Suspense Sundays (131) Country of the Blind

Suspense was a radio series from 1942 to 1962.  I have a fondness for "Old Time Radio" as we call it now, and Suspense is my favorite show.  It sets up weird, dark, scary, or intriguing stories with a plot twist in the end, and all in half an hour.  For Suspense Sundays I'll give a short review of an episode.

"Country of the Blind"

Air date: December 13, 1959
Starring Bernard Grant

>>Episodes here<<

Juan Nunez takes a climbing trip on an Ecuadorian mountain and literally falls into a secluded valley - a lost place known according to legend as the Country of the Blind.  The group of people who live there were cut off from the rest of the country and through a rare disease all became blind.  Their offspring were all born blind as well.  And "in the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."  But not in this story.

This is based on an H.G. Wells story which was highly praised in the beginning of this episode.  The story itself is a sadly ironic one, with a twist that I predicted, but just from this radio adaptation it is hard to figure out the message of the story.  I thought the story was told well and it has an intriguing premise, but I didn't really connect with the story or feel very invested in the outcome.  It was funny how badly Juan tries to explain what sight is to these people who have absolutely no reference.