Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills
Unravel the Mystery with Suspense! - The Classic Radio Thriller Series Step back in time to the golden age of radio with ”Suspense!” - the iconic series that captivated audiences from 1942 to 1962 with its thrilling tales and unforgettable performances. Featuring over 900 broadcasts penned by renowned authors and directors, ”Suspense!” brought the finest in thriller and mystery genres to the airwaves. Broadcast on the CBS Radio Network, ”Suspense!” showcased Hollywood’s brightest stars, including Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Orson Welles, and Marlene Dietrich. Under the masterful direction of William Spier, known as the ”Hitchcock of the airwaves,” the series delivered gripping human dramas that kept listeners on the edge of their seats. From the eerie introductions by the ”Man in Black” to the evocative scores by Bernard Hermann and Lucian Moraweck, ”Suspense!” was a paragon of radio production excellence. The show’s unique formula of minimal rehearsal and genuine unease created authe...
Episodes

48 minutes ago
48 minutes ago
Originally Aired: June 8, 1944
Case History on Edgar Lowndes: The Train That Never Stopped
In this darkly psychological episode of Suspense, two of Hollywood’s most iconic actors—Thomas Mitchell and Donald Crisp—deliver powerhouse performances in a tale that unravels the twisted mind of a man haunted by death, guilt, and memory.
Edgar Lowndes is a powerful railroad tycoon tormented by debilitating headaches. Seeking help from psychiatrist Dr. Aronson, Lowndes confesses a series of troubling events: the accidental death of his ailing wife due to a medicine mix-up, and a childhood friend lost in a train wreck. But as Dr. Aronson probes deeper, it becomes clear these events are linked not by misfortune, but by motive.
As memories flood back, Lowndes recounts a chilling childhood trauma—watching his paralyzed father die on train tracks, a death he could have prevented but chose not to. His subconscious guilt has spiraled into a need to relive and repeat the act of killing. With each victim—a friend, a wife, a stranger on a train—Lowndes is symbolically murdering his father all over again.
When the truth surfaces, so does the danger. Lowndes pulls a gun, ready to silence the man who knows too much. But Dr. Aronson turns Lowndes’ mind against itself—using a recorded voice from a previous session to replay the cries of his dying father. The mental break is instant. Lowndes flees—and leaps to his death, believing he’s boarding the train that haunted his dreams.
A chilling masterpiece of psychological drama, Case History on Edgar Lowndes explores inherited trauma, subconscious vengeance, and the fragile boundary between guilt and madness.
Keywords: "Suspense Case History Edgar Lowndes," "Thomas Mitchell Donald Crisp radio drama," "June 1944 Suspense episode," "psychological murder radio story," "Roma Wines suspense classic," "railroad symbolism murder plot," "train trauma and subconscious guilt."
Cast: Thomas Mitchell (Edgar Lowndes), Donald Crisp (Dr. Aronson), with supporting performances by the Suspense radio company. Written by Robert Tallman. Produced and directed by William Spier.

Saturday Apr 12, 2025
Saturday Apr 12, 2025
Originally Aired: June 1, 1944
Fugue in C Minor: The Pipes That Whispered Murder
In one of the most haunting and elegantly chilling episodes of Suspense, screen legends Ida Lupino and Vincent Price star in a Victorian tale of madness, music, and murder.
Amanda Peabody arrives in the quiet town of Pilotsville to visit her sister, only to become enchanted by Theodore Evans—a cultured widower, music enthusiast, and pipe organ fanatic. Evans lives in a vast mansion outfitted with a cathedral-sized pipe organ, its pipes installed through every room in the house, echoing with thunderous classical music and eerie mechanical groans.
But as Amanda is courted by the charming Theodore, she senses something is terribly wrong. His two traumatized children believe their dead mother isn’t in heaven—she’s trapped in the organ pipes, crying out for help.
What begins as an odd courtship soon becomes a psychological horror story. Amanda learns that Theodore's first wife, and perhaps other women, may have met their deaths within the labyrinth of pipes beneath the home. When Amanda discovers the truth, she nearly becomes the next victim—locked in the echo chamber with the organ thundering above her. But fate intervenes, and Evans dies of fright, overcome by his own delusions and the weight of his crimes.
Written by Lucille Fletcher (Sorry, Wrong Number), Fugue in C Minor is a masterpiece of atmosphere and mounting dread, with unforgettable performances by Lupino and Price.
Keywords: "Suspense Fugue in C Minor episode," "Vincent Price Ida Lupino Suspense," "Lucille Fletcher organ pipe horror," "June 1 1944 CBS radio drama," "Victorian murder mystery radio," "ghostly pipe organ suspense story," "Roma Wines classic Suspense."
Cast: Ida Lupino (Amanda Peabody), Vincent Price (Theodore Evans), with supporting performances by child actors portraying Daphne and David Evans. Written by Lucille Fletcher. Produced and directed by William Spier.

Saturday Apr 05, 2025
Saturday Apr 05, 2025
Originally Aired: May 25, 1944
Donovan’s Brain, Part Two: The Final Host
In the chilling conclusion to Suspense's two-part science fiction saga, Orson Welles returns as Dr. Patrick Cory—a man now fully under the growing influence of the disembodied brain he has kept alive in his laboratory. What began as an ambitious experiment to preserve thought has devolved into a psychological and spiritual nightmare.
As the brain of ruthless financier William H. Donovan continues to grow in power, it manipulates Cory’s thoughts, voice, and memories. His family grows suspicious—especially when Cory can no longer recall what happened to his wife, Janice, or when he begins mimicking Donovan’s infamous phrase: “Sure, sure, sure.”
As the horrifying truth unfolds, Janice returns, revealing that Cory committed her to a psychiatric clinic under Donovan’s influence. Cory, desperate to break free, tries one last desperate act: using a blood transfusion with an incompatible blood type, he attempts to destroy the brain. But Donovan anticipates every move.
The story builds to its devastating climax: Cory performs fatal surgery on his own son, David, intending to use his body to house Donovan’s mind. But in sacrificing his son, Cory finally breaks free of the brain’s control and finds the strength to destroy it—though at the cost of his own life.
In a final narration, we learn that both Cory and David are dead, and Janice has been committed once again. The brain, found rotting in the lab, appears to have been dead for months—leaving the chilling question: what was truly controlling Patrick Cory?
An unforgettable blend of science fiction and psychological horror, Donovan’s Brain, Part Two is a cautionary tale of unchecked ambition, obsession, and the price of playing God.
Keywords: "Donovan’s Brain Part Two Suspense," "Orson Welles brain experiment story," "May 1944 Suspense radio," "disembodied brain horror," "William H. Donovan science fiction," "Patrick Cory mind control," "Roma Wines classic Suspense."
Cast: Orson Welles (Dr. Patrick Cory), with supporting performances by Hans Conried, Joseph Kearns, and the Suspense radio company. Produced and directed by William Spier.

Monday Mar 31, 2025
Monday Mar 31, 2025
In one of the most celebrated episodes of Suspense, Orson Welles stars as Dr. Patrick Cory in a chilling adaptation of Curt Siodmak’s science fiction thriller Donovan’s Brain. This is the first of a two-part drama that explores the terrifying consequences of science without limits—and thought without a body.
When a private plane crashes in the mountains, the only survivor is millionaire William H. Donovan—barely clinging to life. Dr. Cory attempts emergency surgery, but it’s already too late to save the man. Or is it? Driven by ambition and scientific obsession, Cory removes Donovan’s brain and keeps it alive in a laboratory tank.
At first, Cory insists his motives are purely scientific, studying how long a human brain can survive and function outside the body. But the experiment spirals into something far more disturbing when the brain begins to respond—first with electrical pulses, then with influence over Cory’s thoughts and actions.
Soon, Donovan’s ruthless personality begins to assert itself, manipulating Cory while leaving behind cryptic clues—“Sure, sure, sure”—and signatures in Cory’s own left-handed handwriting. As Cory’s mind slips further from his own control, even his wife and colleagues fear he is becoming something... other.
Part one ends with Cory fully under the influence of the powerful and malevolent brain. In part two, the full horror of Donovan’s posthumous intentions will be revealed.
Keywords: "Donovan’s Brain part one radio," "Orson Welles Suspense 1944," "William H. Donovan brain experiment," "Curt Siodmak adaptation radio," "sci-fi horror brain in a jar," "May 1944 Suspense CBS," "Roma Wines suspense classic."
Cast: Orson Welles (Dr. Patrick Cory), with supporting performances by Hans Conried, Joseph Kearns, and the Suspense radio company. Directed by William Spier.

Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
Originally Aired: May 11, 1944
The Visitor: A Stranger Comes Home
In this emotionally haunting episode of Suspense, Eddie Bracken stars as Bud Owen, a man returning to the hometown he left twelve years earlier under the shadow of suspicion and heartbreak. Bud isn't just back for nostalgia—he’s come to confront the truth and reclaim his identity. But there’s one problem: no one remembers him.
When he visits the house he grew up in, the people inside don't recognize his name—or his face. His mother, his old friend Joe, and even his childhood sweetheart, Ellen, deny ever knowing him. Instead, they insist his name is Bill Duncan. Bud begins to question his own sanity. Has he imagined his former life, or is something far more sinister at play?
As the mystery deepens, Bud discovers a dark conspiracy rooted in betrayal and guilt. He’s not delusional—he's the victim of a desperate lie meant to erase him from existence. The people he once trusted have buried the past and replaced him with a ghost.
Taut, psychological, and filled with eerie tension, The Visitor plays with themes of memory, identity, and the pain of being forgotten. With a quiet, tragic ending that lingers long after the final line, this episode is a standout entry in the golden age of radio suspense.
Keywords: "Suspense The Visitor episode," "May 1944 Suspense radio," "Eddie Bracken identity mystery," "radio psychological thriller," "homecoming suspense drama," "William Spier production," "classic Roma Wines suspense story."
Cast: Eddie Bracken, with supporting performances by the Suspense radio company including William Spier (producer/director).

Sunday Mar 23, 2025
Sunday Mar 23, 2025
Originally Aired: May 4, 1944
The Dark Tower: A Role to Kill For:
In this richly layered psychological thriller from Suspense, Orson Welles delivers a mesmerizing performance as Damon Wellington, an aging stage actor drawn into a murder mystery that threatens to destroy his family—and career. When Jessica Wellington, Damon’s sister and co-star, begins rehearsals for her return to the stage after a mental breakdown, her former husband, the manipulative and sinister Stanley Vance, unexpectedly returns from the dead.
Claiming to have been merely "ill," Vance wastes no time regaining psychological control over Jessica, casting a dark shadow over the production of The Dark Tower. As the cast gathers in the Wellington home to rehearse, tensions flare and secrets emerge—including Jessica’s belief that she may have murdered Vance during her breakdown.
But when Vance turns up truly dead—murdered this time for real—the finger once again points toward Jessica… until a stranger named Max Hartsfeld arrives, eager to invest in the play. In one of radio’s most unforgettable twists, Hartsfeld reveals his true purpose: revenge. He is no investor, but a calculated executioner—with Damon Wellington behind the disguise.
Cleverly plotted, brilliantly performed, and steeped in theatrical satire, The Dark Tower delivers suspense, misdirection, and one of the most satisfying endings in the Suspense catalog.
Keywords: "Suspense The Dark Tower episode," "Orson Welles dual role radio," "May 1944 Suspense radio drama," "Jessica Wellington murder mystery," "Max Hartsfeld twist ending," "Roma Wines suspense series," "stage play thriller radio classic."
Cast: Orson Welles, Hans Conried, George Coulouris, Joseph Kearns, Agnes Moorehead, William Spier (producer/director).

Friday Mar 21, 2025
Friday Mar 21, 2025
In this gripping road thriller from Suspense, Gene Kelly plays George Javery, a man trying to make a quiet cross-country drive from California to New York—but fate has other plans. It begins with a strange bellhop warning about a one-armed man, an uninvited hitchhiker with an eerie familiarity, and a series of unsettling “coincidences” that unravel into something far more sinister.
Every mile brings a new encounter—a staged accident, a mysterious photograph, an anonymous phone call—all pointing to one chilling truth: someone wants George dead. But who? And why?
The danger escalates across the country, from bullet-shattered dinner plates in a Chicago nightclub to a near-death confrontation on Bear Mountain Bridge. But it’s not until George reaches a New York hotel—where he supposedly already has a reservation—that the mystery finally unravels. The man behind the curtain is Bill “Scarface” Malone, a gangster who’s had plastic surgery and has been using George’s identity as a decoy, drawing enemy fire away from himself.
In a pulse-pounding final confrontation, George turns the tables, exposing Malone’s plan and narrowly escaping death. What began as a quiet drive ends as a taut psychological thriller, where identity, paranoia, and survival collide.
Keywords: "Suspense Death Went Along for the Ride episode," "Gene Kelly suspense thriller," "April 1944 Suspense radio," "Scarface Malone mistaken identity plot," "one-armed hitchhiker mystery," "Roma Wines radio drama," "cross-country noir suspense story."
Cast: Gene Kelly, William Spier (producer/director), Hans Conried, Joseph Kearns.

Wednesday Mar 19, 2025
Wednesday Mar 19, 2025
Originally Aired: April 20, 1944
The Palmer Method: Signed in Blood:
In this darkly clever episode of Suspense, Ed Gardner sheds his comedic persona to deliver a dramatic performance as Joe Palmer—a small-time con man and expert forger who finds himself in way over his head. Down on his luck in New York, Palmer joins the Spanish Loyalist army under the name "George Padway" to escape both poverty and prosecution. But what starts as a clever dodge quickly spirals into a deadly case of mistaken identity and espionage.
During a bombing on a troop train en route to Madrid, Palmer survives—while the real Padway does not. Seizing the opportunity, Palmer switches their identities. But his con turns deadly when he unwittingly walks into a trap meant for a fascist spy. Posing as Padway, he’s contacted by Elena Villancos, a seductive agent who quickly draws him into a supposed sabotage ring—offering him a fortune for future sabotage missions.
But Palmer’s final forged note seals his fate. When Elena returns with a suitcase—not full of money but containing a tommy gun and a firing squad—Palmer learns too late that she’s no fascist conspirator but a Republican spy.
A grim tale of deception, identity, and poetic justice, The Palmer Method is a taut, ironic thriller that explores how even the most skilled forger can’t rewrite his own fate.
Keywords: "Suspense The Palmer Method episode," "April 1944 Suspense radio," "Ed Gardner dramatic performance," "Joe Palmer forgery plot twist," "Spanish Civil War radio drama," "Roma Wines suspense classic," "identity theft and espionage story."
Cast: Ed Gardner, Hans Conried, Joseph Kearns, William Spier (producer/director).

Sunday Mar 16, 2025
Sunday Mar 16, 2025
Originally Aired: April 13, 1944
The Marvelous Barastro: A Duel of Illusions:
In this spellbinding episode of Suspense, Orson Welles delivers a haunting dual performance as Barastro and Rico Sansoni—two rival magicians locked in a decades-long psychological and supernatural battle.
Barastro, a traveling illusionist, shares his eerie tale with producer William Spier: a love story turned nightmare. Twenty years earlier, Barastro fell in love with Anna, a blind girl whose spirit and vision of the world captivated him. But their idyllic life is shattered by the arrival of Rico Sansoni—an enigmatic and charismatic magician who seduces Anna and ultimately assumes Barastro’s identity using his unmatched skill in mimicry and illusion.
What unfolds is a chilling descent into madness as Barastro realizes he is being replaced—his face, his voice, his life—by a man who can become him so completely that even Anna cannot tell the difference. As the rivalry turns deadly, Barastro’s obsession with justice drives him to the edge of sanity.
With hypnotic storytelling, eerie tension, and Welles’ unforgettable portrayal of two indistinguishable enemies, The Marvelous Barastro is a tour-de-force of dramatic radio and one of Suspense’s most psychologically complex episodes.
Keywords: "Suspense The Marvelous Barastro episode," "Orson Welles dual role magician story," "April 1944 Suspense radio drama," "Rico Sansoni identity theft plot," "radio illusionist psychological thriller," "Ben Hecht story Suspense," "Roma Wines classic radio series."
Cast: Orson Welles (as Barastro and Rico Sansoni), William Spier (Narrator), with additional voices by Hans Conried and Joseph Kearns.

Wednesday Mar 12, 2025
Wednesday Mar 12, 2025
Originally Aired: April 6, 1944
The Woman in Red: Identity for Sale:
In this harrowing tale from Suspense, Academy Award-winner Katina Paxinou stars as Miss Crabo, a seemingly kind yet deeply sinister woman who traps a young, vulnerable woman in a deadly scheme of espionage and impersonation. Julia Ross, desperate for work and with no close ties, answers an ad for a secretary and is lured into a luxurious but isolated home by Miss Crabo and her nephew, Carl.
What begins as a strange but seemingly benign job offer soon descends into a nightmare. Drugged and manipulated, Julia wakes up to find herself being called “Sheila Campbell” — the identity of Crabo’s former companion who mysteriously disappeared. The sinister pair intend to pass Julia off as Sheila and stage her “suicide,” thereby tying off loose ends in an underground espionage operation.
But Julia’s spirit proves stronger than they expect. With her life on the line, she secretly slips a note to a stranger and sets in motion a daring rescue involving British Intelligence. In a thrilling final twist, Carl's guilt becomes the key to unraveling the whole plot—and Julia escapes her captors just in time.
The Woman in Red is a taut psychological thriller steeped in identity theft, gaslighting, and wartime paranoia, delivering one of Suspense’s most gripping and twisted narratives.
Keywords: "Suspense The Woman in Red episode," "April 1944 Suspense radio," "Katina Paxinou thriller performance," "identity theft radio drama," "British Intelligence undercover story," "Roma Wines classic radio," "espionage and manipulation story."
Cast: Katina Paxinou, Hans Conried, George Coulouris, Joseph Kearns, William Spier.