Suspense: Collection, Volume 2

Conceived as a potential radio vehicle for Alfred Hitchcock to direct, Suspense was a radio series of epic proportion. It aired on CBS from 1942 to 1962 and is considered by many to be the best mystery/drama series of the golden age. Known as “Radio's Outstanding Theater of Thrills”, it focused on suspenseful stories starring the biggest names in Hollywood. Early in the run, the episodes were hosted by the 'Man In Black' who, from an omniscient perch, narrated stories of people thrown into dangerous or bizarre situations with plots that, at the very end, usually had an unseen twist or two. Hollywood’s finest actors jumped at the chance to appear on Suspense, including: Cary Grant, James Stewart, Alan Ladd, Henry Fonda, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis and Orson Welles. Scripts were by John Dickson Carr, Lucille Fletcher, James Poe, Ray Bradbury and many others. Running more than 20 years, Suspense aired nearly 1,000 radio broadcasts. It made the transition to television in 1949, but it was much better suited for radio where the “theatre of the mind” could run free.

11/16/44 “Dead of the Night” w/ Robert Cummings
1/4/45 “I Had an Alibi” w/ Keenan Wynn
2/8/45 “A Tale of Two Sisters” w/ Claire Trevor and Nancy Kelly
3/15/45 “Cricket” w/ Margaret O’Brien and Dame May Whitty
4/5/45 “A Guy Gets Lonely” w/ Dane Clark
6/7/45 “Two Sharp Knives” w/ John Payne
6/21/45 “The Story of Ivy” w/ Ann Richards
6/28/45 “The Dealings of Mr. Markham” w/ Henry Daniell and Joan Lorring
7/12/45 “Footfalls” w/ J. Carrol Naish
7/19/45 “Bank Holiday” w/ Bonita Granville
8/2/45 “A Man in the House” w/ Joan Lorring
8/9/45 “Murder for Myra” w/ Lloyd Nolan