The Clock
1946 - 1948 (USA)
1955 - 1956 (Australia)
The Clock was voiced by William Conrad, Charles Webster, and (in Australia) Hart McQuire.
The Clock was a suspense anthology that cast "time" as the narrator. William Conrad and Charles Webster voiced The Clock in the USA, and Tennessee born Harp McQuire loaned his throat to the character in Australia (Digital Deli Too). The Clock made lots of observations about how he (time) affected people's lives and such. The gimmick seemed a little too cute, and it would often come across as forced and melodramatic. The writers would take the clock analogy a little too far, and kept hitting you over the head with it. (Then again, maybe they are just padding the script to help run out the clock.) Another funny thing about this show is that the voice of "time" itself. The US version offered the distinctive baritone voice of William Conrad, but not so the Australian version. Instead of using a deep or somber voice, the "down under" version was Harp McQuire, who sounded too chirpy and upbeat. It sounded more like a stopwatch or Mickey Mouse clock, rather than a grandfather clock or Big Ben. Considering the series dealt with life and death situations, one would expect a host with more gravitas-- but hey, not every country has a William Conrad or Paul Frees around to provide authoritative voices of Fate. (It certainly doesn't help matters when many of the recordings play fast and speed up his pitch and delivery even more.) This is especially disappointing because most of the surviving recordings from the show are from the Australian (McQuire) version, rather than the US (Conrad) show. To make matters worse, few of the collections sold or traded make any distinction between the two different versions, often acting as if they were the same exact series.
Nevertheless, the stories themselves are entertaining in both versions. The plots usually involve people in some sort of trouble or danger, which is then milked for the maximum amount of suspense that each situation could deliver. It wasn't unusual for someone to be killed before the thirty minutes ended.
William Conrad (and sometimes Charles Webster) voiced The Clock in its first (US) version.
The Clock was produced in New York, then it moved to Hollywood (Dunning, 160). Although Dunning and others properly site Lawrence Klee as the writer and Clark Andrews as the director (with William Spier directing in Hollywood), they also claim Gene Kirby is the narrator. (Perhaps Kirby is one of the announcers who voiced the introduction leading up to the host.) John Saul was the Australian director. So there's still some uncertainty about the particulars of this show, and the three different locations (New York, Hollywood, and finally, Australia) certainly adds to the confusion. Even so, the stories and performances are easy on the ears, and very similar to Suspense in a lot of ways. That shouldn't be such a big surprise, considering that William Spier "the master of suspense"(as the announcer describes him) ended up directing the later episodes.
Harp McQuire was the lighter voice of The Clock in Australia.
The Standard Intro:
(Music: Strange music.)
Announcer: "Sunrise and sunset, promise and fulfillment, birth and death. The whole drama of life is written in the sands of time."
Announcer #2: "We present a new series of radio program, The Clock.
An Opening Narration:
(SFX: A clock briefly chimes. The ticking continues in the background.)
Host: "Am I disturbing on you? I hope not. I don't mean to intrude. I just stopped in for a half hour with a story. It's not an ordinary story, although it might easily happen to someone you know, someone you might have heard of. In any case, I'm pretty certain you'll be glad you listened. But perhaps I better introduce myself again, although we have met before. You don't remember? (Heh-heh) Come now, we're old friends. You must have seen my face on your wrist, in your pocket, or on that steeple over there where I imagine I have more dignity but much less fun. Yes, we've met before, and we'll meet again, I'm sure of that. You see, I get around. Sooner or later, I run into everyone. Sooner of later, everyone runs into me. But I was telling you my story that has to do with Jeannie Claire..."
An Ending Narration:
SFX: Chimes rings.
Host: "And that's the story of Jeannie Claire as recorded by The Clock. Well, I see we've used up our allotted span but the clock keeps running, and the hands keep moving around. So good people, accept each minute with gratitude and joy. Time is good to you and most of you make good use of time. But remember, it's later than you think, so use your time well this week. And return again to listen to The Clock."
SFX: Bell Tolls.
Hear An Actual Episode!
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Some Sample Summaries
Jeannie Claire: A woman at a sales counter dreams of meeting the perfect man. When such a man begins to date her, her dream becomes a nightmare when she realizes his description and habits match those of a well sought serial murderer.
The Jekyll and Hyde Gangster - A ruthless gangster receives a blow to the head and becomes a cowardly yet sensative fellow. When his old gang competitors find him recently married, expecting a child, and running a small grocery store, they exploit his weaknesses.
rev. 1.25.10**
