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X Minus One - "Chain of Command" (Old Time Radio, 1956) · X Minus One | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: On November 21, 1956, NBC Radio brought listeners Episode 76
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: of X-1, Chain of Command, adapted for radio by George
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Lefferts from Stephen R. 's galaxy science fiction story. It
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: begins at an atomic laboratory, where night watchman Charlie Boyle
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: receives an unusual request from George, a talking mouse. Remove
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: a mousetrap that endangers George's family. Charlie's effort to help
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: carries the matter from the laboratory into the hands of
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: security officers and Washington officials. Alan Bunce stars as Charlie,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: with John Gibson as George. Daniel Sutter directed, and William
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Welch produced. NBC made this presentation in cooperation with Galaxy
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Science Fiction magazine. And now, our story begins.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: Countdown for blastoff. X minus 5, 4, 3, 2, X
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: minus 1, fire.
• 1:28
  Speaker 3: From the far horizons of the unknown come transcribed tales
• 1:31
  Speaker 3: of new dimensions in time and space.
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: These are stories of the future.
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: Adventures in which you'll live in a million could be
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: years on a thousand maybe worlds. The National Broadcasting Company,
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: in cooperation with Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine, presents.
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: X minus 1. Tonight, Chain of Command by Stephen R.
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: This is about George.
• 2:20
  Speaker 4: He's a friend of mine, lives right here at the
• 2:22
  Speaker 4: Brookside Atomic Laboratory with his family. My name is Charlie Boyle,
• 2:27
  Speaker 4: by the way. I'm a security guard here at the
• 2:30
  Speaker 4: lab and Been here now for, well, 20 years, I guess.
• 2:33
  Speaker 4: Of course, they don't use the lab anymore. Lots of
• 2:37
  Speaker 4: weeds and things. Well, I stick around. There isn't really
• 2:41
  Speaker 4: any place to go. Well, I'm getting away from it,
• 2:46
  Speaker 4: after all. This is about George. Some of it I
• 2:49
  Speaker 4: know myself. A lot of it he told me after
• 2:51
  Speaker 4: it was over.
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: It began, let's see now.
• 2:54
  Speaker 5: It began the morning after George's wife lit into him.
• 2:58
  Speaker 6: I think, George, the least you could do is complain.
• 3:01
  Speaker 6: After all, are you a mouse or a man?
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: Clara, what's the point of complaining? It'll just start trouble.
• 3:07
  Speaker 6: We do live at the laboratory. We have some rights.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: The best thing we can do is just stay right
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: where we are.
• 3:13
  Speaker 6: But it's dangerous.
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: There's nothing dangerous about it, just so long as we
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: know what we're doing.
• 3:18
  Speaker 6: I'm not thinking about us. I'm thinking about the children.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: The children know where they mustn't go.
• 3:23
  Speaker 6: George, I will not go on like this without a
• 3:25
  Speaker 6: moment's peace of mind. If you have the slightest concern
• 3:28
  Speaker 6: for my welfare or for the children's... All right, all right.
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: I'll go talk to old Charlie, the security guard.
• 3:34
  Speaker 6: Why not talk directly to the superintendent?
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: Because of the complications. Now, I promise you I'll explain
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: the situation to Charlie. He knows me. I've talked to
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: him for over a year now.
• 3:45
  Speaker 6: And he hasn't the slightest influence.
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: I'll impress the seriousness of the situation on him.
• 3:50
  Speaker 6: All right, but do it now.
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: I will.
• 3:52
  Speaker 6: And be firm.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: I'll be as firm as I can.
• 4:02
  Speaker 4: I was at my desk in the hallway. Place was deserted.
• 4:05
  Speaker 4: I've always worked the night shift, except for my supervisor, Mr. Adams,
• 4:09
  Speaker 4: who was in his office down the hall working late.
• 4:12
  Speaker 4: I remember I was sort of dozing off when I
• 4:14
  Speaker 4: heard George's voice.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: In my ear. Charles? Charlie? It's me, George.
• 4:24
  Speaker 5: Oh, yes, yes, George, yeah.
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: How are you? Fine. Can I have a chat with you?
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: Shut away.
• 4:30
  Speaker 5: I got all night.
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: Good. It's about the trap. The trap? The one outside
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: our door. Oh, that trap? Clara, my wife, says it's dangerous. Well,
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: now I... She'd like it removed.
• 4:43
  Speaker 5: Removed?
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: Oh, no, George. That can't be done. Regulations? Regulations. Suppose
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: you just Removed it without telling anybody. Oh, they fire me, George.
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: I see. Clara's afraid one of the kids might get hurt. Oh.
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: How about taking it up with the supervisor? Mr. Adams?
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: Why not? Well, it never occurred to me. Why not
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: give it a try? Oh, I don't know. Mr.
• 5:13
  Speaker 5: Adams doesn't even know you exist.
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: Maybe it's time he found out. Well, whether.
• 5:21
  Speaker 5: It might get a bit sticky.
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: Give it a try. Come on, Charlie. Be a good fellow.
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: Haven't we been buddies for a long time?
• 5:28
  Speaker 5: Oh, we've been buddies, all right, but... Well, when it
• 5:32
  Speaker 5: comes to something like this.
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: Will you try at least? Clara isn't going to let
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: me alone unless something happens.
• 5:39
  Speaker 5: Oh, okay, George. I'll give it a try.
• 5:50
  Speaker 4: I straightened my tie and I brushed off my uniform
• 5:53
  Speaker 4: real neat and I went into Mr.
• 5:55
  Speaker 5: Adams' office.
• 5:56
  Speaker 4: I could see the light under his door and hear
• 5:58
  Speaker 4: him on the phone, so I knew.
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: He was there. Edgar? Adams up at Brookside Lab. Ah.
• 6:06
  Speaker 7: How are things in Washington? No, no, no, nothing serious.
• 6:11
  Speaker 7: Just want to have a fingerprint check. I'm one of
• 6:13
  Speaker 7: a scientist. Uh-huh.
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, number 7X4582. That's right. How's it, missus? Ah, good. Now,
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: excuse me a minute while there's somebody at the door.
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: Come in, come in. Oh, hello, Charlie. Hi, Mr.
• 6:32
  Speaker 7: Adams.
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: Edgar, can I call you back? Fine. Yeah, what is it, Charlie?
• 6:37
  Speaker 5: Well, I'd like a word with you, Mr.
• 6:40
  Speaker 7: Adams.
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: Well, Charlie, I'm on the phone of Washington. Is it
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: a security matter?
• 6:43
  Speaker 5: Oh, in a way, Mr.
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: Adams. Well?
• 6:49
  Speaker 5: I don't know how to tell you, really.
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: Just tell me.
• 6:54
  Speaker 4: Well, sir, there's a mouse named George down in room
• 7:00
  Speaker 4: 412 who doesn't want the trap outside his door.
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: Well, that's just too... What?
• 7:06
  Speaker 5: A mouse in room 412. He objects to the trap.
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: Look, Charlie, I'm busy. Is this a joke or something?
• 7:16
  Speaker 5: Well, I guess maybe it is.
• 7:17
  Speaker 7: I mean, I like a good joke as well as
• 7:19
  Speaker 7: the next one, Charlie. But, well, I mean, it's late
• 7:21
  Speaker 7: and I've got a lot of work to do.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: Do you mind? No, Mr. Adams. Yeah, well, that's fine.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: You just get back to your desk, huh? Okay, Mr. Adams.
• 7:29
  Speaker 7: And, Charlie, next time one of the mice complains, tell
• 7:32
  Speaker 7: him to come in here and speak to me himself.
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: Yes, sir.
• 7:40
  Speaker 7: Edgar, Edgar Adams here again. I'm sorry, one of the
• 7:43
  Speaker 7: security guards playing a little joke on me. He came
• 7:47
  Speaker 7: in to say one of the mice here at the
• 7:48
  Speaker 7: lab is complaining about the trap outside his door. You
• 7:53
  Speaker 7: got him down in Washington, too, huh?
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: Yeah? What do you do about it? Traps, huh?
• 7:59
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's the only way, I guess. Yeah. Yeah.
• 8:10
  Speaker 5: Well, I went back to my desk. George was there, waiting.
• 8:15
  Speaker 4: I could tell by his expression that he knew the
• 8:17
  Speaker 4: answer before he even asked me.
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: No soap, huh, Charlie?
• 8:22
  Speaker 5: No soap, George.
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: I guess I'll have to tell Clara.
• 8:25
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I'm sorry, George.
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: What'd he say?
• 8:29
  Speaker 5: Well, he said if you've got a complaint, see him yourself.
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: He said that, huh? Yeah. Oh!
• 8:42
  Speaker 4: Of course, I didn't know what was going to happen.
• 8:45
  Speaker 4: George didn't tell me till it was all over. I mean, really,
• 8:48
  Speaker 4: really all over. Then it was too late for me
• 8:50
  Speaker 4: to do anything. It turned out, though, that Clara, that's
• 8:54
  Speaker 4: George's wife, told him that if he didn't go talk
• 8:58
  Speaker 4: to Mr.
• 8:58
  Speaker 5: Adams, she'd up and leave him. Yeah, leave him and
• 9:01
  Speaker 5: the kids, too. So him and me, we went.
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: Nothing negative on his record, eh? Well, okay. Yeah, excuse
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: me a minute. Come in. Oh, what is it this time?
• 9:14
  Speaker 5: Excuse me, Mr.
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: Adams.
• 9:16
  Speaker 5: It's, uh, well, it's that mouse. He wants to talk
• 9:20
  Speaker 5: to you.
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: I'll call you back, Edgar. Now, look, Charlie, I mean,
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: it's gone far enough. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. What the
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: devil you got in your hand?
• 9:30
  Speaker 5: Uh, well, this is him, sir. The mouse I was
• 9:35
  Speaker 5: telling you about.
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: George. Here, George.
• 9:38
  Speaker 5: This is Mr. Adams, the security supervisor.
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: How do you do? Huh? How do you do? Well.
• 9:49
  Speaker 7: Vendriloquism, huh, Charlie?
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: Pretty good.
• 9:53
  Speaker 5: Oh, it ain't ventriloquism, Mr. Adams. He talks.
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, sure he does. Well, look, now you had your
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: little joke, and I got a lot of work to do.
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: I'd like a word with you. What? That's remarkable.
• 10:11
  Speaker 4: Now, look, if you don't... George, suppose I just leave
• 10:14
  Speaker 4: you here and step outside.
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: That might be best. No, no, wait a minute. You
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: can't leave that beast in here.
• 10:21
  Speaker 5: He won't take much of your time.
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: But I... Hold it. Leaving a mouse on my desk.
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: Can you hear me all right? Yes, of course. What?
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: I said, can you hear me? Some people have trouble.
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: I'm going out of my mind. It's a hallucination. No, sir,
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: a mouse.
• 10:39
  Speaker 5: Listen to.
• 10:41
  Speaker 7: Me.
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: What are you? A mouse. You know, cheese, rodents, all
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: that sort of thing. Mind if I touch you? Okay,
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: but take it easy. Careful don't bend up the whiskers.
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: You're real. Sure I'm real. Now, listen, about that trap.
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: The trap? My wife is driving me goofy. Get it
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: away from our front door, will you? Your front door, yes. Yes,
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: of course, I'll... Are you sure you exist? I could
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: bite you to prove it. Never mind. What about it?
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: What about what? The trap. The trap, yes, of course. Well,
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: I mean, it's a security problem. Look, would you do
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: me a favor? It depends. Tell me, how come you talk? Simple.
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: My ancestors have been around this lab since it was built.
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: We've gotten a lot of gamma radiation. A couple of
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: them were used as an experiment to test radiation endurance.
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: There were surgical operations, graphs of human brain tissue to
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: mouse brain tissue, to check the effects of the rays
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: on human brains and so on. You follow me? Wait
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: a minute.
• 11:55
  Speaker 7: I remember there were some experiments where human brain tissue
• 11:58
  Speaker 7: was placed in a mouse and then exposed.
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: That's it. Those mice, the ones that survived, were my great-grandparents.
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: Holy smokes. So, what about the trap? I mean, we're nice,
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: peaceful mice. We don't bother anybody. We don't eat much.
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: We mind our own business. Wait a minute, wait a minute.
• 12:16
  Speaker 7: You say you're... Great-grandparents were the first of this talking line.
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: I mean, are there many of you? Three generations, Mac.
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: That's a lot of mice.
• 12:28
  Speaker 7: Tell me, have you talked to anybody besides me?
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: Well, I talked to Charlie. No, no, I mean besides Charlie.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: I tried it with a couple of guys. They wouldn't listen.
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: These others, what do you call them, your relatives. Have
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: they talked to anybody? Tell me, how should I know?
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: I suppose they've talked to dozens of people. Where are
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: these people they've talked to? The mental hospitals are full
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: of them. It's a problem. See, we can talk to
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: kids and, you know, the odd ones, but anybody else,
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: they get scared. Uh-huh. So what do I tell Clara
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: about the trap? Clara? My wife, Clara.
• 13:06
  Speaker 7: Oh, well, it's a security problem. I think I'll have
• 13:09
  Speaker 7: to take it up with Washington.
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: Okay, take it up. Yeah, I'll dictate a memo first
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: thing in the... No, no, I won't. They'll think I've flipped. Okay,
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: I'll tell Clara. Now, wait, wait, wait a minute, wait
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: a minute.
• 13:19
  Speaker 7: Let me make a phone call. Sooner or later, this
• 13:22
  Speaker 7: thing has got to be dealt with.
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: Edgar. Edgar Adams at Brookside.
• 13:29
  Speaker 7: Now, Edgar, old man, we have just encountered a rather
• 13:33
  Speaker 7: unusual security problem here at the plant.
• 13:36
  Speaker 4: Yes.
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: Oh, no, no, no, no, no, nothing like that.
• 13:39
  Speaker 3: Mice.
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: Yes. Talking mice. No, no, Edgar, it is not a joke.
• 13:47
  Speaker 7: I know we were joking a while ago, but it
• 13:49
  Speaker 7: turns out there are talking mice here.
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: Edgar, listen. Please, Edgar, will you listen? I'll put one
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: of them on the phone. Now, listen, would you... Here,
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: would you just talk, please? What'll I say? Just say anything.
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: His name is George. Hello? This is George. I'm trying
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: to get the authorities to remove the trap from in
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: front of my... What? Let me have it, will you?
• 14:14
  Speaker 7: Edgar, Edgar, listen, I am not kidding, and I have
• 14:17
  Speaker 7: not gone mad. This is on the level. In my
• 14:19
  Speaker 7: office at this moment, there is a mouse who talks.
• 14:22
  Speaker 7: In this top-secret atomic laboratory, there are several hundred such mice,
• 14:25
  Speaker 7: for all I know. Look, Edgar, you don't believe me,
• 14:29
  Speaker 7: and I don't expect you to believe me.
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: No, I don't want a vacation. Good night, Edgar. He
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: doesn't believe me. We keep running into this all the time. George, George.
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: Are you really interested in doing something about that trap?
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: Have you ever met my wife? Oh, of course you have.
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: Wait a minute. I got it. I got it.
• 14:49
  Speaker 7: I'm going to call for a top-level security conference at
• 14:52
  Speaker 7: the Pentagon.
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: George, will you come down there with me? Will you?
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: We won't say a word. We'll just appear. Washington?
• 14:59
  Speaker 7: First-class accommodations will get you the best suite in town.
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: Do you like cheese, too? I like cheese. Can you
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: get provolone down there? Get what? Provolone. We'll get it.
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: All the provolone you can eat. I've never traveled before. George,
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: you'll love it. You'll love it. Chance to get away
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: from the wife for a while, huh? What do you say, boy?
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: You and me, huh? We'll live it up down there. Look,
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: I know a couple of girls. I seem to recall
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: they had mice in their pantry. I don't know. I'll
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: have to talk to Clara. Look, look, tell her it's
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: the only way to get action on the trap. Make
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: it sound big, you know. You hate to go away
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: from her, but it's for the kids. What do you say, pal, huh? Well... Okay.
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: Atta boy. Operator, get me Chief of Security at the Pentagon.
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: Make it fast. This is an emergency.
• 15:57
  Speaker 4: I wasn't there, but like I said, George told me
• 15:59
  Speaker 4: all about it after it was over.
• 16:02
  Speaker 5: Seems him and Mr. Adams went down to Washington on
• 16:05
  Speaker 5: a morning plane.
• 16:06
  Speaker 4: George got a little plane sick, but he liked flying
• 16:10
  Speaker 4: pretty good anyway.
• 16:11
  Speaker 5: They checked in at the Statler, then went over to
• 16:14
  Speaker 5: the Pentagon.
• 16:17
  Speaker 8: Order, gentlemen, order. As a chief, I hereby convene the meeting.
• 16:21
  Speaker 8: It's been called as a priority A emergency session by Mr. Adams, who,
• 16:24
  Speaker 8: as you know, is security chief at our Brookville Atomic Laboratories.
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: Mr. Adams? Yes, thank you, thank you, chief.
• 16:31
  Speaker 7: Now, gentlemen, it may come as a shock to all
• 16:34
  Speaker 7: of you, if it did to me, But I've learned
• 16:37
  Speaker 7: that some 1,200 English-speaking individuals have been operating freely within
• 16:42
  Speaker 7: our top-secret laboratories at Brookville without any security clearance whatsoever.
• 16:49
  Speaker 8: You did say 1,200?
• 16:51
  Speaker 2: Actually, sir, 1,207. Who are these people, sir? Mice, Chief. Mice? Yes, sir, mice.
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: I have one of them here with me. Somewhere. George.
• 17:07
  Speaker 7: George. Here.
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: Oh, well, there you are. George, would you just mind
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: stepping to the center of the table? Right. Gentlemen, this
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: is George. How do you do? Well, this is most remarkable.
• 17:22
  Speaker 7: George is the result of an experiment conducted some years
• 17:25
  Speaker 7: ago in which bits of human brain tissue were grafted
• 17:28
  Speaker 7: into live mice to test radiation effects.
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: And there are.
• 17:32
  Speaker 8: 1,200 of these inside the lab?
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: 1,207. Without security clearance? Without security clearance. Sir? Mouse? Call
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: me George. George, tell me what you know. My wife
• 17:49
  Speaker 2: wants the trap removed from our front door. She thinks
• 17:52
  Speaker 2: it's dangerous for the children. Has she been cleared? Quiet, General. Well,
• 17:56
  Speaker 2: a major lapse of security. I'm aware of the lapse, General.
• 17:59
  Speaker 2: What about the trap?
• 18:00
  Speaker 9: I refuse to countenance any act that will aid the
• 18:03
  Speaker 9: entrance of more of these spies and saboteurs into the plant.
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: Who's a spy? I'm a mouse. Tell me, have you
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: overheard any conferences? Maybe a few. Seen any documents? My
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: kids play in the secret document file. It's the safest
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: place in the lab.
• 18:21
  Speaker 9: Have you yourself ever seen any papers marked top secret?
• 18:25
  Speaker 2: Seen them? Heck, I've eaten them. I believe this calls
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: for some action, gentlemen. Mr. Adams, Mr.
• 18:32
  Speaker 8: Adams, if you and this rodent will retire to the
• 18:35
  Speaker 8: next room, I think we'll have a brief caucus.
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: Yes, George. Okay. See you later, gentlemen. Listen, what about
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: the provolone? Never mind.
• 18:46
  Speaker 5: Uh-huh.
• 18:47
  Speaker 8: Well, I think we should try to forget for the
• 18:50
  Speaker 8: moment that these creatures are mice and deal with them
• 18:54
  Speaker 8: as security problems.
• 18:55
  Speaker 2: Concur.
• 18:56
  Speaker 8: Now then, the first question is one of loyalty.
• 18:58
  Speaker 2: I raise a question at this point. General. Are these
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: American mice? Well, I assume that... Well, but do we know?
• 19:06
  Speaker 2: You have a point, sir.
• 19:07
  Speaker 8: Perhaps we ought to get immigration in on this.
• 19:09
  Speaker 2: Immigration? I'd say extermination. Before we do anything rash, General,
• 19:13
  Speaker 2: I think we ought to learn more.
• 19:14
  Speaker 8: About these creatures... Who they are, what their habits are,
• 19:17
  Speaker 8: their loyalties, how much they know.
• 19:20
  Speaker 9: Suppose this George creature won't tell us.
• 19:22
  Speaker 8: We'll have to use every trick in the book. Now,
• 19:26
  Speaker 8: I would suggest we first try the velvet glove.
• 19:29
  Speaker 2: The full treatment.
• 19:31
  Speaker 5: The Velvet Glove.
• 19:38
  Speaker 4: George told me about the velvet glove later. He said
• 19:41
  Speaker 4: he didn't really suspect anything at first, what with all
• 19:44
  Speaker 4: the excitement of being in Washington and so on, but
• 19:47
  Speaker 4: after a while he got wind of what they were doing.
• 19:50
  Speaker 2: Room service.
• 19:51
  Speaker 7: This is Mr. Adams in 712. Will you please send
• 19:55
  Speaker 7: up a pound of.
• 19:57
  Speaker 2: Provolone, please? Cheese. Cheese. Yes. And some more wine. Yes. Fine.
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: Right away, please. They'll have some more right away, George.
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: I can't get enough of this stuff. Really delicious. George,
• 20:15
  Speaker 2: have a little more wine. I don't mind if I do.
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: This is the life, all right. It's a great town,
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: isn't it, George? Stupendous.
• 20:26
  Speaker 7: By the way, George, those documents you mentioned, eating, do
• 20:30
  Speaker 7: you remember what they said?
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: Something about nuclear weapons. Listen, Adam, what about those girls
• 20:39
  Speaker 2: you mentioned, the ones who had mice in their pantry? Oh, yes.
• 20:45
  Speaker 2: How about giving them a call? George, a little late,
• 20:48
  Speaker 2: don't you think? Oh, the night's just beginning. All right, George,
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: I'll give them a little call. Six. My memory serves. Hello, Gail.
• 21:06
  Speaker 2: My memory serves. Bob Adams. Hi, just down on a
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: quick business trip. Uh-huh. Hard tricks, Gail. No, no, no, no,
• 21:17
  Speaker 2: not a thing. By the way, did you still have mice? Mice? Yeah. You, uh,
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: you exterminated... Oh, oh, I see.
• 21:28
  Speaker 4: Uh-huh.
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: No, no, no, no, I... No, I don't think I'll
• 21:32
  Speaker 2: have time this trip. I just wanted to call you up,
• 21:34
  Speaker 2: say hello. Yeah, maybe next trip. Fine, my dear. So long.
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: What'd she say? Unfortunately, the superintendent has a cat. I see.
• 21:49
  Speaker 2: Wiped out? Wiped out. That's something I want to take
• 21:55
  Speaker 2: up with my congressman before we leave town. We'll do that, George. George,
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: have another sip of wine. You won't mind if I do.
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: That's it. Now then, George, about those documents... Oh, you
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: stop about documents. I thought we were in town for
• 22:11
  Speaker 2: a good time. We are, we are. Well, round up
• 22:15
  Speaker 2: a couple of mice, man, and let's get with it. Mice,
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: I'll tell you what, George. You wait here, I'll go out,
• 22:22
  Speaker 2: and I'll see what I can do, okay? Okay, but
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: make it snappy, huh? I'm raring to go. The End.
• 22:39
  Speaker 4: Next morning, Adams woke George and told him they were
• 22:42
  Speaker 4: scheduled for another conference at the Pentagon.
• 22:46
  Speaker 2: George. George, wake up, huh? Oh, what a head. Come on,
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: come on, George. We're due at the Pentagon. Easy. Don't
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: talk so loud. Wow. Where did you get those white
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: mice last night? Over at the National Research Lab. Ooh.
• 23:07
  Speaker 2: You must have been feeding those girls wheat germs. All right,
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: come on, come on, George, come on. You can sober
• 23:12
  Speaker 2: up in the taxi. Come on.
• 23:16
  Speaker 8: All right, George, we've been beating around the bush long enough.
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: Who are you? I've told you, I'm a mouse. My
• 23:26
  Speaker 2: name is George. I live in a hole at the
• 23:29
  Speaker 2: Brookville Atomic Laboratory. We know all that. We want to
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: know who's behind you. Nobody's behind me. Listen, you guys
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: don't have to be afraid of me. I'm only a mouse.
• 23:39
  Speaker 2: It's the perfect fifth column. The ultimate weapon.
• 23:41
  Speaker 8: Do you realize that you and your family are living
• 23:43
  Speaker 8: inside a secret government installation without any security clearance whatsoever?
• 23:47
  Speaker 2: I'm willing to be investigated.
• 23:49
  Speaker 9: How do we know you aren't an agent for a
• 23:50
  Speaker 9: foreign power?
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: How do we know you aren't an agent for a
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: foreign power? Preposterous. It'd be the perfect fifth column.
• 23:57
  Speaker 9: Gentlemen, I will not remain here to be insulted by
• 23:59
  Speaker 9: this creature.
• 24:00
  Speaker 2: And I will not be insulted by you, sir. Gentlemen,
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: good day. No, George, wait. Come back.
• 24:05
  Speaker 8: Where is he?
• 24:05
  Speaker 2: He went that way.
• 24:07
  Speaker 8: He's going into the wall.
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: Too late. He's gone.
• 24:11
  Speaker 8: We'll have to decide on a course of action. We've
• 24:13
  Speaker 8: got to recapture him.
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: Look, I think the first thing to do is get
• 24:15
  Speaker 2: a cat.
• 24:15
  Speaker 8: He's too smart for a cat. Well, something's got to
• 24:17
  Speaker 8: be done.
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: Something's got to be done.
• 24:18
  Speaker 8: After all, these creatures have access to every secret file
• 24:20
  Speaker 8: in the country. Not to mention eavesdropping on our private lives.
• 24:23
  Speaker 7: The thing that bothers me is, gentlemen, they multiply in
• 24:26
  Speaker 7: another three generations. There will be some 12 billion talking mice.
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: Six times the human population of the earth.
• 24:32
  Speaker 8: It's no matter if we're fooling around.
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: Kill or be killed, gentlemen.
• 24:35
  Speaker 9: The problem there is how. We have reason to believe
• 24:38
  Speaker 9: they're concentrated in Brookville. I say evacuate all humans and
• 24:41
  Speaker 9: blow up the plant.
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: Use the H-bomb if necessary. I'm afraid you're right, General.
• 24:45
  Speaker 8: We must exterminate them.
• 24:45
  Speaker 2: I'll phone Strategic Air Command and alert them. SAC, please. Hello, Bell.
• 24:52
  Speaker 2: This is Ed.
• 24:53
  Speaker 9: Listen, fuel up a couple of big ones. No, nothing serious.
• 24:57
  Speaker 9: But we may want to use them in the near future.
• 25:01
  Speaker 9: Just stand by. That's all.
• 25:02
  Speaker 8: I'll call Chemical Warfare. Get the best information on exterminating rodents.
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: Hello? Hello? Hello? That's funny. He's gone dead. Hello?
• 25:12
  Speaker 8: Hello? Something is wrong here. Sounds almost as if the
• 25:16
  Speaker 8: line had been cut. Adam's got an alarm for that mouse.
• 25:31
  Speaker 4: Well, that was only the beginning, of course. Things began
• 25:33
  Speaker 4: to happen pretty fast right after that. You bet your
• 25:35
  Speaker 4: sweet satchel they did.
• 25:37
  Speaker 2: Well, Adams? Yeah, I've been talking to Edgar.
• 25:39
  Speaker 7: The FBI has located several hundred field mice, all of
• 25:43
  Speaker 7: them non-talking. No trace of a mouse corresponding to our
• 25:45
  Speaker 7: description of George. Team of secret servicemen been combing the
• 25:49
  Speaker 7: Pentagon and the White House. We've got 1,500 traps baited
• 25:52
  Speaker 7: with imported provolone in the Senate chambers alone.
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: So far, no luck. And what about cats? The American
• 25:58
  Speaker 2: feline fanciers have volunteered 100 mousers.
• 26:00
  Speaker 5: Oh, good, good.
• 26:01
  Speaker 8: Any more telephone wires cut?
• 26:03
  Speaker 2: I'm afraid so, Chief, yes. We.
• 26:05
  Speaker 7: He managed to gnaw through the private wire from the
• 26:07
  Speaker 7: president's suite to the Pentagon.
• 26:09
  Speaker 2: I see.
• 26:09
  Speaker 8: Well, get it spliced. What about the top secret file
• 26:11
  Speaker 8: on that new chemical warfare agent? Is there any trace
• 26:13
  Speaker 8: of that?
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: They found the file, but he managed to chew out
• 26:15
  Speaker 2: the key symbols. I'm afraid it's useless.
• 26:17
  Speaker 8: Well, keep tracking him down. Sooner or later, we'll get him.
• 26:20
  Speaker 2: Yes, sir.
• 26:20
  Speaker 4: Yes, sir.
• 26:20
  Speaker 8: Only one thing, sir. Well, what's that?
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: I hate to mention it, really.
• 26:23
  Speaker 8: Well, go on, man.
• 26:25
  Speaker 2: Well, sir, the damage has appeared in such widespread places recently... Well,
• 26:29
  Speaker 2: go on, go on. that the.
• 26:30
  Speaker 7: Well, there must be more than just George. In fact,
• 26:32
  Speaker 7: we're afraid he has reinforcements right here in Washington.
• 26:35
  Speaker 5: But that's impossible.
• 26:36
  Speaker 7: How?
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: I don't know how, sir, unless... Unless what? Unless.
• 26:40
  Speaker 7: Well, it seems, sir, that there were a couple of
• 26:42
  Speaker 7: female white mice from the National Research Lab.
• 26:47
  Speaker 3: You mean.
• 26:47
  Speaker 2: Yes, sir. I'm afraid so, sir.
• 27:01
  Speaker 5: I guess maybe you know the rest.
• 27:03
  Speaker 4: Within a couple of weeks, every cable, telephone line, power line,
• 27:07
  Speaker 4: every telegraph line in the United States had been cut.
• 27:10
  Speaker 4: Also the wires on every plane, tank, train, ship. It
• 27:14
  Speaker 4: also destroyed every file in the country. That was only
• 27:18
  Speaker 4: a month ago. Well, you can guess what's happened. Most
• 27:21
  Speaker 4: everybody has.
• 27:22
  Speaker 5: Left this part of the world.
• 27:24
  Speaker 4: In this whole atomic laboratory, I'm the only human. And
• 27:27
  Speaker 4: I'm not so sure I'll be around much longer.
• 27:31
  Speaker 8: Yes, sir.
• 27:32
  Speaker 2: The old woman.
• 27:34
  Speaker 4: Not that they need a security guard, but, well, I'm
• 27:38
  Speaker 4: just used to being here.
• 27:40
  Speaker 5: I wouldn't know where to go.
• 27:42
  Speaker 2: Charlie. Why, George. George, is it you? That's right, Charlie.
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: You look awful.
• 27:50
  Speaker 5: Where have you been?
• 27:52
  Speaker 2: Well, I was down in Washington, Charlie. About the traps, remember? Oh, yeah.
• 27:57
  Speaker 4: That was before all the trouble started over two months ago. Well,
• 28:01
  Speaker 4: what you been doing all this time?
• 28:02
  Speaker 2: Well, you know, we've been pretty busy protecting ourselves, cutting
• 28:06
  Speaker 2: the lines and stopping transportation and such.
• 28:09
  Speaker 4: I figured it was the mice done it, yeah. Yeah,
• 28:12
  Speaker 4: we didn't like it, but it was them or us, so.
• 28:15
  Speaker 2: We did it.
• 28:17
  Speaker 5: Well, how come you look so terrible, though?
• 28:19
  Speaker 2: Well, we stopped the trains and the planes, you know,
• 28:23
  Speaker 2: so we had to walk back. That's one heck of
• 28:29
  Speaker 2: a walk. For a mouse.
• 28:39
  Speaker 5: Like I said, this is about George.
• 28:50
  Speaker 3: To have just heard X-1, presented by the National Broadcasting Company,
• 28:55
  Speaker 3: in cooperation with Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine.
• 28:58
  Speaker 2: Your announcer, Fred Collins.
• 29:01
  Speaker 3: X-1 was an NBC Radio Network production.
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: We leave the laboratory case of X-1's chain of command.
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: Follow X-1 for more classic broadcasts.