Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

The Woman in Red: Identity for Sale

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.
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Cast: Katina Paxinou, Hans Conried, George Coulouris, Joseph Kearns, William Spier.

Cat and Mouse: A Deadly Game

Originally Aired: March 30, 1944
Cat and Mouse: A Deadly Game:
In this tense episode of Suspense, engineer John Guthrie (Sonny Tufts) finds himself entangled in a deadly game of espionage, deception, and survival. When his friend and research partner, Howard Lockwood, is mysteriously murdered, Guthrie realizes that their top-secret invention—a wartime technological breakthrough—has made them the targets of an unseen enemy.
Using shortwave radio, Lockwood sends Guthrie a cryptic message just before his death, warning him of "the man with the cough." As Guthrie follows the trail to Vermont’s snow-covered mountains, he finds himself hunted by unknown forces determined to take his work—by any means necessary. Among the suspicious figures at the Phoenix Hotel is the charming but enigmatic Valentine Ames, who may be friend or foe.
With the FBI, Scotland Yard, and a ruthless enemy all closing in, Guthrie must rely on his wits to survive. In a dramatic final confrontation, a former FBI agent turned traitor is unmasked, and a cunning killer is stopped just in time. But even as the danger subsides, Guthrie is left wondering—how much of the game was real, and how much was just another move in a larger, more dangerous war?
A thrilling mix of wartime intrigue, coded messages, and paranoia, Cat and Mouse is a suspenseful masterpiece that keeps listeners guessing until the final moment.
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Cast: Sonny Tufts, Hans Conried, William Spier, George Coulouris.

Sneak Preview: The Reel and the Real

Originally Aired: March 23, 1944
Sneak Preview: The Reel and the Real:
In this suspenseful tale starring Joseph Cotten, reality and fiction blur as Hollywood director Frank Henderson stumbles into a real-life crime more thrilling than any film he's ever made. While in New York preparing for the release of his latest motion picture, Escape to Destiny, Henderson finds himself drawn into the mystery surrounding the murder of notorious criminal Gregory Sarko.
After viewing Sarko’s body at police headquarters, Henderson becomes obsessed with the case. His investigation leads him into the shadowy world of spies, drug smugglers, and double agents, where no one is who they seem to be—including a mysterious man named "Edwards," who offers Henderson a lucrative but dangerous deal. As the director pieces together the puzzle, he realizes that the truth behind Sarko’s death is even more bizarre than the twists in his own films.
The thrilling climax reveals an unexpected connection between the crime and Henderson’s own storytelling instincts. But when he pitches the entire experience as a movie idea to his studio, they dismiss it outright—too far-fetched, too unrealistic. The irony? Every word of it is true.
A brilliantly meta episode, Sneak Preview blends Hollywood satire with classic noir intrigue, proving that sometimes, the wildest stories are the ones that actually happen.
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Cast: Joseph Cotten, William Spier, Hans Conried, George Coulouris.

Narrative About Clarence: A Mind Unraveled

Originally Aired: March 16, 1944
Narrative About Clarence: A Mind Unraveled:
This haunting episode of Suspense stars Laird Cregar as Clarence, a man whose eerie presence slowly unravels the mind of his unsuspecting brother-in-law, Bill. When Bill’s wife, Lillian, unexpectedly receives a letter from her estranged half-brother Clarence, she is surprised—he’s been gone for years, living in India, dabbling in what he calls "mental science." But upon his arrival at their home, it becomes clear that Clarence is no ordinary visitor. His hypnotic eyes, cryptic statements, and sinister fascination with Lillian’s daughter Jeannie leave Bill deeply unsettled.
As Clarence’s influence grows, Jeannie begins to change, speaking in strange tones and defying her parents. Bill becomes convinced that Clarence is using hypnosis and occult knowledge to manipulate his wife and daughter. But when Bill attempts to remove Clarence from their home, his mind begins to crack. Is Clarence truly an evil hypnotist, or is Bill losing his grip on reality?
In a shocking climax, Bill takes matters into his own hands, setting fire to the house with Clarence inside—only to wake up in an asylum, telling his story to a doctor. But the final twist is the most chilling of all: the asylum’s director is none other than Clarence himself, very much alive, and subtly implying that Bill’s descent into madness may have been orchestrated from the very start.
This dark psychological thriller is a masterful blend of paranoia, manipulation, and eerie suspense, leaving listeners questioning what was real and what was merely imagined.
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Cast: Laird Cregar, Hans Conried, William Spier.

The Defense Rests: A Lawyer’s Betrayal

Originally Aired: March 9, 1944
The Defense Rests: A Lawyer’s Betrayal:
In this gripping courtroom drama from Suspense, Alan Ladd stars as Robert Tasker, a young man on trial for murder. But as the evidence unfolds, it becomes clear that the real culprit may be the very man defending him—renowned criminal attorney Max Crager.
Tasker, an ex-convict trying to rebuild his life, lands a job in Crager’s law office thanks to the lawyer’s seemingly generous support. But when Tasker stumbles upon a web of corruption involving Crager’s partner, Arthur Hines, his situation turns deadly. After a heated confrontation, Tasker finds Hines murdered—and all evidence points to him.
With the trial underway, Crager appears to be Tasker’s last hope, but a shocking twist reveals that the lawyer himself orchestrated the crime to cover up his embezzlement. In a desperate confrontation, Tasker forces a confession from Crager, exposing the betrayal just in time.
This episode delivers an unforgettable blend of legal drama, psychological tension, and a stunning twist that leaves listeners on edge until the final moment.
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Cast: Alan Ladd, John McIntire, William Spier, Joseph Kearns.

Portrait Without a Face: A Painted Confession

Originally Aired: March 2, 1944
Portrait Without a Face: A Painted Confession:
In this gripping episode of Suspense, a mysterious painting serves as both a trap and a confession, drawing a woman back into a deadly past. When Colette, a woman with a shadowy history, arrives at a New York art gallery desperate to see a particular painting, her reaction is one of fear rather than admiration. The painting, titled Portrait Without a Face, was created by Paul Degel, a man who knows far more about Colette than she realizes.
As the story unfolds, we learn that years earlier, in pre-war France, General Vauban was assassinated, and the killer was never found. But Paul Degel, through his art, has captured the moment of the crime in chilling detail. The faceless woman in the portrait is no figment of his imagination—she is Colette, and she has just walked straight into the snare.
With suspense mounting, Paul’s quiet obsession with justice leads to a dramatic showdown. Colette's manipulative husband, Charles Garveau, will stop at nothing to silence the artist. But the final confrontation reveals a shocking truth about who really pulled the trigger that night in Paris.
With its masterful blend of intrigue, psychological tension, and an unforgettable twist, Portrait Without a Face is a prime example of radio noir at its finest.
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Cast: Michelle Morgan, Philip Dorn, George Coulouris, William Spier.

Sorry, Wrong Number: A Desperate Call for Help

Originally Aired: February 24, 1944
Sorry, Wrong Number: A Desperate Call for Help:
One of the most famous radio dramas of all time, Sorry, Wrong Number is a chilling masterpiece of suspense starring Agnes Moorehead in a tour-de-force performance.
Mrs. Elbert Stevenson, a bedridden woman plagued by nerves, frantically tries to reach her husband’s office but is accidentally connected to a conversation between two men plotting a murder. As she listens in horror, she realizes the crime is set to occur that very night at 11:15—just when a train will be passing to mask the sound. Desperate to prevent the killing, she contacts the operator, the police, and anyone who will listen. But bureaucracy and indifference slow her efforts, leaving her feeling increasingly isolated and powerless.
As the tension builds, a terrifying revelation dawns upon her—the intended victim may not be some stranger, but her. Alone in her house, she hears the ominous sound of another phone clicking… an intruder is inside. Her desperate pleas go unheard as the killer closes in, and the episode ends with a chilling final moment of silence.
A masterful example of psychological terror, Sorry, Wrong Number remains one of the most iconic broadcasts in radio history, demonstrating how a simple wrong number can spiral into an inescapable nightmare.
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Cast: Agnes Moorehead, William Spier, Joseph Kearns.

Life Ends at Midnight: A Fatal Deadline

Originally Aired: February 17, 1944
Life Ends at Midnight: A Fatal Deadline:
In this nerve-wracking episode of Suspense, Dane Clark stars as Walter Bates, a desperate man with only a few hours left to raise $1,500—or face certain death. His only hope? His aging mother, Mrs. Bates (Faye Bainter), who has already sacrificed everything for him. As Walter pressures her to come up with the money, he realizes there’s another way: Mr. Chalmers (Ralph Morgan), an elderly lodger with a life insurance policy that would solve all of Walter’s problems… if only he were dead.
As the clock ticks toward midnight, Walter sets a sinister plan in motion, rigging a gas heater in Chalmers’ room. But fate has other plans. A simple act of kindness—a quarter placed in the gas meter—turns Walter’s own deadly scheme against him. In a chilling final moment, as the clock strikes twelve, Walter’s own life comes to an end, sealing his fate in the most ironic twist of all.
This masterfully written episode of Suspense is a gripping tale of greed, fate, and poetic justice, keeping listeners on edge until the very last second.
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Cast: Dane Clark, Faye Bainter, Ralph Morgan, William Spier.

Suspicion: A Deadly Houseguest

In this chilling episode of Suspense, Charles Ruggles delivers a gripping performance as Hubert Mummery, a mild-mannered businessman whose life takes a terrifying turn when he begins to suspect his new housekeeper might be a killer. What begins as casual gossip about a notorious poisoner named Carolyn Andrews soon becomes a waking nightmare when Hubert realizes that his own cook, Sutton, may not be who she claims to be.
As mysterious illnesses, missing newspaper clippings, and unsettling coincidences pile up, Hubert’s paranoia grows. When he suddenly falls violently ill after drinking tea prepared by Sutton, he knows he must act fast. A desperate search of the house uncovers a nearly empty bottle of arsenic-laced weed killer and a burning pile of newspaper articles—all evidence pointing to Sutton’s deadly past.
With the help of Scotland Yard, Hubert’s fears are confirmed. The woman he and his wife had welcomed into their home is none other than the infamous poisoner herself. But in a final twist, the deception runs even deeper than he imagined.
This masterfully woven thriller keeps listeners on edge until the shocking final moments, proving that in the world of Suspense, nothing is ever as it seems.
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Cast: Charles Ruggles, William Spier, Agnes Moorehead, Joseph Kearns.

The Sisters: A Deadly Bond

Originally Aired: February 3, 1944
The Sisters: A Deadly Bond:
This eerie episode of Suspense stars Ida Lupino as Lydia Haskell and Agnes Moorehead as her mentally fragile sister, Ellie. When Lydia visits an undertaker to purchase an expensive casket—one she requests be held for three weeks—the request raises suspicions. But when asked who the casket is for, her chilling answer is: “It’s for me.”
As Ellie’s paranoia grows, she begins to suspect Lydia has sinister plans—not just for herself, but for Ellie as well. Convinced her sister intends to kill her and take her identity, Ellie’s mind unravels, leading to a harrowing psychological showdown. In a shocking conclusion, Lydia is the one who meets an untimely end, fulfilling her own grim premonition.
Blending psychological horror with masterful suspense, The Sisters is a chilling study of manipulation, madness, and the dark secrets that can fester within a family.
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Cast: Ida Lupino, Agnes Moorehead, William Spier.