Suspense: The Cellar Door (

Suspense: 01/24/56, episode 633
Brought to you by the Old Time Radio Researchers, courtesy of The Suspense Project
A couple accidentally lock themselves in their home’s basement. That leaves their precocious two-year-old son, Sandy, upstairs, alone. The parents are terrified that something will go wrong, almost to uncontrollable hysteria. The show starts by establishing how Sandy is a very bright two-year old, according to the neighbors, at least. When he takes off his socks, he stacks them just like his father does. This sets the stage for them being trapped in the basement and trying to get him to do things to help them get out. He’s so smart, of course he’ll help them! Well, he is just two, no matter what others say. The mother sets Sandy up to take a bath, and this will be a danger in the story, a very legitimate one.
Paula Winslowe and Parley Baer play the parents, but the part of Sandy is played by Richard Beals. In 1959, he will give one of the most amazing performances on Suspense in the science-fiction drama, Return to Dust.
One reviewer says the story is annoying because of the number of times the child’s name is mentioned, especially when shouted to get his attention. Yes, the story is annoying because the people are annoying. The script gets the listener’s interest and fears heightened. The parents are really scared for what tragedy might be in the offing. At 7:00, the wife realizes she is trapped in the basement. She had left the door open, but it slowly closed. For all the sweet talk between husband and wife, it starts to become accusatory from this point forward. The biggest fear is where Sandy is in relation to either the bathtub or the stove is running. The parents are frustrated, trying to command Sandy to do things needed to help them, but he doesn’t understand what they’re saying. He’s not the prodigy they think he is… he’s two! He doesn’t know right from left or “the other way” or other concepts. The words between the parents get more intense, turning very personal about recent behavior at a party. They finally break out of the cellar and into the house at about 26:00. Sandy fell asleep! It does finally end well, but it’s a really rocky road getting there. Mom and Dad’s relationship may never recover from the incident and the things that were said. It’s not just the freshly broken door that needs to be repaired, it’s their marriage.
The script by Bernard Girard was originally used on Elliott and Cathy Lewis’s series On Stage. That 1953-10-28 broadcast is not available, and may not have survived. This is Girard’s only Suspense script. He wrote for The Whistler and Rocky Jordan and other series. The trajectory of his career rose, and he became a respected TV writer and TV director. He directed some of TV’s early successful series, such as Medic, You Are There, M Squad, Alfred Hitchcock, and others.
This episode was recorded on Thursday, January 5, 1956. The session began at 2:00 pm and ended at 5:00 pm. The recording was made at 5:00 pm and ended at 5:30 pm.
There are two surviving excellent recordings of this episode. The network recording is slightly better. The other recording is from the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS#567) and has some mild clicks and the sound is not as robust. The network recording has some very subtle very low volume print-through now and then from the way the tape was stored. It does not affect listening enjoyment.
The cast: Paula Winslowe (Ann), Parley Baer (Joe), Richard Beals (Sandy), Byron Kane (Ed), Larry Thor (Narrator)
Richard Beals also played “Sandy” with Elliott and Cathy Lewis in the On Stage broadcast.
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An infant or toddler in the house changes everything. Nicely done Suspense Project!