Suspense - The Lodger (#120)
Channel: Old Time Radio Researchers
Date: 2023-05-06

Suspense - 12/14/44, episode 120
Brought to you by the Old Time Radio Researchers, courtesy of The Suspense Project

Suspense was pre-empted on 1944-12-07 for a program in support of the Sixth War Loan Drive.

This story was originally presented on CBS Forecast as the audition program for Suspense. The production has a lot of backstory. Read about it at https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/01/1940-07-26-cbs-forecast-lodger-audition_7.html

The original story was by Marie Belloc Lowndes and the original adaptation by Harold Medford was revised by Bob Tallman. It is possible that Medford did not write the Forecast audition script. There is some evidence that it was written by Joan Harrison, assistant to Alfred Hitchcock, but that is still being investigated. It may never be known for certain.

Whatever the case, the flaws of that audition program with its nebulous ending and discussion about it possible conclusion have been eliminated for a more traditional presentation of the story.

One network recording has survived, and it is not known if it is east or west. It is 14 seconds to the network ID. The Armed Forces Radio Service recording (#82) matches the surviving network recording as its source. The network recording is the better of the two recordings.

This was Robert Montgomery’s first appearance on Suspense. He was a highly regarded Oscar-nominated actor who became a writer, director, and producer. He had a very long career, best summarized at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Montgomery_(actor) 

The cast: ROBERT MONTGOMERY (Storyteller / Mr. Sleuth), Joe Kearns (Man in Black / Newsboy / Mr. Cannot), Wally Maher (Coroner), Raymond Lawrence (Robbie Bunting / Newsboy #2), Jeanette Nolan? (Ellen Bunting), Joan Lorring? (Daisy Bunting)

For more information, visit https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/05/1944-12-14-lodger.html