Recreations of the "Truly Missing" Suspense
The "truly missing" Suspense -- missing episodes that were performed only once on the series.
Scripts of one sort or another are available for each of episodes. It would be great if we could get them all recreated as some recordings may be lost forever.
This is the list with embedded links to known recreations. Are you aware of other recreations of the "truly missing" that need to be added to this list?
Sadly the missing 1942 and 1943 broadcast recordings are likely lost forever -- and there is a possibility they were not recorded at all. There is hope for the others that AFRS recordings may be found one day.
1942-07-01 - Episode 3 - The Life of Nellie James (based on Lizzie Borden); ANNOUNCED AS THE MAY 2024 RECREATION BY PROJECT AUDION (news as of 2024-04-11)
1942-07-08 - Episode 4 - Rope (recreation by Sole Twin Audios; SEE BELOW)
1942-07-15 - Episode 5 - Witness on the Westbound Limited (recreation scheduled by Project Audion for May 12, 2023 at 9:00pm ET;this was a re-used script by Harold Medford that he originally used on Calling All Cars)
1943-02-09 - Episode 27 - The Hangman Won't Wait (first half exists) (the complete performance has been done by Blue Hours Productions and American Radio Theater (ART); it was also produced in the BBC's Appointment with Fear series as 1944-05-18 The Clock Strikes Eight for which a recording exists at the Internet Archive). AWF used John Dickson Carr's scripts and the Suspense theme in its broadcasts at that time.
1943-02-23 - Episode 29 - Will You Walk into My Parlor? (first half exists) (complete performance done by ART)
1943-03-09 - Episode 31 - The Phantom Archer (recreation by Sole Twin Audios was released on the 80th anniversary of its broadcast in 2023 and can be heard on YouTube)
1946-02-28 - Episode 181- The Keenest Edge (was performed in the 1950s in Australia on Grace Gibson's "Tension" series, and by ART, and most recently by Project Audion [a Zoom video presentation on YouTube])
1948-07-08 - Episode 296 - The Last Chance (first Auto-Lite broadcast)
1950-06-15 - Episode 388 - Deadline (performed at the October 2022 REPS Showcase; click here to listen)
1951-11-12 - Episode 446 - The Mission of the Betta (this could be somewhat challenging to recreate well -- a portion of the script is originally from Man Behind the Gun "Incident in the Pacific")
1951-11-19 - Episode 447 - The Embezzler (done by ART)
1956-01-03 - Episode 630 - The Eavesdropper (recreated in May 2022 by Project Audion) (SEE BELOW) (An AFRS recording of the original broadcast has been found)
1956-08-01 - Episode 660 - Massacre at Little Big Horn (a psychological drama about the night before the massacre of Custer's forces in late June 1876; script by Charles B. Smith)
# # #
Sole Twin Audios' recreation of "Rope"
Since it's so early in the Suspense run, you can tell it's still Charles Vanda's vision for British-style mystery guiding the story selection and the production. The Vanda episodes have the feel of stage productions. Vanda would soon leave for military service where he played a key role in the creation of the Armed Forces Radio Service. William Spier would replace him, and would change the tone of Suspense to a first-person narrative (encouraged by Orson Welles).
LISTEN HEREhttps://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/MUTUAL9188504915?selected=MUTUAL1676350103ORhttps://www.ivoox.com/en/sonic-summerstock-playhouse-13-8a-sole-twin-audio-s-rope-audios-mp3_rf_91337212_1.html
For more information about Sole Twin Audios productions and Rachel Pulliam, go to the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVr7i77UhXoJndazF61sfBw
Rachel was interviewed recently https://youtu.be/GavfJ_gwxJk
Project Audion recreation of "The Eavesdropper"
Status of recreations of "truly missing" Suspense episodes as of April 21, 2023
Only four " truly missing" episodes remain to be done:
1942-07-01 Life of Nellie James
1948-07-08 The Last Chance (first Auto-Lite broadcast)
1951-11-12 The Mission of the Betta
1956-08-01 Massacre at Little Big Horn