Suspense - Two Sharp Knives (#143)
Channel: Old Time Radio Researchers
Date: 2023-06-08

Suspense - 06/07/45, episode 143
Brought to you by the Old Time Radio Researchers, courtesy of The Suspense Project

This is the unluckiest Suspense episode ever from a scheduling perspective. Originally planned for April 12, it was canceled by the news coverage of FDR’s death. Rescheduled for April 26, it was canceled by the news coverage of the United Nations peace conference. Finally, it was broadcast on June 7. The casting had to change.

The story was first broadcast on Suspense on 1942-12-22 and starred Stu Irwin. He was supposed to reprise his role in this 1945 broadcast, but the two-time change in schedule did not allow so. This broadcast stars John Payne and Frank McHugh. For details on the overall story go to https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/01/1942-12-22-two-sharp-knives.html and also https://archive.org/details/TSP421222

There are two surviving recordings of the episode. The surviving network recording cannot be identified as east or west; it has 3 seconds to network ID and is identified as “(3s).” The Armed Forces Radio Service (#106) recording is drawn from the missing network broadcast. The network recording is in better sound than the AFRS one. Times are approximate:

Network 2:06 “Well if it is, Wally, you can always carry on. You've been a fair imitation of an assistant to me for some time now.”
[McHugh: “Yeah?”]
“Yeah. Anything happens to me you'd be chief. Don't worry, it won't be any harder to....for you to fool the public as chief.”

AFRS 1:18 “Well if it is you can always carry on. You've been a fair imitation of an assist...of an assistant to me for some [?] time now.”
[McHugh: “Yeah?”]
“Yeah. Anything happens to me you'd be chief. Don't worry, it won't be any harder for you to fool the public as chief.”

This episode marked the only appearances of John Payne and Frank McHugh on Suspense.

The cast: JOHN PAYNE (Scott Anderson), FRANK McHUGH (Wally Shane, alias Harry), Cathy Lewis (Ethel Furman), Lou Merrill (Lester Furman / Ben, the coroner), Stan Farrar (Wheelock), Harry Lang (Cap / George, the jailer), Wally Maher (Elmer / Carl Reisling), David Ellis (Signature Voice / Ted Carroll, the D. A. / Hamill), unknown (“Hotcha” Randall [Gloria Blondell?])

For more information, visit https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/06/1945-06-07-two-sharp-knives.html