1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,560 Now, the Roma Wine Company of Fresno, California presents... 2 00:00:05,560 --> 00:00:08,560 Suspense! 3 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:24,160 Tonight, Roma Wines bring you Mr. Lloyd Nolan, as star of 19 Deacon Street, a suspense play 4 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:33,080 produced, edited and directed for Roma Wines by William Spear. 5 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:34,080 Suspense! 6 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:39,520 Radio's outstanding theater of thrills is presented for your enjoyment by Roma Wines. 7 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,160 That's R-O-M-A Roma Wines. 8 00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:46,600 Those excellent California wines that can add so much pleasantness to the way you live, to 9 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:51,400 your happiness and entertaining guests, to your enjoyment of everyday meals. 10 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:56,560 Yes, right now a glass full would be very pleasant, as Roma Wines bring you Mr. Lloyd 11 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:59,960 Nolan in a remarkable tale of... 12 00:00:59,960 --> 00:01:01,960 Suspense! 13 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,880 Ah, what a business, what a business. 14 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:10,440 Do you know how it is when you're keeping something to yourself, something that scares 15 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:12,920 you, something that nobody else will believe? 16 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:16,720 Well, if I tell you how it really happened, you'll say I'm nuts. 17 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:19,200 But if I don't talk, then for sure I'll go nuts. 18 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:20,200 Listen. 19 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:24,000 Did you ever have a dame get under your skin till you were ready to hang yourself with 20 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,400 your own belt just to be rid of her? 21 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:27,480 Yeah. 22 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:29,000 She did that to me. 23 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:30,340 That blonde. 24 00:01:30,340 --> 00:01:32,520 That beautiful blonde. 25 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:42,560 And the funny thing is, we never even met. 26 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:44,760 Ties is my business wholesale. 27 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:48,920 I came to Chicago with a red hot line and an exclusive to the Middle West, all sewed 28 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:49,920 up. 29 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:52,840 All I had to do was find a place to do business and a place to live. 30 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:54,320 You think that's easy, huh? 31 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:56,520 You should see Chicago these days. 32 00:01:56,520 --> 00:02:01,640 Well, some ham actor on the train tipped me off to a theatrical rooming house at 19 Deacon 33 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:02,640 Street. 34 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,080 I only wished he'd broken his neck before he saw me. 35 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:12,800 Anyhow, I go to this place and from the outside it looks all right. 36 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:18,280 I wait a minute or two and finally an old dame comes out looking like a tired old duchess. 37 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:19,280 Good afternoon. 38 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:20,280 Uh, yeah. 39 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:21,280 I'm, uh, I'm looking- 40 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:22,280 No vacancy. 41 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:23,280 Oh? 42 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:25,680 Well, an actor on a train said that maybe it'd put me up. 43 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:26,680 Are you an actor? 44 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:28,720 Uh, yeah, sort of. 45 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:32,600 Well, I do hate to turn you away if you're in the theater. 46 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:35,800 There was a time when we catered exclusively to theatrical people. 47 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:37,600 Oh, any kind of a room would be okay. 48 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:38,920 Well, come in, young man. 49 00:02:38,920 --> 00:02:42,000 We'll see what we can do. 50 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:43,800 We have a room that we don't rent. 51 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,280 It's not really fixed up for renting, but I might- 52 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:48,040 Now, look, lady, I'm not particular. 53 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:49,160 I'm away all day. 54 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:51,720 All I want are places to sleep, see? 55 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:52,720 Come upstairs. 56 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:56,680 I just know I shouldn't have promised myself. 57 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:01,720 Now, young man, I'm going to show this to you on one condition. 58 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:02,720 What's that? 59 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:05,480 This room belongs to someone very dear to me. 60 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:06,480 She's away. 61 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:09,680 I've never rented it because, well, I expect her back. 62 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:10,680 Oh, yeah? 63 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:15,620 I want you to promise that no matter what, you will not move anything or ask any questions 64 00:03:15,620 --> 00:03:16,620 about her. 65 00:03:16,620 --> 00:03:17,620 That's a funny thing to ask. 66 00:03:17,620 --> 00:03:19,360 Some people wouldn't understand. 67 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:20,360 Promise? 68 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:23,400 Okay, it's a deal. 69 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:26,400 I'll turn on the light. 70 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:31,320 Well, do you like it? 71 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:33,480 Well, I don't know. 72 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:36,200 It's kind of feminine, isn't it? 73 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:37,200 Yes. 74 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:45,920 Yellow fluffy curtains and costume dolls, cold cream, greased paint, dressing gown. 75 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,640 Hmm, nice perfume. 76 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:52,600 And hey, Lady Stockings, ain't this a little unusual? 77 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:54,640 We haven't changed it at all. 78 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,360 You don't realize this, young man, but you're standing in a shrine. 79 00:03:58,360 --> 00:03:59,360 Am I? 80 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:00,400 Oh, what? 81 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:05,200 We haven't touched her room because some day she'll be back and she'll find everything 82 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:07,320 just as she left it. 83 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:09,560 Is this her picture on the mantel here? 84 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:10,560 Yes. 85 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:11,560 Isn't she beautiful? 86 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:13,720 Wow, you can say that again. 87 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:15,720 I never even saw such a beautiful dame. 88 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:17,760 And notice the long golden hair. 89 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:24,560 Oh, if you could really see it, long and shimmering like thin strands of purest gold. 90 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,360 And she'll be back. 91 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:28,480 Well, when do you expect her? 92 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:29,480 I don't know. 93 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:30,480 What didn't she say? 94 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:32,320 No, she didn't say a word. 95 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:37,080 One day she was here and the next day she was gone without a word. 96 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:38,600 How long ago? 97 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:45,920 In a few days it'll be ten years. 98 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:53,480 Well, I took the room. 99 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:57,920 If I knew then what trouble it would bring me, I'd have slept in the park instead. 100 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:02,240 When the landlady left, I went over to the mantel and I looked at the blonde's picture. 101 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:06,520 Yeah, she was really one beautiful dame. 102 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:12,240 And there was something else about her, some little thing I couldn't pin down. 103 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:17,920 Well, I took the French doll off the pillow and flopped down. 104 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:21,800 But from where I lay I could look right at the picture. 105 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:28,360 I looked and I felt the back of my neck crawl. 106 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:30,520 Finally I couldn't stand it any longer. 107 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:35,000 I jumped up and I turned the picture to the wall. 108 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:40,840 And then I dozed off. 109 00:05:40,840 --> 00:05:46,200 And there she was, crying. 110 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:47,200 Just her face. 111 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:54,120 Soft gray eyes and her golden hair. 112 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:57,600 Strands of pure gold like the old dame said. 113 00:05:57,600 --> 00:05:58,600 Yeah. 114 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,280 Oh, what was she crying about? 115 00:06:01,280 --> 00:06:02,280 What was wrong? 116 00:06:02,280 --> 00:06:03,280 I didn't get it. 117 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:05,280 Laverne. 118 00:06:05,280 --> 00:06:07,280 Laverne. 119 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:11,280 What's the matter, Laverne? 120 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:13,280 Mr. Swartz. 121 00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:14,280 Laverne. 122 00:06:14,280 --> 00:06:15,280 Mr. Swartz. 123 00:06:15,280 --> 00:06:16,280 What are you crying about? 124 00:06:16,280 --> 00:06:19,280 Mr. Swartz, are you all right? 125 00:06:19,280 --> 00:06:22,280 Yeah, just a minute. 126 00:06:22,280 --> 00:06:25,280 I'm all right. 127 00:06:25,280 --> 00:06:26,280 It's just a bad dream, I guess. 128 00:06:26,280 --> 00:06:28,280 But I heard you calling out. 129 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:29,280 You were calling Laverne. 130 00:06:29,280 --> 00:06:30,280 Who? 131 00:06:30,280 --> 00:06:31,280 Laverne. 132 00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:33,280 That's who you were calling, wasn't it? 133 00:06:33,280 --> 00:06:34,280 I don't know. 134 00:06:34,280 --> 00:06:35,280 Laverne. 135 00:06:35,280 --> 00:06:38,280 Yeah, I guess I was. 136 00:06:38,280 --> 00:06:41,280 How did you know, Mr. Swartz? 137 00:06:41,280 --> 00:06:43,280 How did you know her name was Laverne? 138 00:06:43,280 --> 00:06:46,280 Well, I don't know. 139 00:06:46,280 --> 00:06:49,280 I don't know how I knew. 140 00:06:49,280 --> 00:06:54,280 I knew her name. 141 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:58,280 I knew the name of the blonde, but I never met her. 142 00:06:58,280 --> 00:07:03,280 I pressed at the landlady for details, but the old dame wouldn't talk. 143 00:07:03,280 --> 00:07:05,280 So I locked the door. 144 00:07:05,280 --> 00:07:07,280 I went to work to find out for myself. 145 00:07:07,280 --> 00:07:10,280 I emptied all the dresser drawers out on the bed. 146 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:18,280 Plenty of nice clothes, plenty of shoes and dresses and intimate things, you know, but not one scrap of paper to tell you anything about the girl herself. 147 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:22,280 Not a letter, not a card, not an envelope, nothing. 148 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:24,280 Then I got my first break. 149 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:30,280 In a little jacket, I found the key. It had a tag on it and the figure nine was written on the tag. 150 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:34,280 There was nothing locked in the room, nothing the key should fit. 151 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:39,280 But maybe someplace I'd find the lock it was made for. 152 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:45,280 And later, high in the closet door, I found a telephone number, scrawled with eyebrow pencil. 153 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:48,280 Briar Gate 1-2-7-3. 154 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:51,280 I went downstairs to the hall phone. 155 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:54,280 No one was around. 156 00:07:54,280 --> 00:08:00,280 I felt like a joint dialing a number that had been written more than 10 years ago, but I put the nickel in. 157 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:02,280 I started dialing. 158 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:09,280 B-R-I-1-2-7-3. 159 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:12,280 A busy signal. 160 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:15,280 That meant the number was still alive. 161 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:21,280 And maybe, just maybe, somebody on the other end could tell me about Laverne. 162 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:32,280 And hour later, I was still dialing that number and still getting a busy signal. 163 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:35,280 So I finally give up and went to my room. 164 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:38,280 What business was it of mine if some stale babe wanted to disappear? 165 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:40,280 I had my own headaches. 166 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:44,280 I had 400 dozen fancy neckties to get rid of. 167 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:46,280 Laverne was... 168 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:49,280 She was still in that room. 169 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:52,280 I felt it in my bones. 170 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:54,280 And I couldn't sleep. 171 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:03,280 In the morning, I started out to look for a place to set up shop. 172 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:08,280 Oh, I was plenty groggy, but I told myself that if I didn't sell those neckties, 173 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:12,280 I'd find myself back in the bargain basement of Rosenblatt's department store, 174 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:14,280 which was a sobering thought. 175 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:17,280 So I started walking down to Madison Street. 176 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:24,280 It's a warm day and I'm walking fast and suddenly I look up and I'm on State Street. 177 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:26,280 Now, I know that town pretty well. 178 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:30,280 I don't have to go anywhere near State Street to get to Madison, but here I am. 179 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:34,280 I'm on State Street and I'm standing in front of an old building. 180 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:39,280 All around me I see hawks, shops, flap houses, tattoo joints, you know, the kind of neighborhood. 181 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:43,280 And right in front of me, this old building, all boarded up. 182 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:48,280 Suddenly I get the brainwave that this is the kind of joint I need for my business. 183 00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:52,280 Looked like it hadn't been used for 50 years, so the rent couldn't be too high, 184 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:54,280 and it's big and central. 185 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:58,280 So I just ankle around to the alley, try the back door. 186 00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:02,280 Figure there must be a caretaker or somebody around, so I give a yell. 187 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:06,280 Hey! Anybody in there? 188 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:08,280 No dice. 189 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:12,280 This is kind of funny because I can see a light shining through the crack in the boards. 190 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:14,280 So I start pounding on the door. 191 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:18,280 Hey, open up! Open up, will you? 192 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:19,280 What do you think you're doing? 193 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:23,280 Oh, hello, officer. Well, I just thought that there'd be a janitor around. 194 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:26,280 Does it look like there'd be anybody around with the doors all padlocked like this? 195 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:28,280 Yeah, but look, there's a light burning inside. 196 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:31,280 It's just a work light on the stage. It burns all the time. 197 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:32,280 What do you want, mister? 198 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:34,280 I want to rent the joint. Where can I find the owner? 199 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:37,280 Rent it, huh? You'd better get in touch with Jasper Florens. 200 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:38,280 Oh, the big stage producer. 201 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:42,280 That's right. He used to run this little burleque house before he was in the chips. Got his start here. 202 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:45,280 You can probably get him on the phone at his office. 203 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:53,280 Florens Productions. 204 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:56,280 Oh, hello. I'd like to speak to Mr. Florens, please. 205 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:57,280 Oh, who's calling, please? 206 00:10:57,280 --> 00:10:58,280 My name's Swartz. 207 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:01,280 What did you wish to talk to Mr. Florens about, please? He's very busy. 208 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:04,280 Yeah, yeah. Now, look, I ain't no ham actor looking for a job. 209 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:06,280 Tell him I want to rent some space from him. 210 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:07,280 Rent space? 211 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:10,280 Yeah, the old Florens theater on State Street. 212 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:11,280 Oh. 213 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:14,280 Well, hello. 214 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:18,280 I'm sorry, but the Florens theater is not for rent. 215 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:20,280 Not for rent. But why? 216 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:23,280 Well, okay, okay. Have it your way. 217 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:32,280 I burned up the nerve of that guy letting his theater sit there empty while I needed it so bad. 218 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:35,280 Well, I wandered back to the house a little later and... 219 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:41,280 As soon as I got what inside of it, I got that queer feeling again. 220 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:45,280 It was just like that blonde was standing there waiting for me. 221 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:49,280 Well, I walked in and went to my room. 222 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:54,280 I got out of detective mystery and tried to pass the time away, but it didn't work. 223 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:57,280 I couldn't think of a thing. 224 00:11:57,280 --> 00:11:59,280 Except for a burn. 225 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:03,280 Then I lay back on the bed and I must have been dead tired. 226 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:06,280 Because in nothing flat, I was out. 227 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:14,280 And there she was again. 228 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:17,280 That beautiful girl, Sabin. 229 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:24,280 This time I was sure she was trying to say something to me. 230 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:29,280 Trying to get a message of some kind to me, but... 231 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:34,280 I just couldn't understand. 232 00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:45,280 What was she trying to say? 233 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:53,280 Was she asking me to find her? 234 00:12:53,280 --> 00:13:01,280 Find me. 235 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:27,280 Between the acts of suspense, this is Truman Bradley for Roma Wines. 236 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:32,280 This year, Thanksgiving is more than our traditional pilgrim's harvest festival. 237 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:36,280 More than thanks for the good harvest reaped from the soil of our great land. 238 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:40,280 It's an humble Thanksgiving that the world is at peace. 239 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:43,280 Thanks for God-granted overseas victories. 240 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:45,280 Thanks for cherished freedom at home. 241 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:47,280 Thanks for loved ones with us again. 242 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:54,280 Today, in many American homes, wine, Roma wine, is a symbolic of this day of thanks as the traditional turkey. 243 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:59,280 As millions of Americans feast in hamlets, villages, towns, and cities, 244 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:03,280 glass-fulls of Roma wine are lifted in heartfelt thankfulness. 245 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:07,280 How fitting, too, with Roma California Burgundy, 246 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:12,280 a wine grown in the soil of America, reflecting the goodness of the world. 247 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:20,280 Roma California Burgundy, a wine grown in the soil of America, reflecting the goodness of nature and the patient toil of free men. 248 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:29,280 Roma Burgundy, a red, robust wine, truly delicious, delightful, distinguished in any company with any food. 249 00:14:29,280 --> 00:14:31,280 Serve cool. 250 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:40,280 Remember, because of uniformly fine quality at low cost, more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wine. 251 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:43,280 R-O-M-A, Roma wines. 252 00:14:53,280 --> 00:14:57,280 And now, Roma wines bring back to our Hollywood soundstage, Lloyd Nolan, 253 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:02,280 as Maury Swartz, Thai salesman and raconteur in 19 Deacon Street, 254 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:10,280 a play well calculated to keep you in suspense. 255 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:19,280 Why me? Why me? Why me? 256 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:28,280 After that, I was afraid to sleep, so I grabbed my hat and ran out of the house. 257 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:32,280 I stopped at a joint down the street and ordered some coffee. 258 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:40,280 And while I was sitting there, I all of a sudden remembered what my uncle, my mother's brother, used to say. 259 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:47,280 He said, if you want to forget something that's bothering you, just concentrate on something else, anything else. 260 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:52,280 Well, but what could I concentrate on? Then I thought. 261 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:56,280 And then I thought of the theater, the Florence Theater. 262 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:59,280 The guys had tried to run it for years and failed, but I needed it. 263 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:06,280 And if I used my brain for that one thing, if I did nothing but plan ways of breaking Florence down, 264 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:11,280 I might be able to level myself out and at the same time swing the deal. 265 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:16,280 Later that morning, I got in touch with an agent I knew, and he gave me Florence's address. 266 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:20,280 I took a cab out there. It was on Lake Shore Drive and very hoi polloi. 267 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:27,280 Florence was sitting in his study. He looked just like his pictures, tall, gray looking with a nice sort of smile. 268 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:32,280 But his necktie was lousy. Well, we had quite an argument. 269 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:35,280 Did I understand that you're interested in the Florence Theater? 270 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:39,280 Yeah, that's right. I tried to see you at your office, but I couldn't get past your secretary. 271 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:42,280 That's why I thought I'd take a chance and see you in here. 272 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:44,280 I see. You're rather persistent, aren't you, Mr. Swartz? 273 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:49,280 Well, you see, it means a lot to me, Mr. Florence. I understand it's been closed for years, but... 274 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:53,280 I believe my secretary told you I didn't want to rent the theater, didn't you? 275 00:16:53,280 --> 00:16:57,280 Well, sure he did, but Mr. Florence, did you ever have a hunch? 276 00:16:57,280 --> 00:16:59,280 A hunch? Why, yes, of course. 277 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:01,280 Well, do you generally play your hunches? 278 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:03,280 Well, sometime. 279 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:05,280 Well, I got a hunch about your theater. 280 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:10,280 I see. Well, I'd like very much to help you, but I'm afraid it's out of the question. 281 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:11,280 But why? 282 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:15,280 Well, it's where I produced my first shows. Has memories for me. 283 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:23,280 Some pleasant, some not so pleasant. Reopening that theater would be like reopening a part of my past that I'd rather keep closed. 284 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:28,280 Oh, but ain't that kind of silly, Mr. Florence? I wouldn't put on shows there. All I want is... 285 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:32,280 I admire your persistence, Mr. Swartz, but the answer will always be no. 286 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:39,280 Okay. You win for now. But I ain't giving up. Because when I want something real bad, I get it. 287 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:42,280 And I want your theater bad for personal reasons. 288 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:47,280 Now, here's my card. I've written my phone number on it in case you change your mind. 289 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:49,280 And you'll change your mind, Mr. Florence. 290 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:50,280 You think so? 291 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:54,280 Yeah, I think so. As you say, I'm persistent. 292 00:17:57,280 --> 00:17:59,280 Hello? Oh, Mr. Bogart, yes. 293 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:02,280 This isn't Mr. Bogart. I was just kidding. This is Swartz again. 294 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:04,280 Huh? Oh, you. 295 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:07,280 Yeah, you're still... you're sure you don't want to rent that theater? 296 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:09,280 Still very sure, Mr. Swartz. 297 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:11,280 Look, Swartz, I want you to stop hounding me. 298 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:14,280 It's not doing anybody any good standing empty. 299 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:18,280 That's for me to decide. I want you to leave me alone, do you hear? I want you to leave me alone! 300 00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:28,280 Yeah, and that's how it went. And it worked at first. For a while I... I forgot about Laverne. 301 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:33,280 And I got Florence plenty nervous. But every time I went back to 19 Deacon Street, 302 00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:36,280 I wondered who was more nervous, him or me. 303 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:41,280 And all the time I'm dogging Florence, I'm still sneaking in calls to that phone number I found in the closet, 304 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:46,280 Briar Gate, 1-2-7-3. And I'm still getting busy signals. 305 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:51,280 And then one night as I'm listening to the busy signal, I get mad. 306 00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:53,280 Hey, operator! Operator! 307 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:55,280 This is the operator, sir. 308 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:58,280 So what's been going on around here? For three days and nights I've been dialing this number, 309 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:00,280 and all I've got is a busy signal. 310 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:01,280 I'll connect you with my supervisor. 311 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:05,280 What good's that going to do? Now, look, is there any way to get that phone number? 312 00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:08,280 Now, look, is there any way of finding out who this number belongs to? 313 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:14,280 Surely, sir. Unless it's an unlisted number, you can get that information by dialing 2-0-8-0. 314 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:18,280 You mean I can find out who's at the other end of this phone by dialing that number? 315 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:20,280 Boy, there's nothing like that back home. 316 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:22,280 Yes, sir. Chicago has that service. 317 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:25,280 And I spend three days listening to a busy signal. 318 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:28,280 Say, lady, where can I dial for brains? 319 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:32,280 So I dialed 2-0-8-0, and that's how I found the place. 320 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:35,280 It's a little run-down spaghetti joint named Joe's. 321 00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:40,280 Over in the corner I see the telephone that's been giving me the busy signal, and no wonder. 322 00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:42,280 It's a public phone booth. 323 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:45,280 Right now one guy is in it and two others are waiting for it. 324 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:48,280 I go over and climb on a stool. 325 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:49,280 What can I get you? 326 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:50,280 Uh, you, Joe? 327 00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:52,280 Yeah, what can I get you? 328 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:54,280 How long you been in this place, Joe? 329 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:58,280 Uh, 14 or 15 years. Why? 330 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:00,280 Well, you've seen a lot of people come and go, huh? 331 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:02,280 Shoes, plenty. What can I get for you? 332 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:04,280 Look, you got a good memory for faces? 333 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,280 Look, you see, I'm busy, mister. I got no time for games. 334 00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:09,280 You want something or you don't want something? 335 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,280 Here, Joe, take a look at this picture. 336 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:12,280 Shoes. 337 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:13,280 Yeah. 338 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:14,280 So what? 339 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:15,280 You recognize her? 340 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:17,280 Yeah, she's been in here a long, long time ago. 341 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:18,280 What's her name, Joe? 342 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:22,280 I can't remember her name. She was a showgirl, I think. 343 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:24,280 Uh, Claire or something. 344 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:25,280 Wasn't it Laverne, Joe? 345 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:26,280 Yeah, that's right. 346 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:27,280 Yeah? 347 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:28,280 Laverne Claire. 348 00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:30,280 She's always come in here with a big shot. 349 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:31,280 With a big shot? 350 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:34,280 Well, he wasn't so big a shot then, but he was going to places. 351 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:36,280 And then she jilted him and ran off with some other guy. 352 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:39,280 I remember very good, because he used to come in here after that 353 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:41,280 and sit here alone all the time. 354 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:43,280 It break him up pretty bad. 355 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:45,280 Hey, and who was this big shot? You remember that, Joe? 356 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:46,280 Oh, sure, sure. 357 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:48,280 The big producer, Jasper Florence. 358 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:50,280 Now, what can I get you, huh? 359 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:52,280 MUSIC 360 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:00,280 Jasper Florence, the poor guy. 361 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,280 Here I've been hounding him for that theater 362 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:06,280 and he's holding out because it'll break his heart to let it go. 363 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:10,280 He won't rent because it's a chunk of his life, a bad chunk. 364 00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:12,280 And it's in that theater. 365 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:14,280 Well, that's what a dame can do to you. 366 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:17,280 But what a mean dame she must be. 367 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:20,280 But anyway, I begin to feel better. 368 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:22,280 Now, first thing tomorrow, I go out, 369 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:25,280 find another place to do business, and I'd start selling ties. 370 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:28,280 But when I get home, I was in for another surprise. 371 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:31,280 On my door there was a note from the landlady. 372 00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:33,280 Jasper Florence called. 373 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:35,280 He changed his mind about the theater 374 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:38,280 and will meet you there at 8 o'clock. 375 00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:40,280 Well, figure that one out. 376 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:43,280 I looked at my watch and it was 5 after 8 already. 377 00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:46,280 I get to the theater about 20 pairs. 378 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:48,280 Nobody's there. 379 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:51,280 So I wait around in front for a few minutes 380 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:54,280 and then I look down at the front door. 381 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:57,280 The padlock I saw on it the other day was gone. 382 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,280 I give the door a little push and it swings open. 383 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:04,280 Well, it's just like any other theater lobby. 384 00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:10,280 White tile, brass rails, cobwebs all over everything, of course. 385 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:14,280 I go on into the house and there in the center of the stage 386 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:17,280 is that one big work leg the cop told me 387 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:20,280 they've been keep burning all these years. 388 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:22,280 What a queer duck that Florence must be 389 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:25,280 to keep electricity going for 10 years. 390 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,280 And in the center of the stage is a big organ 391 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:33,280 and the light behind it sends screwy shadows up against the wall. 392 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:39,280 I walk down the long aisle and up the stairs onto the stage. 393 00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:43,280 As I walk across it, I could hear my footsteps echo. 394 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:49,280 I never could resist listening to an echo, so I yelled, hello! 395 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:55,280 Acting like a kid whistling in the dark. 396 00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:57,280 Hey, look, Maury, you're all alone here. 397 00:22:57,280 --> 00:22:59,280 There's nothing to be afraid of. 398 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:01,280 Well, then I see that organ and I walk over to it, 399 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:03,280 run my hand across the keys. 400 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:07,280 I quit that in a hurry. 401 00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:12,280 Then as I wipe the dust off my fingers, I look up into the flies. 402 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:15,280 I look and I see sandbags hanging. 403 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:19,280 Whoa, they must weigh 150 pounds. 404 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:22,280 I was just looking up at the catwalk, which I... 405 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:24,280 Then I see somebody move. 406 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:26,280 I was sure of it. 407 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:29,280 Just off stage, a guy moved in the darkness. 408 00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:33,280 Don't ask me why, but I started to walk toward him very quietly. 409 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:36,280 Yeah, he was there. I could see him now. 410 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:38,280 Hey, come out of there, you! 411 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:40,280 He didn't move. 412 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:43,280 So I walked over closer and... 413 00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:46,280 It was... it was a dressing room. 414 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:50,280 And the guy I saw reflected was Maury Swartz. 415 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:52,280 That's right, me. 416 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:57,280 Maury Swartz reflected in a dressing table mirror. 417 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:03,280 Well, just then I saw a door to another dressing room across the hall. 418 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:05,280 That door was closed, but something about it made me stare. 419 00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:07,280 It was the number on the door. 420 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:09,280 Number nine. 421 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:12,280 I remember the key I picked up in Laverne's room. 422 00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:16,280 Then a flash, I had it out of my pocket and was trying it on the door. 423 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:20,280 Number nine, the tag said, and it worked. 424 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:23,280 My knees were shaking and sweat was rolling down my face, 425 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:26,280 but I opened the door as wide as I could. 426 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:28,280 I stepped in. 427 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:30,280 And then I stepped on something. 428 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:33,280 It was dark, I couldn't figure out what it was. 429 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:36,280 So I let her match. 430 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:38,280 There. 431 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:44,280 On the floor were the white bones of a skeleton. 432 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:49,280 And beside them, long golden strands of hair. 433 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:54,280 And then I... I knew. 434 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:58,280 My heart was beating a mile a minute as I stowed back to the stage. 435 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:01,280 I got there and I started for the footlights. 436 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:03,280 Suddenly I looked up, the master curtain was crashing down on me. 437 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:08,280 I jumped back. 438 00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:10,280 Got away just in time, didn't you, Swartz? 439 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:12,280 Too bad. 440 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:15,280 Florence, where are you? 441 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:18,280 You can't see me, Swartz, but I can see you. 442 00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:20,280 I'm up here in the flag gallery in the shadows. 443 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:22,280 But you're well lighted by that work light. 444 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:24,280 You make a very good target down there. 445 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:26,280 I would do that, Swartz. 446 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:28,280 If you make one move to put out the light or get away, 447 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:31,280 I'll cut these conduits and you'll be smashed to nothing. 448 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:35,280 You... you killed Laverne, didn't you, Florence? 449 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:37,280 You killed her and then you closed your theater 450 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:39,280 and locked it up so she'd never be found. 451 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:40,280 No wonder you wouldn't rent. 452 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:43,280 And what are you going to do about it, Mr. Swartz? 453 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:45,280 You don't have much of a chance, do you? 454 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:47,280 Now there's no way off the stage, is there? 455 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:50,280 Well, I... I can get out the wings, Florence. 456 00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:51,280 It's a long walk, my friend. 457 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:54,280 And before you make it, I'll drop these sandbags on you. 458 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:56,280 Oh, yeah. 459 00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:59,280 Well, maybe in a minute or two I'll make a dash. 460 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:01,280 Maybe I'll be faster than you will. Then what, Florence? 461 00:26:01,280 --> 00:26:03,280 Then you'll fry for killing that girl. 462 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:04,280 She had it coming. 463 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:06,280 And so have you, my friend, for being a meddler. 464 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:09,280 And you're going to get it. I'm cutting the weights loose now. 465 00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:11,280 No, no. Don't do that, please, will you? 466 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:12,280 I... 467 00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:23,280 Oh, that's a long way to fall 468 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:26,280 and an awful way to die. 469 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:29,280 Even for you, Florence. 470 00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:43,280 Well, there's the story. 471 00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:46,280 And if you don't believe it, there's nothing I can do. 472 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:49,280 Florence was leaning over, cutting those ropes 473 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:52,280 and the guardrail and that old theater give away. 474 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:55,280 And it was curtains for him. 475 00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:57,280 Well, I hope I entertained you. 476 00:26:57,280 --> 00:27:00,280 And, oh, by the way, if you happen to need any ties, 477 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:02,280 I got a nice new line in. 478 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:05,280 I hope you won't think it's sacrilegious, 479 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:08,280 but these ties, and they come in all colors, 480 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:10,280 they got a girl's picture on them. 481 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:12,280 That's a cute idea, huh? 482 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:14,280 I call it the Laverne tie. 483 00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:16,280 So don't forget, look me up. 484 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:18,280 I got a little stand in Rosenblatt's department store. 485 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:25,280 You'll miss it, right in the bargain basement. 486 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:37,280 Roma Wines have brought you Lloyd Nolan, 487 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:39,280 a star of 19 Deacon Street. 488 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:41,280 Tonight's study in... 489 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:43,280 Suspense. 490 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:46,280 This is Truman Bradley for Roma Wines, 491 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:48,280 the sponsor of Suspense. 492 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:51,280 Welcoming guests with Roma California Sherry 493 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:53,280 is becoming an American custom, 494 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:55,280 says famed hostess Elsa Maxwell. 495 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:59,280 Glorious gold and amber Roma Sherry, served cool, 496 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:02,280 is a delicious appetizer before the meal, 497 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:04,280 the perfect first call for dinner. 498 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:06,280 Delightful later in the evening, too. 499 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:10,280 Roma Sherry is a happy mellow wine with natural fragrance, 500 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:14,280 cream rich with natural grape sugar sweetness and nut-like taste. 501 00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:18,280 If you prefer a real dry Sherry, get Roma Pale Dry Sherry. 502 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:23,280 Like all Roma California wines, Roma Sherrys are true wines, 503 00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:25,280 always unvaryingly good. 504 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:29,280 You can now enjoy the taste luxury of Roma wines 505 00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:31,280 at the lowest prices in years, 506 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:33,280 at savings as much as one-fourth. 507 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:38,280 Grown from choice grapes, unhurriedly perfected by age-old skill, 508 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:41,280 bottled at Roma wineries and California's choicest vineyards, 509 00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:45,280 get your favorite Roma wines now for holiday entertaining. 510 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:47,280 Insist on Roma wines. 511 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:51,280 Roma wines offer you so much for so little. 512 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:52,280 That's Roma. 513 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:55,280 R-O-M-A. Roma wines. 514 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:58,280 Lloyd Nolan appeared through the courtesy of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation 515 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:01,280 and can now be seen in their production, The House on 92nd Street. 516 00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:05,280 Next Thursday, Roma wines bring you Miss Nancy Kelly in... 517 00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:09,280 Suspense! Radio's outstanding theatre thrill. 518 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:12,280 Presented by Roma wines. 519 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:18,280 R-O-M-A. Made in California for enjoyment throughout the world. 520 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:39,280 This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.