Suspense: Tales Well Calculated - Volume 1

By: CBS Radio Network

Narrated by: full cast

Suspense went through several major phases, characterized by different hosts, sponsors, and director/producers. Formula plot devices were followed for all but a handful of episodes: The protagonist was usually a normal person suddenly dropped into a threatening or bizarre situation; solutions were "withheld until the last possible second"; and evildoers were usually punished in the end.

This is the most comprehensive collection of the great series. This show really keeps the listener in suspense! Enjoy!

Please note: This is an historical recording. The audio quality represents the technology of the time when it was produced.

©2015 BN Publishing (P)2015 BN Publishing

Classic Storytelling at it's Best

I was thrilled to see that Amazon had the entire Suspense catalog available via Audible, hours of listening pleasure that ignite your imagination! It's old time radio plain and simple but it's always fun hearing them announce that in this episode Joan Crawford Paramont's latest star..and the AutoLite and Roma Wine Commercials. It's just nice going back in time and listening to these stories. For the people complaining about episodes with poor sound quality...look it's old time radio. Yes there are some episodes with poor sound quality, but the majority of them aren't like that. So if I have to suffer through picking up my electronic device and pressing fast forward for the .03 seconds it takes then so be it. FYI there are 5 volumes with over 99 hours per volume...out of that there may only be 20 episodes with poor sound quality. Happy Listening!

Time travel for $8

Something to keep in mind, as the other reviews have pointed out, the quality of the majority of these recordings have degraded a bit. This means that a lot of times you have to focus to catch everything, but the active listening is kind of how these were meant to be enjoyed. This is one of the most famous radio programs of all time for a reason, the stories and talent that went into these were fantastic. Scored by Bernard Herman (Citizen Kane, Psycho, Taxi Driver), featuring actors like Orson Welles, Peter Lorre, Humphrey Bogart, Henry Fonda, Cary Grant, and Judy Garland. This show is a golden age Hollywood time capsule that even features commercials for war bonds. If you're into that kind of thing, you can overlook the abysmal audio quality (I mean what do you expect from an 80 year old recording), and still hopefully empathize with how this made people feel a lifetime ago.

Super cool piece of history, not perfect for everyone or every listening situation. There may be some more curated collections to check out if you're just curious and don't think you can wade trough 99+ hours per collection (there are five of these).

What do you expect from something almost 80 years

My self I think they are great . You are paying $7.99 + tax about $8.71. Maybe so what is that a show . about .11 or .12 cents a show . I have 3 volumes of this . Two volumes of the Shadow and several other . I have been happy with all . In all over 75 to 85 % has been very good

POOR quality

These recordings were poor quality. I had a hard time listening. Returning the books. sorry

Don't Bother

The sound quality is terrible; too much static, background music is louder than the actors' voices, and the whole thing sounds like it was recorded in an echo chamber. Therefore, can't tell if any of the stories are good.

Should not Have Gotten!

I picked all of these "Episodes" in ERROR. Didn't like this series from the start. Sorry I'm not able to give any reviews for you pertaining to this Series.

Needs to be culled to eliminate programs

What would have made Suspense: Tales Well Calculated - Volume 1 better?

The programs that cannot be listened to, should be eliminated. What good is 90 hours of programing, if you have to go through 40 hours of unintelligible listening. I feel I have been cheated of my time to not get any enjoyment out my limited listening time.

What could CBS Radio Network have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Eliminate the bad recordings

How could the performance have been better?

I could not tell about the performances as I could not listen to them.

I however a big follower of radio classics on the radio and I love the Suspense recordings, so I know they do have some great performances. That is why I bought this album.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment is an understatement.

Any additional comments?

I am big classic radio program lover. I was so excited to get this collection. Much to my dismay, I could not understand or follow the programs I took the time to try.

I went through the first 10 programs and only one was I able to listen to. The others were so scratchy I could not understand or follow because there was too much distracting from the pleasure of listening to the program.

The one I was able to listen to, had problems with the sounds at times being too loud and shrill or too soft to understand. I had to turn up the volume to catch the soft parts and then when it became loud it was unbearable.

After 10 programs, I gave up and returned the album.

Sound quality is awful

Sound quality is awful and disappointing. It’s so bad you can’t understand any of it a lot

Poor recording quality

The recording quality is so terrible you can't even hear the stories. Big disappointment . I wouldn't recommend purchasing this title.