''Suspense'' is an American

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...

that ran on CBS Television from 1949 to 1954. It was adapted from the radio program of the same name which ran from 1942 to 1962.

Series overview

Like many early television programs, the show was broadcast live from New York City. It was sponsored by the Auto-Lite corporation, and each episode was introduced by host

Rex Marshall Rex Marshall, (born Marshall Bingeman Shantz, Jr. January 10, 1919–March 9, 1983) was an American actor, television announcer, and a radio personality for 46 years. His career began in Boston, Massachusetts as a reporter for a radio station ...

, who promoted Auto-Lite spark plugs, car batteries, headlights, and other car parts. Some of the early scripts were adapted from ''Suspense'' radio scripts, while others were original for television. Like the radio program, many scripts were adaptations of literary classics by well-known authors. Classic authors such as

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

, Agatha Christie, and

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

all had stories adapted for the series, while contemporary authors such as Roald Dahl and

Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit, erudition, and patrician manner. Vidal was bisexual, and in his novels and e ...

also contributed. Many notable actors appeared on the program, including

Bela Lugosi Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (; ), was a Hungarian and American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic ''Dracula'', Ygor in ''S ...

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film '' Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...

Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, making her the most nomina ...

Brian Keith Brian Keith (born Robert Alba Keith, November 14, 1921 – June 24, 1997) was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his six-decade career gained recognition for his work in films such as the Disney family film '' The Parent T ...

Franchot Tone Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone (February 27, 1905 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor, producer, and director of stage, film and television. He was a leading man in the 1930s and early 1940s, and at the height of his career was known ...

Robert Emhardt Robert Emhardt (July 24, 1914 – December 26, 1994) was an American character actor who worked on stage, in film and on television. Emhardt was frequently cast as a villain, often a crooked businessman or corrupt politician. Early years E ...

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (11 February 192628 November 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was bo ...

Lloyd Bridges Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...

, and many more. The program was a

live television Live television is a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. In a secondary meaning, it may refer to streaming television over the Internet when content or programming is played continuously (not on deman ...

series, but most episodes were recorded on

kinescope Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film, directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 194 ...

. However, only around 90 of the 260 episodes are known to survive. The rest were discarded and apparently no longer exist in any format. The ninety existing episodes are available today on three DVD box sets. TubiTV.com also is streaming episodes of the show.

Episodes

Season 1 (1948-1949)

Season 2 (1949-1950)

*Oct. 11, 1949 - "The Cask of Amontillado" - starring

*May 30, 1950 - "Listen, Listen" -

Mildred Natwick Mildred Natwick (June 19, 1905 – October 25, 1994) was an American actress. She won a Primetime Emmy Award and was nominated for an Academy Award and two Tony Awards. Early life Natwick was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Mildre ...

*June 6, 1950 - "Black Bronze" -

*June 27, 1050 - "Wisteria Cottage" -

Conrad Janis Conrad Janis (February 11, 1928 – March 1, 2022) was a jazz trombonist and actor who starred in film and television during the Golden Age Era in the 1950s and 1960s. He played the role of Mindy McConnell's father, Frederick, on television's ' ...

Marjorie Gateson Marjorie Augusta Gateson (January 17, 1891 – April 17, 1977) was an American stage and film actress. Biography Gateson was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Augusta and Daniel Gateson. Her maternal grandfather and brother were clergymen; So ...

*October 10, 1950 - "Criminal's Mark" - Catherine McLeod *October 17, 1950 - "The Man Who Would Be King" - Francis L. Sullivan *November 14, 1950 - "The Brush Off" -

Mary Sinclair Mary Sinclair (born Ella Delores Cook; November 15, 1922 – November 5, 2000) was an American television, film and stage actress and “a familiar face to television viewers in the 1950s” as a performer in numerous plays produced and broadca ...

*November 21, 1950 - "Justice Has Been Done" - Francis Sullivan

Season 3 (1950-1951)

Season 4 (1951-1952)

*April 17, 1951 - "The Juice Man" -

Robert Webber Robert Laman Webber (October 14, 1924 – May 19, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in dozens of films and television series, roles that included Juror No. 12 in the 1957 film ''12 Angry Men''. Early life Webber was born in Santa Ana, ...

Season 5 (1952-1953)

*October 7, 1952 - "The Man in the Mirror" - Gerald O'Loughlin,

Constance Ford Constance Ford (born Cornelia M. Ford; July 1, 1923 – February 26, 1993) was an American actress and model. She is best known for her long-running role as Ada Lucas Hobson on the daytime soap opera '' Another World'', which she played from 1 ...

, Sally Gracie, Larry Gates, Cliff Hall, Archie Smith, Arthur Marlowe *October 14, 1952 - "The Blue Panther" -Phyllis Brooks, Michael Strong, Erik Rhodes, Gene Anton Jr., Bruce Gordon, Michael Garrett, Tom Avera, Gina Petrushka *October 21, 1952 - "The Man Who Had 7 Hours" - Robert Sterling, Gaby Rodgers, Walter Kohler, Ludie Claire, Susan Caubet, Marcel Hillaire, MacLean Savage *October 28, 1952 - "All Hallow's Eve" - Franchot Tone, Francis Compton, Romney Brent, Patricia Byrd, Penny Hays, Douglas Jay, Bobby Catanio *November 11, 1952 - "Moving Target" - Jamie Smith, Irja Jensen, Joseph Anthony, Wolfe Barzell, Rudy Bond, Kalle Ruusumen, Jan DeRuth, Nina Hansen *January 13, 1953 - "Mr. Matches" -

Warren Stevens Warren Albert Stevens (November 2, 1919 – March 27, 2012) was an American stage, screen, and television actor. Early life and career Born in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, Stevens entered the United States Naval Academy in 1937 but was medical ...

, Henry Jones, Eleanor Wilson *August 8, 1953 - "Nightmare At Ground Zero" by Rod Serling - O.Z. Whitehead, Louise Larabee, Pat HingleAn Evening in the Zone: Three Teleplays by Twilight Zone Creator Rod Serling dvd, S'More Entertainment, catalog no. SMO-7172 (2009).

References

External links

*
''Suspense'' TV: An Introduction to the Show''Suspense'' episode "Woman in Love" (August 26, 1952) at Internet Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suspense (Us Tv Series) CBS original programming 1949 American television series debuts 1954 American television series endings 1940s American anthology television series 1950s American anthology television series Black-and-white American television shows Thriller television series Television series based on radio series Television shows filmed in New York City