LARRY WINDHAM

Real Name: Larry Windham

Identity/Class: Human (World War II Era)

Occupation: Research chemist

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Inspector Cronin, Nina, Pat Quinn, Roerich

Enemies: Courtney Black

Known Relatives: Unidentified father (deceased), Courtney Black (uncle, deceased)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Manhattan, New York, USA

First Appearance: (radio) Suspense radio episode "Will You Make a Bet with Death?" (November 10, 1942);
    (in Marvel Comics) Suspense I#2 (February, 1950)

Powers/Abilities: Larry was experienced as a chemist and in chemical research.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6'1")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 168 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond

History:
(Suspense I#2) - Larry Windham was working as a research chemist with his partner Roerich when the funding for his research ran out, driving him $25,000 in debt and forcing him to shut down the company. Roerich suggested that Larry ask his rich uncle Courtney Black for funding but Larry retorted that his uncle hated him and would never support his research and, for that matter, Larry held a mutual hatred of his uncle. Larry delayed firing his dependable secretary Pat Quinn until the end but when he finally let her go, she mentioned that his uncle Courtney wanted to see him.

    Larry went to his uncle Courtney's mansion in Manhattan, taking barely any notice of his uncle's new secretary Nina as she showed him into Courtney's library. Larry assumed Courtney had summoned him to gloat over his company's misfortune; indeed, Courtney did gloat at Larry's problems but then reached his point, asking Larry if he had ever placed a value on his life. Larry answered that he hadn't but his uncle noted that, in order to succeed in his business, he surely needed $25,000. Larry assumed his uncle was suggesting he give his life for $25,000 and refused. His uncle clarified that he was suggesting Larry risk his life for $25,000. Courtney proposed a bet - a bet over Larry's life. He bet that he could kill Larry in six months and avoid capture. If he lost the bet and Larry was still alive in six months, the $25,000 would be his. Larry accepted the bet; his uncle's terms were that Larry not tell anyone of the bet, continue to live in New York City for the next 6 months, and that he walk on the street for at least one hour every day, remain alone in his room for one hour every day and write a suicide note to leave in Courtney's possession. Larry filled out the note and his uncle handed him a copy of French's Psychology of Murder to read. Larry explained to Courtney that he was taking the bet not only for the money but so that he could prove to his uncle that wealth and influence had not made him as all-powerful as he seemed to believe. As he left, Larry accused Courtney's secretary of eavesdropping on them when he found her by the door but she did not speak out.

    That evening at 11:00pm, Larry picked up the Psychology of Murder book his uncle had loaned him. When he turned the cover, he suddenly found his hand dripping with blood; carefully examining the book, he found a razor blade had been sewn into the cover so that he cut himself open when he opened the book. Inside the book he found a note from his uncle stating "You're getting off to a careless start, Larry! The razor blade isn't poisoned but it could have been!" Realizing the psychological game his uncle intended to play against him, Larry began paying careful notice to his daily routine, examining his own weaknesses and vices so that his uncle could not turn them against him. He began taking his breakfast at a small diner and took his daily walks through Central Park. Despite his resolve, Larry felt nervous, realizing his uncle was scheming against him.

    On his first day in Central Park, Larry bought a toy gun from a blind vendor. Taking it home, he played with it and, on an impulse, fired it at his own head. He then found a note inside the gun's packaging that read "Still careless, eh, Larry? Look in the chamber! The next one is loaded!" Larry went to write an angry letter to his uncle but found a message written at the top of the first envelope in his drawer that stated "It's an ancient trick but it always works, Larry! The gummed surface could be poisoned, you know!"

    During the 6th month of the wager, Larry was in a subway tunnel at night when he nearly fell in front of an oncoming train. His nerves had become so jangled that he wasn't certain whether someone pushed him or if he had become careless.

    On the final day of the wager with just four hours left, Larry decided to spend time with his uncle, hoping that he would be free from death as long as he remained in his uncle's presence and thinking his uncle would be afraid of being implicated in the crime. Courtney angrily told Larry to leave or forfeit the wager but before Larry left, Courtney asked him to fetch him a drink of brandy. Larry poured Courtney a glass of brandy, not wishing any for himself. Courtney then ordered Nina to show Larry out of his home.

    Larry saw Nina following him and became convinced she had been ordered by his uncle to arrange his death. He went to Coney Island, thinking he would be safe in crowds and rode on the most dangerous rides, always careful that he was alone. However, Nina snuck aboard a rollercoaster without his realizing it. Terrified, Larry nearly jumped from the rollercoaster but Nina saved him. Nina explained that she had indeed eavesdropped on he and Courtney as they made their wager and she wanted to help him. They went into the tunnel of love for a private conversation, although they were briefly startled by the presence of an ugly man from the sideshow. Their conversation was interrupted by Inspector Cronin, who informed Larry that he was wanted for the murder of his uncle Courtney.

    The police confronted Larry with the suicide note he had written under his uncle's dictation, which was so vaguely-worded that it seemed to indicate Larry had murdered his uncle. The brandy Larry had poured for his uncle had been poisoned and Larry's fingerprints were on the decanter. Although Nina promised to help clear his name, Larry was convinced his uncle had created a perfect trap for him. However, the coroner determined Courtney did not die from the poison but from a heart attack. Larry realized his uncle had been so pleased by the seeming success of his plot that he suffered the attack before he could drink the deadly beverage. Larry became his uncle's sole heir and inherited his entire fortune. He also fell in love with Nina. When Larry's lawyer suggested his uncle had a warm spot in his heart for him, Larry retorted "Warm spot? Haw -- I guess you could call it that!"

Comments: Created by John Dickson Carr.
    Adapted to comics by an unidentified writer and Gene Colan.

    Only the first two issues of Suspense adapted stories from the radio program which the series was licensed from. After that, the series featured only original stories.

    Although John Dickson Carr was a prolific author, he didn't release the prose version of this story until 1954 when it appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine #125. Prior to that, it also appeared as an episode of the BBC radio program Appointment with Fear on October 7, 1943.

    I don't think very highly of John Dickson Carr's writing but this is one of his better Suspense stories.

    There are a few departures from the original radio play in this story. The radio play opens in the tunnel of love with Larry (Bob Pendrell in that version) telling his story to Nina (Betty Andrews in the original). The biggest change is that part of Courtney's (John Destry) wager in the radio play is that Larry will be safe when in his study. This is how he was able to plan his own suicide but make it seem that Larry had killed him - the failed "attempts" on Larry/Bob's life were designed to unsettle him so that Larry/Bob would wish to spend time with Courtney/John to feel safe, ensuring he would be present just prior to his planned suicide. In the comic book version, Larry simply chose to visit his uncle on the last day of the wager. There were also additional failed attempts on Larry's life which the comic book didn't show.

    This profile was completed 04/18/2023 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event.

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Larry Windham should not be confused with:

Courtney Black

Courtney Black was the wealthy uncle of Larry Windham. He looked down upon his nephew, thinking Larry was too independent. Courtney conceived of a wager with Larry where he bet that Larry could inherit the money he needed to save his business if he was still alive after six months. During those six months, Courtney made several deliberately failed attempts on Larry's life in order to unnerve him psychologically. On the final day of the wager, Larry came to see Courtney and he made him pour him a glass of brandy. Courtney had poisoned his brandy, planning to kill himself but implicate Larry so that it would appear to be suicide. However, as Courtney raised the glass of brandy to himself, he was so pleased at the success of his plot that he suffered a fatal heart attack without consuming the beverage. Courtney's fortune was inherited by Larry.

--Suspense I#2

In the original play he was the hero's stepfather and named John Destry.



Inspector Cronin

Inspector Cronin was the police officer who investigated the death of Courtney Black. Because of evidence Black had prepared to implicate his nephew Larry, Cronin believed Larry had murdered his uncle and arrested him at Coney Island. After showing Larry his fingerprints on a glass of poisoned brandy and an ambiguous note which seemed to identify him as his uncle's killer, Larry was ready to surrender to Cronin but ultimately the coroner proved that Courtney died from a heart attack without consuming the brandy.



--Suspense I#2

In the original play he was named Inspector Mullin.

Nina

Nina was Courtney Black's secretary. She was present when Courtney made a wager of death to his nephew Larry and she eavesdropped on their conversation. When Larry came to Courtney's office on the last day of the wager, Nina followed Larry, wanting to help him against his uncle. However, Larry assumed Nina had been sent by Courtney to kill him. He fled to Coney Island and got aboard a rollercoaster but Nina stole aboard with him. When he saw Nina, Larry nearly jumped to his death but Nina saved him, convincing him that she was on his side and wanted him to win the wager. Even when Larry was accused of his uncle's death, Nina promised to help clear his name. Ultimately, Larry's name was cleared by the coroner's verdict and he and Nina fell in love.





--Suspense I#2

She was called "Betty Andrews" in the original radio play.

Roerich

Roerich was a research chemist who worked with Larry Windham. Just as their company was about to make a breakthrough in its research, they were forced to shut down due to massive debt. Roerich suggested that Larry ask for the money from his rich uncle Courtney Black but Larry explained that his uncle hated him. Roerich left the company.




--Suspense I#2

Pat Quinn

Pat Quinn was Larry Windham's secretary at his research chemistry company and he described her as "his girl Friday." When he was forced to shut down the business, Larry delayed firing Pat for as long as he could because he depended on her work. When Pat was finally let go, she let Larry know his uncle Courtney Black wanted to see him.


--Suspense I#2

images: (without ads)
Suspense I#2, page 3, panel 5 (main)
Suspense I#2, page 1, panel 2 (face)
Suspense I#2, page 4, panel 1 (Courtney)
Suspense I#2, page 11, panel 4 (Cronin)
Suspense I#2, page 10, panel 1 (Nina)
Suspense I#2, page 1, panel 4 (Roerich)
Suspense I#2, page 2, panel 1 (Quinn)

Appearances:
Suspense I#2 (February, 1950) - John Dickson Carr (story), unidentified adapter, Gene Colan (artist), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 09/16/2026
Last updated: 04/18/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to http://www.g-mart.com/ for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters