And now, tonight's presentation of radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
Tonight, we depart from the usual to bring you a play from one of the greatest authors
of science fiction, Mr. Ray Bradbury.
It is the story of a last voyage in a spaceship and the six men who took it.
So now, starring Mr. William Conrad, here is tonight's Suspense play, Kaleidoscope.
She was a spaceship cargo carrier, seven years old, with over a million and a half miles lost
in her wake.
Within her metallic skin was the world of the crew, an atom of life surrounded by a
vast expanse of nothingness.
The ship and the crew were owned by the company, a third class vessel operated by third class
personnel, and each of us hoping that in our day would come promotion to second class,
or even to first, and the great hushed passenger liners, which were also owned by the company.
The company ran everything and wasn't anyone else to work for, and to accept that what
was given, not gratefully, but with hope.
There were 19 of us to begin with on a routine voyage.
Our cargo, seasoned lumber.
I was at control on the second day, on stone navigating.
On the nose.
Good.
Control.
Bearing mark, Captain.
Right.
Hollis, where's the captain?
In his cabin.
On the bottle again.
Why didn't you ask him?
I don't have to, I can smell him all the way out.
You want something, Advocate?
Sea tube's blowing again.
It isn't showing on the indicator.
I can't help that.
Wait a minute.
Captain.
I'm going to the ship.
Control.
Yeah.
Applegate reports sea tube blowing, sir.
Oh?
It doesn't show on the indicator, sir.
All right.
I'll be right there.
Now what was the idea of that?
What?
Telling him it didn't show.
You trying to louse me up?
You better keep check on that tube.
Who's giving orders?
I am.
My sash to you, friend.
Oh, come on, Applegate.
I don't want to blow up.
I've got two weeks of pay coming when we get back.
Here, give me a power check, will you?
Sure.
Nothing must be haywire with the indicator.
Get it straightened out, Hollis.
She's not firing in sequence, sir.
Heating up, too.
Let me see.
I don't like this.
Rockets, who's the captain?
Dempsey, sir.
It's sea tube, I think.
Heating the others, too.
Lock off's frozen.
I don't know what's going on.
Lock off's frozen.
Use emergency.
Standby.
Come on.
Control, this is Applegate.
Emergency doesn't answer.
It's getting too hot.
Maybe it will answer from here, sir.
Applegate, get your men out of there.
Standby to abandon.
Keep going, Kirk.
Shall I sound the alarm?
Yes.
This is the captain. This is the captain. Get into your suits. You've got about two minutes,
maybe less. Get into your suits. The ship is going to explode. Get into your suits. Abandon.
Abandon. Get into your suits. Get into your suits.
The concussion cut the spaceship up the side like a giant can opener. Those of us who weren't
immediately killed were thrown into space like wriggling silverfish scattered into a dark sea.
And the ship and a million pieces went on, a meteor swan seeking a lost son.
The sound of our voices calling like lost children on a cold night.
John, John, this is Hallett. Where are you? I don't know. How can I? Which way is up? I'm falling.
Oh God, I'm falling. We're going away from each other. Who is that? This is the captain. Who is that?
Lester. Where are you? We were hurtling in space in every direction. And now instead of men,
there were only voices. Voices communicating by radio phone. All kinds of voices. Disembodied
and impassioned in varying degrees of terror and resignation. All moving away from one another.
We were wearing our sealed tight space suits with glass tubes over our faces. But there
hadn't been time to lock on the propulsion units. Not time enough. And without them we
were meteors. Senseless. Each going to a separate and irrevocable fate.
This is the captain. I want a roll call. Who is that? This is Applegate. Sir, Applegate. Next? Lester. Who? Lester. Simpson.
Stone. Hollis. Anybody else? Anyone else? Stone to Hollis. How long can we talk the phone?
Well it depends on how fast you're going your way and I'm going mine. An hour I make it. What happened?
A rocket blew up. Didn't you feel it? That's all. Rockets do blow up. Which way are you going?
It looks like I'll hit the moon. Well it's Earth for me. That's nice.
Back to old Mother Earth at ten thousand miles an hour. I'll burn like a match when I hit the atmosphere.
Well Stone's going to the moon. I know where I'd like to see Applegate go.
I don't want to die. I don't want to die. It's a long way down. Who's that? I don't know. Stemson I think. Stemson is that you? This is Hollis.
It's a long long way and I don't like it. I don't like it. Stemson this is Hollis. Stemson do you hear me? Stemson. Yes? You take it easy now.
We're all in the same fix. I don't want to be here I'm afraid. There's a chance we'll be found. I heard that. What a liar you are. You shut up Applegate.
Come and make me. Come on Hollis. Come and make me shut up. I don't believe this. I don't believe any of this is happening. Not to me it's a bad dream. Take it easy Stemson.
Hey you know I don't feel so bad. Who's that? It's me Stone L'Espere. I was just thinking. I've had a pretty good time. Lots of good times. Hey did I ever tell you about my wife?
Which one? Who's that? Applegate. Oh sure. How do you feel Applegate? Oh why don't you shut up. No kidding about my wife. The one on Mars. Did I ever tell you?
That's enough. This is the captain. We've got to figure a way out of this. Make a plan. I sash to you captain. What did you say?
Oh you heard me. Don't try pulling rank on me. You're ten thousand miles away by now. You listen to me Applegate. Consider this a mutiny of one captain. Hang me. Kill me.
Look I want to tell you something. Your ship was a bad ship and you were a bad captain and I hope you break wherever you're going. I'm ordering you to stop Applegate.
Be my guest. Order me some more. You're going to put me in chains till we land? Mars sash to you captain.
Hey fellas let me tell you about my wife. The one on Venus. It doesn't matter now. I guess anybody can know now. Oh listen I had it real good. One wife on Mars another on Venus one on Jupiter.
Oh boy what a time. Hey Stone. Yeah. Remember the time we put into Mars port for repairs? I remember. Well that's when I met the first one.
You know what those Mars girls are like. Well.
L'Espere went on and on with his talk about his wives. An interplanetary bigot. His money, his wonderful time, drunkenness, gambling. On and on while we fell in space away from each other. L'Espere reminiscing on the past happy while he fell to his death. Space.
Thousands of miles of space and the voice vibrating in the center of it. No one visible at all. Only the radio waves quivering and trying to quicken other men into emotion.
I tell you when a man's had a life like I've had it's not so bad. Not much left for me to do I guess.
Sir. Men. This is the captain. I want you to know that I'm very grateful for your loyalty. You've been a good crew. Wallace. Stone. If you get out of this I have you both posted for a promotion. It'll go through when you report.
Okay. I wish that. Captain. Captain. And the one on meteorite got him. And he take it.
Wallace. Wallace. Can you think of something. Something to do. Why ask him. I'll tell you something to do. Make it quick. Open the valve on your suit. We're finished all of us. Who cares. Everyone's going to cry over me.
And we fell through space. Five of us living. Each in his orbit of loneliness. Moving away from the other. From this outer edge of my life looking back there was one remorse. And that. Only that I wish I could go on living.
All dying people feel that way. What. Oh. I didn't know I was thinking out loud. Funny. If I'd never lived. Yeah I know. I know.
Hey. What is it. All right what. Let's hear me talk. Go ahead. You hate my god. I never thought much about it. I want to tell you something. I was the one who blackballed you with a rocket company five years ago.
Did you hear me. I heard you. How does that make you feel. Nothing. You wanted to get to the top all your life. I know. I'll bet you always wondered what happened. Well it was me. See I put the black mark on you before I was tossed out myself. It isn't important.
Well I had a good time. Yeah it's a good thing to think about too. Had a wife on Mars. Venus. One in Jupiter. So you said. And I'm saying it again. I like to think about it. They all had money too. Oh yes they treated me just fine. You know once I got drunk and gambled twenty thousand dollars. Twenty thousand dollars. In one night. Just like that. Oh it's been a good life.
But you're here now. I didn't have any of those things. I was jealous of you. Funny little man. How did you rate it. The women. The good times. Women frighten me. And I went into space always wanting them. Jealous of you for having them. And money. And as much happiness as man could want.
I'm not jealous anymore though. Because it's over for you just the way it is for me. Now it's like it never was. It's all over Lusbea. It just never was. You hear me Lusbea. Who's that? It's Hollis. Do you hear me? You're out here Lusbea. Falling. Dying. It's all over. Just as if it never happened isn't it? No. It happened. When anything's over it's just like it never happened.
Where's your life any better than mine now? Now's what counts. Is it any better? Is it? Yes it's better. How? How? Because I've got my thoughts. Good thoughts. I remember. So are you. What good? What good are they? You gonna be rescued? You gonna live more than a few hours? I'm resting easy. I've had my turn. I'm not getting vicious at the end.
Not like you. Vicious. Vicious. Take it easy Hollis. I know how you feel Hollis. I don't take it personally. You're alright. I always thought that. Hey what? What's the matter? I can see something. Down. Down. Yeah. I can see lights. They look like lights. Where? What? Where? Where are you? Must be a ship. Maybe they'll see us. What are you talking about?
Yes. Which way are you going Stone? It's lights I tell you. I can see them planes. Which way? Which way? Where are you Stone? Where? Guess what? Huh? What? Stone and Tom. What? What? I've got myself into a meteor swarm. Little asteroid. Meteor? Yes. I think it's a Miradon cluster. You know Hollis. The one that goes out past Mars and in toward Earth once every five years while I'm right in the middle. Stone. Stone. It's like a big kaleidoscope.
That's what I thought was a light. All kinds of colors and shapes are created beautiful. All that metal. I'm going with them. They're taking me with them. I'll be. Stone. So long Hollis. So long. Good luck Stone. Don't be funny.
I looked. There was nothing. Only the great diamonds and sapphire and emerald myths and velvet inks of space. And then in the sudden calmness of his going there was a kind of wonder in the thought of Stone going off in a meteor swarm out past Mars for years and coming in toward Earth every five years. Passing in and out for the next million centuries.
Hollis. This is L'Espere. You all right? Yes. I'm fine. I can't hear you so good. You there? Hollis? This is Hollis. I'm okay. You? Hollis there must be something wrong with the phone. Hollis? Can you hear me? Say something will you? Turn up the booster. Turn up your booster. Hollis can you hear me? Yes. Yes I hear you.
Hey that's fine now. Yeah. Oh I thought you were gone. Who are you talking to? The Stone. Ah. Hey who else is around? Applegate. Applegate. I'm here. Stimpson. Stimpson. Hey Stimpson. I guess he's gone too.
L'Espere can you see anything? I wasn't looking I was thinking. I think your arm hit Mars. Mars. Wouldn't that be something if I landed in the wife's backyard? She'd get a kick out of that. That's pretty funny huh? Is that you Applegate? No. I thought it was you. Hollis? No it must be Stimpson. Stimpson. Stimpson. I want to wake up.
Mama. Mama I want to wake up. Make him stop will you? Stimpson. Shut him up. Stimpson. Stimpson will you listen to me. Now Stimpson listen to me. Help or get right it'll be easier. You open your valve. Open it. Listen to me Stimpson open your valve. Now. Do it now. It won't hurt only you'll set it Stimpson.
Open your valve.
Stimpson. Hollis. Applegate. Yeah. Has he gone? I guess so. Oh. Hey anybody know what time it is? Oh what do you care? What did you say? Applegate.
The boost is fading. What did you say? I don't know. Oh well I guess it doesn't matter. Habit I suppose. You mind if I keep talking? And the past is the time.
The goodbyes. Voices dying. Men dying. The awareness of life my own. What can I do? Is there anything I can do to make up for a terrible and empty life? If only I could do one good thing to make up for the meanness I collected all these years. And didn't even know it was ending.
Hollis. Hollis. Yes. Hollis that was right you told Stimpson to do. I said it to make him feel bad but you did it right. I murdered him. No no you didn't. Listen Hollis. This isn't good this thing between you and me. It's a bad way to die. Are you listening Hollis? Yes I'm listening. I lied. I didn't black ball you. Can you hear me? Yes.
Listening to your talk when you were saying those things to L'Espere about it not mattering and he said about you being vicious made me ashamed I've been like that too. It's alright I understand. Can you get L'Espere? No. No he was gone an hour ago. Can you hear him?
No. Last thing I heard he was singing a dirty song. Quite a guy. Yeah. You're fading out. You too. What? I hope everything's okay with you Applegate. I hope you go to heaven or wherever you want. I hope for you.
You're getting soft Hollis. Better open your valve. So long. Take it easy Applegate. So long Hollis. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. Applegate. Applegate.
So long.
Anytime now I'll hit the earth's atmosphere. I'll burn and be scattered in ashes all over the continental land. But I'll be put to use. Just a little bit but ashes are ashes and they'll add to the land. I wanted to make something of my life. To be light. To do good for people. To make them happy.
Now it's all gone. I wish I could do a good thing. Just something for me to know about. When I hit the atmosphere I'll burn like a meteor. I wonder if anyone will see me.
Time for bed Sonny.
Okay. Hey hey look up there Mom. A falling star. High stars. Make a wish dear. Make a wish.
Suspense.
In which Mr. William Conrad starred in tonight's presentation of Kaleidoscope written by Ray Bradbury.
Next week the story of two people and the terror that rode with them in the city.
We call it Backseat Driver.
That's next week on Suspense.
Suspense is produced and directed by Anthony Ellis who adapted tonight's script. The music was composed by Renny Garagão and conducted by Wilbur Hatch. Special technical effects by Robert Chadwick featured in the cast were Stacey Harris, Harley Bear, Howard McNear, John Danaer, Sam Edwards, Georgia Ellis and Master Jonathan Ellis.
This is the CBS Radio Network.