Suspense | Old Time Radio

Suspense presents “A Thing of Beauty,” listed in this archival recording as episode 8, originally broadcast December 2, 1944.

June Duprez stars as Madeleine Tremaine, a reclusive former London stage actress whose visit from two clergymen prompts memories of ambition, rivalry, romance, and the unforgiving world behind the footlights. Based on a story by Elizabeth Hiestand, this atmospheric drama looks back on a theatrical career shadowed by old resentments and troubling accusations.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:50 Original Broadcast
30:45 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “The Ten Grand,” originally broadcast June 22, 1944, and commonly cataloged as episode 97. Local archival metadata identifies this recording as episode 2, dated June 2, 1944.

Lucille Ball stars as Gigi Lewis, a struggling Broadway chorus girl whose recovered purse unexpectedly contains ten thousand dollars. A cryptic note and suspicious strangers turn a moment of apparent good fortune into a dangerous journey through wartime New York. Written by Virginia Radcliffe and directed by William Spier.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:48 Original Broadcast
30:30 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “The Clock and the Rope,” episode 5, originally broadcast on CBS on December 5, 1947. Written by Louis Pollock and directed by William Spier, this sustaining-era broadcast stars Jackie Cooper as Henry Gilford, with Cathy Lewis and John McIntire.

Convicted murderer Henry Gilford waits on death row as the clock moves toward his execution. Through memories of his former work at a gas station, he recounts the disappearance of a witness who may hold the key to his fate.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:42 Original Broadcast
29:56 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Over the Bounding Main,” identified in this archival recording as episode 4, originally broadcast September 1, 1950. Episode records also list a 1950 CBS production starring Dan Dailey, Georgia Ellis, William Conrad, and Tony Barrett, produced and directed by Elliott Lewis.

Unemployed Marty Evans and his wife, Claire, take a charter fishing trip in hopes of escaping their financial and marital pressures. But aboard an isolated boat with Captain Moran and deckhand Ignacio, the voyage becomes an increasingly tense struggle amid the dangers of the open water.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:55 Original Broadcast
30:43 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “The Wages of Sin,” episode 9, originally broadcast October 1, 1950.

Barbara Stanwyck stars as Ruby Miller, who comes home to find police surrounding the body of a man she claims never to have known. As Captain Doric Salvador probes the troubling evidence around her, Ruby finds herself drawn into a dangerous hard-boiled criminal world. Written by E. Jack Neuman and John Michael Hayes and produced and directed by Elliott Lewis.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:41 Original Broadcast
30:33 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Riabouchinska,” episode 3, originally broadcast November 1, 1947.

In a theater cellar, Detective-Lieutenant Krovitch investigates a murder linked to celebrated ventriloquist John Fabian, his troubled personal life, and the unsettlingly lifelike dummy known as Riabouchinska. Joseph Kearns stars in this macabre backstage mystery, adapted by Mel Dinelli from a Ray Bradbury story.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:47 Original Broadcast
30:10 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Back for Christmas,” originally broadcast December 23, 1943, as episode 71. The archival source labels this recording as episode 3 with a December 2, 1943 date.

Peter Lorre stars in this darkly comic thriller adapted from John Collier’s short story. As British botany professor Hubert Schumacher prepares for a trip to America with his wife, Hermione, his private cellar project and carefully laid plans take on an increasingly uneasy significance. Produced and directed by William Spier for CBS, the broadcast was sponsored by Roma Wines.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:47 Original Broadcast
29:42 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Too Hot to Live,” episode 6, with a supplied original broadcast date of October 2, 1950.

In a sweltering small town, unemployed former serviceman Jefferson Casey steps off a freight train for a simple boot repair and finds himself caught in a tense, increasingly desperate situation among strangers. Richard Widmark stars in this heat-soaked thriller, written by Sam Rolfe and directed by Elliott Lewis.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:17 Original Broadcast
30:01 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Break-Up,” listed in this archival source as episode 0, with an original broadcast date of December 3, 1948. William Bendix stars in this tense crime drama, adapted from a Thomas Walsh story.

Disgraced former policeman Marty Connors finds work with a narcotics syndicate, only to face a dangerous assignment involving a man from his past. As corruption, loyalty, and the underworld close in, Connors must navigate a perilous test of allegiance.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:42 Original Broadcast
30:22 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “I Won’t Take a Minute,” originally broadcast on December 6, 1945. This local archival recording is episode 6. Lee Bowman stars as Kenny in this CBS production, directed and produced by William Spier.

On a dark city street, Kenny waits while his fiancée, Stephanie Riska, makes what should be a quick delivery inside a shabby apartment building. When she fails to return, his search turns into a tense and increasingly baffling effort to find her. The drama adapts Cornell Woolrich’s story “Finger of Doom,” later published under the title “I Won’t Take a Minute.”

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:51 Original Broadcast
29:45 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Blackbeard’s Ace,” episode 9, originally broadcast April 2, 1962. This local archival recording preserves a late-era tale of coastal mystery and mounting unease.

At a secluded cottage near Teach’s Cove on the North Carolina coast, a woman troubled by recurring dreams finds herself drawn into legends of Blackbeard, buried treasure, and an unexplained death. A curious planchette discovered on the beach seems to offer a connection to the past. Written by Jack Buttram, the drama features Elaine Rost and John Thomas.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:45 Original Broadcast
24:21 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Wet Saturday,” episode 4, originally broadcast June 2, 1942. This local archival recording features an early radio adaptation of John Collier’s darkly comic story.

A rainbound English country house becomes the setting for a mounting family crisis as the imperious Frederick Princey struggles to keep control of his household and his reputation. Clarence Derwent stars as Princey, with Joan Lorring as Millicent Princey, in a tense domestic drama adapted for radio by Harold Medford.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:52 Original Broadcast
30:02 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “The Blue Hour,” identified in this archival source as episode 5, originally broadcast September 2, 1947.

Claire Trevor stars as dancer Lois LePaul, who arrives at a shadowy nightclub while questions swirl around a recent murder and a valuable diamond. Written by Marty Schwartz, this noir-tinged drama also features Wally Maher and Hans Conried.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:40 Original Broadcast
30:31 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “The Night Reveals,” originally broadcast December 9, 1943. This local archival recording is identified as episode 9, though established program logs list this Robert Young and Margo production as episode 69.

Insurance investigator Harry Jordan is drawn into a troubling series of unexplained fires that begins to feel uncomfortably close to home. Adapted from a Cornell Woolrich story, this psychological domestic thriller stars Robert Young as Harry and Margo as his wife, Marie, and was directed by William Spier.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:45 Original Broadcast
30:17 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Three Skeleton Key,” an archival recording labeled Episode 1 with an original broadcast date of November 1, 1956. Episode references identify this production as Suspense episode 673, originally broadcast on CBS on November 11, 1956.

On an isolated lighthouse key off French Guiana, three keepers watch a crewless ship drift onto the reef—and find their lonely outpost under threat. Vincent Price stars as Jean in James Poe’s adaptation of Georges-Gustave Toudouze’s short story, directed by William N. Robson.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:51 Original Broadcast
30:39 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Murder by the Book,” listed in the supplied archival metadata as episode 0, with an original broadcast date of July 1, 1947. Multiple episode logs, however, identify it as episode 253, originally aired July 10, 1947.

Gloria Swanson stars as mystery novelist Emily Carlyle, whose troubling memory lapses and personal grief shadow her involvement in a psychiatrist’s murder case. As Emily looks beyond the circumstantial evidence against a young woman in custody, the investigation becomes an unnervingly personal mystery. Joseph Kearns co-stars as Lieutenant Hahn in this CBS broadcast, written by Robert L. Richards.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:50 Original Broadcast
30:45 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “An Evening’s Diversion,” originally broadcast July 4, 1946. This archival recording is identified as episode 4, though established series logs list the broadcast as episode 200. Leon Ames stars, with Gerald Mohr also featured, in this CBS presentation sponsored by Roma Wines.

Overworked businessman Mr. Edwards follows his doctor’s advice to take an evening off, only to find his quiet visit to a bar or restaurant disrupted by an overheard conversation and a troubling situation that demands his attention.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:46 Original Broadcast
30:18 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Dame Fortune,” listed in the supplied archival metadata as episode 4, with an original broadcast date of October 2, 1946. Independent program listings identify it as episode 216, broadcast October 24, 1946.

Susan Hayward stars as Jean Nicholson, a successful singer whose comfortable life is shaken by a call from Charlie Prescott, a man connected to her past. As old secrets resurface, Jean and her husband are drawn into a tense blackmail threat. The noir-tinged drama was written by Max Wilk and Ed Murkland and directed by William Spier.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:53 Original Broadcast
31:08 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Yellow Wall-paper,” episode 9, originally broadcast July 2, 1948.

Agnes Moorehead stars as a woman sent to an isolated summer house while recovering from what her physician husband calls a temporary nervous depression. Adapted from Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s classic short story, this intimate psychological drama follows her growing fixation on the unsettling wallpaper in her upstairs room. Produced by Anton M. Leder for CBS’s Autolite-sponsored Suspense.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:53 Original Broadcast
30:30 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Dead Ernest,” originally broadcast May 8, 1947. This archival recording is listed as episode 8. Written by Seeleg Lester and Merwin Gerard and directed by William Spier, the CBS Radio Network drama features Junius Matthews, Wally Maher, Howard Duff, and Cathy Lewis.

After an automobile accident, Ernest Bowers is presumed dead despite a condition that can make him appear otherwise. As Lieutenant Steve Healey and the authorities follow the trail through police and coroner procedures, a misplaced warning may be the only safeguard against a terrible mistake.

Suspense presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:50 Original Broadcast
30:39 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suspense-old-time-radio--7218827/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio