Fans and experts alike recall many episodes of Suspense as spine tingling thrillers or even tales of horror, and so often it gets listed along with other anthology shows with similar pedigrees. What often gets overlooked, however, is that more often than not, Suspense proved to be one of the finest showcases for true mysteries, from whodunits to procedurals and beyond, to ever air on radio.
While mysteries often also qualify as thrillers and even end up tales of horror, Suspense specialized in tension building tales of crime and detection. The lead might be a hard boiled cop or an unfortunate who just stumbled their way into murder and intrigue. Regardless, director William Spier and the Suspense writers insured that, just like nearly the entire run of the series, every mystery presented on Suspense was top notch.
Of course, it didn’t hurt that Spier’s go to writer was one John Dickson Carr, a legend even at the time in mystery fiction. Carr understood not only how to properly construct a mystery, but also how to draw a listener into the story, to make it real, regardless of how fantastic the premise might be. This worked well with Spier’s direction, also aimed at pulling performances out of his cast that would make the hearts of listeners race right along with them.
In ‘The Flame Blue Glove’, Lana Turner plays a private investigator forced by her own sense of duty back to work, taking up a very personal murder case. ‘The Search for Isabel’ also features a mystery, sending a man in search of the person who once had his phone number. In each episode, the pacing of the stories combined with the skill of the actors brings listeners to the edge of their seat for the conclusions just as much as any horror or thriller tale would.
Enjoy twelve stellar shows of mystery, thrills, chills, action, and adventure in Suspense, Volume 22, from Radio Archives, restored to Sparkling audio quality by Radio Archives.
The Search for Isabel
Thursday, November 3, 1949 - 30:00 - CBS, Autolite commercials
The Flame Blue Glove
Thursday, December 15, 1949 - 30:00 - CBS, Autolite commercials
Double Entry
Thursday, December 22, 1949 - 30:00 - CBS, Autolite commercials
The Bullet
Thursday, December 29, 1949 - 30:00 - CBS, Autolite commercials
The Escape of Lacey Abbott
Thursday, January 19, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, Autolite commercials
Mr Diogenes
Thursday, January 26, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, Autolite commercials
Murder Strikes Three Times
Thursday, February 16, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, Autolite commercials
The Chain
Thursday, April 27, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, Autolite commercials
Statement of Mary Blake
Thursday, May 4, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, Autolite commercials
A Case of Nerves
Thursday, June 1, 1950 - 30:00 - AFRS, No commercials
The Case of Henry Vibard
Thursday, June 8, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, Autolite commercials
Flesh Peddler
Sunday, August 4, 1957 - 30:00 - CBS, Kent cigarettes commercials
