Short Order: A Stranger’s Face and a Diner’s Doom

Originally Aired: August 16, 1945   In Suspense #154, “Short Order,” Bailey, a proud diner owner, finds his business slowly unraveling after a mysterious, disfigured man begins frequenting his establishment. Though the stranger is polite and quiet, his grotesque appearance drives customers away and triggers a downward spiral of paranoia, misfortune, and desperation for Bailey. As events spiral out of control, a shocking twist reveals that not everything—or everyone—is as they seem. A slow-burning psychological thriller laced with eerie tension and moral ambiguity.   Cast: Joseph Kearns, Conrad Binion, Gerald Mohr   Tags: Suspense, thriller, psychological, dinerdrama, JosephKearns, GeraldMohr, disfigurement, gaslight, mystery, identity, oldtimeradio, noir, karmicjustice, 1940sradio, classicdrama, suspensepodcast