This episode is the second time that this classic Ambrose Bierce story set in the Civil War is presented on Suspense. This broadcast stars Joseph Cotten.
The first broadcast starred Victor Jory. Details about that broadcast and background about the original short story are at:
https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2025/03/1956-12-09-occurrence-at-owl-creek.html
https://archive.org/details/TSP561209 and is where recordings can be downloaded and streamed.
The program was recorded on Thursday, December 12, 1957. Rehearsal began at 2:00pm and ended at 5:00pm. Recording began a that time, and with edits, ended at 7:00pm. Additional editing was done from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.
There are two surviving recordings of this episode, both from the Armed Forces Radio Service, AFRS#661 and AFRS#963. No network recording is known to survive. The two AFRS recordings can be identified by the announcements after Robson’s opening monologue:
AFRS#661: UN World Meteorological Organization
AFRS#963: Joe and Daphne Forsythe skit about US Savings Bonds
The better recording is AFRS#661, but the two programs are nearly equivalent and pleasing sound. AFRS#963 has a skip during the Forsythe skit. This is another circumstance where there were incomplete recordings and bad sounding heavily edited AFRS airchecks were circulating among classic radio enthusiasts for decades. Now, there are finally two good-sounding complete AFRS programs.
Program advertisers for the national broadcast included Kent cigarettes and Ex-Lax.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP571215
THE CAST
Joseph Cotten (Paton Farquar), Bill Conrad (Narrator), Ellen Morgan (Paton’s Wife), Harry Bartell (Corporal, alias Lt. Saltonstall / 2nd Soldier), Lou Merrill (Captain), Jack Kruschen (Sergeant), Roy Glenn (Jethro), George Walsh (Suspense Narrator)
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