Tuesday, July 22, 2025

CBS Radio Decides to Move Suspense to New York


Broadcasting, 1959-06-29

CBS Radio is moving the origin of two network programs, Suspense and Johnny Dollar, from Hollywood to New York. The change is due to a greater manpower supply in the East, Lucian Davis, executive producer of network programs, Hollywood, explained. Virtually all the people employed on these programs are being relocated on other jobs at either CBS Radio or CBS Television, he said. Writers of both series, William N. Robson of Suspense, and Jack Johnstone of Johnny Dollar, will continue in Hollywood, sending the scripts East for production.

* * *

Variety, 1959-06-24

CBS Radio In Sweeping Coast Trim, Shakeup

Hollywood, June 23

An economic upheaval that will affect up to 20 staffers and send two dramatic half-hour shows packing for NY swept over KNX, the CBS Radio western flagship. Reason for the shakeup was attributed to more concentrated production in the east, where the net is better staffed to handle the shows.

Shows to be shipped east are Suspense and Johnny Dollar but their producer-writers, William N. Robson and Jack Johnstone, respectively, will remain here to continue the scripting. Both refused to move east with the shows. Shows still to be fed the network .from Hollywood are Have Gun -- Will Travel, Gunsmoke, Amos 'n' Andy Music Hall, Art Linkletter’s House Party, Pat Buttram and Rusty Draper. Reason the westerns aren’t moved east, according to a network spokesman, is that “they wouldn’t know how to do it.” The personalities have told the network execs they’d rather lose the shows than be moved to NY.

Engineers, announcers, clerical help and others associated with the shows to be moved will be relocated in other jobs, both in radio and TV, according to the network. No cutoff date for personnel cutback has been set by Lucian Davis, production head at the station, said enough of the moved shows would be recorded here to last through the summer.

No estimate of the saving was made at KNX but it is said to be in line, with a general overhauling at the web’s owned-and-operated stations, which, in the overall, may exceed $250,000 for the year. Understood that other network shows originated away from NY would fall under the sweeping edict.

###

NOTES:

  • $250,000 in US$2025 is approximately $2.75 million.
  • Suspense first NY broadcast was August 30, 1959.
  • Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar first NY broadcast was June 25, 1961

###

1959-06-14 Drive-In

Margaret Whiting stars in the third production of the Muriel Roy Bolton story that was adapted by Mel Dinelli. Whiting plays a “car-hop” who discovers she's in the company of killer after accepting a ride home from the restaurant where she's employed. He won’t let her out of his car. Nancy Kelly starred in the debut performance of the script, but it was Judy Garland’s appearance on the series in the 1946 production that received great attention.

1945 Nancy Kelly: These resources have background about the story and its author.

1946 Judy Garland: This was a highly publicized performance, and these resources have information about a rehearsal recording and the relationship of Garland and Kay Thompson that was very important in bringing her to the series and this particular script.

The program was pre-recorded. No copy of the script cover has been found, which means that the details of rehearsals and recording sessions are not available at this time.

Recordings of this episode are edited network broadcasts without commercial breaks and lack the Robson monologue. Unfortunately, there is no script for this production in the KNX Collection at the University of California at Santa Barbara. It is hoped that an Armed Forces Radio Service recording might be found in the future in better sound and with the Robson introduction.

The best surviving recording has narrow range and some other issues. It is a network recording because it has the original Suspense theme at its close and teases the next episode which features Frank and Joan Lovejoy.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590614

THE CAST

MARGARET WHITING (Mildred), Gale Lucas (Ruth), William Wintersole (Dr. Russell, alias The Man), Norm Alden (Highway Patrol Cop / Driver), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

Monday, July 21, 2025

1959-06-07 The Pit and the Pendulum

Raymond Burr stars in the fourth broadcast of this famous Edgar Allan Poe story about the Spanish Inquisition. It was adapted by John Dickson Carr for its original 1943 production. The first two broadcasts featured Broadway stars Henry Hull and Jose Ferrer. The third broadcast starred Vincent Price. Details and background of those productions can be found at:

1943 Henry Hull

1947 Jose Ferrer

1957 Vincent Price

The program was recorded on Wednesday, May 20, 1959. To allow for Burr’s obligations in the filming of Perry Mason episodes, rehearsal began at 7:30pm and continued to 10:00pm when recording began. That session included in-studio edits. Final production edits and music were added in the days that followed.

Two recordings have survived, and the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) recording is preferred for its better sound. It has not been in wide circulation. The surviving network recording is heavily edited and is in very good sound, an improvement compared to common network recordings. Its commercials have been edited out, but its network ID at the end is intact. Many other network recordings that circulated in the past did not have the Robson monologue, which this does.  

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590607

THE CAST

RAYMOND BURR (Jean Dálbret), Patricia Sills (Beatrice Valdez), Jay Novello (Pedro Espila the Grand Inquisitor), Ben Wright (Antonio the 2nd Inquistor / Clerk), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

Sunday, July 20, 2025

1959-05-31 The Man Who Would Be King

Dan O’Herlihy stars in the famous Rudyard Kipling story about two British rogues who pretend to be kings. The story was adapted by Les Crutchfield and produced on Escape twice before (1947-07-07 and 1948-08-01). It is a good and outlandish story with the old warning of “be careful what you ask for… you might just get it” as a series of dire unintended consequences of their actions soon follow.

Two men decide they want to pursue a life as kings, no matter how small their kingdoms, and manage to do so in a small country named Kafiristan. The story begins after their adventure has ended, with one of the men visiting a newspaper reporter they had known before they began their quest. It has been years since he saw him. The reporter does not recognize this terribly broken man whose clothes indicate a long and arduous journey. He’s prodded to tell the story of what happened since he last saw them. It starts out relatively benign, especially after they find out some of natives are freemasons, just like them! They do, however, have a higher degree of membership, and exert their additional knowledge of Masonic rituals and rules on them. Gradually, the two men allow their success in gaining their royal status go to their heads. It takes a bad turn when one decides to marry a young Kafir girl as his queen. That’s when things take a steep downside.

The very good surviving network recording is a copy of the network feed of the broadcast day. The end of the Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar program opens the recording, and the tease for this episode and the network ID can be heard. In some very quiet spots, the recording may seem to have some sounds that seem like some radio station drift. It’s actually “print-through” and is very, very minor. This is the best and fullest sounding recording of this production. Print-through is the unwanted transfer of magnetic signals from one layer of recording tape to another, resulting in pre-echo (before the recorded signal) or post-echo (after the recorded signal). It is typically a storage issue when tapes have not been used or rewound for long periods of time.

After Suspense, the recording includes CBS news analysis with Richard C. Hottelet, sponsored by Delco. Hottelet died in 2014 at 97 years old. He was the last surviving of “Murrow’s Boys,” the CBS journalists who covered World War II under the legendary leadership of Edward R. Murrow.

The program was pre-recorded. No copy of the script cover has been found, which means that the details of rehearsals and recording sessions are not available at this time.

Kafiristan sounds like a fictional place, and sometimes Kipling was accused of making it all up. It was real, but the area of land changed hands so often, had different names over the centuries, and documentation was sparse. Westerners had visited there as missionaries or on geographic expeditions since the 1600s. The area is currently known as the Nuristan Province of Afghanistan.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590531

THE CAST

DAN O’HERLIHY (Peachy Carnehan), Ben Wright (Daniel Dravot), Jay Novello (Billy Fish, the High Priest), Richard Peel (Kipling, the narrator), Lillian Buyeff (Roxanne), George Walsh (Suspense Narrator)

###

Saturday, July 19, 2025

1959-05-24 Spoils for Victor

Robert Horton stars in the second production of a “one-hit-wonder” script authored by a California high school chemistry teacher. The script was first used in May 1946 when Joseph Edward Hudock’s story outline and narrative was edited by Robert L. Richards. William Spier liked the script and used it on Philip Morris Playhouse on 1949-05-22. A recording of that broadcast is not available.

This was Hudock’s only broadcast radio script, and by the time 1959 came, he was still in California, still teaching, but he never supplied CBS with a new address. The network lost track of Hudock and ended up placing an ad in Variety asking for his whereabouts so they could mail him the check for this broadcast!

The plotline has a gangster falling in love with a rich heiress. His friends concoct a scheme where he will marry her, and she will soon (if all goes according to plan) lose her life so he can inherit her wealth and split it with his supposed pals. Problems arise when he realizes he really does love her. He wants to stop the plan from being completed but has to create a scheme of his own to save her life.

The first broadcast was on 1946-05-23 and starred Dane Clark. Details about the story and Hudock can be found at

The program was recorded on Wednesday, May 6, 1959. Rehearsal began at 1:00pm with recording starting at 3:30pm. The session, including in-studio edits, ended at 5:00pm, and was followed by production edits from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.

A complete Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) recording in fine sound is now available after many years suffering with heavily edited poor-sounding recordings. The network broadcast is still missing.

The network broadcast had four ad slots. Three were assigned by the time of broadcast for Longines-Wittnauer watches, Mutual Benefit insurance, and Pepsi-Cola. The fourth was allocated before broadcast.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590524

THE CAST

ROBERT HORTON (Vic), Georgia Ellis (Helen), Joan Banks (Maid), Berry Kroeger (Barney), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

Friday, July 18, 2025

1959-05-17 Friend of Daddy's

Frank Lovejoy stars as a troubled Korean War veteran in a psychological drama by William N. Robson. It is an unsettling story. Lovejoy’s character, Butch, is starting his life again after being in and out of government hospitals. He goes looking for a friend from the Army days, Pete, and finally is in the neighborhood. Butch goes up to the house, and sees a boy playing cowboy with toy guns in the yard. When he learns the boy’s name is “Butch,” he knows he is in the right place. He goes up to the home and meets Pete’s wife, Louise. After some time together that evening, Pete invites him to live with him and his family. He means to be generous, but Butch’s behavior is unsettling to his wife. Her instincts are correct: it doesn’t go well. He ends up as a menace to Louise, practically stalking her in their own house, making unwanted advances to touch her and especially her hair. Pete asks Butch to leave, which he does, but he seems to have taking the wife’s hairbrush with him. Some time passes, and Butch makes an unexpected and disturbing visit to the house while Pete is at work. He demands that Louise let down her hair and start brushing it, desiring to touch it, with things escalating to his choking her. Luckily, their little son interrupts and Butch collapses, ending the danger. We don’t normally hear Lovejoy playing characters with such despicable behavior, and he succeeds in making Butch creepy with a sense of looming violence.

The ending of the story is set up at about 2:30 in the AFRS recording when the two “Butches” meet.

The program was recorded on Wednesday, April 22, 1959. Rehearsal began at 2:00pm with recording commencing at 4:30pm. With in-studio edits, the session ended at 6:00pm, and additional production edits were made, concluding at 8:00pm.

Originally planned for broadcast on May 10, 1959, but was replaced by On a Country Road with Ida Lupino and Howard Duff. The working title of this script was “Friend of the Family.”

There are two surviving recordings. The Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) recording is the superior of the two. The network recording is heavily edited, is missing Robson’s monologue, does retain commercials, but is in very low quality sound with noise and narrow range. Some network recordings in circulation had a patched show opening. For many years, only that network recording was available. Now Lovejoy’s performance, and its subtle nature, can be fully appreciated.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590517

THE CAST

FRANK LOVEJOY (Butch Bailey), Dick Beals (Butch Carson), Cathy Lewis (Louise Carson), Bill Quinn (Pete Carson), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

Thursday, July 17, 2025

1959-05-10 On a Country Road

Ida Lupino and Howard Duff star in the fourth production of a series favorite episode by Walter Bazar. The CBS television comedy series in which they starred, Mr. Adams and Eve, had been off the air for about a year after 66 episodes. At the time of this production they were in between various projects in movies, but were mainly appearing on television. A week after this broadcast, Duff would appear on the Burns and Allen show. Lupino would star in a Twilight Zone episode later in the year.

The prior three productions are listed below. The first broadcast summary has details about the script, author Walter Bazar, and the television production.

1950-11-16 Cary Grant

1954-01-14 Frank Lovejoy and Joan Banks

1954-12-09 Harry Bartell and Virginia Gregg

The program was recorded on Thursday, May 7, 1959. Rehearsal began at 2:00pm with recording commencing at 4:30pm. With in-studio edits, the session ended at 6:00pm. Additional production edits were made and concluded by 8:00pm.

There is one surviving recording, a fine sounding Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) recording. It is complete, and may be new to many collectors. For decades, the only recordings available were heavily edited and in poor sound.

Two of the four ad spots of the network broadcast were taken at the time of recording. They were for Longines-Whittnauer watches and Pepsi-Cola. The other two spots were allocated before broadcast.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590510

THE CAST

IDA LUPINO (Dorothy), HOWARD DUFF (David), Jeanette Nolan (The Woman [Nellie]), Norm Alden (Policeman / Announcer), George Walsh (Narrator / newscaster)

###

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

1959-05-03 The Amateur

Jackie Cooper portrays a young man who witnesses a hit-and-run accident. He doesn’t plan to do anything about it. When he is identified as the sole witness in a newspaper report, and finds a license plate with what is likely the victim’s blood on it, he has a choice. Does he go to the police with it? Or, does he, with a little encouragement from one of his neighborhood cronies, to try a little blackmail. He decides to turn the plate over to the driver in exchange for money to keep his mouth shut. It doesn’t work out that way. He soon gets in over his head, and it’s not the license plate that is wanted, but the supply of heroin that was in the car that is suddenly missing. He had no idea, but the gangsters don’t believe him. It’s a basic B-movie style story that fits into the traditional Suspense mold. The script by Robert Juhren won’t be in the top Suspense broadcasts, but it is very entertaining with some light moments that maintain engagement to the end. Cooper delivers a fine performance.

The story is assumed to be in a state, likely New York in this case, that requires cars to have a front license plate. As of this writing, 29 states require front and rear plates, and 21 require only a rear plate.

No recording information is available at this time; no script for this episode has been located.

The surviving recording is an excellent network broadcast.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590503

THE CAST

JACKIE COOPER (Jerry), Tommy Cook (Boots), Peter Leeds (Edward Keller), Berry Kroeger (Giacomo / Cop), Norm Alden (Neighbor / Henchman), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

1959-04-26 Deep, Deep Is My Love

Lloyd Bridges stars in a Hank Searls story about a diver addicted to the effects of nitrogen narcosis. He so enjoys the narcotic effects of his deep dives and its hallucinations (though he believes they are real). He develops a compulsion to dive alone for the exhilaration and false joy of the experience. His wife suspects something is wrong when he refuses to have her accompany him on a dive. She’s right, but would never suspect he was in search of a mermaid… and that mermaid talks to him. The selfish desire to see her and hear her voice puts him and others in great danger. The story follows the pattern of many addiction stories where a character denies what they are doing, hides it from others, and finds it impossible refrain from self-harming behavior.

Bridges was in his second season of the popular television series Sea Hunt. In a sense, this story was casting against type. His character in the series, Mike Nelson, was a skilled and level-headed diver, hired to carry out dangerous missions, and a long track record of success. In this Suspense episode, however, his character is quite the opposite. He might be skilled at diving, but he lacks judgment about safety and awareness of risks to others.

This is a curious and unique Suspense episode, not one that would be picked to introduce the series or radio drama to a new listener because it is so different. It is well done, with a surprise ending that you only realize at the end that it shouldn’t have been a surprise at all.

The program was recorded on Wednesday, April 8, 1959. Rehearsal began at 2:30pm with recording starting at 4:30pm. Including in-studio edits, the session ended at 6:00pm. Production edits continued to 8:00pm.

There are two primary recordings of this episode that have survived. The Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) recording is the better one and is complete. This recording is likely new to most collectors. There have been many edited recordings that have survived, many of the likely drawn from AFRS disc transfers, airchecks from Armed Forces Radio broadcasts, and network broadcasts. A network recording exists that has had its commercials edited out, very poorly, and the sound of the first ad spot for Longines-Whittnauer watches can be heard, even for a split second. (Those ads were by KCBS announcer Frank Knight, a well-known voice for radio, voice-overs, and advertising; he was also a pioneer collector in the hobby of collecting radio programs). The recording includes the station ID of WBEN of Buffalo, New York, at the end.

The other ad spot was for Pepsi. There were two additional spots that were allocated before broadcast.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590426

THE CAST

LLOYD BRIDGES (Don), Tracy Roberts (Girl), Mari Lynn (Joyce), Bill Quinn (George), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

Monday, July 14, 2025

1959-04-19 See How He Runs

Jim Backus stars in a George Bamber story as “Poppy,” the blind owner of a city sidewalk newsstand. He seems innocent enough, but we gradually learn that he has a criminal past, is selling “the numbers” from the stand in cooperation with a local crime syndicate. At the beginning of the episode a mobster leaves the newsstand and while walking away, Poppy tells him he left his umbrella at the stand. The man stops and tells Poppy he never uses an umbrella. That gives mobsters a clear shot at their rival and he is gunned down. Poppy is called in for questioning by the police, but he won’t give them any details about mob activities no matter how they threaten or coerce him. The syndicate, however, now fears that Poppy knows too much, and may have given information to the police. They try to eliminate him. He manages to evade their attempts and starts to figure their next steps. He thinks he has them outsmarted, but he only ends up outsmarting himself.

Backus’ career was hot at this time, and he was considered a “was recently described as a ”seven-threat man” because he was a headliner in radio (playing “Hubert Updyke III, the richest man in the world”) on the Alan Young Show, was on television in series such as I Married Joan, film, night clubs, stage performances, a writer of screenplay concepts, recording artist, and was still riding the popularity of the Mr. Magoo animation series that started in 1949.

The program was recorded on Wednesday, April 1, 1959. Rehearsal began at 2:00pm. Recording started at 4:30pm and, including in-studio edits, concluded at 6:00pm. Production edits continued until 8:00pm.

There is one surviving recording and it is from the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS#1020). It is complete and is in fine sound. Prior circulating recordings were heavily edited airchecks with background noise and other problems.

This was the third script by George Bamber for the series. He adapted this script five years later for the ABC Radio series Theatre 5 and changed the title to “Blind Man's Bluff.”

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590419

THE CAST

JIM BACKUS (Poppy), Gail Bonney (Mrs. Wells the Landlady), Norm Alden (Ed Barker / 1st hood), Lou Krugman (Carl Raber), Barney Phillips (Al Street), Dick Beals (Bobby), Sam Pierce (2nd hood), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

Sunday, July 13, 2025

1959-04-12 Too Hot to Live

The final appearance of Van Heflin is in the third performance of an excellent Sam Rolfe script. Heflin plays an unemployed drifter who inadvertently finds himself in a strange town and ends up accused of murder. The police are after him, and he has to escape their pursuit in his bare feet, and find the real killer, too.

1950-10-26 Richard Widmark – these resources have further background about the script and Rolfe

1954-06-29 Sam Edwards

The program was recorded on March 25, 1959. Rehearsal began at 2:00pm and recording began at 4:30pm, including in-studio edits. The session ended at 6:00pm and production editing continued until 8:00pm.

Two recordings have survived, and both are network broadcast airchecks. The better sound recording is from WROW of Albany, New York. The other recording is an aircheck from a different station. It has the CBS network tease for upcoming programs, which is lacking in the other recording, and is in lower quality sound. It is not known what station it was recorded from.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590412

THE CAST

VAN HEFLIN (Jefferson Casey), Doris Singleton (Rachael), Berry Kroeger (Benjamin Maxwell), Charles Seel (Pop Clovis), Barney Phillips (Kenny), Norm Alden (Stranger / Driver), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

Saturday, July 12, 2025

1959-03-29 John Barbey and Son

John McIntire stars in this second broadcast of Mel Dinelli’s script. He plays a widowed father going on the run as he attempts to prevent his developmentally challenged son from being institutionalized. The situation started to snowball when the son accidentally killed a neighbor’s cat. His father decides to sneak away and prevent the son’s removal from his care. The father and son move from place to place and then the story comes to a strange and surprising ending. Once you hear the ending, you start to realize that the son’s removal may be to get him away from the father because it is the father who is dangerous and not the son.

The original broadcast starred Thomas Mitchell, one of the few performers to win an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Grammy. He is one of two who appeared on Suspense. The other is Ellen Burstyn, who appeared in the series as Ellen McRae.

Details about the first broadcast are at

The program was recorded on Wednesday, March 18, 1959. Rehearsal began at 2:00pm with recording commencing at 4:30, which also included in-studio edits. Production edits were made between 6:00pm and 8:00pm.

There are two surviving recordings are both complete and are roughly the equivalent in their overall pleasing sound quality. The network recording is preferred because it was how it was first broadcast. The Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) recording is also a fine choice for listening.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590329

THE CAST

JOHN McINTIRE (John Barbey, alias Wilson), Ellen Morgan (Miss White), Karl Swenson (Mr. Wilk / Frank), Sam Pierce (Clerk), Jack Kruschen (Truckdriver / Detective Bowen), George Walsh (Narrator)

Likely to ensure the story fit into the broadcast time allotment, two parts were edited out of the script, “Woman” and “Carl.” The new role of “Truckdriver” was added to Jack Kruschen’s assignment.

###

Friday, July 11, 2025

1959-03-22 Script by Mark Brady

Marie Windsor stars in a curiously-constructed script by Celeste Bollas and William N. Robson. She plays the wife, Mary, part of a love and jealousy triangle. Vic Perrin plays Mark Brady, a writer who believes Mary is being unfaithful. He decides to kill her and her lover by first writing about it in a screenplay. Jason, played by Ben Wright, is the man in the middle of the strange situation.

What makes the story so interesting in its construction is that the first act is told by Mark Brady. The second act is told from the perspective of Mary. The third act is from the perspective of Jason. As the acts pass, we learn more and more about the people, the relationships, and the murder plot. This is one of those productions that are worth making sure listening will not be interrupted or distracted to make sure all of the details are understood as they are revealed.

Act One, as told by Mark, ends with a gunshot, but we don’t know what happened. Act Two, as told by Mary, ends with us learning something about the gun. Act Three, told by Jason, has us understand more about the murder plot, and how the story ends as the script by Mark Brady is finally completed.

The program was recorded on Wednesday, March 11, 1959. Rehearsal began at 2:00pm with recording beginning at 4:30pm and included in-studio edits. The session ended at 6:00pm after which production edits continued to 8:00pm. Music was added at a later time.

It is not clear who Celeste Bollas, co-author of this script was. It is certain that she was not a scripter by profession because she does not appear in any of the data bases where one would find such a practitioner. Nor does she appear in any of the trade publications. Where she does appear, however, is in local theater in the Los Angeles area, notably in productions of the Laguna Beach Playhouse. Her co-authorship with Robson may be from the submission of a story idea and outline that Robson shaped into script format. If all of this is true, she would be another of the series’ “one-hit-wonder” authors whose only radio work was this very production.

At the Old Time Radio Researchers Facebook Group, classic radio enthusiast and professional actor Craig Wichman noted that the style of the presentation by each of the characters is similar to the original text version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. There, each of the main characters tells of their experiences in their own style of speaking and from numerous sources such as recordings, newspaper clippings, and others.

This was Marie Windsor’s only Suspense appearance. She was best known for her roles in B-movies and film noir, but she had a very long, varied and successful career, and even wrote some gags for Jack Benny early in her career. Wikipedia has background about her and her career https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Windsor

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590322

THE CAST

MARIE WINDSOR (Mary), Vic Perrin (Mark), Ben Wright (Jason), Sam Pierce (Police Sergeant), George Walsh (Narrator)

Berry Kroeger was originally cast as “Jason,” but was replaced by Ben Wright.

* * *

These are publicity pictures of the rehearsal and one with Robson and Windsor taken to promote this episode.

It is not clear why Christopher Robson was in the picture, but he was obviously at CBS that day. His father used his name as the pseudonym “Christopher Anthony” when he was having CBS Blacklist issues. Anthony was his younger brother.

The woman on the left is likely Celeste Bollas, co author of the script. It could be the script secretary Grace Curcio. Pictures of either of them have not been found for verification.

Windsor was tall, 5 foot 9 inches, and often had trouble matching up on screen with leading men of shorter stature. That may be one of the reasons for her sitting in the picture. Robson was 5 foot 11 inches, according to his draft registration, and in contrast, Robson may have looked “short” in relative terms. Most of the pictures published of Robson are from the 1940s as a younger man. He is 53 in this picture. Windsor was 40 at the time of the photo.

[Many thanks to John Schneider of the website www.theradiohistorian.org who found the publicity photos in his research materials.]

###

Thursday, July 10, 2025

1959-03-15 Death in Box Two-Thirty-Four

Frank Lovejoy offers another excellent performance, this time as a larceny-minded bank clerk named “Harry.” He has planned a foolproof way to rob an old man’s safe deposit box. His victim is a wealthy customer who owns a pet shop, Mr. Jensen, who doesn’t trust banks. His pets are his best friends, and he has been storing money in a bird cage. He explains it’s been safe since it was hiding in plain sight. Because of many neighborhood stick-ups, he has finally decided that a bank safe deposit box might be a good idea. He deposits a significant amount of cash, nothing smaller than a $100 bill, in box 234 that Harry assigned to him. Harry has a plan, and part of it is to take box 233. He knows he needs an accomplice from outside the bank to help him pull it off. He hires someone, Gil, to visit the bank regularly to deposit a small amount in the safe deposit box above the shop owner, number 233. After a while, Mr. Jensen says that he is finished with the deposits. Harry cynically tells Jensen he will take care of the money as if it was his own. The regular guard, George, is an alcoholic, and Harry spikes the drink in his thermos to get him out of the way for the day. Jensen comes in, looking strange and bandaged, after being bitten by his favorite bird in the store, and important part of the story. Jensen is in to count his money, yet again, and he is always pleased that it is exactly as he left it. The day has come for the plan to be implemented, and Gil comes in, is given the key for box 234, puts the money into an envelope. At the counter, Harry takes the key and the envelope, and then carefully gives Gil the envelope with $1,000 from Harry for his service. Gil would later get the money he deposited in box 233. The story should be over by then, with Harry able to get away with Jensen’s money. There’s a surprise ending that Harry, and listeners, were not expecting.

There are many times when dollar denominations are mentioned. As of the beginning of 2025, a US dollar in 1959 was worth 11 times what a dollar is worth at this time. The money deposited by Jensen is more than $1 million in US$2025.

The author is identified as “Don Hahne,” but no information about him is available. It could be a “one-hit-wonder” writer or a pseudonym. The name, and various possible spellings of it, do not appear in any periodical, movie, television, radio program data bases, trade magazines, or newspapers in proper time or context. Genealogy sites were also consulted.

The box number is really not all that important to the story. But since most listeners did not have safe deposit boxes, something that “the rich people” had, it added a little extra mystery to the story.

The program was recorded on Thursday, March 5, 1959. Rehearsal began at 1:00pm and recording commenced at 3:30pm. Including in-studio edits, the session concluded at 5:00pm. Further production edits were done and ended at 7:00pm. Music was added at an unspecified date and time.

The surviving recording is a network aircheck with narrow range. The recording is very listenable, and the copy posted here is better than the usual ones in circulation. It does not have the background noise or background whistle common in most of the circulating recordings. The ending announcements and music are clipped. It is hoped that an Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) transcription might be found to hear this production, and especially Lovejoy’s fine performance, in much better sound.

The script title is in complete words, but the CBS publicity used numbers. Scripts were written in a manner to make sure titles or names were pronounced by announcers, narrators, and performers in the way the writer and others desired. The best example is for a different series, The Big Story. The sponsor of the series was Pall Mall cigarettes, but the pronunciation of the name in a particular British English dialect was “pell mell” and was not to sound phonetically like “paul maul.” Therefore, all of the scripts used the phonetic spelling “Pell Mell” in capital letters to virtually eliminate mispronunciation. In the case of this Suspense script, they wanted the number sequence 2-3-4 pronounced consistently as “two thirty four” and not “two hundred thirty-four” or “two hundred and thirty-four” or “two-three-four.” Pronunciation is one thing, readability and editorial space in a newspaper is another. CBS publicity releases to the papers just used the number “234.” Had they spelled the number out as in the script, newspaper editors for radio listings and timetables would have changed it to the numerals for space considerations.

Spoiler alert: The disease mentioned in the story is psittacosis, with the common name of “parrot fever.” The story says there is no cure, but early treatment is essential and successful. The line about Jensen not trusting doctors is very important in laying the groundwork for the conclusion. It is treated with tetracycline and related antibiotics for many weeks. Untreated, it can advance into many difficult conditions, such as heart problems.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590315

THE CAST

FRANK LOVEJOY (Harry, the narrator), Edgar Stehli (Jensen), Lou Krugman (George / Man), Sam Pierce (Gil), George Walsh (Narrator)

Norm Alden was originally cast to play a character named “Joe,” but it was edited out of the script, likely for time considerations.

###

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

1959-03-08 Madman of Manhattan

Myron McCormick stars in the second broadcast of The Escape of Lacey Abbott, this time under the title Madman of Manhattan. It is a curious play about a man who escapes from the psychiatric wing of a Manhattan hospital to expose the truth behind his wife’s murder. He believes his ex-business partner, Martin Avery, is responsible. He sneaks into Avery’s apartment and holds him prisoner throughout a terror-filled night. Some of the plot elements and sequences seem implausible, but stick with the story and accept them, and enjoy the overall production.

The 1950 production starred William Powell. Details about the production and its recordings can be found at

The program was recorded on Wednesday, February 25, 1959. Rehearsal began at 1:00pm, with recording commencing at 4:00pm, and included in-studio edits. Production edits were done between 5:00 and 7:00pm. Music was added on Thursday, February 26.

The only surviving recording is the network broadcast, and is likely an aircheck. It has a somewhat narrow range, but is listenable.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590308

THE CAST

MYRON McCORMICK (Lacey), Doris Singleton (Fay the Waitress / Ann), Karl Swenson (Martin Avery), Barney Phillips (Admissions clerk voice / Lieutenant Creekmore), Norm Alden (West), George Walsh (Narrator)

Sandra Gould was originally cast for the program but was replaced by Doris Singleton.

###

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

1959-03-01 The Waxwork

This is the third Suspense broadcast of the “one-man-show” of the famous A.M. Burrage short story. It is about a reporter who spends the night alone in a wax museum. It is the second of the surviving broadcasts. The debut performance of 1947 with Claude Rains is still missing. In 1956, William Conrad offered a superb performance, done live. It was quite an achievement. This performance, with Herbert Marshall was pre-recorded, and lives up to the abilities of his established and polished radio presence.

Details about the script and its history, and the 1956 performance can be found at

No script cover with the dates and times of pre-recording has been located.

There are two recordings, and the Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#711) is the better of the two and is new to circulation. Its better sound quality allows for greater appreciation of Marshall’s performance. The network recording is complete but has narrow range. It is likely an aircheck. For many years, the only available copies were heavily edited network airchecks in poor sound.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590301

THE CAST

HERBERT MARSHALL (All roles: Raymond Hewson / Narrator / Waxworks Manager / Dr. Burdette), George Walsh (Suspense Narrator)

###

Monday, July 7, 2025

1959-02-22 Star Over Hong Kong

Marie Wilson, comedy star of My Friend Irma, has the leading role in this William N. Robson script about a self-absorbed and clueless and unworldly Hollywood starlet on a publicity tour to the then-British territory of Hong Kong. The studio press agent, Joey Finn, arranging and accompanying her at the personal appearances, is jailed by British authorities as spying, but he’s during his aggressive public relations maneuvers to get the most publicity possible. He’s supposed to be the person assigned to keep her out of any potentially embarrassing incidents and mistakes that may affect her image. He’s one of those “it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than it is for permission” bull-in-the-china-shop guys, so almost anything can happen. Instead, the adult-in-the-room is Randolph Harvordsen-Smythe, official attache to the governor, who has to keep them both out of trouble, and basically protect them from... themselves. Ben Wright is marvelous in the role. The starlet thinks there’s a Sultan in love with her, though they’ve never met. She has no sense of geography, or any skepticism that the Sultan might be interested in the fact she’s famous and getting a “photo opp,” and not much else. Her behavior and demands create a round of bureaucratic foolishness as they work to keep her out of a diplomatic incident that would be an embarrassment for all concerned. The wise solution: get her and Finn back onto American soil before the silliness really gets out of hand.

If you think befuddled bureaucrats being overwhelmed as they attempt to herd cats is funny, this episode is for you. This may be as close as Suspense gets to presenting a screwball comedy. Others may not be inclined to enjoy this odd episode. It is entertaining if you are ready for a sugary dessert and skip the main course. It’s not a top episode, for sure.

No script cover with the dates and times of pre-recording is available at this time.

There are two surviving recordings, a complete network broadcast, and an Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#710) that is the better of the two. For many years the only recordings available were heavily edited airchecks in low quality sound. The AFRS recording was recently found in 2023 and is a significant upgrade in quality.

This was Wilson’s first appearance on radio since 1954. She was best known for starring in the highly successful series My Friend Irma on radio from 1947 to 1954 and two movies with the character, and also the television series from 1952 to 1954. Her film career started in 1934, and she was very active in supporting roles until she achieved celebrity with the “Irma” role. Her life and career is summarized at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Wilson_(American_actress)

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590222

THE CAST

MARIE WILSON (Celestine Mayhew), Ben Wright (Randolph Harvordsen-Smythe), Charlie Lung (Chinese Man / Wong), Ramsay Hill (Captain), Norm Alden (Joey Finn), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

Sunday, July 6, 2025

1959-02-15 The Signalman

This is the third Suspense production of the Irving Reis adaptation of the 1866 Charles Dickens story. It stars Ellen Drew. The script was first presented with Reis directing in 1937 on Columbia Workshop and was changed by Elliott Lewis for the 1953 production to have an actress play the lead role. In that case, it was for a highly publicized Agnes Moorehead appearance. William N. Robson maintained the Lewis revision with Sarah Churchill in 1956, and with Drew in this production. A reporter attempts to interview a hermit-like railroad signalman who lives in a shack huddled by railroad tracks. He has a recurring vision that has served as a warning of disaster before several train wrecks. He insists the visions are real, including one about her.

Details about the two earlier broadcasts can be accessed as noted:

1953-03-23 Agnes Moorehead has information about the changes made by Elliott Lewis and also the career of Irving Reis

1956-11-04 Sarah Churchill

No script cover with the dates and times of pre-recording is available at this time.

The only surviving recording is a network aircheck with commercials eliminated. It is in acceptable sound. It is hoped than an Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) recording can be found in the future to improve the drama’s sound quality.

This is the second appearance of Ellen Drew in the series. The first was more fifteen years ago, in 1943-06-29 in Uncle Henry’s Rosebush in a supporting role to Agnes Moorehead.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590215

THE CAST

ELLEN DREW (Amy Sears), Ben Wright (The Signalman), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

Saturday, July 5, 2025

1959-02-08 Death Notice

Victor Jory stars in a William N. Robson script about a man who has been told by his doctor that his life may end at any minute. The man considers himself as having a life of constant pain of one type or another. Now that he knows it is coming to a close, he becomes determined to live each day to the hilt. He has great difficulty bridging the gap between worldly materialism and spiritualism as he re-examines his values, but he finds them empty. He has been having an affair, and had a strained relationship with his son. He wants his son to have some values and dignity, and respect for him and his wife. He realizes, however, that he has none for himself or for her. As he nears his end, he becomes more aware of his loneliness and his emptiness, and rejects the attempted comfort and encouragement of a clergyman at a church he had wandered into.

The story is a downer, for sure, but it is a product of its times that reflected the Cold War, nuclear threat, social unrest, and other issues that weighed heavily on society at the time. Jory’s character is devoid of all optimism, likely that way for a long time. There an old saying about spirituality and faith that people die the way they lived. That’s certainly the case for this character. Materialism really brought him no joy, and neither could anything else. He was living life to the hilt before, and the hilt he tried to increase was not much of a hilt in the end.

The 1950s was a time when doctors and families or both would conceal terminal conditions from patients. It often became a charade between them all, with patients realizing it but reluctant to admit that they knew. In this script, the patient demands the truth of a full diagnosis. The terminal condition in the story is leukemia, which had a progression of improving treatments through the first half of the Twentieth Century. The second half of the Century saw more success of new chemotherapy drugs, bone marrow transplants, matching of donors, and other modalities. Childhood leukemia treatment made massive strides after 1970. At the time of this episode, it was commonly accepted that leukemia had no certain or long-lasting cure.

 No script cover with the dates and times of pre-recording is available at this time.

A complete network recording of the episode has survived. It has somewhat narrow audio range but is very listenable. It is likely the best recording available to Suspense fans until an Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) transcription disc might be found.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590208

THE CAST

VICTOR JORY (Charlie Slade), LEE PATRICK (Mildred), Brook Byron (Sandra), Peter Votrian (Chuck), Barney Phillips (Doctor / Priest), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

Friday, July 4, 2025

1959-02-01 Return to Dust

Richard Beals stars in a George Bamber story as a lab scientist working on human cell structure whose experiment goes quite wrong. Beals’ performance is outstanding. It is tempting to compare this script to the movies The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957 release, and highly regarded) or Attack of the Puppet People (1958 release, not so highly regarded) that were in theaters prior to this production. That would take away from this innovative production.

The Bamber story is based on the search for ways to shrink cancer cells and the project lab work goes wrong. All of the patient’s cells shrink. The script is good, but concept is not ground-breaking and had been done before. When you consider the kinds of special effects and props that were needed for The Incredible Shrinking Man, the synergy of effectiveness of Bamber, and Robson, and especially Beals, do all of that, and more, with effects, music, and acting ability. It becomes an example of how powerful radio drama can be. Beals’ character realizes that his death is imminent. He endures frustrating attempts to warn others, and makes plans for his warnings and remains to be found after his demise. Some may consider this to be schlock sci-fi that was common in the 1950s, but the production rises well above that. Then there’s the professional voice acting challenge that Beals had to meet and exceed.

Richard Beal's wide ranging performance did not require any special effects beyond his vocal skills to produce the high-pitched voices, and have them change to indicate the character’s steadily reducing size. He was interviewed at a SPERDVAC meeting on April 16, 1988. It included this exchange with interviewer Larry Gassman; the text has been edited for clarity:

Richard Beals: The toughest radio show for me was the Suspense show Return to Dust. It was the toughest, toughest radio show I ever had to do. It's the scene where I start out just about my size, three feet tall, from average size down to three feet. And then I keep getting smaller and smaller and smaller. I think I’ve taken a potion of something that is going to give eternal life, but it's just making me smaller. And then in the final scene, I’m so small, the parakeet eats me. [audience chuckles] Getting that voice down that small to sustain it was the toughest radio show I ever had to do.

Larry Gassman: They didn’t speed that up?

Beals: No, no… that was me.

Gassman: You did all that, really?

Beals: No, that was me.

Gassman: I figured they just sped it up.

Beals: No. We did it. We taped it, of course. But it was live on tape. We didn't have any retakes on that.

The one-minute audio clip of the discussion can be found at the same link as the program recordings.

Beals was a fascinating participant of the golden age of radio, animation entertainment, and television advertising. He had a very long and successful career. His voice was affected by, as he explained it, a glandular issue where he did not go through puberty. Wikipedia has an overview of his career and life https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Beals

His biography, Think Big, published in 1992, can be viewed at The Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/thinkbig0000beal and can often be found as used copies for $15 or thereabouts. His biography does not mention his performance in Return to Dust.

Thank you again to SPERDVAC’s Barbara Watkins for access to the recording and to Corey Harker, president of the organization, for permission to make the audio clip available.

In his monologue, Robson has high praise for the earlier Bamber script, and refers to it as The Tennis Shoe. The title of that play was actually Like Man, Somebody Dig Me.

The title of the episode comes from Genesis 3:19. The King James Version translates it as “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” The Complete Jewish Bible translates it as “You will eat bread by the sweat of your forehead till you return to the ground — for you were taken out of it: you are dust, and you will return to dust.”

The original title of the episode was “Specimen.”

The program was recorded on Thursday, January 22, 1959. Rehearsal began at 2:00pm and recording started at 4:30pm. Including in-house edits that session ended at 6:00pm. Production edits were completed by 8:00pm. Music was added at a later time before broadcast.

There are three surviving recordings. There is a network recording that is complete but is in low quality sound with narrow range and some wow and flutter. There is an edited network recording without commercials that is the best quality recording. The surviving Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) recording is of moderate quality and is complete.

The Incredible Shrinking Man can be viewed at The Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/incredible-shrinking-man-1957 as can be Attack of the Puppet People https://archive.org/details/AttackOfThePuppetPeople1958

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590201

THE CAST

RICHARD BEALS (James Howard), Lawrence Dobkin (Dr. Warren Bader), Paula Winslowe (Miss Prichard), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

Thursday, July 3, 2025

1959-01-25 Four of a Kind

The script for Hitch-hike Poker by John and Gwen Bagni is re-titled as Four of a Kind for a second performance. It stars Elliott Reid as a hitch-hiker who finds that a friendly game of “license plate poker” turns into a deadly life and-death situation. Things take a bad turn as Reid’s character becomes involved in a murder plot—with himself as the victim!

The original 1948 broadcast starred Gregory Peck. Important information about hitch-hiking are and the game of license plate poker are also detailed in the blogpost for that broadcast:

The script was by radio veterans John and Gwen Bagni. John passed away six years after the broadcast in 1954. Gwen married screenwriter Irwin Gielgud in 1955, but they divorced in 1961. In 1963, she married actor Paul Dubov, who passed away in 1979. Gwen lived for many years after, and died in 2001.

The program was recorded on November 14, 1958. Rehearsal began at 4:00pm with recording starting at 6:30pm. It was completed with in-studio edits by 8:00pm. Additional production edits were completed between that time and 9:00pm.

The original intended broadcast date was December 7, 1958. It was held until this new 1959 date. The title was changed by Robson, but details beyond him thinking it was better are not known.

Three recordings have survived. The surviving network recording is complete aircheck with a narrow range, but is listenable. There are two Armed Forces Radio Service recordings, AFRS#704 and an AFRS recording with an unknown number. The two AFRS recordings can be differentiated by the announcement that follows

  • AFRS#705: The Oregon Territory

  • AFRS#unknown: Military medals

The “AFRS#unknown” one is the best of the recordings with a rich, full-range sound. For many years, this episode circulated as a heavily edited aircheck from and Armed Forces Radio station in low quality sound. This recording will allow full enjoyment of the story and Reid’s performance.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590125

THE CAST

ELLIOTT REID (Ridge Fowler), Joan Tompkins (Virginia), Alan Reed (J. Stuart Belden), Jack Kruschen (Police Sergeant / Truck Driver), Barney Phillips (Al), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

1959-01-18 Ride Down Cajon

William Bishop stars in a thrilling John Maller story about a runaway truck down a steep mountainside that poses great peril to others, the occupants, police, and the cargo. The story was adapted by William N. Robson.

The truck is carrying chickens stored in ice, ready for delivery to Los Angeles supermarkets. The truck would therefore be very heavy, more from the ice than the chickens. This sets up the runaway truck theme of the story, as 10 tons of weight would gather great speed on the downside of their trip down the mountain. At about 8:15 the brakes fail, and the truck can’t be stopped by downshifting because the gears won’t engage. They’re headed downhill, on a narrow road with no way to pass, and nowhere to make an emergency stop. There are no runaway truck ramps like some highways have, where trucks can veer off the road into a ramp made with sand and rocks that can slow down the vehicle and minimize dangers to life and property. Police start to get involved thinking the truck is recklessly speeding, but they learn the difficult facts of the situation, and clear the way for the speeding truck to protect other drivers. It’s a dangerous ride that may not end well, as the dialogue says “…there comes a time when you just can’t keep going straight… the road ends.” The production is well done, though some might consider it predictable, or link it with the earlier episode about a speeding car, 1955-04-19 Speed Trap.

The script is by John Maller. He is one of the Suspenseone-hit-wonders” as this is his only radio script (another is Walter Bazar of On a Country Road fame). Maller has no entries in IMDb or any other resources for novels or short stories, and there are no indications that the name is a pseudonym.

Three recordings have survived. The surviving network recording is complete but is in low quality sound. There are two Armed Forces Radio Service recordings, AFRS#704 and an AFRS recording with an unknown number. “AFRS#unknown” is the best of the recordings. The two AFRS recordings can be differentiated by the announcement that follows

  • AFRS#704: UNESCO

  • AFRS#unknown: Joe and Daphne Forsythe skit about US Savings Bonds

Cajon Pass is a real place, noted as such in the Robson monologue. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cajon_Pass

There is no single incident that inspired the story. In the late 1950s, there always seemed to be a newspaper story somewhere about runaway trucks or other vehicles.

For those whom the geography of Suspense has some meaning, Cajon Pass is 77 miles south of Red Mountain. That name was used in Nobody Ever Quits and its appropriately renamed Night in Red Mountain.

This was William Bishop’s only series appearance. He died about nine months later on October 3, 1959, at age 41. His final film, Oregon Trail, starring Fred MacMurray, was released just weeks before his passing. His acting career began in New York’s off-Broadway theaters and earned his first major role in 1933 and in the 1942 revival of Tobacco Road. He was also in Mercury Theater stage productions. He was a busy supporting actor in western films and early television. He was not often in radio productions. More details can be found at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bishop_(actor)

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590118

THE CAST

WILLIAM BISHOP (Andy), Bill Quinn (Phil), Joe de Santis (Dave), George Walsh (Narrator)

###

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

1959-01-11 Night on Red Mountain

Richard Crenna stars in the third broadcast of this William N. Robson script that is a man who decides to leave his old life and start new. His old life still claws him back. The story is actually about Robson’s experience with the CBS Blacklist that banned him from the network for about four years. It was originally broadcast on 1955-03-08 as Nobody Ever Quits. This is the second time that Robson is producing this script that is essentially about himself. He obviously liked his own script, and it would be repeated once more under producer Paul Roberts after the show moved to New York for its final seasons. It is also the second time that Crenna starred. The prior two productions are:

1955-03-08 Nobody Ever Quits with Tom McKee

1957 Night on Red Mountain, also with Richard Crenna

The program was originally scheduled for airing on Sunday, December 14, 1958. For Old Time’s Sake was aired instead.

This episode was recorded on Saturday, November 15, 1958, meaning it was held aside for almost two months before broadcast. Crenna’s availability was likely limited by his role on the successful TV series The Real McCoys, which was in production at that time. Rehearsal began at 2:00pm with recording starting at 4:30pm. With in-studio edits, the session ended at 6:00pm. Further production edits were done separately and ended at 7:00pm.

Neither of the two surviving recordings are perfect. The network recording is preferred because it is the way it was first broadcast. It range is somewhat narrower than the better episodes. The Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#703) has the same issue and is somewhat dull in sound quality. Both recordings are listenable with no serious flaws.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590111

THE CAST

DICK CRENNA (Walt, alias Joey Parino), Celeste Bullis [Bollas] (1st Operator), Peter Leeds (Bat), Doris Singleton (Sally / 2nd Operator), Joe de Santis (Big Pete Parelli / Dad), Sam Pierce (Highway Patrol radio announcer), Norm Alden (Sergeant Toohey), George Walsh (Narrator)

###