Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

Mission Completed

Originally Aired: December 1, 1949
Suspense #361, "Mission Completed," stars James Stewart as Tom, a paralyzed World War II veteran who has spent four years in a VA hospital, able to communicate only by blinking his eyes once for yes and twice for no. Tom's world revolves around a square on the ceiling that reminds him of Sagamo prison camp in Tokyo, where a brutal guard named Suki tortured and killed his fellow prisoners. When nurse Miss Rhodes wheels Tom past a flower shop, he spots Suki through the window, recognizable by the distinctive scar Tom gave him during their time at the camp. The shock triggers something extraordinary in Tom's paralyzed body, and he realizes his condition may not be as permanent as everyone believes.
Determined to exact justice on the man who destroyed so many lives, Tom begins secretly practicing movement at night, regaining strength in muscles he hasn't used in four years. His careful plan to bring Suki within reach faces a devastating obstacle when Dr. Benson and Miss Rhodes announce he's being transferred to another hospital three thousand miles away the very next day. With only hours remaining and Saturday bringing young Jackie to wheel him around the grounds, Tom must execute a desperate plan to complete the mission that began in that Japanese prison camp.

The Long Wait

Originally Aired: November 24, 1949
Suspense #360, "The Long Wait," stars Burt Lancaster as Dan Vettel, a man fresh out of prison with murder on his mind. Dan's brother Richie died in jail two years earlier, and Dan blames Lois Williams, the woman who informed on Richie to protect her lover, Tim Grady. When Dan arrives in New York to exact his revenge, Lieutenant Len Bush warns him not to go through with it, but Dan is determined. He retrieves a hidden gun and waits in his hotel room, ready to kill.
When Lois arrives, she stuns Dan by begging him to shoot her. She's lost everything—friends, career, and even Tim, who wants nothing to do with a squealer. Her desperate desire for death makes Dan hesitate. Instead of pulling the trigger, he makes an unexpected proposal: they'll become business partners. Using his money and her talent as a dress designer, they'll start a new business together. As Lois throws herself into the work and slowly regains hope, Dan watches and waits, but the long wait is far from over.

The Red-Headed Woman

Originally Aired: November 17, 1949
Suspense #359, "The Red-Headed Woman," stars Lucille Ball as Linda, a secretary whose broken engagement sends her down a dangerous path. After her fiancé Frank coldly breaks off their two-year relationship, Linda resolves to stop thinking of others and focus solely on herself. When her boss Mr. Jensen withdraws the company payroll early before his Florida vacation, Linda sees an opportunity. She steals $21,000 from the office safe, takes Jensen's gun, and heads for the Texas border, convincing herself that a fresh start is all she needs.
Her escape takes an ominous turn when she encounters a stranded motorist on a lonely detour road during a rainstorm. The dark-complexioned man in a light gray suit matches the radio description of a bank robber who participated in a violent Abilene holdup with a red-headed female accomplice. As Linda realizes this dangerous coincidence could make her a suspect in a far more serious crime than embezzlement, she must decide how far she's willing to go to protect her getaway and newfound independence.

The Murder of Aunt Delia

Originally Aired: November 10, 1949
Suspense #358, "The Murder of Aunt Delia," presents a chilling tale of identity theft and cold-blooded murder. Dort Sharples, a down-on-his-luck hitchhiker crossing the Arizona desert, catches a ride with Glendon Brayle, a young man heading to Santa Barbara to visit his wealthy invalid aunt after seventeen years apart. As Brayle shares intimate details of his childhood and reveals that Aunt Delia is his only living relative, Sharples sees an opportunity too lucrative to resist. In a desolate stretch of highway, Sharples murders Brayle and assumes his identity, memorizing every detail the trusting victim revealed about his past.
Armed with childhood memories that aren't his own and accompanied by his girlfriend Rena Zita, Sharples arrives at Aunt Delia's mansion to claim his inheritance. The reunion goes smoothly as the invalid woman welcomes her long-lost nephew home, reminiscing about spankings, favorite foods, and childhood nicknames. However, as Sharples settles into his new life, he must maintain his dangerous charade while dark plans form regarding Aunt Delia's uncertain future and her considerable fortune.

The Search for Isabell

Originally Aired: November 3, 1949
Suspense #357, "The Search for Isabell," stars Red Skelton as Dick Brown, an ordinary bank clerk whose life takes a strange turn when he receives a newly installed telephone. The phone comes with an unexpected complication: it belonged to the previous subscriber, a mysterious woman named Isabel LaRue. As calls pour in from various men seeking Isabel, Dick becomes increasingly intrigued by this elusive woman he's never met. Among the callers are wealthy, powerful men like Harold Mason and the playboy gambler John Worthington, all desperate to reach her. Dick begins fantasizing about Isabel, constructing an idealized image of her beauty and sophistication in his mind.
The situation turns sinister when John Worthington calls in an agitated state, demanding to speak with Isabel and threatening to cause trouble at the Beverly Towers if she doesn't contact him. The next morning, Dick discovers that Worthington has leaped to his death from the Beverly Towers. While newspapers attribute the suicide to gambling debts, Dick knows the truth: it was because of Isabel LaRue. As Dick finds himself dreaming about Isabel obsessively and growing strangely sympathetic to Worthington's fate, he realizes he may be falling under the same dangerous spell that destroyed the playboy gambler.

Momentum

Originally Aired: October 27, 1949
Suspense #356, "Momentum," stars Victor Mature as Dick Payne, a man whose life spirals dangerously out of control in a single day. Standing on a train platform with a bullet in his neck, Dick waits to meet his wife Pauline and escape to San Francisco. As snow begins to fall, he reflects on how everything went wrong since that morning when Pauline woke him at noon, reminding him he's been unemployed for six months while she supports them. When she tells him they're being evicted, Dick's anger and pride drive him to confront his former employer, Mr. Burroughs, demanding payment for an invention he claims was stolen from him.
Dick's confrontation with the respected businessman escalates as Burroughs denies any wrongdoing and credits the invention to his longtime foreman, Tim Riley. As Dick's desperation and rage build, the situation begins gaining its own deadly momentum—each decision leading to the next like a snowball rolling downhill, leaving a trail of bodies in its wake.

Good Night Mrs Russell

Originally Aired: October 20, 1949
Suspense #355, "Good Night Mrs Russell," stars Betty Davis as a middle-aged widow who becomes an unwitting target of danger. Mrs. Russell is a regular customer at Henry's Cafe, a small, pleasant lunch spot near her office in the Hillmar Building. Henry, the cafe's polite and solitary proprietor, seems particularly attentive to her, inviting her to try one of his dinners. When Mrs. Russell works late one evening and stops by the cafe alone at night, she notices Henry acting strangely—suspicious, nervous, listening for something unseen. Despite her unease, she returns weeks later for another late-night meal, this time ordering the number four dinner again.
As Mrs. Russell chatters about her late husband Leonard and her son killed in the war, Henry grows ominously quiet, watching her with a blank expression. Then, without warning, she becomes dizzy and ill, realizing too late that something is terribly wrong. Now trapped with dawn approaching, Mrs. Russell knows Henry plans to kill her, and argument and reasoning have proven useless. The episode builds to a chilling confrontation as the trusting widow discovers the deadly intentions of the man she thought she could help.

Account Payable

Originally Aired: October 13, 1949
Suspense #354, "Account Payable," stars Edward Arnold as Timothy Baker, a long-suffering head bookkeeper who has endured 22 years of humiliation from his tyrannical boss, John Waterberry. Baker's life outside the office revolves around his beloved 20-year-old daughter Jessie, whose happiness means everything to him. When Jessie falls in love with a young medical student named Bill, her joy suddenly turns to despair upon discovering that Bill's father is none other than Waterberry himself. The boss considers Baker's daughter beneath his son's social standing and demands that the relationship end immediately, declaring that a future doctor needs to marry into position and society, not the working class.
The confrontation between Baker and Waterberry escalates dangerously as the boss works himself into a rage over the romance. Waterberry suffers from severe asthma and requires emergency adrenaline injections during his attacks. As Baker waits anxiously in the present moment, watching Waterberry's office door, he reveals that inside lies a dead man's body waiting to be discovered, leaving listeners to wonder what transpired during that fateful confrontation and whether Baker finally stood up to his tormentor with deadly consequences.

The Defense Rests

Originally Aired: October 6, 1949
Suspense #353, "The Defense Rests," stars Van Johnson as Robert Tasker, an ex-convict on trial for murder. As his defense attorney Max Krager addresses the court, Robert reflects on the twisted irony of his situation: Krager is the only friend he's ever had, yet without him, Robert wouldn't be in this courtroom at all. The story flashes back to Robert's release from San Quentin, where he served time after being prosecuted by district attorney Arthur Hines. Krager, who befriended Robert after reading a story he wrote in prison, secures his parole and offers him a job as a clerk in his law office. Robert accepts, grateful for the opportunity and growing close to Peggy, the office secretary who encourages his writing.
The fragile new beginning shatters when Robert learns that Arthur Hines, the man he blames for his imprisonment, is now Krager's law partner. When Hines returns to the office, tensions explode immediately. A confrontation erupts involving a suspicious ex-convict named Marvin who claims Hines stole fifty thousand dollars from him, leading to a violent clash between Robert and Hines that sets the stage for the murder charge Robert now faces.

Blind Date

Originally Aired: September 29, 1949
Suspense #352, "Blind Date," finds vaudeville performer Gloria LaFay preparing to leave Chicago after closing night when a mysterious stranger named Vincent Hawthorne arrives at her dressing room. The cultured, poetry-quoting Vincent has arranged a blind date with the young acrobatic dancer, bringing wine and roses for what he insists should be an intimate evening in her dressing room. Gloria, who inherited her act from her late mother Diane, is eager to leave for a proper dinner at Gregory's restaurant, but Vincent seems determined to keep her there, his intentions growing increasingly unclear and unsettling.
As Vincent's behavior becomes more strange and controlling, the evening takes a darker turn. His melancholy musings about loneliness and his peculiar fascination with Gloria's back-bending act hint at something sinister beneath his refined exterior. When he produces a large trick knife to open the wine bottle, Gloria's unease intensifies. Vincent's cryptic comments about knives being "a friend" and "the only fri—" suggest that this blind date may be leading somewhere far more dangerous than a simple midnight supper.