Another series that achieved a fame of sorts through its memorable sound effects opening and the strange narrator was Inner Sanctum Mysteries. Produced by Himan Brown, who would be known to a new generation of radio drama fans when he created CBS Radio Mystery Theatre in the early seventies, the show opened with a memorable sound of a creaking door. This followed with the equally memorable narrator, Raymond, who with his macabre sense of humor was portrayed by Raymond Edward Johnson. Unlike the other series the scenes with the narrator were simply high camp. The show almost seemed to take it all in with tongue-in-cheek. Campy lines such as people hanging around were used with relish by the narrator. Early stories were very good, sometimes based on classic horror tales, but gradually the series broadcast impossibly tangled tales that somehow seemed reluctantly to find an ending.

Outstanding theatre of thrills

As radio drama moved into the forties, the quality of the writing seemed to dramatically improve. One mystery-oriented series that had its genesis in the early forties and which lasted for over 20 years was Suspense - "Radio's outstanding theatre of thrills." The series saw first light with a winner of a script as an audition program on CBS Radio's preview show, Forecast. The script was based on the famous story, "The Lodger" by Belloq Lowndes and was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The show was an instant hit! (See review in Variety).

It was two more years before the first show was broadcast. Suspense featured scripts based upon the writings of the well-known mystery writers of the period including Cornell Woolrich, John Dickson Carr, and Agatha Christie. William Spier was asked to handle the directing and producing. The series had a high budget featuring famous film and stage actors in starring roles. John Dickson Carr was also retained to adapt many of the early scripts. Of the many scriptwriters, one who stands out is Lucille Fletcher. It was Fletcher's script "Sorry, Wrong Number" that offered Agnes Moorehead the definitive role as the soon-to-be-murdered lady. The script was so popular it was repeated or re-done eight times and later became a major motion picture starring Barbara Stanwyck! Suspense also maintains the title as the last dramatic radio series from the "golden age of radio."

Continued