WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:18.160 And now, Auto Light and its 60,000 dealers and service stations present... 00:18.160 --> 00:21.160 Suspense! 00:21.160 --> 00:34.280 Tonight, Auto Light brings you Mr. Danny Kay in The Too Perfect Alibi, a suspense play 00:34.280 --> 00:39.600 produced and directed by Anton M. Leader. 00:39.600 --> 00:47.200 Friends, Auto Light resistor spark plugs, the spark plugs with a built-in resistor, 00:47.200 --> 00:51.920 are fast becoming the most popular plugs in America, and no wonder, for when you replace 00:51.920 --> 00:57.000 your old narrow gap plugs with wide gap Auto Light resistor spark plugs, you can tell the 00:57.000 --> 00:58.720 difference in your car. 00:58.720 --> 01:03.120 Your engine will idle smoother, you'll have better luck with lean gas mixtures, actually 01:03.120 --> 01:05.080 save gas dollars. 01:05.080 --> 01:09.840 What's more, thanks to this built-in resistor, Auto Light resistor spark plugs cut down spark 01:09.840 --> 01:13.180 plug interference with radio and television reception. 01:13.180 --> 01:17.320 And remember friends, only Auto Light offers car owners and truck owners everywhere the 01:17.320 --> 01:21.520 sensational advantages of resistor type spark plugs. 01:21.520 --> 01:22.960 So be right with Auto Light. 01:22.960 --> 01:27.520 Switch to Auto Light. 01:27.520 --> 01:38.600 And now, Auto Light presents Danny Kay in a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. 01:38.600 --> 01:40.640 Prince Charming. 01:40.640 --> 01:42.840 That's what Jack called me. 01:42.840 --> 01:45.880 And when he said that, something clicked inside of me. 01:45.880 --> 01:50.200 I remembered how in fairy tales, the good prince always married the princess, and they 01:50.200 --> 01:52.120 lived happily ever after. 01:52.120 --> 01:55.920 Yes, happily ever after. 01:55.920 --> 02:07.360 Except that first there was the ogre that had to be taken care of. 02:07.360 --> 02:11.920 They were spending the weekend at my house in Croton, with Catherine and Jack. 02:11.920 --> 02:14.000 The girl I loved and the fellow she loved. 02:14.000 --> 02:18.960 Oh, I admitted I was stupid to let myself in for it, but I just couldn't help myself. 02:18.960 --> 02:21.480 I had to have Catherine near me. 02:21.480 --> 02:24.280 She was the loveliest thing on God's earth. 02:24.280 --> 02:30.320 Slender and blonde, the flecks of the purest gold in her hair, and eyes just as green as 02:30.320 --> 02:32.240 the sea. 02:32.240 --> 02:38.160 Jack was what the girls call a beautiful hunk of man, a one-time football hero. 02:38.160 --> 02:42.800 But now he was a clerk in a sports shop, a nobody. 02:42.800 --> 02:48.640 And why Catherine was so mad about him, I'll never know. 02:48.640 --> 02:51.760 After dinner Saturday night, we sat out on the terrace and looked out on the huts and 02:51.760 --> 02:53.920 a half mile away. 02:53.920 --> 02:56.120 Everything was quiet, peaceful. 02:56.120 --> 02:58.540 Jack, shall I tell him? 02:58.540 --> 02:59.920 After all, he is our best friend. 02:59.920 --> 03:01.640 Sure, honey, might as well. 03:01.640 --> 03:02.640 Tell me what? 03:02.640 --> 03:05.240 We're getting married, Monday Sam. 03:05.240 --> 03:06.240 Married? 03:06.240 --> 03:11.440 Hey, I'm the one who should look like he's going to face a firing squad, not you, Sam. 03:11.440 --> 03:12.440 I'm sorry, kids. 03:12.440 --> 03:15.760 It was just such a surprise, that's all. 03:15.760 --> 03:16.760 How about it, Sam? 03:16.760 --> 03:17.760 Will you be the best man? 03:17.760 --> 03:19.400 Sure, of course I will. 03:19.400 --> 03:20.400 Oh, good. 03:20.400 --> 03:22.200 And congratulations, both of you. 03:22.200 --> 03:23.600 Thank you, Sam, dear. 03:23.600 --> 03:29.160 You know, you're the sweetest, kindest, nicest, best-hearted person I've ever known. 03:29.160 --> 03:30.760 She means outside of me, of course. 03:30.760 --> 03:32.680 Well, I do not, Jack Stewart. 03:32.680 --> 03:36.960 If it weren't for you, you big lug, I might even be marrying Sam on Monday. 03:36.960 --> 03:39.200 Hey, say, I just thought of something. 03:39.200 --> 03:41.560 You like my place up here in Croton, don't you? 03:41.560 --> 03:42.560 Like it. 03:42.560 --> 03:43.560 We love it. 03:43.560 --> 03:45.600 Well, then it's yours. 03:45.600 --> 03:46.600 Wait a minute, Sam. 03:46.600 --> 03:48.320 I'm giving it to you for your wedding present. 03:48.320 --> 03:49.920 Oh, Sam. 03:49.920 --> 03:52.360 You always pick up the check, don't you? 03:52.360 --> 03:53.540 What do you mean, Jack? 03:53.540 --> 03:55.480 Everything you do makes me look cheap. 03:55.480 --> 03:58.440 You give Catherine a job and pay her twice what I make. 03:58.440 --> 04:02.240 You give us free theater parties, free dinners and free weekends in the country. 04:02.240 --> 04:03.640 Now you want to give us a free house. 04:03.640 --> 04:06.560 Now, look, Jack, you've got me all wrong. 04:06.560 --> 04:09.560 I just want to give you kids a good start, that's all. 04:09.560 --> 04:11.600 I want you two to be happy. 04:11.600 --> 04:13.720 Just like in the fairy tales, eh? 04:13.720 --> 04:18.680 The Prince and the Paupers and good old Sam as Prince Charming as always. 04:18.680 --> 04:21.440 Well, no thanks. 04:21.440 --> 04:26.020 That was when I got the idea, when he called me Prince Charming. 04:26.020 --> 04:30.120 That was when I remembered about the Prince, the Princess and the ogre. 04:30.120 --> 04:33.760 And you know what happens to the ogre and all the fairy tales, don't you? 04:33.760 --> 04:35.960 You remember that, don't you? 04:35.960 --> 04:36.960 He dies. 04:36.960 --> 04:44.960 And he dies because the Prince kills him. 04:44.960 --> 04:47.600 Catherine left with Jack and I was miserable. 04:47.600 --> 04:48.800 I paced the floor for hours. 04:48.800 --> 04:52.680 All I could think of was that today was Saturday and on Monday noon she would marry him. 04:52.680 --> 04:54.280 Two more days and she'd be lost to me forever. 04:54.280 --> 04:55.640 I couldn't let it happen. 04:55.640 --> 04:56.640 I wouldn't. 04:56.640 --> 04:58.240 I had to get rid of him. 04:58.240 --> 05:02.000 All I needed was a weapon to defend myself with after I killed him. 05:02.000 --> 05:03.000 An alibi. 05:03.000 --> 05:04.880 A strong, unshakable alibi. 05:04.880 --> 05:06.880 A perfect alibi. 05:06.880 --> 05:10.560 It took me all night and gallons of coffee to figure that one out, but I did it. 05:10.560 --> 05:14.440 And the first thing Sunday morning I phoned Jack in New York. 05:14.440 --> 05:16.400 I persuaded him not to hang up on me. 05:16.400 --> 05:18.080 Well, what do you want? 05:18.080 --> 05:20.360 Jack, ever hear of the Allegheny Sporting Goods? 05:20.360 --> 05:22.240 Did I ever hear of J.P. Morgan? 05:22.240 --> 05:24.360 Well, a friend of mine owns Allegheny. 05:24.360 --> 05:25.360 So? 05:25.360 --> 05:26.360 And he needs a sales manager. 05:26.360 --> 05:29.800 I've arranged an appointment for you first thing tomorrow so you can get the job before 05:29.800 --> 05:30.800 you get married. 05:30.800 --> 05:31.800 What? 05:31.800 --> 05:35.880 It pays 20,000 a year and you can buy your own wedding presents. 05:35.880 --> 05:36.880 Are you serious? 05:36.880 --> 05:39.360 Does he know I'm only a clerk? 05:39.360 --> 05:42.440 Well, it's just a matter of selling yourself, Jack. 05:42.440 --> 05:45.600 If you're free tonight, I'll be glad to give you a few pointers on the best way to approach 05:45.600 --> 05:46.600 him. 05:46.600 --> 05:51.960 Look, Jack, I'm going to a party in town tonight and if you can meet me around 10. 05:51.960 --> 05:54.000 Here's the address, Jack. 05:54.000 --> 05:57.000 365 East 56. 05:57.000 --> 05:59.000 I'll wait for you near the corner. 05:59.000 --> 06:01.560 Okay, thanks. 06:01.560 --> 06:03.360 Just one thing, Sam. 06:03.360 --> 06:05.360 Don't tell Catherine about this, will you? 06:05.360 --> 06:10.560 You see, in case I get the job, I'd like her to feel I got it on my own. 06:10.560 --> 06:11.560 You understand, don't you? 06:11.560 --> 06:12.560 Sure. 06:12.560 --> 06:13.560 Of course, Jack. 06:13.560 --> 06:14.560 Oh, thanks, Sam. 06:14.560 --> 06:18.040 See you tonight at 10. 06:18.040 --> 06:22.400 My hands were shaking so hard I could barely reach up to wipe the perspiration from my 06:22.400 --> 06:23.400 forehead. 06:23.400 --> 06:25.880 I was scared stiff. 06:25.880 --> 06:30.920 I was frightened because I had intended to ask him to keep it a secret from Catherine. 06:30.920 --> 06:33.080 Instead he'd ask me. 06:33.080 --> 06:36.600 Everything about my alibi was working out perfectly. 06:36.600 --> 06:37.600 I drove to town. 06:37.600 --> 06:42.400 I went to the State Street ticket office and bought a ticket for the Staten Island ferry. 06:42.400 --> 06:45.080 Then I went uptown to my apartment. 06:45.080 --> 06:48.000 I had lots of time so I decided to treat myself. 06:48.000 --> 06:55.600 There was a nice, thick, juicy steak in the icebox and I fixed it just right and rare. 06:55.600 --> 07:03.880 As I sat at the table enjoying the steak that cut like butter, I got an idea, a good idea, 07:03.880 --> 07:06.540 just the thing. 07:06.540 --> 07:09.800 Eventually it was time to go to the party. 07:09.800 --> 07:17.040 Boy, Sam Rogers, where you been keeping yourself all summer, you dog? 07:17.040 --> 07:19.240 Morning is still on my mountain up in Croton. 07:19.240 --> 07:20.240 Hi Sammy. 07:20.240 --> 07:21.240 Hi. 07:21.240 --> 07:25.200 I spoke to everyone I knew and a few people I didn't know. 07:25.200 --> 07:29.760 I made certain that practically everybody saw or talked with me sometime during the evening. 07:29.760 --> 07:30.760 Hello Sam. 07:30.760 --> 07:31.760 Where are you rushing off to, Frank? 07:31.760 --> 07:32.760 Hey, want to hear the nine o'clock news? 07:32.760 --> 07:33.760 Oh, oh the news? 07:33.760 --> 07:34.760 Do you mind if I join you? 07:34.760 --> 07:35.760 Not at all. 07:35.760 --> 07:36.760 Come along. 07:36.760 --> 07:42.560 We listened to the news until 9.15. 07:42.560 --> 07:45.160 Then I got involved in an argument over Soroyan's new play. 07:45.160 --> 07:50.240 Of course he's mad, Sam, that's why he's so wonderful. 07:50.240 --> 07:52.240 Before I knew it, it was time. 07:52.240 --> 07:53.720 One minute to ten. 07:53.720 --> 07:58.360 I slowly smiled my way toward the door and edged my way out of the noisy crowd without 07:58.360 --> 07:59.800 anyone noticing. 07:59.800 --> 08:04.640 I walked casually through the open door. 08:04.640 --> 08:08.000 Once outside I quickly walked away from the house toward the corner. 08:08.000 --> 08:15.760 I stepped under a tree where it was dark to wait for him. 08:15.760 --> 08:21.560 Well, well, I was just in time. 08:21.560 --> 08:23.160 A car turned the corner. 08:23.160 --> 08:24.680 I stepped out the flag and froze. 08:24.680 --> 08:26.320 It was a police squad car. 08:26.320 --> 08:29.840 Hey, why don't you watch where you're going? 08:29.840 --> 08:32.280 My face was drenched when I stepped back on the curb. 08:32.280 --> 08:38.360 For the first time I realized how easy it would be to make a slip. 08:38.360 --> 08:42.480 This time I made sure it was Jack's car before I stepped out. 08:42.480 --> 08:44.480 Park here, Jack, under the tree. 08:44.480 --> 08:45.480 Okay. 08:45.480 --> 08:49.720 Sorry I'm late, Sam. 08:49.720 --> 08:53.360 The ferries were jammed and on top of that I had an argument with Catherine. 08:53.360 --> 08:55.080 Oh, what about? 08:55.080 --> 08:56.600 All the usual, you know. 08:56.600 --> 09:00.400 First she brought up your house again and then she was jealous about some girl I kidded 09:00.400 --> 09:02.600 with on the beach this afternoon. 09:02.600 --> 09:04.400 Didn't mean anything, but you know Catherine. 09:04.400 --> 09:07.160 We practically had a slugging match in the restaurant. 09:07.160 --> 09:08.560 She'll be over it by morning. 09:08.560 --> 09:14.160 Which reminds me, Sam, I'm awfully sorry about the way I blew my top last night. 09:14.160 --> 09:15.720 Oh, that's all right. 09:15.720 --> 09:18.600 You're still gonna be my best man at the wedding, aren't you? 09:18.600 --> 09:19.600 Oh, sure, Jack. 09:19.600 --> 09:20.600 I'll be your best man. 09:20.600 --> 09:22.200 Oh, that's wonderful. 09:22.200 --> 09:24.120 Catherine was right, Sam. 09:24.120 --> 09:27.160 You are the nicest, sweetest guy we've ever known. 09:27.160 --> 09:28.960 Oh, forget it, Jack. 09:28.960 --> 09:33.640 Now suppose we sit in the back seat of your car and talk about your new job. 09:33.640 --> 09:34.640 Okay? 09:34.640 --> 09:35.640 Get in. 09:35.640 --> 09:36.640 Okay. 09:36.640 --> 09:41.040 And do you know that was the last word he ever said? 09:41.040 --> 09:42.040 Okay! 09:42.040 --> 09:47.280 There he was lying in the back of his car sticking up out of the middle of his back 09:47.280 --> 09:57.360 was my favorite steak knife. 09:57.360 --> 10:03.440 For Suspense, Auto Light is bringing you Mr. Danny Kay in Radio's outstanding theater of 10:03.440 --> 10:06.440 thrills, Suspense. 10:06.440 --> 10:14.320 Say, Hap. 10:14.320 --> 10:18.440 Let me read you a wonderful Christmas thank you note I got from my Aunt Susie in Maine. 10:18.440 --> 10:20.680 Why, I didn't even know you had an Aunt Susie, Harlow. 10:20.680 --> 10:22.440 Well, you just listen to this, pal. 10:22.440 --> 10:23.440 Dear Barlow. 10:23.440 --> 10:24.440 Huh? 10:24.440 --> 10:25.840 She never could get my name straight. 10:25.840 --> 10:29.440 Thank you so much for those wonderful Auto Light Resistor spark plugs you sent me for 10:29.440 --> 10:30.440 Christmas. 10:30.440 --> 10:31.440 Harlow, you didn't. 10:31.440 --> 10:32.440 Listen now, Hap. 10:32.440 --> 10:35.440 She says, Cousin Charlie, he's your third cousin, once removed on your mother's side, 10:35.440 --> 10:39.920 you know, told me that Auto Light Resistor spark plugs are those popular new spark plugs 10:39.920 --> 10:42.140 that have a built-in resistor. 10:42.140 --> 10:44.640 And he said they have an extra wide gargspap. 10:44.640 --> 10:45.640 What? 10:45.640 --> 10:51.200 She means spark gap, of course, that helps make your car run slick as a kitten on skis. 10:51.200 --> 10:54.600 I see where you inherit your famous figures of speech, Harlow. 10:54.600 --> 10:56.240 Ah, let's see. 10:56.240 --> 11:00.840 So Cousin Charlie replaced my old narrow gap plugs with my new wide gap Auto Light Resistor 11:00.840 --> 11:05.000 spark plugs, and right away I could see what makes people rave about them so much. 11:05.000 --> 11:10.040 I declare my car idle, smooth as silk, runs better than a scared jackrabbit with a tail 11:10.040 --> 11:11.040 wind. 11:11.040 --> 11:13.640 And honestly, Barlow, I've been saving gas. 11:13.640 --> 11:15.840 Wow, Susie's got me woozy. 11:15.840 --> 11:19.080 So friends, when it comes to spark plugs, be smart, be choosy. 11:19.080 --> 11:23.440 Take your cue from Susie and mosey on down to your nearest Auto Light dealer tomorrow 11:23.440 --> 11:28.320 and get your car a brand new set of those wide gap Auto Light Resistor spark plugs. 11:28.320 --> 11:31.000 Remember, you're always right with Auto Light. 11:31.000 --> 11:32.720 You said it, Harlow. 11:32.720 --> 11:37.080 And let's get back to suspense. 11:37.080 --> 11:45.200 And now, Auto Light brings back to our Hollywood soundstage, Mr. Danny Kaye as Sam in A Too 11:45.200 --> 11:54.760 Perfect Alibi, a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. 11:54.760 --> 11:58.200 After I stabbed him, I watched him slump to the floor of the car. 11:58.200 --> 11:59.800 And that's all there was to it. 11:59.800 --> 12:00.800 The ogre was dead. 12:00.800 --> 12:04.640 And now the prince and the princess could live happily ever after. 12:04.640 --> 12:07.800 I pushed his feet into the car and slammed the door. 12:07.800 --> 12:11.600 I locked the car with the keys I found in the condition and put them in my pocket. 12:11.600 --> 12:14.400 Then I eased myself back into the house. 12:14.400 --> 12:17.440 I picked up the thread of conversation just as if it had never been broken. 12:17.440 --> 12:20.120 That's the name of the game, kid, gin. 12:20.120 --> 12:22.400 You never should have held on to those two kings, Johnny boy. 12:22.400 --> 12:23.400 Okay, son. 12:23.400 --> 12:27.000 Suppose you stop gibbering and play this card shark yourself. 12:27.000 --> 12:28.640 He's got those things hypnotized. 12:28.640 --> 12:30.880 Well, just step to one side, John. 12:30.880 --> 12:37.680 And I'll show you a few tricks an old yogi named Gunga Gin once taught me. 12:37.680 --> 12:39.640 I played gin all evening with Frank Bostwick. 12:39.640 --> 12:45.040 And though I never did like him very much, somehow I felt warm and friendly towards him 12:45.040 --> 12:46.040 now. 12:46.040 --> 12:47.040 Good night, darling. 12:47.040 --> 12:51.200 Then around 12-ish the party broke out. 12:51.200 --> 12:53.280 I waited till practically everybody else left. 12:53.280 --> 12:58.080 Then I bid my host good night, got into Jack's car and drove off. 12:58.080 --> 13:01.600 I got to the Staten Island Ferry, slept just before 12.30. 13:01.600 --> 13:02.600 I was lucky. 13:02.600 --> 13:03.600 The traffic was still heavy. 13:03.600 --> 13:04.600 Nobody would notice me. 13:04.600 --> 13:12.280 I took out the ticket I bought in the afternoon and drove aboard. 13:12.280 --> 13:23.680 A moment later we started across the bay. 13:23.680 --> 13:26.520 I could breathe again. 13:26.520 --> 13:28.520 I checked off another point in my alibi. 13:28.520 --> 13:32.240 If they ever faced me with a night shift ticket agent, he would have to swear he'd never 13:32.240 --> 13:35.520 have seen me or sold me a ticket in his life. 13:35.520 --> 13:39.720 It was so easy, I felt like laughing. 13:39.720 --> 13:43.280 I turned and looked at him lying on the floor in the back. 13:43.280 --> 13:45.800 He wasn't fighting me anymore. 13:45.800 --> 13:50.920 My alibi had him beaten all the way down the line. 13:50.920 --> 13:53.000 Suddenly two things happened to me at once. 13:53.000 --> 13:58.080 I saw the knife, the knife sticking out of his back. 13:58.080 --> 13:59.080 The ticket collector. 13:59.080 --> 14:01.120 I'd forgotten about him too. 14:01.120 --> 14:03.560 I couldn't afford to have anyone remember me on this boat. 14:03.560 --> 14:05.320 I had to get rid of that knife. 14:05.320 --> 14:06.860 I had to act fast. 14:06.860 --> 14:10.200 In spite of the sick feeling in my stomach, I leaned over the seat and yanked the knife 14:10.200 --> 14:12.320 out of Jack's back. 14:12.320 --> 14:18.120 His head jerked around and grinned up at me. 14:18.120 --> 14:20.560 I looked around for a piece of paper to wrap the knife in. 14:20.560 --> 14:22.960 There wasn't a scrap anywhere, anywhere. 14:22.960 --> 14:26.400 I pulled out my wallet, grabbed two or three bills and covered the blood dripping blade 14:26.400 --> 14:28.120 in the bills. 14:28.120 --> 14:35.880 I got out of the car, jammed my tickets under the windshield wiper where he had to see it. 14:35.880 --> 14:43.000 And I scrambled through a maze of bumpers and fenders till I reached the rail. 14:43.000 --> 14:45.520 My heart sounded like a bass drum. 14:45.520 --> 14:51.000 I leaned on the rail and looked into the black water. 14:51.000 --> 14:54.120 Then I dropped the knife over the side. 14:54.120 --> 14:56.400 Hey, I saw you do that. 14:56.400 --> 14:57.400 What? 14:57.400 --> 14:58.400 Did you... 14:58.400 --> 14:59.400 Don't you know it's against the law? 14:59.400 --> 15:00.400 What is? 15:00.400 --> 15:01.640 Dumping paper into the harbor. 15:01.640 --> 15:03.120 You could get arrested for that, mister. 15:03.120 --> 15:06.040 You better watch your step or something. 15:06.040 --> 15:08.040 Thank you. 15:08.040 --> 15:12.320 I kept my head turned away from him so he couldn't get a good look at me. 15:12.320 --> 15:14.640 He'd never recognize me in a court of law. 15:14.640 --> 15:15.640 No, sir. 15:15.640 --> 15:18.960 Anyway, he'd forget all about me five minutes from now. 15:18.960 --> 15:22.480 My alibi was still 100%. 15:22.480 --> 15:25.480 I got back into the car. 15:25.480 --> 15:38.560 When we landed, I drove a few blocks in. 15:38.560 --> 15:42.080 I left the car in front of the house and walked back to the ferry. 15:42.080 --> 15:46.760 By the time I got home an hour later, I'd lost all my fears. 15:46.760 --> 15:49.480 I felt wonderful again. 15:49.480 --> 15:55.320 I went right to bed and slept soundly for the first time in weeks. 15:55.320 --> 16:00.080 I slept so soundly, in fact, that they stood there ringing my bell for five solid minutes 16:00.080 --> 16:02.960 before they woke me up. 16:02.960 --> 16:08.720 I opened my door and saw two detectives standing there with an invitation to visit Inspector 16:08.720 --> 16:12.880 Vanelli of the New York Homicide Bureau. 16:12.880 --> 16:18.720 Then I remembered about last night. 16:18.720 --> 16:23.000 Inspector Vanelli was a slender, swarthy man who looked more like a successful businessman 16:23.000 --> 16:24.920 than a police officer. 16:24.920 --> 16:27.360 Do you know Jack B. Stewart, Mr. Rogers? 16:27.360 --> 16:28.360 Certainly. 16:28.360 --> 16:29.360 Why? 16:29.360 --> 16:30.880 He's been murdered. 16:30.880 --> 16:34.680 His body was found at nine o'clock this morning in a parked car on Staten Island. 16:34.680 --> 16:35.680 What? 16:35.680 --> 16:38.000 I can't believe it. 16:38.000 --> 16:39.000 This was his wedding day. 16:39.000 --> 16:41.240 He and Catherine were going to be married. 16:41.240 --> 16:45.120 Mr. Rogers, what was your relationship with Catherine Gilpin? 16:45.120 --> 16:50.600 Inspector, I think I ought to tell you right off that I'm probably your best suspect. 16:50.600 --> 16:51.920 You are? 16:51.920 --> 16:52.960 Yes. 16:52.960 --> 16:55.600 Catherine turned me down for Jack. 16:55.600 --> 16:58.920 That probably gives me the best motive in the world for killing him, doesn't it? 16:58.920 --> 17:01.480 Well, suppose you let me decide who had the best motive. 17:01.480 --> 17:02.960 Okay, Mr. Rogers? 17:02.960 --> 17:03.960 Okay. 17:03.960 --> 17:07.840 All right, now the best place to begin is at the beginning. 17:07.840 --> 17:11.640 He kept me there hour after hour while the police stenographers crammed their pads with 17:11.640 --> 17:12.640 notes. 17:12.640 --> 17:16.440 Finally, late in the afternoon, one of the detectives hurried in and whispered something 17:16.440 --> 17:18.160 to him. 17:18.160 --> 17:21.360 Inspector Vanelli's hard face broke into a rocky smile. 17:21.360 --> 17:23.560 Okay, Mr. Rogers, you're clear. 17:23.560 --> 17:26.920 But I don't mind telling you now, I was sure it was you. 17:26.920 --> 17:27.920 Really, Inspector? 17:27.920 --> 17:30.000 Why have you changed your mind? 17:30.000 --> 17:35.000 Well, we have 35 affidavits from responsible people swearing that you were at a party between 17:35.000 --> 17:39.040 9.30 and 11.30 last night, and that's when Stuart was murdered. 17:39.040 --> 17:40.040 That settles it. 17:40.040 --> 17:42.040 You've got a perfect alibi. 17:42.040 --> 17:45.800 I could hardly believe it. 17:45.800 --> 17:48.440 It had been so easy. 17:48.440 --> 17:52.120 Only yesterday the girl I loved was miles away from me, unattainable. 17:52.120 --> 17:54.960 Today she was mine for the asking. 17:54.960 --> 17:58.280 No more rivals, no more competition. 17:58.280 --> 18:00.800 Gradually she would forget Jack and turn to me. 18:00.800 --> 18:03.240 It would take time, I knew that. 18:03.240 --> 18:05.040 But I had plenty of time. 18:05.040 --> 18:07.240 I could wait. 18:07.240 --> 18:13.040 Catherine phoned me the next morning, and suddenly I didn't have any time at all. 18:13.040 --> 18:17.120 Sam, Sam, they've arrested me for Jack's murder. 18:17.120 --> 18:18.120 They've what? 18:18.120 --> 18:19.120 They've arrested me. 18:19.120 --> 18:20.120 But they can't. 18:20.120 --> 18:21.600 It's just a stupid mistake, Catherine. 18:21.600 --> 18:26.800 Look, I'll call my lawyer and we'll get you out of there right away. 18:26.800 --> 18:32.440 But we couldn't. 18:32.440 --> 18:36.040 In New York you can't bail out a person accused of murder. 18:36.040 --> 18:37.960 What could they possibly have on her? 18:37.960 --> 18:40.160 It was ridiculous. 18:40.160 --> 18:43.800 But the thought of Catherine in prison was pure torture for me. 18:43.800 --> 18:49.480 My attorney suggested I retain Simon Blade, a shrewdest criminal lawyer in the state. 18:49.480 --> 18:52.680 Blade investigated every detail of Catherine's story. 18:52.680 --> 18:58.280 Finally, after two of the longest weeks of my life, he called me in. 18:58.280 --> 18:59.440 All right. 18:59.440 --> 19:02.680 Now here's the district attorney's case, Mr. Rogers. 19:02.680 --> 19:07.200 She and her boyfriend had an argument in a public place, a restaurant. 19:07.200 --> 19:09.160 They argued about two things. 19:09.160 --> 19:13.800 One, she wanted to take your country house for a wedding present, but he didn't. 19:13.800 --> 19:18.600 Two, he made a little goo-goo eyes at some blonde on the beach and she burned up. 19:18.600 --> 19:20.560 She tells him he's cheating on her. 19:20.560 --> 19:22.320 So then he burns up. 19:22.320 --> 19:24.680 He tells her go marry somebody else and walks out. 19:24.680 --> 19:27.440 Yes, yes, but how do the police know all this? 19:27.440 --> 19:30.360 They have witnesses, Mr. Rogers, witnesses. 19:30.360 --> 19:34.240 Now she says that after the fight she went home alone and cried on her bed. 19:34.240 --> 19:38.800 But the DA says she ran after the boy, rode out into the country with him and stuck a 19:38.800 --> 19:41.000 knife in him for calling off the wedding. 19:41.000 --> 19:42.760 Her words as good as his, isn't it? 19:42.760 --> 19:47.960 Certainly, certainly, and she's prettier than the DA too, but well, I'm not finished. 19:47.960 --> 19:52.520 It seems that the management of the restaurant bought two dozen new steak knives that week. 19:52.520 --> 19:53.520 Steak knives? 19:53.520 --> 19:54.520 Yes. 19:54.520 --> 19:57.080 The girl and the boy had steak for dinner and the next morning one of the new knives 19:57.080 --> 19:58.440 was missing. 19:58.440 --> 20:02.120 The police took a sample knife down to the morgue and it makes a perfect fit with the 20:02.120 --> 20:04.720 stab wounds in the cadaver's back. 20:04.720 --> 20:07.360 Now all we have is her word that she didn't do it. 20:07.360 --> 20:11.320 And there's only one person in the world who can prove that she's telling the truth. 20:11.320 --> 20:12.320 Who? 20:12.320 --> 20:20.840 A corpse with three holes in it. 20:20.840 --> 20:24.680 On the day of the trial, I sat with Simon Blade and waited for them to bring Catherine 20:24.680 --> 20:25.680 in. 20:25.680 --> 20:30.280 And when she came in, she looked so young and so, so lost. 20:30.280 --> 20:35.680 I had all I could do to keep myself from jumping to my feet and telling them the truth. 20:35.680 --> 20:42.280 Then she saw me, her eyes lit up and she smiled and I smiled back. 20:42.280 --> 20:50.000 And somehow I felt sure it would all come out right just as I had planned it. 20:50.000 --> 20:52.860 Simon Blade was wonderful in that courtroom. 20:52.860 --> 20:57.080 One moment ringing sympathy from the jury for Catherine's pale face. 20:57.080 --> 21:01.400 The next frankly exploiting her sex with a knowing eye. 21:01.400 --> 21:07.280 And when he strutted before a terrified witness, his barbs always hit the bull's eye. 21:07.280 --> 21:12.240 And how did you know, sir, that the knife was missing from your restaurant? 21:12.240 --> 21:13.360 We counted. 21:13.360 --> 21:16.160 We counted them and found one was missing. 21:16.160 --> 21:18.000 You count your silver, huh? 21:18.000 --> 21:19.000 Yes, sir. 21:19.000 --> 21:20.440 What's the matter, Deimos? 21:20.440 --> 21:24.800 Don't you trust your customer? 21:24.800 --> 21:28.440 Blade forced Deimos to admit that customers walked off with knives, forks and spoons every 21:28.440 --> 21:32.920 day, that several persons had steak that night and that anyone might have taken that knife. 21:32.920 --> 21:34.840 Everything was going along fine. 21:34.840 --> 21:38.480 And then the district attorney exploded a surprise in our laps. 21:38.480 --> 21:41.320 Do you recognize this handkerchief, Miss Gilpin? 21:41.320 --> 21:42.320 Yes, sir. 21:42.320 --> 21:43.320 It's mine. 21:43.320 --> 21:44.480 It's yours. 21:44.480 --> 21:48.360 And would you please tell the jury what made these stains on your handkerchief? 21:48.360 --> 21:49.360 What? 21:49.360 --> 21:50.360 Blood. 21:50.360 --> 21:51.360 Blood? 21:51.360 --> 21:53.400 They're blood stains, but you mustn't think... 21:53.400 --> 21:54.400 Blood? 21:54.400 --> 21:55.400 Whose blood? 21:55.400 --> 21:56.400 Jack's. 21:56.400 --> 21:57.400 It's Jack's blood, but I'm not guilty. 21:57.400 --> 21:58.400 Order! 21:58.400 --> 21:59.400 Order in the court! 21:59.400 --> 22:05.440 If there are any more such disturbances, I shall order the courtroom cleared. 22:05.440 --> 22:07.440 Proceed, counselor. 22:07.440 --> 22:11.520 So Miss Gilpin, you admit this is the blood of Jack Stewart? 22:11.520 --> 22:12.520 Yes. 22:12.520 --> 22:14.720 He had a nosebleed. 22:14.720 --> 22:17.200 He always had them when he was excited. 22:17.200 --> 22:18.640 I loaned him a handkerchief... 22:18.640 --> 22:20.960 A very convenient explanation. 22:20.960 --> 22:24.960 Shall I tell you, Miss Gilpin, what I think the real explanation is? 22:24.960 --> 22:29.760 I think you stabbed Jack Stewart, then in your jealous rage you struck again and again. 22:29.760 --> 22:32.320 Then calmer, you noticed that your hands were covered with blood. 22:32.320 --> 22:33.320 His blood! 22:33.320 --> 22:34.320 No! 22:34.320 --> 22:35.320 You wiped them on the handkerchief. 22:35.320 --> 22:36.320 This handkerchief, Miss Gilpin... 22:36.320 --> 22:37.320 No! 22:37.320 --> 22:38.320 And went to dispose of the body. 22:38.320 --> 22:39.320 No, no, no! 22:39.320 --> 22:51.480 Oh, the DA was very convincing. 22:51.480 --> 22:53.460 And the jury thought so too. 22:53.460 --> 22:59.040 Because when they came in after eleven hours, they found Catherine guilty of murder in the 22:59.040 --> 23:02.040 first degree. 23:02.040 --> 23:06.640 We appealed the case and lost. 23:06.640 --> 23:09.440 I pulled every string I could to get a commutation from the governor. 23:09.440 --> 23:10.440 It was hopeless. 23:10.440 --> 23:12.080 I had to face it finally. 23:12.080 --> 23:16.040 I had killed Jack so I could have Catherine, but I couldn't have her now and I didn't 23:16.040 --> 23:17.600 want to go on without her. 23:17.600 --> 23:20.040 I went to the DA and told him everything. 23:20.040 --> 23:23.800 Mr. Rogers, are you trying to tell me that you killed Stewart to keep him from marrying 23:23.800 --> 23:24.800 Miss Gilpin? 23:24.800 --> 23:25.800 That's right. 23:25.800 --> 23:26.800 That's right. 23:26.800 --> 23:29.280 Since I can't have her, I might as well confess. 23:29.280 --> 23:30.680 Will you arrange to have her released? 23:30.680 --> 23:35.360 Look, Rogers, I know exactly what you're trying to do, but I've got no time for heroes. 23:35.360 --> 23:40.160 I've got thirty-five sworn affidavits in my files which prove that you couldn't have killed 23:40.160 --> 23:41.280 Stewart. 23:41.280 --> 23:50.640 I've got my conviction and so far as I'm concerned, this case is closed. 23:50.640 --> 23:52.560 You wouldn't believe me. 23:52.560 --> 23:55.400 And Catherine's execution was only a week off. 23:55.400 --> 23:58.900 I went to the newspapers with my story, but they wouldn't believe me either. 23:58.900 --> 24:01.720 One of them did send a reporter with me to see the people who were at the party that 24:01.720 --> 24:02.720 night. 24:02.720 --> 24:07.040 Sam, it's wonderful what you're trying to do, but I can't lie about it and I won't. 24:07.040 --> 24:09.400 That was the kind of answer I got everywhere I turned. 24:09.400 --> 24:12.200 Then I tried to find the two policemen who passed as I left the house and the man who 24:12.200 --> 24:15.720 had seen me throw the knife off the ferry, but it was useless. 24:15.720 --> 24:20.840 I couldn't find one person who would believe me, not one. 24:20.840 --> 24:25.240 The next day I made a last attempt to see Catherine. 24:25.240 --> 24:26.240 They wouldn't let me. 24:26.240 --> 24:30.000 But late that afternoon I received a note from her. 24:30.000 --> 24:35.000 It was heartbreakingly full of all the things we planned and now would never do. 24:35.000 --> 24:39.560 And what hurt me most was the part where she said... 24:39.560 --> 24:44.960 I heard all about it, Sam, and I love you for it. 24:44.960 --> 24:51.360 I love you for your foolhardy attempt to save my life at the expense of your own. 24:51.360 --> 24:58.800 Jack once called you Prince Charming, but he never dreamed what a prince you really are. 24:58.800 --> 25:01.160 Even she. 25:01.160 --> 25:02.560 Prince Charming. 25:02.560 --> 25:05.200 Even Catherine wouldn't believe me. 25:05.200 --> 25:09.680 And that was harder to take than all the rest. 25:09.680 --> 25:11.960 And you don't believe me either, do you, friend? 25:11.960 --> 25:14.800 Well, Mr. Rogers, it's very hard to... 25:14.800 --> 25:15.800 Shh. 25:15.800 --> 25:16.800 Listen. 25:16.800 --> 25:23.840 It's 12 o'clock all over again, isn't it, Joe? 25:23.840 --> 25:27.080 Why don't you go home like a good fellow, Mr. Rogers? 25:27.080 --> 25:28.560 I can't sleep, Joe. 25:28.560 --> 25:30.640 I just can't sleep. 25:30.640 --> 25:33.880 How can I sleep when nobody will believe me? 25:33.880 --> 25:39.720 Joe, why do the innocents always suffer in this world? 25:39.720 --> 25:41.920 Catherine was innocent. 25:41.920 --> 25:43.240 Why did she have to suffer? 25:43.240 --> 25:46.320 Oh, you got it all wrong, Mr. Rogers. 25:46.320 --> 25:51.680 The innocents don't suffer, but the guilty, they're the ones. 25:51.680 --> 25:53.240 Take you, for instance. 25:53.240 --> 25:59.440 Supposing you really was guilty of Jack Stewart's murder and supposing she paid for your crime, 25:59.440 --> 26:03.800 why, you'd have two lives on your conscience this very minute, Mr. Rogers. 26:03.800 --> 26:08.640 And then you'd have been suffering for those two lives ever since the night she went to... 26:08.640 --> 26:10.880 Yes, you're right, Joe. 26:10.880 --> 26:11.880 You're right. 26:11.880 --> 26:15.880 It is the guilty who suffer. 26:15.880 --> 26:19.480 Say, Joe, how about that fella? 26:19.480 --> 26:20.480 Him? 26:20.480 --> 26:26.040 He's been coming in here these 10 years now telling the same story to anybody who listens. 26:26.040 --> 26:27.040 10 years? 26:27.040 --> 26:28.040 Sure. 26:28.040 --> 26:31.800 Well, I suppose he's gone now, another bar most likely, to pick up a conversation with 26:31.800 --> 26:35.040 somebody else like you and live through it all over again. 26:35.040 --> 26:38.400 But about what he said, do you really think he killed him? 26:38.400 --> 26:39.400 Mr. Rogers? 26:39.400 --> 26:40.400 Him? 26:40.400 --> 26:43.400 Not on your life. 26:43.400 --> 27:05.520 Why, he's a prince of a guy. 27:05.520 --> 27:08.800 Thank you, Danny Kaye, for a splendid performance. 27:08.800 --> 27:10.960 Mr. Kaye will return in just a moment. 27:10.960 --> 27:15.120 Hello, your Aunt Susie must be mighty cold up in Maine this time of year. 27:15.120 --> 27:16.120 Cold? 27:16.120 --> 27:19.880 Why, up in Maine way, it's so cold they use icicles for and irons. 27:19.880 --> 27:24.320 And do those wonderful Auto Light Resistor spark plugs feel the frigid finger of freezing 27:24.320 --> 27:25.320 temperatures? 27:25.320 --> 27:29.280 Not on your life, because Auto Light Resistor spark plugs consistently give you smooth, 27:29.280 --> 27:32.080 dependable, on-the-spot performance. 27:32.080 --> 27:36.960 And remember, friends, only Auto Light offers car and truck owners everywhere the sensational 27:36.960 --> 27:40.080 advantages of resistor-type spark plugs. 27:40.080 --> 27:44.600 So with millions of car owners switching to Auto Light, why don't you? 27:44.600 --> 27:47.360 Because you're always right with Auto Light. 27:47.360 --> 27:50.840 And remember, Auto Light means spark plugs. 27:50.840 --> 27:53.240 Ignition-engineered resistor spark plugs. 27:53.240 --> 27:54.680 Auto Light means batteries. 27:54.680 --> 27:56.760 Stay full, batteries. 27:56.760 --> 27:58.720 Auto Light means ignition system. 27:58.720 --> 28:08.280 The lifeline of your car. 28:08.280 --> 28:10.720 And now here again is Mr. Danny Kaye. 28:10.720 --> 28:11.720 Thank you very much. 28:11.720 --> 28:14.720 I feel a little better now, anyway. 28:14.720 --> 28:18.320 It's been a great pleasure for me to be here on Suspense, ladies and gentlemen. 28:18.320 --> 28:22.920 I'm especially grateful to Tony Leader for letting me play the kind of role which you 28:22.920 --> 28:25.400 and I don't usually associate with me. 28:25.400 --> 28:27.680 It was a lot of fun. 28:27.680 --> 28:30.880 If you can call being a murderer fun. 28:30.880 --> 28:36.360 Well, next week, radio's outstanding theater of thrills will bring you Dana Andrews and 28:36.360 --> 28:39.040 a famous story by Cornell Woolrich. 28:39.040 --> 28:41.440 If the dead could talk. 28:41.440 --> 28:46.600 Another gripping study in Suspense. 28:46.600 --> 28:50.960 Danny Kaye will shortly be seen in the Warner Brothers Technicolor production, Happy Times. 28:50.960 --> 28:54.520 Tonight's Suspense play was written by Martin Stern with music composed by Lucien Moraweck 28:54.520 --> 28:56.580 and conducted by Lud Gluskin. 28:56.580 --> 28:59.500 The entire production was under the direction of Anton M. Leader. 28:59.500 --> 29:02.920 In the coming weeks, Suspense will present such stars as Robert Montgomery, Fibber McGee 29:02.920 --> 29:06.240 and Molly, Ronald Coleman, Jane Wyman and James Mason. 29:06.240 --> 29:11.120 Make it a point to listen each Thursday to Suspense, radio's outstanding theater of thrills. 29:11.120 --> 29:16.840 And next Thursday, same time, hear Dana Andrews in Cornell Woolrich's If the Dead Could Talk. 29:16.840 --> 29:20.920 Remember, you're right with auto light. 29:20.920 --> 29:22.760 So switch to auto light. 29:22.760 --> 29:23.760 Good night. 29:23.760 --> 29:43.120 This has been CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.