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.
https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/05/1945-01-11-drive-in.html
https://archive.org/details/TSP450111 is where recordings can be downloaded and streamed.
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.
https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/08/1946-11-21-drive-in.html
https://archive.org/details/TSP461121 is where recordings can be downloaded and streamed.
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)
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