This is a historical review of the 1962 Suspense radio drama that was broadcast on May 27, 1962 on the CBS Radio Network. The author was Dick W. Dowling and the producer was Bruno Zirato, Jr.
Jack Grimes and Richard Holland star in an amusing and somewhat endearing Dowling script. It's a time travel story about friendship and a steadfast love of music. They play “Bud” and “Lou” (already a not-so-inside joke related to comedy duo Abbott and Costello) about two down-on-their-luck jazz musicians who don’t have enough money to get out of a small town. They want to get back to a big city where they might get some good-paying gigs. They’re sitting in the local diner having coffee and chatting things up with a waitress when the proprietor of a radio repair shop overhears them. He offers them a chance to make a small amount of money if they help him make a delivery of some electronic equipment. They're so down on their luck that any amount seems attractive to them. They agree, as it won’t take long, will give them plenty of money to leave town. The equipment is headed to a reclusive scientist on the outskirts of town. When they get there, they realize how remote it is, that the equipment is heavy, and there are a lot of stairs. They are dropped off, with the equipment, and the repair shop owner drives away, stranding them!
They are really lost now, but they carry the equipment up to the house and meet Professor Norville Hagen. He’s working on a secret audio project. Some folks in town have heard strange voices, have come to think his house is haunted, and believe that he is very strange. He is working on device that allows him to listen to audio from the past, very far in the past. They hear Julius Caesar making a speech from 46 BC, just like they were listening on a modern day radio! (He says, in Latin, roughly translated, “I am Caesar, your leader, and your king”). One of the time periods they tune into delivers the sound of jazz music from the 1930s. Bud and Lou are thrilled. Professor Hagen loves music, too, but of the classical kind. He invites them to stay and use the machine. Bud and Lou decide that they can record the music from the device and create a secure future for themselves by releasing it to the public as record albums.
Everything seems to be going well, until Lou realizes he loves the music he’s hearing so much that he starts playing along and doesn’t always record the device's audio onto tape. They learn that Hagen has been working on an enhanced invention, allowing a person to physically travel back to the times they desire. In his case, back to the times of the music he loves. He has long been dissatisfied with the world as it currently is, and is now prepared to make the trip. Lou decides he wants to go, too, but to the jazz era he adores. Bud will have no part of it. Hagen and Lou leave, but the energy of the process stresses the equipment and causes a big explosion. It destroys the Professor’s home, but somehow Bud escapes. Later, we learn that a recording of Lou’s solos as he played along with past jazz masters, has survived, is released, and is a big hit. Bud misses his friend, and hopes he got to where he wanted and “is fine and having a ball in that real crazy infinity.”
It is likely that the scripter, Dick W. Dowling, is actually a pseudonym. More details are at the Internet Archive link below.
This is one of the few science fiction stories that worked on Suspense in the final New York era, and especially under producer Zirato. It’s an entertaining story, and doesn’t take itself too seriously, with interesting characters. The implausibility of the events is easily set aside as fantasy just for the fun of it.
The program was recorded on Thursday, May 17, 1962. The session began at 1:30pm and concluded at 5:00pm.
There are two surviving recordings, with the better or the two from the Armed Forces Radio Service. It has some minor audio defects, but is an enjoyable listen. The AFRS service announcements have been edited out. “The Suspense March” is heard at the end, indicating it is an AFRS recording. The network recording is an aircheck with very narrow range, some volume fluctuation, and overall low quality sound.
This episode was Bruno Zirato, Jr.’s final episode as producer-director. He was reassigned by CBS to the game show To Tell the Truth. He would have a long run as associate producer and later as producer when the show went into syndication. CBS veteran Fred Hendrickson takes over Suspense with the next episode.
LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP620527
THE CAST
Jack Grimes (Bud), Richard Holland (Lou), Robert Dryden (Charlie Olin), Court Benson (Professor Norvell Hagen), Athena Lorde (Jenny), Robert Readick (Max Wesson), Guy Repp (The voice of Julius Caesar)
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