Dan Dailey returns to the show as a man with employment problems and an unhappy wife who wants some of the better things in life. The household tension leads him to agree to some relaxation time for a weekend to get away from their problems for a brief time. He thinks he’s on a fishing trip with friends, but the friends aren’t there. He realizes his wife and the captain are having an affair, intent on collecting his life insurance by staging an “accident” while at sea. His only hope is the first mate, but the captain has drugged him so he won’t resist his plan. Dailey’s character realizes he is alone. Since the staged “accident” did not work, things are about to take a more deadly turn. It’s a good story and Dailey delivers another fine performance.
The title comes from a late 1800s song that would later be characterized as a children’s song. It is best known for its chorus “Sailing, sailing, over the bounding main; For many a stormy wind shall blow, ere Jack comes home again!” “Bounding main” likely refers to heavy seas.
The story is by Gloria Elmore and Jimmy Barnett. Both were at the relative beginnings of their successful writing careers. Barnett wrote for radio and would later work for Warner Brothers developing some 1950s and 1960s programs as well as freelance writing some teleplays. Elmore’s television work in the 1950s and 1960s includes popular programs such as 77 Sunset Strip and Hawaiian Eye.
The script was adapted by Antony Ellis, his first credited appearance in any position on Suspense. Under Lewis, Ellis served in a position similar to what Robert Richards had under William Spier. Ellis was in his early 30s, and another multi-talented radio performer, with skills in writing and acting. He would become the producer of Suspense after Lewis left in 1954 and followed briefly by Norman Macdonnell. Ellis would produce one radio’s finest efforts in the late 1950s, Frontier Gentleman.
This episode was pre-recorded but the script does not indicate on which date. It started rehearsal at 6:30pm on whatever day that was and the drama was recorded from 10:30 to 11:00pm. The tease for the next broadcast, The Crowd, is played at the end of the broadcast. That episode was recorded on 1950-09-08, which may imply that this recording of Bounding Main was recorded before that date. That cannot be certain, however.
LISTEN
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mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP500914
THE CAST
DAN DAILEY (Marty Evans), William Conrad (Captain Moran), Tony Barrett (Ignacio), Georgia Ellis (Claire Evans), Joe Kearns (Signature Voice)
COMMERCIAL: Bert Holland (Hap), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer), Sylvia Simms (Operator)
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