And now, tonight's presentation of radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
Tonight, the simple tale of a woman who finds herself accused of murder and yet has no remembrance
of either the act itself or the person she is said to have killed.
So now with Paula Winslow as Alice, here is tonight's Suspense play, Lost.
It happened in New York.
I was window shopping on Fifth Avenue.
It was noon.
The sun was warm, but a chill made me shiver.
I started walking again.
I reached 59th Street, Central Park.
No more stores, no more windows.
I wanted to walk in the park, but I didn't.
I couldn't decide.
Should I?
Shouldn't I?
Yes, no, do, don't.
I knew I had to go someplace.
I knew I had to meet somebody.
It all happened so fast, like somebody closing a door.
Suddenly, I couldn't remember who I had to meet or where or when.
I started to walk fast, as fast as I could.
I was almost running, up one block, down the next, back to Central Park.
I had to keep moving.
I had to run into something or somebody that would remind me.
I had to.
Then I saw a policeman in the middle of the street.
He was directing traffic.
I ran toward him.
Lady, you tired of living?
Oh, help me.
Please help me.
What's the matter?
I'm lost.
Well, this is 59th Street and Seventh Avenue.
Downtown is that way.
Where do you want to go?
Well, I don't know.
Come on, no left turn here.
Keep going.
What was that again, lady?
Well, all these cars, these buildings, those people.
This looks like New York.
Yeah, this is New York.
Well, how did I get here?
Where are you from?
I don't know.
Huh?
Well, I...
All right, now, lady, now, don't cry.
I don't even know my name.
He asked me a few more questions.
And he took me to the precinct station.
He left me there with a detective named Mark Neal.
Now, let's go over what we got so far, huh?
All right.
The name Alice is on the inside of your wedding ring.
It's on the lining of your coat.
It's on your dress and burned into the flap of your purse.
Alice.
Yeah, still not familiar, huh?
No.
Please, may I get up?
Yeah, sure.
Oh, where are you going?
Well, I just want to walk.
Back and forth in here is all right, as long as I can keep moving.
Lieutenant, what's going to happen to me?
Well, we'll try to find out who you are if you can just sit on for a few minutes.
Oh, I'll try.
The patrolman said you didn't seem scared with the traffic.
Well, what does that mean?
That you probably came from a big city.
Here?
New York?
No, you'd have some kind of a key in your purse.
My guess is that you're at some hotel, you left the key at the desk.
Oh, help me, please.
Your clothes are clean, they're not wrinkled.
It means you didn't sleep in them last night, so you haven't been missing very long.
But who am I?
Who do I belong to?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I've got to walk.
Okay.
Let's go get your picture taken.
Where?
It's just down the hall.
Thank you.
Well, send your picture to all the papers and the TV.
I'll be right back.
Bye.
Thank you.
Bye.
I'll be right back.
Bye.
Talk.
I'm sorry.
Oh, God, I'm sorry.
I don't know.
Can you please don't leave me?
I don't know.
I can't.
I know.
I've got to go get my picture taken.
I've got to go.
I'm sorry.
Can I please don't leave me?
I'm sorry.
Please don't leave me.
Alone.
Alone in a city of eight million people.
I knew three of them.
A policeman near Central Park, a detective, and the nurse who brought me here to this
ward.
This hospital ward.
Hello.
Oh, do I... do I know you?
I'm Dr. Corday.
Oh, then you can help me.
Please, I... I want to get out of here.
I don't want to stay here.
I can't.
They made a mistake.
Who did?
Well, the hospital.
I heard the nurse.
I know what this is.
The psycho ward for crazy people.
Look, I'm not crazy.
I'm not.
I... I just can't... I just can't remember who I am.
Go ahead.
It'll do you good.
You think I... I'll start remembering?
Maybe not, but somebody will recognize you.
You're a celebrity.
You have pictures in all the papers, and it's been on every TV station in the city.
And... and nobody's called?
Not yet.
Doctor, how... how long will this last?
When will I start to remember?
Maybe a day, a week, a month.
Right now, you need some rest.
Oh, I can't sleep now.
Did you take that pill the nurse brought?
Yes.
You'll sleep.
And we'll talk some more after you wake up.
Have a good sleep?
Well, I... I must have had.
It's dark outside.
What's the matter?
Well, they... they moved me.
They moved me while I was sleeping.
It's all right.
You're on another floor of the hospital.
But those... those bars on the windows.
Why did you move me?
Why are those bars on the windows?
Well, tell me, please.
Tell me.
I want you to concentrate on the game now.
It's called word association.
I'll say a word.
You answer with the first word you think of.
Black.
White?
Texas.
Big.
Blood.
Red.
Gun.
Kill.
Bullet.
Dead.
Murder.
Well, why... why do you pick those words?
Blood and bullet.
Murder.
Please answer.
Murder.
This... this is the prison ward, isn't it?
It's just another floor of the hospital.
It's the prison ward, isn't it?
Yes.
Well, I... I've been arrested.
I've done something.
But those words, blood and gun, I... I've killed somebody.
You remember?
Oh, then it's true.
It's true.
Alice, I want you to look at some pictures.
Well, who did I kill?
Who was it?
Tell me.
See if you recognize the people in these pictures.
Try this one first.
Oh, doctor, help me.
Help me.
Now, look at that picture.
You know him?
Well, should I?
Do you?
Well, I... I don't know.
Is... is he the one... the man I killed?
Is he?
That's why you're showing me the picture, isn't it?
He's... he's dead.
Dead.
And I killed him.
No, Alice.
What?
She fainted.
That's all right, Mr. Parker.
Nurse.
Well, let's bring back her memory.
Maybe not completely, but she may at least remember you're her husband.
This next one is my office, Mr. Parker.
All right.
Leave the door open so we can hear the nurse.
Pull up a chair.
Yeah.
I didn't get much chance to talk to you before, Mr. Parker.
Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?
Fire away, Nelka.
I think you said you and your wife came here from San Francisco?
Yeah, about a month and a half ago.
What brought you here?
I'm a songwriter.
I can write better stuff left-handed than a junkie here today.
I see.
Now, I'm not saying there are no good writers left, but look, Irving Berlin, an old man.
Rodgers and Hammerstein are busy counting their money.
Cole Porter has been.
Tin Pan Alley is begging for a great young songwriter, and I'm their boy.
Have you written any songs?
A hundred-something.
They're all great.
What are they?
Maybe I remember some of them.
Well, none of them has been published yet, but that's politics.
That's why we come to New York, to make the connection.
You look a good deal younger than your wife.
I'm 24, she's 36.
But don't crack that I told you.
I don't want to hurt her feelings.
You happen to marry someone that much older.
Want me to level with you?
Well, it'll help me treat your wife.
Well, Alice is no Marilyn Monroe.
Want me to spell it out anymore?
I take it she's rather wealthy.
We ain't living at the Hotel Bentley on my royalty checks.
How's the marriage going?
Sometimes okay.
And other times?
They could have sold ringside seats.
What do you fight about?
Always the same thing.
Alice is a nice girl.
And I like to live the way that she can afford, but let's face it, I'm 24.
I don't think I understand.
Alice, she gets crazy jealous if I say hello to another girl.
Is that why she shot Joyce Carla?
I guess so.
All I was trying to do was sell Carlyle some of my numbers.
If she gives you a song a ride, you've got a real chance.
For your wife's sake, I hope Miss Carlyle goes through.
Huh?
It'll have a terrible effect on Alice if Miss Carlyle dies.
She's still alive?
She had another transfusion about half an hour ago.
Where is she?
Downstairs, second floor.
Look, I'd better get down and see how she is.
She's still unconscious.
I've been getting word from the detectives.
Detectives?
They're waiting around in case she regains consciousness.
Oh, Dr. Corday.
Yes, nurse.
Mrs. Parker is asking for you.
Oh, thank you.
Run along, Mr. Parker.
Yeah, sure.
Yeah.
Won't you remember me?
You'll know when you walk in that door.
Alice.
You... you called me Alice.
Honey, I'm Vance.
Vance?
Your husband, baby.
We came here from San Francisco.
Don't you remember?
Oh, come on, honey.
Let me hold you.
Don't.
Please, don't.
Alice, it's me.
It's Vance.
Please, let me go.
Hello, doctor.
Hello, Mrs. Parker.
Lieutenant.
Hello, Mr. Neal.
Lieutenant Neal.
Mr. Parker.
Will you... are you one of the detectives downstairs?
Yes.
And, uh, now I've got some bad news.
Look, how is Miss Carlisle?
Dead.
So we're holding her wife for murder.
You are listening to Lost, tonight's presentation in radio's outstanding theater of thrills,
Suspense.
Tomorrow night, Casey, CBS radio's crime photographer, totes his lens into plenty of
danger as he investigates a miracle cure.
Don't miss Life for Sale, the story on crime photographer tomorrow night over most of these
same stations.
And now we bring back to our Hollywood soundstage Paula Winslow as Alice in tonight's production
of Lost.
A tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.
They asked me more questions.
I couldn't answer any of them.
Dead or alive, I didn't remember Joyce Carlisle.
I didn't even remember myself.
Alice Parker, San Francisco.
Alice Parker, San...
Honey, you quitting?
Oh, it's no good, Vance.
That's the first time you call me by my right name.
Oh, why can't I remember?
Why can't I remember?
Honey, honey, you heard the head shrinker.
Relax, forget it.
But how can I?
What can they do to you?
They found your handkerchief in Joyce Carlisle's apartment.
That's all they got.
They don't even have the gun you used or witnesses.
Well, I don't care about that.
Besides, honey, they can't hang you for a murder you can't even remember.
Vance, can't you understand?
What?
What ain't I have to?
Whether they convict me isn't important.
It's not.
Look, even if they let me walk out now, I've got to live every day knowing I killed somebody.
Oh, don't you see?
Don't you understand at all?
Honey, sure.
Look, I'll get a lawyer tomorrow and you'll be out of here real quick.
Just a minute.
Good morning, Mr. Parker.
Oh, hi, Lieutenant.
What are you doing here?
I'd like to look around your suite if I can.
Oh, sure.
Sure.
Thank you.
Come on in the bedroom while I grab a tie, huh?
Just these two rooms, please.
Yeah, that's it.
If you tell me what you're looking for, maybe I can stay.
Is this your wife's dressing?
You were prowling for anything in particular?
No, no.
I just want to see if there's any sign your wife planned this.
It makes a difference if it was premeditated.
You ever see your wife with a gun?
Oh, skied rifle?
No, snub nosed,.22 caliber pistol, pearl handle.
You told me you didn't have any murder weapon.
We found it this morning.
Where?
Near the 59th Street entrance to the park.
Close to where Alice talked to that cop?
Yeah, two blocks.
Any fingerprints on the gun?
No, but it's the right gun.
Anything at the night table, then?
Yeah, phone books.
Come on, you ready for the other room?
Yeah, I guess so.
2750 a day for these two rooms.
Think of the softer touch and Crosby's agent.
Do you have the key to this desk?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, right here.
It's a little...
Thank you.
How about that?
2750 a copy.
You think they throw in anything on the cuff?
You want to watch TV?
You drop two bits in that slot.
Cost me a buck yesterday to watch a disc jockey.
And speaking of dough, I know this ain't any time to add.
Here, here are your keys.
Look, you think they'll tie up Alice's loot while she's getting her marbles counted?
I don't know.
It'll ground me real good if they do.
You know, today was payday and if she ain't around, I'll sign my check.
I'll remind her when I get to the hospital.
Oh, thanks, thanks a lot.
And you tell her I'll be over later with the lawyer?
You better check first.
Why?
She may be out.
I'm taking her to Joyce Carlisle's apartment.
Oh, come on.
What do you guys want?
They got a murder to solve.
But you got it, Sal.
So even if Alice did kill us, Canary, she was off a rocker.
There's nothing you can do to her.
Why are you taking her to Joyce's place?
Ain't she had a bad enough time?
You're welcome to come along.
Good morning, Alice.
Oh, hello, John.
Hello, Doctor.
Feel stronger today?
Well, I think so.
How much is two and two?
What?
How much is two and two?
Four.
How do you know?
Well, I learned it.
When?
When I was a little girl.
I had a special blue dress and...
Go on.
And they used to tease me and call me Alice Blue Gown.
Doctor, it's coming back.
I'm beginning to remember.
I live in San Francisco.
My name is Alice Lee Parker.
Where are you?
In New York with my husband.
His name is Vance.
How did you come here?
On a train.
We got here last week.
Last week?
On Friday.
It's our second honeymoon.
Vance took me out Saturday night to the Golden Angel.
We danced together, every dance.
He never looked at another girl.
The Golden Angel?
The nightclub.
Oh, it was wonderful.
You remember a girl who sang at the club?
Yes.
Yes, a pretty girl.
We liked her.
Her name was...
Joyce?
Yes.
Joyce.
Carla.
Oh, but no.
No, that's the name of the girl I...
You remember?
No, I remember her name from last night.
Last night?
When the detective came in.
He said she died.
You remember shooting her?
Oh, no.
No, I...
Oh, I thought I was all better.
Oh, Vance.
Oh, darling.
Easy, honey, easy.
She's almost completely recovered.
Doctor.
Oh, good morning, Lieutenant.
I didn't see you.
Doctor, can you step out into the corridor for a minute?
Sure.
Pardon us.
What is it?
Does she remember the shooting?
Not yet.
There's still a gap, a kind of twilight zone of about a month.
Is there any danger in her visiting Joyce Carlisle's apartment?
On the contrary.
It might snap her out of it entirely.
Good.
I'll take her over there right now.
Well, it's a pretty classy layout she had here, huh?
Mrs. Parker, does the place look familiar?
No, no, it doesn't.
The next room is the den here.
This is where it happened.
Do you remember it now, honey?
No.
Miss Carlisle was sitting on that couch when she was shot.
Oh, excuse me, that might be from me.
Nella.
Oh, Vance, but why?
Why?
Why what?
Well, why did I...
Why should I want to kill her?
Oh, you thought that she was cutting your time.
With you?
Oh, natch, I kept telling you that, honey, but you wouldn't listen.
All right, thanks.
How could I do it?
Well, finally adds up.
You know, I first got suspicious when the murder gun showed up without fingerprints.
Why?
Because you weren't wearing gloves when you lost your memory and you had none in your purse.
It looked like the gun was planted for us to find.
Planted where it would look bad for you, Mrs. Parker.
That phone call was from your hotel.
Well, what have they got to do with this?
Well, there's a tape in that coin box on your TV set.
It records the time the coin drops in and the channel being watched.
Come on, come on, let's get with it.
You were watching channel two yesterday at 315 when your wife's picture was telecast.
Anything wrong with it?
It was a real good setup.
Your wife in the hospital with amnesia so she can't remember whether she did it or not.
You plant her handkerchief here where the police will find it.
Vance.
Your telephone charge slip shows that you called her here at 345 yesterday.
Had to be you because your wife was in the hospital at that time.
Now look, look, Joyce Carlisle was going to sing some of my songs.
Why would I knock her off?
We found out about that too from her piano player.
You told Joyce Carlisle you were going to divorce your wife and marry her.
That she was demanding action.
So come on son, you can think up another story on the way to headquarters.
Suspense, in which Paula Winslow starred as Alice.
Next week, the ironic story of an actor who played his first part perhaps too well,
leaving himself unable to better his performance.
We call it rave notice.
That's next week on Suspense.
Suspense is produced and directed by Norman MacDonald with music composed by Lucian Morawick
and conducted by Lud Bluskin.
Lost was specially written for Suspense by Jerry D. Lewis.
Featured in the cast were Bill Conrad, John Danaer, Tony Barrett and Herb Vigran.
You enjoy City Hospital every Saturday in the daytime on the CBS Radio Network.