3 men; 10 women. It’s Wednesday night on December 24th, 1941. Seventeen days prior to this night, Japanese bombers attacked Pearl Harbor hurling the United States into World War II. The Radio Suspense Theatre Ensemble is tasked with a Christmas themed suspense program that will evoke the warmth of the Christmas season while the nation is mobilizing for conflict. Over half of the men in the company have already signed up for action and are in training or overseas.

Of the two episodes they will produce on that Christmas eve, one is a dramatization of L. Frank Baum’s, “A Kidnapped Santa Claus.” The “Wizard of Oz” author’s story depicts a crisis that requires the mobilization of all of Santa’s helpers to make sure that the tradition of Christmas continues.

The second episode, “The Ghost of the Bartley River Mine,” tells the tale of a group of women from Bartley, West Virginia who must find the courage to pull together when a coal mine collapses, leaving 25 men buried under the cave rubble. Their efforts are hampered when one of the young women encounters a ghost and the supplies necessary to unearth the men begin to disappear.

“Radio Suspense Theatre: The Christmas Edition” is now in development and will be available for licensing for Christmas of 2025.