Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

The Log of the Marne

Originally Aired: October 22, 1951 Suspense #444, "The Log of the Marne," presents a harrowing true story of a British gunboat trapped on the Yangtze River under relentless Communist fire. When HMS Marne is ambushed by Chinese batteries while on a routine supply mission, the devastating attack kills the captain and most of the crew within minutes. Lieutenant Bennett Moore, critically wounded with shell fragments in his lung, struggles to maintain command as the ship runs aground with its communications and weapons systems destroyed. Lieutenant Hugh Fraser arrives on the shattered bridge to find carnage all around, and together they desperately try to save what remains of the vessel and crew. As casualties mount to over thirty dead and dozens wounded, Lieutenant Commander James Harland arrives by seaplane to assume command, bringing a medical officer and limited supplies. Now Harland faces an impossible situation: trapped 140 miles from help with only 41 men left from an original complement of 149, no functioning guns, damaged communications, and burned navigation charts. With the Communists continuing to shell the crippled vessel, Harland must decide whether to attempt refloating the Marne and making a desperate run for safety.

The Flame

Originally Aired: October 15, 1951 In Suspense #443, "The Flame," Cornell Wilde stars as Andy, a troubled young man whose dangerous obsession with fire threatens to spiral out of control. When Andy's sister Mary Lee asks him to help Mr. Boyerjean, a kindly dry goods store owner whose wife is gravely ill, Andy agrees to mind the shop. But when Mr. Boyerjean mentions in passing that he wishes his store would burn down so he could collect the insurance money to pay for his wife's medical care, something dark awakens in Andy's mind. His late-night fixation with fires and his compulsive need to draw and color pictures of flames suddenly finds a terrible purpose. As Andy begins planning to "help" Mr. Boyerjean by setting fire to the store, his sister Mary Lee grows increasingly concerned about his strange behavior. She worries about his aimless life, his nighttime wanderings, and his obsessive sketching. When she catches him conducting suspicious experiments with her cake tin, the warning signs become impossible to ignore. The story builds tension as Andy's pyromaniac tendencies threaten to destroy not only property but innocent lives, while those around him remain unaware of the danger lurking in their midst.

Betrayal in Vienna

Originally Aired: October 8, 1951 Suspense #442, "Betrayal in Vienna," Colonel Alfred Radel, commander of the VIII Corps and creator of Emperor Franz Joseph's feared Black Cabinet, faces a devastating personal and professional crisis. When he learns that his dearest friend, Captain Oscar Helsinger, has been executed as a spy in St. Petersburg, Radel makes a fateful decision to flee Vienna. At the post office, he retrieves envelopes containing fourteen thousand kronen, adding to the three hundred thousand he already has hidden in a Roman bank. This routine transaction takes an ominous turn when Radel narrowly escapes detection, realizing he may have nearly stepped into the very trap he once set for others. As Radel prepares for his final evening in Vienna, donning his dress uniform one last time and dining at Holbaum's, he reflects on the secret life that began two years earlier. His brilliant career creating an espionage network to rival Scotland Yard seems to be crumbling around him. The master spymaster who once commanded fear throughout Europe's capitals now finds himself on the run, his infallible memory forcing him to relive every step that led to this moment of betrayal and flight.

The Case Study of a Murderer

Originally Aired: October 1, 1951 Suspense #441, "The Case Study of a Murderer," Beth Lathrop reflects on her marriage to Hank, a man she thought she knew until troubling changes emerge. When a series of brutal murders near Lincoln Park dominates the news, Hank becomes obsessed with following every detail in the papers. His fixation intensifies after he loses his job, and Beth watches helplessly as her sweet, wonderful husband transforms into someone she barely recognizes. He grows paranoid, argumentative, and increasingly erratic, making strange accusations and contradicting himself about simple things like whether windows should be open or closed. As the summer heat bears down and the killer remains at large, Hank's behavior becomes more disturbing. Beth begins to sense that her husband is harboring dark secrets, even from himself. She describes him as two different men, one she loved and another she's only now discovering. Speaking from an uncertain present, Beth reveals she's expecting a baby and has been assured by doctors that whatever mental sickness afflicted Hank cannot be inherited. Her haunting narration suggests that Hank tried to ask for help the only way he could, but his plea came too late.

The McKay College Basketball Scandal

Originally Aired: September 24, 1951 Suspense #440, "The McKay College Basketball Scandal," presents the story of Fred Hudson, a 20-year-old junior and star basketball player at McKay College, where the sport isn't just a game but a way of life for the entire town. As Fred takes the court, something is clearly wrong with his performance. He's fumbling plays, losing the ball, and playing far below his usual all-state caliber. The pressure mounts from all sides: his feuding parents at home, where his unemployed father lives vicariously through his son's athletic glory while his mother resents that Fred has no job skills beyond basketball, and the campus community that has built its entire identity around the basketball brigade. Two mysterious strangers have come to town asking about Fred, and his professors reveal he's flunking most of his classes except history. Based on actual headlines about bribes offered to college athletes, Tony Curtis stars as the troubled young player caught in circumstances that threaten to destroy everything he's worked for, while the town that once celebrated him begins to turn against his inexplicably poor performance on the court.