This is the second Suspense “musical” and stars Dinah Shore. It follows the ballad of Frankie and Johnny that was based on an incident in St. Louis in 1899. Over the years, the details of that event as represented in the lyrics changed, seemingly at the whims of the performers. Script authors Morton Fine and David Friedkin shifted the locale to New Orleans. It's a good presentation but not as compelling as Suspense can sometimes be. Lost through these decades is how constant and large a radio presence Dinah Shore had, and it continued into the 1950s... and she was already a big star on television.
Dinah sings verses from the song about the ill-fated lovers, with the lyrics bridging the different scenes of the production. Frankie's man, Johnny, was doin’ her wrong. He was handsome (and knew it) but fickle (he didn’t think he was) jazz musician. He played for kicks in various backrooms, often without pay, so he was always asking for people to buy him a drink, or give him money for one. Frankie even bought Johnny a fancy $100 suit, and he was not of the mind to turn it down as being not necessary. What Frankie sees in him, nobody knows, especially when he left Frankie in a bar and he went off with Nellie Bly. That was too much for Frankie, so she went to a pawn shop and bought herself a gun.
It’s a sad story, and entertaining, and Dinah plays her part well, but it’s not Suspense. In Wreck of the Old 97 Robson and Lord kept up appearances by adding escaped criminals (who were not part of the actual event) to put some extra tension to the storyline. There are two more Suspense musicals to go… and Frankie and Johnny will be repeated in a few years… but it’s not a format that really clicks. Was Lewis grasping for a gimmick to keep listener interest up? Was he looking for a big star to garner some publicity and some new listeners? When Suspense had “novelty” appearances, such as with Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, they still found a storyline that fit the series’ broad tradition.
Regarding that $100 suit in 1899 (when this event actually occurred) and in 1952 (this broadcast) terms? It’s roughly $5000 in 1899 and just under $1200 in 1952 in US$2024. It’s likely the number was just plucked out of the air by Fine and Friedkin because it “sounded right” for a 1952 audience.
For background about the song, Wikipedia is a good resource https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_and_Johnny_(song)
To hear the song in the style that was popular, vaudevillian Frank Crumit recorded it in 1927. It can be heard at https://archive.org/details/AHighSilkHatAndAGoldTopWalkingCane1929FrankCrumit/FrankieAndJohnny1927FrankCrumit.mp3 It may be worth listening to the song prior to listening to the episode.
There are three different recordings of this episode:
a network broadcast recording
an aircheck that is missing its station ID; it is suspected to be from KNX Los Angeles
an Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) recording, likely released to its stations in the late 1970s or early 1980s
All of the recordings are listenable. The network recording will probably be preferred by most, but the aircheck recording has slightly fuller sound but is a little dull. The AFRTS recording has a narrower range.
This was Dinah Shore’s only appearance on Suspense. Getting her to appear on the series was a really big deal; it’s not like she needed the exposure. She was one of radio’s mainstay and most successful performers, headlining seven different radio series. Details are at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dinah_Shore_Show_(radio_program) She was also a guest on most all of the big radio variety series. Her long career, including her notable presence on television, has an overview at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinah_Shore
Searches of historical discographies of her recordings indicate that she never recorded a version of Frankie and Johnny for consumer release. It is not known if she performed the song in concerts or other appearances.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP520505
THE CAST
DINAH SHORE (Frankie), Lamont Johnson (Johnny), Alvina Temple (Nellie / Girl), Martha Wentworth (Willie), Sidney Miller (Tissot), Joe Kearns (Bartender / Cop), Roy Glenn (Jellycake), Harry Bartell (Cabbie), Jack Kruschen (Man), Larry Thor (Narrator)
COMMERCIAL: Tom Holland (Hap), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer), Sylvia Simms (Operator)
###
