Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

Originally Aired: July 27, 1944   In Suspense #102, “The Black Shawl,” a young woman named Susan Appleby accepts what seems like a simple live-in companionship job for a grieving widow—but soon finds herself trapped in a house of secrets, madness, and menace. Her new employer, Mrs. Masters, speaks tenderly of her lost son, a once-promising sculptor—until Susan discovers he’s not dead at all, but h...

In Suspense #101, “Of Maestro and Man,” a former impresario turned boxing manager spirals into obsession after gambling debts force him to sell his only fighter, Ricky Martin, to a crooked promoter. But when Ricky announces he’s quitting the ring to marry and start a new life, the Maestro’s grip on reality begins to slip. What follows is a tense, steam-filled descent into betrayal and madness, as...

In Suspense #100, “The Beast Must Die,” a grieving crime writer named Frank Hargrove embarks on a chilling journey of vengeance after the hit-and-run death of his young son. Determined to find the killer, Frank assumes a false identity and infiltrates the suspect’s circle, meticulously documenting his intentions in a diary. As he plays a dangerous game of deception, the lines between justice and o...

Originally Aired: July 6, 1944 The Search for Henri Lefebvre: A Melody from the Mind’s Abyss A composer named Adolphus Flynn finishes a new orchestral work—only to hear it broadcast over the radio that very evening, credited to a long-dead composer he’s never heard of. Convinced he’s being plagiarized or haunted, Flynn launches a desperate investigation to find the mysterious Henri Lefebvre. But t...

Originally Aired: June 29, 1944 The Walls Came Tumbling Down: Bibles, Blood, and a Buried Masterpiece When gossip columnist Patrick Darcy receives a cryptic visit from an old priest, he’s drawn into a deadly mystery involving a pair of Bibles marked “E.B.,” a murdered clergyman, and the long-lost final mural of a forgotten artist. With the help of a frightened young woman and a trail of coded scri...

Episode Title: The Ten Grand: A Chorus Girl's Close Call Originally Aired: June 22, 1944 The Ten Grand: A Chorus Girl's Close Call Down-on-her-luck dancer Gigi Lewis is scrounging for a meal when fate hands her a mysterious bankroll—possibly $10,000 in cash—stuffed into her returned purse after a snatching attempt. But with the money comes danger, cryptic messages, and suspicious strangers followi...

Originally Aired: June 15, 1944 A Friend to Alexander: A Duel Beyond the Grave In this haunting and psychologically rich episode of Suspense, based on the short story by James Thurber, Geraldine Fitzgerald and Richard Whorf star in a tale where history, dreams, and reality fatally collide. Harry Andrews is a happy, easygoing man—until he starts having recurring dreams about Aaron Burr. Night after...

Originally Aired: June 8, 1944 Case History on Edgar Lowndes: The Train That Never Stopped In this darkly psychological episode of Suspense, two of Hollywood’s most iconic actors—Thomas Mitchell and Donald Crisp—deliver powerhouse performances in a tale that unravels the twisted mind of a man haunted by death, guilt, and memory. Edgar Lowndes is a powerful railroad tycoon tormented by debilitating...

Originally Aired: June 1, 1944 Fugue in C Minor: The Pipes That Whispered Murder In one of the most haunting and elegantly chilling episodes of Suspense, screen legends Ida Lupino and Vincent Price star in a Victorian tale of madness, music, and murder. Amanda Peabody arrives in the quiet town of Pilotsville to visit her sister, only to become enchanted by Theodore Evans—a cultured widower, music...

Originally Aired: May 25, 1944 Donovan’s Brain, Part Two: The Final Host In the chilling conclusion to Suspense's two-part science fiction saga, Orson Welles returns as Dr. Patrick Cory—a man now fully under the growing influence of the disembodied brain he has kept alive in his laboratory. What began as an ambitious experiment to preserve thought has devolved into a psychological and spiritual ni...

In one of the most celebrated episodes of Suspense, Orson Welles stars as Dr. Patrick Cory in a chilling adaptation of Curt Siodmak’s science fiction thriller Donovan’s Brain. This is the first of a two-part drama that explores the terrifying consequences of science without limits—and thought without a body. When a private plane crashes in the mountains, the only survivor is millionaire William H....

Originally Aired: May 11, 1944 The Visitor: A Stranger Comes Home In this emotionally haunting episode of Suspense, Eddie Bracken stars as Bud Owen, a man returning to the hometown he left twelve years earlier under the shadow of suspicion and heartbreak. Bud isn't just back for nostalgia—he’s come to confront the truth and reclaim his identity. But there’s one problem: no one remembers him. When...

Originally Aired: May 4, 1944 The Dark Tower: A Role to Kill For: In this richly layered psychological thriller from Suspense, Orson Welles delivers a mesmerizing performance as Damon Wellington, an aging stage actor drawn into a murder mystery that threatens to destroy his family—and career. When Jessica Wellington, Damon’s sister and co-star, begins rehearsals for her return to the stage after a...

In this gripping road thriller from Suspense, Gene Kelly plays George Javery, a man trying to make a quiet cross-country drive from California to New York—but fate has other plans. It begins with a strange bellhop warning about a one-armed man, an uninvited hitchhiker with an eerie familiarity, and a series of unsettling “coincidences” that unravel into something far more sinister. Every mile brin...

Originally Aired: April 20, 1944 The Palmer Method: Signed in Blood: In this darkly clever episode of Suspense, Ed Gardner sheds his comedic persona to deliver a dramatic performance as Joe Palmer—a small-time con man and expert forger who finds himself in way over his head. Down on his luck in New York, Palmer joins the Spanish Loyalist army under the name "George Padway" to escape both poverty a...

Originally Aired: April 13, 1944 The Marvelous Barastro: A Duel of Illusions: In this spellbinding episode of Suspense, Orson Welles delivers a haunting dual performance as Barastro and Rico Sansoni—two rival magicians locked in a decades-long psychological and supernatural battle. Barastro, a traveling illusionist, shares his eerie tale with producer William Spier: a love story turned nightmare....

Originally Aired: April 6, 1944 The Woman in Red: Identity for Sale: In this harrowing tale from Suspense, Academy Award-winner Katina Paxinou stars as Miss Crabo, a seemingly kind yet deeply sinister woman who traps a young, vulnerable woman in a deadly scheme of espionage and impersonation. Julia Ross, desperate for work and with no close ties, answers an ad for a secretary and is lured into a l...

Originally Aired: March 30, 1944 Cat and Mouse: A Deadly Game: In this tense episode of Suspense, engineer John Guthrie (Sonny Tufts) finds himself entangled in a deadly game of espionage, deception, and survival. When his friend and research partner, Howard Lockwood, is mysteriously murdered, Guthrie realizes that their top-secret invention—a wartime technological breakthrough—has made them the t...

Originally Aired: March 23, 1944 Sneak Preview: The Reel and the Real: In this suspenseful tale starring Joseph Cotten, reality and fiction blur as Hollywood director Frank Henderson stumbles into a real-life crime more thrilling than any film he's ever made. While in New York preparing for the release of his latest motion picture, Escape to Destiny, Henderson finds himself drawn into the mystery...

Originally Aired: March 16, 1944 Narrative About Clarence: A Mind Unraveled: This haunting episode of Suspense stars Laird Cregar as Clarence, a man whose eerie presence slowly unravels the mind of his unsuspecting brother-in-law, Bill. When Bill’s wife, Lillian, unexpectedly receives a letter from her estranged half-brother Clarence, she is surprised—he’s been gone for years, living in India, dab...

Originally Aired: March 9, 1944 The Defense Rests: A Lawyer’s Betrayal: In this gripping courtroom drama from Suspense, Alan Ladd stars as Robert Tasker, a young man on trial for murder. But as the evidence unfolds, it becomes clear that the real culprit may be the very man defending him—renowned criminal attorney Max Crager. Tasker, an ex-convict trying to rebuild his life, lands a job in Crager’...

Originally Aired: March 2, 1944 Portrait Without a Face: A Painted Confession: In this gripping episode of Suspense, a mysterious painting serves as both a trap and a confession, drawing a woman back into a deadly past. When Colette, a woman with a shadowy history, arrives at a New York art gallery desperate to see a particular painting, her reaction is one of fear rather than admiration. The pain...

Originally Aired: February 24, 1944 Sorry, Wrong Number: A Desperate Call for Help: One of the most famous radio dramas of all time, Sorry, Wrong Number is a chilling masterpiece of suspense starring Agnes Moorehead in a tour-de-force performance. Mrs. Elbert Stevenson, a bedridden woman plagued by nerves, frantically tries to reach her husband’s office but is accidentally connected to a conversat...

Originally Aired: February 17, 1944 Life Ends at Midnight: A Fatal Deadline: In this nerve-wracking episode of Suspense, Dane Clark stars as Walter Bates, a desperate man with only a few hours left to raise $1,500—or face certain death. His only hope? His aging mother, Mrs. Bates (Faye Bainter), who has already sacrificed everything for him. As Walter pressures her to come up with the money, he re...

In this chilling episode of Suspense, Charles Ruggles delivers a gripping performance as Hubert Mummery, a mild-mannered businessman whose life takes a terrifying turn when he begins to suspect his new housekeeper might be a killer. What begins as casual gossip about a notorious poisoner named Carolyn Andrews soon becomes a waking nightmare when Hubert realizes that his own cook, Sutton, may not b...