Stars of "The Canterville Ghost"

Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)

This episode of Stars on Suspense kicks off a Halloween-themed series featuring legendary Hollywood stars in classic radio dramas. The progr

Key takeaways

• Charles Laughton performs as the cowardly specter Sir Simon in both 'The Fountain Plays' and 'The Canterville Ghost'.
• Margaret O'Brien stars in the chilling 'The Screaming Woman', portraying a child who hears a woman buried alive.

Main topics

• Classic Radio Drama
• Halloween Horror Stories

Notable quotes

Suspense! Meaning held in doubt.

Conclusion

A masterful collection of vintage radio suspense that celebrates the e

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) Would you hand me that, please? Thank you. Speaker 7 (0:03) Hmm. Now let's see. Survey. Survive. Susanna. Suspect. Ah, here we are. Suspense. Meaning held in doubt. Expressing doubt. The state of being uncertain, undecided, or insecure. State of anxious expectation or waiting for information. Such as to keep one in suspense. Therefore, delay acquainting him with what he is eager to know. Suspense! Speaker 5 (0:51) welcome to Stars on Suspense, with more Hollywood legends and radio's outstanding theater of thrills. Well, it's October, and today we're kicking off a series of films selected to get us in the Halloween spirit. Our first movie is The Canterville Ghost, the 1944 adaptation of Oscar Wilde's short story. It's the tale of a cowardly specter cursed to haunt an English castle until he performs an act of bravery and of the unlikely duo who try to help the ghost find his courage. Charles Lawton is the titular ghost, Sir Simon de Canterville. Margaret O'Brien is his seven-year-old descendant and current resident of the castle, and Robert Young is an American soldier who has his own fears to overcome. Today we'll hear all three of the stars in episodes of suspense, plus a luxe radio theater recreation of the film. You can rent or buy The Canterville Ghost digitally from your preferred retailers. Now, there are a number of adaptations out there, so if you're looking for this one, be careful about which movie you're clicking on. For our suspense offerings this week, we'll hear Charles Lawton in The Fountain Plays from November 23, 1944, Robert Young in You'll Never See Me Again from September 5, 1946, and Margaret O'Brien in The Screaming Woman from November 25, 1948. Then we'll hear Mr. Lawton and Ms. O'Brien recreate their roles on the Lux Radio Theater from June 18, 1945. There's frights and fun, courtesy of the Canterville Ghost and its stars, and we'll hear them right after these messages. Speaker 1 (2:58) Life is swell when you keep well. That's why Post 40 % Bran Flakes have become America's largest selling Bran Flakes. Every one ounce serving of Post 40 % Bran Flakes provides bran to Speaker 7 (3:10) help prevent irregularity due to lack of bulk in the diet. They're so delicious tasting and so good for you, too. Tomorrow, serve America's favorite Bran Flakes. Speaker 1 (3:20) Post 40 % Bran Flakes. Speaker 5 (3:23) Smoker Locky. To feel your level best. Smoker Lucky. To feel your level best. Speaker 7 (3:32) You see, Lucky's fine tobacco picks you up when you're low, calms you down when you're tense. It's good to know that fine tobacco can do this for you. And that's why it's so important that you select and smoke the cigarette of fine tobacco Lucky Strike. For as every smoker knows, L-S-M-F-T, L-S-M-F-T, Lucky Strike means fine tobacco. Remember, more independent tobacco experts, auctioneers, buyers, and warehousemen smoke Lucky Strike regularly than the next two leading brands combined. So when you choose your cigarette, remember that Lucky's fine tobacco puts you on the right level, the Lucky level, where you feel your best and do your best. Feeling low. Speaker 4 (4:13) Feeling tense. Speaker 5 (4:14) These eight words are common sense. Smoker Lucky. Speaker 5 (4:21) Smoke up! Speaker 1 (4:23) Lucky. Speaker 7 (4:29) of advice for those of you who suffer from acid indigestion, heartburn, or gas. Speaker 5 (4:42) Just a-waitin' for the moment when you need a m- To bring your ass in Speaker 7 (5:19) The modern Tums formula has never been surpassed for effectiveness. Always carry Tums. Ten cents. Three-roll pack, a quarter. Or get the new six-roll Tums pack with... Speaker 7 (5:31) cents. Speaker 7 (5:34) And now, a tale well calculated to keep you in... Speaker 7 (5:40) Suspense. Speaker 7 (5:43) Now, Roma Wines present... Speaker 4 (5:53) Suspense! Speaker 5 (6:00) The Fountain Plays, starring Charles Speaker 7 (6:02) Lawton. Speaker 7 (6:06) Suspense is presented for your enjoyment by Roma Wines. That's R-O-M-A, Roma Wines. Those excellent California wines that can add so much pleasantness to the way you live, to your happiness and entertaining guests, to your enjoyment of everyday meals. Yes, right now a glass full would be very pleasant as Roma Wines bring you... Suspense! Speaker 5 (6:33) This is the Man in Black, here for the Roma Wine Company of Fresno, California, who tonight from Hollywood bring an old friend to these proceedings, Mr. Charles Lawton, as star of an unusual murder study by his distinguished compatriot, Miss Dorothy L. Sayers, called The Fountain Plagues. It deals with the fortunes and misfortunes of a middle-class Englishman of the name of Spiller, who lives on a little country estate with a cook and a manservant, and... in the garden. a fountain. So with the performance of Charles Lawton as Mr. Archibald Spiller, we again hope to keep you in suspense. Speaker 1 (7:38) Spiller, what about it? Speaker 2 (7:39) Oh, I tell you, look out there, Sam. Look out for what? Still as blind as a bed, aren't you, Sam? You really ought to wear glasses, you know. Don't Speaker 1 (7:45) you Speaker 2 (7:45) try and put me off. I was only trying to keep you from getting your clothes wet, Sam. You almost walked right into the spray of the fountain. Well, Speaker 5 (7:51) never you mind what I need glasses, and never mind your blasted fountain neither. I want a straight answer to my question, Mr Spiller. I've given you an answer, I've told you. You've given me nothing but bluff and bluster. Do I get it all, don't I? That's what I want to know, and if I don't... My dear fellow, Speaker 2 (8:05) please. My guests are arriving. I'll talk to you tonight. You'd better talk straight. It'll be your last chance, my lad. Hello. Hello there, everybody. Just in time for a little refreshment. Master said Speaker 6 (8:17) we'd find you here, Daddy. I Speaker 2 (8:19) hope we're not interrupting. Oh, certainly not, certainly not. You know Mr. Gooch, don't you, my dear? Yes, of course. And this is my neighbour, Mrs. Diggory, Mr. Gooch. How do you do, Mr. Gooch? And Ronald Proudfoot, my daughter's fiancé. How do you do, sir? How do you? Well, I was, uh... Just showing Mr. Goot the wonders of my little fountain. Oh, Speaker 5 (8:37) Daddy, you do make such a fuss over this fountain. Speaker 2 (8:40) Even so, I always say there's nothing like a bit of ornamental water to set a place off. Sort of like the Versailles Garden. What? Oh, it's really lovely, Mr. Spiller. And so secluded, with the rhododendrons and the lilac hedge all around. You like it, eh? You know, I was thinking of cutting out some of these lilacs. Oh, I wouldn't. To make a vista, so to speak. You can't even see it from the house with these bushes and all four sides. Well, now, perhaps that might add something. But if you like the lilacs, Mrs. Digby, the lilacs shall stay. Oh, Mr. Spiller, I'm Speaker 5 (9:12) no authority, I'm sure. Well, if you want an authority, I'd say it's a mess. Plaster, backstop and all, a mess, see? A mess? Oh, maybe Mr. Gooch means the way the backstop... arches up above the spray. It rather overshadows it. Speaker 2 (9:27) Well, I have to have that, you know, my dear, because prevailing winds from the south, don't you feel how nice and warm it is tonight? Blow the jet of water right onto the grass. If it weren't for that backstop, we'd have a proper swamp over there. Wasteful, too. Well, I'm Speaker 5 (9:40) glad to know that. Speaker 2 (9:41) You always were a fool, aren't you? Squandering money on a fountain. No, no, no, indeed. It uses the same water over and over again. Like the one in Trafalgar Square. Most ingenious, really. Why, isn't that a wonderful idea? Of course, I have to be careful, of course, even so, to turn it off every night to save leakage and waste and so on. Mr. Speaker 5 (10:02) Spiller, sir. Speaker 2 (10:03) Dinner is served. Oh, thank you, masters. Well, what do you say, everybody? Ready for a bit of dinner? I should say so. Shall we go in, then? Speaker 5 (10:12) Why, Mr. Spiller, your modest little fountain. When you're past the bushes... All at once, you can scarcely hear it. Speaker 2 (10:19) Yes, it's quite impossible to hear it from the house. Can't hear it at all. Speaker 5 (10:36) What the guy says is, you see, you're not Napoleon either. Will that be all then, Speaker 2 (10:39) sir? Yes, thank you, masters. An excellent dinner. My compliments to the cook. Speaker 5 (10:44) Yes, Speaker 2 (10:45) sir. And coffee in the drawing room, masters. Speaker 5 (10:47) Very good, sir. Speaker 2 (10:48) Well, shall we adjourn? Shall we what? I'll go into the drawing room, you know. Speaker 5 (10:55) Quite a talk, ain't you, Archie? Big change from the old days. Adjourn to the drawing room. What Speaker 2 (11:02) would you think, Mr Spiller, about a rubber or two of bridge? It's an excellent suggestion, Mrs Stigley. Excellent. Good thing I Speaker 5 (11:08) don't play in it, Archie. See, I'm counted out before the start. Oh, Mr Gooch, I'm so sorry. Do take my place. I'm really very tired. No, thanks. We don't play bridge where I come from, and neither did Archie. Though I see he picked it up quick enough once he... Yes, Speaker 2 (11:23) yes, yes. It's never too late to learn, you know. Oh, Speaker 5 (11:27) mind you don't play too long. But I want to talk to you before this night's over, my lad. Speaker 2 (11:33) Yes, yes, yes. Of course, Sam. I'll Speaker 5 (11:35) be waiting for you up at your precious fountain, absorbing the beauties of your precious moonlight. And I don't want to wait too long, see? Right you are, old boy. Yeah. Where's the fellow masters? Was there something you wished, sir? Yes. Give Speaker 1 (11:51) me a Speaker 5 (11:51) handful of those Coronas. Only the best for your old pals, eh, Archie? Yes, yes. Of course, sir. Yes, yes, of course. See Speaker 2 (12:00) you later, folks. Speaker 4 (12:02) Maybe. Speaker 2 (12:04) Well, uh... Mrs. Digby, shall it be you and me against the youngsters? Daddy. Yes, dear? Speaker 6 (12:11) Will you tell me why you put up with that man? Speaker 2 (12:13) Gooch? Oh, no, no, no. He's not a bad sort, really. Speaker 6 (12:16) He is a bad sort. He's a rude, unpleasant, terrible man. Speaker 2 (12:20) Well, he's an old friend, you know. Not much a chap can do. Oh, Daddy, you're so Speaker 6 (12:24) soft-hearted. But if you can't do anything, I can. Speaker 2 (12:27) No, no, no, please, dear. He'll be gone in a day or two. In Speaker 6 (12:30) high time. What does he mean, talking to you that way in your own home? Shall Speaker 2 (12:33) we cut for deal? Yes. Shall I? Speaker 6 (12:36) Well, I don't care. You shan't put me off. This is the last time that man's going to come into this house. Speaker 2 (12:40) I wish it were. Speaker 6 (12:42) Boorish, nasty. I just can't stand him, Daddy. Speaker 2 (12:44) Come now, come now, dear. He's not as unpleasant as all that. Speaker 6 (12:47) What? The only time he'll ever be pleasant is in his grave, that's what. Speaker 2 (12:51) Oh. Dear, what an awful thing to say. Speaker 2 (12:56) What a perfectly dreadful thing to say. Speaker 5 (13:11) Tonight for suspense, Roma Wines are bringing you a star, Mr. Charles Lawton, whom you have heard in the first act of The Fountain Plays, tonight's tale of suspense. Speaker 7 (13:32) I have an interesting idea for you tonight from the keen and sensible mind of America's famed expert on parties and smart entertaining, Miss Elsa Maxwell, and I quote, Speaker 5 (13:42) Serving a nice table wine when friends come to dinner, or with everyday meals, is one of the smartest, most sensible, and truly moderate pleasures of which I know, and one which any family can regularly enjoy, since the cost of delicious Roma Burgundy is very little. Just serve your Roma Burgundy well-cooled. Enjoy it with any food. And don't worry about special glasses. Any glasses available are perfectly correct. The goodness of the wine, the added enjoyment of your food, these are the things that count. Speaker 7 (14:13) Miss Maxwell expresses perfectly what we of Roma believe. In Roma, California Burgundy, in all Roma wines, you enjoy the glorious color, aroma, and flavor of superb sun-ripe grapes. Our noted wineries, located in California's choicest vineyard areas, assure you of flavor and quality which are always good, never varying, always delightful. And so Roma quality is preferred everywhere. And you are able to enjoy these fine Roma wines at modest prices, only pennies a glassful. Remember, more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wines. R-O-M-A. Roma Wines. And now it is with pleasure that we Speaker 5 (15:00) bring back to our soundstage Charles Lawton as Mr. Ochibald Spiller in The Fountain Plays. A tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. Speaker 5 (15:13) Oh, man. Speaker 1 (15:26) Of Speaker 2 (15:26) course, sir. We have a very pleasant garden, Mrs. Digby, and I don't know anything that's given me such enjoyment as that fountain. Do you know that it uses the same water over and over again? Yes? It shows you, doesn't it, Mrs. Digby? The simpler pleasures are best. Speaker 5 (15:41) Oh, that's so true. Oh, well, here we are. It's been such a Speaker 6 (15:47) lovely evening, Mr. Spiller. Oh, yes. Speaker 2 (15:49) And it was so nice of you to walk me home. Oh, it's my pleasure, I assure you, Mrs. Digby. You know... I've been thinking Speaker 2 (15:57) I'm very lucky to have found a neighbor like you at my time of life. I mean... Maybe Speaker 5 (16:02) it's not luck at all. Speaker 2 (16:04) It's fate, you mean. Mrs. Digby. Speaker 2 (16:10) May I call you Rosalind? Speaker 5 (16:12) Oh, Speaker 6 (16:12) of course. Speaker 5 (16:14) And Speaker 2 (16:14) you call me Archibald? Silly name, only one I've got, though. Why, I think it's a very nice name. Do you? Well, you know, I've been thinking that it was true when I said tonight that the place will be needing a new host as soon... Speaker 5 (16:29) Oh, with Betty getting married, you mean? Oh, you must be very happy for her. I Speaker 2 (16:35) am, but what I mean is, I mean, what I mean is that, well, we're both alone in the world now. Speaker 5 (16:41) Yes. Speaker 2 (16:42) And, uh, Rosalind. There's something I want to talk to you about soon. I can't just now. There are arrangements I have to make, but I want to talk to you very seriously. Speaker 5 (16:54) Well, I'll always be here, you know. But it's late now. Speaker 2 (16:59) Yes, it is, yes. Well, uh... Good night, Rosalind. It has been a lovely evening. Good night. Speaker 5 (17:07) Good night, Archibald. Speaker 2 (17:25) Ah, masters. Speaker 5 (17:26) Where Speaker 2 (17:27) is everybody? Speaker 5 (17:28) Mr. Ronald left five or ten minutes ago, sir. Miss Elizabeth has retired. Speaker 2 (17:32) Oh, well. Is Mr. Gooch still in the garden? I couldn't say, sir. Shall I go and see? No, no, never mind. You can cut along to bed now. I'll lock up. Very good, sir. Oh, by the way, is the fountain turned off? Speaker 5 (17:44) Yes, sir. I turned it off myself at half past ten, seeing that you were engaged, sir. Speaker 2 (17:48) That's fine. Well, good night, masters. Good Speaker 5 (17:50) night, sir. Speaker 2 (17:59) Oh, hello there. I was just coming out to look for you. Hello. Have a nice evening? Speaker 5 (18:07) Nice evening. Not as nice an evening as you had with your bludgeoned little widow, eh? That's enough of that now, Sam. Oh, it is, is it? That's enough, is it? That's how good one would you think I am, talking to me like that? One of your ruddy servants? Speaker 2 (18:20) Well, I'm not. I'm the boss here. Get that into your head. I'm the boss and you know it. All right, all right, all right, Sam, but let's buzz off to bed now. We'll talk it all over in the morning. No. We're talking about it right now, Mr Spiller. I'm short of cash. It's high time you kicked him with some more. Look here, Sam. I pay you your allowance as we agreed, and you stay here whenever you like. But that is all. Oh, it is, is it? Getting pretty iron-mighty, Speaker 5 (18:44) aren't you? Number 41632. Shh, Sam. Quiet, for heaven's sake. You're in a fine spot to tell me what you're going to do, aren't you? Quiet, quiet. Speaker 2 (18:57) The servants might hear. Quiet, pity might hear. Oh, Mr. Ronald Flapdoodle, whatever his name is. Really, Sam, you're quite impossible this evening. Impossible, eh? Impossible, but I'm not an escaped jailbird, am I? I'm not liable to be all back to work out ten years' hard labour for forgery, am I? Quiet, look here, Sam. Speaker 2 (19:16) I'll give you a little extra this once. And when I think a man like me was only in for a short stretch anyway and worked it Speaker 5 (19:24) out Speaker 2 (19:25) all good and proper, depended on the charity, charity, mind you, of a pelvis rolling in wealth. I am not rolling in wealth and you know it. But if you'll promise me faithfully that this is the last time... I'm sure Speaker 7 (19:37) I'll promise. For Speaker 2 (19:39) an old pill, Speaker 7 (19:39) I'll promise anything. Just give me 5,000 down. Speaker 2 (19:44) 5 Speaker 7 (19:44) ,000? That's right. Speaker 7 (19:46) I've got a Speaker 6 (19:47) great Speaker 2 (19:47) opportunity. Speaker 5 (19:48) All Speaker 2 (19:49) I need is a little ready cash. Don't you be an idiot, Sam. Where do you think I'm going to lay my hands on that much, just like that? Now, look, I'll give you a cheque for 500. Ah, trying to renege on an old pal, eh? I said 5,000 and 5,000 it is, or you'll find yourself back on the rock pile. I Speaker 5 (20:05) tell you, I haven't got it. Haven't got it? You've got enough to go buy him fancy fountains or play around with a widow next door. You Speaker 2 (20:10) leave Mrs Digby out of this. Speaker 5 (20:12) I'll leave her out of it, all right. I'll leave the old frump to you. Oh, yeah. Ow! Speaker 2 (20:22) Sorry I had to do that. Speaker 2 (20:26) I told you that was enough of that, now I meant it. Now pull yourself together and go to bed. I'll talk to you in the morning. Do you hear me? Sam? Sam? Speaker 2 (20:38) Now come on, I didn't hit you that hard. Speaker 2 (20:42) Get up on your feet now. Sam? Speaker 2 (20:54) killed him. Speaker 2 (20:57) What was that? Speaker 2 (21:00) It's just your old cloth. Hey. Eleven o'clock. Seven hours Eight hours, perhaps, until they find him. Of course, he hit his head when he fell, but the police won't care about that, and they'll take fingerprints, and they'll find out I was number 41632. No. Speaker 2 (21:23) What you need is an alibi. Speaker 2 (21:26) Rocket could confuse him. An alibi. An alibi, that's it. Make it seem he was alive when he was already dead. Speaker 2 (21:36) First you have to fix the time, haven't you? The time, the time, the time, the time. Well, you've got to make it early, eh? Say 1030 while everybody was playing bridge if he could have died sometime before that, but how do I prove it? What happened at 10.30? What happened to 1030? What happened to 1030? Oh, yes. The fountain. Masters and the fountain. That's right, the fountain, yeah. The fountain. Now I know what to do. Speaker 2 (22:09) Go out into the garden. Turn on the fountain Then go down the garden path and call him, call him by his name. Sam? Speaker 2 (22:21) Sam Gooch GO CH- I think that'll do for that. I'll go back to the house. Speaker 2 (22:31) Say I looked for him and I didn't find him, that it was dark, the moon had gone down. Yes, but now... How do I move him? That about it. That's right, the wheelchair. The wheelchair. It used to be Mrs Spiller's. I remember how she... It's not time to think of her now. I'm gonna try and lift him into it. Speaker 2 (22:57) Who would ever have thought that old Sam was as heavy as this? Speaker 2 (23:01) Now... Speaker 2 (23:04) Out of the other door? But quietly this time. Speaker 2 (23:09) the wheelchair wouldn't make so much noise down the back path a careful boy hold on to yourself i feel like running feel as though every window in the house were filled with faces watching Well Speaker 2 (23:25) Here we are. Speaker 2 (23:27) I've got to lift him up again. Speaker 2 (23:34) Lay him down on the edge of the fountain. Speaker 2 (23:38) Put one end in the water. Speaker 2 (23:42) The bruise on his head right up against the stone corner of the basin to the right. Speaker 2 (23:50) He was half blind anyway and he fell. And now it's done. Speaker 2 (23:59) What's that? He's alive. Gooch is alive. After all that trouble, after committing practically the perfect crime, and he's alive. It's all right. It's all right. Sam? Sam? Wait a minute. Bring him to life again. More blackmail for the rest of your life. What about Mrs. Digby? Nice, club, comfortable Mrs. Digby. Rosalind. What about Betty? She at least deserves something. No, it's better than murder. All right, murder it's going to be. She's dead already as far as the rest of the world is concerned. Now, come Speaker 5 (24:44) here. Speaker 2 (24:45) Now or never. This place is not by the water's edge. Push him under. Speaker 4 (24:51) Now. Stand there. Speaker 2 (24:55) Oh Speaker 2 (25:04) Night, John. Now it's done, Mr. Speller. Speaker 2 (25:09) I suppose I ought to feel remorse. Why should I feel remorse? Does the mouse feel remorse that the cat's killed? No. Does the prisoner feel remorse when he leaves his prison? It's done and it's well done. There's nothing left but the finishing touches now. Well, we take back the wheelchair, let the fountain run another hour, and then to bed. Speaker 2 (25:36) Why should I feel remorse in you dancers? Congratulations would be more like it. Yes, that's right. Congratulations, old man. Hasn't it turned cold? Speaker 5 (26:01) Inspector Frampton, sir. Speaker 2 (26:02) Oh, yes, sir. Come in, Inspector. Come in. Speaker 5 (26:04) I have to trouble you, Mr Spiller, about regulations, you know. Oh, of Speaker 2 (26:06) course, yes. Everyone here who was present the night of... Well, that is, last night. Yes, Inspector, there's Mrs Digby. She's my neighbour, my daughter Elizabeth, and her fiancé, Mr Ronald Proudfoot, and the servants, of course. Speaker 5 (26:19) Excellent. Well, now, if you'll all bear with me, I have to ask you a few questions, you know. Now, there was a blow on the head. Oh? As I understand it, the deceased was last seen alive at about 8.30, just after dinner. Let me see. You were the last to see him, eh, my man? Yes, sir. I believe so, sir. You showed him the way to the fountain in the garden, eh? At his request, yes, sir. I believe the deceased gentleman's eyesight was rather bad. Yes, terribly bad. And Speaker 2 (26:45) that was the last time he was seen alive by any of you, eh? Yes, that's right, Inspector. The four of you then played cards, I believe. Until what time? Until about 10.30. And no one left the room during those two hours? Speaker 5 (26:58) Then, Mr. Spiller, you accompanied Mrs. Digby to her own. That's correct, Mrs. Speaker 1 (27:03) Digby? Yes, Inspector. Speaker 5 (27:05) Now, when you returned, you were met in the old barry, Masters. What time was that, Masters? About 10.45, sir. And Mr. Spiller at that time inquired after Mr. Gooch? Yes, sir. He asked if I'd seen him. And as I'd not, he suggested I might retire, so that he himself would lock up the house. The others had left, eh? Yes, sir. That is to say, Mr. Ronald had left. I heard him drive off in his car. Miss Elizabeth had retired. Then you were alone in the downstairs part of the house, is that Speaker 2 (27:35) so, Mr. Spiller? Yes. Will you tell me, please, what you did then? Well, I'd promised the poor fellow I'd have a talk with him later in the evening, so I went to look for him. I went down to the end of the garden by the fountain. But you didn't go through the lilac edge to the fountain. No, no, I didn't. It was dark by then. I couldn't see. I called Gooch several times. Did anyone hear Mr Speaker 5 (27:57) Spiller call? I did, sir. I was half asleep, you might say, but I did hear Mr Spiller call out. Speaker 2 (28:04) And then what did you do, Mr Spiller? I came back into the house, Inspector, and I sat up in the library and read for a while, and about one o'clock I went to bed. Speaker 5 (28:13) Now, this is very important. Who turned off the fountain? I did, sir. At what time, I ask? At ten-thirty, sir. You're quite sure of that, eh? Yes, sir. It's the usual time. I see. And no one would have turned it on again, of course. I can't think why, sir. Oh, I see. Well, I think that makes everything very clear, Mr Spiller. When the body was found, it was still wet from the spray of the fountain. Therefore, death must have occurred sometime before the fountain was turned off at 10.30. Yes. And as all of you here were occupied up until then, from the time the deceased was last seen alive... Speaker 2 (28:47) Oh, of course, it is an accident. I said it was from the beginning. Well, it might have been either, you know. There had been a blow and there was Speaker 5 (28:54) water in the lungs, but the man apparently fell, missed his footing due to his poor eyesight and struck his head, falling into the water from which he was unable to rescue himself. Speaker 2 (29:03) Well, it does seem the obvious conclusion, doesn't it? My, my. Poor fellow, dear me. Well, thanks, Speaker 5 (29:08) everyone. I don't think we'd Speaker 2 (29:10) have to trouble you again, Mr Spiller. I hope not. Thank you, Inspector. Speaker 5 (29:26) Oh, Daddy, I'm so glad. I was afraid for a while. Speaker 2 (29:29) Nothing to be afraid of, dear, you know. Poor old Gooch just lost his footing and fell, that's all. I Speaker 5 (29:34) know. I was afraid of him. Speaker 2 (29:36) Afraid of Speaker 5 (29:37) him? I know it was silly, but he was so strange. I thought he had some sort of hold over you. Speaker 2 (29:44) Nonsense, darling. He's just an old friend and I'm a sentimental old fool. Speaker 5 (29:48) You're an old dear. But I've got to run now. Speaker 2 (29:51) Off with Ronald? Speaker 5 (29:52) Yes. Daddy, are you going to be awfully lonely when I've gone? Speaker 2 (29:55) You know I'll miss you. Speaker 5 (29:57) Maybe Mrs. Digby? Speaker 2 (30:00) Now, now, now, now, now, my girl. She's Speaker 5 (30:03) such a darling, Daddy. She Speaker 2 (30:04) is rather nice, isn't she? In fact, I thought I might pop over to see her this afternoon. As long as you're going to be out. Speaker 5 (30:11) Daddy, I knew it. I won't keep you another second. Ask her over to dinner. Speaker 2 (30:16) Perhaps I shall. You be on time, though. I Speaker 5 (30:19) will. Speaker 2 (30:25) Make pardon, sir. Oh, masters, yes? Speaker 5 (30:29) It's convenient to you, sir. I should like to have my bedroom changed. I should like to sleep indoors in the main house. Oh, why's Speaker 7 (30:38) that, masters? I'm a very Speaker 5 (30:39) light sleeper, sir, and noises keep me awake. Speaker 2 (30:43) Noises, masters? Speaker 5 (30:44) The weather vane, sir, above the garage. When the wind changes, it creeps. Speaker 2 (30:48) Well, a little oil, perhaps? Speaker 5 (30:50) I hardly think that would do, sir. Because when the wind changes, there are other annoyances. They can be most disturbing. Speaker 2 (30:59) What are the noises, Masters? The fountains are. The fountain? Yes, sir. Speaker 5 (31:06) Ordinarily, I'm quite unable to hear it, any more than you can in the main house, sir. But when the wind is from the east, the plaster backstop acts quite like a sounding board in the direction of my room, sir. In fact, I can not only hear the fountain itself, but I can hear even the faintest noises in the grove around it, quite clearly. Speaker 2 (31:27) Yes. Speaker 2 (31:30) I see. Speaker 5 (31:31) Yes. For instance, on the middle of the night, Mr. Gooch sustained his unfortunate accident. I noticed the wind changed a little after eleven, because it got very cold. The weather vane wakened me, and then I heard the fountains. I seemed to hear other noises, too, if I may say so. Speaker 7 (31:50) You heard? Speaker 5 (31:52) Yes, sir. Speaker 7 (31:53) Yes. I Speaker 5 (31:54) might add that after noting the police inspector's observations, I took... of a caution of pressing your dinner jacket. The sleeves seem quite wet, sir. Speaker 2 (32:04) Yes. I Speaker 5 (32:05) think, sir, all things taken into consideration, you might find it worth your while to retain me permanently in your service. Speaker 2 (32:13) Oh, yes, of course, sir. I wouldn't dream of ever wanting to replace you, masters. Speaker 5 (32:18) At, uh, shall we say, uh, just double my present weight? Speaker 2 (32:24) for the Speaker 5 (32:24) present. Well, yes. Speaker 2 (32:28) Yes, yes, yes. Speaker 5 (32:29) I'm very Speaker 2 (32:30) much obliged to you, sir. Speaker 5 (32:32) Is there anything else, sir? Speaker 2 (32:34) No. Nothing else. Speaker 2 (32:38) I'm going to sit here by the fountain. Speaker 2 (32:42) Very ingenious, the fountain. Speaker 2 (32:46) Most ingenious, my fountain. Speaker 2 (32:51) It costs a little to run because it uses the same water over and over again. Speaker 2 (32:58) over and over again. Speaker 2 (33:02) over and over again. Speaker 2 (33:07) over and over again. Speaker 5 (33:21) And so closes The Fountain Plays, starring Charles Lawton. Tonight's study in... Suspense. Suspense is produced and directed by William Speer. Speaker 7 (33:31) The other day, Elsa Maxwell told us about a friend who had lived many years in wine-loving countries around the world. Speaker 5 (33:37) I gave him some of our delicious Roma California Burgundy at dinner. And he confessed to me that he thought it every bit as enjoyable as any he had ever had. So I say... You people who do not regularly serve Roma wine are missing one of the most delightful treats daily living can offer. It's so good, so smart, yet so very simple. Speaker 7 (33:59) Take Miss Maxwell's advice. Enjoy Roma wine regularly. It's always good, unvaryingly fine in flavor and quality, and only pennies a glass. Remember, more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wines. Roma. R-O-M-A, Roma Wines. Next Thursday, same time, we will have Speaker 5 (34:22) the pleasure of bringing to you Mr. Cary Grant. Make a note now for next Thursday so you won't miss Cary Grant's performance in Suspense. Speaker 7 (34:33) Presented by Roma Wines, R-O-M-A, made in California for enjoyment throughout the world. Our government has asked us to say emphatically to the women of our audience that 10,000 more registered nurses are needed in the United States Army Nurse Corps immediately. Registered nurses, those about to graduate and who qualify as senior members of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps up to 45 years of age, are vitally needed. write to the Surgeon General, United States Army, Washington, D.C., or call at your nearest Red Cross chapter. Speaker 7 (35:08) This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System. Speaker 7 (35:29) Roma Wine. Speaker 7 (35:31) Made in California for enjoyment throughout the world, Roma Wines presents... Suspense. Speaker 7 (35:43) Tonight, Roma Wines bring you Mr. Robert Young as star of You'll Never See Me Again, a suspense play produced, edited, and directed for Roma Wines by William Spear. Speaker 7 (35:57) Suspense. Radio's outstanding theater of thrills is presented for your enjoyment by Roma Wine. That's R-O-M-A, Roma Wine. Those excellent California wines that can add so much pleasantness to the way you live, to your happiness in entertaining guests, to your enjoyment of everyday meals. Yes, right now a glass full would be very pleasant, as Roma Wines bring you Robert Young in a remarkable tale of... Suspense. Speaker 1 (36:31) So, you're walking out on me. Speaker 5 (36:32) What does it look like to you? Like Speaker 1 (36:34) you're walking out on me. Got everything you need? Well, Speaker 5 (36:37) at least I'm glad you're showing your true colors. I'd rather have found it out now than later. Speaker 1 (36:42) Didn't take you long, did it, baby? If you're looking for your coat, it's in there. Speaker 5 (36:47) Thanks. Speaker 1 (36:48) Need any money? I don't Speaker 6 (36:49) need anything from you, including your wedding ring. Here. Speaker 5 (36:52) You know what you can do with it. Speaker 1 (36:54) Sure. Hark it. Well, pick a nice, quiet hotel. I Speaker 5 (36:58) don't have to pick a hotel. I'm no orphan. Speaker 1 (37:00) When you get good and sick of it, come on back. Maybe I'll still be here. Speaker 5 (37:04) You'll still be Speaker 7 (37:04) here. You'll never see me again as long as you live. Speaker 1 (37:10) You'll never see me again as long as you... Speaker 1 (37:18) never see me again as long as you live, she said. If I'd known then what I know now, I guess that wouldn't have sounded so funny. All right, maybe I'm not the easiest guy in the world to get along with. Perfectly natural for a couple to have at least one good fight. three months. I just wasn't going to be the first one to say uncle, that's all. Speaker 1 (37:39) Don't wait around forever. Even if you are playing hard to get. Speaker 1 (37:47) I knew all along she'd had... Speaker 1 (37:51) she was going when she left. Speaker 1 (38:00) Uh, Janet's husband. Speaker 1 (38:05) Isn't she there with you? Speaker 1 (38:10) No. Speaker 1 (38:16) all I needed to hear. I grabbed my hat and headed for the bus station. That was the only way she could have possibly gone to her mother's place at that time of night, by bus. First, I wanted to find out if there was anybody who could positively identify her as having left. The guy at the ticket office wasn't very bright. To West Hampton? Well, seems like I remember somebody like that. It would have been Monday night, just about this time. West Hampton Monday night? Mm-hmm. Well, maybe. I couldn't be sure, though. Well, never mind. Give me a ticket. Where to? Where do you think? West Hampton. Speaker 1 (38:54) blue eyes, good looking. Sure, sure, I remember her. Where'd she get off? Speaker 2 (38:58) I think it was West Hampton. Speaker 2 (39:03) © BF-WATCH TV 2021 Speaker 1 (39:23) Closed for the night, mister. Pumps are all out. I just want some information. Can you tell me where the Aldens live? Speaker 7 (39:27) Alden? Oh, yeah. They're those new Speaker 1 (39:30) people. Yeah. Well, you go up the crossroad there, you turn to your left, go on down the hill, and it's one, two... Speaker 7 (39:37) Let me Speaker 1 (39:37) see. Speaker 7 (39:37) No, no. Speaker 1 (39:38) It's the fourth. Fourth driveway on your right. Did anyone ask you how to get there last Monday night? We're closed Monday, sir. Oh. Fourth driveway on your right. Speaker 5 (40:02) Must be somebody lost their way. Speaker 5 (40:06) Yes? Speaker 1 (40:07) I'm Ed Bliss, Janet's husband. Speaker 5 (40:09) Oh, yes. Come in, Ed. I've been looking forward so much to meeting you. I wish it could have been under different circumstances, though. Speaker 1 (40:18) Yeah. Speaker 5 (40:19) I'm so sorry. Oh, she'll turn up nothing Speaker 1 (40:22) to worry about. No. I Speaker 5 (40:24) can't understand it. It's not like her to do a thing like that. Oh, Ed, I want you to meet Mr. and Mrs. Farley. We were just playing a little bridge. How do you do? How do you do? This is my husband, Joe Alden. I guess that makes