Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

John Barbie and Son: A Father's Promise, a Fugitive's Flight

Originally Aired: February 22, 1945
In Suspense #131, “John Barbie and Son,” Thomas Mitchell stars as John Barbie, a grief-stricken father determined to keep a heartbreaking promise to his late wife: never to let their troubled son, Carl, be taken away to an institution. When a tragic accident brings authorities to their door, John and Carl go on the run, desperate to escape a system that neither understands nor forgives. As the two flee through the night—dodging suspicion, hiding in hotel rooms, and racing up fire escapes—John’s devotion to his son leads him to the edge of sanity, and ultimately, to a rooftop confrontation with a shattering revelation. A haunting, psychological suspense story about love, loss, and the blurred line between reality and delusion.
Cast:Thomas Mitchell
Tags:Suspense, drama, psychological, ThomasMitchell, oldtimeradio, fatherandson, tragedy, escape, mentalhealth, delusion, 1940sradio, classicdrama, family, heartbreak, suspensepodcast, rooftop

Sell Me Your Life: A Washed-Up Man, a Fatal Offer, and a Deadly House

Originally Aired: February 15, 1945
In Suspense #130, “Sell Me Your Life,” Lee Bowman stars as Joe Bland, a desperate ex-con standing on the brink of suicide—until a mysterious woman intervenes, offering him a second chance… for a price. But when Bland is swept into the mansion of a wealthy banker, he soon finds himself at the center of a murder, a missing fortune, and a web of lies involving the enigmatic Mrs. Bodine and her secretive household. Accused of a crime he didn’t commit, Joe must fight for his life and the truth, in a taut thriller where every good deed comes at a deadly cost. Betrayal, noir intrigue, and split-second reversals drive this suspenseful drama to its shattering conclusion.
Cast:Lee Bowman
Tags:Suspense, noir, thriller, mystery, LeeBowman, oldtimeradio, murder, frameup, redemption, betrayal, femmefatale, 1940sradio, classicdrama, escape, suspensepodcast, lostfortune

Tale of Two Sisters: A Promise Never Broken

Originally Aired: February 8, 1945
In Suspense #129, “Tale of Two Sisters,” Claire Trevor and Nancy Kelly star as Clara and Adele, siblings bound by a childhood promise of eternal togetherness. As adults, jealousy and tragedy twist their lives—when Clara’s marriage drives a wedge between them, and a murder trial leaves Adele isolated and unstable. Years later, the sisters’ final, fevered confrontation spirals into madness and fire, as the line between love and destruction blurs forever. A dark, haunting gothic drama of obsession, guilt, and family ties.
Cast:
Claire Trevor, Nancy Kelly
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, gothic, sisters, ClaireTrevor, NancyKelly, oldtimeradio, madness, jealousy, promise, familydrama, murder, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

The Most Dangerous Game: Hunted on Ship-Trap Island

Originally Aired: February 1, 1945
In Suspense #128, “The Most Dangerous Game,” Joseph Cotten stars as Sanger Rainsford, a renowned hunter shipwrecked on the infamous Ship-Trap Island—where he discovers his host, the urbane General Zaroff (J. Carrol Naish), has devised the ultimate sport: hunting human beings. With every trick and trap at his disposal, Rainsford must survive a harrowing three-day manhunt through jungle, swamp, and terror, matching wits against a predator who calls murder a “game.” A pulse-pounding radio adaptation of Richard Connell’s legendary tale of survival and moral reckoning.
Cast:
Joseph Cotten, J. Carrol Naish
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, adventure, JosephCotten, JCarrolNaish, MostDangerousGame, oldtimeradio, manhunt, survival, horror, ShipTrapIsland, classicstory, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

Drury’s Bones: A Past Buried Deep

Originally Aired: January 25, 1945
In Suspense #127, “Drury’s Bones,” Boris Karloff stars as a Scotland Yard inspector who awakes in a London alley with no memory of his past—only to be reborn as “Terence Drury” and given a new life in law enforcement. Twenty years later, Drury is dispatched to a Devon village to investigate a skeleton unearthed in a garden, stirring half-buried memories and old mysteries. As he uncovers the truth about the vanished Ashley Nortons and his own lost identity, Drury is forced to confront an ironic—and unexpectedly touching—solution. A blend of amnesia, mistaken identity, and gentle gothic suspense, with a slyly humorous twist.
Cast:
Boris Karloff
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, gothic, amnesia, BorisKarloff, oldtimeradio, ScotlandYard, mystery, identity, buriedsecrets, Devon, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

To Find Help: A Knock at the Door

Originally Aired: January 18, 1945
In Suspense #126, “To Find Help,” Frank Sinatra and Agnes Moorehead deliver haunting performances in a taut tale of psychological terror. When a frail-seeming young man shows up at Mrs. Gillis’s door looking for work, she thinks her prayers for help have been answered. But as the day unfolds, the “help” becomes a nightmare—her new handyman is disturbed, unpredictable, and soon becomes menacingly violent. Alone and trapped, Mrs. Gillis must match wits with a mind on the edge. A chilling domestic thriller about trust, vulnerability, and survival.
Cast:
Frank Sinatra, Agnes Moorehead
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, psychological, homeinvasion, FrankSinatra, AgnesMoorehead, oldtimeradio, insanity, trust, survival, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

Drive-In: Rain, Fear, and a Midnight Escape

Originally Aired: January 11, 1945
In Suspense #125, “Drive-In,” Nancy Kelly stars as Mildred, a Hollywood carhop whose late-night act of kindness turns into a nightmare. After serving one last customer on a rainy night, Mildred accepts a ride from the stranger—only to realize she’s trapped with a desperate fugitive. As the pair careen into the dark hills above Los Angeles, Mildred must summon her courage and wits to escape with her life. A tense, atmospheric thriller of chance, terror, and survival.
Cast:
Nancy Kelly, Wally Maher
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, noir, drivein, NancyKelly, oldtimeradio, abduction, LosAngeles, carhop, survival, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

I Had an Alibi: The Perfect Crime Unravels

Originally Aired: January 4, 1945
In Suspense #124, “I Had an Alibi,” Keenan Wynn stars as Joe Eichner, a cynical newspaperman-turned-mystery writer who dreams up the “perfect” crime—then tries to live it. When Joe marries a dying heiress for her fortune and crafts a seemingly airtight alibi for her murder, everything seems to go according to plan. But fate, and a deadly twist, reveal that no alibi is ever truly perfect. A taut, ironic thriller about greed, guilt, and the art of the double cross.
Cast:
Keenan Wynn, Cathy Lewis, Wally Maher, Lurene Tuttle
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, crime, alibi, KeenanWynn, oldtimeradio, mystery, perfectcrime, greed, noir, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

A Thing of Beauty: The Curse of Madeline Tremaine

Originally Aired: December 28, 1944
In Suspense #123, “A Thing of Beauty,” June Duprez stars as Madeline Tremaine, a legendary actress whose career was shadowed by scandal, jealousy, and murder. From the heights of fame to a life of isolation, Madeline recounts her rise and fall to two visiting clergymen during a stormy night. As the truth of her past is slowly revealed—including a deadly rivalry, a ruined marriage, and a disfiguring tragedy—her beauty proves both a blessing and a curse. A gothic tale of ambition, guilt, and the desperate search for forgiveness.
Cast:
June Duprez, Alan Reed, Edmund Gwenn, Ramsay Hill, Cathy Lewis
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, gothic, tragedy, JuneDuprez, MadelineTremaine, oldtimeradio, mystery, beauty, revenge, jealousy, theater, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

The Brighton Strangler: Curtain Call for a Killer

Originally Aired: December 21, 1944
In Suspense #122, “The Brighton Strangler,” John Loder stars as Reginald Parker, a famed stage actor celebrated for his chilling role as a strangler—until a bomb-blast-induced head injury blurs the line between actor and character. Wandering into the fog-bound streets of wartime England, Parker slips into the role of his murderous alter ego, targeting those he believes betrayed him years before. Drawn into his world is April Manby (June Duprez), who must stop the real-life killer before the play’s final, fatal act. A noir thriller of identity, obsession, and tragic fate, adapted from the RKO film.
Cast:
John Loder, June Duprez, Ian Wolfe, Jill Esmond, Gilbert Emery
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, noir, identity, BrightonStrangler, JohnLoder, JuneDuprez, oldtimeradio, mystery, psychological, RKO, amnesia, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast