Wikipedia
Suspense (American TV series)
Suspense is an American television anthology series that ran on CBS Television from 1949 to 1954. It was adapted from the radio program of the same name which ran from 1942 to 1962.
| Suspense | |
|---|---|
Romney Brent in the episode "A Cask of Amontillado" (1949) | |
| Genre | Anthology drama |
| Directed by | Robert Mulligan (1952-54) Byron Paul (1953) John Peyser (1950) Robert Stevens (1949-52) |
| Presented by | Rex Marshall |
| Composers | Henry (Hank) Sylvern Bernard Herrmann |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 260 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | William Dozier (1953) |
| Producers | Robert Stevens (1949-52) John Peyser (1950) Martin Manulis (1952-54) David Heilweil (1954) |
| Running time | 25 min. (1949 pilot episode) 30 min. (March 1, 1949-Aug. 17, 1954) |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | 4:3 Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | 6 January 1949 – 17 August 1954 |
Series overview
The show was broadcast live from New York City to stations on CBS's eastern and midwestern networks. Kinescope recordings were made for transmission via KTTV in Hollywood. It was sponsored by the Auto-Lite corporation,[1] and each episode was introduced by host Rex Marshall, who promoted Auto-Lite spark plugs, car batteries, headlights, and other car parts.
Some of the early scripts were adapted from Suspense radio scripts, while others were original for television. Like the radio program, many scripts were adaptations of literary classics by well-known authors. Classic authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie, and Charles Dickens all had stories adapted for the series, while contemporary authors such as Roald Dahl and Gore Vidal also contributed. Many notable actors appeared on the program, including Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Cloris Leachman, Brian Keith, Franchot Tone, Robert Emhardt, Leslie Nielsen, and Lloyd Bridges.
The ninety existing episodes are available today on three DVD box sets. TubiTV.com also is streaming episodes of the show.[2]
Episodes
Season 1 (1948-1949)
| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Guest Stars | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Goodbye New York | Meg Mundy | January 6, 1949 |
| 2 | 2 | Revenge | Eddie Albert Margo | March 1, 1949 |
| 3 | 3 | Suspicion | Ernest Truex Sylvia Field Ruth McDevitt | March 15, 1949 |
| 4 | 4 | Cabin B-13 | Charles Korvin Eleanor Lynn | March 29, 1949 |
| 5 | 5 | The Man Upstairs | Mildred Natwick Anthony Ross | April 5, 1949 |
| 6 | 6 | After Dinner Story | Otto Kruger | April 12, 1949 |
| 7 | 7 | The Creeper | Nina Foch Anthony Ross | April 19, 1949 |
| 8 | 8 | A Night at an Inn | Boris Karloff Anthony Ross Jack Manning Barry Macollum Joan Stanley | April 26, 1949 |
| 9 | 9 | Dead Ernest | Margaret Phillips Tod Andrews Will Hare Patricia Jenkins | May 3, 1949 |
| 10 | 10 | Post Mortem | Sidney Blackmer Peggy Conklin Richard Coogan Julian Noa | May 10, 1949 |
| 11 | 11 | The Monkey's Paw | Boris Karloff Mildred Natwick | May 17, 1949 |
| 12 | 12 | Murder Through the Looking Glass | William Prince Peter von Zerneck | May 24, 1949 |
| 13 | 13 | The Doors on the Thirteenth Floor | Louisa Horton Hill Anthony Ross Russell Collins Nell Harrison Douglass Watson | May 31, 1949 |
| 14 | 14 | The Yellow Scarf | Boris Karloff Felicia Montealegre Russell Collins Douglass Watson | June 7, 1949 |
| 15 | 15 | Help Wanted | Otto Kruger D.A. Clarke-Smith Peggy French George Mathews Ruth McDevitt | June 14, 1949 |
| 16 | 16 | Stolen Empire | Audrey Christie Ken Lynch | June 21, 1949 |
| 17 | 17 | The Hands of Mr. Ottermole | Ralph Bell | June 28, 1949 |
Season 2 (1949-1950)
- Oct. 11, 1949 - "The Cask of Amontillado" - starring Bela Lugosi
- May 30, 1950 - "Listen, Listen" - Mildred Natwick[3]
- June 6, 1950 - "Black Bronze" - Franchot Tone[4]
- June 27, 1050 - "Wisteria Cottage" - Conrad Janis, Marjorie Gateson[5]
- October 10, 1950 - "Criminal's Mark" - Catherine McLeod[6]
- October 17, 1950 - "The Man Who Would Be King" - Francis L. Sullivan[7]
- November 14, 1950 - "The Brush Off" - Leslie Nielsen, Mary Sinclair[8]
- November 21, 1950 - "Justice Has Been Done" - Francis Sullivan[9]
Season 3 (1950-1951)
Season 4 (1951-1952)
- April 17, 1951 - "The Juice Man" - Cloris Leachman, Robert Webber, Robert Emhardt[10]
Season 5 (1952-1953)
- October 7, 1952 - "The Man in the Mirror" - Gerald O'Loughlin, Constance Ford, Sally Gracie, Larry Gates, Cliff Hall, Archie Smith, Arthur Marlowe[11]
- October 14, 1952 - "The Blue Panther" -Phyllis Brooks, Michael Strong, Erik Rhodes, Gene Anton Jr., Bruce Gordon, Michael Garrett, Tom Avera, Gina Petrushka[12]
- October 21, 1952 - "The Man Who Had 7 Hours" - Robert Sterling, Gaby Rodgers, Walter Kohler, Ludie Claire, Susan Caubet, Marcel Hillaire, MacLean Savage[13]
- October 28, 1952 - "All Hallow's Eve" - Franchot Tone, Francis Compton, Romney Brent, Patricia Byrd, Penny Hays, Douglas Jay, Bobby Catanio[14]
- November 11, 1952 - "Moving Target" - Jamie Smith, Irja Jensen, Joseph Anthony, Wolfe Barzell, Rudy Bond, Kalle Ruusumen, Jan DeRuth, Nina Hansen[15]
- January 13, 1953 - "Mr. Matches" - Warren Stevens, Henry Jones, Eleanor Wilson[16]
- August 8, 1953 - "Nightmare At Ground Zero" by Rod Serling - O.Z. Whitehead, Louise Larabee, Pat Hingle[17]
References
- ^ "CBS 'Suspense' Sale For TV Cues House-combing For Additional Packages". Variety. February 2, 1949. pp. 27, 32. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "Suspense".
- ^ "Television Highlights of the Week". The Boston Globe. May 28, 1590. p. 30-A. Retrieved May 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Television Highlights of the Week". The Boston Globe. June 4, 1950. p. 6 - A. Retrieved May 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Television Highlights of the Week". The Boston Globe. June 25, 1950. p. 4 A. Retrieved May 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Air Attractions". The Boston Globe. October 10, 1950. p. 19. Retrieved April 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Television Highlights". The Central New Jersey Home News. New Jersey, New Brunswick. October 17, 1950. p. 17. Retrieved April 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Air Attractions". The Boston Globe. November 14, 1950. p. 19. Retrieved April 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Television Highlights of the Week". The Boston Globe. November 19, 1950. p. 20-A. Retrieved May 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Video Highlights". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 17, 1951. p. 13. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tuesday October 7 (Cont'd)". Ross Reports. October 5, 1952. p. 10. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
- ^ "Suspense". Ross Reports. October 12, 1952. p. 10. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Suspense". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. October 19, 1952. p. 10. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ "Suspense". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. October 26, 1952. p. 8. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ "Suspense". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. November 9, 1952. p. 10. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ^ "Television Highlights". The Central New Jersey Home News. New Jersey, New Brunswick. January 13, 1953. p. 12. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ An Evening in the Zone: Three Teleplays by Twilight Zone Creator Rod Serling dvd, S'More Entertainment, catalog no. SMO-7172 (2009).
External links
- Suspense at IMDb
- Suspense TV: An Introduction to the Show
- Suspense episode "Woman in Love" (August 26, 1952) at Internet Archive
- Suspense at CVTA with episode list