What Was the Last Name of Joseph Cotten's Character in the Radio Show "Suspense"?

The caller said, "Joseph Cotten was in the old radio show, Suspense.  His character's name was Wells Something. Can you find his last name?  The Newton Falls Public Library staff personally knows very little about old radio drama, and finds these pop culture questions interesting.

Using a search engine and the terms "Joseph Cotten old radio show Suspense", we found the website Radio of Yesteryear: Original Old Radio -Oldest Website of Old Time Radio Programs The Joseph Cotten Collection vol. 2. The site has a list of some of the programs in which he acted.  Our staff then searched for "Suspense" and the title of each radio show in which he performed. When we searched "Suspense The Day I Died" we discovered the website Escape and Suspense! Vintage Radio Broadcasts of Dangerous Adventure, Urban Legends, and Tales of Fear and Trembling. The site's article  stated that Cotten starred as Welles Gallaway, " a murderer who makes the mistake of asking his wife [Leslie] to hide him . . . The problem is Leslie, having once treated her so badly, can Welles trust her to help him?"

For patrons interested in radio shows, the shared Clevnet system has a selection of over 200 titles available to be borrowed, ranging from The 60 Greatest Old-time Radio Shows of the 20th Century to Youth: Stories from the Collection Lake Wobegon U.S.A.

My XM Radio Isn't Working

“My XM radio isn’t working; it seems to turn on and then the screen goes black. I don’t have a manual. Can you help me?” While the Newton Falls Public Library staff cannot actually repair out patron’s car satellite radio, we can assist in looking for some sort of troubleshooting guide or manual.

The patron’s radio was a Delphi model SA10316. We began the online search using the make, model, and “troubleshooting.” A two page quick start guide was found at www.retrevo.com, but it lacked any information needed to solve the problems.

The next link we examined was the Express RC User Guide, a seventy-six page booklet for our patron’s radio. The table of contents included troubleshooting information which our patron examined. He wasn’t sure it would solve his problem, but he wanted to have a copy of the manual to keep. Rather than print all the pages, he chose to download them to a flash drive which permitted him to see the complete manual on his computer.

There are online discussion groups dealing with repair issues. The website ChaCha.com dealt with the question “How do I reset a Delphi XM radio with a model #SA10316?” It was answered by Jon L. in this manner, “On the back of the Delphi XM radio unit there is a small button that can be pressed using a straightened paper clip. ChaCha! “

Our patron now had some options to try before he sought professional technical assistance.

What Was the Last Name of the Children in the Movie E.T.?

“What is the last name of the children in the movie E.T.?” “A friend and I have a bet. He said that Rocky was Sylvester Stallone’s first movie? I don’t think so.” “Two different people played the husband in the old TV show, Bewitched. Who were they?” “I was listening to a show on XM Radio called the Green Hornet. Can you tell me anything about it?” Movie, television, and radio trivia questions are always fun for the staff of the Newton Falls Public Library.

The first question involved using Internet search engines, Google and Metacrawler. The results included links to many movie related sites. According to The Internet Movie Database, the last name of Elliot’s family in E.T. was never given. Looking at some of the other sites, including the official twentieth anniversary website, found no information to contradict IMDb.

The Film Encyclopedia by Ephraim Katz has a great deal of information about Sylvester Stallone’s early career. He worked as an usher in New York City’s Baronet movie theater and in 1970 he appeared in the nude in the off-Broadway play, Score. Katz also lists Stallone’s first movie appearance as being in 1970 in Party at Kitty and Studs/The Italian Stallion. This was followed by two unbilled bit parts in Bananas (1971) and Klute (1972). He was in about 5 other movies before starring in Rocky (1976). Wikipedia [http://www.wikipedia.com/] also lists 2 additional films in 1970. In Lovers and Other Strangers he appeared as an extra and had a starring role in No Place to Hide. More information about Stallone and his filmography can also be found at www.allmovie.com.

Bewitched not only had two actors playing the role of Darrin Stephens, there were two actresses in the role of Gladys Kravitz. The library’s copy of The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Show by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh gives information about shows from 1946 to 1991. Darrin was played by Dick York from 1964-1969 and Dick Sargent from 1969-1972. The nosy neighbor, Gladys was played by Alice Pearce from 1964 until her death in March 1966. Sandra Gould took over as the character through 1972.

Tune in Yesterday: the ultimate encyclopedia of old-time radio 1925-1976 by John Dunning is filled with information about the shows, characters, plots, actors, etc. The Green Hornet first appeared in 1936. Britt Reid, a slightly flamboyant newspaper publisher, fights crime as the Green Hornet along with his faithful valet, Kato. Some interesting trivia about the show - the Green Hornet and the Lone Ranger were creations of George W. Trendle. He linked the two story lines together; Britt’s father was Dan Reid, nephew of the Lone Ranger. For listeners from 1936 – 1952, this would have been a modern version of the popular western with a car named Black Beauty instead of the Ranger’s horse, Silver.