Suspense: 11/02/50, episode 400 Brought to you by the Old Time Radio Researchers, courtesy of The Suspense Project

A tale of violence and terror played against the supposedly quiet background of an English public school stars Herbert Marshall in a return performance to the series. The story is about honor, envy, betrayal, truth, and a mainstay of Suspense, a tragic murder. It all swirls together with implications of unsavory behavior that are not plainly stated because the subjects may have been considered offensive in prime-time radio. But they’re undeniably part of the story, inserted by writers Gil Doud and Antony Ellis with great skill. Savvy and cynical adult minds would know what was going on, but others might not and think it’s a simple murder mystery.

Important to the story is the Victoria Cross. It is the highest decoration of the British honors system, awarded for valor in the “presence of the enemy.” That Victoria Cross, awarded for courage and bravery, has a command presence in the storyline. It is a source of internal conflict for Marshall’s character as his behavior and impulses are contrary to the virtues and standards recognized by the award.

The working title of the script was “Housemaster,” the position of Marshall’s character in the story. Changing the title to the name of the highly respected award for one’s courage in dangerous situations adds to the drama of the story. It is a source of tension and stress for the main character, accentuated by the music of the episode. Both the Cross and the music might as well be considered to be leading characters in the story because of their importance to the plotline. The original script was altered to fit the Lewis format of a brief opening scene to tease the story. Edits were made to the balance of the original script to ensure that context was evident and continuity was maintained. It was complicated, but the revisions made the telling of the story much better.

This is a different production for Suspense in its setting and its contrast of themes. Some of those themes are disturbing, likely more so in 1950. The school years are expected to take childhood innocence and mold students, over the years, to have strong moral character. Yet, there is the dark side of a student blackmailer who knows secrets that are dangerous to Marshall’s housemaster character, and there is a murder. An undercurrent of possible past sexual abuse of students lurks in the background. It’s never stated explicitly but can be inferred as a possibility by the behavior of the students. Marshall’s character has great fear of exposure of his aberrant, or unacceptable behavior in that his career and reputation will be ruined.

The housemaster that Marshall portrays is kept in a state of terror by his past and the threat of blackmail. He is suffering from pretender syndrome and what is currently referred to as PTSD. The blackmailing student, an obnoxious bully, demands special favors and cheats on exams with impunity. He stumbled upon some unfavorable and embarrassing information about the housemaster and is willing to use it to his advantage. Student cheating incidents come to light with the administration and makes the situation even more complex for Marshall’s character.

When he refuses to recommend the student for a Cambridge scholarship, the bullying boy escalates the tension and threatens to expose the terrible truth. The housemaster becomes desperate to get out of the situation. A murder confuses the situation yet more, even with the police investigation.

At approximately 21:00 the sportsmaster Samuel Jennings says that one of the boys had “… great style at the wicket. Reminded me of Jack Hobbs.” That was a reference to an English professional cricketer who played from 1905 to 1934. His reputation in cricket was among the highest. He was knighted in 1953, the first professional cricketer to be honored in that manner.

In the end, Marshall’s character does the right thing, his brokenness now obvious to all, as his pretenses and false front are shattered.

The cast: HERBERT MARSHALL (Vail), Joe Kearns (Signature Voice / Inspector Forbes), Charles Davis (Giles Bateman), Terry Kilburn (Francis Orde), Eileen Erskine (Maggie Splane / Nurse), Herb Butterfield (Headmaster Walkerly / Man), Alec Harford (Man 2), Philip Friend (Samuel Jennings / Man 3)

COMMERCIAL: Ken Christy, Harlow Wilcox (Announcer), Sylvia Simms (Operator)

For more information visit https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/04/1950-11-02-victoria-cross.html