1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,000 Auto Light and its 96,000 dealers present Suspense. 2 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:21,000 Tonight, Auto Light brings you a suspense play of love and death in a New York penthouse, 3 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:30,000 The Well-Dressed Corpse, and starring Miss Eve Arden. 4 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:36,000 Before our play begins, here is a word about Auto Light from our good friend, Harlow Wilcox. 5 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,000 Hi, Mr. Wilcox. What can I do for you? 6 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:45,000 Well, Sam, my friendly Auto Light spark plug man, you can tell me what you think of those fresh, frisky, and frolicsome 7 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,000 ignition-engineered Auto Light spark plugs. 8 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,000 They're tops, Mr. Wilcox. 9 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:55,000 Now, tell me, if replacing worn-out spark plugs with ignition-engineered Auto Light spark plugs will give a car 10 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:59,000 smoother performance, quick starts, gas savings. 11 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:01,000 You bet. What else would you like to know? 12 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:08,000 Well, are Auto Light spark plugs made by the same Auto Light engineers who design coils, distributors, 13 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:13,000 and all the other important parts of the complete ignition system used as original factory equipment 14 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,000 on many leading makes of our finest cars? 15 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:16,000 Why, of course. 16 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:22,000 Oh, and that's why we say Auto Light spark plugs are ignition-engineered, designed to perform as a perfect team 17 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,000 with your car's ignition system. 18 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:25,000 Sure. Can I tell you more? 19 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:32,000 Yes. Do Auto Light spark plug dealers, like you, replace worn-out spark plugs with ignition-engineered Auto Light spark plugs, 20 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,000 either standard or resistor type? 21 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,000 Of course. But you know all about that, Mr. Wilcox. 22 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,000 Yeah, but I just love to hear it. 23 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:40,000 But you said it. 24 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:44,000 And I'll say it again, because you're always right with Auto Light. 25 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:53,000 And now with the well-dressed corpse and the performance of Miss Eve Arden, Auto Light hopes once again to keep you in suspense. 26 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:03,000 She's lying on the couch in my office. Thought I'd just let her alone until you showed up, Captain Roark. 27 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:05,000 Well, that was considerate of you, Lieutenant. 28 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,000 Here we are. Inside. 29 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:11,000 Are you sure that's her? 30 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:12,000 I'm positive. 31 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,000 Where was she picked up? In her bedroom? 32 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:19,000 Hell's Kitchen, on Alley. She lost her dress in one of the boys' gay risotto. 33 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:24,000 What's your name? 34 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,000 My name is Ruth Franklin. 35 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:27,000 How old are you? 36 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,000 Thirty-three. 37 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:30,000 Where do you live? 38 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,000 Pickwick Arms, on Riverside Drive. 39 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:34,000 Do you drive a car? 40 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:39,000 Yes. A blue convertible. Mediterranean blue. 41 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,000 Did you go to school in this city? 42 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:48,000 Graduate school, Columbia University. I went to Stanford. I worked for the Carrington Green advertising agency. 43 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:54,000 My secretary's name is Petey Wright. I'm the murderer you're looking for. 44 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:58,000 Okay. I guess you're Ruth Franklin, all right. 45 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:01,000 I guess I can't blame you for not recognizing me. 46 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:07,000 Did you know that six weeks ago I was voted one of the ten best-dressed women in America? 47 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,000 Yeah, I read something about it. 48 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,000 I always knew that someday I would be. 49 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:19,000 But when it actually happened, it was just as exciting as if it had been a total surprise. 50 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:24,000 The invitation to the buffet luncheon to meet the press came on Friday. 51 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:29,000 I ran right out and bought the most elegant and expensive dress I could find. 52 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:38,000 And when I swept into the luncheon, everyone was looking at me, including the other nine well-dressed women. 53 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:48,000 Percy Hamilton of Radcliffe, a little bald-headed man who moved and looked like a startled chipmunk, met me as I came in. 54 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:55,000 Oh, Miss Franklin, I'm so happy to see you. Right this way, please. You're a little late, you know. 55 00:03:55,000 --> 00:04:00,000 Percy, baby, you've confused me perhaps with the debutante. I work for a living. 56 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:05,000 I'm going to put you here at table 13. Oh, pardon me, Mr. Mason. 57 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:06,000 It's all right. 58 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,000 Mr. Mason, may I present Miss Franklin? 59 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,000 How do you do? 60 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:11,000 How do you do? 61 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,000 You two are going to be luncheon partners. 62 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:17,000 Well, I'll run along. 63 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,000 You, of course, couldn't be anyone else but the best dressed Franklin. 64 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,000 I'm not sure I like the way you said that, Mr. Mason. 65 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:32,000 My tone was not meant to imply a personal indictment, Miss Franklin. In fact, it's a commendation. 66 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,000 You play your part very well in this racket. 67 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:36,000 Racket? 68 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:37,000 Racket. 69 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:41,000 Oh, I always draw the most charming luncheon partners. 70 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:47,000 It was undoubtedly something in your childhood. They made you wear buster brown collars or velveteen knickers. 71 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:49,000 I wore dungarees. 72 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:56,000 No, it's just that I have the best prima facie evidence anyone ever had that this is a travesty on good taste and artistic judgment. 73 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:02,000 Before I move to another table, Mr. Mason, I'd be utterly amused to hear one sentence telling me why you feel this way. 74 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:04,000 I'd be happy to oblige. 75 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:08,000 You see, I was picked as one of the best dressed men. 76 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:13,000 Mr. Mason, for the first time, I'm beginning to savor the sweetness of your judgment. 77 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:25,000 Well, that was the way it began. A little careless banter while we sized each other up. 78 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:28,000 And something in our measurements had meaning. 79 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:35,000 Because despite speeches and cold chicken a la king and news photographers interfering with most of our conversation, 80 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:42,000 we later found ourselves at the Stork Club analyzing everything from Picasso to paper hanging. 81 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:48,000 Sometime in the evening, he said he had to catch a plane somewhere, but he'd get in touch with me soon. 82 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:56,000 The next morning when I walked into my office, Petey, my secretary, was wearing the smug smile of a girl who had caught her older sister 83 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:59,000 with a boy on the back porch hammock. 84 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:00,000 Seen it yet, boss? 85 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:02,000 The Gimbal ads? How were they? 86 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:05,000 Da da da da da. I can wait. 87 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,000 All right. Seen what? 88 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,000 The picture of you and Roy Mason. 89 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:12,000 Mason? I hardly spoke a word to the man. 90 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:16,000 They told me to look at him as if he'd just found a cure for the common cold. 91 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:21,000 Hardly a word, huh? How'd you converse at the Stork Club? Smoke signals with your cigarettes? 92 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:23,000 Petey, you're very close to being fired. 93 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:26,000 Let me read what some of the columnists say. 94 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:32,000 The most handsome twosome in town last night were Ruth Franklin, the best dressed huckster, and Roy Mason, who... 95 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:35,000 Petey, what do you know about him? 96 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:40,000 I'll save you the embarrassment of asking me to get a file on him. I've already done it. 97 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:47,000 Here you are, boss. The life and loves of Roy Mason, assembled by Pete Wright, girl Boswell. 98 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:48,000 All right, tell it. 99 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:53,000 He was a war correspondent, distinguished. He's written two books on world politics, 100 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:56,000 The Long Road of Destruction and the Coming Asiatic War. 101 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:59,000 I've ordered both of them so you can talk his language. 102 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:04,000 He has a weekly column and a weekly radio program. Yale, 38, Unmarried. 103 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,000 Just call me quick. 104 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,000 Thank you and goodbye. 105 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:12,000 I'll just leave these things here so you can drool over them. Have fun. 106 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:13,000 Petey. 107 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,000 Yes, boss mad? 108 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:20,000 You've had your fun. Now hands off. I'm going to marry him. 109 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,000 I read those clippings through from beginning to end. 110 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:33,000 And when I went home that night, I took both of Roy Mason's books with me. 111 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:36,000 And the following night he called me. 112 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:38,000 And then it was practically every evening. 113 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:44,000 And cocktails and weekends and meals and fireplaces and books and talk and talk. 114 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:50,000 I knew and I let the papers know that Ruth Franklin finally found a man 115 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,000 who came up to her epic requirements. 116 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:56,000 I had him hooked. Now it was time to reel him in. 117 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,000 Roy, I have some news I know you'll be interested in. 118 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:03,000 Are you going to run for president? 119 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:05,000 Oh no, nothing as small as that. 120 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:07,000 I'm going to get married. 121 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:10,000 You're going to get what? 122 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:12,000 Married. 123 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,000 Oh? To whom? 124 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:19,000 A man named Roy Mason. I just decided. 125 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:24,000 Ruth, I'm sorry. I can't. 126 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:27,000 I'm already engaged. 127 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:28,000 Who is it, Roy? 128 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:32,000 A Long Island socialite, Elizabeth Granger. 129 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:33,000 You know her? 130 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,000 No, and I don't believe I'd want to. 131 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:38,000 Oh Ruth, did you think we were going to be married? 132 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,000 Of course I did. And so did every newspaper and columnist in town. 133 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:43,000 I never pay any attention to the gossip columnists. 134 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:45,000 Well a lot of people do. 135 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:49,000 Oh Ruthie, now don't take it like this. You must have known I had a life before I met you. 136 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,000 I should have known a lot more, I guess, than I do. 137 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:53,000 Ruth, don't lose your head over this. 138 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:55,000 What do you expect me to do? 139 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:58,000 Break down and beg you to change your mind and marry me? 140 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:11,000 I'm sorry, Roy. I'll go home and read an old coward play and get over it. 141 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:13,000 So that's the way it was. 142 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:16,000 I'd saved myself for the one man who had what I had. 143 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,000 Brains and guts and talent. 144 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:23,000 And I suddenly found out I'd saved myself for what I couldn't have. 145 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:29,000 I went home, threw his books in the fireplace, and sat down to have a long look at me. 146 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:33,000 And all I found was a big ugly hurt. 147 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:37,000 Then it was light and time to go to the office. 148 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:40,000 Petey, what are you doing at my desk? 149 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:45,000 Hello, boss. I really didn't think you'd be in today, considering everything. 150 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,000 Why shouldn't I be in? 151 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:52,000 One of the best dressed women in America doesn't find out that her boyfriend is a wolf in best dressed clothes every day. 152 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:55,000 That's enough, Petey. Get out of here and get to work. 153 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:58,000 All right, boss. But it's happened to all of us one time or another. 154 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:02,000 You should have practiced when you were young, then you'd know more about what happened to you. 155 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:06,000 Listen, you brainless little typist, get out of here. Go on, get out. 156 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,000 Okay, I'm going. 157 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:16,000 But I know a good psychiatrist. He has a couch just made for people like you. 158 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:25,000 You know, I could quit, too. 159 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:27,000 The whole office knew about it. 160 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:31,000 It pleased their tight little minds that I'd been caught off guard. 161 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:39,000 Most everyone, including our three vice presidents, found some sort of excuse to come in and see the woman who'd been taken and loved. 162 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:43,000 They were disappointed when they didn't find me planning a sudden trip to London 163 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:47,000 or enrolling in Helena Rubenstein's Charm School. 164 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:51,000 But the lower echelon was even worse, especially the stenographers. 165 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:59,000 They handed me those grief sharing eyes, usually reserved for 16 year old girls who'd been jilted by the high school fullback. 166 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:08,000 But by five o'clock, I swallowed two aspirin and my pride and called Roy. 167 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,000 You've had three cigarettes and two martinis. 168 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,000 Any conversation coming up? 169 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:16,000 What is it, Rose? 170 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:21,000 Newsprint, for one thing. Those nasty little black tracks on those clean sheets of white paper. 171 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:24,000 They came right out and said you jilted me. 172 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,000 The same way they came out and said we were a torrid twosome. 173 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:32,000 Oh, yeah. It's my fault. I'll phone them tomorrow and tell them how wrong they've been. 174 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:35,000 You will not. It'd only make me look a bigger fool. 175 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:38,000 Besides, they aren't the only ones. 176 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:43,000 Oh, for heaven's sakes, Roy, ask that strange looking little man to fill my glass. It's empty. 177 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:44,000 Sure. Waiter? 178 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:48,000 I haven't seen one person today who isn't in high glee over the whole thing. 179 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:52,000 And incidentally, you look a little too smug to suit my taste right now. 180 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:55,000 Ruthie, don't. Don't do this to yourself. You're too good a guy. 181 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:59,000 It's easy for you to say. I wish I were in your position and you were in mine. 182 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:00,000 Oh, Ruth. 183 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,000 Oh, don't you look at me that way. 184 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:07,000 I'm... I'm truly sorry it's embarrassed you. You're distressed now, but it'll pass. 185 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:10,000 How can you marry someone like her? You'll be bored to death in six weeks. 186 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:11,000 Let's not talk about her. 187 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:16,000 What's she ever done to deserve you? Gone to a few parties? Made a trip to Europe every year? 188 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:20,000 Learned how to play six-hand canasta? Or maybe it's her figure, Roy. 189 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:21,000 Ruth. 190 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:26,000 If it's her figure, remember, somebody pounds it back into shape every morning after those big nights. 191 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:29,000 And if it weren't for several dozen foundation garments... 192 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:30,000 Oh, stop it, Ruth. 193 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:35,000 You've made a fool out of me for some grown-up child who probably never did anything for herself. 194 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:37,000 Well, servants paid the lip for her. 195 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,000 Ruth, please. You're raising your voice. People are looking. 196 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:43,000 Let them look. A scene in a cocktail lounge makes good reading. 197 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,000 And we always make the papers, don't we? 198 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,000 Oh, voice. Will you keep your voice down? 199 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:51,000 Why don't you go back to Asia or someplace and write another book? 200 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:53,000 I hope I never see you again. 201 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:55,000 Ruth. Ruth! 202 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:58,000 Roy looked foolish shouting after me. 203 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:03,000 I looked even more foolish trying to make a dignified exit through the tears. 204 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:06,000 Oh, leave it to me. I did a good job. 205 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:11,000 I went off stage like a second lead in a little theater production. 206 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:13,000 The next day, I didn't go to the office. 207 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:17,000 I felt weak and weary and sick all over. 208 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:19,000 And I didn't answer any of the questions. 209 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:21,000 I was just a little girl. 210 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:25,000 I was feeling weary and sick all over. 211 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:29,000 And I didn't answer the phone until 3 in the afternoon. 212 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:30,000 Hello? 213 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:31,000 Me. 214 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,000 Oh. 215 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:35,000 I've been trying to get you all day. 216 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:36,000 What for? 217 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:39,000 To tell you that we're friends, you and I. 218 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:44,000 I hate like the devil to think that you really meant it when you said you never wanted to see me again. 219 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:48,000 I sent you a letter last night, but I'd rather tell you what I said in person. 220 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,000 Oh, look, Roy. 221 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:54,000 A man rarely meets a woman like you. I was lucky. 222 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,000 Real lucky. 223 00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:01,000 Ruth, you can send me away altogether if you want to, but I'd miss you for the rest of my life, and that's the truth. 224 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:03,000 But you're going to marry her. 225 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:10,000 Ruth, I want to talk with you calmly, decently, honestly. I want you for a friend. 226 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:14,000 I'm mixing a couple of drinks in my apartment around 5 tonight. 227 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:18,000 I hope you'll be there. 228 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:32,000 All of a sudden, I saw a way out of everything, and I spent the next two hours getting ready for Roy. 229 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:38,000 I remember I was wearing a new black crepe sheath by Dior and my pastel mink. 230 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:44,000 It was a cold night, but the air made me feel good, better than I've ever felt. 231 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:47,000 I was politely late. 232 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:53,000 You came. Let me take your coat, huh? 233 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:55,000 It's a little chilly. I think I'll keep it on. 234 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:58,000 Martini? Manhattan? 235 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:01,000 Music, I think. 236 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:03,000 Now a martini. 237 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:08,000 I already had them fixed. I knew you wouldn't pass up a Mason special. 238 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:12,000 You were rather certain in your pretty speech on the phone, weren't you? 239 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:14,000 I meant it. 240 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:21,000 And I am glad you're here, Ruth. All of that highly lacquered veneer, you're sure your public is all right for them, but as for me, I'll take you the way I know you. 241 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:24,000 Oh? Tell me more. 242 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:30,000 Underneath $40,000 a year and being the best dressed, you're quite a gal. 243 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:32,000 One look told me that. 244 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,000 This amounts to a hats off conversation. 245 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:38,000 Now, Ruth, we're ready to talk you and I. Let's do it, huh? 246 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:41,000 For the first time since we met, I know all about you. I know what makes you work. 247 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:46,000 And I don't like that one bit, Roy. I don't like being ripped open for the public to watch. 248 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:47,000 You don't understand. 249 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:49,000 Don't touch me. 250 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:50,000 Ruth. 251 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:51,000 Yes, it's a gun, Roy. 252 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:54,000 Now, for heaven's sake, Ruth. 253 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,000 Ruth, stop this. 254 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:02,000 You got it all wrong. Put down that gun. 255 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:04,000 Get a doctor. 256 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,000 We'll say it was an accident. 257 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:07,000 Stay away from me. 258 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:09,000 Phone a doctor. 259 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:11,000 No. 260 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:14,000 No, it wasn't supposed to be this way at all. 261 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:22,000 I wrote you. 262 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:27,000 I stood there looking down at him. 263 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:32,000 He tried to talk again, but he couldn't say a word. 264 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:36,000 And then, all of a sudden, he was dead. 265 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:42,000 He was dead. 266 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:52,000 Auto Light is bringing you Miss Eve Arden in the well-dressed corpse. 267 00:16:52,000 --> 00:17:06,000 Tonight's production in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense. 268 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:08,000 Check your spark plugs, Mr. Wilcox? 269 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:13,000 You sure can, Sam, because it pays to have spark plugs checked and cleaned regularly. 270 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:14,000 Helps keep a car running right. 271 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:16,000 Sure does, Mr. Wilcox. 272 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:20,000 And it only takes a couple of minutes for an auto light spark plug dealer like myself. 273 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:25,000 Why, when worn out spark plugs are replaced with new ignition engineered auto light spark plugs, 274 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:30,000 you'll get away in a flash for a ride that's smoother than a gigolo's line. 275 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:33,000 Because you'll get smoother performance, quick starts, and gas savings. 276 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:34,000 He's off again? 277 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:39,000 Ignition engineered auto light spark plugs, you know, are installed right on the assembly line 278 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:44,000 as original factory equipment on millions of leading makes of our finest cars and trucks. 279 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:48,000 Money just can't buy better spark plugs for your car than auto light. 280 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:50,000 You're right, Mr. Wilcox. 281 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:53,000 So friends, see your neighborhood auto light spark plug dealer soon. 282 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:59,000 And have him replace worn out spark plugs with world famous ignition engineered auto light spark plugs. 283 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:04,000 And whether you choose the resistor type or the standard type, you can be sure you're right. 284 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:08,000 Because you're always right with auto light. 285 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:13,000 And now auto light brings back to our Hollywood sound stage, Miss Eve Arden. 286 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:17,000 In Elliot Lewis's production of the well-dressed corpse. 287 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:22,000 A tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. 288 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:38,000 It hadn't occurred to me exactly what I was going to do after I had killed Roy Mason. 289 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:43,000 I remember though I finished my martini, wiped up the spilled drink, 290 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:48,000 and then just sat and looked at Roy lying there on the floor. 291 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:50,000 Hello, is anyone here? 292 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:52,000 And then I was aware of someone pounding. 293 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:54,000 Hello in there, what happened? 294 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:58,000 Hello, answer me somebody. 295 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,000 Hello, is everything alright in there? 296 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:07,000 Oh, hello miss, I live in the apartment next door and I thought I heard gunshots in here. 297 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:08,000 You did? 298 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:10,000 What? 299 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,000 Over there. 300 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:17,000 Oh, well I better phone the police. 301 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:19,000 Is there a phone? 302 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:21,000 On the desk. 303 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:27,000 Hello, operator, get me the police. 304 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,000 Yes, I said the police. 305 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:32,000 Right away, there's been a shooting. 306 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:41,000 No one lifted a hand to stop me. 307 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:47,000 Downstairs I got a taxi back to my own apartment, changed, threw some things into a bag, 308 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:50,000 gathered up my jewelry and what money I had. 309 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:56,000 I took my car out of the garage and drove to the station and caught a train as far as Greenwich. 310 00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:00,000 There I registered under another name at a small hotel. 311 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,000 I was going to go on up to Canada the next day, 312 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:07,000 but there was something I just had to see before I left the country. 313 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:11,000 So instead I caught a train back to New York. 314 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:19,000 Sergeant Collins, homicide. 315 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,000 Sergeant, I wonder if you could give me some information. 316 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:23,000 I'll try miss. 317 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,000 I'm from the Kansas City Star. 318 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:30,000 I happen to be on vacation in New York, but as long as I'm here I'm trying to cover the Mason case. 319 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:31,000 Yeah, well. 320 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:35,000 Has Mr. Mason been buried yet or do you... 321 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:39,000 I'll call the morgue mortuary. Rosary tonight. Burial tomorrow. 322 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:41,000 Thank you, Sergeant. 323 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:49,000 I was at the Edge Flower early, waiting across the street. 324 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:54,000 It was cold and blustery, but I wanted to see her walk in. 325 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:57,000 I wanted to see how well she could take it. 326 00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:02,000 But Elizabeth Granger didn't appear at his rosary. 327 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:05,000 The next morning I wore dark glasses and a veil. 328 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:09,000 I went to his funeral, but she didn't. 329 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:21,000 Hello, Petey. I've been waiting for you. 330 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:22,000 Boss. 331 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,000 Don't you know the police are looking all over town for you? 332 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:29,000 Petey, who is Elizabeth Granger? Where does she live? 333 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:30,000 Oh, that. 334 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,000 She isn't in the phone book. She wasn't at his funeral. 335 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,000 There are no pictures of her in the papers. 336 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:38,000 You know these things. Tell me, please. 337 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:43,000 I can't help you. Nobody can help you now. 338 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:45,000 You're a walking dead woman. 339 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:46,000 Petey, listen to me. 340 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:48,000 I don't want to listen to you. I'm afraid to. 341 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:50,000 I'm afraid I'll end up like you someday. 342 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:55,000 Well-fed, well-dressed, successful, well-known, but dead. 343 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:58,000 I came here for help, not to listen to your opinions. 344 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:00,000 Everything you ever said in your life was a lie. 345 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:04,000 I did your legwork, looked up things for you, verified them, checked them. 346 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:07,000 Well, I checked about you just to satisfy my curiosity. 347 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:10,000 You didn't go to Stanford or graduate school at Columbia. 348 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:12,000 You were born and brought up in Hell's Kitchen. 349 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:15,000 You went as far as P.S. 432. 350 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:18,000 You hated everything you had and were, and you tried to wipe it out. 351 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,000 Petey, you must know. Tell me about Elizabeth Granger. 352 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,000 I'll tell you this much. 353 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:28,000 You're not going to have the pleasure of watching her suffer along with you. 354 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,000 You know why? 355 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:34,000 Because Roy Mason wrote you a letter that came this morning. 356 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:38,000 I read it because I never thought I'd see you again. 357 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,000 Do you want to know what's in it? 358 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:42,000 Yes, please. 359 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:47,000 It makes you look ten times as foolish as you do even now. 360 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:52,000 He said that there was no such person as Elizabeth Granger. 361 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:53,000 You're lying. 362 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:55,000 He just invented her. 363 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,000 Just invented her to get away from you. 364 00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:00,000 You're lying. There has to be an Elizabeth Granger. 365 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:03,000 Here's the letter. Look for yourself. 366 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:12,000 It was true. Every word of it. 367 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:15,000 There was no Elizabeth Granger. 368 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:20,000 Roy just didn't want me and had to find some excuse. 369 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:25,000 I walked to the door wondering what to do, where to go. 370 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:28,000 One more thing, boss. 371 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:32,000 Ten seconds after you're out that door, I'm going to call the police. 372 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:38,000 I didn't answer or look back. 373 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,000 I just ran out of the apartment house and found a cab 374 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:47,000 and had him drive me around and around, through streets and down streets and across streets. 375 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:51,000 I scarcely even saw policemen or people. 376 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:57,000 Finally I left the cab and began walking around, trying to understand myself 377 00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:00,000 and why I'd killed Roy. 378 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:04,000 And everything that came out of my mind revolted me. 379 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:07,000 I wanted to drink. A dozen drinks, a hundred drinks. 380 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,000 You sure you're in the right place, lady? 381 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:13,000 Just give me a double bourbon, scotch, triple, I don't care. 382 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,000 Well, you're old enough. 383 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:18,000 Hurry it up, here's my money. 384 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:21,000 Hey, Eddie, get a load of the dough. 385 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:25,000 How about with any dame dressed like that come into a place like this? 386 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:28,000 Slammin'. What are you, stupid or something? 387 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:31,000 I like to come down where life is rough, where men are men. 388 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:34,000 I seen lots of them in my day, looking for thrills. 389 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:35,000 Yeah? 390 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,000 Yeah. What do you think she came in here for? 391 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:40,000 Thought it was the White House or something? 392 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:42,000 Oh, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. 393 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,000 We ought to handle a doll like that. 394 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:49,000 Buy your drink, ma'am. 395 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,000 Huh? No, get away from me. 396 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,000 Oh, now you don't really mean that. 397 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:57,000 Tony, the drink's on me. 398 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:01,000 Why don't we have it in the booth over here? We can talk, huh? 399 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:03,000 Get away from me! Who do you think you are? 400 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,000 All right, Eddie, no sale. 401 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:07,000 Who does she think she is, anyway? 402 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:09,000 She's got no right in here unless she wants to be sociable. 403 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:11,000 She's a bum and you know it, Tony. 404 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:13,000 She's a lady, not go for a walk. 405 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:15,000 Lady? Since when have we had ladies in here? 406 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:17,000 Give me the drink, bartender. 407 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:18,000 Hey, wait a minute. 408 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:20,000 You cheap little bum. 409 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:22,000 Hey, Eddie, that dame, her picture was in the paper this morning. 410 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,000 She killed somebody. 411 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:31,000 I ran out of there. 412 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:35,000 It was only a matter of seconds until they called the police, so I just ran. 413 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:38,000 I saw a police car and I ran the other way. 414 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:41,000 Two blocks away, there was another police car at the intersection. 415 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:47,000 I found an alley and ran down and fell a full-on over a garbage can 416 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:50,000 into the dirty, foul snow. 417 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:54,000 I couldn't get up and I cried cold tears. 418 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:58,000 Come on, dearie, come on. 419 00:25:58,000 --> 00:25:59,000 What are you doing? 420 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:01,000 You won't need this coat where you're going. 421 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:02,000 Leave my coat alone. 422 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:04,000 That's all right, dearie, that's all right. 423 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:05,000 Come on, the dress now. 424 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:06,000 My dress! 425 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:07,000 Ruby, help me get it off. 426 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:09,000 You can't take my dress, only! 427 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:13,000 I can use a fancy dress like that and you can't wear it in jail. 428 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:15,000 I'll tear it off you if I have to. 429 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:18,000 No, please, you can't! 430 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:19,000 All right, here we are. 431 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,000 Cops, grab her shoes, Ruby, and let's go. 432 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:24,000 My dress, they took my dress. 433 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:26,000 OK, get ready now, sweetie. 434 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:28,000 You let them do it. 435 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:29,000 Why did you let them do it? 436 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:30,000 We'll get them. 437 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:33,000 Now, come on, lift up your head. 438 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:34,000 I got to see. 439 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,000 Oh, don't hurt me, please. 440 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:38,000 I'm somebody. 441 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:40,000 Oh, yeah. 442 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:42,000 Yeah, that's what I thought. 443 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:44,000 Ruth Franklin. 444 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,000 I'm somebody! 445 00:26:46,000 --> 00:27:13,000 Suspense presented by Autolite, tonight's star, Miss Eve Arden. 446 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:16,000 Hey, Sam, de-dust my windshield, will you? 447 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,000 I can write my name on it. 448 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,000 You can write, too, Mr. Wilcox? 449 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:21,000 Can I write? 450 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:26,000 Why, I blister blackboards writing about the over 400 products made by Autolite for cars, 451 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:30,000 trucks, planes, and boats in 28 plants from coast to coast. 452 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:35,000 These include complete ignition systems used as original factory equipment on many leading 453 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:41,080 makes of America's finest cars, generators, coils, and 454 00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:46,080 distributors, electric windshield wipers, voltage regulators, wire and cable, starting 455 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:51,080 motors, all engineered to fit together perfectly, work together perfectly, because they're part 456 00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:53,080 of the Autolite team. 457 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:57,080 So, friends, don't accept electrical parts supposed to be as good. 458 00:27:57,080 --> 00:28:02,080 Ask for and insist on original factory parts at your neighborhood service station, car 459 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:04,080 dealer, garage, or repair shop. 460 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:09,080 And because all Autolite parts are original factory parts, you can get them from the Autolite 461 00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:14,080 team. 462 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:19,080 Next week on Suspense, the appearance of the distinguished star of the New York stage in 463 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:24,080 the Metropolitan Opera, Mr. Ezio Pinza in Aria from Murder. 464 00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:28,080 In the weeks to follow, we will present such famous stars as Paul Douglas. 465 00:28:28,080 --> 00:28:33,080 Then, in one of his infrequent radio appearances, Fred McMurray, to be followed by the First 466 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:36,080 Lady of Suspense, Miss Agnes Morehead. 467 00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:43,080 All appearing in tales well calculated to keep you in Suspense. 468 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:48,080 Suspense is produced and directed by Elliot Lewis, with music composed by Lucien Morrowek 469 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:50,080 and conducted by Lud Bluskin. 470 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:56,080 The well-dressed corpse was written for Suspense by E. Jack Newman and John Michael Hayes. 471 00:28:56,080 --> 00:29:00,080 Eve Harden appeared through the courtesy of the Colgate Palmolive Fleet Company, sponsors 472 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:02,080 of Our Miss Brooks. 473 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:08,080 And remember next week on Suspense, Mr. Ezio Pinza in a tale of jealousy and hate on the 474 00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:15,080 stage of a deserted opera house, a story which we call Aria from Murder. 475 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:22,080 You can buy world-famous Autolite resistor type or standard type spark plugs, Autolite 476 00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:26,080 staple batteries, Autolite electrical parts at your neighborhood Autolite dealers. 477 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:27,080 Switch to Autolite. 478 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:28,080 Good night. 479 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:31,080 Winter driving calls for safer driving. 480 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:35,080 The National Safety Council urges you to winterize your driving as well as your car. 481 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:40,080 Keep the windshield clear, keep a safe distance from the car ahead, and pump your brakes. 482 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:41,080 Don't slam them. 483 00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:44,080 Be careful and don't skid yourself into trouble this winter. 484 00:29:44,080 --> 00:30:02,080 This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.