Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)

Oscar-winner Paul Lukas takes his final bow on the podcast as a blind man who witnesses a murder in "A World of Darkness" (originally aired on CBS on January 20, 1944). Then, he recreates the performance that won him his Best Actor prize in "Watch on the Rhine" on  Academy Award (originally aired on CBS on August 7, 1946).

He made a name for himself in swashbuckling, sword and sandal movies, but Tyrone Power wanted to be more than a romantic hero. After his military service, he sought to leave the fencing of Zorro behind and embraced darker, more complex roles in movies like  Nightmare Alley and  Witness for the Prosecution . We'll hear him as a man accused of a murder he didn't commit in "The Guilty Always Run" (or...

Robert Ryan was a classic big screen heavy, a memorable menace in  Crossfire ,  Bad Day at Black Rock , and more. He was a terrific tough guy, but offscreen, he was a pacifist who supported the civil rights movement and opposed McCarthyism. We'll hear him opposite Ruth Warrick in the sixty-minute Suspense drama "Beyond Reason" (originally aired on CBS on February 21, 1948).

The worlds of Ray Bradbury jump from the page to the airwaves with four old time radio adaptations of his stories. First, a ventriloquist's dummy holds the key to a murder case in "Riabouchinska" (originally aired on CBS on November 13, 1947). Next, a little girl tries to save a woman in danger, but no one believes "The Screaming Woman" is real (originally aired on CBS on March 1, 1955). Finally,...

Best known today as humanity's last hope in  Invasion of the Body Snatchers , Kevin McCarthy lent his voice to a pair of  Suspense  thrillers in the later years of the program. First, he plays a juror whose wife has been kidnapped to sway his vote in "After the Movies" (AFRS rebroadcast from September 6, 1959). Then, he fights for his life in a sinking ship in "Dead Man's Story" (AFRS rebroadcast...

The wonderful character actor Everett Sloane steps back into the spotlight in three stories from "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." We'll hear him as a highway patrol cop in a dangerous mountain chase in "Speed Trap" (AFRS rebroadcast from December 8, 1957). Then, Sloane is a scientist with doubts about working on a weapon of war in "The Voice of Company A" (originally aired on CBS on Augus...

Paul Douglas came out of the world of announcing and sportscasting to a successful career on the stage and screen. He went from announcing a World Series to starring in movies like  It Happens Every Spring and  Angels in the Outfield before his untimely passing. We'll hear him as a postmaster hunting for a mail bomb in "Fragile - Contents Death" (originally aired on CBS on February 1, 1951). Then,...

The "first lady of  Suspense " returns to the podcast! We'll hear Agnes Moorehead in another production of the series' most famous drama "Sorry, Wrong Number" (originally aired on CBS on September 6, 1945). Then, she stars in an adaptation of Charles Dickens' eerie story "The Signalman" (originally aired on CBS on March 23, 1953).

Before he sang his way through  1776  as Benjamin Franklin, Howard Da Silva was a busy screen and stage actor earning raves for his villainous turns on Broadway and on the big screen. We'll hear him as a cop on the trail of a cocky killer in "You Take Ballistics" (originally aired on CBS on March 13, 1947). Then, he recreates his screen role as a tyrannical ship's captain as the  Lux Radio Theatre...

Whether she's making us laugh or keeping us in  Suspense , we love Lucille Ball. In this spotlight episode, we'll hear my three favorites from her six visits to "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." First, she's a dance hall girl trying to stay out of the clutches of a serial killer in "Dime a Dance" (originally aired on CBS on January 13, 1944). Then, she's a hold-up artist who accidentally p...

In his final appearances on  Suspense , Victor Mature played an infamous Mexican outlaw and an undercover cop who falls for a gangster's girlfriend. We'll hear the star of  My Darling Clementine and  Kiss of Death in "The Love and Death of Joaquin Murrieta" (originally aired on CBS on February 16, 1953). Then, he gets too close to a beautiful - and dangerous - woman in "The Girl in Car Thirty-Two"...

June Duprez broke out as a star in her native England in films like  The Four Feathers and  The Thief of Bagdad . Unfortunately, when she crossed the pond to Hollywood, mismanagement by a producer and her agent kept her from landing big roles. We'll hear her recreate one of her screen performances in "The Brighton Strangler" (originally aired on CBS on December 21, 1944). Then, she's a reclusive a...

Actor, Rat Packer, and one-time presidential brother-in-law Peter Lawford made his final visit to  Suspense in an adaptation of Wilkie Collins' "A Terribly Strange Bed" (originally aired on CBS on June 7, 1954) - the final episode of the show to be sponsored by Autolite. We'll also hear him co-star with Shirley Temple and Arthur Treacher in "First Love" from the  Screen Guild Theatre (originally a...

Marsha Hunt began her career in Hollywood in the 1930s, but she was blacklisted after she took a stand against McCarthyism and the Communist witch hunt in Hollywood. Though she continued to act in films and television, she rededicated her life to philanthropy and activisim, and she's still with us today. We'll hear her as a long-suffering niece who sees an opportunity to get rid of an abusive (and...

Charles Ruggles was best known to audiences for his comedic roles in Bringing Up Baby and  It Happened on Fifth Avenue , but he was also the guest star on the very first episode of  Suspense . We'll hear the star in "The Burning Court" (originally aired on CBS on June 17, 1942), an adaptation of the mystery novel by John Dickson Carr. Then, he stars in Dorothy L. Sayers' "Suspicion" (originally ai...

In his final  Suspense appearance, big screen baddie Dan Duryea plays a hold-up man turned murderer who has to dispose of a very inconvenient eyewitness in "Remember Me?" (originally aired on CBS on April 7, 1952). We'll hear him in that old time radio thriller, plus an episode of his radio police procedural  The Man from Homicide . Duryea stars as Lt. Lou Dana in a radio mystery originally aired...

Stage and screen John Hodiak returns to the podcast in two more old time radio thrillers. First, he's a fast-talking hustler who joins a group of bank robbers in "The Big Heist" (originally aired on CBS on December 1, 1952). Then, he's a deep sea diver on a treasure hunt for a lost Spanish galleon in "Gold of the Adomar" (originally aired on CBS on January 19, 1953).

In this bonus episode, we're celebrating the life and career of the late, great Betty White. The legendary Emmy-winning actress started her showbusiness career in radio, and we'll hear one of her on-air performances. She co-stars with Fibber McGee and Molly in "Advice to the Lovelorn," a romantic comedy from  Family Theatre (originally aired on Mutual on October 30, 1947).

In his only appearance on  Suspense , sharp-tongued satirist Henry Morgan showed off his dramatic chops. He plays a man who suspects a neighbor is a murderer in "Dream Song" (originally aired on CBS on November 6, 1947). Then we'll hear his trademark comedy in  The Henry Morgan Show (originally aired on ABC on February 19, 1947).

For our annual bonus holiday episode, we'll hear Robert Mitchum reprise his big screen role as The Lux Radio Theatre presents  Holiday Affair (originally aired on CBS on December 18, 1950). Laraine Day co-stars in this romantic Christmas comedy about the sparks that fly when a department store clerk with big dreams meets a single mom and secret shopper.

For our final regular episode of 2021, we welcome Joseph Cotten back to "Stars on Suspense" for two old time radio thrillers, including a Christmas story from "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." First, he's a sideshow performer who's grown tired of his boss's tyrannical behavior in "Carnival" (originally aired on CBS on January 28, 1952). Then, Cotten is first mate on a ship bound for the Ca...

Note: No intro for this show; I'm still battling back from a cold and my voice isn't radio-ready. We're revisiting the performances of Peter Lorre in this bonus show, and I've selected my favorites of his six visits to "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." First, he's a jealous husband with a devious plan for dealing with his young wife and the man she loves in "Till Death Do Us Part" (origina...

Note: No intro for this episode, as I'm fighting a cold and a froggy throat. Mexican-American actress, dancer, and activist Margo returns to the podcast for her final visit to "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." It's an episode where she shares the stage with Elsa Lanchester and Janet Beecher. They star in "Finishing School" (originally aired on CBS on December 30, 1943). Then, Margo takes E...

Fay Bainter made Hollywood history in 1938 when she became the first performer nominated for two acting Oscars in the same year - winning the Best Supporting Actress award for Jezebel. But before that, she was a Broadway star whose performances on the stage paved the way to her work on the big screen. We'll hear her in "The Lucky Lady" (originally aired on CBS on February 14, 1946) and "Life Ends...

After he introduced stories on Suspense as the "Man in Black," Joseph Kearns moved into starring roles on radio's outstanding theater of thrills. We'll hear him in "The Case for Dr. Singer," a tale of atomic espionage ripped from the headlines (originally aired on CBS on June 28, 1951). Then, he's one of history's most notorious murderers in "A Story of Poison" (originally aired on CBS on Septembe...