Suspense Sundays (174) Crime Without Passion

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.

"Crime Without Passion"

Air date: May 2, 1946
Starring Joseph Cotten

>>Episodes here<<

Lou Hendrix is having an argument with his "girl" who is angry at him for giving her the brushoff.  Lou is no longer interested in her, and is amused at how furious she is.  Until she starts throwing things at him and Lou gets angry too.  So angry that he hits her with a candlestick.  He's appalled at murdering her, but because he's a well-to-do criminal lawyer he immediately works on creating an alibi.  He sets up that he was in a movie theater - he talks to people to let them know how he was unavailable during the time the murder happened because he was in a theater.  And he makes it seem like the girl was seeing someone else besides him.  All that is undone in a moment when someone says they saw Lou enter the movie theater just before the movie finished.

Well Lou is quite the nasty character.  He seems very urbane, but underneath that he is just so calculating and cruel.  This episode was intriguing just to know how Lou's work would be undone (because of course, he can't get away with his dastardly plan!) but it was really a surprise when another twist turned up in the end, with the ironic justice that was due.  I really enjoyed this episode!