Suspense: The Flame (

Suspense: 10/15/51, episode 442
Brought to you by the Old Time Radio Researchers, courtesy of The Suspense Project
Cornel Wilde stars in another Suspense story about pyromania and arson. This time he commits arson out of his distorted sense of generosity and empathy. Of course, that warped act works out in the exact opposite way intended, to a devastating end, and sets the stage for a turn in the plotline. The script is by Richard-George Pedicini and reflects the legitimate fears of fire of that time. Today’s listener would not be as rattled by this story as one of the 1940s and 1950s. Fires were more common than today. Family members were likely to be related to victims and know others whose lives were affected by fires. It is a far less common experience these many decades later. The fire prevention and detection technologies and procedures that we benefit from today were still being developed at that time and were not yet understood or widely available,
This is a very good story and Wilde is convincing as the mentally unstable perpetrator, menacing while seeming innocent until others finally realize what he has been doing.
Wilde’s character has a fascination with planning and setting fires but also has a peculiar interest in drawing pictures of the fires when they are ablaze, especially against the night sky. A friendly storekeeper’s wife needs medical attention, but the cost is too high for him. Wilde’s character figures that burning the store and collecting the insurance will eradicate the financial challenge. It was not to be. The storekeeper tragically dies when he is trapped in the building as he attempts to put the fire out and rescue his belongings. While saddened by this bad outcome, the arsonist gets another opportunity for his interest. This time, he is recruited to burn down a money-losing warehouse for the insurance money. Another tragedy results.
Because of the valid concerns about fire, pyromania was an interesting topic for stories in all media, fiction and non-fiction, audio or visual. For Suspense, the topic was part of episodes The Night Reveals and Murder for Marya (which starred Wilde). Over the decades, however, insurance companies, fire departments, and others shared information that has led to the development of new building materials and construction standards.
The story is “based on actual events,” and definitely not a singular one. This is a general story with the “actual” tease intended to draw the audience into something that might have actually happened. Fires were so common that a good writer would have enough practical familiarity for plotline creation just by reading newspapers on a daily basis.
The publicity for the episode (and the series) includes phrases that attempt to re-position Suspense and its new strategy in the minds of readers and listeners. Releases state that the series “...brings to the air actual cases based on events selected from law enforcement the world over. Each adventure is complete with details, only substituting names and places in the story of intrigue.” The releases continue to use the hyphenated word “semi-documentary.”
A Suspense television episode, Mr. Matches, was sometimes assumed to be an adaptation of this episode. It is not. To view that episode anyway, go to archive.org/details/Suspense-... It is from season 5 of the television series.
Like many of the 1951 Suspense recordings, this has some mild defects from a poorly maintained reel tape deck that caused wow and flutter issues, especially at the end of the broadcast. These do not affect listening to the drama and other parts of the broadcast in any significant way. In the opening minute or so, there is some mild and quick change in volume and sound that indicates a damaged tape. These are in “all” copies of this broadcast. Some portions may have a sibilance issue (sometimes referred to as “essing”), but this recording has less than most. Many copies of this broadcast have clipped openings that made Larry Thor’s first words incomplete. For that reason, some collectors just deleted Thor’s opening, while others just tolerated the missing five words (“You are about to hear”) and just marked their recordings as “clipped opening.” This recording, however, is complete and is likely the best overall sound for a complete broadcast that has been available.
The cast: CORNEL WILDE (Andy), Joe Kearns (Boyajan), Cathy Lewis (Mary Lee), Sidney Miller (Needles), Bert Holland (Ralph / Man), Harry Bartell (Shapiro / Man 2), Charles Calvert (Man 3), Larry Thor (Narrator)
COMMERCIAL: Ken Christy (Oscar Auto), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer), Sylvia Simms (Operator)
For more information visit suspenseproject.blogspot.com/...