Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

The Last Detail: Murder, Movie Sets, and the Cage of the Mind

Originally Aired: July 5, 1945
In Suspense #148, “The Last Detail,” George Coulouris stars as Professor Leland Moffat, a psychology expert who is lured from his quiet life into a bizarre underworld plot. A mysterious letter from Los Angeles invites him to review a groundbreaking experiment—but the “experiment” becomes a deadly game. Trapped by ruthless gangsters, a fake census taker, and a diabolical crime boss, Moffat finds himself the unwilling star of a frame-up: forced to “murder” a man on a Hollywood replica of his own home. But when the real police come knocking, Moffat realizes Carlotti’s plan is perfect—except for one last, chilling detail in his own cellar. A psychological thriller about guilt, deception, and the inescapable prison of conscience.
Cast:George Coulouris
Tags:Suspense, thriller, GeorgeCoulouris, TheLastDetail, oldtimeradio, crime, psychological, noir, frameup, 1940sradio, classicdrama, gangsters, movieSet, guilt, suspensepodcast

The Dealings of Mr. Markham: Murder, Blackmail, and the Double’s Game

Originally Aired: June 28, 1945
In Suspense #147, “The Dealings of Mr. Markham,” Henry Daniell stars as the sinister and enigmatic Charles Markham, an antique dealer who has turned blackmail into a fine art. When desperate Judith Ray and her fiancé Ronald Gilbert confront Markham in his shadowy shop to end his threats, the night spirals into murder. But in a world of doubles and hidden motives, the truth is never as simple as it seems. Who really died—and who got away with murder? John Dickson Carr crafts a diabolical web of guilt, deception, and poetic justice, where not even the audience escapes complicity.
Cast:Henry Daniell, Joan Loring, Gavin Gordon
Tags:Suspense, thriller, JohnDicksonCarr, HenryDaniell, TheDealingsOfMrMarkham, oldtimeradio, blackmail, murdermystery, doubles, identity, 1940sradio, classicdrama, deception, guilt, suspensepodcast

The Story of Ivy: Poison, Ambition, and the Making of a Murderess

Originally Aired: June 21, 1945
In Suspense #146, “The Story of Ivy,” Anne Richards stars as Ivy Lexton—a dazzling beauty driven by desperation, pride, and an unyielding hunger for luxury. Ivy’s charm masks her cold ambition as she leaps from the poverty of Soho into a marriage of convenience, only to find herself penniless, entangled with lovers, and consumed by envy. When an opportunity presents itself—pure poison, literally—her path turns deadly. A husband’s lingering illness, a scandalous love triangle, and a string of fatal “coincidences” lead Scotland Yard to her door. In a chilling confession, Ivy reveals the truths and self-deceptions of a woman who would do anything for status—even as the hangman waits. An audacious tale of femme fatale psychology and ruin.
Cast:Anne Richards
Tags:Suspense, thriller, MaryBellocLowndes, AnneRichards, TheStoryOfIvy, oldtimeradio, murderess, femmefatale, arsenic, ambition, 1940sradio, classicdrama, Britishnoir, greed, suspensepodcast

The Burning Court: Poison, Past Lives, and the Fires of Revenge

Originally Aired: June 14, 1945
In Suspense #145, “The Burning Court,” Clifton Webb stars in John Dickson Carr’s celebrated mystery, weaving a web of gothic intrigue, murder, and supernatural echoes from centuries past. When Ted Covington discovers a portrait of an infamous poisoner who is the spitting image of his young wife Marie, he’s drawn into a chilling conspiracy after his wealthy uncle dies under suspicious circumstances. As secrets unravel—a vanished body, a hidden ancestry, and ghostly vengeance—skeptics and believers alike are pulled toward a shocking, fiery climax. A diabolical tale of love, legacy, and fate, where the sins of the past may refuse to stay buried.
Cast:Clifton Webb
Tags:Suspense, thriller, mystery, JohnDicksonCarr, CliftonWebb, TheBurningCourt, oldtimeradio, poison, gothic, supernatural, 1940sradio, classicdrama, reincarnation, burningcourt, suspensepodcast, familysecrets

Two Sharp Knives: Murder, Money, and the Fatal Trap

Originally Aired: June 7, 1945
In Suspense #144, “Two Sharp Knives,” a late-night poker game leads Chief of Police Scott Anderson and his loyal assistant Wally Shane straight into a tangled web of deceit, murder, and betrayal. When a wanted man from Philadelphia steps off the train in Deerwood, Anderson thinks he’s just doing his job. But the man—Lester Furman—is dead by morning, an apparent suicide in his jail cell, and nothing about his arrest adds up. As the investigation unravels, secrets are exposed: a forged reward notice, a missing wife, and a plot worth half a million dollars. In a shocking climax, Anderson discovers the killer is much closer than he ever imagined. A taut, twisty drama by Dashiell Hammett, expertly performed by John Payne and Frank McHugh.
Cast:John Payne, Frank McHugh
Tags:Suspense, thriller, crime, DashiellHammett, JohnPayne, FrankMcHugh, TwoSharpKnives, oldtimeradio, murdermystery, policeprocedural, betrayal, 1940sradio, classicdrama, femmefatale, suspensepodcast, forgery

August Heat: Premonitions and the Madness of a Scorching Day

Originally Aired: May 31, 1945
In Suspense #143, “August Heat,” Ronald Colman stars as James Clarence Withencroft, a solitary artist who is struck by a sudden, inexplicable urge to sketch the face of a stranger. On an oppressively hot day, Withencroft wanders aimlessly through the city—only to stumble upon a monumental mason whose appearance matches his sketch exactly. When the mason reveals a gravestone with Withencroft’s name and today’s date inscribed, a chain of uncanny coincidences unfolds. With the threat of death hanging in the air and the suffocating heat clouding reason, both men struggle with fate, dread, and the chilling possibility of murder. A classic tale of foreboding and psychological suspense.
Cast:Ronald Colman, Dennis Hoey
Tags:Suspense, thriller, psychological, fate, coincidence, RonaldColman, DennisHoey, AugustHeat, oldtimeradio, mystery, premonition, destiny, 1940sradio, classicdrama, gothic, suspensepodcast, heatmadness

My Own Murderer: The Lawyer, the Fugitive, and the Most Dangerous Game

Originally Aired: May 24, 1945
In Suspense #142, “My Own Murderer,” Herbert Marshall stars as Richard Sampson, a reserved solicitor whose world is upended when his old acquaintance Alan Rennick confesses to murder and begs for help. As Richard weaves a clever plan to save Alan—hiding him, faking a death, enlisting two women, and risking his own neck—he finds himself drawn deeper into a web of blackmail, betrayal, and cold-blooded calculation. But not everyone can be trusted, and not every murder stays in the past. A battle of wits ensues, with morphia, double-crosses, and a “suicide” gone wrong, leading to a twist that asks: who is the true murderer, and who is the real victim? A psychological chess match where everyone has something to lose.
Cast:Herbert Marshall, Norman Lloyd
Tags:Suspense, psychological, HerbertMarshall, NormanLloyd, oldtimeradio, murder, blackmail, lawyer, doublecross, morphia, escape, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

Two Birds with One Stone: The Playwright, the Dog, and the Fatal Birthday Record

Originally Aired: May 17, 1945
In Suspense #141, “Two Birds with One Stone,” Dana Andrews stars as Walter Faber, a struggling playwright whose marriage has curdled into bitterness, suspicion, and emotional isolation. When his wife Eleanor vanishes during a rainy night after leaving a cryptic recorded message—and her faithful dog Tracy becomes the only silent witness—Walter’s world unravels into a deadly game of guilt, deception, and confessions caught on tape. As police and friends close in, and Tracy’s loyalty becomes a turning point, a clever plot of murder, madness, and poetic justice emerges. A noir psychological thriller with a canine twist and an unforgettable, suspenseful finale.
Cast:Dana Andrews
Tags:Suspense, noir, DanaAndrews, oldtimeradio, murder, marriage, betrayal, guilt, psychological, dog, confession, birthday, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

Reprieve: The Killer’s Confession, the Reporter’s Faith, and the Price of a Second Chance

Originally Aired: May 10, 1945
In Suspense #140, “Reprieve,” John Garfield stars as Steve Hannibal, a convicted killer waiting for execution—his only hope a last-minute legal reprieve. As he writes out his confession, Steve looks back on a life of crime, a fateful payroll heist, and the woman reporter who believed in his innocence and changed the course of his fate. Torn between old loyalties and new love, Steve is forced to choose between his criminal code and a chance at redemption. But when betrayal, heartbreak, and a deadly confrontation bring his story full circle, Steve learns that some reprieves come not from the law—but from the heart. A hard-boiled, tragic noir of guilt, love, and fatal choices.
Cast:John Garfield
Tags:Suspense, noir, JohnGarfield, oldtimeradio, prison, confession, deathrow, crime, redemption, betrayal, reporter, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

Fear Paints a Picture: A Haunted Heiress, a Moving Portrait, and Madness by Design

Originally Aired: May 3, 1945
In Suspense #139, “Fear Paints a Picture,” Lana Turner stars as Julia Powell, a young heiress isolated in her family’s dark San Francisco mansion, tormented by strange dreams, sinister guardians, and a chilling portrait that seems to change each night. As her 23rd birthday—and her inheritance—draws near, Julia’s grip on sanity is tested by ghostly footsteps, whispered warnings, and the conviction that she is fated to go mad like her mother. But a deeper conspiracy is at work: the mysterious Dr. Barrow isn’t who he seems, and the true threat may come from the living, not the dead. A gothic, gaslight thriller where art, paranoia, and inheritance collide.
Cast:Lana Turner
Tags:Suspense, gothic, LanaTurner, oldtimeradio, inheritance, hauntedhouse, madness, gaslight, conspiracy, portrait, psychological, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast