PODCAST

Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)

Presenting the biggest legends of Hollywood starring in "Suspense," radio"s outstanding theater of thrills! Each week, we"ll hear two chillers from this old time radio classic featuring one of the all-time great stars of stage and screen.

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All Episodes

Stewart on Suspense

Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio) ·

2021/05/20

When he appeared on Suspense, James Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) played against type very effectively. His characters on “radio’s outstanding theater of thrills” were miles away from George Bailey and Jefferson Smith. His turns were closer to his haunted protagonist of Hitchcock’s Vertigo, and his episodes are highlights of the program’s long run. As we remember the great leading man today for his birthday, here’s a log of his old time radio thrillers. “Consequence” - Stewart starred in two

01:07:21

Episode 240 – Joseph Cotten (Part 5)

Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio) ·

2021/05/20

The star of Shadow of a Doubt and The Third Man returns for more old time radio thrillers. Joseph Cotten stars in two tales of Suspense and plays three different characters. First, he plays a pair of twin brothers with a deadly case of sibling rivalry in "The Pasteboard Box" (originally aired on CBS on January 17, 1946). Then, Cotten may hold the key to the survival of an old enemy in Dorothy L. Sayers' "Blood Sacrifice" (originally aired on CBS on March 30, 1950).

Happy Birthday, James Mason

Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio) ·

2021/05/15

Nominated for three Academy Awards, James Mason (May 15, 1909 - July 27, 1984) had the marquee looks of a leading man but could convey a cool menace that made him a dastardly screen villain. Among his credits are Brutus in Julius Caesar, Captain Nemo in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Humbert Humbert in Lolita, and Phillip Vandamm in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. His earliest successes came in British cinema before he made the move to Hollywood. Once he arrived in the States, he began to appear on

01:09:03

Episode 239 – Ethel Merman

Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio) ·

2021/05/13

With her powerful, belting voice and inimitable stage presence, Ethel Merman became one of the biggest stars on Broadway and the queen of musical comedy. Her performances were acclaimed, and the songs she introduced onstage became standards - tunes like "I Got Rhythm" and "There's No Business Like Show Business." She made one visit to Suspense as a singer paired with a homicidal partner in "Never Follow a Banjo Act" (originally aired on CBS on February 1, 1954). Then, she's the emcee for a November

01:35:26

Episode 238 – Jeff Chandler (Part 2)

Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio) ·

2021/05/07

Jeff Chandler returns to the podcast in another pair of old time radio thrillers. First, he stars in a story set to the lyrics of a haunting ballad in "My True Love's Hair" (originally aired on CBS on October 19, 1953). Then, Chandler is on trial for crimes committed to preserve the anti-Nazi underground in "Death at Skirkerud Pond" (originally aired on CBS on February 8, 1954). Then, he shows off his comedy chops in Our Miss Brooks as Miss Brooks and Mr. Boynton join the Conklins for a weekend

01:35:07

Episode 237 – John Garfield

Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio) ·

2021/04/29

Two-time Oscar nominee John Garfield broke out of the New York theatre scene, and his star burned brightly until he ran afoul of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Known for his intense performances and his battles with his studio to find stronger scripts, Garfield made memorable impressions in movies like The Postman Always Rings Twice and Body and Soul before his career - and his life - came to abrupt ends. We'll hear his two appearances on Suspense - "Reprieve" (AFRS rebroadcast from May

01:08:35

Episode 236 – Brian Donlevy (Part 2)

Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio) ·

2021/04/22

In his final Suspense appearance, Brian Donlevy played a doctor coming to the aid of a man recently returned from the dead. The Oscar nominee stars in "Lazarus Walks" (originally aired on CBS on October 31, 1946). Then, we'll hear him recreate his role as a derelict who winds up in the governor's mansion from The Great McGinty on Academy Award (originally aired on CBS on April 20, 1946).

Happy Birthday, William Holden

Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio) ·

2021/04/17

The down-on-his-luck scriptwriter who enters into a doomed romance with a faded star; the cynical POW who reigns as king of a German camp; the aging television executive who watches his era fade away as he desperately tries to cling to his job - and a beautiful young woman: Oscar and Emmy-winner William Holden (April 17, 1918 - November 16, 1981) brought these roles and more to life over the course of his career. A handsome leading man who could play complicated characters and reluctant heroes,

01:22:20

Episode 235 – Dan O’Herlihy

Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio) ·

2021/04/15

Irish-born actor Dan O'Herlihy broke out on the big screen when he earned an Oscar nod for the title role in Robinson Crusoe. Over the course of his career, he worked steadily on in films and on television, including his memorable role of "The Old Man" in Robocop and a recurring part on Twin Peaks. We'll hear him in two starring turns on Suspense - "Strange for a Killer" (originally aired on CBS on June 15, 1958) and Rudyard Kipling's "The Man Who Would Be King" (originally aired on CBS on May 31,

01:07:14

Episode 234 – Katina Paxinou

Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio) ·

2021/04/08

Katina Paxinou came to the United States at the outset of World War II, unable to return to her native Greece. The theatre star made a big Hollywood debut with her Oscar and Golden Globe-winning performance in For Whom the Bell Tolls, but her film career was short-lived as she returned to her homeland to continue her work on the stage. We'll hear her in the wartime espionage drama "The Woman in Red" (originally aired on CBS on April 6, 1944). Then, she pays a visit to Bing Crosby and The Kraft Music

01:07:12

Episode 233 – Dane Clark (Part 2)

Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio) ·

2021/04/01

Dane Clark prided himself on playing average joes on the big screen, and in the two episodes we'll hear this week he plays a pair of men caught up in murder. One falls into a trap, and the other plots the perfect crime, but both are in tales well calculated to keep you in Suspense. We'll hear Clark in "A Guy Gets Lonely" (originally aired on CBS on April 5, 1945) and "This Will Kill You" (originally aired on August 23, 1945).

We Love Lucille

Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio) ·

2021/03/28

Lucille Fletcher (March 28, 1912 - August 31, 2000) gave radio some of its all-time classic spine-tingling thrillers. Though she penned novels, plays, and even the libretto of an opera, Fletcher remains best known for her radio plays, a roster that includes some of the best episodes of Suspense. A graduate of Vassar College, Fletcher worked at CBS as a publicity writer and clerk. Fletcher met her future husband, Bernard Herrmann, when he was conducting the CBS orchestra. Fletcher’s radio career took