1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:16,000 And now, tonight's presentation of radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense. 2 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:24,040 Tonight, the story of a woman, a most attractive woman, who learns to her discomfort that even 3 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,960 the smallest of arguments could lead to her death. 4 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:32,040 So now with Virginia Gregg as Mrs. Russell and Vic Perrin as Henry, here is tonight's 5 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:36,960 Suspense play, Goodnight Mrs. Russell. 6 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:43,920 There's no escaping now. 7 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:48,960 He hasn't said a word for ten minutes. 8 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:53,920 I know he's turning over in his mind how he's going to kill me. 9 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:55,920 It's almost dawn now. 10 00:00:55,920 --> 00:01:01,960 In a little while, the milkman and the paper boys will be making their rounds. 11 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:10,960 I'll be dead. 12 00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:13,960 The cafe was just half a block away from where I worked. 13 00:01:13,960 --> 00:01:18,960 It was a small, pleasant little place, spotlessly clean with a large plate glass window on the 14 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:19,960 sidewalk. 15 00:01:19,960 --> 00:01:23,920 There was always a beautiful looking roast turkey and a juicy baked ham in the window 16 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:29,160 and you could watch Henry carve off succulent pieces of meat and arrange them into neat sandwiches 17 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,320 with an olive and a dab of potato salad on the plate. 18 00:01:32,320 --> 00:01:36,080 Every noon, all of us who worked in the Hillmar building would go there for lunch. 19 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:41,280 We crowded in on the high stools and jabbered as women do while Henry patiently served us 20 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:43,520 and put up with our female chatter. 21 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:45,320 He was always the only one there. 22 00:01:45,320 --> 00:01:46,320 How are you today, ma'am? 23 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:48,160 Oh, I'm fine, thank you, Henry. 24 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:54,400 I think I'll have some of your nice baked ham and, and... 25 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:57,400 Yes, ma'am, coming up. 26 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:00,600 He was always especially nice to me. 27 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:04,920 I suppose that was because I'm, well, a little older than the others. 28 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:07,560 The other girls were all quite young and very cute. 29 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:11,160 Henry always seemed uncomfortable a little with them. 30 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:13,160 Yes, ma'am, coffee? 31 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,720 Yes, please, and I believe I'll have some of your cheering pie. 32 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:18,280 You're an excellent cook, Henry. 33 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:19,280 Thank you, ma'am. 34 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,280 I'm glad you think so. 35 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:26,280 Twenty, fifteen, thirty... 36 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:34,760 Perhaps I should have realized then, at a moment like that, he'd been in the middle of adding 37 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:39,280 up my check when he stopped and stood very still and looked out of the corner of his 38 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:43,680 eye with his head cocked on one side as though he were listening to something. 39 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:47,800 His expression was a little horrified. 40 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:52,480 I thought maybe he'd heard a sound that meant something to him, you know, like the refrigerator 41 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:54,040 out of order or something. 42 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:59,720 Then all of a sudden he shook his head and brushed away whatever it was he had heard. 43 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:03,760 Twenty and fifteen, thirty-five and forty-five. 44 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:05,760 You should try one of my dinners sometime, ma'am. 45 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:07,760 Henry, how about some service? 46 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:10,760 We only have a few minutes, Henry. 47 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:12,800 Excuse me, ma'am. 48 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:14,920 That was Henry. 49 00:03:14,920 --> 00:03:17,920 Oh, one other thing. 50 00:03:17,920 --> 00:03:20,920 Funny, but Henry never laughed. 51 00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:30,920 Perhaps I should have realized about him because of that, but I didn't. 52 00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:36,320 He was so nice and clean and polite, I rather liked him. 53 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:40,520 As a rule, I make my own dinner in the apartment, but one night I had to work quite late at 54 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:44,120 the office and I decided to stop by Henry's and get a bite before catching the street 55 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:45,120 car home. 56 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:52,120 Ever since my husband died, I've felt just a little uneasy on the streets alone at night. 57 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:55,600 I was glad to see the bright light in Henry's little cafe down the block. 58 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:59,760 Henry was alone inside and I could see him fussing around cleaning up the place. 59 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:02,760 He didn't hear me approaching. 60 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:04,760 Oh, you. 61 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:07,880 You frightened me, ma'am. 62 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:08,880 I didn't hear you coming. 63 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,760 I just thought I'd try one of your dinners tonight, Henry. 64 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:12,760 You mentioned it the other day. 65 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:13,760 Yes, I know. 66 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:16,760 Sit down, won't you, ma'am? 67 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:18,760 You weren't closing or anything? 68 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:20,040 No, no, not at all. 69 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:21,040 What would you like? 70 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:25,680 Oh, I'll try your number four dinner. 71 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:26,680 Number four, yes, ma'am. 72 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:31,680 He seemed rather frightened about something or suspicious. 73 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:33,680 Yes, that was it. 74 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:36,840 He seemed suspicious about something, I thought. 75 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:40,560 I wanted to help him somehow, but I didn't want to butt in. 76 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,840 This is the first time you've ever been by here at night, ma'am. 77 00:04:43,840 --> 00:04:44,840 Yes. 78 00:04:44,840 --> 00:04:45,840 I had to work late tonight, Henry. 79 00:04:45,840 --> 00:04:48,040 Didn't want to go home without dinner, you know. 80 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:49,040 I see. 81 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:51,040 Is something wrong, Henry? 82 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:56,080 No, no, I'll get the rest of your dinner. 83 00:04:56,080 --> 00:05:00,800 Mm, delicious soup. 84 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:03,120 Thank you, ma'am. 85 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:04,760 You don't often work late, do you? 86 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:05,760 No, I don't. 87 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:09,720 This is the first time, in fact, my boss asked me to stay late to touch some lettuce. 88 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:10,720 I know. 89 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:11,720 You work in the Hillmar Building. 90 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:12,720 Yes, I do. 91 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:13,720 How do you... 92 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:14,720 I know lots of things, ma'am. 93 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:27,720 This is a good dinner, Henry. 94 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:32,920 I, uh, I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought I was. 95 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:35,680 I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave some of it. 96 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:36,960 I thought you liked my cooking. 97 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:38,440 You said so just the other day. 98 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:39,440 Oh, I do. 99 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:40,880 I think you're a grand cook, Henry. 100 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:43,080 It's just that I'm not hungry tonight. 101 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:44,440 I waited too long to eat, I guess. 102 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:46,240 You don't have to make excuses, ma'am. 103 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:48,240 If you didn't like it, just say so. 104 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:49,240 No, I mean it. 105 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:51,240 Your food is wonderful, Henry. 106 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:53,800 If it weren't, I wouldn't have come here. 107 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:54,800 Wouldn't you? 108 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:55,800 No. 109 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,640 Now, could I have my check, please, Henry? 110 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:00,640 Ninety-five cents, ma'am. 111 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:01,640 All right. 112 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:02,640 There you are, Henry. 113 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:03,640 You may keep the change. 114 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:05,840 I'd rather not, ma'am. 115 00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:06,840 Yes. 116 00:06:06,840 --> 00:06:07,840 Very well. 117 00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:08,840 Good night, Henry. 118 00:06:08,840 --> 00:06:09,840 Ma'am? 119 00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:10,840 Yes? 120 00:06:10,840 --> 00:06:15,840 Next time you come, I'll have something you like. 121 00:06:15,840 --> 00:06:18,840 But I did like... 122 00:06:18,840 --> 00:06:21,840 Oh, good night, Henry. 123 00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:24,840 Good night, Mrs. Russell. 124 00:06:24,840 --> 00:06:31,840 It was good food, but I felt rather ill at ease in there for some reason. 125 00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:34,840 That's why I couldn't eat. 126 00:06:34,840 --> 00:06:38,840 I decided not to go back there alone. 127 00:06:38,840 --> 00:06:44,560 It was rather hard to talk to Henry, and I didn't go back alone. 128 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:47,760 That is, not for three weeks. 129 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:55,680 I should never have gone back. 130 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:59,680 We all continued to have our lunch there, and Henry was the same quiet, polite young 131 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:00,680 man. 132 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:05,400 Gradually, I came to feel that that odd business in the cafe that night had just been all my 133 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:06,400 imagination. 134 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:10,880 Then came tonight. 135 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:19,080 I had to work late and again, and for the last time, I went to Henry. 136 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:25,920 Hello, Henry. 137 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:28,320 You've decided to try me again, I see. 138 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:30,880 Why, Henry, I've been eating here every day. 139 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:31,880 Not at night. 140 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:32,880 What's the difference? 141 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:34,320 In the daytime, you're always with your friends. 142 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:36,520 I like to eat with my friends. 143 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:38,920 Now let's have no more of this silly talk, Henry. 144 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:40,960 How about one of your wonderful dinners? 145 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:42,920 I promise to eat all of it tonight. 146 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:44,960 All right, ma'am. 147 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:45,960 Which one? 148 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:47,720 I'll try the number four again, please. 149 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:50,440 I think that way I can convince you I really like it. 150 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:51,440 Why? 151 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:52,440 Why? 152 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:56,440 Oh, because I think four is lucky, don't you? 153 00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:59,320 All right, ma'am, it's all ready. 154 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:02,160 You don't have many customers at night, do you, Henry? 155 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:03,160 No, ma'am, not many. 156 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:04,160 I'm surprised you stay open. 157 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:05,160 Are you? 158 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:06,160 There you are. 159 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:07,160 I hope you... 160 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:08,160 I hope... 161 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:09,160 Oh, what is it, Henry? 162 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:10,160 You seem to be listening for something. 163 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:11,160 Is there a... 164 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:12,160 Are you enjoying your dinner? 165 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:13,160 Henry, I hate to sound like I'm prying. 166 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:14,160 I know it isn't my business at all, but I think something's wrong. 167 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:15,160 I'm sorry. 168 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:16,160 I'm sorry. 169 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:17,160 I'm sorry. 170 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:18,160 I'm sorry. 171 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:19,160 I'm sorry. 172 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:20,160 I'm sorry. 173 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:21,160 I'm sorry. 174 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:22,160 I'm sorry. 175 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:23,160 I'm sorry. 176 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:24,160 I'm sorry. 177 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:25,160 I'm sorry. 178 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:26,160 I'm sorry. 179 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:27,620 I think something's bothering you. 180 00:08:27,620 --> 00:08:28,620 Do you? 181 00:08:28,620 --> 00:08:29,620 Yes, there... 182 00:08:29,620 --> 00:08:33,380 There isn't any way I can help, is there? 183 00:08:33,380 --> 00:08:36,380 Nothing's bothering me, ma'am. 184 00:08:36,380 --> 00:08:38,020 Yes. 185 00:08:38,020 --> 00:08:43,460 You know, I had a son like you. 186 00:08:43,460 --> 00:08:44,460 Did you? 187 00:08:44,460 --> 00:08:47,100 He was in the army, killed in the war. 188 00:08:47,100 --> 00:08:48,760 He was very much like you. 189 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:49,760 I see. 190 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:51,740 That left me all alone in the world. 191 00:08:51,740 --> 00:08:54,020 My husband Leonard died four years before. 192 00:08:54,020 --> 00:08:56,020 He was a wonderful man. 193 00:08:56,020 --> 00:08:58,020 Everyone admired him. 194 00:08:58,020 --> 00:09:00,020 The contractor, you know. 195 00:09:00,020 --> 00:09:09,020 I began to notice that as I talked away about my family and everything, he became very quiet. 196 00:09:09,020 --> 00:09:16,020 He sat down on the cooler back of the counter and just watched me, his face absolutely blank. 197 00:09:16,020 --> 00:09:19,020 I couldn't tell what he was thinking. 198 00:09:19,020 --> 00:09:22,020 I was getting uneasy again. 199 00:09:22,020 --> 00:09:26,020 I just about decided to make up an excuse to pay my bill and leave. 200 00:09:26,020 --> 00:09:28,020 It was getting quite late. 201 00:09:28,020 --> 00:09:36,020 When my head began to feel heavy, and I began to feel sick, strange. 202 00:09:36,020 --> 00:09:38,020 Mrs. Russell? 203 00:09:38,020 --> 00:09:41,020 Henry, I feel ill. 204 00:09:41,020 --> 00:09:45,020 Henry, I'm... I'm awfully dizzy. 205 00:09:45,020 --> 00:09:48,020 I don't think I can... 206 00:09:48,020 --> 00:09:50,020 Henry? 207 00:09:50,020 --> 00:09:51,020 Can't you hear me? 208 00:09:51,020 --> 00:09:55,020 I believe I'm going... going to faint. 209 00:09:55,020 --> 00:09:59,020 Perhaps you'd better help. 210 00:09:59,020 --> 00:10:02,020 Did you do something? 211 00:10:02,020 --> 00:10:22,020 Good night, Mrs. Russell. 212 00:10:22,020 --> 00:10:25,020 You are listening to Good Night Mrs. Russell. 213 00:10:25,020 --> 00:10:39,020 Tonight's presentation in radio's outstanding theater of frills, Suspense. 214 00:10:39,020 --> 00:10:47,020 A one-man crime wave comes to an abrupt end when the FBI swings into action in an exciting tale tomorrow night on CBS radio. 215 00:10:47,020 --> 00:10:51,020 The G-men break up the gentleman friend racket in brisk, efficient style. 216 00:10:51,020 --> 00:10:57,020 Listen to your FBI in Peace and War tomorrow night on most of these same stations. 217 00:10:57,020 --> 00:11:06,020 And now we bring back to our Hollywood soundstage Virginia Gregg and Vic Perrin in tonight's production of Good Night Mrs. Russell. 218 00:11:06,020 --> 00:11:19,020 A tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. 219 00:11:19,020 --> 00:11:22,020 I don't know how long I was unconscious. 220 00:11:22,020 --> 00:11:25,020 It seemed just for a moment. 221 00:11:25,020 --> 00:11:29,020 A moment crowded with horrible nightmares and dreadful sounds. 222 00:11:29,020 --> 00:11:32,020 I remembered hearing a woman screaming. 223 00:11:32,020 --> 00:11:34,020 Screaming and crying horribly. 224 00:11:34,020 --> 00:11:36,020 It was ghastly. 225 00:11:36,020 --> 00:11:39,020 I must have been unconscious several hours. 226 00:11:39,020 --> 00:11:43,020 And when I opened my eyes, it was dark. 227 00:11:43,020 --> 00:11:45,020 Pitch dark. 228 00:11:45,020 --> 00:11:47,020 A clock was ticking somewhere. 229 00:11:47,020 --> 00:11:52,020 And I realized that the screaming woman had been me. 230 00:11:52,020 --> 00:11:58,020 Is anyone here? 231 00:11:58,020 --> 00:12:01,020 Where else? 232 00:12:01,020 --> 00:12:04,020 I'm tied up. 233 00:12:04,020 --> 00:12:07,020 Who's there? 234 00:12:07,020 --> 00:12:09,020 Jim? 235 00:12:09,020 --> 00:12:11,020 Can anyone hear me? 236 00:12:11,020 --> 00:12:13,020 Help. 237 00:12:13,020 --> 00:12:15,020 Help! 238 00:12:15,020 --> 00:12:18,020 Help! 239 00:12:18,020 --> 00:12:21,020 Where am I? 240 00:12:21,020 --> 00:12:28,020 You're in my room Mrs. Russell. 241 00:12:28,020 --> 00:12:30,020 It was Henry. 242 00:12:30,020 --> 00:12:32,020 Where was he? 243 00:12:32,020 --> 00:12:34,020 The room was black as night. 244 00:12:34,020 --> 00:12:36,020 I could see nothing. 245 00:12:36,020 --> 00:12:38,020 What was I doing here? 246 00:12:38,020 --> 00:12:39,020 Why was I tied up? 247 00:12:39,020 --> 00:12:41,020 How did I get here? 248 00:12:41,020 --> 00:12:44,020 I remembered nothing after, after feeling 249 00:12:44,020 --> 00:12:47,020 dizzy and... 250 00:12:47,020 --> 00:12:50,020 So that was it. 251 00:12:50,020 --> 00:12:53,020 You put something in my food, didn't you Henry? 252 00:12:53,020 --> 00:12:55,020 Yes I did Mrs. Russell. 253 00:12:55,020 --> 00:12:57,020 I didn't want to kill you at the cafe you see. 254 00:12:57,020 --> 00:12:59,020 Kill me? 255 00:12:59,020 --> 00:13:01,020 Yes Mrs. Russell, dead. 256 00:13:01,020 --> 00:13:04,020 Why Henry? Why? 257 00:13:04,020 --> 00:13:05,020 Because you're my enemy. 258 00:13:05,020 --> 00:13:06,020 You and all the others. 259 00:13:06,020 --> 00:13:08,020 You're enemy? 260 00:13:08,020 --> 00:13:10,020 I like you Henry. I've always liked you. 261 00:13:10,020 --> 00:13:11,020 Don't lie Mrs. Russell. 262 00:13:11,020 --> 00:13:13,020 You thought I didn't know, didn't you? 263 00:13:13,020 --> 00:13:15,020 I thought I didn't know what you were up to. 264 00:13:15,020 --> 00:13:16,020 What I was up to? 265 00:13:16,020 --> 00:13:19,020 Planning to kill me. Night after night I've heard you, all of you. 266 00:13:19,020 --> 00:13:21,020 Outside my window, whispering. 267 00:13:21,020 --> 00:13:24,020 Whispering and talking about how you were going to kill me. 268 00:13:24,020 --> 00:13:28,020 Didn't you know I could hear you? 269 00:13:28,020 --> 00:13:30,020 You're insane! 270 00:13:30,020 --> 00:13:34,020 Oh no, I'm smart Mrs. Russell and you know it. 271 00:13:34,020 --> 00:13:38,020 That's why all of you planned to kill me, to get rid of me. 272 00:13:38,020 --> 00:13:41,020 Just lucky I found out you were one of them. 273 00:13:41,020 --> 00:13:44,020 You'll be the first to die Mrs. Russell and you're going to die slowly. 274 00:13:44,020 --> 00:13:47,020 In the dark. 275 00:13:47,020 --> 00:13:51,020 How do you like that Mrs. Russell? 276 00:13:51,020 --> 00:13:57,020 Be quiet Mrs. Russell or I'll have to beat you up before I kill you. 277 00:13:57,020 --> 00:14:00,020 I tried to make myself think. 278 00:14:00,020 --> 00:14:05,020 I remembered you're supposed to humor people that are like Henry. 279 00:14:05,020 --> 00:14:07,020 I tried to control myself. 280 00:14:07,020 --> 00:14:12,020 No one can hear you, no one even knows you're here. 281 00:14:12,020 --> 00:14:15,020 They're not going to untie you either. 282 00:14:15,020 --> 00:14:18,020 Not until you're dead. 283 00:14:18,020 --> 00:14:22,020 Henry, I'm just, I'm only... 284 00:14:22,020 --> 00:14:27,020 You'll lie here in the dark and listen to the alarm clock for half an hour. 285 00:14:27,020 --> 00:14:29,020 Just half an hour Mrs. Russell. 286 00:14:29,020 --> 00:14:31,020 And then I'll kill you. 287 00:14:31,020 --> 00:14:35,020 You see I want you to suffer, like you've made me suffer. 288 00:14:35,020 --> 00:14:40,020 Henry, I'm just an ordinary woman. 289 00:14:40,020 --> 00:14:44,020 Just, how can you think these things about me? 290 00:14:44,020 --> 00:14:48,020 Oh come now Mrs. Russell, I'm smart enough to see through those remarks you made. 291 00:14:48,020 --> 00:14:49,020 Remarks? 292 00:14:49,020 --> 00:14:54,020 Always talking about what a good cook I was, as if you felt I wasn't a man. 293 00:14:54,020 --> 00:14:55,020 I know what you're thinking. 294 00:14:55,020 --> 00:14:58,020 Henry, I didn't mean anything of the sort. 295 00:14:58,020 --> 00:14:59,020 I really meant... 296 00:14:59,020 --> 00:15:03,020 Men rubbing it in about your precious son in the army, rubbing it in and torturing... 297 00:15:03,020 --> 00:15:06,020 Henry, all those things, they were your imagination. 298 00:15:06,020 --> 00:15:08,020 I didn't mean them that way at all. 299 00:15:08,020 --> 00:15:10,020 You're like all the rest. 300 00:15:10,020 --> 00:15:14,020 I'm too smart for you and you know it, so you want to kill me. 301 00:15:14,020 --> 00:15:18,020 I'm a dangerous enemy Mrs. Russell. 302 00:15:18,020 --> 00:15:24,020 How long have I got to live, Henry? 303 00:15:24,020 --> 00:15:26,020 Half hour, I don't know. 304 00:15:26,020 --> 00:15:33,020 The alarm will ring, then I'll kill you. 305 00:15:33,020 --> 00:15:35,020 I was resigned to it then. 306 00:15:35,020 --> 00:15:38,020 It seemed so hopeless. 307 00:15:38,020 --> 00:15:44,020 But then I thought, if I could just get him to turn on the light, I might see a way out. 308 00:15:44,020 --> 00:15:48,020 It was a forlorn hope, but I tried it. 309 00:15:48,020 --> 00:15:51,020 Henry? 310 00:15:51,020 --> 00:15:54,020 Henry? 311 00:15:54,020 --> 00:15:58,020 How do you know you set the clock right? 312 00:15:58,020 --> 00:15:59,020 Henry? 313 00:15:59,020 --> 00:16:00,020 I heard you. 314 00:16:00,020 --> 00:16:01,020 You didn't answer, I thought... 315 00:16:01,020 --> 00:16:04,020 You thought you could get me to turn on the light. 316 00:16:04,020 --> 00:16:08,020 Sorry Mrs. Russell. 317 00:16:08,020 --> 00:16:15,020 Henry, you're torturing yourself more than you are me, Henry. 318 00:16:15,020 --> 00:16:17,020 Do you know that? 319 00:16:17,020 --> 00:16:18,020 What do you mean? 320 00:16:18,020 --> 00:16:22,020 You don't know when the alarm's going to ring either. 321 00:16:22,020 --> 00:16:27,020 You must be sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to hear it. 322 00:16:27,020 --> 00:16:30,020 Aren't you? 323 00:16:30,020 --> 00:16:36,020 You see, when it rings, I know that I'll have to die. 324 00:16:36,020 --> 00:16:41,020 But you know that you'll have to commit a terrible crime. 325 00:16:41,020 --> 00:16:42,020 Murder, Henry. 326 00:16:42,020 --> 00:16:43,020 Shut up. 327 00:16:43,020 --> 00:16:44,020 It is true then, isn't it? 328 00:16:44,020 --> 00:16:45,020 You're... 329 00:16:45,020 --> 00:16:47,020 You can't trick me into turning on the light. 330 00:16:47,020 --> 00:16:49,020 I'm too smart for that. 331 00:16:49,020 --> 00:17:10,020 You're going to suffer in the dark, as I have. 332 00:17:10,020 --> 00:17:16,020 I decided to turn on the light, Mrs. Russell. 333 00:17:16,020 --> 00:17:21,020 At first I was blinded, after having been in the dark so long. 334 00:17:21,020 --> 00:17:23,020 Then I saw his hands. 335 00:17:23,020 --> 00:17:26,020 They were long and slim and brown. 336 00:17:26,020 --> 00:17:29,020 Blue veins stood out on the backs of them. 337 00:17:29,020 --> 00:17:31,020 I looked up at him. 338 00:17:31,020 --> 00:17:34,020 He was just staring at me. 339 00:17:34,020 --> 00:17:40,020 Then he picked up the alarm clock and looked at it. 340 00:17:40,020 --> 00:17:42,020 Ten minutes to three, Mrs. Russell. 341 00:17:42,020 --> 00:17:45,020 You have ten minutes to live. 342 00:17:45,020 --> 00:17:47,020 Can you wait? 343 00:17:47,020 --> 00:17:50,020 It was a tiny, neat living room. 344 00:17:50,020 --> 00:17:51,020 I was on a couch. 345 00:17:51,020 --> 00:17:53,020 The shades were down. 346 00:17:53,020 --> 00:17:55,020 There was no phone. 347 00:17:55,020 --> 00:17:59,020 The front door might be unlocked. 348 00:17:59,020 --> 00:18:01,020 It might be. 349 00:18:01,020 --> 00:18:05,020 I can wait, Henry. 350 00:18:05,020 --> 00:18:07,020 Eight minutes now. 351 00:18:07,020 --> 00:18:10,020 The hands were racing each other around the face of the clock. 352 00:18:10,020 --> 00:18:13,020 But if I could just get untied now, 353 00:18:13,020 --> 00:18:15,020 there'd be a chance. 354 00:18:15,020 --> 00:18:17,020 I'd have to be careful. 355 00:18:17,020 --> 00:18:18,020 But quick, quick. 356 00:18:18,020 --> 00:18:21,020 Five minutes, Mrs. Russell. 357 00:18:21,020 --> 00:18:27,020 Henry, what are those things trapped to that board over there on the wall? 358 00:18:27,020 --> 00:18:28,020 Oh, that's my collection. 359 00:18:28,020 --> 00:18:29,020 A collection? 360 00:18:29,020 --> 00:18:30,020 Match folders. 361 00:18:30,020 --> 00:18:32,020 Oh, do you collect match folders? 362 00:18:32,020 --> 00:18:34,020 Oh, yes. 363 00:18:34,020 --> 00:18:36,020 I'll show them to you. 364 00:18:36,020 --> 00:18:40,020 I held my breath as he took them down off the wall. 365 00:18:40,020 --> 00:18:43,020 The clock would only stand still for five minutes. 366 00:18:43,020 --> 00:18:44,020 Yes. 367 00:18:44,020 --> 00:18:46,020 See? 368 00:18:46,020 --> 00:18:48,020 I have folders from all the famous night spots here. 369 00:18:48,020 --> 00:18:52,020 Searo's and the store club in 21. 370 00:18:52,020 --> 00:18:55,020 Bet you didn't think I'd been to all those places, did you? 371 00:18:55,020 --> 00:18:56,020 Oh, I know. 372 00:18:56,020 --> 00:18:57,020 Have you, Henry? 373 00:18:57,020 --> 00:18:58,020 Sure. 374 00:18:58,020 --> 00:18:59,020 Lots of times. 375 00:18:59,020 --> 00:19:00,020 People would never believe me. 376 00:19:00,020 --> 00:19:01,020 That's why I have these. 377 00:19:01,020 --> 00:19:04,020 They're lovely, Henry. 378 00:19:04,020 --> 00:19:06,020 Yes. 379 00:19:06,020 --> 00:19:11,020 Henry, my arms and legs are numb from being tied up like this. 380 00:19:11,020 --> 00:19:12,020 Could you? 381 00:19:12,020 --> 00:19:15,020 No. 382 00:19:15,020 --> 00:19:17,020 I want you not to get tricky, Mrs. Russell. 383 00:19:17,020 --> 00:19:23,020 I just wanted you to loosen my hands so I could look at your collection. 384 00:19:23,020 --> 00:19:31,020 Well, just your hands. 385 00:19:31,020 --> 00:19:34,020 He'd forgotten about everything but his collection for the moment. 386 00:19:34,020 --> 00:19:38,020 But that alarm would go off any second and that would remind him. 387 00:19:38,020 --> 00:19:45,020 As he untied my hands, my eyes fell on a large jade bookend beside the couch. 388 00:19:45,020 --> 00:19:47,020 There. 389 00:19:47,020 --> 00:19:49,020 Now be careful, Mrs. Russell. 390 00:19:49,020 --> 00:19:52,020 You just wanted to see my collection, remember? 391 00:19:52,020 --> 00:19:53,020 Yes, Henry. 392 00:19:53,020 --> 00:19:55,020 Show it to me. 393 00:19:55,020 --> 00:19:57,020 Now, see this one? 394 00:19:57,020 --> 00:19:59,020 It's from the Coconut Grove. 395 00:19:59,020 --> 00:20:01,020 Yes, Henry. 396 00:20:01,020 --> 00:20:04,020 I let my hands deal along the couch toward the bookend. 397 00:20:04,020 --> 00:20:05,020 Isn't this beautiful? 398 00:20:05,020 --> 00:20:06,020 Yes, it is, Henry. 399 00:20:06,020 --> 00:20:07,020 You're not paying attention. 400 00:20:07,020 --> 00:20:08,020 Oh, yes, I am. 401 00:20:08,020 --> 00:20:09,020 Look. 402 00:20:09,020 --> 00:20:11,020 I had it in my hands now. 403 00:20:11,020 --> 00:20:13,020 Good. 404 00:20:13,020 --> 00:20:22,020 Oh! 405 00:20:22,020 --> 00:20:24,020 I don't even remember doing it. 406 00:20:24,020 --> 00:20:29,020 But somehow I'd gotten the bindings off my feet and I was outside in the night. 407 00:20:29,020 --> 00:20:31,020 He'd been telling the truth. 408 00:20:31,020 --> 00:20:33,020 His house was the only one on that block. 409 00:20:33,020 --> 00:20:35,020 I ran as hard as I could. 410 00:20:35,020 --> 00:20:38,020 I didn't even think about direction, just ran. 411 00:20:38,020 --> 00:20:41,020 I knew he'd come too in a minute and I had to get out of sight. 412 00:20:41,020 --> 00:20:46,020 I'm not used to such exercise and my heart was pounding so hard it ached. 413 00:20:46,020 --> 00:20:51,020 In the middle of the next block, I stopped for a moment and leaned against a tree to breathe. 414 00:20:51,020 --> 00:20:58,020 Then I looked back and I saw him. 415 00:20:58,020 --> 00:21:00,020 I could see him beneath the streetlamps. 416 00:21:00,020 --> 00:21:03,020 He stopped, not knowing which way I'd gone. 417 00:21:03,020 --> 00:21:04,020 He was wild. 418 00:21:04,020 --> 00:21:06,020 His mouth was hanging open loosely. 419 00:21:06,020 --> 00:21:09,020 I shrank back further in the shadows and prayed he'd go the other way. 420 00:21:09,020 --> 00:21:10,020 He didn't. 421 00:21:10,020 --> 00:21:17,020 He started walking rapidly again in my direction. 422 00:21:17,020 --> 00:21:20,020 There was a house on this block, a big rambling place. 423 00:21:20,020 --> 00:21:25,020 It was after 3 a.m. and the people would be asleep but I knew I could run no farther. 424 00:21:25,020 --> 00:21:27,020 Help! 425 00:21:27,020 --> 00:21:30,020 Let me in, please! 426 00:21:30,020 --> 00:21:34,020 Oh, please, open the door! Open the... 427 00:21:34,020 --> 00:21:39,020 Then I saw the note pinned to the door. 428 00:21:39,020 --> 00:21:44,020 It said, no milk for 10 days. 429 00:21:44,020 --> 00:22:00,020 I could hear Henry's footsteps down the street and I knew he must have heard me. 430 00:22:00,020 --> 00:22:03,020 My heart felt as though it would burst. 431 00:22:03,020 --> 00:22:06,020 The street was deserted. 432 00:22:06,020 --> 00:22:08,020 And then I heard a car approaching. 433 00:22:08,020 --> 00:22:10,020 It was a block away. 434 00:22:10,020 --> 00:22:12,020 I ran up in the street and waved my arms. 435 00:22:12,020 --> 00:22:15,020 Help! Oh, help me! 436 00:22:15,020 --> 00:22:19,020 Stop, please! Oh, please, stop! 437 00:22:19,020 --> 00:22:22,020 Stop! 438 00:22:22,020 --> 00:22:24,020 Stop! 439 00:22:24,020 --> 00:22:27,020 Stop! 440 00:22:27,020 --> 00:22:29,020 Hello, Mrs. Russell. 441 00:22:29,020 --> 00:22:30,020 Henry! 442 00:22:30,020 --> 00:22:32,020 Come on, Mrs. Russell. 443 00:22:32,020 --> 00:22:34,020 Come on! 444 00:22:34,020 --> 00:22:49,020 We're going home again, Mrs. Russell. 445 00:22:49,020 --> 00:22:52,020 There's no escaping now. 446 00:22:52,020 --> 00:22:56,020 He hasn't said a word for 10 minutes. 447 00:22:56,020 --> 00:23:01,020 I know he's turning over in his mind how he's going to kill me. 448 00:23:01,020 --> 00:23:05,020 It's almost dawn now. 449 00:23:05,020 --> 00:23:11,020 In a little while, the milkman and the paper boys will be making their rounds. 450 00:23:11,020 --> 00:23:19,020 I'll be dead. 451 00:23:19,020 --> 00:23:21,020 You shouldn't have tried to get away, Mrs. Russell. 452 00:23:21,020 --> 00:23:23,020 You made me very angry. 453 00:23:23,020 --> 00:23:24,020 I know. 454 00:23:24,020 --> 00:23:27,020 You shouldn't have hit me either. 455 00:23:27,020 --> 00:23:29,020 You were even smarter than I thought, Mrs. Russell. 456 00:23:29,020 --> 00:23:31,020 You almost made it. 457 00:23:31,020 --> 00:23:34,020 But you weren't smart enough, were you? 458 00:23:34,020 --> 00:23:38,020 If you're going to kill me, Henry, please do it. 459 00:23:38,020 --> 00:23:40,020 Haven't you tortured me enough? 460 00:23:40,020 --> 00:23:42,020 You see? 461 00:23:42,020 --> 00:23:45,020 It just didn't do you any good to be my enemy, did it? 462 00:23:45,020 --> 00:23:47,020 I don't like to kill you, but I have to. 463 00:23:47,020 --> 00:23:52,020 It's the only way I can protect myself. 464 00:23:52,020 --> 00:23:56,020 Don't you see you're not well, Henry? 465 00:23:56,020 --> 00:23:58,020 Please try to listen to me. 466 00:23:58,020 --> 00:24:00,020 I have to kill all the others, too. 467 00:24:00,020 --> 00:24:02,020 If I don't, they'll kill me. 468 00:24:02,020 --> 00:24:03,020 The others? 469 00:24:03,020 --> 00:24:05,020 Don't pretend you don't know. 470 00:24:05,020 --> 00:24:07,020 I've heard them whispering about me. 471 00:24:07,020 --> 00:24:08,020 You must have heard them, too. The voices. 472 00:24:08,020 --> 00:24:09,020 The voices? 473 00:24:09,020 --> 00:24:11,020 All the time, just like I told you. 474 00:24:11,020 --> 00:24:14,020 When I'm at work, even here at home, I hear them plotting. 475 00:24:14,020 --> 00:24:16,020 They don't know. I know. 476 00:24:16,020 --> 00:24:17,020 Henry, there's no one. 477 00:24:17,020 --> 00:24:19,020 It's all an illusion, don't you see? 478 00:24:19,020 --> 00:24:25,020 Just like you are, they're afraid of me because they know I can outsmart them. 479 00:24:25,020 --> 00:24:28,020 I'm too clever for them, and they know it. 480 00:24:28,020 --> 00:24:30,020 That's why they want to kill me. 481 00:24:30,020 --> 00:24:32,020 That's why you want to kill me, isn't it, Mrs. Russell? 482 00:24:32,020 --> 00:24:35,020 I don't want to kill you, Henry. If only there were someone... 483 00:24:35,020 --> 00:24:37,020 I've rather gotten to like you, Mrs. Russell. 484 00:24:37,020 --> 00:24:40,020 If you weren't dangerous to me, I might let you live. 485 00:24:40,020 --> 00:24:42,020 I'm not dangerous to you, Henry. 486 00:24:42,020 --> 00:24:44,020 Oh, yes, you are. 487 00:24:47,020 --> 00:24:50,020 I've decided to strangle you. 488 00:24:50,020 --> 00:24:54,020 If you close your eyes, it will happen very quickly. 489 00:24:54,020 --> 00:24:56,020 You'll hardly know it. 490 00:24:59,020 --> 00:25:01,020 Are you ready, Mrs. Russell? 491 00:25:01,020 --> 00:25:03,020 Now, please, don't struggle. 492 00:25:03,020 --> 00:25:05,020 It'll be much easier for both of us. 493 00:25:07,020 --> 00:25:09,020 Aren't you going to close your eyes? 494 00:25:09,020 --> 00:25:11,020 No. 495 00:25:17,020 --> 00:25:18,020 What's that? 496 00:25:18,020 --> 00:25:19,020 What? 497 00:25:19,020 --> 00:25:21,020 Listen, you can hear them. Don't you hear them? The voices. 498 00:25:21,020 --> 00:25:23,020 The voices? The voices? 499 00:25:23,020 --> 00:25:25,020 Don't you hear them? 500 00:25:25,020 --> 00:25:27,020 Yes. I hear them, Henry. 501 00:25:27,020 --> 00:25:29,020 See? Now you believe me, don't you? 502 00:25:29,020 --> 00:25:31,020 You hear what they're saying. 503 00:25:31,020 --> 00:25:34,020 Yes. Yes. It's just as you said, Henry. 504 00:25:34,020 --> 00:25:36,020 They must be right near. Yes, right near. 505 00:25:36,020 --> 00:25:38,020 There are a lot of them. There are too many. 506 00:25:38,020 --> 00:25:40,020 You'd better hide, Henry. Yes, yes, but where? 507 00:25:40,020 --> 00:25:42,020 They sound louder all the time. 508 00:25:42,020 --> 00:25:44,020 They're getting closer. Have you a closet? 509 00:25:44,020 --> 00:25:46,020 Yes, that's it, the closet. Over here. 510 00:25:46,020 --> 00:25:48,020 Shall I help you, Henry? 511 00:25:48,020 --> 00:25:51,020 Yes, yes, but be quick. This closet. I'll hide in here. 512 00:25:51,020 --> 00:25:54,020 All right, Henry. I'll protect you. 513 00:25:54,020 --> 00:25:57,020 There. A good place to hide. 514 00:25:57,020 --> 00:25:59,020 What if they find me here? 515 00:25:59,020 --> 00:26:02,020 I'll... lock the door, Henry. 516 00:26:02,020 --> 00:26:04,020 No, I don't like that. 517 00:26:04,020 --> 00:26:06,020 They're getting closer, Henry. 518 00:26:06,020 --> 00:26:08,020 You'll unlock the door when they're gone? 519 00:26:08,020 --> 00:26:10,020 Yes, Henry. 520 00:26:10,020 --> 00:26:19,020 Lock the door, Mrs. Russell. 521 00:26:19,020 --> 00:26:26,020 You'll be safe now, Henry. 522 00:26:26,020 --> 00:26:30,020 Suspense, in which Virginia Gregg and Vic Perrin 523 00:26:30,020 --> 00:26:32,020 starred in Ben S. Hunter's story, 524 00:26:32,020 --> 00:26:36,020 Good Night, Mrs. Russell. 525 00:26:36,020 --> 00:26:40,020 No crime is foolproof enough, no hideaway secret enough, 526 00:26:40,020 --> 00:26:43,020 when both Captain Cannelli and the 21st Precinct get on the job. 527 00:26:43,020 --> 00:26:45,020 Listen to Marlene's story. 528 00:26:45,020 --> 00:27:05,020 Good Night, Mrs. Russell. 529 00:27:05,020 --> 00:27:07,020 Next week, the story of a supermarket 530 00:27:07,020 --> 00:27:10,020 and a young man who finds that after closing time, 531 00:27:10,020 --> 00:27:12,020 once the Daily Bus List filled, 532 00:27:12,020 --> 00:27:16,020 this very ordinary store becomes a place of danger 533 00:27:16,020 --> 00:27:18,020 and terror absolute. 534 00:27:18,020 --> 00:27:20,020 That's next week on... 535 00:27:20,020 --> 00:27:23,020 Suspense. 536 00:27:35,020 --> 00:27:38,020 Suspense is produced and directed by Norman MacDonald, 537 00:27:38,020 --> 00:27:42,020 the music composed by Lucian Morawieckin, conducted by Lud Blaskin. 538 00:27:42,020 --> 00:27:46,020 Good Night, Mrs. Russell was written for suspense by Ben S. Hunter 539 00:27:46,020 --> 00:27:49,020 and starred Virginia Gregg as Mrs. Russell 540 00:27:49,020 --> 00:27:51,020 and Vic Perrin as Henry. 541 00:27:51,020 --> 00:27:55,020 Others appearing in tonight's cast were Jill Jarman and Eleanor Tannen. 542 00:27:55,020 --> 00:27:59,020 And remember next week, James Poe's suspense story, 543 00:27:59,020 --> 00:28:08,020 Never Steal a Butcher's Wife. 544 00:28:08,020 --> 00:28:10,020 Stay tuned now for Johnny Dollar, 545 00:28:10,020 --> 00:28:15,020 which follows immediately over most of these same stations. 546 00:28:15,020 --> 00:28:29,020 This is the CBS Radio Network.