This one of the most riveting Suspense broadcasts from an unexpected plotline. Air traffic controllers attempt to help an inexperienced private pilot who has lost his way, and is running out of fuel. He needs the help of the control tower to help counter his limited knowledge of the controls and his instruments. This story appeared in Atlantic Monthly in its October 1956 edition, and it was quickly adapted for Suspense. Robson knew a good story when he saw one. Because Suspense was an unsponsored sustaining program, he had great editorial freedom in script selection. He did not have to deal with the micromanagement of a sponsor or their agency. Would a sponsor approve this script without first trying to force it into a happy ending?
The story was by a pilot and experienced air traffic controller, Lowell D. Blanton. This appears to be his only published fiction writing. The story is exceptional, and won an O. Henry Award. A reviewer in the 1958-04-05 Toronto Star said “It’s a piece of suspense writing with no tricks, few adjectives and the authenticity of a documentary.” It was adapted by radio veteran Sam Pierce, who seems to have left it mostly intact. He did the required adjusting to fit the time slot and turn it into a script.
It is an amazing production that reproduces the constant noise and chatter of an airport control tower, contrasted with the quiet fear of a private pilot in trouble. Frank Lovejoy conveys the tension of the situation, but also portrays the matter-of-fact conversation and sense of authority that is necessary to keep the private pilot calm. If the controller conveys any sense of panic, the situation may get worse. It is one of Lovejoy’s greatest radio performances.
There are some listeners who haven’t liked this episode because they feel it has no ending. It certainly does. It’s obvious. (Spoiler alert) As listeners, were are spared of the sound of a panicked pilot before he crashes, and from imagining a grisly and awful scene accented by sound effects. You don’t have to hear that. It’s clear there was no other ending possible for the pilot who accepts his impending demise. Imagining the ending, unaided, of a lonely pilot unable to talk to anyone or talk or hold his loved ones a final time, makes the story more powerful and haunting. And guess what: the story takes place in the control tower. They can’t hear what’s next either.
Then there’s the creepier part of the story: after the pilot signs off, resigned to what will happen to him, the control tower goes silent, and then the sound and chatter slowly rises back to its usual level. It is a strange and unnerving listening experience. There are other pilots in the air, and the controllers have no choice but to guide them as usual. There is nothing they can do about the pilot in trouble any more. It’s disturbing they can move on in their work, setting aside their grief and anger and confusion, and temporarily move on. They have to let all that go until the end of their shifts when they can ponder what it all means and wonder if they could have done better, or create a better outcome. The incident may disturb them for the rest of their careers.
The original story is available at Atlantic Monthly’s site https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1956/10/the-long-night/642959/?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
This program was pre-recorded Thursday, November 15, 1956. Rehearsal began at 1:00pm and concluded at 6:30pm. Recording began at 6:30pm and ended at 7:00pm.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP561118
THE CAST
Frank Lovejoy (Ken), Stacy Harris (Mike / Pilot 1), Byron Kane (Beechcraft 457), Jack Kruschen (TWA 701 / Eddie), Kort Falkenberg (Delta [pilot 2]), Sam Pierce (Charlie, the voice of Rockford Radio), George Walsh (Narrator)
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