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The Whistler - "Beware the Bridegroom" (1944) · Old Time Mystery Radio | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Johnny Lane believes marriage to heiress Julie Warren has opened
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: the door to wealth, but beneath the new union are
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: concealed motives, and Johnny soon finds his calculations leading him
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: into desperate territory. From November 13th, 1944, here is The Whistler,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: episode 129, Beware the Bridegroom, written by Victor Kushner. Bill
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Foreman is The Whistler in this Signal Oil presentation over CBS.
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: And now, the original broadcast.
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: Let every go signal remind you that you do go
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: farther with Signal Gasoline. The Signal Oil Program. The Signal
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: Oil Company and your neighborhood signal dealer bring you another
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: curious story by The Whistler. Tonight, beware the bridegroom.
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: I am the whistler. And I know many things, for
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: I walk by night. I know many strange tales. Many
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: secrets hidden in the hearts of men and women who have...
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: the shadows. Presently, I'll tell you of nameless terrors of
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: which they dare not speak.
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: But first, I think you'll be interested in a letter
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: from Captain Joseph E. Boland, who writes, This is to
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: express to Signal Oil Company my gratitude and that of
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: literally thousands of men for the abundant supply of salvo gauges.
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: Both on the outbound voyage and on the return trip,
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: when we brought back many wounded and battle-weary men, you
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: could find salvo games in progress on any part of
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: the ship. And I noticed that whereas card and chess
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: and other games were often interrupted when I walked by,
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: salvo players were so engrossed they couldn't see anything but
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: their game. I sincerely hope Signal Oil Company will be
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: able to continue their generous supply of this excellent game Friends,
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: several weeks ago, we announced on this program that a
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: limited supply of salvo games would be available to the public.
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: There are still a few of these games left at
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: signal stations. However, in view of the constantly increasing demand
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: for salvo games from men in the armed forces, the
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: Signal Oil Company feels that from now on, every salvo
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: game should be sent where it's most needed, for the
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: recreation of our boys in uniform.
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: Now, the whistler. The lights are low. The music is soft.
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: It's the Cameo Bar, one of those dimly lit bistros
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: in New York where people come to drink and be happy,
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: where others come to drink and be sad. Over there
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: in the corner at the bar, John Lane and Biff
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: Allen are sitting. They're morose. New York hasn't been so kind.
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: New York hasn't even noticed. They're on their uppers, and
• 3:32
  Speaker 3: they don't at all like the prospect. Well, Biff, drink up.
• 3:40
  Speaker 4: I'm in no hurry. This is probably my last drink
• 3:44
  Speaker 4: in a long time. I can't afford any more.
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: Where do we go from here?
• 3:49
  Speaker 4: Johnny, I was just going to ask you the same thing.
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: What's the new racket going to be?
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: I'm fresh out.
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: Life is sad.
• 3:57
  Speaker 4: It's lousy. We had to come to New York.
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 4:03
  Speaker 4: Bigger pickings, you said. Bigger suckers.
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: All right, all right. I was wrong.
• 4:08
  Speaker 4: You were 100% wrong.
• 4:10
  Speaker 3: Yes.
• 4:10
  Speaker 4: Yes. Money is the root of all evil.
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: Oh, that's wrong, Biff. The love of money. All right.
• 4:17
  Speaker 4: Sports, your college education.
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: You know, when I feel good, when I'm in the box,
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: life's no good when you're broke. Whoever said money isn't
• 4:28
  Speaker 3: everything didn't know what they were talking about. It's everything
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: all right with me.
• 4:34
  Speaker 4: I'm going back home.
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: You off your nut?
• 4:37
  Speaker 4: Starving's no fun.
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: Another drink, boys? Oh, sure, the same. You bet. Cold now,
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: ain't it? Yeah, I'm getting colder every minute.
• 4:44
  Speaker 4: The hometown's cooled off by now. It's after elections.
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: Uh-uh, I'm afraid we're remembered. Well, here you are, boys.
• 4:53
  Speaker 3: Why don't you look what you're doing?
• 4:54
  Speaker 4: Oh, gee, sorry, Father.
• 4:55
  Speaker 3: Oh, you're sorry? That's going to help my suit, ain't it?
• 4:57
  Speaker 3: He said he was sorry, Johnny. Yeah, I said I
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: was sorry. Oh, don't bother. Well, fill your glasses up again. Oh, gee. Oh, thanks.
• 5:06
  Speaker 4: I said I was sorry. Johnny, you want to watch
• 5:08
  Speaker 4: that temper? No, it was an accident.
• 5:09
  Speaker 3: Yes, I know, I know. Anyhow, we have to think
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: of something. Nothing new under the sun.
• 5:16
  Speaker 4: Shakespeare said that?
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: Could be.
• 5:19
  Speaker 4: You know, Johnny... I've been sitting here looking into.
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: This glass of scotch. What do you see?
• 5:27
  Speaker 4: The reflection of my right eye. Yeah? It's bloodshot.
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: Oh, I'm trying to think.
• 5:35
  Speaker 4: Look at the reflection of your right eye. It's more soothing.
• 5:38
  Speaker 3: I could spit in my right eye. I'm that sore.
• 5:40
  Speaker 4: No future in it. Now, I'm going back home. I
• 5:45
  Speaker 4: miss my old lady. She could fix a beef stroganoff
• 5:49
  Speaker 4: that would melt in your mouth.
• 5:50
  Speaker 3: You've got exotic tastes. What's wrong with you? I miss
• 5:54
  Speaker 3: my old lady. Oh, she'd throw you out of the house.
• 5:58
  Speaker 4: You know, Johnny, maybe we could try to dream up
• 6:01
  Speaker 4: something sort of legal.
• 6:03
  Speaker 5: Uh-uh.
• 6:04
  Speaker 3: I tried that once.
• 6:06
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: Hey, look.
• 6:09
  Speaker 5: Hmm?
• 6:09
  Speaker 4: What? That mouse in the red dress. Where? There. Sitting
• 6:14
  Speaker 4: alone in the booth.
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: Ah, too skinny.
• 6:17
  Speaker 4: She's passing out.
• 6:18
  Speaker 3: So?
• 6:19
  Speaker 4: Let's give her a hand.
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: Oh, listen, Sir Galahad. We're desperate, ain't we? And all
• 6:23
  Speaker 3: time long.
• 6:24
  Speaker 4: Well?
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: I don't get it. Hey, wait a minute. Maybe I do.
• 6:30
  Speaker 4: You're the smooth one of this combo. Go ahead. We're
• 6:33
  Speaker 4: at the chance.
• 6:34
  Speaker 3: Maybe Faith sent her.
• 6:36
  Speaker 4: She's got class.
• 6:37
  Speaker 3: I'm not interested in her social background. It's her money
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: I'm thinking about.
• 6:40
  Speaker 4: Them's real diamonds on her fingers, or I'm a cross-eyed kangaroo.
• 6:44
  Speaker 3: Stay here.
• 6:45
  Speaker 4: I like it good, Johnny. Remember the mortgage on the
• 6:49
  Speaker 4: old homestead.
• 6:50
  Speaker 3: This isn't chivalry gleaming in my eye, but it may
• 6:52
  Speaker 3: pass for it. Leave it to me. Who knows, she
• 6:55
  Speaker 3: might pave the way to a whole acre of beef stroganoff.
• 7:05
  Speaker 3: And so John Allen goes over to the booth and
• 7:08
  Speaker 3: speaks to the little mouse in the red dress. Presently
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: they leave the cameo bar, the girl leaning heavily on
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: John's arm, and he'll attack her. And as it drives off,
• 7:18
  Speaker 3: John gets a chance to eye those diamonds at close range.
• 7:22
  Speaker 3: They're real all right, and you've fallen to something good here, John.
• 7:27
  Speaker 6: Where.
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: where am I?
• 7:32
  Speaker 5: What happened?
• 7:33
  Speaker 3: You're in a taxi, Miss Warren. I'm seeing you home.
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: You were a pretty sick girl back in that bar.
• 7:39
  Speaker 3: How do you know my name? Who are you? I
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: looked in your purse, hoping I might find a clue
• 7:44
  Speaker 3: to your address. I'd only found a clue. I found
• 7:47
  Speaker 3: the whole works. Right on this card. Miss Julie Warren,
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: Park Plaza Hotel, New York City. You are Miss Warren,
• 7:53
  Speaker 3: aren't you?
• 7:54
  Speaker 6: It was very kind of you, but I wasn't sick.
• 7:56
  Speaker 5: I mean, not the way you think. I had only
• 7:59
  Speaker 5: one drink.
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: Sometimes it takes only one.
• 8:01
  Speaker 5: No, no, I haven't been feeling very well. I had
• 8:04
  Speaker 5: no business being there.
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: Probably nobody on the joint has any business being there.
• 8:08
  Speaker 6: We're almost to the hotel, aren't we?
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: Yes. Oh, by the way, my name is Lane, John Lane.
• 8:13
  Speaker 3: How do you do? Another, by the way, I helped
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: myself to a small portion of the contents of your
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: purse to raise the expenses of this transportation. I hope
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: you don't mind.
• 8:24
  Speaker 5: Not at all.
• 8:25
  Speaker 3: With careless stupidity, I left my wallet at home. Oh, right.
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: You know, you shouldn't carry so much money around with you. Dangerous? Oh,
• 8:33
  Speaker 3: haven't you heard? There are thieves abroad in the night.
• 8:36
  Speaker 5: Are you a thief?
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: Oh, do I look like a high woman?
• 8:39
  Speaker 5: High women rarely do.
• 8:40
  Speaker 3: Oh, my head. Look, you'd better lie back. Relax.
• 8:45
  Speaker 5: You'd better take your hand off my arm.
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: I just wanted you to be comfortable.
• 8:48
  Speaker 5: I'm sorry. You have done me a real favor, haven't you?
• 8:52
  Speaker 3: I thought so.
• 8:53
  Speaker 5: I have to be careful.
• 8:54
  Speaker 3: A millionaire, is that?
• 8:55
  Speaker 5: Several times over.
• 8:56
  Speaker 3: Must be convenient.
• 8:57
  Speaker 5: The opposite.
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: Why?
• 8:59
  Speaker 6: My grandfather, Josiah T. Warren, made several dozen fortunes by
• 9:03
  Speaker 6: dreaming up a new kind of soap. When he died,
• 9:05
  Speaker 6: he left $ 20 million to me.
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: So, naturally, you have to be careful.
• 9:09
  Speaker 5: Everyone is after my money.
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: Oh, I attribute base motives to everyone.
• 9:14
  Speaker 5: Look at me. My money hasn't made me glamorous or beautiful.
• 9:19
  Speaker 5: I'm a plain Jane, and I know it. So, when
• 9:22
  Speaker 5: anyone acts interested, I naturally attribute it to the money.
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: Oh, you've got a complex. You aren't that bad.
• 9:27
  Speaker 5: Thanks for being gallant.
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: Ah, here's the Park Plaza.
• 9:32
  Speaker 5: Yes, yes. Thank you.
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: May I see you again? Why?
• 9:37
  Speaker 4: Suspicious.
• 9:38
  Speaker 5: As always.
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: I'd like to snap you out of that complex, poor
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: little rich girl.
• 9:43
  Speaker 6: Think you're up to the job?
• 9:44
  Speaker 5: I'm a bundle of neuroses.
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: My middle name is Freud.
• 9:47
  Speaker 5: Mine is Caution.
• 9:49
  Speaker 3: You know, there might be a common meeting ground for
• 9:51
  Speaker 3: the two somewhere along the line.
• 9:53
  Speaker 5: Well.
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: Friday night? All right. Sure.
• 9:57
  Speaker 6: As they say in the confession magazine, it's a.
• 10:00
  Speaker 5: date.
• 10:08
  Speaker 3: Yes, it's a date, John Lane. It was easy, wasn't it?
• 10:12
  Speaker 3: She may be cautious, but not cautious enough. And so
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: you take back the good news to your friend Biff Hello, Biff. Johnny.
• 10:22
  Speaker 4: Well?
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: We're set. Honest? What a break.
• 10:24
  Speaker 4: Good hunch, huh?
• 10:25
  Speaker 3: All lead pipes sink. Tell me. She's bored.
• 10:27
  Speaker 4: Yeah?
• 10:27
  Speaker 3: She's got millions, and she's bored.
• 10:29
  Speaker 4: Holy cow.
• 10:30
  Speaker 3: Oh, what we stepped into. Yeah, but can you step
• 10:32
  Speaker 3: out when you want to? Who said I wanted to
• 10:34
  Speaker 3: step out?
• 10:34
  Speaker 4: What do you mean, Johnny?
• 10:35
  Speaker 3: Now, don't say I didn't warn you, Biff, but you
• 10:38
  Speaker 3: are now looking at the lucky gent who will shortly
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: marry and settle down with Julie Warren, the soap heiress.
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: Enjoying yourself, Julie? Uh-huh. My favorite orchestra.
• 11:03
  Speaker 5: Oh, you dance beautifully, Johnny. You're my favorite partner.
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: I'll bet you say that to all your partners. Happy?
• 11:10
  Speaker 5: Very happy. Let's never stop dancing, shall we?
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: Whatever you say. Oh, say, you're good. You know, I
• 11:31
  Speaker 3: was raised in a farm in Michigan. I've been riding
• 11:34
  Speaker 3: since I was nine, but you gave me a real race.
• 11:36
  Speaker 6: Well, I should, Johnny.
• 11:37
  Speaker 5: I went to the best riding academy.
• 11:39
  Speaker 4: Tired?
• 11:40
  Speaker 5: Not a bit.
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: Oh, you look swell, Julie. Radiant.
• 11:43
  Speaker 6: I owe it to you, Johnny. You got me out
• 11:45
  Speaker 6: of that shell and into the open. These weeks have
• 11:47
  Speaker 6: been wonderful.
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: Come on, come on.
• 11:49
  Speaker 6: I'll race you back to the stable.
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: Okay, here I come.
• 11:51
  Speaker 7: Right after you.
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: And so the campaign continued. Dining, dancing, horseback riding. The theater,
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: the races, the works. And it's a success. Julie Warren
• 12:11
  Speaker 3: and John Lane sneak off quietly to Connecticut one day
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: and are married. Off to Bermuda for a honeymoon, a
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: blissful idol, and then return. Make it look good, Johnny. Oh,
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: we're back. I can't just sit around being a rich
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: woman's husband.
• 12:27
  Speaker 5: Why not, dear?
• 12:28
  Speaker 3: Oh, I just couldn't.
• 12:29
  Speaker 5: You get bored?
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: Might.
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: Yes, you might.
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: Then you won't mind, dear?
• 12:34
  Speaker 5: Of course not, Johnny.
• 12:36
  Speaker 3: Oh, good.
• 12:36
  Speaker 6: I want you to be happy.
• 12:37
  Speaker 5: And if you have to be busy to be happy,
• 12:39
  Speaker 5: of course.
• 12:40
  Speaker 3: I'm glad you agree with me, sweet. Kiss me? Yes, sir.
• 12:52
  Speaker 3: And so John Lane gets a job, or so he
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: tells Julie. So he's not around in the daytime. But
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: by night, there's the theater and parties, weekend yachting excursions,
• 13:03
  Speaker 3: plane trips, nothing too expensive or too grand. Life is easy.
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: Life is charming and without care. The marriage of John
• 13:11
  Speaker 3: Lane and Julie Warren is a sensational success until one day....
• 13:18
  Speaker 5: Hello, John.
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: Hiya, darling.
• 13:19
  Speaker 5: Back from work so early.
• 13:21
  Speaker 3: Yes, I'll have to hurry and dress.
• 13:22
  Speaker 6: By the way, we're not going to the theater tonight.
• 13:24
  Speaker 3: Oh, why not?
• 13:25
  Speaker 5: We have some talking.
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: Oh, what do you mean?
• 13:28
  Speaker 5: Johnny, you love me, don't you?
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: Of course, dear.
• 13:32
  Speaker 5: That's good.
• 13:33
  Speaker 3: What are you leading up to, Julie?
• 13:34
  Speaker 5: Sit down, won't you?
• 13:37
  Speaker 3: Yeah, sure.
• 13:38
  Speaker 6: I have something to tell you.
• 13:40
  Speaker 3: Ah, so I gathered. Comfortable? Quite. Don't stall. I'm broke.
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: What about the soap?
• 13:51
  Speaker 5: A lie.
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: The soap millions?
• 13:54
  Speaker 5: Sheer fabrication.
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: No. Yes.
• 13:58
  Speaker 5: Surprise?
• 14:00
  Speaker 4: Jewelry.
• 14:03
  Speaker 5: I can see your surprise.
• 14:04
  Speaker 3: But the set-up, your clothes, your jewels.
• 14:06
  Speaker 6: Tentatives, assembly, and.
• 14:10
  Speaker 3: You fooled me.
• 14:12
  Speaker 5: You don't really mind, do you, Johnny?
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: I love you, darling. Why did you do it?
• 14:17
  Speaker 7: Why?
• 14:18
  Speaker 3: And how did you do it?
• 14:21
  Speaker 5: I grew up in Red Wing, Minnesota.
• 14:24
  Speaker 3: Go on.
• 14:24
  Speaker 6: Have you ever been to Red Wing, Minnesota?
• 14:27
  Speaker 3: No.
• 14:28
  Speaker 6: I wanted to get away.
• 14:30
  Speaker 5: I was an orphan.
• 14:31
  Speaker 6: When I was 12, an old woman adopted me.
• 14:34
  Speaker 5: She wanted a maid. Cheap.
• 14:36
  Speaker 3: You?
• 14:36
  Speaker 5: Yes.
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: The millions, the clothes, your rings. I'm coming to that.
• 14:41
  Speaker 6: This old woman tried to be nice, but she didn't
• 14:43
  Speaker 6: quite know how to be. She let me go to
• 14:45
  Speaker 6: night school and brush up on my grandma and things
• 14:47
  Speaker 6: like that.
• 14:49
  Speaker 5: Last year, she died. She left me $ 10, 000.
• 14:51
  Speaker 6: I've never been very popular, Johnny. I had a very
• 14:57
  Speaker 6: exciting life and I wanted romance and excitement and glamour.
• 15:01
  Speaker 5: The husband.
• 15:03
  Speaker 6: So I sunk the whole $ 10, 000 in.
• 15:05
  Speaker 5: Clothes and jewels. Disappointed.
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: And you married me.
• 15:10
  Speaker 5: Everything came true. Johnny, I love you. I love you terribly.
• 15:16
  Speaker 6: I know this is probably something of a shock that
• 15:18
  Speaker 6: I should practice such a deception, but... Well, I didn't
• 15:21
  Speaker 6: want to go on.
• 15:22
  Speaker 5: Fooling you anymore. Anyhow, I can't afford to. The rent's
• 15:27
  Speaker 5: overdue now. What are we going to do?
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: Do?
• 15:32
  Speaker 5: Yes, Johnny.
• 15:35
  Speaker 6: What?
• 15:37
  Speaker 3: I haven't a cent.
• 15:38
  Speaker 5: But your job.
• 15:39
  Speaker 3: Haven't any. But you said that you... I've been going
• 15:41
  Speaker 3: to the races on the money you gave me.
• 15:44
  Speaker 4: What?
• 15:49
  Speaker 5: Then we're both fakes.
• 15:52
  Speaker 3: Ten tarot. Ah, it's a laugh, isn't it?
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: Yes.
• 15:57
  Speaker 6: Yes.
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: You are listening to The Whistler, brought to you by
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: your friend, the Signal Oil Company. Marketers of famous Signal gasoline.
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: Your best buy today. Remember to let every go signal
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: remind you, you do go farther with signal gasoline.
• 16:41
  Speaker 3: Well, this is quite a surprise, isn't it, John? You
• 16:45
  Speaker 3: married Julie because you thought she was worth millions. Now
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: you find out she hasn't a cent. Two chiefs caught
• 16:52
  Speaker 3: with each other. So you go out for a walk
• 16:55
  Speaker 3: to talk things over and to have a talk with
• 16:57
  Speaker 3: Biff Allen at his rooming house. You're kidding, Jerry. No,
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: I'm not kidding. She hasn't got a cent. The rent's overdue.
• 17:04
  Speaker 4: Who'd believe it? We got taken by a mouse in
• 17:07
  Speaker 4: a red dress.
• 17:08
  Speaker 3: I'm not so sure.
• 17:10
  Speaker 4: What do you mean?
• 17:11
  Speaker 3: Maybe we'll come out of it okay after all. How?
• 17:13
  Speaker 5: How?
• 17:14
  Speaker 3: The dame hasn't got any money. I've just remembered something.
• 17:17
  Speaker 3: An insurance policy.
• 17:19
  Speaker 4: An insurance policy?
• 17:20
  Speaker 3: Yeah, for 20 grand.
• 17:21
  Speaker 4: I don't get it.
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: No, but I do if she dies. Yeah? Yeah, I
• 17:26
  Speaker 3: ran across it one day on her things. She said
• 17:28
  Speaker 3: she'd forgotten about it, but now that we were married,
• 17:30
  Speaker 3: she'd have me named as beneficiary.
• 17:31
  Speaker 4: And she did?
• 17:32
  Speaker 3: Yeah, she did. I saw to it.
• 17:35
  Speaker 4: But I still don't see. You don't get it until
• 17:37
  Speaker 4: she dies.
• 17:38
  Speaker 3: That's right.
• 17:38
  Speaker 4: And she's good for plenty of years yet. Yeah. And
• 17:40
  Speaker 4: we need the money now.
• 17:41
  Speaker 3: Right again. So... Only one solution.
• 17:45
  Speaker 4: Yeah, what?
• 17:46
  Speaker 3: She's got to die now. Oh, but she.
• 17:49
  Speaker 4: Wait a minute, Johnny. No. We've done a lot of things,
• 17:51
  Speaker 4: but we never got in anything like that. I don't
• 17:53
  Speaker 4: plan to. I'm not interested in murder. In this state,
• 17:55
  Speaker 4: you're burned.
• 17:56
  Speaker 3: Not me. I'll figure a way. I won't get caught. Johnny, listen.
• 17:59
  Speaker 3: Plenty of guys have tried, and they got caught.
• 18:01
  Speaker 4: Don't do it. We can make money some other way
• 18:04
  Speaker 4: and live to enjoy it.
• 18:05
  Speaker 3: Don't worry too much, Biff. Now, don't worry. I'll be okay.
• 18:09
  Speaker 4: Johnny, you mean you're really going to do it?
• 18:10
  Speaker 3: Yes, I am. I'm not going to be made a
• 18:13
  Speaker 3: sucker by a mouse in a red dress. Well, Johnny,
• 18:24
  Speaker 3: you're going to take the chance, are you? The big chance?
• 18:27
  Speaker 3: Think you can get away with it, do you? Well,
• 18:29
  Speaker 3: plan it carefully. Figure the whole thing out as you
• 18:32
  Speaker 3: walk back to the hotel. Get up your nerve as
• 18:35
  Speaker 3: you slip in the back door and sneak up the stairs. Now,
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: into the apartment and get it over with as fast
• 18:43
  Speaker 3: as possible.
• 18:47
  Speaker 6: Johnny? Johnny, is that you? Oh, I was so worried
• 18:50
  Speaker 6: about you. Where'd you go? Johnny?
• 18:53
  Speaker 5: What's the matter?
• 18:55
  Speaker 6: Why are you looking at me like that?
• 18:59
  Speaker 5: Johnny, stop it.
• 19:04
  Speaker 4: Johnny?
• 19:06
  Speaker 6: What are you going to do?
• 19:08
  Speaker 5: Johnny?
• 19:09
  Speaker 4: Stop!
• 19:11
  Speaker 5: Johnny!
• 19:20
  Speaker 3: All right, it's done. Now your plan. The plan you
• 19:24
  Speaker 3: thought of coming back here. That's it. Drag out the
• 19:28
  Speaker 3: bureau drawers. Throw their contents on the floor.
• 19:32
  Speaker 4: Knock over chairs.
• 19:33
  Speaker 3: Make it look good. Make it look like a terrific struggle,
• 19:37
  Speaker 3: like a burglar had tried to rifle the place. Yes,
• 19:40
  Speaker 3: that's it. It's a shamble. Now, get out of here quickly.
• 19:45
  Speaker 3: Down the back stairs, the way you came in. Don't
• 19:47
  Speaker 3: let anybody see you. And hurry to the cameo.
• 19:50
  Speaker 6: Bar.
• 19:51
  Speaker 3: It's not there as you thought it'd be, but the
• 19:53
  Speaker 3: bartender is, and he's the one you want anyway. Hello there, Mr.
• 20:00
  Speaker 4: Lane.
• 20:01
  Speaker 3: What's it going to be? Same as the last one.
• 20:04
  Speaker 3: Last one? But you didn't have any other drinks. Oh,
• 20:06
  Speaker 3: sure I did. Don't you remember? About 15 minutes ago? Hey,
• 20:09
  Speaker 3: you're joking, Mr. Lane. You just came in.
• 20:11
  Speaker 4: You haven't been here all day.
• 20:13
  Speaker 3: Mr. Allen was here, but he got a phone call
• 20:15
  Speaker 3: and left about 15 minutes ago. Now, Joe, you could
• 20:18
  Speaker 3: be mistaken about that, couldn't you? Maybe you just didn't
• 20:20
  Speaker 3: see me come in. Maybe you just didn't notice me
• 20:22
  Speaker 3: sitting back there in the back booth. Yeah, but I
• 20:24
  Speaker 3: would have... Now, look, maybe this will help you to
• 20:26
  Speaker 3: remember that I've been here for two hours. All afternoon, almost. Hey...
• 20:32
  Speaker 3: That's a $ 100 bill. Yeah. But, uh... You could use
• 20:35
  Speaker 3: a hundred, couldn't you? I, uh... Yeah, sure, sure. Okay,
• 20:40
  Speaker 3: it's yours. Go on, take it.
• 20:41
  Speaker 5: That's right.
• 20:43
  Speaker 3: Now, Joe, I'll have another one, just like the last one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure, Mr.
• 20:48
  Speaker 7: Lane.
• 20:49
  Speaker 3: It's got your water. Coming up. Simple, isn't it, Johnny?
• 21:00
  Speaker 3: Your alibi is all established. Joe's like anybody else. He'll
• 21:04
  Speaker 3: keep his mouth shut for a hundred bucks. Now all
• 21:07
  Speaker 3: you have to do.
• 21:08
  Speaker 8: Is go back to the hotel, taking your time. Stop
• 21:12
  Speaker 8: at the desk for your key. Ride up in the
• 21:14
  Speaker 8: elevator and chat with the operator. Go into the apartment,
• 21:18
  Speaker 8: find the body, and yell for help.
• 21:21
  Speaker 3: Simple, isn't it? But it's even simpler when you get there,
• 21:24
  Speaker 3: because the elevator boy has news for you. There's something
• 21:28
  Speaker 3: doing up on your floor, Mr. Lane. Something doing? What?
• 21:31
  Speaker 3: I don't know, but there are cops up there. This
• 21:37
  Speaker 3: is even better. Somebody's already found the body. A chambermaid, perhaps.
• 21:42
  Speaker 3: You get off, go in, and there they are.
• 21:47
  Speaker 4: What?
• 21:48
  Speaker 3: What's the matter? What's going on here? Oh, you're Mr.
• 21:52
  Speaker 4: Lane?
• 21:52
  Speaker 3: Yes, I'm Mr. Lane, but what are all these... I'm, uh...
• 21:55
  Speaker 3: I'm sorry, Mr.
• 21:56
  Speaker 7: Lane. I.
• 21:56
  Speaker 3: I have some bad news for you. What's the matter?
• 22:00
  Speaker 3: What's happened here? Where's Julie? I'm sorry, Mr.
• 22:04
  Speaker 4: Lane.
• 22:04
  Speaker 3: There's been a tragedy. Your wife is dead.
• 22:09
  Speaker 5: Dead?
• 22:10
  Speaker 8: Dead?
• 22:13
  Speaker 3: Oh, it can't be. It can't be. Now, please. Please, Mr. Lane.
• 22:18
  Speaker 3: I'll take it.
• 22:18
  Speaker 7: Hey.
• 22:19
  Speaker 3: Hey, somebody. Hurry up. Bring me some water. That's right, Johnny.
• 22:27
  Speaker 3: Put on a good act. Lay it on thick. Take
• 22:31
  Speaker 3: a few minutes before you're coherent enough to ask.
• 22:33
  Speaker 4: The inspector a question.
• 22:35
  Speaker 3: How did this happen?
• 22:37
  Speaker 7: One of the maids saw a suspicious character breaking into
• 22:39
  Speaker 7: your room. She called the police, but we didn't get
• 22:41
  Speaker 7: here in time to save Mrs.
• 22:42
  Speaker 3: Lane.
• 22:42
  Speaker 7: The place was in shambles and she'd been strained.
• 22:47
  Speaker 3: You said a suspicious character?
• 22:49
  Speaker 4: Yes, a burglar.
• 22:50
  Speaker 7: We got here in time to catch him just as
• 22:52
  Speaker 7: he was trying to leave.
• 22:54
  Speaker 3: You caught him?
• 22:55
  Speaker 4: Yes, yes. Don't worry, Mr.
• 22:56
  Speaker 3: Lane.
• 22:57
  Speaker 7: He'll be brought to justice for the murder of your wife. Now,
• 23:07
  Speaker 7: what can this mean, John? This is really an unexpected twist.
• 23:12
  Speaker 7: But it makes everything even simpler. There's nothing to it now.
• 23:16
  Speaker 7: What they want you to go down and... Take a
• 23:18
  Speaker 7: look at the man they.
• 23:19
  Speaker 3: Caught, and so you do. You'd want to anyway. You're
• 23:22
  Speaker 3: curious to see the man you're sending to the electric chair.
• 23:26
  Speaker 3: Only you're not quite prepared for the shock.
• 23:30
  Speaker 4: Here he is, Mr.
• 23:30
  Speaker 3: Lane.
• 23:31
  Speaker 7: Biff Allen, he's called. He swears he didn't kill your wife,
• 23:38
  Speaker 7: but he won't say much else except that he wanted
• 23:40
  Speaker 7: to see you.
• 23:41
  Speaker 3: I don't know why.
• 23:42
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I wanted to see him because I figure he'll
• 23:45
  Speaker 4: have something to say. I figure he'll tell you I
• 23:47
  Speaker 4: couldn't have killed his wife. Go on, Johnny, tell him.
• 23:51
  Speaker 3: You know this man, Mr.
• 23:52
  Speaker 4: Lane? Why, I... Go on, Johnny, tell him I didn't
• 23:55
  Speaker 4: kill her.
• 23:56
  Speaker 3: I never saw him before in my life.
• 23:58
  Speaker 7: Johnny!
• 24:00
  Speaker 4: You wouldn't do that to me.
• 24:01
  Speaker 3: I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know you.
• 24:04
  Speaker 4: Okay, if that's the way you're going to work it. Inspector,
• 24:07
  Speaker 4: he knows me all right. Only this afternoon he come
• 24:10
  Speaker 4: to my rooming house. My landlady will testify to that.
• 24:13
  Speaker 4: And he told me he was going to murder his wife.
• 24:15
  Speaker 3: That's fantastic. He's making up a fantastic story to try
• 24:17
  Speaker 3: to worm out of it. You know he did it.
• 24:19
  Speaker 3: You caught him there.
• 24:20
  Speaker 4: I went there to try to stop you from doing it,
• 24:21
  Speaker 4: but I was too late.
• 24:22
  Speaker 3: Mr. Lane, where were you about three this afternoon? Oh,
• 24:25
  Speaker 3: you don't believe this man, surely? I'm not sure, Mr. Lane.
• 24:29
  Speaker 7: You see, that's one thing that puzzled it. The coroner
• 24:32
  Speaker 7: says your wife died about three o'clock. We didn't catch
• 24:36
  Speaker 7: this man until almost four. Why should he have stayed
• 24:39
  Speaker 7: so long? I was at a bar all afternoon. The
• 24:42
  Speaker 7: bartender will testify to that.
• 24:44
  Speaker 3: I'm sure he will.
• 24:44
  Speaker 4: Okay, we'll see.
• 24:45
  Speaker 3: Come along. Things aren't going so well, are they, Johnny?
• 24:57
  Speaker 3: Now everything depends on Joe, the bartender. But you can
• 25:00
  Speaker 3: depend on him, can't you, Johnny? You, uh.
• 25:07
  Speaker 4: Is the bartender here?
• 25:08
  Speaker 3: You been on duty here all afternoon?
• 25:10
  Speaker 4: Yeah, sure.
• 25:11
  Speaker 3: From two o'clock on. Okay. Did you ever see this man? Oh, yeah, sure.
• 25:17
  Speaker 3: That's Mr. Lane. Was he here about three o'clock this afternoon?
• 25:22
  Speaker 6: What?
• 25:23
  Speaker 3: No. No, he wasn't. He gave me a hundred bucks
• 25:26
  Speaker 3: to say so, but he wasn't. He didn't get here
• 25:30
  Speaker 3: till after 3.30. Why, you.
• 25:32
  Speaker 4: Here, here, here.
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: Take it easy. I'm sorry, Mr. Lane. I thought it
• 25:35
  Speaker 3: was just your wife you wanted to fool. I had
• 25:37
  Speaker 3: no idea it was anything to do with the police.
• 25:40
  Speaker 3: I can't take any chances like that, Mr. Lane.
• 25:42
  Speaker 4: I would have told you that.
• 25:43
  Speaker 3: All right, Lane. Now you'd better come along with me. Quietly.
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: The Whistler will return in just a moment with a
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: strange ending of tonight's story. Meantime, here's a typical American
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: success story. The story of Hal Halverson, who opened a
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: small signal station in East Long Beach, California, ten years ago.
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: For Hal, this wasn't just another job. As with all
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: signal dealers, scientific lubrication of motor cars was his permanent business.
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: He kept doing that job so conscientiously that today... Hal
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: Halverson Signal Station has doubled in size, and it takes
• 26:26
  Speaker 2: three assistants to serve the customers who come back year
• 26:29
  Speaker 2: after year. One of the things they particularly like is
• 26:33
  Speaker 2: that they can call Hal at home any time they
• 26:35
  Speaker 2: need help. For instance, recently a Long Beach customer called
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: that his car was stalled. He thought it was out
• 26:41
  Speaker 2: of gas. When Hal took out some gas, he found
• 26:44
  Speaker 2: the trouble was really a clogged gas line, and the
• 26:47
  Speaker 2: customer was soon on his way again.
• 26:50
  Speaker 3: Well, that, friends.
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: is typical of the kind of service we have in
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: mind when we say, you're doing your car a real
• 26:57
  Speaker 2: favor when you get acquainted with your neighborhood signal dealer.
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: He's not only a trained expert in lubrication, but because
• 27:04
  Speaker 2: that's his permanent business, your signal dealer is conscientiously interested,
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: as interested as you are, in helping your car go farther.
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: And now, back to The Whistler.
• 27:17
  Speaker 3: The Whistler Yes, Johnny Lane now sits brooding in a
• 27:30
  Speaker 3: solitary cell up the river. You can't blame him for
• 27:33
  Speaker 3: being unhappy about Biff wandering in and spoiling the setup.
• 27:37
  Speaker 3: Only what he's really unhappy about is that Biff didn't
• 27:41
  Speaker 3: get there a little sooner in time to stop the murder. Yes,
• 27:45
  Speaker 3: you see, the reason Biff came to the hotel and
• 27:47
  Speaker 3: broke into the room was to stop Johnny... to tell
• 27:50
  Speaker 3: him that there was no need to murder Julie, that
• 27:53
  Speaker 3: he had checked up and found out that she was
• 27:55
  Speaker 3: a long way from being penniless. In fact, $ 20 million
• 28:00
  Speaker 3: away from it. She invented the penniless story to test
• 28:04
  Speaker 3: Johnny's love for her. She really loved him, and she
• 28:07
  Speaker 3: didn't know what a chance she would take. And he
• 28:10
  Speaker 3: didn't know he was throwing away the sweetest chance of
• 28:13
  Speaker 3: his life. Yes, sad, all right, but not for long.
• 28:18
  Speaker 3: The state's going to end his troubles for him any
• 28:21
  Speaker 3: day now.
• 28:22
  Speaker 4: The End.
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: Next Monday at 9 o'clock, the Signal Oil program will
• 28:56
  Speaker 2: bring you another strange tale by the Whistler. The Signal
• 29:00
  Speaker 2: Oil program is broadcast for your entertainment by the Signal
• 29:03
  Speaker 2: Oil Company, marketers of Signal's famous Go Farther gasoline and
• 29:07
  Speaker 2: motor oil, and by your neighborhood Signal Oil dealer, who
• 29:11
  Speaker 2: is at your service daily to keep your car running
• 29:14
  Speaker 2: for the duration.
• 29:16
  Speaker 3: The Signal Oil program, directed by George W.
• 29:18
  Speaker 2: Allen, with story by Victor Kushner and music by Wilbur Hatch,
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: is transmitted to our troops overseas by the Armed.
• 29:25
  Speaker 3: Forces Radio Service.
• 29:28
  Speaker 2: Bob Anderson speaking for your friend, the Signal Oil Company,
• 29:32
  Speaker 2: and suggesting once again that you let every go signal
• 29:37
  Speaker 2: remind you that you do go farther. with Signal Gasoline.
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: That was The Whistler with Beware the Bridegroom. Thank you
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: for joining us for this 1944 broadcast.