Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)

It's Halloween, and our star this week headlines one of the scariest shows  Suspense ever aired. Ralph Edwards, best known as the jovial host of madcap game shows, stars as a radio DJ narrating his trip through a haunted house in "Ghost Hunt" (originally aired on CBS on June 23, 1949). Then, we'll hear him as host of  Truth or Consequences in a Halloween-themed episode (originally aired on NBC on...

For their final visit to  Suspense , Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard starred as themselves. The couple finds their plans for an anniversary date thwarted by the mysterious "Mr. Diogenes" (originally aired on CBS on January 26, 1950). Then, we'll hear a haunted house Halloween episode of  The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (originally aired on NBC on October 31, 1948).

He was one of Hollywood's brightest stars - obsessively committed to bringing his characters to life and a master of make-up to transform himself on screen, and Paul Muni's devotion to his craft earned him five Oscar nominations and one win. We'll hear the star of  Scarface as a composer haunted by a mysterious rival in "The Search for Henri Le Fevre" (originally aired on CBS on July 6, 1944). Plu...

After she came to Hollywood and made her American movie debut at age 72, Dame May Whitty carved out a niche (and earned two Oscar nods) by playing outwardly cranky dowagers with hearts of gold. In two of her visits to  Suspense , she played to and against that type. First, in "The Black Shawl," she's a woman seeking companionship from Maureen O'Sullivan while hiding a secret (originally aired on C...

In his final appearances on  Suspense , William Powell played against type as characters far removed from debonair drunkard Nick Charles of  The Thin Man . We'll hear him as a Soviet embassy clerk desperately trying to defect in "The Man Who Cried Wolf" (originally aired on CBS on February 9, 1953) and as a doctor hunting a rabid dog on the loose in "The Barking Death" (originally aired on CBS on...

Lloyd Bridges' name may conjure up memories of goofy comedy in  Airplane! and  Hot Shots! , but long before those films he was a busy dramatic actor on the big and small screens. We'll hear the father of actors Beau and Jeff in a pair of radio thrillers: "Chicken Feed" (originally aired on CBS on April 21, 1957) and "Pigeon in the Cage" (originally aired on CBS on August 11, 1957).

For the 150th episode of the podcast, we welcome another star to our "five-timer's club." Vincent Price is back in the  Suspense spotlight in two more old time radio thrillers. We'll hear him as a psychic sleuth in "The Green and Gold String" (originally aired on CBS on June 9, 1957). Then, Price stars in an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's terrifying tale of torture "The Pit and the Pendulum" (ori...

One of Hollywood's greatest leading men takes his final bow on the podcast as James Stewart headlines two more old time radio thrillers. First, he's a doctor faking his own death in "Consequence" (originally aired on CBS on May 19, 1949). Then, Stewart comes to the aid of a young woman in desperate trouble in "The Rescue" (an AFRS rebroadcast from April 19, 1951). Plus, we'll hear him in the audit...

After she broke into Hollywood at the age of 15, Linda Darnell established herself as a leading lady opposite Tyrone Power and in films from Otto Preminger and John Ford. Her only appearance on  Suspense wasn't the best "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" had to offer, but it boasts a great performance from Darnell. The star of  Forever Amber headlines "A Killing in Las Vegas" (originally air...

Oscar-winner William Holden stars in a wartime drama and a science fiction adventure in his final visits to Suspense . We'll hear the star of Stalag 17 and Sunset Boulevard in "Needle in the Haystack" (originally aired on CBS on November 9, 1953) and "The Outer Limit" (originally aired on CBS on February 15, 1954).

Before he starred on screen in  The Hitch-Hiker  and  In a Lonely Place , Frank Lovejoy was a busy radio actor. He played the Blue Beetle, menaced the Shadow, and narrated adventures of the FBI. Lovejoy could also be heard in supporting roles on  Suspense , but he moved into the starring role in 1951. We'll hear him in a pair of radio thrillers: first, a ballad brought to radio life in "The Wreck...

Character actor Lloyd Nolan returns to the podcast for two more visits to "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." The big screen Michael Shayne plays a salesman who stumbles into a murder mystery in his new rooming house in "Nineteen Deacon Street" (originally aired on CBS on November 22, 1945). Then, he's a murderer who bumps off his wife to pave the way to a new life with his girlfriend in "Gr...

The master of suspense was born 120 years ago today, and we're saluting Alfred Hitchcock with one of his classic films recreated for radio. Ray Milland and Frank Lovejoy star in the cautionary tale about talking to  Strangers on a Train from the  Lux Radio Theatre (originally aired on CBS on December 3, 1951).

Orson Welles called her "the world's greatest living radio actress," and it's easy to see why when you hear Mercedes McCambridge at the microphone. The Oscar-winning actress cut her teeth in radio before bringing home an Academy Award for her turn in All the King's Men , and years later she'd put her voice to work scaring generations of moviegoers in  The Exorcist . We'll hear her in a pair of rad...

A classic big screen tough guy, Broderick Crawford took home an Oscar for his turn as a fiery corrupt politico in All the King's Men and he kept the streets safe on Highway Patrol. In his two Suspense appearances, Crawford delivered his powerful screen charisma in two tales of crooks facing the heat from their fellow rogues: "Dutch Schultz" (originally aired on CBS on October 26, 1953) and "Parole...

The first lady of  Suspense is back! Agnes Moorehead returns to the podcast for a pair of old time radio thrillers, including a production of the most famous  Suspense play of all time: "Sorry, Wrong Number" (originally aired on CBS on August 21, 1943). Then she stars as a fake medium whose fraudulent games may turn deadly in "The Evil of Adelaide Winters" (originally aired on CBS on September 10,...

J. Carrol Naish shows why he was "Hollywood's one-man U.N." in his first and last visits to  Suspense . The two-time Oscar nominated actor could convincingly play characters from all over the world, and his knack for accents is put to great use in these radio thrillers. First, he co-stars with Joseph Cotten in an adaptation of "The Most Dangerous Game" (originally aired on CBS on February 1, 1945)...

Adept at both romantic leads and dastardly villainous roles, Victor Jory enjoyed a long career on stage, screen, and television. His jet black eyes and grim face worked to his advantage on screen, and his rich voice served him well on radio in his four visits to  Suspense . We'll hear his first two: an adaptation of Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" (originally aired on CBS on D...

Before he entered the small screen courtroom as Perry Mason, Raymond Burr was a big screen heavy and a busy radio actor. He played everything from killers to cops to cavalrymen, and he supported stars in their visits to "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." In the late 1950s, he moved from the supporting cast to the lead role on  Suspense , and we'll hear two old time radio thrillers that aire...

In his final appearance on the podcast, Dana Andrews plays a man plotting a murder and a cop on the trail of a killer. The star of  Laura and  Where the Sidewalk Ends plays heel and hero in a pair of old time radio thrillers: "If the Dead Could Talk" (originally aired on CBS on January 20, 1949) and "The One-Man Crime Wave" (originally aired on CBS on January 11, 1954).

For Cary Grant's final visit to the podcast, we're going back to his first visit to  Suspense - an adaptation of Cornell Woolrich's "The Black Curtain" (originally aired on CBS on December 2, 1943). Then, Grant recreates his big screen role of Jim Blandings in a radio spin-off of  Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House . Betsy Drake, the real-life Mrs. Cary Grant, co-stars as Mrs. Bladings in an AFR...

Dinah Shore was one of the most popular singers of the 1940s, with nearly 100 chart-topping hits like "Blues in the Night" and "Baby, It's Cold Outside." For her one and only appearance on Suspense , she starred and sang in "Frankie and Johnny" (originally aired on CBS on May 5, 1952) = a dramatic retelling of the classic ballad. We'll also hear her clowning around with Groucho Marx in an episode...

In movies like 3:10 to Yuma and Shane , Van Heflin shined as ordinary men standing up to evil. But in his visits to Suspense , Heflin usually shed his heroic trappings and kept audiences thrilled as villains. We'll hear him as a pair of heels in "Song of the Heart" (originally aired on CBS on August 26, 1948) and "Three O'Clock" (originally aired on CBS on March 10, 1949).

Though he's best known to old time radio fans as lovable lug Chester A. Riley, William Bendix made a name for himself as rough and tumble tough guys in movies like  Lifeboat and  The Blue Dahlia . He showed off that side of his persona when he made visits to  Suspense . We'll bid goodbye to him this week as we wrap up his run of shows on "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" - "Pearls are a Nui...

Before he was an Oscar nominee, Jeff Chandler was a busy radio actor. He played a western lawyer, private eye Michael Shayne, and bashful biology teacher Mr. Boynton in  Our Miss Brooks . He also played supporting roles on "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." But after his breakout film role and his rise to leading man status, Chandler moved into starring roles on  Suspense . We'll hear him i...