Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)

Episode 447 – Stars of “Superman”

Date: April 9, 2026
Podcast Host: Mean Streets Podcasts

Overview

This episode celebrates Hollywood legends Glenn Ford and Jackie Cooper—both featured in the iconic 1978 film Superman—by revisiting their performances on Suspense, old time radio’s “outstanding theater of thrills.” The host also spotlights the first six episodes of the Superman Radio Show, which depict Superman’s origin, his first adventures on Earth, and his initial battle against the villainous Wolf.

The episode offers a blend of noirish crime drama, haunting psychological suspense, and pulpy superhero adventure—showcasing the breadth of American radio storytelling and honoring the actors who helped bring Superman to life for generations.

Key Segments & Timestamps

• Podcast Introduction & Context (00:50–03:16)
• Glenn Ford in "End of the Road" (Suspense, 1947) (06:30–35:44)
• Jackie Cooper in "The Clock and the Rope" (Suspense, 1947) (36:40–64:11)
• Superman Radio Show: The Origin & First Big Story Arc (65:33–135:42)

Podcast Host Introduction & Superman Context

(00:50–03:16)

• The host sets the theme, focusing on the 1978 Superman film:
  • “It's Superman, the 1978 film that not only brought the character to the big screen, it created a genre. And it set the template that most comic book movies still follow today. ... For me, it's the definitive screen version of the Man of Steel, and it's the one all other incarnations measure up against.”
• Notes that most main stars from the film weren’t radio regulars, but both Glenn Ford (Jonathan Kent) and Jackie Cooper (Perry White) featured on Suspense.
• Details the episode’s plan: two Suspense thrillers starring Ford and Cooper, then the Superman radio serial’s opening adventure.
• “But before we take flight with Superman, we'll hear from his dad and his boss. We'll kick things off with Glenn Ford right after these messages.”

Glenn Ford in “End of the Road”

(06:30–35:44)

Story Summary

Plot:
Glenn Ford plays Speed Evans, a smooth-talking car salesman tangled in a dangerous love affair with Sylvia Ganlon, a woman tormented by her past and her older, controlling husband. As his affair with Sylvia intensifies, Speed finds himself embroiled in violence, old secrets, and the unraveling of a long-ago death.

Key Discussion Points & Memorable Moments

• Hard-boiled Narration and Style:
  • “For an automobile salesman, I have expensive habits. I mean dames. It had been dames, dames, dames as long as I could remember. It's strictly murder.” (07:45)
• Meeting Sylvia & Her Husband:
  • The meet-cute is fueled by sexual tension, jealousy, and a backdrop of salesmanship:
    • “Most of the time, that was what was tearing me up. The way it was other times. Standoffish, scared. I was screwy. I didn’t get it.” (12:01)
• Psychological Turmoil & Motive:
  • Sylvia’s trauma comes to light: her father’s death in a mining accident, possibly murder, possibly by her husband.
    • “My father and Ganlon were mining partners… Then there was a cave in. And my father was killed.” (13:31)
• Plot Twists & Revelations:
  • The investigation unveils conflicting stories about the accident, town corruption, missing records, and layers of repressed emotion.
  • The climactic discovery: Sylvia herself, as a traumatized child, caused her father’s death.
    • “Don't you remember? You pushed the plunger... While your father was inside the shaft? Remember?” (31:11)
    • Sylvia: “Yes. Yes. I killed him.” (31:19)
• Noir Tragedy:
  • The denouement is bleak, as Sylvia’s guilt consumes her and she enacts tragic violence.

Notable Quotes

• “You're lucky, baby. When you get better at it, they're liable to call it murder.” – Speed Evans (Glenn Ford) (17:30)
• “I didn't care about husbands or Excelsior 8s or even a million dollars. All I cared about was her.” – Speed (12:01)
• “I hate all men. If I could kill every man in the world... I hate you.” – Sylvia Ganlon (31:46)
• “Dames. That's my trouble. It's been dames. Dames. Dames. As long as I can remember. It's too bad, though. We'd have probably had a couple of kids by now.” – Speed Evans (Glenn Ford) (33:04)

Tone

Gritty, bleak, with biting noir dialogue and a sense of psychological doom.

Jackie Cooper in “The Clock and the Rope”

(36:40–64:11)

Story Summary

Plot:
Jackie Cooper stars as Henry Guilford, a shy garage worker wrongfully convicted of murder. Unable to prove his innocence or even recall the woman he tried to defend during the fatal struggle, he is sentenced to hang. The play chronicles his final days, his mounting dread, and the race to find the woman who can clear his name.

Key Discussion Points & Memorable Moments

• The Anxiety of the Innocent:
  • “I keep away from people. I keep away from cities and buildings… Most of all, I can't stand clocks.” (37:24)
• Flashbacks to the Crime:
  • A late-night date leads to a confrontation with the woman's jealous ex, ending in violence and Henry’s arrest.
• Kafkaesque Injustice:
  • Police and lawyers disbelieve Henry’s story, mainly because he can’t supply the girl’s name. The “phantom witness” theme creates spiraling hopelessness.
    • “If you made up a girl, why didn’t you make up a name?” – Defense Attorney (46:45)
• Execution Build-Up:
  • Vivid, claustrophobic descriptions of the march to the gallows and the mental agony of waiting for death:
    • “The thing you feel most the last hours is the time. The clock.” (52:28)
• Last-Minute Salvation:
  • The witness is found in time, but not before the harrowing execution sequence plays out in real time.
    • “A man doesn’t always die right away when he’s hanged … For some men, it’s nearly 20 minutes ... For others it may be less. But never under 12 minutes...” (62:16)
• Aftermath:
  • Though freed, the psychological scars remain: “I never sleep indoors. I never button my collar... I want to be out here, where I can see the sky.” (63:52)

Notable Quotes

• “Can you imagine how that feels? My boss... and the fellows who worked there days chipped in some money. But it didn’t do any good.” – Henry Guilford (Jackie Cooper) (49:58)
• “The last stop: Death row. Now there’s a team of two who live right in the cell with you.” (51:53)
• “I think too much when they're closed. I hear the clock. The clock.” (63:52)

Tone

Somber, psychological, despairing, and suspenseful—a slow-burning meditation on mortality and justice.

Superman Radio Show: The Origin and the Wolf Saga

(65:33–135:42)

Story Summary

Superman's Origin & Early Adventures:
The first six episodes of the Superman Radio Show are presented, charting the fall of Krypton, Superman’s journey to Earth, his adoption of the Clark Kent identity, and his first story arc—battling rail sabotage by the sinister Wolf.

Key Discussion Points & Memorable Moments

• Classic Superman Origin:
  • Krypton’s doom is foreseen by Jor-El, but the Council refuses to believe him.
    • Jor-El: “Krypton is doomed.” (67:21)
  • Only baby Kal-El escapes in a rocket as Krypton explodes.
• Arriving on Earth:
  • Superman gains new powers, chooses the name Clark Kent, is advised to get a job on a newspaper to learn about humanity.
    • “These are the cloak and the shield of Superman. If I become as other men, I shall dress as other men.” – Superman (82:24)
    • Perry White: “You’d like to be a reporter… Well, I’m afraid I can’t use you, Kent.” (84:44)
• The Wolf’s Railroad Sabotage:
  • Clark Kent’s first big story: mysterious rail disasters plotted by the Wolf and his henchman Kino.
  • Superman uses feats of strength—clearing rockslide, fixing tracks, undetected rescues.
    • “20 tons of rock. Why, that's nothing. Hardly a workout.” – Superman (97:48)
• Pulpy Adventure and Cliffhangers:
  • Superman’s secret identity is constantly at risk.
  • Tense scenes: Clark is captured, locked in a steel vault, escapes as Superman.
  • The Silver Clipper is saved in the nick of time; Wolf and Kino are apprehended.
  • Introduction of new threats: the Yellow Mask.

Notable Quotes

• “You want advice from us? ... How about a newspaper? A great metropolitan daily.” (82:12)
• “My compliments, Mr. Kent, on your first and last performance … in exactly 24 hours ... you and your newspaper will be blown to a thousand fragments. This is the Yellow Mask. Goodbye.” – The Yellow Mask (134:26–134:57)
• “Look—it's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!” – Various; the show’s immortal catchphrase repeated at episode ends.

Tone

Fast-paced, wholesome, serialized adventure—punctuated with bracing “radio suspense” and melodramatic villainy.

Thematic & Stylistic Highlights

• Old Time Radio’s Narrative Power: The episode demonstrates radio’s versatility, shifting seamlessly from hardboiled noir, to psychological courtroom drama, to high-flying superheroics.
• Tribute to the 1978 Superman: Linking the radio work of Glenn Ford and Jackie Cooper to their film roles roots the stories in pop culture continuity and nostalgia.
• American Anxiety and Hope: Stories oscillate between darkness (crime, loss, legal injustice) and hope (heroic intervention, last-minute saves).

Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• “It's Superman, the 1978 film... For me, it's the definitive screen version of the Man of Steel...” – Host (00:55)
• “For an automobile salesman, I have expensive habits. I mean dames. It had been dames, dames, dames as long as I could remember...” – Speed Evans/Glenn Ford (07:45)
• “I hate all men. If I could kill every man in the world... I hate you.” – Sylvia Ganlon (31:46)
• “Can you imagine how that feels? ... I was innocent. And they were gonna hang me for murder because they couldn't find a girl.” – Henry Guilford/Jackie Cooper (49:58)
• “Krypton is doomed.” – Jor-El (Superman's father) (67:21)
• “Look—it's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!” – Refrain at major story beats

Overall Tone & Language

The episode maintains the colorful, dramatic storytelling of classic radio—brisk, tense, emotionally vivid, and rich with period-appropriate language. The host’s commentary is personal and warm, connecting vintage audio thrillers to modern superhero mythology.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

This episode provides an immersive journey through vintage suspense and adventure, bridging the gap between radio’s golden age and Superman’s silver screen stardom. Whether you’re a fan of film, comics, or just great old-time radio, it’s a rare treat to hear legends like Glenn Ford and Jackie Cooper—each etched into pop culture for their Superman connections—shine in stories that transcend generations.

Next in the Series: Stay tuned for more “movie star on radio” episodes—and more tales “well calculated to keep you in... suspense.”