suspense

apprehension about what is going to happen an uncertain cognitive state

"the matter remained in suspense for several years" excited anticipation of an approaching climax

"the play kept the audience in suspense"

One of the premier programs of the Golden Age of Radio (now known as old-time radio), ''Suspense'' advertised itself as "radio's oustanding theater of thrills" and was heard in one form or another from 1942 through 1962. There were approximately 945 episodes broadcast during its long run.''Suspense'' went through several major phases, characterized by its hosts, sponsors and director/producers. The show was so popular that over 900 of the original episodes are extant in high-quality recordings. Alfred Hitchcock directed the audition show — an adaptation of ''The Lodger'', that Hitchcock had filmed in 1926 in film1926 — in a 1940 program called ''Forecast'', starring Herbert Marshall. In the early phase, the program was hosted by "The Man in Black" (played by Joseph Kearns or Ted Osborne) and many episodes written or adapted by the prominent mystery author John Dickson Carr.The sponsor became Roma Wines and then Autolite spark plugSpark Plugs; eventually Harlow Wilcox (of ''Fibber McGee and Molly'') became the pitchman. William Spier, William N. Robson, and Anton M. Leder were among the producers and directors. The program's heyday was in the early 1950s, when the great radio actor, producer and director Elliott Lewis took over (still during the Wilcox/Autolite run). Here the material reached new levels of sophistication. The writing was taut, and the casting, which had always been a strong point of the series (featuring famous film stars like Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Henry Fonda, Humphrey Bogart, Ronald Colman, Cary Grant and many others), took an unexpected turn when Lewis expanded the repertory to include many of radio's famous drama and comedy stars, such as Jack Benny and Jim and Marian Jordan (aka ''Fibber McGee and Molly''). The highest production values enhanced ''Suspense'', and many of the shows retain their power to grip, entertain and move.The single most popular episode of ''Suspense'' is "Sorry, Wrong Number," written by the premier radio scribe Lucille Fletcher, in which a panicked, bedridden woman (played by veteran radio actor Agnes Moorehead) tries to convince a telephone operator she has overheard a murder plot on a crossed line. First broadcast on May 25, 1943, it was repeated seven times (last on 2/14/60) and spawned the 1948 film with Barbara Stanwyck in the lead role. Another noteworthy episode was Orson Welles' "The Hitchhiker". But there are literally hundreds of extant episodes considered by fans to be of equal or greater quality.

External links -

otrdigest.com - The Internet OTR Digest (Email Old-Time Radio Discussion list)

lofcom.com - The Suspense Discussion PhorumCategory:United States radio programs

Radio Treasury. Ten Old Time Radio Catalogs
Ten Giant Old Time Radio Catalogs. Where Experienced collectors find rare and obscure old time radio shows.
http://www.radiotreasury.com

Flanders Script Academy - Vlaamse Script Academie
The Flanders Script Academy (FSA) organizes workshops, seminars and research to improve the practice of writing and evaluating stories on a permanent basis. The workshops and seminars deal with stories for film, television and new media in particular, but also with narratives for drama and prose.
http://www.vsa-fsa.org/

Chandler McGrew's Website
Chandler McGrew is the international bestselling author of critically acclaimed suspense thrillers
http://www.chandlermcgrew.com

Alfred Hitchcock - The Master of Suspense
Biography, filmography, quotes, list of cameos, and other information and commentary on Hitchcock.
http://nextdch.mty.itesm.mx/

Suspense Romance Writers
The Leader in Romantic Suspense. Contemporary Romance Writers is a web site where readers and writers of the contemporary romance genre can come together to discuss spotlighted books, authors, and book characters and plots.
http://www.suspenseromancewriters.com/

RWA Kiss of Death
Mystery/Suspense Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. The place on the web for murderously inclined romantics.
http://www.rwamysterysuspense.org/

Reel.com
Stocks more than 85,000 movies for sale and 35,000 for rent. Videos and region 1 DVDs. Offers a descriptive catalog and a useful movie rating system.
http://www.reel.com/

Mostly Fiction
Features selected links to reviews of fiction, author web sites, and book excerpts.
http://mostlyfiction.com