Richard Widmark stars
as an unemployed drifter who
inadvertently finds himself
in a
strange town and ends
up accused of
murder. He
is
a
quiet, embittered war veteran, kicked off a freight train for
hitching a ride. His worn-out shoes took
him to the small town of
Marcus Junction. He
met
the sheriff who directed
him to the town’s shoe repair where he left
his broken down his shoes and his socks. The sheriff recommended he
get a good meal at the nearby diner. He
met
an
attractive
waitress who invited
him to her apartment. Weak from hunger
and fatigue, he passed
out after a few drinks. When awakened
from his sleep, a man was
hitting him, brutally, and accused
him of murdering her.
He sees her body, sprawled
on the floor, dead. The
police are after him, and he has to escape their pursuit in his bare
feet, and find the real killer, too. Who
is it? The diner’s jealous cook? The woman’s strange father? Or
was it Widmark’s character? Listen for a line that says that it is
so hot the newly varnished floors can’t dry properly and stay very
tacky. For the paints and finishes of that time, 75 years ago, that
was probably right, but would not be so today with their vastly
different formulations.
The
script has many intense narrative segments and Widmark’s
performance is an example of how well such passages can be performed.
Lewis considered Widmark one of his best and most reliable actors in
the series.
The
early scenes
of the story in the
waitress’ apartment may
have raised some eyebrows as it might
be as close to the steamy
1981 Lawrence Kasdan movie
Body Heat that
Suspense could
possibly get. Those scenes
are end quickly
as
the story proceeds to her gruesome murder, unlike that movie’s
plot course.
It’s multiple reasons why Suspense
is not for kids.
This script was an important early step
in the successful career of writer Sam Rolfe. A dockworker (and a
dance instructor), he was writing for Sam Spade and Richard
Diamond. Just two years later he would be nominated an Oscar for
his screenplay for The Naked Spur. He was creator of
TV’s Have Gun, Will Travel with writer Herb Meadow, and was
a writer and producer for The Man from UNCLE.
Marcus
Junction might be an inside joke reference to prolific radio writer
Larry Marcus.
The cast:
RICHARD WIDMARK (Jefferson Casey), Paul Frees (Sheriff Benjamin
Maxwell), Howard McNear (Brakeman / Driver), Junius Matthews (Pop
Clovis), Mary Jane Croft (Rachael), Joe Kearns (Signature Voice /
Kenny), Jonathan Hole (Hale [Restaurant stranger]), Noreen Gamill
(Woman with trash can)
COMMERCIAL: Bert Holland (Hap), Harlow
Wilcox (Announcer), Sylvia Simms (Operator), Jerry Maren? (Johnny
Plugcheck)