Episode 40: The Thing That Cries in the Night, Parts 4–6

[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 and horror stories from the golden age of radio. I'm Eric. [00:00:34] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:00:34] Speaker C: And I'm Joshua. [00:00:35] Speaker A: This week we continue our summer serial with the Thing that Cries in the Night from I Love A Mystery. [00:00:42] Speaker B: I Love A Mystery was an adventure serial created by legendary radio writer Carlton E. Morse. It ran on NBC from 1939 to 1944 and was revived on the Mutual Broadcasting Network from 1949 to 1952. The thing that Cries in the Night is one of only two serials that exists in its entirety. [00:01:00] Speaker C: I Love A Mystery famously pushed the envelope of what was acceptable in a radio serial aimed, at least in part, at children. According to Jim Harmon, author of the Great Radio Heroes, the program seemed to be especially designed to outrage the PTA mothers of America and whiten the hair of child psychologists. The monsters and murderers were not cleaned and prettied up as on television and contemporary comic books. Even the heroes were hardly symbols of purity and justice. [00:01:29] Speaker A: The show became extreme extremely popular with people of all ages. In fact, during its heyday, a prisoner on death row requested a stay of execution by one day so that he could hear how one of the series ended. He was granted the request and got to hear how the series finale went and was executed the next night. I hope you're in the mood for a little violence, weird family psychology and old timey sexual innuendo because it's time for episodes 4, 5, and 6 of the Thing that Cries in the Night from I Love A Mystery, originally broadcast October through November of 1949. [00:02:02] Speaker B: 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. [00:02:28] Speaker D: The Mutual Broadcasting System presents I Love A Masquerade transpired sa. Well, I don't mind telling you, the more I see of this setup, the more I wish we'd gone on about our own business. Jock, that isn't like you. What ain't like me? Why, here we are, guests in a millionaire's home with three beautiful girls and only their grandmother to watch over them. And what a grandma. Boy, I don't like her. Doc's had it in for Grandma Martin since she sent us back up here to our quarters right after dinner. Yeah, what'd she do that for she think you're the only one in our outfit good enough to associate with the Martin family. I can tell you why. Well, I wish you would. She said she wanted me to have a serious discussion with her granddaughters. And if there were too many eligible young men in the room, the girls wouldn't think of anything else. Did she really say that, Jack? She didn't. And when I said man crazy, she jumped all over me. Well, these just plain ain't the kind of girls that I want to associate with. Not from what I seen of them. She ain't got nothing to worry from me. Well, they have money and so have we. 25,000 bucks reward money. And what I want to know is why we don't ditch this joint and get to spending it. That'll have to wait. Yeah? On what? On the solution of the trouble that's breaking about this old grandmother's head. Well, that ain't our hard luck. I'm afraid it is now. Why? Because Mrs. Martin's begged us to stay and help her out. I say that haughty, stiff necked female aristocrat begged you to stay here. That's right. So you can see how desperate she must be. But what's the matter? What we supposed to do? None of it makes much sense yet. But I've got some tangled information. You want to hear it? Naturally. Throw me that other pillow, Reggie. I don't. Yeah, thanks. Come on, settle down and let's have it. All right, let me give you a picture of the people in this house. Oh, you've seen them all now. No, I've only seen Grandmother Martin and two of the girls, Fay and Cherry. Fay described the others first. Fay, or Faith, is the eldest. She describes herself as the vulgarian of the family. I say, the what? Vulgarian. She shocks her puritan grandmother every time she opens her lips. On the other hand, I have a good idea that she has more gray matter than all the rest of the family put together. Good looking? Yes. Apparently all the Martin girls are extraordinarily beautiful. Well, that's Faye, the Bulgarian. Next girl is Hope. Hope wasn't in on the conference tonight, although she'd been told to be there by her grandmother. Yeah. Where was she? Sneaked out with the chauffeur. Hey, I say, one of the Martin girls. Yes. According to Faye, this will be the fourth chauffeur to lose his job in three months on account of Hope. Faye's name for Hope is the family wench. Well, no wonder Grandmother Martin is upset. Fay the vulgarian. Hope the Family wench. And now we come to Cherry. Quite. And what is Cherry? Well, Faye calls her Cherry, the terrified mouse. Hey, that ain't so bad. She ain't spoke above a whisper since we come into the house. Are they still after her? Well, there's no doubt that she has an obsession that someone's after, but it looks like with good reason. But you. You mean you think somebody in this house really is trying to kill her? I don't know whether they're trying to kill her, but they certainly are keeping her in a continual sweat of terror. In what way, Jack? First, slashing her arms, second pushing her down that flight of stairs. Oh, Grandma didn't take that very serious. Neither did Fay at first. When she heard it, she said. Oh, so the terrified mouse fell downstairs again. Again, yes. Looks like it was a common occurrence. But then I put in my 2 cents worth and scared the living daylights out of both Faye and Grandma. What'd you want to scare them for? I didn't mean to. It wasn't until after I'd said it and saw their reaction that I knew it meant anything. Well, come on. What did you say? I said I heard a baby crying just before Cherry fell downstairs. Who does it belong to? What's so terrifying about that? Whose infant is it, Jack? And where's the nursery? There isn't any nursery and there isn't any baby. Why? Dad busted Jack. There is, too. We heard it. There isn't any baby in this house. You're being serious? I mean to say we did hear it. Cherry's been hearing it for some time now. She says every time the baby cries, something terrifying happens. You mean a baby's haunting this house? I don't mean anything of the kind. Then what do you mean? I don't know. I'm just stating what I've heard. Cherry's been complaining of hearing a baby crying in the house and that every time she hears it, something vicious happens. The rest of the family have laid it to delusions. Oh, but see here, Jack, what we heard was no delusion. That's just the point. That's what frightened Faye and Grandma. The fact that we heard the baby proves that Cherry hasn't been talking through her hat. Dog gone. Who ever heard of a house being haunted by a baby? Rubbish. Well, there it is, ain't it? A baby's voice and no baby. It's a plot. A plot, huh? Well, didn't Jack just get through saying that the kid cried just before something bad happened? That's what that girl Cherry says And what she says is true on account. Look, we heard the baby cry. And then right after that she was pushed downstairs. Cried. I grant you that. Well, okay. You mean to tell me whoever's doing all this is running around this house with a baby in his arms, pinching it to make it cry just before he gets ready to do some of his dirty work? Well, that's pretty silly. Of course it's silly. That's just what I'm saying. Besides, there ain't no baby in the house. So what? So it's gotta be a baby ghost. Oh, for the love of Peter. Well, it has. Dad blasted a baby ghost in this house on account of there's so much trouble and so many things is wrong. And every time that something else starts to go wrong, it. It tries to warn folks by crying just before it happens. Beautiful theory. What do you think of a better one? Why? Okay, okay. The trouble with you and Reggie is that you wouldn't know a ghost if he come up and laid an egg in my hat. That's just plain vulgar. Why? Cause ghosts don't lay eggs. Oh, well, they don't. All right, all right. Now do you want to hear the rest of my story? Well, what about this baby cry? That's all there is. You know as much about it as I do. And that also brings us up to date on Cherry. No, Cherry the terrified mouse. Hope, the family wench, and Fay the Bulgarian. And the last on our list is Joel. That's brother, huh? Yes. In age he comes between Fay and Hope. According to Fay, he's the one who's breaking grandmother Martin's heart. And has Fay a name for him too? Yes, Job, the good natured drunk. Drunk, huh? What does Grandmother Martin say about that? She tried to keep his name out of the conversation. Said he was the only one worthy of the family name. Fay, on the other hand, says he's never sober and has been taken by every crook and confidence man in Hollywood. Just a never end and easy mark, huh? Looks like it. And grandma's always paying out and covering up for him for the good of the name of Martin. When we are going to meet him? I don't know. When he comes home, I suppose. Where is he now? I tried to find out. No one seemed to know. Fay suggested some night spot with a well stocked bar. I say, nice boy. Ah, company. Sit still. Listen. What's the matter, Jack? Nothing. Just wait. I say. Whimsy. I get it. [00:09:28] Speaker E: Hello. [00:09:30] Speaker D: Why, you little wench. [00:09:32] Speaker E: Oh, you've been talking to Faye. [00:09:33] Speaker D: Reggie, toss me a Blanket? What's that? A blanket. A blanket. [00:09:36] Speaker E: Not a wet blanket, I hope. [00:09:38] Speaker D: Now just toss it there. I'll put this around you. [00:09:40] Speaker E: You don't like me this way? [00:09:42] Speaker D: No. [00:09:42] Speaker E: It cost a lot of money at the best shops. [00:09:45] Speaker D: Okay, so they cost a lot of money. Now come on in. [00:09:47] Speaker E: Why didn't you like them handmade in imported French lace? [00:09:52] Speaker D: Now keep that blanket around your shoulder. Here, sit down. What? [00:09:56] Speaker E: Today it is. I almost sat on the floor drunk again. Don't tell Grandma. Never had a drink in my life. [00:10:03] Speaker D: It's queer. No smell of liquor on her breast. She's as sober as we are. I say, Jack, who is this? [00:10:08] Speaker E: Who am I? Yes. No, no, wait. I'll give you a clue. I'm not Faith and I'm not charity. Now, who am I? [00:10:18] Speaker D: You're Hope. [00:10:19] Speaker E: That's right. [00:10:20] Speaker D: Why'd you knock on our door if you don't know who we are? [00:10:22] Speaker E: I saw a light. Thought I ought to investigate in long. [00:10:26] Speaker D: Black stockings and a wisp of lace. [00:10:28] Speaker E: Imported French lace. [00:10:30] Speaker D: Where have you been? [00:10:31] Speaker E: No, no, no. Mustn't tell. Scandalous. Ruined the family name out of the chauffeur, weren't you? Don't let Grandma here. [00:10:37] Speaker D: Come on now, you're not drunk. Where's your dress? I said, where's your dress? [00:10:43] Speaker E: What dress? [00:10:43] Speaker D: Look here, Hope. You want me to shake your shoes off? Where did you leave your dress? [00:10:46] Speaker E: You didn't want me to wear a dress with blood on it, did you? [00:10:49] Speaker D: Hey, what did you say? [00:10:51] Speaker E: Of course not. Nobody wants to wear a dress with blood on it. It's ugly. Doesn't match the color scheme. [00:10:58] Speaker D: Hope, listen to me. What kind of a dress were you wearing? [00:10:59] Speaker E: Slip on, slip off dress. I always wear slip on, slip off dress. [00:11:04] Speaker D: I mean, what was the material? What color? [00:11:06] Speaker E: Green. My favorite color. Green Flowers. [00:11:09] Speaker D: Now then, where'd you leave it? [00:11:11] Speaker E: Slipped out of it in the dark downstairs. Tossed it to Bob. Bob sell good egg. He'll get rid of it. Nobody ever find it. [00:11:19] Speaker D: Who's Bob? [00:11:19] Speaker E: Best chauffeur Martin family ever had. [00:11:22] Speaker D: Is he home? Did he bring you home? [00:11:23] Speaker E: Yep. Bang, bang. Man shot dead right across our table. I got blood on my dress. So Bob says, quick, let's get the 10 letter word out of here. I always say 10 letter word for swearing, Doc. [00:11:35] Speaker D: Reggie, why don't you go down and find the chauffeur? I don't bring him here if you'd come anyway. Get Hope's dress back. Jack. Yeah? Look. Look at your right leg. There's something on her stocking. Looks like blood. All right. [00:11:43] Speaker E: This here. [00:11:44] Speaker D: Keep that blanket on. Unfasten your stocking. Let her slip down. [00:11:48] Speaker E: Oh, naughty, crazy little fool. [00:11:50] Speaker D: There's been murder. Do you want the evidence splattered all over you? Yeah, that's better. Well, what are you two standing there for? If Hope could tell us where the chauffeur's quarters are. [00:11:58] Speaker E: Chauffeur's quarters? Over garage. Chauffeur's quarters always over garage. [00:12:03] Speaker D: I know. Come on, Doc. Yeah, okay. Hey. Hey, what's that? Listen. The bibby. [00:12:09] Speaker E: The baby. [00:12:09] Speaker D: The baby, Jack. There's just gotta be a baby in this house. Jack. I say, which way'd that scream come from? Down the stairs. Down the stairs. Come on. The baby. And then something happens. Down the stairs this way. Baby. And then something happens. The baby. And then something. That dust. Now, there she is. There in the chair. I say, who is she? This is Fay. Faye. Faye. What's the matter? [00:12:31] Speaker E: Up there by the hall entrance. He's dead. He's dead. [00:12:35] Speaker D: Dead? Who's dead? [00:12:36] Speaker E: The chauffeur. The chauffeur. And he's got Hope's dress all over with. [00:13:22] Speaker D: The further transcribed adventures of Jack, Doc and Reggie will come to you tomorrow at this same hour. I Love A Mystery, written and directed by Carlton E. Morse comes to you Monday through Friday. Featuring Russell Forson as Jack, Jim Bowles as Doc Long, and Tony Randall as Reggie York. Mike McCarthy speaking. The mutual Broadcasting System presents I Love A Mystery Transpired. [00:14:33] Speaker E: People are so dead when they're dead, aren't they? [00:14:36] Speaker D: Not a very suitable sentiment for the occasion. No, no. Don't touch anything. [00:14:40] Speaker E: Hey. Always the Bulgarian Martin they call. What are you doing? [00:14:44] Speaker D: I'm trying to discover if there are any clues in the vicinity of this corpse that might implicate any member of the Martin family. [00:14:48] Speaker E: You want to implicate one of us? [00:14:49] Speaker D: No, but I want to know what we're up against before the police arrive. [00:14:51] Speaker E: Why not the Marines and the Navy? [00:14:53] Speaker D: Police have to be called. You know that. [00:14:54] Speaker E: Why? [00:14:55] Speaker D: Can't ask sensible questions. Don't ask any. Whoever shot this man must have used a silencer, otherwise we'd have heard the shot. [00:15:01] Speaker E: A good natured drunk has a gun with a silencer. Your brother Joel and I still want to know why we have to call the police. [00:15:06] Speaker D: Murder's the policeman's business, not this. [00:15:09] Speaker E: This is the Martin family's own private little bloodletting party. [00:15:12] Speaker D: You think someone in this house committed the crime? [00:15:13] Speaker E: Naturally. [00:15:14] Speaker D: Who? [00:15:15] Speaker E: First, tell me where you sent your. [00:15:16] Speaker D: Two friends, Doc and Reggie. [00:15:17] Speaker E: Mm. Ten minutes after we find the corpse with the curly hair, here they go kiting out of the house like men on a mission. The question is where? Why? [00:15:25] Speaker D: They're out scouring the nightclubs and drinking places for your brother. [00:15:28] Speaker E: Job isn't worth it. [00:15:29] Speaker D: Worth what? [00:15:30] Speaker E: The trouble you're taking to find him. [00:15:31] Speaker D: I want to know where he is and what he's been doing tonight. I want witnesses who'll swear that he hasn't been near this house all evening. [00:15:36] Speaker E: Why? [00:15:36] Speaker D: So that we'll be all set for the police when they start asking questions. [00:15:39] Speaker E: When are the police going to start asking questions? [00:15:41] Speaker D: As soon as they get here. [00:15:42] Speaker E: When will they be here? [00:15:43] Speaker D: As soon as I call. [00:15:44] Speaker E: And when are you going to call them? [00:15:46] Speaker D: I'm satisfied I know as much about this situation here as they'll be able to find out. [00:15:49] Speaker E: Aren't you obstructing justice or something? I mean, waiting about notifying them? [00:15:53] Speaker D: Maybe. Now then, why do you think this man was killed by someone in the house? [00:15:56] Speaker E: Because almost everyone in the house had a reason. [00:15:58] Speaker D: Everyone had a reason to want to kill the chauffeur. Was he that important to this household? [00:16:01] Speaker E: I hope to tell you, Bob the chauffeur. Now, Bob, the corpse was putting the screws on the Martins. [00:16:07] Speaker D: In what way? [00:16:07] Speaker E: Well, let's start at the top of the list and work down. First, Grandma blackmailed a hush scandal concerning Job and Hope. [00:16:13] Speaker D: What sort of scandal? [00:16:15] Speaker E: Job and a girl. Job hates girls. So I know it was a frame, but it was good enough to make headlines in the paper. [00:16:21] Speaker D: What about Hope? [00:16:22] Speaker E: Hope can't let chauffeurs alone. Hope, the family wench, was so deeply involved with our new cadaver here, that one word from him and the whole world would know what she is. [00:16:31] Speaker D: By the way, right this minute, Hope is upstairs asleep in my room. [00:16:34] Speaker E: Oh, a gentleman wouldn't. [00:16:36] Speaker D: Now, don't be a fool. We left her in our room and we heard you scream and rush downstairs. When? Up a few minutes ago. She crawled into my bed and was fast asleep. [00:16:43] Speaker E: Maybe you'd like to explain to her elder sister what she was doing in your room in the first place. [00:16:47] Speaker D: She knocked on the door. I opened it, and there she stood in a wisp of lace and a pair of black silk stockings. [00:16:52] Speaker E: You. You mean the dress this. This thing was holding in its hands when I found it. Down here was the dress Hope had been wearing this evening. [00:16:59] Speaker D: That's right. [00:17:00] Speaker E: Well, that's pretty raw. [00:17:01] Speaker D: Not as bad as it sounds. They were out together wherever they were. A man was killed and blood got on Hope's dress. When she got home, she gave the dress to the chauffeur to ditch. [00:17:10] Speaker E: Oh, well then. Then he must have been killed as he was going out the front door. With a dress. [00:17:15] Speaker D: Exactly. [00:17:15] Speaker E: From the outside? [00:17:16] Speaker D: Yes. He was shot from outside the house. [00:17:18] Speaker E: Then that eliminates Hope. [00:17:20] Speaker D: Why? [00:17:21] Speaker E: As fright flagrant as Hope is, she wouldn't be running about streets with no dress on. And you said our hero had the dress in his hands when he was killed. [00:17:28] Speaker D: That's pretty thin alibi. She didn't mind coming up and rapping on my door. Besides, she was floating about on pink clouds. [00:17:35] Speaker E: Oh, you're crazy. [00:17:36] Speaker D: I don't think so. [00:17:36] Speaker E: I tell you you are. Hope hates alcohol. It makes him violently ill. [00:17:40] Speaker D: I didn't say she was drunk. She wasn't. No sign of alcohol. But something had given her a fine case of the blind staggers. [00:17:47] Speaker E: Something screwy. You. You think Hope did this then? [00:17:51] Speaker D: I know she didn't. She was in my room for about 20 minutes and whatcham call here hadn't been dead five minutes and we got down to him. [00:17:57] Speaker E: Then Hope's in the clear. [00:17:58] Speaker D: Yes. Wish I could say as much about the rest of the family. [00:18:01] Speaker E: You haven't anything on me. [00:18:02] Speaker D: I haven't, but the police may have. Or can they get it? [00:18:07] Speaker E: What do you mean? [00:18:08] Speaker D: Simply, if you've got anything up your sleeve, you'd better spill it. So I'll be standing by to give a hand. The police are going to find out everything you wish they wouldn't. So you tell me first so I can be ready for them. [00:18:17] Speaker E: What have you got to gain by all this boy scout stuff? [00:18:19] Speaker D: I told your grandmother we'd help her out of a mess. This apparently is the mess she meant. So talk fast. [00:18:24] Speaker E: Well, if I was the murdering kind, Currilocks here would be my first victim. [00:18:29] Speaker D: Why? [00:18:29] Speaker E: He talks and he talks lies. It came to my ears that he had passed the word around among the servants of the neighborhood that the Martin women were pushovers. [00:18:37] Speaker D: Is that excuse for murder? [00:18:39] Speaker E: Servants don't talk about me like that. Not even if it were true. They don't. [00:18:43] Speaker D: But you fire servants, not murder them. [00:18:45] Speaker E: Not if the servant has a death hold on the family and you can't get loose. [00:18:48] Speaker D: You're referring to his hold on Job and hope. He had nothing on you personally? [00:18:53] Speaker E: No. [00:18:54] Speaker D: Uh huh. Now then, where were you during the time of the murder? [00:19:00] Speaker E: I don't know when the murder was. [00:19:02] Speaker D: All right, all right. Where were you 15 or 20 minutes before you found the body? [00:19:06] Speaker E: I was down in the Furnace room. [00:19:07] Speaker D: At this time of night? Mm. Why? [00:19:09] Speaker E: Burning some personal letters. [00:19:11] Speaker D: Go on. [00:19:11] Speaker E: That's all. Just burning some personal letters. [00:19:14] Speaker D: You think you can tell the police you were down in the basement at 9 o'clock at night burning personal letters and stop there. [00:19:19] Speaker E: If that's all there is. [00:19:20] Speaker D: No, you're smarter than that. What did those letters have to do with the chauffeur and his sudden demise? [00:19:26] Speaker E: Why, nothing. [00:19:28] Speaker D: You're not making very good representation for yourself. [00:19:30] Speaker E: I'm not trying to. I'm just telling the truth. [00:19:31] Speaker D: But not all the truth. [00:19:33] Speaker E: Enough. [00:19:34] Speaker D: Very well. You were down burning letters. Then what? [00:19:37] Speaker E: I was just coming back up to the main floor when I. When I heard a baby laughing and cooing. [00:19:43] Speaker D: Oh, you heard the baby. [00:19:44] Speaker E: Yes. What does it mean? [00:19:45] Speaker D: Your sister Cherry says every time the baby is hurt in this house, tragedy occurs. [00:19:48] Speaker E: She certainly hit it on the nose this time. [00:19:50] Speaker D: Yes, didn't she? By the way, doesn't it seem a little strange to you that with your screaming when you found the body and all the running about the house. That's been done since then? Your grandmother and Cherry haven't been around? [00:20:00] Speaker E: Grandmother and Cherry's rooms are on the third floor. [00:20:02] Speaker D: They couldn't hear? [00:20:03] Speaker E: No. [00:20:04] Speaker D: Well, don't you think your grandmother ought to be told before I call the police? [00:20:07] Speaker E: I don't know. [00:20:09] Speaker D: I think she shouldn't. [00:20:10] Speaker E: Why? [00:20:11] Speaker D: After all, she's head of this house. She should have some say as to what the police are told. [00:20:14] Speaker E: There's going to be an awful scene when she finds out. [00:20:17] Speaker D: Nevertheless. Now, look, I'm almost finished here. Go up and get her and bring her down also. While you're up there, get Hope out of my room and take her to her room. [00:20:24] Speaker E: But you haven't asked me about Cherry yet. [00:20:26] Speaker D: What about Jerry? [00:20:27] Speaker E: I. I mean, whether she might have a reason for. For killing the family leech. [00:20:31] Speaker D: Well, has she? [00:20:32] Speaker E: No. [00:20:33] Speaker D: Great. Now, will you go and Job. I know all about Job. I need to know for now. Oh, wait. There is one thing about Job. You say he has a gun with silencer? [00:20:41] Speaker E: Mm. [00:20:41] Speaker D: You know where he keeps it? [00:20:42] Speaker E: Yes. In his bureau drawer. [00:20:44] Speaker D: While you're upstairs, look and see if it's there. [00:20:46] Speaker E: Yes, if. If you think. [00:20:47] Speaker D: I don't think anything. Now, go on. There's something I've got to do and I don't want you here when I do it. [00:20:52] Speaker E: You mean Hope's dress? [00:20:53] Speaker D: Never mind. [00:20:54] Speaker E: What? What are you gonna do with it? [00:20:56] Speaker D: I didn't say I was gonna do anything with it. [00:20:58] Speaker E: But you are. [00:20:58] Speaker D: Well, what? You don't Know? You can't tell. Now go do the things I've told you to. [00:21:02] Speaker E: All right, but hurry. Grandma'll be down here two steps at a time. The minute she hears. Oh, the furnace is a swell place for Hope's dress. [00:21:12] Speaker D: I think they call it destruction of evidence. Sorry, old boy, but I need this dress more than you do. [00:21:17] Speaker E: Didn't I tell you? [00:21:18] Speaker D: Oh, it's you. [00:21:19] Speaker E: I'm Jerry. Don't you remember me? [00:21:22] Speaker D: Why aren't you in bed? [00:21:23] Speaker E: They're in my room. [00:21:24] Speaker D: Who's in your room? [00:21:24] Speaker E: Hey, look what they did to me. [00:21:27] Speaker D: What do you mean? [00:21:27] Speaker E: On my shoulder, Right through my pajamas. [00:21:30] Speaker D: You're bleeding. [00:21:31] Speaker E: I know it. [00:21:32] Speaker D: You mean someone came in your room and slashed you? [00:21:34] Speaker E: Yes. [00:21:34] Speaker D: Let me see. Exactly like the cut on your arm. [00:21:38] Speaker E: Sometime they'll get tired of frightening me, and then they'll kill me. Didn't I tell you? [00:21:44] Speaker D: Didn't you? Tell me what? [00:21:45] Speaker E: That every time the baby cries, something dreadful happens. [00:21:48] Speaker D: The baby didn't cry, it laughed. [00:21:49] Speaker E: I know. That's because one of our enemies was killed. [00:21:53] Speaker D: What do you mean? [00:21:54] Speaker E: When it's an enemy, the baby laughs. When one of us is in danger, he cries. [00:21:59] Speaker D: You're getting just a little wacky on the subject of babies, aren't you? [00:22:02] Speaker E: No, it's true. You wait and see. [00:22:06] Speaker D: Now, look, Jerry. You go to my room and wait for me. I'm busy. Soon as I've finished, I'll come up and put a dressing on that captain. [00:22:10] Speaker E: I hope the baby doesn't cry anymore tonight. I can't sleep when he cries. [00:22:15] Speaker D: If you don't get. Wait. Wait a minute. Someone's out on the porch. [00:22:18] Speaker E: Why don't you close the door? [00:22:20] Speaker D: My body's right in the door. Can't move it until the police can hold it. [00:22:25] Speaker E: Pardon me. My hair. I thought this is where I live. It's Job. Inexcusable man. Must be pretty specific when he walks into the morgue and thinks he's home. [00:22:36] Speaker D: This is your home, Job? It is? Yes. What's this cadaver doing blocking up my doorway? He was just killed there. Oh. [00:22:48] Speaker E: Thought it was a corpse trying to escape from the morgue. [00:22:52] Speaker D: Shall I step over? If you want to come in. I'm afraid you'll have to. [00:22:55] Speaker C: Yeah? [00:22:56] Speaker D: Give me a hand. I'll help you over nice and firmly. [00:22:59] Speaker E: I think I'm gonna like you. [00:23:01] Speaker D: There you are. [00:23:03] Speaker E: Easy step. Not a very wide man. [00:23:08] Speaker D: By the way, who are you? Name's Jack Packard. Are you by any chance the murderer? I'm afraid not. That's good. Nice Chap hanging's too good for you. Much too good. You think so, huh? [00:23:20] Speaker E: Well, I'm afraid I put up badly, but you know what I mean. [00:23:24] Speaker D: Oh, hello, Terry. [00:23:27] Speaker E: Hello. [00:23:29] Speaker D: Friend of yours? [00:23:30] Speaker E: No. [00:23:31] Speaker D: Oh. Thought maybe he was pajamas. [00:23:35] Speaker E: Such awfully bad taste in the company of a strange man. I'm scared. [00:23:40] Speaker D: Poor little terrified mouse. [00:23:43] Speaker E: By the way, would it be preaching it again for me to ask the name of the visiting corpse? [00:23:48] Speaker D: He's your chauffeur. Ah, Bob the bandit. You seem pleased. [00:23:52] Speaker E: Oh, frightfully. Who had the good sense? [00:23:55] Speaker D: We thought maybe it was you. It's a tribute. Great tribute. Should have. I never got around to it. A gun with a silencer was used. Consider it murder. No noise. [00:24:06] Speaker E: Don't disturb the neighbors. [00:24:08] Speaker D: I understand you have such a gun. So I have. So I have. Where is it now? Upstairs in my bureau drawer. I hope you're telling the truth, Job. Yeah. Yeah, I hope I am too. For further transcribed Adventures of Jack, Duck and Reggie will come to you tomorrow at this same hour. I Love A Mystery, written and directed by Carlton E. Morse comes to you Monday through Friday. Featuring Russell Thorson as Jack, Jim Bowles as Doc Long, and Tony Randall as Reggie York. Frank McCarthy speaking. The mutual Broadcasting System presents I Love a Misquere transpired. How about a few lights, Mrs. Martin? [00:26:21] Speaker E: Nobody calls me missy. I don't like it. [00:26:24] Speaker D: What, then? [00:26:24] Speaker E: If Randolph Martin isn't good enough for you, call me Grandmother. Everyone else does. [00:26:29] Speaker D: Very well, Grandmother. Randolph, let's have some lights. [00:26:32] Speaker E: Why? [00:26:32] Speaker D: Unhealthy ideas grow in darkness. [00:26:34] Speaker E: Unhealthy ideas? [00:26:35] Speaker D: Murder's an unhealthy idea. [00:26:37] Speaker E: What are you talking about? Murder is not in this house. [00:26:40] Speaker D: You should know better than that. You saw one of its victims carried out of here last night. You and the rest of your family spent most of the night explaining your whereabouts to the police. [00:26:47] Speaker E: Such a fuss over a chauffeur. Not a very good chauffeur at that. [00:26:50] Speaker D: I won't argue that. [00:26:51] Speaker E: Furthermore, the police had their gall suspecting that anyone in this house had had anything to do with it. [00:26:55] Speaker D: On the other hand, it's surprising to me they didn't take the whole family down and lock you up. What are you saying, Mrs. Grandmother Randolph? You brought my two companions and me here to get your grandchildren out of some kind of a mess. Isn't that true? [00:27:07] Speaker E: Yes. [00:27:07] Speaker D: You haven't given us the first inkling of what that mess is. [00:27:10] Speaker E: If I knew, do you think I'd call for outside help? [00:27:12] Speaker D: Well, it should be plain even to you that the murder of the Family chauffeur is part of that mess. [00:27:16] Speaker E: Nonsense. The police themselves said that he wasn't really a chauffeur. But a member of a confidence radio working here in the motion picture colony. [00:27:23] Speaker D: Nevertheless, he was killed in your house. [00:27:25] Speaker E: While in your employ by members of a rival gang. [00:27:28] Speaker D: Do you know what your chauffeur was doing last night before he came home and got himself shot? [00:27:32] Speaker E: No. [00:27:32] Speaker D: Yes, you do. [00:27:33] Speaker E: If you know that, why do you ask me? [00:27:35] Speaker D: You know that he was out with your granddaughter Hope. And that he was killed less than 10 minutes after Hope said goodnight to him when they returned. [00:27:40] Speaker E: The police don't know that. [00:27:41] Speaker D: No. Neither do they know that your chauffeur killed a man in a drinking joint out at the beach last night. [00:27:45] Speaker E: What's that? [00:27:46] Speaker D: That he killed the man in the presence of Hope. And that the man fell across their table and bled on Hope's dress. That she gave the dress to the chauffeur to get rid of. And that he still had the dress in his hand when he was shot dead in your front door. [00:27:58] Speaker E: How do you know this if the police don't? [00:28:00] Speaker D: I've had Doc and Reggie out investigating all night. They just got in half an hour ago. They're up getting some sleep now. [00:28:05] Speaker E: But why don't the police know? [00:28:07] Speaker D: Because the resort where your chauffeur killed his man was a hideout spot for shady characters. Now, don't worry. They'll find out in due time. [00:28:13] Speaker E: My granddaughter Hope was in a hideout for criminals. [00:28:16] Speaker D: Yes. I want to ask her about that myself. Who. [00:28:19] Speaker E: Who was the man he killed? [00:28:21] Speaker D: You can read all about that in the paper. Some gambler. They found his body in one of the canyons out on the way out to Malibu Beach. [00:28:27] Speaker E: And. And shortly after he killed this gambler at this place, my chauffeur himself was killed in my doorway. [00:28:32] Speaker D: That's right. [00:28:33] Speaker E: Then doesn't that prove it was somebody outside? Someone revenging himself for the death of the gambler? [00:28:38] Speaker D: There's that possibility, of course. [00:28:39] Speaker E: You seem very anxious to connect this murder with my family, Mr. Packard. [00:28:44] Speaker D: No, I hope you're right. But there are too many suspicious things going on in this house. The center of all the trouble is right here. I'm sure of that. [00:28:51] Speaker E: I've noticed nothing suspicious. [00:28:52] Speaker D: That's not true. Just got through saying the reason you brought Doc and Reggie and me here was because you were uneasy. [00:28:57] Speaker E: What have you noticed? [00:28:58] Speaker D: Well, first, your eldest granddaughter, Faye. She talks loud and vulgar and pretends to be vastly amused. But she's frightened, Fay. [00:29:06] Speaker E: Frightened. [00:29:06] Speaker D: Last night she took some private papers down to the basement and burned them. Why? [00:29:10] Speaker E: I don't know. [00:29:11] Speaker D: Neither do I, but I intend to find out. Then Hope. Why did she go to that beach resort last night? Why did she pretend to be drunk when she came home when she was perfectly sober? [00:29:20] Speaker E: I don't know. [00:29:21] Speaker D: And Cherry? She's been slashed twice and pushed downstairs by someone she's never seen. Why does she talk in that frightened whisper? Who does she mean when she says they are after her? And what does she mean that Hope and her brother Job are in the worst danger? [00:29:34] Speaker E: You can leave Cherry out of this. It's a lot of romantic nonsense. [00:29:37] Speaker D: Twice slashed and thrown downstairs. You call that romantic nonsense? And the baby? [00:29:43] Speaker E: There isn't any baby. [00:29:44] Speaker D: I beg your pardon? I've heard it twice now. [00:29:45] Speaker E: There isn't any baby, I tell you. [00:29:47] Speaker D: Once it cried, and right after that, Cherry was hurled downstairs. Once it laughed and gurgled, and we found the chauffeur shot dead. [00:29:53] Speaker E: It's ridiculous on the face of it. Babies don't laugh and cry on a given cue. How would a baby know that Cherry was about to fall downstairs? How would a baby know that my chauffeur was about to be murdered? [00:30:03] Speaker D: Jerry says the baby cries when someone in the house is in danger. That it laughs when some enemy of the house is in danger. [00:30:09] Speaker E: Cherry's a little fool. [00:30:10] Speaker D: Protestations don't change facts. Facts indicate that something pretty vicious. Something cold and calculating and terribly cruel has been unleashed in this house. [00:30:18] Speaker E: You're trying to frighten me. [00:30:19] Speaker D: No, I'm not. I'm reporting to you as my employer what I've found. And now let's discuss your grandson Job for a moment. [00:30:26] Speaker E: Indeed we will not. [00:30:27] Speaker D: Yes, we will. Because Job owns a gun with a silencer. And it was a gun with a silencer that killed the chauffeur. [00:30:32] Speaker E: Job wasn't even home, so he says. [00:30:34] Speaker D: But the guns disappeared and the chauffeur was killed with the same caliber gun as the one Job possessed. [00:30:39] Speaker E: The police don't know? [00:30:40] Speaker D: No, the police don't know this, but I do. And I also know that when Job came home and saw the body in the doorway. He was pretty casual about it. [00:30:47] Speaker E: He wasn't feeling well. [00:30:49] Speaker D: He was intoxicated, I grant you, but even so, he should have been a little surprised and concerned at finding a body lying across the threshold. Which he wasn't. [00:30:57] Speaker E: I forbid you to talk like that. [00:30:58] Speaker D: You can't do that. [00:30:59] Speaker E: I can't forbid you to talk. [00:31:00] Speaker D: No. [00:31:01] Speaker E: I can most certainly remove you from this House. [00:31:03] Speaker D: But you won't. [00:31:04] Speaker E: Why not? [00:31:05] Speaker D: Because then I'll be forced to turn over all my information to the police. [00:31:08] Speaker E: You wouldn't dare. [00:31:09] Speaker D: Yes, I would. If we're kept on to solve the murder in our own way, we'll try to protect you and your grandchildren's names. If you make it impossible for us to work on the case, then we'll have to let the police do it. [00:31:19] Speaker E: I don't trust you. [00:31:20] Speaker D: That depends on what you mean by trust. If no one in this house has committed murder, then we'll cover up for you till the cows come home. [00:31:26] Speaker E: If. If it should have been someone here. [00:31:29] Speaker D: Then we'll root him out and turn him over to justice. [00:31:31] Speaker E: I know it. You can't be trusted. [00:31:33] Speaker D: Look here. Are you trying to tell me that you think someone in this house committed murder and you brought us here to help you cover up for them? [00:31:39] Speaker E: No. No, of course not. [00:31:40] Speaker D: It sounds very much like it. [00:31:41] Speaker E: No. All I'm asking you is to be sure. No circumstantial evidence such as the police would use. I'm sure none of my grandchildren has done anything wrong, no matter how much it looks it. [00:31:50] Speaker D: Oh, that's it. You want them protected from court action and publicity until we've cleared them or proved them guilty. [00:31:55] Speaker E: Yes. If they are innocent, and I know they are. To face a charge of murder would ruin us. [00:31:59] Speaker D: You have my word. No one will touch them until we know for sure. [00:32:02] Speaker E: Thank you. [00:32:03] Speaker D: Now then, I've got to talk to Hope and Job. Are they in their rooms? [00:32:06] Speaker E: Yes. It was 5:00 this morning before the police left. They're all sleeping. [00:32:09] Speaker D: Well, they should be awake by this time. I'm going up. Listen. [00:32:13] Speaker E: It's a baby crying. [00:32:14] Speaker D: Now, maybe you'll believe, but there isn't any baby. Wait a minute. That's the warning. Someone's in danger. Quick, upstairs to the bedrooms. [00:32:24] Speaker E: Jack. [00:32:25] Speaker D: Jack, did you hear that? The baby. I know it. Come on, Doc, Help me look in all the bedrooms. You bet. Whose room's this? That's Faye's room. Don't bother, Doc. [00:32:32] Speaker E: Hey, what's the idea? Can't a girl go to bed in this house? [00:32:36] Speaker D: Nope. She's all right. [00:32:37] Speaker E: What's the idea of raiding a girl's bedroom? [00:32:39] Speaker D: Baby. Someone's in danger. [00:32:40] Speaker E: The baby. Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Hey, wait for me. [00:32:43] Speaker D: This is Joe's room. Doc, run up the third floor and look in Sherry's room. You bet. You on the run? [00:32:48] Speaker E: Well, my old friend from the morgue. [00:32:50] Speaker D: No. So you're up and dressed. You all right? It's never better in my life. Have a little drink. Aren't you ever sober? Didn't you hear that baby crying? [00:32:56] Speaker E: I dreamed about a baby last night. [00:32:57] Speaker D: Red hair. [00:32:58] Speaker E: She was in a French bikini. [00:32:59] Speaker D: Bathing suit. Nuts. [00:33:00] Speaker E: Is Job all right? [00:33:01] Speaker D: Is he drunk? Which is Hope? [00:33:03] Speaker E: This way. This, this way. [00:33:04] Speaker D: It's either got to be Hope or Cherry. [00:33:06] Speaker E: This room. What's that smell? [00:33:10] Speaker D: Chloroform. Get those windows open. [00:33:11] Speaker E: Look, look. The pillow's over Hope's face. [00:33:12] Speaker D: Get that window open. Do you hear me? [00:33:13] Speaker E: Yes. Yes. Is she dead? Is she dead? [00:33:18] Speaker D: No, she's alive. [00:33:19] Speaker E: But she looks so white. [00:33:21] Speaker D: Get out of the way. I'm gonna lift her out of bed and take her over that window. [00:33:23] Speaker E: What shall I do? [00:33:23] Speaker D: Just get out of the way. [00:33:25] Speaker E: What is it? What's the matter with Hope? Somebody tried to kill her with chloroform. Faith, haven't you an ounce of modesty? Go get something over that nightgown. But, Grandma, they tried to kill Hope. Get something on over that night. Oh, horse feathers. Here, Put this blanket around before I smack you. Apparently, my modesty is more important than Hope's Life. Now then, Mr. Package, forget it. [00:33:40] Speaker D: She's gonna be all right. [00:33:41] Speaker E: What's this nonsense about chloroform? [00:33:43] Speaker D: Use your nose. Another 15 minutes, you'd have been minus one granddaughter. [00:33:45] Speaker E: Here, put this blanket around. [00:33:46] Speaker D: Hope, what's the matter with you? Your granddaughter near death and all you can think about is my seeing her in pajamas. [00:33:50] Speaker E: I'll keep my granddaughter's modest if this house falls down around my ears. Greetings and salutations, Grandma, old girl. Job, go back to your room. [00:33:58] Speaker D: What, you miss the fun? [00:33:59] Speaker E: Job, you're in no condition to be here. Go back to your room. What's this? Love in our midst? [00:34:06] Speaker D: The man from the morgue holding the. [00:34:07] Speaker E: Family wench in his arms. Job, you're impossible. Hope is almost chloroform. She's unconscious. [00:34:12] Speaker D: Oh, no. Not Hope. She's only playing dead. [00:34:15] Speaker E: She likes it. [00:34:16] Speaker D: Get that drunken fool out of here, please. [00:34:17] Speaker E: Job, come with me. [00:34:20] Speaker D: Poor, pathetic old Grandma. Have a lot of trouble with your family of rats, don't you? [00:34:25] Speaker E: Job, be a good boy, all right? [00:34:30] Speaker D: Bye bye. [00:34:31] Speaker E: Man from the morgue. [00:34:32] Speaker D: Great old house we live in, isn't it, Grandma? [00:34:35] Speaker E: The Martin family at home. [00:34:37] Speaker D: Doesn't your brother like Hope? [00:34:38] Speaker E: He adores her. She's his favorite sister. [00:34:40] Speaker D: Funny way of showing it. [00:34:42] Speaker E: Nothing, nothing gets under his skin when he's in bed. [00:34:47] Speaker D: It seems to be all the time. Look, how is she better than I hoped for. It'll take her a couple, three hours to sleep off the effects of the chloroform. Now we can put her back in bed. [00:34:56] Speaker E: Now, one of her feet is bare, so look the other way. [00:35:00] Speaker D: Grandmother's a little touched on the subject of modesty, isn't she? [00:35:02] Speaker E: I think she must bathe in long underwear. [00:35:06] Speaker D: There, I'll just cover her like that. Jack. Jack, look what I got. Poor little feller. [00:35:12] Speaker E: But Jerry, what's the matter with her? [00:35:15] Speaker D: She's unconscious. This is just like I found her. Lay her down. Let me see her. Looky at her clothes. Doggone near tore off her. Oh, look at that bruise on her leg. Here. She's bleeding on the back. Turn her over. Yeah, I know it. There. [00:35:29] Speaker E: Oh, what happened? What happened? [00:35:30] Speaker D: Hey, Jack, look. She's been slashed again. Yes, three times, right above the hip, not deep, like it'd been done with a safety razor blade. You Martin girls are certainly unpopular with somebody. Ain't it the truth? Murder sure is on the loose in this man's house. The further transcribed adventures of Jack, Duck and Reggie will come to you tomorrow at this same hour. I Love A Mystery, written and directed by Carlton E. Morse comes to you Monday through Friday. Featuring Russell Thorson as Jack, Jim Bowles as Doc Long, and Tony Randall as Reggie York. Frank McCarthy speaking. Listeners, I'd like you to hear a letter from a four year old girl. The little girl is a French youngster, and I can tell you that our writer and producer, Carlton E. Morse, knows that it comes from the heart. Perhaps you'd like to tell us why you know, Mr. Morse. All right, Mr. Thorsen. But I'd like first for Mr. Randall to read the letter just as it was written. How about it, Tony? All right. Dear Papa, I want all the children to be happy for Christmas as I am. Will you please help me get presents for them? Your little Jacqueline. That letter is from Jacqueline Complais, my French foster child. It was after becoming a foster parent that I realized the lack of any happiness and hope which is the heritage of a million war children over there. Please listen while Mr. Thorsen tells you what you can do to give these little ones a real Christmas this year. Listeners start right away to gather toys and discard it with serviceable articles of children's clothing. Then here's what's next. Place them in a carton or wrap in heavy paper. Tie them securely with strong twine. Address them to foster parents. Plan for war Children, Warehouse 5, 304 Seventh Ave, Long Island City, N.Y. that's 5304 Seventh Ave, Long Island City, NY. Take them to the railway express office nearest you. There will be no cost to you for shipping. Remember to do it now. And remember that you too can be a Santa Claus for all of God's children. Children, this is the Mutual Broadcasting System. [00:38:14] Speaker A: That was episodes 4, 5 and 6 from the Thing that Cries in the Night from the I Love a mystery adventure drama written by Carlton E. Morse here on the mysterious old Radio Listening Society podcast. And once again, I'm Eric. [00:38:29] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:38:30] Speaker C: And I'm Joshua. [00:38:31] Speaker A: And we are now six episodes into our summer serial as we have changed the format just a little bit for the summer so that we can do the Isle of the Mysteries. And where we at now? We get our clever real dialogue recap again at the top of four. And we talked about that last week. [00:38:48] Speaker B: That we're getting recap our discussion of recaps. [00:38:51] Speaker A: Yes, exactly. [00:38:53] Speaker C: But what's great here is that we have two characters that have not experienced the last episode. So we are getting a recap yet we are also getting to hear these very distinct individuals take on it. And this is a highlight to me is Doc's ideas about the baby, the fact that it has to be a baby ghost. We're being haunted by a baby ghost. [00:39:14] Speaker A: It is not only one of my favorite moments in this entire series. Got a baby ghost. But it also leads us to the discussion of the Scooby Doo formula. And we'll actually talk a little more about it next week in our introduction. But Scooby Doo was written by Hanna Barbera that wanted to write a kid's mystery and the guy's wr it. We're all fans of I love a mystery. And Morse had a very distinct way of writing things, and that was write yourself into a corner till you as the listener or viewer have no choice but to say, well, that's it then. It's ghost. There's no other possible explanation. What Morse does, he will drop everything you need to know. When you get the reveal from Morse, you never go, well, how are we supposed to know that? You were given almost every single thing you needed to solve this or at least make it it extremely plausible. Unlike Scooby Doo, where everything was this, that this. Because they only had 22 minutes and then it was a guy in a mask. That whole idea that spoiler. It has to be a ghost. Has to be ghost. Has to be ghost. Oh, it's all explained away. [00:40:23] Speaker C: But I love how Doc in here has logic that belittles the idea that it isn't the ghost. You mean there's. There's a fellow running around with a baby in his arms, pinching it to make it cry just before he pushes somebody down the stairs? Yeah, right. It's a ghost, moron. [00:40:42] Speaker A: Yep. [00:40:43] Speaker B: Well, it stood out so much of the ghost baby, like it's genus. We'll go get the ghost baby book. Just look it up. [00:40:52] Speaker C: Yeah. You're about to see the rare and gentle ghost baby in its natural habitat. [00:40:59] Speaker A: Let's talk about that for a second. This terrifies me. That's more than scary. That's just creepy. Please, God, don't let me see it. Hearing it is bad enough, but like, hey, how's it going, See through. [00:41:14] Speaker B: Is it a revenge sort of haunting? This is a really angry baby coming back for revenge. [00:41:19] Speaker A: Did you miss the heaven bus? [00:41:21] Speaker C: When someone says ghost baby, for some reason, I think, like, it is the actual product of a male and female ghost who loved each other very much. That's what it conjures up to me. Not like a baby who died and came back. I don't know why. [00:41:37] Speaker A: No, see, now you got to think about it the other way. Because it's scarier. [00:41:41] Speaker D: You're right. [00:41:42] Speaker C: The other one's awesome. [00:41:43] Speaker A: Oh, I missed the joke. It's not Heaven Bus. It's Limbo Bus. Just going back for one. Honestly, doesn't it creep you out when this thing cries? [00:41:54] Speaker C: Yeah, no, it's definitely an eerie sound. I think it's one of those things. If you think too much about it, though, my brain goes to comical things. I think it's Doc because I found him so funny, which I don't think is a bad thing in suspense is to sort of scare you, then sort of make you laugh and loosen up a little bit and then get tense again. And I think Morse intentionally uses that comedy to sort of knock you around a little bit and not know whether you're gonna be frightened or laugh. [00:42:19] Speaker A: We talk a lot about things that scare us in old time radio of the distant, unseen noise. House in Cypress Canyon. There's others. [00:42:28] Speaker B: Poltergeist had a disembodied voice. Horn had a disembodied voice. [00:42:32] Speaker A: Oh, the horn. Right, the horn in the distance. The horn. We've talked about this. I don't know on air, off, but how lonely, foreboding. So many adjectives. Scary a distant train whistle can be. And it has something to do with people either leaving or arriving your town. I don't know what it is. [00:42:50] Speaker B: I've had separate Conversations, you know, on my other talks with things, I talk about people other than you guys, about American Midwest sort of ghost stories that are. That's so terrifying because they're so isolated. [00:43:03] Speaker A: Mm. [00:43:04] Speaker B: It's being so cut off from the normal world. [00:43:08] Speaker A: Yeah. I was just looking at a picture the other day of a guy in his. Sorry, farm. People, I don't know, you know, the machine in the field. But it's a. It's a far away shot, and there's nothing around him but crops. And he's in the thing that's doing whatever it does to the field, the machine. And to me, I'm sure a lot of people like, fantastic. To me, it's terrible. It seems so lonely and cut off. [00:43:33] Speaker B: And look, I break my leg, I'm dead. [00:43:35] Speaker A: Right. As far as I can see in this picture, there's no goods and services anywhere. So, yeah, the idea of a distant train whistle can really chill you. [00:43:45] Speaker C: Well, here you have two things going for it. As in, you get the creeps from the baby crying because you don't know what it is. Right. And that's creepy. Level number one, like, why there's no baby here. There's a sound. We don't know the origins of it. That's scary. But then you start to have the Pavlovian training of every time you hear it, you know something bad's gonna happen. So that by the time we're on episode five or six here, you know, they're hearing the baby cry, and they're all just running around like chickens with their heads cut off because they're like, oh, something's gonna happen, something terrible. And you, as the audience, start having that same thing. You hear the baby cry, and you're like, oh, what's gonna happen next? [00:44:18] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:44:18] Speaker C: So you associate it with something very specific and bad, even though you still don't know what it means. [00:44:24] Speaker A: I think it's important to point out character development again by Morse at this point. They're very casual about, okay, baby cry, let's go run around the house. Let's go. We'll take care of it. I just. I love how quickly that they are in. In other words, not us. We would have so many questions. We would have left the house, the three of us, a long time ago. [00:44:44] Speaker C: Yeah. With that much money in our pockets. [00:44:48] Speaker A: All right, so we meet. Hopefully she's not drunk. [00:44:51] Speaker C: That's a really weird thing. [00:44:53] Speaker A: It's a weird thing. [00:44:55] Speaker C: See, I'm not sure at this point, is it something like they want to intimate that she's on drugs but can't say it on the radio in these days. Or is it total red herring? Is it a clue? And you don't really know at this point. Oh, but Jack just opens the door, sees that she's not wearing any clothing, and just calls her a wench. [00:45:13] Speaker D: You winch. [00:45:16] Speaker C: I mean, part of it is to help us as the audience remember she's not the vulgarian and she's not the terrified mouse or the drunk. She's the wench. [00:45:23] Speaker A: What Tim alluded to it last week in the podcast of Doc straddles the line between creepy and good old timey. Good old boy. Right? [00:45:32] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:45:33] Speaker A: This is a moment right here that I love. He doesn't goggle at her. You know, he puts something on her and he's a moralistic and good man about it. He's not creepy and gross about her being naked. And so I love that. That he's not like, woo hoo, look. [00:45:46] Speaker C: At you, you're n. Here's where we start to see Jack's problems, though. He does not like women. [00:45:53] Speaker A: Is it about women or is it just about everybody's in his way? You're just a thing that's in my way from spending 25 grand. [00:46:00] Speaker C: But he's so not interested in. [00:46:02] Speaker A: But aren't all heroes at this time not interested in women? [00:46:06] Speaker C: We'll put a pin in this. We'll put a pin in the woman. No, that doesn't work. We'll get back to it in other episodes. But I think as it unfolds, there's an almost James Bond sort of level of. I don't want to say misogyny is maybe strong, but there's something in there about this character. Right. And it makes an interesting contrast between him and Doc, who's just like woman crazy. [00:46:30] Speaker A: Right. [00:46:31] Speaker C: And you can tell JAG has no time for this. [00:46:33] Speaker A: Right. Hope is in a dress with blood on it. She says a great line. I love 10 minute words. [00:46:39] Speaker B: Oh, 10 letter words. [00:46:40] Speaker C: 10 letter. [00:46:41] Speaker A: Is it 10 letter or 10 letter? [00:46:43] Speaker B: 10 letter. [00:46:43] Speaker C: Like it's a play on four letter words. [00:46:45] Speaker A: I get that. But I listen to it a couple times. I keep hearing the word minute. Is it because she's drunk? [00:46:50] Speaker C: Were you drunk? [00:46:52] Speaker A: So weren't you? [00:46:54] Speaker C: It's a good gag. The 10 minute word. That's you. Just the longest bleep in the history of radio. [00:47:00] Speaker A: I want to see that sketch. The ten minute word bleed. I'll do it. I'll Andy Kaufman my way through that. [00:47:12] Speaker C: It's a great cliffhanger. She shows up the Naked, drunk, not drunk girl shows up, barely dressed in anything, which is, I think, kind of pretty provocative for the time. And then what starts as a sort of weird sexual thing turns into horror as you're like, I took it off because it was covered in blood. [00:47:31] Speaker A: Right. [00:47:31] Speaker C: And the baby makes a noise again that we find out is a laugh later. It doesn't sound terribly like a laugh when you hear it first, but we think we find out in the next episode it's a laugh which an enemy will die. Which I think is a really creepy moment. I found that creepy that the baby has some sort of spitefulness and has a list of friends and enemies. [00:47:52] Speaker B: Was it common in this time for people of a certain income to just have a list of enemies? [00:47:57] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:47:58] Speaker B: Or is it still common for people of a certain income? [00:48:01] Speaker A: Is it possible that her not being drunk is. She's in shock from the boyfriend chauffeur getting killed. [00:48:08] Speaker B: It seemed like her perceptions were impaired already when the guy got shot, that she wasn't taking in details real well at that point. [00:48:17] Speaker D: Right. [00:48:18] Speaker A: So, yeah, the baby cries. Just a side note, when I first listened to this with my wife years ago, there was already at this point here in episode four, she was sitting straight up going, nope, nope, throwing the headphones off. And then, you know, then she spent the rest of the eight more episodes or whatever just on pins. Anita, please don't let the baby cry. Please don't let the baby cry. Which is the exact intent of the writing of this, like, now the apprehension of please don't let that thing cry. It's so terrible to listen to. And, you know, not only, you know, something happened, there's just something weird about a baby that ain't there crying for me. At least not Tim. [00:48:54] Speaker B: No, I hear it all the time. [00:48:57] Speaker A: Episode five, chauffeurs dead. We catch up with Faye. [00:49:00] Speaker C: I love the idea that Jack is just going to go through the crime scene first, make sure he has what he needs and wants. He's a piece of work, that Jack. [00:49:09] Speaker A: But it's an interesting piece right there. And I have the same note. No reason for handing it off. He's gonna solve it. He's not letting anyone else in. That's a control thing, right? [00:49:20] Speaker C: Yeah, it's a control thing, but he also sort of reminds me of very modern characters in some way. Well, maybe it's the serialized storytelling that is, like, what all of television has become now. And the. I don't want to say morally ambivalent because he's. He's not, but he's Not a rule follower. [00:49:36] Speaker A: No. [00:49:36] Speaker C: He makes threats and you're not sure. You're left to be unsure whether he'll follow through. Would he really go turn them all into the police? [00:49:44] Speaker A: But that's control, right? [00:49:45] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:49:46] Speaker A: You don't know what he's gonna do. Then he's got control of the situation. [00:49:49] Speaker C: He's a very complex character for this era of radio. [00:49:53] Speaker A: Yes. The question is, asked him, what have you got to gain from all this Boy Scout stuff? And he just skirts the question. It's just gonna help out your grandmother. [00:50:00] Speaker B: Because he loves her so much. [00:50:02] Speaker E: Right. [00:50:03] Speaker A: That's not the right answer. You know that there's no reason for him to be doing this. So why are you doing this? Which is another question. Another layer is added by Morse. At this point, more questions than answers keep being written in that Faye is burning letters in the furnace. It's not her lying badly. It's literally written and acted like, yeah, I'm not gonna tell you. [00:50:27] Speaker C: Yeah. And then that leads to that nice conspiratorial moment when Jack wants her to go away because he wants to do something without her seeing. And she's like, you know, if you want to get rid of the dress, there's that furnace down there. [00:50:37] Speaker A: Right. [00:50:38] Speaker C: She knows I was burning that thing. I'm not going to tell you about. [00:50:41] Speaker A: I love that Faye calls him out on what he's doing. Yep. Hey, so. Oh, I don't get to know by the way. The furnace is on. [00:50:48] Speaker C: And Job shows up. [00:50:49] Speaker A: Well, before Job. [00:50:51] Speaker C: Before Job, Cherry just shows up out of the bushes. [00:50:55] Speaker B: Emerges from the wall. Yeah. [00:50:58] Speaker A: Just emerges from the wall. Scares. He's like, okay, gotta get rid of this body. Hi. [00:51:03] Speaker E: Ah. [00:51:09] Speaker A: Sorry, Jerry. You shouldn't just sidle like that. The end. [00:51:14] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:51:15] Speaker A: She scares the bleep out of me when she comes out of nowhere. I love that moment. And then. And that's where we learned the difference between the B. Yeah. [00:51:23] Speaker C: Laughing or crying. And then Job. Then Job shows up, the happy drunk. [00:51:27] Speaker A: Really great drunk, by the way. [00:51:29] Speaker C: So fun. [00:51:30] Speaker B: It's beautiful. I could listen to him pontificate all night long. [00:51:34] Speaker A: Oh, the great line of corpse must have escaped from the morgue. Would you be the murderer just steps over it. I love the acting. And again, there's no weak link as far as performance goes. And they're all written very well. And I love Joe. [00:51:53] Speaker C: We get more interesting sparring between Jack and Grandma in the next episode when he's talking about what he's willing to do for her. As long as it's not someone in the house who's a murderer. He'll cover it up until the cows come home. He really is interested in his own following, his own morality. He doesn't care about the law. He doesn't care about someone else's idea of right or wrong. He's gonna do, like I said, what he wants to do and what he thinks thinks is right. [00:52:22] Speaker A: So let me ask you guys this. We're talking about Jack a lot. The character of Jack Packard. He himself, I think, is terrifying because of all these things we're saying. He brings a lot of tension into a room that doesn't need to be there by how he acts. [00:52:36] Speaker B: Well, I mean, if you take the title of the series as his theme, right. Like he's addicted to finding a question and just applying pressure to it until it bursts. [00:52:52] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. The. The idea of the syndicate getting involved. So I love that Morris has had yet another question and another level. You know, nefarious syndicates, Confidence management. [00:53:05] Speaker B: Motion picture. [00:53:05] Speaker D: Colony. [00:53:07] Speaker A: Colony. [00:53:10] Speaker C: Well, and we know now that the chauffeur was blackmailing them. And that was another layer to this all. [00:53:15] Speaker A: We got the baby crying. We got the syndicate. Got a dead chauffeur burning letters or something in the basement. Right. [00:53:23] Speaker C: A hilarious drunk. [00:53:27] Speaker B: The one guy in the house with a gun. [00:53:33] Speaker A: Cherry getting slashed again is also a very creepy moment. She's just getting slashed all the time now. Her clothes are almost torn up. This is, what, three times now? She's been slashed on different parts of the body. And that in itself, like, who is slashing her and how is that happening? They seem unrelated to all of this. [00:53:52] Speaker C: We're. What, at the end of episode six. I think this was like the first cliffhanger that was a little like, wa, wa, wa to me, where I felt there was a little treading water. He may have visited the slashing well, one. One too many times. [00:54:03] Speaker A: Okay, let's talk about these three episodes. How do we feel about them? [00:54:07] Speaker B: Tim, overall, still having a great time. I do think in this last one, when the baby cries one more time and they start running around going from door to door, there's a moment, I think they check on Faye first, where it's tense and nervous. And then they check on Job, and he's got some funny lines. Baby in a bathing suit. Slam. [00:54:32] Speaker C: That's a little. I forgot about that. [00:54:34] Speaker D: It's a little. [00:54:36] Speaker A: I love the farce of that because it establishes in my head what the house looks like. Do you know what I'm saying? Like, they're going door to door, and I've got a vision of where they are. [00:54:48] Speaker B: He's moving so fast though, like only a little time before the door closes. So small caveat, but still having a great time. [00:54:58] Speaker A: Joshua. [00:54:58] Speaker C: I'm still thoroughly enjoying it. I would say you get a little SAG in episodes six, but episode six of a 15 part serial, if that's the first time where you feel like it maybe has a little bit of a repetitive cliffhanger, that's not bad. I've never experienced a serial that keeps the same tight energy all the way through. And 15 parts is a long time, so I'm still hooked. And we just did a checklist of the number of question marks and mysteries to keep you hooked. So. [00:55:26] Speaker D: Right. [00:55:26] Speaker C: I'm really still loving it. [00:55:28] Speaker A: It's at this point with Morris's writing that I think, how is this all connected? And I love everything about it. Characters, acting, all of it. You are both completely wrong. No lag. You're a lag. All right. I love it. We're doing great. All right, Tim, where should they go? [00:55:49] Speaker B: To learn more, you should go to the Internet. Specifically ghoulishdelights.com Once you're there, you'll find other episodes of this very podcast and you'll also learn about the live shows we do because we're going to be at the Minnesota Fringe Festival this August. If you're going to be around local to Twin Cities and we do live versions of old radio scripts and if. [00:56:11] Speaker A: They'D please go to itunes. [00:56:13] Speaker C: Right, Joshua, they could write a review. Tell us what you like about the show, what you don't like about the show. Just talk to us. We're lonely. [00:56:22] Speaker A: Well, that's episodes now 1 through 6 so far of the 15 part series of the Thing that Cries in the Night from I Love a Mystery. Next week we're going to hear episode seven, eight and nine. Until then, look out.