Suspense

Suspense

Year: 1946

Runtime: 101 mins

Language: English

Director: Frank Tuttle

DramaCrimeThriller

The owner of an ice‑skating revue lifts a peanut‑vendor into a managerial role after the vendor offers ideas to improve the star’s routine—who also happens to be the owner’s wife. As the show unfolds, the proprietor grows uneasy, noticing the new manager’s increasingly close attention to his wife, hinting at danger amid the dark, icy setting.

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Timeline & Setting – Suspense (1946)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Suspense (1946). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Los Angeles, ice-show theater, Roberta's penthouse, remote mountain cabin

Los Angeles serves as the film's urban backdrop, centering on a theater that stages Roberta Elva's ice show and the backstage power plays surrounding it. The plot also travels to a remote mountain cabin during a winter vacation, heightening isolation and tension. The theatre's grand marquee and dark backstage corridors anchor the drama of ambition, desire, and danger.

🏙️ Urban Los Angeles 🎭 Showbiz 🏔️ Mountain setting ❄️ Winter atmosphere

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:33

Main Characters – Suspense (1946)

Meet the key characters of Suspense (1946), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Joe Morgan (Barry Sullivan)

A drifter who ascends within the theater's ranks by courting Roberta and manipulating others. His charm masks a calculating, volatile personality; as suspicion grows, his grip tightens and violence looms.

🕹️ Ambitious 🧠 Calculating 💥 Impulsive

Roberta Elva (Belita)

A celebrated ice-show star whose heart becomes the prize in a web of desire and danger. She negotiates romantic advances with professional demands, increasingly aware of the threats around her.

🎤 Talented 💖 Desired 🎭 Performer

Frank Leonard (Albert Dekker)

Owner and producer of the ice show who marries Roberta and presides over the production. His business empire and personal insecurities set the stage for Morgan's machinations and the film's tragic turn.

💼 Ambitious 🗝️ Controlling 🧭 Commanding

Ronnie (Bonita Granville)

A jilted lover who presses Morgan for answers and complicates his life with jealousy and persistence. Her actions push the plot toward a violent confrontation.

💔 Jealous 🔥 Impulsive 🗝️ Intrusive

Harry Wheeler (Eugene Pallette)

The theater's assistant who notices tension and serves as a cautious observer amid the unfolding scheme. He tries to warn Roberta as danger intensifies.

🧭 Advisor 🕵️‍♂️ Observant 🎯 Cautious

Max (George E. Stone)

A connector within the theater's social circle who navigates the line between help and manipulation, bridging Morgan's past and present in New York and Los Angeles.

🤝 Connector 💬 Friendly 🧭 Resourceful

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:33

Major Themes – Suspense (1946)

Explore the central themes of Suspense (1946), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🕹️ Power & Control

A key thread follows Joe Morgan's maneuvering to gain authority within the show, using charm and manipulation to shape Roberta's career and their relationship. The power dynamic between Morgan, Leonard, and Roberta drives the plot and exposes the costs of ambition. Paranoia and coercive tactics push the characters toward a violent, irrevocable climax.

💔 Jealousy & Obsession

Morgan's fixation on Roberta, paralleled by Ronnie's lingering jealousy, transforms personal desire into dangerous obsession. The pursuit of affection becomes a weapon that destabilizes relationships and provokes reckless decisions. The narrative treats obsession as a corrosive force that spirals into murder.

🔪 Deception & Murder

Lies, planted clues, and cover-ups drive the suspense as Leonard is killed and incinerated, with Morgan's manipulations gradually revealed. Roberta's suspicions grow as clues—like a ring and a replaced desk—signal that someone is orchestrating events. The theater becomes a stage for crime where truth is hidden behind performances.

🎬 Showbiz & Spectacle

The ice show and the theater marquee symbolize the glittering veneer behind which danger hides. Performances are the currency by which characters bargain for status, love, and control. The film uses backstage drama to critique fame's ability to corrupt and isolate individuals.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:33

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Fatalistic crime stories of moral collapse like in Suspense

Stories where obsession and jealousy lead to an inescapable, violent downfall.If you liked the bleak, downward spiral in Suspense, you'll find similar movies here. This collection features classic noirs and dark crime dramas where characters are destroyed by their own obsessive desires, leading to betrayal, murder, and an inescapably grim fate. These are stories of paranoia and fatalistic doom.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a protagonist who, often initially ordinary or successful, is consumed by an unhealthy obsession—be it love, money, or power. This obsession leads them to commit a desperate act, usually a crime, which then unravels their life. The plot focuses on the psychological decay and frantic cover-up attempts as the walls close in, culminating in a tragic and inevitable conclusion.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped together because they share a dark, tense tone and a specific narrative arc of self-destruction. They create a claustrophobic, paranoid mood and deliver a heavy emotional weight, focusing on the psychological unraveling of characters caught in a trap largely of their own making.

Claustrophobic psychological thrillers with high tension like Suspense

Intense stories where suspicion grows in a confined, pressure-cooker environment.For viewers who enjoyed the tense, paranoid atmosphere of Suspense, this list features similar psychological thrillers. These movies use a steady pace to build suspense in a confined world, focusing on characters tormented by jealousy, deception, and the dread of being watched or betrayed from within.

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Narrative Summary

These narratives often unfold in a limited space—a single building, a workplace, a small town—that becomes a psychological prison. The core conflict is internal and relational, centered on shifting loyalties and the terrifying uncertainty of not knowing who to trust. The pacing is steady, meticulously raising the stakes and the characters' anxiety until the pressure becomes unbearable.

Why These Movies?

They are united by a shared vibe of high-tension unease and a claustrophobic mood. The experience is defined by a steady, deliberate pacing that creates sustained suspense, a dark tone, and a focus on the destructive power of obsessive thoughts in a confined social dynamic.

Unlock the Full Story of Suspense

Don't stop at just watching — explore Suspense in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Suspense is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Suspense Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Suspense, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Suspense Summary

Suspense Timeline

Track the full timeline of Suspense with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Suspense Timeline

Suspense Spoiler-Free Summary

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Suspense Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Suspense

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Suspense: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Suspense

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