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)
GenreAnthology drama
Directed byRobert Mulligan (1952-54)
Byron Paul (1953)
John Peyser (1950)
Robert Stevens (1949-52)
Presented byRex Marshall
ComposersHenry (Hank) Sylvern
Bernard Herrmann
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes260
Production
Executive producerWilliam Dozier (1953)
ProducersRobert Stevens (1949-52)
John Peyser (1950)
Martin Manulis (1952-54)
David Heilweil (1954)
Running time25 min. (1949 pilot episode)
30 min. (March 1, 1949-Aug. 17, 1954)
Release
Original networkCBS
Picture format4:3 Black-and-white
Audio formatMono
Original release6 January 1949 (1949-01-06) –
17 August 1954 (1954-08-17)

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]

Critical response

A review in The New York Times of the program's premiere episode, "Revnge", commended the "great technical skill" of mixing filmed segments with live studio shots, a technique that the review labeled a "novel aspect".[3] Beyond that, however, reviewer Jay Gould found little to like about the episode, which he wrote was "a badly contrived piece of trivia", described elsewhere in the review as having "a drab story and an inexcusably poor supporting cast".[3] Even so, he wrote that with improvements "the mystery show should be a serviceable staple on video."[3]

The trade publication Variety commented in a review of the same episode that "Suspense made an inauspicious debut" on television, comparing the episode to a B film.[4] The reviewer blamed a "weakly motivated" adaptation for causing the direction and acting to suffer.[4] Robert Stevens, who produced and directed, was cited for failing to add excitement to an already weak script.[4]

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)

Season 4 (1951-1952)

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[13]
  • October 14, 1952 - "The Blue Panther" -Phyllis Brooks, Michael Strong, Erik Rhodes, Gene Anton Jr., Bruce Gordon, Michael Garrett, Tom Avera, Gina Petrushka[14]
  • October 21, 1952 - "The Man Who Had 7 Hours" - Robert Sterling, Gaby Rodgers, Walter Kohler, Ludie Claire, Susan Caubet, Marcel Hillaire, MacLean Savage[15]
  • October 28, 1952 - "All Hallow's Eve" - Franchot Tone, Francis Compton, Romney Brent, Patricia Byrd, Penny Hays, Douglas Jay, Bobby Catanio[16]
  • November 11, 1952 - "Moving Target" - Jamie Smith, Irja Jensen, Joseph Anthony, Wolfe Barzell, Rudy Bond, Kalle Ruusumen, Jan DeRuth, Nina Hansen[17]
  • January 13, 1953 - "Mr. Matches" - Warren Stevens, Henry Jones, Eleanor Wilson[18]
  • August 8, 1953 - "Nightmare At Ground Zero" by Rod Serling - O.Z. Whitehead, Louise Larabee, Pat Hingle[19]

References
  1. "CBS 'Suspense' Sale For TV Cues House-combing For Additional Packages". Variety. February 2, 1949. pp. 27, 32. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  2. "Suspense".
  3. "First Nights on TV: The Opening of 'Suspense' -- The Lambs 'Gambol' -- Paul and Grace Hartman". The New York Times. March 6, 1949. p. X 11. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  4. "Suspense". Variety. March 9, 1949. p. 33. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  5. "Television Highlights of the Week". The Boston Globe. May 28, 1590. p. 30-A. Retrieved May 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Television Highlights of the Week". The Boston Globe. June 4, 1950. p. 6 - A. Retrieved May 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Television Highlights of the Week". The Boston Globe. June 25, 1950. p. 4 A. Retrieved May 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Air Attractions". The Boston Globe. October 10, 1950. p. 19. Retrieved April 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Television Highlights". The Central New Jersey Home News. New Jersey, New Brunswick. October 17, 1950. p. 17. Retrieved April 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Air Attractions". The Boston Globe. November 14, 1950. p. 19. Retrieved April 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Television Highlights of the Week". The Boston Globe. November 19, 1950. p. 20-A. Retrieved May 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Video Highlights". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 17, 1951. p. 13. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Tuesday October 7 (Cont'd)". Ross Reports. October 5, 1952. p. 10. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  14. "Suspense". Ross Reports. October 12, 1952. p. 10. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  15. "Suspense". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. October 19, 1952. p. 10. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  16. "Suspense". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. October 26, 1952. p. 8. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  17. "Suspense". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. November 9, 1952. p. 10. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  18. "Television Highlights". The Central New Jersey Home News. New Jersey, New Brunswick. January 13, 1953. p. 12. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. An Evening in the Zone: Three Teleplays by Twilight Zone Creator Rod Serling dvd, S'More Entertainment, catalog no. SMO-7172 (2009).
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