Suspense Radio Theater · Heritage Radio Vault

Suspense – The Chain (AFRTS) | Suspense Radio Theater

April 9, 2026·25 min·1 clip

Leonora grabs George's service revolver and fires at Peter Kerchevsky from the bedroom window.

1. Suspense Radio Theater’s "The Chain" centers on Leonora Carpenter, a chain letter, and a storm that traps a married couple in one house. 2. William N. Robeson introduces Agnes Moorhead as the "first lady of suspense," and Moorhead stars as Leonora Carpenter. 3. The episode exists to turn a "ridiculous chain letter" into a domestic crisis involving George Carpenter, Peter Kerchevsky, Betty Holden, and Abby Reynolds. 4. Leonora reads a letter that says it was started by "a holy man in Tibet" and warns that breaking the chain will bring "evil." 5. George says the letter is childish and tells Leonora to burn it, but she copies it anyway and mails it to Peter Kerchevsky and Betty Holden. 6. Leonora learns from Abby Reynolds that Kerchevsky’s wife died the same day he received the letter and that he reacted badly after hearing it read aloud. 7. Leonora hears George accuse her of sending the letter to his secretary, Betty Holden, and their argument turns openly hostile. 8. Leonora describes how she starts going into town every day because she feels people are blaming her for what happened. 9. The police tell Leonora that Kerchevsky can be charged only with trespassing and that the fine is $25, which leaves her furious. 10. George comes home in the rain, announces that he is divorcing Leonora, and says he will move into the hotel in Townton. 11. Leonora waits through a storm, hears Kerchevsky at the door, and opens fire after he forces his way inside the lock. 12. Leonora says she thought she was shooting Kerchevsky, but the man at the river calls her by name and says, "My wife. She's dead." 13. The episode uses repeated phone calls, including a call to Castle Insurance Company and another to police headquarters, to show Leonora losing control of the situation. 14. Lieutenant Marsh says the bridge is washed out and that only emergency circuits are open, which leaves Leonora stranded with a dead phone line. 15. Leonora begs George for help and promises to give him his divorce if he will come to the house before midnight. 16. The tension comes from Leonora’s certainty that someone is coming for her, even as the police, weather, and phone network fail her. 17. The performance is a radio drama with heavy narration, abrupt scene changes, and dialogue that keeps the story moving in short exchanges. 18. Agnes Moorhead carries the episode with a strained, fearful delivery that matches the rain, the gunfire, and the late-night phone calls. 19. Listeners who like old-time radio, domestic suspense, and storm-bound mysteries. 20. Listeners who want modern pacing or a light, upbeat story.

As heard by us

A death, a letter, and an accusation close in around Agnes Moorhead's tense Suspense performance.

A letter sent with good intentions becomes part of a darker pattern in Suspense's "The Chain." Leonora learns that Mr. Kerchevsky's wife has died, and Abby worries that the grieving man may blame Leonora after receiving a letter he cannot read himself.

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Why you'd press play

You want a letter, a death, and a shouted accusation to tighten into a grim domestic knot.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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