Stars On Suspense (old Time Radio)

The master of suspense was born 120 years ago today, and we're saluting Alfred Hitchcock with one of his classic films recreated for radio. Ray Milland and Frank Lovejoy star in the cautionary tale about talking to Strangers on a Train from the Lux Radio Theatre (originally aired on CBS on December 3, 1951).

Orson Welles called her "the world's greatest living radio actress," and it's easy to see why when you hear Mercedes McCambridge at the microphone. The Oscar-winning actress cut her teeth in radio before bringing home an Academy Award for her turn in All the King's Men, and years later she'd put her voice to work scaring generations of moviegoers in The Exorcist. We'll hear her in a pair of radio thrillers: "America's Boyfriend" (AFRS rebroadcast from July 21, 1957) and "The Diary of Saphronia Winters" (AFRS rebroadcast from August 10, 1958).

A classic big screen tough guy, Broderick Crawford took home an Oscar for his turn as a fiery corrupt politico in All the King's Men and he kept the streets safe on Highway Patrol. In his two Suspense appearances, Crawford delivered his powerful screen charisma in two tales of crooks facing the heat from their fellow rogues: "Dutch Schultz" (originally aired on CBS on October 26, 1953) and "Parole to Panic" (originally aired on CBS on April 12, 1954).

The first lady of Suspense is back! Agnes Moorehead returns to the podcast for a pair of old time radio thrillers, including a production of the most famous Suspense play of all time: "Sorry, Wrong Number" (originally aired on CBS on August 21, 1943). Then she stars as a fake medium whose fraudulent games may turn deadly in "The Evil of Adelaide Winters" (originally aired on CBS on September 10, 1951).

J. Carrol Naish shows why he was "Hollywood's one-man U.N." in his first and last visits to Suspense. The two-time Oscar nominated actor could convincingly play characters from all over the world, and his knack for accents is put to great use in these radio thrillers. First, he co-stars with Joseph Cotten in an adaptation of "The Most Dangerous Game" (originally aired on CBS on February 1, 1945). Then, Naish stars in a story of pirate's booty in "The Treasure Chest of Don Jose" (originally aired on CBS on February 4, 1952). Plus, we'll hear Naish in an episode of his radio sitcom Life with Luigi (originally aired on CBS on August 21, 1949).

Adept at both romantic leads and dastardly villainous roles, Victor Jory enjoyed a long career on stage, screen, and television. His jet black eyes and grim face worked to his advantage on screen, and his rich voice served him well on radio in his four visits to Suspense. We'll hear his first two: an adaptation of Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" (originally aired on CBS on December 9, 1956) and "Thou Shalt Not Commit" (AFRS rebroadcast from April 14, 1957).

Before he entered the small screen courtroom as Perry Mason, Raymond Burr was a big screen heavy and a busy radio actor. He played everything from killers to cops to cavalrymen, and he supported stars in their visits to "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." In the late 1950s, he moved from the supporting cast to the lead role on Suspense, and we'll hear two old time radio thrillers that aired just months before he went on the air as Mason: "The Paralta Map" (originally aired on CBS on March 10, 1957) and "Murder on Mike" (originally aired on CBS on July 28, 1957).

In his final appearance on the podcast, Dana Andrews plays a man plotting a murder and a cop on the trail of a killer. The star of Laura and Where the Sidewalk Ends plays heel and hero in a pair of old time radio thrillers: "If the Dead Could Talk" (originally aired on CBS on January 20, 1949) and "The One-Man Crime Wave" (originally aired on CBS on January 11, 1954).

For Cary Grant's final visit to the podcast, we're going back to his first visit to Suspense - an adaptation of Cornell Woolrich's "The Black Curtain" (originally aired on CBS on December 2, 1943). Then, Grant recreates his big screen role of Jim Blandings in a radio spin-off of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. Betsy Drake, the real-life Mrs. Cary Grant, co-stars as Mrs. Bladings in an AFRS rebroadcast of an episode originally aired on NBC on June 10, 1951.

Dinah Shore was one of the most popular singers of the 1940s, with nearly 100 chart-topping hits like "Blues in the Night" and "Baby, It's Cold Outside." For her one and only appearance on Suspense, she starred and sang in "Frankie and Johnny" (originally aired on CBS on May 5, 1952) = a dramatic retelling of the classic ballad. We'll also hear her clowning around with Groucho Marx in an episode from her musical variety show (originally aired on NBC on March 15, 1945).

In movies like 3:10 to Yuma and Shane, Van Heflin shined as ordinary men standing up to evil. But in his visits to Suspense, Heflin usually shed his heroic trappings and kept audiences thrilled as villains. We'll hear him as a pair of heels in "Song of the Heart" (originally aired on CBS on August 26, 1948) and "Three O'Clock" (originally aired on CBS on March 10, 1949).

Though he's best known to old time radio fans as lovable lug Chester A. Riley, William Bendix made a name for himself as rough and tumble tough guys in movies like Lifeboat and The Blue Dahlia. He showed off that side of his persona when he made visits to Suspense. We'll bid goodbye to him this week as we wrap up his run of shows on "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" - "Pearls are a Nuisance" (originally aired on CBS on April 19, 1945) and "Break-Up" (originally aired on CBS on December 30, 1948).

Before he was an Oscar nominee, Jeff Chandler was a busy radio actor. He played a western lawyer, private eye Michael Shayne, and bashful biology teacher Mr. Boynton in Our Miss Brooks. He also played supporting roles on "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." But after his breakout film role and his rise to leading man status, Chandler moved into starring roles on Suspense. We'll hear him in "The Steel River Prison Break" (originally aired on CBS on September 3, 1951) and "The Case Against Loo Doc" (originally aired on CBS on January 7, 1952).

For his final visit to Suspense, three-time Academy Award nominee Kirk Douglas starred as a man whose wandering eye lands him and his new love in danger. The star of Spartacus and Ace in the Hole brings his trademark explosive style of acting to “The Butcher’s Wife” (originally aired on CBS on February 9, 1950). Then, he recreates his role from William Wyler’s Detective Story in an April 26, 1954 broadcast from The Lux Radio Theatre.

We take a break from “radio’s outstanding theater of thrills” to salute the late legend of Hollywood, Doris Day. The Oscar-nominee, box office star, recording sensation, and animal activist passed away at age 97. We’ll hear a pair of episodes from The Doris Day Show, her musical radio program. Ms. Day sings along with special guests Danny Thomas (in an episode originally aired on CBS on March 28, 1952) and Gordon MacRae and Mary Wickes (originally aired on CBS on May 9, 1952).

Marie Wilson was best known for her radio, TV, and film work as the ditzy, scatterbrained sweetheart Irma Peterson in My Friend Irma. She played to her comedy strengths in her only appearance on Suspense – the lighthearted caper “Star Over Hong Kong” (originally aired on CBS on February 22, 1959). We’ll also hear her in her signature role in an episode of My Friend Irma (originally aired on CBS on May 3, 1948).

In Casablanca as resistance leader Victor Lazlo, Paul Henreid rallies a crowd to drown out the Nazis with a spirited rendition of “La Marseillaise.” But in his two visits to Suspense, he played a pair of men with murder on their minds and diabolical plans. We’ll hear him in “The Angel of Death” (originally aired on CBS on January 3, 1946) and “No More Alice” (originally aired on CBS on March 14, 1946).

Oscar-winning star and Batman villain Anne Baxter makes her final visit to the podcast in “The Thirteenth Sound,” a Suspense story from April 26, 1951. We’ll also hear her as she recreates her big screen, award-nominated performance from All About Eve on the Lux Radio Theatre (originally aired on CBS on October 1, 1951).

Over the course of a nearly sixty-year career that spanned two continents, Charles Boyer was one of the screen’s most popular stars. The French actor was acclaimed for his romantic leading roles, but he could also be a memorable villain – like when he played Ingrid Bergman’s manipulative husband in Gaslight. We’ll hear the four-time Oscar nominee in a pair of tales from Suspense: “The Case of Henri Vibard” (originally aired on CBS on June 8, 1950) and “Another Man’s Poison” (originally aired on CBS on May 17, 1951).

Fred MacMurray leaves flying cars and Flubber behind for his third and final appearance on Suspense. We’ll hear the star in “The Great Train Robbery” (originally aired on CBS on April 13, 1953) – a story that finds MacMurray more in Double Indemnity than Disney territory. Then, MacMurray co-stars with Irene Dunne in an episode from Bright Star, their syndicated newspaper comedy-drama series.