Agnes Moorehead makes her final appearance on Suspense in this second broadcast of what is essentially a very intense two-character play. The story is about a smug and corrupt psychotherapist who had an affair with his patient. Such acts disrupt the therapeutic process, take it off course, and creates many other issues. In this case, Moorehead’s character is so upset that she brings a gun to the session and wants to end their personal and their medical relationship. It is not an easy story to listen to.
This is the last of the Hollywood Suspense broadcasts. The show moved to New York with the next broadcast under the supervision of CBS producer Paul Roberts. He and Robson were east and west collaborators on CBS Radio Workshop. There is no mention of the move during the broadcast.
The original 1958-10-25 production starred Nina Foch and Helmut Dantine. Details about that broadcast and background about the script and its title, and audio of Robson’s own words discussing radio drama in general and this script in particular, can be found at
https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2025/06/1958-10-25-headshrinker.html
https://archive.org/details/TSP581025 is where recordings can be downloaded and streamed.
This program was recorded on Friday, June 19, 1959, two months prior to the broadcast. It was recorded just before the news that Suspense was moving to New York appeared in the trade press. An easy speculation is that Moorehead got a “heads up” about this happening and was invited by Robson to do the show one last time. Sorry, Wrong Number was repeated in 1960 after the show moved to New York. That was a replay of the 1957 Hollywood production, and was the only time a prior broadcast was replayed on the series by the network. Robson may have been holding the recording of this episode to be the very last Hollywood broadcast once he was given a date certain. A Moorehead appearance always received more publicity for Suspense than for others.
Rehearsal began at 2:00pm and continued to 5:30, when recording commenced until 6:00pm. Production edits were made from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Music was added in a later session.
The surviving recording is a heavily edited network aircheck with narrow range and other audio issues. The recording may be the best version it it, however, that Suspense fans have ever heard. Commercials have been removed. Two of the four slots were taken by AT&T and Hastings Manufacturing (auto parts). The other two slots were allocated before broadcast. It is hoped that a clean Armed Forces Radio Service transcription disc might be found in the future to enjoy Moorehead’s final appearance on the series in its fullest.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590823
THE CAST
AGNES MOOREHEAD (Ruth), Lawrence Dobkin (Doctor), Patty Gallagher (Nurse), George Walsh (Narrator)
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