Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

The Bet: A Deadly Wager in the Trinidad Rain

Originally Aired: November 8, 1945
 
In Suspense #166, “The Bet,” artist Scott Turner accepts a $50,000 challenge from wealthy sugar magnate Paul Barton: to endure two years of monotonous lab work in Trinidad. But Barton’s wife, Ada—a woman drawn to destruction—soon ensnares Scott in a dangerous triangle of temptation and deceit. As rain pounds endlessly on the cane fields, Scott discovers Ada’s plan to turn their bet into murder, with typhoid and amoebas as her chosen weapons. The tale spirals into betrayal, revelation, and a shocking end when Scott reveals his true identity. A sultry, atmospheric thriller of obsession and ruin.
 
Cast:
Lee J. Cobb
 
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, Trinidad, betrayal, LeeJCobb, insurance, oldtimeradio, infidelity, deadlywager, rain, femmefatale, 1940sradio, classicdrama, atmospheric, suspensepodcast

The Dunwich Horror: Armitage vs. the Unseen on Sentinel Hill

Originally Aired: November 1, 1945
 
In Suspense #165, “The Dunwich Horror,” Dr. Henry Armitage broadcasts from Sentinel Hill as he recounts Wilbur Whateley’s blasphemous origins, a doomed raid on Miskatonic’s Necronomicon, and the ravenous, invisible twin that finally storms loose across Dunwich. As Halloween night peaks, Armitage and Dr. Rice confront the thing with arcane powders and a perilous incantation—forcing the unimaginable into view for one harrowing moment. 
 
Cast:
Ronald Colman
 
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, cosmic, lovecraft, eldritch, Dunwich, YogSothoth, Necronomicon, RonaldColman, HPLovecraft, oldtimeradio, mystery, monster, sentinelhill, 1945radio, classicdrama, halloween, suspensepodcast

A Shroud for Sarah: A Double Life, a Deadly Scheme, and Three Murderers

Originally Aired: October 25, 1945
 
In Suspense #164, “A Shroud for Sarah,” Lucille Ball stars as Sarah Martell, a woman whose ambition knows no bounds—not even murder. As her husband Peter campaigns for governor, Sarah secretly plans to betray him, striking deals with a political rival and a corrupt doctor, and rekindling a romance with an ex-con fresh off a heist. But when her manipulations spiral out of control, three men each take justice into their own hands—with fatal consequences. A political noir brimming with double-crosses, blackmail, and the ultimate comeuppance.
 
Cast:
Lucille Ball
 
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, LucilleBall, noir, politicaldrama, femmefatale, blackmail, triplemurder, ambition, karmicjustice, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, suspensepodcast, classicdrama

Summer Storm: A Voice in the Mind and a Death That Wasn’t

Originally Aired: October 18, 1945
In Suspense #163, “Summer Storm,” Eddie, a solitary man who talks to himself, finds his world spiraling after a tense altercation with his slovenly landlord, Mr. Waters. Believing he’s accidentally killed Waters during a scuffle, Eddie hides in the attic as paranoia and inner voices begin to consume him. With a thunderstorm raging outside and a murder he thinks he committed weighing heavily on him, Eddie tries to escape—only to learn that the real cause of death wasn’t violence, but bad pigs’ knuckles. A clever twist on guilt, misperception, and human frailty set against the backdrop of a summer storm.
Cast:Henry Fonda
Tags:Suspense, thriller, psychological, HenryFonda, mistakenmurder, paranoia, internalmonologue, storm, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, suspensepodcast, classicdrama, noir, tomainpoisoning, guilttrip

Beyond Good and Evil: A Prisoner’s Masquerade and the Sermon of a Killer

Originally Aired: October 11, 1945
In Suspense #162, “Beyond Good and Evil,” an escaped convict named Philip Gentry assumes the identity of a country preacher to hide in plain sight. Taking the name Dr. Howard Pierce, he infiltrates a small-town church, earns the trust of its congregation, and even wins the heart of the paralyzed pastor’s daughter. But Gentry’s plans for a final heist are complicated by unexpected attachments—and a paralyzed man who hears everything. Written by Ben Hecht and Douglas Whitney, this moral chess game delivers one of the series’ most psychologically layered portraits of redemption, deception, and divine irony.
Cast:Joseph Cotten
Tags:Suspense, thriller, JosephCotten, BenHecht, impostor, redemption, identity, noir, psychological, preacher, fugitive, karmicjustice, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, suspensepodcast, classicdrama

Death on Highway 99: A Letter, a Hit-and-Run, and a Deadly Reckoning

Originally Aired: October 4, 1945
In Suspense #161, “Death on Highway 99,” Morton “Speed” Blake pens a final letter to his high school crush Julie—his last confession before the law catches up to him. What starts as a desperate, reflective monologue quickly turns into a chilling narrative of murder, manipulation, and a failed cover-up. When a hit-and-run accident spirals into blackmail and bloodshed, Morton must choose between surrender and silence. But the past—and one barely surviving witness—won’t stay buried. A tense, character-driven noir anchored by George Murphy’s gripping performance.
Cast:George Murphy
Tags:Suspense, thriller, noir, GeorgeMurphy, hitandrun, confession, guilt, psychological, karmicjustice, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, crime, suspensepodcast, classicdrama, redemptiongonewrong

Death Went Along for the Ride: A Double Life Unmasked

Originally Aired: January 26, 1943
 
In Suspense #026, “Death Went Along for the Ride,” George Avery finds himself pursued across the country by mysterious figures after agreeing to help a man he barely knows. What begins as a casual encounter turns into a deadly cross-country chase involving shadowy phone calls, a menacing photographer, and a series of near-misses at carnivals, clubs, and hotels. As Avery seeks refuge in Chicago and then New York, he begins to suspect a sinister double is using his identity—and placing a target on his back. When the true purpose of this impersonation is finally revealed, Avery must fight for his life in a final confrontation with a man who has nothing to lose. A suspenseful noir tale of mistaken identity and murderous deception.
 
Cast:
Ralph Bellamy
 
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, noir, mistakenidentity, RalphBellamy, crosscountrychase, oldtimeradio, mystery, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, impersonation, vintagecrime, gunmen, doublelife, fataldeception

The Earth Is Made of Glass: A Journal of Madness and the Murmur of Guilt

Originally Aired: September 27, 1945
In Suspense #160, “The Earth Is Made of Glass,” a brilliant but disturbed intellectual, Richard Steele, attempts to prove Emerson’s concept of karmic justice wrong—by committing a “laboratory murder” without motive, connection, or consequence. But even as he believes he’s escaped detection, his own mind becomes the battlefield, haunted by phantom rhythms, distant voices, and the unshakable image of his supposed victim. Starring Joseph Cotten in a cerebral descent into obsession, guilt, and the inescapable law of cause and effect, this episode is a haunting meditation on conscience and cosmic justice.
Cast:Joseph Cotten
Tags:Suspense, thriller, psychological, JosephCotten, philosophicalhorror, Emerson, karmicjustice, madness, diary, conscience, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, gothicnoir

Library Book: A Torn Page, a Ransom Note, and a Deadly Discovery

Originally Aired: September 20, 1945
In Suspense #159, “Library Book,” librarian Prudence Roberts discovers more than just overdue fines when a vandalized copy of Gone with the Wind reveals a hidden ransom note. Her amateur sleuthing leads her deep into a kidnapping plot involving a missing girl named Melanie, a string of cryptic clues, and a sinister pair of criminals. Starring Myrna Loy in a rare radio thriller role, this fast-paced, mystery-laced episode unfolds like a blend of detective novel and screwball noir, culminating in a fiery climax and a surprisingly cheeky romantic twist.
Cast:Myrna Loy
Tags:Suspense, thriller, mystery, MyrnaLoy, librarythriller, kidnapping, ransomnote, amateurdetective, LucilleFletcher, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicradio, femmelead, suspensepodcast

The Devil in the Summer House: A Phonograph Confession and a 25-Year Lie

In Suspense #16, “The Devil in the Summer House,” attorney Joe Parker returns to a shuttered Hudson River home with Captain Burke after receiving a freshly mailed letter—dated 1918—hinting that Major Jerry Kenyon’s long-ago “suicide” was murder. In the vine-choked summer house and lamplit library, they uncover a hidden phonograph record that coolly explains a perfect fake-suicide: a long-range shot from a back window, a duplicate cap scorched with powder, and alibis all around. But the final twist snaps tight: the recorded confession isn’t from the grieving wife at all, and the true killer—an ambitious maid with a gift for imitation—faces the chair as the clock strikes eight. Storms gather, motives curdle, and a voice from wax rewrites the past.