Suspense: Motive for Murder (#375)
Channel: Old Time Radio Researchers
Date: 2024-03-20

Suspense: 03/16/50, episode 375
Brought to you by the Old Time Radio Researchers, courtesy of The Suspense Project

Alan Ladd stars as a police detective whose wife is suspected of murdering a vacuum cleaner salesman. She was found unconscious at the murder scene. None of it makes sense, especially when it’s realized that there’s no vacuum cleaner! Dogged detective work leads to the conclusion that the contents of the vacuum cleaner were the impetus for the crime. Now he has to find the murderer. Imagine the perpetrator’s surprise when he finds out he placed the victim’s body in a cop’s apartment to cover up the crime. That will certainly get your crime a little extra scrutiny. Whoops. The wife recovers and everyone lives happily ever after, it seems.

Ladd delivers his usual good performance. Ignore the fact that no big city cop would be officially assigned or allowed to investigate a crime involving a family member. It is, however implausible, an element of the story that maintains the tension and urgency of the plotline. Once that’s set aside, it’s a better-than-pedestrian story with enough slowly revealed details to keep it interesting. With Ladd’s voice and the storyline, it’s easy to imagine this as an episode of his very successful syndicated series, Box 13.

The original story was written by John and Ward Hawkins and appeared in the October 1938 issue of Thrilling Detective and The Saturday Evening Post edition of November 1, 1947. They were very prolific short story mystery writers. It was adapted for Suspense by E. Jack Neuman. The story was also used on Radio City Playhouse less than a year prior. That was a different adaptation and was produced in New York.

Richard Widmark was originally planned to star in this broadcast. Almost everyone in the supporting cast doubles in the production.

This performance was recorded on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 2, 1950.

The cast: ALAN LADD (“Irish” Dave), Joe Kearns (Jock / Father / Signature Voice), John Dehner (Charlie / Eddy), Virginia Gregg (Mary / Woman), Jeanette Nolan (Landlady / Cecilia Breckenbridge), Georgia Ellis (Harrett Blodgett / Elsie), Howard McNear (Richards / Man), Larry Dobkin (Harold Dolph)

COMMERCIAL: Joe DuVal (Remingchester), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer), Sylvia Simms (Operator)

For more information visit https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/03/1950-03-16-motive-for-murder.html