Suspense's "Red Cloud Mesa" was adapted from the short story, "Where the Warriors Crossed" by William Eastlake, which appeared in the August 3, 1956 issue of Collier's Magazine. As William N. Robson explains in his introduction, he changed the title, and made a few changes to the story for radio, but it is "substantially" the same. If you read the story, that appears to be true except that the characters are able to express themselves more clearly because they are given more dialogue.
The episode opens on the Red Cloud Trading post on a New Mexico Navajo reservation. An Indian named Four Thumbs enters, and he is greeted by the owner, Mr. Bowman, who already knows that Four Thumbs has killed a man while escaping from a psychiatric hospital for veterans. Four Thumbs calls Mr. Bowman, "Captain", because he served under him in France during World War II.
Mr. Bowman promises to help Four Thumbs, who doesn't want to die inside a padded cell. But, he also has to promise the state trooper, who comes around to investigate, that he won't make him look bad either.
When those promises become impossible to keep. Mr. Bowman then leads Four Thumbs up onto the high mesa and gives him the choice of how to resolve the situation...
"Red Cloud Mesa" was adapted for radio, produced, and directed by William N. Robson. Reed Hadley starred. None of the other actors are named, but they appear to be the same actors used in the second presentation of this story in 1959. Navajo chants are used in the story but the performers are not identified. Whether those chants were performed live or taken from a recording is unknown, no information about them is given. This episode aired on October 30, 1956.
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Suspense presented this story a second time on August 2, 1959. Joseph Cotten starred. Also appearing were Jay Novello, Vic Perrin, Lawrence Dobkin, and Howard McNear.
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