Episode 314: The Black Room

[00:00:27] Speaker A: Welcome to the mysterious old Radio Listening Society, a podcast dedicated to suspense, crime and horror stories from the golden age of Radio. I'm Eric. [00:00:36] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:00:36] Speaker C: And I'm Joshua. [00:00:38] Speaker D: We love mysterious old time radio stories, but do they stand the test of time? That's what we're here to find out. [00:00:42] Speaker C: Today, we return to the Listener library for a recommendation from our mysterious listener and Patreon Dave. [00:00:50] Speaker A: Dave recommends an episode of CBS Radio Mystery Theater titled the Black Room. Predicting it will generate a lot of discussion. We'll share some of Dave's thoughts on the production after the show. [00:01:03] Speaker D: CBS Radio Mystery Theater was broadcast on CBS radio affiliates from 1974 to 1982. Created by Golden Age radio producer Hyman Brown, the series was part of a larger effort to reinvigorate the lost art of radio drama. In addition to CBS Radio Mystery Theater, the network launched the General Mills Radio Adventure Theater in 1977, also produced by Hyman Brown and Sears Radio Theater in 1979. Other similar attempts to revive the medium include NPR's Earplay and Rod Sterling's syndicated series the Zero Hour. [00:01:33] Speaker C: The Black Room starred Larry Haynes, a successful radio and television actor best known for his performance as Stu Bergman on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow, a role he played for 35 years. Haynes began his career in radio, performing in an estimated 1500 productions, including roles in gangbusters, the Chase, Cloak and Dagger, Intersankdom, Mystery, the Man behind the gun, and that Hammer Guy. With experience like that, it's no surprise Hyman Brown made him a regular on CBSRMT. [00:02:05] Speaker A: The Black Room was written by former radio actor turned scriptwriter Elspeth Eric. Her earliest recorded radio credit is a small role in Orsonwell's 1939 Campbell Playhouse production of the Glass Key. From there, she landed roles in Mr. District Attorney, the FBI in Peace and War, Murder at Midnight, and Inner Sanctum. As a writer, Elspeth Eric contributed more than 100 scripts for CBS Radio Mystery Theater. Eric also wrote for television, including the soap opera another world, but preferred radio because it meant less ulcers. [00:02:43] Speaker D: And now let's listen to the black room from CBS radio mystery Theater, starring Larry Haynes. First aired October 20, 1974. [00:02:51] Speaker C: It's late at night and a chill has set in. [00:02:55] Speaker E: You're alone and the only light you. [00:02:57] Speaker C: See is coming from an antique radio. Listen to the sounds coming from the speaker. [00:03:02] Speaker E: Listen to the music and listen to the voices. [00:03:07] Speaker F: The CBS Radio Mystery Theater presents welcome. I'm E. G. Marshall. Good to have you with us. Settle down and be comfortable. Lend us not only your ears, but your deepest concentration while we tell you a strange and macabre story. Where do you live? Peoria? [00:03:50] Speaker B: Salt Lake City? Buffalo? [00:03:51] Speaker F: Memphis? [00:03:53] Speaker B: Where? Springfield? [00:03:55] Speaker F: Manchester? [00:03:56] Speaker B: Spokane? Hackensack? [00:03:58] Speaker F: No, no, you don't live in any of those places or in any other place that has a name. You live, each one of you, night and day, year after year, in the nameless, hidden places of your own mind. [00:04:15] Speaker B: Mr. Z, who ever dreamed up the black room, anyway? [00:04:19] Speaker G: I have no idea. [00:04:21] Speaker B: Somebody must have. [00:04:23] Speaker G: There's always been a black room, Mr. K. Far as I know. [00:04:27] Speaker B: Hell of a place. [00:04:28] Speaker G: Yes. [00:04:29] Speaker H: How long do you think he'll last? [00:04:31] Speaker G: Matter of days. Weeks? Possibly. [00:04:34] Speaker B: Then what? [00:04:36] Speaker G: He'll go mad or die. [00:04:48] Speaker F: Our mystery drama, the Black Womb, was written especially for the mystery theater by Elspeth Eric and stars Larry Haynes. It is sponsored in part by Buick Motor division and Einheuser Bush incorporated brewers of Budweiser. I'll be back shortly with act one. Somewhere, in some unspecified place, are three men. Three men of no particular distinction and no particular importance except to themselves. Yet the urgency of their speech and the intensity of their attitudes would make you think that something of the gravest consequence is taking place. And for all that I know, it is. Listen now to the story of the black room. [00:05:50] Speaker B: Why me? Why me, of all people? I'm a very ordinary guy. I have a wife. I have a home. I have a job. I drink a little. I go bowling. I have some money. I'm just like everybody else. So why me? [00:06:03] Speaker G: We didn't take you because we thought you unusual. [00:06:07] Speaker B: Well, then, for God's sake, why? [00:06:08] Speaker G: We need information. [00:06:10] Speaker B: I haven't got any information. [00:06:12] Speaker H: We think you have information. [00:06:14] Speaker B: About what? Look, if I have it, I'll give it to you. I'll tell you anything you want to know. [00:06:18] Speaker H: You mean that? [00:06:19] Speaker B: What do you want to know? [00:06:21] Speaker G: Why did you do it? [00:06:23] Speaker B: Do what? [00:06:24] Speaker H: You know. [00:06:25] Speaker B: I don't know. Do what? [00:06:26] Speaker H: It's not going to tell us. [00:06:27] Speaker B: What am I supposed to know? How could a man like me know anything? [00:06:30] Speaker G: Look me in the eye. Step up here. Closer. Look me straight in the eye. Now, why did you do it? [00:06:41] Speaker B: I didn't do anything. [00:06:43] Speaker G: Come on, now. [00:06:45] Speaker H: He'll never tell you. [00:06:46] Speaker B: What am I supposed to have done? He's hopeless, you guys. I never saw you before in my life. Who the hell are you, anyway? [00:06:52] Speaker G: I'm the man in charge here. [00:06:53] Speaker B: And who's he? [00:06:54] Speaker G: My deputy. [00:06:55] Speaker B: Well, who gave you the right to bust into my house, drag me down here and start asking me questions? Well, who gave you the right to do that? [00:07:01] Speaker G: It's not a question of right. [00:07:03] Speaker B: Well, it damn well, should be, but it isn't. Can I make a phone call? I can make a phone call. Can I? [00:07:11] Speaker G: I'm afraid not. [00:07:11] Speaker B: Well, everybody's allowed to make a phone call. That's what I always heard. I want to call my wife, my lawyer, somebody. [00:07:17] Speaker G: Out of the question. We have no phone. [00:07:22] Speaker B: I never heard of a place that had no phone. [00:07:25] Speaker G: Now you have. [00:07:26] Speaker B: But you just can't keep me here. It's not right. [00:07:28] Speaker G: What's your idea of what's right? We'd really like to know. [00:07:33] Speaker B: Well, I can't tell you offhand like that. I don't know exactly. [00:07:37] Speaker G: Quite so. Neither do we. Mr. K. I think it's time for the black room. [00:07:44] Speaker B: Right. [00:07:46] Speaker H: Come with me, please. [00:07:48] Speaker B: Come with you where? I'm not going anywhere with you. [00:07:51] Speaker H: Come on. [00:07:52] Speaker B: Come on. I don't have. You do. Come on. Do I have to? [00:07:56] Speaker G: Yes, you do. [00:07:59] Speaker H: Right this way. [00:08:00] Speaker B: I don't understand any of this. What is this place you're taking me to? What did he call it? [00:08:09] Speaker H: The black room. [00:08:11] Speaker B: Why do you call it that? Because it's black. Why painted black? Black walls, black furnishings. What? [00:08:17] Speaker H: There aren't any furnishings. It's just a room. And it's black. [00:08:22] Speaker B: You're putting me in solitary. [00:08:25] Speaker H: You'll be alone. There we are. Step in, please. [00:08:32] Speaker B: Well? I can't see a thing. Nothing. It's black. [00:08:39] Speaker H: That's why it's called the black room. [00:08:40] Speaker B: Well, switch on a light. [00:08:42] Speaker H: There is no lights. Once I close this door, there'll be no light of any kind. [00:08:47] Speaker B: You can't do this. Get out of my way. [00:08:57] Speaker H: I'm going to close this door. [00:09:02] Speaker B: Are you there? Are we both in here? Well, say something. Are you here? [00:09:10] Speaker H: You haven't any matches on you, by any chance? [00:09:12] Speaker B: Or lighter? No. [00:09:14] Speaker H: Once I go out that door, you'll be in total darkness and total silence. No light, no noise. No sound of any kind. Only what you make yourself. [00:09:22] Speaker B: I don't see why. [00:09:23] Speaker H: Fed once a day, never at the same time. [00:09:28] Speaker B: How will I know when it'll be? [00:09:30] Speaker H: Either before you get hungry or after you stop being hungry. [00:09:35] Speaker B: You'll bring it to me. [00:09:37] Speaker H: You'll find it somewhere on the floor. [00:09:39] Speaker B: How will I find it if I can't see it? [00:09:41] Speaker H: You'll feel around till you come to it. There'll be bread and water once in a while, if I'm in the mood, some cheese or a piece of fruit. [00:09:50] Speaker B: Okay? [00:09:51] Speaker H: Got it. [00:09:54] Speaker B: Will you tell a warden something for me? Well, whoever he is, the keeper. Keeper? Well, you know who I mean. The man in charge that's Mr. Z. [00:10:04] Speaker H: The end of the line. Tell him. [00:10:08] Speaker B: What? Tell him that. [00:10:11] Speaker H: You watch. [00:10:15] Speaker B: I've forgotten him. [00:10:17] Speaker H: Well, it's good beginning. [00:10:20] Speaker B: Keep it up. Oh, wait a. Wait a second. Wait. [00:10:23] Speaker H: What now? [00:10:25] Speaker B: Let me look at the light. Look at it. Okay. That's all. The thing is not to be frightened. Only thing to fear. Fear itself. Yes. Why am I whispering? I should be shouting. What's that? I hear something. I hear what he said. It's my heart. It's my heart beating. I'm hearing my own heart. The only thing I can hear is my own heart. My. Quiet. Quiet. Quiet down. Quiet. Quiet. That's better. Yes, that's better. Much better. Yes. Close. Close it. [00:11:43] Speaker H: How did it go? Very routine. [00:11:46] Speaker G: Good. [00:11:47] Speaker H: He fussed a little. Oh, I found it necessary to step inside with him for a few seconds. [00:11:53] Speaker G: No trouble, though. [00:11:55] Speaker H: He went numb pretty fast. [00:11:57] Speaker G: I thought he would. [00:11:58] Speaker H: He wanted me to give you a message, but then he couldn't remember what it was. Oh, and he thinks you're some kind of a warden. [00:12:06] Speaker G: A warden or a keeper. Poor man. [00:12:10] Speaker H: You know, Mr. Z, I didn't much like it inside that room. [00:12:15] Speaker G: You knew you were coming out. [00:12:17] Speaker H: Who ever dreamed up the black room anyway? [00:12:20] Speaker G: I've no idea. [00:12:21] Speaker H: Somebody must have. [00:12:22] Speaker G: There's always been a black room, far as I know. [00:12:25] Speaker B: Hell of a place. [00:12:26] Speaker G: Yes. [00:12:27] Speaker H: How long will he last, do you think? [00:12:29] Speaker G: Matter of days. [00:12:31] Speaker B: Weeks? [00:12:31] Speaker G: Possibly. [00:12:32] Speaker H: Then what? [00:12:33] Speaker G: He'll go mad or die. [00:12:37] Speaker H: Wonder what he's doing now. [00:12:39] Speaker G: Oh, counting by twos, then by threes, then by fours. Anything to keep from thinking. That's what they all do. [00:12:54] Speaker B: Remember things. Beautiful things. Remember the ocean, the sand, the sounds of the sea. The waves, winds running on the beach. Oh, God, I'm crying. These are my tears. Come on now. Let's not have any of that. None of that. No. Just remember other things. The house. No, not the house. I'm not ready to think about the house. School? Yes, school. Matthew Arnold, english poet, 1822 to 1888. Yeah, something like that. Anyway. Is it so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun, to have lived. Light in the spring. To have lived, to have thought, to have done. I don't know the rest. Sleep. I want to sleep. Oh, no. I'm afraid to sleep. Will I ever sleep? What's that? I heard something. Yes, I hear something. Quiet. Quiet. Father, stop. It's a rat. They've let a rat in here. I'm shut up with a rat. Where is that? Where is that rat? I'll kill it. I'll kill it with my bare hands. Where is it. Where is that? Where? Can't hear it anymore. Where is that rat? Where is it hiding? What do it do? No, that's enough of that. Just lie down on the floor. Stretch out. Just let go. What will happen, will happen. Just let it happen. That's the best way. Don't fight. Don't struggle. Just lie quiet. Empty your mind. Yes. It doesn't matter if my eyes are opened or closed. Isn't that funny? They're not really funny. When I go to sleep. When my eyes close. Or will they stay open? Yes. I can feel my eyelids raise themselves up. Now I feel them come down. But everything's the same. Black. Just it ran over my hand. The rat ran across my hand. Where? Where is it now? I don't hear it. Did I imagine that? Did I ever hear it? Did I really feel it? There. There. I hear it. I hear it again. Now, why would they do that? Why would they put me in a black room with a rat? They must be devils. Where is that rat now? Whilst makes a noise. Again. Ran across my hand. Wait. Just hold on now. Hold on. Hold on. It's not so bad. The rat didn't bite you, did he? No. He simply ran across the back of your hand. That's all. You're not hurt? You're perfectly all right. Perfect. You don't sound like such a big rat. You sound like kind of a very small rat. You could be a mouse. Sure. A very small little mouse. Why not? Now, if I should just lie here quietly with my arms spread out like this, would you run across my hand again? Would you? Hey. See, I'm calmer now. Much more relaxed. I'm waiting. There you are. My fingers. Such light little feet. So delicate. I think you must be no more than two inches long. How are you, my friend? How is my mouse chum? My pal, Mr. Mouse. How's everything with you? Okay? Good. Me? Oh, I'm managing so far. So far, so good. Yeah. I think I can hold out for a while, anyway. At least I'm not alone. Not altogether alone. Not quite. [00:18:11] Speaker F: It's the great horror is the fear of being alone. Man will do anything, suffer anything, to avoid it and to postpone that crucial moment when no matter what he does or what he suffers, he must face his own essential aloneness. The very last moment of his life. We'll be back shortly with act two. The simple man we have chosen to be our hero is confined in the black room, a bare place without light or sound. But by chance or fate or the mercy of God, he has found a companion. A mouse no bigger than his thumb. This tiny creature has become his sole defense against the terrors of being alone. [00:19:19] Speaker B: Sit here on my hand and let me stroke your head, Mr. Mouse. There. You like that? Tell me you do. Somehow. Let me know that you do. You don't know how much it would mean to me to know that I was giving pleasure to someone. That's one of the chief horrors of being cut off from everything and everyone. There's no one to serve, to help, to amuse. That sounds strange, I suppose, but I never knew till now how important it is to bring pleasure and comfort and amusement into other lives. Will I ever laugh again? That's too much to expect. Yes, I know that. I don't mind crying anymore. I cry a lot. I don't care. When I weep at the hopelessness of it all, I feel somehow it's not quite so hopeless. Now, why is that? Do you know, Mr. Mars, mice don't cry? Is that what you're saying? Mice take life as it comes. Yes, but men can't do that. Men rebel and struggle and suffer. Oh, yes, how they suffer. Oh. Are you agreeing with me, or are you telling me you're hungry? You know what I have for you this time? Some cheese. Yes, they left me a piece of cheese this time. I ate most of it, but there are some crumbs, and they're in the breast pocket of my shirt. Now, if you just get into my pocket, way down at the bottom. Easy now. Don't be frightened. You know I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, my little friend. There. Head first. Down you go. Ah, yes, you found them. You found the crumbs of cheese you're eating, and I'm almost laughing. Not quite, but almost. I'm almost laughing because you're so pleased. [00:21:35] Speaker H: I gave him a piece of cheese this time. [00:21:37] Speaker G: What for? [00:21:38] Speaker H: Oh, I don't know. Just give him a little hope, I guess. [00:21:41] Speaker G: Well, if you want to drag it. [00:21:43] Speaker H: Out, bread and water get so monotonous. [00:21:46] Speaker G: I imagine the last thing in the world that concerns him is monotony. [00:21:51] Speaker H: Well, it gets monotonous for me, too. [00:21:54] Speaker G: You say he's eating well? [00:21:56] Speaker H: So far, every crop. [00:21:57] Speaker G: That won't last. [00:21:59] Speaker H: I suppose not. [00:22:00] Speaker G: What if he's like the others? It won't. A few more days. Then. [00:22:12] Speaker B: Stay out of my way, Mr. Palace. Don't get hurt. I'm just looking for our food. Maybe he hasn't left it yet. There hasn't been any cheese for a long time. I can't count the days anymore. But it's been a long time. I found it. What is this? It's an apple. Imagine. An apple. Say, I wonder. I wonder, is it red or green or yellow? Perhaps I could tell by the taste Macintosh. Or have I forgotten the taste of apples? I used to know it so well. You want some, do you? Where do I bite off a piece for you? Wait. You know where it is. Come on, come on, come on. Now. You know. The pocket. It's in the pocket. That's it. That's it. I can feel you move against my chest. I think I have never felt anything so comforting. Now, how did I get here? How did I come to be living in a soundless, lightless room with a friendly mouth? It's almost laughable. But I've forgotten how to laugh. But think about it. How did I arrive at this place, these circumstances? For that matter, how did I arrive at any of the places, any of the circumstances of my life? I planned? Yes, I made plans, but they never seemed to work out precisely as I planned them. The marriage. It looked all right, but it wasn't quite what I meant. The job. Yes, the job seemed to be a good job, but it wasn't quite what I'd expected. The house. It was a good house. A nice house, but not quite. Oh, are you coming out of my pocket now, Mr. Mouse? Have you had enough? Hey, what are you doing? Are you trying to get inside my shirt? What for? What do you. Oh, I know. To be close to me. Is that. Ow. Hey, what was that? What did you know? I felt something. There it is again. Hey, I think you're pulling out the hairs on my chest. Is that what you're. Miles? Yes. Yes, you are. Now, why would you do that? Not to hurt me. I know you would never hurt me. Are you playing? Are you making up a game? Trying to divert me from the awfulness? Yes. You're telling me. It could be worse. There are things we can do. There is always something. It is never absolutely hopeless. Little mouse, you're trying to make me laugh. [00:25:32] Speaker H: I gave him an apple today. [00:25:33] Speaker G: If you want to play the game that way, I can't stop you. [00:25:37] Speaker H: He ate every bit of it. Wasn't a thing left on the plate. No core, nothing. [00:25:40] Speaker G: I wonder how he manages to keep up his appetite. [00:25:44] Speaker H: Maybe he exercises. [00:25:46] Speaker G: After this long, they lose interest. [00:25:49] Speaker H: Yes. After all, what's the point? [00:25:51] Speaker G: Hope can't last forever. It's got to die sooner or later over this one. [00:25:58] Speaker H: It looks as if it's going to be later. [00:26:00] Speaker G: Yes, but eventually. [00:26:03] Speaker H: What makes him hang on. [00:26:05] Speaker G: I wish I knew. I'd give anything to know. [00:26:09] Speaker H: Starnia. [00:26:09] Speaker B: Two weeks. [00:26:10] Speaker G: Two weeks? Tomorrow. [00:26:14] Speaker H: Should I go in after? [00:26:15] Speaker G: No, no. Wait a while longer. It can't last. [00:26:20] Speaker H: You're sure about that? [00:26:21] Speaker G: No one ever has. [00:26:29] Speaker B: It's only breadcrumbs today. Sorry, Mr. Mouse. Hey, where are you? Moss Mouse. I have breadcrumbs for you in my pocket. Where are you? Are you here? Why don't you come when I call you? There's no place to go in this blackness. I can't look for you. I might hurt you. Why don't you come when I call you? I have food for what a fool I am. You've gone out of the black room. You've escaped. But where? How? There must be a place. Yes. You haven't always lived in this room. You came in at some point and now you've gone out. But where? How? There must be a place. A little place. A tiny hole. Yes, a tiny hole. Big enough for a mouse to get through. No. Where? You don't live here all the time. The black room isn't your only home. I mean, not your permanent home. You wouldn't pick a place like this. No mouse would do that. Nobody would do that. No, you came here from somewhere else. You must have. There must be a hole someplace. And you came through that hole. And you've gone out through that hole. And I'm going to find it. What's this? Is this it? Oh, that's so tiny. That's so tiny. Is that a hole? A hole just big enough for a mouse to slip through? Yes, I think it is. Then on the other side, there must be something. The blasted hole is right next to the floor. It's no bigger than my thumb. I can't get my face up to it. Yes, I can. I can. I can't. I see. I see a light. I say light. A very little light. Oh, thank you. Thank. Whatever, whoever you are, for this little bit of light and. What. What's happening? What's happened to the light? There's still a little. But there's something gray. Something milky. Milky gray. It's my mouse. He's on the other side of the hole. I'm looking into the small gray eye of my friend. Lord, it's much. Who could think of such a thing? Who could think that I would be straining at a mouse hall bent almost double to look into the eyes of my friend? It's too much. It's too much. I can't comprehend. What is there to do? What is there to do? But laugh. [00:29:44] Speaker H: He's off his feet. Hardly ate anything the last few days. [00:29:48] Speaker G: So it's starting. [00:29:50] Speaker B: What's starting? [00:29:51] Speaker G: The decline. I knew it would sooner or later. [00:29:56] Speaker H: Think I'll give him some fruit next time. [00:29:58] Speaker G: I really don't know why you want to bother. [00:30:01] Speaker H: Maybe some cheese too. [00:30:02] Speaker G: Suit yourself. [00:30:03] Speaker H: Look, the idea was never to starve. [00:30:05] Speaker G: The poor fool. [00:30:06] Speaker H: If that was the idea, I wouldn't give him anything at all. [00:30:09] Speaker G: He's beginning to starve himself. [00:30:12] Speaker H: Can he do that? [00:30:13] Speaker G: It's simple. Stay away from food and water. You'll be gone in a few days. [00:30:19] Speaker B: No kidding. [00:30:20] Speaker G: Animals know that. [00:30:22] Speaker H: Well, I never knew it. [00:30:23] Speaker G: There's lots of things animals know that men don't know. Especially you. [00:30:34] Speaker B: If I could cry. But there's a place beyond crying. Yes, there's a despair too deep for crying. Here in the dark, in the silence, there's nobody, and a creature is stirring, not even a mouse. I can't laugh either. I think my life is closing. You're back, are you? You're in the pocket of my shirt. Well, I have some cheese and part of a pear. You'll have to come to me if you want it. No, I can't look for you again. I just don't care anymore. I just don't care. I don't care anymore. [00:31:37] Speaker F: We all know it, but nobody says it. The drama of life is not in battles or elections or crimes, or even in love affairs. The drama of life takes place in the dark, silent soul of every man or woman who has had the luck or the misfortune to live. We'll be back shortly with act three. I just don't care anymore. These words were spoken by our nameless protagonist a few minutes ago. And I suppose they are the saddest words anyone can utter. I just don't care anymore. The struggle is over. Life is over. When we just don't care anymore. [00:32:41] Speaker H: He hasn't eaten anything but two days. Oh, last thing he ate was that pear. That was two days ago. [00:32:48] Speaker G: He's starting down the slide. [00:32:50] Speaker H: You sound as if you enjoy this. [00:32:52] Speaker G: I don't. [00:32:53] Speaker H: I think it's terrible. Really terrible. [00:32:55] Speaker G: It's necessary. [00:32:56] Speaker H: I don't see why. I swear I don't. [00:32:57] Speaker G: We need the information, don't we? [00:33:00] Speaker H: But do we absolutely have to have it? I don't see why. [00:33:04] Speaker G: It's the most important information in the world. [00:33:08] Speaker H: I just think maybe it's not worth all this. [00:33:12] Speaker G: It's worth all this and more. [00:33:15] Speaker H: I don't know why. [00:33:18] Speaker G: You're a good fellow and you're not the stupidest man in the world, or you wouldn't be my deputy. But there are certain things that are, let's say, beyond your comprehension. You agree? [00:33:31] Speaker H: I guess so. [00:33:32] Speaker G: You guess so? [00:33:36] Speaker H: I'm sure there are certain things that are beyond my comprehension just the same. [00:33:44] Speaker G: Yes. What were you going to say? [00:33:48] Speaker H: How do I know they're not beyond your comprehension, too? [00:34:01] Speaker B: I hear you. Oh, I hear you. But I don't care. Even if I did care, I'm not sure I'm strong enough anymore to go looking for you. There must be food all over the room. Why don't you go look for it? I'm sure the fearful Mr. K. Has been leaving it, and I haven't eaten any for a long time. So stir yourself and go look for. Huh? You want me to bring it to you? Well, that's rough. Those days are over, my friend. I loved you. Do you know that? I really did. I thought you loved me in your own little mousy way, but you didn't. I was just somebody to feed you. That's all. Well, our friendship has come to an end, Mr. Mouse. Has all things come to an end? [00:35:00] Speaker H: He isn't drinking any water, either. [00:35:02] Speaker G: That's too bad. [00:35:04] Speaker H: You feeling sorry for him, by any chance? [00:35:06] Speaker G: Now, don't start up with me, Kay. [00:35:08] Speaker H: It's not like you to go soft. [00:35:09] Speaker G: I'm not going that. [00:35:14] Speaker B: Yes. What? [00:35:17] Speaker G: I don't know why exactly, but I had such high hopes for him that he'd be different somehow. I really had very high hopes for that man. Well, maybe one day I'll learn. Nobody survives the black room. Absolutely nobody's. [00:35:45] Speaker B: All right. One more time. One last time. I'll look for you. But I'll bring you the cheese and the pear. My legacy to you, Mr. Mouse. My last salute, Mr. Mouse. Moratorite. Salutanos. Well, why wouldn't you come to me? You used to come to me. Why did you stop? You knew I needed you. That's why. I needed you more than you needed me. And when that happens. After all, you had a way out of the plaque room and I didn't. Where is that little hole of yours, Mr. Cross? I found it once. Where is that? I'd like to see the light once more before the darkness closes in. Where is the little mouse hole? Is this it? Is it? Yes. I'm much too weak. I can't get my eye to it. I forgot how hard it was. There. There it is. The beautiful light. That little sliver of light is a lovely light. Yes. I'm a little stronger now I'll find you. Just keep talking, Mr. Mouse. I'll find you. I think I'm nearer. Just keep talking and I'll find you. You sound very loud. I must be close. Or is it because my hearing has become sharper? Does that happen? Does the hearing become sharper when there's nothing to hear? Yes. You're very near now. Very near. I think I can reach out and touch you. No, that didn't happen. I won't believe it. It happened. I won't believe that. I reached out my hand and you bit me. I won't believe that. Not that. No. But it's true. Yes, it's true. There's no end to it. There's no end. No end to the shocks and the suffering and the cruelty and the horror. No end to it. When you think you've born it all, there's more and more and more. You. [00:38:26] Speaker G: How is he? [00:38:28] Speaker H: Not eating, not drinking, nothing too bad. I think it's time to go in. [00:38:34] Speaker G: You think he's alive? [00:38:36] Speaker H: I don't know. He could be, I guess. [00:38:38] Speaker G: Okay, go on in. [00:38:42] Speaker H: I hate this part. [00:38:44] Speaker G: Oh, Mr. K. Yes? If he should be alive by some chance, and if he should be even remotely in his right mind. [00:38:54] Speaker H: Oh, I doubt that, Mr. Z. I know. [00:38:56] Speaker G: But if he should be, take him upstairs and let him take a shower. Let him shave, give him some clean clothes and bring him down here to me. [00:39:08] Speaker H: That's if he's alive and in his right mind. [00:39:13] Speaker G: Well, there's always a chance. [00:39:24] Speaker B: Why did you bite me? I meant you no harm. Why should you turn on me? Explain that to me. I need to know this one thing before I die. Here. Look. Here's what I brought you. See? Three little pieces of cheese and I'll put them down right here. You know what? Do you know what? I could kill you if I wanted to. But I don't want to. For a little while you kept me from going mad. And for that I'm grateful. Yes. So go on. Come on, bite me if you want to. I won't mind. Go ahead. You're not saying anything. Mr. Mouse. Are you still here? Or did you run away? Did you run to your mouse hole? Did you run through to the other side to live in the light? In the beautiful light? Or are you still here? Why don't you say something? What's this? Is this your little furry body? Yes. Wait. No. What is that? That can't be. 1234. Why are you not Mr. Mouse at all? You're Mrs. Mouse. Your mother. Mouse. Four. Five, baby. Five. How many? Oh, yes. You were afraid I might hurt them. That's why you bit my. Yes, yes, I understand. But now you trust me. Not now. You know. Mother Mouse. My beautiful little mother mouse. My dear, dear friend. Do you know I'm crying again? And my tears are falling on you and on your children. [00:41:35] Speaker H: I came to get you. [00:41:38] Speaker B: What? Come on. [00:41:41] Speaker H: You can see your way to the door, can't you? [00:41:44] Speaker B: Yes. Well, come on. [00:41:51] Speaker H: Nothing like a shave in a shower, am I right? I think you've lost a little weight. Few pounds. [00:41:57] Speaker B: Oh, here. [00:41:58] Speaker H: I brought you some clean socks. I hope they're the right size. I had to guess. Do you care to weigh yourself? There's some scales over there. [00:42:07] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:42:08] Speaker H: The rations were pretty thin. [00:42:10] Speaker B: I know that. [00:42:11] Speaker H: How did you like the fruit? [00:42:14] Speaker B: What? [00:42:15] Speaker H: The fruit I left for you. [00:42:16] Speaker B: And the cheese. [00:42:17] Speaker H: Did you like it? [00:42:19] Speaker B: Very much. [00:42:20] Speaker H: I thought you would. Hey, don't put that shirt back on. I brought you a clean one. [00:42:25] Speaker B: Here. [00:42:26] Speaker H: I think it'll fit. [00:42:27] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:42:28] Speaker H: Give me your old one and I'll throw it out. [00:42:29] Speaker B: Don't touch that shirt. Keep your hands off that shirt. [00:42:33] Speaker H: You want to save it? [00:42:34] Speaker F: It's pretty dirty. [00:42:35] Speaker B: I want to save it. [00:42:36] Speaker H: I'll wash it for you. [00:42:37] Speaker B: No, leave it alone. [00:42:38] Speaker H: You want it the way it is? [00:42:39] Speaker B: Just the way it is. If you say so. [00:42:44] Speaker H: Well, you ready? [00:42:48] Speaker B: Yes. [00:42:49] Speaker H: Let's go visit Mr. Z. He's dying to talk to. [00:43:00] Speaker B: You. [00:43:00] Speaker H: Look rather well. [00:43:02] Speaker G: Surprisingly well. Please sit down. I'm glad to see you. [00:43:07] Speaker B: Are you really? [00:43:08] Speaker G: Yes, really very glad. You've no idea how glad it's been. Let's see. 26 days. That's remarkable. Truly remarkable. Tell me something, if you can. How did you do it? How does a man survive 26 days in the black room? [00:43:31] Speaker B: Can you tell me? [00:43:32] Speaker G: I really want to know. What does a man need to have to come out of there intact? [00:43:42] Speaker B: He needs to care for some living soul. [00:43:48] Speaker G: That's all he needs. [00:43:50] Speaker B: He needs to care a lot. [00:43:53] Speaker G: That's all. [00:43:54] Speaker B: Just that. That and a little light. [00:44:00] Speaker G: You're very tired, aren't you? [00:44:01] Speaker B: Yes. [00:44:02] Speaker G: It's been quite an ordeal. [00:44:03] Speaker B: Oh, yes. [00:44:04] Speaker H: We'd like to give you a complete. [00:44:05] Speaker G: Physical examination before you go, if you don't mind. [00:44:08] Speaker B: I can go. Also a psychiatric testing and then I can go. [00:44:13] Speaker G: One other thing. [00:44:16] Speaker B: What's that? [00:44:18] Speaker G: After we've completed the examinations would you be so kind, sir, as to address a few words to the membership? Not a long speech. We wouldn't expect that. But if you'd expand a little on what you've told me. [00:44:33] Speaker B: Wait a moment. What membership? [00:44:38] Speaker G: Don't you know? [00:44:38] Speaker B: How am I supposed to know? [00:44:40] Speaker H: I thought you'd guess. [00:44:41] Speaker B: Is this a club, some kind of a cult? [00:44:43] Speaker G: Not precisely a club. Certainly not a cult. [00:44:46] Speaker B: Well, then, what is it? Who are the members? [00:44:49] Speaker G: People in trouble. Troubled people. [00:44:55] Speaker B: But that's practically everybody. [00:44:57] Speaker G: Quite so, yes. Will you talk to them, sir? They'd be ever so grateful. Then you can go home. [00:45:15] Speaker H: Where do you live? [00:45:17] Speaker F: Main Street, Lakeshore Drive. Mulberry Lane? [00:45:21] Speaker B: Park place. Lennox Avenue. [00:45:23] Speaker H: Corner of Forth and wallet, 3 miles. [00:45:26] Speaker F: Out on route seven. Come now, you know better than that. You may hang your hat anywhere at all, but you will live in the black room of your own mind. I'll be back shortly. Has our little story depressed you? Made you unhappy? I hope not. And if it has, I'm sorry. I'd like to leave you with a piece of gentle advice. As long as you must live in the black room at the center of yourself, get to know it. Know it well. It will frighten you, yes, but it will reward you, too, in ways you would hardly believe. Our cast included Larry Haynes, George Petrie, and Peter Collins. The entire production was under the direction of Hyman Brown. Now a preview of our next tale. What is the whole contract? [00:46:39] Speaker H: That while a person owns this dark imp in the bottle, any request that concerns money, gold, or wealth, no matter. [00:46:47] Speaker B: How unreasonable, will be satisfied. And that to dispose of this creature and its spell, you must shell it. [00:46:59] Speaker H: For less than your original price. [00:47:04] Speaker B: Here, $7 and $45 is enough. Okay. [00:47:10] Speaker G: Cheap at nearly half the price. [00:47:12] Speaker B: Think first, Barry. Think. [00:47:14] Speaker H: Remember, it will keep you rich as. [00:47:16] Speaker B: Long as you live. But remember, too, if you do not. [00:47:20] Speaker H: Shell it for less than you paid. [00:47:23] Speaker B: For it before you die, your soul will surely rot in hell for eternity. [00:47:31] Speaker F: Radio Mystery Theater was sponsored in part by Anhouser Busch Incorporated brewers of Budweiser and Buick motor division. This is E. G. Marshall inviting you to return to our mystery theatre for another adventure in the macabre. Until next time, pleasant dreams. [00:48:21] Speaker A: Black room. From CBS Radio Mystery Theater, here on the mysterious old radio listening society podcast, once again, I'm Eric. [00:48:30] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:48:30] Speaker C: And I'm Joshua. [00:48:31] Speaker A: And that came to us from Dave, our Patreon Dave. And thank you, Dave, so much for being a Patreon and for your recommendation for some CBS RMT. Dave, before we move on with our thoughts, Dave had some thoughts he wanted to share with us post listening. [00:48:50] Speaker C: Yes, Dave recommended this because he feels, quote, this is easily one of CBS Radio Mystery Theater's best episodes. A truly gripping exploration of the emotional and physical trauma caused by blindness, as well as the necessity for connecting with other living things. I loved everything about this episode, including the fact that it gives us no answers as to what is actually going on. One of the most helpful messages I've come across when dealing with trauma. Dave himself is blind. So that was part of the reason this was a significant episode to him. And I was having a couple text interactions with him earlier today about this episode, and he said he had listened to this almost immediately after finding out that he wasn't going to be able to read anymore. And Dave is an avid reader, always in the mysterious old book club with me, so he found this comforting. [00:49:46] Speaker A: Yeah, well, I hated it. [00:49:47] Speaker B: Dave. [00:49:49] Speaker A: No, I can't quite figure out if I've heard this episode before or if I've heard this story before, perhaps in another short story, another telling of this, another version of this kind of story. And you know how you're like, it's right here, it's right in front of you, but you can't quite pinpoint what your brain is telling you this is reminding you of. I'm right now convinced I've heard this episode before, but I think it's something else. [00:50:23] Speaker C: Well, to put my literary theory hat on, there is a lot of intertextuality here, as in, this is riffing on, probably most prominently, the trial, not the black room, but just nameless authority figures arrest you and charge you of a vague crime you didn't commit. Right. [00:50:43] Speaker D: I think it's going to be one of two things, either pitting the pendulum. [00:50:47] Speaker A: Pendulum is close. [00:50:49] Speaker D: There's the thinking machine, which we listened to. I can't remember what the actual episode was called, but it's about the guy who claimed to be so smart, he escaped from any prison, and he was put into prison, and he used a mouse to send out messages. [00:50:59] Speaker A: Yes, that is familiar. [00:51:01] Speaker D: Pull threads out of the mattress and tie money to this mouse and say, send this message to this guy. Very different kind of story. [00:51:07] Speaker A: But I see the you too, with your literary background. Please help me if this does not ring a bell. I'm really hoping it does so that you can tell me what this is in my head. A story of a prison that was inside, like a mountain. And each person had a room, and it would just turn. The mountain would turn, or maybe not a mountain, but the jail cells would turn, and eventually your cell would come to the opening where they would hand you your food, and then you go back into complete darkness. And then, every now and then, like every half a day, you just go boom and you'd turn and you realize you were that much closer to the opening. Does that ring a bell to anybody? [00:51:49] Speaker D: That sounds like the cube, the movie, but kind of different. [00:51:52] Speaker C: But I think I've heard someone read a story very similar to that at an open mic, which I'm sure you weren't there for. [00:51:59] Speaker A: No, this sounds cool. Did they pay me to go that I wasn't there? [00:52:05] Speaker C: But that story sounds really familiar. [00:52:07] Speaker A: But also, I am convinced that I've heard this episode of CBSRMT before, too. [00:52:13] Speaker C: All that being said comes razor says, you just heard this before. That's the simple, right? [00:52:18] Speaker A: So that all that being said, now that I got that out of my system, and if listeners, you know what I'm talking about, please tell me. I think his performance, this pretty much one man show is real good, but nothing psychologically in this broke new ground for me. I already kind of understood the idea that what lessons we are supposed to take from this or ponder are things that I have pondered before or had heard before. I think it was extremely well done, just not anything new in that category of psychological thinking. Does that make sense, what I'm saying? [00:52:58] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [00:52:58] Speaker A: Okay, good. So it wasn't great because I wasn't introduced to anything, a new concept of any kind. But then again, it wasn't because it was terrible in any way, shape or form. [00:53:10] Speaker D: I had sort of a booking experience where the one disappointing thing about it was that cold open was so mysterious and exciting and evocative to me. Like, what is this show? I have to listen to this as fast as I can and get it in my head. And the story is a different mystery than that cold open implies. The actual story of it unfolded, I thought was well done. We often accuse CBS radio mystery theater having a little bit of mid episode fluff, that this goes on a bit, but for a purpose. It serves its goals to be too long. And then at the end of my listening experience, when I listened to the first part of it again when they were interrogating him, had a lot of rewarding layers to me of listening to what they are saying to him, what they're asking him after I know what the end was to my ears, it's not that they're questioning him like a criminal, that we're conducting an experiment and we need you to get these answers that we need. [00:54:14] Speaker A: Right. I was dissatisfied with the ending for that same reason in that it opens with, oh, what is this? Give me this answer. Then. This giant middle part of oh, this is nothing to do with that. This is all about what happens to a person when you lock them in a dark room. [00:54:34] Speaker C: The questions they ask are answered at the end. [00:54:36] Speaker A: Yes, but not the way I wanted. [00:54:38] Speaker B: Okay. [00:54:38] Speaker C: Yes, and that's totally legitimate. But, I mean, I don't think it turns into a different show. [00:54:43] Speaker A: It was disappointing that it was just an experiment. I wanted some bigger answer. [00:54:48] Speaker D: I think it's fair to say that the deception that he kind of gets taken in by is also the deception that the listener gets taken in by. That there is some sort of. It is a prison more than an experiment. [00:55:00] Speaker A: I would say it's the other way around. It's more of an experiment than a. [00:55:03] Speaker D: So that's the lie at the top. [00:55:04] Speaker A: Oh, the lie at the top. And then it becomes the other way around. Yes, absolutely. I think that this has a CBS RMT foible in it, and Tim just kind of touched on it. We've got to get 42 minutes out of this, and I think that this story is not 42 minutes long. [00:55:23] Speaker C: I'm with Tim here, where the excess time adds to his sense of isolation. If you cut this down to a 25 minutes standard old time radio show, then with the opening and the closing, he would have been in the black room for 15 minutes, tops. And I don't think that would have captured enough of his, to use a Hackney phrase, emotional journey. [00:55:49] Speaker A: The length of it makes you go on that tedious journey with you. [00:55:54] Speaker D: Yeah. The point of it is all these little nuanced, tiny changes and little details that are, in a big way, like these are meaningless. These are pointless things that become so important when you're in a little microcosm. Right. We get to experience it through his point of view, where the fact the mouse runs across his hand and then a little bit later, it runs across his hand again, is not pointless repetition. [00:56:17] Speaker A: Were you not disappointed, though, when the mouse ran across his hand that it didn't have half a ping pong ball on its head like a helmet and riding a little motorcycle? [00:56:29] Speaker C: Now I am. Thanks. [00:56:34] Speaker A: I wanted it to be that there. [00:56:36] Speaker D: Was part of it that's thinking, like, is this some elaborate little fan that they're blowing air on his hand to just mess with? I think as part of it is that this black room is such a blank canvas that it's interesting to see what I paint on it, to think of what this space is, what this point is. [00:56:54] Speaker A: So the end of this, these experiments, and I know that we don't have the context of who, why, what, where. And Dave says, I like that I like that we don't really know. And you know me, I've said this before, I hate pulp fiction because I want to know what's in the briefcase. I know we're not allowed, and I know that's part of the fun, but that makes me crazy. [00:57:14] Speaker D: Banana bread. [00:57:15] Speaker A: Oh, good. Thank God that's over. I want to know what's going on, because here's what bothers me, is that if you keep doing this and everybody eventually dies, right? This is the first one to make it through, where they give up and bring him out. What are you learning from killing all these people? This can't be. [00:57:37] Speaker D: They learned what he needed to survive, right? And then theoretically, what anyone needs to survive. [00:57:44] Speaker A: So you just do this until you get that answer. Then why? [00:57:46] Speaker D: It's bad science, but it's. [00:57:48] Speaker A: Then why ask him that at the top? What's the know? Give us the answer. Just throw them in the room. [00:57:53] Speaker D: Because they're terrible scientists. [00:57:57] Speaker C: I know Eric's gonna go, oh, but I mean, the appeal of this is that it's all metaphor, right? E. G. Marshall just tells you, at the top, we all, every day, day in and out, live in a room in our own mind. He doesn't say room, but he basically says the black room. And I think I had a different experience with it because I love the trial, one of my favorite books. And so it's so on the nose with the trial at the beginning, my expectation is it's going to subvert the trial, whereas I think if you're not as familiar, maybe with Kafka, you assume this is an exciting new story. I knew it wasn't going that direction just because it was so on the nose. [00:58:44] Speaker A: Right. [00:58:44] Speaker C: Otherwise it would have been a dramatization of the trial. And I think it's important to have these vague authority figures here because I think in some ways, those authority figures represent him. This is, to me, a really broad metaphor for depression, for mental illness, this dark room that you lock yourself in and you can't find a way out. [00:59:11] Speaker D: And they do make a point of talking about his life, his home, what he's being taken out of, what he's theoretically going back to. That this whole experience is a metaphor of how can I get out of that rut, right? [00:59:25] Speaker A: Because he does talk about his own life when he starts to think too much. [00:59:29] Speaker C: Like, yeah, which I don't think they. [00:59:31] Speaker D: Explicitly say, like, and my life at home is kind of blah. I wish it was different. [00:59:36] Speaker C: But he keeps getting to it and wanting to avoid it. When we cut to him for the first time to try to keep himself alert in the dark. He is thinking back about beautiful things. He remembers the ocean, and from the ocean he goes to crying. And then he thinks about going home and he says, no, not the house. I'm not ready to talk about the house. And then he starts to recite the Matthew Arnold poem Empedocles on Aetna, which is a somewhat obscure poem by Matthew Arnold. [01:00:09] Speaker A: Oh, that one. That chestnut. [01:00:12] Speaker C: Empedocles commits suicide at the end of this poem, which I think is another hint about the mental illness metaphor. But also as a literary nerd, I found fun is Matthew Arnold also wrote Dover beach, which I thought it was really interesting that he starts his recollection. That gets him to Matthew Arnold with this long description of a beach, which is exactly how Dover beach starts. And I know you guys, even if you've never read Dover beach, you will recognize the final lines, which again, I think, support some of the themes going on in here. And we are here as on a darkling plain swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, where ignorant armies clash by night. You've never heard? [01:01:00] Speaker B: No. Okay. [01:01:02] Speaker C: I forget. I always think Tim's well read, but it's all comic books. Is he in the west coast Avengers? [01:01:10] Speaker B: Yes. [01:01:11] Speaker C: Matthew Arnold. [01:01:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:01:12] Speaker C: That's wonder man's identity. [01:01:15] Speaker A: Like, if he. Oh, there really is no place like home. That would be an ending I'd remember. I love the faith you have in us, though. [01:01:25] Speaker C: But the confusion there that he's having at that moment, and he is somewhere dark, he doesn't understand, but yet he shows this understanding. There is something in his life that is making him unhappy, that he is dancing around. There's another part in this too, where he gets back to talking about home and he can't do it right. [01:01:45] Speaker D: And then by the end, he has the tools he needs. [01:01:48] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:01:49] Speaker D: After 26 days of torture. Got it figured out. [01:01:54] Speaker C: I also think it works as a kind of theodicy, an argument for why God or providence allows suffering and evil to exist in the world. In the end, the protagonist says he survived the deprivation and the suffering by making a connection to another living thing. And a little bit of light, right? But it's more than that, really. His suffering gave life. He was able to see the purpose of his suffering, which was to sustain and nourish life in the form of the mouse and her offspring. And even that light, when he peeks through it, he sees the mouse's eye. You get that idea. That light represents that there is another side of this you will get through this. And you maybe don't know how, but the mouse. [01:02:53] Speaker B: Hope. Yeah. [01:02:53] Speaker C: And the mouse did. And we even equate cheese with hope. And as a cheesemonger, I'd like to think that's true. A professional cheesemonger. [01:03:01] Speaker D: I don't know if it plugs into the metaphor, the overarching themes at all. But I liked at the end when the guy was like, and did you get the cheese and the fruit I sent? That was me. I gave you the cheese and the fruit. [01:03:10] Speaker B: That was me. Right. Yeah. [01:03:12] Speaker D: Points to you for getting me a charcuterie plate while I was imprisoned in a solitary confinement for a month. [01:03:21] Speaker A: And it was those mice and the fleas on those mice that went and started the. So, you know, nothing good comes of anything. [01:03:31] Speaker C: And to Dave's point about blindness, what I like about this is you can read your own personal experiences into it. That's a b. What I like about it is that it is a story told through metaphor in order to speak to more people, not in metaphor to obscure it. [01:03:54] Speaker A: Right. [01:03:54] Speaker C: You know what I mean? This isn't like James Joyce Ulysses. Right. I think this is a pretty open to interpretation. It's not a hard nut to crack. And I think that's intentional, that this story is more powerful to me in this form than if we're literally a story of a guy who spent a couple of days under psychiatric observation and saw a mouse. [01:04:17] Speaker D: So this reminded me of my honeymoon in that. [01:04:21] Speaker A: Oh, please. Let me guess. For a while. No, I won't. [01:04:26] Speaker D: We went to. [01:04:27] Speaker C: Honey, I have some cheese in my pocket. [01:04:29] Speaker A: Yeah. Exactly what I was going to do. [01:04:33] Speaker D: We went to Southern California pulling chest. [01:04:35] Speaker C: Hairs out to distract me. [01:04:42] Speaker B: Can I come out of the room? [01:04:43] Speaker C: No. [01:04:44] Speaker A: Okay. [01:04:45] Speaker B: All right. [01:04:49] Speaker D: We went to Southern California for a honeymoon, for Napa Valley, a little bit of other sightseeing. And one of the things we did was we visited Alcatraz. [01:04:57] Speaker A: That's so. [01:04:58] Speaker D: Oh, it was. [01:04:59] Speaker B: It was a really nice trip. [01:05:01] Speaker D: I had a really good time. But we got to see a solitary confinement room, and it's a different thing to see. Like, this is a room that has tiny little slit of a window that sometimes opens, sometimes closes. And that's the only light that ever might be in there. And real people were in there for real amounts of time. [01:05:23] Speaker A: Right. [01:05:24] Speaker D: It's pretty chilling. [01:05:25] Speaker A: Did you have sex in there? [01:05:27] Speaker D: We were on a guided tour. [01:05:29] Speaker C: Sometimes the guide helps. [01:05:32] Speaker A: Did he have sex with you in there? [01:05:35] Speaker F: No. [01:05:35] Speaker A: Get to the sex part of your honeymoon. [01:05:39] Speaker D: That's what he kept saying to us. [01:05:41] Speaker A: Should we vote? [01:05:45] Speaker B: This honeymoon was classic. [01:05:49] Speaker C: So done with this episode already? [01:05:51] Speaker A: I'm not. [01:05:51] Speaker C: No. What I want to underscore is this episode is really complicated for CBS Radio mystery theater, while at the same time is brilliant for it because it's so low budget and you've got an actually really artistic reason to just have a guy doing a monologue. [01:06:15] Speaker B: Right. [01:06:15] Speaker C: With a couple Mouse sounds which aren't that hard to make. [01:06:18] Speaker A: It's an actual mouse. [01:06:19] Speaker B: Yes. [01:06:20] Speaker C: They just squeezed a mouse. [01:06:21] Speaker D: That mouse. Willard, come in. [01:06:23] Speaker A: No, it was Ralph with the half ping pong ball motorcycle helmet. [01:06:29] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:06:30] Speaker C: The last thing I want to say is how much I enjoy the way this story subverted the expectations of dystopian literature, specifically 1984 and the ending of 1984, when Winston Smith is taken to the scary place, room 101, and he gets a rat mask thingy put on his face because he is terrified of rats. And there's a little door in the mask, and all they have to do is open that little door, and the rat will have full, angry access to his face. And here, in contrast, we have the protagonist taken to a dark, scary room, and he's afraid it's a rat. And then it becomes a mouse, and. [01:07:16] Speaker D: They pull the cage back in. The mice are. [01:07:17] Speaker B: Hey, Winston. Hey, man. [01:07:19] Speaker A: Good to see you. [01:07:19] Speaker B: But that's what I love about it. [01:07:22] Speaker C: It's like this happy ending to 1984 or the trial. These dark, existential bleak novels here. It's like you discovered the secret to living a healthy, happy mental life. Can you share it with our members, the members of the human race? Again, on the nose, but in such a joyful, playful way that I just really enjoyed it. So let's vote. [01:07:51] Speaker A: I thought it was good. [01:07:52] Speaker D: Awesome. [01:07:54] Speaker A: I have no strong feelings about it in either direction. It was good. It wasn't. That blew me away, and it wasn't. I'll never get that 42 minutes back. It was good. [01:08:06] Speaker D: I don't know that I would call it a classic, but stand the test of time. Time. It does so much. It's very good. I do kind of want some different radio episode. Now that is two crazy, anonymous guys who imprisoned people in some theoretical, ultra dimensional, psychological, black room prison thing that has no messages about self worth or anything like that. [01:08:32] Speaker A: It's just weird. [01:08:33] Speaker D: I want that story. [01:08:34] Speaker A: Right. [01:08:34] Speaker C: Like I said, there's Kafka, there's Orwell. [01:08:37] Speaker D: No, they have themes and meaning. I just want weird, black want for no reason. [01:08:44] Speaker A: Like Alcatraz was for no reason. You have to fight the gorn. [01:08:50] Speaker C: Always in search of a sexless Honeymoon. [01:08:55] Speaker D: But it's an excellent story and I really enjoyed it. [01:09:00] Speaker C: I really love this episode. Dave had actually suggested this for something for a recent happy hour, and this has been on my personal list to bring for a while. And so I said, dave, instead of a happy hour, can we just make it your recommendation and bring it to the podcast? So I was really happy to be able to listen to it with you guys. But for me, I definitely think this is a CBS Radio mystery theater classic for sure. One of my absolute favorites because of its. I think it's that it's like 1984 with a happy ending without it being satirical. Happy ending, not a honeymoon happy ending. [01:09:48] Speaker B: Thanks for suggesting this, Dave. [01:09:50] Speaker D: Sorry we ruined it. [01:09:53] Speaker C: So definitely a classic for me. [01:09:56] Speaker A: All right, Tim, tell him stuff. [01:09:58] Speaker D: Please go visit ghoulishtolites.com. You can let us know what you think of these episodes. You can leave comments. You can vote in polls. You can send us messages, you can click on our social media pages, links to our social media pages. You can get swag at our threadless store. You can also visit our Patreon page and help support this podcast. [01:10:15] Speaker C: Yes, you can be like Dave. You can become a patron, and you can have your listener requests featured on the podcast. This is probably a good time to bring up that after 300 some episodes, we've listened to a lot of listener requests, and we really appreciate all the listener requests we have received. But we have decided to make listener requests part of our Patreon perks for the upper tier members because it has value. And so we're going to leverage that because we're monsters who need to pay our mortgages. So become a Patreon and you can get your listener requests on this show. And you can also hang out in Zoom happy hours, which Dave does all the time, and my mysterious old Zoom book club, which Dave does all the time. We just really love Dave. [01:11:08] Speaker D: Sure love Dave. [01:11:09] Speaker A: And my Sid and Marty Croft watch parties. [01:11:12] Speaker C: You would have so many patrons be so excited. You're in trouble now, because you're going to have to now learn the technology to make that happen. Yeah, because within seconds of this being posted, there will be patrons who are going to demand that. All right, the jokes on you, Eric. [01:11:28] Speaker A: Hey, if you'd like to see us performing live, mysterious old radio listening Society Society Society is also a theater company that performs audio drama live on stage. We do recreations of classic radio drama and also a lot of our own original work. If you'd like to see where we're performing and what we're performing each and every month. You can just go to ghoulishdelights.com. We've been performing together for literally eight years, and we're performing somewhere all the time. Ghoulishdelights.com. And if you're not in the area and can't get a ticket to come see us, well, if you're a patreon, we film them. And you get that for being a patron, you get to watch that. Or one of the many things, you. [01:12:09] Speaker C: Just still struggle to sell that after all these years. Yeah, you get that. [01:12:13] Speaker A: You get that. You know why? Because in my head, I'm like, yeah, no one wants to watch us, but they do. [01:12:20] Speaker C: Security. You're in your black room, Eric. [01:12:22] Speaker A: You're right. [01:12:24] Speaker C: Move towards the light. [01:12:25] Speaker B: Look. What? [01:12:26] Speaker C: You think your black room is more of a panic room. Run in there and close the doors. [01:12:33] Speaker A: What's coming up next? [01:12:35] Speaker D: Up next, I believe, is your choice, sir. [01:12:38] Speaker B: Right. [01:12:38] Speaker A: I'm going back to the hall of fantasy. Well, and we're doing the man in black until then. [01:12:48] Speaker B: Look out. [01:12:49] Speaker C: You've never heard? [01:12:50] Speaker A: No. [01:12:50] Speaker B: Okay. [01:12:51] Speaker E: For the edification of my co hosts, here is my reading of Dover beach by Matthew Arnold. The sea is calm tonight, the tide is full. The moon lives fair upon the straits on the french coast the light gleams and is gone. The cliffs of England stand glimmering and vast out in the tranquil bay. Come to the window. Sweet is the night air only from the long line of spray where the sea meets the moon blanched land. Listen. You hear the grating roar of pebbles which the waves draw back and fling at their return. Up the high strand begin and cease, and then again begin with tremulous cadence, slow and bring the eternal note of sadness in Sophocles long ago heard it on the Aegean, and it brought into his mind the turbid ebb and flow of human misery. We find also in the sound a thought, hearing it by this distant northern sea. The sea of faith was once too with the full and round earth's shore lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled. But now I only hear its melancholy long, withdrawing roar, retreating to the breath of the night wind down the vast edges, drear and naked shingles of the world. [01:14:38] Speaker B: Ha. [01:14:39] Speaker E: Love, let us be true to one another, for the world which seems to lie before us like a land of dreams so various, so beautiful, so new, hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for ain. And we are here as on a darkling plane swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, where ignorant armies clash by night. [01:15:19] Speaker A: Oh, that one. That chestnut.