Behind the Mic | Ep1 | "The House in Cypress Canyon" (Suspense)

Hello and welcome to the Behind the Mic from OTRPodcasts.com. I'm your host, Austin Vach, and on this podcast, we'll explore the history behind many of Old Time Radio's greatest performances.
We'll be jumping around from series to series, picking one episode each week and together we'll learn about the actors, producers, sponsors, and more before listening to that full episode as it was originally broadcast.
If you have feedback for today's show or have a great idea for a future podcast, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you!
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Audio Credit: The Old Time Radio Researchers Group
Podcast Link: anchor.fm/otr-...

[@marvidee536]

Definitely one of the finest Suspense episodes ever . Thoroughly enjoy listening to these old time gems .

[@mrsfoleylindaruth5984]

Thank you so much for posting otr. My daughter and I are totally addicted! We listen every night. And, believe it or not, I think it has brought us closer as a family. So much better than anything on television. Please don't stop!!

[@otrarchive]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing. Do you and your family have a favorite series? Perhaps one I haven’t uploaded yet?

[@mrsfoleylindaruth5984]

@@otrarchive we love anything with Agnes Morehead. But, all of them are great! Just keep em coming! We have finally found something we can spend hours on and never get tired

[@Godfather_of_the_Oath]

Awesome il have to see if my daughter will like it

[@chubbyboy2242]

I wanna say thanks for doing this! I'm the only young-ish person I know that listens and appreciates Old Time Radio. In fact I'm the only person I know that listens to OTR at all, any age. Its nice to see another person who's under 50 years old that is into this stuff! For a future episode I would recommend Three Skeleton Key with Vincent price.

[@otrarchive]

In my own circle of friends the same is true for me but I’ve met several people here in the comments section that are younger than I expected. I think unless someone has introduced it to you it’s not something you’d discover on your own very easily. I hope to change that

[@mjwmjw3864]

Vincent Price stories are tops! I listen while hiking with the dogs and commuting to work.

[@chubbyboy2242]

@@mjwmjw3864 Nice!

[@coocookachoo2806]

I don't know how many times I've heard this one but it still sends chills down my spine.

[@alexandriasimms4842]

What a sensational idea! I often wonder about what brought these old-time shows about! Thank you!

[@otrarchive]

Thanks! Me too! I’m excited to dive in and learn some history.

[@mariawigent9773]

That would be perfect for your podcast. History and how they came about. And all the Stars who brought them to life

[@mariawigent9773]

This one and the one with Carry Grant "On A Country Road" are my favorites. We used to listen to these all the time. I love them. I listen to stories every night . Ever since I was 7 maybe 8. I used to sleep with my mom and dad after I heard these stories. So now I have children and when it happened to me I just smiled. Remember the old days. They are the best. The old monster movies and radio shows are the best. The movies they have now are just gore and blood. Nothing for the imagination. I have a lot of people who listen to these now. Golden oldies will never die❤💜💙

[@juliaarmato3984]

Hello. I enjoyed the program very much. My grandparents and dad use to sit around the big old radio and listen to "The shadow knows", "Green Hornet" "The Lone Ranger" also during World War II they listened to radio free Europe. Of course this was before television. I have the old radio now. They have all passed, but it brings fond memories of them. Dad use to take us to an old bank in Chicago that would show old Laurel and Hardy shows and Keystone Kops in the basement from time to time back in the 1970's. Thanks for sharing.

[@karenhiggins8894]

Thanks for sharing this episode. I can't believe I have never heard it before. I love your program and keep up the good work. Old time radio is a lost art but fortunately still available. Thanks for the story behind the story!

[@LifeAfterBreakfast]

thanks for posting these old shows. I listen to them every night

[@otrarchive]

You’re very welcome. I’m glad you enjoy them

[@rosemarywarnes6687]

I think you are awesome and I am learning so much and enjoying so much more. Thank you for bringing this lost entertainment to us.

[@soulvaccination8679]

Wow..This is great.

[@bloodgrss]

Some other notable actors here that help make it so good. Joseph Kearns as the narrator was a wonderful radio actor, who later made fame as Dennis the Menace Mr. Wilson. Paul Frees, the man of many voices on commercials and radio, and part of the crowd when the body is found is Jim Backus, of Mr.Magoo and Mr. Howell fame...

[@mendagy]

Fantastic!!! New sub here - so glad I found y'all!!! These old-time radio shows are just wonderful - it's easy to see why folks were so captivated by these stories while sitting around the radio. Kind'a sad that we:be lost the imagination for such things... But thank u + I am just thrilled to find this treasure trove!!! ❤

[@saucermcfly]

The main actor of this episode is Robert Taylor and he was a very popular movie star in the 1940s and 1950s. He was also married to Barbara Stanwyck when he starred in this episode of Suspense.

[@renelopez2244]

Fantastic... Glad you decided to post this..

[@dathomestead3115]

OTR is golden!

[@otrarchive]

I agree :)

[@oninoyakamo]

What a surprise to find this as your first episode! No kidding; scary. Remains the most frightening single episode of radio I've encountered since I first heard this, one Sunday night back in the 90's on Vancouver's Rock 101

[@karengarson5715]

I love listening to old Time radio .

[@davel9015]

I want to listen but it's bedtime. Tomorrow,,, with the lights on.!!!

[@russhall1414]

I'm in love with your channel😻

[@professorkleinanatomy]

Love these videos! Can you do one for “Return Trip” Suspense Theater? By far my favorite episode as I have listened to it at least 500 times in last 15years (not an exaggeration).

[@timmc8444]

a real classic...

[@mamalongsplants1559]

Good one Mama Long Greenville Tx.😲

[@johnthacker5246]

Very eerie story. Kathy Lewis was the friend of Irma Peterson in the radio show "MY FRIEND IRMA".

[@otrarchive]

Interesting! Thanks for the info.

[@larynxax7483]

Cathy (with a C) soon grew to hate "My Friend Irma", because it typecast her. For an actress as incredibly versatile as she was, it was a living nightmare. While doing the radio version of "Irma", she was appearing on many other shows, and this extreme pace triggered a nervous collapse that kept her off all work for a whole year. During that year, her husband, Elliot, who thrived on being as busy as posdible, cut back his work to just two shows: "The Casebook of Gregory Hood" and "The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show". When "Irma" moved to TV, Cathy was really trapped. All of her time was devoted to rehearsing, and learning lines, for that one live TV broadcast each week. In 1953-54, her and Elliott's "On Stage" radio series rescued her from "Irma". When it ended, "Irma" made her an offer too generous to refuse. When Cathy succumbed to cancer, aged only 50, her death got just a couple of lines of news coverage, which mentioned only her work on "Irma", completely ignoring the hundreds of other, much more demanding, roles she'd played. What a slap in the face for this great actress.

[@johnthacker5246]

@@larynxax7483 Thank you for the information.

[@michaelweber8724]

"Sam Spade?" I was never under that impression, simply because the actor is Howard Duff. What make you think this is the case?

[@otrarchive]

Quoting a comment from another OTR blog "In this episode of Suspense, Howard Duff played the role of a detective the character played by Hans Conreid calls "Sam". Suspense producer William Spier also produced "The Adventures of Sam Spade", about Dashiell Hammett's famous "Maltese Falcon" character, starring Howard Duff in the title role. It appears Spier decided to have a little fun in this episode with a sort of "cameo" appearance by the central character of another of his own shows!" www.escape-suspense.com/2007/10/suspense---fran.html?cid=6a00d8341c52ee53ef0120a61655cb970b#comment-6a00d8341c52ee53ef0120a61655cb970b

[@michaelweber8724]

@@otrarchive Ah... I was never under that impression. TY

[@saucermcfly]

Might be a bit of an in-joke or a teaser of sorts, but he's never presented with a surname in this story.

[@heyoldman2003]

Very good!! The name sure fits .. ever heard of Fireside Theater ? Spoofs of old time radio shows . Some are very funny .. 👍🏼

[@breakercassidy6946]

They need to remake this as a found footage flick

[@ItWILLbeWONDERFUL_THERE]

WOW!!! You look WAY too young to even know about these! Cool that you do, though.

[@CyanBlackflower]

You think THIS is scary? Try ESCAPE! Evening Primrose...

[@otrarchive]

I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the tip!

[@mikeball9965]

Well, that was terrifying

[@deziramson3451]

The golden age ended in 1962.

[@denisenoemyschizotypaldiso3755]

I wrote an essay about "The House in Cypress Canyon" & would appreciate feedback on it. Part 1 is here: www.otrr.online/FILES/Times_Archive_pdf/2019_12.pdf

[@Admin-qy4zi]

😱

[@rasputanrasputan1380]

Zowie…