Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

Originally Aired: May 3, 1945

In Suspense #139, “Fear Paints a Picture,” Lana Turner stars as Julia Powell, a young heiress isolated in her family’s dark San Francisco mansion, tormented by strange dreams, sinister guardians, and a chilling portrait that seems to change each night. As her 23rd birthday—and her inheritance—draws near, Julia’s grip on sanity is tested by ghostly footsteps, whispered warnings, and the conviction that she is fated to go mad like her mother. But a deeper conspiracy is at work: the mysterious Dr. Barrow isn’t who he seems, and the true threat may come from the living, not the dead. A gothic, gaslight thriller where art, paranoia, and inheritance collide.

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Originally Aired: April 19, 1945

In Suspense #138, “Pearls Are a Nuisance,” William Bendix and Alan Joslyn star in Raymond Chandler’s slyly comic tale of bumbling detectives, fake pearls, and one very inconvenient romance. When Mrs. Penruddock’s “priceless” pearl necklace vanishes, mild-mannered Walter Gage and the tough ex-chauffeur Henry Eichelberger form an unlikely duo to recover the loot. Their hunt through seedy hotels, nightclubs, and the underworld reveals a tangle of mistaken identity, double-crosses, and Chandler’s signature wisecracks—right up to the last punch. A rare light-hearted gem from the golden age of radio noir.

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Originally Aired: April 5, 1945

In Suspense #137, “A Guy Gets Lonely,” Dane Clark stars as Eddie Lewis—a lonely, struggling actor who falls for a beautiful stranger named Jolly after a chance meeting in a penny arcade. What starts as a whirlwind romance quickly turns into a nightmare of lies, mistaken identity, and murder. When Jolly disappears and Eddie is told she’s dead, he plunges into a web of deception involving her scheming family, a deadly con, and a dangerous double. As Eddie unravels the truth, he must fight to clear his name and find out who he can trust before it’s too late. A gripping noir of heartbreak, betrayal, and second chances.

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Originally Aired: March 29, 1945

In Suspense #136, “The Taming of the Beast,” Nancy Kelly stars as Nora Van Ostrand, a beautiful and volatile heiress locked in a toxic marriage with Mark—and later, with the scheming Dr. Paul Ferrari (Helmut Dantine). When a violent argument leads to Mark’s supposed suicide, Nora quickly remarries her new lover, only to discover a fatal medical diagnosis is driving her toward the grave. But as betrayal, resentment, and secrets come to a boil, both Nora and Paul learn just how twisted their final days together will become. A psychological thriller filled with deception, manipulation, and an unforgettable final twist.

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Originally Aired: March 22, 1945

In Suspense #135, “Heart’s Desire,” Lloyd Nolan stars as Henry Doyle, a man who spends his life chasing success and respectability, only to find himself lost in mediocrity and regret. After twenty years as a bank messenger, Henry’s dreams collapse—along with $50,000 in bank money that mysteriously disappears. Imprisoned for the crime, Henry clings to the memory of a secret he left behind: the location of the missing fortune, sealed away under a name he can no longer remember. As he scours the city—and his own failing memory—for the key to his “heart’s desire,” the story unfolds as a melancholy noir about ambition, loneliness, and the tricks memory plays when fate comes to collect.

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Originally Aired: March 15, 1945

In Suspense #134, “Cricket,” Margaret O’Brien stars as Florence, a lonely young girl haunted by memories of her brave dog Cricket, who gave his life to save her during a wartime bombing. Now living in a house rumored to be cursed, Florence refuses to leave—even as mysterious noises, burning smells, and the howls of an unseen dog unsettle everyone around her. Dame May Whitty co-stars as her loving but worried grandmother, determined to keep Florence safe. On a stormy night filled with air raids and ghostly apparitions, past and present collide—testing the bonds of love, memory, and courage in a moving tale of loss and hope.

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Originally Aired: March 8, 1945

In Suspense #133, “Love’s Lovely Counterfeit,” Humphrey Bogart stars as Ben Grace—a tough, streetwise operator caught between rival gangsters, a crooked political machine, and a woman whose love might be his only hope for redemption. Adapted from the hardboiled novel by James M. Cain, this tale plunges deep into the seedy world of Lake City, where betrayal lurks behind every promise and love comes with a price. When Ben hatches a scheme to bring down the city’s top racketeer, his plan tangles him in a violent web of murder, double-crosses, and heartbreak. A moody noir classic where fate deals out the final hand.

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Originally Aired: March 1, 1945

In Suspense #132, “My Wife Geraldine,” Edward G. Robinson stars as Mr. Graham—a mild-mannered bachelor whose imaginary wife, Geraldine, becomes a full-blown presence in his life and in the minds of everyone around him. When a series of innocent lies about his marital bliss snowball into a web of suspicion, Graham finds himself accused of being the notorious “Black Widower,” a serial wife-killer. As reality blurs and the truth about Geraldine is revealed, the story builds to a remarkable and bittersweet twist—where love, fantasy, and identity collide in a gentle, suspenseful comedy of errors. A unique psychological mystery from the golden age of radio.

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Originally Aired: February 22, 1945

In Suspense #131, “John Barbie and Son,” Thomas Mitchell stars as John Barbie, a grief-stricken father determined to keep a heartbreaking promise to his late wife: never to let their troubled son, Carl, be taken away to an institution. When a tragic accident brings authorities to their door, John and Carl go on the run, desperate to escape a system that neither understands nor forgives. As the two flee through the night—dodging suspicion, hiding in hotel rooms, and racing up fire escapes—John’s devotion to his son leads him to the edge of sanity, and ultimately, to a rooftop confrontation with a shattering revelation. A haunting, psychological suspense story about love, loss, and the blurred line between reality and delusion.

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Originally Aired: February 15, 1945

In Suspense #130, “Sell Me Your Life,” Lee Bowman stars as Joe Bland, a desperate ex-con standing on the brink of suicide—until a mysterious woman intervenes, offering him a second chance… for a price. But when Bland is swept into the mansion of a wealthy banker, he soon finds himself at the center of a murder, a missing fortune, and a web of lies involving the enigmatic Mrs. Bodine and her secretive household. Accused of a crime he didn’t commit, Joe must fight for his life and the truth, in a taut thriller where every good deed comes at a deadly cost. Betrayal, noir intrigue, and split-second reversals drive this suspenseful drama to its shattering conclusion.

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