Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

Hunting Trip: A Deadly Game Between Old Friends

Originally Aired: September 12, 1946
In Suspense #210, “Hunting Trip,” a casual reunion between two old friends, Stan and Eric, turns into a chilling psychological battle in the remote wilderness. When Eric invites Stan to his secluded mountain cabin, the trip seems like a peaceful getaway—until Stan begins to suspect Eric’s intentions aren’t friendly. Haunted by the mysterious death of Eric’s former love Karen—who was once Stan’s wife—paranoia builds as accidents and mind games escalate. Is Eric planning the perfect murder? Or is Stan's guilt twisting his perception of reality? A taut, nerve-racking tale of obsession, revenge, and poetic justice.
Cast:Vincent Price, Lloyd Nolan
Tags:Suspense, thriller, psychological, revenge, VincentPrice, LloydNolan, huntingtrip, oldtimeradio, mystery, paranoia, murderplot, 1940sradio, classicdrama, friendshipgonewrong, suspensepodcast

You'll Never See Me Again: A Vanishing Bride and a Calculated Frame

Originally Aired: September 5, 1946
In Suspense #209, “You'll Never See Me Again,” newlywed Ed Bliss reports his wife Janet missing after she storms out during a quarrel. But his tale of innocence unravels as Detective Stillman uncovers disturbing clues—Janet’s clothes found burned in the furnace, lies from her stepfather, and a suspiciously altered room. As the truth emerges, a tangled plot of fraud, murder, and betrayal surfaces, revealing Ed’s chilling orchestration of his wife’s demise. But justice, and Janet’s fate, hinge on a desperate race against time in this pulse-pounding psychological thriller penned by Cornell Woolrich.
Cast:Robert Young
Tags:Suspense, thriller, mystery, noir, CornellWoolrich, RobertYoung, vanishingwoman, domesticdrama, gaslight, missingperson, deception, 1940sradio, oldtimeradio, suspensepodcast, vintagecrime

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