Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

Originally Aired: June 16, 1957
In Suspense #703, "Trial by Jury," Hilda Warren, the state's top criminal defense attorney, takes on the case of Tommy Esterman, a young man accused of murdering a casino owner named Renzo after being cheated in a crooked gambling operation. Tommy claims he only wanted to recover his money, but privately confesses to Hilda that he did kill Renzo. Despite knowing her client's guilt, Hilda masterfully defends him in court, portraying Tommy as an innocent businessman victimized by criminals. Her spectacular performance convinces the jury to acquit him, and she collects her substantial ten-thousand-dollar fee.
However, during their celebratory dinner, Tommy reveals he lied about far more than the killing. He actually stole fifty thousand dollars from Renzo, not just his original stake, and he's been investigating Hilda's lucrative law practice. Tommy then drops a bombshell: he's left a sealed confession with the sheriff stating that Hilda knew he was guilty, and he demands she marry him to give him access to her wealth through community property laws. With her career and freedom hanging in the balance, Hilda finds herself trapped by the very client she just saved from the death house.

Originally Aired: June 9, 1957
Suspense #702, "The Green-and-Gold String," stars Vincent Price as Dr. Alcazar, a clever con man and fake psychic running a fortune-telling operation at Coney Island. When mousy housekeeper Lily Morton visits his studio seeking advice about a troubling secret involving her employer, Alcazar uses mirrors and cold-reading tricks to convince her of his powers. During the reading, he spots a peculiar detail among her belongings: a piece of green-and-gold string wrapped in violet tissue paper. Three days later, Lily is found murdered, and her employer, former stage legend Gloria Drews, now Mrs. Clinton DeVries, posts a five-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to the killer's capture.
Sensing opportunity, the conniving Dr. Alcazar hatches a scheme to claim the reward money. With his reluctant assistant Abby in tow, he spends their last dollars renting a limousine and formal clothes, preparing to visit the wealthy widow's estate in Rockland County. Armed with nothing but that mysterious green-and-gold string and his considerable talent for deception, Alcazar sets out to parlay this tiny detail into a small fortune.

Originally Aired: June 2, 1957
Suspense #701, "Crossing Paris," stars Hans Conrads as Pierre, a black market meat carrier navigating Nazi-occupied Paris during the darkest days of World War II. When Pierre's usual assistant Le Tambeau fails to show up for a dangerous delivery, he reluctantly recruits Grand Gilles, a hulking stranger he meets at the Cafe Voltaire. The job seems simple enough: transport four valises filled with 200 pounds of butchered black market pork across the city to a butcher shop in Montmartre, arriving before the 2 AM deadline. But before they even leave their employer Monsieur Jambrier's cellar, the brutish Grand Gilles reveals his true nature, extorting far more money than agreed upon and threatening to wreck the operation unless his demands are met.
As Pierre and his unpredictable new partner set off into the frozen Parisian night carrying their illegal cargo, the painter finds himself trapped between the Nazi patrols lurking on every corner and a dangerous companion whose motives remain unclear. What began as a routine delivery becomes a tense journey through occupied streets, where cupidity and desperation drive men to extraordinary risks.

Originally Aired: May 26, 1957
Suspense #700, "The Big Day," Sam is a dreamer obsessed with his prized possession: a 1917 Stanley Steamer automobile that he keeps meticulously maintained in his garage. While his wife, son, and friend Albert think he's wasting his time, Sam insists that his vintage steam-powered car can outrun any modern gasoline-powered vehicle, just as a Stanley Steamer once reached 190 miles an hour back in 1907. He speaks mysteriously of "the right time" that's coming sooner than anyone thinks, refusing to explain his cryptic plans.
As Sam becomes increasingly consumed with the Indianapolis 500 qualifying times and secretly pores over California highway maps with the reluctant Albert, it becomes clear he's plotting something far more ambitious than just starting up his old steamer in the garage. He's laying out a course for a journey, obsessively calculating routes and dreaming of the day when he can prove to everyone that steam power hasn't had its day. But what exactly does Sam have in mind, and will his grand scheme vindicate his faith in his beloved Stanley or end in disaster?

Originally Aired: May 19, 1957
Suspense #699, "Death and Miss Turner," presents the haunting story of Rachel Turner, a painter suffering from amnesia who insists she is dead and wishes to remain that way. Under the care of the well-meaning Miss Briggs, Rachel lives in a quiet London existence, carefully guarded against any memories that might threaten to break through. When Miss Briggs takes her to a frame shop, Rachel encounters her own mysterious paintings—four portraits of the same man, meticulously detailed except for one chilling omission: each face is blank. The sight triggers something deep within her fractured mind.
As Rachel struggles against the forces trying to restore her memory, including psychiatrist Sir Bartley Price, she finds herself compelled to paint once more. In a trance-like state, she picks up brush and canvas, and a face begins to emerge—the face from her earlier paintings, the face of a man connected to whatever trauma drove her to psychological death. Rachel fights desperately to remain in her safe oblivion, but the truth lurking in her artwork threatens to drag her back to a reality she may not survive confronting.

Originally Aired: May 12, 1957
Suspense #698, "Tarawa Was Tough," presents a gripping true war story that follows a group of Marines as they prepare for one of World War II's bloodiest battles. Les, a decorated sergeant with combat experience from Guadalcanal, leads his squad, which includes the eager but green recruit Odie and veterans like Shorty and Maurice. As they wait on a Wellington, New Zealand pier to ship out, they listen to Tokyo Rose on the radio, who taunts them with inside knowledge of their mission, correctly predicting their destination and even noting the exact time a clock tower stopped. Her psychological warfare unnerves some of the men, but Les and his fellow Marines steel themselves for what lies ahead.
Once aboard their transport and surrounded by an impressive naval escort, the Marines receive detailed briefings about their objective: the heavily fortified atoll of Tarawa. Unlike the jungle warfare of Guadalcanal, this battle will be fought on an exposed island with entrenched Japanese positions, pillboxes, and formidable defenses. The men study maps and prepare for the assault on Beach Red, aware that despite promised naval and air support, they will have to take the island themselves on foot, one deadly yard at a time.

Originally Aired: April 28, 1957
Suspense #696, "Escape to Death," presents a chilling moral dilemma set against the backdrop of the Hungarian Revolution. Dr. Girlner, a respected physician in Budapest, finds himself trapped in a horrifying assignment when Deputy Premier Laszlo Kogos and Russian Commander Marshal Nikolai Chekhov summon him for a dangerous mission. Despite his protests that he is a healer, not a destroyer, the authorities force him to "escape" to Austria with a deadly purpose: assassinate Corina Zanova, a former minister in Imre Nagy's cabinet who now resides in a refugee camp. Armed with poison-tipped hypodermic needles hidden in his shoe and threatened with the destruction of his family and career if he refuses, Dr. Girlner has no choice but to comply.
As the doctor boards a crowded train bound for the Austrian border, he must locate Lajosh Molnar, a notorious freedom fighter and border runner who can guide him across safely. When Russian soldiers stop the train for inspection, Dr. Girlner and the hard-eyed Molnar take refuge in a coach filled with children, hiding among the young passengers. With Molnar armed and ready to shoot at the first sign of trouble, the tension mounts as they wait to see if their desperate gambit will succeed.

Originally Aired: April 21, 1957
In Suspense #695, "Chicken Feed," Ralph Clark storms out of his house after a heated argument with his wife Mary over a dime he gave their son. Driving aimlessly to cool off, he stops at a cafe in Lansing, California, only to discover he's left his wallet at home when he tries to make a phone call. Officer Brady grows suspicious of Clark's story about being a San Francisco attorney with no identification or money, and hauls him to the police station for questioning. When Clark attempts to call home and reconcile with Mary, she spitefully refuses to accept the reverse charges, leaving him stranded without proof of his identity.
Now locked in a cell on suspicion of defrauding the cafe and possibly stealing his car, Clark finds himself trapped in a speed-trap town on a Sunday with no way to verify his story. The police phone is broken, he has no money for the payphone, and the one person who could clear everything up has hung up on him. What began as a trivial domestic dispute over ten cents spirals into a nightmare as Clark faces the dire consequences of his hot temper and empty pockets.

Originally Aired: April 14, 1957
Suspense #694, "Thou Shalt Not Commit," presents a dangerous triangle on a remote South Pacific island. Dr. Carl Blair has brought his restless wife Lisa to the island of Maui Ea to pursue his tropical disease research, but Lisa feels trapped and bored, threatening to leave on the next ship. Carl convinces her to give their marriage three more weeks, and for a time their relationship improves as they enjoy the island together. However, everything changes when Captain Terry Burke, a charming ex-Navy man with a pirate's philosophy, anchors his schooner in the lagoon.
Burke wastes no time making his intentions clear to Lisa, comparing her to a perfect pearl he once coveted and took from another man. While Carl works obediently in his laboratory, Burke and Lisa share a dangerous attraction, each understanding exactly what the other wants. As the houseboy Luelli narrates the unfolding drama, the stage is set for a volatile confrontation between Carl's devotion to duty and humanity, Lisa's desires, and Burke's determination to take whatever he wants.

Originally Aired: March 31, 1957
Suspense #692, "A Good Neighbor," stars Jeff Chandler as Joseph Dunlop, a thief on the run who has stolen $150,000 in diamonds from his employer. Driving through the pre-dawn fog on a deserted Maine coast road under the alias Andrew Burt, he's headed for a remote house he inherited—the perfect hideout where he plans to remove the stones from their settings before escaping to Mexico and then South America. His carefully planned escape hits an unexpected complication when he encounters Mrs. Poe, an elderly woman who flags him down to warn about a fallen tree branch blocking the road. What disturbs Dunlop most is that Mrs. Poe claims to have seen the obstacle through second sight while still in bed.
To his dismay, Dunlop discovers that Mrs. Poe lives nearby and they are neighbors. The eccentric old woman with her claims of premonitions and feelings about people poses a serious threat to his anonymity. As the wind howls and fog swirls around his isolated house, Dunlop realizes this meddling neighbor could unravel his entire scheme—and he coldly notes that while he's a thief, he's also capable of murder if necessary to protect his carefully orchestrated plan.