Episode 449 - Stars of “Seven Days in May”
Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)
Release Date: 04/30/2026
Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)
We’re going back to school with the stars of the classic radio sitcom Our Miss Brooks starring in Suspense thrillers. First, Eve Arden - the titular English teacher of Madison High - stars in “The Well-Dressed Corpse” (originally aired on CBS on January 18, 1951). Then, Jeff Chandler - bashful biology teacher Mr. Boynton - stars in “The Steel River Prison Break” (originally aired on CBS on September 3, 1951). Finally, Richard Crenna - squeaky-voiced teen Walter Denton - stars in “Night on Red Mountain” (originally aired on CBS on January 11, 1959). Plus, we’ll hear the cast in...
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We wrap up this month of my favorite movies with Seven Days in May - John Frankenheimer’s tense Cold War drama about a planned coup d’etat in the United States. With a script from Rod Serling and an amazing cast, it’s a thriller that holds up over sixty years later. We’ll hear three of its stars: Kirk Douglas, who plays the Army officer who discovers the plot; Edmond O’Brien as the rascally senator enlisted to help save the day; and Fredric March as the president facing removal - a man committed to doing the right thing even if it’s unpopular. Douglas stars in “The Story of...
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My month of personal favorites continues with two for the price of one - my favorite Suspense episodes adapted from the stories of Ray Bradbury, one of my favorite writers. He’s best known for his science fiction stories, but the tales here are (mostly) down to earth tales of thrills and chills. Dana Andrews is a cop hunting a killer in “The Crowd” (originally aired on CBS on September 21, 1950); a children’s game may hide a sinister secret in “Zero Hour” (originally aired on CBS on April 5, 1955); Jeanette Nolan takes the long way home in “The Whole Town’s Sleeping”...
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This week, I’m sharing another of my favorite movies - Carol Reed’s classic noir drama set on the streets of postwar Vienna The Third Man. Orson Welles makes one of his most memorable screen appearances as the charming rogue Harry Lime, and Joseph Cotten is Holly Martins, Lime’s friend who struggles to face the truth about his pal’s criminal nature. We’ll hear the two stars in Suspense shows - Welles in “The Dark Tower” (originally aired on CBS on May 4, 1944) and Cotten in “Fly By Night” (originally aired on CBS on September 28, 1950). Then, Cotten recreates his film role in...
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My month of favorite movies continues this week with Superman - the 1978 film that brought the Man of Steel to the big screen and still holds up as one of the best entries in its genre. We’ll hear two of its stars: Glenn Ford, who played Jonathan Kent, the adopted father of the future Superman, and Jackie Cooper, who ran the Daily Planet newsroom as editor Perry White. Ford stars in “The End of the Road” (originally aired on CBS on February 6, 1947) and Cooper stars in “The Clock and the Rope” (originally aired on CBS on December 5, 1947). Then, we’ll hear the inaugural episodes of...
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For April, I’m featuring some of my favorite movies with their stars appearing in tales well calculated to keep you in Suspense. First up is Witness for the Prosecution, Billy Wilder’s engrossing courtroom drama adapted from the story by Agatha Christie. We’ll hear the stars of the film - Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, Marlene Dietrich, and Tyrone Power - in radio thrillers as well as a recreation of the Christie story. Real-life husband and wife Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester star in “The ABC Murders” - another Christie story (originally aired on CBS on May 18, 1943). Ms....
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Our month-long series of Best Picture winning movies and their stars concludes with All the King’s Men - the story of a populist politician who rides into office in an anti-corruption campaign and leaves mired in scandal. We’ll hear its two Oscar-winning stars in episodes of Suspense: Broderick Crawford in “Dutch Schultz” (originally aired on CBS on October 26, 1953) and Mercedes McCambridge in “America’s Boyfriend” (AFRS rebroadcast from July 21, 1957). Then, The NBC University Theatre presents a radio adaptation of the Robert Penn Warren novel that inspired the film (originally...
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Our parade of Best Picture winners continues with Billy Wilder’s The Lost Weekend - a harrowing portrayal of alcoholism that also netted a Best Actor Oscar for its star, Ray Milland. We’ll hear Mr. Milland, along with his co-stars Jane Wyman and Howard Da Silva, in episodes of Suspense, plus a radio recreation of the film. Mr. Da Silva stars in “You Take Ballistics” (originally aired on CBS on March 13, 1947), Ms. Wyman stars in “Catch Me if You Can” (originally aired on CBS on February 17, 1949), and Mr. Milland stars in “Chicken Feed” (originally aired on CBS on...
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Our month of Best Picture Oscar winners continues with All About Eve - where Anne Baxter’s ambitious Eve inserts herself into the life of Bette Davis’ legendary Broadway star with a plan to steal the actress’s crown. We’ll hear Ms. Baxter and Ms. Davis - both Oscar nominees for their performances - in stories from Suspense and a Lux Radio Theatre recreation of the film. Anne Baxter fights to get ahead in the cutthroat world of advertising in “Always Room at the Top” (originally aired on CBS on February 20, 1947), and Bette Davis is menaced by a madman in “Goodnight, Mrs....
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With the Academy Awards ceremony only a few weeks away, we're kicking off a new month-long series of Best Picture Oscar winners with Gentleman’s Agreement - Elia Kazan’s searing indictment of antisemitism. We’ll hear three of the film’s stars - Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and John Garfield - in episodes of Suspense. Garfield stars in “Death Sentence” (originally aired on CBS on November 4, 1948); Peck in “Murder Through the Looking Glass” (originally aired on CBS on March 17, 1949); and McGuire headlines “Last Confession” (originally aired on CBS on September 15, 1949)....
info_outlineWe wrap up this month of my favorite movies with Seven Days in May - John Frankenheimer’s tense Cold War drama about a planned coup d’etat in the United States. With a script from Rod Serling and an amazing cast, it’s a thriller that holds up over sixty years later. We’ll hear three of its stars: Kirk Douglas, who plays the Army officer who discovers the plot; Edmond O’Brien as the rascally senator enlisted to help save the day; and Fredric March as the president facing removal - a man committed to doing the right thing even if it’s unpopular. Douglas stars in “The Story of Markham’s Death” (originally aired on CBS on October 2, 1947); O’Brien stars in “Muddy Track” (originally aired on CBS on November 11, 1948); and March stars in “The Night Reveals” (originally aired on CBS on May 26. 1949). Plus - a bonus Suspense story of Cold War espionage: "The Case for Dr. Singer" (originally aired on CBS on June 28, 1951).