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The Whistler - "Murder on Rourke Island" (Old Time Radio, 1946) · The Whistler | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Keith Brandon sees a chance for freedom and a future
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: with Kathy Dunn, but a family estate and its executor
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: stand in the way. From the CBS Pacific Network, under
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Signal Oil sponsorship, comes The Whistler, Murder on Rourke Island,
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: episode 240, first broadcast December 30th, 1946. The island setting
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: centers on that estate as romantic hopes meet the authority
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: controlling the family property. Charles Seal and David Ellis are
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: credited in the cast, with Marvin Miller announcing this suspense story. Now,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: back to the golden age of radio.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: That whistle is your signal for the Signal Oil program.
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: The Whistler.
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: I walk by night. I know many strange tales hidden
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: in the hearts of men and women who have stepped
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: into the shadows. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: which they dare not speak. Yes, friends, it's time for
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: the Signal Oil program, The Whistler. Rated by Independent Research
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: the most popular West Coast program. In gasoline, you know,
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: it takes extra quality to go farther. And Signal is
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: the famous go-farther gasoline. So look for the Signal circle
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: sign in yellow and black that identifies Signal service stations
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: from Canada to Mexico. And now the Whistler's strange story. Murder.
• 2:10
  Speaker 4: Murder.
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: On Rourke Island.
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: The murder on Rourke Island had a curious beginning. There
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: was no hatred in Keith Brandon's mind, no anger, no malice.
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: In the beginning, there was only relief and freedom and
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: love for a girl named Kathy Dunn. As each small
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: private club, he could see her across the floor standing
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: near the piano. The blue light working magic on the
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: white satin of her evening gown. He smiled as he
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: walked towards her.
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: Hello, Kathy.
• 2:54
  Speaker 5: I'm waiting for the man I love.
• 3:17
  Speaker 4: Aren't you glad to see me? Please, Keith. Not now.
• 3:20
  Speaker 4: What kind of welcome is this?
• 3:22
  Speaker 5: We settled everything a year ago. Now, if you don't mind.
• 3:25
  Speaker 4: Wait a minute. You've got to let me talk to you.
• 3:26
  Speaker 5: There's nothing to talk about.
• 3:27
  Speaker 4: Kathy.
• 3:28
  Speaker 5: They're all watching us.
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: Where's your dressing room?
• 3:30
  Speaker 6: Please, Keith.
• 3:31
  Speaker 4: I tell you, I've got to talk to you. That's
• 3:32
  Speaker 4: all there is to it. If you want it in
• 3:33
  Speaker 4: the middle of the floor, it's all right with me.
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: All right, Keith.
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: Go ahead.
• 3:43
  Speaker 5: Now, you've got something to tell me. I suppose your
• 3:48
  Speaker 5: father's changed his mind. Put the seal of approval on
• 3:50
  Speaker 5: nightclub singers.
• 3:52
  Speaker 4: Haven't changed a bit, have you? The old friendly approach.
• 3:55
  Speaker 5: Well, let me tell you something first. You had a
• 3:58
  Speaker 5: choice to make between me and your father. And you
• 4:00
  Speaker 5: made it. As far as I'm concerned, it stands.
• 4:04
  Speaker 4: Pretty bitter, aren't you?
• 4:05
  Speaker 5: I think I've a right to be.
• 4:07
  Speaker 4: Kathy, I told you then that I loved you.
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: I always would. I meant it.
• 4:11
  Speaker 4: Sure.
• 4:12
  Speaker 5: Until father put his half-million-dollar estate up against me... It
• 4:16
  Speaker 5: was different after that, wasn't it? Me or the money.
• 4:21
  Speaker 5: Didn't take you long to decide.
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: You through?
• 4:24
  Speaker 4: Go right ahead. Father died last night. That's why I'm here. You're...
• 4:33
  Speaker 4: You're free now?
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 4:36
  Speaker 4: I want you, Kathy.
• 4:37
  Speaker 3: I love you.
• 4:39
  Speaker 4: I wish I could... No, Kathy.
• 4:44
  Speaker 6: Please.
• 4:46
  Speaker 4: Please, Keith, let me think. You know you love me, Kathy.
• 4:48
  Speaker 4: Tell me.
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: Oh, I do, Keith, darling.
• 4:54
  Speaker 4: I do.
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: It was worth waiting for, after all, wasn't it, Keith?
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: The dominating, smothering influence of your father... His insistence that
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: you live under his roof and eat at his table.
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: That you jump every time he cracked the $ 500, 000 whip
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: he held over your head. For that long, terrible year
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: after you made your decision to see it through to
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: the end. But it was worth it. And they're both
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: yours now, Kathy and the money. Or rather, the money
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: and Kathy. Because you know in your heart that the
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: money will always come first. There's a wonderful feeling of
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: freedom inside you as you drive up the tree-lined drive
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: of your Uncle Matt's estate the next morning. It seems
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: there was something about the will.
• 5:53
  Speaker 4: Uncle Matt?
• 5:54
  Speaker 3: Oh, Keith, my boy. I'm glad you're on time. This
• 5:56
  Speaker 3: is Mr.
• 5:57
  Speaker 4: Bradbury, your father's lawyer, executor of the estate. Hi.
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: How do you do? Sit down, Keith.
• 6:01
  Speaker 4: Thanks.
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: Mr.
• 6:02
  Speaker 7: Bradbury and I have been talking over your father's will.
• 6:04
  Speaker 4: Doesn't seem a little soon.
• 6:06
  Speaker 6: 24 hours?
• 6:07
  Speaker 4: That's the way he wanted it. 24 hours? What do
• 6:09
  Speaker 4: you mean?
• 6:10
  Speaker 8: It was part of his arrangement with me that the
• 6:12
  Speaker 8: provisions of the will go into effect 24 hours after
• 6:15
  Speaker 8: his death.
• 6:16
  Speaker 4: The probate will come later, of course. That's why I
• 6:18
  Speaker 4: called you in this morning, you see. I don't know
• 6:20
  Speaker 4: why I didn't say anything to me about it. There
• 6:21
  Speaker 4: are a lot of things he didn't talk to you about, Keith. What,
• 6:24
  Speaker 4: for instance? His estate, for one thing. Oh, wait a minute.
• 6:27
  Speaker 4: You're not telling me... That was a change.
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: No. No change.
• 6:31
  Speaker 4: He promised me that when he died, I'd have.
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: You can relax, Keith. The estate is yours.
• 6:35
  Speaker 4: All right, then. Suppose we get it over with. There
• 6:38
  Speaker 4: must be some papers to sign.
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: Just a minute.
• 6:40
  Speaker 4: The estate is yours, Keith. But it's your father's request
• 6:43
  Speaker 4: that I hold it in trust for you. What kind
• 6:46
  Speaker 4: of double talk is that?
• 6:47
  Speaker 3: Now, take it easy, Mr.
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: Bradford.
• 6:48
  Speaker 4: Listen, Uncle... You better let me finish, Keith. According to
• 6:52
  Speaker 4: the will, I am to hold the estate in trust.
• 6:54
  Speaker 4: But there'll be monthly allotments to you out of the income.
• 6:57
  Speaker 4: And you will be eligible to receive them as long as...
• 7:00
  Speaker 4: Go on. As long as you live with me under
• 7:03
  Speaker 4: this roof.
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: He can't do this to me.
• 7:07
  Speaker 3: He's dead.
• 7:08
  Speaker 4: That money's mine.
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: Wait a minute, Keith.
• 7:09
  Speaker 4: He tortured me, kept me prisoner in this house for years.
• 7:13
  Speaker 4: He can't do it anymore.
• 7:13
  Speaker 6: Do you hear me? He's dead.
• 7:15
  Speaker 4: He can't reach up out of his grave. Keith, get
• 7:16
  Speaker 4: a hold of yourself.
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: I don't care.
• 7:17
  Speaker 4: I don't care.
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: Sorry I had to slap you, Keith. I just had
• 7:23
  Speaker 3: to do it. Sit down.
• 7:25
  Speaker 4: Uncle Matt.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: Sit down, I said.
• 7:26
  Speaker 7: Now, whether you're aware of it or not, your father
• 7:33
  Speaker 7: was very fond of you.
• 7:35
  Speaker 4: He felt you still need someone to look out for you.
• 7:39
  Speaker 3: I agree with him.
• 7:40
  Speaker 4: I'm of age. I can take care of myself. You're
• 7:43
  Speaker 4: a highly emotional young man, Keith.
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: Not as stable as you might be.
• 7:48
  Speaker 4: What do you mean, not stable? You did attempt suicide
• 7:51
  Speaker 4: once over a girl. So what?
• 7:52
  Speaker 9: I was a kid in high school. Well, maybe so.
• 7:55
  Speaker 4: I remember it seemed pretty important to your father at
• 7:58
  Speaker 4: the time.
• 7:58
  Speaker 9: So I do a crazy thing in high school and
• 8:01
  Speaker 9: he decides I need a guardian for the rest of
• 8:02
  Speaker 9: my life. Why are you trying to make excuses for him, Matt?
• 8:07
  Speaker 9: You know what's behind it all as well as I do.
• 8:09
  Speaker 9: It was a bitter, selfish old man who had to
• 8:11
  Speaker 9: have things his own way even after he was dead.
• 8:13
  Speaker 4: Well, this isn't getting us anywhere, Keith. Let's get the
• 8:16
  Speaker 4: thing settled. Nothing I can do, then?
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: Tell him, Bradbury.
• 8:20
  Speaker 4: The will takes effect tonight, Mr.
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: Brandon.
• 8:22
  Speaker 8: According to its terms, you must live with your uncle
• 8:25
  Speaker 8: six days out of every week.
• 8:27
  Speaker 4: Suppose I refuse. The estate goes to the public hospital fund.
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: I see.
• 8:33
  Speaker 4: How long does this go on?
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: As long as.
• 8:35
  Speaker 8: Your uncle is alive.
• 8:37
  Speaker 4: After that, I guess you're on your own. Bradbury, there's
• 8:42
  Speaker 4: nothing in there about marriage, is there?
• 8:45
  Speaker 3: What do you mean?
• 8:45
  Speaker 4: Just a minute, Matt. Bradbury, supposing I decide to get
• 8:49
  Speaker 4: married and bring my bride here to live, would I
• 8:52
  Speaker 4: be fulfilling the terms of the will?
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: You're not considering marriage, Keith.
• 8:55
  Speaker 4: Answer my question, Mr.
• 8:55
  Speaker 5: Bradbury.
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: Well, no. There's nothing that would prevent it.
• 9:01
  Speaker 4: Great. How'd you like to have another steady border, Uncle Matt?
• 9:05
  Speaker 3: Who is it?
• 9:06
  Speaker 4: Kathy Dunn. You broke up with her a year ago.
• 9:08
  Speaker 4: I saw her last night. We're going to be married.
• 9:11
  Speaker 3: When?
• 9:12
  Speaker 4: Tomorrow, maybe. Any objections?
• 9:16
  Speaker 3: You....
• 9:17
  Speaker 4: You know how your father felt about that. I don't
• 9:20
  Speaker 4: think that makes any difference now. It's nice of the
• 9:23
  Speaker 4: old boy to leave me a loophole.
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: Suppose I refuse to allow her to come here.
• 9:28
  Speaker 4: What about that, Mr.
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: Bradbury?
• 9:30
  Speaker 8: I'm afraid you can't, Matt. He has a legal right
• 9:33
  Speaker 8: to marry and live with his wife. If you refuse
• 9:36
  Speaker 8: to let her come here, you're preventing him from complying
• 9:38
  Speaker 8: with the terms of the will.
• 9:40
  Speaker 3: I see.
• 9:42
  Speaker 4: Uncle Matt, you'd better set an extra place for dinner.
• 9:45
  Speaker 4: I'm bringing Kathy with me.
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: Well, Keith, you're feeling a little better as you drive
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: away from the house. toward Kathy's apartment on the other
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: side of town. You're on top now, for the first
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: time since the whole maddening thing started 15 months ago.
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: When your father suddenly decided he wanted you with him
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: for the rest of his life. From then on, nothing
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: made sense.
• 10:18
  Speaker 3: There were no.
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: Explanations, no reasons for anything. He knew when the cards
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: were down, you'd do anything for that half million. And
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: he was right, wasn't he? You walk up to Kathy's
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: doorway a half hour later. Hopefully she'll understand. Hello, Keith.
• 10:38
  Speaker 4: How are you, darling?
• 10:40
  Speaker 5: All right, I guess.
• 10:42
  Speaker 4: Something wrong? No, I guess not.
• 10:45
  Speaker 9: I just talked with Uncle Matt. It's not quite the
• 10:47
  Speaker 9: way I told you last night. He was appointed trustee
• 10:50
  Speaker 9: of the estate. Now I'm going to have to live
• 10:51
  Speaker 9: at the Cedars.
• 10:52
  Speaker 4: I know. Huh?
• 10:55
  Speaker 5: I've just talked to your uncle on the phone.
• 10:58
  Speaker 4: What did he call you about?
• 10:59
  Speaker 5: To tell me about the will.
• 11:01
  Speaker 4: He had no right to call you. I'm glad he did.
• 11:05
  Speaker 5: You belong there with him, Keith.
• 11:06
  Speaker 4: What do you mean?
• 11:08
  Speaker 5: Please don't make it hard for me, dear. I've decided
• 11:12
  Speaker 5: not to marry him.
• 11:12
  Speaker 4: Oh, wait a minute. He didn't tell you everything. We're
• 11:15
  Speaker 4: going to be married. You're coming there with me to live.
• 11:17
  Speaker 4: There's no way he can stop it. Don't you see?
• 11:19
  Speaker 4: I love you, Kathy. I want you there with me. Please, please, Keith.
• 11:23
  Speaker 5: I've made up my mind. I'm not going to change it.
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: That's all.
• 11:27
  Speaker 4: What else did he say? Tell me, Kathy.
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: Nothing.
• 11:32
  Speaker 5: Nothing.
• 11:33
  Speaker 4: What made you change then? You wanted to marry me
• 11:35
  Speaker 4: last night. What made you change your mind? Keith, please.
• 11:37
  Speaker 4: There was something else. He told you something else. Some vicious,
• 11:40
  Speaker 4: underhanded lie. No, no, Keith. I'll kill him. That's what
• 11:43
  Speaker 4: I'll do. I'll kill him.
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: Keith. Keith.
• 11:50
  Speaker 4: Sorry I said that, Kathy.
• 11:55
  Speaker 5: You'd better go now.
• 11:57
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 11:57
  Speaker 3: I guess you're right. Um, Kathy.
• 12:04
  Speaker 4: Yes, Keith? Don't... Don't tell anyone what I just said,
• 12:09
  Speaker 4: will you? Of course not. I'm sorry I said that.
• 12:16
  Speaker 4: I said I'd kill him.
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: With the prologue of Murder on Rourke Island, the Signal
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: Oil Company brings you another strange tale by the Whistler.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: Just think, by the time next week's Whistler rolls around,
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: it'll be 1947, and your car will be another year older.
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: More than ever, it's going to need the more conscientious
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: service that cars get at dealer-owned Signal service stations. And
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: when I say more conscientious, let me show you what
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: I mean. When signal dealers lubricate your car, for instance,
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: they don't take chances on memory.
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: No, sir.
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: Instead, they check against Signal's factory-recommended lubrication chart, which shows
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: every lubrication point on your car. And they use nine
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: specialized signal oils and greases, so each part will have
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: the exact type of protection it needs.
• 13:12
  Speaker 4: For long, trouble-free service.
• 13:15
  Speaker 3: But do they stop there?
• 13:16
  Speaker 4: No, sir.
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: Just to make doubly sure not a single part has
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: been overlooked, they check each point again, which is why
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: it's called signal double-check lubrication. Now, that's the kind of
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: lube service you want when today's aging cars have to
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: last until there are enough new ones to go around.
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: And that's the kind of lubrication you get from your friendly,
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: dealer-owned signal service station. And now, back to the whistler. Well, Keith,
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: it came to a climax that morning in Kathy's apartment.
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: All the hatred, the frustration, the rage against the idiotic
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: demands of your father... well up inside you and exploded
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: in a single remark. I said I'd kill him. And
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: though you don't know it, the elements are all there.
• 14:25
  Speaker 4: And a pattern.
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: Is beginning to take shape... for the murder on Rourke Island.
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: Your life in prison is beginning all over again with
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: Uncle Matt as the jailer instead of your father. Six
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: days out of every seven, Keith. You're free to come
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: and go as you wish, but six days out of
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: every seven, you must live with Uncle Matt at the Cedars.
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: There you are, Keith. Thanks.
• 15:03
  Speaker 7: I thought you'd like this room best. Nice view of
• 15:06
  Speaker 7: Lake Washington out of the window here.
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah. Great.
• 15:09
  Speaker 4: I can hardly contain myself.
• 15:11
  Speaker 3: We want you to be happy here.
• 15:12
  Speaker 4: Is that in the will, too? What?
• 15:14
  Speaker 9: Does it say I have to be happy?
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: You don't have to stay here, Keith. You're of age.
• 15:20
  Speaker 3: You can leave any time you want.
• 15:21
  Speaker 9: Let's not get into that again. Selling my soul for
• 15:24
  Speaker 9: a half a million dollars and I know it.
• 15:25
  Speaker 4: Will you leave me alone?
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: Of course. We'll have dinner at six. Don't worry.
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: And so it begins again, Keith. And during the weeks
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: that follow, your life falls into a rigid pattern. Breakfast
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: at eight, dinner at six, evenings in the library with
• 15:48
  Speaker 2: Uncle Matt pouring over his stamp collection. And you know
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: it will last as long as he lives. That only
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: his death can bring you at last to the thing
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: you suffered for. Before long, you realize the will to
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: murder is somewhere inside you. But it's not until a
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: night in early spring that it finally crystallizes into a plan.
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: In many ways, it was like all the other nights.
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: You and Uncle Matt in the library. The dull novel,
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: the stamp collection.
• 16:22
  Speaker 3: That half penny black.
• 16:24
  Speaker 7: If I wasn't such a tightwad, I'd buy that half
• 16:27
  Speaker 7: penny black. Stamp dealer in town's got a fine used copy,
• 16:33
  Speaker 7: but he wants $ 40 for it. Kind of quiet tonight.
• 16:40
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 16:41
  Speaker 4: Wouldn't be surprised if we had a little rain. When
• 16:44
  Speaker 4: the wind's from the southwest, rain's sure to follow.
• 16:46
  Speaker 3: Rain's sure to follow.
• 16:48
  Speaker 4: Do I always say that? Every night at.
• 16:50
  Speaker 3: 8.55, you never miss. Going to bed?
• 16:54
  Speaker 4: I got a headache. Any aspirin upstairs?
• 16:55
  Speaker 3: Ought to be some in the medicine cabinet.
• 16:57
  Speaker 4: Oh, thanks.
• 16:58
  Speaker 3: I'll take a look.
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: But there isn't any aspirin in your medicine chest, so
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: you try the one in Uncle Matt's bathroom. Find the
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: aspirin on the lower shelf. Start to close the cabinet door.
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: When your eye lights on a bottle, a prescription bottle,
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: half hidden by the others, your hand shakes as you
• 17:27
  Speaker 2: pick it up. Examine it closely. And it's at that
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: precise moment that all the elements come together to form
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: the plan for a murder three months in the future.
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: on a tiny tree-covered dot in the middle of Puget
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: Sound called Rock Island. You're not much interested in your
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: breakfast the next morning.
• 17:49
  Speaker 4: Ah, these darn strikes.
• 17:51
  Speaker 3: Wonder where it'll all end up.
• 17:53
  Speaker 4: Excuse me, Uncle Matt. What's the matter? Aren't you going
• 17:55
  Speaker 4: to finish your breakfast? I'm not very hungry yet. I
• 17:58
  Speaker 4: thought I'd run down to the library. Do you mind?
• 17:59
  Speaker 4: The library? Yeah, I heard about a book the other day,
• 18:03
  Speaker 4: and I'd sure go ahead.
• 18:05
  Speaker 3: Just bowled me over, I guess.
• 18:07
  Speaker 4: The public library is the last place in the world
• 18:10
  Speaker 4: I'd expect to find you.
• 18:16
  Speaker 9: Yes, I know I haven't a card, but I don't
• 18:20
  Speaker 9: want to take the book out. I just want to
• 18:22
  Speaker 9: look at it here.
• 18:22
  Speaker 5: What was the title again?
• 18:24
  Speaker 4: Materia Medica. It's a textbook on drugs. Materia Medica That's
• 18:33
  Speaker 4: a very interesting question. I don't mean to be stupid, Doctor, but... Oh,
• 18:37
  Speaker 4: not at all. The drug is habit-forming. More than that.
• 18:42
  Speaker 4: To a victim of certain forms of heart disease, it's
• 18:46
  Speaker 4: like eating or breathing. It's the difference between life and death.
• 18:50
  Speaker 4: How often do they take it? Once a day, usually.
• 18:53
  Speaker 4: And if they stopped?
• 18:56
  Speaker 3: Heart failure, of course. How soon?
• 19:00
  Speaker 4: Two days, possibly more.
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: It depends.
• 19:03
  Speaker 4: Thanks very much, Doctor.
• 19:04
  Speaker 2: Oh, forget it.
• 19:05
  Speaker 4: Always glad to help out a detective story writer.
• 19:09
  Speaker 3: You know, I'm quite a mystery fan myself.
• 19:14
  Speaker 5: Hmm.
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: 91825.
• 19:20
  Speaker 6: Hmm. Well, that's our number.
• 19:27
  Speaker 4: I just wanted to double check.
• 19:29
  Speaker 6: I probably filled that prescription myself.
• 19:32
  Speaker 4: What does the card say?
• 19:33
  Speaker 3: Hmm.
• 19:34
  Speaker 6: First filled February 14th.
• 19:37
  Speaker 3: Dr. Talbot.
• 19:38
  Speaker 6: For patient Matthew Brandon, I say. That's all, except for
• 19:43
  Speaker 6: the name of the prescription, of course. Extract of digitalis.
• 19:54
  Speaker 4: Hello, Uncle Matt. Well, you must have done a lot
• 19:56
  Speaker 4: of reading. Been gone all day. Oh, I had a
• 19:59
  Speaker 4: few other things to do.
• 20:00
  Speaker 3: Oh?
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you, uh.
• 20:01
  Speaker 4: You know what today is?
• 20:03
  Speaker 3: Saturday?
• 20:04
  Speaker 4: April 16th. Big day, isn't it?
• 20:07
  Speaker 3: Chief. How did you know?
• 20:09
  Speaker 4: Never forget a birthday.
• 20:12
  Speaker 3: An envelope?
• 20:13
  Speaker 4: Be careful how you open this. Yes.
• 20:16
  Speaker 3: Let's see. It's empty, isn't it?
• 20:20
  Speaker 4: Look down in the corner there. Oh, a half penny black.
• 20:26
  Speaker 3: That's right.
• 20:27
  Speaker 4: Stancy been wanting. Okay. I don't know what to say, Keith.
• 20:33
  Speaker 4: Let me say it, will you?
• 20:35
  Speaker 9: I took a long walk today, Uncle Matt. I did
• 20:37
  Speaker 9: a lot of thinking about you and me. I've been
• 20:41
  Speaker 9: awfully wrong. I want things to be different now.
• 20:45
  Speaker 3: I really believe you mean that, Keith.
• 20:48
  Speaker 4: I do. Don't worry, boy. I... I always thought you
• 20:53
  Speaker 4: had a great heart.
• 20:56
  Speaker 3: Things will be different now.
• 20:59
  Speaker 4: THE END.
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: Yes, Keith, things will be different now. And you didn't
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: lie to him. You did take a walk and you
• 21:14
  Speaker 2: did do a lot of thinking about how you were
• 21:17
  Speaker 2: going to kill him this summer on Rourke Island. Murder
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: him with a perfect, ingenious plan that had no possible
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: chance of going wrong. The first thing, of course, is
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: to get his confidence. And as spring changes into summer,
• 21:32
  Speaker 2: you develop an interest in his stamp collections. go for
• 21:36
  Speaker 2: walks with him along the lake, spend evenings together at
• 21:39
  Speaker 2: the theater. And finally, on the day in early June,
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: you decide he's ready.
• 21:48
  Speaker 4: Just look at the lake out there.
• 21:49
  Speaker 3: You know, as long as I've lived here, I never
• 21:51
  Speaker 3: tire of it. I don't think I could ever live
• 21:54
  Speaker 3: away from water.
• 21:55
  Speaker 4: You know, it makes me think of the summers you
• 21:57
  Speaker 4: and Father and I used to spend on Rourke Island.
• 22:00
  Speaker 3: I haven't been there for years.
• 22:02
  Speaker 4: We still own it, don't we? Yes. Lodge is still there. Wharf,
• 22:08
  Speaker 4: the dory.
• 22:09
  Speaker 3: I suppose so.
• 22:11
  Speaker 4: Let's go.
• 22:11
  Speaker 3: Huh?
• 22:12
  Speaker 4: Just you and I. We could do a little fishing,
• 22:14
  Speaker 4: loaf around.
• 22:15
  Speaker 3: Do you really want to?
• 22:16
  Speaker 4: Of course I do. Look, you need to change, too.
• 22:18
  Speaker 9: We could hire a boat to take us out there,
• 22:19
  Speaker 9: bring food with us, and spend a week or ten days.
• 22:23
  Speaker 4: Why, George, I... What about it? It's a deal.
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: Three days later, as you stand on the jetty on
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: Rourke Island and watch the boat moving out into the
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: sound on its way back to Seattle, you realize that
• 22:44
  Speaker 2: there's no way you can fail now. That by the
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: time the boat returns, Uncle Matt will be dead of
• 22:50
  Speaker 2: heart failure. And at long last, the legacy will be yours.
• 22:55
  Speaker 2: The doctor told you he couldn't last two days without digitalis.
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: Nine should make it certain. After dinner, it seems an
• 23:11
  Speaker 2: eternity before Matt yawns and finally suggests going to bed.
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: You lie there tense until almost midnight. He's sound asleep now,
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: breathing heavily as you quietly get out of bed and
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: slip on your clothes. First, the small boat moored down
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: at the jetty.
• 23:34
  Speaker 4: Now this rope.
• 23:38
  Speaker 3: There.
• 23:40
  Speaker 4: That ought to do it.
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: You cut it loose. Stand there a minute, watching it
• 23:46
  Speaker 2: drift out with the tide. Then you hurry back to
• 23:50
  Speaker 2: the house. On the kitchen table is the portable radio
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: telephone Matt brought along as a safety measure. You take
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: out the rectifier tube. Walk quietly to the rear of
• 24:01
  Speaker 2: the house where he can't hear. But the most important
• 24:07
  Speaker 2: thing of all is the bottle of digitalis you'd seen
• 24:10
  Speaker 2: him slip into his luggage when he thought you weren't looking.
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: You carefully feel through the suitcase at the foot of
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: his bed. Take it out. Make certain it's all he has.
• 24:22
  Speaker 2: And then walk to the sink. Empty it. You fill
• 24:28
  Speaker 2: it with water from the faucet. Five minutes later, it's
• 24:35
  Speaker 2: back in place in the suitcase. There's nothing to do
• 24:40
  Speaker 2: now but wait.
• 24:57
  Speaker 4: How'd you like your eggs, Keith? Up easy.
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: Right.
• 25:01
  Speaker 4: Got the table set?
• 25:02
  Speaker 3: Where are the plates?
• 25:03
  Speaker 4: They're on the stove, getting warm.
• 25:07
  Speaker 3: Ah, smell that, boy?
• 25:09
  Speaker 4: Nothing like the smell of bacon and eggs, is there?
• 25:11
  Speaker 3: Here, let me help you dish up. Take care of
• 25:13
  Speaker 3: the coffee, will you?
• 25:16
  Speaker 4: You know, Keith?
• 25:17
  Speaker 3: Yeah? We're going to have a great time together from
• 25:20
  Speaker 3: now on, aren't we? All right. Nothing.
• 25:26
  Speaker 4: Let's sit down to breakfast, huh?
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: The Whistler will return in just a moment with a
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: strange ending of tonight's story. Tomorrow being New Year's Eve,
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: most programs tonight are wishing you Happy New Year.
• 25:48
  Speaker 4: And of course, we want.
• 25:49
  Speaker 3: To do the same.
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: But just wishing doesn't always make a thing come true.
• 25:54
  Speaker 2: That's why the Signal Oil organization has asked me to
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: go a step farther tonight and leave a thought with
• 26:00
  Speaker 2: you which, if it saves just one life, will be
• 26:03
  Speaker 2: well worth this moment of your time. New Year's Eve
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: is one of the most hazardous nights of the year
• 26:09
  Speaker 2: for drivers and pedestrians. Many people are at the wheel
• 26:14
  Speaker 2: who shouldn't be. Cars are old. Driving conditions are not good.
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: If you don't absolutely have to go out, Don't. But
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: if you must drive, take it easy. Keep the speed down.
• 26:25
  Speaker 2: Keep a sharp eye on other drivers and pedestrians. I
• 26:29
  Speaker 2: know these are somber words for an occasion like this,
• 26:32
  Speaker 2: but if all you friends of the Whistler will just
• 26:34
  Speaker 2: remember them tomorrow night, it'll go a long way toward
• 26:38
  Speaker 2: keeping some unnecessary auto accident from marring the happy new year,
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: which we of the Signal Organization hope will be yours.
• 26:48
  Speaker 3: And now, back to the Whistler.
• 27:00
  Speaker 2: Well, Keith, it's a little unusual to be sitting down
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: to breakfast with a man you know is going to
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: die in a day or two. Yes, it's all done now,
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: isn't it? Your only chance of getting away from Roark
• 27:14
  Speaker 2: Island vanished when you cut the boat adrift down at
• 27:17
  Speaker 2: the dock. and smashed the rectifier tube of the radio
• 27:20
  Speaker 2: telephone Uncle Matt brought along for safety reasons. Yes, the
• 27:26
  Speaker 2: murder has been committed already, hasn't it, Keith? It happened
• 27:30
  Speaker 2: the moment you emptied his bottle of Digitalis down the
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: sink and refilled it with plain water. He might last
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: 48 hours, but it's a good nine days until the
• 27:41
  Speaker 2: boat comes back from the mainland. You know it'll happen
• 27:44
  Speaker 2: long before then. Halfway through breakfast, you look up from
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: your plate to see him watching you. A quiet smile
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: on his face.
• 27:54
  Speaker 3: Your father never would have believed you could eat like that.
• 27:56
  Speaker 7: You know, Keith, you're a different boy now than the
• 28:00
  Speaker 7: one he knew.
• 28:02
  Speaker 3: Good or bad? It's wonderful.
• 28:05
  Speaker 7: I'm going to do something I promised him I'd never do.
• 28:07
  Speaker 7: I won't be with you forever. I think you can
• 28:12
  Speaker 7: take it now.
• 28:12
  Speaker 4: What do you mean? He was afraid you'd kill yourself
• 28:17
  Speaker 4: if you ever found out about it. That's why he
• 28:20
  Speaker 4: was so unreasonable about your staying home. Why he refused
• 28:23
  Speaker 4: to let you marry. That's why he wanted me to
• 28:26
  Speaker 4: take care of you. What are you talking about?
• 28:30
  Speaker 3: See this? Did you tell us? I'm going to let
• 28:35
  Speaker 3: you take care of it now. Matt.
• 28:39
  Speaker 7: You'd better develop a lot of respect for it, Keith.
• 28:42
  Speaker 7: You've been getting it secretly in your coffee for two
• 28:45
  Speaker 7: years now. It's the only thing in the world that's
• 28:49
  Speaker 7: keeping you alive.
• 29:10
  Speaker 2: Let that whistle be your signal for the Signal Oil program,
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: The Whistler. Each Monday at 9, brought to you by
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: the Signal Oil Company, who have asked me to remind
• 29:19
  Speaker 2: you to get the most driving pleasure in 1947, drive
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: at sensible speeds, be courteous, and obey traffic regulations. You'll
• 29:27
  Speaker 2: go farther and have a happier new year. Featured in
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: tonight's story were David Ellis and Charles Seal. The Whistler
• 29:37
  Speaker 2: was produced by George W. Allen, with story by Harold... Swanton,
• 29:40
  Speaker 2: music by Wilbur Hatch, and was transmitted to our troops
• 29:43
  Speaker 2: overseas by the Armed Forces Radio Service. This is Marvin
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: Miller speaking for the Signal Oil Company. This is CBS,
• 29:53
  Speaker 2: the Columbia Broadcasting System.
• 30:08
  Speaker 1: You have heard The Whistler, Murder on Rourke Island, first
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: broadcast in 1946. Follow The Whistler for more classic broadcasts.