Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)

Before he was a big screen character actor in Psycho and Cloak and Dagger and a steady hand on network TV dramas like Naked City and Wagon Train, John McIntire was a busy radio performer. We'll hear him co-starring with real-life wife Jeanette Nolan in a sixty-minute adaptation of Curt Siodmak's sci-fi horror classic "Donovan's Brain" (originally aired on CBS on February 7, 1948).

For tickets to the livestream of my original Halloween old time radio comedy this Saturday, 10/23 at 7:00 pm, visit https://www.ashlandtheatre.org/event/terror-on-the-tracks

We head into the mountains with William Conrad in this week's Halloween bonus episode. Here, he's part of a hunting party searching the Himalayas for the mythical yeti. It's a terrifying tale from Escape - "The Abominable Snowman" (originally aired on CBS on September 13, 1953).

Frank Lovejoy returns to the podcast in two of the mot intense stories to ever air on Suspense. First, Lovejoy and real-life wife Joan Banks run out of gas right in the middle of a classic radio horror story - "On a Country Road" (originally aired on CBS on January 4, 1954). Then, he tries to talk an inexperienced pilot down to the ground safely in "The Long Night" (originally aired on CBS on November 18, 1956).

This week's bonus scary story comes from the mind of science fiction master Ray Bradbury. It stirred up controversy when it aired on CBS, and it still provides chills nearly 70 years later. It's "Zero Hour" (originally aired on CBS on April 5, 1955), a tale of a child's backyard game with catastrophic consequences.

Character actor and comedian Jack Carson closes out his run on Suspense with three old time radio thrillers. First, he's an ambitious circus employee with the gift of gab in "Death Pitch" (originally aired on CBS on March 29, 1951). Then, Carson narrates a tense tale of a malfunctioning atomic bomb at a test site in "Misfire" (originally aired on CBS on October 6, 1957). Finally, he arrives at his psychiatrist's office with some shocking news in "Analytical Hour" (originally aired on CBS on June 28, 1959).

Our countdown to Halloween kicks off with one of the scariest shows to air on Suspense! The great William Conrad stars in "The Waxwork" (originally aired on CBS on May 1, 1956) - a psychological horror story where he plays every role.

Suave and silver-haired, Otto Kruger made a name for himself as debonair villains on screen. He memorably ran a deadly domestic spy ring in Alfred Hitchcock's Saboteur, menaced Philip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet, and many more. We'll hear him in his only Suspense appearance - the Cornell Woolrich story "After Dinner Story" (originally aired on CBS on October 26, 1943). Then, he joins the cast of Laura in a recreation on The Lux Radio Theatre (originally aired on CBS on February 5, 1945).

In this bonus episode, I'll share my picks for the best Suspense installments starring the legendary Orson Welles. We'll hear him first on a cross-country trip into a nightmare in "The Hitch-Hiker" (originally aired on CBS on September 2, 1942). Then, in a rare Suspense two-parter, Welles plays a scientist whose innovation could bring about the end of the world in "Donovan's Brain" (originally aired on CBS on May 18 and May 25, 1944).

Happy Birthday, Mickey Rooney (September 23, 1920 - April 6, 2014)

Rooney was perhaps best known for his films of the 1930s and 1940s, including the Andy Hardy series and his collaborations with Judy Garland.

Nearly all of Rooney's life was spent in show business. Laurence Olivier called him "the greatest actor of them all." He was nominated for four Academy Awards and five Emmys (winning one). After he passed away in 2014, Vanity Fair dubbed Rooney - married eight times with a career that went up and down after World War II - "the original Hollywood train wreck." While his personal travails may have overshadowed his work for much of his life, Mickey Rooney's performances are still celebrated.

Rooney made three visits to Suspense, and I've featured all of them on Stars on Suspense:

In "The Lie," Rooney plays a young man freshly expelled from another college who returns home to find his stepmother dead. He plans to take the fall to save his father, who he suspects to be the killer (4/28/1949).

Then in "For Love or Murder," Mickey Rooney is a lovestruck pianist who conspires with his lover to bump off her husband (12/8/1949).

Finally, he stars in "Alibi Me" as a small time hood who needs to work backwards to come up with an alibi after he impulsively murders a rival (¼/1951).

Though he was born into Hollywood fame - the son of one of the movies' first major stars - Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. hadn't intended on becoming an actor. Ultimately, his screen successes were just one chapter in a rich and colorful life including wartime service in counterintelligence. We'll hear the star of Little Caesar and Gunga Din in "Deep Into Darkness" (originally aired on CBS on July 22, 1948). Plus, he stars in the espionage drama "The Big Kill" from The Silent Men (originally aired on February 3, 1952).

Stage and screen star Victor Jory makes his final appearances on Suspense in a pair of episodes that didn't belong on "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." We'll hear the actor from Gone With the Wind and A Midsummer Night's Dream in "Old Army Buddy" (originally aired on CBS on September 8, 1957) and "Death Notice" (originally aired on February 8, 1959). Plus, he stars as a dogged detective in "You Take Ballistics," a Cornell Woolrich story adapted for the audition recording of The Hunters (from November 29, 1948).

Dorothy McGuire jumped from the Broadway stage to the big screen with acclaimed performances in Claudia and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. She earned an Oscar nod for her turn as a woman confronting her bigotry in Gentleman's Agreement and she'd later gain Disney fame as memorable moms in Old Yeller and Swiss Family Robinson. We'll hear her as a woman trying to reconstruct the night of a murder in "Last Confession" (originally aired on CBS on September 15, 1949). Then, she recreates her screen role in a radio adaptation of The Spiral Staircase on The Screen Directors' Playhouse (originally aired on NBC on November 25, 1949).

In his final visits to Suspense, Charles Boyer played two legendary lawmen from his native France. First, the four-time Oscar nominee plays Eugene Vidocq, the master thief who switched sides and became the head of the Sûreté. We'll hear "Vidocq's Final Case" (originally aired on CBS on September 29, 1952). Then, Boyer stars as Alphonse Bertillion, a policeman who used anthropology to develop a system of identifying criminal suspects. Boyer plays the innovative cop in "The Bertillion Method" (originally aired on CBS on April 26, 1954).

Stan Freberg was a master of satire and memorably sent up politics, history, and popular culture over his 70 years in show business. His spoofs of Dragnet, popular music, and history still hold up today, and he put his unique sense of humor to work as a successful advertising director. We'll hear the legendary performer in a rare dramatic radio turn as a murderer in "Alibi Me" (AFRS rebroadcast from April 20, 1958). Plus, we'll hear his signature wit in The CBS Radio Workshop (originally aired on CBS on August 31, 1956) and an episode of his classic radio comedy The Stan Freberg Show (originally aired on CBS on October 6, 1957).

Our annual birthday salute to Alfred Hitchcock isn't just a celebration of the legendary director and big screen master of suspense. It's also a tribute to his daughter, Patricia Alma O'Connell, who passed away on August 9th. We'll hear Patricia recreate her screen role in Strangers on a Train, recreated for the Lux Radio Theatre (rehearsal for the December 3, 1951 broadcast). Then, we'll hear Alfred Hitchcock as host and narrator in the audition recording of Once Upon a Midnight, a series that would have been a Hitchcock-led anthology series before his classic television show.

Actor and singer Robert Horton broke out with his stint on Wagon Train, where he spent several years on one of the top-rated TV shows in the country. But Horton left the show at the peak of its popularity to avoid typecasting and to pursue his singing career. During his years on the television frontier, Horton made two visits to Suspense. He played the titular condemned killer immortalized in song in "Tom Dooley" (originally aired on CBS on December 7, 1958) - featuring the ballad performed by the Kingston Trio! Then, he starred as an actor whose agent pressures him into taking on the real-life role of a murderer in "Spoils for Victor" (AFRS rebroadcast from May 24, 1959).

For the start of our sixth season, we're shining a spotlight on Suspense MVP Cathy Lewis. One of the busiest and most talented actresses of the era, Lewis was a standout supporting player on "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" in some of the program's greatest episodes. She proved just as strong when she stepped into starring roles. We'll hear her alongside husband Elliott in "Love, Honor, or Murder" (originally aired on CBS on June 29, 1950). Then, she stars in "The Murderess" (originally aired on CBS on March 27, 1956).

Charles Laughton stars in a pair of stories pulled from the pages of two great English writers. These tales of murder have plenty of dark comedy mixed in along with the corpses and crimes. First, a garden party results in an accidental homicide in Dorothy L. Sayers' "The Fountain Plays" (originally aired on CBS on November 23, 1944). Then, a man discovers a new hobby - murder - in John Collier's "De Mortuis" (originally aired on CBS on February 10, 1949).

Jackie Cooper began his career in Our Gang shorts and earned an Oscar nomination at the age of nine. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he continued acting on screen and embarked on a successful Emmy-winning career as a director. During his years in front of and behind the camera, he endeared himself to generations of movie fans as irascible editor Perry White in the Superman films. We'll hear him in three old time radio thrillers from Suspense: "The Clock and the Rope" (originally aired on CBS on December 5, 1947); "Remember Me?" (AFRS rebroadcast from August 24, 1958); and "The Amateur" (originally aired on CBS on May 3, 1959).

After making her first visits to Suspense in 1945, Joan Lorring returned to "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" in 1960. By then, both the series and star had left Hollywood behind. The Oscar-nominee had transitioned to Broadway and television, and production of the show moved to CBS' New York studios. We'll hear Lorring in three 60s Suspense stories: "The Daisy Chain" (originally aired on CBS on June 26, 1960); "The Man Who Knew How to Hate" (originally aired on CBS on June 16, 1961); and "Witness to Murder" (originally aired on CBS on October 22, 1961).

It was ironic that Helmut Dantine broke out in Hollywood playing Nazis in wartime dramas; he'd been part of the anti-Nazi resistance in his native Austria and was imprisoned in a concentration camp because of those efforts. Fortunately, he secured his release and escaped to California, where he pursued acting on the stage and screen. We'll hear him plotting an assassination in "Russian New Year" (originally aired on CBS on January 13, 1957). Then, he co-stars with Nina Foch in "Headshrinker" (originally aired on CBS on October 26, 1958).

Escape is often considered a "sister series" to CBS' Suspense, but where "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" had sponsorship dollars to attract the biggest names in Hollywood, Escape was a sustaining series without a sponsor. Since it couldn't rely on the likes of Cary Grant and Gregory Peck, Escape made great use of the stable of Hollywood radio players (Stacy Harris, John Dehner, Virginia Gregg, Betty Lou Gerson, Parley Baer, Frank Lovejoy, and more). Radio legends William Conrad and Paul Frees were regularly heard in dramatic roles, and - as "the voice of Escape" - they also lent their voices to the ominous opening lines of each week's show. Occasionally the show landed a big name and made the most of it. The best example of this may be Vincent Price starring in the chilling tale of ravenous rats "Three Skeleton Key."

For much of the run, Escape was produced and directed by Norman Macdonnell, the man behind The Adventures of Philip Marlowe and Gunsmoke. Also at the helm was William N. Robson, who would go on to run Suspense in the late 1950s.

In honor of the anniversary of its July 7, 1947 premiere broadcast, here are some of my favorite episodes of Escape - examples of its variety of stories and why it still holds up as a taut, exciting adventure series so many years later.

"The Most Dangerous Game" - Richard Connell's short story of a deranged hunter who preys on men has been filmed and retold many times over the years, including several radio adaptations. This version casts two radio legends and iconic voices. Paul Frees is the narrator and quarry of Hans Conried's legendary - but bored - hunter and pits one man against the other in a deadly exotic jungle. (Originally aired on CBS on October 1, 1947)

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" - Another classic short story, this one by Ambrose Bierce, gets a memorable adaptation courtesy of Escape. A Confederate sympathizer tries to sabotage a bridge and ends up at the end of a Union noose. A twist of fate gives him a chance to escape…or does it? There are some problematic racial portrayals (a scene where the protagonist meets one of his slaves is particularly rough), but overall this is a great show with a cast of some of radio's best voices - Harry Bartell, Bill Johnstone, William Conrad, and Frank Lovejoy. (Originally aired on CBS on December 10, 1947)

"Leiningen vs. the Ants" - A South American plantation owner refuses to run when an army of ravenous ants descends upon his homestead. The great William Conrad shines as the titular Leiningen - a man supremely confident in his dominance over nature. Lou Merrill is the government official who tries to persuade Leiningen to leave and later decides to stay and watch this titanic battle unfold. It's a great example of the power of radio - the horde of ants comes to vivid life with only the narration and sound patterns. (Originally aired on CBS on January 14, 1948)

"Red Wine" - Jeff Chandler stars as a detective who travels to Borneo in search of a murderer. He finds several possible suspects working on a rubber plantation, and he'll have to get creative to unmask the killer. (Originally aired on CBS on February 26, 1949)

"A Shipment of Mute Fate" - The passengers and crew of an ocean liner at sea have no place to hide when a deadly poisonous snake escapes from its case and stalks the ship. This classic thriller was performed several times on Escape; all of the versions are worth a listen, but this one features John Lund - a rare example of a big name starring in the show. (Originally aired on CBS on March 13, 1949)

"Three Skeleton Key" - One of the scariest old time radio dramas of all time, "Three Skeleton Key" features amazing performances and sound effects that will make your skin crawl. Vincent Price stars as a lighthouse keeper on a remote island. The daily bored existence of Price and his comrades is shattered when a derelict ship runs around and its passengers - thousands of carnivorous and very hungry rats - emerge with an appetite. Wine corks against glass create the illusion of gnawing rats, and your imagination does the rest to keep you on the edge of your seat. (Originally aired on CBS on March 17, 1950)

"The Time Machine" - H.G. Wells' science fiction classic follows an inventor and his friend as they take a jaunt 100,000 years into the future. John Dehner and Larry Dobkin star in this adventure through time itself. (Originally aired on CBS on October 22, 1950)

"Earth Abides" - This two-part drama is hailed by many as the best story Escape ever produced. Adapted from George Stewart's novel of the same name, it's the story of a post-apocalyptic world following the outbreak of a deadly plague. Stephen King cited the story as an inspiration for his own post-apocalyptic epic The Stand. (Part One originally aired on CBS on November 5, 1950; Part 2 originally aired on CBS on November 12, 1950)

"Wild Jack Rhett" - John Meston adapted Ernest Haycox's story of the old west, and it wound up being a test run for Gunsmoke for Meston and director Norman Macdonnell. John Dehner stars as an infamous gunfighter and "town tamer" hired to clean up the town of Red Mesa after its sheriff is gunned down. It's an atmospheric adult western with great performances, and its influence can be felt on Gunsmoke which would launch less than two years later. (Originally aired on CBS on December 17, 1950)

"The Abominable Snowman" - William Conrad stars in this tale of adventurers who climb into the Himalayas to hunt for the legendary yeti. It's a chilling (no pun intended) story as the men fight to survive in the snow and the hellish storm - never knowing for sure if they're being stalked by their monstrous quarry. (Originally aired on CBS on September 13, 1953)

Michael O'Shea dropped out of school at the age of 12 and wound up on stages in the vaudeville circuit and in speakeasies before he arrived on Broadway. Hollywood came calling after an acclaimed stage performance and soon he was co-starring with Barbara Stanwyck. His film career waned in the early 1950s, but he continued to work on television and make headlines for his off-screen antics. We'll hear him in "Photo Finish" (originally aired on CBS on July 18, 1946) and "The Twist" (originally aired on CBS on September 11, 1947).

Actress and singer Virginia Bruce introduced a Cole Porter classic and starred as the quintessential showgirl in The Ziegfeld Follies, but studio politics hurt her career just as it was getting started. We'll hear her in an international manhunt for a missing heir in "The Cross-Eyed Bear" (originally aired on CBS on September 16, 1943). Then, Virginia Bruce is an amateur sleuth looking into a baffling robbery and murder in "The Locked Room" from John Dickson Carr (originally aired on CBS on January 27, 1944).

Through the 40s and 50s, Margaret Whiting was one of America's most popular singing stars. She recorded and performed through the 90s, but she took on relatively few dramatic acting roles. Whiting did, however, lend her powerful voice to four episodes of "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." We'll hear her star (and sing) in the dramatic recreation of the popular ballad "Frankie and Johnny" (originally aired on CBS on February 3, 1957). Then, she's a glamorous woman with murder on her mind in "The Well-Dressed Corpse" (originally aired on CBS on October 13, 1957).

Warren William, one of the kings of pre-Code Hollywood, won over audiences with his powerful portrayals of slightly unscrupulous characters. He was the first actor to play Perry Mason on screen, and he made nine films as The Lone Wolf, a reformed thief turned sleuth. For his one appearance on Suspense, William reprised the role of the Lone Wolf in "Murder Goes for a Swim" (originally aired on CBS on July 20, 1943). Then we'll hear him as an attorney and investigator in "Midnight on the Moor" from the syndicated drama Strange Wills.

Character actor Keenan Wynn returns for his final appearances on Suspense in a pair of shows that show of the silly and serious sides of "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." First, Wynn co-stars with Hume Cronyn in a comedic tale of embezzlement - "Double Entry" (originally aired on CBS on December 20, 1945). Then, he stars in "The Night Reveals," Cornell Woolrich's tale of an arson investigator hunting a firebug (originally aired on CBS on April 18, 1946). Plus, Wynn and Anne Baxter visit Charlie McCarthy and friends (originally aired on NBC on September 23, 1945).

Phil Silvers broke out on Broadway before he became a household name as the scheming Sgt. Bilko on TV's The Phil Silvers Show. The funny man showed off another side of himself in "The Swift Rise of Eddie Albright" on Suspense (originally aired on CBS on April 3, 1947). Plus, we'll hear him welcome his buddy Frank Sinatra to an episode of radio's The Phil Silvers Show (originally aired on NBC on February 9, 1946).

When he appeared on Suspense, James Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) played against type very effectively. His characters on "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" were miles away from George Bailey and Jefferson Smith. His turns were closer to his haunted protagonist of Hitchcock's Vertigo, and his episodes are highlights of the program's long run. As we remember the great leading man today for his birthday, here's a log of his old time radio thrillers.

"Consequence" - Stewart starred in two productions of this Suspense story (the first on February 21, 1946 and the second on May 19, 1949). He plays a doctor who is mistakenly declared dead, and he seizes the opportunity to escape his marriage and run away with his nurse.

"Mission Completed" - In this one, James Stewart plays a former POW - now paralyzed in a veterans' hospital - spurred into action when he recognizes his old captor and torturer on the hospital grounds. The ending deflates this one a little bit, but for much of it, it's a nail-biting engrossing story anchored by Stewart's amazing performance. (Originally aired on CBS on December 1, 1949)

**Side note - "Mission: Completed" will always have a special place in my heart. I transcribed it for a staged reading of WWII-related radio dramas, and I listened to it over and over to capture every line (and every trademark Stewart stammer!).

"The Rescue" - For his final Suspense visit, Stewart played a man drawn into a life and death drama when he tries to save a young woman from jumping to her death from a hotel window ledge. What appears to be a simple case turns into a more complex conspiracy, and it's Stewart against several foes as he tries to save the girl's life.

The star of Shadow of a Doubt and The Third Man returns for more old time radio thrillers. Joseph Cotten stars in two tales of Suspense and plays three different characters. First, he plays a pair of twin brothers with a deadly case of sibling rivalry in "The Pasteboard Box" (originally aired on CBS on January 17, 1946). Then, Cotten may hold the key to the survival of an old enemy in Dorothy L. Sayers' "Blood Sacrifice" (originally aired on CBS on March 30, 1950).

Nominated for three Academy Awards, James Mason (May 15, 1909 - July 27, 1984) had the marquee looks of a leading man but could convey a cool menace that made him a dastardly screen villain. Among his credits are Brutus in Julius Caesar, Captain Nemo in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Humbert Humbert in Lolita, and Phillip Vandamm in Hitchcock's North by Northwest.

His earliest successes came in British cinema before he made the move to Hollywood. Once he arrived in the States, he began to appear on radio. Mason made multiple appearances on Suspense, The Lux Radio Theatre, and more.

In honor of his birthday, here's James Mason in his six starring turns in "radio's outstanding theatre of thrills" - Suspense.

"Where There's a Will" - In his first Suspense show, James Mason co-stars with his then-wife Pamela. He plays a gambler drowning in debt who decides to get a jump start on his inheritance by scaring his wealthy aunt to death. (2/24/49)

"Banquo's Chair" - In this adaptation of Rupert Croft Cook's mystery, Mason plays a celebrated sleuth who goes to unusual - and unearthly - lengths to close his only unsolved case. (3/9/50)

"The Greatest Thief in the World" - A "ripped from the headlines" story, this one stars Mason as a notorious jewel thief trying to keep his life of crime a secret from his social circle and from Scotland Yard. Pamela Mason co-stars with her husband again. (6/21/51)

"Odd Man Out" - Mason reprised his screen role in this Suspense adaptation of Carol Reed's noir drama. Mason plays a wounded man left behind by his cohorts after a failed robbery. Injured and alone, he tries to make his way to safety and evade the police dogging his track. (2/11/52)

"The Queen's Ring" - Suspense cracks the history books for a tale of Queen Elizabeth and the Earl of Essex. Mason is the earl who plots to seize the throne for himself, with Jeanette Nolan as Elizabeth I. (12/28/53)

"The Dealings of Mr. Markham" - For his final appearance, Mason starred in a tale from master of mystery John Dickson Carr. Mason plays an antique dealer with a lucrative side business - blackmail. (11/2/58)

With her powerful, belting voice and inimitable stage presence, Ethel Merman became one of the biggest stars on Broadway and the queen of musical comedy. Her performances were acclaimed, and the songs she introduced onstage became standards - tunes like "I Got Rhythm" and "There's No Business Like Show Business." She made one visit to Suspense as a singer paired with a homicidal partner in "Never Follow a Banjo Act" (originally aired on CBS on February 1, 1954). Then, she's the emcee for a November 1, 1944 broadcast of Command Performance.

Jeff Chandler returns to the podcast in another pair of old time radio thrillers. First, he stars in a story set to the lyrics of a haunting ballad in "My True Love's Hair" (originally aired on CBS on October 19, 1953). Then, Chandler is on trial for crimes committed to preserve the anti-Nazi underground in "Death at Skirkerud Pond" (originally aired on CBS on February 8, 1954). Then, he shows off his comedy chops in Our Miss Brooks as Miss Brooks and Mr. Boynton join the Conklins for a weekend getaway (originally aired on CBS on August 21, 1949).

Two-time Oscar nominee John Garfield broke out of the New York theatre scene, and his star burned brightly until he ran afoul of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Known for his intense performances and his battles with his studio to find stronger scripts, Garfield made memorable impressions in movies like The Postman Always Rings Twice and Body and Soul before his career - and his life - came to abrupt ends. We'll hear his two appearances on Suspense - "Reprieve" (AFRS rebroadcast from May 10, 1945) and "Death Sentence" (originally aired on CBS on November 4, 1948). Plus, George Burns writes him a bad check and Gracie Allen tries to fix it when Garfield visits their sitcom (originally aired on CBS on December 28, 1943).

In his final Suspense appearance, Brian Donlevy played a doctor coming to the aid of a man recently returned from the dead. The Oscar nominee stars in "Lazarus Walks" (originally aired on CBS on October 31, 1946). Then, we'll hear him recreate his role as a derelict who winds up in the governor's mansion from The Great McGinty on Academy Award (originally aired on CBS on April 20, 1946).

The down-on-his-luck scriptwriter who enters into a doomed romance with a faded star; the cynical POW who reigns as king of a German camp; the aging television executive who watches his era fade away as he desperately tries to cling to his job - and a beautiful young woman: Oscar and Emmy-winner William Holden (April 17, 1918 - November 16, 1981) brought these roles and more to life over the course of his career. A handsome leading man who could play complicated characters and reluctant heroes, Holden was one of the best actors of old Hollywood.

Holden made four starring turns on Suspense. He lent his voice to a murder mystery, a wartime drama, a "ripped from the headlines" cautionary tale, and a rare science fiction story.

"Blood on the Trumpet" - In his first appearance, Holden stars as a New Orleans jazz musician who plans to run off with a beautiful woman he meets in a French Quarter nightclub. But soon his wife is dead, and Holden is being stalked by a mysterious stranger. (11/9/50)

"Report on the Jolly Death Riders" - Holden plays a cop who presents the facts on (and dangers of) joy-riding hot rodders. He's on the case after one race claims the life of an innocent bystander. (8/27/51)

"Needle in the Haystack" - In this Korean War drama, Holden and the crew of a Navy minesweeper attempt to clear a path into a harbor. He's put ashore on a mission to gather intelligence and ensure safe passage for the fleet. (11/9/53)

"The Outer Limit" - A rare 50s sci-fi story from "Suspense," thiss tory from Graham Doar casts Holden as a test pilot whose experimental aircraft vanishes...only to return hours later. The pilot has a scary story of an alien encounter as well as a warning that may mean the survival of Earth. (2/15/54)

Irish-born actor Dan O'Herlihy broke out on the big screen when he earned an Oscar nod for the title role in Robinson Crusoe. Over the course of his career, he worked steadily on in films and on television, including his memorable role of "The Old Man" in Robocop and a recurring part on Twin Peaks. We'll hear him in two starring turns on Suspense - "Strange for a Killer" (originally aired on CBS on June 15, 1958) and Rudyard Kipling's "The Man Who Would Be King" (originally aired on CBS on May 31, 1959). Plus, O'Herlihy plays a pair of roles opposite Vincent Price in "Greed Causes Murder," an adventure of The Saint (originally aired on Mutual on August 14, 1949).

Katina Paxinou came to the United States at the outset of World War II, unable to return to her native Greece. The theatre star made a big Hollywood debut with her Oscar and Golden Globe-winning performance in For Whom the Bell Tolls, but her film career was short-lived as she returned to her homeland to continue her work on the stage. We'll hear her in the wartime espionage drama "The Woman in Red" (originally aired on CBS on April 6, 1944). Then, she pays a visit to Bing Crosby and The Kraft Music Hall (originally aired on NBC on June 1, 1944).

Dane Clark prided himself on playing average joes on the big screen, and in the two episodes we'll hear this week he plays a pair of men caught up in murder. One falls into a trap, and the other plots the perfect crime, but both are in tales well calculated to keep you in Suspense. We'll hear Clark in "A Guy Gets Lonely" (originally aired on CBS on April 5, 1945) and "This Will Kill You" (originally aired on August 23, 1945).

Lucille Fletcher (March 28, 1912 - August 31, 2000) gave radio some of its all-time classic spine-tingling thrillers. Though she penned novels, plays, and even the libretto of an opera, Fletcher remains best known for her radio plays, a roster that includes some of the best episodes of Suspense.

A graduate of Vassar College, Fletcher worked at CBS as a publicity writer and clerk. Fletcher met her future husband, Bernard Herrmann, when he was conducting the CBS orchestra. Fletcher's radio career took off when one of her short stories was adapted for a radio script by Norman Corwin. Her original plays were presented on The Columbia Workshop, The Orson Welles Show, and more.

Fletcher's best-known work - indeed, one of the greatest radio plays of all time - is "Sorry, Wrong Number." The classic study in terror was presented seven times on Suspense, each time with Agnes Moorehead starring in the role of a bedridden woman who overhears a murder plot on the phone. The story was adapted into a 1948 film starring Barbara Stanwyck. According to her daughter Dorothy Hermann, Lucille Fletcher got the idea for her most famous play during a trip to the grocery store. In line to buy milk for one of her sick children, Fletcher asked a well-dressed woman if she could go ahead of the woman in line. "No, you cannot," the woman exclaimed. "How dare you?" For her revenge, Lucille Fletcher fashioned the haughty, wealthy woman into the ill-mannered invalid at the center of the story, brought to life perfectly by Agnes Moorehead.

Her work was also adapted for the screen when Rod Serling presented Fletcher's classic Suspense script "The Hitch-Hiker" as a first season episode of The Twilight Zone. The original radio production had starred Orson Welles as a man on a cross-country car trip who is pursued by a seemingly supernatural stranger on the side of the road.

A talented writer across multiple mediums, Lucille Fletcher seemed to be the most at home in the mystery genre. Describing mystery stories, she said "Writing suspense stories is like working on a puzzle. You bury the secret, lead the reader down the path, put in false leads and throughout the story remain completely logical. Each word must have meaning and be written in a fine literary style. Mysteries are a challenge, a double task for the writer, for the reader is aching to solve the puzzle before you do." When her radio plays were on the air, the audience was aching for the solution to the intricate, well-calculated tales weaved by Lucille Fletcher.

In honor of her birthday, here are some of Lucille Fletcher's fantastic plays presented on Suspense.

"The Hitch-Hiker" - This eerie story starring Orson Welles has a fantastic twist ending, but the uneasy feeling generated throughout the show will stick with you. (September 2, 1942)

"The Diary of Saphronia Winters" - The first of many scripts by Lucille Fletcher to be performed multiple times on Suspense, this tale of music and madness stars Agnes Moorehead and Ray Collins. (April 27, 1943)

"Fugue in C Minor" - Vincent Price co-stars with Ida Lupino in another mystery surrounding music (a theme in her work) set at the dawn of the twentieth century. (June 1, 1944)

"Dark Journey" - Nancy Kelly and Cathy Lewis are the only performers in this tale of the power of will, and one woman's desire for revenge. (April 25, 1946)

"The Thing in the Window" - How can a dead body disappear, then reappear in an otherwise normal apartment? That's the mystery at the heart of this episode starring Joseph Cotten. (December 19, 1946)

When Suspense was revamped as an hour-long series, two-time Academy Award nominee and director Robert Montgomery was on hand as producer, host, and occasional star. He took the lead role in the program's first sixty-minute installment - an adaptation of Cornell Woolrich's "The Black Curtain" (originally aired on CBS on January 3, 1948).

Hitchcock leading man, sitcom star, wartime flight instructor, and godson of a Wright Brother - Robert Cummings wore many hats during his life and career. The Emmy-winning actor made a pair of visits to Suspense ten years apart playing both an innocent man caught up in a crime and its cover-up and a seasoned criminal trying to stay out of the clutches of the police. We'll hear him in "The Dead of the Night" (originally aired on CBS on November 16, 1944) and "Want Ad" (originally aired on CBS on January 25, 1954).

For his final appearances on Suspense, Vincent Price starred in an encore production of one of the scariest shows of the series, as well as an adaptation of a classic short story. We'll hear him in "Three Skeleton Key" (originally aired on CBS on October 19, 1958) and "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" (originally aired on CBS on July 19, 1959). Plus, Price stars in a terrifying tale of life and death in the jungle from Escape - "Blood Bath" (originally aired on CBS on June 30, 1950).

Hailed as the "Queen of the B-movies," Marie Windsor carved out a career playing tough femme fatale roles in noir dramas like The Narrow Margin and The Killing. Her brassy, sultry aura made her a natural fit for those characters, and she put her talents to work in her one visit to Suspense as a woman caught in a love triangle with deadly results. We'll hear her in "Script by Mark Brady" (originally aired on CBS on March 22, 1959). Plus, we'll hear her alongside Frank Lovejoy and Ted de Corsia in an all-star production of Escape, "Danger at Matacumbe" (originally aired on CBS on March 24, 1950).

Before his Oscar-nominated turn in The Defiant Ones and before he wore a dress and wooed Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot, Tony Curtis made his one and only visit to Suspense. Curtis starred as a college basketball player approached to throw a game in "The McKay College Basketball Scandal" (originally aired on CBS on September 24, 1951). Plus, Curtis clowns around with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in an episode of their comedy show (originally aired on NBC on February 29, 1952).

Happy Birthday, Robert Young (February 22, 1907 – July 21, 1998)

To generations of television fans, Young is immortalized as both Jim Anderson in Father Knows Best and as the titular doctor Marcus Welby, M.D. Though he appeared in over 100 films, he found his greatest success on the small screen.

Before he starred in Father Knows Best on television, Young headlined the radio series which ran from 1949 to 1954. In 1969, he scored his second television hit with Marcus Welby, which ran until 1976. Though he's best known as the saintly dad and wise doctor, Young was a versatile actor who could play a dastardly heel - as he often did on Suspense.

Here are Young's seven appearances on "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" - shows that find him playing murderers and intended victims, innocent men and men hiding deadly secrets. Several of these are personal favorites from the series, and I hope you like them too.

"A Friend to Alexander" - In his first appearance on Suspense, Robert Young plays a man plagued by dreams of the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr night after night. Long before we were all singing along with Hamilton, Young's character couldn't get the infamous showdown out of his mind, and his wife (played by Geraldine Fitzgerald) is increasingly concerned over his obsessive behavior. (Originally aired on CBS on August 3, 1943)

"The Night Reveals" - This terrific Cornell Woolrich tale was adapted several times for Suspense, but this production starring Robert Young may be the best. He plays an arson investigator who learns - to his horror - that his latest case of a firebug may have connections close to home - and to a secret kept by his nervous wife (played by Margo). (Originally aired on CBS on December 9, 1943)

"The High Wall" - Robert Young wakes up in a strange bed in a room he doesn't recognize, and six months have passed without so much as a memory. That's how this intriguing thriller opens, and Young must figure out how he ended up in an asylum for the criminally insane...and how he can escape. (Originally aired on CBS on June 6, 1946)

"You'll Never See Me Again" - Another Cornell Woolrich tale finds Robert Young as a new husband whose wife storms off to her mother's house after a fight. After he cools off, he phones to apologize but he learns she never arrived. Soon, he's suspected of foul play, and he must convince a cop that he's innocent and that his wife's odd stepfather may be involved in her disappearance. This is a fantastic episode, with a pair of eerie twists before the final curtain. (Originally aired on CBS on September 5, 1946)

"Crossfire" - In this sixty minute episode, Robert Young reprises his screen role, and reunites with co-stars Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan, in a radio recreation of the film noir drama Crossfire. Young plays a cop investigating a brutal murder, and he discovers the ugly, bigoted motive that may have fueled the killer's actions. (Originally aired on CBS on April 10, 1948)

"Celebration" - Robert Young co-stars with Virginia Bruce in this story of a couple's anniversary that may be their last. Young picks up Bruce from a hospital where she's been recuperating from an accident. But instead of a dinner or dancing, he takes the couple out to a deserted location. And he didn't bring a gift, but he did pack a box of bullets. (Originally aired on CBS on September 23, 1948)

"A Murder of Necessity" - A perfect crime is foiled by a witness on the other end of a phone call in Robert Young's final visit to Suspense. After killing his blackmailer, Young discovers the man was on the phone at the time of the murder, and the entire crime may have played out for the listening party. (Originally aired on March 24, 1952)

Burly character actor Alan Hale was a regular presence in films through the 30s and 40s, lending support to stars like Barbara Stanwyck, Basil Rathbone, Humphrey Bogart, and - in over a dozen films - Errol Flynn. Hale made one visit to Suspense as a colorful con man in "The Leading Citizen of Pratt County" (originally aired on CBS on May 30, 1946). Plus, we'll hear Hale and Flynn in "Allergic to Ladies," a presentation of the Gulf Screen Guild Theatre co-starring Jane Wyman (originally aired on CBS on November 24, 1940).

B-movie leading man Dennis O'Keefe grew up in a vaudeville family and embarked on a screen career - both starring in films and writing them. We'll hear the star of T-Men, Brewster's Millions, and Cover Up in a pair of Suspense shows that find him playing both hero and heel: "The X-Ray Camera" (originally aired on CBS on October 13, 1947) and "Very Much Like a Nightmare" (originally aired on May 25, 1950).

For her final visit to Suspense, Dame May Whitty recreated a performance she'd memorably played on stage and screen. In this hour-long adaptation of Emlyn Williams' play Night Must Fall (originally aired on CBS on March 27, 1948), Whitty reprises her Oscar-nominated role opposite Robert Montgomery.

Bonita Granville's screen career was short, but she made the most of it. She earned an Oscar nomination at age 14, and she starred in four films as junior detective Nancy Drew before she switched gears to produce projects alongside her husband. We'll hear her only visit to Suspense - "Bank Holiday" (originally aired on CBS on July 19, 1945). Then, she's plotting a murder for money in an episode of the syndicated anthology drama Obsession.