In "Nightmare," Gregory Peck stars as a father who exacts revenge on a drunk driver for the death of his son.
As the episode opens, Ben explains how a fear can take root in your mind and grow into a nightmare...
For him, the fear began with an incident involving a careless driver the day before the Fourth of July weekend. One that upset him and sent him to bed early that night.
The next afternoon...Ben goes on a fishing trip with his wife, Elsa and their son, Stevie. Midway up the mountain, they run out of gas. Ben leaves them to walk back to the gas station, and while he is gone, Stevie is killed by a drunk driver.
Ben then decides to take the law into his own hands and kill the man who murdered his son.
In "Golden Years," a troubled teenager threatens his stepfather's life because he won't let him borrow the car for a date.
As the episode opens, Sue recalls how the trouble started...
She didn't know Buddy well. She had only met him a week ago at the malt shop, but they had made a date to go out. Then, he canceled their date suddenly and told her that he was going to kill his stepfather instead.
Sue imagines the whole incident must have started that morning, when Buddy asked his stepfather if he could have the car...
In "Talk About Caruso," a prize fighter gives up boxing to pursue a career as an opera singer.
As the episode opens, handsome Joe Trenton, the "Singing Slugger" is dropped by his manager, Harry Galt, because of his lackluster performance as a fighter. Shortly afterward, Joe's luck changes when opera singer Francesca Lumbar approaches him about a career in music.
Joe takes her up on her offer, and quickly becomes a singing sensation...despite his moderate talent.
A year later, Harry Galt, returns to settle up their accounts. His contract gives him fifty percent of Joe's earnings--no matter if he is singing or boxing.
When Harry comes back a second time for his money, Joe decides to use his voice as a weapon. The problem is, Joe doesn't have the talent of a Caruso...
"Talk About Caruso" was written by Milton Geiger and produced/directed by Paul Roberts. Stuart Foster played Joe Trenton. Also appearing were Arlene Walker, Robert Dryden, and Mason Adams. This episode aired on March 20, 1960.
Last Sunday, I went to see Gotterdammerung, the fourth opera in Richard Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung series. I can only afford to see two of the four operas of the Ring tetralogy this time around, so that's it for me. With Siegfried clocking in at about five hours and Gotterdammerung at five and half...at least now I can say I've experience Wagnerian opera. I'll catch the other two next time. Still, I enjoyed the San Francisco Opera's interesting and environmentally conscious presentation.
Gotterdammerung begins with the three Norns weaving the fates of mankind and the gods. I wasn't sure if the performers were supposed to be blind cable repair women hopelessly toiling away at untangling cords or what, but no--they are supposed to represent the collected knowledge of all of the internet. That was the only part that confused me, the rest was pretty straightforward.
All in all, I highly recommend the San Francisco Opera's Ring experience.
Here is the three minute preview of Gotterdammerung:
In "Aria From Murder," opera singer Ezio Pinza stars as a baritone who commits murder only to end up being blackmailed by the fan who witnessed the crime.
As the episode opens, Nicolo Mazzini is in the middle of a performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni, when he goes offstage and calls the police...to confess.
It all began with a weakness for a woman, Leola Dantes. She wasn't his wife, but she was the woman he loved. The general manager of the opera company, Felix Levine, found out about NIcolo's relationship with her and confronted him. Leola wasn't the only trouble Nicolo had gotten himself into, he was also overdrawn on all of his credit accounts. Felix informs him that he is breaking their contract.
Niccolo then kills Felix on the stage of the empty opera house, but then realizes that there was still one person in the audience...
I didn't post any updates last weekend. Why was that? I went to the opera, and then I caught another bad cold. So, this weekend, I'm going to try and get back on track by explaining how going to the opera consumed most of my weekend.
The San Francisco Opera is currently presenting Richard Wagner's epic The Ring of the Nibelung, and last Sunday, The Ring Summer 2011 festival opened with a stand alone performance of Siegfried, the third of the four operas that comprise the tetralogy.
Neither my mother nor I had ever before attended a Wagnerian opera, which was why we decided to get tickets this time around. We spent five hours on Saturday listening to an audio summary of The Ring and then another five hours on Sunday at the performance of Siegfried.
The S.F. Opera's presentation of The Ring cycle begins in Gold Rush era California with Das Rheingold, and by the time it gets to Siegfried, the story takes place in a trailer park in the modern era. The scenery is reminiscent of a Mad Max movie, except during set changes, when images of garbage, toxic fumes, power plants and such float across the stage.
Of course, one of the best parts of the opera is the scene where Siegfried battles the dragon. I, naively, was expecting to see a dragon, but instead, this Transformer thing came out.
All in all, it was an interesting experience that I highly recommend. Did I mention that we found a beer garden on the outdoor balcony? Well, we discovered that too late, but we look forward to checking it out when we return this week to see Gotterdammerung, the fourth opera of the cycle.
The next day was a holiday, Memorial Day, but by that time I had another bad cold, and I couldn't post updates. Some nasty springtime colds are going around, and they all seem to be finding me.
Now, I'm trying to catch up.
So, that's what happened when I went to see Siegfried last weekend...
All the best,
Christine
Here is the 3 minute version of Siegfried.
For more info about the San Francisco Opera's presentation of The Ring of Nibelung visit their website, SFOpera.com/Ring
In "A Strange Day in May," an astronaut rockets into space for what he mistakenly believes will be a routine exploratory flight.
As the episode opens, Major Thomas Manning of the U.S. Air Force is about to board the experimental craft that will take him into outer space. His assignment is to investigate what may have happened to two astronauts who went up before him and disappeared.
His wife, Mary, is upset. She is afraid he will never come back, but Major Manning tells her that he will be back before she knows it.
As it turns out, Mary was right to be worried....
"A Strange Day in May" was written by Michael Healy and produced/directed by Fred Hendrickson. William Mason starred. Also appearing were Toni Darnay, Herbert Duncan, Bill Lipton, Reynold Osborne, Bill Smith, and Maurice Tarplin. This episode aired on September 9, 1962.
In Suspense's "Re-Entry," a first-time astronaut doesn't want to return to Earth because outer space is so alluring.
As the episode opens, Howard and his wife, Erin, are having an early morning breakfast. She tries to chat, but his mind is occupied. Today he has to fly the X-15, an experimental rocket ship, above the Earth's atmosphere and back. Erin is worried, but Howard (Pappy) tells her everything will be fine. Technically, the X-15 has tested perfectly, so there is no reason to believe that anything will go wrong.
The truth is, Pappy has fears about flying to the edge of space and back. What will it be like? Soon, he will know...
In "Black Death," Edgar Barrier stars as a doctor who must stop an outbreak of plague before it starts.
As the episode opens, the director of The Biological Institute remembers that springtime Saturday...when black death was accidentally let loose on the city. He blames himself, of course.
Yet, how could he have known that the Institute's pet cat, Jerry, had become infected. No one had a clue...until one of the lab assistants suddenly became ill and dropped dead from plague.
After that, the director and the police worked tirelessly to track down the little lost cat who had scratched the lab assistant...
In "The Defense Rests," Alan Ladd stars as an ex-con charged with the murder of the attorney who sent him to prison.
As the episode opens, court is in session and attorney Max Krieger proclaims his fatherly feelings fro the defendant, Robert Tasca. Mr. Krieger has done everything for him! Nevertheless, Robert now stands trial for the murder of Mr. Krieger's law partner.
How did that happen? When Robert was released from prison, Mr. Krieger gave him a job as a clerk in his office. Although his law partner, Arthur Hines, was the man who convicted Robert and sent him to prison...Mr. Krieger was sure they would get along fine.
They didn't.
So, when Mr. Hines was found murdered in his office...
In "An Honest Man," Charles Laughton stars as a grocery worker who steals money from his employer to cover a bet.
As the episode opens, Freddie's mother has just died...and he is glad. For most of his forty-four years, his mother has been the center of his life. Now, she is gone!
The next day, he returns to his job at the sandwich counter in Mr. Kelsey's grocery store. Freddie has been at his job for twenty-six years and his boss trusts him completely. That evening, as he and his coworker, Dora, close up the store, Freddie asks to walk her home.
He is interested in Dora, but she admits that she can't get serious about a guy unless he has a little nest egg put away. Freddie doesn't have a nest egg, but he wants Dora, so he tries to figure out how to get one.
The next day, Tom Bass, the local bookie, drops by the store. He provides Freddie with an opportunity to raise money quickly, and all he has to do is borrow a bit from the cash register...
In "The Second Hand Pistols," Nancy Coleman stars as a mother who turns to crime in order to escape crushing poverty.
Lucy Minden was born and raised in a West Virginia coal mining shanty. She was married at fifteen and became a mother at sixteen. Eight years later, with no husband, she moved away to take a job in the city. All she had was her young son, Dodie.
She soon met Jeff, and the two of them tried to start a life together, but no matter what, fate seemed to work against them.
Finally, they decided to pawn their coats and buy guns. From that point on Lucy, Jeff, and Dodie became criminals on the run...
"The Second Hand Pistols" was written by Ira Marion and directed by Marx B. Loeb. Nancy Coleman starred. This episode aired on May 22, 1950.
In "Analytical Hour" Jack Carson stars as a patient who creates an elaborate scenario to kill his wife and her lover at the same time.
As the episode opens, Mr. Nelson arrives unexpectedly at the office of his psychoanalyst. He announces that he has cured himself of all of his problems. How? Mr. Nelson has killed his wife.
The doctor is not impressed and doubts the story is true. He believes his patient has made it all up in his mind.
"My True Love's Hair" is a dramatic interpretation of a traditional folk ballad called "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair." The song originated in Scotland but was popularized by American folk singer John Jacob Niles in the early part of the twentieth century. The exact lyrics and origin of the song are unknown, and many artists have created their own interpretations. Suspense took a large measure of dramatic license and created a story that would have played well on Escape.
The episode opens in Suva, the capital of Fiji. John Harveson, midshipman of the Sumatra Bell, arrives at the home of Mr. & Mrs. Genowith. He is greeted by Mr. Genowith, who immediately suspects that John is after Rachel, the beautiful servant girl who lives with them. John has come to them on behalf of an old friend, but that doesn't stop Mrs. Genowith from warning him away from Rachel.
John quickly falls for Rachel, and in doing so, kills the man who thought she was in love with him. Afterward, Rachel and John leave the scene of the crime, and then Rachel leaves him...
Suspense's "Frankie & Johnny" is a dramatic interpretation of the American popular ballad of the same name. The origin of the song is uncertain and it has no definitive set of lyrics, but the story is that of a woman named Frankie who catches her man, Johnny, fooling around. Frankie then shoots and kills Johnny, and in some versions, is executed for her crime. The song may or may not be based on a true crime. The first published version of the music appeared in 1904 and the lyrics now associated with the song were first published in 1912. The song has since been rewritten and performed by many artists.
As the episode opens, Frankie wants Johnny to pay attention to her, but he is more interested in playing his clarinet. Frankie wants to believe that he is really her man, BUT when she asks him where he goes by himself...Johnny tells her not to question him. Johnny tells her that she needs to to buy him a new suit, because that will make them both feel better.
Frankie buys him the new suit, but not long afterwards, he disappears with another woman. Then Frankie buys a gun...
In "A Case of Nerves," Edward G. Robinson stars as man who creates an elaborate plan to kill his sick wife.
As the episode opens, James Wentworth arrives in Toledo, Ohio, and rents a room for the evening. Suddenly, he complains of terrible pain, and the landlady calls for the local doctor, Dr. Martin. Mr. Wentworth is prescribed morphine, but after receiving the prescription from the drug store, Mr. Wentworth leaves town!
Mr. Wentworth, whose real name is Mr. Albert Baker, then goes back to his home in Cleveland with the morphine tablets. He intends to use them to kill his invalid wife by putting them in the warm milk he brings her every night.
His simple plan seems perfect, but he soon finds his situation becoming more and more complicated...
Suspense presented this story a second time on April 24, 1956 with Parley Baer in the lead role, but no recording of that broadcast is known to exist at this time.
Suspense's "The Wreck of the Maid of Athens" was based on the book The Wreck of the Maid of Athens: Being the Journal of Emily Wooldridge 1869-1870. Suspense's version is interesting, but it bears little resemblance to events described in Wooldridge's journal. In Suspense's version, the surviving crew members resent and blame the captain's wife as the cause of their troubles. Superstition dictates that having a woman on board is bad luck, and they blame her for the fire that destroys their ship.
The true story is more interesting. The Maid of Athens caught on fire and was shipwrecked in 1870 on the Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) in Argentina, off the eastern coast of Tierra del Fuego. In Wooldridge's journal, the crew members are respectful and everyone works cooperatively. The only problem with the sailors she describes is their nipping from the small stash of alcoholic spirits kept aside for medicinal purposes.
The journal chronicles her experiences as a woman shipwrecked in a remote part of the world, and how her husband, the captain, managed the situation and eventually navigated them in a hand-made boat to safety at Port Stanely in the Falkland Islands. Had they stayed at sea any longer, they would have had severe injuries from frostbite.
In "Eyewitness," Howard Duff stars as a newspaper reporter taken hostage by a group of angry convicts.
As the episode opens, Mr. Kelly is touring a prison in order to acquire background material for an article. At the start, the gruff warden warns Mr. Kelly not to try to print anything without his permission.
Towards the end of the tour, Mr. Kelly's guide suggests they visit the oldest cell block in the prison, the one where the "bad ones" are kept. Mr. Kelly agrees, but as soon as they walk through the doors of the creepy old building, they are taken hostage! Is it a jailbreak? No, it's a prison mutiny!
Will Mr. Kelly be one of their victims? Or, will he be able to help them get their story out?
In "Kaleidoscope," six men drift towards outer space and certain death after their spaceship blows apart.
This episode was adapted from the 1949 short story by Ray Bradbury, which can be found in The Illustrated Man, his 1951 collection of stories .
As the episode opens, a spaceship carrying a cargo of lumber is on a routine voyage, when suddenly, there is a mechanical failure! The order to abandon ship is given, but the crew can do little more than get into their spacesuits before the ship explodes.
Now, the survivors are adrift in space without jet packs to propel them. They can't see each other but they can speak through a telephonic connection in their spacesuits. Each one now faces his own fate...
In "Trial by Jury," Nancy Kelly stars as a criminal defense attorney who gets outwitted by a client.
As the episode opens, Hilda Warren, the top criminal lawyer in the state, is being escorted to the jail cell of her new client, Tommy Esterman. She informs him from the get-go that he is lucky to get her and that she expects to be well paid for taking him on as client. Tommy isn't pleased, but he agrees to her terms.
Hilda lives up to her reputation, and Tommy avoids a murder conviction. After the trial, Tommy informs her that they are going to marry. Hilda laughs, but Tommy isn't joking. He has plans, and Hilda soon realizes that Tommy is smarter than she thought. She also decides that Tommy is going to have to die!
The first time Suspense presented this episode was on March 27, 1947, but there is no known recording of that broadcast. Nancy Kelly starred in that version, and returned to Suspense in 1957 to play the lead role again.
In "The Visitor," a young man reappears three years after he was believed to have been murdered by his friend. But is it really him?
This episode was adapted from the 1944 novel The Visitor by American playwright and journalist Carl Randau and his wife, Leanne Zugsmith, a journalist, writer, and activist. Suspense made a few changes, but for the most part, the story presented is the same as the book.
The episode opens at a lunch counter outside of Baltimore, where a man named Burrell has come to talk to the teenager behind the counter. He was given an anonymous tip that the young man was really Bud Owen, and now Burrell discovers that this is true. Bud disappeared three years earlier, and almost everyone in their small hometown of Edgerton believed that he had been murdered. On that fateful day, Bud had gone to Ocean Isle with his friend Joe, but after a quarrel, only Joe had returned. Although no one could prove a crime had been committed, everyone believed Joe was guilty.
Now, Burrell is bringing Bud back home to Edgerton, but will everyone be happy to see him?
Suspense presented this story a second time on September 18, 1947 with Donald O'Connor in the role of Bud Owen. Also appearing were Verna Felton and Wally Maher.
In "The Great Train Robbery," Fred MacMurray stars as a man who takes a chance on improving his life through crime.
Walter Beaumont lives in Oakland, California, with his wife, Bess. For the last sixteen years, they have struggled to get by but hope that one day their circumstances will improve. Walter gets tired of being short on money.
One day, cousin Eugene arrives and talks Walter into taking a trip to Reno. Bess thinks they are going fishing in Lake Tahoe, but Eugene has bigger plans that involve robbing a train. Walter agrees to the plan. He believes that his bland appearance makes him nearly unidentifiable and that gives him confidence that their plan can't fail.
This week, Jimbo interviewed me about Escape and Suspense! and how I innocently wandered into the online realm of old time radio. How did this website begin? Why do I keep summarizing episodes? Do I ever listen to other shows? Jimbo tried to find out...
Suspense's "You'll Never See Me Again" was adapted from the Cornell Woolrich novella of the same name, which was first published in Detective Story, November 1939. Today, you can find it in the book Four Novellas of Fear (2010). Suspense's version has a different outcome than the original, but most of the story remains the same.
As the episode opens, Ed Bliss and his wife, Janet, have just had their first big argument after three months of marriage. She storms out, claiming that he will never see her again! Ed plays it cool. He doesn't want to give in to her too soon, so he waits three days, and then calls her at her mother's home. When Mrs. Alden answers, Ed discovers that Janet isn't with her mother.
Where is she? What happened to her? Ed rushes off to the bus station to pick up the trail of his missing wife...
In "A Load of Dynamite" an ex-con decides the easiest way to a better life is to steal everything that belongs to his brother.
As the episode opens, Dave arrives at the home of his younger brother, Hal, after being incarcerated at San Quentin for many years. At first, Dave is an unwelcome surprise, but soon, Hal welcomes him into his home.
But Dave didn't really come to mend fences. He just wants to see what he can get from his brother. When he sees Hal's wife, Terry, he decides he wants her!
Hal trucks dynamite around the mountains for a living. So, it doesn't take Dave long to figure out an easy way to get rid of Hal...
In "The Long Night," an escaped lunatic holds the occupants of a farmhouse hostage and demands their money.
As the episode opens, Betty Lou Meeker is working in the kitchen when her husband, Vern, comes in from the fields. He wants to know who called, who visited, and where she went that day. Betty Lou then asks him to lend her money for a coat, and he refuses. Vern tells her that he isn't a rich man, but Betty Lou thinks he must have money tucked away somewhere.
Later, a patrolman comes by and warns them to stay indoors because a lunatic has escaped from the local asylum. He tells them not to let anyone else in, but shortly afterwards...there is a knock on the door. Then, another knock on the door...
"The Long Night" was written by Walter Black and produced/directed by Paul Roberts. Ellen Burstyn, Bill Adams, and Sam Gray starred. Also appearing were Charlotte Manson, Herb Duncan, and Walter Black. (Ellen MacRae (later Burstyn) was married to director Paul Roberts.) This episode aired on January 10, 1960.
In "The Well-Dressed Corpse," Eve Arden stars as a woman who gets murderous after being jilted.
As the episode opens, Ruth Franklin is being held on a murder charge at the police station. Only six weeks earlier she had been chosen as one of the best- dressed women in America, and that was when all of her problems began...
At the awards banquet, she was seated next to Roy Mason, one of the best-dressed men in America. They hit it off and soon became a fashionable item together. Fashion columnists took note and assumed the two would be getting married. Ruth assumed that, too, but then Roy told her otherwise. He already had a fiance!
Ruth didn't take the news well. Later, she came over to his place for martinis...and pulled out a gun!
As you know, we love to hear from our readers, and we are always ready to help them find the title to a Suspense episode.
That is, if we can identify it. If not, we like to ask for help from our readers!
We all know what it is like to remember the plot of an old time radio episode, but not know the title.
Here is an e-mail we received this week from Deb, who agreed to let us open her question to our audience.
"I am looking for the synopsis and title of a certain Suspense episode. I heard most of it on a satellite radio station, but missed the end. I’m sure Hans Conried was in it. Ok, so I think that Hans was a criminal and came upon a doctor who had some kind of serum or pill – something that can prolong life. The criminal thought he could get away with crime since he took this pill or serum. Well, he became very, very sensitive to little sounds. A clock ticking, for example, was deafening. I remember an upsetting scene in which the doctor shows the criminal (Conried?) his dog that the doctor keeps in a basement. The dog is whimpering – and that sound is deafening, too. The dog was given this serum and because of the sounds in his own environment, he is “…slowly going insane…"
Does this sound at all familiar to you? If so, do you know the title? Do you happen to know how it ends? It’s driving me crazy and I no longer get satellite radio!"
So, does anyone recognize the plot of this episode? If so, let us know!
In "Catch Me if You Can," Jane Wyman stars as a wife who murders her husband and then unravels while searching for the incriminating evidence he left behind.
As the episode opens, Margo Weatherby and her husband, Phil, are alone in a remote Colorado mountain inn. The hour is late and there is no one around for miles. She has put sedatives in his milk and now waits for him to sleep...so she can...
But Phil doesn't go to sleep...instead he informs Margo that he took those suspicious pills that she gave him last week and hid them with a note. Then, he called his detective friend, Rocky Rhodes, and asked him to come to the lodge! Margo protests at his lack of faith in her, but Phil is convinced that she wants to kill him to end their marriage. He knows that Margo feels trapped because he is ill. So, Phil asks her for a divorce, and she demurely agrees. Then, when Phil finally falls asleep, she follows through on her plan and kills him. That way, she gets everything!
Margo thinks it will be easy to find those missing pills before Detective Rocky Rhodes arrives, but Phil hid them well. While she frantically searches, a number of unexpected guests show up at the inn looking for shelter. Are they really lost? Or, is one of them Detective Rocky Rhodes?
"Catch Me if You Can" was based on the the 1948 novel of the same name by crime writer Patricia McGerr (1917-1985) and adapted for radio by Sylvia Richards. Anton M. Leader produced and directed. Jane Wyman starred. Also appearing were Frank Lovejoy and Raymond Burr. This episode aired on February 17, 1949.
Suspense's "They Call Me Patrice" was adapted from the novellette by Cornell Woolrich eight months after it was first published in Today's Woman magazine (April 1946). Woolrich later reworked this same story into his classic novel, I Married a Dead Man, which was published in 1948 under his pen name, William Irish.
William Spiers adapted the original novellette for Suspense and made two important changes: the main character, Helen/Patrice is not pregnant, and the happy ending was changed to one that isn't.
As the episode opens, Helen Georgesson is on a train back to San Francisco after divorcing her no-good husband in New York. She meets Patrice and Hugh Hazzard, and she is attracted to their bubbly newlywed happiness.
Helen accompanies Patrice to the ladies room, and while they are chatting about Patrice's fears of meeting her new inlaws---the train suddenly goes off the rails and crashes!
Later, Helen awakens in a hospital room, only to realize that she has been mistakenly identified as Patrice Hazzard. In desperation for a new and better life, she doesn't tell them the truth.
Will Helen find peace in her new life? Or, will someone from her past discover her secret...
"They Call Me Patrice" was adapted for Suspense, produced and directed by William Spier. Susan Peters starred. (This radio appearance occurred during the time in her career when she was wheelchair-bound.) Also appearing were William Johnstone, Wally Maher, and Jeannette Nolan. This episode aired on December 12, 1946.
On September 21, 1951, an excellent version of No Man of Her Own was presented on radio by The Screen Director's Playhouse. Barbara Stanwyck and Lyle Bettger star in this hour long episode. Richard Alan Simmons adapted for radio.
Well, Noir City has come to a close, and though I had to miss the last weekend of the festival, I made the most of the time I did spend there.
For me, the highlight of the festival was the chance to see Sorry, Wrong Numberon the big screen--and it did not disappoint. The plot of that film is kind of...confusing, but it all comes together when we see the killer's shadow ascending the staircase while Barbara Stanwyck goes into full hysterics. The audience loved it! Sorry, Wrong Number was introduced by festival host Eddie Mueller as film so dark that it is "pitch black," but that it was also a fascinating scenic travelogue of 1940's America.
I also enjoyed seeing two films that we are familiar with as Suspense episodes. The first, and the better of the two, was Beware, My Lovely. Thanks to a reader of Escape and Suspense!, I learned that this was the same story as the Suspenseepisode "To Find Help." The film is much the same as the radio episode, and both were taken from Mel Dinelli's stage play The Man. The crazed handyman, played by Robert Ryan, holds hostage the lady of the house, played by Ida Lupino. One important difference is that the film is set forty years earlier than the radio version. The audience definitely enjoyed the tension of Beware My Lovely.
I also saw My Name is Julia Ross, which you may know as the Suspense episode "The Woman in Red." Interesting to see this film once, although it is different from the radio version. Both the radio story and the film were taken from the novel by Anthony Gilbert.
I also enjoyed and recommend High Wall, Stranger on the Third Floor, Strangers in the Night, Among the Living, and The Lady Gambles. Wish I could have seen them all, but I had to go out of town. So, we'll just have to wait for next year!
In "Turnabout" a man holds a district attorney hostage in order to ensure the outcome of a murder case.
As the episode opens, Walter Carlton commits a murder and then returns to his comfortable home and casually sets his plan into action...
He calls up his friend, Martin Ross, and invites himself over for the evening. Martin agrees, and promises that his wife, Emily, will cook Walter's favorite meal.
After a pleasant dinner with the Ross family, Walter kills their cat and tells them that their son, Billy, is next if they don't do exactly what he wants.
What does Walter want? Martin is the district attorney, and Walter wants him to frame an innocent man for the murder he just committed....or else!
While the Film Noir Foundation's annual festival goes on at the Castro Theatre this week, let's all take a trip down to the Screen Director's Playhouse for a double-feature!
Two of the films in this year's Noir City line-up were once performed on Screen Director's Playhouse, so if you can't get to San Francisco this time around, you can kick back and enjoy these intense radio adaptations of the same films.
Barbara Stanwyck stars as a woman who becomes obsessed with gambling. Can the love of her husband save her? Will she escape the control of her bitter unmarried sister? Stephen McNally also starred. Featured in the cast were Tony Barrett, William Conrad, Georgia Backus, Byron Kane, Hal Avery, Ruth Barrett, and John Dehner. Jack Rubin adapted for radio, Howard Wyley produced and Bill Karn directed. This episode aired on December 14, 1950.
Noir City, the ten day film festival presented by Film Noir Foundation, returns to the Castro Theatre in San Francisco between January 21 and January 30th, 2011.
This year's festival focuses on characters who are pushed to the brink of madness...and then fall off. Evil twins, unstable women, haunted men...and all the rest...will be showcased in a noir frenzy of dramatic breakdowns.
The highlight of the festival, for us, will be the chance to see Sorry, Wrong Number on the big screen.
For more information about the festival and to view the program, you can visit the website for Noir City.
In "Door of Gold," a pair of newlywed archaeologists brave the dangers of a subterranean Incan temple in order to retrieve a fortune in gold.
As the episode opens, Phillip explains that he and his bride, Janice, are honeymooning in the Peruvian jungle while excavating Incan burial mounds. Accompanying them are Dr. Clayton and their native guide, Juan. They are all searching for the famed Porto de Oro because Phillip believes that it is a real doorway to a fortune in gold and not just a legend.
One morning, they find the Porto de Oro inside of a burial mound built against a mountainside. After discovering the trick to the entrance, Phillip and Janice enter alone. He cautions her about the danger, but Janice tells him that she knows all about the "flip-flop" stones and other traps inside the subterranean passageways.
Will Phillip and Janice find the gold the Incas hid from the Spanish four centuries ago? Or, will they become trapped underground forever?
In "The End of the String," a costume jeweler successfully steals a million dollar necklace but then discovers he is stuck with an item he can't sell.
As the episode opens, a parcel containing a strand of pearls worth a million arrives in the office of Sam Hiler, fine jeweler. He brags about the necklace to his friend, Mark Hendricks, who also has an office in the building. Sam opens the package only to find...eight cubes of sugar inside. What happened to the pearls? No one can figure that out. The pearls, sent by registered mail, were stolen from a sealed package.
As it turns out, Mark does know, because...he is the one who stole the necklace! He confides in Miss Cummings, Sam's assistant, and the two of them set out to make a fortune from the sale of the pearls. The problem is that neither of them can come up with a buyer...
In "My Wife Geraldine," Edward G. Robinson stars as a man who is accused of murdering his wife...and that forces him to admit that she never really existed.
As the episode opens, Mr. Graham is locked inside of his room. His landlady, Miss Barton, knocks at the door but then opens it with her key. Mr. Graham is sitting in the dark...alone.
What does Miss Barton want? She wants to know if he really killed his wife! The detective is on his way, and she needs to know the truth. Is he the "Black Widow" murderer?
Mr. Graham laughs when she tells him that they have found the body of his wife, Geraldine. He admits to Miss Barton that...Geraldine never really existed.
In "Voyage Through Darkness," Olivia de Havilland and Reginald Gardner star as two lovers on a cruise ship, brought together by the search for a stowaway criminal.
The episode opens in 1939, before the war, as Judith Webster explains that her position as a traveling companion to an elderly, wealthy woman now only involves that woman's final burial arrangements. She is to escort the body back to America by ship for a burial-at-sea.
Judith dutifully follows through on her somber responsiblities and is relieved to board the ship at Southhampton. Once onboard, her mood lightens, despite the news that a criminal called "the Blackout Killer" is loose and possibly on board.
She goes out on deck to watch the lights of the city disappear against the horizon, when a man appears from behind one of the lifeboats...
In "The Chain," Agnes Moorehead stars as a housewife who doesn't break a chain letter, but ends up in trouble anyway.
As the episode opens, Leonora explains that all she did was to follow the instructions of a chain letter. She was afraid not to! She remembers the morning that letter arrived in the mail. Leonora was fixing breakfast for her husband, George...
She was also complaining to him about Abby Reynolds, who kept rubbing it in that her husband, Burt, had been appointed district manager, and not George. What with all of the difficulties of Leonora's daily life, Abby's good fortune was more than she could take!
She then opened her morning mail and discovered the chain letter. It had been started by a holy man in Tibet to end all evil, and those who did not forward the letter were subject to the dangers of breaking the chain!
Leonora considered the people she could send it to....particularly Abby Reynolds...
In "Mr. Diogenes," Ozzie and Harriet Nelson star as themselves in a story about a couple who have their anniversary plans upset by a radio game show.
As the episode opens, Ozzie explains how he was set up for trouble...it all started when he stepped on a scale/fortune telling machine to find out his weight. Out popped a card that predicted "Today will be the most memorable day of your life."
As Ozzie was leaving the store, an older gentleman bumped into him, and in doing so, dropped his wallet. Ozzie returned the wallet, and the man, Hector Diogenes, admitted that he had dropped it on purpose. He routinely dropped his wallet in seach of the honest man who would return it.
Diogenes then announces that Ozzie is the honest man he has been searching for and that today is the most memorable day of his life!
He then promises to reward Ozzie with the wisdom and knowledge of his ancient Greek ancestor, Diogenes the Cynic. All Ozzie has to do is memorize a book on the discourses and then return the follow morning to recite what he has learned. If he passes the test, he will be rewarded with great wealth.
In "Heavens to Betsy," a family fights to protect their claim on a U.F.O that lands in their backyard.
As the episode opens, Betsy Doyle is making dinner, and her son, Dickie is listening to the radio. They are waiting for Henry Doyle to come home from work. Outside, an electrical storm is brewing.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightening shakes the house!
A short time later, their neighbor calls and asks about that funny glow in their backyard. Is it a fire? When Betsy and Dickie pull up the shade, they see lights....
Then, Henry comes home. He and Betsy go out in the backyard and find...a flying saucer!
In "Two Horse Parlay" a nephew tries to fool his blind aunt into believing he is a concert pianist.
As the episode opens, Johnny arrives at the office of his bookie, Porko, and finds out that his credit has been cut off. He owes them $4,000 and the syndicate wants their money.
With no other way to come up with the cash, Johnny puts in a call to his wealthy Aunt Mita, who thinks that he is in New York City training to be a concert pianist. In desperation, he tells her a lie about urgently needing $4,000 to train in Paris with a famous piano teacher.
Aunt Mita tells him that first she would like to hear him play and that she wants him to come for a visit.
Johnny hasn't been near a piano in quite some time, so he asks him fiance to come along and play piano for him. Since Aunt Mita is blind, she won't really know it isn't Johnny.
If that doesn't work, maybe her weak heart will give out...
In "The Gift of Jumbo Brannigan," William Bendix stars as a career criminal who learns that his son is a chip off the old block.
As the episode opens, Jumbo and his pals are drilling into a safe, on a break-in that seems to be going smoothly. Then, suddenly, he trips an alarm. Jumbo's mind whirls, and he thinks back to how it all started three weeks earlier when he was released from prison...
When he was paroled, the warden informed Jumbo that the prison officials had made arrangements for him to live with his estranged fourteen year old son. During the time that Jumbo was in prison, his son was a ward of the state, but now they wanted to give them a chance to be a family. To that end, they had arranged an apartment and a job to help them get started.
Jumbo humbly agreed to their plan, but had no real intention of following through. However, when he stepped outside the prison, his son was waiting for him.
As Jumbo became acquainted with his son, the resemblance between the two of them quickly became obvious...
Here at Escape and Suspense!, we always enjoy hearing from you. When you ask us a question, we try to find an answer. If we don't know the answer, we try refering you to someone who does.
This week, I received a nice e-mail from Gary, who is interested in finding a particular Suspense episode, but he doesn't know the title. As fans of OTR, we have all had this happen to us. An episode makes an impression, but then, for whatever reason, we can't find it again.
The episode that Gary is seeking isn't familar to me. At least, I don't think I have posted it here, but maybe I am wrong.
Do you recognize this plot?
Here is Gary's description:
"A group of men are planning to rob a ship. On they voyage out they figure out the crew's routines. The ship is nuclear powered, so they have to be able to take control of the engine room. The ship will also be bringing a gold shipment back, and that is the thieves' main goal. They also have to take over the radio room so the crew can not call for help. On the return trip they make their move, but somehow the captain of the ship outsmarts the thieves. Only at the very end of the program, when the captain sets them adrift in a lifeboat, is it revealed that the ship is not an ocean liners but a spaceship and tho voyage was to another planet. Can you identify the episode from this?"
Any help identifying this episode would be appreciated!
Best regards,
Christine
*Solved!! Many thanks to Dan Dreibelbis, who correctly identified this as an episode of The Mysterious Traveler called "S.O.S."
In "No Escape," James Cagney stars in a cautionary tale about a man who wins an award for being a safe driver but then kills several people while driving to the award banquet.
As the episode opens, Harry Graham explains that he is just like anybody else. He is just like the next guy. So, what happened to him? Why, it could have happened to you.
Harry lives in a small town with a highway running through it and lots of problems with speeding drivers. In response, the town council established a safety campaign and created a "Safe Driver of the Year" award. This year, they awarded their prize to him.
On the night of the banquet, Harry said goodbye to his kid brother,Ted, and got in his car to pick up his girlfriend, Eve. He was running late, so Harry decided to take Canyon Road, where there wasn't as much traffic.
As he was driving down the center of the dark mountain road, he reached for the cigarrette lighter, and when he looked up...
In "A Week Ago Wednesday," Nancy Kelly stars as a woman terrorized by a premonition that her husband is going to kill her.
As the episode opens, Maude Haskin explains that she is just an average girl, no different than any other girl her age. So, how could something so terrible have happened to her?
The problems began on a rainy Wednesday evening after she left work. When Maude tried to open the front door of her apartment, she found a stranger living there instead. The woman told Maude that she and her husband had moved into the apartment only a few days earlier. They had moved in after the previous occupant had been murdered with an icepick! Maude then became confused and ran away.
Later, Maude woke up on a park bench and realized that the episode had all been a dream. Her husband, Harry, found her there and brought her home. She had been missing all night.
Afterward, Harry appears to adore her, but Maude believes in her premonition. She fears Harry is going to kill her...
In "Gold of the Adomar" John Hodiak stars as a deep sea diver who accepts a job salvaging a sunken Spanish galleon filled with treasure.
As the episode opens, Nick is in his diving suit slowly going down...to a sunken ship holding three million dollars in gold.
During his descent, his thoughts drift back to the time when his lust for gold began...when he left the Navy to work for civilian salvage companies as a diver. The money was three times better than what he was making in the service.
His first job offer came from a man who offered him the opportunity to salvage the contents of The Adomar. Nick explained to him that he wasn't foolish enough to go on silly treasure hunts and that he wasn't interested in the job.
Now, he is in his diving suit descending down to the gully where The Adomar rests.....
In "One Man Crime Wave" Dana Andrews stars as a police detective who must hunt down a killer on the loose in a frightened city.
As the episode opens, a woman has been stabbed in a city street on a cold night. With no clues left behind, the police have no leads to follow.
Then, the killer strikes again. This time, a waitress is attacked by a man who crept out from a doorway. Before she died, the woman was able to give the police a little more information.
Then, a couple is attacked, and they are able to obtain a piece of the killer's overcoat.
Based on what little information they have the police must find the killer before he strikes again.
In "A Killing in Las Vegas," Linda Darnell stars as a dancer who discovers that her husband is trying to kill her.
As the episode opens, Dixie Evans, a dancer at the Oasis Club, has just entered the police station. She tells the officer in charge that her husband, Charlie, is trying to kill her. He has tried twice in the last twenty-four hours, and she is scared that next time he will succeed!
First, there was an assault in a casino parking lot and after that, the trouble in her hotel room. Then, she checked up on some of the things Charlie had told her. Lies!
What does a woman do when she discovers that her husband is trying to kill her? Go to the police.
The police, however, tell her that her husband has no obvious motive and that she probably isn't in any real danger...
According to Martin Grams, Jr., in Suspense:Twenty Years of Thrills and Chills, Barbara Stanwyck was originally slated to star in this episode, but Linda Darnell ended up in the role.
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