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The Whistler - "Till Death Do Us Part" (Old Time Radio, 1950) · The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Behind on the rent and facing eviction from his Los
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Angeles boarding house, Roy Layton meets Linda McKelvey in a
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: cocktail lounge. She offers him $ 5, 000 to enter a temporary marriage,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: allowing her to claim an inheritance before her 25th birthday.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Roy accepts, and the arrangement carries them into a new
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: life together. Ladies and gentlemen, from November 26, 1950, CBS
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Pacific Network brings us The Whistler, episode 443, Till Death
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: Do Us Part. Bill Foreman, Wally Maher, and Gene Spaulding
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: are featured in a script by Joel Malone, with George W.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Allen producing and directing. Music direction is by Wilbur Hatch.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: And now we return to the original broadcast.
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: And now, stay tuned for the mystery program that is
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: unique among all mystery programs. Because even when you know
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: who is guilty, you always receive a startling surprise at
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: the final curtain. In the Signal Oil program, The Whistler. Signal,
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: the famous go-farther gasoline, invites you to sit back and
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: enjoy another strange story by the Whistler.
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: I am the Whistler.
• 1:46
  Speaker 4: And I know many things, for I walk by night.
• 1:50
  Speaker 4: I know many strange tales hidden in the hearts of
• 1:52
  Speaker 4: men and women who have stepped into the shadows. Yes,
• 1:56
  Speaker 4: I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak.
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: And now for the Signal Oil Company, The Whistler's Strange Story.
• 2:08
  Speaker 5: Till death do us part. The Whistler's Strange Story.
• 2:17
  Speaker 4: Roy Layton's quarters in the cheap boarding house were anything
• 2:21
  Speaker 4: but inviting. And from where he sat on the edge
• 2:23
  Speaker 4: of the sagging brass poster bed, Roy's view of the outside.
• 2:27
  Speaker 5: World was a dismal one.
• 2:29
  Speaker 4: The assortment of unopened bills and collection notices in the
• 2:32
  Speaker 4: nearby wastebasket held their grim message, too. They told him
• 2:37
  Speaker 4: that he'd have to be moving on soon. Change his address.
• 2:40
  Speaker 4: The one letter he wanted, but had given up hoping for,
• 2:44
  Speaker 4: wasn't there. Never would be, he reasoned. And the knock
• 2:47
  Speaker 4: on the door, rousing him from his mental fumbling, could
• 2:50
  Speaker 4: mean only one thing.
• 2:52
  Speaker 5: The landlady and her oft-repeated demand. I'm back again, Mr. Leighton.
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: To ask you once and for all, do you have.
• 3:01
  Speaker 5: The rent money. I know, I know. Well, it's like this, Mrs. Fazaker.
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: I know how it is. I can see. I have eyes.
• 3:09
  Speaker 5: Then there's no use talking. You know that the minute
• 3:12
  Speaker 5: I hear from my uncle... You've been saying that for
• 3:14
  Speaker 5: months now.
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: The minute you hear from your Uncle Morton in Mexico. Well,
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: I'm tired of that, too. Tired of hearing of an
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: uncle that, for all I know, might not even exist.
• 3:25
  Speaker 5: Oh, you're so sweet. A real doll. I'm sorry about
• 3:29
  Speaker 5: the rent. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going out
• 3:32
  Speaker 5: to get a breath of air. Good night, Mrs. Fazakaly.
• 3:35
  Speaker 5: I'd appreciate it if you'd fix the latch while I'm out.
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: I'll fix the latch.
• 3:40
  Speaker 5: A welded shut, that's.
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: What I'll do.
• 3:51
  Speaker 4: As you leave the house and start walking toward Vermont Avenue,
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: you're pretty sure that this time your landlady means what
• 3:57
  Speaker 4: she says. It's tough, isn't it, Roy? Things never seem
• 4:01
  Speaker 4: to go right for you. You'd like a drink, then
• 4:04
  Speaker 4: decides you'd better skip it. Conserve the few dollars you
• 4:07
  Speaker 4: have left in case your landlady carries out a threat
• 4:10
  Speaker 4: to lock you out. Then you remember Angelo's, a second-rate
• 4:15
  Speaker 4: cocktail lounge a couple of blocks away. Where as late
• 4:18
  Speaker 4: as yesterday, your credit was still good. But once there,
• 4:21
  Speaker 4: you find things have changed at Angelo's, too. Mac, the bartender,
• 4:26
  Speaker 4: is even slower than usual in coming over to you.
• 4:28
  Speaker 5: Sorry, kid. And when he does... No dice. Huh? What
• 4:31
  Speaker 5: are you talking about, Mac? I didn't even order. Well,
• 4:34
  Speaker 5: I thought I'd save you the trouble. Angelo's, there's no
• 4:37
  Speaker 5: more stuff on the cuff. But, Mac, I haven't run
• 4:39
  Speaker 5: up a bill on him. At least not a big one. Yeah,
• 4:41
  Speaker 5: Angelo knows that. But he wants to keep it that way.
• 4:44
  Speaker 5: I'm sorry, kid. I just work here. I want to
• 4:46
  Speaker 5: keep on working here.
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: In that case, you better get busy and fix my
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: friend a drink.
• 4:50
  Speaker 4: Huh?
• 4:51
  Speaker 3: You don't mind, do you, Roy?
• 4:54
  Speaker 5: Roy?
• 4:55
  Speaker 3: Roy Layton. That is your name, isn't it? Sure.
• 5:00
  Speaker 5: Only, how did you know?
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: Oh, I know quite a little about you. Been checking up. Um,
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: what's his name?
• 5:07
  Speaker 5: Oh, Mac?
• 5:08
  Speaker 3: Mac, yes. Mac, you'd better get started before all your
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: eyes melt. A pair of scotch and so is.
• 5:14
  Speaker 5: Oh, sure, lady. Sure. Say, now, wait a minute. Why
• 5:19
  Speaker 5: should a good-looking, strange gal.
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: Now, Roy, don't go saying things you don't mean. Besides,
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: I don't have to be a strange gal. Not if
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: you know my name. It's Linda. Linda McKelvey.
• 5:33
  Speaker 5: So?
• 5:35
  Speaker 3: So, uh, don't you think it's kind of pretty?
• 5:38
  Speaker 5: Maybe. Anyway, these drinks are. Set them down easy, Mac. Yeah.
• 5:43
  Speaker 5: And since I'm drinking with a lady, trot out a
• 5:44
  Speaker 5: couple of cocktail napkins. Okay, okay.
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: Thank you, Mac.
• 5:48
  Speaker 5: Skip it.
• 5:50
  Speaker 3: To us, Roy.
• 5:51
  Speaker 4: Huh?
• 5:52
  Speaker 5: Sure. To us. Mmm. Drinks okay.
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: Very good for a place like this.
• 6:01
  Speaker 5: You look like you could afford better. What brought you around?
• 6:04
  Speaker 3: You?
• 6:05
  Speaker 5: Me?
• 6:07
  Speaker 4: Oh, sure.
• 6:08
  Speaker 5: Now, look, lady.
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: Linda.
• 6:11
  Speaker 5: Linda, look, I'm just sitting here minding my own business.
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: But unable to do any, huh?
• 6:16
  Speaker 5: So that's my business, too.
• 6:18
  Speaker 3: And mine. Roy. Roy, I've been checking up on you
• 6:23
  Speaker 3: for quite a while. And you fit my picture very nicely. And, uh,
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: you do need $ 5, 000. Yeah.
• 6:35
  Speaker 5: I need $ 5, 000. Oh, I get it. Santa Claus finally
• 6:41
  Speaker 5: got my letter and he sent you to bring it.
• 6:44
  Speaker 3: It's nothing like that. It's nothing altruistic.
• 6:47
  Speaker 5: Big word. You are out of place here.
• 6:50
  Speaker 3: So are you, Roy. I've got $ 5, 000. It says you.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: Are.
• 6:57
  Speaker 3: Going to listen to me?
• 6:58
  Speaker 5: How can I help it? Go ahead.
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: Roy. Roy, I'm... Well.
• 7:05
  Speaker 3: I'm used to nice things. To be crass, I like money.
• 7:12
  Speaker 3: My share, I mean. Maybe even a little bit more.
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: I guess I'm just not a very nice person.
• 7:21
  Speaker 5: Not many of my friends are. But I'm still listening.
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: Fair enough. Oh, how about going somewhere else, huh? My
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: car's parked outside.
• 7:31
  Speaker 5: Okay, lady.
• 7:33
  Speaker 4: Linda.
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: Linda. And you'd better get used to it.
• 7:44
  Speaker 4: It's as bewildering to you as it was to Mac,
• 7:46
  Speaker 4: isn't it, Roy? This girl, Linda McKelvey, dropping into your
• 7:50
  Speaker 4: life from nowhere. Talking in circles and buying rounds of drinks.
• 7:55
  Speaker 4: You wonder when the dream will turn into a nightmare.
• 7:58
  Speaker 4: When she's going to give you the name of the
• 8:00
  Speaker 4: bank she once held up. But it's nothing like that,
• 8:03
  Speaker 4: is it? And sitting beside her in the car, you
• 8:06
  Speaker 4: finally get the complete picture.
• 8:08
  Speaker 5: It's a little fantastic. You want her to repeat parts
• 8:12
  Speaker 5: of it. And then it's all quite clear. You really
• 8:16
  Speaker 5: mean it? You want me to marry you and you'll
• 8:19
  Speaker 5: pay me 5,000 bucks?
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: Now, is it such a difficult assignment?
• 8:24
  Speaker 5: No, no, but.
• 8:26
  Speaker 3: But you still can't see why, huh? All right, I'll
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: run through it again. As many times as you want
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: to hear it, Royce. I've got to have a husband.
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: A legal, honest-to-goodness man about the house.
• 8:38
  Speaker 5: And you've got to have him, me, by this certain
• 8:41
  Speaker 5: date you mentioned.
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: Yes, my 25th birthday, two months from now. It's all
• 8:46
  Speaker 3: simple enough. My late uncle was eccentric, narrow-minded, opinionated.
• 8:50
  Speaker 5: And rich.
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: Very rich. According to his will, if I marry on
• 8:56
  Speaker 3: or before my 25th birthday, I inherit over a quarter
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: of a million dollars. And if I don't, Everything goes
• 9:03
  Speaker 3: to charity.
• 9:04
  Speaker 5: And you are your favorite charity.
• 9:06
  Speaker 3: I certainly am.
• 9:09
  Speaker 5: But why me, Linda? You could have lots of guys.
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: I don't want lots of guys.
• 9:13
  Speaker 5: Oh, now wait a minute. You don't know me for madam.
• 9:17
  Speaker 3: All right, Roy. I'll tell you the truth. I love
• 9:22
  Speaker 3: someone else, but I made the mistake of falling for
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: a married man. And his divorce won't be final for
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: six months. That's too late to meet the demands of
• 9:31
  Speaker 3: the inheritance.
• 9:31
  Speaker 5: Oh, that's different. You want to eat your cake and
• 9:34
  Speaker 5: have 250 Gs.
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: Well, something like that. Well, Roy?
• 9:40
  Speaker 5: I marry you, we make it look good, and then
• 9:42
  Speaker 5: later we get a quiet divorce.
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: Exactly. You're $ 5, 000 richer and nobody's the wiser. Once I've
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: got the money, there's nothing anybody can do about it.
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: What do you say, Roy?
• 9:55
  Speaker 5: I say I wish I had a rich uncle. Mine,
• 9:58
  Speaker 5: he doesn't even answer my letters. Yours leaves... you a
• 10:00
  Speaker 5: quarter of a million bucks.
• 10:01
  Speaker 3: Why, that 5,000 will give you a new start in life, Roy.
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: And until we're divorced, you'll dress well and live quite
• 10:09
  Speaker 3: comfortably in Mr. and Mrs. Roy Layton's apartment. Well, must
• 10:18
  Speaker 3: I on bended knees.
• 10:20
  Speaker 5: Find a preacher, honey. I'll do anything for money.
• 10:24
  Speaker 3: Flatterer.
• 10:35
  Speaker 4: The wedding a few days later isn't what every boy
• 10:38
  Speaker 4: and girl dreams about, is it, Roy? But the hollow
• 10:41
  Speaker 4: words the pair of you speak are just as binding
• 10:43
  Speaker 4: in a legal sense. And you drive off swiftly as Mr.
• 10:47
  Speaker 5: And Mrs. Roy Lake. You even have a sense of
• 10:50
  Speaker 5: elation in the new clothes you're wearing. And returning to.
• 10:53
  Speaker 4: Linda's top floor apartment, 12 floors up in the best
• 10:57
  Speaker 4: part of town, makes it complete. More complete than either
• 11:00
  Speaker 4: of you expected. For as you step from the elevator
• 11:03
  Speaker 4: and she opens the door to let you in.
• 11:06
  Speaker 5: Congratulations! What the devil?
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: No, no, Linda, dear, don't come in. He must carry you.
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: Carry you across the threshold. Oh, yes. Uh, well, Roy?
• 11:18
  Speaker 5: Oh, of course. Oh, great, great.
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: That's better, much better.
• 11:23
  Speaker 5: And now we'll all just scoot right along, Mrs.
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: Layton.
• 11:25
  Speaker 5: We just didn't want you two to arrive without any
• 11:27
  Speaker 5: reception at all.
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: Why, that's awfully nice of you, Mr. Knowles and Miss Prentiss.
• 11:31
  Speaker 3: Not at all. I enjoyed it. Also romantic. Um, this
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: is Roy, my husband.
• 11:39
  Speaker 5: Nice to meet you. You'll forgive us, won't you, Mrs.
• 11:42
  Speaker 3: Layton?
• 11:42
  Speaker 5: We just wanted you to know your neighbors are happy
• 11:44
  Speaker 5: for you.
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: Why, of course. It's... It was nice of you all
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: to think about it.
• 11:48
  Speaker 5: Well, we'll be running along. Good night. Good night.
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: Good night. And drop in and see us any time, Mr. Knowles.
• 11:54
  Speaker 5: Good night. Good night. How did they get in here?
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: Mr. Knowles manages the apartment.
• 12:03
  Speaker 5: Oh. Well, incidentally, it's some layout.
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: As I told you, I like nice things, Roy.
• 12:11
  Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah.
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: You know that Miss Prentiss? We'll have to watch her.
• 12:16
  Speaker 3: She's the inquisitive type.
• 12:17
  Speaker 5: Hmm? Wait.
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: She can help us in a way. Her balcony adjoins
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: this one. It won't hurt a bit to let her
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: see us out there once in a while looking over
• 12:28
  Speaker 3: the city.
• 12:29
  Speaker 5: My arms around you, a few fervent kisses. Got the idea?
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: Um, just for Miss Prentiss, yes.
• 12:37
  Speaker 5: Well, anyway, this beat stevedoring in Frisco, working in the
• 12:41
  Speaker 5: Oklahoma oil fields. Digging around Mexico when Uncle Mort was wildcatting.
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: Well, make yourself to home, Mr. Layton.
• 12:50
  Speaker 5: Okay, Mrs. Layton, I'll do just that.
• 13:01
  Speaker 4: It's all going smoothly, isn't it, Roy? Just as Linda planned.
• 13:06
  Speaker 4: As the weeks go by, you meet other people in
• 13:08
  Speaker 4: the apartment.
• 13:09
  Speaker 5: People Linda had met before she married you. They seem
• 13:12
  Speaker 5: to like you.
• 13:13
  Speaker 4: And most of all, they approve of the match. Linda
• 13:16
  Speaker 4: assures you there'll be no trouble in having her uncle's
• 13:18
  Speaker 4: lawyer accept it all as completely genuine. As the weeks pass,
• 13:23
  Speaker 4: both play your roles well. And then late one afternoon,
• 13:27
  Speaker 4: you hear some excitement in the hall and rush to
• 13:29
  Speaker 4: the door.
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: Oh, my. Oh, you poor dear.
• 13:33
  Speaker 5: You might have been killed.
• 13:34
  Speaker 3: I'm all right now.
• 13:35
  Speaker 4: Really, I am.
• 13:36
  Speaker 3: You'd better lie down, dear, as soon as you get inside.
• 13:39
  Speaker 5: That fool, he wasn't even looking where he was going.
• 13:40
  Speaker 5: What is it? What's happened?
• 13:42
  Speaker 3: I'm all right now, Roy. It was nothing at all.
• 13:45
  Speaker 5: She was backing out of the garage. Another car hit her.
• 13:47
  Speaker 3: Well, thanks very much, you two, but... Please don't bother anymore.
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: Roy can take care of it.
• 13:52
  Speaker 5: I'll carry you to the bedroom.
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: You don't have to carry me, Roy. I'll be all right.
• 13:55
  Speaker 5: Poor Dee. Maybe I'd better call a doctor.
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: No, Roy, I'm not hurt. I'm just shaken up. I
• 14:00
  Speaker 3: don't think it's bad. It's only... Well, it could have
• 14:02
  Speaker 3: been so much worse. Just think, Mr.
• 14:05
  Speaker 4: Layton.
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: What would you have left if anything really happened to her? Yes.
• 14:12
  Speaker 5: Yes, what would I have? It's a terrible thought, Miss Prentiss. Terrible.
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: If rising prices have given you the idea that pennies
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: have lost their purchasing power, folks, you haven't tried Signal
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: Ethyl Gasoline. Here's why I say that. For pennies extra,
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: you can enjoy the premium quality of Signal's famous go-farther gasoline.
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: but what a wonderful extra dividend those pennies return in
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: driving pleasure. An extra you can feel and hear and see. Yes,
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: with signal ethyl power in your motor, you can see
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: your car step out front when the traffic light goes green.
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: On signal ethyl diet, you'll hear your engine purr contentedly
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: as you soar effortlessly up hills where pings force other
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: cars to shift. And should an emergency call for swift accelerations,
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: you'll feel the way your motor takes hold with smooth,
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: eager power on Signal Ethyl. When a tank full of
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: this Signal super fuel is all it takes to discover
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: the best performance your car can deliver, don't you think
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: you owe it a try? My guess is you'll say
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: Signal Ethyl is the best investment you've ever made in
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: driving pleasure.
• 15:55
  Speaker 4: Miss Prentiss' question planted an interesting thought in your mind
• 15:59
  Speaker 4: when she asked you what you'd have left if anything
• 16:01
  Speaker 4: happened to Linda, didn't it, Roy? In the days that
• 16:05
  Speaker 4: follow Linda's near accident, you often.
• 16:07
  Speaker 5: Ask yourself the same question.
• 16:09
  Speaker 4: What would you have if anything fatal happened to Linda?
• 16:13
  Speaker 4: And the answer is very attractive, isn't it, Roy? You'd
• 16:16
  Speaker 4: have a quarter of a million dollars. As Linda's husband,
• 16:19
  Speaker 4: you'd inherit her money. But there's an easier way than murder,
• 16:23
  Speaker 4: isn't there, Roy? A safer way. If you can make
• 16:26
  Speaker 4: Linda fall in love with you, you'll be able to
• 16:28
  Speaker 4: share her money. It's worth a try. You plan your
• 16:32
  Speaker 4: campaign very carefully. Carry it out with all the charm
• 16:36
  Speaker 4: at your command. Then one evening, while the two of
• 16:39
  Speaker 4: you are out dancing, you suggest a breath of air
• 16:42
  Speaker 4: and lead Linda from the dance floor to the beautiful
• 16:44
  Speaker 4: terrace outside.
• 16:50
  Speaker 3: May I have a cigarette, Roy?
• 16:51
  Speaker 5: Why, sure, sure. Here you are.
• 16:54
  Speaker 3: Thanks. Thanks again. Oh, isn't it a beautiful night? I
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: just love it out here.
• 17:07
  Speaker 5: Linda.
• 17:07
  Speaker 3: Yes?
• 17:09
  Speaker 5: Linda, I've been thinking about us. This little act we're
• 17:13
  Speaker 5: putting on.
• 17:14
  Speaker 3: You've been doing splendidly, darling.
• 17:15
  Speaker 5: Uh-huh. Yes, the happy devoted husband. Head over heels in
• 17:18
  Speaker 5: love with his pretty bride. Yes, yes. Only now, Linda.
• 17:25
  Speaker 5: Now it's no longer a night. What?
• 17:29
  Speaker 3: What do you mean?
• 17:31
  Speaker 5: Isn't it quite obvious?
• 17:32
  Speaker 3: You're... You're in love with me?
• 17:34
  Speaker 5: Oh, so much in love with you, Linda.
• 17:36
  Speaker 4: No, wait, Roy.
• 17:37
  Speaker 5: I know, I know. It wasn't in the bargain to
• 17:39
  Speaker 5: fall in love, but... I have fallen in love, Linda.
• 17:42
  Speaker 5: I couldn't help it.
• 17:43
  Speaker 4: Roy.
• 17:44
  Speaker 5: Now, look, look, I'm really not such a bad guy.
• 17:48
  Speaker 5: I'm a good dancer. I wear my clothes well, in
• 17:51
  Speaker 5: perfect health. Oh, I do have a few faults, it's true, but.
• 17:56
  Speaker 3: Roy, I'm not in love with you.
• 17:59
  Speaker 5: But you, you could be, darling.
• 18:02
  Speaker 3: No, Roy, please don't.
• 18:07
  Speaker 5: Oh, Linda, Linda, darling.
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: Let me go, Roy, please.
• 18:10
  Speaker 5: I shouldn't have kissed you, I know that, but Linda.
• 18:15
  Speaker 3: Now, let's keep it that way.
• 18:16
  Speaker 5: Oh, but Linda, please.
• 18:17
  Speaker 3: I mean it, Roy.
• 18:23
  Speaker 5: Okay. Okay.
• 18:25
  Speaker 3: I'm sorry, but that's the way it's got to be. Yeah.
• 18:31
  Speaker 5: I'm sorry, too.
• 18:34
  Speaker 3: Very sorry.
• 18:34
  Speaker 4: She means it, doesn't she, Roy? And you're certain there's
• 18:44
  Speaker 4: nothing you can do to make her change her mind
• 18:47
  Speaker 4: about the divorce.
• 18:48
  Speaker 5: There isn't time.
• 18:50
  Speaker 4: Linda has told you the money from her inheritance is
• 18:53
  Speaker 4: already deposited to her credit at her bank. And in
• 18:56
  Speaker 4: a week or so, the two of you will be
• 18:58
  Speaker 4: on your way to Reno and that quiet divorce. No,
• 19:02
  Speaker 4: there isn't time to make her fall in love with you, Roy.
• 19:05
  Speaker 4: But you decide there is time for something else. Next day,
• 19:10
  Speaker 4: Linda leaves before luncheon to spend the afternoon at her
• 19:13
  Speaker 4: lawyer's office finishing up her affairs. Long after she's gone,
• 19:17
  Speaker 4: you pace the floor of the apartment, searching your mind
• 19:20
  Speaker 4: for a plan, a way to kill Linda, make it
• 19:23
  Speaker 4: appear to be an accident. Early that afternoon, you're in
• 19:27
  Speaker 4: the bedroom.
• 19:27
  Speaker 5: Looking around when... Hello?
• 19:33
  Speaker 3: Roy?
• 19:33
  Speaker 5: Yes?
• 19:34
  Speaker 3: This is Amelia Fleming.
• 19:35
  Speaker 5: Oh, Mrs. Fleming, how are you? I'm splendid, thank you. Oh,
• 19:38
  Speaker 5: is Linda home? Why, no, no, no, she isn't. I
• 19:40
  Speaker 5: don't expect her back until after five or so. I see. Well,
• 19:43
  Speaker 5: it was nothing important, really. Well, I'm sure she'll be
• 19:46
  Speaker 5: back around five. Why don't you call her then?
• 19:48
  Speaker 3: You better have her call me. I probably call while
• 19:51
  Speaker 3: she was in the bathtub.
• 19:52
  Speaker 5: Oh, but don't you worry about that. Linda generally takes
• 19:54
  Speaker 5: the phone right... Yes? Roy? Oh, yes. Yes, Mrs. Fleming.
• 20:01
  Speaker 5: I'll tell Linda you called and have her phone you. Oh,
• 20:04
  Speaker 5: that's fine. Bye. Bye.
• 20:07
  Speaker 4: You stand there for a moment, staring at the telephone
• 20:09
  Speaker 4: in your hand. Then slowly you replace the receiver, walk
• 20:13
  Speaker 4: back into the living room. A plan has suddenly emerged,
• 20:17
  Speaker 4: hasn't it, Roy? A telephone, a loose wire, and a
• 20:22
  Speaker 4: bathtub full of water. You've read of it happening, and
• 20:25
  Speaker 4: you're sure there's no reason why it can't work. And
• 20:28
  Speaker 4: by the time Linda returns shortly after five, you've arranged everything.
• 20:33
  Speaker 4: You wait until you hear the bathwater running. Then you
• 20:36
  Speaker 4: call out.
• 20:36
  Speaker 5: To her in the bedroom. Linda?
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: Yes?
• 20:38
  Speaker 5: I'm going out for a few minutes. Fresh out of cigarettes.
• 20:41
  Speaker 5: Can I get you anything?
• 20:42
  Speaker 3: Not a thing, Roy.
• 20:43
  Speaker 5: I'll be back soon.
• 20:44
  Speaker 3: No hurry. I'm going to soak in the tub for
• 20:47
  Speaker 3: a while.
• 20:54
  Speaker 4: You walk down to the corner drugstore. Wait over a
• 20:56
  Speaker 4: cup of coffee for five minutes. Then you step to
• 20:59
  Speaker 4: the phone booth. But there's someone inside. You look at
• 21:03
  Speaker 4: your watch and return to the counter. Five minutes go by,
• 21:06
  Speaker 4: and then ten. And then the booth door opens, and
• 21:10
  Speaker 4: the woman who had been monopolizing the phone walks away.
• 21:12
  Speaker 5: Still time, isn't there, Roy? You're certain of that.
• 21:17
  Speaker 4: Linda will still be in the tub, the phone on
• 21:20
  Speaker 4: the stand within easy reach. When she answers it, the
• 21:23
  Speaker 4: loose wire will pull away from the receiver and fall
• 21:26
  Speaker 4: into the tub of water.
• 21:30
  Speaker 3: Hello?
• 21:32
  Speaker 4: Linda?
• 21:32
  Speaker 3: Linda?
• 21:35
  Speaker 5: Linda? That does it. Slowly, you walk back to the apartment.
• 21:44
  Speaker 4: But instead of going on up to your apartment on
• 21:46
  Speaker 4: the 12th floor, you stop at the manager's apartment and
• 21:49
  Speaker 4: ring the bell.
• 21:51
  Speaker 5: Yes? Oh, Mr.
• 21:53
  Speaker 4: Layton.
• 21:53
  Speaker 5: Mr. Knowles, I wonder if you'd do something for me.
• 21:55
  Speaker 3: Of course, of course.
• 21:57
  Speaker 5: Well, our refrigerator's been acting up a bit lately. I'd
• 21:59
  Speaker 5: like you to have a look at it, if you
• 22:00
  Speaker 5: don't mind. Be glad to, Mr. Layton. I hope I'm
• 22:03
  Speaker 5: not taking you away from your dinner. No, nothing like that.
• 22:06
  Speaker 5: Come on, let's go up and have a look at it, eh?
• 22:07
  Speaker 5: All right. It seems like it's been running a lot
• 22:18
  Speaker 5: more than it should. Is that so? Well, we just
• 22:20
  Speaker 5: see what's wrong. Yes, sir. Come in, come in. Linda! Linda,
• 22:25
  Speaker 5: you home, darling? Oh, that's funny. She shouldn't be around. Linda!
• 22:31
  Speaker 3: Yes, Roy?
• 22:33
  Speaker 5: Linda!
• 22:34
  Speaker 3: Why, what's the matter, Roy?
• 22:37
  Speaker 5: Oh, nothing, nothing. It's just that you answered so suddenly,
• 22:40
  Speaker 5: that's all.
• 22:40
  Speaker 3: Oh. Oh, good evening, Mr. Knowles.
• 22:42
  Speaker 5: Good evening, ma'am. I asked Mr. Knowles up to have
• 22:45
  Speaker 5: a look at our refrigerator, Linda. You know it hasn't
• 22:47
  Speaker 5: been acting right.
• 22:48
  Speaker 3: Oh, hasn't it?
• 22:49
  Speaker 5: No, no, it hasn't.
• 22:50
  Speaker 3: Well, I'm awfully glad you're here, Mr. Knowles. I was
• 22:52
  Speaker 3: about to come downstairs to ask you to call the
• 22:54
  Speaker 3: telephone company. Something rather startling just happened. It scared me
• 22:58
  Speaker 3: to death.
• 22:59
  Speaker 5: What's that, ma'am?
• 23:00
  Speaker 3: Well, I'd just gotten out of my tub when the
• 23:02
  Speaker 3: phone rang. It was on the stand in the bathroom,
• 23:04
  Speaker 3: and I picked up the receiver, and I don't know
• 23:07
  Speaker 3: why I just Slipped out and fell into the tub.
• 23:09
  Speaker 5: Say, we better see about that right away. Good thing
• 23:12
  Speaker 5: you weren't in the tub when it happened, Mrs. Layton.
• 23:14
  Speaker 3: Well, I should say so. I might have been electrocuted.
• 23:18
  Speaker 4: It didn't work, did it, Roy? And Linda is still
• 23:26
  Speaker 4: very much alive. Somehow you managed to cover your disappointment.
• 23:31
  Speaker 4: Act properly concerned over the near tragedy. You've got to
• 23:34
  Speaker 4: find another way now, and there isn't much time left.
• 23:39
  Speaker 4: It's after dinner that the idea comes to you. Perfect,
• 23:42
  Speaker 4: isn't it, Roy? And this time you'll make certain. While
• 23:46
  Speaker 4: Linda is busy in the kitchen, you slip out onto
• 23:49
  Speaker 4: the balcony, take a wrench, and loosen the bolts on
• 23:53
  Speaker 4: the handrail. If Linda leans against the rail, your problem
• 23:56
  Speaker 4: is solved. If not a light push, just the slightest
• 24:00
  Speaker 4: jar will accomplish your purpose. And Linda's money will belong
• 24:05
  Speaker 4: to you. At the sound behind you, you drop the
• 24:08
  Speaker 4: wrench into the flower box and straighten up.
• 24:10
  Speaker 3: What are you doing, Roy?
• 24:11
  Speaker 5: Oh, nothing. I'm just looking for my cuff link. I
• 24:14
  Speaker 5: must have dropped it here somewhere.
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: Oh.
• 24:17
  Speaker 3: Oh, Roy, I meant to tell you. While I was
• 24:20
  Speaker 3: downtown today, I made plane reservations for tomorrow. We'll be
• 24:25
  Speaker 3: leaving in the afternoon, four o'clock.
• 24:28
  Speaker 5: Oh, I see. So this is our last evening here.
• 24:34
  Speaker 3: I'm afraid so.
• 24:36
  Speaker 5: Well, I'm going to miss all this, Linda. You won't
• 24:40
  Speaker 5: change your mind, I suppose? I mean, about us?
• 24:44
  Speaker 3: No, Roy. I won't change my mind.
• 24:49
  Speaker 5: All right. Well, say, how about a drink out here
• 24:53
  Speaker 5: on the balcony, huh? One last look at the city
• 24:56
  Speaker 5: of Los Angeles together. All right.
• 24:59
  Speaker 3: Why, Roy, I think that's a wonderful idea.
• 25:01
  Speaker 5: All right, you just stay right here, Linda. I'll get
• 25:03
  Speaker 5: the drinks. Our farewell drink.
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: There's only one accurate way to compare the cost of
• 25:20
  Speaker 2: automobile batteries. Compare the cost per month. That is, the
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: price of the battery divided by the number of months
• 25:27
  Speaker 2: for which the battery is guaranteed. Measured by that yardstick,
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: one of today's lowest-cost batteries is the Extra Long Life
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: Signal Deluxe Battery, guaranteed a full 30 months on a
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: service basis. Think of it, that's two and one-half years.
• 25:42
  Speaker 2: The secret of this amazingly long life is Signal's microporous
• 25:46
  Speaker 2: all-rubber separators, which have been called the greatest battery improvement
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: in 20 years. Because these unique separators hold twice as
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: much acid solution between the plates, you get up to
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: 35% more power for quicker starting, plus plenty to spare
• 26:01
  Speaker 2: for your radio and the other electrical gadgets on today's cars.
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: So before you buy any battery, get your signal dealer's
• 26:08
  Speaker 2: generous trade-in offer for your old battery, plus his convenient
• 26:12
  Speaker 2: credit terms. See for yourself that it actually costs less
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: per month to enjoy the quicker starting, the long, trouble-free
• 26:20
  Speaker 2: performance of today's finest battery, the Signal Deluxe Battery.
• 26:35
  Speaker 4: There's little question of the suspect's guilt. To Police Lieutenant Cosgrove,
• 26:39
  Speaker 4: it was a clear case of murder. The victim had
• 26:42
  Speaker 4: been deliberately pushed off the 12th story balcony. Lieutenant Cosgrove
• 26:47
  Speaker 4: knew that. And before long, he'd know the motive, too.
• 26:51
  Speaker 4: As he paced slowly back and forth in the small
• 26:53
  Speaker 4: room at police headquarters, He felt certain that a full
• 26:56
  Speaker 4: confession was close at hand. Finally, he stopped pacing, sat
• 27:01
  Speaker 4: down in a chair facing the suspect, who was sitting
• 27:04
  Speaker 4: rigid and tense, trying to avoid the lieutenant's gaze.
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: Look, you might as well break down and tell us
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: what this is all about. You know, Miss Prentiss, who
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: lives in the apartment next to yours, saw you push
• 27:16
  Speaker 2: your victim.
• 27:17
  Speaker 5: Off the balcony.
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: All right.
• 27:20
  Speaker 3: All right.
• 27:21
  Speaker 5: Why, Mrs. Layton? Why did you do it? It.
• 27:25
  Speaker 3: It's a long story.
• 27:26
  Speaker 5: All right, take your time.
• 27:29
  Speaker 3: Well, perhaps it isn't such a long story as that.
• 27:34
  Speaker 3: You see, I was born in Los Angeles. Lived here
• 27:39
  Speaker 3: until a few years ago when I took a job
• 27:41
  Speaker 3: in Mexico. And up to six months ago, I was
• 27:45
  Speaker 3: secretary to a man there named Morton Layton.
• 27:48
  Speaker 5: Layton. Any relation to the deceased?
• 27:52
  Speaker 4: Yes.
• 27:53
  Speaker 5: Yes.
• 27:54
  Speaker 3: Yes, he was Roy's uncle He died about six months
• 27:58
  Speaker 3: ago Before that, he'd been trying to find Roy Roy
• 28:03
  Speaker 3: wrote him several letters before he died But Morton Layton
• 28:05
  Speaker 3: never knew about them I... I destroyed them Why? Because
• 28:11
  Speaker 3: I didn't want them to get together And then when...
• 28:15
  Speaker 3: When old man Layton died I came back to Los
• 28:19
  Speaker 3: Angeles Where I knew I'd find Roy And marry.
• 28:23
  Speaker 5: Him And murdered him because you thought.
• 28:26
  Speaker 3: Roy never knew it. He never knew that he was
• 28:29
  Speaker 3: a missing heir. You see, his uncle struck it rich
• 28:33
  Speaker 3: in Mexico. He left him a quarter of a million dollars.
• 28:39
  Speaker 3: I was trying to get that money for myself. As
• 28:43
  Speaker 3: Roy's widow....
• 29:04
  Speaker 2: Let that whistle be your signal for the Signal Oil program,
• 29:07
  Speaker 2: The Whistler, each Sunday night at this same time. Signal
• 29:11
  Speaker 2: Oil Company has asked me to remind you that the USO,
• 29:14
  Speaker 2: which serves as a home away from home for our
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: boys in uniform, is one of the worthy services you
• 29:19
  Speaker 2: help when you contribute to the community chest. Featured in
• 29:26
  Speaker 2: tonight's story were Bill Foreman, Wally Mayer, and Gene Spaulding.
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: The Whistler was produced and directed by George W. Allen,
• 29:32
  Speaker 2: with story by Joel Malone, music by Wilbur Hatch, and
• 29:35
  Speaker 2: was transmitted to our troops overseas by the Armed Forces
• 29:37
  Speaker 2: Radio Service. The Whistler is entirely... fictional. All characters portrayed
• 29:41
  Speaker 2: on The Whistler are also fictional. Any similarity of names
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: or resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
• 29:48
  Speaker 2: Remember at this same time next Sunday, another strange tale
• 29:51
  Speaker 2: by The Whistler. Marvin Miller speaking for the Signal Oil Company.
• 29:55
  Speaker 2: Stay tuned for our Miss Brooks starring Eve Arden, which
• 29:57
  Speaker 2: follows immediately over most of these stations. This is CBS,
• 30:00
  Speaker 2: the Columbia Broadcasting System.
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: The Whistler's Till Death Do Us Part has concluded. Follow
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: the 50 greatest old-time radio shows for more classic broadcasts.