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The Whistler - "Two and One Makes Murder" (Old Time Radio, 1951) · The Whistler | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Mildred Wiley hopes to marry her employer, Philip Taggart, but
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Taggart has married another woman, and Mildred sets out to
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: break apart the new union. It is the situation at
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: the center of The Whistler. Two and One Makes Murder.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Episode 466. First heard May 6, 1951. Gene Bates, John Dana,
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: and Wally Meyer are heard in this 30-minute CBS Pacific
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Network broadcast, sponsored by Signal Oil. The Whistler brought its
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: West Coast mystery anthology to radio listeners week after week.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: This program takes us to Mildred Wiley and Philip Taggart,
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: where an employee's determined interference carries dangerous consequences. Now, back
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: to the golden age of radio.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: And now, stay tuned for the program that has rated
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: tops in popularity for a longer period of time than
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: any other West Coast program in radio history. The Signal
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: Oil Program, The Whistler. Signal, the famous go-farther gasoline, invites
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: you to sit back and enjoy another strange story by
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: the Whistler.
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for
• 1:43
  Speaker 3: I walk by night. I know many strange tales hidden
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: in the hearts of men and women who have stepped
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: into the shadows. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: which they dare not speak.
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: And now for the Signal Oil Company, the Whistler's strange story,
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: Two and One Makes Murder.
• 2:04
  Speaker 4: Two and One Makes Murder.
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: To Mildred Wiley, the cool mountain breeze was delightful. She
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: was sitting on the porch of Taggart Lodge, chatting with
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: the mother of her employer, Philip Taggart. Mildred smiled as
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: she recalled her last conversation with him, when Philip had
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: told her he was in love. Every so often during
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: the 14 years Mildred had been employed by Taggart & Company,
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: where she'd started as a 19-year-old stenographer and worked up
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: to her present position of personnel director and treasurer, Philip
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: Taggart had come to her and told her in friendly
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: confidence that he had finally found the right woman. But
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: each time he'd discover after a few months that he
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: was wrong, and Mildred was certain that this time would
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: be no exception. Yes, Mildred would see to that. Appearing
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: younger and still beautiful in her early thirties, she'd long
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: since decided that she herself would someday be Mrs. Philip Taggart,
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: an heir by marriage to the Taggart fortune. As Philip's
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: mother spoke, Mildred.
• 3:08
  Speaker 5: Looked up Well, Mildred, you didn't have a long wait.
• 3:12
  Speaker 6: Philip's car's coming up the road now.
• 3:14
  Speaker 7: Well, Mrs.
• 3:17
  Speaker 6: Taggart, that... That's not Philip, is it? Of course it is, dear.
• 3:21
  Speaker 6: But that girl with him... Well, that's Philip's secretary. Ann Backers?
• 3:27
  Speaker 6: I didn't recognize her. What's she doing? She's spending her
• 3:29
  Speaker 6: vacation with us. I thought you knew.
• 3:32
  Speaker 5: She and Philip are to be married very soon now.
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: Married? Ann?
• 3:36
  Speaker 5: Yes.
• 3:38
  Speaker 6: Isn't it wonderful?
• 3:40
  Speaker 7: Yes, I.
• 3:41
  Speaker 6: I think it's marvelous. Tell Philip I'd like to see
• 3:44
  Speaker 6: him in the library. Will you, Mrs. Taggart?
• 3:47
  Speaker 8: Of course, Philip, it's none of my business. But I
• 3:57
  Speaker 8: think you're being very foolish. Anne's only 23.
• 4:01
  Speaker 6: She could marry dozens of young men her own age.
• 4:03
  Speaker 9: Yet she chose me. Very flattering, isn't it?
• 4:06
  Speaker 6: She chose you because you're Philip Taggart. Dare to the
• 4:09
  Speaker 6: tag at fortune.
• 4:10
  Speaker 9: That isn't very kind, Mildred.
• 4:12
  Speaker 6: It's kinder than you realize. I'm only thinking of you.
• 4:15
  Speaker 10: A girl like Anne Backers, well, she couldn't make you
• 4:18
  Speaker 10: happy for any length of time.
• 4:19
  Speaker 4: Please, Mildred, you've been with us so long now, you're
• 4:21
  Speaker 4: almost like one of a family, and I'm sure that
• 4:23
  Speaker 4: you're sincerely interested in my welfare, but this is something
• 4:26
  Speaker 4: that concerns only.
• 4:27
  Speaker 9: Anne and me. We're being married in a month.
• 4:29
  Speaker 11: The End.
• 4:39
  Speaker 3: A month, Mildred. That's time enough, isn't it? You don't
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: know just how you'll prevent Philip's marriage to Anne, but
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: you're sure you'll find a way. After you return to
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: the city, you decide one thing. You must give every
• 4:51
  Speaker 3: outward evidence that the coming marriage has your complete approval.
• 4:55
  Speaker 12: Yes, Mildred.
• 4:56
  Speaker 3: The more you think of it, you realize that it's
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: all important to you to make friends with Anne. So
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: you invite Anne to drop into your office. You.
• 5:06
  Speaker 5: You wanted to see me, Miss Wiley?
• 5:07
  Speaker 6: Yes, Anne. Sit down, won't you? Don't look so distressed.
• 5:10
  Speaker 6: I don't really eat people.
• 5:11
  Speaker 7: You know. Oh, I know.
• 5:13
  Speaker 6: It's just that.
• 5:14
  Speaker 5: Well, I don't know you very well. And somehow I
• 5:17
  Speaker 5: felt that you didn't quite approve of me and Philip.
• 5:20
  Speaker 10: Oh, but I do, Anne. I'm sorry if you thought otherwise.
• 5:23
  Speaker 10: You're quite right, though. We don't know each other very well.
• 5:26
  Speaker 10: And that's why I asked you to come to see me.
• 5:27
  Speaker 10: I think we ought to remedy that right away.
• 5:29
  Speaker 5: Oh, I'd like that. I know how much Philip and
• 5:31
  Speaker 5: his mother think of you. I'm sure we can be friends, too.
• 5:34
  Speaker 10: As far as I'm concerned. We are friends, Anne. If
• 5:38
  Speaker 10: you ever need me for anything, please feel free to
• 5:41
  Speaker 10: call on me.
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: You've made a fine start, haven't you, Mildred? Yes, you've
• 5:54
  Speaker 3: made Anne believe that all you want of her is
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: her friendship. And you do want it, don't you, Mildred?
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: You're convinced that having Anne's trust and respect is an
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: important step toward preventing her marriage to Philip. For several days,
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: you consider various other moves. Discard them one after another.
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: You want to be certain you make no mistakes. Then
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: one morning at breakfast, you open the morning paper.
• 6:20
  Speaker 6: Philip Taggart, well-known industrialist, marries Secretary Anne Bacchus in surprise elopement.
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: You stare at the picture of the happy pair, then
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: crumple the paper angrily.
• 6:31
  Speaker 6: It won't last. I won't let it last.
• 6:35
  Speaker 10: One way or another, I'll break up that marriage forever.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: How fast will your car pick up?
• 6:57
  Speaker 9: Pick up?
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: Just try a tank full of signal ethyl and see.
• 7:02
  Speaker 7: How easily will your car climb a hill?
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: Climb a hill? Well, just try a tank full of
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: Signal Ethyl and see. You'll see the smartest, most thrilling
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: performance your car is capable of. After all, Signal Ethyl,
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: the premium grade of Signal's famous go-farther gasoline, is a
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: true super fuel. Engineered to bring out the best in
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: any car of any age. Engineered to put the pulse-quickening
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: thrill of swift acceleration at the command.
• 7:28
  Speaker 9: Of your toes.
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: Engineered to sweep you over hills, even those steep ones,
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: with smooth, sure power to spare. The kind of driving
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: that's really fun. So, just for fun, why not treat
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: your car to a tank full of Signal Ethyl and see?
• 7:44
  Speaker 9: See for yourself.
• 8:04
  Speaker 3: Well, Mildred, after all the years you've schemed to marry
• 8:07
  Speaker 3: Philip Taggart, he suddenly elopes with his secretary, Anne Bacchus.
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: But you're still determined to land Philip Taggart for yourself someday.
• 8:15
  Speaker 3: And the day after they return from their honeymoon, you begin.
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: First of all, you decide to win Anne's complete confidence.
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: And for the next few weeks, you see her frequently
• 8:24
  Speaker 3: at the Taggart home. Until you're certain Anne believes in
• 8:27
  Speaker 3: your friendship, trusts you implicitly. And as you know her better...
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: you begin to wonder whether she's as sweet and innocent
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: as she seems. Her studied avoidance of any reference to
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: the past or her family make you more suspicious. You
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: decide to take a gamble. You hire a private investigator
• 8:45
  Speaker 3: to look into Anne's past, her family, her connections. After
• 8:49
  Speaker 3: weeks of expenditure, worry, and secret hope, your investigator turns
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: in his reports.
• 8:54
  Speaker 13: Well, Miss Wiley, I'd say your money had been well invested,
• 8:57
  Speaker 13: very well invested. Your little girlfriend is personally above reproach,
• 9:01
  Speaker 13: but she made a bad mistake once about three years ago.
• 9:04
  Speaker 6: What? What kind of mistake?
• 9:06
  Speaker 9: She got married.
• 9:07
  Speaker 6: So Philip Taggart's charming young bride is a divorcee.
• 9:10
  Speaker 9: No, she's still married to the guy she.
• 9:12
  Speaker 6: Married three years ago. You mean she's a bigamist?
• 9:15
  Speaker 13: Well, not by intent, by accident. This first fellow she married,
• 9:18
  Speaker 13: Fred Backus, was a no-good tin horn gambler. When he
• 9:22
  Speaker 13: and your little girlfriend split up, she wanted to go
• 9:24
  Speaker 13: to New York. So to save time, she signed no
• 9:26
  Speaker 13: contest papers. And he agreed to file suit immediately.
• 9:28
  Speaker 6: But he never got around to it.
• 9:30
  Speaker 7: Nah.
• 9:31
  Speaker 6: You know where this Fred Backus is?
• 9:32
  Speaker 13: Yeah, he's a sort of commuter between San Diego and Tijuana.
• 9:36
  Speaker 13: He's still a tin horn gambler. Has a room in
• 9:38
  Speaker 13: San Diego. He's a car dealer at a little gambling club,
• 9:42
  Speaker 13: the Diablo in Tijuana.
• 9:43
  Speaker 9: Stud mostly.
• 9:44
  Speaker 6: Club Diablo, Tijuana.
• 9:47
  Speaker 9: Satisfied?
• 9:48
  Speaker 6: More than satisfied. You've earned yourself a bonus.
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: Well, Mildred, you've made quite a discovery, haven't you? Mrs.
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: Philip Taggart isn't legally Mrs. Philip Taggart after all. And
• 10:09
  Speaker 3: Anne herself doesn't know it. The important thing now is
• 10:12
  Speaker 3: how to use this explosive information. That night you decide
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: on an important move. Two evenings later, you arrive in
• 10:20
  Speaker 3: San Diego, register at an inconspicuous hotel as Mary Weiss,
• 10:24
  Speaker 3: San Bernardino. You dress carefully and taxi to Tijuana, where
• 10:29
  Speaker 3: you easily locate the Club Diablo and Fred Bacchus. By
• 10:32
  Speaker 3: four in the morning, it begins to look as though
• 10:34
  Speaker 3: your visit to the Southland will be worthwhile.
• 10:38
  Speaker 12: Look, lady, if the boss heard me say this, I'd
• 10:40
  Speaker 12: get fired. But this isn't your night, and I'd hate
• 10:44
  Speaker 12: to see a classy dish like you go broke. Why
• 10:47
  Speaker 12: don't you lay off for the rest of the night, huh?
• 10:49
  Speaker 12: Try again tomorrow night, hmm?
• 10:51
  Speaker 6: Maybe you've got something, Mr.
• 10:53
  Speaker 12: Backus, Fred Backus. Look, we close in half an hour.
• 10:57
  Speaker 12: How about me buying you some ham and eggs?
• 11:00
  Speaker 6: Why not?
• 11:12
  Speaker 12: I've known you six days now, honey, and I'm still
• 11:14
  Speaker 12: trying to figure you... You've got class.
• 11:16
  Speaker 6: There's nothing to figure. I'm just a broad stenographer on vacation.
• 11:20
  Speaker 9: You don't like your work?
• 11:20
  Speaker 6: I hate it.
• 11:21
  Speaker 12: Well, why don't you stick around here for a while?
• 11:24
  Speaker 6: I like to eat.
• 11:26
  Speaker 12: Well, I think you could win enough at the club
• 11:28
  Speaker 12: for coffee and cakes.
• 11:30
  Speaker 3: Maybe coffee, even, if you didn't overdo it.
• 11:34
  Speaker 6: And your percentage?
• 11:35
  Speaker 12: Well, let's just say that I'm a good gambler. Think
• 11:39
  Speaker 12: about it, anyway.
• 11:40
  Speaker 10: Thinking's bad for you, especially on a vacation. Incidentally, Fred,
• 11:44
  Speaker 10: I don't think I'll come over to the club tonight.
• 11:45
  Speaker 10: I've got some letters to write.
• 11:47
  Speaker 12: You mean I'm not going to see you?
• 11:49
  Speaker 10: You might drop by my place for a drink before
• 11:51
  Speaker 10: you leave.
• 11:52
  Speaker 11: Oh, will do.
• 12:06
  Speaker 6: Well, come in, Fred. Sit down.
• 12:08
  Speaker 7: Thanks.
• 12:08
  Speaker 12: Thanks. A Seattle paper, huh?
• 12:12
  Speaker 10: Yeah, a month old, though. I found it on a
• 12:13
  Speaker 10: chair in the lobby. I never saw one before. Take
• 12:16
  Speaker 10: a look at it, if you like, while I order
• 12:17
  Speaker 10: something to drink.
• 12:18
  Speaker 6: What would you like, friend?
• 12:19
  Speaker 12: Oh, scotch and water. Hey, hey, Mildred.
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: Hmm?
• 12:24
  Speaker 12: This girl on the front page, Ann Backus.
• 12:26
  Speaker 6: Who? What about her? She married a boss.
• 12:29
  Speaker 12: Oh, happens all the time. Oh, not this, honey. You see,
• 12:33
  Speaker 12: this baby's my wife. Oh, she doesn't know it, though.
• 12:36
  Speaker 12: She thinks I got a divorce from her.
• 12:38
  Speaker 6: But how could she think.
• 12:39
  Speaker 12: Well, when we split up, I promised her I'd get one.
• 12:41
  Speaker 12: And when she wrote later on, I told her it
• 12:43
  Speaker 12: was in the mill. That she'd be free in 30 days.
• 12:46
  Speaker 6: Oh, Fred, that's terrible. The poor girl.
• 12:48
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 12:49
  Speaker 12: Yeah, it is tough, all right. But I just never
• 12:52
  Speaker 12: got around to it.
• 12:52
  Speaker 6: Bill, it might not be so tough for you, Fred.
• 12:56
  Speaker 9: Well, what do you mean?
• 12:58
  Speaker 6: Well, I imagine the new Mrs.
• 12:59
  Speaker 10: Taggart would pay plenty for a quick divorce, plus your silence.
• 13:03
  Speaker 12: Well, I'd... I'd hate to do that to Ann. She
• 13:07
  Speaker 12: was a pretty good kid and.
• 13:08
  Speaker 9: Fred.
• 13:09
  Speaker 7: Hmm?
• 13:10
  Speaker 6: You thought what we could do with, say, $ 10, 000?
• 13:13
  Speaker 11: Uh, we?
• 13:18
  Speaker 10: If we had $ 10, 000, I wouldn't have.
• 13:22
  Speaker 6: To go back to my job, would I?
• 13:25
  Speaker 12: No. No, you wouldn't, would you?
• 13:29
  Speaker 6: Isn't it worth a try? Honey. Yeah.
• 13:39
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I guess it is at that. Say, how about
• 13:42
  Speaker 3: that drink, baby, huh? Well, Mildred, Fred's no longer a problem,
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: is he? By the next day, you've sold him on
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: a blackmail approach to Ann. Seen him off on a
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: train to Seattle with the promise that you'll wait impatiently
• 13:59
  Speaker 3: for his return. Then you return to your hotel, check out,
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: and hurry to the airport. By the time Fred reaches Seattle,
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: you're already there and have set the stage. You're certain
• 14:09
  Speaker 3: that once Fred contacts Anne, she'll come to the one
• 14:12
  Speaker 3: person she feels she can trust with such shocking information.
• 14:16
  Speaker 9: You, Mildred.
• 14:17
  Speaker 3: And a few days later, just as you planned it,
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: Anne pours out her heart to.
• 14:21
  Speaker 9: You over lunch.
• 14:23
  Speaker 5: I don't know where to turn, Mildred.
• 14:24
  Speaker 6: What to do?
• 14:25
  Speaker 3: You.
• 14:25
  Speaker 6: you haven't mentioned this other marriage to Philip.
• 14:28
  Speaker 5: Oh, no.
• 14:29
  Speaker 6: Not to anyone but you, I... I must tell him,
• 14:31
  Speaker 6: of course. Oh, but you mustn't, Anne.
• 14:33
  Speaker 7: What?
• 14:33
  Speaker 6: You can't tell Philip anything about this, not until it's
• 14:35
  Speaker 6: all over. But I'll have to, Mildred. It's a fear
• 14:39
  Speaker 6: to him.
• 14:39
  Speaker 8: And there's the money, the $ 10, 000 Fred's demanding.
• 14:42
  Speaker 6: Now, don't worry about the money. I'll lend that to you.
• 14:46
  Speaker 5: Oh, no, I couldn't let.
• 14:48
  Speaker 6: Anne, Anne, listen to me. The 10,000 is a small
• 14:50
  Speaker 6: price to pay, comparatively. Oh, but Mildred, that much money,
• 14:54
  Speaker 6: it must be... Most of my life savings, yes. I'm
• 14:57
  Speaker 6: not worried about that. Once this nightmare's over, you'll pay
• 14:59
  Speaker 6: me back.
• 15:00
  Speaker 10: Believe me, Anne, there's only one course you can take.
• 15:04
  Speaker 5: I want to do whatever's best for Philip.
• 15:07
  Speaker 6: You know that. Well, let's consider Philip. You don't want
• 15:10
  Speaker 6: to hurt him unnecessarily, I know. But if it ever
• 15:13
  Speaker 6: reached the papers that.
• 15:14
  Speaker 10: that Philip Taggart's wife was a bigamist, Do you know
• 15:17
  Speaker 10: what that could do to a man in his position?
• 15:19
  Speaker 6: I know, I know.
• 15:20
  Speaker 10: Well, you can spare him all that scandal, all that notoriety,
• 15:23
  Speaker 10: and you'll have to ask Philip to divorce you temporarily.
• 15:27
  Speaker 6: Divorce me?
• 15:29
  Speaker 7: Oh, but I.
• 15:29
  Speaker 6: I said it wouldn't be easy at first. But you'll
• 15:32
  Speaker 6: have to let Philip divorce you. Then go to Reno
• 15:34
  Speaker 6: and divorce Fred Backers.
• 15:36
  Speaker 10: Once that's final, you can come back, tell Philip everything,
• 15:38
  Speaker 10: and remarry him without any strings attached.
• 15:41
  Speaker 6: But Mildred, what about Philip? Will he want me back
• 15:45
  Speaker 6: after all this? You know how much he loves you.
• 15:49
  Speaker 10: If I know Philip wants your divorce and in a
• 15:51
  Speaker 10: position to tell him the whole story, he'll love you
• 15:54
  Speaker 10: all the more for sparing him this scandal. If you like,
• 15:57
  Speaker 10: I'll go to Philip with you.
• 15:58
  Speaker 5: Oh, Mildred, would you? I know Philip would understand if
• 16:02
  Speaker 5: we went to him together.
• 16:04
  Speaker 6: I'll be glad to.
• 16:06
  Speaker 3: But first things first.
• 16:08
  Speaker 6: You tell your Mr. Backers he'll have his money tomorrow.
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: Well, Mildred, your biggest hurdle is over, isn't it? The
• 16:24
  Speaker 3: weeks you've spent gaining Anne's confidence have paid you a
• 16:27
  Speaker 3: real dividend. You're so sure your plans will succeed, you're
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: tempted to forget Fred Backus, let him keep your.
• 16:34
  Speaker 7: $ 10, 000.
• 16:35
  Speaker 3: But you quickly discard that plan as both extravagant and dangerous.
• 16:39
  Speaker 3: And the next morning, you're again flying to San Diego,
• 16:42
  Speaker 3: where you wait Fred's return as a Greek. A few
• 16:45
  Speaker 3: evenings later, the two of you celebrate his success.
• 16:52
  Speaker 12: Oh, this champagne's real stuff, huh, baby? I can't get
• 16:57
  Speaker 12: over how Ann forked over the ten grand, just like
• 16:59
  Speaker 12: you said.
• 17:00
  Speaker 6: Oh, I knew she would. You, uh, have the money
• 17:03
  Speaker 6: with you?
• 17:04
  Speaker 9: Sure.
• 17:05
  Speaker 6: Right here, honey. How about ordering some more champagne?
• 17:08
  Speaker 12: Oh, now you're talking, baby. Now you're... Hey, waiter.
• 17:11
  Speaker 3: Waiter, a couple more bottles of champagne.
• 17:14
  Speaker 6: Ooh.
• 17:16
  Speaker 9: Gee, honey, all of a sudden, I don't feel so good.
• 17:19
  Speaker 12: I think I'd better go outside and.
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: Get some air.
• 17:22
  Speaker 6: Oh, that's too bad. Darling, skip the champagne. Call a taxi.
• 17:26
  Speaker 6: I'll take you home.
• 17:37
  Speaker 3: Once you get Fred to his room, he falls into
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: a dead sleep. You made sure of that, didn't you, Mildred?
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: You go quickly through his pockets. There it is, the
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: blackmail money you gave Anne in Seattle. You smile as
• 17:48
  Speaker 3: you slip it into your purse. Things are going just
• 17:51
  Speaker 3: the way you planned. By the time Fred awakens, your
• 17:54
  Speaker 3: brief masquerade as Mary Weiss will be finished. Your only
• 17:58
  Speaker 3: worry now is whether Anne went through with her request
• 18:01
  Speaker 3: that Philip divorce her. But that concern is quickly dispelled
• 18:04
  Speaker 3: when you return to Seattle in the office and learn
• 18:07
  Speaker 3: that it is common gossip that Anne has left Philip.
• 18:10
  Speaker 3: You pretend to be deeply shocked and go at once
• 18:12
  Speaker 3: to his office.
• 18:14
  Speaker 9: Well, Mildred, I guess you can say I told you so.
• 18:19
  Speaker 6: I didn't come to say that. Ann will come back. Philip,
• 18:22
  Speaker 6: everything will clear up, I'm sure.
• 18:23
  Speaker 9: No, no, no. She's left me.
• 18:24
  Speaker 4: She's taken an apartment at the Marlboro. She's asked me
• 18:27
  Speaker 4: for a divorce. I'm going to file immediately. For some reason,
• 18:30
  Speaker 4: she wants me to get the divorce. I don't understand it.
• 18:34
  Speaker 9: But if that's the way she wants it, that's the
• 18:36
  Speaker 9: way it'll be.
• 18:36
  Speaker 6: Well, Ann was very young. Too young to know what
• 18:39
  Speaker 6: she wanted, really. I'm sure it wasn't your fault.
• 18:42
  Speaker 9: Thanks, Millie.
• 18:45
  Speaker 4: You've always understood me pretty well. Right now, that's rather
• 18:49
  Speaker 4: important to me.
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: Philip welcomed your visit, didn't he, Mildred? There's little doubt
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: in your mind now that you've won. That sooner or later,
• 19:04
  Speaker 3: you'll be Mrs. Philip Taggart. But the following evening, sitting
• 19:08
  Speaker 3: in your apartment, an unexpected phone call hits you like
• 19:11
  Speaker 3: a bombshell.
• 19:14
  Speaker 6: Hello?
• 19:15
  Speaker 7: Hello, sweetheart.
• 19:17
  Speaker 6: Fred Backus.
• 19:18
  Speaker 7: You didn't expect to hear from me so soon, did you?
• 19:20
  Speaker 6: No, I didn't. How did you find me?
• 19:22
  Speaker 7: Easy, from your driver's license.
• 19:25
  Speaker 6: My driver's license?
• 19:26
  Speaker 7: Yes, it was in your purse. I saw it three
• 19:28
  Speaker 7: or four times.
• 19:29
  Speaker 6: I see. Well, what are you going to do?
• 19:34
  Speaker 7: Nothing, if you play it smart. Give me back my dough.
• 19:37
  Speaker 6: And if I don't?
• 19:39
  Speaker 7: Then I think Mr. Philip Taggart might like to know
• 19:41
  Speaker 7: why his wife left him. I could make it pretty
• 19:44
  Speaker 7: hot for you, you know.
• 19:46
  Speaker 6: Yes.
• 19:47
  Speaker 3: Yes, I guess you could.
• 19:48
  Speaker 10: All right, Fred, I'll have the money for you tomorrow night.
• 19:52
  Speaker 12: Where?
• 19:53
  Speaker 6: I'll bring it to you. Where are you staying?
• 19:55
  Speaker 7: At the Winston.
• 19:56
  Speaker 3: Room 524.
• 19:57
  Speaker 7: I'll be there at 7.30, Fred.
• 19:58
  Speaker 6: I know when I'm whip.
• 20:10
  Speaker 3: But you're not whipped, are you, Mildred?
• 20:12
  Speaker 7: No.
• 20:13
  Speaker 3: Because suddenly a solution emerges quite clearly. You can remove
• 20:17
  Speaker 3: Fred Backus as a threat and eliminate Anne as an
• 20:20
  Speaker 3: obstacle to your plan in one daring move. Then your
• 20:24
  Speaker 3: path will be clear to win Philip Taggart for yourself. Yes, Mildred,
• 20:28
  Speaker 3: at last you're sure of what you must do. You
• 20:31
  Speaker 3: set your final plan into action the very next afternoon
• 20:35
  Speaker 3: when you visit Anne at her apartment at the Marlborough.
• 20:38
  Speaker 6: Oh, Mildred, come in.
• 20:41
  Speaker 5: Oh, I'm so glad to see you. You're the first
• 20:42
  Speaker 5: person I've seen since I left Phillip.
• 20:44
  Speaker 6: Oh, here, sit down. Oh, well, I can't stay very
• 20:47
  Speaker 6: long right now, but I had a hunch you might
• 20:49
  Speaker 6: be a little bit lonesome. Wondered if you were planning
• 20:51
  Speaker 6: to be home this evening. I thought I'd stop by later.
• 20:53
  Speaker 5: Oh, I'd love to see you. I'll be here alone
• 20:55
  Speaker 5: all evening.
• 20:56
  Speaker 6: How about a drink? No, I don't think so. I'll
• 20:58
  Speaker 6: just have a cigarette with you and run. Oh, there's
• 21:00
  Speaker 6: some in the box on the table. I have some, thanks, dear. Johnny,
• 21:04
  Speaker 6: that's your last match. Don't I have any out? I'll
• 21:08
  Speaker 6: go in the kitchen and get some. Fine. Meanwhile, do
• 21:10
  Speaker 6: you mind if I powder my nose? Of course not.
• 21:11
  Speaker 5: Right over there.
• 21:20
  Speaker 3: Well, you've found out one thing, haven't you, Mildred? Anne
• 21:22
  Speaker 3: is going to be home all evening, alone. Now you
• 21:26
  Speaker 3: must get what you came for. Anything to tie Anne
• 21:29
  Speaker 3: in with your coming meeting with Fred Backus. You glance around,
• 21:33
  Speaker 3: see Anne's laundry bag in the corner. Reach in and
• 21:35
  Speaker 3: come in with a soil handkerchief carrying the initials A.T.
• 21:40
  Speaker 3: This is all you need, isn't it, Mildred? A few
• 21:46
  Speaker 3: minutes later, you leave Anne. And at seven o'clock that evening,
• 21:49
  Speaker 3: you select a hat that comes well down over your face.
• 21:52
  Speaker 3: Don a veil and a loose-fitting blue coat. And take
• 21:55
  Speaker 3: a steel letter opener from your desk. Place it in
• 21:58
  Speaker 3: your purse. Leave your apartment. And walk the few blocks
• 22:02
  Speaker 3: to the Winston Hotel. Fred Backus.
• 22:05
  Speaker 7: You know, you shouldn't have run out on me like
• 22:07
  Speaker 7: you did, baby.
• 22:08
  Speaker 6: Okay, Fred, I shouldn't have run out on you.
• 22:10
  Speaker 12: Especially, you shouldn't have taken all the dough. You brought
• 22:14
  Speaker 12: it with you?
• 22:15
  Speaker 6: Yes. Right here in my purse. Here it is. Oh, sorry, Fred.
• 22:20
  Speaker 6: It slipped out of my hand.
• 22:21
  Speaker 12: Oh, don't let that worry you.
• 22:22
  Speaker 3: I never mind, stupid. Without a glance at the man
• 22:31
  Speaker 3: you have just killed, You carefully wipe your fingerprints from
• 22:34
  Speaker 3: the steel letter opener and wrap it in a newspaper. Next,
• 22:38
  Speaker 3: you pointedly drop Anne's initial handkerchief near the door. Quietly
• 22:42
  Speaker 3: make your way from the hotel to the corner where
• 22:44
  Speaker 3: you toss the letter opener into a sewer and then
• 22:47
  Speaker 3: stroll back to your apartment. Next day, the papers carry
• 22:50
  Speaker 3: an account of the murder of Fred Backus. But it's
• 22:53
  Speaker 3: not until two days later that the police trace the
• 22:55
  Speaker 3: handkerchief to Anne Taggart and pick her up on suspicion
• 22:59
  Speaker 3: of murder. It's almost over, isn't it, Milt? The following morning,
• 23:04
  Speaker 3: as you reach the office, you find a telegram on
• 23:06
  Speaker 3: your desk.
• 23:10
  Speaker 10: In view of recent unhappy developments, Mother and I are
• 23:13
  Speaker 10: staying indefinitely at Taggart Lodge. We'd enjoy having you spend
• 23:17
  Speaker 10: weekend with us if you care to drive up tomorrow.
• 23:20
  Speaker 6: Affectionately, Phyllis.
• 23:23
  Speaker 7: Hello? Did you get the telegram I left on your
• 23:25
  Speaker 7: desk okay, Miss Wiley?
• 23:27
  Speaker 6: Oh, yes, Johnny, yes.
• 23:28
  Speaker 7: No bad news, I hope?
• 23:30
  Speaker 10: On the contrary, it's good news. I've just found something
• 23:33
  Speaker 10: that means a great deal to me. Something I once
• 23:37
  Speaker 10: thought I'd lost.
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: How long will your car last? How long will your
• 23:54
  Speaker 2: car last? Well, one thing is for sure. If you
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: could reduce engine wear 50%, your car should last a
• 24:01
  Speaker 2: lot longer, shouldn't it? And now you can do just that,
• 24:04
  Speaker 2: reduce engine wear due to lubrication 50% with amazing new
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: Signal Premium motor oil. Think of the extra driving pleasure,
• 24:12
  Speaker 2: the extra savings this can mean for you. Thanks to
• 24:15
  Speaker 2: new Signal Premium, your car should now run twice as
• 24:19
  Speaker 2: many miles before needing an overhaul due to engine wear.
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: If your car is not already an oil eater, new
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: Signal Premium should double the period during which you'll continue
• 24:28
  Speaker 2: to enjoy low oil consumption. And speaking of price, although
• 24:33
  Speaker 2: most things have gone up, up, up, this superior quality,
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: heavy-duty type oil that gives you all these extra benefits
• 24:40
  Speaker 2: has not been increased in price at Signal Stations. So
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: if you want to keep expenses down and your car's
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: performance up for a long time to come, you know
• 24:49
  Speaker 2: the oil to change to. New Signal Premium. And you
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: know where to get it. At Signal Service Stations.
• 25:09
  Speaker 3: Well, Mildred, you're almost satisfied now, aren't you? With Anne
• 25:12
  Speaker 3: accused of Fred Bacchus' murder, you're certain it's just a
• 25:15
  Speaker 3: matter of time until you become Mrs. Philip Taggart. When
• 25:19
  Speaker 3: you arrive at Taggart Lodge for the weekend, the time
• 25:22
  Speaker 3: you spend with Philip is made even more enjoyable by
• 25:25
  Speaker 3: the secure knowledge that no one, least of all Anne,
• 25:28
  Speaker 3: has any idea you even knew Fred Backus. You sleep
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: late Sunday morning, and when you go down for breakfast,
• 25:35
  Speaker 3: there's a note from Philip that he and his mother
• 25:37
  Speaker 3: have gone into town. When they return late in the afternoon,
• 25:41
  Speaker 3: you receive a startling surprise.
• 25:43
  Speaker 6: Well, Anne, dear. Hello, Mildred. Well, are you... Is everything
• 25:47
  Speaker 6: all right?
• 25:48
  Speaker 5: As far as Philip and I are concerned, everything's perfect.
• 25:51
  Speaker 5: We're being remarried immediately.
• 25:53
  Speaker 6: Remarried?
• 25:53
  Speaker 9: Yes, Mildred.
• 25:54
  Speaker 4: Now that Anne is a legal widow, I want to
• 25:56
  Speaker 4: make her my legal wife as quickly as possible.
• 25:58
  Speaker 6: But how did.
• 25:59
  Speaker 9: Anne had nothing to do with Fred Backus' death, Mildred.
• 26:02
  Speaker 7: But.
• 26:03
  Speaker 6: That's wonderful. That's wonderful news.
• 26:05
  Speaker 9: Mildred, this is Police Lieutenant Jason.
• 26:07
  Speaker 3: Police?
• 26:07
  Speaker 9: Yes. He thinks you might know something about Fred Backus. I?
• 26:11
  Speaker 6: Oh, that's preposterous. Why should the lieutenant think anything like that?
• 26:14
  Speaker 13: Because the switchboard at Mr. Backers' hotel shows he phoned
• 26:17
  Speaker 13: you and talked to you for five minutes the night
• 26:19
  Speaker 13: before he was killed, Miss Wiley.
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: Well, I.
• 26:22
  Speaker 6: Well, yes, he did call me, but I didn't even
• 26:24
  Speaker 6: know him. A mutual friend asked him to call me.
• 26:28
  Speaker 9: Could be.
• 26:29
  Speaker 13: But whoever killed Fred Backers left Ann Taggart's handkerchief at
• 26:32
  Speaker 13: the scene of the crime, Miss Wiley. You and she
• 26:35
  Speaker 13: are the only ones who had access to that handkerchief.
• 26:37
  Speaker 6: How could I have obtained her handkerchief?
• 26:39
  Speaker 9: Easily.
• 26:40
  Speaker 13: You could have taken it the afternoon you called on her,
• 26:42
  Speaker 13: a few hours before Bacchus was killed.
• 26:43
  Speaker 6: Well, that's absurd. Anyone could have taken it.
• 26:45
  Speaker 13: We've established beyond any doubt that you're the only visitor Mrs.
• 26:48
  Speaker 13: Taggart had since she left Mr. Taggart and moved to
• 26:50
  Speaker 13: the Marlborough. You and Ann Taggart are the only two
• 26:53
  Speaker 13: people in Seattle who knew Fred Bacchus.
• 26:54
  Speaker 6: Well, that doesn't prove I did it. Ann had a motive,
• 26:56
  Speaker 6: a real motive.
• 26:57
  Speaker 13: Either you or Ann left Ann's handkerchief at the scene
• 26:59
  Speaker 13: of the crime. One of you murdered Fred Bacchus.
• 27:01
  Speaker 6: Well, it was Ann.
• 27:01
  Speaker 13: It couldn't have been Ann. The coroner has fixed the
• 27:04
  Speaker 13: time of the Bacchus murder between 7.30 and 8.30. From
• 27:05
  Speaker 13: 7 o'clock on that night, Ann was at her apartment,
• 27:11
  Speaker 13: discussing the terms of her divorce with Mr. Taggart's attorney.
• 27:15
  Speaker 7: The End.
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: Let that whistle be your signal for the Signal Oil program,
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: The Whistler, each Sunday night at this same time. Meantime,
• 27:42
  Speaker 2: Signal Oil Company and the friendly independent dealers who help
• 27:45
  Speaker 2: you go farther with Signal Gasoline hope you'll remember, regardless
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: of what gasoline you use, you'll enjoy more miles of
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: happy driving if you drive at sensible speeds, obey traffic regulations,
• 27:58
  Speaker 2: and avoid taking chances. You may even save a life,
• 28:02
  Speaker 2: possibly your own. Featured in tonight's story were Bill Foreman,
• 28:13
  Speaker 2: Betty Lou Gerson, Wally Mayer, Gene Bates, Ed Max, and
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: John Daner. The Whistler was produced and directed by George W. Allen,
• 28:21
  Speaker 2: with story by Ed Bloodworth, music by Wilbur Hatch, and
• 28:24
  Speaker 2: was transmitted to our troops overseas by the Armed Forces
• 28:26
  Speaker 2: Radio Service. The Whistler is entirely fictional, and all characters
• 28:30
  Speaker 2: portrayed on The Whistler are also fictional. Any similarity of
• 28:33
  Speaker 2: names or resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
• 28:38
  Speaker 2: Remember to tune in at this same time next Sunday
• 28:41
  Speaker 2: when the Signal Oil Company will bring you another strange
• 28:44
  Speaker 2: story by the Whistler. This is Marvin Miller speaking for
• 28:50
  Speaker 2: the Signal Oil Company. Stay tuned now for Our Miss
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: Brooks starring Eve Arden, which follows immediately over most of
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: these stations. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: This has been The Whistler. Two and one makes murder.
• 29:16
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