Suspense and Horror – Retro Radio Podcast

Audio is fairly clear. Maybe even good. Ernest Chapel goes into flashback, and tells about a special girl. Cornelia held a special place for Ernest. Then there’s Barbara, a romance from his old school days. Cornelia was quite the looker, and could have had any boy at school she wanted. Problems begin at the soda fountain, with a rivalry for the same boy. What’s a boy to do, but fall for the spell of love over him? Swayed to marry Cornelia, they begin a comfortable household, but Barbara is still around to cause problems. Will old fashioned virtues hold up? Secrets are soon made plain, and Cornelia admits she only married for money. What would happen if the money was lost… in the stock market crash, for example? Love turns into relentless, and unforgiving nagging. Will Ernest be patient enough to bide his time, and wait for Cornelia to die? If Cornelia dies, will she keep her promise to come back, and never let him go? Of course, she dies, and he marries Barbara, but will they be happy? Will Cornelia still get her revenge?

Tom Braiden lurks in the bushes, watching the luminous dial of his wristwatch. Is he trying to get back at his partner, John Warren, and keep all their gambling profits to himself? A foolproof crime is staged as the gas is turned on in the room of the drunken, sleeping John. Tom also has a problem of collecting on a note from Hazel, who is in bad health, and a fellow gambler. How will the two react when word of John and his accident with the gas valve arrives to them? Hazel decides to get out of her dangerous game, but with a ruthless player like Tom, it could be too late. Her doctor friend knows what hazel intends, but Tom watches their actions from a distance, and with skeptical eyes. She’s going to tear up his debt and be free of him, but as Tom sees the circumstances, it appears to be the opposite. He sees no other way out of what he thinks is Hazel wanting to claim payment on her note for a half million dollars, and he sneaks into her room and kils her. Willhe Tom find that note? Can Tom cover his tracks in the murder? The Whistler as a final word on the outcome, which is also a last word from hazel.

A long time married couple bicker over their tastes in television shows. Harry prefers science fiction shows for their escapist style, and detachment from reality. Florence prefers serials and soap operas, for their real life, human drama. She tries to explain why she likes them so much. It’s almost like real people you know, and you can stay in touch with the tragedy and good times in their lives. Going to his friend Mark, who is also a psychiatrist, Harry shares that he knows things aren’t quite right, but he’s not sure what to do to change. At least it’s a step in the right direction. Wierd things begin to happen when what appears to be a science fiction show preempts Florence’s favorite soap opera. Is this a crossed signal at the TV station? Is her friends seeing this as well? Her friend, Grace, is Mark’s wife, but what answers might she be able to offer? When Florence brings up her thought that space aliens might be trying to contact her, Grace, Mark, and Harry are all ready to send her off to the mental hospital. Is Florence becoming delusional, or are the space aliens real? Is this all a part of hidden emotions that Mark, the psychiatrist could help with? Listen in to see just how real the aliens are, and their true motive for contact. Learn what Harry can do for his wife, if anything. The peace and survival of the universe depends on it. PS: For the sake of the episode, the aliens seem real enough. At the least, I think that this married couple could use a good dose of marital counselling. Nothing that a little communication, and understanding might not cure. Doing more to serve the needs of the spouce can go a long way in having your personal needs met. Don’t be afraid to be the one to act first. Just my personal marital tip of the day.

Some people just seem to never get a break, and have nothing but bad luck. Jack is a middle aged man who has been forced to leave his coal mining job due to an injury on the job. On top of that his in laws live with him, and though his mother in law claims to have money stashed away, she doesn’t contribute to the household. Jack has the chance to buy his own business, if only mom will kick in with a little cash to back him. After an argument, mom is found dead. Jack let’s his insensitive side take over, and he ransacks the old woman’s trunk, ignoring the concerns of his wife and father in law. The frustrated Jack doesn’t find any money, but is blamed for killing his mother in law. What do his wife, and her dad think of the events? As Jack is taken to jail he threatens revenge when he is released. Is it an empty threat, or a promise to worry about? Jack’s wife has been feeling guilty that she didn’t do more for his defense, and fears what her husband might do is he gets out. Her fear is compounded when she learns Jack could be out early for good behavior. Is it just her conscience, or is there a real danger? Jack is released, but who is the one in danger? Has he changed? Is he still angry? There’s still one more death before the show is over, and it might surprise you to discover who it will be.

Features Agnes Moorehead. A story of a woman who overheard a telephone conversation when lines get crossed. She hears plans for a murder. What should she do? The phone operators are no help. She tries to report what she heard to the police. Details unfold. We learn that this woman is an invalid who is confined to bed, she lives in an area of town that fits the description that matches what she heard of the murder plans. The cops try to assure her, but she grows more frantic. If only she could get through to her husband, but his line is always busy. Her emotions are driven to a peak when her phone begins ringing, but nobody is there when she answers. The roller coaster ride of nerves and emotion is renewed when the woman learns that her husband was called out of town on business. As the time for murder draws near, paranoia runs high. Listen in and live through the suspense of this story. Are the killers after her? Is she just paranoid? Trivia Alert: The designation, East Coast, in the show title indicates that this the version of the show that aired in the East. Due to time zones, it was a common thing to transcribe the show to air at a more convenient time for other time zones. Sometimes a different recording was done to fix flubbed lines, or to change jokes for comedy programs. PS: While you’re busy reading this, and enjoying these great shows, why not leave me a comment? Tell me what you think of the shows, or my web page.

Features Charles Laughton. A mild-mannered man and the initials ABC are the center of an organized set of murders. A story by Agatha Christie. A traveling salesman who has had a few too many failed sales deals. He begins to become forgetful, and suffers from headaches. Victims die in alphabetical order. Is it all just part a big medical disorder? Or has it all been planned? Scotland Yard manages to track down the fingerprints, and the typewriter used, and connect it all to stop the killer. It looks like the end for our forgetful salesman… or is it?

— Strange happenings in a London curio shop. A story of a man who commits murder, and gets away with it. A young lady goes to an antique shop where the shop owner seems to know all about her. The man holds secrets about both her, and her fiancee. Will his threats of blackmail be the motive for murder? Surely a murder can’t go undiscovered, or unpunished. Nerves, anxiety, and suspense runs high. Things get more strange when the murdered man’s brother arrives on the scene.

A Naval officer finds himself in a remarkable predicament. The officer’s fiancee is worried as the plane is boarded. The plane is full of distinguished, and important gentlemen. The men talk business, but the woman finds a body. The plane is flying on the wrong course, miles from land, over the Atlantic ocean. What dark deeds are afoot? Is it a kidnapping? The plot thickens when an empty cockpit is discovered. I could tell more, but it would ruin the suspense.

The Devereaux family has made their wealth on a sugar plantation. After years of relying on promissory notes, the creditor comes to demand payment from the old man. The stress is too much for his old heart, and old Mr. Devereaux keels over. Let the greedy family members descend, even before nightfall, to bicker over family holdings. Superstitions creep in when reliable old clocks chime the wrong hour. Only the loyal house servant shows concern over honoring the corpse of his old boss. Days pass, but melancholia moods prevail in the face of the curse. Will secrets be found in the nearby village? Will Ann respond to the marriage proposal that comes her way? Exploring on a hillside, she comes across a curious marker. Her fiancee is showing signs of malaria. Has he fallen prey to the curse, or will the marriage be the thing to break it? Returning to an empty house, Ann and her fiancee wonder if the servants are afraid of the curse. The two take shelter from the brewing storm outside. Is the mysterious note they find a warning from the dead? The chiming clock brings chills as trickery is revealed. Will Devaro land remain in control of the family? Stay tuned as the Whistler unravels all the twists in the tangled tale of insanity.

Hosted by Peter Lorrie as a feature of AFRS, Mystery Playhouse. A psychologist presents his idea for his next book, but the publisher sends him packing. There’s no way he’ll support the idea of using psychology to get someone to commit murder. On the street, the doctor intervenes when a woman is deciding to jump from a bridge. Talking her from the brink, and redirecting her confused emotions, he sets her on the path of murder. With no motive, she has no ties to the victim, and won’t face reprocussions, right? Going back to the publisher, the doct gloats that his experiment has worked. Now will he publish the book? Soon, it’s the publisher who could be the victim. The distraught woman turns out to be his jealous wife. She has proof of a fling with a blonde woman. Relaxing at home, the doctor is surprised to get a visit from police detectives. Have they cauught on to him already? Why are they suddenly interested in his wife’s whereabouts? Interrogations indicate that she as the woman in the photo in the publisher’s office. Has she snapped, and killed her lover? The Whistler still has one more twist that explains the details in the nearly perfect crime, and exposes to the cops the part the doctor played in the m m murders. Note: This is a retelling of a story presented on Suspense that featured Bela Lugosi in the part of the doctor.

Two convicts in prison. One desiring to go straight, the other with a devious plan. Elsewhere on a dark and stormy night, a young couple need to seek shelter when their car breaks down. An old gas station attendant directs them to the only hotel around. The darkened building seems deserted. Have the young travellers lost their way? If the spooky old woman is enough to make the couple want to push the limits of their tired out engine a little further, her mentqally challenged son drives the creep factor higher. Should they just give up omn the creepy old woman and her mysterious double talk about no rooms, no lights, and no other hotels? Their choice is limited when their immovable car is gon. Forget their dreams of a future in California, how about dreaming of surviving the night. In the night, another car approaches. Screams and gunshots in the night bring the couple from their room, and find themselves explaining the scene to cops who arrive. Where is the old woman and her son? The story of a long ago murder is shared. Has this been a supernatural moment of justice? The Whistler knows, and reveals all the twists of justice.

The newspaper had a special edition to get out, but the editor takes time to listen to the choir’s sing Christmas carols in the next building. Johnny Hale is a prisoner who closes up the newspaper shop to talk to a guard, and an aging prisoner. Ed is an oldtimer on a life sentence, who almost seems content with the life that he has been dealt, paying for the crime he committed all those years ago. Johnny has only 6 months left, and is more of a hot head about the rules imposed on prisoners, and the infractions on privacy and liberties. Well duh… it’s prison. That’s what it’s there to do. Though the warden isn’t sympathetic, Johnny claims that by next Christmas, he’ll be back at his job at a newspaper, and he’ll have something to put into print about this matter. It has been several days since the conversation with the warden, and it’s Christmas day. Johnny’s still upset at the incident with the censorship of old Ed’s letters. When he hears prisoners in the yard laughing, he learns it’s because they’re reading Eds mail. The fight that ensues, combined with the rules blend to land Johnny in solitary for a while. When he’s out, Johnny gets the chance to read some comforting words to Ed as he breathes his last. Where is this story leading? Will the warden learn a lesson from Johnny’s insistence on being treated with dignity? Will he follow up on Ed’s last request? The Whistler unlocks a secret that changes attitudes for Johnny and the warden. The Christmas spirit has a way of turning emotions around once secrets are layed bare.

Joe is a man who has fallen on hard times, and recently released from prison, he helps his brother Steve. While Steve works, Joe watches Timmy, and tells him about Santa coming. But how will such a fat man get down a chimney, when they don’t even have a fireplace? Steve is a cop, and questions Joe about where he has been. There has been a robbery, and the captain puts the pressure on Steve to be sure his brother is clean. It could mean Steve’s job if he’s caught covering up for Joe. Without being able to explain circumstances, Joe goes to jail for two years, and Steve is out of a job. When Joe is released, he finds himself in a good situation, but Steve is found living in a dilapidated side of town, Timmy has had an accident, and not able to walk. Can Joe make amends with his brother? Can he explain to Steve about the night of that robbery? What will happen when some of Joe’s old gang members catch up to him, and demand his help in another safecracking job? To win the reward money, a dangerous plan for Joe is set, and he finds himself as a fugitive. Has he lost his high class girlfriend? Will he sacrifice himself so Steve can be put back on the police force? Reward money goes to Steve to help Timmy, but being a good cop, Steve smells a rat. When a double cross is exposed, the betrayal may right a lot of wrongs. But will the Whistler hold yet a final twist to make a Merry Christmas story all the merrier? Note: Though uncredited, the voice of Steve Bradley sounds like it’s Gerald Moore.

A group of soldiers are around a table talking about Christmas. Being away from home for the holiday, they compare notes on how their holiday would be spent bac home, and reveal a little of how they have actually been spending their holiday so far. They drink toasts to the recently past tragedies and lost friends in the war. As they enjoy a meal together, they talk about their last Christmas in the States. Photos are pulled out, and remembrances of loved ones back home are discussed. The brags and idle threats are put on hold when a new soldier enters with a new man to join the Christmas festivity. Generosity is lavished on the new man. Who is this new guy? He seems familiar to the guys. In this episodewe don’t find out since the audio abruptly cuts out. If I can find a complete audio file, I’ll have to repost this one. Oops.

A tale that recounts the final moments of a man’s life. A gent named Henry Wilson is a little, nervous man. Through voice over, he narates the drama of his plan for revenge. He kills his boss, and covers his tracks, but has he thought of everything? How do you deal with an unexpected witness? The plan, and the cover up sounds flawless. The police begin their investigation, and questioning. Henry Wilson seems to have triumphed, and even gained a promotion to the dead man’s job. The trouble begins to emerge with Henry himself. His mental state declines, he becomes paranoid, he is haunted by his thoughts. He starts to hear voices in his head, and though no one else can hear them, his nervous breakdown does the job for the authorities. I guess poor old Henry just doesn’t have that killer mentality. The whole thing with suspense is that there’s a little tidbit of information that is withheld, until the last moment. What is that tidbit? Just listen to get the twist ending.