1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,440 Auto Light and its 98,000 dealers bring you Mr. John Hodiac in tonight's presentation 2 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:15,320 of Suspense. 3 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:23,760 Tonight, Auto Light presents a story about heroism as we document the attempt of three 4 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:26,880 brave men to conquer the mountain. 5 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:30,600 Our star, Mr. John Hodiac. 6 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:36,760 Hello, Harlow. 7 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:38,560 Bottom of the evening to you. 8 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,440 You mean top of the evening, don't you, Mr. McSaulay? 9 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:42,440 No, bottom. 10 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:45,640 My spirits are low as the water in my car's battery. 11 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:47,200 Oh, you mean it's dry? 12 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:48,880 Dry is an Irishman's wit. 13 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:52,520 Well, now it's an Auto Light's day full battery you're needing. 14 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:54,800 That's the famous battery that needs water only use. 15 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:56,600 You mean that long life battery, Harlow? 16 00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:58,360 It is one and the same. 17 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:02,880 Fiberglass mats surround every positive plate to reduce shedding and flaking and give the 18 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:07,720 Auto Light stay full longer life as proved by tests conducted according to accepted life 19 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:08,720 cycle standards. 20 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:11,960 Where could I be getting this marvel of marvel? 21 00:01:11,960 --> 00:01:17,160 Why from your nearest Auto Light battery dealer, the man who services all makes of batteries. 22 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:22,080 To quickly locate him, just phone Western Union by number and ask for operator 25. 23 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:25,200 I'll tell you where to get an Auto Light stay full. 24 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:29,440 The battery that needs water only three times a year in normal car use. 25 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:35,200 And remember, from bumper to tail light, you're always right with Auto Light. 26 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:41,240 And now, Auto Light presents The Mountain, starring Mr. John Hodiac, hoping once again 27 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:52,400 to keep you in suspense. 28 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:56,920 We made the fourth camp on the East Glacier 22,000 feet above sea level. 29 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:02,720 In that cold thin air we stood looking up and in the great loneliness we saw it. 30 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:06,160 For a few seconds as the mist cleared, we saw it. 31 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:12,560 The mountain, the peak towering over us was beautiful and terrible. 32 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:16,160 Then a swirling curtain moved around it and it was gone again. 33 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:18,600 There were six of us and the porters. 34 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:21,680 Mantan and Leeds had been sent back to the third camp some 4,000 feet below. 35 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,360 Both had been badly frostbitten. 36 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:26,960 So then there were six of us left to make the attempt. 37 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:28,880 Nobody had done it before. 38 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:32,440 No one had ever reached the top of that tremendous windswept place. 39 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:36,040 And now we were ready for the assault. 40 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:38,240 That night we held our last meeting in the fourth camp. 41 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:41,920 Gaines, Thomas, Feldman, Eldridge, Perucci and myself. 42 00:02:41,920 --> 00:02:46,120 Ah, that's the best way, the most practical. 43 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:48,920 Three of us stay and three of us try to make it. 44 00:02:48,920 --> 00:02:51,280 We stand a better chance if we all do it together. 45 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:52,280 What do you think, Bob? 46 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:53,280 I don't think so. 47 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:54,280 Thomas is right. 48 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:55,800 The three of us go and have to turn back. 49 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:57,400 The other three will still be fresh. 50 00:02:57,400 --> 00:02:58,400 They can have a go. 51 00:02:58,400 --> 00:02:59,400 That's right. 52 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:00,400 All right? 53 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:01,400 Sure. 54 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:02,400 Yes, of course. 55 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:03,400 Okay, two parties. 56 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:04,400 Thomas, you'll head up the second. 57 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:05,400 Stay at the camp. 58 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:06,400 I'll lead the first one up. 59 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:07,400 Right. 60 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:08,400 Now, wait a minute. 61 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:09,400 Don't we get a vote on this? 62 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:10,400 No, it's a waste of time. 63 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:11,400 Start voting and we'll start arguing again. 64 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:12,400 Those monsoons aren't going to hold off forever. 65 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:13,400 Take it easy, John. 66 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:14,400 Yes. 67 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:15,400 How's your leg, Harry? 68 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:16,400 Not bad. 69 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,080 If I might hold you back, you'd better leave me down here. 70 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:20,080 All right. 71 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:22,240 And you, Rucci, you want me to go? 72 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:23,240 Feel up to it? 73 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:24,240 Sure, you bet. 74 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:25,240 Gains? 75 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:26,240 Okay. 76 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:27,240 Uh-uh, you're not acclimated. 77 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:28,240 The cough? 78 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:29,240 It's nothing. 79 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:30,240 It'll get a lot worse, higher. 80 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:31,240 Better not. 81 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:35,320 Well, look, why not let me go with you and leave Harry in charge down here? 82 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:37,480 That leg will be all right in a couple of days, don't you think, Harry? 83 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:38,480 It ought to be. 84 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:40,760 He hasn't had enough experience for a lead man. 85 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:41,760 Oh. 86 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,680 There's nothing wrong with me. 87 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:45,680 Or is there? 88 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:46,680 Well? 89 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:49,440 Well, I don't know, John. 90 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:50,440 It's going to be pretty tough. 91 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:51,440 Well? 92 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:52,440 Well, listen, John. 93 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:54,480 You keep out of this, Thomas. 94 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:55,480 What about it, Bob? 95 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:58,560 I'm in good shape. 96 00:03:58,560 --> 00:03:59,560 I guess so. 97 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:00,560 Okay. 98 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:01,840 You, Perucci, and myself. 99 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:02,840 That'll be it. 100 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,840 We'll start at daybreak. 101 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:12,840 And that's the way we decided. 102 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:14,960 There was no other possibility. 103 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:16,720 It wasn't that we didn't like Eldridge. 104 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:20,520 It was just that he was always flying off the handle, and because of that, he wasn't a good 105 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:21,520 risk. 106 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:24,200 Nerves don't go so well with mountain climbing. 107 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:25,200 Not that mountain. 108 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:27,440 Cold and dangerous. 109 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:30,720 It's never gained peak, hidden in mist. 110 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:34,280 Later that evening, Thomas and I were going over the equipment before turning in. 111 00:04:34,280 --> 00:04:37,680 You know, someday they'll invent an oxygen tank that's light. 112 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:40,720 Bet these things weigh over 30 pounds. 113 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:41,720 Yeah. 114 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:42,720 Hey, Bob. 115 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:43,720 Hmm? 116 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:44,720 About Eldridge. 117 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:45,720 What about him? 118 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:46,720 Do you think he ought to go? 119 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:47,720 It's the only way, I guess. 120 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:48,720 You're taking a big chance. 121 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:49,720 He'll be all right. 122 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:52,720 If we could only wait just a couple of days, Harry would be all right. 123 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:53,720 We're late now. 124 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:56,720 If the monsoon starts, none of us will be able to do it. 125 00:04:56,720 --> 00:04:57,720 That's the trouble. 126 00:04:57,720 --> 00:04:58,720 Well, you have Perucci along. 127 00:04:58,720 --> 00:04:59,720 He gets on pretty well with Eldridge. 128 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:00,720 That'll help. 129 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:01,720 It'll be fine. 130 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:02,720 We're all in good shape. 131 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:03,720 I think we're going to make it. 132 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:04,720 In a way, I hope you don't. 133 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:05,720 I'd like a crack at it myself. 134 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:06,720 Oh, wouldn't that be something? 135 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:07,720 The first man to get to the top. 136 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:15,720 You understand why I didn't take you, don't you? 137 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,720 Oh, of course. 138 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:20,720 Wishful thinking, that's all. 139 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:21,720 Well, you better turn in. 140 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:22,720 I'll finish checking the stuff. 141 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:23,720 Okay. 142 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:24,720 See you in the morning. 143 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:34,720 On May the 18th, we started to climb the Northwest Ridge. 144 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:36,720 We were 23,000 feet. 145 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:41,720 Each of us carried a 30-pound oxygen tank besides the equipment we needed for our next 146 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:42,720 camp. 147 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:43,720 For three or four hours, it wasn't bad. 148 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:49,720 But as we went higher, the wind started to take it out of us, and we felt the cold more. 149 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:52,720 Take 10, eh? 150 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:53,720 Yeah. 151 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:56,720 Boy, will you look at it up there. 152 00:05:56,720 --> 00:05:57,720 That's it. 153 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:00,720 You almost feel like you could jump and touch the top. 154 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:01,720 Big jump, Perucci. 155 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:02,720 What do you figure? 156 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:03,720 About 3,500 feet more? 157 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:07,720 Something like that. 158 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:10,720 Well, if the weather holds, we might make it by tomorrow. 159 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:11,720 That's what I thought. 160 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:13,720 Not a cloud in the sky. 161 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,720 Oh, will you look at that thing. 162 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:20,720 Boy, what can you say when you see a mountain like that? 163 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:21,720 Save your breath. 164 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:25,720 We'll move in a few minutes. 165 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:30,720 Then we hit patches of snow, and the pace slowed down. 166 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:33,720 We'd spelled each other as leader, and it was my turn up ahead. 167 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:36,720 Perucci was bringing up the rear when I heard him yell and felt that dreadful tug of the 168 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:37,720 rope at the same time. 169 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:38,720 Falk, Perucci's gone down. 170 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:39,720 Dig in. 171 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:40,720 All right. 172 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:41,720 What is it, crevasse? 173 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:42,720 Yes. 174 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:43,720 Use the ice axe. 175 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:44,720 It won't hold. 176 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:45,720 Snow's too soft here. 177 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:46,720 I'm slipping, Falk. 178 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:47,720 I'm slipping. 179 00:06:47,720 --> 00:07:03,720 I saw the snow crumbling away from beneath Elbridge's feet. 180 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:07,720 I saw it, and I thought of a man I knew who slipped from an aerial ladder 100 feet up, 181 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:11,720 and as he fell to the ground, his legs raced wildly, arms waving, trying to find the rungs 182 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:12,720 to pull himself back up. 183 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:16,720 And Elbridge was doing it now, his heels churning into the soft snow at the edge of the crevasse. 184 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:17,720 Then he found solid ice. 185 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:18,720 Bob? 186 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:19,720 Yeah? 187 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:20,720 Can you pull me back? 188 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:21,720 I can't get Perucci out from here. 189 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:22,720 I'm afraid I'll go over too. 190 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:23,720 I'm right on the edge. 191 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:24,720 Can he get a hold with his axe? 192 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:25,720 No. 193 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:26,720 He's hanging free. 194 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:27,720 The wall slopes in. 195 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:28,720 I'll try. 196 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:29,720 You'll have to pull too, Bob. 197 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:30,720 I can't do it alone. 198 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:31,720 Too much weight. 199 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:32,720 I tell you, I can't. 200 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:33,720 I'm afraid to move. 201 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:34,720 I can feel it going under me. 202 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:35,720 All right. 203 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:36,720 I'll try. 204 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:37,720 I'll try. 205 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:38,720 I'll try. 206 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:39,720 I'll try. 207 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:40,720 I'll try. 208 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:41,720 I'll try. 209 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:42,720 I'll try. 210 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:43,720 I'll try. 211 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:44,720 I'll try. 212 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:45,720 I'll try. 213 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:47,800 Can he feel it going under me, or around me? 214 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:49,920 There's solid ice a couple of feet back. 215 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:51,040 I can grab it with my axe. 216 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:52,040 Don't let go! 217 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:53,040 Don't let it go, slack. 218 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:54,040 Bob! 219 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:55,040 I'll go over. 220 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:56,040 I won't. 221 00:07:56,040 --> 00:08:01,360 Just hang on! 222 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:04,700 I knew that if I slipped when I reached behind me, it was the end. 223 00:08:04,700 --> 00:08:08,480 I looked at the figure of Eldridge below me, his body bent backwards, away from the drop 224 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:09,480 beneath him. 225 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:13,060 I closed my eyes, reached behind with my axe, and ducked into the ice. 226 00:08:13,060 --> 00:08:14,060 I can't. 227 00:08:14,060 --> 00:08:15,060 I'm slipping! 228 00:08:15,060 --> 00:08:16,060 I can't! 229 00:08:16,060 --> 00:08:18,860 And as Eldridge shouted, I thought I heard another cry. 230 00:08:18,860 --> 00:08:21,100 And suddenly the rope's weight was lighter. 231 00:08:21,100 --> 00:08:24,780 I saw Eldridge fall, then get up on hands and knees and crawl away from the crevasse, toward 232 00:08:24,780 --> 00:08:25,780 me. 233 00:08:25,780 --> 00:08:26,780 Norman! 234 00:08:26,780 --> 00:08:27,780 Where's Norman? 235 00:08:27,780 --> 00:08:28,780 He's gone. 236 00:08:28,780 --> 00:08:29,780 He fell. 237 00:08:29,780 --> 00:08:30,780 He's gone. 238 00:08:30,780 --> 00:08:31,780 He can't be. 239 00:08:31,780 --> 00:08:32,780 How? 240 00:08:32,780 --> 00:08:33,780 I don't know. 241 00:08:33,780 --> 00:08:37,500 Perhaps the rope frayed on some ice at the edge. 242 00:08:37,500 --> 00:08:38,500 Suddenly it went slack. 243 00:08:38,500 --> 00:08:39,500 I heard him, Bob. 244 00:08:39,500 --> 00:08:40,500 I heard him. 245 00:08:40,500 --> 00:08:41,500 Maybe it's not too deep. 246 00:08:41,500 --> 00:08:43,540 He might have fallen into a drift at the bottom. 247 00:08:43,540 --> 00:08:44,540 Stay here. 248 00:08:44,540 --> 00:08:52,020 I belayed the rope about the ice axe and paid out the rest of it as I slid down the slope 249 00:08:52,020 --> 00:08:53,020 to the crevasse. 250 00:08:53,020 --> 00:08:55,980 But when I looked over the edge, I knew. 251 00:08:55,980 --> 00:08:59,700 That dark blue, almost black emptiness below. 252 00:08:59,700 --> 00:09:00,700 I knew. 253 00:09:00,700 --> 00:09:04,420 There'd be no snow drift for Norman Perucci's body. 254 00:09:04,420 --> 00:09:13,100 Unless it was perhaps 10,000 feet below us. 255 00:09:13,100 --> 00:09:17,460 We bypassed that place, found a shelter from the wind and pitched our tent. 256 00:09:17,460 --> 00:09:19,660 For a long time, neither one of us spoke. 257 00:09:19,660 --> 00:09:23,260 I think we were too exhausted to say anything. 258 00:09:23,260 --> 00:09:25,460 Exhausted and shocked. 259 00:09:25,460 --> 00:09:29,260 There were only two of us now. 260 00:09:29,260 --> 00:09:32,060 I keep hearing him. 261 00:09:32,060 --> 00:09:33,060 I know. 262 00:09:33,060 --> 00:09:34,060 No, no. 263 00:09:34,060 --> 00:09:35,060 You don't. 264 00:09:35,060 --> 00:09:36,060 Not the way I do. 265 00:09:36,060 --> 00:09:39,060 He was a nice kid. 266 00:09:39,060 --> 00:09:40,060 Yes. 267 00:09:40,060 --> 00:09:45,300 It doesn't seem as cold without the wind. 268 00:09:45,300 --> 00:09:48,580 How high do you think we are? 269 00:09:48,580 --> 00:09:49,580 24,000. 270 00:09:49,580 --> 00:09:50,580 I wonder. 271 00:09:50,580 --> 00:09:52,780 It's a little hard to breathe. 272 00:09:52,780 --> 00:09:54,260 I'd better use the oxygen. 273 00:09:54,260 --> 00:09:55,260 No, not yet. 274 00:09:55,260 --> 00:09:56,260 We won't need it. 275 00:09:56,260 --> 00:09:57,260 Yes, yes we will. 276 00:09:57,260 --> 00:09:58,260 We'd better save it. 277 00:09:58,260 --> 00:09:59,620 We're going down in the morning. 278 00:09:59,620 --> 00:10:00,620 No. 279 00:10:00,620 --> 00:10:01,620 We've got to. 280 00:10:01,620 --> 00:10:04,180 You and I couldn't make it up there alone. 281 00:10:04,180 --> 00:10:06,540 It's 2,500 feet to go. 282 00:10:06,540 --> 00:10:07,540 Maybe more. 283 00:10:07,540 --> 00:10:09,660 No, we've got to go back. 284 00:10:09,660 --> 00:10:11,060 Let the others try. 285 00:10:11,060 --> 00:10:12,500 Just because he's gone, is that why? 286 00:10:12,500 --> 00:10:15,020 Look, I've done more climbing than you out here. 287 00:10:15,020 --> 00:10:17,060 What happened today is bad for the nerves. 288 00:10:17,060 --> 00:10:18,060 We couldn't make it. 289 00:10:18,060 --> 00:10:19,060 We'll go back. 290 00:10:19,060 --> 00:10:20,060 Try again later. 291 00:10:20,060 --> 00:10:21,460 The monsoons will be here later. 292 00:10:21,460 --> 00:10:22,660 We've got to do it now. 293 00:10:22,660 --> 00:10:24,260 Thomas and the others can do it. 294 00:10:24,260 --> 00:10:25,940 No, we'll keep going. 295 00:10:25,940 --> 00:10:26,940 I've got to. 296 00:10:26,940 --> 00:10:27,940 I'm not going back. 297 00:10:27,940 --> 00:10:28,940 What's the matter with you? 298 00:10:28,940 --> 00:10:29,940 You're talking like a kid. 299 00:10:29,940 --> 00:10:33,380 Look, I was the last one on your list when you got the party together, wasn't I? 300 00:10:33,380 --> 00:10:34,380 Yes. 301 00:10:34,380 --> 00:10:35,380 Why? 302 00:10:35,380 --> 00:10:36,380 Why was I last? 303 00:10:36,380 --> 00:10:37,380 I don't know. 304 00:10:37,380 --> 00:10:38,380 Somebody had to be. 305 00:10:38,380 --> 00:10:39,380 It was you, that's all. 306 00:10:39,380 --> 00:10:40,380 You didn't want me along. 307 00:10:40,380 --> 00:10:41,380 None of you did. 308 00:10:41,380 --> 00:10:42,380 You're here, aren't you? 309 00:10:42,380 --> 00:10:46,060 You know I'm afraid of climbing, don't you? 310 00:10:46,060 --> 00:10:47,980 Isn't everybody a little? 311 00:10:47,980 --> 00:10:49,420 Isn't that why we do it? 312 00:10:49,420 --> 00:10:50,420 Isn't that part of it? 313 00:10:50,420 --> 00:10:51,420 I mean really scared. 314 00:10:51,420 --> 00:10:52,660 I'm really scared. 315 00:10:52,660 --> 00:10:53,660 You know that. 316 00:10:53,660 --> 00:10:54,660 No, I don't. 317 00:10:54,660 --> 00:10:57,580 Look, something happened when Noy... 318 00:10:57,580 --> 00:10:59,300 Something happened to me today. 319 00:10:59,300 --> 00:11:01,500 I've got to go onto the top now. 320 00:11:01,500 --> 00:11:03,980 You think I'll call you a coward if we don't? 321 00:11:03,980 --> 00:11:04,980 No. 322 00:11:04,980 --> 00:11:06,460 All right, then forget it. 323 00:11:06,460 --> 00:11:08,460 We'll try again. 324 00:11:08,460 --> 00:11:10,220 Maybe next year. 325 00:11:10,220 --> 00:11:11,860 You'll be along, too. 326 00:11:11,860 --> 00:11:14,140 I'll do it alone, then. 327 00:11:14,140 --> 00:11:16,260 I'm going on alone. 328 00:11:16,260 --> 00:11:17,260 If you want to come with me, all right. 329 00:11:17,260 --> 00:11:19,180 If not, it doesn't matter anyway. 330 00:11:19,180 --> 00:11:20,180 I'm going on. 331 00:11:20,180 --> 00:11:21,180 So long. 332 00:11:21,180 --> 00:11:22,180 John. 333 00:11:22,180 --> 00:11:23,180 John! 334 00:11:23,180 --> 00:11:29,700 He didn't stop. 335 00:11:29,700 --> 00:11:32,900 Just moved up the ice slab and around the hammock out of sight. 336 00:11:32,900 --> 00:11:34,860 I went back inside the tent to get my pack. 337 00:11:34,860 --> 00:11:38,060 I couldn't let him do it alone, and I was trapped into going with him. 338 00:11:38,060 --> 00:11:40,780 Then I saw that the fool hadn't even taken his rope. 339 00:11:40,780 --> 00:11:43,060 It was neatly coiled in the corner. 340 00:11:43,060 --> 00:11:47,020 I grabbed it up, and as I did so, I saw the end of it. 341 00:11:47,020 --> 00:11:50,220 The end which had broken when Perucci hung over the crevasse. 342 00:11:50,220 --> 00:11:53,900 The rope which Eldridge had said was parted by the ice. 343 00:11:53,900 --> 00:11:55,940 But there were no frayed ends. 344 00:11:55,940 --> 00:11:56,940 The break was clean. 345 00:11:56,940 --> 00:12:05,260 It had been cut through, and the oil of Eldridge's knife blade was still on it. 346 00:12:05,260 --> 00:12:21,820 Auto Light is bringing you Mr. John Hodiac with Ben Wright as Eldridge in The Mountain, 347 00:12:21,820 --> 00:12:37,420 tonight's presentation in radio's outstanding theatre of thrills, Suspense. 348 00:12:37,420 --> 00:12:42,260 Oh an auto light staple's a battery for me. 349 00:12:42,260 --> 00:12:45,700 It's the finest fine battery I ever did see. 350 00:12:45,700 --> 00:12:50,380 That is the truth, Mr. McSaulay, and that famous auto light staple needs water only 351 00:12:50,380 --> 00:12:52,780 three times a year in normal car use. 352 00:12:52,780 --> 00:12:55,780 And how long, me boy, would you be repeating about the glass of fiber? 353 00:12:55,780 --> 00:12:57,580 A pleasure, a pleasure it is. 354 00:12:57,580 --> 00:13:01,380 Those fiber glass retaining mats surround every positive plate to reduce shedding and 355 00:13:01,380 --> 00:13:06,420 flaking and give the auto light staple longer life as proved by tests conducted according 356 00:13:06,420 --> 00:13:08,860 to accepted life cycle standards. 357 00:13:08,860 --> 00:13:11,820 So friends, visit your auto light battery dealer. 358 00:13:11,820 --> 00:13:16,540 He services all makes of batteries, and he's got an auto light staple for your car if a 359 00:13:16,540 --> 00:13:18,140 replacement is needed. 360 00:13:18,140 --> 00:13:22,460 To quickly locate your nearest auto light battery dealer, call Western Union by number. 361 00:13:22,460 --> 00:13:24,060 And ask for operator 25. 362 00:13:24,060 --> 00:13:29,340 I'll tell you where to get an auto light staple, the battery that needs water only three times 363 00:13:29,340 --> 00:13:31,460 a year in normal car use. 364 00:13:31,460 --> 00:13:36,860 And as they say in St. Patrick's Day, from bumper to tail light, you're always right 365 00:13:36,860 --> 00:13:40,000 with auto light. 366 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:45,740 And now, auto light brings back to our Hollywood sound stage Mr. John Hodiac in Elliot Lewis's 367 00:13:45,740 --> 00:14:03,540 production of The Mountain, a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. 368 00:14:03,540 --> 00:14:06,820 When Eldridge had thought that he was going over the crevasse, he'd cut the rope which 369 00:14:06,820 --> 00:14:10,420 had held Norman Perucci's body some 20 feet into the chasm. 370 00:14:10,420 --> 00:14:13,020 To save his own life, he'd done this. 371 00:14:13,020 --> 00:14:21,140 I pulled the coil through the straps of my pack and left the tent. 372 00:14:21,140 --> 00:14:23,380 I caught up with Eldridge about 100 feet higher. 373 00:14:23,380 --> 00:14:27,940 He was standing on a shallow ledge catching his breath, and his head was tilted back, 374 00:14:27,940 --> 00:14:31,620 eyes fixed on that mountaintop, the brain of the monster. 375 00:14:31,620 --> 00:14:37,660 That nasty bit back there, I was cutting steps up the cliff, I nearly fell. 376 00:14:37,660 --> 00:14:38,660 You didn't though. 377 00:14:38,660 --> 00:14:39,660 No, I didn't. 378 00:14:39,660 --> 00:14:42,500 I say you're coming with me, eh? 379 00:14:42,500 --> 00:14:45,700 I want to see that you get down alive. 380 00:14:45,700 --> 00:14:47,140 You forgot your rope. 381 00:14:47,140 --> 00:14:49,460 I found it in the tent. 382 00:14:49,460 --> 00:14:51,500 I didn't think I'd need it. 383 00:14:51,500 --> 00:14:52,500 You might. 384 00:14:52,500 --> 00:14:53,500 Here. 385 00:14:53,500 --> 00:14:54,500 Thanks. 386 00:14:54,500 --> 00:14:57,500 We better tie on together. 387 00:14:57,500 --> 00:14:58,500 All right. 388 00:14:58,500 --> 00:15:03,500 Do you want to go first? 389 00:15:03,500 --> 00:15:04,500 No. 390 00:15:04,500 --> 00:15:07,100 It's your party now. 391 00:15:07,100 --> 00:15:08,100 You lead. 392 00:15:08,100 --> 00:15:09,100 All right. 393 00:15:09,100 --> 00:15:17,340 He had a funny look on his face as we roped together. 394 00:15:17,340 --> 00:15:20,340 I think he must have known then that I'd found out what he'd done. 395 00:15:20,340 --> 00:15:23,460 He didn't say anything though, but turned and began to move upwards. 396 00:15:23,460 --> 00:15:27,780 At three o'clock that afternoon, we were at about 25,000 feet. 397 00:15:27,780 --> 00:15:30,140 Was hard to breathe now, terribly hard. 398 00:15:30,140 --> 00:15:34,100 We decided to rest for a few minutes. 399 00:15:34,100 --> 00:15:38,820 I remembered looking down from the ridge, looking down into the incredible scene below. 400 00:15:38,820 --> 00:15:45,580 Then up, and the peak which loomed over us, clear against the sky, perhaps 1,500, perhaps 401 00:15:45,580 --> 00:15:48,140 2,000 feet over us. 402 00:15:48,140 --> 00:15:51,380 I remembered Perucci's excitement as he'd seen it further down. 403 00:15:51,380 --> 00:15:55,340 And even then, I thought it could be beaten, that we might do it. 404 00:15:55,340 --> 00:16:02,420 We'll lose the oxygen from here as soon as we start again. 405 00:16:02,420 --> 00:16:03,420 Can't do any more today. 406 00:16:03,420 --> 00:16:04,420 Oh yes. 407 00:16:04,420 --> 00:16:05,420 We can go higher. 408 00:16:05,420 --> 00:16:06,420 Then what? 409 00:16:06,420 --> 00:16:09,580 Then it gets dark camp. 410 00:16:09,580 --> 00:16:11,180 Finish it tomorrow, if we don't today. 411 00:16:11,180 --> 00:16:13,900 If a storm comes up, we'll be in trouble. 412 00:16:13,900 --> 00:16:14,900 It won't. 413 00:16:14,900 --> 00:16:17,700 If we're going to make it, I know we are. 414 00:16:17,700 --> 00:16:18,700 Then what? 415 00:16:18,700 --> 00:16:20,300 It doesn't matter after that. 416 00:16:20,300 --> 00:16:22,460 We'll have to go down to the others. 417 00:16:22,460 --> 00:16:24,220 Yes, I suppose so. 418 00:16:24,220 --> 00:16:27,100 We'll have to tell them about Norman. 419 00:16:27,100 --> 00:16:28,100 Yes. 420 00:16:28,100 --> 00:16:31,140 Are we going to tell the same story? 421 00:16:31,140 --> 00:16:32,540 I think we will. 422 00:16:32,540 --> 00:16:37,220 You know why I followed you, why I came along? 423 00:16:37,220 --> 00:16:38,220 Yes. 424 00:16:38,220 --> 00:16:39,980 Just like that. 425 00:16:39,980 --> 00:16:41,300 Yes. 426 00:16:41,300 --> 00:16:43,140 You murdered a man and that's all there is to it. 427 00:16:43,140 --> 00:16:44,140 I was afraid. 428 00:16:44,140 --> 00:16:45,820 I knew if I went over, we'd all go. 429 00:16:45,820 --> 00:16:46,820 It was the only way. 430 00:16:46,820 --> 00:16:48,300 If you'd waited, we could have got him out. 431 00:16:48,300 --> 00:16:49,740 I didn't know it then. 432 00:16:49,740 --> 00:16:50,780 I felt myself going. 433 00:16:50,780 --> 00:16:51,780 I had to do it. 434 00:16:51,780 --> 00:16:52,780 What's all this for? 435 00:16:52,780 --> 00:16:54,220 To wipe out the sin? 436 00:16:54,220 --> 00:16:56,380 Get to the peak and be a man again? 437 00:16:56,380 --> 00:16:58,780 In a way, perhaps. 438 00:16:58,780 --> 00:17:00,620 You won't be. 439 00:17:00,620 --> 00:17:02,380 You'll never be. 440 00:17:02,380 --> 00:17:07,820 When this gets out, and it's going to, there'll be no place for you to hide. 441 00:17:07,820 --> 00:17:10,740 No place to go. 442 00:17:10,740 --> 00:17:17,700 We better get moving. 443 00:17:17,700 --> 00:17:24,060 We began to use the oxygen sparingly and kept moving up, slower and slower. 444 00:17:24,060 --> 00:17:26,380 Our hearts pounding with the effort. 445 00:17:26,380 --> 00:17:27,940 Hundred feet. 446 00:17:27,940 --> 00:17:30,060 Two hundred. 447 00:17:30,060 --> 00:17:31,060 Three. 448 00:17:31,060 --> 00:17:33,780 I began to feel lightheaded. 449 00:17:33,780 --> 00:17:34,780 I couldn't. 450 00:17:34,780 --> 00:17:36,780 Not another step. 451 00:17:36,780 --> 00:17:39,620 I couldn't. 452 00:17:39,620 --> 00:17:41,900 Then it was four hundred feet. 453 00:17:41,900 --> 00:17:52,220 Eldridge collapsed in front of me and lay in the fine snow, sobbing. 454 00:17:52,220 --> 00:17:53,220 We stop. 455 00:17:53,220 --> 00:17:54,220 Stop here. 456 00:17:54,220 --> 00:17:55,220 We've got to go on. 457 00:17:55,220 --> 00:17:56,220 No. 458 00:17:56,220 --> 00:17:57,220 Go on. 459 00:17:57,220 --> 00:18:10,100 And he sobbed like a child. 460 00:18:10,100 --> 00:18:14,140 His mind willed him to keep going and his body wouldn't allow it. 461 00:18:14,140 --> 00:18:18,660 We lay there using our precious oxygen because I think had we not done so, we'd have died 462 00:18:18,660 --> 00:18:19,660 of fatigue. 463 00:18:19,660 --> 00:18:22,500 The wind had died down. 464 00:18:22,500 --> 00:18:23,500 Completely. 465 00:18:23,500 --> 00:18:32,140 And there was a silence so complete that you could almost imagine it bore a sound in itself. 466 00:18:32,140 --> 00:18:33,140 Deadening. 467 00:18:33,140 --> 00:18:34,140 Awful. 468 00:18:34,140 --> 00:18:37,300 We made camp and tried to sleep. 469 00:18:37,300 --> 00:18:40,300 We were too tired to think of food. 470 00:18:40,300 --> 00:18:48,700 With the night came a heavy mist and it began to grow much colder. 471 00:18:48,700 --> 00:18:51,780 The morning of May 20th was gray, clouded. 472 00:18:51,780 --> 00:18:56,140 The peak of the mountain was shrouded and I knew that it was going to snow. 473 00:18:56,140 --> 00:18:57,860 Directly ahead of us was an ice wall. 474 00:18:57,860 --> 00:19:00,260 There was no way around it. 475 00:19:00,260 --> 00:19:07,500 We had to climb almost vertically, cut our own steps with ice axe, one by one, and climb. 476 00:19:07,500 --> 00:19:08,820 This time I took the lead. 477 00:19:08,820 --> 00:19:14,180 And as I nodded the rope, Eldridge said, you don't trust me, do you? 478 00:19:14,180 --> 00:19:20,020 You're afraid if I'm leading a new fall, I'll cut the rope again. 479 00:19:20,020 --> 00:19:22,060 You might. 480 00:19:22,060 --> 00:19:23,060 Let's go. 481 00:19:23,060 --> 00:19:30,620 At that point we had ascended 25,400 feet. 482 00:19:30,620 --> 00:19:33,460 The ice wall would take us another hundred higher. 483 00:19:33,460 --> 00:19:36,180 The wind began to blow when we were halfway up. 484 00:19:36,180 --> 00:19:39,180 Two pathetic specks on a wall of the world. 485 00:19:39,180 --> 00:19:45,780 We'll move around to the right after this step. 486 00:19:45,780 --> 00:19:48,580 There's a bit of a ledge. 487 00:19:48,580 --> 00:19:51,260 I'll cut it. 488 00:19:51,260 --> 00:19:52,260 Okay. 489 00:19:52,260 --> 00:19:53,260 Come on. 490 00:19:53,260 --> 00:20:06,660 The ledge was at most 10 inches wide, narrowing down in places to no more than a toehold. 491 00:20:06,660 --> 00:20:10,140 I felt my way along until the ledge gave out. 492 00:20:10,140 --> 00:20:12,940 Then the hacking of steps began again. 493 00:20:12,940 --> 00:20:15,020 The wind tore at me, screamed. 494 00:20:15,020 --> 00:20:19,780 And like a great hand tried to sweep me off the wall. 495 00:20:19,780 --> 00:20:23,660 Once I looked down and it was as though a white blanket were stretched out beneath. 496 00:20:23,660 --> 00:20:25,740 It was snow. 497 00:20:25,740 --> 00:20:28,740 I could see it billowing up and around. 498 00:20:28,740 --> 00:20:32,180 While above the summit ignored everything beneath. 499 00:20:32,180 --> 00:20:35,460 The blizzard hit us as we reached the top of the ice wall. 500 00:20:35,460 --> 00:20:40,460 We found a little shelter in the lee of a pyramid-shaped summit and waited. 501 00:20:40,460 --> 00:20:42,460 And then the slope seemed to lurch. 502 00:20:42,460 --> 00:20:45,940 And I had a split second to see the wave of snow pouring down on me. 503 00:20:45,940 --> 00:20:46,940 It was over. 504 00:20:46,940 --> 00:20:47,940 Done. 505 00:20:47,940 --> 00:20:49,940 The avalanche swept us down, smothering, killing. 506 00:20:49,940 --> 00:20:52,940 And I thought of the ice wall and the drop below. 507 00:20:52,940 --> 00:21:11,340 That's all I remember. 508 00:21:11,340 --> 00:21:12,940 I had stopped falling. 509 00:21:12,940 --> 00:21:16,460 It was my first thought when I came to. 510 00:21:16,460 --> 00:21:18,940 I wasn't dead. 511 00:21:18,940 --> 00:21:22,580 I saw a pair of legs crouch next to me. 512 00:21:22,580 --> 00:21:25,060 I didn't think you were going to make it. 513 00:21:25,060 --> 00:21:27,700 Where'd I land? 514 00:21:27,700 --> 00:21:29,260 Hanging over the ice wall? 515 00:21:29,260 --> 00:21:32,100 But you were behind me. 516 00:21:32,100 --> 00:21:34,340 You didn't go over. 517 00:21:34,340 --> 00:21:35,340 No. 518 00:21:35,340 --> 00:21:37,220 Don't ask me why. 519 00:21:37,220 --> 00:21:41,940 It must have been a corner of the avalanche that hit us. 520 00:21:41,940 --> 00:21:44,660 You ended up pulling me down. 521 00:21:44,660 --> 00:21:48,140 My axe caught in one of the steps and it held us both. 522 00:21:48,140 --> 00:21:50,380 And you pulled me up. 523 00:21:50,380 --> 00:21:52,860 Yeah, looks like it. 524 00:21:52,860 --> 00:21:53,860 Thanks. 525 00:21:53,860 --> 00:21:56,780 How long have I been out? 526 00:21:56,780 --> 00:21:57,780 An hour. 527 00:21:57,780 --> 00:22:01,140 A little more. 528 00:22:01,140 --> 00:22:02,140 Blizzard's letting up. 529 00:22:02,140 --> 00:22:03,140 Yeah. 530 00:22:03,140 --> 00:22:04,140 Yeah. 531 00:22:04,140 --> 00:22:05,140 Yeah. 532 00:22:05,140 --> 00:22:08,100 Did it feel like going on? 533 00:22:08,100 --> 00:22:09,700 I think so. 534 00:22:09,700 --> 00:22:11,740 All right. 535 00:22:11,740 --> 00:22:13,740 You tell me something. 536 00:22:13,740 --> 00:22:15,140 What? 537 00:22:15,140 --> 00:22:17,500 Why did you pull me out of it? 538 00:22:17,500 --> 00:22:20,660 Why didn't you just let me go over the edge? 539 00:22:20,660 --> 00:22:22,780 Then you wouldn't have had me around to tell. 540 00:22:22,780 --> 00:22:26,420 Look, I'm not a murderer, Bob. 541 00:22:26,420 --> 00:22:29,900 I cut Norman's rope because I was afraid. 542 00:22:29,900 --> 00:22:33,260 If I thought there was even a chance of us not falling, I wouldn't have done it. 543 00:22:33,260 --> 00:22:34,260 But I didn't know. 544 00:22:34,260 --> 00:22:35,260 Oh. 545 00:22:35,260 --> 00:22:39,060 That doesn't excuse me. 546 00:22:39,060 --> 00:22:41,660 But it doesn't mean I'd kill you to get out of it. 547 00:22:41,660 --> 00:22:42,660 No. 548 00:22:42,660 --> 00:22:44,900 I'd better save the talk. 549 00:22:44,900 --> 00:22:46,940 We'll need our breath. 550 00:22:46,940 --> 00:22:50,100 You want to lead or shall I? 551 00:22:50,100 --> 00:22:57,620 I'll do it. 552 00:22:57,620 --> 00:23:02,260 The storm had passed and although we could see the cold sky again, the peak was still 553 00:23:02,260 --> 00:23:05,620 only occasionally visible through patches of mist. 554 00:23:05,620 --> 00:23:09,020 We went up, higher, higher. 555 00:23:09,020 --> 00:23:12,540 And then my oxygen tank went out and we had to share outages. 556 00:23:12,540 --> 00:23:14,860 We'd nearly reached 26,000 feet. 557 00:23:14,860 --> 00:23:16,780 We could see the top. 558 00:23:16,780 --> 00:23:21,420 For a moment it stood out clear and it looked so easy. 559 00:23:21,420 --> 00:23:23,500 The last lap. 560 00:23:23,500 --> 00:23:29,220 But now we could only move a few steps at a time until we had to rest and I couldn't 561 00:23:29,220 --> 00:23:30,220 get up again. 562 00:23:30,220 --> 00:23:38,860 It looks pretty easy past that ridge. 563 00:23:38,860 --> 00:23:42,780 I have to wait. 564 00:23:42,780 --> 00:23:45,220 All right. 565 00:23:45,220 --> 00:23:46,220 Wait for me. 566 00:23:46,220 --> 00:23:47,220 No. 567 00:23:47,220 --> 00:23:48,220 Go on. 568 00:23:48,220 --> 00:23:49,220 No, together. 569 00:23:49,220 --> 00:23:50,220 Just wait. 570 00:23:50,220 --> 00:23:52,220 A couple of minutes. 571 00:23:52,220 --> 00:23:53,220 Oh. 572 00:23:53,220 --> 00:23:54,220 It'll be getting dark. 573 00:23:54,220 --> 00:23:56,220 I'll come back for you. 574 00:23:56,220 --> 00:23:57,220 No. 575 00:23:57,220 --> 00:23:58,220 A minute. 576 00:23:58,220 --> 00:23:59,220 Yeah. 577 00:23:59,220 --> 00:24:00,220 You? 578 00:24:00,220 --> 00:24:01,220 You take the oxygen. 579 00:24:01,220 --> 00:24:02,220 No. 580 00:24:02,220 --> 00:24:03,220 No, John. 581 00:24:03,220 --> 00:24:04,220 No. 582 00:24:04,220 --> 00:24:05,220 I won't need it. 583 00:24:05,220 --> 00:24:06,220 You wait here. 584 00:24:06,220 --> 00:24:07,220 No. 585 00:24:07,220 --> 00:24:08,220 I'll get down again. 586 00:24:08,220 --> 00:24:09,220 Wait. 587 00:24:09,220 --> 00:24:10,220 Look, I'm sorry. 588 00:24:10,220 --> 00:24:11,220 I was afraid. 589 00:24:11,220 --> 00:24:12,220 I'm still afraid. 590 00:24:12,220 --> 00:24:13,220 That's why I've got to do it. 591 00:24:13,220 --> 00:24:14,220 You understand? 592 00:24:14,220 --> 00:24:15,220 Come on, Bob. 593 00:24:15,220 --> 00:24:37,420 I didn't have the strength to stop him as he untied the rope which had held us together. 594 00:24:37,420 --> 00:24:39,500 Then he was gone. 595 00:24:39,500 --> 00:24:42,060 And after a while, I felt stronger. 596 00:24:42,060 --> 00:24:43,940 I sat up. 597 00:24:43,940 --> 00:24:48,380 I could see him, a dark blob against the mountain snow. 598 00:24:48,380 --> 00:24:49,380 Smaller. 599 00:24:49,380 --> 00:24:50,380 Smaller. 600 00:24:50,380 --> 00:24:53,900 And he was climbing upwards. 601 00:24:53,900 --> 00:24:59,980 He'd reached the final pinnacle and became a dot that was lost in the mist. 602 00:24:59,980 --> 00:25:02,540 I saw Eldridge once more. 603 00:25:02,540 --> 00:25:06,740 He couldn't have been more than 250 feet below the peak. 604 00:25:06,740 --> 00:25:09,220 For perhaps 10 seconds, I saw him. 605 00:25:09,220 --> 00:25:12,340 And then he disappeared. 606 00:25:12,340 --> 00:25:14,980 I waited. 607 00:25:14,980 --> 00:25:17,100 Waited into the night. 608 00:25:17,100 --> 00:25:19,460 The next morning, I began to look for him. 609 00:25:19,460 --> 00:25:21,580 But the oxygen was gone. 610 00:25:21,580 --> 00:25:25,340 I knew that if I had to climb another foot, I'd die. 611 00:25:25,340 --> 00:25:26,900 So I turned back. 612 00:25:26,900 --> 00:25:29,420 There was no wind anymore. 613 00:25:29,420 --> 00:25:33,060 It was almost warm. 614 00:25:33,060 --> 00:25:34,060 Somehow I got down. 615 00:25:34,060 --> 00:25:36,460 Down to the base camp. 616 00:25:36,460 --> 00:25:39,140 I told him the story. 617 00:25:39,140 --> 00:25:41,860 Almost the whole story, but not quite. 618 00:25:41,860 --> 00:25:47,700 I changed a rope which had been cut with a knife into a rope which had frayed and parted 619 00:25:47,700 --> 00:25:50,220 on the ice. 620 00:25:50,220 --> 00:25:57,420 I remember as we started down to the valley below, I turned and stood a minute looking 621 00:25:57,420 --> 00:26:01,140 back, looking up. 622 00:26:01,140 --> 00:26:07,660 Then a cloud softly poured over the peak. 623 00:26:07,660 --> 00:26:22,940 And in a moment, the mountain was gone. 624 00:26:22,940 --> 00:26:42,580 Suspense, presented by Autolite, tonight's star, Mr. John Hodiac. 625 00:26:42,580 --> 00:26:47,820 This is Harlow Wilcox again speaking for Autolite, world's largest independent manufacturer of 626 00:26:47,820 --> 00:26:50,180 automotive electrical equipment. 627 00:26:50,180 --> 00:26:53,980 Autolite is proud to serve the greatest names in the industry. 628 00:26:53,980 --> 00:26:59,460 That's why during these early months of 1953, the Autolite family joins again in saluting 629 00:26:59,460 --> 00:27:05,180 the leading car manufacturers who install Autolite products as original equipment. 630 00:27:05,180 --> 00:27:10,020 Our Autolite family is made up of the nearly 30,000 men and women in 28 great Autolite 631 00:27:10,020 --> 00:27:15,540 plants from coast to coast, and in still other Autolite plants in many foreign countries. 632 00:27:15,540 --> 00:27:19,780 Our family also includes more than 18,000 people who have invested a portion of their 633 00:27:19,780 --> 00:27:26,300 savings in Autolite, as well as 98,000 Autolite distributors and dealers in the United States, 634 00:27:26,300 --> 00:27:29,740 and thousands more in Canada and throughout the world. 635 00:27:29,740 --> 00:27:35,180 Three weeks from now, as the climax of this year's Autolite family salute program, Autolite 636 00:27:35,180 --> 00:27:40,880 will present special programs on both radio and television, direct from the Easter Parade 637 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:45,460 of Stars Auto Show in New York's Waldorf Historia Hotel. 638 00:27:45,460 --> 00:27:49,980 So don't miss this exciting Suspense radio program originating from the grand ballroom 639 00:27:49,980 --> 00:28:00,180 of the Waldorf Historia on Monday, April 6th. 640 00:28:00,180 --> 00:28:04,720 Next week, a story in the classic tradition of suspense as we present a new version of 641 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:09,500 Charles Dickens' terrifying short story, The Signalman. 642 00:28:09,500 --> 00:28:14,220 Our star, the First Lady of suspense, Miss Agnes Moorhead. 643 00:28:14,220 --> 00:28:19,620 That's next week on Suspense. 644 00:28:19,620 --> 00:28:22,780 The Mountain was written for suspense by Anthony Ellis. 645 00:28:22,780 --> 00:28:27,700 The program is produced and directed by Elliot Lewis, with music composed by Lucian Morawick 646 00:28:27,700 --> 00:28:29,900 and conducted by Lutte Gluskin. 647 00:28:29,900 --> 00:28:32,380 In tonight's play, Ben Wright was heard as Eldridge. 648 00:28:32,380 --> 00:28:38,220 Featured in the cast were Joseph Kearns, John Fraser, Paul Fries, and James McCallion. 649 00:28:38,220 --> 00:28:43,720 John Hodiac may soon be seen in the Columbia Pictures production, Mission Over Korea. 650 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:50,780 And remember next week, Miss Agnes Moorhead in Charles Dickens' The Signalman. 651 00:28:50,780 --> 00:28:55,980 Tomorrow is an important day not only to the wearers of the green, but also to the Campfire 652 00:28:55,980 --> 00:28:56,980 Girls. 653 00:28:56,980 --> 00:29:02,820 March 17th marks the 43rd anniversary of this organization dedicated to teaching American 654 00:29:02,820 --> 00:29:06,260 girls how to become good citizens of the future. 655 00:29:06,260 --> 00:29:12,900 Auto Light congratulates the Campfire Girls and their inspired leaders. 656 00:29:12,900 --> 00:29:14,980 This is the CBS Radio Network.