Too Many Smiths: A Contest, a Con, and a Fatal Mistake

Originally Aired: June 13, 1946 In Suspense #197, “Too Many Smiths,” Charles Wallingford, an ambitious porter with a taste for easy money, stumbles onto a secret memo: the winner of a $25,000 toothpaste slogan contest is “Pat Smith of Boston.” Seizing his chance, he impersonates the unknown winner—only to discover there are far more Pat Smiths than he bargained for. As murder, imposture, and double-crosses pile up, fate twists cruelly: the real prize belongs to neither schemer nor victim, but to an unsuspecting Pat Smith in a tiny Georgia town. A darkly ironic tale of greed, coincidence, and deadly ambition. Cast: Hume Cronin Tags: suspense, thriller, noir, impostor, conman, swindle, contest, identity, fate, oldtimeradio, mystery, twistending, TooManySmiths, HumeCronin, 1940sradio, classicdrama, darkirony, suspensepodcast