Suspense: 04/12/59, episode 795 Brought to you by the Old Time Radio Researchers, courtesy of The Suspense Project

The final appearance of Van Heflin is in the third performance of an excellent Sam Rolfe script. Heflin plays an unemployed drifter who inadvertently finds himself in a strange town and ends up accused of murder. The police are after him, and he has to escape their pursuit in his bare feet, and find the real killer, too.

1950-10-26 Richard Widmark – this resource has further background about the script and Rolfe: https://youtu.be/upF_LU8sTdk

1954-06-29 Sam Edwards: https://youtu.be/cPdJTMqy4og

The program was recorded on March 25, 1959. Rehearsal began at 2:00 pm and recording began at 4:30 pm, including in-studio edits. The session ended at 6:00 pm and production editing continued until 8:00 pm.

Two recordings have survived, and both are network broadcast airchecks. The better sound recording is from WROW of Albany, New York. The other recording is an aircheck from a different station. It has the CBS network tease for upcoming programs, which is lacking in the other recording, and is in lower quality sound. It is not known what station it was recorded from.

The cast: VAN HEFLIN (Jefferson Casey), Doris Singleton (Rachael), Berry Kroeger (Benjamin Maxwell), Charles Seel (Pop Clovis), Barney Phillips (Kenny), Norm Alden (Stranger / Driver), George Walsh (Narrator)

For more information visit https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2025/07/1959-04-12-too-hot-to-live.html