Escape and Suspense!

Suspense - Bells

"Bells" is the story of a young couple and their hope of finding the perfect place to live. The wife, Lucy, believes that through the help of her guardian angel she has been guided to an advertisement for a country cottage with an affordable monthly rent. Her husband, Henry, doesn't believe that she is psychic or that she has a guardian angel, but he desperately wants to get out of their lousy apartment. So, he agrees to follow up on the ad.

When they meet the rental agent, everything about the country cottage seems perfect. The rental agent seems a bit nervous when the subject of the previous renters comes up and mutters his way out of that discussion.

The night they move into the new house, there is a terrible storm. Their phone starts to ring over and over again, but the operator swears that she isn't sending any calls through to their phone. When they receive another call and the voice on the other end tells them to go, Henry rips the phone out the wall. Yet, the phone continues to ring. Next, the doorbell starts to ring. Perhaps the rent was so low because the cottage is haunted?

"Bells" was written by Jack Bundy and starred Rosemary Rice and Bill Lipton. This episode aired on August 6, 1961.

.  Download Suspense_1961.08.06_ Bells.mp3

(Image from Stock.xchng)

Escape - Log of the Evening Star

Escape's "Log of the Evening Star" is an excellent radio adaptation of a story by the English poet Alfred Noyes. This tale of a doomed ship was originally published in the book Walking Shadows; Sea Tales and Others in 1918. The short story is available online at R.U.R.itania Muglug.

The events that occurred on the South Seas schooner Evening Star are narrated to us by Mr. Harper, the first mate. As the episode opens, we are listening to his written account of the voyage, but it isn't the ship's official log. Harper has left his own log behind.

Mr. Harper explains that the Evening Star was set to sail on a routine voyage from San Francisco to Tahiti with 12 persons aboard. Captain Dayrell, the previous captain of the Evening Star, had died onboard three months earlier and the former first mate, Mr. Burgess, was the new captain. When Captain Burgess arrived with his new bride, the crew was stunned to see that he had married Mrs. Dayrell, the wife of their former captain. The new Mrs. Burgess, who had sailed with them before, would be accompanying them on this trip as well.

Three weeks into the voyage, the ghost of Captain Dayrell appears onboard and begins to murder his former crew.

"Log of the Evening Star" was adapted for radio by Les Crutchfield and produced/directed by William N. Robson. Jack Webb of Dragnet fame, appeared as Harper. Alan Reed, the familiar voice of cartoon character Fred Flinstone, played Captain Burgess. Gail Page played Mrs. Burgess and ethnic character actor Luis Van Rooten played Kato and the cat.

.  Download escape_1948.03.14_Log of Evening Star.mp3

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Suspense - The Voice of Company A

When William N. Robson was the producer and director of Suspense, he would begin the show by giving the audience a brief introduction to the story that was about to be performed. His monologues were always intriguing but his introduction for the episode "The Voice of Company A" speaks volumes. He described the episode this way: "During its long and distinguished career on the air Suspense has never taken an editorial stand, until now. Now we state unequivically that this program is against murder. Oh, we play around with the more titallating and entertaining aspects of murder from time to time, but fundamentally we are against it as a personal, national or international policy. Only those in favor of murder will find anything objectionable or controversial in the next half hour. The story you are about to hear is but a tiny word of protest, perhaps it is too little, but please God, let it not be too late."

This is a story about "celestial propaganda" that begins in a lab at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The world is on the verge of war and at midnight the United States is planning to launch a screamer satellite that will jam all of the radio and television transmissions on Earth. Dr. George Grieg has been put in charge of the satellite's message but he is haunted by his own experiences as a lieutenant in WWII. Not long before the satellite's launch, he is visited by the ghost of one of the soldiers who served with him. The ghost explains to George that he and all of the other soldiers who died in WWII would like him to put that screamer satellite to a better purpose.

"The Voice of Company A" was written by Michael Frost and starred Everett Sloane. Also appearing were Lillian Buyeff, John Dehner, Jack Kruschen, Barney Phillips, Sam Pierce. This episode aired on August 3, 1958.

.  Download Suspense_1958.08.03_TheVoiceofCompanyA.mp3

(Image from Wikimedia Commons)

Suspense - Blackbeard's Ace

The Suspense episode "Blackbeard's Ace" takes place in a cabin on a beach in North Carolina. A beach that is haunted by a pirate ghost.

The story begins as Charles and Margo Reed set out for a impromptu vacation on the Carolina Coast. On the way to their cabin, the caretaker tells them the story of the previous owner, who died mysteriously at this same time a year earlier. Despite this creepy coincidence, they continue on. The cabin is an isolated one near Teach's Cove. The area is named after Edward Teach (1660-1718), the legendary English pirate known as Blackbeard.

Margo isn't happy about this trip but she puts on a brave face for her husband. She doesn't want him to think that any of this is getting the better of her.

"Blackbeard's Ace"is suspenseful and it keeps your attention throughout. Where is it going? You don't really know. Is Margo Reed, the wife, getting messages from a pirate ghost? She hears voices and has unexplained things happen to her. Is she crazy? Her husband thinks she isn't well in her mind, yet they both hear a woman's screams somewhere outside in the night. Is there an unknown entity lurking out on the beach in the dark light of a Pirate's Moon? You may have to listen to it twice to figure it all out.

This episode stars Elaine Rost, John Thomas, and Robert Dryden. It was written for Suspense by Jack Putrom. This episode aired on April 29, 1962.

.  Download Suspense.1962.04.29.BlackbeardsAce.mp3

(Image of Edward Teach (Blackbeard) from Wikipedia.com)

Suspense - Banquo's Chair

"Banquo's Chair" takes place when "sophisticated" crime solving meant inviting a murder suspect to your mansion for a chummy dinner party and then scaring that person into a full confession with a witty prank.

Sir William Brent of Scotland Yard has one unresolved murder case on his illustrious record and he arranges such a dinner to elicit a confession from his prime suspect. The mansion where they will be dining was the scene of the crime and one of the guests invited to this dinner party will be the ghost of the victim.

The title "Banquo's Chair" refers to the character of Banquo from Shakespeare's Macbeth. He is murdered by Macbeth and then comes back to haunt him during a feast. Banquo's ghost takes Macbeth's place at the table, but Macbeth is the only one who can see the apparition.

"Banquo's Chair" was based on the short story and play (1930) by Rupert Croft-Cooke, who also wrote mystery novels under the pseudonym of Leo Bruce. It became the basis for the movie The Fatal Witness (1945) and an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1959.

"Banquo's Chair" was adapted for Suspense by Sigmund Muller and presented three times. Hans Conreid appeared in all three versions but otherwise the cast was changed for each. It first aired on June 1, 1943 with John Loder and Ian Wolfe. It was presented again on August 3, 1944 with Donald Crisp, John Loder, Ian Wolfe and Jane Morgan.

Here is the 1950 version starring James Mason and Hans Conreid. (There are a few minutes of hissing and static in the middle of this recording.)

Download suspense.1950.03.09_Banquo's_Chair.mp3

"Sleep No More" performed "Banquo's Chair" in a fifteen minute reading by Nelson Olmsted on February 6, 1957. It is different from Suspense's version in that it gives more story details.

Download sleepnm.1957.02.06_Banquo's_Chair_The_Coward.mp3

(Image of "Macbeth Seeing the Ghost of Banquo" by Theodore Chasseriau (1819-1856) from Wikipedia )

Suspense-Ghost Hunt

Listen to this episode with the lights off.

In this story about a stunt that goes wrong, radio personality Smiley Smith and paranormal investigator, Dr. Reed tour a haunted house in Malibu, California. Their experiences are recorded for playback on Smith's show. The house, known as "The Death Trap," has a bad reputation because four of its residents have committed suicide.

"Ghost Hunt" was adapted for Suspense by Walter Newman from an original story by the renowned ghost story writer Herbert Russell Wakefield. Newman later went on to have three of his screenplays nominated for Academy Awards. Ralph Edwards, who starred as Smiley Smith, was the creator of Truth or Consequences,This is Your Life, Name That Tune and The People''s Court. According to the website of Ralph Edwards Productions, "At least one Ralph Edwards’ show has been on radio or television every year for the past 65 - a feat unmatched in Hollywood." Joseph Kearns starred as Dr. Reed and Paul Frees, the voice of the "Ghost Host" at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, was the Suspense announcer.

Suspense aired this episode on June 23, 1949.

Download Suspense.6.23.1949.GhostHunt.mp3

Image from Haunted America Tours.