Suspense - My Dear Niece AFRS#139 (#176)
Channel: Old Time Radio Researchers
Date: 13/07/2023

Suspense - 01/24/46, episode 176
Brought to you by the Old Time Radio Researchers, courtesy of The Suspense Project

This is the first of three scripts for Suspense authored by Elliott Lewis. It’s a good one that you think may be so formulaic that it won’t really be interesting, and then you get to a surprising ending. Lewis uses a letter of an elderly woman writing to her niece about how she’s taking the niece’s advice to be more active, perhaps even looking for a job. She gets one, after placing an ad in the local newspaper. It pays $50 a week ($833 in US$2023) but she does nothing to earn it! She finally gets some instructions just as she was about to quit. A publisher wants to use a room her house to sequester one of their authors who is behind on their deadline. They don’t want him to be disturbed so he can finally finish his work. We learn it’s not as innocent as it sounds… and meeting the mastermind of the scheme puts her in great danger.

There are two recordings of this episode. The west coast network recording is an aircheck of KQW in San Jose, California. The better recording is from the Armed Forces Radio Service (#139). It is derived from the missing east coast broadcast. Times are approximate:

AFRS 1:49 “We ah we have a very small publishing house...”

KQW 2:35 “We have a very small publishing house...”

AFRS 17:27 “Now get the telephone, ask, uh, ask long distance for Crestview 9177 in Los Angeles”

KQW 20:56 “Now get the telephone. Ask long distance for Crestview 9177 in Los Angeles”

The cast: DAME MAY WHITTY (Emily Rogers), Bill Johnstone (Officer Barnes), Wally Maher (Mr. Bruce, alias Paul Stevens), Bret Morrison? (Stevens / Al Newholt), Joe Kearns (Signature Voice / Mr. Mayer)

For more information visit https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/07/1946-01-24-my-dear-niece.html