"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)
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