In January of 1948, Suspense producer/director Bill Spier left the show. Roma Wines had cancelled their sponsorship in November. Suspense was in the midst of an ill-fated hour-long show experiment, hosted by Robert Montgomery. By January of 1948, Spier was engaged to June Havoc. They were married on January 25th, the day after Spier left Suspense.

When the couple finished honeymooning, Spier looked for his next project. He found it on the American Broadcasting Company. On March 4th, 1948, ABC's production of The Clock was moved to Hollywood and turned over to Bill Spier.

The first episode under Spier's direction was called, "Nicky." It was a story about a man on death row who has no plans on going to the great hereafter. Spier tabbed radio actors who'd go on to become household names in the guest-starring roles, like Elliott Lewis, Cathy Lewis, and William Conrad. All three are featured in this Spier-debut episode clip.