Suspense premiered in 1942 and soon became known for its inventive writing and for casting well-known stars in off-beat roles. In 1947, CBS decided to take a gamble: Suspense was turned into a full-hour Saturday night feature, hosted by actor and occasional star Robert Montgomery. Many of the hour-long shows were movie adaptations and, with the permission of the original writers, several earlier programs were expanded to accommodate the increased length. Having failed to attract a sponsor, however, the experiment ended in 1948 and, a couple of months later, the show moved back to its cozy Thursday night berth in its earlier half-hour form. “Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills” would continue to be heard for the next fourteen years, closing its final curtain in 1962.
