1947-05-01 Lady in Distress

This episode stars Ava Gardner as a woman who picks up a hitch-hiker and his bag full of storyline coincidences. This story is packed with many “just so happens” details that keep unfolding and unfolding and end up straining our common sense. Yet, it is interesting after a while. A police officer’s wife picks up a hitch-hiker who has just escaped from prison. We soon learn that her husband was the officer who put him there. The criminal wants his revenge and plans to kill him by placing a car-ignition bomb while the vehicle sits idle in its garage. It turns out that she doesn’t really like her husband, and thinks the ignition bomb idea might be workable. All this… and more… in about 24 minutes of drama! There’s much to dislike about the story, but it is Suspense and it is better than most series, and this episode has a prize inside.

The story was by John Michael Hayes. He was at the beginning of his screenwriting career and supporting himself with radio writing. Among the other series that used his work were Sam Spade, Inner Sanctum, My Favorite Husband, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar among others. He would make it big in some of Hitchcock’s successful mid-1950s movies. Those included Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, The Trouble with Harry, and The Man Who Knew Too Much. A dispute over screen credit led to his break-up with Hitchcock. He had a long and successful career that also included the screenplay for the movie Peyton Place (1957).

The east and west broadcasts have survived. The east broadcast includes a tease to stay tuned for The FBI in Peace and War. The west broadcast includes a closing ad for Cresta Blanca wine. The opening of the west broadcast is slightly clipped by about 8 seconds. The west broadcast is the better of the two despite missing the few seconds at the beginning.

But that’s not the backstory of interest...

This was Ava Gardner’s only Suspense appearance, but the episode might be better known for the cameo visit of Orson Welles! It occurs just before the 15:00 mark in the episode. Welles was recently separated from Rita Hayworth and had filed for divorce. She was divorced from Artie Shaw in 1946. Researcher John Scheinfeld had an interview with William Spier that offered perspective on Welles’ unplanned appearance. It was reported differently in the press, and this is how it was reported in Variety 1947-05-02:

Incidentally, that was Orson's dreamy voice you heard as the gas station attendant on Bill Spier’s Suspense airshow yesterday. He took over the one-line part to startle Ava Gardner, who was the guest star on the show. The gag backfired because Spier tipped Ava off and she retorted with “Who do you think you are, Orson Welles?”

The story, as best as can be pieced together from the Scheinfeld interview and other sources is that Gardner came to the KNX complex on time, but had unexpectedly brought a “date,” Orson Welles. William Spier and Welles were very close friends and admired each other greatly. Spier hired Welles for March of Time when he was starting out, and Welles was always grateful. Spier was appreciative of what Welles did to help establish the Suspense franchise. The final time he appeared on Suspense was in the popular and ground-breaking Donovan’s Brain two-part episode.

Spier sent word down that Welles should come up to the studio. Spier decided to write in a few lines for Welles since he would be there all afternoon and for the east and west performances. The lines were for a gas station attendant!

The Variety report and the Spier interview are different. CBS publicity would often try to make things “more interesting” than they actually were. But the possibility of an inside joke with Ava mentioning his name could very well have occurred. Gardner's line might have been ad libbed, but it is unlikely because it was her first appearance on the show. Knowing Spier, he may have given her the line but not told Orson. It was a joke enjoyed in the studio for the east broadcast, when it was a surprise, and repeated for the west broadcast. No one in the listening audience was wise to Welles appearance but regular listeners may have wondered if something was up once they heard a familiar voice.

The cameo clip alone is on the same page as the full program recordings. The clip is drawn from the west recording and lasts 19 seconds.

The American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) payroll report lists Welles with the other cast members. “Re-broadcast” refers to the west performance of the program. (Special thank you to the Thousand Oaks Library for their documentation about this episode).

Some newspaper reports suggest that Welles made the cameo appearance because he lost a bet with Spier. The interview with Spier does not report that. The two likely made friendly bets with each other. This was common among friends in the day, and usually involved only small sums of money or dinner.

Ava Gardner had great success in the movies but had many ups and downs in her private life. Many of those were not so private. An overview of her life and career is at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ava_Gardner

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP470501

THE CAST

AVA GARDNER (Evelyn Harris), Howard Duff (Sullivan), Wally Maher (Ralph Harris), Frank Albertson (Diner Man), Ted Reid [Elliott Reid] (Motorcycle cop), Joe Kearns (Signature Voice / Sergeant Thompson), Lurene Tuttle (Operator), Orson Welles (Gas station mechanic)

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1946-12-26 Philomel Cottage

Lilli Palmer stars in this repeated script of an Agatha Christie story adapted by Harold Medford. But the behind-the scenes story about this broadcast – and an accidental flub by Bill Johnstone – offer a glimpse into a curious part of Suspense history about an event that never happened. Details about that are after the episode’s cast information below.

The story is about a newly married woman who believes her husband might have a plan to kill her. It was previously performed in October 1943 with Orson Welles. Details about that and the July 1942 performance are at the blogpost for that episode https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/03/1943-10-07-philomel-cottage.html and at https://archive.org/details/TSP431007 This time, however, the script received the benefit of the bigger budget and lusher production from the Roma Wines sponsorship.

This broadcast was the first and only appearance of Lilli Palmer on Suspense. Her film career began in the 1930s and lasted five decades. At the time of this broadcast, she was married to actor Rex Harrison, a marriage that would last about 15 years. They met when she was performing in films in Britain. They moved to Hollywood in 1945. She was not on radio often. Details about her career as a stage performer, writer, television personality and other roles are summarized at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilli_Palmer

The east and west coast network broadcasts have survived. The east broadcast has the tease for The FBI in Peace and War but what is more distinctive is a flub where Bill Johnstone mispronounces Alfred Hitchcock’s name! The cast does their best to contain their laughter. Announcer Ken Niles does until the very last moment of the closing announcement.

The west coast recording is the best… but it has a clipped opening. About 20 seconds or so is missing at the beginning. The rest of the recording is excellent. There is a complete west coast recording of lower quality. But it is fun to listen to the flub at the end of the east recording. To enjoy the story, listen to the west; to get a glimpse into Suspense history, listen to the end of the east recording. The flub is at about the 28:50 mark, where Johnstone mentions upcoming guests “Dan Duryea, Alexander… (awkward pause) Hitchcock!, and others.” You can tell Johnstone realizes his gaffe and is holding back a laugh. Before Niles announces the network ID, which he barely gets through before starting to laugh, you can hear muffled chuckling in the background.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/tsp461226

THE CAST

LILLI PALMER (Alix Martin), Elliott Lewis (Gerald Martin), Raymond Lawrence (George), Bill Johnstone (Signature Voice / Voice on phone), Denis Green? (Dick), Wally Maher (Police constable)

* * *

There is a story behind this Philomel Cottage episode of 1946-12-26, and why Alfred Hitchcock's name was mentioned as an upcoming guest yet another time. Philomel Cottage was not originally planned to be presented on this date, but rather The Wax Works, adapted by Mel Dinelli, was. It was mentioned in Variety for this date, and starring Alfred Hitchcock in a dramatic role!

A few weeks before this episode, newspapers and trade magazines (especially Louella Parsons' column) mentioned that Hitchcock was going take a turn before the microphone. It didn't happen, as we now know. As usual, Spier pulled from his “file cabinet of favorites” and selected this script.

There was always an interest in getting Hitchcock involved in radio drama, and the back chattering of him getting there via Suspense was always around, but it never panned out. The Wax Works script was held and held, likely in hopes of getting Hitchcock's calendar to cooperate. We do not know if there was a “rehearsal” or desk reading of the script with Hitchcock that changed his mind and the minds of others about his appearing as a star on Suspense.

It was finally performed on March 20, 1947, without Hitchcock's participation. It starred Claude Rains. A recording of his performance has never been found. It remains a missing episode. (If an AFRS recording is found it would likely be #200 or around that number).

Surely, had “Hitch” been scheduled for the March 1947 performance, it would have been publicized heavily, weeks before the broadcast. If he had appeared, it would have also been reported for multiple days after because his appearance would have been unusual and noteworthy. Instead, all of the publicity about the March 1947 centered on Claude Rains in this unusual “one-man” performance script. The only mentions of Hitchcock in the news at that time were for a potential “Suspense-like” program on NBC... or ABC... he was talking to everyone. As the old saying goes, "when all is said and done, more is said than done."

We now know that the mention of Hitchcock in the closing announcements of Philomel Cottage was not an accident or a prank, but another flirtatious "script-tease" in the Hitchcock-Spier-Suspense dance that only led to more waltzes together but no tying of a contractual knot.

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What did the Suspense crew do between east and west broadcasts?

Suspense had separate east and west broadcasts during the Roma Wines sponsorship. When the east broadcast concluded, the next performance would begin 3-1/2 hours later. (Yes, Suspense usually started an hour later on the clock than it did on the east coast, an hour longer than the time difference; it was to allow for the west coast's different demographic and listening patterns).

What did they do between the east and west broadcasts? Did they bring catering in? I figured that international voice actor and Suspense researcher Keith Scott of Australia would know. He had many conversations with the Suspense actors when he visited the states in the 1970s and 1980s. He said...

1944-05-18 & 25 Donovan's Brain (two parts)

This was a long-awaited Suspense production, and it didn’t disappoint. Delayed for about six months, it was a ground-breaking endeavor that demonstrated a good story and sophisticated production could be spread over two broadcasts, and it established the fact that science fiction could attract and satisfy a general adult audience. Its success contributed to the radio production of other sci-fi stories and series. Of all Orson Welles’ appearances on Suspense, it may have been his best, and if not, it may be the most important. In so many of his appearances he could play the larger-than-life actor that overpowers those performing with him. This performance was quite different in its demands, and it is likely few other actors of the period could have done it as well or with such insight.

Donovan’s Brain was a best selling novel by Curt Siodmak and was adapted by Robert Richards. Republic Pictures had the movie rights, and released the story as The Lady and the Monster a few weeks earlier. The Suspense production was originally scheduled for Welles’ Fall 1943 appearances. The production schedule of the movie slipped, and the radio version had to be delayed.

With the Suspense broadcast finally arriving in May 1944, it is interesting how the studio aggressively promoted the movie and kept it in theaters. Near the time of the Suspense production, they employed heavy advertising and promotion. The book version of the original Siodmak story was being syndicated, chapter by chapter, to newspapers, too. The studio was doing everything they could to taking advantage of the concurrent exposures of the property to boost ticket sales.

The movie can be viewed on YouTube https://youtu.be/XfzDVjkT05A

Listeners accustomed to typical radio mysteries had to think that this was an odd story for Suspense. A doctor places a dead man’s brain in a jar and conducts experiments to keep it alive. The experiment goes awry when the brain’s significant telepathic powers take over the doctor’s will, thoughts, and actions. Telepathy and ESP were mysterious and intriguing ideas and audiences could believe most anything about them. But they were not the stuff of mystery programming. The Suspense production showed that it was the situations created around the experiments that make the story Suspense-worthy.

Welles likely had a great deal of influence in the adaptation and the production effects. He used the movie script as a springboard and created the gimmick of his muttering to indicate when it was Donovan, and not the doctor, in charge of decisions and behavior. That verbal effect was very effective for radio, and was used in the 1953 movie.

That 1953 movie is not freely available, but the trailer is on YouTube https://youtu.be/-xWMB6l_E0Q It had a surge in curiosity in the 1980s, despite it not being a very good production, because Nancy Davis, years before her marriage to Ronald Reagan, was a co-star of Lew Ayers in the movie. It is the opinion of many that the Suspense broadcasts were the best interpretation of the storyline and intent of Siodmak’s vision of his story, and the most engaging production of it.

There are multiple recordings available. These are the best recordings to listen to:

• Suspense 1944-05-22 Donovan's Brain (Part 1) WC.flac

• Suspense 1944-05-25 Donovan's Brain (Part 2) EC.flac

The east coast recording of part one was commercially released by Radio Reruns in the 1980s and was never widely circulated among collectors. It is in lesser sound quality than the west broadcast of part one.

• Suspense 1944-05-18 Donovan's Brain (Part 1) EC.flac

The west broadcast of part two does not exist among collectors, and is not known to have survived. There is no record of the broadcasts being used by the Armed Forces Radio Service. This may be attributable to the two-part nature of the production.

These are two aircheck recordings that may have been privately recorded by or for one of the actors or their agents, or for Roma. These airchecks were the first recordings of Donovan’s Brain to be circulated among collectors. They fell out of circulation once the better studio recordings became available.

• Suspense 1944-05-22 Donovan's Brain (Part 1) WC AIRCHECK (some signal drift).flac

• Suspense 1944-05-25 Donovan's Brain (Part 2) EC AIRCHECK (some signal drift).flac

There is another interesting recording. Fresh off his performance on Suspense, just two days after the west coast broadcast of part two, Welles included a parody of Donovan's Brain on his Orson Welles Almanac program. It was a live performance at the Air Transport Command at Long Beach, California for military and support service personnel. The lampoon begins about 11:30 into the program, and is 10.5 minutes. It has many topical jokes and some inside jokes for the service personnel in the audience, and it does not resonate with a current listener. The sound of the brain thinking were created by an actor in full view of the audience, to get more on-air laughs and sounds of amusement from them. Suspense historian Keith Scott notes that Hans Conried and John McIntire, regulars on Suspense, were in the cast.

The guest on the Orson Welles Almanac of 1944-05-31 guest is actress and dancer Marjorie Reynolds (she would later become Peg Riley on the Life of Riley TV series). The parody excerpt is included on this page. The full program can be accessed at https://orsonwelles.indiana.edu/items/show/2095#

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3
https://archive.org/details/44051825

THE CAST

ORSON WELLES (Dr. Patrick Corey / William Donovan), Jeanette Nolan (Janice), John McIntire (Dr. Schrott), Joe Kearns (Man in Black), Hans Conried (Dr. Zanger / Newsreader), Bill Martell? (David Corey), unknown (Nurse)

John McIntire would play Corey/Donovan four years later in the hour-long Suspense production in January 1948.

CBS publicity liked to occasionally tease fans with a behind-the-scenes view about sound effects used in the series. One of these appeared in the 1944-06-21 Louisville KY Courier Journal. They said that the sound of Donovan’s brain hitting the floor was a cloth bag filled with wet sand and dropped into a dishpan next to the microphone. 

There was more important news that was kept out of the newspapers. After the east broadcast of part one 1944-05-18, producer William Spier was dining with Welles and others at the Players Restaurant. This was his second major heart attack in just ten months. There was no medical imaging of heart condition that is available today, nor were there heart medications, or intervention devices such as stents. The prescription for heart attack recovery was to avoid stress and rest as much as possible before attempting a normal schedule. This means that Spier was in the studio for only one of the Donovan’s Brain broadcasts, missing the west broadcast of part one, and both broadcasts of part two. Keith Scott notes that he was likely replaced by CBS executive Robert Shayon.

Welles was a regular at Players, a restaurant started by movie producer Preston Sturges. It has a colorful history. https://www.kcet.org/food-discovery/food/the-players-preston-sturges-screwball-times-on-the-sunset-strip

While this was Welles’ final time as star of Suspense, he would appear again. It would be a surprise cameo in 1947’s Lady in Distress as a gas station attendant, appearing with then-girlfriend Ava Gardner, star of that episode).

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1944-05-04 The Dark Tower

A well-known actor turns to murder to save his sister from her unhappy marriage. Sure, that’s the excuse for the story, a satire about the stage and movies and those who engage in such enterprises. If you are expecting regular Suspense fare, you will be disappointed. If you are expecting a play overflowing with Welles and lines often drenched with innuendo, you may find this an unexpected pleasure. It may have confused listeners in a manner that Fury and Sound would with its insider undertones 14 months later.

The original story was a 1933 Broadway play by George S. Kaufman and Alexander Woollcott. It was adapted for Suspense by Peter Barry. Woollcott had died about 15 months before this broadcast at age 56. He was a writer and playwright, and was part of the Algonquin Round Table of authors who regularly met at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City. Woollcott was also a drama critic and wrote for The New Yorker. This play is about actors and the theater, something which Woollcott and Kaufman knew much about.

In the 1934 movie adaptation of the play, The Man with Two Faces, Edward G. Robinson plays the same character as Welles does. It is funny that the character is named Damon Wells! In this production, the character is named “Damon Wellington.”

Welles deliberately overacts in this play as it is somewhat of a satire about theater and actors, and he makes it about himself. It is amusing how so many of the lines could apply to Welles public persona, even though the play was introduced in 1933 when he was just starting in the profession.

At about the 4:30 mark of the broadcast, the character comments about being asked to stop drinking. He says he told her “Would you have me subsist entirely on food? And reach the gargantuan proportions of an Orson Welles?” Collector (and actor) Craig Wichman notes that there are comments that are veiled references to the Barrymores as a family of actors and John’s reputation for various series of relationships. These may have been in the original play, but such references seem magnified by Welles over-the-top performance. Craig notes that Welles is doing a John Barrymore imitative style throughout, and also notes that they were friends.

Welles’ character also mentions in passing that he might replace one of the characters in the play with Agnes Moorehead (at about 18:30). Moorehead was in Welles’ Mercury Theater on stage and radio and played Margot Lane when Welles was in The Shadow. Her star was rising in radio and movies at this time, as we know.

At about 8:15 Welles’ character mentions he would be willing to appear on stage in crutches, referring to his broken ankle while directing Citizen Kane. The dialogue that follows refers to Welles’ character as “being a ham” several times, and they take great delight in delivering these lines to Welles. How they contained their laughter during the broadcast and especially this segment is a mystery.

There are three recordings of the episode. The east coast network broadcast has survived, the west broadcast has not. There is an Armed Forces Radio Service recording (#50) and a 1980s AFRTS recording. Both Armed Forces recordings are derived from the east network broadcast. All of the recordings have what might be Hans Conried jumping a cue or an actress delivering an additional line by mistake. It is in the east recording just before the 14:00 mark and is before the 12:30 mark in the AFRS version. The AFRTS recording has the same dialogue.

Martha: Get out!
Vance: Very well...
Martha: Get out!
Vance: Very well, if you insist....

The best of the three is the east network recording. The west recording remains lost, but it would not be a surprise to find many different in-jokes or nuances when compared with the east, since the west broadcast would be four days later, leaving plenty of time to concoct even more verbal mischief.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3

https://archive.org/details/440504

THE CAST

CAST: ORSON WELLES (Damon Wellington / Max Hartsfeld), John McIntire (Ben), Jeanette Nolan (Jessica), Will Wright (David Torrence / end commercial voice), Gloria Gordon (Martha) Hans Conried (Stanley Vance), Joe Kearns (Man in Black)

This play was originally planned for 1944-03-23 with Joseph Cotten. But this was held for Welles, instead. Cotten starred in Sneak Preview on that date, itself with many digs at the movie and entertainment business.

CBS publicity was playing up how Suspense productions were different from typical radio broadcasts. This was picked up by the 1944-05-03 Waterville ME Morning Sentinel, and likely by many other newspapers:

According to the nation’s leading producers, the Suspense airshow is setting a new pace in radio presentation by applying standard motion picture techniques to the medium of radio. Producer of the show, William Spier, maintains that the illusion is better preserved by hearing dramas than by being “backstage,” so he follows the movie policy of eliminating studio audiences. He places the orchestra behind a screen, out of sight of the cast so that the players may concentrate on the highly dramatic work. Likewise in making a picture, the musical and dramatic elements are usually kept separate, and the musicians and the actors have little contact with each other. The story form of Suspense dramas follows closely with those of film scenarios, with exterior and interior sequences pointed up means of sound effect.

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1944-04-13 The Marvelous Barastro

This Suspense episode is another Orson Welles performance, and we get to hear producer William Spier as an actor! Welles doubles, playing rival magicians.

The show publicity built up another Welles appearance and described the plotline. This is how the 1944-04-13 Orlando FL Evening Star reported the upcoming broadcast:

Orson Welles lends his talents to brilliant dual role, portraying two magicians in "The Marvelous Barastro"' on Suspense tonight... In the psychological mystery tale, one the magicians has a blind wife. The other magician learns to impersonate her husband well that he fools even the wife.... When the husband learns of the chicanery, events move with horrifying swiftness to an awesome conclusion.... William Spier, producer of Suspense appears also as a cast member tonight, assuming the role of a producer to whom Welles tells his weird tale.... The Marvelous Barastro is adapted from Ben Hecht's The Shadow.

Today, Hecht is best known for his 1931 movie The Front Page. He was, however, a high profile Hollywood and literary figure of the time. This episode was adapted by Jacques Anson Finke and first appeared in the 1926-01-30 edition of Liberty Magazine with the title “The Shadow.” Because of possible confusion with the radio series with that title, in which Welles starred in in the late 1930s, the Suspense production title had to change. It was originally re-titled as “The Human Barastro,” itself a change in the name of the short story character of “Sarastro” or “Zarastro.” The “Human” title appeared in early CBS publicity about the broadcast. The publicity with its final title was available in time for the “Marvelous” adjective to appear in most newspapers.

Welles so enjoyed this Hecht story that he bought movie rights to it in late 1944. He never exercised them. In 1947, a screenplay by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts was shopped around Hollywood, but the project was never accepted or if it was, was never financed. An original of that script has been offered on auction websites for $300 to $400.

Ben Gross of the NY Daily News of edition 1944-04-14 wrote:

The brilliant talents of an incisive writer and of an outstanding actor combined to give meaning to the title of that radio series Suspense, last night. The actor, Orson Welles, portrayed two rival magicians in The Marvelous Barastro, an adaptation of Ben Hecht's story, The Shadow. A psychological mystery tale, it abounded not only in obvious thrills, but also in those shadowy forebodings which are the hallmark of distinguished yarns of this type. Orson proved himself a masterly performer. In this kind of drama he really is a magician.

There are four surviving recordings. Both the east and west network recordings have survived. A contemporary Armed Forces Radio Service program (#81), drawn from the east broadcast is available.

William Spier appears in the opening scene and there are differences in the Thursday and Monday performances. This is a way to discern from which the AFRS broadcast is drawn. It is drawn from the east broadcast:

• East 26:09 and AFRS 24:16 Spier dialogue is “I must admit that the whole thing shook me rather badly. I’ve been…spent the whole week wondering if something might happen, something I couldn’t predict. This morning…I think perhaps it came. At least…while I was reading through the theatrical weekly Variety…”

• West is “Since then, I don’t know, the incident’s left me pretty shaky and nervous. All week I’ve had a strange and distracted feeling, as though I were waiting for something…and now I know. It came a few minutes before we went on the air tonight, and then it was too late to send you to another story. I was thumbing through the….my copy of the theatrical weekly Variety…”

There is a later 1970s or 1980s recording released by the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service that is from the west broadcast. In comparison with the east network…

• East at approximately 7:36 is “You will teach me to see.” "To see?”

• West at 7:37 “You will teach me to see.” “To...to see?” and the AFRTS recording has the same at 4:15 “You will teach me to see.” “To...to see?”

This is one of the few times where there are different Armed Forces recordings that have both surviving east and west network origins. The later AFRTS releases of the series were aggressively edited to exclude elements that might make the shows seem “dated.”

The east network and the first AFRS recordings are in the best sound. The west network and the AFRTS recordings are flawed with narrow range and background noise.

While Welles’ exploits remain well known over so many decades, Hecht’s are not. He is one of the era’s most fascinating persons. He was one of the most prolific writers, screenwriters, playwrights, and even a commentator, and an early TV talk host, across parts of four decades. He had a great dislike for Hollywood but a marvelous ability to set that sentiment aside to write some compelling and very successful movie scripts. He even appeared on Suspense, just four months after this broadcast, narrating his own radio play Actor’s Blood. The envy and shallowness he found in the entertainment business became the source of a good radio script plotline.

Hecht’s biography is too complicated to summarize in this blogpost. These links are recommended:

• http://authorscalendar.info/bhecht.htm

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Hecht

• https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/02/11/the-great-hollywood-screenwriter-who-hated-hollywood

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or mp3

https://archive.org/details/440413

THE CAST

CAST: ORSON WELLES (Sharri Barastro / Rico Sansini), Hans Conried (Anna’s grandfather), Joe Kearns (Man in Black), Lurene Tuttle (Anna), William Spier (himself)

Peter Lorre took the magician role in his Mystery in the Air radio series. That broadcast of 1947-08-07 has survived.

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