“SUSPENSE!” Multi-Episode Marathon 005 #WeirdDarkness #RetroRadio

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Get full-length pulp audiobooks pulp eBooks and old-time radio shows ABSOLUTELY FREE FOR IMMEDIATE DOWNLOAD by emailing WeirdDarkness RadioArchives com When the dramatic anthology series Suspense premiered over CBS Radio on June 17 1942 it did so as both a summer series and as a sustaining program The network had no idea how well the series would perform – its only previous showcase was as an hour-long audition on the 1940 series Forecast – so running out and getting a sponsor didn t seem to be important at that particular stage Besides in the show s salad days the guest stars that did appear were of considerably low wattage But as Suspense grew in popularity and began to attract a more upscale acting clientele anxious to participate in radio s outstanding theater of thrills finding someone to pick up the weekly tab became a top priority for CBS Luckily in December 2 1943 the series found its angel in the sponsorship of Roma Wines Suspense s long association with Roma and co-branded Cresta Blanca was good for both the series and the company a bigger budget attracted bigger guest stars and as the program began to climb in the ratings the company began to enjoy substantial profits This fruitful arrangement came to an end on November 20 1947 Roma had been admittedly seeing other programs behind Suspense s back and the bright array of top Hollywood talent began to dim a bit as many of the stars began to tire of the program CBS rolled the dice and took one heck of a chance in keeping Suspense on the air the network still felt that the series was popular with audiences and they agreed to sustain the program until another sponsor could be found How serious was CBS about keeping its prestige show Beginning January 3 1948 Suspense was moved to Saturday nights and was broadcast from 8 00 to 9 00 PM Eastern Standard Time That s right a full hour of Suspense Hour-long dramatic shows were a gamble at best many stars tended to shun these programs – a half-hour show was grueling enough to get through – and only a few The Lux Radio Theater being the best example managed to continue on the air for very long But Lux had a sponsor all too willing to write checks on a weekly basis while CBS without a sponsor to back them up was still the sole support of Suspense What s more the network learned soon enough that by doubling the show from half-hour to hour-long status they had to double the pay of the individuals working on the show as well Networks as a rule cringe at the thought of giving money away To jazz up Suspense CBS hired actor Robert Montgomery to be the host and occasional performer figuring that on the weeks when they had to resort to a less-than A list of guest stars at least Montgomery would be around to provide a certain degree of glitter Montgomery at it turned out made appearances in quite a few of the hour-long shows including both the premiere The Black Curtain and most notably in Night Must Fall which allowed him to reprise the role he had created in the 1937 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture of the same name Many of the hour-long Suspense shows were movie adaptations in the Lux Radio Theater mold including Deadline at Dawn Crossfire and Nightmare — the last of which was filmed in 1947 as Fear in the Night There were even two productions that it could be said acted as previews of coming attractions the series 1948 productions of In a Lonely Place and The House by the River were brought to the silver screen in 1950 Several of Suspense s celebrated classics were also repeated during the hour-long experiment having been lengthened to fit the new format They included such audience favorites as The Lodger Donovan s Brain and Love s Lovely Counterfeit Suspense s hour-long experiment closed up shop on May 15 1948 and close to two months later the show moved back to its cozy Thursday night berth in its familiar half-hour form with a new sponsor Autolite The show experienced a re-emergence in popularity and while the merits of the hour-long broadcasts must ultimately be decided upon by the listener the decision by CBS to keep the series in production certainly seems in retrospect to have been the right call Suspense would continue to be heard on the network for the next fourteen years closing the curtain for the last time in September 1962 00 00 00 000 INTRODUCTION00 01 54 350 Fire Burn And Cauldron Bubble April 06 1943 00 31 20 444 Two Sharp Knives December 22 1942 01 00 31 904 The Pit And The Pendulum January 12 1943 01 30 01 398 The Customers Like Murder March 23 1943 02 29 01 530 Fear Paints a Picture April 13 1943 02 58 26 411 The Moment of Darkness April 20 1943 03 27 50 753 The Diary of Saphronia Winters April 27 1943 03 57 19 454 Death Flies Blind May 04 1943 04 26 46 300 Mr Markheim Antique Dealer May 11 1943 SOURCES AND ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS This episode is sponsored by http RadioArchives comWeird Darkness Retro Radio theme by Storyblocks I have come into the world as a light so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness John 12 46Find out how to escape eternal darkness at https weirddarkness com eternaldarknessWeirdDarkness – is a registered trademark Copyright Weird Darkness 2024 CUSTOM WEBPAGE https weirddarkness com suspense-marathon-005Click here to visit this podcast episode