Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)

Host: Mean Streets Podcasts / Eliot Lewis
Episode: 422 - Favorites from 1951
Date: September 11, 2025

Episode Overview

In this special episode, host Eliot Lewis presents his top picks from the 1951 season of Suspense, the Golden Age radio series known as “radio’s outstanding theater of thrills.” This episode celebrates the versatile Hollywood stars, inventive stories, and high production values that marked director Eliot Lewis's first full year in charge. He highlights several exemplary episodes spanning comedy actors in dramatic roles, historical tales, stories with musical innovation, and tightly plotted thrillers—providing both rich entertainment and a glimpse at narrative trends in 1950s radio drama.

Key Discussion Points & Highlighted Introductions

1. Thematic Trends in 1951 Suspense (00:50)

• Eliot Lewis’s Directorial Signature:
  • Use of comedians in straight dramatic roles
  • Adaptations based on historical events
  • Innovative use of music (e.g., ballads bridging scenes)
  • Strong performances from legendary radio and film stars

Quote:

"The major trends of Lewis’s tenure are on full display here. Comedians in dramatic roles, stories based on historical events, and shows that incorporate music in new and interesting ways, such as using a ballad to bridge the scenes of an episode." — Host/Eliot Lewis (00:50)

Featured Episode Summaries & Timestamps

1. Agnes Moorhead in “The Death Parade”

• Original Air Date: February 15, 1951
• Plot: A woman (Ellen Johnson, played by Moorhead) finds a letter warning that a stranger is in imminent danger. Racing across the city to save her, Ellen’s abrasive personality foils her efforts at every turn. The story plays as a riff on Moorhead’s famous “Sorry, Wrong Number” character: an unsympathetic, isolated woman, driven by anxious energy but hampered by her own flaws.
• Notable for: Moorhead’s performance and a structure that closely ties suspense to character psychology.

Quote:

"Like her character in 'Sorry, Wrong Number,' Agnes Moorhead plays a very unsympathetic protagonist who makes her job harder by antagonizing everyone she approaches for help. It's the type of character that few people played better than her..." — Host/Eliot Lewis (01:37)

• Key Segment (Start of the episode and plot setup):
  "[10:21] She's gonna fall."
  "[11:39] That's how it started. That's how it started this morning… The coffee. That poor girl wouldn’t have died if the coffee hadn’t spilled. That’s just how it started. My name’s Ellen Johnson…"

2. Ronald Colman in “A Vision of Death”

• Original Air Date: March 8, 1951
• Plot: Colman and Cathy Lewis star as a married nightclub mentalist duo. Their act is upended when the wife appears to genuinely develop psychic abilities, correctly predicting events—including her own murder by their manager.
• Themes: The blurred lines between performance, belief, and reality; psychological unraveling; betrayal.
• Memorable Moment: The increasing unease as predictions come true, culminating in a deadly twist.

Quote:

"Coleman and suspense MVP Cathy Lewis play a husband and wife mentalist act...but then one night, his wife predicts the right answers without using their secret code...Her predictions come true one after another. And that’s bad, because her latest prediction is that their manager plans to murder her.” — Host/Eliot Lewis (02:29)

• Key Segment (Discussing the act and its unraveling):
  "[41:52] The audience never realized...that although I was not speaking to Aurora directly, my chatter nevertheless was loaded with signals and cues for her guidance. By revealing the gimmick, we concealed the gimmick..."

3. Jack Benny in “Murder in G Flat”

• Original Air Date: April 5, 1951
• Plot: Benny, playing a piano tuner, becomes embroiled in a criminal plot when a mix-up on the subway leaves him with a satchel full of stolen cash. Both dangerous criminals and lawmen come calling.
• Highlights: Benny’s understated comic talents blending with real tension; fish-out-of-water humor.

Quote:

"Jack Benny...a piano tuner who accidentally trades bags on the train with a stranger...ends up with $25,000 in stolen money. Money that many people, including the man on the train, are eager to recover." — Host/Eliot Lewis (03:14)

• Key Segment (Benny's bewildered delivery):
  "[73:17] Oh, for heaven’s sakes, Hercules, act your age!"
  "[73:50] Now do you believe me? Now do you believe I’m not sick or drunk? Look at it. $25,000..."

4. Phil Harris & Alice Faye in “Death on My Hands”

• Original Air Date: May 10, 1951
• Plot: Band leader Dixie (Harris) must flee a small town after a tragic accident leads to an accidental shooting death and a mob closes in. Faye plays his ex-wife, racing against time to save him.
• Notable for: A rare dramatic turn for both stars.

Quote:

“It’s a rare dramatic turn for Harris...In the show, he plays a band leader whose gig in a small town may be his last...a gun accidentally goes off and kills her. Now Harris is facing a lynch mob and only Alice Fay playing his ex wife can get him out of town alive.” — Host/Eliot Lewis (04:03)

• Key Segment (Dramatic tension builds):
  "[104:29] ‘Julian?’ ... ‘Those people down there, if you can call them people. They threw a note through the window on a rock. They want me for killing that girl.’"

5. “The Case for Dr. Singer”

• Original Air Date: June 28, 1951
• Plot: Loosely based on real events, this ripped-from-the-headlines procedural deals with atomic espionage. FBI agents race to identify a spy among researchers on a top-secret bomb project.
• Notable for: Tense, informational, and realistic drama; excellent supporting cast.

Quote:

"It's a procedural, but it's so well executed that it makes my favorites list. The script is by Blake Edwards...and the cast is a lineup of great radio actors..." — Host/Eliot Lewis (04:54)

• Key Segment (spy anxiousness):
  "[135:24] ‘Believe it. These men are all trusted. So was Klaus Fuchs—completely trusted. Seems impossible. We have to find him...'"

6. Agnes Moorhead in “The Evil of Adelaide Winters”

• Original Air Date: September 10, 1951
• Plot: Moorhead stars as a phony spiritualist targeting a grieving father, moving into his home to “summon” his dead son. The con escalates to psychological horror and tragedy.
• Highlights: A nuanced take on exploitation, grief, and self-delusion.

Quote:

"She plays a phony spiritualist who preys on wealthy people who have recently lost loved ones...Her latest mark is a man whose son was killed in the war...but she may have underestimated the man’s yearning to once again be with his son." — Host/Eliot Lewis (05:34)

• Key Segment (psychological horror):
  "[177:57] ‘Don’t say that. You taught me faith. Don’t lose faith now. Don’t be afraid of leaving this world.’"

7. Charles Laughton in “Neil Cream, Doctor of Poison”

• Original Air Date: September 17, 1951
• Plot: Based on a true story, this drama follows Dr. Cream—the notorious Victorian poisoner—on a chilling spree through London.
• Notable for: Laughton’s menacing performance and period detail.

Quote:

"Charles Laughton stars as a real-life murderer in Neil, Doctor of Poison ... This episode does a good job of dramatizing his story with a great Charles Laughton performance." — Host/Eliot Lewis (06:09)

• Key Segment (Laughton’s chilling narration):
  "[189:17] ‘She was thin and sickly, but in possession of what must have been the constitution of an ox. I'd been poisoning her steadily for six months...’"

8. Richard Widmark in “The Hunting of Bob Lee”

• Original Air Date: October 29, 1951
• Plot: The deadly Bob Lee feud unfolds against a ballad-accompanied backdrop—mixing history with suspense as a man is hunted for a killing he claims was self-defense.
• Memorable for: Its use of music to set mood and structure.

Quote:

"It's the story of a violent and bloody feud in post-Civil War Texas. And it's set to the haunting strains of a ballad, a technique Elliot Lewis would use several times during his suspense run." — Host/Eliot Lewis (06:44)

• Key Segment (Setting the tone):
  "[215:00] ‘Here it comes, folks. Here it comes.’"
  "[239:15] ‘There’s no danger here, Bar.’"

9. Richard Widmark in “A Murderous Revision”

• Original Air Date: December 3, 1951
• Plot: A radio mystery writer, fed up with his editor’s constant changes, plots to record the perfect murder. He traps his producer, his producer's daughter, and himself in a real-life radio drama.
• Notable for: Metafictional structure and Widmark’s portrayal of mental unraveling.

Quote:

"He plays a radio mystery writer who's tired of his boss's critiques of his scripts. So with the help of a homemade recording studio, he plans to murder his boss and transcribe the entire affair." — Host/Eliot Lewis (07:13)

• Key Segment (Self-aware suspense):
  "[246:37] ‘Good evening. This is a recording of an actual murder. The first as far as I know. Not written, not rehearsed, but well planned. It is respectfully dedicated to Mr. Ken Avery, Editor and producer of the radio program…’"

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Comedians in dramatic roles... shows that incorporate music in new and interesting ways..." (Host/Eliot Lewis, 00:50)
• "Like her character in Sorry, Wrong Number, Agnes Moorhead plays a very unsympathetic protagonist..." (01:37)
• "A radio mystery writer who's tired of his boss’s critiques... he plans to murder his boss and transcribe the entire affair." (07:13)
• Ronald Colman as the mentalist: "Do you believe in telepathy, Lieutenant? ...I knew there was no such thing as mental telepathy. I knew it as well as I know I'm sitting here talking to you up here in my head. I knew it. And yet the next afternoon I found myself entering a gun shop and purchasing a revolver..." (51:54)

Timestamps of Key Transitions

• Episode Introduction & Host’s Comments: 00:50–08:16
• “The Death Parade” Introduction: 01:26–08:16
• “The Death Parade” Drama: 08:16–34:10
• “A Vision of Death” Introduction: 36:50–40:31
• “A Vision of Death” Drama: 40:31–61:03
• “Murder in G Flat”: 65:31–94:33
• “Death on My Hands”: 98:05–124:18
• “The Case for Dr. Singer”: 124:29–152:45
• “The Evil of Adelaide Winters”: 156:51–181:42
• “Neil Cream, Doctor of Poison”: 184:07–213:42
• “The Hunting of Bob Lee”: 213:55–243:29
• “A Murderous Revision”: 243:42–273:25
• Host's Recap and Outro: 273:42–274:48

Final Thoughts

Eliot Lewis's 1951 year-in-review episode is a fascinating walk through varied landmarks of radio suspense—demonstrating both the flexible storytelling and star-powered performances that defined the golden era of Old Time Radio. Each episode is handpicked to illustrate a facet of the show’s creative range, with powerful acting, snappy structure, and an underlying sense that danger lurks around every corner.
For enthusiasts of vintage audio drama, this is both a primer and a celebration of a thrilling radio legacy.

“Each of them a tale well calculated to keep you in Suspense.”
— Host/Eliot Lewis (273:42)

[End of Summary]