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Transcript

Suspense - "The Strange Death of Gordon Fitzroy" (Old Time Radio, 1946) · Suspense | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chester Morris stars as Johnny Malone, newly released from prison
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: and carrying a grievance against Gordon Fitzroy, his former partner
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: in a safe robbery gone wrong. From November 2nd, 1946,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: this is Suspense, Episode 8, The Strange Death of Gordon Fitzroy. Malone,
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: scarred by the earlier explosion, returns to a cold city
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: night determined to settle an old account, while Fran Thompson
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: and Sam Bragan are drawn into the path he follows.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: The radio adaptation is by Robert L. Richards, from an
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: original story by Bruce Cassaday. The cast also includes Lorene Tuttle,
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Wally Maher, Kathy Lewis, Hans Conrad, and Bill Johnstone. And now,
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: we return to the original broadcast.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: Yes, Roma Wines tastes better because only Roma selects from
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: the world's greatest wine reserves for your pleasure. And now,
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: Roma Wines, R-O-M-A, Roma Wines presents Suspense.
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: Tonight, Roma Wines bring you Chester Morris as star of
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: The Strange Death of Gordon Fitzroy, a suspense play produced, edited,
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: and directed for Roma Wines by William Spears.
• 1:29
  Speaker 4: Suspense.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: Radio's outstanding theater of thrills is presented for your enjoyment
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: by Roma Wines. That's R-O-M-A, Roma Wines. Those better tasting
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: California wines enjoyed by more Americans than any other wine.
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: For friendly entertaining, for delightful dining. Yes, right now a
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: glass full would be very pleasant as Roma Wines bring
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: you Chester Morris in a remarkable tale of.
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: Suspense!
• 2:05
  Speaker 5: I saw it once in a mirror... The police emergency hospital.
• 2:11
  Speaker 5: I never saw it again. When they sent me up,
• 2:14
  Speaker 5: I smashed the mirror in my cell the first day.
• 2:17
  Speaker 5: They never dared to put in another. The chaplain came
• 2:20
  Speaker 5: and tried to talk to me about it a few times.
• 2:23
  Speaker 5: Then a prison medic. But I turned over in my
• 2:26
  Speaker 5: bunk and didn't answer. After a while, they stopped coming.
• 2:31
  Speaker 5: Three and a half years. Almost every night I dream
• 2:35
  Speaker 5: it wasn't like that. Wake up crying I was so happy.
• 2:39
  Speaker 5: And then put up my hand in the dark to
• 2:40
  Speaker 5: feel and... I know that it was.
• 2:43
  Speaker 4: It would always be. Three and a half years. Waiting
• 2:50
  Speaker 4: and hating.
• 2:51
  Speaker 5: Waiting to get out and hating one guy in particular
• 2:54
  Speaker 5: and everybody in general.
• 2:56
  Speaker 4: Waiting and hating. Waiting.
• 3:02
  Speaker 5: It was a cold, windy day in November the day
• 3:04
  Speaker 5: I left. The guard opened the gate and gave me
• 3:07
  Speaker 5: the usual corny send-off.
• 3:09
  Speaker 4: Well, Mr. Malone, I hope you enjoyed your stay here.
• 3:12
  Speaker 4: Call us up and make a reservation any time.
• 3:14
  Speaker 5: I went on through and didn't answer it. I didn't
• 3:18
  Speaker 5: even look at it. For three and a half years,
• 3:21
  Speaker 5: I hadn't looked at anybody. I didn't want anybody looking
• 3:25
  Speaker 5: at me, and I didn't look at anybody else. My
• 3:29
  Speaker 5: coat collar was pulled up and my hat pulled down,
• 3:31
  Speaker 5: and I walked towards the river to the little park
• 3:33
  Speaker 5: there and hung around waiting for it to get dark.
• 3:36
  Speaker 5: I knew what I was doing all right. I was
• 3:39
  Speaker 5: going to kill a man. But first I was waiting
• 3:43
  Speaker 5: for it to get dark. When it was, I went
• 3:46
  Speaker 5: up into town and caught a train from New York
• 3:48
  Speaker 5: that got me into Grand Central about 8.15. In the station,
• 3:52
  Speaker 5: I went to a phone booth and called Sam Bragan.
• 3:55
  Speaker 5: Then I went down there. Sam lived in a walk-up
• 3:58
  Speaker 5: off Hudson Street. A good dark street. Dark hallway, too.
• 4:03
  Speaker 5: Dark stairs. The third floor. Dark.
• 4:06
  Speaker 4: Who is it? Hello, Sam. Johnny. Johnny. Oh, Johnny, you
• 4:21
  Speaker 4: old son of a gun, you... Hello, Sam. Well, what
• 4:23
  Speaker 4: are you standing there for?
• 4:25
  Speaker 5: Come on in. Come on.
• 4:26
  Speaker 4: Wait, let me turn on the light. No. All right, Sam.
• 4:30
  Speaker 4: You might as well see it now as later.
• 4:32
  Speaker 5: Oh, Johnny.
• 4:36
  Speaker 4: Johnny.
• 4:42
  Speaker 5: I shouldn't have hit him, but I couldn't stop myself
• 4:44
  Speaker 5: when I saw that look of horror and pity... But
• 4:47
  Speaker 5: I knew I'd always see from now on when anybody
• 4:49
  Speaker 5: saw my face. My awful, scarred, twisted nightmare of a face.
• 4:56
  Speaker 4: My face. I closed the.
• 5:03
  Speaker 5: Door and got Sam into the front room and onto
• 5:05
  Speaker 5: the couch. And then I got the phone and called
• 5:09
  Speaker 5: Fran's old number because I couldn't stop myself from that either.
• 5:19
  Speaker 4: Uh, is Miss Thompson there? Miss Frances Thompson?
• 5:22
  Speaker 6: No, she ain't.
• 5:23
  Speaker 4: Well, uh, is her mother there? No, they've gone away.
• 5:27
  Speaker 4: Do you know where I can get in touch with her?
• 5:28
  Speaker 5: No, I don't. Well, uh, do you know if they're
• 5:31
  Speaker 5: coming back sometime? I hadn't expected anything different. I don't
• 5:39
  Speaker 5: know why it should have made me so mad. When
• 5:42
  Speaker 5: I turned around, Sam was just beginning to come out
• 5:44
  Speaker 5: of it over on the couch. Oh, I.
• 5:49
  Speaker 4: Oh, you. Yeah. Remember? You had no call to do that, Johnny.
• 5:54
  Speaker 4: I know. I'm sorry. You ought to be. I said
• 5:57
  Speaker 4: I'm sorry. I, uh.
• 6:01
  Speaker 5: I guess I've been so long where I wanted to
• 6:03
  Speaker 5: and couldn't that I took out the whole three and
• 6:05
  Speaker 5: a half years on the first guy I could. I.
• 6:09
  Speaker 4: I'm sorry.
• 6:10
  Speaker 5: Yeah.
• 6:11
  Speaker 4: I'm sorry too, Johnny. You want to talk about it?
• 6:16
  Speaker 4: Turn out the lights, Sam. Thanks. Where's Fran? Fran? You
• 6:26
  Speaker 4: remember Fran? Oh, yeah, yeah. You and her. Where is she?
• 6:30
  Speaker 5: Gee, Johnny, I don't know. Don't kid me. She's with
• 6:33
  Speaker 5: Gordy Fitzroy, isn't she? Isn't she?
• 6:36
  Speaker 4: I swear, Johnny, I swear I don't know what Fran's
• 6:38
  Speaker 4: been doing.
• 6:38
  Speaker 5: I ain't heard nothing of Fran for a couple of years.
• 6:40
  Speaker 4: All right. All right, I'll find out. Didn't she come
• 6:45
  Speaker 4: to see you up there? Yeah.
• 6:48
  Speaker 5: Yeah, at first she did. But I didn't see her.
• 6:53
  Speaker 5: They got lights on you when you see people up there, Sam.
• 6:57
  Speaker 5: I only want to see Fran in the dark. Yeah.
• 7:01
  Speaker 4: Yeah, sure. Where's Gordy Fitzroy? I don't know, Johnny. He's
• 7:06
  Speaker 4: still around, isn't he? Oh, sure, sure. I hear he's
• 7:08
  Speaker 4: got another place uptown.
• 7:10
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I bet.
• 7:12
  Speaker 4: What's the angle, Johnny? You sure you didn't hear nothing?
• 7:16
  Speaker 4: To tell you the truth, Johnny, it was so long
• 7:18
  Speaker 4: since you was in touch... I, uh, I heard you
• 7:22
  Speaker 4: got a three to five, and that's about all. Okay.
• 7:26
  Speaker 4: I'll tell you the rest. Is it how that happened? Yeah,
• 7:31
  Speaker 4: it's how that happened. You remember the gang around here
• 7:35
  Speaker 4: in the old days?
• 7:36
  Speaker 5: You, Sam, Gordy Fitzroy, and Fran and me that always
• 7:39
  Speaker 5: ran together when we were kids. And Fran went to
• 7:42
  Speaker 5: City College, and I got into a little trouble. And
• 7:45
  Speaker 5: Gordy inherited that jewelry store.
• 7:47
  Speaker 4: From his uncle. You remember all that? Oh, sure, I remember.
• 7:49
  Speaker 4: You were all good kids.
• 7:50
  Speaker 5: Yeah, well, it was about a year after the last
• 7:53
  Speaker 5: time I saw you. Gordy was having trouble. He owed
• 7:57
  Speaker 5: a lot of dough to the bookies and had to
• 7:59
  Speaker 5: hock his jewelry store to pay off.
• 8:02
  Speaker 4: And then he had a bright idea. George did? Yeah.
• 8:06
  Speaker 5: He had about 10 or 15 grand worth of assorted
• 8:08
  Speaker 5: rocks in his safe at the store. We were going
• 8:10
  Speaker 5: to crack it and peddle the rocks and collect the insurance, too.
• 8:14
  Speaker 4: Split. 50-50.
• 8:15
  Speaker 5: Yeah? I was going to do the job, but I
• 8:18
  Speaker 5: made him come with me. And, of course, we had
• 8:21
  Speaker 5: to blow the safe to make it look right.
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, sure. Well, something went wrong.
• 8:26
  Speaker 5: I used too much soup or something, and it blew
• 8:30
  Speaker 5: in my face.
• 8:32
  Speaker 4: In my face. Oh, so that's how. Yeah.
• 8:37
  Speaker 5: Only that wasn't all. When I came out of it,
• 8:40
  Speaker 5: Gordy was still there, but he'd ratted on me to
• 8:43
  Speaker 5: save his own skin. There were cops all over the place,
• 8:46
  Speaker 5: and Gordy was telling them how he'd caught me in
• 8:48
  Speaker 5: the act of blowing his safe and knocked me cold
• 8:50
  Speaker 5: or something. And the cops couldn't make up their minds
• 8:52
  Speaker 5: between patting him on the back and kicking me in
• 8:54
  Speaker 5: the belly.
• 8:55
  Speaker 4: We're doing plenty of both. Oh, he was quite a
• 9:00
  Speaker 4: little hero there, Gordy was. Gee, Johnny, he did that?
• 9:06
  Speaker 5: He did better than that. He even testified at my trial.
• 9:11
  Speaker 5: Even Fran believed him, I guess. She said she didn't,
• 9:15
  Speaker 5: but I don't know.
• 9:16
  Speaker 4: So I... I got three to five and lucky that.
• 9:22
  Speaker 5: I was all bandages then. I... I didn't know how
• 9:24
  Speaker 5: bad it really was till after the trial.
• 9:28
  Speaker 4: And then.
• 9:30
  Speaker 5: Then they took him off. I only saw it once, Sam.
• 9:37
  Speaker 5: I never dared look at it again.
• 9:40
  Speaker 4: Gee. What a year. What are you going to do, Johnny?
• 9:45
  Speaker 4: What do you think? Yeah, but look. Look, that's bad, Johnny. Why,
• 9:49
  Speaker 4: they'd pin it on you before you got off at
• 9:50
  Speaker 4: the subway. Not the way I'm going to do it.
• 9:53
  Speaker 4: You got a way to do it? Yeah. I got
• 9:58
  Speaker 4: a way.
• 10:09
  Speaker 3: For suspense, Roma Wines are bringing you Chester Morris in
• 10:12
  Speaker 3: The Strange Death of Gordon Fitzroy. Roma Wines presentation tonight
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: in radio's outstanding theater.
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: Of thrills, Between the acts of suspense, this is Ken
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: Niles for Roma Wines.
• 10:34
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• 10:37
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• 10:39
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• 10:44
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• 11:22
  Speaker 2: taste richness from the world's greatest wine reserves for your pleasure.
• 11:27
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• 11:31
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• 11:37
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• 11:42
  Speaker 3: And now, Roma Wines bring back to our Hollywood soundstage
• 11:46
  Speaker 3: Chester Morris as Johnny Malone in The Strange Death of
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: Gordon Fitzroy. A tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.
• 12:06
  Speaker 5: Sam was always a good G. He let me shack
• 12:09
  Speaker 5: up there and he helped me out. He found out
• 12:12
  Speaker 5: where Gordy Fitzroy lived, alone in a little house on
• 12:15
  Speaker 5: Long Island, and how he always caught the same train
• 12:18
  Speaker 5: that got him out there about 10.30 every night. He
• 12:22
  Speaker 5: made the contact with a guy that was going to
• 12:23
  Speaker 5: fix me up the package, too. It was about a
• 12:26
  Speaker 5: week later that I went around to collect it. It
• 12:29
  Speaker 5: was a little basement watch repair shop off Avenue C.
• 12:32
  Speaker 5: At least, that was the guy's front. He was a
• 12:36
  Speaker 5: dried-up little guy with thick glasses, and he was working
• 12:39
  Speaker 5: over some kind of a clock.
• 12:42
  Speaker 4: Yeah? You want something? I'm Pete Jones. Pete Jones? Yeah.
• 12:49
  Speaker 4: You got something for me, haven't you? I don't know.
• 12:53
  Speaker 4: I'd have to look. Sam Bragan sent me. I don't
• 12:56
  Speaker 4: know no Sam Bragan. I don't go by names in here. Well,
• 13:00
  Speaker 4: what do you go by? I just remember. Well, start remembering.
• 13:05
  Speaker 4: Let me take a look at you. I said I'm
• 13:07
  Speaker 4: Pete Jones. Okay. I guess you're the guy. Where do
• 13:12
  Speaker 4: I put up the sign? What sign? We got to
• 13:16
  Speaker 4: go on back. I don't want no one coming in
• 13:19
  Speaker 4: while they're gone. Come on. Where is it? You're looking
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: at it. That suitcase. Well, open it up. I want
• 13:35
  Speaker 4: to see it. That suitcase ain't made to be opened
• 13:38
  Speaker 4: up no more, bud. Okay. How do you work it?
• 13:41
  Speaker 4: You see the slide and that snap lock?
• 13:44
  Speaker 5: Yeah.
• 13:44
  Speaker 6: You push it just once. When you do that, it's
• 13:48
  Speaker 6: time to blow in three hours.
• 13:51
  Speaker 4: What'll it do?
• 13:52
  Speaker 6: Like the atom bomb, bud. Like the atom bomb. Listen,
• 13:57
  Speaker 6: you ain't mixed up in any kind of politics, are you?
• 14:00
  Speaker 6: Like that Christian Front gang or anything?
• 14:02
  Speaker 4: No. Because I don't do that kind of work. Dangerous.
• 14:07
  Speaker 4: This is strictly business. Personal. Okay. You know what this
• 14:11
  Speaker 4: job is going to cost you? One C was what
• 14:14
  Speaker 4: I was told. No. Two Cs. Is that the way
• 14:18
  Speaker 4: you always do business? The materials are going up. Well,
• 14:20
  Speaker 4: I'll give you one and a half and a working over. Now,
• 14:22
  Speaker 4: what'll it be? I'll take the one and a half.
• 14:26
  Speaker 4: Three hours, you said? Yeah, three hours. Well, here's your dough.
• 14:31
  Speaker 4: And this thing better work right.
• 14:33
  Speaker 6: If it don't give satisfaction, wise guy, bring it back.
• 14:41
  Speaker 4: Three hours would give me plenty of time.
• 14:43
  Speaker 5: I went out to Gordy Fitzroy's house in Long Island
• 14:46
  Speaker 5: the next night, about 9.30, an hour.
• 14:49
  Speaker 4: Before he'd get home. The place was dark like it
• 14:52
  Speaker 4: should have been. I went around back to where there
• 14:55
  Speaker 4: was a kitchen window.
• 14:57
  Speaker 5: I jimmied it and stepped inside with my suitcase full
• 14:59
  Speaker 5: of trouble. For a minute, I stood and listened and
• 15:03
  Speaker 5: almost thought I heard something.
• 15:06
  Speaker 4: Nerves, I guess. Imagination. Upstairs, under his bed, would be
• 15:10
  Speaker 4: the best place. But first, I wanted to set it.
• 15:14
  Speaker 5: I put my flash on the slide lock and pushed
• 15:16
  Speaker 5: it like the guy had said.
• 15:19
  Speaker 4: But it wouldn't move.
• 15:20
  Speaker 5: I tried again, and it moved the wrong way. It
• 15:24
  Speaker 5: must have got pushed by mistake earlier sometime, and then.
• 15:26
  Speaker 4: I heard the buzzing sound it was making.
• 15:30
  Speaker 5: I gave a wild look around and saw a space
• 15:32
  Speaker 5: behind the stove and threw it in there and started
• 15:34
  Speaker 5: for the window. I was about halfway out when... I
• 15:37
  Speaker 5: felt a blast and something hit me in the face,
• 15:38
  Speaker 5: and that was all I.
• 15:56
  Speaker 5: It was funny, but I came to sitting in a chair.
• 15:59
  Speaker 5: Just sitting there. In a room I'd never seen before.
• 16:03
  Speaker 5: It was dark. Just a little light coming in from
• 16:05
  Speaker 5: the street. Then I looked around a little and saw
• 16:09
  Speaker 5: the bed. I knew it must be a hospital. And
• 16:13
  Speaker 5: I remembered. But it couldn't have been too bad. They...
• 16:17
  Speaker 5: They couldn't have to operate, or I'd be in bed
• 16:19
  Speaker 5: and feeling sick. But there I was, just sitting in
• 16:23
  Speaker 5: one of those hospital nightshirts and bathrobes.
• 16:26
  Speaker 4: Just sitting. And then the door opened. The doctor and
• 16:30
  Speaker 4: the nurse. Psychic trauma shock. Just have to keep trying,
• 16:33
  Speaker 4: that's all. Well, how's the patient this evening? Don't turn
• 16:39
  Speaker 4: on the lights, Doc. Well. Oh, what's that you said?
• 16:44
  Speaker 4: I said don't.
• 16:45
  Speaker 5: Turn on the lights. I like it better in the dark.
• 16:49
  Speaker 4: How did you know I was your doctor? I guessed.
• 16:52
  Speaker 4: You are, aren't you? I, uh, yes, yes, yes. How
• 16:56
  Speaker 4: am I? You, uh, you seem to be fine now. The, uh,
• 17:00
  Speaker 4: the bulls outside? The who? Coppers, police. Oh, the police. I, uh,
• 17:05
  Speaker 4: they were here, but, uh, they're not around anymore. You
• 17:09
  Speaker 4: got tired, huh? Yes, I guess they did. Thanks for
• 17:13
  Speaker 4: telling me. Well, it's nice to see you feeling so well.
• 17:17
  Speaker 4: I'll drop by in the morning. We'll have a long talk. Oh, oh, yeah, yeah, sure,
• 17:21
  Speaker 4: in a moment.
• 17:29
  Speaker 5: There were socks and shirts in the bureau. There were
• 17:32
  Speaker 5: shoes and a suit and a hat and overcoat in
• 17:33
  Speaker 5: the closet. They weren't mine, but what did I care?
• 17:37
  Speaker 5: Because the cops must have quit watching me for the night,
• 17:39
  Speaker 5: and that meant I could break out of here. There
• 17:42
  Speaker 5: was no time for any fancy suitcase jobs now. If
• 17:46
  Speaker 5: I was going to get Gordy Fitzroy before the cops
• 17:48
  Speaker 5: got me, I had to go after him and give
• 17:49
  Speaker 5: it to him face to face. I put on the
• 17:53
  Speaker 5: duds and got out into the hall and down a
• 17:55
  Speaker 5: back stairway and out through the basement without anybody even
• 17:57
  Speaker 5: seeing me. I knew where I could get a gun
• 18:00
  Speaker 5: and I got it. And then, then all of.
• 18:04
  Speaker 4: A sudden I was thinking about Fran.
• 18:06
  Speaker 5: I knew I was washed up. I knew they'd get
• 18:08
  Speaker 5: me for what I was going to do to Gordy,
• 18:10
  Speaker 5: but before that.
• 18:11
  Speaker 4: I wanted to see her. I just wanted to see her.
• 18:16
  Speaker 5: I took a chance that the old dame on the
• 18:18
  Speaker 5: phone might have been brushing me off the other night.
• 18:20
  Speaker 4: I went into a booth and dialed the number.
• 18:30
  Speaker 5: Hello?
• 18:32
  Speaker 4: Fran? Yes. Who's this? Fran. It's Johnny. Johnny Malone. Johnny! Oh, Johnny!
• 18:44
  Speaker 5: Yeah.
• 18:45
  Speaker 4: Yeah, me too. Are you.
• 18:48
  Speaker 5: Out?
• 18:49
  Speaker 4: Yeah. Fran, I... I want to see you. I want
• 18:54
  Speaker 4: to see you the worst way.
• 18:55
  Speaker 6: But.
• 18:56
  Speaker 5: But what, Johnny?
• 18:59
  Speaker 4: Did you know what happened? Yes, Johnny, I know. No. No,
• 19:02
  Speaker 4: I mean all of it. How bad it was?
• 19:05
  Speaker 5: Yes, the warden told me.
• 19:07
  Speaker 4: He even showed me pictures. He did? Did you get
• 19:12
  Speaker 4: my letters?
• 19:13
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I got them. But I tore them up. Because
• 19:17
  Speaker 5: I didn't want to know what was in them, maybe.
• 19:20
  Speaker 5: Because I didn't want to even think about you.
• 19:23
  Speaker 4: After what happened. Then they stopped coming.
• 19:27
  Speaker 5: I joined the Red Cross. I've been away for two years.
• 19:31
  Speaker 4: Oh. You're sure you want to see me, Fran? Of
• 19:34
  Speaker 4: course I do.
• 19:36
  Speaker 5: Listen, Johnny, I'll meet you now at Jack's.
• 19:38
  Speaker 4: The old place.
• 19:38
  Speaker 5: No.
• 19:40
  Speaker 4: No, it's too bright there, Fran. Too much light. Oh,
• 19:43
  Speaker 4: all right. Where? Uh... Down on your corner, Hudson Street.
• 19:47
  Speaker 4: Ten minutes.
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: All right, Johnny.
• 19:48
  Speaker 5: I'll be there.
• 19:49
  Speaker 4: No.
• 19:51
  Speaker 2: I'll be there.
• 19:56
  Speaker 5: I waited in the shadows in the doorway. My heart
• 19:59
  Speaker 5: seemed to be going crazy and I could hardly breathe.
• 20:03
  Speaker 5: I forgot all about Gordy Fitzroy and what I was.
• 20:05
  Speaker 4: Going to do. I didn't even care anymore. Maybe something
• 20:09
  Speaker 4: could be worked out.
• 20:10
  Speaker 5: Maybe Fran and I could somehow... And.
• 20:15
  Speaker 4: Then I heard her coming down the street. I looked.
• 20:17
  Speaker 4: It was her, all right. I was scared now.
• 20:22
  Speaker 5: I just waited where I was, trying to get my breath.
• 20:25
  Speaker 5: She got to the corner and looked around. And then
• 20:28
  Speaker 5: she stood there for a minute under the streetlight. And
• 20:31
  Speaker 5: I walked up and went up behind her. I laid
• 20:34
  Speaker 5: my hand on her arm.
• 20:35
  Speaker 4: That's all.
• 20:35
  Speaker 5: Just laid my hand on her arm. And she whirled
• 20:39
  Speaker 5: around and looked at me. full in the face. Get away.
• 20:44
  Speaker 5: Get away from me. Get away. Get away. Get away.
• 20:47
  Speaker 5: I ran.
• 20:52
  Speaker 4: I just ran.
• 20:52
  Speaker 5: I was so torn up inside I didn't know what
• 20:55
  Speaker 5: I felt. There were tears dripping out of my twisted
• 20:58
  Speaker 5: eye sockets.
• 21:00
  Speaker 4: And then I stopped. All right. She lied to me.
• 21:07
  Speaker 5: She didn't know what had happened and she didn't care.
• 21:10
  Speaker 5: And when she saw it, she was like all the rest.
• 21:12
  Speaker 4: No, right?
• 21:13
  Speaker 5: And if she could dish it out that way, she
• 21:16
  Speaker 5: could take it that way. I wasn't going to leave
• 21:18
  Speaker 5: her behind either. I went around the block and back
• 21:22
  Speaker 5: to her house. I went up the steps and into
• 21:25
  Speaker 5: the vestibule.
• 21:27
  Speaker 4: It was dark in there. Good and dark. I waited.
• 21:32
  Speaker 4: It was nearly half an hour before I heard her
• 21:37
  Speaker 4: coming up the steps. Hello, friend. Johnny.
• 21:46
  Speaker 5: Oh, Johnny, why are you hiding here in the dark?
• 21:48
  Speaker 5: Why did you do it? I waited and waited and
• 21:50
  Speaker 5: you never even showed up and I was.
• 21:52
  Speaker 4: Cut it out. You had your chance, friend.
• 21:56
  Speaker 5: And now it's this. I ran out on the street,
• 22:06
  Speaker 5: through the valley to the... The courtyard, the building next door,
• 22:09
  Speaker 5: and over the fence and through another alley.
• 22:11
  Speaker 4: I was on the next street.
• 22:13
  Speaker 5: There was a cab coming, and I hailed him.
• 22:19
  Speaker 4: What's all this? Just drive uptown. I'll tell you where later. Okay.
• 22:24
  Speaker 4: The next on the list was Gordon Fitzroy.
• 22:26
  Speaker 5: There was no use calling the house on Long Island.
• 22:30
  Speaker 5: I know I'd blown that sky high. But I had
• 22:33
  Speaker 5: to find him before morning. I... I tried to think...
• 22:37
  Speaker 5: There must be somebody who'd know where he was. Uh,
• 22:40
  Speaker 5: staying in town now, probably. A cabbie.
• 22:43
  Speaker 4: Sure.
• 22:44
  Speaker 5: One of the cabbies up around where his store was
• 22:46
  Speaker 5: ought to know. I tapped on the glass behind the driver.
• 22:50
  Speaker 5: He slid it back without looking around. You know where
• 22:53
  Speaker 5: you want to go now?
• 22:54
  Speaker 4: Um, listen, is, uh... Is there a cab stand up
• 22:58
  Speaker 4: around 53rd and Lex? There sure is. Well, that's where
• 23:01
  Speaker 4: I want to go. Okay. You're taking me right home. Yeah?
• 23:06
  Speaker 4: That's your stand? Sure.
• 23:07
  Speaker 2: I just happened to get a fare down here tonight.
• 23:09
  Speaker 5: Well, and maybe you're just the guy I want to
• 23:11
  Speaker 5: talk to. Me?
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: About what?
• 23:14
  Speaker 5: There's a jewelry store up around there named Fitzroy's.
• 23:18
  Speaker 4: Yeah, that's right. Gordon Fitzroy. Yeah, an old pal of mine.
• 23:22
  Speaker 4: You know him?
• 23:23
  Speaker 5: Yeah.
• 23:24
  Speaker 4: I've drove him a few times.
• 23:25
  Speaker 5: You don't know where I can get hold of him,
• 23:26
  Speaker 5: do you? I mean, where he's living now?
• 23:29
  Speaker 4: No, I don't, Barton. Tell you the truth, I ain't
• 23:31
  Speaker 4: seen him around lately.
• 23:32
  Speaker 5: I think his partner runs the business mostly now.
• 23:35
  Speaker 4: Oh, he's got a partner, huh?
• 23:37
  Speaker 5: Oh, yeah.
• 23:38
  Speaker 4: Know his name? Let me see. It's right on a
• 23:42
  Speaker 4: store there. Begins with a Z. Zellman. That's it. Zellman.
• 23:47
  Speaker 4: First name Fred, I think. You can stop right here.
• 23:50
  Speaker 5: I want to make a phone call.
• 23:55
  Speaker 4: Wait for me.
• 23:55
  Speaker 5: Okay.
• 24:09
  Speaker 4: Hello? Uh, Mr. Zellman? Yeah?
• 24:21
  Speaker 5: I'm sorry to bother you this time of night, Mr. Zellman,
• 24:23
  Speaker 5: but I'm an old pal of Gordon Fitzroy. I've been
• 24:26
  Speaker 5: trying to find him, but his house in Long Island
• 24:28
  Speaker 5: doesn't answer.
• 24:28
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I guess it doesn't. Could you tell me where
• 24:32
  Speaker 4: he is? Why, uh, he's had an accident. An accident?
• 24:37
  Speaker 5: Uh-huh.
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: He's in the hospital.
• 24:41
  Speaker 4: Oh, gee, that's too bad. I'd like to see him, though.
• 24:45
  Speaker 5: What hospital is he in? I, uh, the Jefferson Hospital,
• 24:49
  Speaker 5: room 508.
• 24:51
  Speaker 4: The Jefferson Hospital. Thanks. The Jefferson Hospital. I got it now.
• 25:01
  Speaker 5: That was the hospital I'd been in. I was almost sure.
• 25:04
  Speaker 5: So Gordy had been in his house when I blew it.
• 25:08
  Speaker 5: And they'd taken us both there. Why else would he
• 25:11
  Speaker 5: have had an accident just the same time as me?
• 25:14
  Speaker 5: Maybe he was right on the same floor all the time.
• 25:17
  Speaker 5: Maybe right in the next room to mine. Just so
• 25:21
  Speaker 5: he was still alive, that's all. Because now I wanted
• 25:25
  Speaker 5: to give it to him face to face. Jefferson Hospital
• 25:28
  Speaker 5: was way out in Long Island, and I knew I
• 25:30
  Speaker 5: wouldn't be able to pay the fare, but that didn't
• 25:31
  Speaker 5: worry me.
• 25:33
  Speaker 4: When we got there, I just stepped out of the
• 25:35
  Speaker 4: cab with a gun in my hand. You want me
• 25:38
  Speaker 4: to wait? No.
• 25:39
  Speaker 5: No, beat it.
• 25:40
  Speaker 4: What about me fare? This is your fare. What is this,
• 25:44
  Speaker 4: a stick? Hey, you're... It's nothing. I'm nobody. Now beat it.
• 25:49
  Speaker 5: It's the same place, all right. I got in through
• 25:55
  Speaker 5: the basement just like I'd got out. I went up
• 25:57
  Speaker 5: the same stairs.
• 25:58
  Speaker 4: I remember now. Five flights. The same floor.
• 26:02
  Speaker 5: Only this time there was an old dame, a nurse,
• 26:03
  Speaker 5: sitting there at the desk. I had my gun out
• 26:06
  Speaker 5: and down at my side before I even spoke to her.
• 26:09
  Speaker 4: Well, where did you come from? I want to see
• 26:12
  Speaker 4: the guy in 508.
• 26:12
  Speaker 5: I'm sorry, but visiting hours.
• 26:14
  Speaker 4: I know all about that. Take me to 508. You wouldn't. Yes,
• 26:19
  Speaker 4: I would, sister. Now get moving. We went down the hall.
• 26:23
  Speaker 4: At 508 she stopped. But I poked her with a rod. Oh,
• 26:26
  Speaker 4: please don't.
• 26:27
  Speaker 5: She opened the door ahead of me. It was a
• 26:30
  Speaker 5: room just like mine, but it was dark. Just a
• 26:32
  Speaker 5: little street light coming in the window.
• 26:34
  Speaker 4: Oh, please don't. I made a move inside. And then
• 26:40
  Speaker 4: I slugged it. I looked around. I couldn't see much yet,
• 26:45
  Speaker 4: but the bed was empty.
• 26:47
  Speaker 5: I moved on into the room.
• 26:50
  Speaker 4: And then I saw him. Standing in a door. But
• 26:54
  Speaker 4: somebody must have tipped him off. He was... He was dressed. He...
• 26:58
  Speaker 4: He had a gun in his hand.
• 27:01
  Speaker 5: I fired, but nothing happened.
• 27:03
  Speaker 4: It was glass, glass.
• 27:05
  Speaker 5: Somebody had snapped on the light.
• 27:06
  Speaker 4: I whirled around, looking for him, and then I saw him.
• 27:10
  Speaker 4: But in a mirror. It was me. Me with his face.
• 27:15
  Speaker 4: His face.
• 27:16
  Speaker 5: They must have come up behind me.
• 27:23
  Speaker 4: I didn't even remember.
• 27:25
  Speaker 5: I was in bed and half-doped, and the room was
• 27:27
  Speaker 5: full of medics and cops.
• 27:29
  Speaker 4: But I knew.
• 27:31
  Speaker 5: Gordy and me had both been in that house. Only
• 27:34
  Speaker 5: the way he got it, they couldn't even find him.
• 27:37
  Speaker 4: Only me. And they thought I was Gordy.
• 27:40
  Speaker 5: And they fixed up my face and pictures the way
• 27:43
  Speaker 5: they do to make me look like Gordy. And Fran
• 27:46
  Speaker 5: had believed me. That's why she screamed at me. Because
• 27:49
  Speaker 5: she thought I was Gordy, and she knew what he'd
• 27:51
  Speaker 5: done to me. Oh, I knew.
• 27:53
  Speaker 4: I knew all right.
• 27:56
  Speaker 5: Without even hearing them talking in their low voices there
• 27:59
  Speaker 5: beside my bed.
• 28:01
  Speaker 4: I knew.
• 28:01
  Speaker 3: Apparently the shock, the explosion and all was just too
• 28:04
  Speaker 3: much for him.
• 28:06
  Speaker 4: Yes, he was here for 21 months while we rebuilt
• 28:08
  Speaker 4: his face. You know, he never spoke a word until today. Well,
• 28:12
  Speaker 4: he's due for another shock now. He's wanted for murder.
• 28:18
  Speaker 5: I never even told them who I really was.
• 28:22
  Speaker 4: What was the use, sir? Suspense.
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: Presented by Roma Wines, R-O-M-A, Roma, America's favorite wines. This
• 28:44
  Speaker 2: is Ken Niles bringing back to our suspense microphone the
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: star of the evening, Chester Morris. Tell me, Chester, after
• 28:51
  Speaker 2: so convincing a performance as a first-rate heel, don't you
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: find it difficult to resume being the really nice guy
• 28:56
  Speaker 2: we know you are?
• 28:57
  Speaker 5: Not at all, Ken. You know, I just whisper, abracadabra,
• 29:02
  Speaker 5: and the villain in me disappears.
• 29:04
  Speaker 2: Well, I might have known, since you're one of Hollywood's
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: most accomplished amateur magicians.
• 29:07
  Speaker 4: Thank you. Would you make me disappear if I asked?
• 29:11
  Speaker 4: How's tricks? Oh, now, Ken, I'd like to, but I
• 29:14
  Speaker 4: don't know any tricks that good. Well, Chester, here's a
• 29:16
  Speaker 4: trick you ought to know. What's that?
• 29:18
  Speaker 2: It's a trick in taste magic, and the only props
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: you need are glasses and delicious Roma California sherry. Then,
• 29:24
  Speaker 2: when guests drop in, you simply pour, and presto, hospitality reigns.
• 29:29
  Speaker 4: Well, that's a trick anyone can master, Ken, with Roma sherry.
• 29:32
  Speaker 2: Right, Chester, for Roma sherry is the keynote of gracious entertaining,
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: the popular first call for dinner. That's because Roma sherry...
• 29:40
  Speaker 2: is better tasting. In fact, all Roma wines taste better
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: because Roma starts with choicest grapes, skillfully and unhurriedly guiding
• 29:49
  Speaker 2: this grape treasure with America's finest winemaking resources to tempting
• 29:54
  Speaker 2: taste perfection. Then, at the moment of peak taste richness,
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: Roma selects from the world's greatest wine reserves for your pleasure.
• 30:03
  Speaker 2: No wonder more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wine.
• 30:07
  Speaker 4: Well, you're right, Ken. No wonder.
• 30:09
  Speaker 2: And Chester, so you may practice this taste magic at
• 30:11
  Speaker 2: home and delight your guests, here from Roma is a
• 30:15
  Speaker 2: gift basket of Roma wine.
• 30:16
  Speaker 5: Well, thank you, Ken, and thanks to Roma. And now
• 30:20
  Speaker 5: before I return to my top hats and rabbits, Ken,
• 30:22
  Speaker 5: who will I be hearing on Suspense this time next week?
• 30:25
  Speaker 2: You'll be hearing Robert Taylor. Next week is sort of
• 30:28
  Speaker 2: anniversary show for us. Roma will be beginning its fourth
• 30:31
  Speaker 2: year of presenting Suspense. It was Cary Grant who was
• 30:34
  Speaker 2: our first star, and each year on our anniversary, Cary
• 30:37
  Speaker 2: has appeared. This year, however, he'll be away from town.
• 30:41
  Speaker 2: We'll present him later. Next week, it'll be Bob Taylor.
• 30:44
  Speaker 5: Wonderful.
• 30:44
  Speaker 4: And what kind of a story will Bob do, Ken?
• 30:46
  Speaker 2: Well, it'll be a suspense play that involves him in
• 30:48
  Speaker 2: a Christmas story with some of the eeriest and most
• 30:51
  Speaker 2: inexplicable twists imaginable. It'll take all the magician in you
• 30:56
  Speaker 2: to explain it away.
• 30:57
  Speaker 4: Well, I'll certainly be listening.
• 30:59
  Speaker 3: Chester Morris will soon be seen in the Columbia picture
• 31:01
  Speaker 3: Inside Story. Tonight's suspense play was written by Bruce Cassidy
• 31:05
  Speaker 3: and Robert L.
• 31:06
  Speaker 4: Richards. Next Thursday, same time, you will hear Mr.
• 31:09
  Speaker 3: Robert Taylor as star of Suspense.
• 31:13
  Speaker 2: Produced and directed by William Speer for the Roma Wine
• 31:15
  Speaker 2: Company of Fresno, California. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: Our presentation of suspense, The Strange Death of Gordon Fitzroy,
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: has come to its close. Good night, and thank you
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: for keeping Classic Radio company.