Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)

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Episode 142 – Broderick Crawford Aug 03, 2019

Show notes

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).

Episode 141 - Agnes Moorehead (Part 5) Jul 25, 2019

Show notes

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).

Episode 140 - J. Carrol Naish (Part 2) Jul 18, 2019

Show notes

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).

Episode 139 - Victor Jory Jul 11, 2019

Show notes

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).

Episode 138 - Raymond Burr Jul 03, 2019

Show notes

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).

Episode 137 - Dana Andrews (Part 2) Jun 27, 2019

Show notes

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).

Episode 136 – Cary Grant (Part 3) Jun 20, 2019

Show notes

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.

Episode 135 - Dinah Shore Jun 13, 2019

Show notes

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).

Episode 134 - Van Heflin (Part 2) Jun 06, 2019

Show notes

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).

Episode 133 - William Bendix (Part 2) May 30, 2019

Show notes

Though he's best known to old time radio fans as lovable lug Chester A. Riley, William Bendix made a name for himself as rough and tumble tough guys in movies like Lifeboat and The Blue Dahlia. He showed off that side of his persona when he made visits to Suspense. We'll bid goodbye to him this week as we wrap up his run of shows on "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" - "Pearls are a Nuisance" (originally aired on CBS on April 19, 1945) and "Break-Up" (originally aired on CBS on December 30, 1948).

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