Suspense: 12/28/50, episode 408
Brought to you by the Old Time Radio Researchers, courtesy of The Suspense Project

Cornel Wilde makes his first of many appearances on the series in a story about arson, fraud, and a husband who wants to get out of his marriage. His plan unravels almost from the start, as his wife thinks she’s helping him by starting the fire in their store while he has an alibi. The plan starts to unravel. Blogger Christine Miller calls Wilde’s character “one of the most despicable husbands in all of Suspensedom.” And she’s right. He’s an awful man, but his wife still adores him until she realizes how evil he really is. It’s a good story, unnerving at times when he is most selfish and untruthful. There’s satisfaction in his getting what he deserves at the end of the story. It’s quite a stark contrast compared to the prior week’s Christmas for Carole where a husband attempted to commit a crime to provide for his wife (and couldn’t do it) and this one where the husband recruits his wife to commit a crime in an effort to rid himself of her.

This was author Louis Pollock’s second and final Suspense script. The other was The Clock and the Rope.

Wilde was Hungarian by birth and may have been selected for his ability to create the Eastern European accent desired for his part. The last name of the character he plays is “Markov,” which is mainly found in Bulgaria and Russia. The name “Marya” can be pronounced many different ways, but the way it is pronounced here is to make it create a more ethnic sounding name as might be heard from natives of “the old country.” When Wilde pronounces it sounds like “marry-ah.”

Fear of fire in the 1940s and 1950s was very high. Stories that included fire in the plotline added a great deal of tension to the productions. The fact that the story includes arson made it even more despicable as evil intent can create a fire that goes out of control. Fear of fire is less so in more modern times with greater fire inspections, enforcement of fire codes, and technologies such as sprinkler systems. These were not common at the time of the broadcast but were emerging as technologies and procedures were being developed. Fire stories of homes and businesses were regularly in the local news.

Elliott Lewis always liked casting Larry Thor as a policeman in Suspense because his voice was familiar to listeners from his lead role in Broadway is My Beat. It’s like it was an inside joke between him, Thor, and the listeners. Here he plays “Detective Holbrook.” Thor would appear again as an unnamed officer in one of Wilde’s other Suspense appearances, Allen in Wonderland, in 1952. By that time, everyone knew who that officer was, and naming him was unnecessary.

The cast: CORNEL WILDE (John Markov), Irene Tedrow (Marya), Joe Kearns (Signature Voice / Fire Marshal), Larry Thor (Detective Holbrook), Charles Calvert (Sergeant), Don Morrison (Frank / Official), Tom Holland (Policeman), Jean Young (Girl)

COMMERCIAL: Bert Holland (Hap), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer), Sylvia Simms (Operator)

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