We kick off 2025 with a radio recreation of one of the all-time great mystery films and a birthday salute to its star. Dana Andrews reprises his role as a detective obsessed with the woman whose murder he's investigating as The Lux Radio Theatre presents "Laura" (originally aired on CBS on February 6, 1945.) Then Andrews plays another cop on the trail of a killer in "The Crowd" from Suspense (originally aired on CBS on September 21, 1950), and finally he's undercover agent Matt Cvetic in "Courier for Disaster" - a syndicated adventure from I Was a Communist for the FBI.
Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)
Episode 610 - Cops and Commies (Lux Radio Theatre, Suspense, & I Was a Communist for the FBI)
Get this and get it straight, crime is as suck as road, and those who travel it wind up in the gut of the prison of the grave. The story you're about to hear is true, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective. The Adventures of the Frank, starring Vincent Price. Bob Bailey, in the exciting adventures of a man with the action-packed expense account. America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator. Yes, Julie. Johnny Deller. Hello and welcome to Down These Mean Streets, and the start of a brand new year of old-time radio detectives and crime fighters. We're opening 2025 with an adaptation of one of the all-time great mystery films and a birthday salute to its star. The movie is Laura, Otto Preminger's noir classic about a detective who becomes obsessed with the woman whose murder he's investigating. And the star is Dana Andrews. Andrews had lined several classic noirs, including where the sidewalk ends, boomerang, and wild the city sleeps, and he had a stint as a radio detective, an undercover agent to be exact, and I was a communist for the FBI. Andrews was born January 1st, 1909, and today we'll hear him recreate his role from Laura, plus he'll star in two more radio mysteries, including one of his undercover assignments for Uncle Sam. But first up is Laura, presented on the Lux Radio Theater on CBS on February 6th, 1945. Andrews recreates his role of Detective Mark McPherson, and he's joined by his co-stars Jean Tierney as Laura Hunt, the mysterious woman whose murder kicks off the story, and Vincent Price as her playboy fiancé Shelby Carpenter. The film's fourth lead, Clifton Webb, is absent, so his role of acidic newspaper columnist Waldo Leidecker is played instead by Otto Krueger. If you want to watch Laura before or after you hear the radio version, it's streaming right now on the Criterion channel, and at least as of today, you can pick it up for $5 via iTunes. It doesn't appear to be streaming for free on any of the other big platforms. There's a DVD available via Amazon, but sadly it looks like the blue ray is out of print. Here's hoping a boutique label, maybe Criterion themselves, picks it up and puts it back out on the market. Then Andrews plays another cop on the trail of a killer in the crowd, a tale from the pen of Ray Bradbury, adapted for suspense. Originally aired on CBS on September 21st, 1950, it's a pretty significant reworking of Bradbury's short story. His version is about the seemingly otherworldly way that an accident attracts a crowd of morbid onlookers before detouring into the world of the supernatural. But in the radio version, Andrews plays a New York cop who's after a killer who picks off his victims in broad daylight in order to draw crowds of onlookers to observe his handiwork. The script for the crowd is written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin, and it's very reminiscent of their work from Broadway as My Beat, right down to the vivid and colorful narration of Andrews' cop. It's a great suspense episode and a very good police procedural, as long as you don't go in looking for a straight adaptation of Bradbury's short story. And finally, we'll hear Dana Andrews as Matt Sivetik infiltrating the Reds for the G-Men in Courier for Disaster, a syndicated episode of I Was a Communist for the FBI. The series was based, very loosely based, on the exploits of the real-life Sivetik, who parlayed his work into a movie and a radio show, but who didn't really do much in terms of quality intelligence gathering. In fact, he was prone to getting drunk and telling people that he was a spy, qualities that aren't ideal for undercover operatives. But it made for entertaining radio and a good role for Dana Andrews as a quick-witted, two-fisted hero. Even if the story's in no way resembled the actual Sivetik's work of mostly attending labor meetings and taking down the names of fellow attendees. We kick off our Dana Andrews birthday celebration with a trip to the movies and Laura. The Lux Radio Theater will begin right after these messages. Looking for a good food buy? Then get Belveda, craft's famous pasteurized processed cheese food. Belveda is one of the best food buys you can make because Belveda is not only delicious, but it's nourishing too. And you can use Belveda so many ways in snacks, sandwiches and for a variety of economical hot main dishes. Belveda for a smooth golden cheese sauce to extend leftovers or to use in new made dishes. Make it your handy helper for all kinds of money-saving hot meals. Get it tomorrow. Your Best Buy and Cheese Food Belveda made only by craft. Now, medical science offers you proof positive. Yes, medical science offers you proof positive. No other leading cigarette is safer to smoke because no other gives you less nicotine, less throat-irritating tars and the new, smoother, better tasting, Raleigh. Yes, exhausted scientific tests of America's six-figure selling brands based on a method used by the United States government. Tests certified by a jury of 14 distinguished doctors, including throat specialists, have just proved conclusively. No other cigarette gives you less nicotine, less throat-irritating tars, so no other is safer to smoke. Yes, Raleigh's are right, right for taste, right for throat. So enjoy Raleigh's rich tobacco. That's smoother, more satisfying, Raleigh flavor. Remember, medical science now offers you proof positive. No other cigarette is safer to smoke because no other gives you less nicotine, less throat-irritating tars than the new, smoother, better tasting Raleigh. [Music] You know about the little white tablets in the little green pocket roll. Just waiting for the moment when you need them to bring your acid in the collection, under control. Chums are the little white tablets in the little green pocket roll. Chums for the tummy, key U in F. Bring relief quicker than you'd ever guess, best for any kind of acid distress. Keep 'em handy in the pocket roll. Keep your tummy under, tummy control. Chums are fast, effective, and safe. Chums, we leave the discomfort of acid indigestion quickly with no danger of acid rebound, sometimes caused by harsh alkalizers, always carry tums, ten cents, three roll pack a quarter, new tums, six roll pack with three metal carrier, 49 cents. Because this is New Year's Day, Signal Oil Company has asked me to skip the regular message about Signal gasoline in order to bring you a few extra chuckles with these limericks. Mrs. Don Bonacrista, Phoenix, Arizona, will start her new year with a $20 signal gasoline book for this limerick. Like the man on the flying trapeze, you can drive with the greatest of ease. If you'll only be smart and right from the start, say fill it with signal gas, please. Signal, signal, signal, signal gasoline. Your car will go far with no further gasoline. Tonight's second $20 signal gasoline book goes to Mrs. Rod Dubey of Kirtelain, Idaho for this limerick. A man with a love for smooth driving found his car needed reviving. He tried signal gas, and now he can pass all road tests without even striving. Signal, signal, signal gasoline. Your car will go far with no further gasoline. We regret that we couldn't start the new year for all of you with a $20 signal gasoline book, but we do hope that happy safe driving will fill your new year with miles of smiles. I dedicate this program to the fight against crime, not merely crimes of violence and crimes of dishonesty, but crimes of intolerance, discrimination and bad citizenship, crimes against America. Lux presents Hollywood. The Lux Radio Theater brings you Laura, starring Dana Ambrose, Jean Tierney, Vincent Price and Otto Kruger. Ladies and gentlemen, your guest producer, Mr. Lionel Barrymore. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Now, if there is one form of entertainment we Americans are singularly partial to. It's the mystery or detective story, popularly known as the Houdunna. One out of every four new works of fiction published in this country is a mystery or detective story. Some 300 new books of this sort appear each year. Needless to say you, you couldn't read all of them if you tried. But tonight we're bringing you one of the most intriguing mysteries of recent years, the current 20th Century Fox hit Laura. Our stars are Jean Tierney, who is just completing a bell for Adano at 20th Century Fox, Dana Andrews and Vincent Price, all three in their original screen roles, also the ever versatile Otto Kruger. Now, I think one of the reasons mystery stories are so popular, especially in troubled times like these, is that they satisfy our sense of order. They take a troublesome and seemingly hopeless situation and they put everything to rights, simply by the use of human intelligence and sensible methods. Of course, you could say the same about lots of things, lots of flakes, for instance. They take those troublesome problems of how to wash fine fabric safely so they'll wear longer and look better and they give a quick and very satisfactory solution, especially in these difficult times. Well, it's important to take care of what we have. It's little wonder, lux flakes are so popular. Well, now it's curtain time and here's act one of Laura, starring Dana Andrews as Mark McPherson, Jean Tierney as Laura, Vincent Price as Shelby Carpenter and Otto Kruger as Paul Lydica. Now, most people who read a newspaper or listen to the radio know the name Paul Lydica. Mr. Lydica is a legendary oracle of barbed wire and forget me not, whose enchanted pen and acid tongue have brought fame to hundreds and a Bolivian to just as many. His New York apartment is a combination art gallery and Roman back. And now, immersed in one of his marble pools, Mr. Lydica has a visitor, Detective Lieutenant Mark McPherson of the Homicide Bureau. Be careful, we know that stuff is priceless. Oh, Mr. Lydica, quite an art collection under there. Those pieces you are pouring over are irreplaceable. Nice little place you have. It's lavish, I call it home. You'll hear about the murder of Laura Hunt. I made my statement yesterday to Sergeant Detective Crane. I know. Told him what I know. Now, suppose you tell me what you know. Hand me that washcloth, Mr. Lydica. How good a detective are you? I've picked up a few facts. Laura Hunt was killed the night before last. A bell rang. She opened the door and someone pulled the trigger of a shotgun. It wasn't nice. The ring was close. If you found the shotgun, no. What else? I thought comes to me, Mr. Lydica. Who's questioning who? May I remind you that you're a guest in my home? Yeah, that's right. What else, huh? Well, Miss Hunt was a very good-looking girl, probably. About 25 lived in a swell apartment, had a maid named Bessie. And where did she get the wherewithal to support such a manage? Bullet company, advertising, isn't it? Had a good job, odd director or something? Not or something. She has a lady cousin in town and a couple of boyfriends. One named Shelby Carpenter and the other is Paul Lydica. Today is Sunday, why haven't you tried to see me? Because it's a peculiar case and I wanted to think. If you wait, I'll go with you when you leave. Why? Murder is my favorite crime. My radio audience loves it. I know you'll visit all your suspects and I'd like to study the reactions. You're on the list yourself, you know? Be insulted if I weren't. Were you in love with Laura Hunt, Mr. Lydica? Was she in love with you? Laura considered me the wisest, the wittiest, the most interesting man she'd ever met. I was completely caught with her on that point. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll get dressed. Where should we be stopping first, Lieutenant? I'd like to see Laura Hunt's cousin. Mrs. Anne Treadwell, yes, of course. I'd like to ask a few questions, Mrs. Treadwell. I do anything I can to help. Oh, good morning, Paul. Good morning, huh? You were fond of your cousin, Mrs. Treadwell. I adored, Laura. Paul can tell you. I can tell you're considerable. Did you approve of Miss Hunt's coming marriage to Mr. Carpenter? Why shouldn't I approve? I don't know. Just what does Shelby Carpenter mean to you, Mrs. Treadwell? To me? Well, he comes here regularly, is he a friend, acquaintance? Or are you in love with him? This is beginning to assume fabulous aspects. What are you driving at? The truth. Are you in love with him? I know. I'm very fond of Shelby, of course. Everybody is. I despise him. You've been withdrawing a lot of cash from your bank, Mrs. Treadwell, 1,500 at a clip, 1,700. I needed that money. The day you took out 1,500, Carpenter deposited 1,350. When you withdrew 1,700, he deposited 1,500. You shooting crap, Sam? Oh, must I be insulted like this? Shelby needed some money. I lent it to him. I suppose I could do it as I please. Sure, sure. Now, on Friday night, you were home alone. Why didn't you go to the concert with Mr. Carpenter? Concert? Like, I didn't go because he didn't ask me. Well, hello. Oh, just talking about you, Carpenter. What a coincidence to find you here. This is a tenet for 13. Yes, we've met. I didn't know you were here, Mr. Carpenter. I've been lying down. My hotel room is so hot, and then all the reporters in the telephone, you know how it is, Lieutenant? I've hardly slept or wink since it happened. Is that a sign of guilt or innocence, McPhert? I'm as eager to find the murder as you are, Lieutenant. Laura and I were going to be married this week, you know? No, he doesn't know, and neither do I, nor you, nor anyone else. Oh, well, Laura had not definitely made up her mind to marry him. She told me so herself. It was going to the country to think it over. Laura was extremely kind, but she'd never have thrown her life away on a male beauty in distress. I suppose you've heard losers whine before, eh, Lieutenant? Yesterday, you said you went to that concert Friday night. Mr. Carpenter, what did they play? Oh, some Brahms and Beethoven's night. Mm-hmm. Well, this place, and it's not had in the country. Have you got a key to it? No, but I think there's one in her apartment. Well, I'll have a look. Perhaps I could help you? Okay, come along. Goodbye, Mr. Federal. You can start looking for that key, now, Mr. Carpenter. Oh, yes. Yes, huh. I'll try the day. That's the dayings portrait on the wall, isn't it? Will you stop calling Laura a dame? Look at the furnishings. Would you call this the home of a dame? Look at the portrait. I am. Not bad. He was painted by Joseph Carter. He was in love with her then. Has you ever been in love, McPherson? A darling Washington Heights once got a fox fur out of me. Have you ever known a woman who wasn't a darl or a dame? Yeah, one, but she kept walking me past furniture sold. Yes. Where are you going? Horneagram, there's a record on here. Selection from Fittest Queen. You're one of Laura's favorites. Not exactly classical, but very nice. You know a lot about music? I don't know a lot about anything, but I know a little about practically everything. Then why did you say they played Brahms and Beethoven at that counter? They played nothing but Sevalius. Did they? Well, to be perfectly honest, I fell asleep, and I didn't hear a note. I know it sounds phony, but I'm just a natural born suspect. You see, I'm not the conventional guy. Don't worry, I fall asleep with taunts myself. Find that key? No, maybe it's in here at her desk. Yes, yes it is. I knew there must be one around somewhere. It's funny that please looked in that desk drawer yesterday and the drawer was empty. You had the key, right? Along, didn't you carbonate? Yes. I didn't want to give it to you while Ladaka was present. I have private reasons that don't concern him. You have private reasons no doubt to lie about that key. All I'm warning you to stop implying I had anything to do with Laura's death. Very well, I'll stop implying. I'll make a direct statement. You asked for this. Got it out. That's two of you. Okay, we came here to find the key, and I've got the key. Now let's get out. Nothing more you want from me? No, not now. I'll run along with you. You having lunch with him? Yes, sir. There's rather a superior restaurant nearby. Okay, let's go. All right, quiet little play for Ladaka. Yeah. What's the matter? You wouldn't call me a sentimental person, would you, Lieutenant? Well, I... Dozens of times we sat here, this very table, Laura and I. How long did you know? Nearly five years. I was just thinking we were here, we were eating lunch, and it was at lunch that I first met Laura Elgonquin Hotel. I was alone. I looked up and I found a standing in front of me. Did you have a layout in her hand? That one, of course. Ladaka, how do you do? I'm Laura Hunt. Well? I'd like to talk something over with you, if I may. I am eating my lunch. Yes, but it's practically impossible to get to see you and I... Either you're from some incredibly remote community where good manners are unknown, or you suffer from a common delusion that being a female exempts you from all the rules of civilized conduct. Approximately, but I wanted to show this to you. It's an ad for the Waller's slow-right pen. You're such a famous writer and commentator. It would be tremendously helpful if you'd endorse what we say about the slow-right pen. I don't use a pen. I write with a goose quill dipped in poison, and you may tell your employers... They don't know anything about this. This is all my idea. They'd give anything to get your endorsement, and if I were the person getting it, why? You disregard completely something far more important to me than your career. Oh? My food. You mean that, don't you? Well, of course. I never heard of anything so selfish. In my case, self-absorption is completely justified. I have never discovered any subject quite so worthy of my attention. Putting your columns on the radio. The things you say to your fill with such understanding. Such sentiment. Miss Hunt, you are beginning to bore me. You are poor men, my dick. I feel very sorry for you. The boss. Hunt occurred about two hours later. Kept after you, did you? No, I went to her because I couldn't stop thinking about her. I was more than slightly annoyed, but she had something that girl, something far deeper than good looks. I went to bulletin company, proceeded to do something I have carefully avoided since the age of two. I apologized. A lot of looked at me. Smile. It was very nice of you to go to all this trouble. Goodbye. In a moment, Miss Hunt, for reasons which are too embarrassing to mention, I'd like to endorse the Wallace Flowrite pen. Have you an ad? You're a very strange man. Now I'm sure you're sorry for the way you acted. Let's not get psychiatric. But in a word, yes. And you are a very kind person. No, I'm vicious. The real secret of all my charm. But if you think me kind, I'll call for you here at six. What? We'll have dinner together. I can't make it any later. Will you be ready? Why? Why, yes. I'll be ready. Open up the ladder, girl. Thanks. I started then to help Laura. I did everything in the world for her. I am a man reputedly of overwhelming ego, but this I admit without reserve. It was Laura's own talent or own incredible charm that enabled her to rise to the top of her profession. Through me, Laura met everyone famous in the infamous. And deferring always to my taste and judgment, she captivated them all. She became as well known as my walking stick in white carnation. Unlike them, she was always with me. When does Carpenter enter the picture? Well, men couldn't keep away from Laura, but she never regarded them seriously but me. Her own discrimination ruled them out, and I never had to intercede. She met the Carpenter one night at the party at Antredwell's. She became attracted to him instantly. I was shocked. The fellow completely without talent with as much depth of character as a saucer of stale gin. Shortly before I took Laura home, I overheard her talking with Carpenter on the teller. And so I spent my time doing what I've always done nothing. Then tell me, what does it feel like living on the income from mistake? Oh, I once knew what it felt like, but the sheriff interfered with that over 10 years ago. Then why don't you work for a living? Oh, I did ask a friend for a job once. All he did was laugh. He thought I was joking. Weren't you? No, when he saw I was sincere, he just got embarrassed. He said he'd phoned me. That was months ago. Do you really want a job? Yes, I do. Then you've got one. What? Now you think I'm joking? Well, I'm not. You just be at bulletin company tomorrow morning. You're going to work, Mr. Carpenter? And so in time they got engaged, huh? They became attached to each other very quickly. I concealed my annoyance with masterly self-control, but here was a situation, however ridiculous, that required my attention. As you will see, it was for Laura's own good. Well, I followed them one night to this very restaurant. They had been working late on some advertising campaign. Tell me the truth, Laura. Will it really make people brush their teeth more often? Yeah, it is wonderful, shall we? And so are the layouts. By the way, who's the model you use? You don't remember? Well, you hired her yourself. Diana Redford. Oh, of course. Laura, you look wonderful. Well, that's a quick switch of subject. Oh, I like this one much better than toothpaste. Good. Could you have dinner with me tomorrow night just like this? Maybe. And what about the night after that? Shelby, I can't just... What about three weeks from tonight and all the nights in between? Don't you think I have any other engagement? What about two months from now on the month after that? And what about next year? Then it's all settled. What about breakfast? What about lunch? Beautiful lunches. Day after day. What about beautiful words? Day after day. Why, Miss Hunt, the way you talk, you think I was in love with you. The following bit of dialogue, wasn't it, Lieutenant McPherson? If they'd known you were listening, they might have snapped it up a bit. Laura knew that I had overheard them because I told her so the following evening. By then, I had some other information to tell her also. I don't care what you found out about Shelby. It's the snooping about Paul. It's degraded. Of course, but I thought you'd want to know. That sterling character almost went to jail last year for passing Robert Chex. And after that in Virginia, he was suspected of stealing his hostess as jewellery. Those are only insinuation. I know his fault, but a man can change. No, Laura, for heaven's sake, open your eyes. So, carpenter has changed. Yes, he's changed from you to do Diana Redfern running around with her now, a muddle from your own office. Paul, how can you be so despicable? You know what you mean to me. How can you try so deliberately to hurt me? Hurt you. Paul, Shelby and I are going to be married next week. You gave him a cigarette case on his birthday, didn't you, uh, valuable case? Where did you get it? From the pawn shop where Diana Redfern took it after he gave it to her. I don't believe it. He probably needed money and was too proud to borrow. Perhaps that's why this pawn ticket is in her name. I won't let this go any further. I'm going to telephone him. You won't find him at his hotel. Tonight, carpenter's deserted both you and Ms. Redfern. He's dining with a young and wealthy widow. Someone you know, your cousin. He's been treating her rather badly these days. I'll phone Anne at once. Really, my dear, you don't think that Anne would give, give him away to you. Oh, it's nasty. I know it, but I must make you realise. Now, suppose we visit cousin Anne. Hmm? He won't be there. I know he won't. Oh, good evening, Miss Lara. Good evening, Mr. Leidecker. Hello, Margaret. Oh, I'm terribly sorry, but Mrs. Treadwell isn't at home. Satisfied, Paul. Well, suppose we just wait for her. Oh, please, Mr. Leidecker. Oh, come in, Lara. Well, quite long, dear. And Paul, we were just having dinner. Yes, I know. Lara, I didn't expect to see you tonight. Well, you are, Lara, in a moment of supreme disaster. He's trite. I was just telling Anne about our getting married. Well, sit down on you, too. Oh, no. No, thanks. I just stopped by to give you this. It was a correct case. You must have misplaced it somewhere. Lara. Lara, wait a minute. Good night, Anne. Good night, Shelby. When was this episode of the cigarette case, Mr. Leidecker? Last Wednesday night. On Friday, Lara had lunch with a red-furn girl. I wish I had been there. And as I said in my statement, Lara and I would have had dinner that night. At seven o'clock, my phone rang. I had a sudden sensation of depression, a false voting of his ass. Hello? Paul, I'm frightfully sorry, but I just can't meet you. Well, there's nothing wrong, Lara. I mean, you're not ill? Oh, no, no. I've just decided to go to the country for a few days. What in this storm? Well, it's pouring. You won't last, Paul. It will do me a lot of good to be alone. Oh, you're thinking about Carpenton? Of course. Please, I simply must have time to take this out for myself. Why don't you be back to you? I don't know, Paul, before I leave. Maybe you could meet me. Well, of course I will. Thank you, Paul. Goodbye. Goodbye, my dear. That was the last time I ever heard her voice. This red final girl, how does she live? In Newark. She's in the phone book. I will never forgive myself for allowing Lara to become involved with Carpenton. That was my fault. I should have stopped it long ago somehow. She's dead now. It's too late even to think about it. Well, so long. Yeah, too late even to think about it. Oh, goodbye, Lieutenant. Our cars will return with that too of Lara in a moment. Now, here's what a young girl said to me the other day. Mr. Kennedy, why do you always talk as if only housewives washed dishes? Now, I work in an office from 9 to 5.30, but I'm the KP at home. Wash dishes every night for five of us. Oh, mother cooks the dinner, but I clean up afterwards so she has a chance to talk with dad and catch up on mending for the kids. And I know a lot of other business girls who do dishes too. So I asked her if she knew what dishpan hands were. You bet I do. For a while, mother brought home any old kind of soap. Strong chips, granules, bars. Well, sometimes my hands were so red, I wanted to wear mitts when I took dictation. So that's why the dishpan test you talk about interested me. Now, you say changing to luxe takes dishpan hands away and you're right. One day, mother brought some luxe flakes home. And in just a few days, my hands looked nicer. Soon they were soft and smooth as you please. Then I said, maybe you're too young to worry about being thrifty. But that's another advantage with luxe. It goes a long way. Ants for ants does up to twice as many dishes we've found as other leading soaps tested. Then she said, Well, I can believe that too. Some of the soaps I used to use didn't dissolve completely and made little gooey lumps in the dishpan. But with luxe, I get such quick and abundant suds. It dissolved so quickly. So I've told mother to keep on getting luxe if she wants me to keep on washing dishes. And now Mr. Barrymore returns to the microphone. Actual Laura starring Jean Tierney is Laura. Dana Andrews is Mark McPherson. Vincent Price is Shelby Carpenter and Otto Kruger is Lydica. It's an hour later. In front of Laura Hunt's apartment, Lieutenant Detective Mark McPherson picks up Sergeant Crane. Together they make another thorough search of the girl's rules. Two things interest McPherson, a pile of Laura's letters and a bottle of Scotch whiskey. If you're thirsty, Lieutenant, I think you can do better than that there. I'm not thirsty. What did you say that made with do here? Any minute now. Say, where's McPherson? In the basement. I've had the telephone tapped. He's sitting on it. But who's going to use the phone besides us? Nobody I know of. Still a good idea. I'm making a call now myself. Go down on the basement and relieve Mac. I'll wait here for the maid. Carpenter's coming too. Okay. Hello. Let's go, nice. This is Lieutenant McPherson, homicide bureau. Laura Hunt's been buying liquor from you, hasn't she? Yeah. Did she ever buy a brand of Scotch called Black Pony? You sure of that? Okay. Thanks. Oh, come on in, Miss Clary. Never mind that Miss Clary stuff. My name's Fessie. I have a chair. It seems to me those letters, those letters belong to her. Yeah. You've been reading her private letters. I said, sit down. Cops. I was brought up to spit whenever I saw one. Okay. Go ahead and spit if that'll make you feel any better. What do you want to find out? Who killed Laura Hunt? How would I know? You think I'd done it, ask anyone, anyone who ever came here. Why'd I worked for her, scrubbed for her, done anything she would have wanted of me. Pay or no pay. You're loyal, Bessie. Wasn't only on account of the wonderful things she'd done for me. It was because she was so wonderful herself. This hunt was a real lady. Something cops wouldn't know about. How'd this bottle get into her cabinet? I put it there. It's cheap scotts, Bessie. Laura Hunt wouldn't buy a cheap scotts. I found it on a kitchen shelf Saturday morning. You know what that means. It means that somebody brought it here Friday night. And that somebody was here with their Friday night. Now, who was it? I don't know, but I didn't want anybody to get any wrong idea, bother. God rest your soul. Why, I put the bottle in a liquor cabinet. I done more than that. There were two glasses. I wore some mountains. Clean off the bottle, too. Destroying evidence, Bessie. I don't care. I'll do anything to keep her name from being dragged through the mud. Relax. Bessie, I'd like some ice in this set up. You mind? I'll get it. A couple of high ball glasses. I'm expecting somebody. More cops. No, Shelby Carpenter. Let him in and then get the glasses. Come in. I didn't expect you, Mrs. Treadwell. Oh, are you with him, Mr. Lydaker? She'll be dropping you to hairdresser later. I only sent for you, Carpenter. I know. So I thought I might as well come along. Yes, my excuse is equally feeble. I just dropped into inquirer as the state of your health through tenant. Incip it, I trust. But I have a drink. Oh, Bessie, two more glasses. Yes, sir. Hello, Bessie. What are you doing here? I'm paid up for the week and I'm working regardless. Scott Slydaker? Excellent. Will this do? It's black pony. I'm a guest here. It'll have to do. Here's the ice and the glass. You can skip mine, Lieutenant. I'm not much of a daytime drink. Oh, that'll be all Bessie. You can go home now. But I... Yes, sir. I'll go. Thank you. I remember when Laura bought these glasses. She loved them. She loved all her things, so... What are you going to do, seldom? I suppose so. If I'm a pointed administrator, I'll probably call him Corey. Corey, the art dealer? Yes, he can dispose of everything. It'll be less... less gruesome that way. Not quite everything, Anne. There are two or three things that belong to me. That vase, for instance, the antique fire screen and, of course, the clock. That's quite a hunk of clock. You've got one just like it, haven't you? I noticed it in your apartment. They were made 200 years ago by Corbet Feasts. Two clocks exactly the same, created at the order of the Prince of Wales. I lent one to Laura. Oh, really, Paul? Yes, really. But the vase is the gem of my collection and I intend to have it back. I can take it with me now. Nothing's leaving here, Leidegger. Only you. Is that your quaint way of indicating dismissal? Well, we're all leaving. I've got to get back to headquarters. But I don't understand, Lieutenant. I thought you sent for me. I did. Well, don't you want to ask me any questions? Nothing pressing. Oh, I see. Well, I bid you goodbye. Be vase, Mr. Leidegger. Put it down. Oh, go, Corbet. Just a slight touch of septomania. Crane? Yeah. McPherson. I'm back upstairs in our apartment. How are you doing on the basement? Any calls come in this afternoon? I don't think. I've just been looking to place over. I've only done it 40 times. Anything interesting? Everything's interesting. Especially that portrait. Really beautiful doll, Leidegger. Yeah. I've read her letters, smelled the perfume, drank her scotch, gone to her wardrobe. Wait a minute. Yeah? Someone in a hall. Look at 7 o'clock. Alfred will be allowed to relieve you. Make sure Alfred keeps his ear on that phone. Right. Where is it? Yes. Coming, Leidegger. You just happen to be passing by. And I noticed the lights on. By the way, have you subled this apartment, McPherson? You're here often enough to pay rent. Any objection? Yes. Especially to your prying into Laura's letters. That bundle in your pocket, for instance. Oh, these. They're yours. The best of the bunch. That's the trouble with getting murdered, Leidegger. It ruins your privacy. And have detectives who buy portraits of murdered victims that claim to privacy? Lancaster Corbet tells me you already put in a bid for Laura's portrait. That's none of your business. McPherson did it ever strike you that you're acting very strangely. So wonder that you don't come here with roses in the box of drugstore candy. Have you been dreaming of Laura as your wife? By your side that the policeman's ball are in the bleachers? Or listening to the heroic saga of how you acquired a silver shin bone in a gun battle with a gangster? Yeah, I see you have. Why don't you go home? I'm busy. Well, perhaps we can come to terms now. You want a portrait? Perfectly understandable. I want my possessions, my vase, my clock, my fire screen. Now if you get going, you better watch out, Lieutenant. You'll end up in the psychiatric ward. I don't think they've ever had a patient who fell in love with a beautiful girl who died before he met her. Or did you meet her? Well, good night, McPherson. Roses in the box of drugstore candy. Have you been dreaming of Laura as your wife? Yeah, as I can say, you have. You better watch out, Lieutenant. You'll wind up in the psychiatric ward. I don't think that's the problem. What's the matter with me? Maybe you can tell me. You, the girl in that portrait there. They're beautiful. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Somebody killed you. Why? Why? I could sit here and look at you all night. All night long, I could sit here. Who is it? Who's in there? You. You. What are you doing there? We're alive. If you don't get out once, I'll call the police. You're Laura, how about you? Aren't you? I'm going to call the police. But I am the police. You see? Can I badge credentials? Mark McPherson? What's all this about? You don't know? Don't you know what's happened? No. Haven't you seen a paper? Where have you been? In the country. I don't get a newspaper. Haven't you got a radio? It was broken. What? Here. Look at these headlines. Sit down, Miss Hunt. I'm very glad to see you. On Friday night, somebody was murdered in this room. What? What did you say? Until you open that door just now, we thought it was you. Now, do you have any idea who it could have been? You don't know. A girl died from shotgun wounds, close range. No, apparently we don't know. Who had a key to this apartment? Nobody except mine made me. When did you say it happened? Friday night. You better take off at coat, it's dripping wet. When did it start raining? Just a few minutes ago. It's teeny outside. It was raining Friday night, too, when I go. Wait a minute, raining. Come with me, Miss Hunt. Here, into your room. I want you to please look in your closet. I simply don't. The closet, Miss Hunt, here, open it up. Do all these dresses belong to you? Certainly they belong to me. All of them? Everyone? Are you out of your mind? Of course they are. What is this one? I don't know. You tell me. Why, this dress is in mine. It's hers. Diana Redburn. She had it on when she came for lunch on Friday. Well. But this dress wasn't in here when I left. It wasn't. This Redfern girl. Is she a girl about your size? Yes. She's a model. She works for us. Yes. And she lives in Newark, but she hasn't been home. Her landlady said she'd gone to Philadelphia. That's right. We have a branch office in Philadelphia. She had an assignment there, but she didn't go. It was postponed. She got relatives in the city. An aunt and uncle. The same names. They live in the village. Thanks. Where are you going? Just to the telephone, Miss Hunt. I think Miss Redburn's aunt and uncle had better go to the morgue right away. To make an identification. Identification. Oh. Right. It's a long inspector. Well, that's that, Miss Hunt. They've located the Redfern. Yes. We ought to know soon. Miss Hunt, when you went to the country Friday, did you see anyone you knew on the train? No. Then what? I got off at Norwalk. I keep a car on a private garage near the station. I drove to my house. It's about 18 miles. What did you do in the country? Worked in my garden. Didn't leave your place in all that time. I keep everything I need in the house. I went there expressly to be alone. You were going to marry Shelby Carpenter this week. Yes. But she went away for a long weekend to be alone. If you know Shelby Carpenter had the key to this apartment, why didn't you tell me? Because I know nothing's a sort. Yes. How else did the Redfern girl get into the apartment? You knew she was in love with Carpenter? I knew she was in love with him. He told me so herself. But I also know that she meant nothing to Shelby. I understand him that it needed. She was found. And I convinced her it was Miss Redfern. She was found in your dressing gown. What of it? You yourself told me it was raining Friday night. You yourself just saw her dress. It's full of wrinkles and rain spots. How did she get in here? Why? Who brought her here? I haven't the slightest idea. Look Miss Hunt, do you love this Carpenter fellow so much you'd risk your own safety to protect him? He must have brought her here. You suspect me? You think I killed somebody in jealousy? I'm trying to get it the truth. I'm sorry. Quickly routine. I'll see you in the morning, Miss Hunt. Meanwhile, don't leave this apartment and don't use the telephone. But I've got to use it. I've got to let my friends know I'm alive. Sorry, but I must insist. If anything should happen to you now, I wouldn't like it. All right, that's wrong. There's one more thing. I know that you want a way to make up your mind whether you'd marry Shelby Carpenter or or not. What did you decide? I decided not to marry him. Well, I'll be seeing you in the morning, Miss Hunt. Good night. Alfred? That's your mark? Yeah. Watch your step. It's pretty dark down here. Anything come to those earphones? Yeah, the mall just calls. It's a red front girl, all right? Kind of all things up, doesn't it? Yeah. Hey, you seem pretty. Hey, wait a minute. She's got a number up there. Give me those earphones. Yeah. Hello. Shelby, this is Laura. I just... Laura, I can't hear you. I don't see anything on the telephone. Meet me right away in front of the office. Can you leave? Right away. Was that... Yeah. Things are always pulling a switch on you. You stay here, Alfred. Macavity out front? Yeah. Get headquarters. Tell them to send another man down here right away. Macavity is going to tail the girl. What about you? I think I'll stick by Mr. Carpenter. I'll see you. We pause now for station identification. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System. In just a moment, our stars will be back with Act III of Laura. Now, here's our Libby where they're headed in the turban, looking like a fortune teller. I see the future of your stocking. Well, here's a lady who would like to know how long her stockings will last. Suppose you tell her. How long have you had them now? They're new. I've worn them twice. You will wear these stockings for three weeks more until Monday, February 26th. Why, how wonderful. How can you tell? It's simple. According to a washing expert, 23 days is the average wearing cycle of rayon stockings. So if you've worn these two days already, you've still got 21 days or three weeks to go. But my stockings never last that long. I must be way under average. Oh, that's too bad. Perhaps I can help you. I see you in the evening washing stockings. I see cake soup and rubbing. That's right. In this where the stockings get all splattered up the back and I have to rub to get the spa stock. Well, I think that's your trouble then. You see, stockings are delicate. They just can't take harsh treatment like that. They need gentle care, lukewarm water and gentle luck and no rubbing. If they are spotted, just take a few luck flakes in your moisten fingers and work them in gently. Then squeeze the suds through the stocking, rinse well and dry rayons for at least 24 hours. With proper care, I'm sure your new stockings will last much longer. Yes, strain tests show that luck stockings do last longer. Actually twice as long as those washed with strong soap or rubbed with cake soap. Twice the wear from every pair with luck's care. That's worthwhile, isn't it? So stick the luck for stockings. Now, Mr. Barrymore returns to the microphone. After the play, you're invited to join us for a brief chat with our stars. Now here's Act 3 of Laura starring Dana Andrews' Mark, Gene Taney as Laura, Vincent Price's Shelby Carpenter, and Otto Kruger as Lydica. For three hours, detective Lieutenant McPherson's been following Shelby Carpenter. Now, in the black hours of night, he stops his car near a lonely house, 18 miles from Newark, and makes his way carefully toward the front door. It's not quite shut. He pears through the crack for a moment and then walks in. What? What are you doing with that shotgun, Carpenter? I must admit, this is somewhat embarrassing, Lieutenant. Let me see that gun. Been fired recently. Yes, I killed some rabbits with it when. Oh, wow, back, I don't know exactly. I gave the gun to Laura for protection. You haven't borrowed it lately. You didn't just bring it back. You ought to know you've been following me. I realize I thought you were in. You brought Diana Redpond at Laura's apartment. You knew all along it was she who was murdered. Didn't you know Laura would come back any day and spill the whole thing? Or did you plan to kill her too? Are you being fantastic, McPherson? You took a bottle of black pony to her house Friday night. I took it there over a week ago. Bessie says Friday night. I can't help what Bessie says. Where's the key to Laura's apartment? I haven't got one, I never had one. Okay, you didn't bring the Scots there Friday night, you never had a key. How did you get in? Well, come on, talk. Talk? All right. You see, Laura kept an extra key in her office. I had asked Diana to meet me in a restaurant. I wanted to have it out with her once and for all. You know, she thought, well, she thought she was in love with me. She started to get hysterical we had to leave. Well, I couldn't very well take her to a room in Newark, could I, or to my hotel room. So we started to walk. It began to rain suddenly and we got drenched. I thought of the key and I stopped by the office to get it. We couldn't find a taxi and so we walked back to Laura's apartment. Yeah. Diana went to Laura's bedroom. When she came out, she had on a dressing gown. Well, we talked, argued, maybe, for a couple of hours and then in the door they'll rank. Why didn't you go to the door? I suppose one of Laura's friends had found me there. Or would they think of finding Diana there? I told her to say that Laura had lent her the apartment. Anybody who knew Laura would have believed that. Don't stop. Well, I heard Diana open the door and then there was an awful explosion. By the time I reached it, the door was shut again. Diana just lay there on the floor. Didn't you go out to see who did it? I was too confused, too horrified to do anything. The hallway was dark. I don't remember what I did. I knew I had to keep out of it and keep Laura out of it too. The only thing on my mind was the safety of a person whose life was dear to me than my own. Don't you understand that? Did you think Laura had killed her? Did you? I don't remember what I thought. Do you think so now? No. On Saturday, when Detective Crane went to see you, you seemed sincerely shocked. I was. I hadn't expected the police to mistake Diana's body for Laura's. But your alibi was already a concert. You knew the minute Laura got back to town, it wouldn't stick. I couldn't think that far ahead. I was groping for some way to keep Laura's name out of it. I was heartbroken about Diana and panic-stricken about law. Okay. And tonight, you met Laura in front of her office. What did you talk about? About what I just told you. What are you turning on the radio for? Just see if it works. Why don't you tell the truth? She says you're here to get rid of that gun. She doesn't even know I came here. It was my own idea. The radio worked fine, doesn't it? Well, I wouldn't. I hoped it wouldn't. All right. We're driving back to New York. Well, am I under arrest? I don't know. That's only town. It would be a very foolish thing to do. Oh, good morning, Lieutenant. Good morning. You know, I have a terrific end to call you Laura. Why don't you forget that lieutenant business and just call me Mark? Especially since I brought you all these groceries, breakfast. You didn't buy any food when you went out last night. So you know? Yeah. I can fix bacon and eggs. Can you make coffee? Oh, I spoke to Bessie. She'll be a little late. When I told her you were alive, she'd done that passed out. Yes, she phoned. You might have been a little more delicate about it. Suppose you set the table, but you'll have to wait a little while to coffee. I've asked Paul Lydiger to stop by. Did you tell him about me that I'm alive? No. Why not? It's brutal. I'm not doing it for last. Why did you break your promise last night? Not to go out? Because I'll never be bound to do anything unless it's at my own free will. The red fern girl was in love with Carpenter. You admitted that. I also told you he wasn't in love with her. Paul? I don't know. Just sit still in here. Hello, Lucas. Laura? Oh, good morning, darling. Hello, dear. Excuse me, Lieutenant. I'd like to kiss my fiancé good morning. Oh, so it's on again. Do I have to get a police permit? So now who? Come in, Lydiger. The door's on lads. Lydiger, right on my heels. Well, let me close any of your heart over the deal, I suggested. What about the portrait and the... Why? What? Paul! Laura. Paul. Paul. I'll be all right in a moment. Laura, what? Not now, dear. Don't try to talk now. Come on, I'll take him into the bedroom. Just be quiet, Paul. Yeah. Yeah. How is he? Here we are, all right. He's lying down. This is going just a little too far, McPherson. Your methods of vicious. Might have been a terrible shock to him, seeing me. Poor darling. Don't tell me you're in love with Lydiger, too. Stop talking that way to Miss Hunt. Laura, why do you cover up for a guy like Carpenter? What story did he tell you when you met him last now? Don't answer him, darling. Shut up. I've got enough on you, Carpenter, to arrest you right now. Quick, McPherson, the handcuffs. Trundling off to the Husker. Paul. I hope you'll forget my wheat touch of angina, my dear. It's an old family custom. Did I interrupt the pinch, McPherson? I changed my mind for the moment. And in that case, better order some food in Lydiger, Laura. People are coming to celebrate you to turn this afternoon. A cocktail party. Who asked them? I did. In the quiet of your Budweil, just now. I called my man, and he's calling all our dear friends. Why did you do that? Well, perhaps our friends can weave all the loose ends into a noose. Am McPherson? You shouldn't have gone to all that trouble, Lydiger. I'd already called him. Well, I'll run along now, Laura. I'm sorry about the breakfast some other time, maybe. [Music] Shelby, Shelby, come here. What's the matter, darling? Your party's a huge success. Shelby, tell me, I must know. Why did you go to the country last night? Laura. Well? You don't know. I was afraid you wouldn't think of hiding that shotgun. What shotgun? The one I gave you. Oh, darling, you don't have to lie to me. Well, what's going on here? Oh, nothing at all, then. In case you don't know it, that McPherson man hasn't taken his eyes off you. I know. Maybe it would be better if I, well, mingled with our guests. Laura, McPherson suspects him, Shelby. He suspects me too. Oh, though he's absurd. You could never have done a thing like that. Darling. Yes. Are you as interested in Lieutenant McPherson as he is in you? And I only met him last night. Sometimes that's more than long enough. Anyways, better for you than Shelby. Anybody is. Shelby's better for me. Why? Because I can afford him. He's no good, but he's what I- Wait a minute. He's coming. Mark. Oh, Mark is it. I'm sorry to break up your party, Laura. But you haven't. You've been a model guest so far. I'm not joking. Get on your things. I'm taking you to headquarters. I was going to get a cell in a denim dress. Is this your office? Before they trot out that denim dress, I want to know why you've been holding out on me. Have I been? You told me the radio at your country place was broken. It was. Not last night. I stopped in the village on my way back. I asked the local handyman to fix it. And how did he get in? With the key, the key I always leave under the flower pot on the porch. All right. I'll accept that. Why? Because you're too intelligent to make up a story I could check so easily. The main thing I want to know is why you pull that switch about Shelby Carpenter. You told me last night you decided not to marry him, but today it was on again. Why? I changed my mind. What went on between you and Carpenter when you met him last night? Or should I guess? He convinced you that if you broke your engagement now, people would think you believed that he killed Diana Redford. Yes. But now I know the real reason why he wanted to stay engaged. He thinks I did. So do you. Are you in love with him? No, I don't know how I ever could have been. Come on, Laura. You're going home. But I thought I was under- That's what I wanted you to think. You and a few other people. I didn't even book you. And all this was just some sort of a game. I was 99% certain about you, but I just had to make sure that one percent doubt. Wasn't there an easy way to make sure? You're smiling. You're not sore? No, Mark. I'm not sore. Go back to your party if there's anything left of it. And you? I'm going to lie back as a partner. I'll go by later on. I'm glad they've all gone, Laura. It's been a long time since we've been together. We're darling, what's the matter? Nothing, Paul. You're worried? Yes, Nick Ferson. He's using you for something. I don't think so. I don't deny he's infatuated with you in some warped fashion, but he's incapable of any norm and human relationship. He's been dealing too long with criminals. When you were unattainable, unattainable, and he thought you were dead, that's when he wanted you most, fell in love with your portrait. He was glad when I came back, because if you were waiting for me. You know what he calls women? Dames. A dame in Washington Heights once got a fox for a coat out of it, as is very worth. That doesn't mean anything, Paul. He isn't like that. Laura, my dear, you have one glaring weakness. With you, a lean, strong body is always the measure of a man, and you always get hurt. No man is ever going to hurt me again. No, not even you. I hurt you, wood. Laura, look at me. You were a long time finding out about Shelby, but that's all over now. We'll be together again. Wait, the door just opened. Don't get up. Don't let me. Oh, haven't you heard of science's latest triumph, the doorbell? I'm glad you're here, Leidecker. I've just been to your apartment. Do you mind if I should search your pockets? I found a shotgun, but I wasted my time. It wasn't the gun that killed Diana Redvan. First you tell you, he thinks you're innocent, and then he proceeds to check up on you. I never said you're innocent. Me, I'm talking about Laura. My dear, this entire maneuver could be a trick to throw you off guard. It could be. But it isn't. I know. I believe you, Mark. See, I'm beginning to get annoyed. Laura, it's the same obvious pattern. If McPherson weren't full of muscles and good looks, in a cheap sort of way, you'd see through him in a second. Paul, I mean to be as kind about this as I know how. But you're the one following the same obvious pattern. First with that painter you thought was in love with me. Then Michelle being now I suppose. Laura, what are you saying? I don't think we should see each other again. You're not yourself. Yes, I am. For the first time in ages, I know what I'm doing. There you are. I hope you'll never regret what promises to be a disgustingly earthy relationship. Oh, listen to my broadcast in 10 minutes. I'm discussing the other great loves of history. That was the most difficult thing I've had to do in my whole life. You must still haven't found it. I haven't found it. The gun that killed Diana Redman. What are you doing? Taking a look at your clock. He's got one just like it, hasn't he? Yes, but I wasn't alone just now in Leidach's apartment. A guy named Sergeant Crane came with me. Crane's old man is a clockmaker. And while I wore myself out looking for a shotgun, all the sergeant did was drool about Leidach's clock. He said probably there's not another one like it in the world. Obviously he was wrong. Yeah, and he showed me something about that clock. A little feature with all clocks made by Corbate Feasts. Underneath here near the floor is a little spring. You push the spring and the whole bottom compartment opens up. See? Like this. But I haven't. In the old days, I guess people use the compartment for a kind of safe today. They use it for hiding other things, shotguns, for instance. Yeah, this is it, Laura. I'm sure of it. And it was put here by the only man who knew about this clock. Paul Leidach. Oh, no. When the red front girl opened the door, this hallway was dark. Leidach saw a girl, assumed it was you. He fired. He figured if he couldn't have you for himself, he was going to make sure no one else did. He heard Carpenter, so he hid behind this tearway outside in the corridor. Carpenter was scared to death and he got out as fast as he could. Then Leidach got slipped back in and tucked the gun away in the grandfather clock. That was ever since I came back. I'm the one to blame. Not for anything I did, but for what I didn't do. I should have stopped seeing Paul long ago. But I couldn't. I owed too much to him. I can understand all that. But I can't understand why you tried so hard to protect Carpenter. I was planning you to rest him. I knew he wasn't guilty. But I knew Paul would do everything he could to incriminate him. It was his way of getting rid of Shelby, just as he got rid of every other man who might have meant something to me. For a charming, intelligent girl, you've certainly surrounded yourself with a remarkable collection of dopes. Now look, don't touch anything. I'm leaving the gun on the clock. I'll have it picked up in the morning. You're going? Yeah, I'm picking up Leidach. I've got two. You know that. Try and get some sleep with you. Maybe I can. I'll read a book, listen to the radio. Will you call me later? Sure. Try and forget all this. It's just a bad dream. Good night, Laura. Good night, Mark. Good night. And be careful, please. And now, ladies and gentlemen, with this final word for this evening, Mr. Paul Leidach. As history has proved, love is eternal. The strongest motivation for man's actions throughout centuries. Love is stronger than life. It reaches beyond the dark shadows of death. May I remind you of some favorite lines of mine from thousands poem. They are not long, the weeping and the laughter and love and desire and hate. I think they have no portion in us after we pass the gate. They are not long, James, the wine and roses. Out of a listening dream, our path emerges for a while. Then closes within a dream. That's the way it is. You heard the voice of Paul Leidach, of our electrical transcription. This is the... There is the final irony to all of this, Laura. You know how I despise melodrama, and yet here I am, a gun in my hand, about to kill you. All you've taken in my life is not enough. The best part of myself, that's what you are, Laura. Do you think I'm going to leave you to the vulgar pines of a second-rate policeman who thinks you're a dame? You'll find your point, no he will leave. Don't you overestimate the man who thought I left a few moments ago. And all I did was wait in the hall, Laura. And then I let myself in again with the key. I've always had. I'm not going to lose you, Laura. Don't move, Laura. He didn't leave. He thought we were in the building. Laura, are you all right? You'll find us together, darling. As always, we should have been, always we will be. Turn your face, darling. Please, turn your face. I'm gone. Sorry, Miss. I forgot to do it. I better let the boss in before he busts down your door. Laura, Laura. It's all right, Mark. Get him to the window, Lieutenant, from the fire escape. I'll call headquarters. Find detective. Find detective, I am. Laura. Goodbye. Goodbye. My love. My love. It's all right, darling. It's all right. The bad dream is over. Our stars will be back with our curtain calls in a moment. The war is far from over. Now is no time to relax. President says Army needs 18,000 nurses. Congress discusses these drafting women, 18 to 15. This is the crucial year of the war, and every woman, like every man, must do her part. If you want to bring your son, your husband, the boy down the street, home sooner, do every single thing you can to help now. Even if you can't take a war job or be a nurse, you can still help by saving every drop of used fat. Your used kitchen fats make the medicines our nurses need for our wounded men and the raw materials for synthetic rubber life rafts and airplane tires. The American fat salvage committee says fat salvage can no longer be regarded as a volunteer service. It is a serious wartime obligation that must not be neglected until every chap is driven back to Tokyo and the South Pacific Islands again become exporters of commercial fats and oils. Yes, now the kitchens of America must help supply the fats we used to get from lands the japs still hold. Save the fat from your broiler and frying pans, skim it off the tops of soups and stews and gravies, melt down table scraps and sew it. Your butcher will give you four cents and two red ration tokens for every pound you turn in. Save every drop every day until jay day, the day the japs are licked. Now back to Mr. Barrymore and our stars. Well, now that we've solved tonight's baffling crime with the help of Jean Tierney, Dana Andrews, Vincent Price and Otto Kruger, we invite our stars to the footlights for their curtain calls. And I might add that for Dana, this is the first appearance on our stage. First for me too, Mr. Barrymore. For you, too, Jean. Well, with Van Johnson here on our 10th anniversary show, the Lux Radio Theatre's had a pretty good season for New Star. I hear you're making a picture with Van Johnson, Mr. Barrymore. Yes, right, Vincent, between two women. That Metro Golden Man. Well, I'll tell you a secret about Dana. He's going romantic on us in his next picture. What picture is that, Dana? It's a technical event for 20th Century Fox, state fair. Who's in it, Lydia? Well, the largest group in the cast is 54 prize Hampshire hogs. Let me get this straight, Dana. You're playing a romantic role. You know, one of those pigs weighs 880 pounds. Undoubtedly the biggest ham on the picture. I can see now why there's a bacon shortage. All the hogs are going the pictures. Well, Dana, you said those hogs are good example in acting and we look forward to producing state fair in this theatre someday. What are you going to have on Lux for next week, Mr. Barrymore? For next Monday night, we have from Paramount Studios a play and stars at hundreds of our listeners requested, for whom the bell tolls. With Katina Paximul, Akim Tamir, Mikhail Razumi and Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman. I can guess by the reaction in our studio audience that it's a play you've all been looking forward to and I don't wonder. Based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway, it's one of the great motion pictures of our time with five great stars in their original screen roles. Sounds like a wonderful evening, Mr. Barrymore. Good night. Good night. Good night. Our sponsors, the makers of Lux thanks, join me in inviting you to be with us again next Monday night when the Lux Radio Theatre presents Ingrid Bergman, Gary Cooper, Katina Paximul, Akim Tamir, for Mikhail Razumi and for whom the bell tolls. Laura was presented through the courtesy of 20th Century Fox, producers of The Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Mr. Barrymore can be heard on his own program, The Mayor of the Town, every Saturday night over the same network. Vincent Price is currently working on the 20th Century Fox production Dragon Wick. Otto Kruger will soon be seen in Samuel Goldwyn's Technicolor Picture, Wonder Man. Turd in tonight's play were Lois Corbett, Leo Cleary, Noreen Gamel, Dwayne Thompson, Charles Seal and Howard McNair. Our music was directed by Lois Silver's. This program is broadcast to our fighting forces overseas through cooperation with the Armed Forces Radio Service. Our Lux Radio Theatre production of Laura, starring Dana Andrews, Jean Tierney, Vincent Price and Otto Kruger, has come to you with the good wishes of the makers of Lux Flakes, the tissue thin soap used by smart housewives everywhere. This is your answer, John M. Kennedy, reminding you to tune in again next Monday night to hear for whom the bell tolls with Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman, Katina Paxunu, Akim Tamirath and Mikhail Rasumni. There's less work in my cooking. No guesswork in my cooking. My best work is my cooking, since I have switched to Spry. Let new easy baked Spry and Spry's amazing shortcut recipes help you serve more delicious meals with far less work. For lighter, better tasting cakes, tender, flaky pastry, crispy, digestible fried foods get SPRY Spry. And be sure to listen in next Monday night to the Lux Radio Theatre presentation of For Whom the Bell Tolls with Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Katina Paxunu, Akim Tamirath and Mikhail Rasumni. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System. AutoLite and its 96,000 dealers present SUSPENS. Right, AutoLite brings you The Crowd, a suspense play starring Mr. Dana Andrew. All right, spend back. Keep moving. You got other places to go. Go to them. Yeah, now, you know, it's a great movement for what you're saying. If you look at it, I didn't see it. I didn't need to poke it in the tummy with my building. What happened over there? Lieutenant, the way it happened, well, yeah. What happened? We got the nights to go, what it's all about. What's going on up there? I can't see! Get somebody to hush you up on their shoulder citizen, then you'll see. Sometimes I don't understand this kind of thing, Lieutenant. A couple of minutes ago, this was an empty street. Now there's crowds. You still haven't told me what happened. Well, I was directing traffic up the street. A woman screamed and I thought it was just, well, you know. But no, it was this guy laying on the sidewalk with a knife in it. Dead, murdered. The people running around in this crowd. This is dead! Let me know! Let me know! Let me know! I want to see. Dead, huh? Dead. In just a moment, Mr. Dana Andrew's in the first act of The Crowd. Hi, a hap. New suit. Yeah, Wilcox. You like it? Love it. Reminds me of AutoLite Ignition Engineered Sparkplugs. Custom-made and a perfect fit for your car. That's real hand tailor, too. You said it, AutoLite Engineers. Tailor Sparkplugs, just as they tailor the complete ignition system used as original factory equipment on many leading makes of America's finest cars. That's why Ignition Engineered AutoLite Sparkplugs are world famous for quality and dependability. How to give me a lot of wear. Thousands of miles? Why, when you replace worn out spark plugs with Ignition Engineered AutoLite Sparkplugs, you get smoother performance, quick starts, gas savings. Hey, Wilcox. Everybody knows about AutoLite Sparkplugs. How about my full suit? Ignition Engineered AutoLite Sparkplugs will suit your car in every season, hap. So friends, see your friendly AutoLite Sparkplugs dealer and have him replace worn out spark plugs with world famous Ignition Engineered AutoLite Sparkplugs. Whether you choose the resistor type or the standard type, you can be sure money can't buy better spark plugs, because you're always right with AutoLite. And now with the crowd and the performance of Mr. Dana Andrews, AutoLite hopes once again to keep you in SUSPENS! The call had come in from the police call box 12 minutes before. I've come to headquarters, been transferred to me, Johnny Stilano, because I'm a lieutenant, New York police. Things like this are my job. It had taken me maybe five minutes to get there and already the crowd was there. A crowd, a ring of gifting, compressing, changing faces, looking down at the dead man, watching the shape of death in his face. And back! And back! Oh, okay. Have you gone to this man's pockets? Do you know who he is? Oh, no, sir. I have enough time. I'll do it. Oh, here comes the ambulance, Lieutenant. All right, two people. Why don't you move on? Give him a roll. Give him a roll. Hello, Johnny. Hello, Doc. Are you through? I'm trying to find him. All right, boy. Let him throw! Come on, throw! I'll go away, you! Here and there, on the fringes of the crowd, a man detached himself from it that is lip and left. Even the spectacle of death can't compete with a time clock. Get back to work and tell your friends about it. Then the sound of death fading away. Then the crowd. And in a little while, the only thing left of it was an unconvinced passerby who looked over his shoulder at the spot and carried on. Then the leavings of the crowd, a dead man, identified from a worn leather wallet as Edgar Dale, who was 32nd Street, name and address. Go there, dig into a life that was done as quiet. At Edgar Dale's rooming house, a woman opened the door only half way, touched her cotton wrap around high on her throat, shook her head to most of my questions. Edgar Dale had no family, lived alone. And a shrug to what friends it worked, that's all. At the Becker Sign painting company on First Avenue. Maybe then, mister. I went. Something I can do for you? I'm a police officer, John Estolano. Oh, how do you do? My name is Becker, Elliot Becker. A man worked for you. Edgar Dale? Edgar Dale. I just put the phone down on the police a minute ago that they called. Told me what happened. And you know why I'm here? I believe so. You'll want to know all about Edgar. I'll help all I can. Tell me about him. Edgar, Edgar was like anybody. Looked like anybody. Talked like anybody. Kept to himself, he did his job, a man who sat in the supply room and back and read science fiction magazines when he didn't go outside to have lunch. What else? I don't know. You can only judge a solitary man by the things he did to give me that impression. He listened to jokes but never told one. He clipped pictures of movie stars in bathing suits and pasted them over his workbench, crossword puzzles, contests, the newspapers ran, those things. Friends? Girlfriend? I don't know, mister Estolano. Wondered sometimes who might enjoy Edgar as a friend but I don't know. Where was he killed? Two blocks from here. This morning. I saw the people running, I couldn't get away. That's too bad. How was he killed, Lieutenant? What did he look like? Hello, Johnny, been waiting for you. What's up, Rudin? We have phone calls. Five all together. Come home. I don't know. I tried to wiggle it out of him but the man just wouldn't say. He said he'd keep trying though. He asked to talk to you personally. What else? This envelope came addressed to you special delivery. It's marked personal. Open it. Says personal. Open it. What is it? A picture, Johnny. Clipped from this afternoon's extra in the news. I saw it there myself. A picture of the man who was stabbed to death on the street with the crowd around him. That's it. It looked what's written under it, Johnny. Yeah. I did well, didn't I, police. Next time it will be even better. Estolano speaking. Oh, I finally got you, isn't it, Lieutenant? I read in the papers you were assigned to the case. The man found dead on the sidewalk. Yes. I, uh, just call to ask you. If you got the clipping, I sent you the one of the dead man lying on the street. I, I sent it special. Oh. Well, I just got in. I haven't had a chance to look at the mail. Will you hold on just a minute while I check? Face this call quick. Hi, Johnny. I, uh, oh, yes, I have it here. The word's written underneath. Did you write them? Oh, yes. And I meant to every word. There will be a next time, Lieutenant. There will be another murder. I, I believe you. I won't be so foolish as to think you're some kind of a crank. I can see you're a very intelligent man. It was very clever how you committed the murder. Broad daylight on the street. Oh, the next one will be even more spectacular. Far more. Well, tell me about it. Oh, there's no need. There'll be a crowd. You'll read about it. I'll send you a picture. OK. We're in it. I got it, Johnny. You'll be sure it's there. It's right around the corner from here. I got the bladder on my desk. You'll be sure it's there. Gilbert. Hey, Gilbert. I don't know if that machine I want to talk to you. Huh? Turn off that machine. Oh, sure, Johnny. Hey, oh, he went to shoes, Johnny. Even in his so long I was going to put him in the window with a for sale in him. I don't want to talk to you about shoes. Not about shoes. There's something else we can talk about. About a man. He just made a phone call from here. What, man? Listen to me, Gilbert. Just a couple of minutes ago, a man came in here. I don't know what, man. He made a phone call. If I'm here, use my phone. Yeah, maybe he did. All right, so he did it. You don't understand, do you? This man was a murderer. Two minutes ago, he was in here using your phone. Oh, so what am I supposed to do about it? I'm a shoemaker. Look out through the window, Johnny. See all those people? Every now and then, one of them breaks off. Comes in once he shoots, fakes once he uses the phone. Yeah, a few minutes ago, one of them did come in. And he asked to use my phone. Well, I didn't notice anything about it. I never noticed anything about it. And they're all like some of men, some of women. This one was a man. Then back into the street again and into the swarm, the crowd. Into the wash of anonymous faces, the blob. And somewhere in it, a murderer. Then back into the office, sit down again, stare at Reardon again, Reardon stares back. Then, get up, walk to the window, stare at the crowd. Long drink, Johnny. Nah. Honest to Lana speaking. You don't run so fast, Lieutenant. You know, you almost knocked me down when you ran across the street into that shoemaker's shop. I'm close by, Lieutenant, in the paint boat in the subway. Diddy Falls Street, run fast, Lieutenant. Hello? Hello? Never mind, Reardon. Come again? Come again. He even told me where he was. So I'd go there and close my eyes and point a finger at the five o'clock subway crowd and say, you, you're a killer. I almost knocked him down. I talked to him. We chat on the phone. I can give you a category for this murderer. These phone calls are boasting of his killing them. I'm not a doctor and I know he's crazy. Sure, sure, sure you do, Reardon. I don't know where to start. Where do I start, Reardon? I take it easy, John. A lonely little man is stabbed to death on the street in New York City. For all I know is killer is standing right beside me, looking down at the dead man. The killer sends me a picture. Killer calls me on the phone. The killer tells me he's in a subway at 34th Street Station. The killer... Lieutenant. Yeah. Call box report just came in. Man was pushed in front of a subway 34th Street Station. And the pattern refuted itself, but with variation now. The body of a man broken, crushed without form like a child drawing of death. Lay on a beer of railroad ties of glistening steel rails. Over him the shroud of a subway car and deep in the cavern, the lament of hurtling steel, the crowd, the crowd watching on the platform. No variation here. Same crowd that gathers and watches at all. That's public performance, like the crowd. Let me walk, let me walk. Get out of my way, I want to see it. Dead, huh? Dead. You want to see it with your screw up? Hey, is he really dead? Hey, here it is! Waterlight is bringing you Mr. Dana Andrews in the crowd. The night's production in radio's outstanding theater of thrills. Suspens. Say, Wilcox, you have a good tailor. Sure, Sam is a suit-stitcher supreme now. He never makes the pants too long since his car worries stopped. And what was his trouble? Why, Sam Sedan used a tank of gas just to get out of the garage. And that's ridiculous. That's what I said. I told him to stop blowing his top and have his spark plugs checked by his friendly auto-light spark plug dealer. Did he do it? Yep. Now this pleased pantaloon producer is getting a real run for his money. He replaced the spark plugs that were not functioning properly with ignition-engineered auto-light spark plugs. And now he gets smoother performance, quick starts, gas saving. How pretty thank you, Wilcox. He did have, he did, and he couldn't have bought better spark plugs for his car than ignition-engineered auto-light spark plugs. So friends, see your friendly auto-light spark plug dealer and have him replace worn-out spark plugs with ignition-engineered auto-light spark plugs. Whether you choose the resistor type or the standard type, you'll know why you're always right with auto-light. And now auto-light brings back to our Hollywood sound stage, Mr. Dana Andrews, in Elliot Lewis' production of The Crowd. A tail well-calculated to keep you in suspense. Come on Johnny, I'll push him away for you. One side here, one side out of the way. Police, out of the way. I guess we'll have to go through the car, Johnny, and out through the end to get to him. Yeah, come on. Hey, is there a stolano here? A little panic, panic, stolano. Wait, Rudin, yeah. Stolano, somebody on a phone booth here wants a little panic, stolano. A little panic, stolano on a phone, he's wanted. Sure, he's wanted, but it's bad for him. Hey, I'm here, I'm here, I'm here. What's the matter, Lieutenant? You're out of uniform. Form a PFC presenting with the phone. Johnny, stolano, speaking. Oh, oh, I'm glad they reached Rudinant. You see, there was another dead man. Crowd, much better than the first. Much, don't you think? [MUSIC PLAYING] Much better, the man said. Much better. How good does death have to be? This time, the murderer had chosen to push a man under a subway train. The crowd seemed to like this one better, too. They stayed longer after we got the body off and under the train. [MUSIC PLAYING] Make work, questions. A dead man, Adam treble, a branch, inquiries. He's married, free children, and it's the supermarket. More inquiring, no motive for his murder. No one wanted him dead. Everybody said so. Johnny, you brought your thermos of coffee. Thanks. And the symbol of just came for you. Special delivery, marked personal. Give it to me. [MUSIC PLAYING] Like the last time? Like the last time. Newspaper picture. This is a treble under the subway train with the crowd around. Look at him. And look at this one. The first one I got when Edgar Dale was stabbed. Crowd. Why do people always hang around other people's hurt? I'll pour you some coffee. Do you want coffee, Johnny? Yeah. Yeah. [MUSIC PLAYING] Here. Here you are, Johnny. Johnny? What? This man standing here in the picture, right up front of the crowd, around Edgar Dale. This man here. Not very clear. So? The other picture. The one in the subway. This man. Also in the front row of the crowd. Also not very clear. So? Look at him, will you? I'm working. Hey. The same man rooted. The same man in both pictures. I won't say no. Me neither, because it's the same. [MUSIC PLAYING] It could have been a coincidence. It could have just happened that way. One chance is 50,000 and 100,000 or 1000,000. But it could have happened. One man, a part of a crowd, having his picture taken as a spectator of violent death on a crowded street in a subway. One man pushing his way to the front of the crowd to have his picture taken just because it happened to him twice in the same day. By some sly smile of fortune, it was arranged for two people to die just where he happened to be. Just where there was a man with a camera to take a picture, too. A picture that would give him a name in his neighborhood make people look up to him. Don't tell me how it was. He was there, twice. And there was the other chance that he was the murderer. That's the one a policeman had to put his money in. He could do that by talking to a man he knew in a newspaper office and in charge of the morgue and in Marty Paul. You're slamming, Lieutenant. Don't you ever open a window in here, Marty? Who wants fresh air, fresh air is for the bird. You don't like it here, go away. Still sour, Marty. You come from out there, anything happened to what out there just before you came in? No. I didn't think so. When it does, when it dries up and blows away out there I might sweeten up, if I feel like it. What can I do for you, Lieutenant? I want to look at some pictures. Don't we all? Pictures where people would kill. Look, Lieutenant, I got files and files of those to the ceiling, see? Be more explicit. How are they killed? Accident, war, by a wife, a jealous lover. Suicide, stop me anytime you like, I tire easy. Unloaded revolver. Well, it's hard to explain, Marty, but pictures like these, local. Let me see. Mm-hmm. Pictures like unsolved murders, huh, Lieutenant? Where the killing was violent? Too violent for you, boys to solve? I'll get some for you. I'll do it, boys, boy. How far back was that? Two, three years, maybe? I was afraid of that. Yeah, yeah, I made a selection for you. The most artistic, the most captivating. Several of these one prizes. We are very proud of this one, for example. See your taste? Mm-hmm. Let's see some more. This one. Oh, that one out, Marty. Not the one with the guy who fell out of the window, or the other one. The window? I'll see some more. You've been here for two hours, Wilton. And I told you, I tire easy. More? OK. That one. I'll take these two. Goodbye, Marty. Ready on that projector, Reardon? Uh-huh. And I'll pull this clean down. OK, turn out the lights. That's how the first one. This is a picture of a man pulled out of the river. It was shot. This picture was taken in December, 1948. Notice the crowd. Notice this spectator, the one in the front row, not wearing a hat. Let's have number two. A picture of a man who was pushed or fell out of a window from a tennis story building during this year. Again, notice the crowd. And the man in the right hand corner of the crowd being pushed back by a policeman. Now, run the slides of the ones we had made from the newspaper clipping. The crowd around had good deal. Notice that man up front on the end. OK. The crowd around Adam Treple. Notice the fourth man down in the front row. What do you think, Reardon? They're all the same man. You sure? The same man. [MUSIC PLAYING] It took an hour for the newspapers to hit the streets for the front page picture of a man wanted for murder. A man in the crowd who for two or three years had quietly committed murder. Or killing to our knowledge. Now we knew what he looked like and what went on inside his mind. He liked to kill him. He liked to stand with a crowd over his killing. With the crowd, he liked to see death up close. That man is my husband. Where's your husband now? He's in bed. He pretends he's an invalid. Been lying there for five years. But I know he sneaks out at night when I'm asleep, waiting on him hand and foot for five years. And I know he don't look pretending. We checked it. The man was an invalid paralyzed, then. I'm the man. I'm the man you want. I did all those killings. This picture of you we have, you don't look the same. You've changed. That's right. I've changed. I change all the time. Don't you think that's clever of me? Yes, it is. Why do you wait here a moment? - Or it is. - Yeah, what is it, Johnny? As a man in my office, take him to the Psycho Award for observation. [MUSIC PLAYING] [PHONE RINGING] [PHONE RINGING] [PHONE RINGING] - John Estolano speaking. - Please. Can you come here quickly? Who is this? I'm Mrs. James Shirley. I have a rooming house at 1216, E38. Oh, what is it you want, Mrs. Shirley? The man who's pictures in the paper. The man you're looking for has a room in my house. Is he there now? No, but I expect him home any minute. Please will you come quickly? Right away. [MUSIC PLAYING] His name is Charles Turner, Mr. Estolano. At least that's what he told me it was. He's been living here for the past seven years. I don't know much more about him than that. He comes and he goes. Take me to his room, Mrs. Shirley. Yeah, right down the hall. Yeah, I'll turn on the light. This is his room. These pictures on the wall. A man in a subway on a street corner, a man who fell out of a building. Yes, they all belong to Mr. Turner. He hung him on the wall. I never asked him. What'll happen now? Do you have a room near the front of the house? My room. We'll wait for Mr. Turner there. [SIREN WAILING] It's just Delano. Don't worry about it for you. I'll get it. Johnny, who are you looking at me like that for? I told you they're waiting in a squad car. Well, Cor just come through. A guy's holding our killer. What? Yeah, a greasy spoon lunchroom down the corner. Now, Mr. Turner always eats right down the corner. The guy who runs a joint phoned in and our man has eaten this up for there right now. Let's go. There's a crowd. That's funny. The street was deserted less than a minute ago. Let's go. All right, let us screw here. Police, officers, let us screw. What happened to you? You-- you police? That's right. I own this place. He saw me making the phone call. Ran out. I ran after him. He had a knife. And the-- He's dead, Reardon? Johnny used to know he just made it. I said he's dead. Well, one of you people in the crowd going to a store and calling ambulance, this man's dead. Let me through. Let me through. I read him. That's him, Johnny. This man. Is he dead? What happened to him? Anybody know what happened? Would you like to see him, Mr? Would you like to see him up close? What? The photographers will be here in a few minutes. Why don't you stick around and have your picture taken, Mr. Turner? We go wrong. My name is not Turner. I just wanted to know whether the man was dead. That's all I-- I want to get out of here. Come back here, Turner. One side fit. Come back here. Johnny. Yup. [GUNSHOT] Let's go, Reardon? Dead. Johnny, look at him. Look at him. Yeah. Here comes the crowd. Is he dead? I want to see him. Get out of my way. I want to see him. I want to see him. Look, I want to see him. I want to see him. What are you thinking? All right. I want to see him. I want to see him. [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] [GUNSHOT] Sir Spence, presented by AutoLite. Tonight star, Dana Andrews. She will crux your tailor has let his satisfied customers, huh? Yes, half, but nowhere near the hundreds of thousands AutoLite satisfies each year, because AutoLite makes over 400 products for cars, trucks, planes, and boats in its 28 plants from coast to coast. These include complete electrical systems used as original equipment on many of America's finest cars, generators, coils, distributors, voltage regulators, wire and cables, starting and electric windshield wipers. All engineered to work together perfectly as part of the AutoLite team. All engineered to give you an excelled AutoLite service. Don't accept electrical parts supposed to be as good? Ask for and insist on AutoLite original factory parts at your neighborhood service station car dealer garage or repair shop. Remember, you're always right with AutoLite. Next week on "Suspense," Mr. Joseph Cotton, a star of "Fly by Night." And in the weeks to come, you will hear such famous stars as Miriam Hopkins, Milton Burl and Howard Duff. All appearing in "Tales Well" calculated to keep you in "Suspense." Tonight's "Suspense" play was produced and directed by Elliot Lewis, who a music composed by Lucian Moroek and conducted by Lud Bluskin. Parts of this program were transcribed. The crowd by Ray Bradbury was adapted for suspense by Morton Fine and David Friedkin. Dana Andrews appeared through the courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn. He may currently be seen in the Goldwyn production "Edge of Doom." And remember, next week on "Suspense," Mr. Joseph Cotton in "Fly by Night." You can buy world famous AutoLite resistor or standard spark plugs. AutoLite stateful batteries, AutoLite electrical parts at your neighborhood AutoLite dealers. Switch to AutoLite. Good night. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System. I was a Communist for the FBI. Starring Dana Andrews in an exciting tale of danger and espionage. I was a Communist for the FBI. From the actual records and authentic experiences of Matt Cervatic, come many of the incidents in this unusual story. Here is our star, Dana Andrews as Matt Cervatic. Who for nine fantastic years lived as a Communist for the FBI. Nine years of walking a narrow, tortuous path with sheer drops to oblivion on both sides. Nine years of quiet, desperate fear that somewhere, sometimes, I will take a false step and go plunging to disaster. Nine bitter, lonely years, with my own life a cheap pawn in a great international chess game between the forces of freedom and the forces of enslavement. In a moment, listen to Dana Andrews as Matt Cervatic, under cover man. Now, here is Dana Andrews as Matt Cervatic, under cover man. This story from the confidential pile is marked, Currier of Disaster. ♪♪ Speeding along U.S. highway number one, a hundred miles out of Washington, D.C. Speeding toward New York City and disaster. Beside me in the car, Comet Smith watches my every move. We're making good times, Cervatic. Good time, a hundred miles out of Washington, a hundred and thirty more to New York. The car is like a prison, the speedometer is steady, like the sights and a gun. And no way to stop it, no way to get out, no way to get to a telephone. Over and over in my mind, I review the steps that brought me to this point, to this point of no escape. Over and over, I try to find some way out. Nothing. Nothing. It's hard to believe it began just 24 hours ago, when Comrade Rev Chinko, my cell leader, called me to local party headquarters. ♪♪ You haven't memorized Comrade Cervatic, the name of the go? Yeah, car, Gladys Fluring, the hotel in Washington, the Belmont, room 616. The time, 830. Good. Any questions? Yes. This is courier work. We have specialists paying for this work. Why take me? This job requires the single talent of being able to give the impression that you're anything but a courier. And since you've never done it before, you've been chosen. All right. I board the plane here and go to Washington. I arrive tonight. Contact Gladys Fluring, and she will give me further instructions. Instructions and the package. What is this package, Comrade Rev Chinko? Must be something pretty important, huh? Important enough Cervatic so that even I don't know what it is. Important enough so that our regular courier system is being bypassed. Well, then, I'll just have to package you things. You won't have time. I've got to take some time to do nothing but go to the airport now with me. At the airport, he waves goodbye to me just like a friend, waving goodbye to a friend. I hold up my end of the act and wave back, and we take off. In Washington, after making sure I'm not being watched or followed, I duck into a phone booth and die of my FBI contract. Oh, Driscoll. Oh, Driscollish is red. Hi, red. How are things? Things are looking up. Matt, how are you? Yeah, I'm not sure, Johnny. What are you calling from? I'm right here in Washington. What are you doing here? Courier work. Matt, that's great. Where are you going? Oh, no. Well, maybe I do, but we'd better not discuss this on the phone, Matt. Can you meet me in Don's lunch room at the corner of 6th and East Street? It'll have to be quick. In 10 minutes, the last booth on the left. Right. Good to see you, Matt. Sit down. What did you mean on the phone, Driscoll, when you said, "Maybe you know where I'm going." Who's your contact here in Washington? The girl. Well, the name of Gladys Fluring, huh? And you're going to New York. You know her? Sure. She's a sitting duck for us, but we let her operate like a decoy so we can bag the rest of the flock. We've been trying to bust up on their courier system for a long time. A few nibbles around the edges are the best we've been able to do. But we want as a lead to the top man in New York. This may be it. You know a lot more than I do, Johnny. I've got an appointment with Gladys Fluring at 8.30. He's got some microfilm, Matt. Important. Yeah. So I thought, carry through. You'll be able to lead us to the New York contact. I hope. You know what the microfilm is? I don't worry about it. It's only half the story. You know, goodbye itself. Then I'm to go through with my assignment. All the way through. Don't worry, we'll be on your tail. The microfilm was important, but only with the other half. And we don't know where it is, or if they have it. Whatever happens, go through with your mission. Look, if something comes up and I can't reach you. Don't worry about it. We'll have a man at the railroad station. Another one at the bus depot and a third at the airport. All right, Johnny. Luck, Matt. And remember, no matter what happens, follow through with your park. No improvising. Got it? Got it. Got it? Got it. Yeah. Oh, pardon me. You were looking for a room in 616. Yes. Gladys Floring. Yes. You have Gladys Floring? You've disappointed. No. Oh, no. And are you Philip, George, Charles? No. Not Tom Digger Harry either. Oh. Oh, then who are you, friend? Your slave, Miss Floring. That's a letter. Come in, comrade. You're on time, precisely. You have my instruction? Of course. Business face. I have something to deliver to you. Here. Hmm, such a tiny package to be so important. This is all? For the moment. You ought to wait here. Oh, I can think of no pleasanter occupation. What am I going to do with this package? Put it in your pocket. You ought to deliver it. To whom? I don't know. Come on. Sit down, comrade. Come on. Come, ed, Spetic. The party's always right, huh? The party says if we find friends within our ranks so much the better. The rank for the party? Oh, it's so nice to be able to relax and be yourself of someone you trust. By all means, comrade. Be yourself. Come, ed, Spetic. Oh, company. It's such a moment. Mark, what is it? Tom, that's Smith. Come in. Mr. Smith? Mr. Matt Spetic. Well, it's good to meet you, Spetic. We have a job to do. Fine, but is it? Oh, very simple job and easy stages. We take a little trip, deliver a little package. Simple, eh? Depends. He said we? Yes, eh, well, a company. My instructions were... Your instructions were to take instructions, eh? You were to take possession of the package until we get to New York. When do we leave? No. Good. How do we go? Train, plane, or bus? By car. Car. But I thought you thought what? Well, I thought we were in a hurry. I thought driving would be the least practical way to get to New York. Exactly. Not to be expected, eh? Yeah. And that is why we're driving. Come along, Spetic. We'll go out through the basement. My car is two streets away. All right, Smith. We'll have time to pick up my toothbrush at my hotel. No. We will leave from here, together and immediately. But my hotel bill has been paid. Well, the party is very thorough. Always. Well, Spetic, want to say goodbye to comrade Flurig? Go with haste, comrade. Return with speed. For a better tomorrow. Not one stop. A hundred and fifteen miles out of Washington. The FBI is probably still waiting at the airport. The railroad station or the bus depot. There's no way on earth for them to know that we're traveling by car. I've been watching through the rear view mirror since we left Washington. No luck. No one is following me. In this prison of a car and that package burning a hole in my pocket. Beside me, driving is common, Smith. And I've got to get to a phone. Our gauge is a little low, Spetic. We'd better pull into this gas station. Won't be another for twenty miles. I'll be glad to stretch my legs. Fill her up. I'll be right back, Smith. Right back? You're going to wash up. How do you know, sir? Okay, I'll wait for you. Now, my only chance. The washroom around the side of the station. Right outside, the telephone booth. The call to let the FBI know where I am. What kind of car we're driving in, where we're headed. Long distance. Long distance. I want to call Washington, Washington, D.C. What number in Washington, please? I want to call the... Wash up a bit, Comrade Spetic. All right. I was just still... No wash basin in a telephone booth, Comrade. What number in Washington, please? What number in Washington, Spetic? Now, back to Dana Andrews, starring as Max Spetic. And I was a communist for the FBI. And the second act of our story. They say laugh in the whole world, laugh with you. But they never heard Comrade Smith laugh. Especially when he's just caught me trying to make a phone call when I was supposed to be in the washroom of the gas station. In my pocket is a package containing microfilm and my mission for the communist is to deliver it to someone in New York. Now, here are the wayside gas station halfway between Washington and New York. I've missed what may be my last chance of getting frustrated at the FBI. Or perhaps anyone else from the way Comrade Smith laughed. There's no wash basin in this phone booth, Spetic. What are you doing here? Oh, my love life is no concern of the party. Your dreams are the concern of the party. Comrade flooring is a party member. Certainly you don't. No phone calls, Spetic. This work is new to you. Let's get back to the car. There isn't much traffic, Smith. Why don't you let it out a little? We can't afford to get a ticket. Delayed. Yeah, we can't afford... What's that sign say? You are now entering the city of Millersville, New Jersey, population 17. Look for a park on the right. A park? Yes. We're to meet someone at an evening band concert. Another chance, maybe. Another chance to get to a phone. I've got to try. I've got to get the FBI back on our trail. Oh, there it is. Now if we follow this road through the park. See you here, anything? No. Ah. Now there it is. To those trees, see? Now let's go. Look, you can take care of this without me. I'm going to grab a bite at that refreshing Santa. I'll come meet you. No telephones here to call a Comrade floating, Spetic. How long? I'll leave you. All right, Smith. I think I'll contact you. We'll follow this road to Cuba in the band. Okay. Well, I'm on a sign. This is a taking a break. Do we have a code word? Some identification? One word. We'll have Cenco. Okay. Behind the band stand. The band will be waiting. Ah. What is that instrument, sir? A tuba? That's right. It's an instrument that has always fascinated me. Can I offer you a cigarette? Thanks. Is that a light? No. But Rev Cenco has. Oh. Well, we'd better go over behind that tree out of the wind. You have the package? We're Jewish. Spetic has it. Show him a Comrade. Show him. Hmm. Look like two feet inside of a pod, don't they? Give it to him. Hmm. Thanks. What do I do with him? Your instructions are, when you arrive in New York, go directly to the news. We'll see it on Broadway near 42nd Street. You'll find two seats in the aisle in the third from the last row. They're from the last. You'll keep an empty seat between you. You'll have both packages in your left-hand jacket pocket. You have to see probably all my left-hand. Right. The man will sit down. All you'll have to do is wait until he removes the package in your pocket. That's all. That's all. Your assignment will be finished. Simple, eh? Yeah. Well, the break is over. I got up on my lip again. Thanks for the smoke. Yeah. That goes very well. That goes very well. Thanks, man. We'll get to New York too late for me to call Gladys. I'll give her a buzz from here, then. No phone call. Remember, it's a medic. Eh, I can't understand your single-minded desire to telephone comrades floating. Oh, and you've done your duty? Yes. You think I'm real boy, don't you? Let's do our duty first. Why so silent's very? Only another 55 miles to New York. Any more stops? No. No more stops until we get there. Eh, nothing to do but sit back and relax. Relax. That's 55 miles from New York. 55 miles of the tired humming. And both halves of the precious microfilm in my pocket now. And no way to stop the car. No way to stop this whole business from rushing to its finish. And that's something happened to Smith. And I could dispose of the film. But that would tip my hand. And I'd be of no more use to the FBI. Besides, my instructions from Old Driscoll were explicit. No improvisation. Go through with it. Go through with it. In that glove compartment, a pack of cigarettes. Have one? No, thanks. Eh, you were angry. Yeah, I'm angry. Hey, you need a little discipline, eh? The first time I'm at Gladys Flowing, I too didn't pay any attention to what I was doing. It's beautiful, isn't it? She's a party member. Make your head stand, doesn't she? Shut up! Shut up! No orders about not talking, Smith, are they? No instructions you and I can't talk. I suppose she has ever party business tonight? Wouldn't you like to talk to her? Wouldn't you like to check up on her? Shut up, Smith. She's my wife. Eh, I thought so. The party uses her talents well. Well, you don't. Looking at her with your filthy eyes. Why don't you go back to her, Smith? Go back to her now. I'll keep on. I'll deliver the packages. Now you listen to me. Listen to me, something. I am a communist like you. You can't trap me. You can't make me break my orders. I know you don't want to call Gladys for yourself. You only want to try to break me down, but you can't do it. You can't do it to you here! All right, Smith. Glad. And we can go off. Now no more, eh? No more stops, no more needling. Nothing, eh? Nothing. Eh, eh. Hey, good. Now we understand each other. I think I have my problem. I think this is a problem. When the man who laughs sitting next to me, driving, has a problem every day of his life, a problem that eats into him and destroys his soul. Now we through the Holland Tunnel, still we keep on. There's nothing I can do. No way now to prevent the accomplishment of my communist mission. Ah, there's something about New York City's Vatican stirs my blood. It's huge in us. It's greatness. It will be ours someday. Cut across 40 seconds, Pete. Oh, there it is. Now there's a parking lot there, close to the theater. We buy tickets and go into the theater. And my head spends. How to stop it. How to stop it, what to do? You sit down in the third from the last row near the aisle and keep the seat vacant. And I don't see the nose real. Don't hear the sounds. They're pounding in my heart. No matter what comes. Shouldn't I destroy the microphones? Say I lost it, get up and run from the theater. What do they contain, this microphone? Blueprints, specifications. I cast around and is there an empty seat for me? It's done. The hand bumbles into my pocket and takes out the two small packages. I can't even see the space in the darkness. And then, a few moments, you get up and leave. Smith and I wait. Then we're out on the street again. Our mission accomplished. You're gonna stay here in New York? I guess so. Anyplace I can drop you? I'm returning to Washington. A lot. Good luck. And we just had a lot of good luck. We've done our jobs. That is good, hey, comrade. Yeah. Wow. Hello. Hello. This is Red. I'd like to speak today. Hi, Red, how are things? What dress go? What are you doing in New York? I'm glad to get on your bicycle. What, too? There's a tobacco store in the corner of 53rd and 8th, how long before you can get there. By exactly ten minutes? See you. Come in, man. I don't know light, so I didn't know it. Come in. Oh, here. The bank. Well, man. Followed instructions. I couldn't get to a phone. We didn't leave by train. A bus or plane. I didn't get a chance to call you. Yes, we figured that out. You said that microfilm Gladys Fluring had was one half the information. We stopped at Millersville and picked up the other half. Millersville. Who was it? The tuba player and the band. There was an even concert there. We'll take care of them. What use is it? Too late now, the packages were delivered. They're gone. I didn't dispose of them. Maybe I should have. No. No, Matt. Huh? We've got them. You've got them. God, Johnny. We figured out pretty quick you must have gone by car. Well, you knew I went by car? No, one follow? We've had the license number and description of comrade Smith's car now files for months. Oh, of course. I didn't think of that. I flew here to New York and we had the tunnels and the bridges covered like a championship fight. We spotted you when you stopped to pay your toll. And you followed from there? Sure. And you followed us into the theater? Well, you were on your own after that. We followed the guy who took the seat between you. Oh. And he led us right to the spot we wanted to get to. They're down at FBI headquarters right now. You look sort of beat. Maybe a little relaxation tonight. A date? No, thanks, Johnny. There might be somebody's wife. I walked down New York's busy streets alone. Watching the friends, the couples. The normal, happy people enjoying their normal, happy lives. For me, there's no normal city. No happiness. No peace. For me, there's only the Internet of a friendless world as I walk alone. Dana Andrews will return in just a moment. This is Dana Andrews, friend. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "A water veil, the plow, or sail, "or land or light, if freedom fails." Let's be sure freedom does not fail. The story you've just heard is based on notes from the files of Matt Civetic, FBI, undercover men. Names have been changed and events modified for obvious reasons. Next week, another exciting adventure out of Matt Civetic's experiences as a communist for the FBI. So be with us then. We'll be expecting them. We just heard Dana Andrews and Laura, the crowd, and I was a communist for the FBI. That will do it for this episode. Thanks so much for joining me. I hope you'll be back next week when we salute the Robin Hood of Modern Crime, Simon Templar, a.k.a. the Saint with a collection of his radio adventures. In the meantime, you can check out Stars on Suspense, my other old-time radio podcast, new episodes of that show are out on Thursdays. If you like what you're hearing, don't be a stranger. You can read and review the show in Apple podcasts or wherever you listen, and if you'd like to lend support to the show, you can visit bymeacoffee.com/meanstsotr. Next time, the Saint. Until then, good night and happy listening. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Ladies and gentlemen, in a prejudice-filled America, no one would be secure. In his job, his business, his church, or his home, yet racial and religious antagonisms are exploited daily by quacks and adventurers whose followers make up the irresponsible lunatic fringe of American life. Refused to listen to or spread rumors against any race or religion, help to stamp out prejudice in our country. Let's judge our neighbors by the character of their lives alone, and not on the basis of their religion or origin.