Suspense - Rave Notice

"Rave Notice" was written for Suspense by James Poe, a scriptwriter who not only wrote intriguing original stories but also successfully adapted other author's works for radio and film. He wrote the radio-plays for a number of notable episodes of Escape including their most famous episode, "Three Skeleton Key," an adaptation from the short story by George Toudouze. Among the episodes he wrote for Suspense, "Never Follow a Banjo Act" and "Rave Notice" stand out as two of the best radio-plays Suspense ever presented. In 1956 he won an Academy Award for his work on the script for Around the World in 80 Days and he was nominated three other times for his work on Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Lillies of the Field, and They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

"Rave Notice" is the story of a struggling Broadway actor named Sam who commits murder after his director replaces him in a play. In order to avoid getting the electric chair, he uses the Stanislavsky Method to act as if he were insane. The glitch is that the doctors who come to examine him turn out to be the better actors.

This story was presented three times on Suspense and all three presentations are excellent. Variations in the tone of the story come from the three different actors who played the lead. The first broadcast was on October 12, 1950, and Milton Berle starred in the role of Sam. Berle's maniacal laughter is particularly good and he could be considered the best match to this role.

. Download Suspense_10.12.1950.Rave_Notice.mp3

The second time it was presented was on October 21, 1954, and Hans Conried starred as Sam.

. Download Suspense_10.21.1954 Rave Notice.mp3   

The third time was on June 1, 1958, and Vincent Price starred as Sam.

. Download Susp.1958.06.01_Rave_Notice.mp3

(Images of "Old Sparky" and Vincent Price from Wikimedia Commons)

Comments

[Leslie]

I can't wait to hear how each actor (particularly Berle and Price) portrays Sam. Thank you! I love your blog.

[Kevin]

Only heard the 1950 version thus far and it is a great radio tale. If done today I can see where the ending would be different though. I'd classify both Escape and Suspense as "horror". Maybe not the blood and gore kind or the monster kind but definitley alot of it involves angry psycho's along violence and madness. Now I have to listen to the other versions and see which is best.

[Alan O'Brien]

This is one of the very best. I first heard the Price version and I prefer that. The Berle version is more or less identical but it has a short introduction.

Price plays an actor whose [i]amour propre[/i] is massively disturtled when his director sacks him and tells him that as an actor he is garbage!

He is sacked, bizarrely, from the role of bell-ringer! Since when has bell-ringer been the prime role in any play??

He decides, correctly, to kill the director and, brimming with confidence, he buys a shotgun and ONE bullet. He knows he won't miss!

Drama but some good laughs in this James Poe classic!

[Alan O'Brien]

I may have been too quick with my quip, "He is sacked, bizarrely, from the role of bell-ringer! Since when has bell-ringer been the prime role in any play??"

I have since heard an episode of "Murder at Midnight" where bells play a pivotal role and where a bellringer is indeed one of the main roles.

[Christine A. Miller]

Thanks, Alan! That is good to know. Best, Christine

[Alan OBrien]

The episode I was referring to is Death Tolls a Requiem.