Yes, Roma wines taste better because only Roma selects from the world's greatest wine reserves for your pleasure.
And now Roma wines, R-O-M-A, Roma wines present Suspense.
Tonight, Roma wines bring you Mr. William Bendix as star of Free Faces at Midnight,
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 better tasting California wines enjoyed by more Americans than any other wine.
For friendly entertaining, for delightful dining.
Yes, right now, a glass full would be very pleasant as Roma wines bring you William Bendix in a remarkable tale of Suspense.
They say they got 58 million jobs in this country, 58 million jobs, and I had to pick this one.
Well, that's the way it goes. Some guys have got some special ability that other guys don't have.
They just get picked out of the crowd, I guess, in spite of themselves.
Well, this day I'm walking along Central Avenue, not paying much attention to anything in particular.
Then I see this sign, help wallet, it says, jobs.
Then it's got a list of different kinds of jobs, like chauffeur, house painter, salesman.
There's nothing so funny about that.
But then I see what kind of dough they're paying, and brother, what kind of dough they're paying.
I'm thinking maybe this inflation ain't such a bad idea after all.
And I walk in.
Well, there's quite a bunch of guys in there, naturally, sitting around on benches.
And I sit down, and every so often a door opens, and a tough-looking little gray-haired guy comes out and picks out a guy.
And the guy goes in a sort of an office with him.
And that's the last we ever see of him.
So this keeps happening for a while, and I'm thinking this guy must really be handing out the jobs.
And then the door opens again, and the guy is looking at me.
Hey, you.
Me?
Yes, you.
All right, sit down.
What's your name?
Walters.
First name?
Uh...
What's the matter, don't you know it?
Muscles.
What?
Muscles.
And look, don't try to clown with me, pal.
What's your name?
Listen, for your information, my first name is Sylvester.
Only I don't like the name Sylvester, so most people don't call me Sylvester.
On account of it's better for them that way, so they call me Muscles.
Now, you catch on?
Yeah.
Live here in town?
No.
Where are you from?
Brooklyn.
I should have known it.
What's your IQ?
Come again?
Skip it, skip it.
Got any friends in town?
No, just...
And I can see why.
Look, Pop, are you talking to me about a job or a poking a nose?
What?
You wouldn't try to get tough with me, would you, you big baboon?
Wait.
Is, uh, is that gun loaded, Pop?
Yeah.
Now you want to make something out of it?
No, I don't.
And how do you like that?
But if you will put that heater down for a minute, Pop, I will bend you around like a pretzel.
You know, I think you're going to be all right, son.
Yeah?
Hold it now.
Hold it, hold it.
Don't get sore.
I was just trying something out on you, that's all.
You take awful chances, Pop.
Guns don't, uh, worry you much, do they?
Guns?
I spent the last four years playing with firearms for Uncle Whiskers.
Guns to me are like the measles.
I don't worry about them.
I, I just got a healthy respect for them, and I like to keep my distance, that's all.
Especially when the other guys got them and I don't.
Yeah, I think you're going to be all right.
For what?
Oh, yeah, yeah.
What kind of a job did you want?
Oh, I don't know.
I've been a cabbie, drove a truck.
I was a salesman for a while.
For who?
Lionel Strongfort?
No.
Ladies lingerie.
Mail order house.
Yeah?
Well, you'll make a lot more on this job than you would as any salesman.
Now, uh, listen, say this after me.
What?
This is John, three faces for midnight.
Come again?
Come on, come on, say it, say it.
It's part of the job.
Listen, if this job means I got to play left end for the Nuthouse, it's out.
Don't worry, pal, don't worry.
You're going to like this job.
Now, come on, say it.
This is John, three faces for midnight.
Huh?
What can I lose?
This is John, three faces for midnight.
Again?
This is John, three faces for midnight.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm, yeah, yeah, you're going to be all right.
Well, is that good?
Listen to this.
What's that?
A dictograph that plays records.
Oh, yeah, well, that's more like it.
Now, you got cross-
Shh, listen.
Yes?
This is John.
Which way is the road, three faces for midnight?
Well, we're ready.
Tomorrow night, regular time.
I'll call.
There, did you get it?
Well, they sound just like a couple of mugs to me, especially that guy John.
I guess nobody ever does.
Why?
Recognize their own voice when they hear it.
That guy John sounds enough like you to be your twin brother.
Well, I guess a guy can't help what he's-
You mean I sound like that?
I mean you're hired.
What a price to pay for a job.
Go on through that door to the back and wait for me.
I got a couple of things to do and then we'll get busy.
Well, okay, but this better be on the level.
Because so far it sure stinks.
Oh, pardon me.
You all alone in here?
I was.
Well, I didn't mean to interrupt or anything.
Only he sent me in here.
Oh, it's quite all right.
Like yourself quite at home.
Well, thanks.
Only I hope you won't mind if I return to the pursual of my magazine.
Oh, oh, you were reading.
I like to read myself sometimes.
I'm sure.
You're working for this guy?
I'm afraid that's confidential.
Ah, so he gave you that too, huh?
Why, yes.
Are you working for him?
I don't know if you could call it working.
Well, didn't he tell you anything?
Yeah.
All about how I sounded like a guy named John and what did I think about guns.
Guns?
Yeah.
Oh.
Well, what are you supposed to do?
Well, I don't know exactly.
That sounds just as crazy as what I'm supposed to do.
Well, you see, I'm a photographer.
Oh, you take pictures?
Uh-huh.
I'm just an amateur really, but I get some very good pictures.
I showed him some, a 16 millimeter.
What's that?
Movies with this camera here.
See?
Oh, well, if this is some kind of gig for the movies, then it makes sense.
They say in that racket everybody's crazy.
Well, I don't know.
I figured he wanted me to take some pictures of some kind of an affair,
some wedding or something.
Well, what am I supposed to do, give the bride away?
Now I wanted to...
Oh, you two get acquainted?
Well, we were making a start.
Good.
Okay, now look, I got all your instructions written down here.
Everything you're supposed to do.
You take a train to Woodbridge and walk, not take a cab.
Walk to a certain house.
There's a map here.
You can't miss it.
Well, aren't you coming?
Yeah, yeah, sure, sure.
I'll be there, but I got to go separately.
There's a reason for that.
So go on, beat it now.
Your train leaves in a half an hour.
You can read over your instructions on the way.
Okay, I'm playing along as though this was on the level, but it better be...
It's on the level, all right, but listen.
Yeah?
Don't you do anything that's not in those instructions.
See?
Why should we?
I'm just telling you, because I wouldn't want to see anything happen to you.
Either of you.
Well, that should have been the tip-off right there, especially for a smart guy like me.
But if you must know, by this time I'm thinking about this dame who's a slick chick, but real refined too.
You know what I mean.
And I'm thinking that this is probably the big break for her if it is on the level, so I ought to help her through with it.
So I do.
And by the time we get out to this wood bridge, we're getting along pretty good, except for one thing.
We start off from the railroad station, like it says on the map the guy gave us, looking for this certain house.
Only it gets wilder and wilder where we're going, right into the woods.
Must be a couple of miles.
And then all of a sudden there's a house.
Well, that should have been a tip-off too.
You don't suppose that's it?
According to this map, it's got to be.
But Sylvester.
Helen.
Yes, Sylvester?
If you call me that once more, I will bend.
What? What did you say?
I said I will bend every effort for you, but please don't call me that.
Oh, well, I just can't call you muscle.
It's not refined.
Well, then this must be the place.
But it certainly is a funny place to have any kind of an affair.
Don't look like it's been lived in for 20 years.
Listen.
Yeah, it's going to be a storm.
Well, we better just go on inside, you know, like it says to do.
That door don't sound like it's ever been opened.
Oh, gee, it's spooky in here.
Yeah, I can't afraid to light it.
Maybe that knife, Mr. Oh, Sylvester.
What?
I don't even know his name. Do you?
No, and I wish I didn't know him.
Close the door.
Oh, shh.
It's all right. It's me.
Ah, that's the idea.
Now we can have some light.
Ah.
Well.
Well, it's nice on the inside, isn't it?
Really refined.
Yeah. Yeah, it used to be an old hideout.
Now come on in the front room here and I'll give you the pitch.
Well, don't think we're in any hurry to know because we are, see?
All right.
Now listen.
In about an hour, there's going to be a guy come out here to take a bribe.
He's quite a big guy in this town and he's taken a big bribe.
Two hundred thousand dollars.
Two hundred grand?
Yeah. He's going to take the money from another guy that he's never seen before.
A guy named John.
You're going to be John.
Oh. Oh, so I'm going to be John.
That's right.
The guy you heard on the record in my office, the guy you sound like.
The other guy you heard is the guy that's taken the money.
Yeah?
Well, you can count me out. The whole thing's sti...
Sylvester.
Smeltz.
And if I hadn't known that you were getting a young girl...
Now, wait a minute.
There are only two people in the world who know about this.
Me and...
Yeah, and who are you?
Just call me Tim.
Me and Grover T. Wyatt.
You know who he is.
No.
You don't mean Governor Wyatt?
Yes.
Why, he's nice. I voted for him.
Why, he's one of the best looking men.
For his age, I mean.
Wyatt's a swell guy. Clean as a whistle for 20 years.
But he made one little mistake back there.
And a certain guy has caught on to it.
Well, all I can say is that if this thing doesn't come off,
if he doesn't hear from me by 3 o'clock this afternoon,
well, Governor Wyatt's a dead pigeon.
I don't care if he's a dead horse.
But I know that a grand is plenty of lettuce,
and that means plenty of trouble.
And what about this John that I'm supposed to be?
He knows it too.
He's been our contact man on the phone with the scripter, and I...
Well, I don't like it. And Helen here.
What are you squawking about?
There's nothing gonna happen to you.
And there's a bonus of five apiece in there for both of you.
So, we stick our necks out for a lousy five bucks.
Five hundred bucks?
That's what I said. A lousy five...
Uh, five hundred?
That's what I said.
Wow. Wow.
Say, where is this bum that's been giving trouble to the Governor?
I will bend him around like a pretzel.
We don't need any of that.
We're just gonna get him good this time, and that's the end of him.
And you want me to take pictures of the, uh, transaction?
Yes. Now you're getting smart.
Yeah, from that landing up there.
That's why we've got so much light in here.
Will it be okay?
Oh, it'll be quite all right, I'm sure.
Yeah, but, uh, but there's just one thing.
What?
So this guy shows up and he thinks I'm John, because he's never seen John.
But what if John shows up?
Well, now, this John was sort of a double-crosser.
He won't show up.
How do you know?
He had a little accident this morning.
He's dead.
For Suspense, Roma Wines are bringing you William Bendix in Three Faces at Midnight.
Roma Wines presentation tonight in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
Between the acts of Suspense, this is Ken Niles for Roma Wines.
Are you enjoying today's biggest value in an entertainment beverage?
You are when you serve Roma Wine, because Roma Wine is America's first choice for more pleasure at moderate cost.
Yes, Roma's popularity proves that in Roma Wines you enjoy an important difference,
an extra goodness in fuller bouquet, richer body, and better taste.
And this difference, this better taste of Roma Wines, starts with California's choicest grapes.
Then Roma master vintners, with America's finest winemaking resources,
carefully, unhurriedly guide this grape treasure to tempting taste perfection.
This wine is placed with mellow Roma Wines of years before.
And later, from this world's greatest reserves of fine wines, Roma selects for your pleasure.
That's why Roma Wines are different, why Roma Wines taste better every time.
So for your best buy in good taste, insist on Roma Wine, R-O-M-A, Roma, the greatest name in wine.
And now, Roma Wines bring back to our Hollywood Soundstage, William Bendix as Sylvester Walters,
with Sandra Gould as Helen, his partner in adventure, in Three Faces at Midnight,
a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.
So there we are, just sitting and waiting in a house that looks like something Boris Karloff moved out of because it made him nervous.
Me and this guy called Tim that's working for this governor called Wyatt,
and this slick chick called Helen that's going to take the pictures,
just sitting and waiting for a guy that's going to come and take a bribe of 200 grand from another guy called John.
Only I'm going to be John on a kind of ice sound just like him, and this other guy has never seen him,
and anyway this John has just got himself knocked off.
You don't get it? Neither do I.
But for 500 bucks, who am I to have to know everybody's business?
And Helen, she's sitting there as cool as though bribes of 200 grand and dead guys named John
was just something she run across at the dime store novelty counter.
So we go over what I'm supposed to say to this guy a couple of times,
and the storm outside getting worse all the time.
And then we hear the knock on the door.
That's him. That's him. Now all the dough's there in the briefcase. You know what to do.
Helen, up on that landing quick.
Okay, okay.
Where are you going to be?
Right in this closet. Now go to it and make it look good.
Excuse me. Is this Mr. Hampton?
No, this is John.
Oh. I guess I lost my way. Which way is the road?
Three faces for midnight.
Okay. I knew your voice anyway.
Come on in.
You alone?
What do you think?
I'm asking.
200 grand. I got to answer questions two nuts.
Okay, okay. You got it?
Yeah. And this briefcase.
200 G notes.
I don't like that. It was supposed to be smaller.
What's the point?
Well, that's how you're getting it. You want to count it?
What for? It better be right.
Yeah, look it over. I don't want no kickbacks.
Okay. 200 grand.
But you'll never get to spend it.
Oh, a plant, huh?
Yes, with pictures. Do you like it?
Well, that's too bad, Tim. Too bad for you boys.
Look out!
Why did you do that for?
Drop that gun! Drop it!
I got it. I got it.
Now stand. Stand back from the muscles.
Stand back.
Tim! No, not him! No! Not him!
No! No!
Nice. Nice.
Muscle.
Oh, Phil Baxter.
Yeah.
Are they...
Dead? Yeah. Both of them.
Oh, Phil Baxter. What are we going to do?
Well, I got what you might call a rough idea.
What?
Come on. We're going to get to...
Out of here!
We have to walk the two miles to the station through the pouring rain.
But even all that cold water don't seem to make my brains work any better.
We don't get back to town until about 4.30 and I still don't have it figured out.
And Helen, well, I guess you can't blame her.
She just don't seem to have much experience in these things.
So we're standing there under an awning, arguing.
But, Phil Baxter, why don't we just go to the police or somebody and tell them?
Look, sugar, there's three guys been knocked off today.
We were there when it happened, the two of them.
And how do we know that that guy Tim told us was on the level?
Well, maybe the police would tell us.
Yeah, with a rubber hose. And here's another thing.
We're carrying around a briefcase full of 200 grand of somebody else's dough.
And that ain't hay and it ain't good.
Well, my goodness, what's so bad about it?
All we have to do is keep it until Sunday.
Helen, look, I'm not really a tough guy, see?
All I know is what I see in the movies.
But I know that when you're walking around with that much hot money,
you're apt to wake up some day and find you've been living on borrowed time.
Didn't you see what happened to that guy in that movie, the killers?
Oh, yeah, wasn't that good? That poor Burt Lancaster. I felt so sorry for him.
Well, I don't want to wind up no Burt Lancaster.
Even to make you feel sorry for me.
So the first thing we got to do is ditch this dough.
Ditch? Really?
I mean before they find those two stiffs out there
and then start trying to find a funny-looking guy
and a cute-looking dame with a sack full of dough.
We got to find the parties that belong to it before they find us.
Now you catch on.
But we can't give it back to the man it belongs to.
Yeah, and he said there was nobody in on the deal but him and the governor.
The governor? Why, that's what we'll do, silly. Just call the governor.
Yeah, how do you do that? Just look him up in the classified ads?
I don't know. Ask information. Somebody must know his number.
After all, you know, he's a very important man.
Well, it might be worth a try at that.
Of course it is. There's probably a phone booth right here in the dress store.
Yeah, but calling the governor just like that, I don't know.
X-3, X-3, governor, commit suicide, paper-butt-feeted.
I've got enough to worry me without the gov...
The governor. Tell him. The governor. He's dead.
Well, of course. Now I remember what that guy said about the governor being a dead pigeon if he didn't get word by 3 o'clock.
But it's too late now for that to do anybody much good to us or him either.
There was just one more chance, that employment agency.
The rain had almost stopped now and we went over to Central Avenue to look for it.
Of course this is the place. I'd recognize it any time.
Yeah, where's the sign with the jobs on it?
I don't know. Maybe they took it to take it down when it rained to keep the letters from running.
Yeah, maybe. The joint looks closed to me. It is.
Hey, anybody in there? Hey, hey, open up. Come on, open up, open up.
What do you want?
We, uh, we want to see the boss.
I'm in charge here. What do you want?
Well, we were sort of looking for a couple of jobs.
I don't have no jobs. I'm just trying to rent this place. It's vacant.
Vacant? Isn't this an employment agency?
Not since this morning. You want to rent it?
Look, this is kind of important to us. The guy that had it before, he was sort of a tough looking little gray haired guy, huh?
Yeah, yeah, that's a guy. A guy by the name of Whiting. George Whiting.
I know his name with him.
Look, lady, if you know so much, what are you asking me for?
It's all right. He probably had two names. You wouldn't know his home address, would you?
I don't know a thing about the man, fella. If you got to see him so bad, the only thing I could advise you to do is, uh, stick around on the off chance he might come back.
But he can't. He's dead.
He's worried to skip it. We got the wrong guy.
That last crack didn't help none because I knew that guy would remember us sure.
And now I saw the whole thing. That employment racket was just a phony setup to catch a couple of patsies.
Plus, I headed us back to the choo-choo station. On the way I slipped a G-note out of the briefcase. It was time to do something fast.
Leave town? Oh, but I don't want to leave town. It's nice here.
Yeah, they got nice comfortable slabs in the morgue, too. Come on, we're going to check this briefcase.
But what are we going to check it for if we're going to leave town? If it's too heavy, Mr. Walters, I'll carry it.
Look, sugar, for the last time, I hope, three guys are dead.
The governor of a state almost as important as Brooklyn has just knocked himself off.
All on account of what's in this bag. We are ditching this bag, sugar, and we are lambing.
I'll explain what that means later. Uh, check this, will you, bud?
When do you want it? Sometime next week. I'm going out of town.
Okay, two bits now and two bits more for every day you leave it. You pay the rest later.
Here we are. 25,000. 25,000.
Hey, what is this, a gag? Well, what's the matter now?
A thousand bucks. Oh, oh, oh, I must have made a mistake.
You sure must have. Yeah, yeah, but I don't seem to have nothing smaller.
Well, I sure ain't going to change this. Okay, okay, give me the bag. Come on, Helen.
Hey, wait. Hey, Jerry, stop that guy. What? Hey, hey, you, wait a minute.
Now look, officer, I just... Come on, come on, the man wants to see you. What's the matter, Sam?
That guy must be nuts. He just walked off and left a thousand dollar bill.
Oh, did I say? A G-note, let me see. Well, it's mine. Ask him.
Where'd you get this, bud? Well, why, officer, I, I, well, I just made a little killing at the track.
Which track? Why, the, uh, look, I just wanted to check my bag, officer.
What's in that bag? Nothing, nothing, officer, just some purely personal stuff.
Ah, let me see. Say, what is it? Give me that bag.
Well, well, well. What's in it, Jerry?
Aye, there's nothing in this bag at all. Nothing at all. Just a little movie camera.
You see, I told you. And about a million bucks. Come on.
Come on, Sylvester. Come clean.
I told you. And please, please don't call me that.
We ain't started to call you nothing yet, Sylvester. Why'd you kill him?
They kill him for the dough, didn't you? Where'd you hear about it? How'd you know he had the dough?
This is your gun, isn't it? No, no, no. I told you, they knocked off each other. I was just...
Sure, sure, with the same gun. One guy shoots the other one and then hands him over to the police.
Only the gun's got your prints all over it.
I took it away from the guy. You were robbing the house, weren't you?
They came to make their deal and you knocked them off. Listen, the governor himself knew...
Sure, we'll get the governor to come right down and make a statement.
You trying to be funny, Sylvester?
You were robbing the house. You swiped the camera and you put it in the bag and then they came in.
You saw all that dough and you knocked them off.
Listen, Sylvester, you don't want to get that sweet little girlfriend of yours to do that.
Listen, Sylvester, you don't want to get that sweet little girlfriend of yours in the jam, do you?
Helen, what have you done to her? Nothing.
Yet. Come on, come clean and we'll let her go.
But I tell you, I... Come on, Sylvester, or we'll send her to the hot seat with you.
You wouldn't. You couldn't. No, that's what you think. You killed him, didn't you? You killed him.
Well, okay. Okay, I killed him. Now you're happy?
That's a boy. That's a boy. Sylvester. Hey, get this, Harry.
Now will you stop calling me that? Okay, Sylvester, you killed him.
What was the girl doing there? She had nothing to do with it. She was just taking the pictures.
What pictures? The pictures. The pictures!
There's your answer, you big dopes. Go look at the pictures.
Oh, he's right, Mac. Those pictures show the whole thing.
Pete shot Tim O'Mara and then this guy got the gun away from him and O'Mara shot Pete, just like he said.
Yeah. Now you catch on? You sure? No argument, Mac. It's all right there in the film.
Well, you're a lucky boy, Sylvester. Yeah, sure. I get all the breaks.
Now go on. Beat it. Beat it before we think of something else. Okay, you've had your fun.
Didn't you like it, Sylvester? But if you'll take off that gun and that badge for a minute, I will bend you around like a pretzel.
You mean right here, Sylvester? Yeah, right here.
After I served my 90 days, I went and got my name changed by a judge from Sylvester to Mussels. It's legal now.
Mr. Mussels Walters. It may sound funny to you, but I like it. Oh, yeah. And Helen got her name changed, too.
She's Mrs. Mussels Walters.
Suspense. Presented by Roma Wines. R-O-M-A. Roma. America's favorite wine.
And now this is Ken Niles returning for a curtain call with the rugged star of tonight's suspense play, William Bendix.
Bill, are those bulges in your coat really Mussels or did your tailor install them?
Well, they ain't morph balls, chum. You want to see me tear up a phone book?
Ah, you're safe. I don't happen to have one on me. Well, I will demonstrate with my script.
Hmm. Only 30 pages. Hey, give me yours too, Ken. Well, uh. Now, I fold them once, then twice, and then I stack up the pieces and.
Oh, that's fine. There went both scripts. Now what do we read from? But you don't need a script to tell folks how good Roma wines are, do you?
Ah, you're right, Bill. And to start with, here's a gift basket of Roma California wines with compliments from Roma, the greatest name in wine.
Well, that's what I call a magnanimous gesture. And now let me hear you tell about this Roma Sherry without a script.
Certainly, Bill. Roma Sherry is the perfect first call for dinner, the ideal wine for entertaining anytime.
Roma Sherry is the favorite of millions because golden amber fragrant Roma Sherry is so good, so many tasty ways.
You'll enjoy Roma Sherry before dinner, Bill. And when guests drop in, delight them with the warmth and graciousness, the tempting nut-like taste of Roma Sherry.
This guy knows his way. Yes, because I know that in all Roma wines you enjoy an important difference, an extra goodness in fuller bouquet, richer body, and better taste.
That's why more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wine. He's done it. Thanks, Ken, and good night.
William Bendix appears through the courtesy of Procter & Gamble, makers of DREF, and can soon be seen in the Paramount picture, Blaze of Noon.
Tonight's Suspense Play was written by John Eugene Hasty and Robert Richards.
Next Thursday, same time, you will hear Mr. Eddie Bracken as star of Suspense.
Produced and directed by William Spear for the Roma Wine Company of Fresno, California.
In the coming weeks, Suspense will present such stars as Howard De Silva, Kirk Douglas, James Stewart, Nancy Kelly, and many others.
Make it a point to listen each Thursday to Suspense, radio's outstanding theatre of thrill.
Stay tuned for the thrilling adventures of the FBI in Peace and War, following immediately over most of these stations.
This is PBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.