Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

Steel River Prison Break

Originally Aired: September 3, 1951
Suspense #437, "Steel River Prison Break," starring Jeff Chandler, presents a tense escape drama based on actual events. Bragg, a hardened convict, has meticulously planned a prison break from Steel River Prison with his fellow inmate Muss. When Bragg hears radio reports of rising floodwaters threatening the area, he realizes they must accelerate their carefully timed escape. With a gun smuggled in by an outside contact named Cronin hidden in his radio, Bragg moves up the timetable, taping the weapon to his leg and preparing to make his move. The flood emergency provides an unexpected opportunity when prison guards ask for volunteers to help sandbag the town's flood walls.
As the convicts are taken into Frickburg to fill sandbags, Bragg finds himself tantalizingly close to his mother's house, just blocks from freedom. However, when he and Muss are separated and assigned to different work details, Bragg faces an agonizing choice. The automatic taped to his leg cuts off circulation as he works through the day in the rain, but loyalty to his partner and the pressure of the rising waters create mounting tension as the escape plan threatens to unravel.

Report on the Jolly Death Riders

Originally Aired: August 27, 1951
Suspense #436, "Report on the Jolly Death Riders," William Holden stars in this tense drama based on actual events. Lieutenant Harbor of the San Francisco Police Department investigates a tragic hit-and-run accident on the Oakland Bay Bridge. Warren and Gladys Milford are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary when two hot rods racing across the bridge force Warren to swerve, crashing into a steel support beam. Warren survives with minor injuries, but Gladys dies in the ambulance. Before losing consciousness, Warren catches a glimpse of white letters on a gold background reading "Jolly High Riders" painted on one of the cars that didn't stop.
Detective Sergeant Boyle tracks down the Jolly High Riders club to a cheap gymnasium on West Stockton, where he interrogates the five charter members: Lodge Brisson, the gym manager and hard boy; Mickey Holzer, who works at a parking garage; Julie and Wanda Lake; and overweight Wally Bergman. The club members claim their car was stolen just before a big Saturday race, but Harbor suspects one or more of them knows the truth about what happened that deadly night on the bridge.

The Case for Dr Singer

Originally Aired: June 28, 1951
Suspense #435, "The Case for Dr Singer,"
When brilliant physicist Dr. Rudolf Ellman is shot outside the American Embassy in Switzerland and dies after revealing that secrets about America's thermonuclear weapons program are being leaked, the FBI must act quickly. Dr. George Singer, a scientist working on the top-secret H-23 project, is called to security headquarters where Mr. Whiteside from the FBI and General Busher inform him of the crisis. Ellman's dying testimony reveals that someone has been passing detailed information about their thermonuclear research to the Soviets. The information is so accurate and current that the spy must be one of only six people with access to the project: Professor Young, Dr. Singer himself, and four other trusted colleagues.
Singer is shocked to learn he's been chosen to help unmask the traitor among his fellow scientists. Despite his protests that all his colleagues are trustworthy, the FBI insists they need someone on the inside to identify the spy before more deadly secrets fall into enemy hands. With national security hanging in the balance, Singer must investigate the very men he works alongside every day.

The Greatest Thief in the World

Originally Aired: June 21, 1951
Suspense #434, "The Greatest Thief in the World," presents James Mason as Peter Marriott, a sophisticated gentleman who may or may not be the elusive criminal known as the Squire. Scotland Yard possesses two bulky files—one on Peter Marriott and one on the Squire, a jewel thief who has stolen half a million pounds over five years without leaving a trace of evidence. When Marriott attends a shooting party at the estate of Sir Leslie and Lady Banbridge, he listens politely as his host rails against the infamous thief and boasts about his own security measures. Days later, 8,000 pounds worth of jewels disappear from Sir Leslie's safe in the Squire's unmistakable style.
Scotland Yard begins to notice a troubling pattern: Peter Marriott has attended several parties thrown by the Squire's victims. As detectives watch him more closely, they discover he maintains a relationship with Jenny, a working-class girl who keeps mysterious parcels for him. When Jenny mentions that a stranger came asking questions about Peter—a man who referenced Canada and someone named Bushby—Peter's composed demeanor cracks for the first time, revealing there may be more to his story than meets the eye.

The Truth About Jerry Baxter

Originally Aired: June 14, 1951
Suspense #433, "The Truth About Jerry Baxter," tells the harrowing story of a teenage narcotics addict struggling to escape a life of crime and addiction. Gregory Peck stars in this hard-hitting drama based on actual events. Juvenile investigator McIntyre works to help sixteen-year-old Jerry Baxter, a boy who started using drugs to fit in with his crowd and eventually turned to dealing marijuana to support his growing habit. After Jerry's arrest for peddling narcotics in the high school yard, McIntyre sees past the angry, violent teenager to recognize a sick kid who needs help rather than more punishment. Despite Jerry's troubled record in correction school, including a vicious fight that lands him in the infirmary, McIntyre convinces the parole board to give the boy a second chance with a job in Oakland.
Freshly paroled with fifty dollars and a warning to avoid his former associates, Jerry accepts a ride from a well-dressed woman in a fur coat. Though temptation surrounds him at every turn, Jerry resists his criminal impulses. But when the woman leaves him alone in her car with the keys in the ignition and police arrive on the scene, Jerry finds himself in the worst trouble of his young life.

Tell You Why I Shouldn’t Die

Originally Aired: June 7, 1951
Suspense #432, "Tell You Why I Shouldn't Die," stars Richard Widmark as Nat, a smooth-talking Coney Island pitchman who must literally talk for his life. Charlie stands with a gun pointed at Nat's head, ready to kill him for stealing his girlfriend Eileen. With the police on their way, Nat launches into an elaborate pitch to convince Charlie he shouldn't pull the trigger. Through a series of flashbacks, Nat recounts how he deliberately pursued Eileen, wooing her away from the devoted Charlie with professional calculation and romantic manipulation.
As Nat spins his version of events, he presents himself alternately as an honest man just following his heart and as a worthless pitchman unworthy of revenge. He argues that Eileen was too susceptible to temptation to ever be faithful to Charlie, that she never truly loved him, and that Charlie is better off without her. With each carefully crafted argument, Nat tries to talk his way out of the deadly confrontation, using every trick in his repertoire to keep Charlie from pulling the trigger before time runs out.

Over Drawn

Originally Aired: May 31, 1951
Suspense #431, "Over Drawn," stars Dick Powell as Robert Farley, a bank teller who has spent 17 monotonous years waiting for the perfect opportunity. When armed robbers storm the bank one afternoon at closing time, chaos erupts and a guard named Pete Johnson is shot. While everyone crowds around the fallen man, Farley seizes his chance. He quickly stuffs his briefcase with the remaining cash from his drawer and calmly joins the confused crowd. As police question employees and check packages at the door, Farley nearly panics and abandons his briefcase, but the young teller Graves helpfully retrieves it for him. Bank president Mr. McPherson vouches for his trusted employee of 17 years, allowing Farley to walk out with over $28,000.
Back in his apartment, Farley counts his unexpected fortune and takes a celebratory nap. But when Graves shows up at his door with a bottle of liquor, suggesting Farley might need a drink, the nervous teller must wonder: does the young man suspect something, or is this just a friendly gesture after a traumatic day?

Another Man’s Poison

Originally Aired: May 17, 1951
Suspense #429, "Another Man's Poison," follows Claude Bourry, a 46-year-old real estate man of modest means who stumbles upon a brown paper package containing $98,000 while picking wildflowers. Despite his wife Elise's insistence that he turn the money over to the police immediately, Claude consults his lawyer friend Tom Haskell, who explains that the law allows him to keep possession of the money for twelve months while making his claim known to authorities. Claude files the required affidavit with the skeptical Lieutenant Gaston, who warns him that publicizing the find will attract every con artist and criminal in the country.
As the months pass, Claude receives countless fraudulent claims and threatening letters, but nothing prepares him for the midnight phone call from Kansas City. A mysterious voice orders him not to spend the money, not to recognize any claims, and not to contact the police until they meet. The caller clearly knows something about the money's origins, and Claude realizes someone dangerous has been watching and waiting for the right moment to make their move. Now Claude must face the terrifying consequences of his decision to keep the money, as fear and paranoia consume him while he waits for the inevitable confrontation.

Death on My Hands

Originally Aired: May 10, 1951
Suspense #428, "Death on My Hands," finds bandleader Dixie seeking refuge in a quiet New England valley town, looking forward to a simple one-night stand at the local high school dance. After an unexpectedly successful performance, Dixie runs into Julia, his former band singer, and the two plan to catch up after the show. But backstage, a teenage fan named Emily sneaks in begging for an autographed photo. When she reaches for Dixie's suitcase—which contains two weeks' worth of cash and a loaded gun—tragedy strikes. The girl falls, fatally wounded, and Dixie carries her through the streets desperately searching for help.
As news of Emily's death spreads through the small town, the locals don't wait for the police inquest Dixie promised to attend. An angry mob gathers outside the Embassy Hotel, hurling rocks and threatening notes through his window. Trapped and terrified, Dixie faces a grim reality: this peaceful little town is ready to hang him for what he insists was an accident. When Julia appears at his door offering help, Dixie must decide whether friendship can save him from a lynch mob's noose.

When the Bough Breaks

Originally Aired: May 3, 1951
Suspense #427, "When the Bough Breaks," stars Rosalind Russell as Evelyn Stryker, a woman in her late thirties who has just been acquitted of murdering her wealthy grandfather. As newlyweds Harry and Evelyn move into their new home, they believe the nightmare is behind them. However, their fragile fresh start is immediately threatened when newspaper reporter Corcoran arrives at their door with congratulations laced with suspicion. He reminds them of a chilling fact: while Evelyn can never be tried again for the same crime, Harry was never charged at all. If Evelyn were to claim that Harry, a photographer with access to cyanide, actually obtained the poison and conspired with her to kill the old man for his fortune, Harry could still face murder charges.
Corcoran plans to write a feature story highlighting this precarious dynamic, noting that Evelyn now holds her husband's life in her hands. As the episode unfolds, the power balance in this marriage shifts dangerously. What began as a calculated partnership to secure an inheritance transforms into a psychological trap, where one word from Evelyn could send Harry to the gallows.