Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

My Dear Niece: An Aunt’s Letter and a Criminal’s Deception

Originally Aired: January 24, 1946
In Suspense #177, “My Dear Niece,” Dame Mae Whitty stars as Emily Rogers, a lonely widow who answers a seemingly harmless newspaper ad offering part-time work. Soon she is drawn into a shadowy scheme involving a fugitive masquerading as a writer, a dead man named Paul Stevens, and a criminal mastermind hiding behind the alias “Mr. Bruce.” Told as a chilling letter to her niece, Emily recounts how she unknowingly harbored a murderer in her home, only to discover that family ties, betrayal, and deception were far closer to her than she ever imagined. A cleverly constructed tale of menace and revelation.
Cast:
Dame Mae Whitty, Wally Maher
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, psychological, DameMaeWhitty, mydearniece, oldtimeradio, mystery, deception, fugitive, criminal, vintagecrime, 1940sradio, classicdrama, letterformat, suspensepodcast

The Pasteboard Box: Twins, Murder, and a Fatal Switch

Originally Aired: January 17, 1946
In Suspense #176, “The Pasteboard Box,” identical twins Jack and Walter Parcell embody Cain and Abel reborn. After staging his own “suicide,” Jack murders Walter and slips into his life—his wealth, his identity, even his fiancée. But while Walter’s body proves hard to dispose of, his head remains an especially grim problem, hidden in a pasteboard box that seems to follow Jack everywhere. When police come calling with questions about a murdered woman, Jack’s frantic lies collapse in a final, cruelly ironic twist. A grim tale of greed, identity, and justice inescapable.
Cast:
Joseph Cotten
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, psychological, JosephCotten, pasteboardbox, twins, oldtimeradio, mystery, murder, identity, noir, vintagecrime, 1940sradio, classicdrama, femmefatale, suspensepodcast

The Angel of Death: Genius, Retribution, and a Fatal Return

Originally Aired: January 3, 1946
In Suspense #174, “The Angel of Death,” John Forsythe (Paul Henreid) believes his intellect makes him untouchable—even as he manipulates fellow prisoners and boasts of his ability to commit the perfect crime. Convicted for the murders of his wife and best friend despite the absence of bodies, Forsythe serves his sentence smugly, conducting chilling psychological experiments behind bars. But upon release, he sets out to finish what he once began—only to discover that fate, vengeance, and madness take forms even he cannot predict. A dark meditation on arrogance, obsession, and justice deferred.
Cast:
Paul Henreid
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, psychological, crime, PaulHenreid, angelofdeath, oldtimeradio, mystery, prison, intellect, vengeance, gothic, vintagecrime, 1940sradio, classicdrama, retribution, suspensepodcast

Pink Camellias: Poison in the Petals

Originally Aired: December 27, 1945
In Suspense #173, “Pink Camellias,” dutiful niece Martha tends her tyrannical Aunt Abby and falls for smooth-talking cousin Neil—then coolly decides murder is the only path to freedom. Arsenic, teacakes, and greenhouse strawberries become instruments of fate as Martha outmaneuvers Neil and the household…until a final, chilling realization turns her triumph into doom. A sleek, lethal character study with a sting in its tail.  
Cast:
Marsha Hunt
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, psychological, poison, murder, MarshaHunt, pinkcamellias, oldtimeradio, mystery, femmehorror, arsenic, gothic, vintagecrime, 1940sradio, classicdrama, radioanthology

Double Entry: The Bookkeeper’s Bet Gone Bad

Originally Aired: December 20, 1945
In Suspense #172, “Double Entry,” a weary bookkeeper named Sam Crockett discovers that balancing ledgers isn't the only gamble he's made—especially when his friend Eddie tries to bail him out with a bet on a 100-to-1 longshot. As the office audits close in, Sam confesses to years of embezzlement, only to be overshadowed by Eddie’s misguided loyalty and a lucky win that turns everything upside down. But when the windfall vanishes, and the real thief is exposed, the story turns from criminal drama to ironic tragedy. A sharp, darkly comic tale about loyalty, crime, and the chaos of trying to set things right.
Cast:Keenan Wynn, Hume Cronin
Tags:Suspense, thriller, darkcomedy, crime, bookkeeper, embezzlement, KeenanWynn, HumeCronin, horsebetting, longshot, gambling, irony, vintagecrime, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

The Argyle Album: Murder, Blackmail, and a Reporter’s Dangerous Scoop

Originally Aired: December 13, 1945
In Suspense #171, “The Argyle Album,” hard-nosed reporter Harry Mitchell (Robert Taylor) stumbles into the story of a lifetime when famed columnist Alan Pierce dies under mysterious circumstances. Pierce had been preparing to expose the contents of the so-called Argyle Album—a white leather book filled with incriminating evidence of wartime profiteering and treachery. Soon Mitchell finds himself framed for murder, hunted by police, and entangled with a sultry adventuress, ruthless blackmailers, and a shadowy power broker who will kill to keep the truth buried. Packed with double-crosses, shocking deaths, and a sinister locked-room mystery, this thriller hurtles toward a violent climax where justice comes at a terrible price.
Cast:Robert Taylor
Tags:Suspense, thriller, noir, conspiracy, RobertTaylor, argylealbum, oldtimeradio, mystery, blackmail, lockedroom, corruption, espionage, betrayal, vintagecrime, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast

I Won’t Take a Minute: A Vanishing Fiancée and a Counterfeit Identity

Originally Aired: December 6, 1945
In Suspense #170, “I Won’t Take a Minute,” Kenny waits outside a dingy apartment house while his bride-to-be, Steffie, runs a quick package up to 4B—and never comes back. Minutes turn to terror as the bell rings, the elevator sighs, and a stranger in Steffie’s clothes walks past him without a flicker of recognition. With the police skeptical, Kenny claws through a maze of empty rooms, rooftop chases, and planted clues, uncovering a ruthless plot to erase Steffie’s identity and replace her with an impostor tied to her boss. Based on a tense tale by Cornell Woolrich, this is classic “girl vanishes in plain sight” suspense that ratchets from mystery to mayhem, right up to an incendiary finale and a breathless rescue. 
Cast:Lee Bowman
Tags:Suspense, thriller, mystery, identitytheft, disappearance, CornellWoolrich, LeeBowman, impostor, vanishinglady, rooftopchase, oldtimeradio, 1940sradio, classicdrama, noir, gaslight, counterfeitidentity

A Week Ago Wednesday: A Nightmare Lived Twice

Originally Aired: November 29, 1945
In Suspense #169, “A Week Ago Wednesday,” Maud Haskin is just another working woman—until a rainy night and a quarrel with her husband Harry hurl her into a psychological spiral. After seemingly witnessing a future where she is murdered by Harry, Maud wakes to find herself alive, but haunted. Was it only a dream, or a chilling warning? When a series of eerie coincidences begin to mirror the vision, Maud becomes convinced she must strike first—or become a victim. But fate has its own design in this gripping tale of premonition, paranoia, and tragic misunderstanding.
Cast:Nancy Kelly
Tags:Suspense, thriller, psychological, premonition, NancyKelly, oldtimeradio, murder, hallucination, paranoia, gaslight, vintagehorror, 1940sradio, classicdrama, femmehorror, suspensepodcast

Nineteen Deacon Street: The Ghost of Laverne

Originally Aired: November 22, 1945
 
In Suspense #168, “Nineteen Deacon Street,” tie salesman Maury Swartz rents a theatrical rooming house in Chicago, only to find himself haunted by the presence of a vanished blonde named Laverne. Her untouched room, her photograph, and his dreams all lead him deeper into a mystery that stretches back ten years. A key marked “9” and a phone number scrawled in eyebrow pencil drive Maury into the orbit of Jasper Florenz, a powerful producer guarding a dark secret inside the shuttered Florenz Theater. What begins as curiosity unravels into a deadly confrontation amid stage lights and sandbags, where the truth about Laverne’s disappearance is finally revealed. A moody mix of noir grit and ghostly obsession.
 
Cast:
Lloyd Nolan
 
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, LloydNolan, oldtimeradio, Chicago, haunted, ghoststory, mystery, theater, noir, femmefatalememory, 1940sradio, classicdrama, supernatural, suspensepodcast

Murder Off Key: The Songbird’s Scales and a Framed Stranger

Originally Aired: November 15, 1945
 
In Suspense #167, “Murder Off Key,” Frederick Carlson arrives in New York to stay at a friend’s apartment, only to be tormented by the nightly shrieks of a delusional would-be soprano, Violet Pondecker. But when Violet is found strangled and her jewels stolen, Carlson becomes the prime suspect—trapped by circumstantial evidence, a vanished dog, and a cunning detective with a soft voice. As Carlson fights to clear his name, he discovers that his host Morley has orchestrated a perfect frame-up, using even Violet’s dreadful “Roses of Picardy” scales as a weapon. A tense urban thriller where every note tightens the noose.
 
Cast:
Zachary Scott
 
Tags:
Suspense, thriller, ZacharyScott, oldtimeradio, NewYork, frameup, murdermystery, femmevoice, 1940sradio, deception, classicdrama, noir, suspensepodcast