Suspense: The Moonstone - Parts 1&2 (

Suspense: 11/16/53 episode 525 and 11/23/53 episode 526
Brought to you by the Old Time Radio Researchers, courtesy of The Suspense Project

This is the second of three Wilkie Collins novels adapted by Suspense. The first was 1953-03-09 The Dead Alive which was not a particularly compelling production. The Moonstone, however, is well done and faithful to the original (as much as 46 minutes of drama allows). The adaptation is by Richard Chandlee.

The Moonstone is considered by some to be the first detective mystery, but there is disagreement with that as Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue is often cited for that, and sometimes his The Gold Bug is, too. What does it matter? Let the professors fighting for tenure and better office space spar over the details in their academic journals. We can just enjoy the stories.

It is a somewhat complex story. Lawford plays the central character, Franklin Blake, a handsome young Englishman who is required by the terms of an uncle’s will to deliver a fabulous bequest, a tremendous yellow diamond to the deceased's niece, Rachel. No one knew how the diamond had fallen into the hands of Blake’s uncle, but there were stories that had been a sacred Indian jewel, part of a four-handed moon god, and that mere possession of it placed one’s life in danger. Three entertainers from the country seek to bring it back, and they have learned its current location. The diamond disappears, and a whole range of subplots emerge. Even Franklin is accused of stealing the gem!

For details of the history and the story, Wikipedia is a worthwhile reference. It may be worthwhile to view that page or another summary prior to listening.

Suspense regular Lud Gluskin leads the orchestra in part one. He was scheduled for part two, but Wilbur Hatch filled in for him. No reason is known for Gluskin’s absence.

There were subtitles for the two parts that were used in newspaper publicity. Part one was called “The Loss of the Diamond.” The subtitle for part two was “Discovery of the Truth.” Those words were also in the last line of the drama of part one.

In part 2 at about the 23:30 mark, Lawford has a slight stumble with the script. He says “had caused” and then quickly corrects it to “was caused.” He just moved on as one should.

Not everyone heard the broadcast of the first part on their regular day. Some California stations pre-empted the broadcast for a Truman speech; Los Angeles station KNX (and the home of the CBS studios) played the episode the next day at 6:30 pm PT.

Unlike Othello, this two-part production was done live on its two broadcast dates.

The network recording of part one has some flaws. The first half of that episode is noisy, indicating a transcription disc that was damaged or not stored in a proper way. The second half disc was cleaner, has better sound, but still has mild flaws. The part one recording is a composite of two different recordings. The best-sounding halves were selected, processed separately, and then joined. Part two is in better sound. There is an Armed Forces Radio Service recording (#464) of part two that is known to exist. It is not available at this time.

This was Peter Lawford’s first and second appearances on the series. His three broadcasts were in Wilkie Collins stories, The Moonstone and A Terribly Strange Bed. The latter would be the final Auto-Lite broadcast, 1954-06-07. His career was wide and varied, but many remember him for having married into the Kennedy family and also being part of the Las Vegas “Rat Pack” with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr.

PART ONE

PETER LAWFORD (Franklin Blake), Ellen Morgan (Rachel Verinda), Betty Harford (Rosanna), Bill Johnstone (Dr. Candy / Rhama [Man 1]), Ben Wright (Sergeant Cuff / Nihal [Man 2]), Herb Butterfield (Matthew Bruff), Pat Hitchcock (Penelope), Norma Varden (Lady Julia Verinda), Eric Snowdon (Betteridge), Alastair Duncan (Godfrey Abelwhite), Dick Beals (Boy), Larry Thor (Narrator)

COMMERCIAL: Leone Ledoux (Johnny Plugcheck), Tom Holland (Hap), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer)

PART TWO

PETER LAWFORD (Franklin Blake), Betty Harford (Rosanna), Ellen Morgan (Rachel Verinda), Norma Varden (Lady Julia Verinda), Bill Johnstone (Dr. Candy), Ben Wright (Sergeant Cuff), Herb Butterfield (Matthew Bruff), Eric Snowdon (Betteridge), Alastair Duncan (Godfrey Abelwhite), Larry Thor (Narrator)

COMMERCIAL: Dick Ryan (McSorley), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer), Sylvia Simms (Operator)

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