Suspense - After Dinner Story

"After-Dinner Story" was one of many works by Cornell Woolrich adapted for radio. Suspense presented twenty-two of his stories on their program, but his works were also performed on Molle Mystery Theater and other radio shows. Suspense's "After Dinner Story" was based on the 1938 short story of the same name which Woolrich wrote under his pseudonym, William Irish.

Suspense's version altered the structure of the story a little, but otherwise retold the tale as it was intended. What was left out was the Depression-era setting, and so it lost some of its depth and meaning. The original short story is very tense and the description of the elevator crash is more frightening than on radio. Read Woolrich's story if you get the chance.

"After-Dinner Story" was adapted for radio by Robert L. Richards. Otto Kruger appeared as Mr. Hardecker. Also featured were Hans Conried, William Johnstone, and Lou Merrill. This story aired once on October 26, 1943. Although it never aired again on the Suspense radio program, the television show Suspense aired this story on April 12, 1949. Otto Kruger starred in the same role he had played in the radio version.

. Download Suspense.1943.10.26_After_Dinner_Story.mp3

(Image of elevator shaft from Wikimedia Commons)

Comments

[S.]

Wow.Talk about propaganda--"Eastern War Time, Central War Time, Pacific War Time." Yikes.

[Cameron Estep]

I enjoyed this episode very much. I remember reading the original story first when I was in high school then later on when I was in college I discovered the Suspense radio version of Woolrich's tense thriller and I felt both the story and radio play did justice. I like the radio play due to the performance of Otto Kruger whom I have seen in a number of movies from the 1930's and 1940's such as Alfred Hitchcock's Saboteur as the sinister spy Charles Tobin, Dracula's Daughter as the psychitrist Jeffrey Garth, Wonderman as the District Attorney, and in the film noir thriller Murder, My Sweet with Dick Powell as Philip Marlowe and Kruger playing a phony and fraudulent mystic. This is one of the most shocking and suspenseful short stories I ever read by Woolrich. The ending is a double shock. Conried is pitch perfect as Kenshaw. This is one episode you Suspense fans should not miss. P.S. I love this website