Escape and Suspense!

Suspense - St. James Infirmary Blues

"St. James Infirmary Blues" is one of a number of Suspense episodes that were based on popular songs. In it, Rosemary Clooney appears as a gal looking for excitement in 1920's New York.

The song has an anonymous origin but it was derived from an 18th century English song called "The Unfortunate Rake." "St. James Infirmary Blues" was first made popular in 1928 by Louis Armstrong and it has since been recorded by many. While most renditions of this song appear to have been performed by men, Suspense wrote their episode around a female character. For more information about the song, there is a website devoted to "St. James Infirmary Blues" at NO Notes.

Rosemary Clooney, in her only appearance on Suspense, both sings the narration and plays the role of Sheila, a girl who falls for a handsome gangster named Nicky. It is a short-lived romance and Sheila ultimately ends up singing the blues when Nicky double-crosses his boss.

"St James Infirmary Blues" was written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin. Elliott Lewis produced and directed. William Conrad played Brock Garvey and Tony Barrett played Nick Volpe. Also appearing were Billy Halop, Vivi Janiss, Joseph Kearns, Shepard Menken, and Clayton Post. This episode aired on February 23, 1953.

. Download suspense_1953.02.23_St James Infirmary Blues.mp3

Below is an excellent version of "St. James Infirmary Blues" performed by Cab Calloway. This surreal clip is taken from Max Fleischer"s Snow White cartoon featuring Betty Boop (1933). Cab Calloway appeared as Koko the Clown.

Video from Youtube.com

Suspense - Christmas for Carol

Suspense's "Christmas for Carol" is a Christmas tear-jerker, but a smart one. This is an episode about listening to your conscience and acting upon your better instincts.

Paul is a bank teller with a pregnant wife who needs a home-nurse. He doesn't have enough money to hire one, but he is determined to find a way. His childhood friend, Eddie, offers him a job, but Paul refuses. Eddie is a bookie who is always in trouble with the law. Paul doesn't want a life of crime, but he would consider doing one clean and quick job to get the money he needs.

That opportunity comes when one of Paul's customers at the bank, Mr. Forbes, withdraws all of his funds. Mr. Forbes is going to surprise his wife on Christmas with the news that he is retiring and that they are moving to the country. Foolishly, he is keeping the money hidden inside of his house, and Paul knows where Mr. Forbes lives. Paul asks Eddie to put him in touch with Rocky, a local hoodlum with an excellent track record for not getting caught. He wants Rocky to join him on what he thinks will be an easy and foolproof burglary.

The two of them successfully break into the house, but Paul has a change of heart. He goes back to set things right, but the older couple is smarter than he realizes.

"Christmas for Carol" starred actor/singer Dennis Day as Paul. (At the end of the episode he sings "Noel.") Also appearing were Elliott Lewis, Ed Max, Sidney Miller, Joseph Kearns, and Jeannette Nolan. This episode aired on December 21, 1950.

.  Download Suspense_1950.12.21_ChristmasForCarol.mp3

(Image from Stock.xchng)

Suspense - Dame Fortune

Suspense's "Dame Fortune" is set in Southern California and when the story opens, we are brought into the fashionable home of Jean and Frank Nicholson. They are throwing an elegant soiree to celebrate their fifth anniversary and Jean, played by guest star Susan Hayward, sings a little bit of Cole Porter's, "I've Got You Under My Skin." After that it turns into a tale of blackmail and murder.

During the party, Jean receives a phone call from an old "friend" named Charles Prescott. He has just been released from prison and wants her help. It seems that he went to prison for a murder they both committed and he feels that she owes him. When they meet to discuss his demands, Charles tells her that he wants to murder her husband so that Jean can inherit the estate. His blackmail threat ensures that she will then share the inheritance with him. Jean agrees, but then tells her husband what has happened. They hire a private investigator named Mr. Sparks to follow Charles.

Susan Hayward not only had a fantastic voice for radio, but she knew how to make a radio script come alive. At the time she appeared in this episode she was promoting her upcoming film, Smash Up: The Story of a Woman, for which she would receive an Academy Award nomination.

"Dame Fortune" was adapted for Suspense by Robert L. Richards from a story by Max Wilk and Ted Murkland. Wally Maher, who seemed to always play the detective in these kinds of episodes, played the sophisticated husband this time around. Also appearing were Hans Conried and William Johnstone.

This episode aired on October 24, 1946.

.  Download Suspense.1946.10.24_Dame Fortune.mp3

(Image of Susan Hayward in Smash Up from Wikipedia)

Suspense-You Were Wonderful

In honor of Black History month, here is the Suspense episode "You Were Wonderful" with Lena Horne.

True to the title, Lena's singing is wonderful despite the bad sound quality of this recording. She sings "Embraceable You", a little bit of "One Dozen Roses" and "America" (My Country 'Tis of Thee). This is a very patriotic WWII era episode that touches on the racial issues of the time. The story is set in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

According to her biography on the Kennedy Center's website, Lena Horne often performed for the troops in Europe during WWII but on the condition that the audience would be desegregated. She was also the most popular pin-up girl of African-American soldiers!

"You Were Wonderful" aired on November 9, 1944. According to Martin Grams in Suspense: Twenty Years of Thrills and Chills, she was the first professional singer to appear on Suspense.

Download Suspense.1944.11.09_You_Were_Wonderful.mp3

Image of Lena Horne from (www.classicsavers.com)

Escape - Papa Benjamin

Escape's episode "Papa Benjamin" is based on the short story by William Irish (aka Cornell Woolrich). It is set in the French Quarter of New Orleans where a struggling bandleader named Eddie uses a sacred voodoo chant as a gimmick to help save his failing nightclub act. Unfortunately, Eddie doesn't take the threat of a voodoo curse too seriously.

This is an interesting story that will keep your attention. There is a moral here about what can go wrong when an artist steals a sacred work from its creators. In this case, Eddie steals then exploits a sacred voodoo chant that he does not fully understand and can not control. In the end, it all kind of backfires on Eddie.

The sound effects are good and the music is more impressive than the average episode of Escape. There do not seem to be any actual African-Americans performing in this episode but that is typical of the era in which it was made. This show was broadcast on January 24, 1948.

"Papa Benjamin" was also an episode of the television series Thriller in 1961. The short story also appears under the titles "Dark Melody of Madness" and "Music from the Dark". The 1965 horror movie anthology Dr. Terror's House of Horrors used this story as well.

Download Escape.1948.01.24_Papa_Benjamin.mp3

(Image from Morguefile.com)

Suspense-Never Follow a Banjo Act

As I watched the Grammy Awards show this past weekend my mind drifted to the Suspense episode "Never Follow a Banjo Act".

The star of this episode is Ethel Merman and even if you aren't a big Ethel fan you will probably enjoy this.  She plays Rosie Jones, a singing star of "mature talents" who is asked to work with a heart-throb boy singer named Terry Dane. She accepts but quickly finds out that the deal she made isn't all it is cracked up to be.

This episode is surprisingly creepy and dark but makes memorable statements about greed, the pop music industry and "tousled hair". Why hasn't this episode ever been turned into a movie?

Suspense aired this episode twice. The first time with Ethel Merman on February 4, 1954 and the second time with Margaret Whiting on March 2, 1958.  Ethel's is the better version. "Never Follow a Banjo Act" was written for Suspense by James Poe.

Download 540201_never_follow_a_banjo_act.mp3