Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

Your Devoted Wife: A Birthday, A Will, and Thirty Days

Originally Aired: June 20, 1946
In Suspense #198, “Your Devoted Wife,” Melissa Thornton, seemingly a caring spouse, secretly takes her sick husband Martin on an overnight train to a Chicago clinic, after quietly administering him sleeping pills. Her gentle act masks a cold, calculated plan linked to Martin’s upcoming 30th birthday and a significant inheritance. However, when the clinic finds no health issues and instead delivers a fatal diagnosis—“at most thirty days”—the balance of power shifts. What began as subtle domestic manipulation escalates into a chilling countdown, as love, greed, and mortality collide on the steel rails and within sterile exam rooms.
Cast:
June Duprez, William Johnstone
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, psychological, domesticnoir, marriage, train, inheritance, will, aneurysm, birthday, gaslight, JuneDuprez, WilliamJohnstone, YourDevotedWife, oldtimeradio, mystery, 1940sradio, classicdrama

Too Many Smiths: A Contest, a Con, and a Fatal Mistake

Originally Aired: June 13, 1946
In Suspense #197, “Too Many Smiths,” Charles Wallingford, an ambitious porter with a taste for easy money, stumbles onto a secret memo: the winner of a $25,000 toothpaste slogan contest is “Pat Smith of Boston.” Seizing his chance, he impersonates the unknown winner—only to discover there are far more Pat Smiths than he bargained for. As murder, imposture, and double-crosses pile up, fate twists cruelly: the real prize belongs to neither schemer nor victim, but to an unsuspecting Pat Smith in a tiny Georgia town. A darkly ironic tale of greed, coincidence, and deadly ambition.
Cast:Hume Cronin
Tags:suspense, thriller, noir, impostor, conman, swindle, contest, identity, fate, oldtimeradio, mystery, twistending, TooManySmiths, HumeCronin, 1940sradio, classicdrama, darkirony, suspensepodcast

The High Wall: A Killer’s Amnesia and a Fatal Return

Originally Aired: June 6, 1946
In Suspense #196, “The High Wall,” Robert Young stars as Bob Lewis, a war-weary oil man who wakes in what seems like a hospital—only to learn he’s in an asylum for the criminally insane. Stricken with amnesia, Bob insists he’s innocent, but his blackout hides a darker truth: his wife is dead, and he may have killed her. As fragments of memory resurface, romance with a sympathetic nurse blurs with visions of his lost wife, leading to a harrowing finale where love, madness, and murder collide. A chilling psychological tale where the mind itself becomes the prison.
Cast:Robert Young
Tags:suspense, thriller, psychological, amnesia, asylum, noir, murder, memory, RobertYoung, oldtimeradio, mystery, twistending, thehighwall, 1940sradio, classicdrama, gaslight, suspensepodcast

The Leading Citizen of Pratt County: A Con Man’s Legacy

Originally Aired: May 30, 1946
In Suspense #195, “The Leading Citizen of Pratt County,” a smooth-talking grifter, posing as Professor Alonzo P. Witherspoon, drifts into a dusty Midwestern town after double-crossing his partner. Spinning lies of political connections and geological expertise, he convinces locals that he can restore their lost river—and cashes in on their hopes. But when the scheme collides with the suspicions of an earnest college boy and the pull of an honest family, fate steers his con toward an unexpected legacy. What begins as a swindle for $50,000 evolves into something far grander: a man branded forever as Pratt County’s greatest benefactor, whether he deserves it or not.
Cast:Alan Hale
Tags:suspense, thriller, conman, swindle, impostor, smalltown, grift, legacy, oldtimeradio, mystery, AlanHale, 1940sradio, classicdrama, noir, americanmyth, theleadingcitizen, suspensepodcast

Spoils for Victor: A Gangster’s Fortune and a Fatal Love

Originally Aired: May 23, 1946
In Suspense #194, “Spoils for Victor,” small-time racketeer Victor Rudiger thinks he’s hit the jackpot when a chance encounter lands him in the life—and the fortune—of wealthy heiress Madeline Rawlins. Backed by his old mob pals, Victor marries into riches with a deadly plan: six months of high living before his bride’s “accidental” death secures her millions. But when Victor discovers he’s fallen in love with his mark, the scheme curdles into a dangerous standoff between loyalty, greed, and passion. As betrayal closes in, the final gunshots decide whose spoils will be claimed—and whose love will prove fatal.
Cast:Dane Clark
Tags:suspense, thriller, noir, gangster, heist, marriageplot, betrayal, femmefatal, oldtimeradio, mystery, twistending, SpoilsforVictor, DaneClark, 1940sradio, classicdrama, crimeandlove, suspensepodcast

The Plan: A Wife’s Gambit and a Deadly Double

Originally Aired: May 16, 1946
In Suspense #193, “The Plan,” newlywed Helen Anderson thinks she’s safeguarding her respectable life when her husband’s long-hidden, dangerous brother arrives unexpectedly—only to find herself ensnared in a scheme of mistaken identities, loaded dueling pistols, and a murder meant to erase the past. As Helen’s story unfolds under police questioning, the truth twists: the “brother” isn’t the real threat, and the careful plot to pass a corpse as someone else begins to crumble when madness resurfaces. A taut domestic noir where every reassurance is a setup and every alibi has a crack.
Cast:
Claire Trevor
Tags:
suspense, thriller, psychological, noir, domestic, identity, impostor, plan, murderplot, oldtimeradio, mystery, twistending, RomaWines, ClaireTrevor, 1940sradio, classicdrama, theplan

The Clock and the Rope: A Stay Too Late

Originally Aired: May 9, 1946
In Suspense #192, “The Clock and the Rope,” Henry Guilford awaits execution for a murder he swears was self-defense, insisting a mysterious girl can prove his innocence. With no trace of her, the jury convicts him, and as the clock ticks toward dawn, he relives the terror of death row—the ticking, the prayers, the trapdoor. A last-minute reprieve arrives, but too late: the rope has already tightened around his neck. Guilford survives, but not without scars—forever haunted by clocks, confinement, and the narrow margin between life and death. A harrowing tale of fate, timing, and dread at its most merciless  .
Cast:Jackie Cooper (as Henry Guilford)
Tags:Suspense, thriller, deathrow, lastminute, execution, JackieCooper, WilliamSpier, CBS, 1940sradio, classicdrama, oldtimeradio, noir, courtroom, fatalmistake, tension, governorreprieve, haunted, time, fate

Crime Without Passion: A Lawyer’s Perfect Alibi—for the Wrong Crime

Originally Aired: May 2, 1946
In Suspense #191, “Crime Without Passion,” New York criminal attorney Lou Hendricks thinks he’s killed his showgirl mistress in a violent quarrel—so he constructs a meticulous alibi, complete with planted “evidence” and timed sightings, to beat a murder rap. But when a hot-headed rival confronts him later that night, Hendricks fires a shot as the floor show begins…and sees the “victim” alive onstage. He’s crafted a flawless defense—only for a crime he hasn’t committed—while leaving himself utterly exposed for the one he just has. A razor-edged study in hubris, legal mind games, and a killer twist.  
Cast:
Joseph Cotten (as Lou Hendricks)  
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, legalthriller, courtroom, alibi, twistending, JosephCotten, BenHecht, WilliamSpier, RomaWines, noir, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicdrama, CBS, jealousy, crime, nightclub, fatalflaw

Dark Journey: A Will to Kill and the Shadow of Love

Originally Aired: April 25, 1946
In Suspense #190, “Dark Journey,” Nancy Kelly and Kathy Lewis star in Lucille Fletcher’s haunting two-woman play. Anne Brody is consumed by obsessive love for Clyde Dexter, convinced her willpower alone can bind him to her. With her friend Alice as uneasy witness, Anne wills herself into his life—until Clyde’s domineering mother is struck dead by an “unknown assailant.” Anne believes her own psychic force killed the woman, yet the truth is darker: Clyde himself carries the murderous weakness. Years later, Anne has everything she dreamed—marriage, children, the Riverdale house—until fate reclaims her in death, leaving Alice to recall the terrible cost of her friend’s unnatural will. A chilling tale of obsession, power, and the unseen hand of destruction.
Cast:
Nancy Kelly, Kathy Lewis
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, psychological, NancyKelly, KathyLewis, darkjourney, oldtimeradio, mystery, obsession, willpower, LucilleFletcher, gothic, vintagecrime, 1940sradio, classicdrama, femmehorror, suspensepodcast

The Night Reveals: Fire, Madness, and a Fatal Obsession

Originally Aired: April 18, 1946
In Suspense #189, “The Night Reveals,” Keenan Wynn stars as Harry Jordan, an insurance investigator whose job is to uncover the causes of fires—only to discover the flames burn far too close to home. Late-night wanderings, missing matches, and a melted locket found in the ashes convince Harry that his wife Marie is an arsonist. But as paranoia mounts, the truth twists: is Marie hiding a dangerous compulsion, or is Harry himself the fire-obsessed criminal? A searing psychological drama of suspicion, denial, and the consuming lure of destruction.
Cast:
Keenan Wynn, Kathy Lewis
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, psychological, KeenanWynn, KathyLewis, thenightreveals, oldtimeradio, mystery, arson, fire, paranoia, noir, vintagecrime, 1940sradio, classicdrama, CornellWoolrich, suspensepodcast