Now, Roma Wines, R-O-M-A, made in California for enjoyment throughout the world.
Roma Wines presents Suspense.
Tonight, Roma Wines bring you Mr. Elliot Lewis as star of Can't We Be Friends, a suspense
play produced, edited, and directed for Roma Wines by William Spear.
Suspense.
Radio's outstanding theater of thrills 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 in entertaining guests, to your enjoyment of everyday meals.
Yes, right now a glass full would be very pleasant as Roma Wines bring you Elliot Lewis
in a remarkable tale of Suspense.
I suppose you want to know how it happened.
Yes, I'd like very much to know.
Then will you tell me how you got here?
I'm Dr. Meir.
Did you look at her?
Is she dead?
You tell me your story first.
Who's he?
This gentleman lives in the next apartment.
Yeah?
Yes, go on, go on, let's hear your story.
Well, her name was, is, Francis Murphy.
I've known her for about six months.
I met her at a party.
We went out together a few times, liked each other, and started going together.
She's fascinating, I guess.
I fell in love with her, and I think she was in love with me for a while anyway.
What's your name?
Michael Gordon.
Yeah, well, go on.
She wasn't well for a while, and then she told me she had to go to the hospital.
Some minor surgery.
Minor surgery?
Why, that girl.
So that's what she told you, eh?
Yeah.
Well, anyway, I got sort of busy, and I didn't get a chance to see her while she was sick.
And when I saw her again, she wouldn't talk to me, so I started seeing another girl I
know.
But this afternoon, I got to thinking about Fran.
I kept seeing her when I was with the other girl.
It bothered me.
So I decided I'd come over and see her.
I got here at 6 o'clock.
This apartment, in case you don't know, is very easy to get up to.
The desk clerk sits around the corner from the elevator, and you don't have to see him
if you don't want to.
I didn't want him to call and tell Fran I was coming up, so I went over to the elevator
without talking to him, and came directly up to the fourth floor, knocked on her door.
Hello, Fran.
Oh, it... my...
How are you, Fran?
Can I come in?
What do you want?
Oh, I was just passing by.
I thought I'd stop in and see how you were feeling.
You're a little late, aren't you?
You've been feeling better for three weeks.
Oh, and I don't be like that, honey.
I was busy.
That's why I didn't see you.
You aren't going to ask me in?
All right, come in.
But you can't stay long.
I've got an engagement with a very good friend tonight.
Oh, thanks.
Ah, the apartment looks very nice.
Sit down if you like.
Oh, thanks.
Care for a cigarette?
No, thanks.
Ah, you look swell.
Not your fault, I do.
Oh, now, don't be like that, Fran.
I feel awful about not seeing him when you were sick.
I had to see a fellow from out of town.
Did it take you ten days to see him?
Oh, honey, you know how those things are.
It was business.
You just can't make any other plans.
You really don't have to explain it to me.
I'm not the least little bit interested in what you do.
Fran, look at me.
I'm sorry, Fran.
I don't blame you for being mad at me.
I'm no good, I guess.
I'm just a no-good bum.
I never deserved having a girl like you anyway.
How true.
But let's let bygones be bygones and at least part good friends.
That's really why I came by today.
I wanted to ask you.
Can't we be friends?
Well...
Because I loved you, Fran.
You know that I did.
I still do.
But, of course, I realize that's beside the point.
You still do, huh?
Whatever do you mean?
Well, I've been thinking about you a lot, Fran.
About how you walk, the fingernail polish you use, the perfume you wear.
You gave me for my birthday.
Did I?
Well, you know, that's right.
I remember now.
You sure were surprised.
It's very nice of you.
It was nothing, honey.
Nothing at all.
I wish I could have gotten you a mink coat.
Two mink coats, one for afternoon, one for nighttime.
Really?
Mind if I sit here next to you?
Well, I don't know.
Thanks.
You're wearing the perfume now, aren't you?
Uh-huh.
Yeah, perfume has a better smell when you wear it, you know?
Oh, will you forgive me, Fran, for being such a heel?
Well, you really didn't...
No, don't answer that, honey.
It wasn't nice of me to ask you that.
There's no reason why a girl like you should get stuck with a bum like me.
You're better off going out with other people.
Who's this friend you had the engagement with tonight?
Are you really sorry you didn't see me, Mike?
I told you I was.
I could have killed myself.
I felt so bad.
Oh, give me a kiss.
Sure, honey.
I missed you, Mike.
And I haven't got an engagement with anyone tonight.
I haven't been out of the house.
Dr. Merritt said I should take it easy.
Oh, that's good, honey.
We'll go out tonight, huh?
Or would you rather I stayed here with you for dinner
and then we could listen to some music tonight?
I haven't heard your records in a long time, you know.
No, no, you'll have to go, Mike.
I have some packing to do.
I have to go away and rest a while.
Guess I was pretty sick.
Oh, it's all the more reason for me to stay, honey.
I'll help you pack. We'll have a little farewell party.
No, no, I'm sorry, Mike.
I have to go to sleep as soon as I finish packing,
so I'll be fresh for the trip tomorrow.
Well, that's ridiculous. I'm just going to sit here.
I won't bother you.
Who are you trying to kid?
What do you mean?
I mean, what are you trying to pull?
If you've got a date with another guy, tell me.
I don't care who you go out with.
I told you I didn't have a date.
Well, you think I'd believe that?
You're sick to see me, huh? That's a laugh.
You certainly look well enough to me.
But I'm not.
That's one of the reasons I didn't go to see you in the hospital.
I knew you were kidding.
What's the matter with you? I had an operation.
You want to tell me about your operation?
Please go.
I'll go when I'm good and ready.
You go right now. Right when I tell you to.
Who do you think you are?
You get out of here before I call the manager.
Oh, you wouldn't dare call the manager.
Oh, wouldn't I?
Listen, you cheap, no-good bum.
You get out of here, I'll have you thrown out.
Oh, shut up.
Okay. All right.
You ask for it.
Hey, give me that phone.
Get your dirty hands off of me.
You go away.
I told you to shut up.
What do you want? Why don't you leave me alone?
I want to see you uncomfortable.
I want you to be unhappy the way you make me unhappy.
I want to make sure you remember me.
I used to fall for that crying routine, but not anymore.
Now I just make you cry a little hard.
You might like to know I wasn't seeing anybody about business
while you were in the hospital.
I went out every night.
I've been seeing your friend Trudy.
Trudy.
Yeah, Trudy.
But then I had to come back up here today and see you.
Because I kept seeing you when I kissed Trudy.
What's that got to do with me?
You get out of here.
I'm going to do something to stop that.
I don't love you anymore, but I keep remembering you.
That's no good.
You can stop remembering me any time you like.
Why are you wrecking me?
I'm not wrecking you.
You can stop remembering me any time you like.
I hardly recognized you when you came in.
That's how easy I forgot.
Well, that don't work with me.
Now listen to me.
You listen to me.
I'm tired of your little problem.
I don't like you, and I wouldn't even like you if you had any money,
which goodness knows you haven't.
I want you to go away and leave me alone.
And I want you to come back here anymore.
You saw me today because you wanted to.
Okay, but no more.
Now I'm going into the bedroom, and I'm going to lock the door,
and I'm going to lock the door until you stay here forever,
but I'm not coming out until you leave here.
But if you haven't left in a little while, I'm going to scream.
And I'm going to keep screaming until somebody comes up here
and throws you out of here.
I just stood there for a while and looked at the door,
and I thought, I don't love her.
I don't love her at all.
That's when I decided to do it,
because I figured that if there was no Fran,
that I could see Trudy or anybody else I wanted to,
and not have to worry about being lonesome for Fran,
or feeling sorry for Fran, or needing Fran.
And I figured, you don't remember dead people very well.
But I knew I had to do it that night before she left on her trip.
I worked it out like this.
I'd leave right then and leave a front door on the latch
and talk to everybody in the building
and go to my boarding house and tell everyone there how tired I was,
and go up to my room.
That would be my alibi.
Everyone would have seen me go to sleep.
Then I'd wait until everybody was in bed,
and I'd take my gun and come back here without anybody seeing me
and kill Fran.
For Suspense, Roma Wines are bringing you Elliot Lewis
as star of Can't We Be Friends,
a radio play of which he is also the author,
and which is Roma Wines' presentation tonight
in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
Between the acts of Suspense, this is Ken Niles for Roma Wines.
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And now, Roma Wines bring back to our Hollywood Soundstage,
Elliot Lewis as Michael Gordon in Can't We Be Friends,
a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.
Hey, Fran. Hey, Fran.
Well, I'm gone now.
I'm sorry, we couldn't at least be friends.
I went to the front door of her apartment,
snapped the lock open and left, making a little noise closing the door
so she'd know I'd gone.
In the elevator going down, I saw a guy I didn't know,
but I wanted to be seen leaving, so...
Pardon me, do you have the time?
Quarter to seven.
Thanks.
Awful tired.
You been working hard?
No, yeah. Early jobs every morning.
As a matter of fact, this is almost my bedtime.
Oh, after you.
No, thanks.
It's all right. I'll see you.
Good night.
Pardon me.
Yes, may I help you?
Yeah, Miss Murphy in 411 asked me to tell you she doesn't want to be disturbed.
Yes, yes.
You got that straight now. Miss Murphy, 411, she doesn't want to be disturbed.
Not feeling bad again, is she?
Oh, no, no. No, just a little tired.
Taking a nap.
Oh, well, thank you. I see that she's not bothered.
Yeah, but I'm not going to be disturbed.
I got the time.
Ten minutes to seven.
I better get my dinner and get some sleep.
Got an early call in the morning.
I left the building and took a cab.
Although I didn't have too much though.
I talked to the cabbie. I asked him about his family.
I got real chummy with him.
Because he was a Red Sox man, so I was a Red Sox man.
At the boarding house, I gave everybody a big yawn.
I louted around how tired I was.
Even had the lamb lady feeling sorry for me.
And she usually hates me.
Everybody patted me on the back up to my room.
I made a lot of noise dropping my shoes when I got there.
I jumped up and down on the bed a couple of times.
Then I went over to the window.
And I looked out at the street.
And I waited.
The traffic gradually disappeared as I watched.
And through the early night, one by one, I could hear the other boarders yell good night to somebody in the living room.
And bang up the stairs and close their door.
Pretty soon I knew they had to be asleep.
About one o'clock in the morning, a last pair of footsteps came upstairs without saying good night to anyone.
I knew they'd all turned in.
I waited a little longer to make sure everyone was sleeping.
And I put my shoes back on.
I got my gun out of the bureau drawer.
I opened the door to my room.
Old man Epstein was sawing away down the hall making his usual racket.
So I felt easier about going past this door to get to the stairs.
But I was very careful and quiet.
I grumbled once when I got out of his door, but I held still.
Pretty soon he started sawing again.
I got down the stairs.
It was pretty dark in the living room and I was afraid I'd trip on some furniture.
But I made it all right.
I finally felt the front door knock in my hand.
I opened the doors quietly as I could.
And then what?
I said to him, in that case, go play with Lombardo.
You rocked me, J.T.
Where at tomorrow?
Same. I got an 88 man I want you to hear.
Oh, solid, solid. See ya.
Right.
Oh, is that you, Lippy?
No.
Oh, hi, man.
Good evening.
The door's open if you're going in.
Oh, thanks for saving me the key move, man.
Hey, you still working days, fellow borderoonie?
Yeah, yeah.
Oh, ain't this a little past your bedtime, man?
Oh, yeah, it's late, but the reason I can...
Hey, why do you go out at 3 o'clock?
I wasn't going out. I couldn't sleep.
I was just going to get some fresh air and come right in again.
You better leave the door unlocked for me.
Oh, boy, I'm beat.
Yeah, you better get to bed.
Ah, it's a fine night for singing.
Yeah.
Well, don't get too much of that fresh air.
I will let you get it, then.
Yeah, well, good night.
Oh, hey, hey, we had that joint really jumpin' tonight.
Hatchetface come by, sat in with us for a while.
Really?
Oh, he's mellow.
That boy plays fine.
So I hear.
Yeah.
Woodle-dee-woo. Woodle-dee-ree.
Woodle-dee-doodle-dee-doodle-dee-doodle-dee-do.
Rip!
That good?
Yeah, sounds great.
Yeah.
Ah.
Well, enjoy your company, pops.
Sure thing.
Good night.
Yeah.
Well, gotta fall in now.
Hit that pan.
Woodle-dee-doo.
Woodle-dee-dee-dee.
Woodle-dee-dee-dee-de-doodle-dee-doodle-dee-dee-do.
Rip!
Boing.
I was frightened for a minute.
I was awful frightened.
If Jack remembered seeing me, my carefully planned alibi was shot.
I thought better not, not tonight.
But then, Jack wasn't like most people.
He wouldn't remember in the morning.
He'd be too busy trying to recall Hatchetface's lick.
That was still all right.
But I had to be careful.
I couldn't take any chances.
To be safe, I had to have a chance.
I had to have a chance.
To be safe, I had to have the alibi that I'd gone to bed early.
I walked quietly to the street and started for Fran's apartment house.
I was very careful all the way.
A couple of times cars came by and always I ducked into the shadows
and waited for them to pass before I continued walking.
I got here at about four o'clock, I guess.
I went up to the front door and tried to open it.
The big door was locked. I couldn't get in.
I took my keys out of my pocket and tried them, but none of them fitted.
Then I heard someone coming up the walk.
I moved back from the door and squeezed against the mailboxes and waited.
I was almost afraid to breathe, except that I knew I'd get in now.
I'd just wait until the people went in and then get my foot in the door
to keep it from completely closing again.
Good night, honey.
Good night, darling.
I'll call you in the morning, Betty Jane.
Call me when you get home so I know you're all right.
Oh, won't I wake anyone?
I'll be at the phone. I'll answer as soon as it rings.
Okay. Give me another kiss.
Mmm.
Do you love me?
Uh-huh.
How much?
A million.
Oh, that's not enough.
Good night.
Good night, Betty Jane.
Seven million?
That's better.
Don't forget to call.
I won't.
Honey?
Yes, darling?
Good night.
Good night, darling. You call now.
I will.
I was sweating.
It had been close, but they hadn't seen me and my foot was holding the door open,
so I just waited there until I was sure she'd gone upstairs.
And then I opened the door and quietly guided it closed
and walked on tiptoe across the lobby to the elevator.
I needn't have wondered about avoiding the desk clerk.
There was no one at the desk.
The elevator was upstairs somewhere where the girl had just taken it
and I rang the buzzer for it.
I love self-service elevators.
They make you feel like you could go to the moon in them.
Elevators and subway trains I always wanted to drive ever since I was a kid.
I got back in the dark just in time.
The guy didn't see me.
Please don't turn around. Please don't turn around.
My mouth was so dry, I wondered for a few seconds how that guy had been able to whistle.
You know the way you do.
I opened the elevator door and got in.
I pushed the button for the fourth floor.
I got a little panicky because I thought that if someone was waiting on the fourth floor,
they'd see me when they opened the elevator door.
I almost convinced myself that someone would be there waiting for me.
I put my hand in my coat pocket and felt the gun there and grabbed it hard.
It was cold, so I took it out and pressed it against my forehead.
That made me feel a little better.
But there was no one waiting for the elevator.
I stepped out into the dark hallway,
and took a pencil out of my pocket and jammed it against the door so that it couldn't close.
You know the way those things are. They won't run when the door is open,
and I wanted it to be there waiting for me when I finished the shooting.
That was the only way I figured to get out of the apartment before everybody woke up
and started doing something about hunting for me.
There's a basement exit, you know, and the elevator goes down in the basement.
I had all that figured, too.
The pencil seemed to work, but to make sure I stepped back into the elevator and pushed the button.
And the motor clicked and the door strained but stayed open.
The elevator didn't go anywhere.
Then I stepped out into the hall and listened.
It was awful quiet.
Not even anyone snoring, which you usually hear at night in a big apartment house like this.
I tried to remember if there was a squeaky board in the floor anywhere down the hall,
but couldn't, so I just crossed my fingers and tiptoed down the long dark hallway.
The only light was the red exit sign that shows you where the fire escape is.
And seeing from that is like working in a dark room developing pictures, which I did for a while.
Two doors from Fran's apartment.
That's the most frightened I ever was in my life, when a kid started to yell.
Because in the first place I didn't know what it was right away.
In the second place I thought, they'll wake up everybody in the apartment
and they'll be up and on their feet when I start shooting.
I guess I held my breath for a couple of minutes because when I started to try and relax,
my breath came out in a little whistle.
That scared me, too. I thought, it'd be great if I get a heart attack right here in the hall
of a strange apartment house in the little hours of the morning with a gun in my pocket.
It's like being afraid of a fire at night because you don't want to go out in the street in your pajamas.
It's worse, I guess.
Anyhow, the baby finally quieted down.
I waited a while, because I didn't know whether his mother had gotten up to quiet him
or whether he'd just gone back to sleep again.
I wasn't taking any chances now. It was too close to the finish.
I waited.
I figured it was safe a few minutes later and continued snail-ing down the hall.
I stopped at Fran's door and listened.
It was quiet inside. I put my hand into my pocket and grabbed hold of the gun.
Then I slowly turned the doorknob, slid the door open.
It didn't creak or anything, which was lucky. I got into the room, quietly closed the door again.
I took the gun out of my pocket and released the safety and went to the bedroom door.
It was already a little bit open. Through the crack, I could see her figure lying on the bed.
I pushed the door enough ajar so that I could move into the room and look closer.
That chop-sui sign across the street was flashing on and off as I got used to the pattern it made on the walls.
I saw Frances lying on the bed, dressed as she had been when I'd seen her early in the evening.
She was lying on her stomach with her face turned toward the far side of the room, toward the shadow.
My nose started to tickle. I thought I was going to sneeze, but when I pressed the cold gun against my upper lip, the desire left me.
I moved slowly and quietly toward the bed.
I got in a few feet of her and pointed the gun right at her head.
The gun was weight-weaving around, so I held out with both hands.
I took very careful aim.
It was done. I threw the gun down on the bed right next to Pranenstater for the door.
I knew I didn't have much time to get out of there. I tripped over one of her packed suitcases in the living room, but didn't fall.
It reminded me, though, that I'd gotten there in time. She hadn't had a chance to go on her trip.
I got to the front door of the apartment and jerked it open.
Watch the hurry. Get back in there.
Get out of my way!
Get back in there!
I told you to get back in there!
And that's all I know of what happened.
I see. Did you hit me?
Yes. I was helped by this gentleman here.
I used that book.
What are you doing here?
The young lady had called me and asked me to stop by.
At four o'clock in the morning?
Oh, look here. I'm her doctor.
Yeah? You must have got pretty clubby with her while she was in the hospital.
Hmm?
I was right about her. That's swell.
Now, I don't feel badly about having shot her.
The police will be here soon.
Isn't there something I'm going to wait for?
Watch him, Doctor!
What's going on? Hey!
Wow!
It's just as well.
Aren't you going to call the ambulance?
I already had.
Yeah.
I called the ambulance for the young lady.
The state she was in when she talked to me on the phone, I...
I knew we'd have to take her back to the hospital tonight.
There's not much they can do for her now.
Well, there wasn't much they could do for her.
I'm sure they'll do something.
Well, there's not much they can do for her now.
Well, there wasn't much they could have done for her before.
An embolism, uh, blood clot.
The result of her surgery and the excitement she must have had earlier in the evening.
Then, he didn't kill her?
She was dead three hours before he got here.
Suspend!
Presented by Roma Wines.
R-O-M-A. Made in California for enjoyment throughout the world.
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Discover why more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wine.
This is Elliot Lewis.
It's always a pleasure to appear on Suspense, and tonight I'm especially grateful to Mr. Spear
for the opportunity to not only hear one of my own radio plays presented here,
but also to appear in the starring role.
I'd certainly like to thank my good friends and fellow radio countrymen who contributed their usual wonderful performances.
Lorene Tuttle, who was Fran, Wally Mayer, who was the doctor, Jerry Hausner, who was the vout kid,
Betty Moran and Irvin Lee, who were the two kids outside the apartment house,
and Bill Johnston, who can do almost anything.
Next Thursday, a very wonderful actor, Mr. J. Carroll Nash, will be starred on Suspense
in a play called Commuter's Ticket, which goes to prove that nobody notices you on a commuting train,
except when you don't want to be noticed.
Next Thursday same time, Roma Wines will bring you J. Carroll Nash as star of Suspense,
radio's outstanding Peter of Frills.
Produced by William Spear for the Roma Wine Company of Fresno, California.
This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.
Thank you.