BROADCASTS.com

b'Get full-length pulp audiobooks, pulp eBooks, and old-time radio shows ABSOLUTELY FREE FOR IMMEDIATE DOWNLOAD by emailing\\xa0WeirdDarkness@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\\u2019t seem to be important at that particular stage. Besides, in the show\\u2019s 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 \\u201cradio\\u2019s outstanding theater of thrills,\\u201d 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\\u2019s" 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\\u2019s" 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\\u2019s right: a full hour of \\u201cSuspense.\\u201d 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, \\u201cThe Black Curtain\\u201d, and most notably in \\u201cNight Must Fall\\u201d, 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 \\u201cDeadline at Dawn,\\u201d \\u201cCrossfire\\u201d and \\u201cNightmare\\u201d -- the last of which was filmed in 1947 as \\u201cFear in the Night\\u201d. There were even two productions that, it could be said, acted as previews of coming attractions: the series\\u2019 1948 productions of \\u201cIn a Lonely Place\\u201d and \\u201cThe House by the River\\u201d were brought to the silver screen in 1950. Several of "Suspense\\u2019s" celebrated classics were also repeated during the hour-long experiment, having been lengthened to fit the new format. "Suspense\\u2019s" 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 through September 1962.
00:00:00.000 = INTRODUCTION
00:01:54.350 = \\u201cThe Burning Court\\u201d (June 17, 1942)
00:31:24.029 = The Devil In The Summer House (November 03, 1942)
01:00:53.552 = The Bride Vanishes (December 01, 1942)
01:30:31.934 = Till Death Do Us Part (December 15, 1942)
02:00:00.615 = Nothing Up My Sleeve (January 05, 1943)
02:29:24.419 = The Devil\\u2019s Saint (January 19, 1943)
02:58:52.578 = Last Night (March 06, 1943)
03:28:25.102 = Uncle Henry\\u2019s Rose Bush (June 29, 1943)
03:57:52.047 = The White Rose Murders (July 06, 1943)
04:27:08.240 = The Fountain Plays (August 10, 1943)

SOURCES AND ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS\\u2026
This episode is sponsored by http://RadioArchives.com
Weird 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." \\u2014 John 12:46
WeirdDarkness\\xae - is a registered trademark. Copyright, Weird Darkness, 2024.

CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/suspense-marathon-007'