Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

Blue Eyes: A Spiral of Delusion and Desperation

Originally Aired: August 29, 1946
In Suspense #208, “Blue Eyes,” a mild-mannered accountant named Oliver Littlefield begins an ordinary day with a blue tie and a rosebud in his lapel—small gestures he hopes will draw the attention of his charming co-worker. But as friends and strangers alike start to question his health, Oliver spirals into paranoia, convinced his life is crumbling and his nagging wife Laura is to blame. Fueled by resentment and a box of pep pills, he concocts a deadly plan involving a bottle of cyanide. Yet fate has other ideas. This noir psychological thriller explores the fragility of sanity, the weight of perception, and the haunting consequences of what might have been.
Cast:
Hume Cronin
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, psychological, noir, cyanide, HumeCronin, delusion, murderplot, oldtimeradio, mystery, madness, gaslight, vintagehorror, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

The Great Horrell: A Mentalist’s Grip on Sanity and Freedom

Originally Aired: August 22, 1946
In Suspense #207, “The Great Horrell,” Alma, the long-suffering assistant and wife of the famed mind-reader Martin Horrell, is desperate to reclaim her autonomy. When she begins to suspect her husband can truly read her mind—even across oceans—Alma spirals into paranoia, fear, and ultimately violence. But as her grip on reality unravels, a new and even more disturbing truth emerges. Who really holds power over her thoughts—and what price must she pay for freedom? A psychological thriller where performance and delusion collide.
Cast:Joan Loring
Tags:Suspense, thriller, psychological, mindreading, JoanLoring, oldtimeradio, mystery, mentalist, gaslight, obsession, escape, vintagehorror, 1940sradio, classicdrama, femmehorror, suspensepodcast

The Last Letter of Dr. Bronson: A Deadly Experiment in Human Nature

Originally Aired: August 15, 1946
In Suspense #206, “The Last Letter of Dr. Bronson,” a brilliant but disturbed psychiatrist turns himself into the subject of a macabre psychological experiment. Determined to prove that mankind refrains from murder due to five key internal checks, Dr. Bronson tempts five carefully chosen individuals with a chance to kill him for profit. But as the clock ticks toward midnight, and his would-be executioner awaits, Bronson discovers that some minds are beyond understanding—and some games should never be played. A chilling descent into the psychology of murder and madness, told entirely through a final, haunting letter.
Cast:Henry Daniell
Tags:Suspense, thriller, psychological, experiment, HenryDaniell, oldtimeradio, mystery, humanbehavior, murdertheory, madness, vintagehorror, 1940sradio, classicdrama, darkpsychology, suspensepodcast

Dead Ernest: The Man Who Woke in the Morgue

Originally Aired: August 8, 1946
In Suspense #205, “Dead Ernest,” a simple traffic accident turns into a nightmarish chain of coincidences when cataleptic Ernest Bowers—alive but motionless—is pronounced dead and sent to the morgue. His medical warning bracelet and letter of explanation are lost, pawned, and sold for pocket change, while his frantic wife tries in vain to reach the doctor whose phone is off the hook. As two weary embalmers prepare to “start work” on Bowers, a faint breath fogs one man’s glasses—just in time. A macabre classic of bureaucratic neglect, irony, and narrowly averted horror.
Cast:Wally Maher, Lurene Tuttle, Ken Niles
Tags:Suspense, thriller, horror, catalepsy, prematureburial, WallyMaher, LureneTuttle, morgue, irony, medicalthriller, nearburiedalive, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

Commuter’s Ticket: A Murderer Lost in the Crowd

Originally Aired: August 1, 1946
In Suspense #204, “Commuter’s Ticket,” teletype repairman Bert Gavin (J. Carrol Naish) plans the perfect crime: kill his unfaithful wife during a passing train’s roar, then ride back into town unseen among thousands of daily commuters. But when the police close in, his carefully timed alibi collapses—every witness he counted on fails to remember him, and even the commuter’s ticket that could clear his name turns against him. A taut noir of anonymity and guilt, “Commuter’s Ticket” turns the everyday routine of a train ride into a nightmare of isolation and doom.
Cast:J. Carrol Naish, Lurene Tuttle, Wally Maher, Ken Niles
Tags:Suspense, thriller, noir, crime, JCarrolNaish, LureneTuttle, murder, alibi, guilt, anonymity, train, classicradio, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, vintagehorror, suspensepodcast

Can’t We Be Friends: A Lover’s Alibi and a Death Too Late

Originally Aired: July 25, 1946
In Suspense #203, “Can’t We Be Friends,” Michael Gordon (Elliot Lewis) revisits his ex-girlfriend Fran to “make peace,” but rejection curdles into obsession and violence. What begins as a plea for forgiveness becomes a chilling confession of premeditated murder—only for fate to twist the knife one last time. When the police arrive, Michael learns his crime was pointless: Fran had died hours before he fired the gun. Written by and starring Elliot Lewis, this tense psychological study of guilt and delusion unfolds entirely through the killer’s narration, culminating in one of Suspense’s most darkly ironic finales.
Cast:Elliot Lewis, Lurene Tuttle, Wally Mayer, Jerry Hausner, Betty Moran, Ervin Lee, Bill Johnston
Tags:Suspense, thriller, psychological, noir, crime, ElliotLewis, LureneTuttle, obsession, guilt, irony, murder, radiohorror, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicdrama, fatalmistake, suspensepodcast

Photo Finish: A Street Photographer, a Stolen Corpse, and a $10,000 Shot

Originally Aired: July 18, 1946
In Suspense #202, “Photo Finish,” Joe Mooney—a wisecracking sidewalk photographer—snaps a passerby at the exact moment the man collapses, only to be “escorted” by faux cops who hijack his car, steal the corpse from the morgue, and drag him into a gang’s cover-up. A seductive “sister” lures Joe for the incriminating negative, a citywide chase follows, and the payoff twist lands like a flashbulb pop: Joe’s priceless evidence never existed—because he forgot to load film. Street-level noir with gags, gunmen, and a whiplash ending. Starring Michael O’Shea.    
Cast:
Michael O’Shea  
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, noir, crime, photo, morgue, MichaelOShea, RomaWines, sidewalkphotographer, gangsters, classicdrama, twistending, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, vintagehorror, suspensepodcast

Feast of the Furies: Orders, Guilt, and the Tide

Originally Aired: July 11, 1946
In Suspense #201, “Feast of the Furies,” a simple-minded driver named Casey dutifully follows his employer’s chilling instructions—kidnap a frail man named Sam Bennett and deliver him to a lonely wharf by nightfall. As the tide rises and the truth unravels, Sam reveals a tragic history involving his paralyzed wife and her vengeful brother, Jake Larkin—the very man who hired Casey. What begins as a routine “job” turns into a grim reckoning of guilt, loyalty, and twisted justice, as Casey learns too late the meaning of blind obedience.
Cast:Sheldon Leonard, Elliot Reid
Tags:Suspense, thriller, psychological, crime, morality, vengeance, betrayal, SheldonLeonard, ElliotReid, FeastOfTheFuries, oldtimeradio, mystery, 1940sradio, classicdrama, noir, guilt, fatalorders, suspensepodcast

An Evening’s Diversion: Doctor’s Orders and a Deadly Encounter

Originally Aired: July 4, 1946
In Suspense #200, “An Evening’s Diversion,” overworked executive Paul Edwards follows his doctor’s unusual advice for stress—“go out alone and see what happens." This leads him into a dangerous situation involving murder. A visit to a rundown café pulls Edwards into a world of crime, deception, and deadly attraction. When he hears two gangsters planning to kill a woman, his curiosity pulls him into the city’s underground—subways, back alleys, and a crucial apartment at 375 Highland Drive. As the night escalates and chaos ensues, Paul’s attempt at adventure turns into a nightmare, ending with a shocking confession.
Cast:Leon Ames
Tags:Suspense, thriller, noir, psychological, crime, mistakenidentity, LeonAmes, AnEveningsDiversion, oldtimeradio, mystery, 1940sradio, classicdrama, fatalattraction, urbanthriller, curiosity, suspensepodcast

Return Trip: Murder, Madness, and a Mountain of Snow

Originally Aired: June 27, 1946
In Suspense #199, “Return Trip,” a snowbound bus becomes a rolling death trap when news spreads that a killer has escaped from a nearby asylum. As driver Frank Keniston guides his passengers through a growing blizzard—an anxious young woman, a chatty salesman, and a brooding Englishman—paranoia mounts with every mile. When an avalanche buries them alive, suspicion turns to violence, and one terrifying truth emerges: the killer may have been at the wheel all along. A tense, claustrophobic thriller that twists through the white silence toward a shocking confession.
Cast:Elliot Reid, Wally Mayer, Kathy Lewis, Raymond Lawrence
Tags:Suspense, thriller, psychological, isolation, blizzard, killer, asylum, bus, ElliotReid, WallyMayer, KathyLewis, RaymondLawrence, ReturnTrip, oldtimeradio, mystery, 1940sradio, classicdrama, paranoia, survival, suspensepodcast