Canadian actress Joy LaFleur stars in the second production of Celebration. In some aspects, it’s actually the first and only production of the original story. When the script was broadcast in 1948, a highly sanitized and improbable ending was written into the story. Pressure from Auto-Lite that caused that. They did not want a depressing story, especially one that has fatal violence inside an automobile. This time, however, Suspense has no sponsor to micromanage or usurp editorial decision-making. Robson presents the tale, based on a real-life news event of murder-suicide, the way it was written. It is a tough story of a wife in psychiatric care and having great difficulties there. Her husband cannot think of a day or hour without her. It leads to a visit where he arranged to take her out for a day to celebrate their wedding anniversary and be together one last happy time.
The production can be best appreciated by reviewing the supporting information about the 1948 broadcast. It details the original news event with names and locations. That information is at
https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/12/1948-09-23-celebration.html
https://archive.org/details/TSP480923 is also where the recording can be downloaded or streamed.
There are two surviving recordings, and the Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#629) is the better of the two. The network recording is likely an aircheck, has been edited, and has narrow range and background noise.
This was Joy LaFleur’s only appearance on Suspense. Sadly, she would pass away six months after this broadcast at age 43. Tests revealed her death was caused by barbiturates and alcohol poisoning. The highly regarded actress would sometimes be billed in the US as “Victoria Ward.” Her last two US television appearances were on The Millionaire and on Playhouse 90. That latter broadcast had the ominous title “So Soon to Die.” The true story of Celebration, this Playhouse 90 title, and her demise make for a strange confluence of facts.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP570505
THE CAST
Joy LaFleur (Emily Ward), Irene Tedrow (Mrs. Bertha Halleck), Shepard Menken (Tod Ward), Joe de Santis (Man / Waiter / Doctor), Jack Moyles (Parking attendant / Police Sergeant), George Walsh (Narrator)
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Many thanks to classic radio enthusiast and researcher John Barker who first brought the dissimilarities of the two broadcasts to our attention.
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