Escape and Suspense!

Lux Radio Theater - Meet Me in St. Louis

Here at Escape and Suspense!, watching Meet Me in St. Louis is a part of the annual Christmas ritual. Though it seems to just get weirder and weirder every time I see it...

For those of you who are fans of Meet Me in St. Louis, you may enjoy Lux Radio Theater's adaptation, which stars a trio of actors from the film: Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, and Tom Drake.

First, you have to accept that the character of Agnes is not in the radio adaption. That is hard to imagine at first, but they snipped her out by just giving all of her good lines, and her cat, to Tootie. Second, you can't see the house they live in, which we all know is one of the true stars of the film. Third, there are no costumes at which to marvel.

So, with that in mind, there is a lot to enjoy in the radio version, which was performed when Meet Me in St. Louis was still in theaters. The music is great, some lines are just funnier on radio, and the actors seem to be having a good time.

"Meet Me in St. Louis" aired on December 2, 1946. William Keighly produced. Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, and Tom Drake starred. Also appearing were: Gale Gordon, Helene Gray, Regina Wallace, Norman Field, Billy Roy, Norren Gamille, Dick Ryan, Clark Gordon, Charles Seal, Truda Marsden, Johnny McGovern, Joel Davis, Jerry Farber, Howard Jeffrey, and Lois Kennison.

. Download Lux Radio-1946-12-02_Meet_Me_In_St_Louis

Suspense - The Windy City Six

In "The Windy City Six," Fred MacMurray stars as a band player who becomes involved with a gangster's girlfriend.

The episode opens in a speakeasy in the 1920's. Ham, a drummer, gets in trouble for being distracted by a pretty lady in the audience. The bandleader is angry with him, but the men accompanying the young lady are even more annoyed. They call Ham over to tell him that they are keeping an eye on her--for someone important. If he doesn't stop looking at her, the consequences will be dire.

Next thing they know, the police bust in and raid the place! Ham and his bandmates sneak out the kitchen, and on the way, Ham witnesses a shooting.

When he gets back to his rooming house, Ham finds Cora Lee, the young lady from the speakeasy,  waiting for him. Big Mike Donovan sent her to collect him. He wants Ham and his bandmates to play a private party in the mountains.

What Big Mike really wants is to find out which one of them witnessed the shooting...

"Windy City Six" was written by John Michael Hayes and E. Jack Neuman. Elliott Lewis produced and directed. Fred MacMurray starred. Also appearing were Mary Jane Croft, Elliott Lewis, Edmund MacDonald, and Joseph Kearns. This episode aired on February 8, 1951.

. Download Suspense_1951-02-08_The Windy City Six

Red Nichols and his Five Pennies provided the Dixie-land music for this episode. Red Nichols was one of the most popular and prolific recording artists of the 1920's. In 1959, Danny Kaye portrayed him in the Hollywood film The Five Pennies.

Here is the band in a short Vitaphone film from 1929.

Suspense - St. James Infirmary Blues

"St. James Infirmary Blues" is one of a number of Suspense episodes that were based on popular songs. In it, Rosemary Clooney appears as a gal looking for excitement in 1920's New York.

The song has an anonymous origin but it was derived from an 18th century English song called "The Unfortunate Rake." "St. James Infirmary Blues" was first made popular in 1928 by Louis Armstrong and it has since been recorded by many. While most renditions of this song appear to have been performed by men, Suspense wrote their episode around a female character. For more information about the song, there is a website devoted to "St. James Infirmary Blues" at NO Notes.

Rosemary Clooney, in her only appearance on Suspense, both sings the narration and plays the role of Sheila, a girl who falls for a handsome gangster named Nicky. It is a short-lived romance and Sheila ultimately ends up singing the blues when Nicky double-crosses his boss.

"St James Infirmary Blues" was written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin. Elliott Lewis produced and directed. William Conrad played Brock Garvey and Tony Barrett played Nick Volpe. Also appearing were Billy Halop, Vivi Janiss, Joseph Kearns, Shepard Menken, and Clayton Post. This episode aired on February 23, 1953.

. Download suspense_1953.02.23_St James Infirmary Blues.mp3

Below is an excellent version of "St. James Infirmary Blues" performed by Cab Calloway. This surreal clip is taken from Max Fleischer"s Snow White cartoon featuring Betty Boop (1933). Cab Calloway appeared as Koko the Clown.

Video from Youtube.com

Suspense - To Find Help

Suspense's "To Find Help"  is so plausible that it is genuinely scary. 

The casting of this episode is what makes it intriguing. The role of a menacing young man who has "something wrong with his mind" was originally performed by Frank Sinatra, and later by Gene Kelly. Appearing in "To Find Help" is an unexpected choice for a musical star, but that is the hook. Both actors gave the performance their own flair but played it differently. The same year that this episode first aired, Sinatra starred with Kelly in the movie Anchors Away.

This is a World War II era cautionary tale about an older woman who hires a young man to do some handywork around her house. She doesn't know the man well, but help is hard to find because of the war. She doesn't see any reason to worry because he seems so meek. The female role, Mrs. Gillis, was first played by Suspense's favorite actress, Agnes Moorehead. Ethel Barrymore played the role opposite Kelly in 1949. This episode was written for Suspense by Mel Dinelli.

The episode starring Frank Sinatra and Agnes Moorehead aired on January 18, 1945.

Download Suspense.1945-01-18_To_Find_Help.mp3

The episode starring Gene Kelly, Ethel Barrymore and William Conrad aired on January 6, 1949.

Download Suspense.01.06.1949.To_Find_Help.mp3     

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Added note:

"To Find Help" play was adapted from Mel Dinelli's stage play "The Man." This story was also adapted into the film Beware, My Lovely (1952) starring Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan.

(Revision 1/27/11)

Suspense-Drive In

If you need a reminder as to why it is you should never accept a ride from a stranger -- then "Drive-In" is for you! This episode belongs to a sub-genre of Suspense stories that are also cautionary tales. These dramas are still convincing because their warnings are still valid.

Judy Garland stars in this episode but do not expect to hear singing. Here she demonstrates that she was just as compelling as an actress on radio as she was in movies. In 1946, the year this show aired, she also appeared in the films: The Harvey Girls, Ziegfield Follies, and Till the Clouds Roll By.

"Drive-In" was written for Suspense by Mel Dinelli and Muriel Ray Bolton.  It was broadcast three times but Garland only appeared in the lead role once. Raymond Lewis played the driver. This version was heard on November 21, 1946.

Download 461121_drive_in_w_judy_garland.mp3

Suspense-You Were Wonderful

In honor of Black History month, here is the Suspense episode "You Were Wonderful" with Lena Horne.

True to the title, Lena's singing is wonderful despite the bad sound quality of this recording. She sings "Embraceable You", a little bit of "One Dozen Roses" and "America" (My Country 'Tis of Thee). This is a very patriotic WWII era episode that touches on the racial issues of the time. The story is set in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

According to her biography on the Kennedy Center's website, Lena Horne often performed for the troops in Europe during WWII but on the condition that the audience would be desegregated. She was also the most popular pin-up girl of African-American soldiers!

"You Were Wonderful" aired on November 9, 1944. According to Martin Grams in Suspense: Twenty Years of Thrills and Chills, she was the first professional singer to appear on Suspense.

Download Suspense.1944.11.09_You_Were_Wonderful.mp3

Image of Lena Horne from (www.classicsavers.com)

Suspense-Never Follow a Banjo Act

As I watched the Grammy Awards show this past weekend my mind drifted to the Suspense episode "Never Follow a Banjo Act."

The star of this episode is Ethel Merman, and even if you aren't a big Ethel fan, you will probably enjoy this. She plays Rosie Jones, a singing star of "mature talents," who is asked to work with a heart-throb boy singer named Terry Dane. She accepts but quickly finds out that the deal she made isn't all it is cracked up to be.

This episode is surprisingly creepy and dark, and it makes memorable statements about greed, the pop music industry, and "tousled hair". Why hasn't this episode ever been turned into a movie?

Suspense broadcast this episode twice. The first presentation starred Ethel Merman on February 4, 1954, and the second starred Margaret Whiting on March 2, 1958.  Ethel's is the better version. "Never Follow a Banjo Act" was written for Suspense by James Poe.

Download 540201_never_follow_a_banjo_act.mp3