Suspense: The Lost Episodes Collection, Vol. 1

Based on the popular radio series this 1950s horror television show was broadcast live and featured early appearances by future stars including Lee Marvin (GORKY PARK) Eva Marie Saint (NORTH BY NORTHWEST) Leslie Nielsen (AIRPLANE!) and Boris Karloff (THE SORCERERS).System Requirements:Running Time: 780 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/CLASSIC Rating: NR UPC: 617742200294 Manufacturer No: IEG02002 Product Description

Double WOW

Wow!!
The 260 black and white half-hour episodes of the anthology series "Suspense" were originally broadcast from 1949-54 on CBS. Baby Boomers may confuse the original with the 23 episodes from the networks 1964 attempt to revive the series, which was hosted by Sebastian Cabot and was rather mild in comparison with the original.

The concept (suspense and tension) and the title actually date back to radio days. The 1942 radio program was very popular and ran for 20 years.

The series was early live television; it was broadcast as it was being performed. This was a concept that seemed quite logical to me as a child, I recall touring our local radio station and being disappointed that only a small portion of the programming was actually produced at that location. The show was not taped or conventionally filmed. If they wanted to preserve a performance (or broadcast it later in another region of the country) they filmed the broadcast image as it played on a video monitor. So don't except great contrast and resolution (and the audio is even worse); just be happy that a viewable image still exists.

The show's emphasis is scripting and acting, not production design and effects. But the stories are surprisingly entertaining and the DVD's contain some early commercials; which are as interesting in their own way as the episodes themselves. The DVD's are somewhat misleadingly labeled "Suspense: The Lost Episodes - Collection 1 and 2", as for practical purposes all the episodes were lost (but not unknown) until these DVD releases.

The Collection #1 four disc set includes: "A Night at the Inn" (1949), "Dead Ernest" (1949), "Help Wanted" (1949), "Comic Strip Murder" (1949), "Dr. Violet" (1949), "The Murderer" (1949), "Black Passage" (1949), "The Man in the House" (1949), "The Suicide Club" (1950), "The Parcel" (1950), "My Old Man's Badge" (1950), "Photo Finish" (1950), "Edge of Panic" (1950), "The Brush-Off" (1950), "Dead Fall" (1950), "Double Entry" (1951),"On a Country Road" (1951), "Summer Storm" (1952), "Wisteria Cottage (1951), "The Black Panther" (1952), "Alibi Me" (1952), "The Debt" (1952), "The Crooked Frame" (1952), "Remember Me?" (1952), "Woman in Love" (1952), "The Invisible Killer" (1952), "Vacancy for Death" (1953), "Kiss Me Again Stranger" (1953), "The Duel" (1954).

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child. February 26, 2008

Absolutely fascinating!

I've long counted myself a fan of old-time radio dramas, and the Suspense radio program (1942-1962) has always been my favorite. For most of its run, the program was broadcast from Hollywood and borrowed top Hollywood actors each week to star in gripping 30-minute (and for a time 60-minute) dramas. In addition to the generally excellent writing and production values, part of the appeal of the radio program has always been hearing stars as diverse as Ronald Reagan, Fibber McGee and Molly, Frank Sinatra, Stan Freberg, Sterling Holloway (voice of Winnie-The-Pooh), and so many other Hollywood notables step outside their usual roles to play characters facing (usually) life-or-death situations. For years, I had heard and read about the Suspense TV show which aired from 1949-1954. The radio shows from that time period almost always put in a plug for the TV version at the end of each episode. Until now, though, fewer than a half-dozen episodes were known to exist, and they were in circulation among collectors in fuzzy, multi-generation VHS copies. I had those and was fascinated by the ability to "watch" my favorite radio show and through the snowy, faded, images on my screen, catch a glimpse of real "live" TV from very early in the medium's history.

I was astounded to learn of this DVD set shortly before its release. Kinescopes of some 90 TV episodes of Suspense had been discovered and were to be released on DVD!? It was such a "dream come true" that at first, I thought it must be some kind of late April Fool's Day joke. But now that I've watched most of Volume 1 (with Volume 2 waiting on my shelf), I know that it's no joke! The episodes really are here, complete with original Auto-Lite commercials (and closing CBS logo) intact. The print quality, despite the flaws, is still far above the nearly unwatchable VHS episodes I had. As others have pointed out, these shows were preserved on kinescopes (basically, a motion picture film camera mounted in front of a television monitor) and the picture on most is mediocre (some are a little worse, others a bit better). Still, this is the best picture we're ever likely to get, and it's just amazing that these survived at all. The kinescopes were NOT used for West Coast time-delay (as another reviewer suggested) since the entire TV show was repeated live for the West Coast. The audio quality varies too. Some episodes, like "A Night At The Inn," are so muddy that the dialogue is at times nearly incomprehensible, but for most, the sound is o.k. You can always clearly understand the Auto-Lite spokesman, even if you can't understand the dialogue in the story!

Having watched a couple dozen episodes now, I have to admit that the TV shows are mildly disappointing compared to the radio version. Most episodes are adapted from radio scripts, but without the big name actors and top-notch music and sound effects heard on radio. On TV, the actors are usually decent (a few are painfully bad), music is supplied only by an organ, and the sets restrict the viewer's imagination. The series was broadcast live from a soundstage in New York City, and it's quite remarkable that they were able to construct the sets they did for each episode, but they just can't compete with the "sets" in my mind when listening to the radio show.

Despite the rather primitive special effects, weak acting, and uneven audio and video quality, I would still recommend this DVD set. The shows are still entertaining in their own right, but are even more entertaining when one considers their historical context. Fans of old-time radio and early television will probably be delighted with this set and its companion volumes (as I am), but those more accustomed to slickly-produced, action-packed modern-day suspense programs like "24" will probably be disappointed. Still, I'm thrilled to be able to own these Suspense episodes on DVD. I'm so glad Infinity has taken the time to properly transfer and make these historic programs available. Thank you! February 7, 2008

Wonderful!

Infinity Entertainment, in association with CBS, has done a great job in bringing these rare shows to DVD. Only 90 episodes have survived from this 6-season show, running from 1949 thru 1954. Infinity is bringing us all 90 shows over 3 box sets. Each set contains 4 DVDs.

You have to get past the image quality issues, as these shows only survive as kinescopes--which are film recordings taken directly from a live video monitor. They exist in no other form and we're damned lucky to be able to see these today. The quality of the writing and acting easily overcome these technical limitations. Plus, it's REAL live TV, so you can look for all of the gaffes that inevitably happen! October 17, 2007

Definitely Worth Preserving: Suspense

The stories in this series are surprisingly good. Unlike many early TV thrillers, these actually generate a good amount of suspense. So they are worth seeing for that reason. Another reason to watch them is the casts. It can be great fun spotting faces that will become well-known in later years: Lee Marvin, Eva Marie Saint, Barry Nelson, Anne Francis, Leslie Neilson and many others who were literally unknown in 1949-51. On the other hand, at least one episode features the legendary acting teacher Stella Adler. Some of the acting on these shows (all performed LIVE) is poor, and actors occasionally flub their lines (even when they only have one!). The productions are very low-budget too. But the writing, most of the acting, and the fascinating casts can add up to some pretty entertaining viewing. Some episodes contain the entire Auto-Lite commercial material (it goes on a long time, but you can fast-forward), and some episodes have it cut out. These programs exist only in kinescope (a filmed image of a TV monitor). They were probably not meant for posterity, but for showing on the West Coast, assuming they were produced in NYC. The quality of the kinescopes is variable, but some do look quite good, too bad the audio was not captured in better quality. Still, for those interested in early TV this is one of the best extant anthologies from those long-ago days. September 17, 2007

Suspense

This is tv in its beginning. I had forgotten mic shadows, line mistakes, and the like. I am enjoying the disc just for the people appearing in the shows. Many of them at the beginning of their careers. The picture quality isn't the best but passable watching. I reccomend the disc for anyone living thru the begining of television. Roger September 6, 2007

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