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Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

Presented by OTR.FM Network

Unravel the Mystery with Suspense! - The Classic Radio Thriller Series Step back in time to the golden age of radio with ”Suspense!” - the iconic series that captivated audiences from 1942 to 1962 with its thrilling tales and unforgettable performances. Featuring over 900 broadcasts penned by renowned authors and directors, ”Suspense!” brought the finest in thriller and mystery genres to the airwaves. Broadcast on the CBS Radio Network, ”Suspense!” showcased Hollywood’s brightest stars, including Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Orson Welles, and Marlene Dietrich. Under the masterful direction of William Spier, known as the ”Hitchcock of the airwaves,” the series delivered gripping human dramas that kept listeners on the edge of their seats. From the eerie introductions by the ”Man in Black” to the evocative scores by Bernard Hermann and Lucian Moraweck, ”Suspense!” was a paragon of radio production excellence. The show’s unique formula of minimal rehearsal and genuine unease created authe...

646 episodes

  1. The Last Letter of Dr Bronson

    Sep 16, 2026 · 24 min

    Originally Aired: November 4, 1954 Suspense #570, "The Last Letter of Dr Bronson," Dr. Bronson writes an urgent letter to his colleague Dr. Mosher as midnight approaches, explaining a dangerous year-long experiment that has led to his current predicament. Bronson has been testing his theory that five basic checks restrain men from committing murder: fear of the law, religious principles, and three others yet to be revealed. To prove his hypothesis, he systematically finds five different men, gives each a compelling motive to kill him, then relies on one of his theorized checks to prevent the murder. Dr. Mosher himself becomes the first test subject, illustrating how fear of legal consequences prevents murder. A devout church clerk named Tutton demonstrates the power of religious conviction when he refuses Bronson's offer of five thousand dollars to administer poison. The small-time criminal Matt Doyle, whom Bronson once saved from death, represents the third test. As the clock ticks toward midnight and Bronson hurries to complete his letter, something has clearly gone terribly wrong with his carefully calculated experiment.

  2. The Shelter

    Sep 15, 2026 · 24 min

    Originally Aired: October 28, 1954 Suspense #569, "The Shelter," a woman finds herself stranded at a remote bus stop on a dark night, waiting for the midnight bus. She takes refuge in the shelter, only to discover she's not alone. A talkative stranger sits in the darkness, rattling off obscure facts gleaned from magazines and rambling about human anatomy, counting systems, and peculiar theories. At first his chatter seems merely eccentric, but the woman grows increasingly uneasy as his monologue continues and his behavior becomes more controlling. The tension escalates when the man mentions a radio broadcast warning that a patient has escaped from the nearby mental hospital and may be dangerous. He insists the woman must stay in the shelter with him where it's "safe." As she sits trapped in the pitch-black space, unable to see her companion clearly, the woman begins to recognize familiar patterns in his relentless talking and odd mannerisms. Memories from her past surface, hinting at a connection she hadn't initially realized, while the stranger's behavior grows more unsettling with each passing moment.

  3. Rave Notice

    Sep 15, 2026 · 25 min

    Originally Aired: October 21, 1954 Suspense #568, "Rave Notice," presents a chilling psychological portrait of Sam, a struggling actor whose ego proves as dangerous as any weapon. When director Norman strips Sam of his cherished role in a new play, declaring him "not right for it" and even suggesting he's "no actor," Sam's wounded pride explodes into murderous rage. Despite Norman's dismissive cruelty, Sam's response is anything but theatrical—he calmly purchases a shotgun and waits outside the stage door on 45th Street, methodically planning his revenge. After shooting Norman in cold blood, Sam faces the electric chair for premeditated murder. His lawyer sees no defense until mentioning insanity as a possibility. Suddenly, Sam seizes upon a darkly ironic solution: he'll give the performance of his lifetime by convincing psychiatrists he's been insane all along. Drawing on his training in the Stanislavski method, Sam begins mining his deepest memories for moments of genuine madness, dredging up a childhood incident involving a cat and searching for the emotional truth that will make his greatest role—that of a homicidal maniac—utterly believable and save him from execution.

  4. The Lost

    Sep 14, 2026 · 24 min

    Originally Aired: October 14, 1954 Suspense #567, "Lost," finds Alice wandering the streets of New York City in a state of complete amnesia. Unable to remember her own name, where she came from, or why she's there, she desperately seeks help from a policeman at 59th Street. Detective Mark Neal takes her to the precinct, where the only clues to her identity are the name "Alice" stitched into her belongings and a wedding ring on her finger. Her photo is distributed to newspapers and television stations, and she's transferred to City Hospital's psychiatric ward for treatment. But Alice's situation takes a dark turn when she awakens to find herself behind barred windows in the prison ward. Dr. Corday reveals the disturbing truth: Alice has been arrested for shooting someone named Joyce Carlyle. Her husband, Ted Parker, a struggling 24-year-old songwriter, arrives at the hospital and explains their turbulent relationship to the doctor. Twelve years younger than his wealthy wife, Ted admits their marriage is volatile, fueled by Alice's intense jealousy. As Alice struggles to piece together her fragmented memories, she must confront the terrifying possibility that she attempted to murder her husband's associate in a fit of rage.

  5. Chicken Feed

    Sep 14, 2026 · 25 min

    Originally Aired: October 7, 1954 Suspense #566, "Chicken Feed," begins with an ironic twist of fate. Ralph Clark storms out of his San Francisco home after a petty argument with his wife Mary over giving their son a nickel. Driving fifty miles to cool off, he stops in the small town of Lansing, California, where he discovers he left his wallet at home - he doesn't have a single coin to make a phone call. When Clark tries to explain his predicament, the suspicious local officer takes him to the police station for identification. There, the phone lines are down for outgoing calls, and Clark's only option is the pay phone - if he can get a nickel. His wife Mary refuses to accept his collect call, hanging up on him in anger. The officer locks Clark up on suspicion of car theft and defrauding the cafe. Now trapped in a cell, Clark becomes desperate to obtain just one nickel to call his partner for help. His only potential source: two unsavory cellmates and As Phillips, a condemned bank robber and killer awaiting transfer to Utah's electric chair, who watch with sinister amusement as Clark's desperation grows.

  6. A Little Matter of Memory

    Sep 13, 2026 · 26 min

    Originally Aired: September 30, 1954 In Suspense #565, "A Little Matter of Memory," Edward Mansell and his wife Joan are recuperating in an isolated cottage on the English moors when they discover two disturbing notes. One is an obscenely worded death threat from escaped lunatic Barrington Howard, who has already murdered five people after sending similar warnings. The other is from George Beale, a curate offering protection through the dangerous night. As Edward and Joan attempt to flee toward the village of Buckworth, they encounter a helpful constable who persuades them to return to their cottage. He shares crucial information about Howard: the former actor and acrobat has one peculiar trait that led to his original capture—a compulsive total recall about Germany that he cannot help but display when the topic arises. Back at the cottage, Edward and Joan barricade themselves inside and wait nervously in the dim lamplight. With both the homicidal Howard and the protective curate expected to arrive, the couple faces a terrifying question: when someone finally knocks on their door, will they be able to tell the rescuer from the killer?

  7. Never Steal a Butcher’s Wife

    Sep 13, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: August 10, 1954 Suspense #564, "Never Steal a Butcher's Wife," Harry Carr is fresh off the bus from New York when he lands a job as a liquor clerk in a Los Angeles supermarket. His trouble begins the moment he locks eyes with Mary, the beautiful checkout girl who works the cash register. Despite warnings from Nick, the vegetable man, Harry can't resist her. There's just one problem: Mary is married to Andy Krauss, the market's hulking butcher, a strange man with thick glasses and a habit of whistling while he works with cleavers and meat mallets. When Mary starts waiting for Harry after closing time, their dangerous liaison sets off alarm bells. Krauss grows suspicious, confronting his wife with tears and biblical ravings about Babylon. Soon the jealous butcher approaches Harry with a bottle of beer and unsettling questions about his wife. As Krauss's suspicions intensify and Mary continues to draw Harry deeper into her web, the young clerk finds himself trapped in a nightmare playing out among the meat coolers and empty aisles of the supermarket after dark.

  8. Goodnight Mrs Russell

    Sep 12, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: August 3, 1954 Suspense #563, "Goodnight Mrs Russell," Mrs. Russell is a pleasant, middle-aged widow who frequents Henry's small cafe near the Hillmar building where she works. Henry, the polite and meticulous cook who runs the establishment alone, seems especially attentive to her, though she notices his odd habit of suddenly freezing and listening to sounds only he can hear. When Mrs. Russell ventures to the cafe alone one evening after working late, she senses something unsettling about Henry's behavior. He seems suspicious of her presence at night, insisting there's a difference between her daytime visits with friends and coming alone after dark. Against her better judgment, Mrs. Russell returns to the cafe alone three weeks later, determined to prove she enjoys Henry's cooking and perhaps help the troubled young man who reminds her of her late son. As she chatters about her family and her dead husband Leonard, Henry grows eerily quiet, watching her with a blank expression. Then Mrs. Russell's head grows heavy, she becomes dizzy, and as consciousness fades, she realizes with horror that Henry has done something terrible. Now, as dawn approaches, she waits in dread, knowing Henry is silently planning how he will kill her.

  9. Destruction

    Sep 12, 2026 · 29 min

    Originally Aired: July 27, 1954 Suspense #562, "Destruction," presents a harrowing portrait of a man dying from the inside out. Joe Porter lies in a hospital emergency room, clinging to life after collapsing in the street from a coronary seizure, as doctors work desperately to save him. Through fragmentary memories, the events leading to his collapse unfold: a devastating morning when his wife Vera tells him their marriage is over, that she's seeing another man and feels nothing for him anymore. At work, colleague Herb tells him he's unwelcome at the poker game for unpaid debts, while office gossip Phyllis confirms the rumors about Vera's affair. Then Joe's boss, Mr. Collins, delivers the final blow, firing him despite his desperate pleas for a pay cut rather than termination. Each humiliation becomes another small death, chipping away at Joe's will to live. The play explores how a man can be murdered without weapons or violence—destroyed instead by rejection, failure, and the relentless erosion of dignity. As Joe fights for survival in the emergency room, the question remains whether the will to live can overcome such complete devastation.

  10. Telling

    Sep 11, 2026 · 29 min

    Originally Aired: July 20, 1954 Suspense #561, "Telling," presents a troubled young man desperately seeking validation and respect. Terry Ellis returns home to England after being dismissed from his job in Ceylon, the latest in a string of failures that includes expulsion from school and Cambridge. His father warns him this is his last chance, while his successful older brothers John and Charles stand in stark contrast to his own shortcomings. Terry believes that winning the love of Josephine, a young woman with chestnut hair who treats him with polite but distant affection, will prove his worth. When his brother Charles warns him that Josephine isn't the settling type and hints at her reputation, Terry's obsession intensifies. As Terry stands in the ruins of an old chapel, his mind racing through these recent memories, he notices with sudden surprise the blood on his hands. The gardener's fresh-cut grass lies nearby, and Terry grows anxious at the thought of someone discovering him. What has driven this desperate young man to violence, and what terrible act has he committed to finally make people believe in him?

  11. Run Sheep Run

    Sep 11, 2026 · 29 min

    Originally Aired: July 13, 1954 In Suspense #560, "Run Sheep Run," Joe Hayward is driving home from his factory job through the dense Southern California fog when he picks up a beautiful young woman named Roberta hitchhiking on the side of the road. As Joe becomes increasingly distracted by his attractive passenger, tragedy strikes—he hits and kills a man in the fog-shrouded darkness. Panicked and confused, Joe must make a split-second decision about what to do. Instead of calling the police, he listens to Roberta's urgent pleas to flee the scene, and the two drive south together, away from the accident. As they try to escape, Joe grows increasingly paranoid about being followed and struggles with the weight of what he's done. He's a married man with a nagging wife named Hazel waiting at home, but now he finds himself on the run with a mysterious stranger who seems surprisingly invested in protecting him. When they stop at a cocktail bar in Laguna to calm their nerves, Joe attempts to call home while Roberta waits, but their brief respite is interrupted by a stranger who seems to recognize the young woman—raising troubling questions about who Roberta really is and what Joe has gotten himself into.

  12. The Tip

    Sep 10, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: July 6, 1954 Suspense #559, "The Tip," Elaine Stratton returns home after dropping her husband George at the train station, only to find an armed intruder waiting in her apartment. The desperate man reveals his chilling intention: he plans to wait for George to return from work and kill him. The intruder blames George for destroying his business and his family, claiming he begged George for help just a week ago but was callously turned away. Now he's determined to take his revenge, no matter the consequences. Elaine pleads for her husband's life, professing her deep love for George and promising to make things right if the man will just give them a chance. For hours, she desperately tries to reason with her captor, even attempting to call the police. When a salesman and then a telephone repairman arrive at the apartment, the tension escalates dangerously as the intruder threatens to shoot anyone Elaine might try to warn. With her husband's life hanging in the balance and the clock ticking toward his return, Elaine must find a way to save George from this vengeful stranger.

  13. Too Hot to Live

    Sep 10, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: June 29, 1954 Suspense #558, "Too Hot to Live," presents Jefferson Casey, a drifter and former Air Corps captain, who jumps off a freight train near Marcus Junction on a sweltering day. When his boot sole breaks loose, he encounters Benjamin Martin, the friendly local sheriff who buys him coffee while his shoes are being repaired. At the restaurant, Jefferson meets Rachel, a provocative waitress who invites him up to her apartment for drinks while they wait. Despite protests from Kenny, the jealous grill cook, Jefferson follows Rachel upstairs. In Rachel's cramped apartment above the diner, the heat, the liquor, and Rachel's proximity quickly overwhelm Jefferson's better judgment. As they drink and embrace in the stifling room, Jefferson's awareness begins to fade. The stage is set for something to go terribly wrong in this small town, where a barefoot stranger without shoes finds himself unable to run, the temperature climbs dangerously high, and a friendly sheriff with a gold star waits somewhere below. Jefferson Casey walked into Marcus Junction as just another drifter, but he may soon find himself trapped in circumstances far more dangerous than he imagined.

  14. Sequel to Murder

    Sep 9, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: June 22, 1954 Suspense #557, "Sequel to Murder," Frank Galt, a book editor who claims to have no imagination, finds himself trapped in a desperate situation when his mistress, Bess Lucas, issues him an ultimatum. She's tired of their clandestine meetings and demands he divorce his wife Lillian immediately or the affair is over. When Frank finally works up the courage to ask Lillian for a divorce, she surprises him by agreeing readily—but her acceptance comes with devastating financial terms that would ruin him completely. She demands twenty-five hundred dollars a month, both cars, the house, and thirty percent of his annual stock options, insisting these are her only terms for granting the divorce. Caught between Bess's emotional demands and Lillian's crushing financial requirements, Frank faces an impossible choice. His lack of imagination in romantic matters has led him into this predicament, but solving it may require a darker kind of creativity altogether. As the tension mounts and Frank avoids Bess's increasingly frantic attempts to reach him, the stage is set for a man with no imagination to consider a terrible solution to his problems.

  15. The Earth Is Made of Glass

    Sep 9, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: June 15, 1954 Suspense #556, "The Earth Is Made of Glass," Richard Thomas Steele, a wealthy intellectual recluse, engages in a heated philosophical debate with his chess partner Elliot about Emerson's theory of compensation – that every crime leaves an inescapable trace and exacts a spiritual price on the perpetrator. Steele scoffs at this notion, arguing that the scientific method has rendered such ideas obsolete. He becomes obsessed with proving Emerson wrong by conducting what he calls a "laboratory murder" – a killing committed in complete emotional and material vacuum, with no connection whatsoever between murderer and victim. The story unfolds through Steele's journal, which he mysteriously leaves to Dr. West at the hospital where he dies. Through the journal entries, listeners follow Steele's methodical preparations as he purchases anonymous gloves and a meaningless knife, carefully planning to select a random victim whom he will never see or know. As Dr. West reads the disturbing journal of his former patient, the chilling question emerges: did Steele actually carry out his theoretical experiment in motiveless murder, and if so, could he truly escape the consequences he so confidently dismissed?

  16. A Terribly Strange Bed

    Sep 8, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: June 7, 1954 Suspense #555, "A Terribly Strange Bed," young Englishman Gerald Titchener finds himself in Paris with his friend Henry Calder, searching for thrills beyond the respectable gambling houses. Their quest leads them to a poverty-stricken gaming establishment where Gerald experiences an unprecedented winning streak, breaking the bank and accumulating a fortune tied up in his handkerchief. His extraordinary luck attracts the attention of Fabian Nero, a disreputable old soldier with bloodshot eyes, mangy moustaches, and suspiciously dirty hands who ingratiates himself with the young winners. As champagne flows and Gerald's intoxication deepens, Fabian celebrates the triumph with excessive enthusiasm while Henry watches with growing unease. The eerie silence of the desperate gamblers they first encountered and Fabian's overeager attention create an atmosphere of mounting dread. Gerald's newfound wealth, so easily won in this place of quiet tragedy and barely concealed evil, may prove far more dangerous than either young man anticipated in their search for forbidden pleasures along the dark Seine.

  17. Listen Young Lovers

    Sep 8, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: May 31, 1954 Suspense #554, "Listen Young Lovers," presents the true story of a desperate escape from Communist tyranny in Czechoslovakia. Yinrik, a 21-year-old university student, faces his inquisitors after being caught with a forbidden Western philosophy book. Threatened with execution or forced indoctrination, he returns home to his fiancée Malada, where they secretly listen to Radio Free Europe and dream of freedom. When a party official named Stefan arrives with thinly veiled threats, the young couple realizes time has run out. They must flee immediately or face certain death. With only the clothes on their backs and small bottles of poison in case of capture, Yinrik and Malada begin a treacherous 300-mile journey toward the border. Posing as casual hikers without papers or passports, they must evade guards, border patrols, informers, and tracking dogs. As they make their way through mountain roads and across rain-swollen rivers, every encounter threatens to end their desperate bid for freedom. When they take shelter from a storm in a barn, they're discovered by a farmer with a pitchfork who demands to know their true purpose.

  18. Weekend Special-Death

    Sep 7, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: May 24, 1954 In Suspense #553, "Weekend Special-Death," Agnes Moorhead stars as Rita Dorsey, a loyal secretary who finds herself in police custody on a Sunday morning, accused of murdering two men. When her employer, attorney Lee Stanley, arrives at the station to find out what happened, Rita insists it was all a terrible misunderstanding that began innocently enough. The previous Saturday afternoon, she had stayed late at the office to help Stanley with a troubling client, Tony LaFaro, a soft-spoken man facing theft charges involving his ex-wife. After working into the evening typing up notes, Rita headed to Jack's Market to cash her paycheck and buy groceries advertised in the weekend specials. What should have been a simple shopping trip somehow spiraled into a nightmare involving two dead men and a police interrogation. As Rita sits in the police station trying to explain the bizarre chain of events to her skeptical boss, the question remains: how did a secretary doing her weekend errands end up a suspect in a double homicide? The tension mounts as Rita struggles to make Stanley understand how such an ordinary evening could go so catastrophically wrong.

  19. The Revenge of Captain Bligh

    Sep 7, 2026 · 29 min

    Originally Aired: May 17, 1954 Suspense #552, "The Revenge of Captain Bligh," stars Charles Lawton in a gripping historical drama based on the true story following the infamous mutiny on HMS Bounty. After Fletcher Christian leads the mutiny against the ruthless Captain William Bligh, the disciplinarian commander and eighteen loyal crew members find themselves cast adrift in a 23-foot launch with meager provisions: twenty-eight gallons of water, 150 pounds of bread, and minimal weapons. Despite their dire circumstances, the resolute Bligh vows to survive and see justice done, promising to return and see the mutineers hanged. As the desperate men struggle to reach the island of Tofoa, Bligh must maintain iron discipline to keep his crew alive. When Able Seaman Hall steals water from their precious supply, Bligh harshly punishes him, knowing that strict order is their only hope for survival. After landing on the treacherous island, a shore party led by Mr. Harrods ventures inland searching for food and water, but the mission turns deadly when hostile natives discover them, hurling stones from the bluffs as the sailors desperately race back to the boat.

  20. The Last Days of John Dillinger

    Sep 6, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: May 10, 1954 Suspense #551, "The Last Days of John Dillinger," recreates the final chapter of America's most notorious public enemy. After escaping from an Indiana jail using a wooden pistol he whittled himself, John Dillinger forces Deputy Ernie to help him break free, demonstrating the cold calculation and violence that made him infamous. Van Heflin portrays Dillinger as a man both charming and ruthless, stopping at a roadside diner where he promises waitress Molly he'll return for her, then heading to Wisconsin to reunite with his gang and plan his next moves. As law enforcement closes in, Dillinger's world begins to crumble. A shootout at a Wisconsin roadhouse leaves his partner Baby Face Nelson to face the police while Dillinger escapes. Desperate to disappear, he turns to a Chicago plastic surgeon willing to give him a new face for five thousand dollars. But the botched operation leaves him disfigured, and even the doctor's competence comes into question when he reveals that Dillinger actually died on the operating table before being revived. With his face ruined and enemies everywhere, Dillinger's options are running out.

  21. The Giant of Thermopylae

    Sep 6, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: May 3, 1954 Suspense #550, "The Giant of Thermopylae," presents the story of Jim Walters, a riveter and self-described brawler who walks out of a small-town jail after spending the night cooling off from a bar fight. Walt insists he was innocent this time, that the other man started the trouble, but the local constable warns him to leave town and stop looking for fights. Instead of moving on, Walt considers tracking down his antagonist for another confrontation. Outside the jailhouse, he's approached by Mary Jane Kennedy, a young woman who witnessed the previous night's altercation and insists Walt was defending her. She thanks him for his help and invites him to her apartment near the local fun park. As their conversation unfolds in Mary Jane's dingy apartment overlooking the amusement park, tensions begin to rise. Walt's rough manner clashes with Mary Jane's nervous gratitude, and it becomes clear that something more complicated than a simple thank-you is at play. The situation grows increasingly uncomfortable as Walt demands a drink and Mary Jane's true motives remain mysterious, setting the stage for a confrontation with someone she mentions only as Tim.

  22. The Bertillion Method

    Sep 5, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: April 26, 1954 Suspense #549, "The Bertillion Method," Charles Boyer stars as Alphonse Bertillon, the legendary French detective whose innovations revolutionized criminal investigation. When a murdered man is discovered in the Bois de Boulogne, wrapped in tar paper and bound with rope, Bertillon employs his groundbreaking scientific methods to unlock the mystery. Through microscopic analysis and careful observation, he determines the victim was killed in a wine cellar and moved through multiple rooms before being dumped in the park. The body is eventually identified as Charles Tellier, a recently released ex-convict who worked as an accountant. As Bertillon investigates, he encounters Tellier's cold and detached wife Lucille, who shows little emotion at news of her husband's death. The detective's meticulous examination of Tellier's workplace reveals curious discrepancies, including evidence that the accountant's modest salary couldn't possibly support expensive purchases being made nearby. With mounting clues pointing toward financial irregularities and hidden secrets, Bertillon must use both his revolutionary identification system and keen powers of deduction to uncover who killed Charles Tellier and why.

  23. The Card Game

    Sep 5, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: April 19, 1954 Suspense #548, "The Card Game," stars Richard Widmark as Chick Regan, a compulsive gambler desperately chasing one big score to solve all his problems. After losing yet another poker game, Regan returns home to his pregnant wife Jenny, who has reached her breaking point. She announces she's divorcing him and demands he move out before she returns from work, unable to raise a child with a man who gambles away every paycheck and cannot hold down a job. Regan tries to convince her that all he needs is enough money to get into the right card game, still clinging to a story about a man from Bayonne who once won seventy-five thousand dollars in a single day. Determined to save his marriage and prove himself before Jenny comes home, Regan hatches a desperate plan. He visits his tailor Wilshi, orders an expensive suit on credit, and borrows the tailor's twelve-thousand-dollar European sports car. Wilshi grows concerned about what Regan might be planning, but Regan is focused on using these trappings of wealth to gain entry into a high-stakes game where he believes his luck will finally change.

  24. Parole to Panic

    Sep 4, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: April 12, 1954 Suspense #547, "Parole to Panic," stars Broderick Crawford as Paul Gordon, a man stepping out of prison after serving two years, only to find that freedom may be more dangerous than confinement. His wife Jenny picks him up in a car she's bought as a homecoming gift, and Paul looks forward to the fresh start she's arranged for him, including a new job. However, when Paul stops to thank grocer Mr. Miller and visit his lawyer Roger in the back room, he receives chilling news: the remnants of the gang he testified against believe he turned state's evidence, and they're waiting to kill him. What begins as a hopeful reunion quickly transforms into a desperate flight for survival. Roger warns Paul that the gang won't listen to explanations—they've already marked him as a rat and plan to shoot first. With no time to settle into his new life or report to his parole officer, Paul must convince Jenny to pack their bags and flee town immediately. The couple races against time, knowing that every moment they remain puts Paul's life in greater danger from enemies who won't forgive what they see as betrayal.

  25. Grand Theft

    Sep 4, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: April 5, 1954 Suspense #546, "Grand Theft," starring David Niven, presents the story of Mr. Bentley, a smooth-talking insurance appraiser who has discovered a lucrative side business. While legitimately evaluating homes and possessions for insurance companies, Bentley steals items like jewelry and resells them for profit. When wealthy Mrs. Payne innocently shows him her expensive platinum bracelet during a dinner, it soon finds its way to a New York pawn shop for $1,500. But Bentley isn't satisfied with such small scores and sets his sights on a much bigger scheme. Bentley's next target involves Maude Mullen and her elderly grandmother, Mrs. Mullen. He coaches the old woman, who has never told a lie in her life, to falsely claim that valuable family jewelry was stolen from Maude. When insurance adjuster Mr. Coombs arrives to investigate the claim, the tension mounts as Bentley must maintain his elaborate deception. The episode explores how far this ambitious criminal will go to enrich himself, even manipulating an innocent grandmother's honesty for his own financial gain.