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The Whistler - "Death Carries a Lunch Kit Ephorn in Opening" (Old Time Radio, 1944) · The Whistler | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: At a wartime factory, worker Peter carries a bomb concealed
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: in a lunch kit into the plant, caught in a
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: sabotage plan he must carry out. This is The Whistler,
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: episode 127, Death Carries a Lunch Kit, heard over the
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: CBS Pacific Network on October 23, 1944, with Signal Oil
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: as sponsor. Inside the factory, the pressure on Peter mounts
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: amid machinery, workers, and the routines of a World War
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: II shift. His co-worker Pop is close at hand. The
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: story was later reused on suspense as The Lunch Kit
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: in 1949, and now the original broadcast.
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: Let every go signal remind you that you do go
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: farther with Signal Gasoline.
• 0:51
  Speaker 3: The Signal Oil Program.
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: The Signal Oil Company and your neighborhood signal dealer bring
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: you another strange tale by the Whistler. Tonight, the tale
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: of a man who betrayed his country for money. The
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: story of how death carries a lunch kit.
• 1:26
  Speaker 4: I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for
• 1:29
  Speaker 4: I walk by night. Secrets from the hearts of men
• 1:32
  Speaker 4: and women who stepped into the shadows. Presently, I'll tell
• 1:35
  Speaker 4: you of nameless terrors they dare not speak.
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: In a moment, the Whistler will tell you his gripping story.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: But first, I'd like to pass along an interesting comparison
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: made by a signal gasoline dealer who changed my motor
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: oil recently. Signal Four Star Motor Oil is like a bank,
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: he said. The bank not only protects your money, but
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: also pays you interest. This fine pre-war quality motor oil
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: protects your motor by coating every part with a tough,
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: lasting film of lubrication that resists heat and wear. I
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: know Signal Four Star is pre-war quality, and I know
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: it protects my motor, I replied.
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: But tell me, where does the interest come in? That,
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: he said.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: is something extra you get, the carbon-removing property in Signal
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: 4-Star Motor Oil. You see, laboratory tests prove that while
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: it's lubricating your motor, Signal 4-Star Motor Oil actually dissolves
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: out carbon that could cause serious motor damage. Well, then
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: tell me, I asked, how come more people aren't using
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: Signal 4-Star Motor Oil? When they find out about this feature,
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: he replied, smart motorists switch to 4-Star in a hurry.
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: Especially operators of fleets of cars.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: And trucks who keep a record of performance and can't
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: afford to have vehicles laid up. Well, I said, I
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: can't afford to have my car laid up either. And
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: from now on, I'm giving my motor the oil that
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: helps keep out carbon while it lubricates. Signal four-star motor oil.
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: And now, the whistlers.
• 3:23
  Speaker 4: What is it that makes a man or a woman
• 3:26
  Speaker 4: take that first fatal step down the wrong road? That
• 3:29
  Speaker 4: step that looks so simple and so easy, but from
• 3:33
  Speaker 4: which there is no turning back? There are many reasons,
• 3:35
  Speaker 4: of course, many. In Peter's case, it was simply money.
• 3:40
  Speaker 4: A man offered him a lot of money to forget
• 3:42
  Speaker 4: something one morning, and he couldn't resist it. It didn't
• 3:45
  Speaker 4: matter to Peters that the man had a foreign accent.
• 3:48
  Speaker 4: or that his country was at war, or that his
• 3:51
  Speaker 4: crime was to be one of the lowest in the book.
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: It was the money that mattered to Peters, and he
• 3:57
  Speaker 4: didn't think much beyond that. At first, that is. But
• 4:01
  Speaker 4: then the time came, and he was pulling his car
• 4:03
  Speaker 4: up in front of the house where he was to
• 4:05
  Speaker 4: meet the man with the foreign accent.
• 4:10
  Speaker 5: Hey, Jerry, why are we stopping?
• 4:12
  Speaker 6: Oh, I forgot to tell you, Pop. I have to
• 4:13
  Speaker 6: stop here for just a minute. I have to see
• 4:15
  Speaker 6: a sick friend.
• 4:15
  Speaker 7: But, Jerry, we haven't got much time.
• 4:17
  Speaker 5: We'll be late for work. Don't worry, Pop.
• 4:19
  Speaker 6: I won't be long. I'll get you there in time.
• 4:21
  Speaker 6: Be right with you.
• 4:25
  Speaker 4: Yes, this is it, Jerry. Your throat feels a little
• 4:28
  Speaker 4: tight as you go upstairs. Knock on the door.
• 4:36
  Speaker 8: Well, Peters, you're late.
• 4:39
  Speaker 5: Come in. Yeah.
• 4:42
  Speaker 6: I had to pick up a guy.
• 4:44
  Speaker 8: What do you mean, pick up a guy?
• 4:45
  Speaker 5: Pop.
• 4:46
  Speaker 6: My ride. I take him to work every night.
• 4:47
  Speaker 8: Where's he now?
• 4:48
  Speaker 6: Out in the car, waiting. You fool.
• 4:51
  Speaker 8: That might be dangerous.
• 4:52
  Speaker 9: Oh, no.
• 4:52
  Speaker 6: Would have been more suspicious if I hadn't picked him up.
• 4:55
  Speaker 4: What did you tell him?
• 4:56
  Speaker 6: I said I had to see a sick friend.
• 4:57
  Speaker 8: A sick friend.
• 5:00
  Speaker 6: Good.
• 5:01
  Speaker 8: All right, Peters. This is Gus, the one I told
• 5:04
  Speaker 8: you about.
• 5:04
  Speaker 6: Hi, Keith.
• 5:05
  Speaker 5: Hello.
• 5:06
  Speaker 8: He's putting the finishing touches on now. They'll be ready
• 5:09
  Speaker 8: in a minute.
• 5:13
  Speaker 4: Peters watched, fascinated as old Gus continued his work. Three,
• 5:18
  Speaker 4: four minutes slipped by. By then, Pop out in the
• 5:21
  Speaker 4: car began to get impatient.
• 5:24
  Speaker 6: Why, the old fool. The old fool? Why doesn't he
• 5:27
  Speaker 6: stop honking that horn?
• 5:28
  Speaker 8: Yes, why doesn't he?
• 5:31
  Speaker 6: I'll tell him to stop. Please do.
• 5:32
  Speaker 8: Does he think we need publicity?
• 5:34
  Speaker 6: I'll call down to him. I'll tell him to stop. Hey, Pop! Pop!
• 5:40
  Speaker 6: Lay off the horn. Didn't I tell you this guy
• 5:41
  Speaker 6: was sick?
• 5:42
  Speaker 5: But we're going to be late for work.
• 5:44
  Speaker 6: I'll be down in a few minutes.
• 5:45
  Speaker 5: Take it easy. Well, you'd better hurry up. I wouldn't
• 5:48
  Speaker 5: want to be.
• 5:48
  Speaker 6: Late, Jerry. Yeah, yeah.
• 5:53
  Speaker 8: Who is this pop?
• 5:55
  Speaker 5: Is he all right?
• 5:56
  Speaker 8: Will he cause us any trouble?
• 5:57
  Speaker 6: No, I did what you said. I made friends with
• 5:59
  Speaker 6: one of the old-timers down at the plant. Now I
• 6:01
  Speaker 6: can't get rid of him. How is it coming, Gus?
• 6:04
  Speaker 6: It's almost finished.
• 6:09
  Speaker 4: Yes, Gus the mechanic, an old hand and a good one,
• 6:12
  Speaker 4: was almost finished. Peters has watched as he chipped out
• 6:16
  Speaker 4: the inside of the thermos bottle. And now he was
• 6:18
  Speaker 4: working on a detonator. It looked like one of those
• 6:21
  Speaker 4: old-fashioned watches Peters' old man used to own. And as
• 6:25
  Speaker 4: Gus started winding it, somehow the sound was so familiar.
• 6:29
  Speaker 4: It sort of got Peters. For the first time, he
• 6:33
  Speaker 4: wished he'd never started the thing.
• 6:35
  Speaker 10: What time you got, kid, eh? What time have you got?
• 6:39
  Speaker 10: What's the matter with you? Are you getting too nervous
• 6:41
  Speaker 10: for us?
• 6:42
  Speaker 6: Nervous? Don't worry about me being nervous. It's, uh, 8.29. 8.29. Okay, kid.
• 6:51
  Speaker 6: What are you sweating about, huh? Who, me?
• 6:54
  Speaker 4: Mr.
• 6:55
  Speaker 6: Schacht ain't sweating.
• 6:58
  Speaker 9: Well, she'll go off at 6.30 tomorrow morning.
• 7:01
  Speaker 6: Is that okay, Mr.
• 7:02
  Speaker 5: Schacht?
• 7:03
  Speaker 6: Fine, Gus. Oh, fine, kid. Yeah, okay.
• 7:06
  Speaker 4: Okay, then. Gus went to the steel cupboard and took
• 7:12
  Speaker 4: down a metal jug. He came back to the table
• 7:15
  Speaker 4: with it, cradled in his arms. Shock leaned forward. Peters
• 7:19
  Speaker 4: felt himself tightening up inside. Without thinking about it, he
• 7:23
  Speaker 4: pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket and
• 7:25
  Speaker 4: put one in his mouth. He was about to strike
• 7:27
  Speaker 4: the match when Shock looked up.
• 7:29
  Speaker 5: Put that match out, you fool! What?
• 7:32
  Speaker 8: What's wrong with you? Haven't you any sense at all?
• 7:35
  Speaker 5: What do you mean?
• 7:36
  Speaker 6: Tell him, Gus.
• 7:37
  Speaker 9: Kid, if one spark got into this nitro... They wouldn't
• 7:40
  Speaker 9: find enough of us to fill that matchbox.
• 7:43
  Speaker 7: Oh.
• 7:47
  Speaker 4: The unlit cigarette turned to garbage in Peter's mouth. He
• 7:51
  Speaker 4: spit it out and stamped it to pieces on the
• 7:52
  Speaker 4: cement floor. Shocked and Gus looked at each other and grinned.
• 7:57
  Speaker 4: That didn't help Peter's feelings any. When it came to
• 8:00
  Speaker 4: the payoff, it'll be up to him, not these wise guys.
• 8:04
  Speaker 6: Your lunch kit. Here it is. I just bought it
• 8:07
  Speaker 6: this afternoon.
• 8:08
  Speaker 7: Here.
• 8:10
  Speaker 6: Well, look how pretty it is, Mr. Shark. It's a
• 8:13
  Speaker 6: shame to spoil it.
• 8:15
  Speaker 8: All right, finish with it, Gus. We'll make the jokes later.
• 8:21
  Speaker 4: Gus opened the lunch kit and took the bottle out.
• 8:24
  Speaker 4: He screwed the detonator into the cap. And when it
• 8:26
  Speaker 4: fitted right, he laid it aside. Then he put a
• 8:29
  Speaker 4: siphon into the thermos bottle and opened the jug of nitroglycerin.
• 8:34
  Speaker 4: He poured out a thick, yellowish liquid... And when the
• 8:36
  Speaker 4: thermos bottle was full, he put the top on the
• 8:39
  Speaker 4: jug and carried it carefully back to the cupboard.
• 8:45
  Speaker 9: You better be far away when this goes off, kid.
• 8:48
  Speaker 4: I'll be far away, all right.
• 8:50
  Speaker 10: Peters is a smart boy, Gus. He comes to us
• 8:53
  Speaker 10: well recommended.
• 9:01
  Speaker 4: Gus didn't say anything after that. He bent down over
• 9:04
  Speaker 4: his table and his eyes tightened up till you could
• 9:06
  Speaker 4: barely see them. He worked quickly and you could see
• 9:09
  Speaker 4: he knew what he was doing. Watching him, Peters began
• 9:12
  Speaker 4: to feel a little better about everything. Now Gus was finished.
• 9:16
  Speaker 4: He put the thermos bottle of nitro back inside the
• 9:18
  Speaker 4: lunch kit and then the sandwich in the orange. Then
• 9:21
  Speaker 4: he closed the kit and handed it to Peters.
• 9:24
  Speaker 6: Here you are. And don't drop it. I won't.
• 9:28
  Speaker 8: Now, are you sure everything is all right?
• 9:30
  Speaker 6: Yeah, everything's all right, Mr. Schacht.
• 9:32
  Speaker 8: I want to see you here tomorrow afternoon at one.
• 9:34
  Speaker 6: I'll be here, don't worry.
• 9:35
  Speaker 8: Peters, stop using that expression. We never worry.
• 9:41
  Speaker 6: There's your friend again.
• 9:43
  Speaker 10: All right, Peters, get out of here. Go before the
• 9:46
  Speaker 10: old fool gets us all into trouble.
• 9:54
  Speaker 4: Peters had been with Gus and Mr. Shock for some time,
• 9:57
  Speaker 4: and it was almost nine now.
• 9:59
  Speaker 6: It was a night.
• 10:00
  Speaker 4: Night, but Peters wasn't going to enjoy it. The old
• 10:03
  Speaker 4: man was sitting in the Chevy, smoking his pipe as
• 10:05
  Speaker 4: Peters walked up.
• 10:08
  Speaker 5: Is that you, Jerry?
• 10:09
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 10:10
  Speaker 5: It's about time. What kept you?
• 10:12
  Speaker 6: We got to talking. He's pretty sick.
• 10:14
  Speaker 5: We're going to be late for work, Jerry. Is that
• 10:17
  Speaker 5: any way?
• 10:17
  Speaker 6: You should have taken the bus.
• 10:18
  Speaker 5: And what about you?
• 10:20
  Speaker 6: I'd have been late, so what?
• 10:21
  Speaker 5: So what? That ain't no attitude, Jerry.
• 10:24
  Speaker 9: Okay, okay.
• 10:25
  Speaker 6: Here, put this lunch kit in the dashboard compartment and
• 10:28
  Speaker 6: be careful with it.
• 10:39
  Speaker 4: The drive to the plant was something Peters would never forget.
• 10:43
  Speaker 4: Just thinking about what was in that lunch kit was
• 10:45
  Speaker 4: enough to drive him nuts. He ran into something. If
• 10:48
  Speaker 4: a tire blew, if a speck of dust got into
• 10:51
  Speaker 4: his eye and he ran off the road, He stayed
• 10:53
  Speaker 4: off the main highway. Too much traffic.
• 10:58
  Speaker 5: This ain't the right road, Jerry.
• 11:00
  Speaker 6: It'll get us there.
• 11:01
  Speaker 7: We've been going 25 all the way. Can't you go
• 11:04
  Speaker 7: any faster? We're going to be late, Jerry.
• 11:07
  Speaker 6: We'll get there.
• 11:08
  Speaker 7: Oh, you young fellas of the day. You're a strange,
• 11:12
  Speaker 7: disturbing lot. You've a fever in your blood. You're restless
• 11:17
  Speaker 7: and you don't know why. Yeah, you're a strange lot.
• 11:22
  Speaker 7: And I don't know what the end will be.
• 11:24
  Speaker 6: What's that?
• 11:25
  Speaker 5: What's what?
• 11:26
  Speaker 6: That rattling. What is it?
• 11:28
  Speaker 5: I don't know, Jerry. It sounds like your lunch kit.
• 11:33
  Speaker 6: Here, let me at it.
• 11:35
  Speaker 7: What are you worrying about that for? We're going to
• 11:38
  Speaker 7: be late. Stop telling me we're going to be late.
• 11:39
  Speaker 6: Stop jabbering. Let me alone, will you? Yes, Jerry. You
• 11:44
  Speaker 6: think the lunch kit will be okay now?
• 11:47
  Speaker 5: You packed it in pretty well.
• 11:48
  Speaker 6: Okay, but if it starts rattling and I don't hear it,
• 11:50
  Speaker 6: let me know right away. You hear me, Pop?
• 11:51
  Speaker 7: I'll let you know, Jerry. You sure think a lot
• 11:56
  Speaker 7: of that lunch kit.
• 11:57
  Speaker 6: Yeah. Yeah, I sure do.
• 12:07
  Speaker 4: At last they got to the plant. The night shift
• 12:10
  Speaker 4: was already at work. The parking lot was jammed with cars. Yes,
• 12:16
  Speaker 4: they were late, but Peters was glad of that. Now
• 12:19
  Speaker 4: he'd be able to park near the entrance, and later
• 12:21
  Speaker 4: on he'd be able to get out in a hurry.
• 12:24
  Speaker 6: Okay, Pop, this is it. I'm sorry I made you late.
• 12:27
  Speaker 5: Oh, that's all right, Jerry. Mind if I go back
• 12:30
  Speaker 5: with you in the morning?
• 12:31
  Speaker 6: Okay, just be here prompt.
• 12:32
  Speaker 4: I won't wait for you. Peters took out the lunch
• 12:38
  Speaker 4: kit and started for the main gate. The guard was
• 12:41
  Speaker 4: standing there inspecting everybody with a flashlight. Peters grinned at
• 12:44
  Speaker 4: him and Snapped the lunch kit open.
• 12:47
  Speaker 5: How are you tonight?
• 12:48
  Speaker 6: Okay. Not eating much, are you? No, not much. Well,
• 12:52
  Speaker 6: you ought to put some weight on you. Pass.
• 12:56
  Speaker 4: Peters punched in, changed his clothes quickly and left the
• 12:59
  Speaker 4: lunch kit in his locker. Stomach felt funny. Figured he'd
• 13:03
  Speaker 4: probably look pretty haggard. So he went up to the
• 13:05
  Speaker 4: washroom and washed his face and let the cold water
• 13:09
  Speaker 4: run on his wrists. It was then he noticed that
• 13:11
  Speaker 4: he'd left his wristwatch in his street clothes. It was
• 13:14
  Speaker 4: against the rules to go back into the locker room
• 13:16
  Speaker 4: until the shift was over. And now, all night long,
• 13:19
  Speaker 4: he wouldn't know what time it was. Have to ask,
• 13:22
  Speaker 4: have to guess. The ache in the pit of his
• 13:24
  Speaker 4: stomach got worse. It wouldn't do to get sick tonight.
• 13:28
  Speaker 4: So he drank a lot of water and the pain
• 13:30
  Speaker 4: went away. And then he picked up his riveting gun
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: and went to work in the shop.
• 13:39
  Speaker 6: Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Stop that car.
• 13:42
  Speaker 6: What's wrong, Mr.
• 13:43
  Speaker 7: Davis?
• 13:43
  Speaker 5: What's wrong?
• 13:44
  Speaker 6: Don't you see with your own eyes what's wrong? Is
• 13:46
  Speaker 6: that any way to rivet a flap? Where's your clamps?
• 13:49
  Speaker 3: Where's your seeds?
• 13:51
  Speaker 6: I'm sorry, Mr.
• 13:52
  Speaker 5: Davis.
• 13:52
  Speaker 6: Don't be sorry. Do it right. Come on, get on
• 13:55
  Speaker 6: the ball, Peters.
• 13:59
  Speaker 4: Yeah, get on the ball, Peters. Don't be so nervous.
• 14:03
  Speaker 4: Don't show how you feel down inside. Concentrate, think. But
• 14:07
  Speaker 4: you can't think, can you, Peters? All you can find
• 14:11
  Speaker 4: in your consciousness is the thought of that lunch kit
• 14:13
  Speaker 4: sitting in your locker. All you can remember is that
• 14:16
  Speaker 4: thermos bottle filled to the top with nitro. All you
• 14:20
  Speaker 4: can think of is that detonator set for 6.30.
• 14:22
  Speaker 6: Hey, Pop, what time is it?
• 14:26
  Speaker 5: 1.30, Jerry.
• 14:27
  Speaker 6: Hey, Pop, what time is it?
• 14:32
  Speaker 5: It's ten after three.
• 14:37
  Speaker 4: Hey, Pop, what time is it?
• 14:38
  Speaker 7: Oh, what's eating you, Jerry? It's 4.25.
• 14:45
  Speaker 6: Pop, what time is it?
• 14:46
  Speaker 5: Jerry, what's wrong with you? Why, you're as white as
• 14:49
  Speaker 5: a sheet.
• 14:49
  Speaker 6: I don't know, my son.
• 14:51
  Speaker 5: My son. Hey, hey, guys, Jerry's passed out. Come over here, quick.
• 14:57
  Speaker 11: Come on.
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: You are listening to the Signal Oil Program.
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: Let every go signal remind you that you do go
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: farther with Signal Gasoline.
• 15:33
  Speaker 4: When Peters woke up, he was lying on a cot
• 15:35
  Speaker 4: in the plant dispensary, and the staff doctor was bending
• 15:38
  Speaker 4: over him.
• 15:40
  Speaker 6: How do you feel now, son?
• 15:42
  Speaker 7: Better.
• 15:43
  Speaker 6: You ever had a spell like this before? No, I
• 15:46
  Speaker 6: never did, Doc. You're pretty nervous, aren't you? No, I'm
• 15:50
  Speaker 6: all right. I don't know. Your pulse was going 50
• 15:53
  Speaker 6: miles an hour when they brought you in. Yeah, but
• 15:55
  Speaker 6: I'm all right now, Doc. I want to go back
• 15:57
  Speaker 6: to the job. You want to what? What kind of
• 15:59
  Speaker 6: a doctor would I be to send you back to
• 16:01
  Speaker 6: your job? Come on, relax. But I'm okay now. Take
• 16:05
  Speaker 6: it easy. Take it easy. Doc, what time is it?
• 16:11
  Speaker 11: Oh, it's 5.30 now. The shift ends in half an hour.
• 16:15
  Speaker 5: Oh.
• 16:16
  Speaker 6: Here, you hold this glass of water. What are you
• 16:19
  Speaker 6: going to do?
• 16:19
  Speaker 11: I'm going to give you a couple of grains of barbitol.
• 16:22
  Speaker 11: Take you in the next room and put you to
• 16:24
  Speaker 11: sleep for a couple of hours. That'll fix you up.
• 16:26
  Speaker 6: What's the matter with you? Now look at that mess.
• 16:29
  Speaker 6: I don't want to go to sleep. I'm all right. Yes,
• 16:32
  Speaker 6: you're all right. You can't even hold a glass of water.
• 16:34
  Speaker 6: You're in fine shape. But I got things to do
• 16:39
  Speaker 6: as soon as the shift's over.
• 16:40
  Speaker 11: They can wait.
• 16:41
  Speaker 6: Your health is more important. I'll hold this glass myself. Doc, look,
• 16:46
  Speaker 6: I'm okay. I don't like to take dope. This isn't dope.
• 16:50
  Speaker 11: It'll slow you down and you'll wake up feeling like
• 16:52
  Speaker 11: a new man.
• 16:53
  Speaker 6: You little fellows, you don't know how to relax. It's
• 16:56
  Speaker 6: a wonder you live as long as you do. Here,
• 16:59
  Speaker 6: take the pill. I'll put it in your mouth. All right.
• 17:04
  Speaker 6: Swallow some water.
• 17:07
  Speaker 11: Now, come along with me. There's a cop in the
• 17:10
  Speaker 11: next room. Now, you just lie there and behave yourself.
• 17:17
  Speaker 11: A few minutes, you'll be sleeping like a baby.
• 17:20
  Speaker 9: Okay.
• 17:21
  Speaker 6: That's right. I will put these blankets up over you.
• 17:25
  Speaker 6: You okay now? Yes, Doc. All right. I'll turn out
• 17:29
  Speaker 6: the lights. Good night, young fellow. Good night.
• 17:39
  Speaker 4: You spit out the pill, didn't you, Peters? Good thing
• 17:42
  Speaker 4: you thought of holding that pill under your tongue. If
• 17:44
  Speaker 4: you'd swallowed it and gone to sleep. Well, you don't
• 17:48
  Speaker 4: even want to think about that. There's a window in
• 17:50
  Speaker 4: the room. He said it was 5.30. When the whistle
• 17:53
  Speaker 4: blows at 6, you get up, slip out the window
• 17:56
  Speaker 4: and outside. Yeah, it'll work. Now you better rest.
• 18:01
  Speaker 6: Rest.
• 18:08
  Speaker 4: Only you can't rest, can you? The doctor said it
• 18:11
  Speaker 4: was 5.30 and that was a long time ago. What's
• 18:14
  Speaker 4: holding up that whistle? Why did you forget your wristwatch? Relax,
• 18:18
  Speaker 4: you have to control yourself. If you cramp up again,
• 18:21
  Speaker 4: you're sunk. But what if something's wrong? What if the
• 18:25
  Speaker 4: whistle doesn't go off when it should and no one
• 18:27
  Speaker 4: notices before it's too late?
• 18:29
  Speaker 6: What then?
• 18:30
  Speaker 4: A pint of pure nitro. With all this oil and
• 18:34
  Speaker 4: paint and airplane dope, this place will explode like an
• 18:37
  Speaker 4: ammunition dump. Where's that whistle?
• 18:40
  Speaker 6: Something's happened to it.
• 18:41
  Speaker 4: Gotta get out of here. Get out!
• 18:49
  Speaker 6: That's over.
• 18:50
  Speaker 4: Now I gotta act fast.
• 18:52
  Speaker 6: Get out of here. Do everything right.
• 18:59
  Speaker 4: Getting out of the dispensary was easy. There was a
• 19:02
  Speaker 4: shed right below the window. Peters dropped to the roof
• 19:04
  Speaker 4: of that and then to the ground. He didn't feel
• 19:07
  Speaker 4: too good. He was still weak from the cramp, but
• 19:09
  Speaker 4: there was no time to think about that now. When
• 19:11
  Speaker 4: he got to the locker room, the boys were climbing
• 19:14
  Speaker 4: out of their work clothes, getting ready for the shower room.
• 19:18
  Speaker 6: Hiya, Peters.
• 19:19
  Speaker 3: You okay now?
• 19:20
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I feel fine.
• 19:21
  Speaker 4: Better stop drinking that turpentine, Jerry.
• 19:25
  Speaker 5: Boy, you had me worried, Jerry.
• 19:28
  Speaker 6: I'm okay now, Pop.
• 19:29
  Speaker 5: Do I still get the ride?
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: Huh?
• 19:32
  Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah.
• 19:33
  Speaker 5: I'll see you later, then. I'm going to take a shower.
• 19:42
  Speaker 4: Peter's changed into his street clothes and nothing flat, not
• 19:46
  Speaker 4: caring particularly how he looked. What if that doctor looked
• 19:49
  Speaker 4: in and found him gone? Don't give him a chance
• 19:51
  Speaker 4: to catch up with you, Jerry. When he was ready,
• 19:54
  Speaker 4: the other guys were in the shower room.
• 19:55
  Speaker 6: That was the break he wanted.
• 19:58
  Speaker 4: He took the lunch kit out of his locker and
• 20:00
  Speaker 4: slid it underneath. Then he looked at his wristwatch. Four
• 20:04
  Speaker 4: minutes after six, he had 25 minutes to get away.
• 20:07
  Speaker 9: The End.
• 20:15
  Speaker 4: He was walking down past the front offices. No one
• 20:17
  Speaker 4: else around yet. Couldn't walk too fast. Not too fast.
• 20:21
  Speaker 4: Not too slow. Act natural. Past the foreman's office. Not
• 20:25
  Speaker 4: too fast.
• 20:26
  Speaker 9: Uh, Peters.
• 20:27
  Speaker 6: Oh, hello, Mr.
• 20:29
  Speaker 5: Davis.
• 20:30
  Speaker 6: Oh, Peters. How are you feeling now? I'm all right, Mr.
• 20:32
  Speaker 4: Davis.
• 20:32
  Speaker 6: Good, good, good. Say, come into the office for a minute.
• 20:35
  Speaker 6: I want to talk to you. Been meaning to for
• 20:37
  Speaker 6: some time now. Now? Sure, sure, sure.
• 20:39
  Speaker 4: Now.
• 20:40
  Speaker 6: I'm in a kind of a hurry, Mr. Davis. Oh,
• 20:42
  Speaker 6: it's six o'clock in the morning. Nobody's in a hurry.
• 20:45
  Speaker 6: Come in, come in, come in. All right, but just
• 20:48
  Speaker 6: for a minute. Yeah, close the door. Sit down. I
• 20:55
  Speaker 6: really can't stay long, Mr.
• 20:56
  Speaker 7: Davis.
• 20:57
  Speaker 6: I'm supposed to meet someone. Meet someone? At six o'clock
• 21:01
  Speaker 6: in the morning? You still look pale, Peters. Sure you
• 21:05
  Speaker 6: feel all right?
• 21:06
  Speaker 5: Oh, yes. Mr.
• 21:08
  Speaker 6: Davis, if it's about the mistake I made tonight in riveting,
• 21:10
  Speaker 6: it's just that I... No, no, no, no. Forget it,
• 21:12
  Speaker 6: forget it. Everybody makes mistakes. I'm the foreman. I make mistakes.
• 21:15
  Speaker 5: Well, and I... Look at.
• 21:16
  Speaker 6: You squirming in that chair. Must be your blondes you're
• 21:21
  Speaker 6: gonna meet. It takes a woman to get a man
• 21:26
  Speaker 6: upset like you are.
• 21:28
  Speaker 12: Mr.
• 21:29
  Speaker 5: Davis, I.
• 21:29
  Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You gotta go. You gotta go. Well, look.
• 21:33
  Speaker 6: I always have a little talk with the new boys.
• 21:36
  Speaker 6: Sort of a... Well, a bull session. Couldn't we get
• 21:39
  Speaker 6: together tomorrow? How do you like our little plan? Fine, fine, Mr.
• 21:44
  Speaker 7: Davis.
• 21:45
  Speaker 6: Yeah, we're all mighty proud of the job we're doing here.
• 21:47
  Speaker 7: Mr.
• 21:47
  Speaker 6: Davis, I... I've got a son overseas myself. Feel that
• 21:50
  Speaker 6: this is the best way to back him up. Guess
• 21:53
  Speaker 6: most everybody who works here feels the same. Hey, Peters.
• 21:58
  Speaker 5: Peters!
• 21:59
  Speaker 6: Come back here.
• 21:59
  Speaker 4: What's the matter?
• 22:00
  Speaker 6: What's wrong with that guy?
• 22:09
  Speaker 4: Okay, okay.
• 22:10
  Speaker 6: Slow down, Peters.
• 22:12
  Speaker 4: He's not chasing you. Look at your watch.
• 22:15
  Speaker 6: 614.
• 22:16
  Speaker 4: There's still plenty of time to get away. Leave the
• 22:19
  Speaker 4: main building. Start across the yard for the main gate.
• 22:22
  Speaker 4: It's still dark. You're one of the first out.
• 22:26
  Speaker 5: Hey, you! Hey, hey, slow down, will you? How far
• 22:31
  Speaker 5: have I got to chase you?
• 22:31
  Speaker 6: What do you want?
• 22:32
  Speaker 5: You know as well as I do what I want.
• 22:34
  Speaker 5: You forgot something.
• 22:35
  Speaker 6: What did I forget?
• 22:36
  Speaker 5: You forgot to punch the time clock.
• 22:38
  Speaker 6: I'll do it tomorrow.
• 22:39
  Speaker 5: Tomorrow? Then it'll be my neck. You're not leaving this
• 22:42
  Speaker 5: plant till you punch out, mister.
• 22:45
  Speaker 6: All right, all right. I'll go back and punch out.
• 22:48
  Speaker 5: Where's the fire?
• 22:49
  Speaker 6: Where's the fire?
• 22:51
  Speaker 5: You ought to work that energy out during your shift,
• 22:53
  Speaker 5: young fellow. Hey.
• 22:57
  Speaker 6: What? There are 20 guys in line ahead of me.
• 22:59
  Speaker 7: Well, sure.
• 23:00
  Speaker 5: What did you expect?
• 23:01
  Speaker 6: You ain't the only one on this shift, you know. Hey, look, fella,
• 23:06
  Speaker 6: I gotta get to town early. How about letting me
• 23:07
  Speaker 6: punch out now?
• 23:08
  Speaker 4: End of the line, bud.
• 23:09
  Speaker 6: Well, it'll just take me a second. End of the line.
• 23:12
  Speaker 3: Yeah, we all want to get to town early, bud.
• 23:14
  Speaker 5: Sure do.
• 23:15
  Speaker 6: Okay, okay.
• 23:21
  Speaker 4: Take it easy, Peters. You've still got time. Get down
• 23:24
  Speaker 4: at the end of the line and stop making yourself conspicuous.
• 23:28
  Speaker 6: Hi.
• 23:29
  Speaker 5: Hi there, Peters.
• 23:30
  Speaker 10: Hello.
• 23:30
  Speaker 6: Say, I think Pop's looking for you.
• 23:32
  Speaker 7: Yeah.
• 23:32
  Speaker 3: The old guy sort of adopted you, ain't he?
• 23:34
  Speaker 5: Yeah.
• 23:34
  Speaker 6: Sure a long line tonight, huh? Yeah. Yeah, well, not
• 23:37
  Speaker 6: much to do at 6 o'clock in the morning.
• 23:38
  Speaker 3: My missus will be sleeping when I get home.
• 23:40
  Speaker 6: Yeah. And how you feeling now?
• 23:42
  Speaker 11: Huh?
• 23:44
  Speaker 6: Grand.
• 23:45
  Speaker 9: Okay.
• 23:45
  Speaker 6: Say, is my watch right? I have 618.
• 23:47
  Speaker 5: Well, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 23:49
  Speaker 6: 619 I got. I could be wrong.
• 23:51
  Speaker 5: Peters.
• 23:52
  Speaker 6: Check.
• 23:54
  Speaker 5: Name?
• 23:54
  Speaker 6: Thomas, Thomas.
• 24:02
  Speaker 4: He finally got to the parking lot. But a whole
• 24:04
  Speaker 4: lot of people are out now, and it's going to
• 24:06
  Speaker 4: be crowded if you don't hurry, Peters. It's a little cold, too,
• 24:09
  Speaker 4: and it takes a couple of seconds for the motor
• 24:11
  Speaker 4: to catch. It's 621, Peters. No time to waste now.
• 24:18
  Speaker 4: You're fighting for your life. Start backing out, quick.
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: Hey, look out. Hey, you.
• 24:25
  Speaker 3: Look at my headlights.
• 24:26
  Speaker 6: What's the matter with you?
• 24:27
  Speaker 3: Come out here and see what you did to my headlights.
• 24:29
  Speaker 3: I'm sorry.
• 24:29
  Speaker 6: I'll pay for them.
• 24:30
  Speaker 12: That ain't the idea. You can't buy headlights like this anymore.
• 24:33
  Speaker 5: All right.
• 24:34
  Speaker 6: Peters is my name.
• 24:35
  Speaker 5: Jerry Peters.
• 24:35
  Speaker 6: I work in shop five. I'll see you tonight. We'll
• 24:37
  Speaker 6: work out something.
• 24:38
  Speaker 3: Not so fast.
• 24:39
  Speaker 6: Not so fast. I've got to write this down. Got
• 24:42
  Speaker 6: a pencil? Here's my pen.
• 24:44
  Speaker 4: Use it.
• 24:45
  Speaker 6: Jerry Peters.
• 24:47
  Speaker 3: Shop five?
• 24:48
  Speaker 4: Yeah, there.
• 24:49
  Speaker 12: Okay, here's your pen. I'll see you tonight. You ought
• 24:51
  Speaker 12: to watch where you're going this time of the morning.
• 24:54
  Speaker 12: Back up and let me out, will you, fella? Oh,
• 24:55
  Speaker 12: you guys always in a hurry. That's how trouble starts.
• 25:00
  Speaker 3: All right, my partner's backed her up.
• 25:02
  Speaker 6: It's clear now. Thanks. You've got to hurry. You've got
• 25:05
  Speaker 6: to hurry.
• 25:09
  Speaker 4: Jerry!
• 25:10
  Speaker 5: Jerry, wait! You're forgetting me! Hey, Jerry, wait for me! Wait,
• 25:13
  Speaker 5: will you? Wait! Hey, Jerry!
• 25:16
  Speaker 4: Uh....
• 25:19
  Speaker 7: He's got a way.
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: The Whistler will bring us the ending of tonight's story
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: in just a moment. Meantime, let me tell you how
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: you can get absolutely free the very game that's now
• 25:37
  Speaker 2: top favorite among American troops overseas.
• 25:39
  Speaker 4: It's Salvo.
• 25:41
  Speaker 3: S-A-L-V-O.
• 25:42
  Speaker 2: The exciting battleship game. Thousands of these fascinating games, printed
• 25:47
  Speaker 2: in color with complete instructions, have been sent by the
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: Signal Oil Company to American troops all over the world.
• 25:54
  Speaker 2: So many men returning from overseas have been telling friends
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: about Salvo, people at home are wanting to play this
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: exciting game too. Recently, Signal was able to get a
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: limited number of extra Salvo games for civilian home use.
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: One is waiting for you now at your neighborhood Signal dealers.
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: There are no strings to this gift, nothing to buy.
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: You just ask your nearest signal dealer for your salvo
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: game and get it free. Naturally, they'll go fast, because
• 26:20
  Speaker 2: salvo is on the way to becoming as popular here
• 26:23
  Speaker 2: as it is in Burma, France, and Iceland. Better see
• 26:26
  Speaker 2: your signal dealer tomorrow. When you find what a friendly,
• 26:30
  Speaker 2: conscientious fellow he is, you'll understand why signal-serviced cars.
• 26:34
  Speaker 6: Do go farther.
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: And when you see how much fun salvo is, you'll
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: thank me for getting you in on this offer early.
• 26:41
  Speaker 2: before your signal dealer's limited supply of salvo games is gone.
• 26:45
  Speaker 2: Stop by and see him tomorrow, sure. And now, back
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: to the whistler.
• 27:03
  Speaker 4: Yes, Jerry Peters got away from the plant. By 6.29,
• 27:07
  Speaker 4: he was a good mile from the plant, racing along
• 27:10
  Speaker 4: to safety. Back in the parking lot, Pop had something
• 27:14
  Speaker 4: to say about the younger generation.
• 27:17
  Speaker 7: Ah, how do you like that? These young fellas, I
• 27:21
  Speaker 7: don't know what the end will be.
• 27:23
  Speaker 8: What's the matter, Pop? You look like you got your
• 27:25
  Speaker 8: dander up.
• 27:25
  Speaker 5: Well, who wouldn't?
• 27:26
  Speaker 7: He went off and left me. These young people got
• 27:29
  Speaker 7: no sense of responsibility at all. Last night, he drives
• 27:32
  Speaker 7: like a turtle. This morning, he races out of here
• 27:35
  Speaker 7: like a demon and leaves me standing.
• 27:37
  Speaker 8: Ah, too bad, Pop. Maybe somebody else will give you
• 27:38
  Speaker 8: a ride.
• 27:39
  Speaker 5: Oh, I can get a bus. But this'll teach me
• 27:42
  Speaker 5: to do a guy a favor.
• 27:44
  Speaker 9: What do you mean, Pop?
• 27:45
  Speaker 7: Well, that Jerry. He was gonna ride me into town.
• 27:48
  Speaker 7: So I come out here looking for him, and he's
• 27:50
  Speaker 7: not at the car. So I go back in the
• 27:51
  Speaker 7: plant to look, and I miss him. When I get
• 27:53
  Speaker 7: back here, he's driving off.
• 27:55
  Speaker 8: Yeah, but what's the favor you did him?
• 27:57
  Speaker 7: Well, he was so darn particular about it. Then he
• 28:00
  Speaker 7: goes off and leaves it under his locker. But I
• 28:02
  Speaker 7: found it, and I put it in his car for him.
• 28:05
  Speaker 5: What? His lunch kit. I.
• 28:11
  Speaker 6: Hey.
• 28:12
  Speaker 5: Now, I wonder what in the world that could have been.
• 28:14
  Speaker 6: Next Monday night at 9 o'clock.
• 28:42
  Speaker 2: The Signal Oil Program will bring you another strange tale
• 28:45
  Speaker 2: by the Whistler. The Signal Oil Program is broadcast for
• 28:49
  Speaker 2: your entertainment by the Signal Oil Company, marketers of Signal's
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: famous Go Farther gasoline and motor oil, and by your
• 29:00
  Speaker 2: neighborhood Signal Oil dealer, who is at your service daily
• 29:03
  Speaker 2: to keep your car running for the duration.
• 29:07
  Speaker 3: The Signal Oil Program, directed by George W.
• 29:11
  Speaker 6: Allen.
• 29:12
  Speaker 2: with story by Lawrence Marcus and music by Wilbur Hatch,
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: is transmitted to our troops overseas by the.
• 29:19
  Speaker 3: Armed Forces Radio Service.
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: Bob Anderson speaking for your friend, the Signal Oil Company,
• 29:28
  Speaker 2: and suggesting once again that you let every go signal
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: remind you that you do go farther with Signal Gasoline.
• 29:44
  Speaker 3: This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.
• 30:04
  Speaker 6: We leave the Whistler after death carries a lunch kit.
• 30:07
  Speaker 6: Follow the Whistler for more classic broadcasts.