Suspense Television

My Old Man's Badge

In "My Old Man's Badge" a rookie cop thinks that he can do a better job of solving a murder case than rest of the police force. Why does he think so? The victim was his father, a beloved neighborhood cop.

The action takes place in a "Gay 90's" music hall, so the soundtrack of this episode is more interesting than the usual "gloomy ice-rink" organ accompaniment

As the story opens, Officer Malone is walking his beat and stops outside of Herman's Bowery Music Hall.

Miss Billie Lamont, one of the showgirls, comes outside and greets Officer Malone. She wants to discuss something, but he tells her that he is about to go off-duty to have dinner with his son, who has just joined the force. Officer Malone then asks Billie about the tray of costume items that she is peddling. She tells him that the paper hats and false moustaches help get the customers into a "Gay '90's" mood. Officer Malone takes a false moustache as a present for his landlady's son. Billie tries to talk him into taking a different moustache, but he sticks to the one he has.

Officer Malone then goes over to the police call box to phone headquarters that he is going off duty. Suddenly, a tattooed hand holding a gun appears, and Officer Malone is shot dead! 

Next, we see his son, Johnny, and the captain at headquarters. On the desk are the items that the morgue sent over--a wallet, a pocket watch,a badge, and the false moustache. Johnny asks if he can keep his old man's badge, but the officer tells him that isn't possible because it is against regulations. Then, they argue. Johnny wants to be transferred to his old man's beat, but the captain refuses this,too. He tells Johnny to take a vacation, and Johnny agrees -- so that he can find his father's murderer! The captain warns Johnny against doing anything rash and tries to explain that this is a case that has to be solved by more experienced officers!

Later, Johnny enters Herman's Bowery Music Hall.   

He walks up to the bar and orders a shot. When Billie is finished singing, she goes over to the bar and asks Johnny if he wants a souvenir. They chat and then he asks if she knows a man named Dolph. She loudly says that she doesn't, but then quietly tells him that she can't talk now.

Five seconds later, Billie's boss walks up to her to inquire about the stranger at the bar. She turns and says, "Oh, Hello Dolph!" Quickly, he slaps her and tells her never to call him by that name. (Too late! She already said it.) Dolph tells Billie to take over at the piano and then disappears into the back room.

Johnny goes over to the piano to talk to the humiliated Billie. She tells him that she wants to get away from Dolph Romano for a number of reasons. Johnny takes the false moustaches from her tray and shows her that he knows about the dope hidden inside. Officer Malone had figured out their dope peddling scheme, too, and that is why they killed him.

In the back room, which is more like a broom closet, Dolph and his two henchmen play cards. Dolph asks about the stranger at the bar and then asks to meet him.

The henchman goes over and asks Johnny what he wants. Johnny shows him the dope from the false moustache and tells him that he has a boatload more of the stuff he wants to sell.

Johnny enters the back room where Dolph and his henchmen are waiting... Will he find the murderer or will he end up like his old man?

"My Old Man's Badge" was adapted by Robert Tallman from a story by Ferguson Findley. (Robert Tallman also wrote many scripts for the Suspense radio show, but this was the only episode he did for the Suspense television show.) Barry Nelson starred as Johnny Malone and Steven Hill starred as Dolph Romano. Ann Thomas played Miss Billie Lamont. This episode aired on March 21, 1950.

Wisteria Cottage

In "Wisteria Cottage" Conrad Janis plays Richard, a disturbed young man who latches onto older women. As the episode opens, we hear the sounds of "Greensleeves." Why?... Don't wait for an answer.

When we meet Richard he is working in Jenny's Bookshop. Jenny wants to close down for the summer, but Richard is a little worried about what will happen to him. Jenny thinks he should have money leftover from his winter wages, but Richard grumbles something about how cheap she is. Then, he steals a couple of bucks from the till.

Jenny catches him and they have a fight. Jenny knows that he has stolen from her cash register before. He tries to sweet-talk her, but it doesn't work. She tells him that she doesn't think he is the "homeless innocent" that he claims to be. Jenny thinks that he is a danger to women who might fall for his charm.This time, she is going to "teach him a lesson." Uh-oh! Richard isn't keen on being taught a lesson and brutally stabs her in the back.

When we next see Richard, he is in the grocery store. He has found another nice older lady to latch onto, Mrs. Florence Hackett. In no time at all, Richard learns that she and her daughters live alone. He quickly engraciates himself into the family...

Mrs. Hackett likes Richard but her older daugher Louisa doesn't. When she finds out that Richard is coming to dinner again, she isn't excited. Her sister, Elinor, (Yes, that is how it is spelled it in the credits) reminds her that "even poets have to eat, too." Uh-oh! Richard is a poet. (We know from the radio show Suspense and its sister show Escape that poets mean trouble! See also: Escape "Present Tense", Escape "El Guitarerro", Escape "Evening Primrose", Suspense "2462")

Mrs. Hackett then tells her two girls that she asked Richard to find a nice summer place for them to rent, and that he has found one on Long Island called Wisteria Cottage. Of course, Richard will be coming along as well, but he will be staying in the shack. Louisa is seriously tired of their constant guest, (See Louisa pictured middle), but her sister Eleanor is happy. Louisa goes along with her mother's plan, despite her reservations.

At the cottage, things are going well, but Richard doesn't like it when the ladies have guests. He gets pouty about it. Louisa thinks Richard is trouble and that their "poet" should get a real job. Mrs. Hackett says that it is just the heat that is bothering everyone and then makes a bunch of other excuses for the increasingly unstable Richard.

Later that night, Elinor goes to visit Richard. Now we know why she has been on Richard's side! She is sort of having a fling with him. When he gets serious, Elinor points that they are just having fun. Richard wants a commitment -- not fun. He gets angry and tries to throw her out, but then Louisa and her boyfriend arrive. Richard is rude to all of them and demands that he be left alone. So, they all leave.

While they are gone, Richard busts up their cottage's dining room. Afterwards, he feels better and the next morning he is peacefully sitting in his shack playing the guitar. (Conrad Janis is also a professional musician and here we see his other talents. We assume that it is also Janis playing the guitar in the opening credits.) It is a very pretty tune, but why are we listening to "Greensleeves?"

When the family came home and found the cottage in a shambles, they knew that Richard had done it!  Now, Louisa's boyfriend, Ned, confronts him. When Richard attacks Ned, Mrs. Hackett tells Richard that she wants him out! Now, finally, she realizes how disturbed Richard is. Is it too late? Will she end up like Jenny?

The end of this episode is marred by bad sound quality. When Richard returns to the cottage and explains to Elinor and Mrs. Hackett why they should die, we miss some of the poetic details.

"Wisteria Cottage" was presented on Suspense twice. The first time on June 27,1950, and then again on July 17, 1951. The DVD package claims that this episode is the 1951 version, but that may be incorrect. According to the book Suspense: Twenty Years of Thrills and Chills by Martin Grams, the version starring Conrad Janis aired in 1950. (In the other version, Billy Redfield starred as Richard.) Since Conrad Janis made three other appearances on Suspense in 1950, we will assume that the 1950 date is correct.

Conrad Janis played Richard and Mrs. Hackett was played by Marjorie Gateson. Joan Copeland, who in real-life is the younger sister of the late playwright Arthur Miller, played Louisa. Elinor was played by Carlotta Sherwood and Ruth McDevitt played Jenny.  This episode is available on Disc 3 of Collection 1 of Suspense: the Lost Episodes.

The Parcel

The first collection of Suspense: The Lost Episodes contained several episodes starring actor/jazz trombone player Conrad Janis. Clearly, he was one of the hot-young-things of early 1950's television. For those of us who grew up in the 1970's, it was a surprise to find out that the actor who played Mindy's dad on Mork & Mindy was once...a hot-young-thing of early 1950's television. His resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio or, more currently, Zac Efron from High School Musical, is uncanny. It seems that when it comes to young heart-throbs, things haven't changed much over the years.

Conrad Janis made seven appearances as a hottie on Suspense, the first of which was an episode called, "The Parcel."  Set in New York City, the story opens at a hot dog stand. The lady behind the counter, Sally, serves hot dogs and pineapple juice. Most of the action in the episode centers around this hot dog stand, and the more you see it, the more you will crave a hot dog and pineapple juice.

The story begins when a messenger boy named Tommy, who has just returned from a dreary errand, stops at the hot dog stand. He tells Sally that if he could only put a little money away, he could start his own business.

Tommy leaves to go back to work and then Sally receives a phone call. We soon learn that she does more than just sling juice drinks and keep the hot dogs rolling. The phone call is from Mac, the boss, and he leaves instructions for two of his goons. (One of them is played by Lee Marvin.) She relates his message to them and they leave. The boss wants them to find the guy in room 403 of the Craven Hotel. Coincidentally, that is where Tommy was just sent to pick up a package!

The guy in room 403 is nervous. He gives Tommy the package and instructs him to deliver it at 5:00. Tommy doesn't understand why he has to hold onto the package all afternoon, but when the man gives him a ten buck tip, he agrees to make the delivery. Tommy takes the package and leaves. Shortly afterwards, the two goons show up and knife the man in room 403. We don't see this, we hear it in the background while one of the goons stands in front of the camera and smiles.

Back at the hot dog stand, there are two pick-pockets lamenting their slim pickings for the day. Tommy ends up back at the hot dog stand, too, because he has nothing to do until his 5:00 delivery. So, he eats more hot dogs. The two pickpockets ask Sally to go with them to a Dodgers game, but they end up taking Tommy instead. As soon as they leave, the two goons return to the hot dog stand and realize that Tommy is carrying the package they want. They tell Sally that soon those three guys are going to look like three of her jumbo frankfurters. The camera then pans to three shriveled frankfurters next to a jar of French's mustard.

At Ebbetts Field, the two pickpockets realize that there is something valuable inside of the package that Tommy is carrying. The rest of the story plays out at the game as everyone tries to get the package. The studio scenes are noticeably interspersed with film footage of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

"The Parcel" (episode #44) was written by Alvin Sapinsley, based on an idea by Robert Stevens. Conrad Janis starred as Tommy, the messenger boy with a the fancy vocabulary, and Ann Thomas played Sally. Ray Walston was Herbie the Hook and Royal Dano played Marvin the Push. Lee Marvin played Barrow and Harold J. Stone played Eagle Moran. This episode was broadcast on March 14, 1950. It is available on Disc #2 of the first collection of Suspense: The Lost Episodes.

Summer Storm

Episodes taken from the Suspense radio show didn't always turn out well on television. There is at least one case however, where the episode was much improved.

"Summer Storm" was presented on the Suspense radio program on October 18, 1945, and despite the fact that it starred Henry Fonda, it was dreadful. For more information about the radio episode visit Escape and Suspense!

The television and radio episodes were both based on the same basic story of an accidental death in a boarding house. The radio version was tedious, but also a bit bizarre. The main problem was that the boarder, played by Henry Fonda, was a weirdo who constantly talked to himself. There was no reason to care about him. In the television version the boarders were a father and son. Here the story was an interesting father-son drama about fear. The teleplay for this episode was written by Marie Baumer from the story by Louise Este. 

"Summer Storm" opens with Eddie Hunt and his son Jimmy as they are about to leave their boarding house. They are excited to be moving on because the house is run by a couple of ill-tempered slobs. Jimmy is a little bit nervous about the storm outside, but his father assures him not to be scared of anything.

Mr. Waters, the landlord, hears them and comes out of the kitchen. He has just been enjoying some yummy pig's knuckles and now he is picking his teeth with flourish and zest. Eddie tells Mr. Waters that they are leaving, but Mr. Waters stops them at the door. He thinks that Eddie "forgot" to pay last week's rent and yanks their suitcase away from Jimmy. (This is the first of many times that little Jimmy gets pushed around in this episode.)

A scuffle ensues and Mr. Waters yells for help. There is a brief fight and Mr. Waters ends up on the floor. Eddie and Jimmy aren't sure what happened, but Eddie panics. When the neighbors start pounding at the door, Eddie and Jimmy go up into the attic to hide. The neighbors enter and find the lifeless body of Mr. Waters. The police are then called.

Eddie is terrified and determined not to let the police catch him. He admits to his son that he has a record for "beating up a guy." Eddie is convinced they will send him to jail for a second offense. He tries to get Jimmy out of the house through the attic window but Jimmy won't leave him. Meanwhile, the police are coming up the stairs to search the house. Eddie grabs a hammer and waits...

Part 1 ends there. Rex Marshall then gives us an Autolite cartoon story about Marvelous Merlin the Magician and his spark plug troubles.

When "Summer Storm" resumes, Mrs. Waters has returned to the house. The police can't get into the attic so they go back downstairs to question Mrs. Waters. She gnaws on a yummy pig's knuckle to help deal with her stress.

When she goes to bed, Eddie and Jimmy have their chance to escape. Jimmy finally agrees to sneak out through the attic window and wait at the local diner for his dad. Eddie thinks Jimmy is scared of him now that he knows the truth about his father's past. Nevertheless, he helps Jimmy escape through the window and into the storm.

By the end, both father and son have faced their fears and overcome them. They celebrate at the diner with a Coke.

"Summer Storm" aired on January 17, 1950. E.G. Marshall played Eddie Hunt and Jack Dimond played Jimmy. This episode is available on disc 3 of Suspense: The Lost Episodes Collection 1, but it is incorrectly dated on the package as having aired on February 19, 1952.