Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

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

Will You Walk Into My Parlor?: Fortune’s Tent, a Fatal Fiancee, and the Thirteenth Dinner

Originally Aired: February 23, 1943
In Suspense #30, “Will You Walk Into My Parlor?” an English garden party turns sinister when American visitor Philip Lester’s fiancée insists on visiting the fortune teller’s tent. But the turbaned “seer” is no mystic—he’s a Scotland Yard inspector investigating a string of poison murders tied to a mysterious woman. When Mary Sherwood enters the tent, the inspector recognizes her face... and her pattern: three husbands, all dead. What follows is a tightly coiled blend of mistaken identity, charm, and sudden violence. Starring Geraldine Fitzgerald and Cedric Hardwicke, this tale by John Dickson Carr delivers its final shiver with cold-blooded precision.
Cast:Geraldine Fitzgerald, Cedric Hardwicke
Tags:Suspense, thriller, JohnDicksonCarr, GeraldineFitzgerald, CedricHardwicke, poison, fortune, gaslight, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, fatalfiancée, gardenparty, ScotlandYard, twistending

The Night Reveals: A Husband’s Doubt and a Pyromaniac’s Secret

Originally Aired: March 2, 1943
In Suspense #31, “The Night Reveals,” fire insurance investigator Harry Jordan begins to suspect his wife Marie of sneaking out at night—coinciding eerily with a series of arson fires across the city. As inconsistencies in her alibis mount, Harry uncovers chilling clues: matchbooks hidden in her purse, suspicious newspaper clippings, and a scorched family locket found at a fire scene. But the truth proves more twisted than he imagines. Is Marie the arsonist—or is Harry himself losing his grip? A searing psychological drama by Cornell Woolrich, brought to life by Robert Young and Margot in a blaze of suspicion and denial.
Cast:Robert Young, Margot
Tags:Suspense, thriller, RobertYoung, CornellWoolrich, pyromania, arson, marriage, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, psychological, noir, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, gaslight, locket, insomnia

The Hangman Won’t Wait: Memory Lost, Justice Delayed, and a Waistcoat’s Truth

Originally Aired: February 9, 1943
In Suspense #28, “The Hangman Won’t Wait,” a young woman named Helen Barton awakens in a prison cell with no memory—only to discover she’s been convicted of murder and scheduled for execution at dawn. Dr. Gideon Fell is called to investigate and slowly unravels a web of deceit, emotional trauma, and circumstantial evidence. With mere minutes to spare, Fell uncovers a critical forensic flaw involving a bullet's trajectory and a telltale waistcoat, turning the case on its head. Featuring Sidney Greenstreet as the brilliant sleuth, this masterful locked-room-style mystery proves that sometimes, a tiny detail can mean the difference between death and justice.
Cast:Sidney Greenstreet
Tags:Suspense, thriller, SidneyGreenstreet, JohnDicksonCarr, mystery, amnesia, wrongfulconviction, GideonFell, classicdetective, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, suspensepodcast, prison, lastminute, forensicclue, classicdrama

Three Faces at Midnight: A Bribe, a Setup, and a Pretzel-Twisting Patsy

Originally Aired: February 27, 1947
In Suspense #234, “Three Faces at Midnight,” Brooklyn bruiser Sylvester "Muscles" Walters stumbles into a “job” that lands him in the middle of a political blackmail plot involving a governor, a suitcase stuffed with cash, and a setup that smells like week-old fish. Muscles must impersonate a man named John to frame a crooked official, while a mysterious woman films the deal from the shadows. But when bullets fly and bodies fall, Muscles and his reluctant partner find themselves fugitives with a briefcase full of danger—and a roll of film that could clear their names or doom them. William Bendix shines in this hard-boiled noir caper laced with comedy and chaos.
Cast:William Bendix, Sandra Gould
Tags:Suspense, thriller, WilliamBendix, noir, politicalcorruption, mistakenidentity, setup, blackmail, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, bribe, darkcomedy, doublecross

Always Room at the Top: Ambition, Blackmail, and the Ghost of a Fall

Originally Aired: February 20, 1947
In Suspense #233, “Always Room at the Top,” Helen Brandt is a sharp, determined advertising artist who claws her way into a top position after the sudden death of her predecessor in a mysterious fall from a skyscraper. But Helen's ascent is shadowed by whispers, hauntings, and a tightly wound secretary named Marie who knows far too much. When Helen discovers that her boss and new lover is entangled in an insurance fraud scheme involving the supposedly dead woman, the stakes turn lethal. Ann Baxter stars in this unnerving tale of ambition, deception, and a final twist that traps its players in a gilded cage.
Cast:Ann Baxter, Wally Maher, Cathy Lewis
Tags:Suspense, thriller, AnnBaxter, noir, deception, ghoststory, officepolitics, blackmail, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, ambition, murderplot, revenge

The Thirteenth Sound: A Widow’s Alibi and the Noise That Undid Her

Originally Aired: February 13, 1947
In Suspense #232, “The Thirteenth Sound,” Mrs. Sally Skinner is the perfect widow: poised, respected, and seemingly heartbroken after her husband's mysterious shooting. But behind her calm demeanor is a cold-blooded killer—whose perfect murder begins to unravel not from evidence, but from a sound. At the coroner's inquest and again during a concert, a specific noise—a blackboard scratch, a dissonant tone—triggers a violent response in Sally, revealing cracks in her composure. Agnes Moorehead delivers a riveting performance in this psychological thriller where guilt echoes louder than any proof.
Cast:Agnes Moorehead, William Johnstone
Tags:Suspense, thriller, AgnesMoorehead, psychological, murder, guilt, dissonance, soundtrigger, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, noir, blackboard, killerinstinct

End of the Road: A Salesman’s Passion and a Killer’s Past

Originally Aired: February 6, 1947
In Suspense #231, “End of the Road,” automobile salesman Speed Evans falls for a mysterious, alluring woman named Sylvia—who happens to be married to a wealthy, limping older man named Ganlon. As Speed becomes entangled in a reckless affair, he’s drawn into Sylvia’s haunting past, where childhood trauma and a deadly mine explosion shape a dark destiny. Sylvia’s fractured psyche, laced with vengeance and violence, turns their romance into a nightmare. A chilling noir anchored by Glenn Ford’s intense performance, this tale unspools a twisted journey toward truth, love, and a fatal reckoning.
Cast:Glenn Ford, Cathy Lewis
Tags:Suspense, thriller, GlennFord, noir, obsession, romancegonewrong, childhoodtrauma, psychological, gaslight, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast, murder, memory, redemption, CathyLewis