Escape and Suspense!

Best or Worst - The Morrison Affair

One can only wonder what the people at Suspense were thinking when they presented this episode.

"The Morrison Affair" starts out well and keeps us interested until the second half of the episode. Then we realize it is a stupid story. By the end of it, we are certain that it is a stupid story. How does it keep us until the end? Well, it has something to do with the small child who appears to be in constant danger throughout the last half of the show. We can't help but be worried.

As the episode opens, Mrs. Morrison is calling upon a divorce attorney. She explains that she needs help, and then she tells him the story of how she met her husband, Dr. Paul Morrison. She is English, and he is American. They met in England and stayed there during the first two years of their marriage. She desperately wanted a child but was unable to have one. On their last day together, before Dr. Morrison left to serve in the war, she tried to convince him that they should adopt a child. Her husband flatly rejected the idea, and Mrs. Morrison was heartbroken.

After her husband left, Mrs. Morrison was alone and unhappy in London, but her situation changed the day she took a train to the country. She shared a train compartment with a widowed woman and her several children. The mother seemed overwhelmed by her burden, and Mrs. Morrison felt that the woman was indirectly asking her for relief. So, she stole the woman's baby.

After creating a birth record for their son Jaimie, and lying to her husband, Mrs. Morrison felt confident that her plan had worked. Had it? When her husband returned from the war, he had doubts about their "miracle kid." In fact, he seemed to hold grudge against the little guy.

"The Morrison Affair' was written for Suspense by Pamela Wilcox. British actress Madeleine Carroll, best known for her role in Alfred Hitchcock's 39 Steps, starred as Mrs. Morrison. Gerald Mohr played Mr. Morrison. This episode aired on September 2, 1948.

. Download Suspense_1948.09.02_TheMorrisonAffair.mp3

(Image of Madeleine Carroll from Wikimedia Commons)

Best or Worst? - Pages From a Diary

"Pages from a Diary" is a peculiar episode of Suspense. The story opens in the bedroom of of a farmer named John. His fiance, Janet is looking for something that will help her understand what has happened to him. She opens his diary and starts reading. From there, John's disembodied voice takes over and reads aloud. The narrative takes us into the mind of a man is suffering from mental illness. It is filled with dream-like imagery and confusion. In the background, the music adds to the mood of turmoil.

This episode's weakness is that it is one long narrative and relies on the listener to stay intrigued. Not everyone will be. At the very end, we learn something that explains the narrative we just listened to. 

This episode works because Jim Backus plays the role of John. Why does Jim Backus keep our attention? Who knows, but he does. Perhaps because this isn't the kind of role he typically played. His wife, Henny Backus, played the role of Janet. Normally, the two authored humor books together, but this episode of Suspense shows a different dimension of their talents. "Pages from a Diary" was written for Suspense by Virginia Bolland.

This episode aired on August 19, 1962.

.   Download Suspense_1962.08.19.PagesFromADiary.mp3

(Image from Morgue File)

Best or Worst? - Riabouchinska

Suspense's "Riabouchinska" is introduced with some narration. It continues with more and still more narration. There is too much narration.

"Riabouchinska" is the story of a ventriloquist, the woman that he once loved, and the ventriloquist's dummy that he created in her image. There is also his wife, her boyfriend, and a blackmailer. Wally Maher plays the police detective who investigates the murder of the blackmailer. Joseph Kearns stars as John Fabian the ventriloquist and Lurene Tuttle stars as the high-pitched voice of Riabouchinska, the ventriloquist's dummy.

The version of this story done for television by Alfred Hitchcock Presents is the better version of the two. Claude Rains plays the tragic and deluded John Fabian, and a young Charles Bronson plays the detective who uncovers the sad truth between Fabian and his puppet. Both episodes were based on the short story "And so Died Riabouchinska" by Ray Bradbury. Suspense's radio-play and the tele-play for Alfred Hitchcock Presents were both written by Mel Dinelli.

The narrator is Armana Fargey, a pseudonym for actress June Havoc. This episode aired on November 13, 1947. A different version of "Riabouchinska" appeared on television in 1988, for an episode of Ray Bradbury Theater.

Download Suspense.1947.11.13_Riabouchinska.mp3

(Image from Morguefile.com)

Best or Worst? - Lady in Distress

Suspense's "Lady in Distress" showcases Ava Gardner. The radio-play was written by John Michael Hayes, who also wrote the screenplays for the Alfred Hitchcock films Rear Window, The Trouble With Harry, and The Man Who Knew Too Much. So why isn't this episode better? It could have been a neatly packaged radio noir but it isn't.

"Lady in Distress" begins with a hitch-hiker, which is always a good start, but then Ava Gardner's character, Mrs. Harris, and the hitch-hiker named Sullivan start talking while she is driving. We find out that he is an escaped criminal, and that now she is in danger. They keep talking and driving, driving, driving. The humm of the motor, the sound of rain, the endless dialogue...zzzz. Suddenly, they stop in a diner for hamburgers and coffee in a completely unnecessary scene. Then there is more talking, driving...motor humming...rain sounds...zzz...zzzz.

When we wake up again we find out that the escaped convict wants revenge on the policeman who put him in prison. That man just happens to be the husband of Mrs. Harris! Of course, that's no accident. She hates her mean, crabby husband and wants to help Sullivan accomplish his revenge. They arrange to put a bomb in her husband's car but things don't go as planned.  It would be a surprise if they did because neither of these two seems that bright. In the end, the bad people get their come-uppance through their own evil work.

So, that's that.

You really have to listen closely to this story to appreciate it but due to the somnolent sound effects, this is hard to do. "Lady in Distress" was Ava Gardner's only appearance on Suspense. The previous year she had starred in the film noir The Killers by Ernest Hemingway. Also featured in this episode were Howard Duff as Sullivan and Wally Maher as the husband. It was produced and directed by William Spier, who later worked with Gardner on the film Tam Lin. "Lady in Distress" aired on May 1, 1947.

.  Download Suspense.1947-05-01_Lady_In_Distress.mp3

Best or Worst? - In Fear and Trembling

"In Fear and Trembling" answers the question, "how badly can you screw up your own life?"  This is an episode with little suspense, but it does has something to say about jealousy.

Mary Astor, in her only appearance on Suspense, plays Lucia Durant. Lucia's husband of four years is Gilbert Durant, and they live in his windswept mansion on a cliff..., we don't know exactly where. Her half-sister Beverly came to live with them around the same time that Lucia started to not feel well. Around the time when, "an insidious horror began to gnaw at her happiness..."

Lucia doesn't eat much and is haunted by a terrible dream. Is it a dream, or a premonition?  Gil  suggests a tonic for her that just happens to have strychnine as one of the ingredients. Beverly complains that Lucia is a hypochondriac with no "pep", but Lucia thinks her sister is out to steal her husband. The only person Lucia seems to trust is the housekeeper.

Verna Felton plays Mrs. Benson the housekeeper. You may not be familiar with the name Verna Felton, but her voice is recognizable to people of all ages as the fairy godmother in Disney's Cinderella. In this role, she isn't as helpful. When Mrs. Durant goes missing, Mrs. Benson calls the police and blames Gil and Beverly for Lucia's disappearance based on what she heard while eavesdropping.

This story borders on being funny because of Lucia's character. The story concludes into a "big lesson" that comes down on Lucia's head. Although she has suspected her sister and her husband of being involved, she finds out her suspicions were wrong. Even better, it had never occurred to Gil and Beverly that they might be in love until Lucia mentions it to them. Then, they realize she might be right. In her final act of stupidity, Lucia makes it possible for them to be together.

This episode was written by J. Donald Wilson and aired on February 16, 1943. The names of the supporting cast aren't given on the recording.

Download Suspense_43-02-16_In_Fear_And_Trembling.mp3

(photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Best or Worst? - Summer Storm

In the Suspense episode "Summer Storm" we enter the world of a man named Eddy, a guy with a sensitivity to weather changes. He also likes to talk to himself - and talk he does!  He chatters to himself so much that after a while you just can't help but drift off. That might be understandable if it was any ol' actor playing him, but this is Henry Fonda, one of the greatest actors of the 20th century.

In this episode we meet Eddy as he is leaving his boarding house and skipping out on the rent. When his landlady's husband, Mr. Waters, tries to stop him, Eddy attacks. When the neighbors respond to the cries for help, he is unable to flee and hides in the house. When Eddy escapes, he discovers that events aren't going to play out the way that he thought.

Why we are supposed to care about what happens to Eddy? Honestly, he seems pretty screwed up. The story lacks a worthwhile point and a satisfactory resolution at the end. It is a bad episode with a great actor.

"Summer Storm" is not to be confused with the movies of the same name. Not much information about this episode is available on the recording, but according to Suspense:Twenty Years of Thrills and Chills, it was written for Suspense by William Spier. Verna Felton, Elliot Lewis, Wally Maher, and Lou Merrill appeared. "Summer Storm" aired on October 18, 1945.

.  Download Suspense.SummerStorm.10.18.1945.mp3

Five years later, this episode was performed on the Suspense television show with much better results. Visit Suspense Television for more information about how they improved it.

Best or Worst? - El Guitarrero

"El Guitarrero" is the story of an American poet in Mexico who is tormented by a guitar player. It is an episode of Escape that has aged poorly and it seems that the only Latin American involved in this production was the actual guitar player, Jose Barroso.  The Spanish spoken in this episode sounds similar to what I sound like in Spanish class and the English has become dated.

The recording of this broadcast includes an interruption for a CBS news report from Freedom Village in Korea. For about three minutes, the names of the American soldiers involved in a prisoner of war exchange are announced. These few minutes are far more emotionally powerful than anything else in "El Guitarrero."

When we are returned to the story, the American poet and the Mexican guitarist are about to have drinks. From there it launches into a drama of hatred between the two. The question at the heart of this story asks, does the poet writing about love and pain really understand the emotions he writes about or do the words just sound pretty? The guitarist thinks that this poet is only standing on the sidelines of life, watching. I won't ruin it for you by telling you what happens after that.

This isn't a bad episode but you may have to listen to it more than once, or have a shot of tequila, to figure it out. The guitar playing in the background is lovely.

"El Guitarrero" was written by E. Jack Neuman, who later went on to have a long career in television. Eddie Firestone Jr. starred as the poet. He went on to have a very successful career as a character actor in movies and television. The man who starred as the guitarist, Jack Kruschen, also had a successful career in movies and television. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1960 for his role in The Apartment.

Download Escape.53.04.19_El_Guitarrero.mp3

Best or Worst - Perigi's Wonderful Dolls

This is an episode from the science fiction series X Minus One which ran on NBC from 1955-1958.  It is the story of a doll named Toto and a little girl named Cindy. The story is set in Washington D.C. where Cindy's father works as a government official at the Pentagon. On an afternoon shopping trip, Cindy and her mother discover Mr. Perigi's Toy Shop and Cindy's mother is talked into taking home Toto the doll. He walks, talks, laughs maniacally and performs a little song about dolls taking over the earth but none of this worries Cindy and her mom.

They get Toto home and right away there is a showdown between the family dog and the doll. One of my issues with this episode is the name of the family dog, "Mr Blister".  Am I hearing that right? The name is distracting but the family dog doesn't last too long with this doll in the house.

This episode was broadcast on June 5, 1955 and it is entertaining and memorable despite its essentially silly plot and Toto's laughing. Really, Toto does a lot of maniacal laughing in this episode.

Download xmin1.1955.06.05_Perigi's_Wonderful_Dolls.mp3

"Perigi's Wonderful Dolls" had previously been presented on the series Dimension X  on August 4, 1950. The story is the same but there are some differences in the script. I prefer the X-Minus One version but the fight scene between the doll and the dog is better in the earlier version.  Dimension X's Toto seems scarier at first but his tinny voice loses any fright value long before the episode ends.

Download Perigis_Wonderful_Dolls-DimX.1950.08.04_.mp3

(Image from Morguefile.com)

Best or Worst?-Evening Primrose

What can one say about "Evening Primrose"?

It is the original story about people who dwell in department stores at night as well as the first story about mannequins actually being real people covered in wax. The author, John Collier (1901-1980) was a prolific writer but "Evening Primrose" is his best known short story. The Twilight Zone episode "After-Hours" is reminiscent of "Evening Primrose".

The basic plot is that a poet named Charles Snell escapes from the harsh reality of the world by going to live in a department store.  On his first night, he finds a society of creatures lives there as well.  The only other human with them is a servant girl named Ella. Charles falls in love with Ella but from there trouble ensues.

So you might think that turning this story into a musical for television would be a bad idea - but you would be wrong. A television musical version of this story was done for ABC Stage 67 in 1966.  Written by Steven Sondheim and James Goldman, it starred Anthony Perkins as Charles. Charmian Carr (Liesl from the Sound of Music) played Ella. Unfortunately, this production is not commercially available at this time. The first professional stage presentation of this musical was performed in 2005.

What can one say about Escape's version of this story? I personally don't feel that Escape excelled at stories about poets. This wasn't the only one they did that came out with chuckle-worthy results. Their version of "Evening Primrose" is interesting only because of the greater success of the short story and of Sondheim's musical.

This episode was broadcast on November 5, 1947.

Download escape.1947.11.05_Evening_Primrose.mp3

(Image from Morguefile.com)

Best or Worst? - The Doll

Ask me to single out the worst episode of Suspense and my mind immediately jumps to the episode "The Doll".  Is it the worst - or is it one of the best ever?  I can't tell anymore. It is one of my all time favorites. Unintentionally funny and surreal, "The Doll" can't be pinned down into any one category.  Suspense began their fifteenth year on the air with this episode on October 23, 1956.

"The Doll" stars Patty McCormack of the movie The Bad Seed and her performance is fine but everything else about this episode is out of whack.  The sappy, lilting music interferes by making it impossible to take anything that happens too seriously. Even worse are the sound effects for the beating heart of the doll which are SO LOUD and distracting that the actors have to strain to be heard over it.

The story begins this way:

A seven year old girl named Val gets a doll from her new stepmother for a birthday present. The doll has "a gadget". You wind it up and its heart beats. Val names the doll after her dead mother (who died of a heart condition). Val becomes convinced that the doll will die too if she doesn't keep it constantly wound up.  Val's father and stepmother argue about the doll because it may have been a bad idea and decide to burn it in the incinerator after Val goes to bed. Val overhears this and runs away but can't get very far because she has always has to keep the doll wound up and...well, from there it just gets better and better!

Suspense broadcast this episode on October 23, 1956.

Download the_doll.mp3