If actors thought they had tough work in Hollywood, they had no idea what it took to do a radio show in New York. Before television came and wiped out the industry, radio was king for decades and any family that could afford one, had one. A regular program could be found on any imaginable topic, including dramas, mysteries, Westerns, comedy, horror-- you name it, they had a show for it.
One of the most popular programs during the Golden Age of Radio (1920s-1950s) was SUSPENSE, a weekly drama from CBS Radio. It ran for over 900 episodes from June 17, 1942 until September 30, 1962. SUSPENSE was a high-quality production that featured a long list of popular Hollywood stars, including Orson Welles, James Stewart, Bette Davis and Cary Grant. The soundtrack was composed by Bernard "Psycho" Herrmann, who also scored a number of Hammer Films.
One of the most popular episodes was "Sorry, Wrong Number", broadcast on May 25, 1943 and starred Agnes Moorehead. It was re-broadcast seven more times over the years and Moorehead returned for each of them. The script was written by Lucille Fletcher, a Hollywood screenwriter, music librarian and copy editor. She was also the wife of Bernard Herrmann.
The pages below were generously supplied by "our man in the U.K.", journalist Steve Green.
Download and listen to over 400 remastered episodes of SUSPENSE HERE.
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Here's a human interest feature on a young Orson Welles from RADIO ALBUM #1 (Spring 1942):
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