Suspense

“Radio’s Outstanding Theatre of Thrills!”

A fixture on the CBS Radio Network for twenty years, SUSPENSE was the longest-running anthology series on American radio. It made its debut in June of 1942 and was on the air for the next two decades — an incredible twenty year run.

True crime, detective stories, thrillers, tales of mystery and suspense were its stock in trade, and over its long run, it attracted some of the best directors and actors available, including Orson Welles, Peter Lorre, Agnes Moorehead, William Conrad, Cary Grant, Charles Laughton, Joan Crawford, Jack Benny, Ethel Merman, Vincent Price, Joseph Cotton, and Edward G. Robinson.

It even managed to present a few private eye tales, most notably “The Khandi Tooth Caper,” billed at the time as the only “real” sequel to Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon.

It’s most popular show, however, was “Sorry, Wrong Number,” starring Agnes Moorehead, and based on Lucille Fletcher’s story. It was broadcast eight times.

The show was such a success that it spawned its own tie-in mystery digest, Suspense, in 1946, its four issues edited by The Saint creator Leslie Charteris.

And naturally the radio show was later developed for television, starting in 1949, and broadcast live from New York. It was also quite popular — it ran for five years, and lasted 260 episodes. Because it was filmed live, there are few surviving copies, but those that do exist were salvaged from Kinescopes filmed off a live TV monitor in the studio.

By the way, Suspense is not to be confused with Kraft Suspense Theatre, the television mystery anthology that ran from 1958 to 1963 on NBC.

RADIO

• SUSPENSE
  (1942-1962, CBS)
  30 and 60-minute episodes
  Writers: Richard Carr, John Dickson Carr, Lucille Fletcher, Sigmund Miller, E. Jack Neuman, Walter Newman, Louis Pelletier, Hugh Pentecost, James Poe, Robert L. Richards, Larry Roman, John Shaw, Robert Tallman, George Wells, J. Donald Wilson, Mel Dinelli
  Directors: Alfred Hitchcock, William Spier, Ted Bliss, John Dietz, Fred Hendrickson, Anton Leader, Brian Donlevy, Elliott Lewis, Norman Macdonnell, William N. Robson, Robert Lewis Shayon, Charles Vanda, Bruno Zirato Jr., Howard Duff
  Produced by William Speir
  Hosted by Joseph Kearns, Robert Montgomery
  Announcers: Truman Bradley, Harlow Wilcox, George Walsh
  Notable cast members: Agnes Morehead, Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Henry Fonda, Humphrey Bogart, Judy Garland, Ronald Colman, Marlene Dietrich, Lena Horne,Cary Grant
  • “Two Sharp Knives” (December 22, 1942)
    Based on the short story by Dashiell Hammett
    Starring Stuart Erwin
  • “Two Sharp Knives” (June 7, 1945)
    Based on the short story by Dashiell Hammett
    Starring John Payne, Frank McHugh
  • “Out of Control” (March 18, 1946)
    Based on the 1945 novel by Baynard Kendrick
    Starring Brian Donlevy as DUNCAN MCLAIN
    Also starring Cathy Lewis
  • “The Khandi Tooth Caper” (January 10, 1948)
    Based on characters created by Dashiell Hammett
    Starring Howard Duff as SAM SPADE
  • “Pearls Are a Nuisance” (April 20, 1950)
    Based on the short story by Raymond Chandler
    Starring Ray Milland

TELEVISION

• SUSPENSE
  (1949-54, CBS)
  260 25-minute episodes
  Black and white
  Broadcast live
  Premise: Live plays featuring people who were in dangerous and threatening situations.
  Producers: Martin Manulis, Robert Stevens, David Herlwell
  Directors: Robert Milligan, David Heilweil, Byron Paul,
  • “1000-to-One For Your Money” (April 4, 1950)
    Based on the short story by Frank Gruber
    Starring Tom Drake as SAM CRAGG
    Also starring Betty Garde, Paul Stewart, Carol Williams
    Sam Cragg goes to meet a client in the “Little Serbia” section of the city and finds that everyone in the neighborhood lives in fear of a mysterious loan shark.
  • “The Blue Panther” (October 14, 1952) | Watch it now!
    Based on a character created by Norbert Davis
    Teleplay by Max Ehrlich
    Directed by Robert Mulligan
    Starring Michael Strong as BEN SHALEY
    Also starring Phyllis Brooks, Bruce Gordon, Erik Rhodes, Gina Petrushka, Michael Garrett, Tom Avera, Michael Gazzo, Gene Anton Jr.
    Only known television adaptation of a Norbert Davis story.
  • “Portrait of Constance” (March 24, 1953)
    Written by Edgar Marvin
    Starring Hugh Reilly, Ann Rutherford
    A private detective follows a lead on a missing person he was once engaged to, with the help of his new wife.

Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.