The Visitor: A Stranger Comes Home

Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

Originally Aired: May 11, 1944

The Visitor: A Stranger Comes Home

In this emotionally haunting episode of Suspense, Eddie Bracken stars as Bud Owen, a man returning to the hometown he left twelve years earlier under the shadow of suspicion and heartbreak. Bud isn't just back for nostalgia—he’s come to confront the truth and reclaim his identity. But there’s one problem: no one remembers him.

When he visits the house he grew up in, the people inside don't recognize his name—or his face. His mother, his old friend Joe, and even his childhood sweetheart, Ellen, deny ever knowing him. Instead, they insist his name is Bill Duncan. Bud begins to question his own sanity. Has he imagined his former life, or is something far more sinister at play?

As the mystery deepens, Bud discovers a dark conspiracy rooted in betrayal and guilt. He’s not delusional—he's the victim of a desperate lie meant to erase him from existence. The people he once trusted have buried the past and replaced him with a ghost.

Taut, psychological, and filled with eerie tension, The Visitor plays with themes of memory, identity, and the pain of being forgotten. With a quiet, tragic ending that lingers long after the final line, this episode is a standout entry in the golden age of radio suspense.

Keywords: "Suspense The Visitor episode," "May 1944 Suspense radio," "Eddie Bracken identity mystery," "radio psychological thriller," "homecoming suspense drama," "William Spier production," "classic Roma Wines suspense story."

Cast: Eddie Bracken, with supporting performances by the Suspense radio company including William Spier (producer/director).