the pills are and she has no idea what Mr. Rhodes looks like! She becomes paranoid, going through furniture and closets and possible hiding places, and starts assuming that every new guest who comes to the hotel is using a pseudonym, and whether man or woman, might be “Rocky” Rhodes!
It’s a good story and Wyman delivers a good performance. Listen attentively as Silvia Richards may have had difficulty getting the novel down to a 23 minute or so play. Usually, important story events are reinforced through dialogue in some manner as the production goes on. She may not have been able to do that in the way she desired. This episode, like some in recent episodes, won’t be enjoyed with passive and casual listening.
The rehearsals must have had problems staying withing the time limit of the broadcast. A minor character named “R. Davenport Cates” was edited out of the script in the days leading up to broadcast, and other dialogue was abridged or re-written.
Raymond Burr makes another Suspense appearance in the story as (spoiler alert) “Rocky” Rhodes and his role as Cates was stricken from the script. The way we find out who he is as part of a surprise ending is well done.
McGerr’s creativity in her stories was always held in high regard, but she did not achieve top status with the public or financially. She wrote novels in the 1940s and 1950s and then many short stories in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine in the 1960s through the 1980s. More background about her work can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_McGerr This is the only time her work appeared on Suspense and might be the only time it was dramatized for radio.
Don’t confuse this title with the movie of the same name was released in 2002 and its original book about an imposter published in 1980. The movie was produced by Steven Spielberg and starred Leonard DiCaprio.
This is Jane Wyman’s sole appearance on Suspense. She had a very long and successful movie and television career. Weeks after this broadcast she would win a best actress Oscar for Johnny Belinda. Baby boomers may remember her better for her nine seasons on the primetime soap opera Falcon Crest. Her career and personal life have an overview at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Wyman
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https://archive.org/details/TSP490217
THE CAST
JANE WYMAN (Margot Weatherby), Frank Lovejoy (Mike Sheldon), Raymond Burr (Rocky Rhodes / Cates), Lurene Tuttle (Susan Quinn), Paul Marion (Phil Weatherby), Jerry Hausner (Charlie Miller), Paul Frees (Signature Voice)
COMMERCIAL: Bill Johnstone (Hap), Sylvia Simms (Operator), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer)
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John Collier’s short story, with a strange Latin title that means “of the dead,” starts off like it’s a clone of Back for Christmas. It’s not. This is a town doctor serial killer, played by Charles Laughton, who eliminates his wife and then anyone who might reveal him to the authorities or who had an affair with her. The story “feels strange” in that it’s the plain talk of common people of a small British town that carries the story, and they’re trying to be helpful to the situation until they realize what’s going on. It is suggested that he leave town and go somewhere else because they know he covers his method so well under the guise of medical condition or some other cause. He refuses to leave because he likes the town, but he really likes exercising his intimidation over his neighbors and he can eliminate them as well.
The story is different, possibly tedious at times, but then something happens to re-stoke the interest. It requires close listening to catch it all, and it’s worth the effort. The story is adapted for Suspense by pulpwriter Ken Crossen.
The Ottawa ON Citizen of 1949-03-03 reported (likely based on CBS publicity), that producer Tony Leader had a twenty foot long platform constructed for this episode to give the actors a more sensitive feeling for the scenes that portrayed stair climbing and descent and calling down to Laughton's character. Leader said that “the actors do a better job when I let them move around and make some of their own sound effects naturally instead of turning them all over to the sound experts.” Listen to the episode and decide if it made a difference in such scenes. Walking over floor boards seems more realistic.
There are two surviving recordings of this episode. The network recording is much better than the Armed Forces Radio Service one (likely #271, but that is not verified).
One of the victims is described as a “commercial traveler.” This means “traveling salesman.”
The title is part of a familiar Latin phrase de mortuis nil nisi bonum that is known better in its English form. Its literal meaning is “of the dead say nothing but good,” but in everyday language it is “don't speak ill of the dead.” Words like “mortuary” have the Latin word as is root.
Darryl Shelton’s book about Suspense notes that Ronald Colman was originally cast to play the lead. No documentation was offered in the book and no online research resources could be found to verify the prospect of a Colman appearance. Laughton can sound sinister and nefarious when he needs to, while Colman can play evil roles but without a subtle undercurrent that Laughton does.
The Suspense TV show aired De Mortuis on June 12, 1951 with Walter Slezak and Olive Deering, directed by Robert Stevens. Unfortunately, no video is available. Stevens also directed it for the 1956-10-14 Alfred Hitchcock Presents. That broadcast is available from many streaming sources.
In the Suspense broadcast of the prior week, Back Seat Driver, the tease for De Mortuis was mispronounced. It was likely in the script with the “i” and the “u” transposed. The title was announced as “De Mortius.”
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https://archive.org/details/TSP490210
THE CAST
CHARLES LAUGHTON (Dr. Rankin), Ben Wright (Gregory), Alec Harford (George / Deputy), Sylvia Simms (Irene / Mrs. Green), Franklin Parker (Harry Manning / Constable Saunders), Dave Light (Dog), Paul Frees (Signature Voice)
COMMERCIAL: Bill Johnstone (Hap), Sylvia Simms (Operator), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer)
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This is one of the most famous episodes of this series. Occasional radio author Sally Thorson provides a fine story for Suspense and Tony Leader’s casting of Jim and Marion Jordan boosts its entertainment value. Fibber and Molly are nice and well-intentioned characters, which carried over to the public perception of the Jordans. Having a threatening stowaway in a vehicle with them adds more tension to the production. Listeners can’t help thinking it’s Fibber and Molly in real danger. They are held hostage by an armed killer, but calmness of Jim Jordan’s character and the astute police who sense that things are out of sorts end up bringing the story to a safe and happy conclusion. This is considered one of the most beloved Suspense episodes because of the of the Jordans. Jim seems more comfortable in his dramatic performance, while Marion sounds a bit tentative. Heavenly days! They get a some goodwill and leeway for any rough spots because they’re Fibber and Molly, for goshsakes. Enjoy the listening fun.
This is the second story in recent episodes where the size of a 1940s car was important context for the story. Passenger compartments of cars were big in the 1940s compared to those of the 2000s. Fuel economy, ergonomics, amenities, and other factors have affected the nature and feel of a car ride. Sedans, especially, had more legroom at the time of this story. Someone of evil intent could possibly hide on the floor in the rear of a car and avoid detection, especially if someone kept a blanket or some other materials in the rear seating area of the car. In current vehicles, it would be very difficult to get away with such a maneuver. This storyline would not be possible today. The author would have to use something like a carjacking to achieve the same effect since hiding in the car would not be a viable story element.
Sally Thorson might be close to being considered a “one hit wonder” Suspense writer, but she was actually an atypical radio veteran. This was her only Suspense script and she had two scripts performed on The Whistler. She was active in local dramas in Chicago and San Francisco area early in her career, and then took a job selling production equipment. In her case, she sold the Sonovox. The special effects technology was used to make the sound of the train in Dumbo sound like a voice. Advertisers were experimenting with it in the 1940s. It was likely used on the Bromo Seltzer commercials that are in some Inner Sanctum episodes. This ad in Broadcasting featured Sally in the 1942-06-13 issue:
Thorson’s script received a positive review in Variety of 1949-02-09:
… Sally Thorson turned out a top- drawer script, Back Seat Driver, which provided an excellent vehicle for the McGees. The story was that of a husband and wife driving home after a night at the movies and finding a desperate murderer in the back seat. Situation built up plenty of suspense, at the same time allowing F&M scope for good dramatic acting. It was pretty much all the McGees and they handled the assignment masterfully. It showed, once again, that comics can play it straight and that switch casting can put some spice into the radio diet.
Back Seat Driver was produced three times on Suspense. The first two performances were with the Jordans. The final time it was presented was after the Suspense star system ended, when it starred Parley Baer and Vivi Janis.
Sally was married to Russ Thorson, who was also active in radio in San Francisco prior to their moving to Hollywood. It has not been determined if Russ is a different person than actor Russell Thorson of I Love a Mystery and numerous supporting TV roles through the 1970s. The research in newspapers and trade press and other resources implies they are different persons, but it is not definitive. Perhaps there is a classic radio researcher or enthusiast who can shed some light on this topic.
The title of the script is Back Seat Driver. Two words, “back” and “seat” is the proper way to spell the title. It is this way in all three of the scripts. Years later, as language adapted to more new words to describe cars, it became acceptable to have a compound noun, “backseat,” rather than a separate adjective and a noun. It is common nowadays to see this show’s title as “Backseat Driver.”
Many thanks to Paul McGehee at the Old Time Radio Researchers Group Facebook page who noted, with a news clipping, that the Jordan's son was robbed by two hitch-hikers on January 1, 1948. The pair took his wallet, $6 (equal to more than $75 in US$2024), and his car. Paul commented that this may have given the Jordans a special interest in the story.
At the end of the program, the cast teases the next Suspense story, De Mortuis. It is an adaptation of a John Collier short story of the same name. They mispronounce the name as “De Mortius,” transposing the “i” and the “u.” Because of the way it is consistently mispronounced in the closing announcements, it is likely transposed in the typed script. The phrase de mortuis means “of the dead.” The title comes from the Latin de mortuis nil nisi bonum, which literally means “Of the dead say nothing but good.” In everyday English it has become “Don't speak ill of the dead.”
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https://archive.org/details/TSP490203
THE CAST
JIM JORDAN (Detective Joe Charles), MARIAN JORDAN (Ellie Charles), Jack Edwards (Lloyd Matthews [alias Lewis Matrick]), Will Wright (Bill / Policeman), unknown (News Reader / Kennedy), unknown (Miranda), Paul Frees (Signature Voice)
COMMERCIAL: Bill Johnstone (Hap), Sylvia Simms (Operator), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer)
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