1951-11-12 The Mission of the Betta (a still-missing episode)

One of the missing Suspense episodes has an interesting history. The script was written by William N. Robson and used a portion of a script that aired eight years earlier in an episode of Man Behind the Gun. Robson was starting to get pressure within CBS for his mention in Red Channels. It was inaccurate and out of context, but led to his banishment from CBS from 1952 to 1955. (He returned with some measure of triumph when he became producer of Suspense in Fall 1956). For this particular script, produced and directed by Elliott Lewis, he used the pseudonym "Christopher Anthony," the first names of his young sons.

This newspaper clipping from the November 11, 1951 Shreveport LA Times explains the story:

This is how the credit for Robson appeared in the script as "Christopher Anthony": 

Mission of the Betta used part of a script from a program Robson was deeply involved in, Man Behind the Gun. The series would win a Peabody Award, one of many for programs that Robson was involved with over his career. In 1943, Man Behind the Gun presented Incident in the Pacific about a submarine operation in the Pacific. A repeat 1944 performance is in circulation and can be found at https://www.mediafire.com/file/z2xume6vq9y0euh/Man_Behind_the_Gun_1944-02-19_Incident_in_the_Pacific_%2528repeat_of_1943-03-07_program%2529.flac/file 

The March 7, 1943 Des Moines Register had an item about the original 1943 broadcast. Two of the actors rose to stellar radio careers. At the time of the picture, producer Robson was 37, and Jackson Beck and Frank Lovejoy were 31.

This is a newspaper clipping from the March 3, 1943 Circleville OH Herald that summarizes the plotline of the original Man Behind the Gun script.

I first heard of Man Behind the Gun when I interviewed Jackson Beck in 1977. He said it was his most rewarding radio effort for its support of armed services personnel during WW2. Robson produced and directed in the series, and also wrote some of its scripts. He had great affection for the series and was quite proud of it.

About three pages of dialogue in Mission of the Betta originates from that Incident in the Pacific script. From there the scripts diverge into different plotlines.

Author Neil Verma cites this Man Behind the Gun scene and production technique in his book Theater of the Mind: Imagination, Aesthetics, and American Radio Drama (Amazon http://a.co/d/av6ANEF). Verma teaches at Northwestern University.

The staging of the broadcast sounds similar to that used by Antony Ellis for Kaleidoscope. Perhaps the studio set-up of Mission gave him the idea https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2025/01/1955-07-12-kaleidoscope.html

The search for a broadcast recording, network or AFRS, of The Mission of the Betta is ongoing. 

Details of Robson's CBS blacklisting and return can be found at 
https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/12/1955-03-08-nobody-ever-quits.html

Thank You, Project Audion, for Your Recreations of "Truly Missing" Suspense Episodes

An important part of keeping Suspense "alive" has been the efforts of others to recreate the "truly missing" episodes. Some of the finest ones have been by Project Audion. It was created during the COVID lockdown, and allowed pro-, semi-pro-, and amateur actors to collaborate in some of these productions.

There are three Suspense episodes yet to be recreated. In the meantime, Project Audion has decided to go on hiatus. Their "tradition" of a missing Suspense every May has come to an end. This is the note that Larry Groebe posted to their supporters and friends:

After 6 full seasons and 80ish episodes, monthly Project Audion productions are going on indefinite hiatus.

It may return in the future; it may come back in another form; or I may move on to something else.

Audion was created as a way to perform classic audio dramas during the Pandemic, bringing actors together remotely when we couldn't get together in person. Participants loved being in it, and the core audience loved the results, so I've kept after it, month after month after month.

Each and every show has been for me uniquely special and fun to produce. Although not every episode was a complete success, our batting average has been quite high, and truly I'm proud of them all. The more than 100 actors who have participated in Project Audion I now consider my friends, even though I've only met a few of them in person. I'm even prouder of the fact that these folks have gone on to creative partnerships on other productions and new shows of their own -- broadening the network (if you'll allow the simile) of audio drama creators. So I thank everyone of you for your contributions and your support, whether it was in one show or dozens.

However -- going six years without a break has made it impossible for me to explore other opportunities and options. I've turned down other shows and passed on vacations because there was always another lost episode waiting to be produced in a few weeks. The discipline of creating each new monthly show has never left me with enough time to step back and consider what's been done -- and what might yet be done. (Mind you, if we could reach a monthly audience numbering in the thousands, maybe that would help balance all the preproduction, filming, mixing, promotion, and editing involved.)

And so... maybe if I take some time away, something will reveal itself to take classic audio drama to a new level or a new audience. Because I still believe that audio plays, including vintage ones, have value and a place today. Just because something is old doesn't make it irrelevant (says the man fast approaching age 70.) I recently read news stories noting that young people are rediscovering all sorts of analog activities... and Shakespeare plays still attract audiences after 500 years. So there's a shot for "radio dramas" to reach more folks, and maybe some Project Audion reboot will be part of that.

Or maybe I'll just have a chance to breathe -- and take a vacation.

Stay tuned, and...thanks for listening!

--Larry

PS: Not to worry: the Project Audion website, podcast channels, and YouTube videos are all sticking around. And you're encouraged to keep in touch!

Larry has been a staunch supporter of The Suspense Project and is still helping all of our efforts in the background. He is a collector of scripts, and even adores just holding them, appreciating the tangible nature of them and how magic occurred when some skilled and talented performer uttered the words on the pages, supported by others around them.

These days, Larry has been working to get the SPERDVAC digital presence at their website working to fulfill its dual mission of preservation and encouragement. After many interrupted starts and re-starts there is finally a massive leap forward once Larry got involved. We correspond regularly over our own script collecting and insights into the meaning and importance of it all.

To preserve the Project Audion efforts for Suspense I added the video files to the Internet Archive on a separate project page there. Larry was appreciative as we are, too. https://archive.org/details/TSPPA

My favorites are still Nellie James and Deadline, but all the others definitely have their worth.

Their general YouTube page is at https://www.youtube.com/c/projectaudion

I also enjoyed their missing Escape recreation, Run of the Yellow Mail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnaWtUV29nw

Perhaps Larry will re-assemble the group once more. But until then, there are those three missing episodes... who will bring those three back to life? https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2026/01/three-truly-missing-suspense-have-not.html

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