Latest / If You Please, Himan Brown’s Radio Mystery Theater / S2E3: The Ring of Truth

Transcript

S2E3: The Ring of Truth · If You Please, Himan Brown’s Radio Mystery Theater

• 0:00
  -Welcome to the second season of "If You Please...
• 0:02
  Himan Brown's Radio Mystery Theater".
• 0:05
  On this series,
• 0:07
  we are offering rebroadcasts of a select group
• 0:09
  of programs created by this legendary producer for CBS
• 0:12
  between 1974 and 1982.
• 0:15
  Brown reimagined radio drama for contemporary times.
• 0:19
  Our new series offers some of these exciting works again.
• 0:23
  In season one,
• 0:25
  we delivered riveting tales of foul play, betrayal,
• 0:27
  greed, and misguided love.
• 0:29
  We foiled a murder, considered reincarnation,
• 0:31
  pondered the nature of guilt, and traveled through time.
• 0:34
  We heard Himan Brown's troupe of seasoned audio actors
• 0:38
  embody a wide range of characters
• 0:40
  and deliver thrills time and again.
• 0:42
  And for season two,
• 0:44
  they are all set to keep our headsets on
• 0:46
  and our fingers tapping play.
• 0:48
  Before each program.
• 0:50
  Commentator John Slavney shares details about the cast,
• 0:53
  the writer, and the plot. Your job, listen.
• 0:56
  "If You Please..."
• 0:58
  is produced in loving memory of Robert Isaacson.
• 1:00
  ♪♪
• 1:07
  -Hi, everyone. I'm John Slavney
• 1:09
  welcoming you to the 16th episode of our podcast,
• 1:11
  a tale about the truth and what it costs to tell it.
• 1:14
  In a small New England college town,
• 1:16
  we meet John Kittridge, professor of philosophy
• 1:19
  and something of an expert on the truth.
• 1:21
  He has a new book coming out soon,
• 1:22
  and it's called, "The Ring Of Truth".
• 1:25
  But the professor's interest in the truth
• 1:27
  remains mostly theoretical till his daughter,
• 1:29
  Lorna's fiancé, Mark Kramer,
• 1:31
  kills a woman while driving drunk,
• 1:33
  and Lorna is called to testify at the inquest.
• 1:36
  Will she tell the truth about the accident,
• 1:37
  as her conscience dictates, and as her father demands?
• 1:41
  That question alone would carry most mysteries.
• 1:43
  And a similar dilemma was posed in our episode
• 1:45
  "Nothing But The Truth" from season one.
• 1:48
  But scriptwriter Henry Slesser usually gives us something
• 1:50
  more substantial to chew on,
• 1:52
  and often a twist we never see coming.
• 1:54
  In this case, the real question turns out to be a stranger one,
• 1:57
  and it has nothing to do with Lorna's conscience at all.
• 2:01
  Starring as Lorna is the redoubtable Agnes Moorehead.
• 2:03
  Here, in her second
• 2:05
  and final appearance on "Radio Mystery Theater",
• 2:07
  she was on Broadway at the time,
• 2:09
  playing Aunt Alicia in Lerner and Loewe's musical "Gigi".
• 2:12
  She would leave that production suddenly after falling
• 2:14
  ill just weeks after this episode was taped,
• 2:17
  and she died four months later at the age of 73.
• 2:19
  Her performance in "Sorry, Wrong Number"
• 2:21
  is a radio milestone in a legendary career
• 2:24
  that included the stage,
• 2:26
  Orson Welles, "Citizen Kane" and "The Magnificent Ambersons".
• 2:28
  The television series "Bewitched", and a famous,
• 2:31
  wordless episode of Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone".
• 2:34
  Himan Brown, her old friend and collaborator
• 2:36
  felt her loss keenly.
• 2:37
  New York radio veteran Mandel Kramer is back
• 2:40
  as Lorna's fiancé, Mark.
• 2:41
  At the time,
• 2:43
  Kramer was playing police chief Bill Markeau
• 2:45
  on the daytime drama "The Edge Of Night",
• 2:46
  the same series
• 2:48
  where Henry Slesser had been head writer since 1968.
• 2:50
  Santos Ortega,
• 2:52
  whom we heard recently as the old man in "A Very Old Man"
• 2:55
  here plays Professor Kittridge,
• 2:57
  and he occupies the role with authority
• 2:59
  and more than a whiff of arrogance.
• 3:01
  Also, before the mic are two series regulars.
• 3:03
  Ian Martin doubles as the professor's publisher
• 3:06
  and a helpful police sergeant,
• 3:08
  while Danny Arco appears in brief roles
• 3:10
  as a presiding judge at the coroner's inquest
• 3:12
  and as a prison guard.
• 3:13
  Born in Brooklyn,
• 3:15
  Arco was an invaluable member of Brown's
• 3:17
  revolving company of utility players.
• 3:19
  He had a busy career on radio and in voice-over,
• 3:21
  and appeared regularly on television and in film.
• 3:24
  E.G. Marshall's narration stitches the action together
• 3:27
  across the three acts of our play,
• 3:29
  supplying a thought-provoking series of quotations
• 3:31
  on the subject of truth from the Gospel of John
• 3:34
  to Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
• 3:36
  Now settle in and prepare to find out
• 3:38
  whether our primary characters Lorna,
• 3:40
  her father, and her fiancé,
• 3:42
  want to hear the whole truth or just the ring of it.
• 3:45
  This episode was recorded on Thursday, December 13th, 1973,
• 3:49
  and was first broadcast to homes across North America
• 3:52
  on January 26th, 1974.
• 3:54
  ♪♪
• 4:01
  -The "CBS Radio Mystery Theater" presents
• 4:04
  [ Door creaks open slowly ]
• 4:13
  ♪♪
• 4:21
  Come in.
• 4:24
  Welcome.
• 4:26
  I'm E.G. Marshall.
• 4:29
  Welcome to the sound of suspense.
• 4:32
  Welcome to the fear you can hear.
• 4:36
  But mostly to the world of terrifying imagination.
• 4:42
  In the next 52 minutes, you'll hear a story about truth.
• 4:47
  Everyone is in favor of truth, of course.
• 4:50
  It's a word which produces immediate reverence and respect.
• 4:55
  But sometimes the truth can be a terrible thing.
• 4:59
  Even a shattering thing.
• 5:02
  [ Engine revs, brakes squeal ]
• 5:05
  [ Crash ]
• 5:07
  -Oh, my God! Mark, you hit a woman.
• 5:10
  I told you not to drive so fast.
• 5:12
  -I didn't see her.
• 5:13
  I didn't -- I didn't see her crossing the road.
• 5:15
  -Is she alive? Oh, Mark, look at her when she's lying there!
• 5:18
  -Lorna, she must be dead. -Oh, God!
• 5:21
  -Lorna, you mustn't tell anyone.
• 5:22
  Please, you mustn't tell anyone.
• 5:25
  ♪♪
• 5:31
  -Our mystery drama, "The Ring Of Truth",
• 5:34
  was written especially for
• 5:35
  the "Mystery Theater" by Henry Slesser
• 5:38
  and stars Agnes Moorehead.
• 5:42
  I'll be back shortly with Act One.
• 5:44
  ♪♪
• 5:51
  ♪♪
• 6:01
  Now here's Act One of "The Ring Of Truth".
• 6:05
  The place.
• 6:07
  A charming college town in New England.
• 6:09
  The people you're about to meet.
• 6:11
  Young Lorna Kittridge and the special man in her life,
• 6:15
  Mark Kramer.
• 6:17
  His driving speed, a comfortable 30 miles an hour.
• 6:22
  -I'll tell you what I resent most about your father, Lorna.
• 6:25
  It's the fact that he deliberately keeps
• 6:27
  -forgetting my name. -Mark, don't be so silly.
• 6:31
  Daddy has a genuine problem about names.
• 6:33
  -No, no, I'm sorry, darling,
• 6:35
  I just can't buy this absent-minded professor stuff.
• 6:38
  It's too corny.
• 6:39
  -Corny or not,
• 6:41
  that's exactly what my father is sometimes, absent-minded.
• 6:44
  His mind is always up in the stratosphere somewhere,
• 6:46
  communing with Socrates or Schopenhauer
• 6:49
  on the meaning of truth. [ Chuckles ]
• 6:53
  You -- You just don't like my father very much.
• 6:56
  -[Scoffs] I hardly know your father.
• 6:58
  Look, I want to get along with him, Lorna.
• 7:00
  After all, he's going to be my father-in-law, isn't he?
• 7:02
  -We're almost home.
• 7:04
  What can I do to put you in a better mood?
• 7:07
  -That's easy, darling.
• 7:08
  You can promise to tell him tonight.
• 7:11
  -Oh, Mark. Tonight? -Why not?
• 7:14
  -But I told you that the Pryors are going to be
• 7:15
  at dinner tonight.
• 7:17
  Harold Pryor's Daddy's publisher.
• 7:19
  -So? After they leave, you can tell him.
• 7:23
  Lorna, we've been engaged for almost three weeks now,
• 7:24
  and nobody knows about it except you and me.
• 7:26
  -Well, isn't that enough? -Not for me, it isn't. No.
• 7:29
  I'm the kind of guy who wants to shout it from the house tops.
• 7:32
  -Yes, I do too. I really do, Mark.
• 7:37
  I love you so much.
• 7:38
  -Alright, darling, then prove it.
• 7:41
  Tell him tonight, Lorna.
• 7:43
  Tell him you're going to marry what's his name.
• 7:45
  ♪♪
• 7:51
  -[ Mumbles, chuckles ]
• 7:54
  -Hey, you're quite right, Harold,
• 7:58
  what the book needs is a much sexier title.
• 8:00
  -Well, of course there isn't a word about sex in it,
• 8:02
  but what's the difference as long as it sells, hmm?
• 8:04
  -What's the latest book about? -Why truth, of course.
• 8:07
  -Daddy's favorite subject.
• 8:09
  -Should be everyone's favorite subject, in my opinion.
• 8:11
  -You know, if you really want a suggestion for a new title,
• 8:13
  professor, I think I have one. -Do you, Max?
• 8:16
  -Daddy! The name is Mark.
• 8:18
  -Oh, yes, yes, of course, I -- I'm sorry, Mark.
• 8:20
  Well, uh, go on, let's hear your suggestion.
• 8:23
  -Why not call it "The Ring Of Truth"?
• 8:25
  -Well, I think that's a very good name,
• 8:28
  but of course,
• 8:30
  that's up to Professor Kittridge.
• 8:31
  It's not a bad title, Mark,
• 8:33
  but, uh, well, it does imply a lack of sincerity, doesn't it?
• 8:37
  The ring of truth is only the surface appearance of it.
• 8:41
  What I'm examining in my book is the necessity for stark truth,
• 8:45
  for truth unafraid.
• 8:47
  -Of course, there's a fairly good argument against
• 8:48
  stark truth sometimes, isn't there?
• 8:50
  I mean, there's still a necessity
• 8:51
  for a white lie now and then.
• 8:53
  -You mean in the real estate business, perhaps?
• 8:55
  -No, no, not just in my business, in everyone's.
• 8:58
  I mean, there are times when tact and courtesy,
• 9:01
  and general goodwill call for a shading of the truth.
• 9:05
  -Uh, may I make a suggestion?
• 9:08
  Everyone, why don't we have our coffee in the living room?
• 9:11
  -It's a good idea, darling.
• 9:12
  -You know, George, I wondered... -Uh.
• 9:14
  I'll give you a hand with the dishes, honey.
• 9:16
  Besides, I'd like a little conversation
• 9:18
  with you in the kitchen.
• 9:20
  ♪♪
• 9:28
  -Alright, Mark. I know what you're going to say.
• 9:32
  Daddy was impossible tonight.
• 9:34
  -Now, your father's a great scholar, a man of ideals.
• 9:36
  The Albert Schweitzer of New England.
• 9:39
  I'm only a poor schnook of a real estate man,
• 9:41
  but I'm perfectly willing to put up with him for your sake.
• 9:43
  -Put up with him? -Won't be easy.
• 9:46
  A crass, materialistic guy like me
• 9:48
  marrying into all that saintliness.
• 9:50
  What can I do? I'm crazy about his daughter.
• 9:52
  -You idiot!
• 9:55
  -Mark, my hands are wet. -Will you tell him tonight?
• 9:58
  -Yes, the minute everyone leaves.
• 10:00
  -He's not going to be happy about it, you know that.
• 10:02
  He won't be happy about losing you.
• 10:03
  -Well, he knew it had to happen someday.
• 10:05
  -Alright, then tell him that day has come.
• 10:07
  Tell him the truth.
• 10:08
  -I always tell Daddy the truth.
• 10:10
  ♪♪
• 10:14
  Daddy, can I come in?
• 10:16
  -Yes, darling. Of course.
• 10:19
  -I didn't want to interrupt your reading.
• 10:21
  -Oh, I can't really read this book.
• 10:24
  I don't understand the language.
• 10:26
  -Have you seen it, by the way? -Hmm?
• 10:28
  -Still another edition.
• 10:30
  German of "The Seven Secrets Of Shakespeare".
• 10:33
  -It's lovely. What a beautiful binding.
• 10:36
  -Yes, I'm pleased with it.
• 10:38
  I suppose, an author never loses his affection
• 10:39
  for the first book he writes.
• 10:41
  -Well, it's more than just that.
• 10:43
  This book made you famous.
• 10:45
  -[Chuckles] In very limited circles, yes.
• 10:48
  And I hope you've enjoyed the evening
• 10:50
  and that your friend did too.
• 10:52
  -The only thing Mark didn't like was being called Max.
• 10:55
  -Oh, I'm sorry about that, precious.
• 10:57
  I hope he wasn't offended,
• 10:59
  but you have to admit that you do bring home a lot
• 11:01
  -of young men. -Daddy.
• 11:04
  -That may have been true once,
• 11:06
  but Mark Kramer is the only man
• 11:08
  I've seen for the last six months.
• 11:11
  And the reason I've seen him so much
• 11:13
  is that, well, I'm in love with him.
• 11:17
  -Well, that isn't an entirely new phenomenon either, is it?
• 11:23
  -Daddy? Mark asked me to marry him.
• 11:28
  -I said yes. -Marriage?
• 11:31
  -You know that word, don't you?
• 11:32
  It's English, not German.
• 11:34
  -Yes, I know the word, but, uh.
• 11:37
  Well, it's just that I never supposed
• 11:38
  you'd want to marry now.
• 11:41
  I mean, before your doctorate,
• 11:42
  before you've done all those things
• 11:43
  we planned to do together?
• 11:45
  -Marriage wouldn't put an end to our plans.
• 11:48
  And as for your lecture tour,
• 11:50
  well, you don't really need me along.
• 11:52
  -I don't know if I'd want to go without you.
• 11:55
  I'm getting a little old to gallivant
• 11:57
  around Europe by myself.
• 11:58
  -It's the first time
• 11:59
  I've heard you complain about being old.
• 12:01
  -Uh, for some reason,
• 12:03
  the last 10 seconds, I began to feel old.
• 12:07
  -Of course, Mark and I could go with you to Europe
• 12:10
  as a sort of honeymoon.
• 12:12
  -Uh, no, Lorna, he's not going to want that, I'm sure.
• 12:16
  In fact,
• 12:18
  my guess is that your young man is going to want to see
• 12:19
  his little of me as he possibly can.
• 12:22
  -No, Daddy, that isn't so.
• 12:25
  He knows that I won't just abandon you.
• 12:27
  I couldn't be that heartless.
• 12:28
  -That's the last word I'd use about you, precious.
• 12:33
  I know your heart only too well.
• 12:35
  I know what a tender, beating little thing it is.
• 12:39
  I've always been afraid of the man who would trap it someday.
• 12:42
  -I just wish you knew Mark better.
• 12:45
  He's not a scholar--
• 12:46
  I'm not saying anything against Mark,
• 12:48
  I'd feel this way about any man.
• 12:52
  I'm like the tired old king of the fairy tale, darling,
• 12:54
  forced by the condition of kingdom
• 12:56
  to give the hand of his princess to a commoner.
• 12:58
  -Oh, Daddy! Daddy!
• 13:00
  ♪♪
• 13:10
  Mark, you're just being pigheaded.
• 13:13
  It won't even be six months.
• 13:16
  And by that time I'll have my doctorate
• 13:18
  and Daddy's lecture tour will be over.
• 13:20
  -Oh, that's great. Just -- Just great.
• 13:23
  Waiter, where's that drink I ordered?
• 13:25
  -Mark, I've never seen you wear more
• 13:26
  than two martinis in my life.
• 13:28
  -You're wrong, my love. I had one before you got here.
• 13:31
  The one coming up will be number four.
• 13:32
  -Mark, please, don't be so upset.
• 13:35
  I'm not breaking our engagement.
• 13:37
  I'm simply asking for a postponement.
• 13:39
  -How long did he take to talk you into it, Lorna?
• 13:42
  -Well, it was something I decided to do,
• 13:43
  Mark, all by myself.
• 13:46
  -Because you realized how important it was
• 13:48
  to get your PhD,
• 13:51
  to make sure Daddy was taken care of on his lecture tour.
• 13:54
  -But it is important to me.
• 13:56
  -You know, you're a lucky girl to have a father like that.
• 14:00
  Now you take my old man,
• 14:02
  good old Charlie Kramer real estate.
• 14:06
  I don't think he ever heard of an ethic
• 14:07
  or an ideal in his life.
• 14:09
  Probably told a dozen lies a day, old Charlie.
• 14:12
  I guess that's why he turned out so badly.
• 14:14
  -You're drinking too much.
• 14:16
  You always do when you're angry.
• 14:18
  -Just another flaw in my character.
• 14:20
  Hardly noticeable in the general ruin of my personality.
• 14:22
  -Please, Mark,
• 14:24
  I don't want you to be drunk to drive me home.
• 14:26
  -Oh, don't worry, I won't even have that fourth drink.
• 14:28
  See what a nice guy I am.
• 14:30
  I want to make sure you get home to Daddy safe and sound.
• 14:34
  ♪♪
• 14:41
  -Mark, are you sure you don't want me to drive?
• 14:44
  -No.
• 14:45
  You just leave the driving to us.
• 14:47
  -It's starting to rain.
• 14:49
  I think you should turn your wipers on.
• 14:51
  -That isn't rain, precious.
• 14:53
  Those are tears in front of your eyes.
• 14:54
  -Please, Mark. -Alright, alright.
• 14:57
  -Do you have to drive so fast?
• 15:00
  I know there isn't any traffic, but these roads are so dark.
• 15:02
  -That's what the headlights are for.
• 15:05
  How far these little candles throw their beams.
• 15:09
  So shines a good deed in a naughty world.
• 15:12
  Hey, you see, your father isn't the only one
• 15:13
  who can quote Shakes-- -Mark!
• 15:15
  -What? -Look out! That woman.
• 15:16
  -Where? -Oh!
• 15:18
  -[ Brakes squeal, thud ] -You hit her!
• 15:21
  -Oh, Lord, you hit her. -I didn't see her.
• 15:22
  I didn't see her crossing the road, so help me.
• 15:25
  -Is she dead?
• 15:27
  Oh, Mark, look at the way she's lying there.
• 15:29
  -She's dead, Lorna. -Oh.
• 15:31
  -The woman's dead! -Oh, no.
• 15:34
  Well, how horrible. I told you not to drive so fast!
• 15:37
  ♪♪
• 15:43
  -Oh, Daddy, it was so awful.
• 15:47
  And it was my fault.
• 15:49
  My fault that Mark drank so much.
• 15:52
  He really doesn't like whiskey very much.
• 15:53
  But when I told him about what we decided
• 15:57
  about postponing the wedding.
• 16:00
  -You mean what you decided, darling.
• 16:04
  -It was your decision. -He was driving so recklessly.
• 16:08
  He must have been going 60 miles an hour on that road.
• 16:12
  The speed limit there was only about 30.
• 16:14
  -They haven't arrested him, have they?
• 16:15
  -No.
• 16:17
  -But the police were called, weren't they?
• 16:19
  -Yes, yes. They know Mark, of course.
• 16:23
  He's lived here all his life.
• 16:25
  -Didn't they give Mark a sobriety test?
• 16:26
  -No. Nobody even suggested it.
• 16:29
  I mean, Mark didn't seem to be drunk at all.
• 16:33
  Not after it.
• 16:35
  -And of course, he didn't say he'd been drinking.
• 16:37
  Didn't mention the speed he was traveling at.
• 16:39
  -Well, they asked him.
• 16:41
  Mark said he was going 35,
• 16:43
  and that the woman just stepped out in front of him.
• 16:47
  -I see. -He had to say it, Daddy.
• 16:50
  I mean, otherwise it would have been a crime, wouldn't it?
• 16:53
  -I think it's called vehicular homicide.
• 16:57
  -Well, he could go to prison for that, couldn't he?
• 16:59
  -Perhaps. -Oh, Daddy.
• 17:01
  -Lorna, what did you say? -What?
• 17:06
  -What did you tell them when the police talked to you
• 17:07
  -about the accident? -Oh, they didn't.
• 17:10
  They didn't ask me anything.
• 17:12
  They said there would be an inquest to determine the facts.
• 17:17
  I suppose I'd have to answer questions then.
• 17:19
  -And what will you say then?
• 17:22
  -Well, I-I-I don't know.
• 17:24
  I mean, I have to corroborate Mark's story, of course.
• 17:28
  -Is that what you're going to do?
• 17:30
  -Oh, well, if you could have seen his face, Daddy.
• 17:32
  It was like a child.
• 17:34
  Like a little boy afraid to be punished.
• 17:38
  He said, "You'll stand by me, Lorna, won't you?"
• 17:41
  -And so you're going to stand by him.
• 17:44
  You're going to forget all you ever learned about truth?
• 17:47
  You're going to lie.
• 17:48
  -But, Daddy, what else can I do?
• 17:50
  -I can't advise you, my darling.
• 17:52
  All I can do is remind you that you
• 17:55
  and I have always loved truth as much as we've loved each other.
• 18:00
  Are you going to change now?
• 18:02
  ♪♪
• 18:07
  -And so Lorna finds herself in the corner of a triangle.
• 18:12
  The man she loves on one side.
• 18:15
  The father she loves on the other.
• 18:19
  But the invisible corner of the triangle
• 18:21
  is that mysterious thing called truth.
• 18:25
  We'll find out what Lorna Kittridge does
• 18:27
  when I return shortly with Act Two.
• 18:32
  -Like what you're hearing so far?
• 18:34
  Are you curious about the history behind radio programs
• 18:37
  just like this one,
• 18:39
  and the dramatic genius who created them?
• 18:41
  In the nine-part, award winning documentary "Audio Maverick",
• 18:44
  we explore the golden age of radio
• 18:47
  through the life of Himan Brown.
• 18:49
  You'll hear the history of radio come to life as we travel,
• 18:52
  from the birth of audio drama to the programs
• 18:55
  that brought millions of families
• 18:57
  into their living rooms every night.
• 18:59
  "Audio Maverick" is available anywhere you get your podcasts.
• 19:02
  ♪♪
• 19:09
  ♪♪
• 19:16
  -Ye shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
• 19:22
  Will that familiar saying work in the case of Mark Kramer?
• 19:27
  It may all depend on the outcome of the next conversation
• 19:30
  you hear in the home of Professor John Kittridge
• 19:34
  -and his daughter. -[ Knock on door ]
• 19:36
  -Lorna, may I come in? -Yes, Daddy.
• 19:40
  [ Door opens ]
• 19:42
  -Huh? Well dressed already? -Yes.
• 19:47
  I know I don't have to leave for the county courthouse
• 19:49
  for another hour, but I --
• 19:51
  I was too nervous to just lie in bed.
• 19:53
  -Why don't you come downstairs and have some breakfast with me?
• 19:55
  -No. No, I couldn't. I -- I feel too sick.
• 20:00
  -Ah, poor kid. Heh.
• 20:04
  You know, I haven't called you that
• 20:05
  since you were a little child.
• 20:07
  Or don't you remember me calling you that?
• 20:10
  -No, not really.
• 20:12
  -You see, before you were born,
• 20:13
  I wanted to name you Katherine.
• 20:16
  But your mother objected because she was certain
• 20:17
  you'd be nicknamed Kitty.
• 20:19
  Then you'd be Kitty Kitteridge.
• 20:22
  And she hated the sound of it.
• 20:24
  -You've told me the story before.
• 20:26
  -I know you're not in the mood for old family anecdotes.
• 20:30
  -All I can think about is that inquest this morning.
• 20:34
  I'm so frightened. My skin feels like ice.
• 20:37
  -Darling, you won't have to be frightened
• 20:38
  if you do what I said.
• 20:41
  It's only lying that makes us afraid.
• 20:44
  -Please, please don't talk about it.
• 20:47
  I have to lie for Mark, I love him.
• 20:49
  I'm going to marry him.
• 20:51
  -Do you think the others will lie?
• 20:54
  The bartender at that restaurant.
• 20:56
  What was that? What was the name of that again?
• 20:59
  -Bruno's? Yes. He'll defend Mark.
• 21:02
  I'm sure he will. They don't like trouble.
• 21:05
  They had some license problem last year.
• 21:08
  They won't want to admit that
• 21:10
  they served Mark so many drinks that he was hardly able to walk,
• 21:13
  to say nothing of drive, sir.
• 21:16
  -So you're the only one who has to lie.
• 21:19
  -Daddy, the woman is dead.
• 21:22
  Nothing will bring her back, lies, truth, nothing.
• 21:28
  Who does it help if Mark goes to prison?
• 21:31
  -Yes. You're right, precious.
• 21:35
  There's no profit in truth, none at all.
• 21:39
  -Then you agree with me?
• 21:42
  -No profit, Lorna, only loss maybe.
• 21:47
  But that's something you'll have to judge for yourself.
• 21:50
  You know my feeling about truth.
• 21:53
  You know what I've always taught you about it.
• 21:55
  -Yes.
• 21:57
  Dare to be true. Nothing can need a lie.
• 22:01
  A fault which needs it most grows to thereby.
• 22:04
  -You used to like that poem.
• 22:07
  Now you're quoting it with contempt.
• 22:09
  -Oh, Daddy, why can't you understand?
• 22:13
  Why do you have to be so demanding?
• 22:16
  Let me forget truth just this once.
• 22:20
  -Your mind is your own, Lorna.
• 22:22
  -Well, I want to do what's right.
• 22:24
  -Then do what you want to do.
• 22:26
  You're an adult now, independent of me.
• 22:29
  Lie if you want to,
• 22:31
  but don't look for my approval.
• 22:34
  And above all, don't ask for my blessing.
• 22:38
  -Daddy!
• 22:40
  ♪♪
• 22:47
  -Let's have some quiet. -[ Gavel taps ]
• 22:51
  The coroner's jury has to hear the testimony
• 22:54
  if they're going to judge it.
• 22:57
  Sergeant McKeon,
• 22:59
  was any investigation made of the skid marks
• 23:01
  at the scene of the accident
• 23:03
  with a view to determining the speed of the vehicle?
• 23:05
  -Ah, no, sir, there wasn't.
• 23:07
  The condition of the road and the rain we had that night,
• 23:10
  well, it was impossible to tell the difference
• 23:13
  between the skid marks and the tire treads.
• 23:16
  That's why no measurement was made.
• 23:19
  -It's been stated that the driver of the vehicle,
• 23:22
  Mark Kramer, had left the establishment.
• 23:25
  Called Bruno's shortly before the accident.
• 23:28
  Since Bruno's is in the business of serving hard liquor,
• 23:31
  among other things, did the police give Mr. Kramer
• 23:34
  a sobriety test? -Uh, no, sir, we didn't.
• 23:38
  You see, sir, we didn't know at the time
• 23:40
  where Mr. Kramer had been.
• 23:42
  All we knew was that Mrs. Morgan was dead,
• 23:45
  and Mr. Kramer didn't appear like he'd been drinking.
• 23:48
  -All right, Sergeant, you can step down.
• 23:49
  -Thank you, sir.
• 23:51
  The coroner's office calls Mr. Kramer to the stand, please.
• 23:57
  Mr. Kramer, this inquest isn't a trial.
• 24:03
  Our duty here is simply to determine the cause of death.
• 24:07
  But you must give your testimony under oath.
• 24:10
  Please raise your hand on the Bible.
• 24:11
  -Yes, sir.
• 24:13
  -You solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,
• 24:15
  and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
• 24:16
  -I do.
• 24:18
  -Alright, Mr. Kramer, just tell us your story
• 24:21
  of what happened the night of the accident.
• 24:24
  -Well, Miss Kittridge and I left Bruno's
• 24:26
  about 9:00 that evening, about a half hour before the accident.
• 24:29
  I'd had one drink, a vodka martini.
• 24:31
  You can ask Mr. Bruno about that because he served me.
• 24:34
  -Go on.
• 24:35
  -When I reached route 24, I decided to take
• 24:36
  the Ridge Road shortcut to town.
• 24:39
  I was traveling between 30 and 35 miles an hour, I'd say.
• 24:42
  And I remember slowing down when the rain started.
• 24:45
  I had my wipers going when I came over the rise of the hill.
• 24:48
  So my windshield was clear,
• 24:51
  but I still didn't see Mrs. Moger
• 24:54
  when she stepped out into the road
• 24:55
  directly in front of the car.
• 24:58
  -Were your lights on full beam?
• 25:00
  -Yes, sir, they were.
• 25:03
  -Why do you suppose Mrs. Moger didn't see them?
• 25:06
  -I don't really know.
• 25:07
  What I think is, she was almost across the road
• 25:11
  when I came over the rise and --
• 25:14
  and she panicked when she realized that a car was coming.
• 25:17
  She started back in the wrong direction.
• 25:20
  And that was when she stepped in front of the car.
• 25:22
  -Is that your entire testimony?
• 25:25
  -Yes, sir, it is. -Very well, Mr. Kramer.
• 25:28
  You can return to your seat.
• 25:32
  Will Miss Lorna Kittridge take the chair, please?
• 25:38
  Place your hand on the Bible, Miss Kittridge?
• 25:41
  -Yes.
• 25:42
  -Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth,
• 25:44
  the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
• 25:47
  -Yes, I do.
• 25:50
  -Please speak up, Miss Kittridge.
• 25:52
  -I do.
• 25:54
  -Miss Kittridge, you were with Mr. Kramer
• 25:57
  -on the night of the accident? -Yes.
• 26:00
  -You went with him to the place called Bruno's?
• 26:03
  -Yes, I did.
• 26:05
  -And did you have a drink that night?
• 26:07
  -Yes. I had a martini. -The same as Mr. Kramer?
• 26:11
  -Yes.
• 26:13
  -When Mr. Kramer's car approached
• 26:14
  Mrs. Moger's driveway,
• 26:17
  did you see the lady before the automobile struck her?
• 26:21
  -I'm not sure. I-I think I saw her for just a split second.
• 26:25
  And then the car hit her. It was all terribly unreal.
• 26:30
  -Were you aware of the speed you were traveling at?
• 26:36
  Miss Kittridge.
• 26:37
  -I'm not sure of the exact speed.
• 26:41
  -Mr. Kramer thinks it was between 30 and 35.
• 26:45
  Do you agree with that?
• 26:48
  -No.
• 26:50
  -What was that?
• 26:51
  -It couldn't have been that. It was more like 55 or 65.
• 26:58
  -Did you say 60, Miss Kittridge?
• 27:02
  -About that, yes. -Lorna, for God's sake.
• 27:05
  -I hope you've considered this reply, Miss Kittridge.
• 27:09
  -Yes, I've considered it.
• 27:12
  We were traveling at least that.
• 27:15
  I'd been looking at the speedometer
• 27:17
  only a few minutes before.
• 27:19
  I was complaining to Mark about his speed,
• 27:21
  but he wouldn't listen to me.
• 27:23
  He wasn't in any mood to listen.
• 27:25
  He was angry, and he was drunk.
• 27:28
  -Lorna! -[ Gavel taps ]
• 27:30
  -Please, everybody, quiet now.
• 27:35
  Mr. Kramer, please take your seat.
• 27:37
  -It's the truth, the truth. I can't help myself.
• 27:42
  He was drinking.
• 27:43
  He had too many martinis, and he was drunk.
• 27:45
  -Are you telling us he had more than one drink?
• 27:48
  -He had four.
• 27:50
  I know he did. And he drove like a madman.
• 27:54
  No matter how I tried to stop him,
• 27:57
  he never thought that woman would be on the road
• 27:58
  at that time of night.
• 28:00
  But he wouldn't listen.
• 28:03
  ♪♪
• 28:08
  I couldn't believe it was really happening.
• 28:10
  It was like hearing someone else say the words.
• 28:13
  -Please don't cry, Kitty.
• 28:15
  -I try not to look at his face.
• 28:17
  I tried so hard not to see him,
• 28:19
  but I-I couldn't stop myself.
• 28:21
  -How can you blame yourself for telling the simple truth?
• 28:24
  How can you think it's wrong?
• 28:26
  -But don't you realize what'll happen to him, Daddy?
• 28:28
  He's going to be indicted. He may go to prison.
• 28:31
  -I'm sure Mr. Kramer will hire himself a very smart attorney.
• 28:34
  -[ Doorbell rings ] -Who is that?
• 28:36
  -I have no idea.
• 28:37
  -Oh, I can't see anyone now, I just can't.
• 28:39
  -Yes, of course. You go to your room and I'll answer it.
• 28:43
  -Go on, darling, go lie down. -Yes.
• 28:46
  -[ Footsteps ] -[ Door opens ]
• 28:49
  -Oh, it's you. -I want to see Lorna.
• 28:53
  Mark, please listen to me.
• 28:55
  I know exactly how you're feeling at the moment.
• 28:56
  -Thanks for remembering my name, Professor.
• 28:59
  That must be the very first time.
• 29:01
  I'm sure you realize that what Lorna did this morning
• 29:03
  was extremely difficult and painful for her.
• 29:05
  That it was an agonizing decision.
• 29:08
  -Only who made it? -Lorna's lying down right now.
• 29:11
  I suggest you try telephoning her later.
• 29:13
  -I'm not leaving until I see her.
• 29:15
  I-I had hoped we wouldn't get violent about all this, Mark.
• 29:19
  Frankly, I don't think you're in a good position
• 29:21
  to commit any other rash actions.
• 29:23
  -Daddy, it's all right.
• 29:25
  -Lorna, I thought you were in your room.
• 29:27
  -I'll talk to Mark.
• 29:29
  -Very well.
• 29:31
  But don't ask me to leave, because I won't.
• 29:33
  You don't have to leave, Professor.
• 29:34
  I'd like you to know this too.
• 29:36
  -Know what?
• 29:37
  -What the town gossips are saying.
• 29:40
  Lorna, they're saying that we had some kind of fight.
• 29:43
  A lover's quarrel, and that you wanted to get back at me.
• 29:45
  -Oh, you know that's not so. -Yes, I know it.
• 29:48
  But the other explanation makes even less sense.
• 29:51
  That you just had to tell the truth.
• 29:54
  -Well, it wasn't easy for me.
• 29:57
  Lies would have been easier.
• 29:58
  -One small lie, Lorna, that was all you had to say.
• 30:02
  You're so afraid of hell that you wouldn't lie for me?
• 30:04
  -I can't expect you to understand.
• 30:06
  -But I do understand better than you do maybe.
• 30:08
  -It was your father's idea. -Now, just a moment, Kramer.
• 30:10
  -Well, you remember my last name, too.
• 30:13
  I think I made more of an impression on you
• 30:15
  -than you were willing to admit. -There's no need to be nasty.
• 30:17
  Lorna, you're so stuck on the truth, tell it now.
• 30:22
  He told you what to do in that courtroom.
• 30:24
  Professor Kittridge's little girl always listens to Daddy,
• 30:27
  -and she never lies. -Please, Mark.
• 30:29
  -He insisted that you tell the truth, didn't he?
• 30:31
  He gave you a lot of high-flown ethical reasons
• 30:32
  for telling the truth. Nothing but the truth.
• 30:35
  -Every reason but the real one. -You're wrong.
• 30:37
  I made up my own mind.
• 30:39
  -Your father knew what would happen.
• 30:40
  It would split us apart.
• 30:41
  And that's what he really wanted, Lorna.
• 30:42
  That's the truth that he didn't mention.
• 30:44
  -I think that's quite enough.
• 30:45
  If you don't leave right now, I'm calling the police.
• 30:47
  -Don't bother, Professor.
• 30:49
  You've done a very good job on Lorna and on me.
• 30:52
  -[ Footsteps ] -[ Door opens, closes ]
• 30:56
  -Oh!
• 30:58
  -Oh, Daddy! Daddy! -Kitty, don't!
• 31:02
  -It's going to be all right. -How can it be?
• 31:05
  He hates me now.
• 31:07
  Mark hates me.
• 31:09
  -Things will change. You wait and see.
• 31:11
  He'll get himself a smart lawyer,
• 31:12
  and nothing will happen to him.
• 31:15
  ♪♪
• 31:19
  -Mark Kramer, having been found guilty
• 31:22
  of the crime of manslaughter,
• 31:25
  It is my duty to sentence you to imprisonment
• 31:27
  for a period of not less than one year and not more than five.
• 31:31
  ♪♪
• 31:37
  -And so the truth has not set Mark Kramer free.
• 31:42
  It sent him to prison, where he'll have plenty of time
• 31:46
  to ponder the complexities of ethics, justice,
• 31:50
  and human nature.
• 31:52
  Or perhaps he'll ponder something else, like revenge?
• 31:58
  We'll find out when I return shortly with Act Three.
• 32:04
  -Like what you're hearing so far?
• 32:06
  Are you curious about the history behind radio programs
• 32:09
  just like this one,
• 32:11
  and the dramatic genius who created them?
• 32:13
  In the nine-part, award-winning documentary "Audio Maverick",
• 32:16
  we explore the golden age of radio
• 32:19
  through the life of Himan Brown.
• 32:21
  You'll hear the history of radio come to life as we travel,
• 32:24
  from the birth of audio drama to the programs
• 32:27
  that brought millions of families
• 32:29
  into their living rooms every night.
• 32:31
  "Audio Maverick" is available anywhere you get your podcasts.
• 32:34
  ♪♪
• 32:41
  ♪♪
• 32:48
  -It's now one year later.
• 32:50
  Sad to say, Mark Kramer is still wearing prison gray.
• 32:56
  As for Professor Kitteridge, he's had problems, too.
• 33:00
  A bad case of the gout caused cancellation
• 33:03
  of his European lecture tour.
• 33:06
  Even more disappointing,
• 33:07
  his daughter Lorna lost interest in working on her thesis,
• 33:11
  and abandoned the idea of obtaining her doctorate.
• 33:16
  In fact, Lorna Kitteridge seems to have lost interest
• 33:18
  -in life itself. -[ Knock on door ]
• 33:22
  -Lorna? You awake? -Yes, Daddy.
• 33:26
  -I'm up. -[ Door opens ]
• 33:29
  [ Footsteps ]
• 33:33
  -Darling, it's almost noon.
• 33:36
  It's not like you to be in bed so late.
• 33:39
  -I just didn't feel like getting up.
• 33:42
  -Did you sleep badly again last night?
• 33:45
  -Last night, the night before, night before that.
• 33:49
  -Oh, Lorna.
• 33:51
  If you don't see Doctor Isaacs voluntarily,
• 33:52
  I may have to drag you to his office.
• 33:54
  -You know there's nothing wrong with me.
• 33:57
  -What's all this paper for?
• 33:59
  All those little crumpled balls.
• 34:02
  -Can't you guess?
• 34:04
  -No, Lorna. No.
• 34:07
  You haven't been writing Mark again?
• 34:09
  -I keep thinking that I might hit on exactly the right words.
• 34:13
  The magic formula that would make him answer one letter.
• 34:17
  -It would be so much better if you forgot him, Lorna.
• 34:20
  -Do you know that I even thought of sending him
• 34:21
  a disguise letter, making it look like
• 34:24
  some important document that he would have to read.
• 34:30
  Isn't that ridiculous?
• 34:31
  -What's ridiculous is the way
• 34:32
  you've tortured yourself over that man for so many months.
• 34:35
  -Who's tortured who, Daddy?
• 34:38
  Which one of us is really guilty?
• 34:40
  -Oh, Kitty, Kitty. -Stop calling me that name!
• 34:43
  My name is Lorna. Can't you remember my name?
• 34:47
  -Darling, you're just not yourself.
• 34:48
  -Is that why you can't remember me?
• 34:50
  Because I'm somebody else.
• 34:53
  Well, you -- you may be right, Daddy.
• 34:56
  Every morning I look in the mirror,
• 34:58
  and I can't recognize the woman I see.
• 34:59
  -Lorna, you're just not giving yourself a chance to forget.
• 35:03
  You'd start getting out into the world, start meeting new people.
• 35:07
  You've become a hermit.
• 35:08
  -I thought you liked having me here, Daddy.
• 35:11
  I thought you couldn't live without my company.
• 35:14
  -I honestly believe you need medical attention.
• 35:18
  If not from Doctor Isaacs, then from somebody else.
• 35:22
  -You mean a psychiatrist, I suppose?
• 35:24
  -No, darling. No. Just someone who can help you get over this
• 35:29
  distorted guilt that you feel.
• 35:31
  -The only one who can do that is Mark.
• 35:35
  And he won't see me or write me or anything.
• 35:39
  -Lorna. -Oh, please go away. Please.
• 35:46
  I'm going to try to sleep.
• 35:48
  It's the only time I'm happy when I'm asleep.
• 35:53
  ♪♪
• 36:03
  -Alright, step right over here, Kramer.
• 36:06
  -Anything you say, Guard.
• 36:08
  -Remember, visiting time is limited to 15 minutes.
• 36:11
  -Look, I don't want the 15 minutes.
• 36:12
  They're being forced on me.
• 36:13
  -Sit down and behave yourself.
• 36:15
  -Yes, sir. Anything you say, sir.
• 36:18
  -Well...
• 36:20
  -Hello, Mark. -[ Sighs ]
• 36:22
  Make it fast, Professor.
• 36:24
  I've got important matters to take care of back in the shop.
• 36:26
  I'm making a very special license plate.
• 36:29
  -Mark, I know you resent the fact
• 36:30
  that I've forced this encounter.
• 36:33
  -Took some doing, believe me. -Uh-huh.
• 36:35
  Why did you go to all the trouble?
• 36:37
  -Because it's a matter of health, Lorna's health.
• 36:40
  -She's pining away for me. Is that it?
• 36:43
  Well, tell her to stop, Professor.
• 36:45
  My nights are filled with sweet dreams,
• 36:48
  and she is in none of them.
• 36:50
  You tell her that for me.
• 36:52
  -I want you to see her, Mark.
• 36:54
  -Oh, I wouldn't force that issue, Professor.
• 36:56
  I don't have anything nice to say to your daughter.
• 36:59
  -You misunderstood Lorna.
• 37:02
  I couldn't expect you to applaud what she did in court.
• 37:05
  But if you really thought about the ideals that motivated her--
• 37:08
  -Whose ideals, yours or hers? -Do I have to separate them?
• 37:11
  -Yes, but you can't, Professor, because she's your monster.
• 37:16
  You've got her all twisted up between her ethics
• 37:18
  and her instincts.
• 37:20
  I suppose you're proud of the result, but it's a fake.
• 37:22
  -There's nothing --
• 37:23
  There's nothing fake about her principles.
• 37:25
  -She doesn't have principles.
• 37:26
  All she has is you, her shining example.
• 37:30
  She wants you to love and admire her so she does what you expect.
• 37:33
  That's why Daddy's little girl always tells the truth.
• 37:36
  -She does tell the truth, always.
• 37:39
  -And her father? -I abominate lies.
• 37:42
  -You won't even lie to yourself.
• 37:45
  Then tell me this.
• 37:47
  Weren't you happy when Lorna and I broke up?
• 37:50
  Didn't it save your happy home?
• 37:52
  -I can see that coming here was a mistake.
• 37:54
  -You're a hypocrite, Professor.
• 37:56
  This whole thing was your doing.
• 37:57
  And I'll never let you forget it.
• 37:58
  -Goodbye, Mark. -Wait a minute.
• 38:00
  There's something you should know.
• 38:02
  -What's that? -I'm being paroled next week.
• 38:06
  Tell that to your daughter. Maybe it'll improve her health.
• 38:08
  ♪♪
• 38:15
  -Of course, I'm pleased, Harold.
• 38:18
  It's just that I'd much rather see a new book of mine
• 38:21
  published than a new edition of an old book.
• 38:23
  -Well, you can't argue with success.
• 38:26
  People never seem to tire of
• 38:27
  "The Seven Secrets Of Shakespeare".
• 38:29
  -I suppose I shouldn't complain. It does buy the groceries.
• 38:33
  -Just cash the royalty checks and be happy, hmm.
• 38:37
  Now, uh, tell me how Lorna's doing.
• 38:40
  Feeling any better?
• 38:41
  -Oh, still a bit run down, I guess.
• 38:44
  -Oh, that's too bad.
• 38:46
  I, um, I suppose you know that young man, Kramer,
• 38:50
  that he's out of prison.
• 38:52
  -For about two months now, I gather.
• 38:54
  -He, uh, hasn't been in touch with Lorna?
• 38:57
  -No. And I don't think he will be.
• 39:00
  -Funny thing is, he's been in touch with us.
• 39:03
  -With you? Whatever for?
• 39:05
  -Well, actually, it seems he went to Merritt Bob's first.
• 39:09
  -My first publishers?
• 39:10
  -Yes. Talked to everyone who would talk to him.
• 39:14
  Then he approached members of my own staff.
• 39:16
  He even tried to get an appointment with me,
• 39:18
  but I put him off.
• 39:20
  -What do you suppose he wants?
• 39:22
  He's an embittered young man, you know.
• 39:24
  -Well, I spoke to George Merritt.
• 39:26
  He didn't know about, uh,
• 39:28
  well, about Lorna and this fella Kramer.
• 39:31
  He thought Kramer was an article writer
• 39:33
  looking for biographical material.
• 39:36
  George said that he seemed to know
• 39:38
  -an awful lot about you already. -Mm, yeah, yeah.
• 39:41
  I don't much like the idea of someone
• 39:42
  like that snooping into my life.
• 39:44
  -Why? Why do you suppose he's doing it?
• 39:47
  -Hard to say.
• 39:49
  Rancor, I suppose.
• 39:51
  Hopes he can find something unpleasant in my past.
• 39:55
  ♪♪
• 40:02
  [ Phone rings ]
• 40:04
  -I'll get it, Lorna. -[ Lifts receiver ]
• 40:08
  -Hello. -Professor Kittridge.
• 40:10
  -Yes? -Mark Kramer, Professor.
• 40:13
  -Oh. Uh, yes, I, uh,
• 40:17
  I was just speaking about you the other day with my publisher.
• 40:19
  -I'd like to see you, Professor, this evening,
• 40:21
  if that's possible.
• 40:22
  -See me or Lorna? -No, just you.
• 40:26
  If Lorna wants to be there, that's her business.
• 40:28
  Something tells me she'd rather stay away.
• 40:31
  -Can you give me some idea of why you want to see me?
• 40:34
  -You might say it's a business matter.
• 40:36
  -Who is it, Daddy?
• 40:38
  -What time would be good for you, Professor?
• 40:40
  -Uh, make it, uh, about 9:00.
• 40:43
  -I'll make it exactly 9:00.
• 40:46
  -Daddy, you look so strange.
• 40:49
  -Who was that on the phone? -[ Hangs up receiver ]
• 40:51
  -It was Mark Kramer, Lorna. -Mark?
• 40:55
  -He's asked me to see him at 9:00 tonight.
• 40:58
  I have no idea what he wants to say,
• 41:00
  but whatever it is,
• 41:03
  I'm sure it won't be anything pleasant.
• 41:06
  -I'd rather not be here.
• 41:08
  -I didn't think you would.
• 41:10
  Mark blames me for what happened in court, not you.
• 41:14
  He refuses to admit that it was your own love of truth.
• 41:17
  -My love of truth?
• 41:19
  Oh. [ Chuckles ]
• 41:21
  Daddy, you never understood me yourself.
• 41:24
  How could you explain me to someone else?
• 41:27
  I didn't love truth, I loved Mark.
• 41:31
  -You did what you had to do.
• 41:33
  What your conscience told you to do.
• 41:35
  -My conscience?
• 41:37
  Is that what I was satisfying, that small little voice inside?
• 41:41
  -It can be a loud voice, darling a very compelling voice.
• 41:44
  -But I still hear it.
• 41:46
  It's still talking to me.
• 41:47
  And you know what it's saying?
• 41:49
  -You fool! You fool, you fool! -Lorna!
• 41:56
  -I think I'll go out now, Daddy.
• 41:58
  Right now.
• 42:00
  ♪♪
• 42:09
  -[ Doorbell rings ] -[ Footsteps, door opens ]
• 42:15
  -Good evening, Professor.
• 42:17
  -Hello, Mark. Come in. -Thank you.
• 42:20
  -[ Door closes ] -Nice of you to see me.
• 42:22
  I wasn't sure of my reception after the last time.
• 42:27
  So you're using a cane these days, Professor?
• 42:29
  -Yes. A touch of gout.
• 42:33
  Mark, I hope you weren't expecting to see Lorna.
• 42:37
  She's not here.
• 42:39
  -No, I didn't expect to see her.
• 42:40
  -But, uh, would you care to come to the point of this visit?
• 42:45
  -Yes, Professor. I'll come to the point.
• 42:48
  I've come to see you about truth.
• 42:50
  -Oh, must we, Mark? Really?
• 42:54
  I mean, these philosophical discussions are meat
• 42:56
  and drink to old campus fogies like me.
• 42:58
  But I'm rather tired of the subject right now.
• 43:01
  Very tired of it.
• 43:03
  -Frankly, I'm a little exhausted by it myself.
• 43:05
  I've just spent two months in search of it,
• 43:06
  and I didn't even know what I was looking for.
• 43:09
  -You've been digging up things about me, haven't you?
• 43:12
  I hope you enjoyed yourself.
• 43:14
  -No, I didn't.
• 43:17
  You see, I made the mistake of talking to your enemies.
• 43:20
  The publishers you dropped, the friends you no longer see,
• 43:23
  the scholars you had disputes with.
• 43:25
  -And what did you get out of that?
• 43:26
  -Nothing.
• 43:29
  Your enemies didn't have the truth about you, Professor.
• 43:32
  Only your friends did.
• 43:35
  -Like Avery Hayes. -Avery Hayes?
• 43:38
  -Oh, I'm glad to see you remember the name.
• 43:40
  Strange how few people do, even though you dedicated
• 43:43
  your fourth, or -- or was it your fifth book to him?
• 43:46
  George Merritt knew him, of course.
• 43:48
  Mr. Merritt called you Avery's benefactor.
• 43:51
  Said that Hayes was an alcoholic
• 43:52
  that you took care of for many years.
• 43:54
  -He was my friend.
• 43:55
  -Yes, he was a good friend.
• 43:57
  And you were good to him.
• 43:59
  That was one chapter of your past
• 44:00
  that you had every reason to be proud of, wasn't it?
• 44:03
  -Avery's been dead for 10 years.
• 44:05
  -What did you want from him? -Nothing, Professor.
• 44:09
  I just thought a man like that deserved a little recognition,
• 44:11
  if only for his past association with you.
• 44:14
  So I talked to people who knew him, his old pals, his family.
• 44:18
  He still has a brother alive, you know,
• 44:19
  a crotchety old fellow in the terminal ward
• 44:21
  at the county hospital. His name's Ezra.
• 44:24
  Perfect name for the old boy. And you know what?
• 44:26
  He still has the junk Hayes left when he died.
• 44:30
  That pitiful collection of books and papers.
• 44:32
  -You don't expect me to believe that about Avery's papers.
• 44:36
  Avery never kept anything, not a thing.
• 44:38
  He was a foolish, drunken old--
• 44:39
  -He was also brilliant, wasn't he?
• 44:42
  Went to the University on a scholarship.
• 44:44
  You only beat him out for top honors because of his drinking.
• 44:47
  -You're talking about 40 years ago.
• 44:48
  -He was drunk.
• 44:49
  And he was dishonest, too, wasn't he, Professor?
• 44:51
  That was how he sustained that wild life of his
• 44:53
  by selling his scholastic services to anybody
• 44:54
  who could pay for them.
• 44:55
  -It's not different today.
• 44:57
  -Yes, that's what Avery said in his letter,
• 45:00
  the one he wrote to a woman named Jean.
• 45:03
  I didn't know who Jean was
• 45:05
  or why Avery never mailed the letter,
• 45:06
  but there it was,
• 45:07
  Avery said he was cleaning up a 100, 200 dollars a month,
• 45:11
  and would surely be able to pay back all
• 45:12
  he owed before the end of the semester.
• 45:16
  And then he mentioned the thesis,
• 45:19
  the big job he was doing that he expected 300 for that job alone.
• 45:24
  You know which thesis I mean, Professor.
• 45:26
  -Please go. Get out of here.
• 45:28
  I've had enough of this lying filth.
• 45:30
  -"The Seven Secrets Of Shakespeare".
• 45:34
  Sounds like a mystery story, doesn't it?
• 45:36
  But it was quite a piece of work,
• 45:38
  and it became more than just a college thesis.
• 45:40
  It became a world-famous book.
• 45:42
  It made your reputation, Professor.
• 45:43
  -You're a liar, a liar!
• 45:46
  You know nothing about it.
• 45:48
  -You paid Avery for his work and put your name on it!
• 45:50
  You might have done as well yourself,
• 45:52
  but you were young and lazy, and you had the money to pay for it.
• 45:54
  Then you discovered how good it really was.
• 45:56
  And it was too late for both of you
• 45:58
  to change the course of history.
• 45:59
  -Get out of this house now! Get out!
• 46:01
  -I'm going, Professor.
• 46:02
  I just wanted you to hear this little story about truth.
• 46:06
  And also to tell you that I have Avery Hayes' letter.
• 46:10
  -What did you say? -I have his letter, Professor.
• 46:13
  It tells the whole story. Good night.
• 46:15
  -Fuck!
• 46:17
  -You told me to go and I'm going.
• 46:18
  -You filthy animal! -No, Kittridge!
• 46:22
  -[ Screams ] -You monster! I'll kill you!
• 46:26
  -I'll kill you, you animal!
• 46:28
  -Daddy! -Kill you!
• 46:31
  -Daddy! -Like a wild, wild beast!
• 46:35
  -Oh, my God! What have you done?
• 46:38
  -Lorna. -Oh, Daddy!
• 46:40
  -Lorna. Oh, thank heaven you're here.
• 46:43
  -Oh, look at his head. Oh, dear Lord.
• 46:46
  -You saw what happened. -Oh.
• 46:48
  -What the crazy fool did. He -- He attacked me.
• 46:51
  -You killed him with your cane!
• 46:53
  -He attacked me, Lorna. -Oh, Daddy.
• 46:55
  -You know how much he hated me. I had to defend myself.
• 46:58
  -No, no. I saw what happened.
• 46:59
  I saw you strike him from behind.
• 47:01
  -No! Kitty. No! He tried to kill me.
• 47:04
  That's why I hit him.
• 47:06
  -No, Daddy, I saw everything. You killed Mark.
• 47:09
  You did it deliberately.
• 47:11
  And that's the truth.
• 47:13
  You always taught me to tell the truth.
• 47:16
  It's the only important thing, the truth.
• 47:21
  ♪♪
• 47:28
  -Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr said,
• 47:31
  "All I mean by truth is the road I can't help traveling."
• 47:37
  Well, Professor Kittridge traveled his road,
• 47:41
  and despite his good intentions,
• 47:44
  it turned out to be the road to hell.
• 47:47
  I'll be back shortly.
• 47:49
  ♪♪
• 47:57
  ♪♪
• 48:06
  If there is a moral to the story you've just heard,
• 48:09
  it's not that truth is so bad.
• 48:13
  But Samuel Butler said,
• 48:15
  "Truth should not be absolutely lost sight of,
• 48:20
  but it should not be talked about."
• 48:23
  And we promise that's our last word on the subject.
• 48:28
  Our cast included Agnes Moorehead, Mandel Kramer,
• 48:32
  Santos Ortega, Ian Martin, and Dan Ocko.
• 48:36
  The entire production was under the direction of Himan Brown.
• 48:39
  This is E.G. Marshall inviting you to return
• 48:41
  to our "Mystery Theater"
• 48:42
  for another adventure in the macabre.
• 48:46
  Until next time. Pleasant dreams.
• 48:50
  [ Door creaks slowly ]
• 48:58
  ♪♪
• 49:08
  ♪♪
• 49:18
  ♪♪
• 49:26
  ♪♪
• 49:34
  -"If You Please...
• 49:35
  Himan Brown's Radio Mystery Theater" is produced
• 49:37
  and directed by Sarah Montague.
• 49:40
  Our executive producers are Melina Brown and Sarah Montague.
• 49:44
  CUNY TV's executive director is Chiqui Cartagena.
• 49:48
  The director of production is Susan Iger.
• 49:50
  The associate producer is Corinne Wallace,
• 49:53
  and our audio production intern is Sofia Cedeno.
• 49:57
  Margo Avery is the voice of the series
• 49:59
  introduction and credits.
• 50:01
  The program commentaries are by John Slavney.
• 50:04
  Our technical team at CUNY TV
• 50:07
  includes senior audio engineer Richard Kim
• 50:10
  and broadcast audio engineers Jackie Mitchell and Kevin Wolfe.
• 50:15
  Our staff photographer is Laura Fuchs.
• 50:17
  Our archivists are David Rice and Catriona Schlosser.
• 50:21
  Our closed caption coordinator is Amy Monte.
• 50:24
  The "If You Please..." program mix engineer is
• 50:27
  Lisa Gosselin- Vincent.
• 50:29
  Tink Media handles our publicity and marketing.
• 50:32
  Our director of social media is Karen A. Brown.
• 50:35
  In collaboration with Stardust Blu PR.
• 50:39
  "If You Please...
• 50:40
  Himan Brown's Mystery Theater" is a production
• 50:42
  of CUNY TV and Radio Drama Network.
• 50:47
  If you enjoyed the show
• 50:49
  and are curious about the history of these radio programs,
• 50:51
  listen to "Audio Maverick".
• 50:53
  In this award-winning nine-part documentary,
• 50:56
  we explore the golden age of radio
• 50:58
  through the life of dramatic genius Himan Brown,
• 51:01
  and then explore the work of contemporary audio dramatists
• 51:04
  who are part of his legacy.
• 51:07
  "Audio Maverick" is available anywhere you get your podcasts.