Customer Reviews

Suspense: The Lost Episodes - Collection 2

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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 #2 four disc set includes: "Suspicion" (1949), "The Doors on the Thirteenth Floor" (1949), "Collector's Item" (1949), "Cask of Amontillado (1949), The Third One (1949), The Man Who Talked in His Sleep (1950), "Murder at the Mardi Gras (1950), "Dark Shadows" (1950), "The Tip" (1950), "Tough Cop" (1951), "Telephone Call" (1951), "The Three of Silence", "The Juiceman" (1951), "Murderers' Meeting" (1951), "Frisco Payoff" (1951), "The Far-Off House" (1951), "Betrayal in Vienna" (1952), "The Purloined Letter" (1952), "The Corsage" (1952), "House of Masks" 1952), "For the Love of Randi" (1952), "The Beach of Falesa" (1952), "All Hallow's Eve" (1952), "The Moving Target" (1952), "Monsieur Vidocq" (1952), Mr. Matches (1953), "Career" (1953), "The Quarry" (1953), "Black Prophet" (1953), and "Portrait of Constance" (1953).

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

At first I was a bit dissapointed at the quality of the sound and the way they were made but taking into consideration how old they are and after seeing a couple they started growing on me. They go quick and after I watched them all, I was wishing I had more to see!

Have already looked at Set 2. These have great writing and performances. Please remember that these shows survive only as kinescopes--filmed off of a video monitor as the show was going out live. Most of the original commercials are intact. CBS was somehow involved in this release, as they seem to hold the copyright to the show (and their logo appears on the packaging).

As to the Bela Lugosi episode....he's really quite good in it. Doesn't blow one line in the show--but the other actor does!!

This is the third and final set of SUSPENSE tv series. Based on the radio program of the same name with original network commercials of Auto-Lite, the sponsor. This series was dramatized "live" from theatrical stages so it's as early television broadcasting history as one can get. They are limited with sets and costumes but most of the productions, compared to other TV series during the live broadcasting era, but they are above average.

Highlights include "The Black Prophet" with Leslie Nielsen and Boris Karloff and "The Cask of Amontillado" with Bela Lugosi. As for transfer quality, it doesn't get any better from kinescopes so grab these and the other two volumes today.

Supposedly this set will contain the rare 1949 Bela Lugosi episode "Cask of Amontillado".

We live in hope that set 3 will contain the equally rare Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes episode.....

Suspense: The Lost Episodes Series Two. I viewed about fifteen mins of the first dvd. And returned the set (along with series one, unopened). The quality is dreadful, the audio poor and the entire collection in my opinion is a rip-off.