October 10, 1963 (1963-10-10)– July 1, 1965 (1965-07-01)
Kraft Suspense Theatre Press Photos featuring John Forsythe, Noreen Corcoran, Sammee Tong, and Jack Weston
The Kraft Suspense Theatre is an American television anthology series that was produced and broadcast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC.[1] Sponsored by Kraft Foods, it was seen three weeks out of every four and was pre-empted for Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall specials once monthly. Como's production company, Roncom Films, also produced Kraft Suspense Theatre. (The company name, "Roncom Films" came from "RONnie COMo," Perry's son, who was in his early 20s when this series premiered). Writer, editor, critic, and radio playwright Anthony Boucher served as consultant on the series.
Later syndicated under the title Crisis, it was one of the few suspense series then broadcast in color. While most of NBC's shows were in color then, all-color network line-ups did not become the norm until the 1966-67 season. It was also packaged with episodes of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre under the title Universal Star Time.
In Britain, BBC2 screened episodes of this series and Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre under the banner of Impact.
Some episodes doubled as pilots for potential series. The episode "Rapture At Two-Forty", in particular, was the pilot for the series Run for Your Life, which premiered on NBC in the fall of 1965 and ran till 1968.
The 1968 theatrical filmSergeant Ryker, starring Lee Marvin, was a two-part made-for-television film that was first broadcast on Kraft Suspense Theatre under the title "The Case Against Paul Ryker". It also served as a pilot for the 1966 series Court Martial, which ABC would broadcast. Other episodes that were later expanded into theatrical films (initially for European release) included "Once Upon a Savage Night", released as Nightmare in Chicago, and "In Darkness, Waiting", which was released as Strategy of Terror.
Originally aired as an episode of Kraft Mystery Theatre, as opposed to Kraft Suspense Theatre, this episode was later included with the other Suspense Theatre episodes in subsequent series syndication packages.
Story by: Judith Barrows & Robert Guy Barrows Teleplay by: Robert Guy Barrows
December5,1963(1963-12-05)
A woman who was at the wheel of a fatal car crash submits to a polygraph test -- which pronounces her guilty of deliberate homicide. With Anne Francis, Gary Merrill, Malachi Throne, and Mary Wickes.
Story by: David Moessinger & Robert Altman Teleplay by: David Moessinger
December12,1963(1963-12-12)
A soldier accused of treason, but who was never given a chance to clear his name, takes matters into his own hands twenty years later. With James Whitmore and Richard Crenna.
Story by: Berne & David Giler Teleplay by: Berne & David Giler & William P. McGivern
January30,1964(1964-01-30)
Five people are trapped after an underground explosion, and must decide who dies once they realize there's only enough oxygen for four. With Arthur Kennedy, Robert Webber, and Andrew Duggan.
A young mentally disturbed boy is kidnapped, right under the nose of the detective that was supposed to be guarding him. With Brian Keith, Nancy Malone, and Audrey Totter.
A divorcee flees to Brazil with two million dollars; a private eye is tasked with getting it back. With John Forsythe, Diana Hyland, and Jack Weston. Director Roy Huggins produced this episode under the pseudonym "Thomas Fitzroy", and wrote the story as "John Francis O'Mara".
A vacationing schoolteacher buys an ornate ring she likes, but its original owner wants it back ... at any cost. With Julie Harris, Julie Adams, and Robert Loggia.
Reruns of the series have been shown under the name Suspense Theatre, although many prints of episodes have had the syndicated rerun title Crisis. In the 1990s, Sci-Fi Channel aired the series under the Suspense Theatre and Crisis titles as part of its late-night primetime programming lineup. Retro TV and Antenna TV, the small broadcast networks, ran the series in the early 2010s.
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