It's "The Big Day" for JOHN MCINTIRE • Fun Story from SUSPENSE Classic Radio!

John McIntire has been tinkering with and fine tuning his antique Stanley Steamer for many months - Now the "Big Day" has finally come - the running of the annual Indy 500 auto race! He intends to prove to his mouthy teenage son that his Steamer can run right up there with the big guys! He's gonna run his car 500 miles on country roads and highways while the race is on! He also takes his hapless neighbor along with him who is quite reluctant (at first) to be his "on-board mechanic." It's a fun story from Suspense, with fairly decent sound quality.
••••• Airdate: May 26, 1957 - Episode № 700 •••••
✓✓✓√✓✓√✓√✓√√✓√√✓√√√ STUFF-N-SUCH:
John McIntire appeared in several episodes of Suspense, most notably the one hour version of "Donovan's Brain." You'll find it in my One Hour episode and sci-fi playlists. If you want to quickly learn a little more about steam powered cars, Jay Leno has a video featuring his on KZbin.
• Public domain program • 2020 by Charlie Stuckey •

[@jeremybear573]

Love finding more new but old episodes! Makes my day so much better!

[@SuspenseESCAPEremastered]

Yep - this story has been sitting around for 56 years just for you to find it today!

[@bodegabreath4258]

John McIntyre, one of my all-time favs. Married to one of the most gifted actresses ever, with her versatility at voice control and ability to persuasively master any character she took on, she being Jeanette Nolan. Only wished they had performed together.

[@SuspenseESCAPEremastered]

I'm glad you mentioned Janette Nolan - I inadvertently overlooked her in my description. She showed up in several Suspense episodes, too.

[@missbirdie05]

They did perform together in this here episode. No mistake that it's her voice. :-)

[@bodegabreath4258]

Cindy Chen Hmm, must have missed that. Of course, I listen to these when I’m waiting to fall asleep as much as when I’m not waiting, so that might be why I didn’t pick up on that. Thanks.

[@obermeyer1946]

My thanks and compliments for creating this interesting set of old-time radio programs. I am enjoying them very much.

[@vickiefarrar5]

Would love to find more John McIntire radio clips.

[@lauralew6033]

Bless you Charlie for posting so many wonderful episodes. Your output has been amazing during the last few days. Helping to keep up morale! Thank you

[@theresastuckey9968]

Probably the best guy on youtube!

[@janicejenkins9539]

Theresa Stuckey Hi there! Yes, this station is truly a gem. I love Suspense!!

[@SuspenseESCAPEremastered]

Very kind and thoughtful words - you made me blush!

[@dontaylor7315]

Finally a tale that really did keep me in suspense! But I wonder if the sound effects were right; I always assumed a Stanley Steamer would be quieter than that. Well, whatever...I knew about that Stanley that clocked 190mph on the salt flats.

[@SuspenseESCAPEremastered]

In theory they could have gone much faster - BUT - tire and suspension technology just didn't exist. Not to mention brakes! Jay Leno has driven steam powered vehicles, but I don't recall what they actually sound like.

[@dontaylor7315]

@@SuspenseESCAPEremastered I'm pretty sure that as a kid I read the Stanley Steamer had only one forward gear and that leads me to speculate a drag racer could probably out-accelerate it in the first quarter-mile. Beyond that distance my money's still on the Stanley though.

[@missbirdie05]

Hehe, a story full of thrills and giggles :-)

[@janicejenkins9539]

Great episode! Good that John McIntire’s wife appeared as well.

[@SuspenseESCAPEremastered]

Guess what was in my mailbox today, post marked April 25??! It said "return to sender, insufficient address." I have you at 519 W. King St #32 Philadelphia PA 19144 - isn't that your address? I wonder where the envelope was sitting for two weeks! Please let me know if address is correct, and I'll mail it AGAIN! I'm sorry that this happened, and a little angry at the postal service. - Charlie

[@janicejenkins9539]

Suspense & ESCAPE! Hi Charlie! The apartment number is B2. I hadn’t heard anything and assumed that the letter had been lost.

[@SuspenseESCAPEremastered]

+Janice Jenkins I'll re-send it this week - sorry about my error - I still wonder where the letter was sitting for nearly three weeks!

[@janicejenkins9539]

Suspense & ESCAPE! Looking forward to hearing from you! I see there are new uploads for our enjoyment. Thanks as always Charlie!

[@phonotical]

Turns out the 1917 Stanley steamer has about a 20hp engine which did hold a record for going 127 miles an hour, but was beaten two years later, not too sure this episode was set in 1910 😂

[@dontaylor7315]

I'm pretty sure I read as a kid that a Stanley Steamer clocked 190mph on the salt flats. And, as the narrator seemed to assert, they tended to blow up or crash at high speeds but were STILL ACCELERATING at the time. So their top speed was never reached and never known. Btw I especially liked how it's pointed out in this episode that the Stanley was suppressed in order to protect gas-driven cars and the oil industry that fueled them.

[@phonotical]

@@dontaylor7315 you learn something new every day!

[@dontaylor7315]

@@phonotical About the setting: My impression is the episode is set contemporary to the airdate, 1957. I can't back that up with anything solid, I just have a sense that that's the timeframe. Anyway it's clearly set in the period after the Stanleys were no longer in production.

[@phonotical]

@@dontaylor7315 I'd have to listen to it again, it's been a long time

[@dontaylor7315]

@@phonotical I bet you'll find it a treat even though you've already heard it.

[@mikecheyne1613]

I'm not too crazy usually about the "comedy" Suspense episodes, but this isn't bad. It does feel like a lot of the potential suspense falls off once they actually get going, though, as they have a fairly easy time. I wish they would have focused more on the challenges in like not hitting anything, not blowing up, or not getting stopped by the cops rather than beating the Indy 500 time (which as they themselves point out, is stupid--it's an unfair comparison on both sides!).