Happy Birthday, Frank Lovejoy

Actor Frank Lovejoy was born March 28, 1912. In his all-too short career before his death at age 50, Lovejoy appeared on the big and small screens in memorable roles. One of my favorites is his turn as Detective Nicolai, an old friend of Humphrey Bogart's who begins to suspect Bogie of murder in Nicholas Ray's In a Lonely Place. Old time radio fans may know him best as Chicago reporter Randy Stone in the outstanding dramatic mystery series Night Beat, a role he played from 1950 to 1952. But Lovejoy made a number of appearances on radio. He played villains on The Shadow and was heard regularly on Gang Busters. After several shows where he was in the supporting cast, Lovejoy made over a dozen visits as leading man to "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." Here are a few of his appearances on Suspense, including several where he co-starred with his wife, actress Joan Banks. "The Wreck of the Old 97" - A folk song provides the backdrop for a Suspense-ful retelling of the infamous train wreck. Frank Lovejoy plays two characters in this tale. (March 17, 1952) "The Shooting of Billy the Kid" - Just days after he appeared in the premiere episode of Gunsmoke, the infamous gunfighter Billy Bonney is the subject of this story. (April 28, 1952) "The Frightened City" - Frank Lovejoy co-stars with his wife Joan Banks in this story of a man who returns home from war to find his hometown under siege from an insidious evil force. (November 10, 1952) "The Storm" - Another episode featuring real-life husband and wife Frank Lovejoy and Joan Banks, this episode casts them as a feuding couple trapped in a resort with a hurricane on the horizon. (March 2, 1953) "Public Defender" - In this courtroom drama, a man charged with robbery is defended by the husband of his alleged victim. (April 20, 1953) "On a Country Road" - Frank Lovejoy and Joan Banks are back in this version of one of the very best shows Suspense ever produced. A husband and wife are stranded on a dark road even as police hunt an escaped murderer nearby. (January 4, 1954)