Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)

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" (AFRS rebroadcast from May 10, 1959). Plus, Ida Lupino stars as poet Elizabeth Barrett in a production of The Hallmark Playhouse (originally aired on CBS on February 2, 1950).

Herbert Marshall returns to the podcast in stories of prewar and postwar Suspense. First, he's a schoolmaster blackmailed by a delinquent student in "The Victoria Cross" (originally aired on CBS on November 2, 1950). Then, he's on the run to avert an international crisis in a radio adaptation of "The Thirty-Nine Steps" (originally aired on CBS on March 3, 1952).

Though he was rarely the star of the show, Joseph Kearns was one of the most frequently heard voices on Suspense. For years, he played supporting roles and introduced stories as the "Man in Black." He was one of radio's most versatile and talented character actors, but he also shined when he stepped into lead roles. We'll hear him in "Short Order" (originally aired on CBS on August 16, 1945) and "The Earth is Made of Glass" (originally aired on CBS on June 15, 1954).

John Lund plays a pair of villains - one reluctant and one cold and calculating - in two "tales well calculated to keep you in Suspense." Though he often played milquetoast characters on screen, Lund showed a knack for crime in his 13 visits to the program. We'll hear him in "Lunch Kit" (originally aired on CBS on June 9, 1949) and "Experiment 6-R" (originally aired on CBS on September 22, 1949).

Jack Carson came out of the vaudeville comedy circuit and carved out a niche as an arrogant, but ignorant, know-it-all in films and on his own radio comedy show. But he could walk on the dramatic side of the street in movies like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Mildred Pierce and in his appearances on Suspense. We'll hear him as a husband with murder on his mind in "Easy Money" (originally aired on CBS on November 7, 1946) and as a PR man whose stunt may turn deadly in "The One Millionth Joe" (originally aired on CBS on June 22, 1950). Plus, we'll hear a comedy courtesy of The Jack Carson Show (originally aired on CBS on January 8, 1947).

One of the screen's most intense and engaging presences, Richard Widmark always turned in a terrific performance when he visited the Hollywood sound stage of Suspense. We'll hear the star of Kiss of Death as a sailor suspected of a high seas murder in "Mate Bram" (originally aired on CBS on April 14, 1952) and as a western outlaw trying to outrun a posse in "The Spencer Brothers" (originally aired on CBS on January 26, 1953).

For her final appearance on the podcast, we're going back to Claire Trevor's first visit to "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." The Oscar-winning star of Key Largo co-stars with Nancy Kelly in "A Tale of Two Sisters" (originally aired on CBS on February 8, 1945). Then, she recreates her big screen role of Dallas in Stagecoach, presented on Academy Award (originally aired on CBS on May 4, 1946).

A big screen tough guy who could also play comedic and sensitive, Brian Donlevy carved out an impressive career on the big screen in movies like Beau Geste, The Great McGinty, and The Glass Key. On radio, Donlevy starred as a two-fisted secret agent in Dangerous Assignment and he made several visits to Suspense. We'll hear him as a man falsely accused of murder in "The Black Path of Fear" (originally aired on CBS on August 31, 1944) and as a brilliant blind detective in "Out of Control" (AFRS rebroadcast from March 28, 1946).

As a sitcom dad, Robert Young always "knew best," but he was no slouch in the Suspense department during his visits to "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." We'll hear Young co-star with Virginia Bruce in "Celebration" (originally aired on CBS on September 23, 1948). Then he plays a killer hunting for the witness to his crime in "A Murder of Necessity" (originally aired on CBS on March 24, 1952).

For over twenty years on radio, Jim and Marian Jordan (better known as "Fibber McGee and Molly") kept audiences in stitches with their unique blend of wordplay, running gags, and colorful characters. But the Jordans could also shine in dramatic roles - including their visits to Suspense. We'll hear the couple recreate their roles in an encore production of "Backseat Driver" (an Armed Forces Radio Service rebroadcast from February 22, 1951). Plus, we'll hear an episode of their classic radio sitcom (originally aired on NBC on June 4, 1946).

We're saluting the late Kirk Douglas with all three of the legendary actor's performances on Suspense. The star of Spartacus and Paths of Glory headlines "Community Property" (originally aired on CBS on April 10, 1947); "The Story of Markham's Death" (originally aired on CBS on October 2, 1947); and "The Butcher's Wife" (originally aired on CBS on February 9, 1950).

Loretta Young won an Oscar and delighted audiences in comedies, dramas, and thrillers before she entered the new frontier of television. Her long-running anthology series was a critical and audience favorite, and as host and performer she took home three Emmy awards. We'll hear "Lady Killer," her only visit to Suspense (originally aired on CBS on March 2, 1950). Plus, she recreates her Academy Award-winning performance in The Farmer's Daughter on The Lux Radio Theatre (originally aired on CBS on January 5, 1948).

For her memorable performances in classic thrillers like "Sorry, Wrong Number" and "The Diary of Saphronia Winters," Agnes Moorehead earned the title "First Lady of Suspense." We'll hear the four-time Oscar nominee and queen of radio's outstanding theater of thrills in "The Chain" (originally aired on CBS on April 27, 1950) and as Lizzie Borden in "The Fall River Tragedy" (originally aired on CBS on January 14, 1952).

It was said Ginger Rogers could do everything her dancing partner Fred Astaire could do, but backwards and in high heels. Her dazzling dances won over audiences, and her acting won her an Academy Award as she became one of Hollywood's most popular and highest-paid performers. We'll hear her as a woman trying to solve her sister's murder in "Vamp Till Dead" (originally aired on CBS on January 11, 1951). Plus, she recreates her Oscar-winning performance in Kitty Foyle on Academy Award (originally aired on CBS on April 6, 1946).

Van Johnson is back in the Suspense spotlight in his final three visits to "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." The star of Battleground and The Caine Mutiny (and a Batman TV villain) stars in "Salvage" (originally aired on CBS on April 6, 1950), "Strange for a Killer" (a rehearsal for a show broadcast on CBS on March 15, 1951), and "Around the World" (originally broadcast on CBS on April 6, 1953).

Dane Clark prided himself on playing regular guys and described himself as "Joe Average." But his wasn't an average story: he broke out on the big screen opposite Humphrey Bogart (who gave the young actor his stage name) and he went on to a long career as a character actor on the big and small screens. We'll hear Clark in "The Singing Walls" (originally aired on CBS on September 2, 1943) and "Life Ends at Midnight" (originally aired on CBS on February 17, 1944).

Actor and director Robert Montgomery was part of the family on Suspense. During the show's era as a sixty-minute series, the star of Here Comes Mr. Jordan and Night Must Fall, he was the master of ceremonies for "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." But he also starred in installments, including the two shows we'll hear today. Montgomery is the narrator and titular character in "The Lodger" (originally aired on CBS on December 14, 1944). Then we'll hear him in "The Thing in the Window" (originally aired on CBS on January 27, 1949).

We wrap up 2019 with one of the biggest movie stars of all time - Humphrey Bogart. We'll hear the legendary leading man in his one and only visit to Suspense - "Love's Lovely Counterfeit" (originally aired on CBS on March 8, 1945). Then, we'll hear him recreate a pair of his film roles: in The Maltese Falcon from Academy Award (originally aired on CBS on July 3, 1946) and Across the Pacific from The Lady Esther Screen Guild Theatre (originally aired on CBS on January 25, 1943). Finally, Bogart and wife Lauren Bacall pay a visit to The Jack Benny Program (originally aired on NBC on January 1, 1947).

In a bonus episode just in time for Christmas, we'll hear past "Stars on Suspense" Maureen O'Hara and Edmund Gwenn recreate their film roles as The Lux Radio Theatre presents an adaptation of the big screen holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street (originally aired on CBS on December 20, 1948).

One of Hollywood's biggest box office draws during the World War II years, Greer Garson earned seven Oscar nominations and one win for her memorable performances. We'll hear the British-born star in a holiday offering from Suspense - "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" (originally aired on CBS on December 21, 1953). Plus, she recreates her role from Random Harvest on The Lux Radio Theatre (originally aired on CBS on January 31, 1944) and stops by a Christmas installment of Guest Star (originally aired on December 21, 1947).

Clifton Webb's breakthrough role in Laura earned him an Oscar nomination and a place in film history as one of Hollywood's most colorful character actors. And though he was best known for playing effete and arrogant snobs, Webb could also play loving fathers and heroes. We'll hear him in "The Burning Court" (originally aired on CBS on June 14, 1945). Plus, he recreates his performance as Waldo Lydecker as The Lady Esther Screen Guild Theatre presents Laura (originally aired on CBS on August 20, 1945).

Character actor and occasional screenwriter Hume Cronyn (Shadow of a Doubt, Cocoon) returns to "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" in two stories of unhappy marriages that put the "death" in "till death do us part" - "The One Who Got Away" (originally aired on CBS on November 14, 1946) and "Make Mad the Guilty" (originally aired on CBS on June 5, 1947). Plus, we'll hear Cronyn and his real-life wife actress Jessica Tandy in the audition show for their own radio romantic comedy The Marriage.

Joseph Cotten - the charming serial killer of Shadow of a Doubt - returns for two more visits to "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" in tales of a missing wife and a deadly experiment. We'll hear "You'll Never See Me Again" (originally aired on CBS on September 14, 1944) and "The Earth is Made of Glass" (originally aired on CBS on September 27, 1945).

For his final visit to the podcast, legendary screen gangster and tough guy Edward G. Robinson stars as himself and "The Man Who Wanted to Be Edward G. Robinson" (originally aired on CBS on October 19, 1946). Then, we'll hear him as crusading newspaper editor Steve Wilson, always ready to wield the sword of the press, in the premiere broadcast of Big Town (originally aired on CBS on October 17, 1937).

Curly-haired character actor Sam Jaffe lent a memorable presence to everything from film noir (The Asphalt Jungle) to classic sci-fi (The Day the Earth Stood Still) to Disney musicals (Bedknobs & Broomsticks). The engineer and math teacher turned actor made only one visit to Suspense - an outstanding adaptation of Dorothy Sayers' "Suspicion" (originally aired on CBS on April 3, 1948).

Edmond O'Brien returns to the podcast in an hour-long installment of "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." The Oscar-winning character actor extraordinaire of The Barefoot Contessa and The Wild Bunch plays a man probing the strange death of a friend in "The Blind Spot" (originally aired on CBS on May 1, 1948).

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 October 30, 1948). Finally, in the spirit of the season, we'll hear a bonus episode from the horror anthology Quiet Please - the classic radio chiller "The Thing on the Fourble Board" (originally aired on Mutual on August 9, 1949).

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). Plus, he recreates his Oscar-winning role as the Lux Radio Theatre presents "The Story of Louis Pasteur" (originally aired on CBS on November 22, 1936).

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 CBS on July 27, 1944). Then, a part-time job makes her a prisoner in her own home in "My Dear Niece" (originally aired on CBS on January 24, 1946).

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 March 1, 1954).

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" (originally aired on CBS on November 10, 1957).

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 audition recording of his outstanding western radio drama The Six Shooter.

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 aired on CBS on February 25, 1952). Then, we'll hear Linda Darnell show off her comedy chops opposite Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in an episode of their comedy series (originally aired on NBC on February 22, 1952).

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 of the Old 97" (originally aired on CBS on March 17, 1952). Then, he plays a man searching for his brother-in-law's murderer in "The Frightened City" (originally aired on CBS on November 10, 1952).

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 "Green-Eyed Monster" (originally aired on CBS on April 17, 1947).

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 radio thrillers: "America's Boyfriend" (AFRS rebroadcast from July 21, 1957) and "The Diary of Saphronia Winters" (AFRS rebroadcast from August 10, 1958).

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 to Panic" (originally aired on CBS on April 12, 1954).

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, 1951).

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). Then, Naish stars in a story of pirate's booty in "The Treasure Chest of Don Jose" (originally aired on CBS on February 4, 1952). Plus, we'll hear Naish in an episode of his radio sitcom Life with Luigi (originally aired on CBS on August 21, 1949).

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 December 9, 1956) and "Thou Shalt Not Commit" (AFRS rebroadcast from April 14, 1957).

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 aired just months before he went on the air as Mason: "The Paralta Map" (originally aired on CBS on March 10, 1957) and "Murder on Mike" (originally aired on CBS on July 28, 1957).

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 AFRS rebroadcast of an episode originally aired on NBC on June 10, 1951.

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 from her musical variety show (originally aired on NBC on March 15, 1945).

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).