Episode 372: Too Hot to Live

[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. [00:00:35] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:00:36] Speaker C: And I'm Joshua. [00:00:37] Speaker B: We love mysterious old time radio stories, but do they stand the test of time? That's what we're here to find out. [00:00:42] Speaker C: Today we present an episode of my choosing, Too Hot to Live From Suspense Radio's legendary theater of thrills. Originally debuting on CBS in 1942, suspense captivated audiences for an impressive 20 years, featuring some of Hollywood's brightest stars. [00:01:02] Speaker A: One such performer was tonight's leading man, Richard Widmark. Best known for his chilling portrayal of the giggling psychopath Tommy udo in the 1947 film Kiss of Death. Widmark was often typecast as a villain, despite his reputation as a kind and generous man. [00:01:19] Speaker B: In 1950, Widmark played a seething racist in no Way Out, a role that reportedly made him so uncomfortable that he apologized after every scene to his co star, Sidney Poitiers. Another accomplishment that set him apart from the scoundrels he played on screen was his long and devoted marriage to actress Jean Hazelwood. Their union lasted 55 years, a rarity in Hollywood. As Widmark once put it, I happen to like my wife a lot. [00:01:42] Speaker C: Tonight's episode also features a cast of familiar voices to old time radio aficionados, including Paul Freeze, Howard McNear, Joseph Kearns, and Mary Jane Croft. [00:01:54] Speaker A: The script was an early milestone in the career of writer Sam Rolfe, who also contributed scripts to the Adventures of Sam Spade Spade and Richard Diamond, Private Detective. Just two years later, he would be nominated for an Academy Award for the Naked Spur and go on to create have Gun, Will Travel and write for the man from UNCLE and now let's. [00:02:14] Speaker B: Listen to Too Hot to Live from Suspense. Originally broadcast on October 26, 1950. [00:02:20] Speaker C: 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. [00:02:41] Speaker D: Autolite and its 96,000 dealers present suspense. Tonight, Autolight brings you Too Hot to Live, A suspense play starring Mr. Richard Widmar. Hey, you freeloader. [00:03:05] Speaker E: What? [00:03:06] Speaker D: We don't sell tickets on this freak. [00:03:08] Speaker F: Well, it was empty. [00:03:09] Speaker E: I didn't think anybody'd mind. [00:03:10] Speaker D: We're slowing down for a crossing. I don't want to find you when I come back. [00:03:14] Speaker E: Where are we? [00:03:15] Speaker D: Half mile from Marcus Junction. [00:03:18] Speaker E: Thanks. [00:03:18] Speaker D: Forget the thanks. Just Beat it before somebody inquisitive starts asking questions. [00:03:24] Speaker E: Yeah, don't they always? The train rolls by, slowing and the crossing bell warns that death is here. I don't recognize it though. I walk toward Marcus Junction, toward death. [00:03:45] Speaker G: In just a moment. Mr. Richard Widmark in the first act of Too Hot to Live. Well, hap are the hobgoblins. [00:03:53] Speaker D: Halloween isn't here yet, Harlow. [00:03:55] Speaker G: Soon will be. And that means the time has come to have your car made ready for the cold driving days ahead. And your friendly auto light spark plug dealer is the man to see. And what'll he do, Harlow? Why, your Autolite spark plug dealer will winterize your car, put in antifreeze, change the oil and grease, and check the spark plugs too. Thanks, Johnny Plug Check for a worry saving reminder. Because spark plugs are the very heart of your car's ignition system. These are better than ever. [00:04:20] Speaker D: You mean spark plugs need winterizing too? [00:04:22] Speaker G: They sure do, App. And that's why it pays to have your Autolite spark plug dealer replace worn out spark plugs with world famous ignition engineered auto light spark plugs. Auto light spark plugs, you know, are ignition engineered to operate as a perfect team with your car's ignition system. That's why you can't buy better spark plugs for your car than than Autolite. So folks, see your friendly Autolite spark plug dealer. Remember, you're always right with Autolite. [00:04:50] Speaker D: And now with Too Hot to Live and the performance of Mr. Richard Widmark, autolite hopes once again to keep you in suspense. [00:05:07] Speaker E: The sun is 11 o'clock high and starting to pucker the tar road leading into Marcus Junction. I'm heading in. Sweat's beginning to streak through the old suntan uniform and my shoes are sucking tar. Every time I lift them, the sole of one boot busts loose and starts flapping against the road. That's bad. A drifter needs a good pair of shoes. And I'm on the drift. Marcus Junction. No different than a thousand others like it. About a mile square of small buildings all pasted together. I walk a couple of blocks without finding a shoemaker. The town's almost empty this Saturday morning. And then a door opens ahead of me and a big man steps out. Really big, both ways. Big, high, big wide. He's wearing steel rimmed glasses screwed up tight above the pug nose of his round face. And six full inches of hat brim circle the pink flesh like a halo. [00:06:03] Speaker F: Why, good morning, son. My name's Benjamin. Benjamin Maxwell. [00:06:08] Speaker E: Oh, good morning, Mr. Maxwell. [00:06:10] Speaker F: Benjamin son, call me Benjamin. That's the handle that shakes his pump. What's yours, boy? [00:06:18] Speaker E: Jeff. [00:06:19] Speaker F: Casey, Jeffrey or Jefferson? [00:06:21] Speaker E: Jefferson. [00:06:22] Speaker F: Jefferson, that's a good name. [00:06:24] Speaker E: Yeah. Now look, don't think I'm changing the subject, but where can I get this fixed, Benjamin? [00:06:30] Speaker F: Well, pretty socks. [00:06:32] Speaker E: Yeah, they are at that. But who'll take care of this shoe? [00:06:35] Speaker F: I'm going down to Stacy's for a coke. Shoe fixtures right next door. Come along, Jefferson. [00:06:46] Speaker E: As we turn to walk, I see his left side gun holstered high up on his hip and a gold star with the word Sheriff glinting in the sunlight. [00:06:55] Speaker F: Still wearing your old army clothes, I hear. Those duds wear like iron. You just throw them away when they start to rust. [00:07:03] Speaker E: Uniforms wear forever. These have seen our last war. [00:07:07] Speaker F: What we in, boy? [00:07:08] Speaker E: Air Corps, Captain. Pretty uniform, sweet pay and lots of respect. [00:07:13] Speaker F: You miss it, Jefferson? [00:07:15] Speaker E: Maybe I do. [00:07:16] Speaker F: What are you looking for now? [00:07:18] Speaker E: I'm not looking for anything. Just living, more or less. [00:07:21] Speaker F: Oh, man ought to find more to do with his life than that. [00:07:26] Speaker E: It's all the same to me. I could die today and it wouldn't make any difference. [00:07:31] Speaker F: You got a bad taste in your mouth, but you'll spit it out someday. Say, how do you like this weather? If it gets any warmer, it'll be almost too hot to live. In a manner of speaking. You understand? [00:07:47] Speaker E: Yeah, I understand. [00:07:49] Speaker F: Here's the shoe repair. I'll be next door. Leave your shoes and waddle in on them pretty socks of yours. I'll buy you a drink. Coca. Coffee. [00:08:03] Speaker E: The shoemaker tells me that my shoes will take a couple of hours. So I start next door to join Benjamin. I don't know, maybe I'm feeling pretty good. But I pull an old schoolboy trick of mine. I take off my socks, roll them up and throw them on the counter with my shoes. Then I walk outside to feel a cool shaded cement prickle up through the bottom of my bare feet. Through the store window next door I see the four people in the restaurant. Benjamin waves for me to come in. Inside the entrance, a blond waitress is arguing with a tall sliver of a man who's showing about 3 inches of wrist and shinbone below the edges of his clothes. The squat moon faced grill man has his pop eyes focused intently on the argument. I go in, walk over to Benjamin and sit on the next stool. [00:08:50] Speaker F: Oh, Jefferson. [00:08:51] Speaker E: Hi, Benjamin. Came for that coffee. [00:08:53] Speaker F: In a minute. Rachel's about finished. [00:08:56] Speaker H: Try it somewhere else. Pop. Let me alone now. I'm busy. [00:08:59] Speaker F: And all her sins must find her out. She's a Jezebel and kin only to the devil. [00:09:05] Speaker H: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You'll find it on the menu next week. Now find yourself a street corner. Get it out of your system. [00:09:10] Speaker F: Oh, you are bad. Bad beyond all hope. [00:09:15] Speaker H: See you around, Pop. [00:09:17] Speaker E: I don't hope the girl plays rough. [00:09:20] Speaker F: Oh, that's just Rachel's way. Jefferson. I see you lean to bare feet. [00:09:26] Speaker H: What's your friend having, buster? [00:09:28] Speaker F: Benjamin. Rachel may be smart to tack nicknames on people, but my folks figured me for a Benjamin, and I'd like it that way. [00:09:36] Speaker H: Sure, buster. Well, it be soldier. [00:09:39] Speaker E: Black coffee lady. And don't let the uniform throw you. I'm no soldier anymore. The Hollywood line of her mouth twists up into a lopsided kind of inviting grin. As she turns to get the coffee, I watch the dark shadows that follow the rippling lines of her uniform when she moves. Rachel is quite a woman. [00:10:00] Speaker H: All woman coffee, barefoot. Like you, soldier. Your friend's real pretty, buster. [00:10:09] Speaker F: You think everybody's pretty. [00:10:11] Speaker H: He's a doll. You'll be around long, soldier. [00:10:14] Speaker E: Long enough to get my shoes fixed. Rachel. Rachel. You know that name doesn't go with you. [00:10:22] Speaker H: It's a name. Too bad you're moving on soon. New faces are scarce around here, especially one like yours. [00:10:32] Speaker F: Well, I've got some laud in force. Will I see you before you go, Jefferson? [00:10:37] Speaker E: I'll find you, Benjamin. [00:10:39] Speaker F: Do that, boy. I'm afraid to face that heat. Out. Now, you behave yourself, Rachel. [00:10:45] Speaker E: Yes, well, you like playing it tough. [00:10:50] Speaker H: Under it all beats a heart of gold. [00:10:52] Speaker E: Mm. [00:10:53] Speaker H: Tell me what it's like in the world outside, soldier. [00:10:56] Speaker D: Hey, Rachel, why don't you put up some more coffee? [00:11:00] Speaker H: Tend to your bacon, lover. I got company. Your boyfriend, lover boy there? No, that's Kenny. He's keeping company with a hot grill. [00:11:07] Speaker D: You oughtn't to talk about me like that, Rachel. Not very nice. [00:11:11] Speaker H: Well, then don't bother me while I'm with my friends. Hey, soldier. I'm off about now. Let you and me go out to the carnival for a couple hours, huh? [00:11:20] Speaker D: Hey, you. You let her alone. Don't you go with her. You here? [00:11:24] Speaker E: Yeah. I hear Kenny. Well, I'd. I'd like to, Rachel, but how do I go barefoot? [00:11:31] Speaker H: Oh, forgot. [00:11:33] Speaker E: Got any other ideas? [00:11:36] Speaker H: Yeah, matter of fact, I live upstairs over this greasy spoon. Let's go up and mix ourselves something cool while we wait for your shoes. [00:11:43] Speaker D: You can't do that. It isn't nice. It don't look right. [00:11:47] Speaker E: Don't it? Come on, let's go. Rachel. [00:11:49] Speaker D: Don't You. No, you can't. I'll stop you. [00:11:53] Speaker H: Go hash some potatoes, lover. My arm, soldier. [00:11:57] Speaker D: No, no. Rachel. Hey, look, I'll get someone to tend here. I'll come right up. [00:12:01] Speaker H: You do and I'll barbecue you on your own grill. [00:12:05] Speaker E: We go out and my fe scruff over the shaded pavement as we pass through the doorway on the left. I follow her up a flight of stairs and into a small box like apartment. Living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. [00:12:19] Speaker H: Be it ever so humble, this is home. [00:12:22] Speaker E: Let's kick out a wall or something. [00:12:24] Speaker H: The windows don't help much, but the drinks will. [00:12:28] Speaker E: Hey, why do you have to lean into the kitchen? Why not just walk in? [00:12:32] Speaker H: Fresh varnish on the floor. The heat. Don't let it dry. It's a long reach for a long drink. [00:12:38] Speaker E: It's a long day. [00:12:43] Speaker H: Here you go, soldier. [00:12:45] Speaker E: Don't you believe in mixing anything with your liquor? [00:12:48] Speaker H: What for? The cubes will melt. What do we drink too, soldier? [00:12:55] Speaker E: The heat. [00:12:56] Speaker H: The heat cools you off. Don't. [00:13:05] Speaker E: Burns its way down my stomach and explodes. My pores open and the perspiration oozes down. [00:13:11] Speaker H: Yeah. Let's have another. [00:13:12] Speaker E: She's still talking, but I'm going numb. [00:13:14] Speaker H: Let's drink to my country. [00:13:15] Speaker E: No food. I shouldn't be drinking. Who cares? I'm getting foggy. She's drifting closer. I don't know who kisses who first. Bitter tears. Tears of loneliness and regret. [00:13:30] Speaker H: Let's drink this. [00:13:31] Speaker E: Everything's moving around like feathers in a high wind. Sometimes one drifts in through the fog. We're drinking. How many? I don't know. Breathing, sucking down scorching air. Hot, damp waves of heat. [00:13:53] Speaker H: Clumsy, killed. [00:13:54] Speaker E: Here's another glass can smell perfume. Cheap, like tin earrings. Black, rolling in black velvet. And the shimmering heat. Wavering, like plucking a taut string. Wavering, wavering. There's a stage. Steady sound. Sharp, smart little cracks. I tear my eyelids apart and a flash of ceiling whirls by. A purple red mass is coming toward my face. And when it hits, there's a sound in the ceiling moving the other way. [00:14:31] Speaker D: Laugh this off. Laugh now. I don't. [00:14:33] Speaker E: A frozen kind of pain is seeping through to my brain and I can make out a voice. [00:14:37] Speaker F: Now. [00:14:38] Speaker D: Then laugh. I want to hear you laugh. [00:14:40] Speaker E: I get my hand up to my face and I wipe my eyes. My hand comes away wet, sticky and red. The ugly purple mask comes. [00:14:51] Speaker D: Awake now. Swell. I got something for you. [00:14:55] Speaker E: Leave me alone. [00:14:55] Speaker D: There, in the corner of the kitchen. See how she's lying there? [00:15:00] Speaker E: Take your Hands off me. [00:15:01] Speaker D: How I found her. You beside her. Your filthy hands still tied around her throat. [00:15:06] Speaker E: What's the matter with my hands? [00:15:08] Speaker D: This dicky wax. That's varnish and blood. Your blood. See that knife in her hand? She cut you. Trying to stop you. You killed her. You killed Rachel. [00:15:25] Speaker E: He doesn't make any kind of sense. The bathroom doors open and I staggered toward it, stepping on broken glass. Pain stinging, remembering bare feet. The open shower waiting for me. I turn the handle of the cold water and I half throw myself into the shock of the stream. I'm coming. Live reaction setting in. Fright. He said I'd killed him. [00:15:46] Speaker D: Sheriff. Benjamin. [00:15:48] Speaker E: Hey, Benjamin. [00:15:49] Speaker D: Come up here. I got a dirty killer for you. That lousy friend of yours killed Rachel. Come and get him. [00:16:01] Speaker E: Kenny shouting out the window in the other room to Benjamin. I gotta get away. I gotta think. [00:16:06] Speaker D: What's happening? [00:16:08] Speaker C: What? [00:16:09] Speaker E: I get through the bathroom window, out into the glare of the sun. My feet hit the scalding tar of the marquee. I scramble across it, drop to the street. A narrow alley. And I'm running down it toward the fence that blocks off the far end. A garbage can near the fence and a woman putting something into it. I jump, reaching for the fence. [00:16:26] Speaker A: Hey, what do you think you're doing? [00:16:28] Speaker E: Let me go. Let go. [00:16:29] Speaker D: Pick up that garbage. [00:16:30] Speaker E: You let go. [00:16:31] Speaker D: I didn't do it. [00:16:32] Speaker E: What do you mean? [00:16:33] Speaker D: I saw you. Take it over. [00:16:34] Speaker E: I'm not going to clean up that mess. [00:16:35] Speaker D: I didn't kill her. Take your hands off me. Why would I kill Rachel? [00:16:40] Speaker H: Why would you kill. [00:16:41] Speaker F: All right, Jefferson. Come along and tell me why you killed Rachel. [00:16:57] Speaker D: Auto Light is bringing you Mr. Richard Widmark in Too Hot to Live. Tonight's production in radio's outstanding theater of thrills suspend. [00:17:15] Speaker G: Hey, Hap, did you hear about the wise witch? [00:17:18] Speaker D: What about her, Harlow? [00:17:19] Speaker G: She brought her broom in for a tune up. The Autolite spark plug dealer tightened the straws, tightened the handles and checked the spark plugs too. He would have if that broom had had him. Johnny Plug Check. Spark plugs are the heart of a car's ignition system. One of the keys to efficient engine operation. [00:17:37] Speaker D: And did the witch understand, Harlow? [00:17:39] Speaker G: Why, sure, Hap. Being a sage sorceress, she knew all about ignition engineered auto light spark plugs. The spark plugs that are world famous for quality and dependability. Why, she even knew that Autolite spark plugs are used as original factory equipment on many leading makes of America's finest cars and trucks. [00:17:56] Speaker D: Did she know it pays to have spark plugs winterized too. [00:17:59] Speaker G: Sure did. And she knew the place to go was to her friendly auto light spark plug dealer because he can put in antifreeze, change, grease and oil. [00:18:08] Speaker D: And check the spark plugs too. [00:18:10] Speaker G: Yes, folks, see your friendly Autolite spark plug dealer and have worn out spark plugs replaced with ignition engineered auto light spark plugs. And whether you choose the resistor type or the standard type, you can be sure you can't buy better spark plugs for your car because you're always right with Autolight. [00:18:29] Speaker D: And now Autolight brings back to our Hollywood soundstage, Mr. Richard Widmark in Elliot Lewis's production of Too Hot to Live, a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. [00:18:50] Speaker E: Benjamin is leading me out into the sweltering street again. The sun burns into my flesh, accusing as if to cause the murder to flow out of my open paws. And Benjamin walks beside me again, not holding me, just talking, asking questions which I can't answer. [00:19:08] Speaker F: Why'd you do it, son? [00:19:10] Speaker E: I didn't kill her, Benjamin. I don't remember, but I know I didn't kill her. [00:19:14] Speaker F: Jefferson, don't you know while we were. [00:19:17] Speaker E: Drinking, I blacked out. [00:19:19] Speaker F: Drunk, unconscious. You could still move around, could do what was done in that apartment. [00:19:24] Speaker E: But I couldn't. Why would I want to do that? [00:19:28] Speaker F: Maybe you played too rough. Maybe she tried to stop you, cut you with a knife. Why did you run away? [00:19:35] Speaker E: I was scared. Kenny said my hands were around her throat. [00:19:40] Speaker F: I have to lock you up. And then I'll go back and have a good look around. Maybe I'll find something. [00:19:47] Speaker E: And if you don't? [00:19:48] Speaker F: Rachel's dead. Jefferson wasn't premeditated, but that don't excuse it. She's still dead. [00:19:58] Speaker E: They'll try to hang me. Why can't I remember what happened? What led to this? The sweat's rolling down Benjamin's forehead, collecting along the top of his glasses, sliding into his eyes. They smart and snap shut. He has to stop, try to rub the sting away. I slap at his glasses, knocking them off his face, and grab for his gun. His arm comes down fast, hard, chopping at my hand, numbing the arm to the shoulder. The gun falls to the road. I run, hobbling, up and down, lopsided, trying to get away from Benjamin and from the burning and torn feet under me. [00:20:31] Speaker F: Come back. You can't get far. I'll get you anyway. [00:20:38] Speaker E: I'm running again, down the burning streets, out to the end of toward the railroad. I run till my legs slide away from under me and then I crawl, dragging a Body that has no feeling. A dead weight that robs my arms of their strength. And finally, finally, steel rails glisten ahead as I lay sprawled out, my heart and lungs going crazy in my body. Something. Something starts down in my chest. Spreads up to my throat, spilling out of my mouth. [00:21:20] Speaker D: I've had enough. [00:21:29] Speaker E: An hour has passed and the sun is moving away towards the west. No trains have passed, but it's all right. I know what I have to do now. Find Kenny and one way or another, force him to tell the truth, for he must be lying. I lick my handkerchief and I wipe the dried blood off my hands and feet. I comb my hair. I throw away the army shirt and move back to town. Stepping gently, I make my way up the back streets to the restaurant. Pulling my pants down low to cover as much of my bare feet as possible, I step inside. There's a stranger behind the counter. [00:22:08] Speaker D: Well, howdy. [00:22:09] Speaker E: Hi. Say, where is everybody in this town? [00:22:12] Speaker D: Almost are out at the carnival. Some are looking for a killer roaming around. [00:22:16] Speaker E: Yeah, I heard about him. Heard he was picked up a couple of miles out. [00:22:20] Speaker D: Good deal. You know Rachel worked here. [00:22:23] Speaker E: Yeah, I know. Say, where's Kenny? [00:22:25] Speaker D: Oh, he's out at the Clover's place. He wanted to be the one to tell Rachel's folks about, you know. [00:22:31] Speaker E: Sure, sure. Well, I guess I ought to go out there and pick him up. I don't know the place too well. How do I get there? [00:22:39] Speaker D: Just follow this road down about a half a mile out of town. You'll find a dirt cut off. Can't miss the mailbox. [00:22:45] Speaker E: Thanks. [00:22:46] Speaker D: Say, if you miss him, who'll I say was? Ask him. [00:22:49] Speaker E: Just tell him his cousin Jim was here. [00:22:51] Speaker D: Well, pleased to have met. Hey, you ain't wearing shoes. [00:22:54] Speaker F: You. [00:22:55] Speaker D: You're the one. You're the killer. [00:23:00] Speaker E: Run, run, run again Another alley blistering pavement Cement ripping in the jagged rocks again Time's running too running out. Benjamin will know where I'm going. Out to the main highway Pants pulled low and thumb up in the air. Here comes my ride. He's gotta stop. [00:23:18] Speaker D: He's got to stop. Please. Hop on, son. [00:23:26] Speaker E: Oh, thanks. Thanks, mister. Thanks a lot. [00:23:29] Speaker D: You're welcome. I'm not going far. [00:23:31] Speaker E: Well, I'm just going out to the Clovis farm. [00:23:34] Speaker D: I know the place. Why are you going there now? [00:23:38] Speaker E: I'm a cousin of Kenny's. I'm gonna meet him out there. [00:23:41] Speaker D: I don't please you. [00:23:43] Speaker E: I'm visiting from back east. [00:23:46] Speaker D: You're not wearing shoes. [00:23:49] Speaker E: Yeah, it's a silly thing Isn't it? I lost my shoes while wading barefoot in the stream. Didn't help my feet any. [00:23:56] Speaker D: What stream is that, fella? [00:23:58] Speaker E: Well, you know the one. I don't know the name of it. It's out there in the woods. [00:24:04] Speaker D: Oh yeah. I think I know the one. This is the dirt road you want. House is over the rise. [00:24:12] Speaker E: Thanks again. [00:24:13] Speaker D: I'll see you. [00:24:18] Speaker E: I limp up the rising dirt path. At the top, I turn for a look at my ride. He's swinging around toward town. Benjamin will get to me and soon. An old two storied farmhouse rises out of the cleared fields around me. A big gray barn stands off near the house and two old cars sitting empty behind it. Kenny's got to come to one of them. I'll wait. Time still running out and away from me. Little shimmering waves of heat rise off the tin hoods of the cars. Here he comes. Now or never. [00:24:58] Speaker D: Hell. Quiet. Quieter. Old freight job. [00:25:03] Speaker E: I want the truth, Kenny. [00:25:04] Speaker D: The truth if I have to kill you for it. I didn't kill Rachel. You did. I didn't. I didn't. You killed her. You were crazy jealous. No. Yes. You came to check up. [00:25:15] Speaker E: You found us drunk and you got wild. [00:25:17] Speaker D: You killed her. I didn't. I can prove it. [00:25:20] Speaker E: How can you prove it? [00:25:21] Speaker D: That wasn't three minutes from the time I left the restroom. The time I called Benjamin. Not enough time to get up there, kill her and bring you around. [00:25:29] Speaker E: Three minutes. [00:25:29] Speaker D: I can prove it. That's all the time. You did it. You have cut hands from a knife. Those hands were still around her throat when I came in. You killed Rachel. [00:25:44] Speaker E: And there it is. He isn't lying about the three minutes. That gloating smirk in his face tells me that I had killed here. The horror of this afternoon had been for nothing. I tried to save my life and instead I proved myself guilty. Tied the rope finally and for all time around my neck. [00:26:02] Speaker D: Shoot him. Don't you stand there. Shoot. He's the man who killed your daughter. [00:26:10] Speaker E: He stands there watching the gaunt sliver of a man with shins and freshly scarred wrists exposed below the edges of his clothing. A double barreled shotgun is cradled in his arms. But he just looks at a wild fire striking out of the black pupils of his eyes. [00:26:26] Speaker D: Shoot him. He killed your daughter. He killed Rachel. [00:26:28] Speaker E: So you're her father? I. I thought it was just another nickname. [00:26:32] Speaker D: She was no daughter of mine. She was born to me. And I named her Rachel from the Bible. But she was the daughter of Satan. [00:26:40] Speaker E: I'm sorry, Mr. Clover. [00:26:42] Speaker D: Go and shoot him. Because of him, Rachel's dead. [00:26:44] Speaker F: Away from me. But within me, the voice was strong. I followed her begging to the place where she lived. [00:26:53] Speaker E: I'm sorry. I was drunk. Crazy. [00:26:55] Speaker F: That apartment. [00:26:56] Speaker D: The stench of drink. [00:26:58] Speaker F: Like an evil cloud. You lying there drunk with the devil's fever. [00:27:04] Speaker E: You were there. [00:27:05] Speaker D: Shut up, you crazy old fool. [00:27:07] Speaker F: And it came to me like a. [00:27:10] Speaker D: Voice from on high. [00:27:12] Speaker F: And I knew what I must do. [00:27:14] Speaker D: You killed her. [00:27:15] Speaker E: It wasn't me. It was you. [00:27:17] Speaker D: Now you did it. Why couldn't you. Give you my shot? [00:27:19] Speaker E: And you knew he did it, Kenny. [00:27:20] Speaker D: You tried to make me believe that. [00:27:22] Speaker E: I'd been the one. [00:27:22] Speaker D: Why you. You. And tramps like you. Always keeping her from me. Coming along every time. I couldn't know this, Kenny. You didn't care. You laughed at me. You made Rachel laugh at me. I passed the old man when I went up. I knew as soon as I walked into the room. [00:27:38] Speaker E: You tried to blame it on me. [00:27:39] Speaker D: Well, why not? Wasn't the crazy old go to kill her now? You killed her. And you'll die for it. Give me that gun, old man. No, Kenny, not now. Come on. Turn around, soldier. No. Turn around and see it when it happens. [00:27:51] Speaker F: Pull up your gun, Kenneth. [00:27:53] Speaker D: No. No. [00:28:01] Speaker F: Get up, Jefferson. We'll go. [00:28:16] Speaker E: The sun is moving down low in the skies and a cool, light breeze has come up from somewhere. I'm leaning back on the front seat beside Benjamin, breathing deeply, evenly, feeling the goodness of just living seep through in the backseat. Old man Clovis sits staring ahead, not even aware of the blanket wrapped body of Kent lying on the floor at his feet. [00:28:41] Speaker F: If you hadn't been so eager to run, I could have saved your feet a lot of wear. I knew you weren't a murderer, son. You knew I went back to the apartment. Old story's there in the varnish on the kitchen floor. No bare feet around the body, but lots of hobnail boot prints. You cut your hand on broken glass in the living room. It bled. [00:29:04] Speaker E: And I was running. [00:29:06] Speaker F: Well, you can stop running now, son. Stay here in town with us, huh? There's lots for you to do. [00:29:15] Speaker E: Thanks. Well, it's been quite a day, Benjamin. [00:29:19] Speaker F: Sure has been a scorcher. Glad to see the sun going down on a day like this. It's almost too hot to live. [00:29:28] Speaker E: No, don't say that, Benjamin. It never gets that hot. [00:29:54] Speaker D: Suspense presented by autolite. Tonight's star, Mr. Richard Widmark. [00:30:00] Speaker G: Hey, Hap. Did you hear about the ghost who got stiff on Halloween? [00:30:04] Speaker D: How come? [00:30:04] Speaker G: Harlow the laundry starched his sheet. [00:30:06] Speaker D: Oh, that must have been corn starch. [00:30:10] Speaker G: Well, this is no corn, Hap. It's good advice. Get your car tuned up and winterized now. And remember, Autolite makes more than 400 products for cars, trucks, planes and boats in 28 plants coast to coast. These include complete electrical systems used as original equipment on many of America's finest cars. Generators, coils, distributors, voltage regulators, wire and cable starting motors and electric windshield wipers, all engineered to work together perfectly as part of the Autolite team. All engineered to give you unexcelled auto light service. Don't accept electrical parts supposed to be as good. Ask for and insist on auto light original factory parts at your neighborhood service station, car dealer, garage or repair shop. Remember, you're always right with autolight. [00:30:56] Speaker D: Mr. Widmark may currently be seen in the 20th Century Fox production Darrell F. Zanuck's no Way Out. Next week on suspense, Mr. Herbert Marshall as star of Victoria Cross. And in weeks to come, you will hear such famous stars as William Holden, Cary Grant, Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard, all appearing in tales well calculated to keep you in. [00:31:22] Speaker G: Suspense is produced and directed by Elliot Lewis with music composed by Lucian Morowek and conducted by Lud Bluskin. Too Hot to Live was written for suspense by Sam Ralph. [00:31:31] Speaker D: And remember, next week on suspense, Mr. Herbert Marshall in Victoria Cross. [00:31:40] Speaker H: You can buy world famous Autolite resistor type or standard type spark plugs, Autolite staple batteries, Autolite electrical parts at your neighborhood Autolite dealers. [00:31:48] Speaker E: Switch to Auto light. [00:31:50] Speaker H: Good night. [00:31:51] Speaker G: When you give your time or your dollars to the 1950 Red Feather Campaign you're giving to the best possible cause, your community chest benefits everyone. Won't you help? Now, this is cbs, the Columbia Broadcasting System. [00:32:05] Speaker A: That was too hot to live from suspense here on the mysterious old radio Listening society podcast once again, I'm Eric. [00:32:12] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:32:12] Speaker C: And I'm Joshua. [00:32:14] Speaker A: And that was Joshua's pick this week, bringing that to us and. Yeah, all right. Man, there's so much to talk about. Richard Widmark. Is that the dude that was also the host of the Sears. [00:32:29] Speaker C: He was one of the. [00:32:30] Speaker A: One of the hosts of the Sears. [00:32:32] Speaker C: Radio Hour Radio Yawn Fest. [00:32:36] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, that's what I thought. And also, I. I don't know why I'm throwing this out there, but I just recently watched that. I don't know, five years ago, man, from UNCLE Movie. That came out not too long ago. [00:32:50] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:32:50] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:32:51] Speaker A: Wow. I didn't know what was going on. I mean, it was fine. Anyway, I Just want to. [00:32:54] Speaker B: Yeah, I really liked it, but now it's kind of hard to watch because of Arnie Hammer. [00:32:58] Speaker A: Why? What happened? [00:32:59] Speaker B: Oh, no, that's a different podcast. [00:33:02] Speaker C: That's a totally different. [00:33:03] Speaker B: Actually, it's a whole documentary series on Netflix, I think. [00:33:05] Speaker A: But really, tell me off air about that, please. Okay, so on to this. Too Hot to Live. This was the Arnie Hammer story. Too Hot to Live. [00:33:18] Speaker C: I edited that joke thinking we could just move forward, but of course, Tim jumped on us. [00:33:23] Speaker B: I'm not letting it go. [00:33:26] Speaker A: Too Hot to Live from suspense. Boy, this checks a lot of boxes. It's very suspense. Not only the verb, but also the show. It's very suspense. I know that we're supposed to say stuff and then vote, but I. I really liked it. [00:33:42] Speaker B: I've chosen to express myself through dance. [00:33:45] Speaker A: Yes. Shut up. So what? [00:33:51] Speaker B: That's beautiful. [00:33:52] Speaker A: I'm guess. Thank you. [00:33:54] Speaker C: Put your pants back on. [00:33:56] Speaker A: Hello down there. This. This inside joke has been brought to you by. So what? Joshua, I'm guessing you brought this because you love it. [00:34:10] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. And I found it in such a weird way. I guess not weird for us who perform Old Time Radio. And we were working on collecting ideas for double features to perform at Crooner's Supper Club here in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where we perform. I thought, oh, a summer theme with, like, Heat, that would be great. And I literally just looked up radio shows with, like, heat in the title, and this was the first one I listened to. And I was like, wow, that is the most explicit drunken sex scene in Old Time Radio that I have ever heard. I did like a double take, whatever the audio equivalent of a double take is. Yes. [00:34:55] Speaker A: There was a moment that, you know, when she's doing that When Harry Met Sally thing, and I was like, oh, he's murdering her or something. She's tripped. And then. Nope, that's. That was that. Okay. [00:35:09] Speaker C: But then you find out. Or was it. So that is their plausible deniability. [00:35:13] Speaker A: Correct. [00:35:14] Speaker C: Like, she just really enjoyed being murdered. Yeah. So that was just shocking in and of itself. I would really not do that today in 2025, in front of a live audience. It would make them uncomfortable. [00:35:34] Speaker A: Sure. [00:35:35] Speaker C: That's the first time that I have thought this is ruled out for live performance due to something other than racism. [00:35:43] Speaker A: Right. But I will tell you this, you know, listeners, welcome to our production meeting. I think we could do this on stage and bypass a lot of that and it would still be a great episode. [00:35:53] Speaker B: We could, like, replace there's no way pleasure sounds with, like, other sound Effects like. [00:36:07] Speaker A: Just a test pattern. [00:36:09] Speaker C: Well, again, welcome to our production meeting. I would not censor this if I performed it live. I mean, Shannon could find her own way to enjoy this drunken sex scene. It wouldn't have to be exactly like. [00:36:27] Speaker B: I mean, I could do it. We don't have to put this on Shannon. [00:36:29] Speaker C: Yeah, you're right. [00:36:30] Speaker A: That was really good, Tim. [00:36:31] Speaker E: Thank you. [00:36:32] Speaker A: Could you do it again? [00:36:34] Speaker B: Give me a little time. [00:36:35] Speaker A: Okay. Gonna need a nap and a sandwich. Okay. [00:36:41] Speaker C: So even if this episode was not very good, I might have considered bringing it to the podcast just because that was so not like anything I had ever heard and was like, there's pushing the envelope, and then there's just like, I ate the envelop. [00:36:59] Speaker A: Right. [00:36:59] Speaker C: I rubbed this envelope all over your naked body. [00:37:02] Speaker A: Right. But even without that, I think it's. [00:37:07] Speaker C: A really great suspense episode. [00:37:11] Speaker A: There's something subtle and yet so mesmerizing about the fact that he is barefoot the entire time. If you keep reminding yourself of that while this is happening, first of all, you got. His feet must hurt. But I don't know why that was so compelling to me that he was barefoot, but it added to the layer of layers of turmoil and chaos and anxiety of what was happening to him. Do you know what I mean? [00:37:43] Speaker C: Well, I think because it is so perfectly to my taste, layered in. Right. Like he's a drifter. And so. Oh, that seems like an evocative description of the heat. When he gets off the train or is kicked off the train, the sole of his shoe sticks to the hot pavement and flaps against it. And then it becomes. Oh, it's a way to just get him into town. And then how it just keeps becoming more and more narratively significant as you go along. And yes, the wet varnish on the floor becomes an instant, like, oh, he's barefoot. That's gonna be a clue. But what I think is brilliant about it is it becomes the absence of. [00:38:24] Speaker B: A clue is what helps him. [00:38:25] Speaker C: Yes. And at the end, it's not needed. [00:38:28] Speaker A: Right. [00:38:28] Speaker C: The sheriff just says, oh, yeah. And by the way, just like all the listeners, it was obvious to me from the beginning that you didn't kill him because your footprints would be in the fresh varnish. So it's not even the twist frees him. It's that the sheriff showed up and heard the confession. [00:38:43] Speaker B: No, he didn't get there in time to see it. [00:38:45] Speaker A: Right. [00:38:45] Speaker C: So it's both the solution and a red herring. It's somewhere in. It's like a beige herring. I don't remember don't eat this herring. It looks wrong. [00:38:54] Speaker A: Or that envelope. [00:38:55] Speaker B: I objectively recognize the excellence of this episode, the innovative production elements of the drunken sex murder scenario with her talking in the background and preach. [00:39:10] Speaker A: Keep going. [00:39:10] Speaker B: Like that was, you know, going back, listening to a second time, I picked up more what she was saying. And that's like, this is. Adds even more to the episode and the performances and all of that. But there is a genre of film literature, everything of the hot, sweaty, lebidonous small town that I never enjoy. It is just aesthetically repugnant to me. [00:39:39] Speaker A: Streetcar Name Desire. [00:39:40] Speaker B: Yeah, Everyone just take a shower and start this story over again. [00:39:44] Speaker A: Right, right. [00:39:47] Speaker C: You lived in a small town then. [00:39:49] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:39:49] Speaker C: There's literally nothing else to do but drink and have sex. [00:39:52] Speaker B: But there's air conditioning and there's showers. It leans into it of like everything is sticky and greasy and gross. [00:40:03] Speaker C: Have you read James M. Cain? That's what this made me think of is things like the Postman Always Rings Twice. [00:40:08] Speaker B: I know of it. And yes, there's many, many examples. None of this is to say like, and that's bad. That doesn't make for a good story. It's just that it's hard for me to get over my lack of enjoyment. Like, it actively makes me enjoy the story less. This kind of setting, I'm going to. [00:40:25] Speaker C: Agree with you part way in that it's the kind of story I enjoy aesthetically. I enjoy it for its, as you said, the production techniques, the performances, the structure, the fake out, red herring, all that. It's not one where you're in there feeling for everybody. I don't. [00:40:45] Speaker B: Yeah, that's also part of it is like these are all characters who you just sort of hope they might at some point redeem themselves a little bit. [00:40:53] Speaker A: To jump back on two things Tim said, one is, I agree with you. What is the movie? Coen Brothers movie. John Goodman. I know he's in more than one. [00:41:04] Speaker C: Barton Fink. My favorite Coen Brothers. [00:41:07] Speaker B: I love that one too. [00:41:08] Speaker A: I love it. [00:41:09] Speaker B: Even though it participates in that. Like, just. [00:41:11] Speaker A: Just towel off. But this is what I'm getting at. I'm so uncomfortable watching that movie, which is the life of the mind, but it's the point. I'm supposed to be uncomfortable, but there's so much sweating in that movie, especially from Goodman, that I get that feeling of, oh, this is actually hard to get through. Please take a shower. Second thing you just barely touched. [00:41:35] Speaker C: Are you just talking about you don't like heat? I hate it. Because I think Tim's just talking about the small town randiness. [00:41:42] Speaker B: I mean, it's all. All the peace, the hot, oppressive weather. [00:41:47] Speaker C: You're so Minnesotan, you guys, you're like, people don't have sex during the summer. It's like. [00:41:52] Speaker B: No, it's not just like sex. [00:41:53] Speaker C: It's in the winter when God designed sex for. To keep you warm and survive. [00:42:00] Speaker B: It's. It's. The erotic nature is purely just. I'm too overheated to think both physically and hormonally. So, yeah, it is all from one sort of piece of cloth that we can't think. Our bodies are wound up and we're just going to throw ourselves at each other and someone might die, someone might have pleasure. Something like. It's just gonna be sticky and gross. And then people will have regrets. And that's the story. [00:42:32] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, so again, I total. But this is one of those times. I think we talked about an episode of Escape now several. About a month ago. Right. Like, that was classic film noir. And I got really turned off by it. In a similar way. [00:42:48] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:42:49] Speaker C: To me it's. [00:42:50] Speaker B: It is not in no way criticism of the actual piece. [00:42:53] Speaker C: To me, it's that game of the intellectual joys of the way this art is assembled and performed distract me from the bleakness of what is described and to override my response to it as a human being. But I think that kind of takes us into what is a little interesting to this and I think pushes the envelope as much as the explicitness of that sex scene is that Rachel is portrayed as this woman who's allowed to be as lascivious as the male. Which I almost never hear on Old Time Radio. Right. [00:43:38] Speaker A: It's my favorite book. [00:43:39] Speaker C: In the Mirror. [00:43:41] Speaker A: Lascivious. [00:43:44] Speaker C: She's admiring. [00:43:45] Speaker B: Think of Smutty Laws. [00:43:49] Speaker C: She admires his physicality as much as she does. And that's just really rare. And of course she's judged for it, but the only people who judge her for it are the murderers and immoral people of the story. And yes, she falls into the film noir trap of she broke social norms, so she must die. But it is at least balanced a little by that story doesn't blame her. Yeah, the people in the story blame her. I think the beat that I would have loved at the end is to have him take a shower. Have a shower. Yes. Widmark and Paul freeze. Take a shower together at the end. [00:44:29] Speaker B: You can settle down here. [00:44:32] Speaker C: No, some mention of her in Memorial. Right. In the very end, it's just sort of like, hey, it's too hot to live. No. Now I'm no longer suicidal and nihilistic. I want to live at the expense of this young sex craved woman's life. [00:44:50] Speaker B: It's still down here. There's an opening. [00:44:52] Speaker C: Yeah. The bow is maybe a little much at the end, but subjectively I'm willing to forgive it because of the other innovative things it does. [00:45:06] Speaker B: Having gone on all that way to just sort of express what was difficult for me aside that was unrelated to the quality of the episode. It's so good. [00:45:16] Speaker A: So you danced around it earlier. There is a part of this production that I find brilliant. Him getting increasingly drunker in her talk. You brought it up. And in the background production effects and her voice. Sound effects. The voice is just a brilliant scene to listen to you talking about creating space. And not only space where they're at, but the space in his head and how he's feeling. I thought it was just gorgeous piece of audio drama. [00:45:47] Speaker C: But it's also disorienting because time seems off as exactly when you start to have too much to drink. [00:45:53] Speaker A: And then they double down and do it again. Him waking up hungover as hell and being punched and beaten up and how he slowly comes to. And that great description of partially shoving himself into the shower, by the way, into. He took it. He did take a shower, Tim. To walk. [00:46:18] Speaker C: Well. And that's another scene that really creates space, as we like to say, because we are in the shower with Richard Widmark. That's where the listener is. And then we hear from this distant shout. And you really hear the space of the cook shouting out the window for the sheriff. [00:46:40] Speaker A: Right. [00:46:40] Speaker C: While he's in the shower. But not only do we feel the space because it's already been set up that this is just eight. Tiny, tiny apartment above a restaurant. [00:46:48] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:46:49] Speaker C: It's the right amount of space. [00:46:50] Speaker A: Yes. That's perfect. What you just said. What I just said about the drunk scene, the passing out and the waking up. To me not to jump too far ahead. Those are all enough for me to say this was a magnificent piece of radio drama. [00:47:09] Speaker B: It's an aspirational picture. Like this is what audio can do that nothing else can. [00:47:14] Speaker A: Just brilliant. And then even running down the alley and jumping on the garbage can and the woman holding on to him and. And not being able to get away. And every moment of it was just beautiful. It was a. I'm gonna kick myself. It was like a beautiful painted picture in my head. But it really was. I could see it all. And what did you say? What did you mumble at me? [00:47:36] Speaker B: There's a beautiful painting that needed a shower. [00:47:41] Speaker A: So. [00:47:44] Speaker C: Oh, and I have to praise Paul Freeze in the role of the sheriff. Yeah. Oh, he's as big as he is wide. And Paul Freeze embodies that in his voice, that sort of breathing that he does in the heat in between his lines. A little bit of a rasp. You hear him get off the stool at the diner, even though there's no dialogue to describe it. So as well as the sound design, the actors are contributing to all this imagery. And the writing itself is really, really good. And even there's a great description of him. It describes his hat, the sheriff's hat, as like a halo and then pink face. Yeah. And then as I listened to it a second time, I went, oh, that is telegraphing to me that this is going to be his savior. [00:48:37] Speaker B: He's a good guy. [00:48:39] Speaker C: Because at my first listen, I was suspicious of the sheriff. Yeah. [00:48:42] Speaker B: Big Southern sheriff. [00:48:44] Speaker C: Yeah. You know, he manipulates us because we're familiar with other noir tropes and crime novel tropes that. [00:48:50] Speaker B: Dukes of Hazzard. Yeah. [00:48:52] Speaker C: Yes. He had a. A vision of the future, and it was the Dukes of Hazard. Boar Rider. I'm totally sidetracked now. I have no idea what I was saying. [00:49:07] Speaker A: I forgot about the character in the restaurant that was telling her that she was, you know, the religiously fervent man. I forgot he existed. [00:49:18] Speaker C: Yes. Because that alone is so clever. The yes. [00:49:22] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:49:23] Speaker C: Well, not only calls everyone buster throughout it and all these other names like that. It didn't dawn on me at. [00:49:31] Speaker A: When he came in at the end. [00:49:33] Speaker B: Because he doesn't respond to it. [00:49:34] Speaker A: I first I went, oh, I forgot about that guy, because I was convinced those. He's fighting him. He's hitting him. You know, I didn't do it. You did it. You know, And I was like, here it comes. It's the sheriff. The sheriff did it. I know it's the sheriff. And that guy came in and went, oh, I forgot about that dude. Oh, so the twist got me. [00:49:50] Speaker C: Here's my nerdy thing is they made such a big deal out of Rachel. And the name. Oh, it doesn't fit you and her father. I named you after Rachel in the Bible. And so I went, ooh, names are significant. And then the sheriff's name is. Name. Is that Benjamin? Who Rachel died to? Benjamin. I was like, oh, Benjamin killed Rachel. [00:50:11] Speaker A: Wow. Wow. I have no idea what we're talking about. Is that. Is that in Leviticus? Lavicious Lascivious. [00:50:20] Speaker C: No, because they made such a. I wouldn't have thought that if they hadn't made such a big deal out of her name. And then I started looking and his. [00:50:26] Speaker B: Name, he was making big dumb. [00:50:27] Speaker C: Yes, you're right. Don't call Buster. I'm Benjamin. [00:50:30] Speaker A: They also made a big deal. It's interesting you bring that up. I'm just thinking about it now, but is that Jeff or Jeffrey or Jefferson? Jefferson. Yeah. But he asked him. [00:50:38] Speaker C: Oh, yes. [00:50:39] Speaker A: And. Oh, that's a good name. Jefferson. Like that. Nothing about that is imperative to the narrative. But yet they talked about that name a little bit. So names were important for whatever reason. It was interesting. [00:50:53] Speaker C: Another red herring. [00:50:54] Speaker A: Yeah. Any other thoughts? [00:50:56] Speaker C: I enjoyed just the classic noir tropes that set it off. And then it became something far more original. I mean, this is definitely a style of noir film. Post war, the rudderless existence. [00:51:11] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm not a soldier anymore. Yeah. [00:51:13] Speaker A: Slightly off topic. I'll make it as quick as possible. But, you know, motorcycle racing, downhill skiing, and other things of that nature are born out of the coming home of World War II veterans looking for thrillers. It kind of existed, but the gonzo approach, drag racing is another one, that approach to it of making it as thrilling and death defying as possible. Going down that hill as fast as you can on skis and racing motorcycles as fast is all out of thrill seeking from veterans who were adrenaline junkies. [00:51:50] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:51:50] Speaker A: Become adrenaline junkies because of the war. [00:51:52] Speaker C: I also thought of you when I was listening to this because one of your critiques of radio shows is often like, oh, people don't respond as I would and freak out. And there's that monologue from Widmark when he's running away. [00:52:06] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [00:52:06] Speaker C: He knows he didn't do it. He's barefoot. He can't hide himself. It gives him a way where he just breaks down. It sounds like he vomits. [00:52:13] Speaker A: Yep, yep, I enjoyed that. [00:52:17] Speaker C: He falls apart. [00:52:18] Speaker A: Yep. I enjoyed that a lot. Like, what the hell is going on? I didn't kill her. Like, thank you. Thank you for bringing a real human to this. [00:52:26] Speaker C: And just some of the images that the narration put in your mind are really clear. Like him pulling his pants down as low as they can be to hide his bare feet. [00:52:36] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:52:37] Speaker C: You know, because he just can't escape that mark. [00:52:39] Speaker B: That little note of, like, trick I used to play as a kid where I pulled my socks off and put them on a table was fun for you as a little kid. [00:52:47] Speaker A: It's before the Internet, Tim. [00:52:49] Speaker C: Wow. [00:52:50] Speaker B: I mean, I haven't tried it. So I don't know. [00:52:51] Speaker A: I mean, it is a once. [00:52:54] Speaker C: Mom, I'm bored. Well, have you tried taking your socks off? [00:52:58] Speaker E: Yay. [00:53:01] Speaker A: That's the same with the hula hoop and the slinky. Like I wouldn't pass the test after World War II. [00:53:07] Speaker B: Came back and needed something to do. Like their socks on a table. [00:53:10] Speaker A: Yep. Yep. Should we vote? [00:53:12] Speaker C: Sure. Yeah. [00:53:13] Speaker A: Classic. I'm giving it out. I haven't given out a classic in a while. I think this is stands the test of time. Extremely wonderful piece of storytelling and a wonderful piece of radio drama. Meaning the production value, not just the writing and the story, but the production value, the acting, all of it. Every part of this hit the mark for me and created a suspense and had a twist. Lovely job. [00:53:41] Speaker B: Yeah. The quality of this episode is undeniable. Even though there are aesthetic elements of it that make me feel really oogie and difficult to actually enjoy. It is undeniably a classic. [00:53:51] Speaker C: Yeah, this is a classic in my book. It is just gritty, provocative, like authentically hard boiled without ever slipping into pastiche. Which is a little tricky, I think, particularly on radio because sometimes the dialogue gets more arch when that's all you have to work with without the visuals. And this is classic noir here. [00:54:15] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:54:16] Speaker C: And the sound like we talked about is perfect. Yes, I do think Rachel gets a little short shrift, but it is balanced out by just having the bravery to present her unjudged by any of the decent characters as just being like anyone else. And yes, yeah, you might feel oogie about it. I don't think that led to anything really great for them. But like, women deserve to make the same mistakes men do. Like I said, I think it would have been nice for them to say something in memory of her at the end. Or it maybe is a little too much of a bow. But I think that's me really nitpicking because for 1950, was it. This is a really amazing piece of radio drama. [00:55:02] Speaker A: Tim, tell him stuff. [00:55:04] Speaker B: Please go visit ghoulishlights.com that's where this podcast lives. You can go there and see us in our home. You can vote on various episodes, let us know what you think. Leave comments if you have strong feelings that a simple poll response won't do the trick for you. You'll also find links to our store if you want to buy some swag, a T shirt, a mug, a cap, get a hat or a backpack can. [00:55:29] Speaker C: Put on the counter of your local diner. [00:55:32] Speaker B: Should sell some serious old radio socks. Never wash these and you'll also find a link to our Patreon page. [00:55:40] Speaker C: Yes. Go to patreon.com themorals and support this podcast. We've been going for many, many episodes. That's just tonight, let alone 370some. Yeah, so I guess it we deserve some money. Let's just cut to the chase. We've done a lot of hard work and even if we're coasting at this, pay us for our back catalog at least. Okay, let's go to patreon.com themorals I'm. [00:56:15] Speaker A: Telling you right now, people, if we can make 30,000amonth, we'll do a podcast every day. [00:56:22] Speaker C: Every day. [00:56:23] Speaker A: Every day. Because I will quit my job and. [00:56:26] Speaker C: Just we'll complain about it eventually probably. [00:56:30] Speaker A: Hey, if you'd like to see us performing live, the mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Theater Company does on stage live recreations of classic old time radio shows and a lot of our own original work. Come see us do our radio plays on stage by going to ghoulishdelights.com there you'll see where we're performing and what we're performing and how to get tickets. If you don't come see us live or you can't, you can listen to them because being a Patreon means you get access to the audio recordings over those live shows. What's coming up next? [00:57:06] Speaker C: Next we have a request from one of our patrons. We will be listening to the April Fool's Day adventure from the New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Until then, can smell perfume cheap like. [00:57:21] Speaker E: Tin earrings black rolling in black velvet and the shimmering heat Feet wavering like plucking a touch.