Episode 336: Shadow of Huntley House

[00:00:16] Speaker A: The mysterious old Radio Listening Society podcast 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. [00:00:37] Speaker A: We love mysterious old time radio stories, but do they stand the test of time? That's what we're here to find out. [00:00:43] Speaker B: This week, I brought a story entitled Shadow of Huntley House, also known as on the Wild Seas, from Obsession. Several episodes of Obsession have survived, although not much is known about the series in general. The show, which first ran on the CB's station WBBM in Chicago, debuted on October 9, 1950, as a filler program. But starting January 15, 1951, Obsession began airing Monday nights until its final broadcast on May 12, 1952. The show frequently featured first rate vocal talents such as Vincent Price, Jane Wyatt, and William Conrad. [00:01:15] Speaker C: Shadow of Huntley House stars Evelyn anchors, who is perhaps best known for her role as Gwen opposite Lon Chaney Junior in the Wolf man in 1941. Her career included over 50 films between 1936 in 1950 before retiring from movies at the age of 32 to be a housewife. But she still found time to appear in this episode. This particular recording was from the Armed Forces radio network, and the original broadcast date is unknown. But this is Shadow of Huntley House, aka on the Wild Seas, from sometime between 1950 and 1952. [00:01:55] Speaker A: It's late at night and a chill has set in. You're alone and the only light you see is coming from an antique radio. Listen to the sounds coming from the speaker. Listen to the music and listen to the voices. [00:02:20] Speaker D: Obsession. What of subconscious thoughts that dwell in darkness and shadow? What of reckless desires that take root in the soil of envy and flower in Christ? We can give the world a face free of lurking malice. But back in the dim recesses of our mind crouch the age old instincts, ready to destroy. And so to our story. Starring Evelyn anchors, the deep green waves dash with wild, thrusting arms upon the stern rocks of the New England shore. Silhouetted against the slate sky is the outline of a house, Huntley house, and the girl in our story. Maxine Stark must have regretted her visit to this home above the sea because back of her smiling and friendly face was a grim and growing obsession. [00:03:38] Speaker E: At the time, it seemed the right thing. You see, Teresa Huntley was my twin sister. We were worlds apart socially. In fact, we had mutually refused to see or speak to each other for ten years. She had been through a tragedy, and I was with my husband, Dudley, one of his trips I couldn't avoid. He was a beer salesman. We were in Maine. And I insisted that we drive over to the coast to see my sister. The last few miles, the road was very bumpy, and my husband was worse than the road. [00:04:11] Speaker D: Oh, why in the Sam hill are we going over here anyway? [00:04:14] Speaker E: Because I want to drive to the. [00:04:16] Speaker D: Ends of the earth. And for what? [00:04:19] Speaker E: She is my sister, you know. [00:04:20] Speaker D: Well, I've never heard you brag about that before. [00:04:22] Speaker E: There are times. After all, she did just lose her husband. [00:04:26] Speaker D: What's that to you? [00:04:28] Speaker E: I'm thinking of Teresa. Maybe her husband meant something to her, huh? [00:04:32] Speaker D: Thanks. [00:04:33] Speaker E: Oh, daddy, let's not argue. [00:04:35] Speaker D: Well, who's arguing? I just think it's stupid. What'd your sister ever do for you? [00:04:39] Speaker E: Who knows? Maybe she'll have a change of heart. Finally, we arrived at Huntley House. Teresa had certainly done well. It was a charming place. Too big, but with that touch of elegance every woman dreams of. The house ran almost to the beach with the ocean beyond. And there were flowers, lots of them. Alongside the house, protected from the wind by a heavy, thick concrete wall. It was lovely. We knocked at the door. Even after ten years, Teresa didn't seem surprised. Well, come in, Maxey. Theresa, this is my husband, Dudley. [00:05:25] Speaker D: Glad to know you, misses Huntley. [00:05:27] Speaker E: How do you do? [00:05:28] Speaker D: Say, I can't get over it. [00:05:31] Speaker E: Get over what? [00:05:31] Speaker D: How much you two look alike. [00:05:33] Speaker E: Oh, what did you expect? My husband and I were traveling by this way. I heard what had happened, so I thought we'd drive over. I had a premonition you were coming. Now, I suppose you want to straighten up a bit after your trip. It's right upstairs there. Thank you. As Dudley and I walked upstairs, I got my first glimpse of the interior. What I saw made me green with envy. Chippendale, the dresden over the fireplace. Teresa always did have such marvelous taste. The house was a picture. Dudley must have been thinking the same thing. We dressed for dinner. [00:06:19] Speaker D: Some joint she's got here. [00:06:21] Speaker E: Dudley, please remember where you are. [00:06:23] Speaker D: Now. What did I say? [00:06:24] Speaker E: Don't joint the place up. [00:06:25] Speaker D: All right, all right. I know how to handle myself. [00:06:33] Speaker E: We went downstairs and had dinner. It was very uncomfortable. There's deadly blundering all over the place and Teressa. Prim starch. Teressa. I'm not too friendly. After dinner, it got so late she had to ask us to stay all night. Dudley went to bed early while Teresa and I had a little chat in the living room. Ten years is a long time, Maxine. Yes, it is. I think it was very nice of you to come. Even though it took a death to bring you. I'm glad it pleases you, Teresa. There was no other reason, was there? Of course not. No. I didn't come to ask you for anything. Ten years haven't changed you much, Maxine. Nor you, after what I've gone through this last month. That's a compliment. You do miss your husband, don't you? Yes. I miss Everett very much. Poor fellow. We couldn't even give him a decent burial. What happened? He'd been working in his garden. He loved his garden. He decided to go for a swim. I watched him. He was well beyond the breakers when the riptide hit him. He screamed for help. I was powerless. We're 5 miles from anyone here. You know how I'm afraid of. I've always been afraid of the water. Who makes you if you've just been here? That day she broke off, finally excused herself, thought she was going to bed. But a moment later, I saw her walking down on the beach, looking out at the sea as if imploring it to return her husband. I went up to our room, feeling almost a little bit sorry for Teresa. Dudley was still awake. [00:08:32] Speaker D: Well, what'd she say? [00:08:35] Speaker E: Oh, she was talking about her husband. [00:08:37] Speaker D: She certainly wasn't very glad to see us, was she? [00:08:40] Speaker E: I think she was, in a way. [00:08:41] Speaker D: Well, who knows? You're her only sister. Maybe you'll get yours someday. [00:08:46] Speaker E: I don't want anything from her. Ha ha. [00:08:48] Speaker D: Not much you don't. You'll have to play your card smart, though. [00:08:52] Speaker E: Oh, why don't you go to sleep? [00:08:54] Speaker A: All right. [00:08:55] Speaker D: All right. Still can't get over how much you and your sister look alike. [00:09:06] Speaker E: That was the second time Dudley had said that. The words revolved in my mind. I went over and opened the shutters of the window. The sea breeze was fresh and cool. I thought of my sister alive, and there never had been much love between us, only on a question of who got what. I walked back to the bed. Dudley was asleep. I thought to myself, in spite of everything, Teresa had got hers. Prim, starched. Teressa had won. The next morning, I got up late after breakfast. I found Theresa in the flower garden, which was protected from the wind by that heavy cement wall. Good morning, Maxine. Good morning, Teresa. You look as if you rested well. I assured I've been on sleeping tablets ever since it happened. Oh, your garden is lovely. It was Everett's garden. He was very proud of it. He even built the cement wall here. He just finished it. What do you plan to do? I don't know. I may take a trip later. On, tell the house. Oh, no, never, ever. Everett thought too much of the house. If I do go, I'll lock it up. But there's still all of Everett's business affairs to clear up. Those things are always hard for a woman. Oh, no. Everett's friend at the bank in town, David Cautley, she's been wonderful. He's taken over completely. Teresa, I. I want you to know something. What? Well, we've never been very close as sisters, and it's. It's hard for me to say this, but if there's anything. That's very kind of you in coming here as you did. You've already expressed that. Maxine, why don't you and Dudley stay on over the weekend? Thank you. That would be very nice. Perhaps Dudley was right. Perhaps if I played my card smart. That afternoon, I decided to take a swim in the ocean, put on a suit, and as I approached the terrace facing the beach, I heard Dudley babbling about something for caress. [00:11:36] Speaker D: Ah, this is the life. This is for me. [00:11:40] Speaker E: You like it here at the beach, don't you? [00:11:42] Speaker D: I don't care if I never write another beer order in my life. [00:11:45] Speaker E: Well, Maxine, your husband likes it here. So I understand you're going for a swim. Yes. Anyone care to join me? No, not me. How about you, Dudley? [00:11:52] Speaker D: Not me. I swim like a rock. [00:11:55] Speaker E: You're in my car. As I walked down to the water, I noticed the house faced a cove and there was a mooring out into the water with a small sailboat tied up at the end. I guess Everett had kept it there during the summer months. I hit the water and took a long turn way off past the breakers. When I returned, the terrace was empty. I dried off and walked to the door and stopped at the sound of a man's voice. I recognize it first. Then as I listened, I realized it was David Cotland whom to rest. So nice to see you. [00:12:31] Speaker D: Well, I'm sorry I haven't been up to rest. I've been terribly busy. But say, you're looking wonderful. [00:12:36] Speaker E: Thank you. [00:12:36] Speaker D: Believe me, for the first time, I believe you're coming around to my way of thinking. You've been getting some sun. [00:12:41] Speaker E: Yes, I have. [00:12:42] Speaker D: Well, that's good. That's good for you. I'll tell you, I noticed a car in the driveway as I came in. [00:12:48] Speaker E: That belongs to Maxine, my sister. [00:12:51] Speaker D: Your sister? [00:12:52] Speaker E: Yes. She and her husband are here for a few days. I dare say that now I've come into all of Everett's money, I'm certain to be plagued by a relative. That was all I needed to hear. Teresa would never change. Teresa, who had always coveted and always won. Or had she? Suddenly a plan evolved out of what Dudley had repeated many times since our visit to Huntley House. If I could just change places with her. [00:13:31] Speaker D: Oh, but I don't know, Maxine. I don't know. [00:13:33] Speaker E: What do you mean, you don't know? You said you liked it here, didn't you? [00:13:37] Speaker D: Yeah, Maxine. [00:13:37] Speaker E: But how can we ever go back to what we had knowing? Knowing all this is here for us? [00:13:41] Speaker D: Well, I don't know. I'm afraid. [00:13:43] Speaker E: Think what we would have. Just think what would be ours. The house, her money, freedom. All the things you've wanted and I've wanted. [00:13:52] Speaker D: Yeah, but this is murder. [00:13:55] Speaker E: Murder, Dudley, it's merely retribution. The retribution she deserves. [00:14:01] Speaker D: But how? [00:14:02] Speaker E: That's the easiest part. I needed Dudley for my plan. Oh, how I needed him. That night we waited until well after Theresa had gone to bed. Then we slipped up to her bedroom. I knew she practically knocked herself out with sleeping pills every night. We opened the door, crept into the room. We had her gagged and her arms bound almost before she went. Then Dudley held her while I began the transfer. My rings, my wristwatch in a locket with my name inscribed on it. We carried her downstairs, down to the mooring and into the sailboat. Dudley spoke the first word. [00:14:40] Speaker D: Maxine, are you sure you know how to say this thing? [00:14:43] Speaker E: Of course, Gideon. There was a good breeze. We sailed out quickly. About half a mile offshore. We untied Teressa and pushed her over the side. Her scream was lost in the sound of the heavy clowns. [00:15:08] Speaker D: And now we return to the story on the wild sea in the shadow of Huntley House, starring Evelyn Ankers. [00:15:17] Speaker E: I did have a feeling of elation as I stood beside my husband, deadly in a sailboat watching the glimmer of a white cap which a moment before, had been my sister. But the sense of elation, somehow was not complete. I thought of my plan. It worked splendidly. Dudley had been a help, but now he was nervous. [00:15:37] Speaker D: Maxine, don't you think we'd better be heading back? [00:15:40] Speaker E: All right. [00:15:41] Speaker D: And quickly. There's a boat over there. [00:15:43] Speaker E: Where? [00:15:44] Speaker D: Ahead of us. [00:15:45] Speaker E: Oh, she's miles away. There was the outline of the boat with running lights, clear in the moonlight, but she was far away. We came about and headed back again about a quarter of a mile from shore. I ducked below. My plan was nearly completed. I opened the peacocks, jumped up on deck and was in the water before Dudley realized what was happening. [00:16:08] Speaker D: What are you doing? [00:16:09] Speaker E: My team. [00:16:09] Speaker D: What are you doing? [00:16:10] Speaker C: Come back. [00:16:11] Speaker D: Don't leave me here. [00:16:13] Speaker E: Come back. I watched, fascinated, until the sailboat went under. Then I swam in, climbed up on the sand below the house, and I stood up, prepared to assume my new identity as misses Everett Huntley. At the house, I waited a full hour before I notified the authorities that the boat was missing. I knew that neither Teresa nor Dudley could swim, and it would be over quickly for them. And I called David courtland, toss, his counselor since her husband's death. He rushed out to the house immediately. He was to be the first test in my new role, and he was easier than I expected. Oh, david. [00:17:10] Speaker D: I got here as quickly as I could. Teresa. [00:17:12] Speaker E: It's terrible, david. They've been gone nearly 6 hours now. [00:17:15] Speaker D: There, there. The coast guard searching by boat and by plane. I'm sure they're all right, but tell me what happened. [00:17:21] Speaker E: Well, Maxine and her husband decided on the spur of the moment to. To go on a moonlight sail. [00:17:27] Speaker D: Did either of them know anything about a boat? [00:17:30] Speaker E: Of course. Maxine handles the boat marvelously. She did practically nothing else but swim and sail when we were youngsters. [00:17:36] Speaker D: Well, then there's nothing to worry about. It's a very calm sea tonight. [00:17:40] Speaker E: Yes, I I never would have let them go otherwise. Oh, David, I. [00:17:45] Speaker D: There, there, now. You've certainly had your share these past weeks. But don't worry. If they're in trouble, they'll be picked up. [00:17:59] Speaker E: His words upset me. There was the other boat that night, but the day passed. In two days, I felt relieved. The afternoon of the second day, I got a sudden phone call from David. I was prepared for that, too, but. But not quite all of it. [00:18:19] Speaker D: I have bad news for you, Teresa. A fishing boat just brought in the body of a woman. It's evidently. [00:18:26] Speaker E: Oh, no, David. [00:18:27] Speaker D: Yes, it seems the boat did go down. [00:18:32] Speaker E: Oh, how terrible. I suppose I. I should come in and arrange for the body. [00:18:39] Speaker D: I'll do that. [00:18:40] Speaker E: But won't they want me to identify her? [00:18:44] Speaker D: Oh, no, no. They'll do that merely by taking fingerprints. [00:18:52] Speaker E: I certainly wasn't prepared for that, nor for what followed in a few hours summons by the police in town. David picked me up. He certainly was understanding as we sat in the waiting room of the police station. [00:19:06] Speaker D: We won't be long, I'm sure. [00:19:08] Speaker E: What is it they want? [00:19:09] Speaker D: I don't know. They just said to bring you down. [00:19:11] Speaker E: You may go in now. [00:19:13] Speaker D: Thank you. Yes, lieutenant? Sit down. You're, uh, misses Huntley? Yes, misses Huntley. I called you, down here. I want a complete report of what happened the other night. [00:19:29] Speaker E: Certainly. [00:19:30] Speaker D: I suppose after what I tell you, you won't be interested in seeing the body. [00:19:33] Speaker E: No. [00:19:34] Speaker D: At least I know if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be interested. [00:19:38] Speaker E: Why not? [00:19:39] Speaker D: The body had deteriorated, so we were unable to identify it with fingerprints. Can you identify these? This locket, these rings? [00:19:49] Speaker E: Oh, yes, yes, yes. Those were maxines. Oh, my dear sister. I made the report as a police requested and a week or so later we held Theresa's funeral. I never did find Dudley's body. Then I returned to Huntley House. But as the days passed by, it became oppressive. What had been so lovely before the house, the beach, the garden with the cement wall shielding it all too quickly became the storehouse of memories I wanted to lose. Then I. I mulled over an idea and finally I made up my mind. I called David and he came out immediately. Come on in, David. Won't you sit down? [00:20:42] Speaker D: Thank you, Teresa. You know, it's always so good to see you. [00:20:46] Speaker E: Is it? Need I tell you, David, I'm going to take a trip. [00:20:51] Speaker D: Excellent. Wonderful idea. [00:20:53] Speaker E: Bermuda, England. France. How does it sound to you? [00:20:57] Speaker D: I think it's the only thing. Tell me when you want to leave. Now may go the arrangement. [00:21:01] Speaker E: Well, I'd like to go as quickly as possible. [00:21:04] Speaker D: No sooner said than done. [00:21:05] Speaker E: One other thing, David. I've decided to sell the house. [00:21:09] Speaker D: Really? [00:21:10] Speaker E: Yes. [00:21:12] Speaker D: Isn't that rather a change? I thought you said you'd never sell it. [00:21:15] Speaker E: You mean Everett did, don't you? [00:21:18] Speaker D: He loved it so well that he did. [00:21:21] Speaker E: David, Everett was your best friend, wasn't he? [00:21:25] Speaker D: My very best. [00:21:27] Speaker E: As you knew him. Do you think he would want me to live here after what has happened? [00:21:33] Speaker D: No, I dare say you wouldn't. I'll post it for sale. You'll have no trouble selling it, I'm sure. And I'll arrange you the finest accommodations for your trip to Europe. [00:21:49] Speaker E: David was so kind, so very thoughtful. I almost believed that he liked me. Or maybe it was because of Everett. I sold Hunkley House the next day. People who bought it simply loved it. I'll accept the cement wall by the flower bed. They said it destroyed the view and that they were going to tear it down. They moved in practically as I moved out. When I arrived at the station to take train to New York, David was waiting for me with a beautiful corsage. Thoughtful as always. [00:22:27] Speaker D: This is for you. [00:22:29] Speaker E: Oh, thank you, David. It's beautiful. [00:22:33] Speaker D: Now, I want you to have a wonderful rest. You'll be in New York a few days before you sail. [00:22:37] Speaker E: I will, yes. [00:22:38] Speaker D: I thought you might want to do some shopping. [00:22:41] Speaker E: Oh, you. You think of everything. Oh, no. [00:22:46] Speaker D: You know, Teresa, I'm glad to miss. [00:22:48] Speaker E: You, really, very much. [00:22:51] Speaker D: I want you to know that I. [00:22:55] Speaker E: Shall miss you, too. David. [00:22:56] Speaker D: Hurry back. Watch him. [00:22:58] Speaker E: Yes, I. I will. David. The trip to New York was marvelous, especially after the memory of David standing there at the station and what he had said. Oh, I had a glorious shopping spree. And the date for sailing came around almost too quickly. I'd been on board an hour since the ship had left the port of New York when there was a knock on my cabin door. Come in here. [00:23:29] Speaker D: Misses Huntley? [00:23:30] Speaker E: That's right. [00:23:30] Speaker D: Sergeant Burns, New York police. You'll come with me, please. [00:23:39] Speaker E: They rushed me off to the station. No one would say anything. I had no idea what was happening or what had happened. Then they put me in a room alone. Suddenly, the door opened and David walked in. I rushed over to him. David, what's happened? [00:24:00] Speaker D: Keep your hands off of me. [00:24:02] Speaker E: David, what's the matter? [00:24:04] Speaker D: To think, Teresa, that I was falling in love with you? [00:24:07] Speaker E: David, please. Please don't stand there like that. Tell me what's happened. [00:24:12] Speaker D: You know what happened. You were there that last day with Everett. [00:24:16] Speaker E: Everett. [00:24:17] Speaker D: Well, weren't you? Weren't you with him there alone? Did you hear him there in that riptide? And didn't you hear his cries? [00:24:25] Speaker E: Yes, I tried. Yes. [00:24:26] Speaker D: Teresa, you should never have sold Huntley House. [00:24:28] Speaker E: Why? What do you mean? [00:24:30] Speaker D: The new owner tore down that cement wall Everett had been building to protect his flowers. The new owner found Everett's body embedded in the cement. How could you ever do it, Teresa? How could you ever murder him? You have been listening to obsession. Obsession has come to you through the worldwide facilities of the United States Armed radio and television service. [00:25:38] Speaker A: That was shadow of Huntley House, or also known as on the wild seas. Or as I almost read it on the wild seals here on the mysterious old radio listening society podcast. Once again, I'm Eric. [00:25:54] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:25:55] Speaker C: And I'm Joshua. [00:25:57] Speaker A: Say this frequently in this podcast that peak behind the curtain, that we sit down and record many podcasts in a row in a single setting. And we are in our third recording of this session. And two episodes ago, it was all right. Last episode. Yeah. All right. Ah, I got to say it again. What? I don't know. So. And now I feel bad because, like, ah, that's three in a row that I was like, so again, I have to turn to Tim, who brought this this time and say, tell me why I should like this more than I did when it was done, please. [00:26:38] Speaker B: This is so funny because I, my thought was, like, if you're a grizzled old veteran of mystery stories like Joshua, you might go into the story going, yeah, bodies in the wall. Like, this is. [00:26:49] Speaker A: Right, right. [00:26:52] Speaker C: There's nothing to this I'm not going to say anymore. Tim covered everything I had to say. [00:26:59] Speaker B: But if it was more of a mystery to you, if it was not going to catch that right away, which I'm not saying you didn't go like, body's in the wall. Meh. Right. But I'm betting you didn't. [00:27:09] Speaker A: Why? Because it's me. [00:27:14] Speaker C: Also, when we get into, like, our third or fourth episode in a row, we get bitter and mean. Yeah. [00:27:18] Speaker B: Oh, super personal. The twists and turns of it are fun. By no means is this a magnificent icon of audio drama. I really enjoyed it because I felt like all the little nooks and crannies and the husband character and all the red herrings, my phrase from it, these were well seasoned red herrings. All of them were just delightful for me to listen to, even if the actual twists were like, oh, as opposed to, wow, it was really fun for me all along, which is why I picked it. So I can see that it was not as fun for someone else as it was for me. But I really thought it was fun. [00:28:00] Speaker A: To answer your question, I found every single step extremely telegraphed. If you say it 900 times in the dialogue, wow, you look like your sister. I know. The switcheroo is coming. [00:28:14] Speaker C: That one I forgive, because, you know, as soon as there's a twin, there's just no way to hide the fact there's a twin. Right? I won't give it crap for that because that's more like, oh, how are they gonna use this, the twin story? [00:28:26] Speaker A: And it's very tropey to get away with everything. To find out what you missed. Now, the fingerprints, first of all. Really? You didn't think about the fingerprints? That was for me, like, wow, you didn't. Okay. You should have thought that through. But I think she was hoping that the bodies would never be discovered. But she got away with it. Right. But I was sitting there that whole time going, and what is it? What's going to reveal it? You're right. I did not say he's in the wall. I did not say that. But I was, I knew something was going to come to reveal what she had done. Consequently, I'm spending the whole time going. Get to it. [00:29:08] Speaker B: But you knew going to the end that the original sister had killed her husband. [00:29:12] Speaker A: No, I just knew that that woman, the second sister, was going to get busted for what she did in one way, shape or form. So I'm just waiting for that to happen. I know what the story is. [00:29:20] Speaker B: Technically, she didn't. She was not caught for the murder she committed. [00:29:26] Speaker A: She is in a trap. Right. I didn't do that because here's how I can prove it. I killed two other people. Wait a minute. [00:29:33] Speaker C: Oh. [00:29:36] Speaker A: Good point, Tim. But it's what, probably 20 to life instead of 40 to life because it's one murder instead of two. [00:29:45] Speaker C: Yeah, way to look on the bright side. As unimpressed as I am by this episode, I'm very impressed by Tim's ability to just pull the rug out from under me by saying, shut up, you. I know what you're gonna see. So like, classic Tim, at least I gotta say that. [00:30:03] Speaker E: Wow. [00:30:04] Speaker C: Oh, this should have been called obsession with the garden wall. For some reason, they would not stop mentioning this garden wall. And as Tim said, as soon as I went, like, there's something with the garden wall. But as soon as they went out of their way to say, oh, the sellers who we haven't really mentioned or talked about are gonna tear it down, I went, oh, the other sister killed her husband and he's buried in the wall. [00:30:31] Speaker A: Because otherwise, why tell us that? [00:30:33] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. And I hear what Tim's saying about the red herrings. I do think that was the hope of, of the author, that, like, oh, the fact that they never found the husband's body, the fact that, oh, they saw a boat on the water, that those were supposed to disguise the wall. But for me, it just didn't. [00:30:52] Speaker A: Here's what's interesting, is you could write this without ever mentioning that garden wall once. Until he comes, David comes in and she goes to hug him and he says, you know, I know what you did. There was a garden wall that the new owners tore down. Like, you could tell us right then and there without telegraphing and have your twist. [00:31:12] Speaker C: Yeah, I don't think you needed to set it up that. [00:31:13] Speaker A: No, you didn't need to set it up at all. Like, she sells the house. That's her fatal flaw. Selling the house, not knowing that her sister was like, we can't sell this house because I have a secret in here. [00:31:24] Speaker C: Because what the writer could have gotten away with, which was small and you wouldn't remember, is I picked this up on the second listen of that. The sister says, oh, yeah, I'll probably not sell the house. I'll just leave it here. Or, hold on. She says something like throwaway line that doesn't sound suspicious or anything. And if they just left it at that, you then afterwards would be able to go back and realize, oh, it was set up. But in a way, I could. [00:31:52] Speaker B: Well, I felt like when they get to the point of there's new purchases and they're gonna turn out that wall, I think at that point, it's fair game to know what it is. That's pretty far in. [00:32:01] Speaker C: There's still a lot left to go. I guess. Like, to me, I would have preferred to wait. Yes, you do know she's gonna get caught on something. But I wanted to not know what it was before she gets called in by the police. Right. To me, that's the joy is in that moment with the police finding out, yes, that's just me, and I'm being picky. [00:32:22] Speaker A: But, no, I agree with you for a change. [00:32:24] Speaker B: The parts that I love were like, I love the husband. [00:32:28] Speaker C: Yes. If this had been, I love Dudley. [00:32:31] Speaker A: He reminded me of Norman fell in three's company, the downstairs neighborhood. [00:32:37] Speaker B: You could see his shamelessly. [00:32:40] Speaker A: You could see his takes to the camera. [00:32:43] Speaker C: One of the things I loved about the husband, and this speaks more broadly to the time this was written, is that he was supposed to be of a lower class or not as dignified and certainly didn't make as much money as Therese's husband. [00:33:02] Speaker A: And he did joint talk. [00:33:05] Speaker B: He was a beer salesman. [00:33:07] Speaker C: Exactly. So I thought that was interesting, that that was really low class. Whereas now, if you're a rap for a local brewery, you are about as hip and cool, and you're probably making a good chunk of change. That, from a historical perspective, is really fascinating. I love how he's like, I never want to write a beer order again. [00:33:26] Speaker A: I love how the physical manifestation of how much he enjoys being there. Here's what I see in my head from the acting and everything is he is in a chair, a lawn chair next to the ocean, both arms and legs in the air, like a. Like a. Like a baby on its back. And he's going, yeah. Like, he's just enjoying it so viscerally. [00:33:52] Speaker B: That was one of what I was calling the well seasoned red herrings of, like, if this guy were just a little smarter, I could see him. Him killing the sister. And, like, it's my plan. We're taking this over. [00:34:04] Speaker A: Right. [00:34:05] Speaker C: Probably would have enjoyed more Dudley in this. He was my favorite. And I also loved his line, and it's a possible new t shirt of, I'm not arguing. I'm just saying it's stupid. I'm gonna be using that line a lot in this podcast. [00:34:22] Speaker A: That's actually a phenomenal. Let's make that one of the choices in the voting. Not arguing with any of them. I'm just saying it's stupid. That's a great category. [00:34:36] Speaker C: And I was excited. I didn't roll my eyes, unlike Eric. I was excited by the fingerprint. I was like, oh. Because I'll be honest, I didn't think of that because it's so tropey. I just accepted the trope. I wasn't thinking of it in terms of real life. [00:34:55] Speaker B: Yes. And so I got actual policemen will actually investigate. [00:34:59] Speaker C: And so I was disappointed again because I thought, oh, this is defying my expectations. And it lulled me into this unreality, and now it's getting realistic. And I thought something exciting had to happen there. I was like, oh, never mind. It's, the fingerprints aren't a thing. And so that was like, oh, do. [00:35:16] Speaker B: Identical twins have identical fingerprints? Is that a thing? [00:35:19] Speaker A: That's an interesting thought that I. I don't think they do either, but I had that half a second thought. [00:35:25] Speaker C: I'm gonna argue face print is the same. [00:35:27] Speaker A: I'm gonna argue against you a little bit on that. That I think that actually works to say, are you sure you're gonna argue. [00:35:35] Speaker C: Or am I just stupid? [00:35:36] Speaker E: Both. I'm gonna argue. [00:35:38] Speaker A: You're stupid. Listen, here's the deal. What I'm thinking is the idea of we know that she's gonna get caught somehow, and they bring it to the surface. Here it is. It's the fingerprints, right? And you go, aha. That's what it was. Dumb as it is to not think about that. But, you know, we're waiting for the reveal of what I know. She's gonna get busted. Here it is. And then yanked away. And you go, oh, that wasn't it. [00:36:05] Speaker C: I love yanked away. I just wanted the writer to do some work. Right? I wanted her to get out of it, or I wanted there to be some trick that I didn't know, like Tim Singh, do twins have the same fingerprint? I wanted there to be something other than, oh, never mind. We couldn't get the fingerprints off the body. Again, that seemed like a cheat. [00:36:26] Speaker A: Yeah. The escalation of reveal. Not the reveal. That's all I'm saying. Like, here it is. [00:36:32] Speaker C: Yeah. I just think it could have been done in a way that didn't piss me off. [00:36:37] Speaker A: You know, it's so weird about these stories, and this speaks volumes about me. I think that, in a way, that I worry about me. How many times in these stories, I think, oh, I hope she gets away with it. [00:36:56] Speaker C: That's what this genre does. It forces you against your will to be put in the shoes of a murderer. [00:37:04] Speaker A: Right. I just get away with it. Get on that train and get to Europe and stay there. [00:37:10] Speaker C: Another thing that I think would have been fascinating to explore more is her initial notion to talk Dudley into this murder. [00:37:18] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:37:19] Speaker C: The beginning of that scene really surprised me. [00:37:21] Speaker A: Right. [00:37:21] Speaker C: I thought she would have to, like, kill him right there. Like, he wouldn't be in on it or there would be more of a complication. He's like, gee, he's murdering her. That seems really extreme. Okay. [00:37:34] Speaker A: Yeah, he did get on board pretty quick. [00:37:36] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:37:37] Speaker A: And what are these sleeping pills that you're that comatose Michael. I mean, they picked her up, redressed her, dragged her out of bed, took her down to the beach, put her in a boat, got her in. Like, at some point, I don't think there's any sleeping over the counter sleeping pill or even prescribe that you're that knocked out. Like, wow, I don't know. [00:38:06] Speaker C: They might have been stronger at some point. Might have been like, you know, used to be cocaine. I wouldn't put you out. [00:38:14] Speaker A: Right. [00:38:15] Speaker C: I was gonna say, like, talking really fast, explaining drowning to them, criticizing their drowning over. [00:38:23] Speaker A: Right. [00:38:25] Speaker B: Yeah. Again, the small things that I enjoyed that don't matter to the plot, really. Like, the sisters relationship, the. So nice to see you. Glad you're here. And then often, like, I'm probably gonna get a lot of relatives. The. The contrast between one sister scheming, greedy, and the other sister secretly guilty over murder, but also just. I hate my relatives. Well, I sympathize with them both so much. [00:38:52] Speaker A: Right. [00:38:53] Speaker C: It's also really funny because Maxine overhears Teresa say, like, now that I've come into Edward's money, I'll be plagued with relatives, as you mentioned. And she is so morally offended by that. Like, how dare you figure out that I am just here for the potential of money. I'm gonna kill you for money. In fact, I'm so outraged. [00:39:15] Speaker A: Right. [00:39:16] Speaker C: You called it. [00:39:18] Speaker A: What other thoughts do you have? [00:39:20] Speaker C: I did like that. The remote house and the troubled female protagonist and the body of water. It all had a slightly gothic vibe, which I really like. I'm really scraping the bottom here on compliments, but I appreciate the effort. Thank you. I love a little gothic in my old time radios. Some of the fun of this is trying to figure out why you chose it, and that is sometimes a danger to enjoying a radio show. Cause it's like, okay, so I got those gothic vibes, and then I was like, oh, there's gonna be like a. Oh, no. There's gonna be, like, a culture, some kind of puzzle or a combination. There's gonna be, like, a maze in the yard, and there'll be an altar in the center of it. Like, nope. It's just exactly what I think it's gonna be. [00:40:10] Speaker B: Buying the wall. Yes. I mean, part of why did you choose this was like, this is the 1950s. There's incredible, groundbreaking radio going on right now all around this series. That is not this series. [00:40:25] Speaker A: Right. [00:40:26] Speaker C: This is fascinating negative space. [00:40:29] Speaker B: This is just some guys making a show. [00:40:32] Speaker C: Yeah, but to your point, it is very retro. [00:40:35] Speaker B: Yes. [00:40:35] Speaker C: Again, we pointed that out about a couple other radio shows that it seemed to be out of sync with their time, a throwback to an earlier era. And this really is formulaic in writing and in premise. It is, but the performances are fairly muted. I don't mean that in a bad way. They're not as over the top. For example, some of our patrons will probably make the same observation that I did listening to this. It's like, this is almost exactly a story we just listened to on one of our Patreon happy hours of the whistler. [00:41:12] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:41:13] Speaker C: Exactly. And I'll be honest. Like, if I'm going to know what's happening next, I enjoy the over the top, scenery chewing performances in which is the Whistler or. And even having the right. The Whistler narrate everything. It feels cozier than this did. But that's not really fair because they were actually really solid, more contemporary performances. So that's just me bringing my baggage to it. [00:41:45] Speaker B: Your preferences? [00:41:46] Speaker C: I dare say I keep all my preferences in bags. [00:41:49] Speaker A: Oh, sorry. [00:41:49] Speaker C: Thank you. [00:41:52] Speaker A: Tim, you want to vote? [00:41:54] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, I. This is one I brought in knowing full well, like, this is gonna be nobody's favorite episode. It's not my favorite episode, but I really liked it. I liked just the. It's a old chestnut mystery story plot that I thought the characters were fun to be with and their performances were fun, and that was enough for me. [00:42:17] Speaker A: To go, I'm gonna bring it, and there's no way I can say anything. How many times have I done that to you two, man called x. Let's just go there. This is not great. It's super fun for me. [00:42:31] Speaker C: Man called x is better. [00:42:35] Speaker A: But. Okay, then. [00:42:36] Speaker B: But, yeah, that is the category. [00:42:37] Speaker A: Frontier gentlemen. Right. [00:42:38] Speaker B: I had a good time, and maybe. [00:42:40] Speaker C: Like, I'm not arguing. You're just stupid. [00:42:44] Speaker B: 15% to 20% of our audience might enjoy this, too. Maybe. [00:42:47] Speaker C: Oh, more. [00:42:48] Speaker A: More than that. Yeah, absolutely. [00:42:50] Speaker B: 98% to 99% of the rest. [00:42:52] Speaker C: Okay, calm down. Not that much. [00:42:55] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm not arguing, but that's. You're just stupid. [00:42:58] Speaker B: 22%. What do we think? Anyways? Not every radio episode I could listen to. If I just listen to only classics, I'll. I'll get nauseous, so I have to have this. [00:43:08] Speaker C: Classics nausea. [00:43:09] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:43:10] Speaker B: Just like, you know, when you listen to classic radio episodes and you get sick. Yeah. [00:43:15] Speaker A: As someone that loves his pablum, you know, and I have. Definitely have my style and my radio shows, that this just brings me warm comfort of joy, and I don't think too deep about it. And all of those things you said, this didn't fall into that category for me. I totally understand why you like this, but for me, it was. It was very static and didn't. And didn't go anywhere that I wasn't expecting and didn't do much for me, even from performance, production, and all that. It was all just fine. [00:43:56] Speaker C: Yeah, I will steal Eric's vote of it was just fine. It's a solid production, like sound effects. The performances are good. It just was too predictable for me. Remove some of the enjoyment, and it's that weird, ironic thing where there was just enough promising moments. Those promising moments was just why you enjoyed it were the promising moments that made me. You promised, you liar. And, yeah, it's one of those strange things that if this were just a little bit worse, I would have enjoyed it more. Does that make sense? Like, it would have been. Yeah, it would have been more. [00:44:38] Speaker A: Either go all in. Yeah, and what on your tropiness, or. [00:44:42] Speaker C: Bring in Scott Bishop for a rewrite or else do something better. [00:44:47] Speaker A: All right, Tim, tell him stuff. [00:44:48] Speaker B: Hey, please go visit ghoulishdelights.com. that's the home of this podcast. You'll find other episodes there. Of course. You can get episodes wherever you get your podcasts. We're all over the place. But if you go to ghoulish delights, you can leave comments, you can vote in polls. Let us know what you think of these episodes. Which of the 96% are you that enjoy this episode? You can also link to our social media pages, and you can go to our store and buy mysterious old radio listing society merchandise, and you can go to our Patreon page. [00:45:20] Speaker C: Yes, go to patreon.com themorals and support this podcast. Become a member of the mysterious old Radio Listening Society. Today we have all sorts of great bonus podcasts. We have zoom, happy hours. We have book clubs. We are nerds. So come join us. Do we have a special, like, program for twins that, like, you know, there. [00:45:44] Speaker B: Can only be one of the twins. So if you want to be the one, you have to kill the other. [00:45:48] Speaker C: Okay. Yeah. There has to be some twin promo in which someone dies. [00:45:53] Speaker A: None of this is going to be used against us in a court of. [00:45:55] Speaker C: Law center, but we also offer discount memberships to super cool jerky beer reps. [00:46:04] Speaker B: We know several. [00:46:07] Speaker A: The mysterious old radio listening society theater company also performs live. We are a. We do classic recreations of classic old time radio shows and a lot of our own original work. We do a lot of audio drama on stage. You should come and see us. We have been performing for a very long time, monthly, sometimes more than once a month, somewhere. If you want to find out where we're performing, it's been. How long has it been? Eight years? Twelve years? Something in there. [00:46:32] Speaker C: We're past our prime. [00:46:33] Speaker A: Yeah. If you want to find out what we're performing, where we're performing, and how to get tickets and come see us, and how we're still performing, come go to ghoulishdelights.com and come see us if you can. Everywhere we perform is great food, by the way. It's a great night out. It really, truly is more than just coming to sit and watch us. It's a really fun night. But if you can't, if you're a patreon, we do record them, and you can watch them that way. So if you want to do it that way. Also, we've started recording some of our podcasts live in front of an audience, so keep your eyes peeled for that as well. Which, every time I say that phrase, I go, wow, that's weird. That sounds painful. Oh, you know what I just realized? If it was called on the wild seals, it might have been better. [00:47:22] Speaker B: No, I'm mad. [00:47:23] Speaker C: There was no reason to go back. It just occurred to me. [00:47:27] Speaker A: Horses in the barn. All right, what's coming up next? [00:47:33] Speaker C: Yours? Yeah, big mouth. [00:47:35] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. Here it comes. Here it comes. We're going to listen to our third ever episode in this podcast of creeps by night, and we're going to be listening to the final reckoning. Until then. Yeah, there was something I was going to. This is cut there was something I was going to say. [00:47:59] Speaker C: No. [00:48:00] Speaker A: You will cut this and you will not make this the tag. Do not make me thinking out loud. The tag. Do you hear me? [00:48:06] Speaker C: I hear you. [00:48:07] Speaker A: Damn it. It's going to be the tag. I can't remember what it was. I was going to say. It was really deep. Let's forget it.