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
https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/05/1945-02-22-john-barbey-and-son.html
https://archive.org/details/TSP450222 and is where recordings can be downloaded and streamed.
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.
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