Radio Recap: Intrigue

Intrigue was a summer program that aired on CBS from July 24-September 11, 1947. There were just 7 episodes and only 3 of those are currently circulating. The series starred actor Joseph Schildkraut and was an anthology program dedicated to stories of espionage.

I've looked at a few spy programs before, but what sets Intrigue apart is that it drew most of its content from famous works of spy fiction. The 7 episodes included:

1. "Rogue Male" (July 24) from the novel by Geoffrey Household
2. "Dawn Over the Amazon" (July 31) from the novel by Carleton Beals
3. "Sinister Errand" (August 7) from the novel by Peter Cheyney
4. "The Great Impersonation" (August 21) from the novel by E. Phillips Oppenheim
5. "The Smiler with a Knife" (August 28) from the novel by Nicholas Blake
6. "I Accuse" (September 4) from the letter by Emile Zola
7. "Satan Was a Salesman" (September 11) based on the life of Basil Zaharoff

Of the 7 above, just "Sinister Errand," "The Great Impersonation" and "Satan Was a Salesman" are circulating. The scripts were apparently all developed by Robert Tallman, a busy radio writer who worked on Suspense, Escape, the Adventures of Sam Spade and the Voyage of the Scarlet Queen.

Perhaps if Intrigue had caught on it would have joined fellow CBS anthology shows Escape, Romance and Suspense as single-word titles that tell you exactly what to expect. Based on what we have of Intrigue, it was a strong series with a lot of talent behind it. Although Joseph Schildkraut was the series' star, they also rotated in other actors including Vincent Price in "Sinister Errand." It's a pity that nothing more came from its run as a summer series, I would be happy to hear more from this program.