The Clock and the Rope: A Stay Too Late

Originally Aired: May 9, 1946 In Suspense #192, “The Clock and the Rope,” Henry Guilford awaits execution for a murder he swears was self-defense, insisting a mysterious girl can prove his innocence. With no trace of her, the jury convicts him, and as the clock ticks toward dawn, he relives the terror of death row—the ticking, the prayers, the trapdoor. A last-minute reprieve arrives, but too late: the rope has already tightened around his neck. Guilford survives, but not without scars—forever haunted by clocks, confinement, and the narrow margin between life and death. A harrowing tale of fate, timing, and dread at its most merciless  . Cast: Jackie Cooper (as Henry Guilford) Tags: Suspense, thriller, deathrow, lastminute, execution, JackieCooper, WilliamSpier, CBS, 1940sradio, classicdrama, oldtimeradio, noir, courtroom, fatalmistake, tension, governorreprieve, haunted, time, fate