In just a moment, suspense with Van Heflin.
Hi, Mr. Martin.
Hello, Frank. What are you doing out here?
I've been fishing, and not for auto light customers this time, App.
Auto light customers? No, I don't think you'll find many cars in the middle of the bay. Auto light was just a spot for us, either.
No cars, but there's plenty of auto light in power boats. You know, more auto light ignition systems are used in marine craft than any other brand?
Old reliable is the first thought of boat owners, too, eh?
It'd be hard to get back to town if you had a breakdown out here.
Yeah, we wouldn't get back to hear your suspense show if that happened.
Well, tie up alongside, and let's listen to it here. I've got my portable.
Suspense.
Auto light and its 60,000 dealers and service stations bring you Radio's outstanding theater of thrills.
Starring tonight, Mr. Van Heflin in Anton Leder's production of Song of the Heart.
A tale well calculated to keep you in. Suspense.
Well, you explain all that to the officer in the car, ma'am. Thank you.
Yeah, can I help you? Please. I, uh... For what?
I have a confession to make. A confession?
Please, are you the officer that I'd tell it to? Well, do I guess.
My name is Neil Wilson. I live with Tanta Alice.
Aunt Alice at 265 West 19th Street. All right. So?
Last night, I guess it was early this morning, I killed Tanta Alice.
Mike. Yes? You better get this. All right.
Go on. You killed your, uh, Tanta Alice? Yes. How?
I took a pillow and smothered. Go on.
Could I tell you about it? I mean, all about it? Sure.
Well, I have a fine job. I'm the general manager of the Hand Desk Company.
I've been with them ever since I got out of school.
I'm an orphan. I live with my aunt, with Tanta Alice. You live with your aunt?
Yes, I don't remember my parents. They died when I was just a little boy in an accident.
Tanta Alice brought me up. She was like my own mother.
Why did you kill her? I guess I should start when I met Muriel Jones.
That was... That was only last Sunday at the annual company picnic.
It was the first time I'd ever been to one. Usually I spent Sunday afternoons with Tanta Alice.
Everyone was at the picnic, from shipping clerks to executives, everyone.
But I sat off to the side by myself, and...
Well, that's the afternoon that I met Muriel.
Having a good time? What? Oh, yes, thank you.
Isn't it a lovely day? Yes, it is.
I'm Muriel Jones, accounting department. How do you do?
I'm Neil Wilson. Yes, I know. Do you mind if I sit down here?
Oh, no, please do. Thank you.
It's really a beautiful day, isn't it?
What are you staring at? Well, I didn't...
Don't you like my blouse? Oh, yes, very much. I wasn't staring.
It's a present. A gift from a friend. Oh, really?
Mm-hm. I'm sorry.
I like it because I've been told I have pretty shoulders.
Do you think so? Yes. Yes, I do.
Did you come alone? Yes.
So did I. I had several invitations, but I turned them down.
Why? Did I turn them down?
Because I knew you were going to be here.
Really? Mm-hm.
I've seen you at the office. You always look so happy.
I wanted to meet you and see if you were.
Well, I'm flattered. You should be.
Most of the time, all the men chase after me.
This is the first time I ever did anything like this.
Got a cigarette? Oh, yes, I'm sorry.
Here you are. Thanks.
Match? Yeah.
Thanks.
Don't you smoke? Not just now. Thank you.
Would you like to take me home?
Well, yes, I would.
Should we go now? All right.
Aren't you going to help me up? Yes, I'm sorry.
Why, Mr Wilson, how strong you...
You smell of sunshine.
What a pretty speech. Do you always kiss young ladies when you first meet them?
I never have before. You never met a young lady like me before?
No, no, I haven't.
Don't kiss me any more here. Take me home.
I've been out with girls before, but nothing ever came of any of it.
I'm too introverted, I guess, to make the first move.
And the ladies that I had known previously were not the kind who'd make the move for me.
But Muriel did.
And I thought that that meant that she loved me.
We drove for a while when we left the picnic, and then I took her home.
I like your car.
Would you like to go for a ride tomorrow?
You mean you'll pick me up in the morning, drive me to work?
Well, I'd like to. Isn't that sweet?
About 7.45? All right.
I'll have some coffee ready if you like.
Would you like having your morning coffee with me?
Oh, I'm afraid I couldn't. Thanks a lot, though.
It'll be all right. My girlfriend lives here with me.
Oh, no, no, it's not that. I mean, I always have breakfast with Aunt Alice.
Who? My Aunt Alice. I call her Tuntie. That means Aunt.
Oh.
And this silly way, standing out here like we didn't have a place to go.
Won't you come in for a few minutes?
Well, I'd like to. Thanks, Karen.
I know you'll excuse the looks of the house.
I left this morning before I had a chance to straighten things up.
You just sit down there. OK.
Here, I'll put these things in the other room.
Is there anything I can get you?
No, thanks. I'm... It's very comfortable.
That's good.
This is nice.
You're beautiful.
Thank you.
Just for saying nice things like that.
Muriel.
Muriel, I... What?
I've never known anyone like you.
You're just saying that. No, no, that's true.
Do you believe in love at first sight? Yes.
So do I.
I knew a girl and a fellow once who got married three days after they met.
That was love at first sight, wasn't it? Yes, I'm sure it was.
Is that the way you feel about me? Yes, yes, it is.
I knew the first time I saw you it would be like this, didn't you?
I... I hoped it would be. Give me a kiss.
Will you marry me? Why, Mr. Wilson, how sudden.
No, will you marry me? I should be delighted.
I drove home without knowing where I was going.
I felt as though... as though I'd never breathed before that day.
I felt that I was the luckiest man in the world.
Neil, dear? Oh, yes, Aunt Alice.
Did you have a nice day at the picnic, dear? Oh, I had a wonderful day.
Well, aren't you going to kiss me? Oh, sure.
Why, Neil, dear, what's that on your mouth? What? Where?
It looks to me like lip rouge. Where? On your mouth, dear.
And on your cheek, too. Why, Neil, dear.
Well, I... It was... You'd better let me wipe it off.
Who is the girl? Do I know her?
Her name is Muriel Jones. She works at the office in the accounting department.
How is it that I've never met her if you've known her so long?
Well, I haven't. I just met her today. You just met her? And she?
Well, it...
Dandy Alice, it was love at first sight. Was it, dear?
Yes, we're going to be married.
When, dear? Well, pretty soon, I think.
Am I going to meet her? Yes, I'll bring her here to dinner tomorrow night.
All right, dear, all right. We'll have a nice dinner for her.
Well, you'll like her, Tandy Alice. She's a wonderful girl.
I'm sure she is, dear. I'm sure. You better get some sleep now.
Tomorrow is a work day, you know. Is there something special you'd like for breakfast?
I won't be having breakfast here in the morning, Tandy Alice.
Muriel's fixing coffee for me at her house. Just coffee?
Well, that's not enough breakfast for a man with a day's work to do.
Oh, coffee's plenty. But you've never had just coffee for breakfast, Neil, dear.
No, it's enough. Thanks, anyway. All right. All right, then.
I'll just have a little fruit juice here for you before you leave.
No, no, never mind, Tandy Alice. You can sleep in the morning.
I'm having breakfast with Muriel.
I don't know what time it was when I woke up that night.
I'd been dreaming of Muriel.
I remember the street lights were out.
What woke me was some music from downstairs.
Tandy Alice hadn't gone to bed yet.
She was playing one of her old phonograph records.
It was a sweet, sad record.
And it's a song that I'll never forget as long as I live.
For suspense, Autolight is bringing you Mr. Van Heffelen
in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
Sweet little radio you have there.
I'm not sure if you've ever heard of it.
I've heard it before.
It's a very old radio.
Sweet little radio you have there. I'm sure glad we met you, Mr. Martin.
Dad and I wouldn't miss Van Heffelen for anything.
He is great, isn't he? You can always count on him for a top performance.
Just like Autolight Resistor Sparkplugs, ain't we?
Yes, Hap. And right now you can get Autolight Resistor Sparkplugs
almost anywhere in the United States.
It's sensational why no other sparkplug will give and maintain such performance.
You know, Autolight Ignition engineered a 10,000 ohm resistor
right into the Autolight Sparkplug that permits a wider spark gap setting
and maintains it far longer than any other sparkplug.
The Autolight Resistor Sparkplug is the best thing that's happened in sparkplugs in years.
A great new development of Autolight Ignition engineers
working with the country's leading car and truck manufacturers.
They make a world of difference, all right.
I know. Just had a set installed in my car.
Yes, millions are switching to the new Autolight Resistor Sparkplugs
now available at Autolight dealers the country over.
Avast with the sales talk, mates.
Here's Van Heflin in suspense again.
And now Autolight brings back to our Hollywood sound stage
Mr. Van Heflin as Neo in Song of the Heart.
A tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.
You went to sleep when your aunt was playing this record.
He's up to the end of the day. He met the girl.
Yes, that's right.
What happened the next day?
Well, the next day when I got up in the morning, Tante Alice was already up.
I don't know, maybe she hadn't even been asleep.
The table was set for two in the breakfast room.
The toaster was out, my fruit juice was on the table
and she was frying bacon when I came downstairs.
Good morning, Neil, dear.
Good morning.
You're early, aren't you?
Breakfast will be ready in just a moment.
I'm not having breakfast at home. I told you that last night.
Oh, that was last night, Neil, dear. Today is another day.
I'm having breakfast with Muriel. I have to go now. I'll see you this evening.
We'll have a nice dinner, Neil, dear.
I'm bringing Muriel home for dinner with me.
Tonight? Oh, dear, that's hardly warning enough.
You said last night that you wanted to meet her.
But so soon, dear?
Now listen to me. I'm bringing a girl home for you to meet. I love this girl.
I want you to be nice to her. I don't want a fiasco like the last time.
Neil, please, dear.
I don't want you pouting and sulking this time.
I don't want to have to apologize for your actions.
I think that will be all, Neil, dear. I think that's enough.
If you aren't going to behave yourself properly, now just say so now
and we'll not come home for dinner. That's up to you.
I'm only thinking of you. Now, don't be cross.
Give me a big smile like you used to when you were a bad little boy.
All right. How's that?
Oh, you can do better than that.
Oh, please, Tondi, Alice, I'm late. I'll see you at dinner.
All right, dear. You call me from the office if you decide to bring her home for dinner.
We'll be home for dinner. I'm telling you now, I don't have to call you from the office.
You call me, dear.
You see, the last time I tried to bring a girl home, Tondi, Alice had acted just the same way.
She'd behaved so badly that I'd never done it again.
That had been after the junior class party at high school.
It's 13 years ago and I'd never done it again.
I waited for Muriel after work that evening and we drove toward my home together.
Hold your head still so I can kiss you.
Let's get married tomorrow.
Why, Mr. Wilson, our son...
No, really.
Well, what about your Aunt Alice?
What about her?
She won't be angry at me, stealing you away from me.
Why should she be?
Well, the way she's hung on to you. For instance, why doesn't she live by herself?
Well, I don't know. We've been together so long, I guess.
Sure, but after all, she's only your aunt. You've got a life of your own to lead.
She's got enough money to live by herself.
It's not money. She's quite wealthy.
How did you know she had money?
Oh, I heard someone at the office talk about it.
Look, incidentally, Aunt Alice might act a little strangely when I bring you in the house.
Just don't pay any attention to her.
If she tries to do anything or say anything to upset you, promise me that now.
I promise you.
I can understand her being upset at someone taking you away from her, though.
After all, it takes one to know one.
The rest of the ride home we didn't talk nearer to sat close to me.
She held my hand and hers.
I'll take your coat.
Oh, thank you.
Come on, let's go into the living room.
What's that playing?
Oh, that's the phonograph.
Pretty old machine, isn't it?
Well, actually, yeah, it's the record scratching.
That's what she was playing last night.
What is it, French?
Yes, Tante Alice has a collection of old records.
This is the first time she's played them in years since I was in high school.
Where is she?
I don't know, she must be in the kitchen.
Well, I might as well sit down and get...
Oh, I forgot to ask you.
Are my seams straight?
What? Oh.
Yes, they look straight.
They look straight.
So hard to keep your stockings straight.
I never can get mine long enough.
Well, good evening, working people.
Oh, good evening, Tante Alice.
And this must be Mabel.
No, no, it's Muriel.
Muriel, this is my aunt, Miss Alice Tremble.
Tante Alice, this is Murie, Miss Muriel Jones.
How do you do?
Oh, please sit down. Dinner will be ready soon.
Is the phonograph too loud? I was just playing some old records.
Yes, it is a little loud, Tante Alice.
Hey, that's better.
Is there anything I can do to help?
No, no, that's all right, dear.
Just last minute things like the gravy, I'll do them in a bit.
I'll just sit here with you two young people for a while.
Oh, my, I've had a day preparing to meet Neil's latest young lady.
He always does this to me.
Calls suddenly in the middle of the afternoon and says,
I'm bringing a young lady home for dinner.
Why do you say...
Most of me wants to marry, as though he thinks.
As he said, he wants to marry you.
Be careful of him. He's a devil that way.
Tante Alice, please, now that's not true.
Can you imagine wanting to get married before you really get to know someone?
Did Neil tell you we're going to get married?
He did ask you then.
Oh, Neil, shame on you.
Shall we have our dinner?
In a moment, dear, in a moment.
You poor little girl.
And Neil has been acting the darned one with you also.
You poor dear.
Well, excuse me, I'll let you hear some of my records while I make the gravy.
Would you like me to help?
No, no, you stay with the young lady.
Muriel, is it?
I can handle things alone, just once.
And after all, if she should ever come back here again,
I want her to think kindly of us.
Wasn't that a nice dinner?
Very nice, thank you.
Did you enjoy your dinner, Neil dear?
Yes, it was very nice, Tante Alice.
Would you like a cigarette?
Thanks.
Neil dear, don't you think you should take the girl home now,
so that we can go to bed?
Well, you can go, Tante Alice.
We'll sit here for a while.
Well, all right.
I'm very tired.
Good night, young lady.
I do hope you stop in and see us again some day.
I'm always delighted to meet Neil's friend.
Neil dear, you haven't oiled my door.
What am I going to do with her?
What am I going to do?
I don't think I've ever been treated that way.
I'm sorry, darling, please believe me.
I'm sorry, but what can I do?
How can I get rid of her?
Just leave.
When we're married, we'll leave.
Oh, she'll follow us.
I'm all she has in the world.
I wish she were dead.
Neil.
No, I wish she were dead.
What good is she to anyone?
Hanging on for dear life to me, holding me,
afraid that I'll go out on my own and have my own life
and that she'll have no part of it.
Oh, sure, she's been good to me and she's worked for me,
but I've been good to her too and I've helped her.
We'll go away together.
She won't follow us.
Have you enough money?
Well, I think so.
Yes, I have enough.
And then there's always her money.
She has it lying all over the house.
She doesn't believe in banks.
You could take some of that.
I think that's fair.
Oh, listen, we better be quiet.
She'll hear us.
I'll turn the phonograph on then.
She won't.
You're right, though.
About what?
What use is she?
She has money, but she doesn't need.
She's unhappy living alone.
It would kill her to live alone.
I hate to say this, dear.
I won't live in the same house with her.
No, no, I don't blame you.
I was thinking, there are a lot of people whose time's finished.
Yeah.
You know, they've done all they're good for.
I read once where Eskimos put their aged people on ice floes
and push them out into the ocean.
No ceremony, no sorrow, just that it's the end of their time
of usefulness, and that's that.
Neil.
You know, it would be doing her a favor.
She wouldn't know.
Well, you did say she wouldn't live long without you, Neil.
She'd probably die of loneliness.
She's never been alone.
And if she is going to follow us, like you said,
then I'm sorry I can't marry you, Neil.
And that's hard for me to say because I love you.
I don't think I've ever been in love before.
Never before you.
I need you, Mary, very badly.
I think that we should have the opportunity to make good with our lives.
Sure we should.
But how?
As gently as possible.
Yes.
I think...
What?
Well, after she's asleep tonight, just put a pillow over her face.
No one will ever know.
It would be doing her a favor, Neil.
Look, they couldn't tell.
I mean, they...
How could they?
She's old.
She's smothered and asleep.
Yeah, that's right.
Then we could use her money to go away.
After all, she won't need it.
That's true enough.
It's here in the house?
Well, all of it.
It's in cash, $5,000 or something.
Mary, look, you do love me now, don't you?
No, no, I do.
Kiss me.
What was that?
Oh, Tante Alice.
Yes, Neil, dear.
I was listening to the record playing.
I'm so glad your children enjoyed it.
Isn't it a lovely song?
You know what it means?
No.
No, I don't.
Turn it off, please, Neil, dear.
Yes, all right.
Oh, I...
I feel so odd tonight.
I think I should like to tell you a story before I go to sleep.
Would... would the girl mind?
Go ahead.
That record tells a story about a boy and his mother.
The boy lived at home with his mother, and the boy met a girl.
And the mother didn't like the girl and warned the boy away from her.
But the girl used all her wiles on the boy, and the boy turned against his mother.
And the girl told him that proof of his love for her would be that he killed his mother.
And proof of the killing would be that he brought the girl, his mother's heart.
And so the poor boy killed his mother and took her heart to bring it to the girl.
And on the way, he stumbled and fell, and the heart escaped his hands.
And before he could get to his feet again, or even see if he was injured from the fall,
the heart spoke, and the heart said to him,
Are you hurt, my son?
I cried when I heard that song the first time.
Such a sad...
You'd better go to sleep now. It's late.
Good night, dear, dear.
Sleep well. Sleep well.
What an unpleasant story.
She knows all sorts of things, like that fable sort of.
She gets older, she quotes them to me at great length.
Will it take a long to go to sleep now?
Oh, no, no. She's told me a story now. She'll go right to sleep now.
We sat there and waited, not saying anything, not touching one another, just waiting.
Finally, after about an hour, Muriel suddenly kissed me.
She kissed me hard and she held me close to her.
Then I got up and I walked quietly over to Tanta Alice's door.
I opened it and I walked into her bedroom.
She was sleeping on her back.
I took a pillow from her chaise and then...
Just as I was about to put it over her face, I thought I saw her eyes move.
Waited.
No, I was mistaken. She was sleeping soundly, just as she always did.
I lowered the pillow softly over her mouth and nose and I held it there.
Watched her chest until there was no movement from her breathing.
Then I opened her bureau drawer and took out her money box.
Then Muriel and I left the house.
All right?
Yes, yes, all right.
And don't feel badly. You did a good thing.
It's just like a mercy killing. It was for her own good.
I know that.
We've got each other now in a whole life to live together without any interference.
I know.
I'll drive. Poor baby, you're upset.
All right.
Can I have the keys?
Yes, yes, right here.
Oh.
What?
Did you take the pillow off her face?
No, no, no, I forgot.
Run back and do it. You can leave the box on the seat.
Hurry now.
I heard the car leave and I knew what it meant.
I didn't do anything about it. I just stood there.
I wanted to cry.
I didn't go into Tanta Alice's room. I just stood there.
After a while, I opened the front door again.
Went and sat down on the steps and waited for the light to come.
And all night long I heard the record playing in my brain and I heard Tanta Alice sing.
And the heart spoke.
And the heart said to him,
Are you hurt, my son?
That it?
That's it.
I'll type it up for him to sign.
All right, Mike.
She's driving my car, but I don't care.
I mean, if you want to catch her, she's driving my car.
We'll catch her.
What do I do now?
You come with me.
Funny you're coming in here this morning.
Although, of course, we'd have had a routine investigation anyway.
Because the pillow was still on her face?
Well, yeah.
Although she might have had a heart attack or the pillow might have smothered her without her knowing it,
most accidental deaths are pretty strange.
Much stranger than the planned ones.
No, I meant that you didn't look at the room very closely when you went in there to kill your aunt.
Yeah, in here.
What do you mean that I didn't look at the room very closely?
Your aunt was a pretty smart cookie.
I guess she was really looking out for you, warning you with that song, anticipating what you were planning.
We were over there this morning.
The door was open, the prowl car spotted it and went to see what was cooking.
Must have been after you left to come down here.
They found your aunt's body, but they turned in a sort of routine report.
Routine?
Yeah, this case looked open and shut.
Because right next to the bed on her night table, in her own handwriting,
your Tanta Alice left a suicide note.
Thank you, Van Heflin, for a splendid performance.
Mr. Heflin will return in just a moment.
Boy, that show was a knockout.
Well, thanks for letting us listen, Frank.
Always glad to do a friend a favor.
You must have lots of friends, Frank.
You do plenty of folks a favor, telling them about auto light resistor spark plugs.
Well, Hap, every car owner who switches to auto light resistor spark plugs does himself a favor.
When you replace your narrow gap spark plugs with the sensational new wide gap auto light resistor spark plugs,
you can tell the difference in your car.
You've got advantages like smoother idling and saving gas.
So, always remember, auto light means spark plugs.
Ignition engineered resistor spark plugs.
Auto light means batteries.
Stay full, batteries.
Auto light means ignition systems.
The lifeline of your car.
And now here again is Mr. Van Heflin.
It's always a great pleasure to join Tony Leader and his fine cast of Suspense actors on radio's outstanding theater of thrills.
And speaking of thrills, there are plenty in store for you next week when Suspense brings you wonderful Madeline Carroll in The Morrison Affair,
another gripping study in Suspense.
Mr. Van Heflin appeared by arrangement with Metro-Golden-Mayer, producers of Julia Misbehaves, starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon.
Lorraine Tuttle played the part of Tanta Alice and Betty Lou Gerson was Muriel.
Tonight's Suspense play was written by Elliot Lewis with music composed by Lucian Morawick and conducted by Lud Luskin.
The entire production was under the direction of Anton M. Leader.
Next Thursday, same time, you will hear Madeline Carroll in The Morrison Affair.
This is the auto light Suspense show.
Go slow.
Death and danger travel in fast company.
Good night.
Switch to auto light.
This is CBS where 99 million people gather every week, the Columbia Broadcasting System.