This is the third broadcast of this script, and stars Lloyd Bridges. He was already a Hollywood star, but that star would rise even more a year later, on television, with the successful syndicated series Sea Hunt. This Lawrence Goldman script was produced three times by three series producers (Spier, Lewis, and now Robson). It was first offered with Ray Milland. The second starred Harry Bartell.
A lawyer husband leaves home after an argument and starts driving to get his mind straight. He stops for a cup of coffee to cool that anger, and realizes he left his wallet at home. The chain of events after will cause him to vow never to forget his wallet again. He ends up arrested for vagrancy. The thugs in the police station jail cell think he’s a messenger for the local crime boss. The story has its surprises, and it is easy to understand why three different producers found reason to use the script.
1949 - Ray Milland
These links have background about the script and other items of interest:
https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/02/1949-09-08-chicken-feed.html
https://archive.org/details/TSP490908 is where recordings of that debut broadcast can be found.
1954 - Harry Bartell
These links have information about the second broadcast
https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/11/1954-10-07-chicken-feed.html
https://archive.org/details/TSP541007 is where recordings can be downloaded or streamed.
The program was recorded on Sunday, April 21, 1957. Rehearsal began at 1:00pm and ended at 6:30pm. Recording commenced at 6:30pm and was completed at 7:00pm.
There are two surviving recordings and the Armed Forces Radio Service one (AFRS#627) is the much better of the two. The network recording has narrow range and background noise, with edits of commercials and the closing theme.
This is the first of four appearances on the series by Lloyd Bridges. He acted on stage and in movies. Bridges was frequently in 1950s live TV drama, notably Tragedy in a Temporary Town, for which he earned an Emmy nomination https://youtu.be/PhgMjozKZNQ . He gained popular notoriety for his starring role in the syndicated TV series Sea Hunt. His WW2 experience in the Coast Guard, likely helped him land that role. Most of his career was quite serious, appearing on stage, in film, and on other television endeavors. Later in life, he took a turn at two memorable comedy roles. The first was in the aviation farce Airplane! and later in Seinfeld as health and exercise nut “Izzy Mandelbaum,” for which he earned his second Emmy nomination. Wikipedia has much more information about his career and personal life https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Bridges
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP570421
THE CAST
Lloyd Bridges (Ralph Clark), Amzie Strickland (Waitress / Mary), Betty Groebli (Operator), Ted de Corsia (Officer Brady), Lou Krugman (Pete), Jack Kruschen (Slim), Charlie Lung (Sergeant Ross), Lou Merrill (Phillips), Dick LeGrande (Jerry Diamond), George Walsh (Narrator)
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