Suspense - I Won't Take a Minute (#169)
Channel: Old Time Radio Researchers
Date: 2023-07-04

Suspense - 12/06/45, episode 169
Brought to you by the Old Time Radio Researchers, courtesy of The Suspense Project

Lee Bowman stars in a Suspense adaptation of a Cornell Woolrich story. Robert Tallman adapted his 1940 short story, Finger of Doom, and gave it a new title. 

Lee Bowman’s appearance was not planned; he replaced Glenn Ford. This news item from the 1946-02-21 Indianapolis IN Star explains what happened:

"Sometimes the calamities that happen during the broadcast of Suspense cause more suspense for the participants than the listeners. The program Glenn Ford was to appear on seemed hoodooed from the start. A few hours before air time Ford couldn't get away from his movie set in time so Lee Bowman was called in to sub at the last minute. Truman Bradley, the announcer, turned up with a high fever and a hoarse voice, but his pipes were pretty good for the broadcast. Then the sound-effects girl slashed her hand while crushing a berry box to represent the sound of a breaking door. So the program was sewed up with three stitches on the hand."

Bowman’s character is with his fiancé for an evening out. Before they go to their first stop of the evening, she just has a brief errand for her employer: deliver a small package to an apartment building. She never comes back. A policeman (played by Wally Maher, who is very entertaining in the role) tries to help, but the story becomes more unbelievable every time he gets more information. In the end… it’s a spy story! It’s very entertaining and Bowman and Maher play well together. It’s not great Woolrich in terms of radio, but it is still listening very well spent. 

There are three surviving network recordings. The east recording (“EC”) is the best of the three. There are two west recordings. One is a studio recording that is also in good sound, and the other is an aircheck from KQW of San Jose, California. 

The cast:
LEE BOWMAN (Kenny), Cathy Lewis (Stephanie Ryska), Bill Johnstone? (Hessen), Wally Maher (Lieutenant Gilman), Junius Matthews (Building super), Elliott Lewis (Signature Voice / Calhoun), Lucille Meredith? (Fake Stephanie, alias Olga), unknown (Mother / Landlady), unknown (Brat)

For more information visit https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/07/1945-12-06-i-wont-take-minute.html