Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)

In his final visit to  Suspense , Eddie Bracken sheds his lovable and dopey screen persona honed in comedies from Preston Sturges. We'll hear him in "Nightmare," a sixty-minute story from Cornell Woolrich (originally aired on CBS on March 13, 1948). We'll also hear Bracken in the first episode of his radio sitcom  The Eddie Bracken Show , where he plays a version of himself closer to his portrayal...

Character actor Everett Sloane broke out in radio and onstage before he moved to movies like  Citizen Kane and  The Lady from Shanghai . His voice was perfect for radio, with a patrician air that could give a character sophistication or menace. We'll hear him as a man plotting the murder of his business partner in "Alibi" (originally aired on CBS on July 7, 1957). Then, he's a safari guide facing...

For his final  Suspense appearance, Edmond O'Brien starred in a grim tale of the frontier pulled from the history books. We'll hear him in "Ordeal in Donner Pass" (originally aired on November 2, 1953). Plus, he stars as "America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator" Johnny Dollar in "The Queen Anne Pistols Matter" (originally aired on CBS on November 4, 1950).

Debonair British star David Niven lent a touch of class and charm to his roles during his long Hollywood career. Whether he was racing the globe in  Around the World in 80 Days , carrying out a daring commando raid in  The Guns of Navarone , or vexing Peter Sellers in the  Pink Panther films, Niven was always poised, polished, and highly entertaining. We'll hear him as a con artist plotting an ins...

Best known for his physical presence in epics like  The Robe and  Samson and Delilah , Victor Mature starred on stage, screen, and television in musicals, westerns, and noir dramas. We'll hear him in a pair of thrillers, beginning with Cornell Woolrich's "Momentum" (originally aired on CBS on October 27, 1949). Then, he's a hitman on assignment in "Blackjack to Kill" (originally aired on CBS on De...

For our 200th episode, I'm sharing five of my favorite "tales well calculated to keep you in  Suspense ." We'll hear Dana Andrews in Ray Bradbury's "The Crowd" (originally aired on CBS on September 21, 1950); "Murder in G-Flat" starring Jack Benny (originally aired on CBS on April 5, 1951); the Cold War spy drama "The Case for Dr. Singer" (originally aired on CBS on June 28, 1951); "first lady of...

We're celebrating the birthday of Alfred Hitchcock with one of the big screen master of suspense's films adapted for radio. In this Screen Directors' Playhouse production, Mercedes McCambridge and Joseph Cotten star in "Spellbound," Hitchcock's thriller about psychoanalysis and murder (originally aired on NBC on January 25, 1951).

Peter Lawford broke out in Hollywood in British war stories at the outset of World War II, and the English-born actor appeared in  The Picture of Dorian Gray ,  The Canterville Ghost , and  The White Cliffs of Dover . But he may be better known for his years in Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack, and his relationship with his presidential brother-in-law John F. Kennedy. We'll hear Lawford in a two-part adap...

Dan Duryea was a big screen heavy - equally at home in urban noir dramas and westerns. His looks, combined with his knack for movie villainy, earned him the nickname "the heel with sex appeal." He put that talent for playing crooks and fiends to work when he visited Suspense . We'll hear Duryea plot a murder in "The Will to Power" (originally aired on CBS on January 9, 1947). Then, he's riding a w...

Lloyd Nolan stars on opposite sides of the law in a pair of  Suspense thrillers. First, he's a man driven to murder in "Double Ugly" (originally aired on CBS on August 28, 1947). Then, he plays a dogged detective chasing down leads on a cold case in "The Man With Two Faces" (originally aired on CBS on December 15, 1952).

Merle Oberon broke out on the big screen in England, and Hollywood producers were quick to bring her across the pond for their own films. She rose to stardom and picked up an Academy Award even as she kept her past a closely guarded secret and recovered from tragedy. We'll hear her in the only visit she made to  Suspense - "The Bluebeard of Bellac," a murder mystery in Nazi-occupied France (origin...

John Hodiak broke out in Hollywood when Alfred Hitchcock cast him in  Lifeboat , but his subsequent screen career had ups and downs. A sensational turn on Broadway showed signs of a career resurgence, but he died tragically young before he could capitalize on his newfound acclaim. We'll hear the dynamic leading man in "Dateline Lisbon" (originally aired on CBS on October 5, 1944) and "The Case His...

Van Heflin returns to the podcast in two more old time radio thrillers, including a tale pulled from the history books. We'll hear the star of 3:10 to Yuma as a con man plotting a perfect crime in "Murder of Aunt Delia" (originally aired on CBS on November 10, 1949). Then, Suspense dramatizes an unsolved mystery of the sea when it presents "The Mystery of the Marie Celeste" (originally aired on CB...

One of Hollywood's most popular and beloved child stars, Margaret O'Brien turned in performances on  Suspense that outshone some of the adult performers of the era. We'll hear the star of  Meet Me in St. Louis in a wartime drama with May Whitty in "Cricket" (originally aired on CBS on March 15, 1945). Then, she stars in Ray Bradbury's "The Screaming Woman" (originally aired on CBS on November 25,...

Eddie Cantor was one of the most beloved showmen of the 20th century; he kept audiences entertained on stage, screen, and for nearly two decades on radio. The singer and comedian made one trip to  Suspense for a lighthearted crime caper in "Double Entry" (originally aired on CBS on December 22, 1949). Then, we'll hear him welcome guest William Powell in an episode of  The Eddie Cantor Show (origin...

In his final appearances on  Suspense , James Mason starred in a tale of intrigue from the court of Elizabeth I and a mystery from genre master John Dickson Carr. Mason co-stars with his then-wife Pamela in "The Queen's Ring" (originally aired on CBS on December 28, 1953) and "The Dealings of Mr. Markham" (originally aired on CBS on November 2, 1958).

Actress, singer, and activist Lena Horne kept audiences entertained over her long screen and stage career, and she fought tirelessly for civil rights alongside some of the giants of the movement. We'll hear her as a singer battling Nazis in "You Were Wonderful" (originally aired on CBS on November 9, 1944). Then, we'll hear a compilation of her songs from  Command Performance and an appearance on ...

For his final appearance on the podcast, Ray Milland stars in a  Suspense story from Raymond Chandler. Milland plays a private eye in the comedic caper "Pearls are a Nuisance" (originally aired on CBS on April 20, 1950). Then, he recreates his big screen role in The Big Clock on  The Lux Radio Theatre (originally aired on CBS on November 22, 1948).

Nearly 80 years after it first aired, Lucille Fletcher's "Sorry, Wrong Number" remains a powerful masterpiece of suspense. It's one of the all-time great radio dramas and one of the very best episodes ever produced on "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." We'll hear the first and final performances of this legendary radio play, both starring "First Lady of  Suspense " Agnes Moorehead (original...

Susan Peters was one of Hollywood's brightest rising dramatic stars before a tragic hunting accident paralyzed her. But she didn't stop acting, and she turned in a terrific performance in her one and only visit to  Suspense . We'll hear her in "They Call Me Patrice" (originally aired on CBS on December 12, 1946). Then, she stars in "Johnny Eager," recreated for  The Lux Radio Theatre (originally a...

Oops! This week's episode contained the wrong version of "A Vision of Death," so here is the June 1, 1953 episode starring Ronald Colman, Mary Jane Croft, and Hy Averback. It's the correct tale well calculated to keep you in... Suspense !

In 1953, Ronald Colman took his final bows on Suspense with a pair of terrific thrillers. We'll hear him in an encore performance of "A Vision of Death" (originally aired on CBS on June 1, 1953). Then, he's an amateur detective on the trail of a killer in "Trent's Last Case" (originally aired on CBS on December 7, 1953). Plus, we'll hear Colman and his wife Benita Hume in the premiere episode of t...

Dancing her way from the stage and on to the big screen, Margo won acclaim for her screen performances in the 1930s and 40s. The blacklist ultimately derailed her career, but before she left Hollywood she made several memorable visits to Suspense . We'll hear "Last Night" (originally aired on CBS on June 15, 1943) and "Cabin B-13" (originally aired on CBS on November 9, 1943).

In  Singin' in the Rain , Donald O'Connor showed us how to "Make 'Em Laugh," but in his two visits to "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" the actor, singer, and dancer kept audiences in  Suspense . We'll hear him in "Smiley" (originally aired on CBS on august 14, 1947) and "The Visitor" (originally aired on CBS on September 18, 1947).

Actress and groundbreaking director Ida Lupino takes her final bow on the podcast in her first and last appearances on  Suspense . We'll hear her co-starring with Agnes Moorehead in a story of deadly sibling rivalry - "The Sisters" (originally aired on CBS on February 3, 1944). Then, she takes a shortcut through the woods in one of the scariest shows  Suspense ever produced - "On a Country Road" (...