Suspense Sundays (167) Crossfire

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.

"Crossfire"

Air date: April 10, 1948
Starring Robert Young and Robert Mitchum

>>Episodes here<<

A young man is found dead and the investigating officer interrogates his friends - three soldiers.  The investigation delves into their friendship, as well as racism and intolerance.  This episode was adapted from a film that came out earlier and it featured most of the film cast in the roles.

The story was previously based on a book, and I found it interesting that originally the murder victim was homosexual but that could not be talked about on the radio (and films) so they made the victim Jewish.  There's a message in this episode condemnatory to prejudice which is extremely important, but unfortunately I was not that impressed with the episode as a whole.  This was an hour-long Suspense production, and the investigation dragged on a little too much for me.  The soldiers had their secrets and it was all aired out by the end in a clever way, so I think the story is good, but perhaps the film does a better job of adapting it.