Episode 35: Broadway, Here I Come

[00:00:17] Speaker A: The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Podcast welcome to the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society, a podcast dedicated to suspense and horror stories from the golden age of radio. I'm Eric. [00:00:33] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:00:34] Speaker C: And I'm Joshua. We love scary old time radio stories. There's nothing quite like a disembodied voice telling a genuinely disturbing tale. But do these stories stand the test of time, or are we being deceived by nostalgia? Are they suspenseful or forgettable? Bone chilling or butt numbing? That's what we're here to find out. [00:00:53] Speaker A: We recently received an email from a listener named Ryan. Ryan writes, have you ever thought about a program that highlights a particular author? For instance, one of your episodes was written by Robert A. Arthur. He penned many of the three investigator books I read as a kid and I was delighted as an adult to find out he wrote the Mysterious Traveler and the Sealed Book. He received awards for some of his radio works and I wonder if one of those stories would stand the test of time. Your podcast is entertaining and I learn a thing or two from the trivia. [00:01:23] Speaker C: Thank you, Ryan. Your email inspired the three of us to investigate Robert Arthur. Get it? There's three of us and we investigated Robert Arthur who wrote the three investigator books. You better be laughing, Ryan. [00:01:39] Speaker B: Robert Arthur Jr. Was born in 1909. His father was lieutenant in the United States army and Robert spent his childhood moving from army base to army base. After graduating from high school, Arthur was accepted into West Point Academy, but decided to pursue an English degree instead. Eventually, he graduated from the University of Michigan with an M in journalism. [00:01:57] Speaker A: In 1932, Robert Arthur moved to New York and began writing stories for pulp magazines including Detective Fiction Weekly, Amazing Stories, the Shadow, and Black Mask. He also conceived and edited Pocket Detective Magazine, the first pocket sized all fiction magazine in which several of his stories were published. [00:02:15] Speaker C: In 1940, Robert Arthur took a radio writing class at Columbia University, where he met his future writing partner, David Kogan, and the rest is history. Okay, history you might not know, so we'll keep going. Arthur and Kogan's first collaboration was for the New York Mutual Broadcasting affiliate WOR. The show was called Dark Destiny and ran from 1942 to 1943. Only one of those stories exists today, a Halloween broadcast called Masquerade. Fortunately, most of the scripts Arthur and Kogan wrote for Dark Destiny were reused for their most famous creation, the Mysterious Traveler. [00:02:52] Speaker A: The Mysterious Traveler ran for nine years on the Mutual Broadcasting Network from December 1943 to September of 1952 and spawned two radio spinoffs, the Sealed Book and the Strange Doctor Weird, as well as a short lived pulp magazine and comic book. The Mysterious Traveler was nominated for the prestigious Edgar Award for Best radio drama in 1949 and 1951, finally winning the award in 1953 after the show was canceled. [00:03:21] Speaker B: Arthur and Kogan also received an Edgar Award in 1950 for the show Murder by Experts as we listened to last week on this very podcast. Unlike their other anthology series, Murder by Experts featured adaptations of contemporary thrillers chosen by an expert, usually another well known crime writer. The show was hosted by esteemed mystery novelist and frequent suspense contributor John Dixon Carr. The show was highly regarded in its day and is still considered one of the great mystery shows of the Golden Age. [00:03:48] Speaker C: In addition to his collaborations with David Kogan, Robert Arthur wrote several scripts for one of my favorite radio shows, the Shadow. Sadly, all of Arthur's episodes are lost, but the titles suggest they were filled with pulpy goodness, Murder Walks by Night, Death Paints a Picture, and my personal favorite, the Case of the Avenging Brain. [00:04:09] Speaker A: The Mysterious Traveler came to an untimely end in 1952 when the House Committee for UN American Activities accused the Radio Writers Guild of being a sinister cabal of communist sympathizers. Arthur and Kogan were active members of the guild and the negative publicity resulted in the cancellation of the mysterious travel. [00:04:29] Speaker B: In 1959, Robert Arthur moved to Hollywood where he wrote scripts for the Twilight Zone and worked as a writer and script editor for Alfred Hitchcock Presents. His work with Hitchcock inspired Arthur to write a series of mystery books for young readers. Originally titled Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators. Alfred Hitchcock makes cameo appearances in the early books and was used as a framing device presenting the Investigators stories. Later, Hitchcock was dropped from both the title and the series. Robert Arthur wrote the first nine books before his death in 1969. The series continued with a variety of different authors for almost 20 years. The 43rd and final book in the series, the Mystery of the Cranky Collector, was published in 1987. [00:05:06] Speaker C: Now that we know a little more about Robert Arthur, let's listen to one of his stories. We've already discussed a classic episode from the Mysterious Traveler, the Good Die Young, and last week we listened to Return Trip from Murder by Experts. So for this episode I chose a story from Robert Arthur and David Cogan's short lived series the Sealed Book. The show ran on the Mutual Network from March 18 through September 9, 1945. The scripts were all recycled from the Mysterious Traveler, but carefully chosen to create a specific effect. Author Richard J. Hand described the Sealed Book as consciously different from the Mysterious Traveler, and that it tended to revel in the heightened melodrama of plot and performance rather than focus on the straight and generally understated journeys listeners shared with the Mysterious Traveler. [00:05:52] Speaker A: We should also mention the Sealed Book was nationally syndicated, so it didn't have an ongoing sponsor. Instead, director Jack McGregor inserted extravagant Hammond organ solos, which could be removed by local affiliates and replaced with their own commercials. The existing copies of the Sealed Book retain the original organ riffs, and they're really, really long. [00:06:15] Speaker B: So if you have to go to the bathroom or make a sandwich or both, just wait for the organ. You have time. [00:06:22] Speaker C: Until then, please enjoy Broadway. Here I Come from the Sealed book originally broadcast June 17, 1945. [00:06:30] Speaker A: Forget the petty distractions around you. Forget what you think you know. Forget everything but what you hear. Right now 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. [00:07:00] Speaker D: The Seal Book. Once again, the keeper of the book has opened the ponderous door to the secret vault wherein is kept the great Sealed book, in which is recorded all the secrets and mysteries of mankind through the ages. Here are tales of every kind. Tales of murder, of madness, of dark deeds strange and terrible beyond all belief. Keeper of the Book, I would know what tale we tell this time. Open the Great Book and let us read slowly. The great Book opens. One by one. The keeper of the Book turns the pages and stops. Ah, the strange story of two people whose ambition led them to murder and to an amazing destiny. A tale titled Broadway, Here I Come. Here is the tale Broadway, Here I Come. As it is written on the pages of the sealed book, the story begins in a tawdry cabaret in a little California town. At a small table is George Williams, a respected member of the community. Fat and bald, George sits patiently mopping the sweat from his brow and watching his young, vivacious wife, Kitty, dance with Eddie Davis, a rumor in the Williams home. As the scene opens, the dance comes to an end. [00:10:10] Speaker E: Pretty smooth, Kitty. Pretty smooth. [00:10:13] Speaker F: You ain't so bad yourself, Eddie. I've danced with words. [00:10:17] Speaker D: Who? [00:10:17] Speaker E: Your husband. Look at him, sitting alone at the table here. Hiya, Georgie. You look kind of hot. [00:10:25] Speaker G: Please, Kitty, can't we go home? [00:10:27] Speaker F: Home? It ain't even midnight yet. [00:10:29] Speaker E: We practically just got here. [00:10:31] Speaker G: But, Kitty, you know what Dr. Smith said. With my bad heart, I need plenty of sleep. [00:10:36] Speaker F: Oh, George, don't be a kill joy. [00:10:38] Speaker G: But, Kitty. [00:10:39] Speaker F: Kitty. He's playing blues in the night. [00:10:42] Speaker E: Yeah, baby. [00:10:43] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:10:43] Speaker E: That's awesome. Come on, come on. We're just getting warmed up. [00:10:46] Speaker F: We'll go home after this number. George, order yourself another soda. [00:10:50] Speaker G: I don't want another K. All right. [00:10:56] Speaker E: Remember the first time we danced in this? Beautiful. In the middle, I spotted you. I knew you were the doll for me. Ah, Kitty, why don't you stop stalling me off? What are you gonna give George, the air? [00:11:07] Speaker F: Do you see anything better than George Ralph? [00:11:10] Speaker E: Yeah, baby. Me. [00:11:11] Speaker F: You? You haven't got a center name. [00:11:15] Speaker E: Maybe not, Kitty, but I'll get us. [00:11:17] Speaker F: Don't make me laugh. Where? Here in Fairhole. Population 3,000, 462. [00:11:22] Speaker E: I don't mean in Fair Hope, baby. I'm going places. [00:11:26] Speaker F: Where? [00:11:26] Speaker D: New York. [00:11:27] Speaker E: Broadway. That's where I'm headed for. I got plans, baby, big plans. [00:11:31] Speaker F: Such as? [00:11:32] Speaker E: Listen, Kitty, you've seen all the cups I want for dancing. You know I'm good, don't you? With a flashy partner and a fast routine, I'd be a natural for Broadway. And if you're smart, baby, you'll hook up with me. [00:11:41] Speaker F: I've got it pretty soft here, Eddie. [00:11:43] Speaker E: Right with George. Look, if you're figuring on his weak heart, you better forget about it. He's liable to live another 20 years. Then where you gonna be, huh? Old and fat? [00:11:51] Speaker F: Yeah, but I'll have George's money to console me. [00:11:54] Speaker E: Well, all right, then. You can stay with that fat slob. I'll look around someplace else for a partner. [00:12:08] Speaker F: George, why aren't you dressed? It's after 8. [00:12:11] Speaker G: Why, Kitty, I called on Dr. Smith today. He told me that any exertion or excitement might be fatal. So I promised him I wouldn't go out at night anymore. [00:12:23] Speaker F: Then what am I supposed to do? Sit around and twiddle my thumbs? I'm young. I want to live. [00:12:27] Speaker G: But, honey, you know I. Here comes Eddie downstairs. [00:12:31] Speaker E: Maybe he'll go. [00:12:32] Speaker G: Eddie. Eddie, can I see you for a minute? [00:12:34] Speaker F: I don't want you asking him to take me. [00:12:36] Speaker E: Oh, sure, John. Sure. Let me. [00:12:38] Speaker G: Eddie, the doc thinks I ought to take it easy so I can't take Kitty out tonight. [00:12:44] Speaker E: Ah, now, that's tough, George. [00:12:46] Speaker G: Look, Eddie, would you mind taking Kitty out dancing for me tonight? She's awfully anxious to go. [00:12:51] Speaker E: Gosh, George, there's nothing in the world I'd rather do for you. But I got a date tonight and this dame is really something special. [00:13:00] Speaker G: Oh, well, thanks anyway. [00:13:03] Speaker E: Oh, it's all right, George. It's all right. Sorry, I couldn't oblige. Good night. [00:13:06] Speaker G: Good night, Eddie. Have a good time. [00:13:10] Speaker F: Did you have to throw me at his head that way? Make me look like a fool? [00:13:13] Speaker G: Oh, Kitty, don't be angry with me. I do. [00:13:16] Speaker F: I'll show that Eddie he can't treat me like this. I'll show him. Eddie. [00:13:34] Speaker C: Yeah? [00:13:35] Speaker F: I want to talk to you. [00:13:36] Speaker E: Hi. Hi, Kitty. How's George? [00:13:39] Speaker F: Oh, two weeks he's been in bed and the doc says he ain't no better. He's got to stay quiet. But I don't. I've been staying home with him every night for those two weeks and I'm sick of it. Look, Eddie, how about taking me dancing tonight, huh? [00:13:53] Speaker E: Oh, gee, Kitty, there's nothing I'd rather do. But like I said, I got a date tonight. [00:13:57] Speaker F: You've been having a lot of dates lately, haven't you? [00:14:00] Speaker E: Sure, but a guy like me has to get around when he's looking for a dancing partner. [00:14:03] Speaker F: So you still figuring on going to New York, huh? [00:14:06] Speaker E: Yes, siree, baby. I ain't gonna be around this whistle stop much longer. It's Broadway, here I come. And in a couple of years, when I'm in the big time, he can remember me standing here telling you that. [00:14:15] Speaker F: Oh, Eddie, it ain't that I don't want to go to New York with you. Only. Only this is a big step you're asking me to take. [00:14:21] Speaker E: Listen, baby, you know I'm not so botched. You know I never do anything to hurt you. You know that, don't you? Come here, baby. Now, what do you say, baby? Are you going with me? This is your last chance. [00:14:35] Speaker F: All right, Eddie, I'll go with you. [00:14:36] Speaker A: Good. [00:14:37] Speaker E: Honey, Honey, I promise you, you'll never regret it. We can't miss. We're leaving this two bit burg tonight forever. [00:14:42] Speaker F: Tonight? [00:14:43] Speaker E: Yeah. You go pack your things, Kitty, while I go downtown, get a few things will be taken care of. Back in a couple of. Well, here I am, baby. All set. [00:15:05] Speaker F: Eddie, where were you so long? I've been packed and ready for hours. [00:15:08] Speaker E: Yeah, I've been trying to collect some of that dough. The cheap chisel is in this Burgoma. No dice. All I was able to get was 50 bucks. So that kind of puts it up to you, baby. [00:15:17] Speaker F: What do you mean by that? [00:15:18] Speaker E: Well, if we ain't got any dough of our own, we'll have to take George's. Where does he keep it? [00:15:22] Speaker F: But Eddie, that's stealing. [00:15:23] Speaker E: Don't be a SAP, will you? In California, half of what a guy has Belongs to his wife, don't it? Okay, we'll just take your half, that's all. [00:15:30] Speaker F: Eddie, you sure we won't get in trouble? [00:15:32] Speaker E: Of course we won't. It's your dough, ain't it? Come on. Where's George keep it? [00:15:36] Speaker F: He's got a secret wall safe behind this radio. If you push the radio aside, you can see it. [00:15:41] Speaker E: That's where he's been keeping his little nest egg, huh? [00:15:43] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:15:44] Speaker E: Let's just take a look at it. Hey. Well, what do you know? [00:15:51] Speaker F: Betty, how are you going to open it? I don't know the combination. [00:15:54] Speaker E: Maybe this moth eating safe ain't no problem. Just give me an hour to work on. I'll have it open for you. [00:17:44] Speaker D: And now to continue the story as it is written in the sealed book. After Eddie had tried for an hour to open the safe where Kitty said George kept all his money, he was obliged to use force. Kitty found him a heavy hammer and they went to work with that. [00:18:06] Speaker F: Eddie. You're gonna win, George, if you don't cut it out. [00:18:09] Speaker E: Don't you worry, baby. Just a couple of more and this thing will fall apart. That did it. [00:18:17] Speaker F: Look, Eddie, there's a roller built in there. [00:18:19] Speaker E: Yeah, baby. Yeah. Just a minute. We'll find out how much your split of it comes to. Yeah, let's see. Look. There's a piece of paper wrapped around the roll with figures at it. [00:18:29] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:18:30] Speaker E: Says $14,600. 14,000? [00:18:32] Speaker F: Yes, sir, baby. [00:18:33] Speaker E: And half of that's yours. Seven GS. Think of what that dol mean to us. When we hit the great white wing. [00:18:42] Speaker G: Did I hear some pounding down here? It sounded as though it. [00:18:47] Speaker C: Huh? [00:18:49] Speaker G: Huh? You broke into my safe. What are you doing with my money? [00:18:54] Speaker E: Well, take it easy, George. We're only taking Kitty. Sheriff, you. [00:18:58] Speaker G: You broke into my safe, took my money. I'll. I'll call the police. You can't. You can't. [00:19:07] Speaker F: Oh, Eddie's having a heart attack. [00:19:10] Speaker G: Oh, Kitty. My medicine. It's no on top of the radio. Get him. [00:19:17] Speaker F: All right, George, just take it easy. You'll be all right as soon as you get some of your medicine. [00:19:21] Speaker E: You mean that stuff will fix him up? [00:19:22] Speaker F: Yeah, it always does. [00:19:23] Speaker G: Oh, Kitty, hurry. [00:19:25] Speaker F: All right, George, wait. Like poor little into this glass. [00:19:28] Speaker E: I got other ideas. [00:19:30] Speaker F: Oh, maybe you knocked the bottle out of my hand. [00:19:32] Speaker E: Yeah, yeah, I know. I think George would be a lot better off without his medicine. [00:19:37] Speaker G: You want me to die, Sue? You could take my money. [00:19:44] Speaker E: You're catching on quick, Georgie, but a little too late. [00:19:48] Speaker G: It's blood money cursed, you'll find you won't go far with it. [00:20:02] Speaker E: Shut up, you little fool. You want to wake up the neighborhood? [00:20:06] Speaker F: Is he dead? [00:20:07] Speaker E: Yeah. That makes everything perfect. This widow. The dough is all yours now. [00:20:13] Speaker F: The cops. What'll happen when they find him? [00:20:15] Speaker E: Not a thing. It wasn't murder, was it? George just died of a heart attack as he was trying to take some of his medicine, that's all. [00:20:21] Speaker F: Yeah. Yeah, that's what happened. [00:20:23] Speaker E: Yeah. Oh, baby. 14. Geez, that'll take us a long way. [00:20:27] Speaker F: Yeah, well, I'll take care of it, Eddie. After all, it's my dough now that George is dead. [00:20:32] Speaker E: Oh, you're gonna take care of it. May as well learn now that I'm giving the orders, not you. You understand? [00:20:40] Speaker F: Yeah. Yeah. They sure? [00:20:44] Speaker E: Yeah, it's better. Okay, baby, let's get rolling. Come on. A lot of traveling do before we hit Broadway. [00:21:06] Speaker F: How far have we come already, Eddie? [00:21:08] Speaker E: About 400 miles. I guess we're making good time. [00:21:11] Speaker F: Gosh, Eddie, you've been driving all night. You look sleepy. Don't you think you ought to stop and rest a while? [00:21:17] Speaker E: It's a sense of stop in the middle of the desert. Rest up when it crosses. [00:21:22] Speaker F: Gosh, there isn't another car on the road. [00:21:25] Speaker E: That is a back road, baby. Little Eddie is playing it safe, see? [00:21:29] Speaker F: You mean the cops might be looking for us? [00:21:31] Speaker E: It could be. They don't worry me. They ain't got a thing on us. [00:21:36] Speaker F: They're gonna think it's awful queer when they find George dead and us gone. [00:21:40] Speaker E: Oh, stop your worrying. I tell you, once we get to New York, they'll never find us. [00:21:46] Speaker F: Gee, New York, Broadway. You can hardly wait. Tell me about it, Eddie. [00:21:53] Speaker C: Huh? [00:21:54] Speaker E: It's a great town, Kitty. You never saw anything like it. Yeah, fancy hotels, theaters, nightclubs. Something happening all the time. [00:22:06] Speaker F: Remember that movie we saw at the Bijou? Sean Blood? We all lit up at night. Just think, soon we'll be there ourselves. Oh, I gotta get some new clothes. [00:22:16] Speaker C: Eddie. [00:22:17] Speaker F: Eddie, wake up. Wake up. We gotta. Eddie. Eddie, are you all right? [00:22:39] Speaker C: What? [00:22:40] Speaker E: What happened? [00:22:41] Speaker F: He fell asleep at the wheel. Oh, he might have been killed. [00:22:46] Speaker E: Oh, gosh. Car's a complete wreck. [00:22:49] Speaker F: Yeah, well, mastermind what now? Stuck in the desert, hundreds of miles from anywhere. There's not a car in sight. Oh, you and your back roads. While we could. [00:23:01] Speaker E: Kitty, look over there. [00:23:04] Speaker F: Where? I don't see anything where I'm pointing. [00:23:06] Speaker E: Will you? [00:23:06] Speaker F: Huh? [00:23:07] Speaker E: Don't you see there's a water tower about a mile away? [00:23:10] Speaker F: Oh, yeah, Yeah. I See it now? [00:23:12] Speaker E: Well, that water tower means there's a railroad over there. [00:23:14] Speaker F: So what? [00:23:15] Speaker E: So what? That means the train stopped there. We can rest in the shade of the water tower until the train comes along and stops for water. Then we can get on and keep going. Come on. [00:23:40] Speaker F: Oh, gosh, Harry. Oh, the sunshine is hot. I'm getting dizzy. [00:23:49] Speaker E: Just keep walking, will you? [00:23:50] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:23:51] Speaker E: Soon be in the Shayla water tower. Oh, what's so funny? [00:23:58] Speaker F: Oh, Eddie, look at. You've got $14,000 in your pocket. We're tramping across the desert like a couple of. [00:24:08] Speaker E: Very funny. [00:24:12] Speaker F: Eddie. Eddie, come to think of it, remember what George said before he died? He said it was blood money and we wouldn't go far with it. [00:24:23] Speaker E: What's the matter with you? Is the sun begin to get. Kitty. Kitty. Hear that? [00:24:28] Speaker B: It's a train. [00:24:30] Speaker F: Eddie, look. There it is. [00:24:31] Speaker E: Yeah, it's coming plenty fast. [00:24:33] Speaker F: What if it doesn't stop at the water tower? [00:24:35] Speaker E: Look, it's going east, ain't it? After that long run across a desert, it's bound to stop here for water. [00:24:40] Speaker F: It's a freight train. [00:24:41] Speaker E: Well, what'd you expect, the Broadway Limited? [00:24:43] Speaker F: But anyhow, we're gonna ride. [00:24:44] Speaker E: Oh, Kitty. Kitty. It's slowing down. Wait along the tracks here. [00:24:47] Speaker F: Yeah, but, Eddie, the water tower's a ways up the tracks. [00:24:49] Speaker E: So what? That's where the engine will stop. We're looking for an old boxcar, and this is the place to wait for it. [00:24:54] Speaker F: See, I never rode the freights before. [00:24:56] Speaker E: It ain't exactly like a Pullman, but it'll get us across the desert and that's what counts. Yeah. See? He's coming to a stop. Keep your eyes peeled for no box time. [00:25:05] Speaker F: Yeah, Eddie, there's one. [00:25:07] Speaker E: Yeah. Yeah, it's gonna stop right in front of us. What did I tell you? Come on. Come on, I'll help you out. Okay, Eddie, come on now. In just a second. Okay, we're all set. About 10 minutes, this baby's gonna start rolling. Then it'll be Broadway here. [00:26:29] Speaker A: SA. [00:27:10] Speaker D: And now, to continue the story as it is written in the sealed book. As the freight train which Eddie and Kitty have boarded speeds through the desert, the two partners in crime and tawdry ambition sleep. Presently, Kitty wakes and looks out the open door. Then, anxiously, she shakes Eddie awake. [00:27:33] Speaker F: Eddie. [00:27:34] Speaker E: Huh? Huh? [00:27:36] Speaker F: Why didn't you say this freight was going east? [00:27:39] Speaker E: You said we were headed for Broadway. That's east, ain't it? [00:27:41] Speaker F: But this train is headed west. [00:27:43] Speaker E: West. You're crazy. [00:27:43] Speaker F: Look at the sun. We're heading Straight toward the sunset. [00:27:46] Speaker E: What? Hey, you're right. [00:27:50] Speaker F: Yeah, but when we got on this freight, you said it was going east. [00:27:52] Speaker E: And it was, I tell you. [00:27:53] Speaker F: Then why is it going the other way? [00:27:56] Speaker E: Now stop asking me dumb questions. Where the hell should I know? I guess after the freight left the water, Todd ran east for a few miles, then made a long swing around, started back with a coast. That's. That's what must have happened. [00:28:07] Speaker F: But why should it start back for the coast? [00:28:09] Speaker E: Guy ain't the conductor. I might not. [00:28:10] Speaker F: Stop worrying we'll end up in some freight yard almost where we started from. [00:28:14] Speaker E: So what? Minute this baby hits a town, you and me are getting off and we're going to take a train east. A real train. We got enough dough to travel and style, baby. [00:28:23] Speaker F: He said it was blood money, that we wouldn't go far with it. [00:28:27] Speaker E: Lay off that kind of talk, will you? This door is taking us to Broadway and right up to the top of the hay. Do you hear me? [00:28:32] Speaker F: Yeah, yeah, sure, Eddie. [00:28:35] Speaker E: Much better. All we got to do is sit tight till the freight stops, then grab a passenger Train going east. [00:28:39] Speaker F: All right, Eddie. It's getting kind of cold, isn't it? [00:28:45] Speaker E: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it always gets cold in the desert when the sun goes down. This baby ought to be stopping sometime during the night. Best thing to do until then is try to get some sleep. [00:29:07] Speaker F: Eddie. Eddie, wake up. Wake up, Eddie. We've stopped. [00:29:12] Speaker E: We stopped. Yeah, that's all we have. Where are we? [00:29:18] Speaker F: I don't know. I just woke up myself. [00:29:20] Speaker E: Still dark outside. [00:29:22] Speaker F: Think we're still in the desert? [00:29:24] Speaker E: Soon find out when I open the store. Yeah. Yeah. Still night all right. Pretty dark out. Say what? Do you know what, Eddie? This Box cars on a siding all by itself. Oh, we're sleeping. They must unhook that. Pushed it on his siding. [00:29:43] Speaker F: You mean the rest of the train is gone? [00:29:44] Speaker E: Yeah. At least he didn't leave us on the desert. Parked on a siding of some small whistle stop. I can see trees in a couple of buildings. [00:29:51] Speaker F: Eddie, that means in the morning we can get a train out of here and start east. [00:29:54] Speaker E: Yeah, sure does, baby. Come on, let's hop off this car. It's pretty late, but maybe there's some place in that two bed Burger we can get a cup of coffee. [00:30:01] Speaker F: Funny, we haven't eaten for a long time. But I don't feel hungry. [00:30:04] Speaker E: I get so hungry myself. We will be when they put some food down in front of us. Baby, I'll help you down. [00:30:09] Speaker F: All right, Eddie. [00:30:11] Speaker E: Yeah. Come on, baby. This way. Come on. What do you stand there for? [00:30:17] Speaker F: Eddie. Eddie, look. That building over there. [00:30:22] Speaker E: Now, what about it? [00:30:24] Speaker F: It's George's lumber mill. [00:30:27] Speaker E: George's lumber mill? [00:30:28] Speaker F: Eddie, don't you recognize it? And he went back and forth. [00:30:34] Speaker A: Fail. [00:30:36] Speaker E: Yeah, you're right. [00:30:39] Speaker F: You remember what George said before he died? He said it was blood money. We'd never go far with it. [00:30:45] Speaker E: Shut up. [00:30:46] Speaker F: Well, he was right. He was right. Here we are back at Fairhole. Oh, right back where we started from. Right back where we started from. [00:30:55] Speaker E: I told you to shut up. Maybe that'll bring you to your senses. Look, it's just a coincidence that we landed back in Fairhope, that's all. [00:31:04] Speaker F: Eddie, what are we gonna do? [00:31:05] Speaker E: It's that simple. We're going back to the house and change our clothes and we'll be on our way again. [00:31:10] Speaker F: Back to the house? Oh, no, no, no. [00:31:11] Speaker E: What are you scared up? Baby, you're stiff, laying on the floor in the living room. George can't hurt you. Now, come on, Eddie. [00:31:16] Speaker F: I don't want to go back there. [00:31:17] Speaker E: Don't be like that. We can't travel in these clothes. Change you the house in 10 minutes, then hit you right over to Rockford and catch a Morning Express East. Now, come on, come on, come on. Will you be dawn another hour? [00:31:35] Speaker F: Eddie, look, there's a wreath on the door. Funeral wreath? [00:31:39] Speaker E: Yeah. Means they must have found George. [00:31:41] Speaker F: Let's not go in. [00:31:41] Speaker E: Oh, be a SAP. There's nothing to be afraid of. Where's my key? Here it is. [00:31:47] Speaker F: Eddie, I'm scared. [00:31:48] Speaker E: You make me sick. Hey, come on in. Come on in. Nothing's gonna hurt you, I tell you. Put on a light. I never saw such a dame. [00:32:00] Speaker F: Eddie, it smells like flowers in here. [00:32:03] Speaker E: Yeah. Yeah. They tell me someone died here recently. [00:32:06] Speaker G: Kitty? Kitty, is that you? [00:32:10] Speaker F: No. No, it can't be. You were dead. [00:32:15] Speaker E: You'll be a dope, Kitty. You could talk to us if he's dead. So that heart attack didn't knock you off, George. [00:32:21] Speaker G: I shouldn't talk to you, Eddie, after what you did. [00:32:25] Speaker E: Oh, now, come on. It was an accident, Mike. Breaking a bottle of medicine. [00:32:28] Speaker F: George. [00:32:29] Speaker G: In fact, I shouldn't speak to either of you after the way you murdered me. [00:32:34] Speaker E: After we what? [00:32:36] Speaker F: Eddie. Eddie. The funeral wreath. [00:32:39] Speaker G: A fine thing. My own wife and my best friend murdering me. [00:32:46] Speaker F: The wreath. And he's dead. [00:32:48] Speaker E: No, no, can't be. [00:32:52] Speaker G: Oh, but I am dead. Maybe you'd like to see me laid out in my coffin. My body's in the living room. I have a beautiful coffin. [00:33:04] Speaker E: No, no, they don't believe it. [00:33:08] Speaker G: If you'll come this way, I'll show you. They really fixed me up fine. I look 20 years younger now. Wait till I open the door. Here we are. I'm afraid you won't be able to see me too. Well. These three candles don't give much light. [00:33:29] Speaker F: Eddie, there's three coffins in this room. [00:33:35] Speaker E: Yeah, yeah, three coffins. [00:33:39] Speaker G: Oh, didn't you know? [00:33:43] Speaker D: No, no. [00:33:44] Speaker E: What? [00:33:46] Speaker G: Those other two coffins are yours. When your car overturned yesterday out in the desert, you two were killed. [00:34:03] Speaker D: And that is the tale of two people and an ambition which would not stop at murder. And the strange fate to which that ambition brought them. As the facts are written here in the Sealed Book, mysterious are the workings of fate in the lives of mere and now Keeper of the Book. Before you close the great volume, show us the tale we tell next time. This one. Yes. An amazing tale of a woman who came from the heart of mysterious Egypt and brought death to those who loved her. A woman who soul was the soul of a cat. A tale titled the Queen of the Cats. Be sure to be with us again next time when the sound of the great gong heralds another strange and mystifying tale from the Sealed Book. The Sealed Book, written by Bob Arthur and David Kogan, is produced and directed by Jock McGregor. [00:36:42] Speaker A: That was the Sealed Book and the episode Broadway, Here I Come here on the mysterious Old Radio Listening Society podcast once again. I'm Eric. [00:36:51] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:36:52] Speaker C: I'm Joshua. [00:36:53] Speaker A: And that was a listener request kind of coming to us from Ryan, who asked for us to focus in on one of his favorite authors. And Joshua picked this episode of the Sealed Book. And you explained in the intro why you went with Sealed Book. Because we've done some of his other stuff and all that. Why did you select this episode of the Sealed Book? [00:37:15] Speaker C: As I described in the opening, the Sealed Book was sort of very heightened stories from the Mysterious Traveler. They were very melodramatic. And although plot wise, this is dramatic and everything characterization wise, it's one of the slightly more understated I know in context with the other Sealed Book episodes. I actually listened to all 26 existing episodes of the Sealed Book just for fun in the background while I was doing other things. And so this is one of the few radio series that I just went from top to bottom. [00:37:47] Speaker A: How. How are you doing for a period. [00:37:50] Speaker C: Of time in the background while doing the laundry dishes and you know, I. [00:37:55] Speaker A: Can'T listen to old time radio without 100% focus. Anything else Going on, I think about that. [00:38:01] Speaker C: But there were arguably one or two episodes that I enjoyed more. But I think this is definitely one of the best written episodes of the Sealed Book. And since we are focusing on Robert Arthur as an author, I wanted to select what I thought was the best script from the Sealed Book. And this was originally, as I mentioned, on the Mysterious Traveler. But the Mysterious Traveler version doesn't exist. That was another thing I used to choose one. I wanted a sealed book where the original Mysterious Traveler version had been lost. [00:38:32] Speaker A: Right. [00:38:32] Speaker C: So this is the only version of this story. [00:38:34] Speaker A: Well, let's talk about the plot for. Well, actually, let's talk about what we were just talking about off the air. Oh, so the organization. I am so glad that you threw that in the introduction about. Hey, sit back. There's some long organ solos. [00:38:48] Speaker C: There are sweet organ solos in a. [00:38:52] Speaker A: Gata devita did not have anything on the organ solos in this. When I was listening to it was like, what is going on? What is happening? And then when you explain, I was like, of course, the affiliates to fill. And in case, you know, the board op fell asleep, there was at least something on the air. And I totally was like, oh, I felt stupid. Like because I moat my notes. What is happening? Why? Why are these organs? [00:39:20] Speaker B: When this first solo kicked in, I just assumed that we were experiencing the safe cracking montage. [00:39:29] Speaker C: You're right, it does cut away. Where it's like, it'll take. He says it'll take me. It's like organ interlude. One hour later. [00:39:36] Speaker A: You're right. I had so just in my head. [00:39:38] Speaker B: There was like scene of turning the knob. Fade to 10 minutes later. Still turning the knob. Stethoscope on there. I just had a whole other show going on. [00:39:47] Speaker C: But I will say, as someone who listened to 26 episodes of the Sealed Book, I started to really enjoy these organ symbols. Hey, I'm gonna take the dog out. I'll be right back. [00:39:54] Speaker A: Right. [00:39:55] Speaker C: And I just let it play. And I'd come back and catch it. [00:39:58] Speaker A: I wrote in my notes, the organ break after I'll open the stave should take an hour. I think was actually an hour long in real time. Hour. [00:40:06] Speaker C: And even he's like, I can't concentrate with all his organ music. Give me a hammer. I'm just gonna break it open. [00:40:12] Speaker A: The plot itself, there's something about. And I forget the husband's name that it's George Williams. They describe him as fat. [00:40:21] Speaker C: He's fat, bald and sickly. Which just goes with fat and bald. Let's be honest. [00:40:26] Speaker A: It was so, yeah, I've got this heart condition and it's really, really hard on me. And her reaction to that is, don't be a killjoy, like, oh my God, you've got to get out of this marriage. I know that's what's coming, but man. And instead of standing up to her and going, really? Wow, nice. [00:40:46] Speaker B: I got the impression that this is the dynamic of this couple. When they meet someone like, Kitty introduces, this is my fat, bald, sickly husband. And when he introduces them, this is my young, vivacious bride, Kitty. And they know what the score is, right? [00:41:02] Speaker C: And one of the brilliant things about the gentleman's performance who plays George Williams is that he's so, Kitty, could we go home now? And it's kind of pathetic. It makes me hate him. But what is great about it is when he comes back at the end and it totally undermines that sort of vengeful spirit ghost. Cause he's still like, oh, did I mention your dad? You know what I mean? And he keeps that understated tone and it becomes really creepy where he's like, oh, I shouldn't talk to you, you murdered me. It's the same understated, mild mannered, put upon performance. [00:41:38] Speaker A: I love that there might be an age difference between Kitty. [00:41:46] Speaker C: A year or two. [00:41:48] Speaker A: I think we were supposed to understand that, right? That she's married him for money or something. [00:41:53] Speaker B: That seemed implicit. [00:41:55] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:41:55] Speaker C: It's very early on in this and you know immediately exactly what's going on because they're in a tawdry cabaret. I think they describe it as a tawdry cabaret in some small Californian town. [00:42:08] Speaker B: They're very on the nose. [00:42:09] Speaker C: George is washing this. [00:42:11] Speaker A: I want you to look over at my notes at the top. What's it say? That's a hilarious sentence. [00:42:18] Speaker C: Kitty says teasingly to Eddie, like, oh, they're done with their dance. I've danced with worse. And Eddie's like, you mean your husband? And he's sitting right there, really, when you paint this picture, he's in this club drinking soda pop, waiting for his young wife to get done dancing with his. With a person who's clearly renting a room from them. [00:42:39] Speaker B: They call him a rover. [00:42:40] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:42:40] Speaker B: But then at the very end when he's talking about that, you killed me. He said, my wife and my best friend. Eddie is your best friend. Oh, my God. [00:42:52] Speaker A: He's not a. [00:42:53] Speaker C: He's a loser. [00:42:54] Speaker A: He's better friends man or Eddie, anybody else. As far as the writing goes, I had moments where I thought it was Pretty good. And I also had moments where I didn't like the writing. For example, some heavy handed description dialogue. And we've talked about that, how hard that is to write this stuff where you've got to let the audience know something and if a character has to say it, how do you say it? In a way that is natural conversation. And like a really terrible moment was, oh, you knocked the bottle out of my hand. You know, like that kind of stuff. You wouldn't do that. But we need, the audience needs to know that. But there's other ways to do it. So there were a lot of overly descriptive dialogue moments that kind of threw me in here. Yeah. [00:43:40] Speaker C: I don't think it's anything out of the ordinary for this era of old time. [00:43:43] Speaker A: No, not at all. There are. We have done episodes where they circumvent that. [00:43:48] Speaker C: I think it depends how engaged you are in the episode. [00:43:50] Speaker A: Correct. [00:43:50] Speaker C: Because I mean, even to jump back to any listeners, sorry if you haven't heard it, but to last week, we really loved Murder by Experts, for example. And there are lots of moments of that in Murder by Experts. But I think it's because if you're super engaged, those things sort of gloss over. [00:44:06] Speaker A: I want to listen to that Murder by Experts again and see. [00:44:08] Speaker C: My immediate response though when the pills dropped was that, wow, they still gave pills in glass bottles. Because this is like shattering glass. Is this old school pharmacy pill bottle. [00:44:18] Speaker A: Right. [00:44:18] Speaker B: Before we get too far into the actual meat and substance of this, I'd like to waste a little time talking about the opening. [00:44:25] Speaker C: Oh, I do too. So good. [00:44:27] Speaker B: Because when you're talking about that this series was like Mysterious Traveler but a little more overblown. That opening is way overblown because he. [00:44:34] Speaker C: Speaks it in this manner like it's a religious ceremony. He's like, and now we open the sealed book in the page. [00:44:42] Speaker A: Was that. [00:44:42] Speaker B: Yeah, one by one. [00:44:44] Speaker C: And he narrates this unseen Keeper of the Book. He's opening the pages and it is, it seems rife for comedy. He's turning the page. Two pages are sticking to get. Oh, he ripped the page. He has scotch tape. Don't panic. This is sort of. They went with this as opposed to in the beginning. Again, I listened to 26 episodes of this little book. They have the actual keeper who speaks. And this is an improvement because it's like they are doing two different shows. We have this same voice of the narrator who's intones everything like this. And then the Keeper of the Book is doing like a subpar hermit from The Hermit's Cave. So you've got the one guy going, keeper, what story do we have today? And he's like, I tell you what story we have today. And it's like, what did you phone both these performances in for two different radio shows? And they cut it together, and then it becomes this mundane conversation where one person is like, hey, how was your weekend? He's like, that's fine. Told some weird stories, murder stories, like four or five episodes. And then they cut to this different version. [00:45:55] Speaker B: One of these actors has been fired. [00:45:59] Speaker C: He's overblown. [00:46:00] Speaker A: Yeah. I have heard. Listened to a lot of sealed books. Not all 26 in one afternoon, but I listened to a handful of them, and it was interesting. I never really enjoyed them because not only are they overblown, they seemed to me to be aimed younger. I don't think that's the case. But there was something about him that, ah, this is skewed younger. [00:46:21] Speaker B: The storytelling is so broad. It's so. It's not nuanced. [00:46:25] Speaker A: Do we agree with that? Like, that opening is skewed younger. [00:46:28] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, it's a certain style, for sure. I mean, I think it's in keeping of things like the hall of Fantasy, which is very overblown, ominous, godlike voice. Who tells you this is a scary tale? I mean, there are other shows like that. [00:46:40] Speaker A: Correct. [00:46:40] Speaker C: I don't. I don't read the opening as younger, but, yeah, it's very. It's very broad. [00:46:44] Speaker A: Aimed at 11 to 15. You know, that kind of scary story. Does that make sense? [00:46:50] Speaker C: But one of the reasons I chose this is I feel like there's some darker elements as the story gets rolling, and a couple kind of scary, naturalistic moments. Like suddenly when they kill George and she has the money, and suddenly it turns and he slaps her and says, I'm in charge. [00:47:06] Speaker A: Correct. [00:47:06] Speaker C: And there's some real emotional manipulation, and they break away from the broad stereotypes that are part of a lot of sealed book episodes. [00:47:13] Speaker A: And that's what I was gonna say is that when I listened to this, because I had to, because you picked it, I got through and went, oh, that was not a typical sealed book. Did anybody see. What's the. I forgot the name of the movie. The Bruce Willis movie. [00:47:29] Speaker B: Sixth Sense. [00:47:30] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. Did you have that moment in this? I was caught off guard when you died in the car crash. I actually went, oh, yeah. I think it was what their intent was. So bravo. [00:47:40] Speaker C: Yeah, that's why I picked it. I was totally, totally shocked by that. I mean, I thought okay. She says, like, six times. It's blood money. It's cursed. So we do know that, like, they're not gonna get to their destination. I thought they'd end up back at the house. I thought maybe George would murder them. Or a sealed book is full of vengeful ghosts that come back to haunt people. So I thought maybe the ghost would murder them. I did not see that trick, that they died immediately. [00:48:04] Speaker A: Right. [00:48:05] Speaker B: That is the one thing about the. Because I largely enjoyed this episode. But that ending, which I did not see coming in kind of function was, money is cursed, there's other shoes gonna drop. Your doom is coming, and you get to the end. You discovered, aha. The other shoe already dropped. I did already wreak my vengeance. You just didn't know it. [00:48:26] Speaker A: Right. I'm with Joshua in the sense that I thought what was going to happen was like a Twilight Zone where you just can't get out of the town. And then it makes sense no matter what you do. [00:48:38] Speaker C: Because that's part of the ghost trope, is that you are grounded to a location or a house or where you committed a crime or where you died so suddenly when. When you realize, oh, they can't escape, it's because they are ghosts. They are spirits. It's almost, it seems, implied, it's not explicitly said, but that they're stuck in that house where that murder happened and they can't get away from it. [00:48:56] Speaker A: Right. [00:48:57] Speaker C: And there's only one hint that something weird physically is going on, that they might be ghosts. And I didn't catch it till the second listening. There's a point at which a kitty says, I haven't eaten in a while and I'm not really hungry. Yeah, yeah, that pressed me by the first listening. [00:49:13] Speaker B: Same thing on the second time through. I caught it. [00:49:15] Speaker A: That is a hint. [00:49:16] Speaker B: So you're saying you've listened to all 26 and some of them more than once. [00:49:19] Speaker A: Right? [00:49:20] Speaker C: Shut up. [00:49:22] Speaker A: I think you work harder at this podcast than Tim and I combined. And I'm sorry, but I did supply the booze. [00:49:29] Speaker C: Yeah, it's fair. I mean, and again, what I liked about the ending is that they successfully distracted me enough to not see it coming, even when this aired. The idea that, oh, they're already dead is not a new idea. That's been done in earlier radio shows. [00:49:43] Speaker A: I was about to say that. That's the point I was about to bring up and ask you your opinion on the trope of dead and don't know it. [00:49:50] Speaker C: I looked this up. I was curious what people thought was the first occurrence of this. And my research tells me that it is. [00:49:56] Speaker B: I'm so ashamed of the two of us. [00:49:58] Speaker A: I don't know. [00:49:59] Speaker C: Ambrose Bierce's story and Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, which has also been adapted several times. Yeah. For radio. But that is what a lot of people think is the first occurrence of a narrator who's already dead. [00:50:15] Speaker A: Really? [00:50:15] Speaker C: Yep. And there's a written that one I know actually. The late 1800s. [00:50:19] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:50:20] Speaker C: And there are a couple other radio shows, but one or two of them are big radio shows. I don't want to mention in case we talk about them on the podcast. But a couple radio shows that happened. [00:50:27] Speaker A: Before this, but this has happened a lot now in modern times. [00:50:30] Speaker C: Sixth Sense being the most current famous pop culture version of it. [00:50:34] Speaker A: I thought dead and don't know. It worked just fine because I didn't know till the end. End. [00:50:39] Speaker C: And again, I think it was the creepy performance by the guy who played George, the fact that he still stayed kind of a mealy mouth than who was being cheated on. Even in his moment of great vengeance from beyond the grave, he was still. [00:50:50] Speaker A: Like, guys, here is another issue I had with this was I think the setup's too long. It took a long time for them to leave town, get the money. There's a lot of dancing. There's a lot of. Do you know what I mean? The setup could have been a lot quicker. I don't like my husband. We're going to steal his money. It's you and me, baby. Let's hit the road. I think that we could have had more of we can't get out of this town no matter how hard we try. [00:51:17] Speaker C: I thought it was a nice balance because at first it felt like it was going to be a standard sort of crime sealed book version. Yes, it did. And then when George curses them like says as he's dying, this money is blood money and you'll never get out of this town. And then we go into this sort of nightmarish thing that they can't escape. And even to the point where they wake up in the train car that's been unhooked from the actual train and just left like a present back in the town where they're trying to escape. So I enjoyed that and it felt desperate and it added to the suspense for me. [00:51:50] Speaker A: And we've talked about. And this is the difference between us, at least you and me. And we've had other shows like this where the meat of it, the best part of it is skimmed over too Fast for me. And the setups are incredibly long for me. Like man size marble. [00:52:06] Speaker C: You know, we talked about man size in marble. Man size marble is a totally different thing. [00:52:11] Speaker A: No, I'm talking about man size marble, but man size in marble. I wanted, you know, 20 minutes of giant guys destroying town like Godzilla. In this case, what I would have liked is. I got it. I get it. I get what the problem is. You're leaving, and I get what you're saying and what you just said, and I agree. But I also think there's something to the fourth or fifth attempt to get out of town in a different way. And how did we get back here again? Do you know what I'm saying? Like, that could be the meat of it. And over and over and over felt. [00:52:41] Speaker C: Like the right length for me. But again, mood and atmosphere goes a long way for me as a place. [00:52:46] Speaker B: There was a plot element which I found fascinating. I don't know if necessarily as successful as it might have been of that slowly getting to the point of we're going to kill him and take his money, of that little baby step of like, it's California. Technically, half the money is yours. [00:53:01] Speaker C: We could just take it. [00:53:03] Speaker B: It's not really even stealing if you just take half his money and run. And then like, well, he died by natural causes mostly, so now it's legally all your money. And these kind of moral compromises of like, no, you killed him and you stole his stuff. [00:53:18] Speaker A: There was a thought I had that this is just personal, that I would have liked to have seen them actually get to Broadway, get on stage, and then discover they were dead when nobody else is interacting with them on St. [00:53:30] Speaker C: Yeah, I'd like that. [00:53:32] Speaker A: Like, wait a minute, why aren't they returning? [00:53:36] Speaker B: Just sliding across the stage on one knee, breathing heavily. [00:53:41] Speaker A: Nothing. Nothing. Crickets. [00:53:42] Speaker B: Crickets. [00:53:43] Speaker A: I think we're dead. [00:53:46] Speaker C: Not to overthink the sealed book, but I really love the title Broadway, here I come. Because Broadway just becomes death. You know, they think they're gonna make this big debut and nope, you are in two coffins. And did any of you imagine a giant sized coffin for George Williams when he's. [00:54:05] Speaker B: A giant sweaty coffin, piano sized. [00:54:08] Speaker C: Coffin, and then two little dainty dancer sized ones beside it. [00:54:12] Speaker A: Yes, right. Did the death of George remind you of another show we've done? [00:54:18] Speaker C: Probably. It reminds me of a lot of shows. It reminds me a lot of sealed. [00:54:20] Speaker A: Books that I reminded me of the little girl Poison. [00:54:24] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [00:54:25] Speaker A: Where they just watch her die. And they just watched him die. It just reminded me of that it was an interesting thing that if someone is dying in front of you and you hate them or you need them to die or it would be awesome if they actually died, but you could save them. And making that choice of, I am going to let them die, because second by second he grabs them and hauls them back up to the top of the roof or whatever, you know, that moral moment of, well, this would be awesome. But no, like, who would that person have to be? That I would be like, I'm going to. [00:54:54] Speaker C: Don't say it on the podcast. I don't have to edit it out later. [00:54:58] Speaker A: I don't have. Well, there might be. [00:55:00] Speaker C: Yeah. The one thing I want to say is when their car has crashed and we don't know they've died yet, and they're looking for a way out of town, and the train whistle sounds a lot like the Mysterious Traveler, maybe it's just got ahead of my head and I suddenly went, wouldn't it be great if the mysterious Traveler crossover. [00:55:16] Speaker E: That would be awesome. [00:55:17] Speaker B: I share universe. [00:55:20] Speaker A: Well, I do love trains and all. Any. Any old time radio with a train got. I love trains. [00:55:24] Speaker C: All right, well, final verdict, guys. [00:55:26] Speaker A: I think that it has really nice moments, but it's definitely not timeless. Classic and one of the best ever. It was. It was fine, but that's all I gotta say. It was fine. Didn't make me mad. I've heard. Terrible. This was terrible. [00:55:42] Speaker C: Well, Ryan, I'd like you to keep listening to the podcast. [00:55:46] Speaker A: This isn't Ryan's choice. This is your fault. [00:55:49] Speaker C: No, this is my fault. And Ryan, if you didn't like this, this is my bad. But I actually enjoyed it, I think more than Eric. We'll see about Tim. I wouldn't consider an all time classic. And Sealed Book is again, kind of. Kind of a lesser spin off. It's clearly Arthur and Kogan trying to like, you know, squeeze a little bit more out of the Mysterious Traveler. And I do admire that as a writer. I really admire recycling things over and over again and getting every bit of money and cache you can out of it. And I do think the three of. [00:56:14] Speaker A: Us have been made a living doing that. [00:56:17] Speaker C: I do think this is a nice script with some nice moments that really plays that line between heightened melodrama and some naturalistic surprises in the performances. And so I definitely think it was entertaining to listen to. I enjoyed it. I would recommend that other people listen to it. It's not a timeless classic. [00:56:35] Speaker B: No, very similar. I would not call it a timeless classic, but particularly the three performers. I just loved each of them. They were. [00:56:43] Speaker A: I'll give you that. I like them. [00:56:45] Speaker B: The characters were very broad, but they kept them very compelling and entertaining individually and off of each other. I thought they were really great. And the, the writing was broad and like I've said now twice, but I didn't find it annoyingly, so I liked it. [00:57:01] Speaker A: All right, well, that's going to do it for this episode of the mysterious old Radio Listening Society podcast. Thank you so much for listening. If you want to learn more about. [00:57:08] Speaker B: Us, go to ghoulishlights.com stop yelling. I'm sorry. Go to ghoulishlights.com you'll find old episodes of the old tired episodes of this podcast there, as well as get information about live performances we do. Because we do live performances, we present old radio scripts on stage. [00:57:28] Speaker C: You can also go to itunes and write a review of this podcast. Let us know what you think. Also, if you have your own request, please send it our way. But I want to get this out there that we record these way ahead of time and we are definitely doing a number of listener requests that have backed up. [00:57:45] Speaker A: It's 1982 right now, so if you. [00:57:49] Speaker C: Don'T hear it right away, it isn't that we've forgotten you or anything, we will get to it. But please keep sending it through email or included in your review or any way you can communicate with us. Let us know if you to hear. [00:58:01] Speaker A: A specific episode by the time this airs, there better be hoverboards. Who's got the next one? [00:58:07] Speaker B: I think it's you. [00:58:08] Speaker A: Is it me? [00:58:09] Speaker C: Yes. [00:58:09] Speaker A: All right. Well then we're going to do an episode of a little known show called Cabin B13. [00:58:16] Speaker C: I've heard of it. [00:58:17] Speaker A: Of course you have. And the episode, the Sleep of Death. Until next time, look out.