. Here we have 60 episodes broadcast between 6-17-42 and 2-17-49. True to the policy of the producers, no crime goes unpunished (with one or two ambiguous exceptions) and there is no science fiction or fantasy, again with one or two exceptions.
There is no doubt that the producers also loved casting against type. In episodes not included here, Fibber McGee and Molly played straight roles and Jack Benny appeared as a tongue-in-cheek Martian. But in general, the word among the brightest stars in Hollywood was that an appearance on "Suspense" would be an actor's dream. So in this Radio Spirits set you can hear Edward G. Robinson, Vincent Price, Cary Grant, Charles Laughton, Joseph Cotten, James Cagney, Judy Garland, and too many more to mention here.
The two gems of the collection both star Agnes Moorehead. Of course, there is the famous "Sorry, Wrong Number" episode that has been hailed as the greatest dramatic performance on the radio, ever! The other is the even more frightening "The Yellow Wallpaper" that got an inferior treatment on Public Television a few years ago.
This is not the first "Suspense" collection put out by Radio Spirits, but it is a valuable piece of history nevertheless. It is available as a 20-cassette boxed set or as a 3- CD boxed set. Each has its advantages and I have both, the tapes for the car and the CDs for playing my favorite scenes at elderhostels and talks on the history of mass media. Both sets contain the usual booklet crammed with background information about the series and about each individual episode, complete with photographs of the stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Brings back many memories of tales and casts
Review: The very first "Suspense" broadcast took place on July 22, 1940 over all the CBS stations and featured "The Lodger," a popular Hitchcock thriller, with star Herbert Marshall. Twenty-two years later, it went off the air and left behind a trail of great stories and great acting. So it is appropriate that one of the latest additions to the Radio Spirits catalogue of "old time" broadcasts be titled <Old-Time Radio's Stars on Suspense>.
Here we have 60 episodes broadcast between 6-17-42 and 2-17-49. True to the policy of the producers, no crime goes unpunished (with one or two ambiguous exceptions) and there is no science fiction or fantasy, again with one or two exceptions.
There is no doubt that the producers also loved casting against type. In episodes not included here, Fibber McGee and Molly played straight roles and Jack Benny appeared as a tongue-in-cheek Martian. But in general, the word among the brightest stars in Hollywood was that an appearance on "Suspense" would be an actor's dream. So in this Radio Spirits set you can hear Edward G. Robinson, Vincent Price, Cary Grant, Charles Laughton, Joseph Cotten, James Cagney, Judy Garland, and too many more to mention here.
The two gems of the collection both star Agnes Moorehead. Of course, there is the famous "Sorry, Wrong Number" episode that has been hailed as the greatest dramatic performance on the radio, ever! The other is the even more frightening "The Yellow Wallpaper" that got an inferior treatment on Public Television a few years ago.
This is not the first "Suspense" collection put out by Radio Spirits, but it is a valuable piece of history nevertheless. It is available as a 20-cassette boxed set or as a 3- CD boxed set. Each has its advantages and I have both, the tapes for the car and the CDs for playing my favorite scenes at elderhostels and talks on the history of mass media. Both sets contain the usual booklet crammed with background information about the series and about each individual episode, complete with photographs of the stars.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the best
Review: This collection is incredible! It not only has the first show of the series, but includes some of their better shows all around - including "The Hitchhiker" starring Orson Welles and "Sorry, Wrong Number" starring Agnes Moorehead (generally regarded as the best show of the series). Each episode stars a well-known actor or actress like Cary Grant, Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton, Jack Benny, etc. My only beef with the 30+ hours of programs is that they didn't include "On a Country Road", first broadcast with Cary Grant in 1950 and then rebroadcast in 1954 with Frank Lovejoy. THAT show was the best of the series, and absolutely empitomized what the series meant to do: keep you in...SUSPENSE! My suggestion is to buy this, and then see if you can find "On a Country Road" somewhere and give it a listen to get the best of the best.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the best
Review: This collection is incredible! It not only has the first show of the series, but includes some of their better shows all around - including "The Hitchhiker" starring Orson Welles and "Sorry, Wrong Number" starring Agnes Moorehead (generally regarded as the best show of the series). Each episode stars a well-known actor or actress like Cary Grant, Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton, Jack Benny, etc. My only beef with the 30+ hours of programs is that they didn't include "On a Country Road", first broadcast with Cary Grant in 1950 and then rebroadcast in 1954 with Frank Lovejoy. THAT show was the best of the series, and absolutely empitomized what the series meant to do: keep you in...SUSPENSE! My suggestion is to buy this, and then see if you can find "On a Country Road" somewhere and give it a listen to get the best of the best.
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