Suspense - Fugue in C Minor

"Fugue in C Minor" is the kind of radio horror that only Lucille Fletcher could write. As the Suspense announcer tells us at the beginning, this is a story of "brooding anxiety and sharpening suspicion, played against the severe and forbidding background of the late Victorian era." In this episode, two small children believe that their father, an organist, has killed their mother and hidden her body within the pipes of the organ in their home.

The story begins in April of 1900 in an east coast town called Pilotsville. Amanda Peabody is introduced by her sister to a handsome widower named Mr. Theodore Evans. He and his two children live in a home that was built around a colossal pipe organ. Amanda and Theodore's mutual love of classical music brings them together, but his strange, little children stand in the way of their happiness.

"Fugue in C Minor" was written by Lucille Fletcher and was produced/directed by William Spier. The title refers to the musical composition for organ by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is interesting to note that Suspense actor and announcer Joseph Kearns, "The Man in Black," really did have a home that was built around a Wurlitzer pipe organ. He unfortunately doesn't appear in this episode.

Vincent Price starred as Theodore Evans and Ida Lupino as Amanda Peabody. Bea Benaderet also appeared. This episode aired on June 1, 1944.

.  Download Suspense.1944.06.01_Fugue_In_C_Minor.mp3

(Image of the Passacaglia from Fugue in C Minor from Wikipedia)

Comments

[Mike Hobart]

Yes, I've heard this one and found it effective if a bit bizarre. The fact that one of the Suspense team actually did own a house built around a pipe organ is a little unsettling! (By the way, if you do want to hear some wurlitzer music, visit my website)

[Gary Digital Williams]

This is my all-time favorite Suspense episode! I never get tired of hearing it!

[Kevin]

Fugue in C Minor is a show I first heard probably about 15 years ago and it is one of my favourite OTR shows. Its something about the children in it that makes it work for me. They're terrific and creepy but you can also feel a little sympathy for them.

[Corten Steel exporters]

I really like this