Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

Smiley: A Dishwashing Drifter’s Dark Descent

Originally Aired: August 14, 1947
In Suspense #258, “Smiley,” Donald O’Connor delivers a chilling performance as Gerald “Smiley” Smythe, a man whose easygoing nature masks a deep and growing darkness. After a false accusation sends him to prison, Smiley emerges changed—quiet, obsessed with his hands, and harboring a deadly grudge against women. Rehired at a diner by his old boss Curly, Smiley seems to be rebuilding his life—until a co-worker named Cookie stirs memories he can't suppress. A slow-burn psychological tale of vengeance, identity, and emotional decay, culminating in an unsettling climax.
Cast:Donald O’Connor, Sydney Miller, Vereen Tuttle
Tags:Suspense, psychological, thriller, DonaldOConnor, dinerdrama, madness, vendetta, noir, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, darkdrama, twistedmind, revengeplot, suspensepodcast, classicthriller

Quiet Desperation: A Clerk’s Crime of Opportunity

Originally Aired: August 7, 1947
In Suspense #257, “Quiet Desperation,” Homer Bigelow, a mild-mannered bank clerk living a life of quiet despair, overhears a conversation that tempts him toward a bold escape from his drab existence. A rich man’s secret scheme to smuggle £20,000 worth of negotiables into the U.S. sparks Homer’s fantasy of reinvention—and crime. When he intercepts the young courier, Hester Vail, his plan spirals into deceit, murder, and a desperate attempt to vanish. A tightly plotted noir drama that probes the thin line between quiet desperation and explosive action.
Cast:Walter Abel, Cathy Lewis
Tags:Suspense, thriller, noir, psychological, crime, WalterAbel, CathyLewis, quietdesperation, oldtimeradio, mystery, smuggling, murder, desperation, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

Mortmain: A Fatal Frame and a Lawyer’s Fall

Originally Aired: July 31, 1947
In Suspense #256, “Mortmain,” the ambition of attorney Sam Boston knows no bounds—nor scruples. When his charming partner George Perry unexpectedly lands a DA nomination and wins the heart of the woman Sam loves, Sam’s envy turns deadly. What begins as a calculated smear spirals into blackmail, betrayal, and murder. As George is sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Sam's own deception metastasizes—until a twist of fate delivers a grim poetic justice. A darkly clever tale of corruption, conscience, and a dead man’s grip.
Cast:Jerome Cowan
Tags:Suspense, thriller, legaldrama, betrayal, JeromeCowan, Mortmain, oldtimeradio, courtroom, revenge, noir, blackmail, vintagecrime, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

Murder by an Expert: A Dance of Death and Deception

Originally Aired: July 24, 1947
In Suspense #255, “Murder by an Expert,” a struggling dance duo’s dreams take a deadly turn when ambition, jealousy, and betrayal spiral into murder. Edith Reed, half of a nightclub act, kills her husband and partner Bob, carefully orchestrating a scheme to pin the crime on another. But in the aftermath, her cold precision is undone not by guilt, but by the man she trusted most. With chilling narration and a twist-laden script, this episode explores how expertly planned crimes can unravel under the weight of deception.
Cast:Lynn Bari, Elliott Lewis, Wally Maher
Tags:Suspense, thriller, murder, dance, betrayal, LynnBari, ElliottLewis, WallyMaher, oldtimeradio, noir, jealousy, femmefatale, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, crime, psychologicalthriller

Murder by the Book: A Writer’s Split Mind and a Killer’s Confession

Originally Aired: July 10, 1947
In Suspense #253, “Murder by the Book,” Gloria Swanson stars as Emily Carlisle, a mystery writer struggling with memory lapses following her husband's drowning. When her psychiatrist, Dr. Winter, is murdered, Emily is asked to cover the sensational case for a national newspaper syndicate. As she investigates, she becomes entangled in a web of confessions, circumstantial evidence, and suppressed truths. But Emily’s headaches and blackout spells hint at something far more disturbing: a dual personality and a hidden killer within. A psychological thriller that twists its way to a shocking revelation.
Cast:Gloria Swanson
Tags:Suspense, thriller, psychological, GloriaSwanson, splitpersonality, dualidentity, murdermystery, oldtimeradio, gaslight, vintagehorror, 1940sradio, classicdrama, femmehorror, suspensepodcast

Money Talks: Greed, Love, and a Deadly Double-Cross

Originally Aired: July 3, 1947
In Suspense #252, “Money Talks,” Alan Baxter stars as Clifford Goff, a smooth-talking, cold-blooded grifter with a meticulous plan to rob the Bankers Industrial Trust Company of $100,000. With the help of calculating co-worker Anita Willoughby—whom he seduces into compliance—Cliff intends to embezzle the money and disappear. But Anita isn’t who she appears to be, and the double-cross is just beginning. In a scheme tangled with deception, betrayal, and murder, the cash starts to “talk”—and it’s speaking louder than anyone can silence. A sharply-written noir tale of ambition gone fatally awry.
Cast:Alan Baxter
Tags:Suspense, thriller, noir, heist, betrayal, AlanBaxter, oldtimeradio, mystery, moneytalks, crime, doublecross, 1940sradio, classicdrama, femmefatale, suspensepodcast

Phobia: A Socialite's Secret and a Killer's Return

Originally Aired: June 26, 1947
In Suspense #251, “Phobia,” wealthy spinster Emily Haven tells the tale of her peculiar aversion to metal—and how it might have saved her life. As Emily navigates a strange household shared with her impulsive sister Grace, a blackmailing suitor, a scheming maid, and even a fugitive murderer, the lines between paranoia and reality blur. When a robbery escalates into murder and Emily's phobia is put to the test, her calm narration conceals a chilling twist that only unfolds in the final moments. A psychological thriller delivered with dry wit and deceptive gentility.
Cast:Eva Le Gallienne
Tags:Suspense, thriller, psychological, phobia, metal, EvaLeGallienne, oldtimeradio, mystery, vintagehorror, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, spinstercrime, familysecrets, murdertwist, noir

Dead of Night: A Brother’s Terror and a Beachside Corpse

Originally Aired: June 19, 1947
In Suspense #250, “Dead of Night,” Jimmy Barton returns home to find his sister Helen bruised, terrified, and desperate to flee her violent new husband, Phil. When Phil ends up dead, Jimmy and Helen go on the run—dragging a body through motels, hiding it in the bathroom, and ultimately staging it on a sunlit California beach. But as nosy neighbors, ball-playing kids, and a well-meaning beat cop close in, the mystery of how Phil died begins to unravel. A tightly wound thriller of misjudged guilt, drugged delusions, and a twist that redefines the killer.
Cast:Elliot Reid, Cathy Lewis
Tags:Suspense, thriller, psychological, beachnoir, siblingbond, ElliotReid, CathyLewis, 1940sradio, classicdrama, oldtimeradio, mistakenmurder, noir, suspensepodcast, vintagecrime, gaslight

Stand-In: A Star’s Shadow and a Killer’s Role

Originally Aired: June 12, 1947
In Suspense #249, “Stand-In,” Diana Burke is used to living in the shadows—after all, she’s just the stand-in for Hollywood’s reigning screen diva, “Madame.” But when Diana falls for the star’s new husband, a charming but violent ex-lifeguard named Dennis, her off-screen role becomes a deadly performance. As tension mounts on the set and behind the scenes, a perfect plan for murder unfolds under the klieg lights. In the ruthless world of fame and ambition, who’s really pulling the strings—and who will take the final bow?
Cast:June Havoc
Tags:Suspense, thriller, Hollywood, standin, JuneHavoc, oldtimeradio, mystery, noir, femmefatale, betrayal, ambition, vintagehorror, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

Make Mad the Guilty: A Floorwalker's Revenge and a Fatal Frame

Originally Aired: June 5, 1947
In Suspense #248, “Make Mad the Guilty,” Hume Cronin stars as Bertram Matthews, a failed Shakespearean actor turned meek department store floorwalker—until he uncovers his wife's affair and plots a theatrical revenge worthy of the Bard himself. Feigning suicide, Bertram orchestrates a chilling frame-up that sends his wife to death row. But as the clock ticks down to her execution, Bertram becomes desperate for recognition of his “performance,” spiraling into madness in search of applause. A darkly ironic tale of obsession, ego, and poetic justice.
Cast:Hume Cronin
Tags:Suspense, thriller, psychological, revenge, HumeCronin, oldtimeradio, mystery, madness, ego, gaslight, classicdrama, fakeddeath, femmefatale, vintagehorror, 1940sradio, suspensepodcast