Suspense's "Beirut by Sunrise" tells the story of an elementary school teacher who accidentally becomes involved in a dangerous intrigue.
At first, this episode may appear to be an old Escape story that was Suspensified, but the radio play was originally written for the anthology series On Stage (1953-1954), which starred Cathy and Elliott Lewis. Neither appears in Suspense's version, but the episode stars Mary Jane Croft, Elliott Lewis' second wife. Ben Wright is the only actor to appear in both versions.
As the episode opens, Mildred Guideon is writing a letter to her sister about her experiences on a Mediterranean cruise. She details how her trip began as a disappointment, but became more interesting the night the ship docked in Beirut. She woke early to watch the sun rise over the city, but while she was enjoying the view, she noticed an injured man on the docks.
Mildred went down to help him, but he merely mumbled some strange words before dying. That was when her trip suddenly became more interesting...
"Beirut by Sunrise" was written by Richard Chandlee and produced/directed by Antony Ellis. Mary Jane Croft starred. Also appearing were Hy Averback, Don Diamond, Jack Kruschen, and Ben Wright. This episode aired on May 31, 1955.
. Download Suspense_1955-05-31_Beirut By Sunrise
Here also is On Stage's version, starring Cathy and Elliott Lewis. This episode aired on January 14, 1953.
. Download On_Stage_53-01-08_ep02_Beirut_by_Sunrise
(Illustration of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (1870's ed.) from Wikipedia )
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