Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

Voyage Through Darkness: Death at Sea and the Blackout Killer

Originally Aired: September 7, 1944
In Suspense #108, “Voyage Through Darkness,” a transatlantic crossing becomes a nightmare for Judith Webster, traveling companion to a wealthy widow whose sudden death in blackout-shrouded London sets the stage for murder and deceit at sea. As rumors swirl of a fugitive “blackout killer” aboard, Judith’s only confidant is a charming—but suspicious—fellow passenger who may not be who he claims. Danger closes in among dark passageways, shifting identities, and an empty casket destined for America. Olivia de Havilland and Reginald Gardiner star in this gripping maritime thriller of love, suspicion, and a deadly voyage into uncertainty.
Cast:
Olivia de Havilland, Reginald Gardiner
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, maritime, OliviaDeHavilland, ReginaldGardiner, oldtimeradio, murdermystery, seavoyage, casket, blackoutkiller, classicdrama, 1940sradio, shipboardromance, mistakenidentity, suspensepodcast

Black Path of Fear: Havana Nights and Flowers on a Grave

Originally Aired: August 31, 1944
In Suspense #107, “Black Path of Fear,” an ill-fated romance explodes into violence on the steamy streets of Havana. When Bill Scott and his lover Eve flee her gangster husband for a new life, she’s murdered moments after their arrival, and Scott is framed for the crime. On the run through shadowy alleys, he finds unlikely help from a mysterious woman called “Midnight,” and races to clear his name by unmasking the real killer. Adapted from the hardboiled novel by Cornell Woolrich, this taut thriller sizzles with betrayal, doomed love, and a city where every step could be your last.
Cast:
Brian Donlevy
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, noir, CornellWoolrich, BrianDonlevy, oldtimeradio, murder, Havana, manontherun, classicdrama, 1940sradio, femmefatale, betrayal, mystery, suspensepodcast

Actor’s Blood: A Banquet of Ghosts and the Death of a Star

Originally Aired: August 24, 1944
In Suspense #106, “Actor’s Blood,” Broadway legend Maurice Tilleyou gathers his daughter’s friends, lovers, and enemies for a midnight banquet—one that promises to reveal the truth behind star Marcia Tilleyou’s violent death. As thunder crashes outside, old wounds and rivalries resurface, and the line between theater and real life blurs in Ben Hecht’s haunting tale of egos, betrayal, and obsession. Narrated by Hecht himself, with Frederick March as the tragic patriarch, this dark backstage mystery builds to a startling revelation about love, legacy, and the high price of living—and dying—for the stage.
Cast:
Frederic March, Ben Hecht
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, BenHecht, FredericMarch, oldtimeradio, Broadway, backstage, actor, murdermystery, whodunit, 1940sradio, classicdrama, theater, ghost, suicide, psychological, suspensepodcast

The Diary of Sophronia Winters: A Bride’s Terror in the Empty Hotel

Originally Aired: August 17, 1944
In Suspense #105, “The Diary of Sophronia Winters,” a lonely spinster’s Florida vacation turns swiftly into a gothic nightmare when a whirlwind romance sweeps her to a deserted Maine hotel and a husband she barely knows. As Sophronia pens her diary, her new life becomes a nightmare of isolation, suspicion, and madness, trapped in a decaying mansion haunted by tragic memories—and by her husband’s deadly obsession with the past. As reality unravels, and the line between victim and killer blurs, Sophronia faces the fight of her life in a tale of psychological horror, identity, and survival. Written by Lucille Fletcher, this suspense classic delivers a relentless, chilling journey into the heart of madness.
Cast:
Agnes Moorehead, Ray Collins
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, psychological, gothic, AgnesMoorehead, RayCollins, LucilleFletcher, oldtimeradio, diary, marriage, hauntedhotel, classicdrama, 1940sradio, brideinperil, Maine, madness, suspensepodcast

The Man Who Knew How: Death in the Bath and the Perfect Crime

Originally Aired: August 10, 1944
In Suspense #104, “The Man Who Knew How,” a chance conversation on a train plunges the unassuming Mr. Pender into a nightmare of suspicion and obsession. When a stranger boasts of knowing the perfect, undetectable way to murder—by poisoning with a compound triggered by a hot bath—Pender brushes it off as a morbid joke. But as deaths-by-bath mount in his neighborhood, he becomes convinced he’s stumbled upon a real-life killer who’s quietly getting away with murder. Paranoia mounts, loyalties shift, and justice grows murky in this ingenious psychological thriller about trust, guilt, and the seductive appeal of the “perfect” crime.
Cast:
Charles Laughton, Hans Conried
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, psychological, perfectcrime, CharlesLaughton, HansConried, oldtimeradio, mystery, murder, poison, bath, paranoia, classicdrama, 1940sradio, detective, suspensepodcast

Banquo’s Chair: Ghosts, Guilt, and a Deadly Dinner

Originally Aired: August 3, 1944
In Suspense #103, “Banquo’s Chair,” retired detective Sir William Brent stages a dinner party at a gloomy English mansion to unmask a murderer who’s slipped through the law. With the help of a crime writer, a loyal friend, and an actress hired to impersonate the murder victim’s ghost, Brent creates an atmosphere of terror and psychological warfare to break the killer’s composure. But when the spectral plan goes too well, the line between trickery and true haunting blurs, leading to a chilling confession—and a final twist that suggests some spirits are not so easily dismissed. A classic tale of psychological suspense, pride, and the cost of playing God.
Cast:
Donald Crisp, John Loder
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, psychological, ghoststory, BanquosChair, DonaldCrisp, JohnLoder, oldtimeradio, mystery, confession, hauntedhouse, classicdrama, vintagecrime, 1940sradio, dinnerparty, twistending, suspensepodcast

The Black Shawl: A Mother’s Madness and a Captive’s Escape

Originally Aired: July 27, 1944
 
In Suspense #102, “The Black Shawl,” a young woman named Susan Appleby accepts what seems like a simple live-in companionship job for a grieving widow—but soon finds herself trapped in a house of secrets, madness, and menace. Her new employer, Mrs. Masters, speaks tenderly of her lost son, a once-promising sculptor—until Susan discovers he’s not dead at all, but hidden upstairs, broken in body and mind. As Susan pieces together the disturbing truth about past companions who never left, she realizes she may not survive to tell her tale. A gothic psychological thriller that builds slowly toward a harrowing finale.
 
Cast:
Maureen O’Sullivan, Dame May Whitty
 
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, psychological, gothic, captivity, MaureenOSullivan, DameMayWhitty, blackshawl, oldtimeradio, mystery, gaslight, madness, escape, vintagehorror, 1940sradio, classicdrama, femmehorror, suspensepodcast

Of Maestro and Man: A Contract, A Steamroom, A Finale

In Suspense #101, “Of Maestro and Man,” a former impresario turned boxing manager spirals into obsession after gambling debts force him to sell his only fighter, Ricky Martin, to a crooked promoter. But when Ricky announces he’s quitting the ring to marry and start a new life, the Maestro’s grip on reality begins to slip. What follows is a tense, steam-filled descent into betrayal and madness, as the Maestro hatches a chilling plan to ensure Ricky’s career—and life—end on his terms. A brooding tale of control, loss, and one man’s tragic finale.
Originally aired: July 20, 1944
Cast:
Peter Lorre, Richard Conte, Wally Maher
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, boxing, noir, psychological, 1940s, PeterLorre, oldtimeradio, betrayal, obsession, revenge, crime, drama, tragicfinale, fightgame, steamroom, manipulation, classic
 

The Beast Must Die: A Hunter’s Revenge

In Suspense #100, “The Beast Must Die,” a grieving crime writer named Frank Hargrove embarks on a chilling journey of vengeance after the hit-and-run death of his young son. Determined to find the killer, Frank assumes a false identity and infiltrates the suspect’s circle, meticulously documenting his intentions in a diary. As he plays a dangerous game of deception, the lines between justice and obsession blur, culminating in a deadly confrontation. This psychological thriller explores grief, guilt, and the human capacity for retribution. Originally aired: July 13, 1944.
 
Cast:
Herbert Marshall, Lurene Tuttle, William Johnstone, Wally Maher, Joseph Kearns
 
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, revenge, drama, crime, mystery, psychological, noir, radio, 1940s, detective, HerbertMarshall, oldtimeradio, hitandrun, grief, murder, identity, deception, retribution, classic

The Search for Henri Lefebvre: A Melody from the Mind’s Abyss

Originally Aired: July 6, 1944
The Search for Henri Lefebvre: A Melody from the Mind’s Abyss
A composer named Adolphus Flynn finishes a new orchestral work—only to hear it broadcast over the radio that very evening, credited to a long-dead composer he’s never heard of. Convinced he’s being plagiarized or haunted, Flynn launches a desperate investigation to find the mysterious Henri Lefebvre. But the truth is far more disturbing: the music is real, the composer is real, and Flynn may not be who he thinks he is. As memories of a past life unravel, the lines blur between genius and madness in this haunting psychological mystery.
Keywords: “Suspense Henri Lefebvre episode,” “Paul Muni radio drama,” “Lucille Fletcher suspense play,” “composer psychological thriller,” “July 1944 Suspense CBS,” “Roma Wines mystery episode,” “musical identity mystery”
Cast: Paul Muni (Adolphus Flynn / Henri Lefebvre), with supporting cast from the Suspense radio company. Written by Lucille Fletcher. Produced and directed by William Spier.