"Two Sharp Knives" was adapted from the short story of the same name by Dashiell Hammett, which was first published in Colliers, January 13,1934. This story can also be found in the book, Stories for Men: an Anthology (1944). Suspense's adaptation of this story for radio, which is particularly good, was done by John Dickson Carr.
As the episode opens, it is past two in the morning, and Scott Anderson, the chief of police and his assistant, Wally, arrive at Deerwood station just in time to meet the train.
The chief and Wally watch a man disembark and immediately take him into custody. The man's name is Lester Furman, and they recognized him from a flyer put out by the TransAmerica Detective Agency. Furman is wanted in Philadelphia for murder!
They take him down to the station house to hold him until the Philadelphia police come. Furman insists that he is innocent, but the Deerwood police tell him their job is just to hold him.
The chief goes home, but while he is gone, Furman kills himself in his cell. Shortly afterward, the chief finds out the flyer was a fake, and that the Transamerica Detective Agency doesn't know anything about Furman except that he was once a client.
Can the chief of police figure out what is really going on?
"Actor's Blood" was produced by William Spier and directed by John Dietz. Music by Bernard Herrmann. Stuart Erwin starred. The names of the other performers aren't given. This episode aired on December 22, 1942.
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Suspense presented this story a second time on June 7, 1945. William Spier produced and directed. John Payne and Frank McHugh starred. Also appearing were Wally Maher, Wendell Holmes, and Harry Lang.
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(Revised 4/29/12)
(Image of the book Stuart Erwin: The Invisible Actor by Judy Cornes)
Santos Ortega co-starred.
Posted by: Ara | April 26, 2012 at 05:48 PM