Suspense Sundays (92) Star Over Hong Kong

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.

"Star Over Hong Kong"

Air date: February 22, 1959
Starring Marie Wilson

>>Episodes here<<

Randolph Smythe, press attache, is assigned the task of easing visiting American actress Celestine Mayhew into the culture of Hong Kong.  Celestine is the absolute embodiment of empty-headed female - but she's so pretty! - so that even though Randolph seems a bit annoyed by Celestine and her very pushy press agent, he is more than happy to escort Celestine around Hong Kong.  Randolph soon becomes concerned when Celestine goes off with a nice Asian man who may be a criminal and Randolph is afraid she has actually been kidnapped.  The police aren't jumping to as many conclusions as Randolph so it's up to Randolph to find Celestine.

The beginning of this episode already states that this is more of a humorous story, and there's not much danger, so the potential for this episode to have played up a darker edge and then reveal things to not be bad at all was lost, because I was mostly just shaking my head at how silly the characters in this story were.  This wasn't a very memorable episode sadly, but I did really enjoy a commercial in the middle that basically equated road rage with childishness and pleaded for drivers to act their age while on the road.  How interesting to think of road rage in the 50s!