Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)

Some of the era's best comedians left the jokes at home when they stepped up to the  Suspense microphone. In this bonus episode, we'll hear these funny men and women play effectively against type in five radio thrillers. First, Danny Kaye schemes to bump off a rival and steal his girl in "The Too-Perfect Alibi" (originally aired on CBS on January 13, 1949).  Then, Fibber McGee and Molly take a car...

For years on  Suspense , Cathy Lewis delivered strong supporting performances alongside stars like Cary Grant, James Stewart, and Kirk Douglas. But in the late 1950s, she stepped into the spotlight and began to star in "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." We'll hear her in "A Statement of Fact" (AFRS rebroadcast from November 23, 1958) and "Everything Will Be Different" (AFRS rebroadcast from...

Ray Noble composed beloved standards like "The Very Thought of You," and he led great jazz bands in his native England and in the United States. He also had a successful career on radio as a musical director and as a comedic foil for Charlie McCarthy. We'll hear him as a gentleman adventurer in "The Star of Thessaly" (AFRS rebroadcast from November 24, 1957) and as half of a murderous newlywed cou...

Self-described "Joe Average" Dane Clark plays criminals both amateur and professional in his final appearances on  Suspense . First, he's an actor who tries to play a murderer in real life in "Spoils for Victor" (AFRS rebroadcast from May 23, 1946). Then, Clark kills his doppleganger in an armed robbery in "Till the Day I Die" (originally aired on CBS on September 19, 1946). Plus we'll hear him as...

Miriam Hopkins jumped from the Broadway stage to the silver screen with well-received performances in  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and  Trouble in Paradise . But her film roles began to decline in the 1940s, and she embraced the new medium of television. We'll hear her as a woman who incurs the wrath of a demented housemate in "The Rose Garden" (originally aired on CBS on October 5, 1950). Plus, she c...

Silver-haired star Jeff Chandler takes his final bow on  Suspense in "A Good Neighbor" (originally aired on CBS on March 31, 1957). Chandler stars as a thief who's trying to lay low after a heist, but a nosy neighbor may discover his secret. Plus we'll hear Chandler in his two signature radio roles. First he's the bashful biology teacher Mr. Boynton in  Our Miss Brooks (originally aired on CBS on...

In this month's bonus spotlight episode, I'm sharing my favorite  Suspense shows starring Gregory Peck. The star of  To Kill a Mockingbird ,  Gentleman's Agreement , and  Roman Holiday plays a variety of characters - some good, some bad, but all starring in tales well calculated to keep you in  Suspense . First, he's a man plotting to murder his wife so he can run away with a beautiful young woman...

Raymond Burr was a year into his iconic run as Perry Mason on television when he starred in his final episodes of  Suspense . He's hunting for a pirate's loot in "The Treasure Chest of Don Jose" (AFRS rebroadcast from October 12, 1958); then he tries to survive the tortures of the Spanish Inquisition in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" (AFRS rebroadcast from June 7, 1959). We'll also h...

Eighty years ago this week - on May 25, 1943 - listeners first heard "Sorry, Wrong Number" on  Suspense . The terrifying tale from Lucille Fletcher starred Agnes Moorehead as a woman who overhears a murder plot over crossed phone lines. It would be performed on  Suspense seven more times over the next seventeen years - each time starring Ms. Moorehead - and it was adapted by Ms. Fletcher for a big...

Though her screen career never quite took off, Ellen Drew turned in memorable performances in movies like  Christmas in July ,  Johnny O'Clock , and  Isle of the Dead . We'll hear her co-starring with Agnes Moorehead in "Uncle Henry's Rosebush" (originally aired on CBS on June 29, 1943). Then, she stars in an adaptation of Charles Dickens' terrifying tale "The Signalman" (originally aired on CBS o...

Edward Arnold put his frame and booming voice to good use as heavies in classic films. He was a go-to bad guy for Frank Capra in pictures like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and  Meet John Doe , where he played colorfully corrupt characters. We'll hear him as a long-suffering employee who's finally had enough of his abusive boss in "Account Payable" (originally aired on CBS on October 13, 1949). The...

Actress and activist Marsha Hunt returns to  Suspense in a pair of radio thrillers. First, she's a racecar driver's wife on a collision course with death in "The Last Kilometer" (originally aired on CBS on June 22, 1958). Then, she's convinced a murderer has escaped from prison with revenge on his mind in "The Night Man," a tale of terror from Lucille Fletcher (AFRS rebroadcast from July 26, 1959)...

For this month's bonus episode, I'm sharing my favorite  Suspense shows starring Oscar-nominee Richard Widmark. First, he's an innocent man on the run in his bare feet in "Too Hot to Live" (originally aired on CBS on October 26, 1950). Next, Widmark plays a pitchman who has to make his biggest sale yet in order to stay alive in "Tell You Why I Shouldn't Die" (originally aired on CBS on April 30, 1...

Master mystery writer John Dickson Carr was a key figure in the first year of  Suspense . The creator of Dr. Gideon Fell and godfather of locked room puzzles penned nearly two dozen episodes of "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" between 1942 and 1943. We'll hear two of those thrillers - "The Devil in the Summer House" (originally aired on CBS on November 3, 1942) and "Will You Make a Bet wit...

John Lund returns to the podcast in a pair of radio thrillers. First, he's an ordinary man drawn into a dangerous adventure during Mardi Gras in "The Man Who Stole the Bible" (originally aired on CBS on November 25, 1956). Then, Lund narrates a Pacific wartime drama as soldiers prepare to hit the beachhead in "Tarawa was Tough" (AFRS rebroadcast from May 12, 1957). And as a bonus, we'll hear Lund...

Gene Lockhart wore many hats in his career: Oscar-nominee, stage star, acting teacher at Julliard, and songwriter. He played everyone from Bob Cratchit to villains to the judge trying to decide Kris Kringle's fate in  Miracle on 34th Street . We'll hear him as an office worker who kills a workplace rival in "Statement of Employee Henry Wilson" (originally aired on CBS on November 2, 1943). Then, L...

For his final appearance on the podcast, Cornel Wilde stars as C. Auguste Dupin - the master detective created by Edgar Allan Poe - in "The Mystery of Marie Roget" (originally aired on CBS on December 14, 1953). Inspired by a real-life unsolved murder case, it finds Dupin investigating the killing of a beautiful young woman in Paris. Then, Wilde dons the famous mask and cape in a  Hollywood Star T...

The Cheshire Cat, Kaa the snake, and Winnie the Pooh. Sterling Holloway voiced them all and became a Disney legend for his years of work bringing beloved characters to life with his instantly recognizable voice. He lent that voice to one episode of  Suspense as a mild-mannered cruise passenger who stumbles into an exotic adventure in "The Second Class Passenger" (AFRS rebroadcast from January 20,...

For this month's bonus episode, I'm sharing my favorite episodes of  Suspense starring Oscar-winner Claire Trevor. First, she's trapped in her home with a madman in "The Plan" (originally aired on CBS on May 16, 1946). Then, she's a dancer trying to solve her boyfriend's murder and find a priceless diamond he was hiding in "The Blue Hour" (originally aired on CBS on September 25, 1947). Finally, s...

Hitchockian heavy and Third Man  hero Joseph Cotten returns for more "tales well calculated to keep you in  Suspense !" We'll hear him first as a corrupt prosecutor who plans a murder to keep his dirty dealings a secret in "A Watery Grave" (originally aired on CBS on March 10, 1952). Then, he stars as the titular murderer as the ballad of "Tom Dooley" comes to life on radio (originally aired on CB...

After achieving stardom in her native Australia, Ann Richards traveled to Hollywood. Unfortunately, studios never quite figured out what to do with her, and she retired after making just 12 movies in the States. But during her short stint in Hollywood, she co-starred with the likes of Brian Donlevy, Burt Lancaster, and Barbara Stanwyck. We'll hear her as a young woman who conspires to stay in high...

Lee Bowman enjoyed a brief run of success on the big screen during World War II, but when film roles dried up he turned to television and eventually to a second career as a corporate and political media consultant. We'll hear him as a man who comes home from his bachelor party to discover a murder mystery in "Five Canaries in the Room" (originally aired on CBS on June 8, 1943). Then, Bowman plays...

Academy Award-nominated actress Joan Lorring returns in two more  Suspense thrillers from the early 1960s. First, it's "The Luck of the Tiger Eye," a tale of greed and graverobbing set in a mansion on a dark and stormy night (originally aired on CBS on December 3, 1961). Then, a pair of newlyweds might be parted by death sooner than anticipated in "Please Believe Me" (originally aired on CBS on Ja...

For this month's bonus show, I'm sharing my three favorite  Suspense episodes starring Shane himself - Alan Ladd. First, he's an ex-con framed for murder in "The Defense Rests" (originally aired on CBS on March 9, 1944). Then, Ladd plays a detective facing his toughest case yet - his wife is accused of killing a man - in "Motive for Murder" (originally aired on CBS on March 16, 1950). Finally, he'...

Herbert Marshall returns to the podcast with two more old time radio thrillers. The star of  Foreign Correspondent and  The Man Called X is running for his life after he takes a shot at Hitler in "Rogue Male," an adaptation of Geoffrey Household's 1939 novel (originally aired on CBS on December 31, 1951). Then, he's the celebrated explorer Robert Scott in the harrowing tale of his doomed expeditio...