Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

Green-Eyed Monster: A Letter Opener, a Wedding Night, and the Woman in the Trunk

Originally Aired: April 17, 1947
In Suspense #241, “Green-Eyed Monster,” Michael Dawson seems like the perfect grieving widower—until he remarries, and his second wife begins to stir old obsessions. Haunted by jealousy and guilt, Michael spirals into paranoia, suspecting Judy of being a serial killer. But when she turns up dead in the same trunk where he once hid his first wife’s body, the twist cuts both ways. Lloyd Nolan delivers a riveting performance in this psychological shocker, where possession, madness, and misdirection meet a sharp brass letter opener.
Cast:Lloyd Nolan, Cathy Lewis
Tags:Suspense, thriller, LloydNolan, CathyLewis, jealousy, murder, noir, serialkiller, psychological, twistending, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, trunkmurder, letteropener, gaslight

Community Property: A Spiteful Marriage, a Fatal Prescription, and a Lawyer’s Last Laugh

Originally Aired: April 10, 1947
In Suspense #240, “Community Property,” George Mason’s marriage is a powder keg of resentment, jealousy, and greed. When his ailing uncle promises him a $500,000 inheritance, George finally sees a future without his bitter wife Lois—and begins planning a way to cut her out entirely. Under California’s community property laws, divorce would mean splitting the windfall. So George goes another route: he fakes reconciliation, spikes her warm milk, and waits for the drugs to take effect. But a prescription swap, a meddling doctor, and a cruel twist of law leave George with blood on his hands—and nothing in the bank. Kirk Douglas stars in this razor-sharp tale of murder and miscalculation.
Cast:Kirk Douglas, Cathy Lewis
Tags:Suspense, thriller, KirkDouglas, murderplot, inheritance, noir, classicdrama, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, suspensepodcast, poison, prescription, fatalmistake, communityproperty, darkcomedy, marriagegonewrong

The Swift Rise of Eddie Albright: A Uniform Swapped, a Carpet Clue, and a Killer’s Confession

Originally Aired: April 3, 1947
In Suspense #239, “The Swift Rise of Eddie Albright,” elevator operator Eddie dreams of success and romance, but a white lie to impress a manicurist snowballs into a deadly misadventure. When Eddie recognizes a fugitive gangster from his days running the penthouse car, he tries to play hero—only to find himself framed, stripped of his uniform, and mistaken for the very killer he sought to expose. A body in a carpet, a swapped jacket, and a last-second shootout form the twists in this fast-talking noir starring Phil Silvers in a rare dramatic role.
Cast:Phil Silvers
Tags:Suspense, thriller, PhilSilvers, mistakenidentity, noir, crimecomedy, gangster, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, elevatorboy, underdoghero, deadbody, impersonation, shootout

Suspicion: A Sick Feeling, a Wicked Cook, and the Woman Upstairs

Originally Aired: August 12, 1942
In Suspense #9, “Suspicion,” respectable Englishman Hubert Mummery starts to feel unwell after breakfast—and can’t shake a creeping unease. His new young wife, Ethel, seems fine. The new housekeeper, Sutton, is all kindness. But then a neighbor mentions a notorious poisoner, Carolyn Andrews, still at large and possibly posing as a domestic servant. When Mummery finds newspaper clippings cut out and weed killer stored beside the soup, his stomach pain takes on a new dread. Charles Ruggles delivers a masterful performance in this quietly mounting tale of fear, deduction, and a finale that proves appearances can be fatally deceiving.
Cast:Charles Ruggles
Tags:Suspense, thriller, CharlesRuggles, poisonplot, mistakenidentity, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, arsenic, domesticterror, twistending, gaslight, Britishmystery, CarolynAndrews, psychological

You Take Ballistics: A Cigarette Trick, a .32 Slug, and a Cop’s Gut Feeling

Originally Aired: March 13, 1947
In Suspense #236, “You Take Ballistics,” Homicide Lieutenant Ed Harvey arrests Clarence Coleman for the murder of a bookie—but the case nearly collapses when ballistics reveals that Coleman’s gun doesn’t match the murder slug. While others are ready to let Coleman walk, Harvey’s instincts scream otherwise. When a cheap book of cigarette papers in Coleman’s suit sparks a wild theory, Harvey reconstructs the murder weapon with a sleight-of-hand bullet switch that stuns even the lab. Howard Da Silva delivers a gritty, relentless performance in this gripping police procedural from the pen of Cornell Woolrich.
Cast:Howard Da Silva
Tags:Suspense, thriller, CornellWoolrich, HowardDaSilva, policeprocedural, ballistics, noir, forgedevidence, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, crossfire, trickbullet, detectiveintuition

Sorry, Wrong Number: A Crossed Line, a Helpless Call, and a Killer Upstairs

Originally Aired: August 21, 1943
In Suspense #54, “Sorry, Wrong Number,” bedridden and increasingly frantic, Mrs. Elbert Stevenson tries to reach her husband’s office—only to overhear a chilling phone conversation between two men planning a murder at 11:15 that night. As she desperately tries to get help from uncaring operators, indifferent police, and even a nurses’ registry, her calls descend into terror and futility. With the sound of every ring, her isolation deepens—until the horror strikes home. Agnes Moorehead delivers one of radio’s most iconic performances in this tour de force written by Lucille Fletcher, a suspense classic that remains unmatched for its tension and psychological dread.
Cast:Agnes Moorehead
Tags:Suspense, thriller, AgnesMoorehead, LucilleFletcher, wrongnumber, psychological, telephone, isolation, gaslight, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, iconicperformance, helplessness, noir, radioclassic

Elwood: A Collector’s Mind and a Killer’s Hands

Originally Aired: March 6, 1947
In Suspense #235, “Elwood,” mild-mannered gas station attendant Elwood Parsons lives quietly with his mother and sister—until the town is shaken by a series of strangulations. As suspicion falls on outsiders and local eccentrics, Elwood spirals inward, obsessed with stolen trinkets and a fantasy world built on respect and recognition he never received. His twisted logic, rooted in childhood trauma and repression, leads him to murder—again and again. Eddie Bracken delivers a chilling, sympathetic performance in this psychological noir that slowly unveils a killer hiding in plain sight.
Cast:Eddie Bracken
Tags:Suspense, thriller, EddieBracken, psychological, serialkiller, abnormalpsychology, gaslight, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, stolenidentity, noir, smalltown, strangler, trophykiller

Banquo’s Chair: A Dead Woman’s Return and a Murderer’s Undoing

Originally Aired: June 1, 1943
In Suspense #44, “Banquo’s Chair,” retired criminal investigator Sir William Brent lures an arrogant suspect back to the scene of the crime—an old Victorian mansion where an heiress was strangled two years earlier. Though the case went cold due to the suspect’s airtight alibi, Brent believes a ghost may succeed where logic failed. With two dinner guests as witnesses, Brent orchestrates a chilling hoax involving a “spirit” at the dining table. But when the woman they hired never arrives, the terrifying question remains: who—or what—did the suspect actually see? Donald Crisp and John Loder star in this unforgettable tale of justice, superstition, and spectral vengeance.
Cast:Donald Crisp, John Loder
Tags:Suspense, thriller, ghoststory, DonaldCrisp, JohnLoder, hauntedhouse, psychological, murder, classicdrama, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, suspensepodcast, justice, twistending, gothic, dinnerparty

The ABC Murders: A Salesman, a Scheme, and the Alphabet of Death

Originally Aired: May 18, 1943
In Suspense #42, “The ABC Murders,” a timid hosiery salesman named Alexander Bonaparte Cust believes he may be going mad—or worse, that he’s responsible for a string of killings. Each murder follows the alphabet: Andover, Bexhill, Churston. But the real twist lies in the typewritten notes sent to the police and the railway guide left at each scene. As the case unfolds, suspicion falls squarely on Cust—until one small inconsistency unravels the entire plot. Based on the Agatha Christie novel and featuring Charles Laughton as Hercule Poirot’s radio stand-in, this tale of misdirection and madness is a standout in Suspense’s early canon.
Cast:Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester
Tags:Suspense, thriller, AgathaChristie, CharlesLaughton, ElsaLanchester, alphabetkiller, mistakenidentity, psychological, noir, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, misdirection, railwayguide, typewriterclue

The Customers Like Murder: A Writer’s Plot and a Gangster’s Reality

Originally Aired: March 23, 1943
In Suspense #34, “The Customers Like Murder,” mystery writer Gerald Hockstone gets more than he bargained for when he’s mistaken for a doctor and kidnapped by two gangsters hiding out in the English countryside. Alongside his quick-witted secretary, Patricia, Hockstone is dragged into a bizarre blackmail plot involving the kidnapping of the Lord Chief Justice. With bombs falling overhead and thugs demanding medical assistance for their hostage, the author must use every ounce of his fictional crime knowledge to outwit real killers. Roland Young and Peggy Conklin shine in this witty, fast-paced tale of mistaken identity, satire, and suspense.
Cast:Roland Young, Peggy Conklin
Tags:Suspense, thriller, RolandYoung, mistakenidentity, noircomedy, kidnapping, satire, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, gangsters, JohnDicksonCarr, PeggyConklin, writerhero, wit