1956-08-08 Double Identity

Vic Perrin stars as a payroll worker, George Lockman, who decides to keep some of that money for himself and fly off to Paris, never to be heard from again. It’s $50,000 that he grabs, almost $600,000 in US$2025 value. His plan, however, doesn’t stand up to the realities of life, as happenstance thwarts his actions at nearly every turn. He assumes the name “Robert Gelder,” and has a briefcase for the stolen money monogrammed with those initials. He boards a flight to New York but does not realize it stops in Chicago until an annoying and talkative older woman tells him. Panic starts to set in, but he realizes he has enough time in his plans that it can still work. While in the airport, he meets the big boss of the company, making him panic again. The boss is on a business trip; they converse and George thinks it will be okay as they go their separate ways. That is, until the boss is on the very same flight to New York! When they get off the plane there, the boss realizes George is carrying a briefcase that might not be his, because it has the initials “R.G.” He has to surrender the bag to the baggage office because the boss convinces the clerk that it’s incorrect and he should leave the case with the clerk for “Gelder” to show up. He and the boss head to a hotel in New York, and events turn badly there (not spoiling this or the ending, dear reader). George goes back to the airport retrieve the bag, but it was sent back to Chicago. Because the bag has the money, he flies back there and goes to the baggage clerk. He has no identification to prove he is “Gelder.” But that talkative old woman sees him, and vouches for him. The clerk is suspicious, so he pretends to call New York but actually calls airport security. As George leaves, security calls back that they want to stop him. They chase him into the parking lot, and there’s a surprise ending, and George utters a wisecrack that is the perfect ending to the story.

Conrad flubs a line after 18:25 when calling down to the hotel front desk: “This is Mr. Scraf…. Mr. Kraft speaking.”

The first of three Suspense scripts written by Allan Botzer. He was an announcer in the Pacific Northwest with KOL and KIRO in Seattle, and moved to Los Angeles. When WW2 began, he became one of AFRS’ first workers, dispatched to Guadalcanal in the South Pacific. After the war, he remained in Los Angeles and worked for CBS Radio and KNX. In addition to announcing, he wrote for Luke Slaughter of Tombstone, CBS Radio Workshop, and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560808

THE CAST

Vic Perrin (George Lockwood, aka Robert Gelder), William Conrad (J. T. Kraft), Paula Winslowe (Mrs. Lee), Charlotte Lawrence (Mrs. Crowley / Stewardess), Paul Dubov (Henry / Barney), Joe DuVal (Baker), Don Diamond (Airline attendant), Bill Lally (Luggage Clerk), Bill Justine (Security clerk), George Walsh (Narrator)

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1956-07-25 The Tramp

Ben Wright stars as a freshly hired first officer who, with other crewmembers, has a hijack plan for a tramp steamer run by an alcoholic captain who will be easy to remove from command once at sea. The Antony Ellis script was first aired on Escape on 1953-03-01. The hijackers were looking for an easy target for their for months, and they finally found the right combination of a ship that no one would really miss and an incompetent captain. They found it in Liverpool, and the captain is short on crew and will hire almost anybody, assisted by his poor judgment from his inebriation. The hijackers want to go to Dominica in the Caribbean. Once the ship is at sea, the captain eventually realizes that they are off course. The three men throw the cantankerous captain overboard, but one of the regular crewmembers saw what they did. Will they be able to keep the crew at bay or convince them to follow their plan?

That crewmember confronts the first officer, and says he told another member what he saw. They start to scuffle, but there is an explosion in the engine room that interrupts them. The ship has a hole in its side and they have to act quickly to save the ship with its pumps. They could not ask for help because if they did, word of the murder of the captain would lead to the arrest of the hijackers. It’s chaos on the seas of conflicting goals to save the ship, survive, and escape the law.

Not everyone finds nautical stories to be engaging, but this really gets going at the halfway mark and those noncongruent goals drive the plotline in interesting ways, and a satisfying conclusion. And, Joe Kearns is marvelous as the drunken captain.

The phrase “stone ginger” is used by Ben Wright’s character when he describes how well their plan is going. It is a slang term that means “a sure thing.” The name came from a successful New Zealand race horse in the early 1900s.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560725

THE CAST

Ben Wright (Arthur Jennings), Stan Jones (Seddon), Joe Kearns (Captain Blee), Charlie Lung (Winkle Jones), Raymond Lawrence (Bert Gowdy), Lou Krugman (Austin), Bill Sheppard (Underwood the Communications man), George Walsh (Narrator)

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1956-07-18 The Man Who Threw Acid

Had the news event that sparked the idea for this episode happened four or five years earlier, it would have been promoted as an episode “based on fact.” Antony Ellis changed the story, as was common for the series, but it was very clear what the impetus to write it was. It was a good production, with William Conrad as narrator, and Harry Bartell as a local political figure victimized by a young thug anxious to please the local crime boss, and to move up in the ranks of their operations. The story’s focus is exactly as the title says, the man who threw the acid, not on the victim. The real-life news story was focused on the victim, because the man who threw the acid, and those who ordered the hit, were not caught for months. The victim had national prominence, while in this script, the victim is a local figure.

The surviving recording is from the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS#873) and is in much better sound than what has been in circulation for many years.

The production is well done, and it does capture attention. The backstory of the broadcast, however, may be more interesting than the broadcast. The actual event was big news, and CBS’ decision to delay presenting this episode for 10 weeks from when it was first scheduled for broadcast, are a curious part of Suspense history.

A Spring 1956 real-life event inspired the production. It was a national news story, involving the FBI, the White House, and affected all workers who were union members for many years to come. On the evening of April 5, 1956, syndicated labor reporter and commentator Victor Riesel was leaving a popular restaurant, Lindy’s in Manhattan. A few hours earlier, he had appeared on a radio interview program about local union activities. A man came up to him and hurled sulfuric acid at his face. Riesel was injured badly; the assailant walked away. Riesel had been campaigning against corruption in labor unions as well as the activities of the Communist party in the US labor movement. Riesel’s commentary was always hard-hitting and straight to the point. His investigative activities made mob leaders very uncomfortable. At that time, he was assisting the US District Attorney in New York’s probe into labor racketeering. Riesel was held in very high esteem by rank and file workers as he was on their side while years of union corrupt practices were in the courts and in the news. He would sometimes act as an informant to the FBI. The attack on the high-profile Riesel, received nationwide coverage. The culprits were not apprehended until August.

Suspense announced a program for May 1, 1956, The Man Who Threw Acid, based on the incident, less than a month after it happened. Newspapers announced the episode, noting the tie-in with the Riesel story. It did not happen. The intended May 1 broadcast was replaced by The Waxwork. It is likely that CBS executives were uncomfortable with the story because Riesel’s attacker, and others who ordered it, were still at large. The lack of an arrest was in the news for weeks.

In the meantime, Riesel was recovering but would not regain his sight. The disfigurement was so bad that he decided to always wear dark glasses. His ability to “touch type” allowed him to continue to use a typewriter and continue his work. The producers of The Big Story, now a successful television program, decided to go ahead with a production about the Riesel incident despite the lack of an arrest. They made him the focus of the June 29, 1956 program. Show publicity said that “the veteran newsman will appear at the program’s end and tell of his continuing fight against the underworld.” The Big Story TV program was broadcast as scheduled. It included a filmed message from Vice President Richard Nixon. Riesel was portrayed in the drama by radio and television performer Larry Haines.

Both Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover were well-acquainted with Riesel. The FBI would often feed Riesel information and vice versa. One has to wonder if Riesel may not have been viewed with mistrust in entertainment circles as he would sometimes “out” celebrities for suspicion that they were involved in Communist activities or had sympathies toward them.

With The Big Story out of the way, it seems CBS decided it was safe to proceed with the episode. The broadcast of The Man Who Threw Acid was scheduled for July 11. Then it wasn’t. It was delayed again, replaced by Want Ad. We may never know the backroom machinations about settling on the final broadcast date of this episode.

Ellis had already “fictionalized” the story for the May broadcast, and likely did not make any major changes July one. He had changed the victim to a local political figure fighting the numbers racket. This is the description from the 1956-05-01 Syracuse NY Post-Standard:

[Suspense offers] The Man Who Threw Acid which parallels in several respects the recent attack in New York on labor writer Victor Riesel. Central figures in the drama are an assemblyman attempting to outlaw the numbers racket and a small time hoodlum who fails in an attempt to use the police to protect him from his racketeering pals.

The story continued to play out in the news, with the FBI identifying the assailant in August. The man was killed by mobsters, it was later learned, for asking for additional money after the hit. By the end of August, an underboss of the notorious Genovese crime family was arrested. By the end of October, other “family” members were arrested. It took until September 1957 for all of the legal proceedings to be completed.

Riesel continued to write his column until 1990. He was often a television panelist on news programs, and a commentator on New York’s WNEW-TV for many years.

Video of The Big Story episode is not available, but scripts of that series were re-used in a program called Deadline. When that series began in 1959, the Riesel story was the first episode https://archive.org/details/z101Victor. He was played by Larry Haines in that production, as well.

The Internet Archive has a kinescoped news program, Longines Chronoscope, from December 1951, almost five years before the attack. Riesel was a regular panelist. https://archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.95720

YouTube also has a few clips of Riesel’s commentaries from years later on WNEW.

Other Victor Riesel resources

• Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Riesel

• The Mob Museum website https://themobmuseum.org/blog/blinded-by-acid/

• Life Magazine September 10, 1956 has pictures or Riesel and the perpetrators of the crime https://archive.org/details/Life-1956-09-10-Vol-41-No-11/page/43/mode/1up

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560718

THE CAST

William Conrad (Narrator), Harry Bartell (Assemblyman), Tony Barrett (Steve), John Dehner (Boss), Larry Dobkin (Man 1), James Nusser (Man 2), Stacy Harris (Man 3), Charlotte Lawrence (Girl), Clayton Post (Harry), Lou Krugman (Lou), Vivi Janiss (Wife), Don Diamond (Cigar), George Walsh (Suspense Narrator)

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1956-07-11 Want Ad

Stacy Harris stars in the second broadcast of this E. Jack Neuman script about a cocky young man who makes a “business” of answering newspaper classified ads for furs. He schmoozes the sellers, and gets their cooperation in a false and flirty negotiation. Then he pulls a gun on them to grab the goods without paying. When one of those scams goes wrong, and husband of a target is killed, he has to go on the run. Using the want ads to buy the car he needs is the beginning of the unraveling of his terrible scheme.

The 1954 production was with Robert Cummings. Want ads have diminished greatly, replaced by eBay, Craigslist, and other services. Details about want ads, once the most profitable aspect of the newspaper business, are in the discussion of that first broadcast which can be found at

• https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/10/1954-01-25-want-ad.html

• https://archive.org/details/TSP540125 which is where the recordings for download or streaming can be found.

The surviving network recordings are all in satisfactory sound, but have wow and flutter at end of the broadcast. This does not affect the drama segments.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560711

THE CAST

Stacy Harris (Ralph Vernon), Mary Jane Croft (Wilma), Paula Winslowe (Liz Phelps), Joe Kearns (Frank Phelps), Virginia Gregg (Frances), Jack Moyles (Police Sergeant), Lou Krugman (Walter), George Walsh (Narrator)

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1956-07-03 The Music Lovers

This production of an Antony Ellis script was originally used on Pursuit for the broadcast of 1951-12-18 as Pursuit of the Musical Killers.

A British aircraft designer is tortured and murdered by foreign agents. One of the cowardly plotters is trapped by police, and the designer is found in the car, clinging to life. Before his last breath, he is able to answer some questions by blinking his eyes in response. His brief questioning provides important clues for Scotland Yard. The driver of the car is questioned at the scene, surrendering more information through some rough treatment by the inspector. He works in maintenance in an aircraft factory, and was recruited to get plans or help them otherwise with the kidnapping of the designer. He gives them information that leads them to the killers. They go to the house he told them about. They expected it to be vacant, but it was not. When they reach there, a party with chamber music performance is encountered. The refined party hosts and visitors are actually a ring of murderers and traitors. Careful questioning and inspection of the scene leads to the conclusion that this was the location of the torture of the designer. The members of the treasonous group seems to be larger than what was thought.

One of the treats of listening is Hans Conried as the driver who is threatened by the inspector.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560703

THE CAST

Ben Wright (Chief Inspector Hendon), Hans Conried (Harold Gibson), Richard Peel (Inspector Mallinson), Bill Sheppard (Detective Walsh), Irene Tedrow (Jenny Addison), Raymond Lawrence (Flint), Stan Jones (Leslie Addison), George Walsh (Narrator)

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1956-06-26 The Treasure Chest of Don Jose

Edgar Barrier stars in the second performance of this script by William N. Robson. The great grandson of a pirate thinks he has found the location of hidden treasure, and instead finds a corpse! When the story was first broadcast, the author was named as “Christopher Anthony” as Robson attempted to avoid problems with Auto-Lite and CBS over his listing in Red Channels. Just four months from this broadcast, he would be taking over the production duties for Suspense.

The first broadcast starred J. Carroll Naish. Details about that broadcast and how the story ties to the historical pirate Jose Gaspar and the geographical references in the script can be found at:

• https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/07/1952-02-04-treasure-chest-of-don-jose.html

• https://archive.org/details/TSP520204 has links to the recordings for streaming or download.

The program was recorded on Monday, June 11, 1956. Rehearsal began at 12:00pm and concluded at 5:30pm. Recording commenced at 5:30pm and concluded at 6:00pm.

The surviving recording is likely an edited Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) version. It has narrow range. Unfortunately, the sound quality may limit the appreciation of Barrier’s performance.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560626

THE CAST

Edgar Barrier (Gasper), Tony Barrett (Steve + Pedro), Charles Seel (Coffin), Joseph Kearns (Tris), Joe Cranston (Jeff), George Walsh (Narrator)

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1956-06-19 A Sleeping Draft

This nautical tale by Weston Martyr was produced three times by Antony Ellis, twice on Escape (1950-10-01 and 1953-04-05), and this time on Suspense. The story was adapted by Ellis, but for an unknown reason he was credited as “SA Bolt” for the 1953 production. Weston Martyr started at sea when he was a teenager. His travels took him to Africa, China, Taiwan, Japan, and the USA in various positions on land (mining) and in shipping. He started writing in the early 1920s, with this original short story (“A Sleeping Draught” as its proper British English spelling) appearing in a collection in the early 1930s (Not Without Dust and Heat) and published in the November 1937 of the UK edition of The Argosy. Ellis may have been familiar with his stories as a teenager and young man in his native Britain.

“A sleeping draft” is a drink taken before going to bed, intended to help one sleep. You don’t really understand how the title applies until the very last lines of the story when the captain complains that he can’t sleep, and therefore would be looking for such a beverage. The inability to sleep comes from the terrible things that have happened on board, and that he could not be trusted to keep a promise.

You know right from the beginning of the story there is nothing in this situation that can go well. Captain Godfrey (played by Ben Wright) has been hired to transport 400 prisoners from London to Australia. These men are not “choir boys” when it comes to behavior. But they are out at sea, and if they want to see land again, they have to cooperate… but that collaboration is not necessarily with the captain or the crew. Mr. Finch (Hans Conried) warns that Captain that there is not a single prisoner who can be trusted. (That sets up the ending of the story). It is obvious that the prison authorities in London want to send these prisoners halfway around the world so they never have to deal with them again. It’s when they get knives… and refuse to turn them in… and start stealing from each other that things start to get really bad. There is one prisoner, Abbey, who gets the Captain aside, and offers to help in exchange for a favor. The Captain has almost no choice, and pledges to let Abbey go when they get near the Australian coast so he will not be surrendered to authorities. Abbey does what he promises. He works to collect knives and bring some measure of control to the situation. But when they get to the coast, the Captain realizes that he gave Abbey the wrong signal to leave the ship, and that he will be caught in currents will make him drift out to sea. It turns out the Captain is the one who can’t be trusted. His error was not intentional, but it broke the promise to Abbey nonetheless. That broken promise sending Abbey to certain death will haunt him to the end of his days. You can hear him pour a drink, the sleeping draft, that you and he know will not work the way he wants.

The story fits the Escape format more than it does Suspense, but that was often the case during the Ellis period. While it is a good story, it is not a pleasant one, for sure. It is more rewarding if you know in advance what kind of story it will be. This is another episode that should not be the first Suspense episode heard by a new listener. If you are expecting a typical Suspense story, and realize that this is not one of them, will be disappointing. That expectation may not allow for appreciation of its fine performances or how relentless undercurrents of tension and claustrophobia permeate the entire production. The story lasts about 25 minutes or so, but it does effectively impart the constant danger of weeks and weeks at sea in enclosed spaces and its cargo of potential violence brewing in the minds of criminals considered too dangerous to house in their home city and country.

The program was recorded on Monday, June 4, 1956. Rehearsal began at 12:00pm and ended at 5:30pm. Recording commenced at 5:30pm and concluded at 6:00pm.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560619

THE CAST

Ben Wright (Captain Godfrey), Abraham Sofaer (Jonathan Abbey), Hans Conried (Finch), Eric Snowdon (Darling, the Mate), Charlie Lung (Wilks), Stan Jones (Voice / The Bos’n), Raymond Lawrence (Convict voice 2), George Walsh (Narrator)

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1956-06-12 A Matter of Timing

William Conrad and Stacy Harris star in a Ross Murray script where a man hires a hitman to kill his business partner. Conrad is marvelous as the gun for hire who is always asking questions, trying to get a clue as to the motive of the man who hires him and the habits of his target. As they work together to figure out the best time and place for the evil opportunity, something always seems to go wrong, frustrating the contract assassin. The title fits the changes in the expected events, and it’s the unexpected twists that create the biggest problems. The hitman wants specifics to ensure he completes his task and returns to his home at a time that fits the alibi he created. The right timing never happens. It is a very good episode with surprises to keep it so from beginning to end. Both Harris and Conrad are superb in their parts.

Some of the dialogue given to Conrad is marvelous, dripping with the unfeeling and calculating nature of his “job.” It almost makes you suspect that Murray somehow knows a little too much about assassin psychology:

• “I get paid to do a job, that’s all. It’s a living.”

• “I only do my work for money, not pleasure.”

• “I don’t worry, Mister. Either things happen or they don’t happen. That’s the way I live.”

• “I never kill anybody I know, in all my life.” “I can’t feel anything for a stranger. I haven’t got time for thinking about his life.”

Is Parley Baer’s character name of “Mark Callender” an inside joke? The title is “A Matter of Timing.” Is that name drawn from the phrase “mark your calendar”?

There is an interesting side item to this production. A CBS mailroom employee was “discovered” by Ellis and added to the cast. The 1956-06-12 Los Angeles Times described what happened:

There’s a saying that neither snow nor sleet stop the mailman—but with Robert Miller, a chance at acting turned the trick. He was making his routine rounds of the CBS-radio offices when he went by Producer-Director Tony Ellis’ desk. “Aren't you the fellow who acted on the last employees’ show?” inquired Ellis, who produces Suspense, Romance and CBS Radio Workshop. Miller admitted he had played the role of Death in “The Ballad of Mender McClure.” Ellis asked if he thought he could do the part of a lawyer. Miller jumped at the chance and that’s when the mail didn’t go through. Miller spent the next two hours getting his AFTRA acting card. He'll be doing his first professional part tonight in the Suspense show, KNX, 8:30pm.

It appears that this was Miller’s only documented radio role. RadioGoldindex has broadcast listings for a “Robert Miller” but upon examination it seems that multiple performers with the same “Robert Miller” are in that list. The time of this performance by this “Robert Miller” does not match up with the others. The play mentioned in the Times item, The Ballad of Mender McClure, was used on television’s General Electric Theater earlier in 1956 and starred Vincent Price. It was obviously turned into a stage play for the employee event.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560612

THE CAST

William Conrad (Buck, the Killer), Stacy Harris (Carl Longman), Parley Baer (Mark Callender), Virginia Gregg (Frances), Victor Rodman (Joshua Parker), Meliza Milo (Miss Bunner), Sam Edwards (First car thief), Ralph Reed (Second car thief), Robert Miller (Lawyer), George Walsh (Narrator)

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1956-06-05 The Twelfth Rose

This is another Charles B. Smith script and has a surprising ending that punishes a killer in a manner his narcissistic and manipulative personality would never have believed. Paula Winslowe stars with fine narration by Stacy Harris.

The story begins when police find the body of a young woman, strangled using florist wire. She received a dozen roses, but one of them was missing. It may have wire from that rose that was used to kill her. Police interview a cleaning woman who knew her. She said that the woman recently met someone. The maid suggested talking to a friend in the next building who confirmed that and remembered his name as “Carl Owens.” Police wondered if the killer who brought the roses to her and thought that tracking the sale would give a clue as to his identity and whereabouts. They are concerned that if news leaks out that the police are seeking the florist that the killer might want to harm her to be sure she is not able to give information to the investigators. The florist is visited by the next day. The original purchase was a cash transaction, so he needed to plant an alibi with an identity and purpose that would remove him from suspicion. He says his name is “Bill Johnson” and he bought the flowers for his hospitalized mother. He made sure to have a memorable conversation with her, and was semi-flirtatious as he talked to her. In the process, he learned her name, and could learn her address. The next day, there was an early-morning milk delivery at her apartment, but she did not notice that the bottle was tampered with. Owens tampered with it and poisoned the milk. (Mild cartons were not very secure in the 1950s, usually a glass bottle with a foil cap that could be easily removed and put back in place). When her cat came in, she put milk in a bowl. The feline was soon writhing in pain. A rush to the vet did not help; the cat was dead, poisoned. The police make progress in narrowing all of the Carl Owens in the phone book, but they don’t get very far. They visit the florist and she relates that “Mr. Johnson” bought roses for his sickly mother. They are suspicious of the transaction, but can really do nothing. Owens calls the florist and realizes she is fine and never consumed the tainted milk. He realizes he may have to take more direct action, and visits her. It is there that he realizes that this florist is someone he should never have tangled with...

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560605

THE CAST

Paula Winslowe (Helen Craig), Stacy Harris (Narrator), Virginia Gregg (Maid / Peggy), Don Diamond (Pete Clymore, the Detective), Eleanor Tanin (Nancy Wassel), Herbert Ellis (Lou, the Detective / Lt. Carver), Miriam Wolfe (Janet), Jack Carol (Dr. Michaels the Vet), Fred MacKaye (Carl Owens aka Bill Johnson), George Walsh (Suspense Narrator), Bill James (Cat)

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1956-05-29 The Flame

This is the second performance of a Richard-George Pedicini script about pyromania. It stars Tony Barrett as the arsonist who acts out of distorted sense of generosity and empathy. One of his quirks is that he draws pictures of the fires as he watches them burn.

Fear of fire and personal safety could rattle 1950s listeners. It is hard to imagine these many decades later that there was a time when there were no home smoke detectors, ubiquitous fire sprinkler systems in all types of structures, and that house fires were frequent stories in newspapers. Therefore, this story would be more terrifying than it would be today.

Details about the 1951 production with Cornel Wilde and further background about fire and pyromania can be found at:

• https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/06/1951-10-15-flame.html

• https://archive.org/details/TSP511015 has recordings that can be streamed or downloaded.

There are both network and Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) recordings. There is an exceptional network recording that, unfortunately, has disc skips at about 1:30. Prior network recordings were not available in such sound. Therefore, the copy with the skips is provided along with a repaired copy and marked as such. The repaired copy is the complete and preferred recording. The AFRS recording has very low quality.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560529

THE CAST

Tony Barrett (Andy), Alan Reed (Boyajan), Joyce McCluskey (Mary Lee), Jack Kruschen (Needles), Joe DuVal (Man), Herbert Ellis (Shapiro / Man 2), George Walsh (Narrator)

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1956-05-22 Fragile, Contents Death

Vic Perrin stars in the second production of an excellent John Suter script. A postmaster coordinates a tension-filled systematic search through the warehouses, trucks, mailboxes, and carrier packages for a package that holds a bomb set to detonate at 2:30pm. Suter was a highly respected mystery writer who toiled at the typewriter nights and weekends while a full-time chemist for duPont Company.

The notes about the 1951 broadcast with Paul Douglas have details about Suter and a 1949 incident that may have been a springboard for Suter’s concept. These resources are at:

• https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/05/1951-02-01-fragile-contents-death.html

• https://archive.org/details/TSP510201 has recordings that can be downloaded or streamed.

The punctuation of the title is as it appears on the script has a comma after “fragile,” and that was the format used in CBS publicity. The 1951 script used a colon after “fragile” and an em-dash between “contents” and “death.” Some of the confusion about the title, today, is a reflection of computer standards which reserve colons for operating system commands and addresses. Below is an image of the name on the script for the 1956 production.

There are two surviving recordings, with the network one as the better of the two. An Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#851) has slightly muddy sound but is still listenable.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560522

THE CAST

Victor Perrin (Doug Jordan), Vivi Janiss (Alice Jordan / Operator), Leonard Weinrib (Clerk Hartley), Helen Kleeb (Mrs. Bates), Herbert Ellis (Fox), Ted Bliss (Joe Stewart), John Larch (Ed Williams), Charles Seel (Voice / Sergeant Rock), Frank Gerstle (Driver), George Walsh (Narrator)

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1956-05-15 The Death Parade

This is the second production of a Shirley Gordon story adapted by Antony Ellis. Paula Winslowe plays the lead character who seeks to prevent a murder. That evil act will be hidden by the noise and crowd of a passing parade. Her good and innocent intentions to act on the information she accidentally found, however, may facilitate the crime rather than preventing it.

Gordon was a writer and editor of Radio-TV Life magazine and became a successful writer of radio and TV scripts. She later became a successful author of children’s books.

The original broadcast starred Agnes Moorehead. Details of that broadcast can be found at:

• https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/05/1951-02-15-death-parade.html

• https://archive.org/details/TSP510215 is where recordings can be streamed or downloaded.

The episode was recorded on Friday, April 27. 1956. The cast reported at 11:00am, had lunch break from 1:30 to 2:30, and continued rehearsal until 4:30. The recording was completed by 5:00pm.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560515

THE CAST

Paula Winslowe (Ellen Johnson), Stacy Harris (Police Lieutenant), Jack Kruschen (Man 1 / Janitor), Frank Gerstle (Man 2 / Sergeant Leonard), Clayton Post (Waiter) George Walsh (Kenneth the rude customer / Narrator), Virginia Eiler (Sheila Mannix), Howard McNear (Druggist), Helen Kleeb (Landlady), Jack Carol (Book Salesman)

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1956-05-08 The Phones Die First

The is the first of four Suspense scripts by former San Quentin convict Jules Maitland. The story is based on his own experience visiting Death Row inmates there. In this script, Harry Bartell stars as a death row inmate getting closer to execution. The events of that day for him, family, chaplain, and administration are followed as they await a decision from the governor about a delay or commutation of his sentence.

The title refers to the wait for that call from the governor’s office. If there is no call, the phone “died” before the inmate.

Maitland was in prison for forgery and passing bad checks. After his release, he became a somewhat noted screen and television writer of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was one of three San Quentin inmates who had scripts accepted for Suspense. The others were Edgar Scott Flohr and Elmer Parsons. It is not known if Flohr or Maitland knew each other. Flohr and Parsons did some writing together in and out of prison; their stories are somewhat unique. Maitland turned his life around, while Flohr and Parsons had great difficulties leaving criminal life behind.

Maitland’s success in radio, television, and movies came from his his acquaintance with two criminals: killer Donald Bashor and Caryl Chessman. Both men were executed in the gas chamber. Chessman's case was more newsworthy in that it raised questions about the death penalty because his execution was for a series of crimes that did not include murder.

After his release, he returned to the prison to record interviews with Bashor. They became a 3-hour radio documentary by Maitland, Judgment, that won a Writers Guild award. Those interviews would become the basis of a Playhouse 90 episode (Portrait of a Murderer with Tab Hunter https://archive.org/details/playhouse-90-portrait-of-a-murderer) and also a theatrical play (Pieces of Time).

As the years passed, Maitland found it more difficult to get scripting gigs. He developed a business writing eulogies for families and business executives to be that could be delivered by them, or about them, at funerals, religious services, and memorial events.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560508

THE CAST

Harry Bartell (Frank Bruner), Barney Phillips (“Cap” Bradley), William Justine (Sergeant Rowe), Tom McKee (Guard / Chaplain), Jack Kruschen (Whitey), Herb Ellis (Lucky / Lawyer), Richard Crenna (Kid), Eleanore Tanin (Ruth Bruner), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

1956-05-01 The Waxwork

This “one-man-show” of the famous A.M. Burrage short story is presented for a second time on the series. The first broadcast was in 1947, and it has an interesting history. It was originally planned to star Alfred Hitchcock! Wiser heads prevailed, and after many delays, the 1947-03-20 broadcast featured Claude Rains. That production is unfortunately missing; the only hope may be that an Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) recording might be found.

Nine years later, William Conrad has the opportunity to put his talents on display in a superb performance filled with action, subtlety, and nuance. What is most amazing about it is that the broadcast was done live in a period where there was growing reliance on tape recording. Listen to the recording and the music carefully. It is quite an achievement. The March 1959 production, however, would be pre-recorded.

The story is very basic; it’s the detailed descriptions of the scenes and conversations that make it special. A freelance newspaper writer is looking to get some attention by staying overnight, alone, at a famous wax museum. They have a special display of vicious murderers, named “Murderer’s Den.” Since they are wax figures, nothing can happen. One wax figure is just like another, and they are inanimate objects. The museum curator agrees, wanting the benefit of the publicity, with the reporter promising to “make it gruesome… with just a saving touch of humor.” For that, the owner will pay him 5 pounds; that would be $385 in US$2025. Overnight, the reporter’s mind runs away with him. He confronts a French serial killer, Dr. Bourdette, known for slashing his victim’s throats. He is convinced the Doctor and his attack, are real. There is only gruesome; there is no touch of humor. We learn in the closing narration that the reporter likely scared himself of fright, and was found expired the next day, with the waxwork of Dr. Bourdette looking on.

The production had virtually no publicity by CBS. The Waxwork may have been a fill-in production for The Man Who Threw Acid that was originally planned for this date. That episode, loosely based on the national news story of the vicious acid attack of prominent labor union reporter Victor Reisel, would be delayed multiple times. The attackers were still being hunted by the authorities, and it is likely that CBS attorneys were reluctant to give their permission for the broadcast. Because this was a second broadcast, the script and musical scores were already available. It is likely that Conrad was happy with the challenge the script offered.

The original short story was by A.M. Burrage and was adapted for the 1947 broadcast by Mel Dinelli. This performance by Conrad used the same script, but there were new edits and other changes to the Rains script when this broadcast is compared to that. There are multiple copies of the 1947 script at different stages of revision, and the Conrad production uses some of the text that was edited out in 1947 and some text was removed in 1956. Conrad also ad libs certain words and asides to make the dialogue flow more naturally.

This broadcast is also one where the superior use of music in Suspense is very evident. It is sometimes said that the orchestra should be considered a character in the story just like any other actor. Between Conrad’s performance and the music to intensify the emotion, this is an exceptional performance. The music is likely the very same arrangements used for the 1947 broadcast.

A.M. Burrage wrote in many different genres in the early 1900s, often under a pen name. When he wrote about his experiences in World War I, he used the name “Ex-Private X.” He was better known in these early years for his fiction work in history and romance, often targeted at teenage and young adults. The Waxwork was published in 1931 and has been featured in many ghost and horror anthologies. It was not until late in his career that he was best known for his works in these kinds of stories. Burrage passed away seven months after this broadcast, on December 18, 1956.

The story was produced on radio multiple times, Suspense three times, likely on Murder by Experts 1951-01-08 (has not been fully verified), on Lights Out, and Sleep No More. This story or an altered rendition of it was broadcast on the Suspense television series on 1952-09-16 as The Return of Dr. Bourdette. The story was offered on the Lights Out television series as well. A more polished presentation was in the fourth season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents on 1959-04-12.

In 1945, there were many newspaper references to Myrna Loy starring in a Suspense presentation of this story. This was changed to the Cornell Woolrich story, Library Book. It is not known if the Loy presentation was a mistake in CBS publicity or if it was actually under consideration. Now newspaper or trade publications indicated such casting was being planned.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560501

THE CAST

William Conrad (ALL PARTS: Raymond Hewson + Narrator + Wax Museum Manager + Dr. Burdette), George Walsh (Suspense Narrator), Roy Rowan (CBS Announcer)

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1956-04-17 The Seventh Letter

Stacy Harris stars as a police lieutenant in a Charles B. Smith story that seems like a murder story but is ultimately about suspicion and lack of trust between a husband and wife. The two plotlines become intertwined. The story plods along as many police procedurals do, but this story is so much more. What seems to be methodical and good police work falls apart. Facts are revealed that were never in the officer’s consideration as a theory of the murder, and the case is solved without (or despite) him. The suspect Harris’ character was certain was the killer turns out to be a false conjecture that rattles him, and badly so. The officer’s home life, biases, and habits blurred his ability to be a good investigator and a good husband. The wife’s uncomfortable relationship with him is dismissed, much like the “rest cure” suggested in Yellow Wallpaper and I Saw Myself Running. It’s a complex story with more undercurrents than expected, and worth attentive and uninterrupted listening. The bottom line is that the Harris’s authoritative character is myopic in his work and his family. He is revealed to be failure as an investigator and as a husband, but that’s never really an expectation developed in the plotline. This makes the surprise ending stronger than anticipated. Can he recover his career and his marriage? We’ll never know.

The crime that starts the episode is the murder of a postal delivery worker. He is killed in a quiet “picket fence” neighborhood, attacked in the middle of the night, with no witnesses. Everyone was home sleeping and heard nothing that stirred them.

The worker was respected among workers and friends, and no one can understand why he was killed. Six letters were found at the scene, and delivery addresses and return addresses were noted for five of them. One of them did not have a return address. Police and Post Office investigations identify the senders as potential suspects, but they really don’t lead anywhere.

A theory of the crime is developed that the person who killed the worker was trying to retrieve a letter they had mailed then regretted. That seventh letter must have had something worth making sure it would never be delivered. The sender waited near that neighborhood mailbox until the postal worker arrived on their rounds to empty it in the middle of the night. Various leads come together to eventually convince the lieutenant of the identity of the seventh letter’s writer, and identity of the killer. He heads home, and sees his son, who innocently asks if his father had seen his missing “scouting knife.” A Boy Scout knife had great use for being outdoors for hiking, fishing, and camping. The postal worker was attacked by knife. This casts suspicion on the officer’s wife because she had earlier said she did not know where the knife could be, and she went to the mailbox the evening before to mail a letter.

A line of dialogue sets up some of the story when Harris’ character says “Nobody is completely honest.” This was in conversation with another officer about how people follow the law because of fear of being caught, and not because they don’t consider breaking the law in certain circumstances. That line creates theories of the crime. His own lack of honesty, however, was one of the factors preventing him from considering a wider range of possibilities about the case. He was immediately suspicious of neighbors, including his wife, if they were seen anywhere near the mailbox whether they mailed a letter or not.

The story has a strong sense of Dragnet or The Line-Up in its opening scenes and subsequent dialogue. Baer’s character comments that the crime was in a “nice quiet neighborhood” and that’s followed with the Lieutenant’s retort they were looking for “a nice quiet killer.”

The wife, portrayed as nervous and unsettled, unhappy with her husband’s hours away from home with his job. At about 10:45 the dialogue comes to her “headaches” and soon mentions she was recently in a sanitarium. In the final scenes, she arrives home from a doctor appointment, saying says she received a new prescription for her nerves (21:35). This is part of a thematic parallel with I Saw Myself Running and Yellow Wallpaper. The story also includes Harris’ character slapping his wife, a disturbing part of the story, but a necessary story element that shows how far he and the marriage had fallen. There was a seventh letter in the story, and it was hers. She went to the mailbox, thought better of it, and never mailed it. She reads the letter to him… and he finally realizes, it is hoped, that his actions were what was sending their marriage into trouble.

There are two Greek history references in the script. The phrase “Seventh Letter” would have been a familiar one to those who studied classics or philosophy as the name of a work of Plato. There is no tie to the storyline beyond being a familiar phrase.

There is another Greek reference. A police sergeant (played by Baer) utters the postal service motto that starts with “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night…” He attributes it to a Greek historian. Those exact words come from a poem by Charles W. Eliot's The Letter revised at various times over the years, but the Greek origin is true, from a translation of Herodotus about the Persian Empire’s courier service. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Postal_Service_creed

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560417

THE CAST

Stacy Harris (Lieutenant Joseph Carter), Parley Baer (Sergeant Sol Morris), John Dehner (Narrator), Vic Perrin (Gillis / Larch), George Walsh (Suspense Narrator / Johnson), Vivi Janiss (Louise), Richard Beals (Bobby), Paula Winslowe (Margaret Richards), James Nusser (Police Inspector Lee)

###

1956-04-10 The Lonely Heart

Ben Wright stars in an Antony Ellis script that was originally used on Pursuit 1951-07-31 and bore the same title: Pursuit Of The Lonely Heart. A man is suspected of killing his wife, but the authorities can’t find her body. For two years, a Scotland Yard inspector labors with interviews and evidence gathering until he’s ready to confront the husband. That interrogation creates the framework for the story. The man (played so innocently by Joe Kearns) explains her disappearance after their falling away from each other, and that he knows she is alive, somewhere. The inspector, and his boss, are convinced of the husband’s guilt, but they can’t make an arrest until they find the body or extract a confession. The inspector persists in his investigation. The pieces come together when he learns of a baby and a skeleton sold to an artist’s studio!

The surviving copy is believed to be a home-recorded aircheck from an Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) station. The recording is listenable but has narrow range. No network copy has surfaced. The Pursuit production survives as an AFRS recording in slightly better sound, but also has narrow range.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560410

THE CAST

Ben Wright (Chief Inspector Finchley), Joe Kearns (Leech), Peter Gordon (Blaine), Richard Peel (Richard Cade), Ellen Morgan (Ada Willis), Raymond Lawrence (Harris), Herb Butterfield (Commissioner Palmer), Stanley Jones (Heath / Bob), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

1956-04-03 Game Hunt

Raymond Lawrence stars in a Gil Doud story about game hunters on African safari in Kenya. He plays an experienced hunting guide who is losing his desire for the occupation. The inexperienced hunter who hired him, shoots a lion on his own instead of waiting for instructions. He wounds the lion instead of killing it. That act put himself and the others in danger, because it is against the law to leave an animal wounded. Now they have to pursue the angry and injured lion, putting themselves in great danger as they must follow through the tall grasses of the plain. At one point, they fear the lion is actually hunting them. They end up surviving, and without the help of the cowardly hunter, who is given the “honor” of making the final shots to ensure its death. In the process, the hunting of the lion to collect a “trophy” is ruined, giving some strange justice that the man who injured the lion cannot display it in a false claim to be a triumphant game hunter. It is clear that the guide wants to be sure the hunter learns a valuable lesson and is discouraged from future hunts.

The story is dialogue-heavy with bursts of violent action. It mimics the situation of “lying in wait” when hunting. The pace of storytelling may not appeal to many listeners. It is a good story in the tradition of Escape more than it is of Suspense.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560403

THE CAST

Raymond Lawrence (Arcross), Joe Kearns (Babson), Jack Kruschen (Charlie), Stacy Harris (Narrator), George Walsh (Suspense Narrator)

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1956-03-27 The Murderess

Cathy Lewis stars in an Antony Ellis story about a woman who was never arrested or never admitted to a crime, and allowed someone else be convicted of a man’s murder. The execution was very newsworthy, and news reports counted down the hours and the background of the events. The drama follows the woman through the day of the execution and the conversations she was having. Her conscience finally breaks, and leads her to admit it was a wrongful conviction, and that she was the one who committed the murder of that woman’s husband. The production does not build tension as much as it does impatience with Lewis’ character as she decides whether or not she will confess, and if that confession will be made in time to save the life of the dead man’s wife.

This surviving episode at this time was recorded from an Armed Forces Radio station many years ago. It is likely from the 1980s because it sounds like it is edited down from AFRTS Adventure Theater or a similar program something like that. The closing AFRTS music can be heard, briefly, at the end of the recording. The Murderess is missing from many “pioneer” style collections which is an indication that this recording was not available at the time those collections were assembled. It is hoped that an AFRS or AFRTS disc surfaces at some time that will replace this current recording with a much better copy that will allow appreciation of Cathy Lewis’ performance. The production tape was likely re-used by CBS.

There are similarities to 1955-02-22 Waiting which was also written by Ellis. That had three women together as they wait for an execution, and waited for a conscience give into telling the truth.

The production was recorded on Friday, March 23, 1956. The cast assembled at 12:00pm for the rehearsal, music and announcing joined at 3:00pm leading to a dress rehearsal. The recording began at 5:30pm.

Amanda Randolph makes the first of her two appearances on Suspense. She had a long radio career that was overshadowed by her film and television work. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Randolph

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560327

THE CAST

Cathy Lewis (Marian), John Dehner (Narrator), Peter Leeds (Second Man in bar), Charlotte Lawrence (Time Operator), Jack Kruschen (News headline / Sam), George Walsh (Radio Column voice / Suspense narrator), Amanda Randolph (Laura), Virginia Gregg (Mother), Byron Kane (Man on phone / Police Officer), Benny Rubin (Benny), Stanley Jones (Max), Richard Beals (Newsboy)

###

1956-03-20 Gallardo

Vic Perrin stars as a prominent circus trapeze artist in an “infatuation-triangle” story that seems like it is headed to murder. The story is by Ann Doud. Some may find similarities to the Cornell Woolrich story If the Dead Could Talk that was presented on the series on 1949-01-20, and there definitely are. This story’s character dynamics are different, and the ending is not terminal, but tragic in a different way. Some of the story drags, but stick with it to the end. This is not an exciting race-against-time story, but tension slowly builds in a different way. Jealously leads to the consideration of a performance accident that would likely work to eliminate one of the men without creating criminal suspicion. An unexpected aspect of the performance creates a different outcome.

Twenty-four-year-old Eleanore Tanin plays “Feathers,” the love interest of both men, and she plays both of them into thinking she has feelings for each of them. Those feelings are about as shallow as a puddle, but the men think it is or could be as deep as an ocean. You actually feel sorry for them and want to yell at your speakers (or headphones) hoping they hear your warning (well, maybe some people did during the original 1955 broadcast). There’s more drama than there is action for much of the story, with lots of talking, but it does eventually get where it needs to be, resulting in an entertaining episode.

There are famous aerialists mentioned in the dialogue to convey how skilled the Gallardo act performers are. Both Alfredo Cordona and Antoinette Concello were known worldwide, and are members of the Circus Ring of Fame. Many circus fans listening to the broadcast would have heard of them before. Summaries of their careers (with pictures) are available:

• Codona https://www.circusringoffame.org/inductees/alfredo-codona/ and there is video available https://youtu.be/1kJHLWszqJM?si=MQvpWVSzarB_lw1f

• Concello https://www.circusringoffame.org/inductees/antoinette-concello/

The script is by Ann Doud, wife of writer Gil Doud. She was an actress and writer, and it seems most of her interest was stage acting and stage production. Gil died 18 months after this broadcast at age 43. There are not many references to Ann, but there is an IMDb entry for “Anne Doud” with an appearance in Wild, Wild, West.

There are two surviving recordings in very pleasing sound, but the network recording is cleaner with rich sound. The Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#575) is a very good recording with slightly narrower range and some disc noise.

There are a few Suspense episodes that involve circus life. Circuses were much more popular in the 1950s than they are in modern times, but they were at the beginning of a multi-decade decline because of television and broader accessibility of media and other events. These are the “circus” episodes of Suspense:

• Woolrich’s If the Dead Could Talk 1949-01-20 has similarities to Gallardo

• Six Feet Under 1950-04-13 involves a “buried alive” act

• Death Wish 1951-03-29 has a circus owner who kills suitors of a performer he is attracted to

• Carnival 1952-01-28 has a mechanical man actor who was a killer, and might do it again

• The Giant Of Thermopylae 1954-05-03 is where a mechanical man’s operator is found dead

• Flesh Peddler 1957-08-04 involves a circus ventriloquist

• The Big Dive 1960-08-07 is about a circus high-diver.

To hear the broadcast of If the Dead Could Talk or read about it, go to https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/01/1949-01-20-if-dead-could-talk.html or https://archive.org/details/TSP490120

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560320

THE CAST

Vic Perrin (Rudi Gallardo), Tony Barrett (Nicco), Eleanore Tanin (Feathers), Bill Justine (Ringmaster), Virginia Gregg (Princess Olga), George Walsh (Narrator)

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1956-03-13 The Groom of the Ladder

This is the second broadcast of the Antony Ellis script about Jack Ketch, a famous and grossly incompetent executioner in the 1670s. Hans Conried stars as this horrible man who would often take five or six blows with an axe to carry out a beheading. Wealthy families, or wealthy convicted prisoners, would slip him money to do the job quickly if a family member was being executed. Ketch was eventually convicted of theft. He was released from prison and died at the end of 1686. This production has him hanged in the same gallows he used, but that is legend and not fact. The real facts of history are more cruel and gruesome in describing the torture to his victims than this production portrays.

The original broadcast starred Charles Laughton, and it was not particularly good. The story was poorly set-up and Laughton’s portrayal occasionally seemed rushed and garbled. Conried’s performance is not as strong as usual because his rendition of a British accent is not as developed as his other voicings. (His Eastern European characterizations are more believable). In terms of both broadcasts, the story is not that good and the only suspense that remains is how it got on Suspense… twice.

Details about the original broadcast and the history of Jack Ketch and how the law finally stopped him can be found at

• https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/08/1952-09-22-jack-ketch.html

• https://archive.org/details/TSP520922 which is where the recordings can be downloaded or streamed.

There are two surviving recordings, the network broadcast and an Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#574). The AFRS recording is in excellent sound while the network recording has narrow range and is comparatively dull-sounding.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560313

THE CAST

Hans Conried (John Price, aka Jack Ketch), Ben Wright (William Hartley), Raymond Lawrence (Barkeeper), Richard Peel (Harry), Bill James (Jailkeeper), Doris Lloyd (Betty Price), Betty Harford (Elizabeth White), Stan Jones (Thomas Lovelace), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

1956-03-06 Quiet Night

Stacy Harris stars in a Charles B. Smith story about three prisoners who have escaped when they were released to help assist a scheduled small plane that crashed in the Everglades. It’s their chance to get away with some of goods and money that might be on the plane. Infighting and vicious revenge against the guards cause the ad hoc plan they had to fall apart into a surprise ending.

The story opens with Harris’ character setting the stage through narration. He plays Joe McGuire, one of a “road gang” of prisoners working near the Florida Everglades. He notes that every day he hears a plane at the same time, and they wonders who is on it and what is on the plane. One morning they don’t hear the plane. It crashed, and they have ideas about finding out what might be on it in terms of mail and currency that might be being sent from one bank to another (there was no electronic funds transfer at that time they way there is in modern times).

One of the prisoners recently got a letter from his his wife where she declares she wants a divorce so she can marry someone else since he has been away in prison for six years. Each prisoner has a personal incentive to escape. Joe is just tired of it all. Things are made worse when one of the prisoners kills a deputy, with an axe! Now they have to flee to escape certain punishment.

Quiet night? Almost the entire broadcast has sound effects of wildlife and other sounds, and the sloshing of walking in the swamp. They reach the plane, and start looking inside. They realize there is a young boy there, but his parents are dead. The others want to leave him to die, but Joe wants to stay because he believes the boy can be revived and survived if he gets the proper attention. What is the “quiet night,” then? Joe ends up trying to clear some trees so a helicopter can see the plane, him, and the boy. The night may be quiet for just a moment, but the real quiet night is the change of Joe McGuire’s heart as he makes a right decision to save the young victim of the crash. He had the restless heart of a criminal, but he is willing to save a life, and clearly face the consequences of his prior actions to do so. Perhaps he will have a quiet night when it is all over.

There is $1500 on the plane. That is about $17,500 in US$2025.

This is an involved and good story that requires close listening. There are many relationships and grudges and subtleties of the characters’ lives that feed their motivations. If this program is just playing in the background it is very likely an important fact or dialogue will be missed.

There are two surviving recordings of the broadcast, and the network one is the better of the two. A recently available Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#573) is in good sound with some minor disc noise.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560306

THE CAST

Stacy Harris (Joe McGuire), Helen Kleeb (Martha Upshaw), Herb Butterfield (Sheriff George Upshaw), Charlotte Lawrence (Hazel Bryar), Tony Barrett (Bert the Deputy), William Forrester (Harry Bryar), Joe Kearns (Fats Carver), Joe DuVal (Paul Jeffers), George Walsh (Radio Announcer / Narrator)

###

1956-02-28 The Diary of Captain Scott

This is the second broadcast of Gil Doud’s script based on the diaries of Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s 1912 failed march at the South Pole. None of them survived. Months later, bodies, supplies, Scott’s logs and the diaries of others were discovered after a search. The story as presented here is part history and part psychological drama. Delusions and disorientation are part of the story, springing from the team’s lonely shared experience. The broadcast stars Ben Wright, who had a supporting role in the first production.

The initial broadcast featured Herbert Marshall. Details about that episode and background about Scott and the expedition can be found at:

• https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/07/1952-04-21-diary-of-captain-scott.html

• https://archive.org/details/TSP520421 which is where the recordings can be streamed or downloaded.

There are two surviving recordings. The network broadcast is the better of the two. The Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#572) is in good sound but has some mild transcription clicks.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560228

THE CAST

Ben Wright (Captain Robert Scott), Ellen Morgan (Kate), Jay Novello (Evans), Richard Peel (Wilson), Raymond Lawrence (Bowers), Hans Conried (Titus Oates), George Walsh (Official Voice / Narrator)

###

1956-02-21 Hollywood Hostages

Eve McVeagh (playing “Grace”) and Tom Brown (“Tommy”) star in an odd story of two actors who are lost in a middle-of-nowhere abandoned town. They are on a location scouting trip for a new movie. Brown’s character thinks it’s all a practical joke by a director, Murphy, who has a long history of annoying him and testing his patience with jokes and stunts. But it is real: two bank robbers are using a decrepit building to take care of one of them who is injured. When Tommy sees a car with bullet holes, he doesn’t even consider it could be real. It’s a prop, in his mind, and he makes a joke that the bullet holes are for air conditioning. One of the criminals runs to their car and drives away. He thinks that’s a joke to strand them in the town. When they encounter the injured and unresponsive criminal, he thinks it’s play acting. When leaving the town to escape, the head of the robbers hides under a blanket in the back seat when they get to a police roadblock. He play acts and tells the officer they have not seen any of the criminals. Others involved in the bank heist have the money, and the still clueless man thinks that driving to them under gunpoint is part of the joke. After a shooting incident there, they find the money. The money “looks real,” but he attributes it to Murphy’s reputation for buying good props. Cops arrive, and he still thinks it’s all a show. When he realizes blood on an unresponsive hoodlum is not ketchup, but real, he collapses. And that’s your happy ending. They may have been hostages to the robbers, but Tommy is a hostage to his hatred of Murphy. That’s one of the meanings behind the title.

It’s a very predictable story. Its gimmick starts to wear thin fairly early, but it all ends before it gets really grating. If you have low expectations going in, it can be very amusing as it plays out. If you have high expectations for a good fast-moving high tension Suspense drama, it will be disappointing.

Cultural references in the dialogue:

• Conrad Hilton “buying the joint”: In 1954, Hilton bought the Statler Hotel for $111 million (about $1.6 billion in US$2025), which was the largest real estate deal “ever.”

• “Dreary looking spot, Charles Addams does the decoratioans”: The “Addams Family” cartoons in The New Yorker began appearing in 1938. Multiple collections of his cartoons were published in the 1950s and were very popular. It was not until the single panel cartoon was turned into a television show in the mid-1960s that the characters received names by Addams.

• Murphy’s ability to drag out jokes: The Rogers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! is mentioned for its long duration as similar to Murphy’s stringing jokes along. That Broadway show was extraordinarily successful, with over 2200 performances.

• The “Derby”: The original “Brown Derby” restaurant was on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, with a second location in Hollywood, and a later one in Beverly Hills. The restaurants became a hangout for entertainment figures. The original building was known for its shape, like a large domed hat.

• “I’ve seen more guns today than Gene Autry”: Gene Autry made 93 movies, mostly westerns. He had essentially stopped making movies by 1953. Autry remained widely known for decades later.

• Polaroid camera: Instant photography, first sold to the public in 1948, was a very big hit in the 1950s. Images were black and white. For this episode, location scouts would likely take Polaroid images to have immediate feedback for post-trip meetings. They would also take pictures with traditional cameras for finer detail and color. Those color images would take days to see unless they were delivered to a processing lab for quick turnaround for which a high fee was paid.

This was scriptwriter Jerry D. Lewis’ second series script. The first was Lost which was broadcast on 1954-10-14. Lewis was head writer for This is Your FBI in its early years and became a successful television writer, director, and producer. Neither of his Suspense scripts were particularly compelling. This particular one reworks significant story elements from This Is Your FBI 1951-08-31 Ghost Town.

There are two recordings, and both are in good sound and enjoyable listening. The network recording is the slightly better of the two. The Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#571) only has minor issues of disc noises like little clicks.

This episode was originally scheduled for 1955-11-08.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560221

THE CAST

Eve McVeagh (Grace), Tom Brown (Tommy), Don Diamond (Fred), Frank Gerstle (Tex Parker), John Larch (Police Officer), George Walsh (Narrator)

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1956-02-14 Listen, Young Lovers

This is the second broadcast of a story about a young couple fleeing the Iron Curtain. It was first broadcast for Memorial Day in 1954. This time it is on Valentine’s Day, and stars Sam Edwards and Charlotte Lawrence. The lovers have a suicide pact on if they don’t make it across the border. Their trip is 300 miles and has lots of dangers and disappointments. Robert Wagner and Mona Freeman were the original stars in this Morton Fine and David Friedkin script. It is very loosely based on a story, “Our Escape to Freedom,” from American Weekly. That was about a family with young children who was able to flee and eventually settle in the United States. There was no suicide pact in the real-life story.

The original broadcasts, background, changes to the original events for dramatic radio effect, and a PDF of the American Weekly can be found at

• https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/10/1954-05-31-listen-young-lovers.html

• https://archive.org/details/TSP540531 which has the recordings for download or streaming.

The production has a service announcement in support of Radio Free Europe.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP560214

THE CAST

Charlotte Lawrence (Milada), Sam Edwards (Jinrich), Joe Kearns (Stefan), Edit Angold (Woman), Herb Butterfield (Poppa [Farmer]), Lou Merrill (Radik), Joe Cranston (American Sergeant), Vic Perrin (Narrator), Frank Goss (Radio Free Czech [VOFC]), James Nusser (Man / Inquisitor soldier), Jack Kruschen (German / Corporal), Leonard Weinrib (Joe Nolan), George Walsh (Suspense Narrator)

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