Episode 400: Fury and Sound

[00:00:16] Speaker A: The mysterious old radio listening society podcast. Welcome to the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society, a podcast dedicated to suspense, crime and horror stories from the golden age of radio. I'm Eric. [00:00:36] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:00:36] Speaker C: And I'm Joshua. [00:00:38] 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 finish a trilogy of episodes revisiting the programs we selected for episodes one, two and three of this podcast. Episode one was my pick, the House in Cypress Canyon from Suspense. Selecting a companion piece to arguably one of the program's greatest productions was a tough assignment to say the least. After much research and hand wringing, I discovered a truly one of a kind suspense episode from 1945 entitled Fury and Sound. [00:01:15] Speaker A: Four months before Fury and Sound aired Daily Variety, a Hollywood trade paper, published the following cryptic item if you happen to latch on to suspense in the next few weeks and the title sheet reads Fury and Sound. Figure if you can, who the character Roachler is. The item goes on to give the reader a hint. He is a composite of four geniuses of big time Radio. [00:01:41] Speaker B: We won't make you guess. Fury and Sound was an insider roast of suspense producer William Speer, written by his colleagues and fellow radio pioneers Irving Reese, Jerome Lawrence, and Robert E. Lee. Together they are the four geniuses of big time radio alluded to in Daily Variety. Speer had worked extensively with these men a decade earlier on the groundbreaking programs Columbia Workshop and March of Time. [00:02:02] Speaker C: Speer began his career in 1929 producing and directing the top rated concert music program the Atwater Kent hour. In 1936, as director and co writer of the March of Time, he gave Orson Welles his first job in radio. By 1940, Speer was chief of the writers department and director of program development at cbs. Not long after that, he succeeded Charles Vanda as producer of Suspense and shifted the program to Hollywood, emphasizing guest appearances by film actors and commissioning scripts such as Sorry, Wrong Number, Donovan's Brain Fugue in C Minor, and of course, the House in Cypress Canyon. It is also worth noting that when Fury and Sound was broadcast in the summer of 1945, one of Speer's greatest radio successes was still another year away, the Adventures of Sam Spade. [00:02:58] Speaker A: Irving Reese was no slouch either. As the creator of the Columbia Workshop, he played a major role in establishing the conventions of dramatic radio and became an important mentor to emerging writers. Among those he encouraged were Lucille Fletcher, Norman Corwin, and the future co authors of Fury and Sound, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, who later achieved major success on Broadway with works such as Inherit the Wind and Auntie Mame. [00:03:27] Speaker B: Speer is known for supervising all aspects of his productions, including actors, stories, sound effects, and music. His exacting standards and attention to detail contributed to the high quality of his work, but they also earned him a reputation within the industry as demanding and arrogant. How much of this was deserved and how much was sour grapes on the part of less successful peers is open to interpretation. Regardless, the script for Fury and Sound leans into this reputation for all it's worth, apparently with Spears approval, since he directed the production and makes a cameo appearance as himself as part of the. [00:03:57] Speaker C: In joke structure of the production. Two fictitious actors were listed in the cast, Mark Humboldt and Clifton Cromwell. Newspapers printed these names and one was repeated in a magazine article covering the broadcast. In reality, these roles were played by radio actors Jack Edwards and Elliot Lewis. The remainder of the cast included Norman Lloyd in the spear inspired role of Kingsley Rochler, Laureen Tuttle in multiple parts, and Bill Johnstone as both narrator and announcer. [00:04:27] Speaker A: Norman Lloyd's appearance in Fury and Sound was his only starring role on Suspense. He had recently appeared with Herbert Marshall in the May 24, 1945 broadcast my own Murderer and was active in film work at the time. Lloyd began his acting career on stage with the Mercury Theater and witnessed many tyrannical outbursts from a young up and coming theater director named Orson Welles, leading some to speculate that his performance as Rochelle was at least partially inspired by Welles. [00:04:58] Speaker B: And now that you have the background, most of it courtesy of the excellent Suspense Project blog, it's time to listen to Fury and Sound from suspense. Originally aired July 26, 1945 it's late. [00:05:10] Speaker C: 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. [00:05:30] Speaker D: Suspend. Tonight's World Star Radiocast headed by Norman Lloyd and Mark Humboldt in Fury and Sound, a suspense play produced, edited and directed by William Speer. [00:05:51] Speaker E: You helped murder Kingsley Rochler. You, sitting there by your radio, you were guilty. Your contribution to the crime was unintentional, but it was murder nevertheless because you fed his ego until it destroyed him. You all remember the name Kingsley Rochely. He was famous for his radio plays. They were on the air once a week for years. He was a small, ugly man who affected a beard during the last few months of his life. I was closer to Kingsley Rochel than any other man. I knew every twist of his warped intelligence for I assisted him in producing his radio broadcasts. It was I who stood in the center of the radio studio and relayed Mr. Rochel's instructions to the actors, the musicians and sound technicians. Rochely would sit in the glass enclosed control booth. His harsh voice, picked up by the rehearsal microphone and amplified to the proportion of a gods, would thunder at the cast in the studio, lashing the. [00:06:47] Speaker D: No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Let's take it again. I'm on top of page seven. This is the final time. Roachler will explain what he wants. He asks the extras for tender ad libs, not the circus maximus. Roachler would also like to remind the sound effects man for the seventh time. He might add that he wishes the rain effect to sneak in after the music bridge, not crash in. And with the maestro. Please explain to his musicians that canisimo means softly now. Unless it interferes with anyone's more important plans. May Roachler proceed with his rehearsal. Ad lips, please. Then music, then rain, then. Dear diary, goodbye. Send me a card from Germany. [00:07:55] Speaker F: Dear diary, how can I tell you what my heart cannot say? It's raining now as though the heavens too are crying. And he's been gone again. Ah, how many years are there in a day of lonely. [00:08:13] Speaker C: Sin? [00:08:18] Speaker D: Roachster has worked with insensitive asses in many places and under many conditions. But he is forced to yield top honors to the radio artists of California. How can this girl perform these sensitive thoughts against your noise and indifference? How can these fragile dreams achieved by nights of creative sweat compete with your gum chewing, chair creaking, walking, talking fix skin detachment? How can the thematic. [00:08:44] Speaker E: I'm sorry, King, it was my fault. I tried to adjust the music stand and give the cues at the same time. [00:08:49] Speaker D: The assistant producer, Mr. Fowler, honorably confesses. Rochel has employed him for three years. His principal function is to relay my signals to you. He watches Roachler carefully. And when Roachler moves his arm thus, he moves his similarly to you in it highest sense he is an extension of roachless arm. All right, we'll break for dinner now. And anybody, including Mr. Fowler, who feels that roachless work which seems to interest a mere 14 million listeners is too dull to warrant his or her entire attention can be paid off now. Thank you. [00:09:36] Speaker E: That was the pattern of my life. For three years I was Fowler the stooge. A carbon copy of a self styled genius. No one could have much respect for me, least of all myself or my wife. [00:09:49] Speaker F: How did my performance sound, Charlie? [00:09:51] Speaker E: All right, I guess. [00:09:52] Speaker F: You guess? [00:09:53] Speaker E: Well, it seemed a little corny to me. [00:09:55] Speaker F: It didn't seem corny to King, but of course, he only gets 2,000 a week for running the show. [00:10:00] Speaker E: Well, if Roachler thinks you're the greatest actress in the world. Just stick to his judgment and everything will be peaceful. [00:10:05] Speaker F: In the five years I've been married to you, I've seen every facet in your fine art of being disagreeable. But I must say, jealousy is a new wrinkle. [00:10:12] Speaker E: Fine. Let it go at that. [00:10:13] Speaker D: Oh, no, no. [00:10:14] Speaker F: I wouldn't think of depriving you of some fuel to feed it. Would it make you more jealous to know that I'm having dinner with Kingsley to discuss my performance? See you later, dear. [00:10:27] Speaker G: Aren't you going out to eat, Charlie? [00:10:29] Speaker E: No, thanks, Van. I've got to mock up these scripts. [00:10:31] Speaker G: Why, you can't live without eating. Here, I'll split a sandwich with you. [00:10:36] Speaker C: Thanks. [00:10:36] Speaker E: I've sort of given up food since I've been working for Roachler. [00:10:39] Speaker G: Boy, you got it tough. He's even got you and your wife living with him out there, hasn't he? [00:10:43] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:10:46] Speaker G: Did you notice how I fixed him on the rain effect? [00:10:48] Speaker E: Rain effect? [00:10:49] Speaker D: How? [00:10:49] Speaker G: Well, after he bawled me out for the fifth time about the effect being too loud, I just let one bridge go by and I didn't even put the needle down on the record. He yelled it was still too loud. [00:10:58] Speaker E: That sounds impossible. [00:11:00] Speaker G: I watched a lot of these boy wonders. He's got the occupational affliction of radio genius. Newspaper men get the shakes. Movie producers get ulcers. Bank presidents have nervous breakdowns. The killer cycle. Wonder boys get open nerves in their eardrums. [00:11:14] Speaker E: What do you mean? Hearing things that aren't there. [00:11:16] Speaker G: Yeah, if you hang around this racket long enough. I read somewhere once that if our hearing sensitivity was increased just 10%, we'd all go nuts. [00:11:24] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:11:25] Speaker G: Look, take my clock chime. You know the effect. [00:11:28] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:11:30] Speaker G: So what now? See what happens. [00:11:33] Speaker E: What's the gimmick? [00:11:34] Speaker D: This? [00:11:34] Speaker G: Haven't you ever seen one contact mic. [00:11:36] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:11:37] Speaker G: Look, press this little contact mic against the side of our clock chime like so. Now, turn up the volume on the amplifier, will you, Charlie? [00:11:44] Speaker E: This one? [00:11:45] Speaker G: Yeah. [00:11:45] Speaker E: A little more. [00:11:55] Speaker D: Hey, Got it. [00:11:58] Speaker G: Interesting, huh? [00:11:59] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:11:59] Speaker G: Now, guys like Rochel live in a world of sound. It's their bread and butter. Mr. R gets two grand a week for sitting in that glass fishbowl and just listening, weighing sounds. His ears are as stock in trade. The nerve ends in his eardrums get more and more sensitive. When his hearing becomes as acute as this contact mike. He can't stand it. And in come four men wearing white coats for a gibbering idiot contact. [00:12:23] Speaker E: Micah, why do you get one of these things? [00:12:25] Speaker G: I built this rig myself. [00:12:27] Speaker D: See? [00:12:27] Speaker G: That's the works. [00:12:29] Speaker E: Yeah, pretty neat. I stood in the vacant studio staring at that tiny black contact microphone in the palm of my hand. And a little Shakespeare flashed into my mind. A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury. [00:12:57] Speaker F: So, good night. Good night, my love. Good night. Across the latitudes and longitudes of space and time. Farewell. Across the hours, days, the mountain peaks and the plains between the darkness and the sun. You are with me here because love is. [00:13:33] Speaker E: You have just heard another original by Roachler in the series Rochela presents. It was produced, written and directed by Mr. Rochler, who also suggested the musical theme. Next week, Mr. Rochler, acclaimed as the. [00:13:47] Speaker D: Most imaginative dramatist in radio, will. [00:13:50] Speaker E: But let radio's foremost producer tell you about it. [00:13:54] Speaker D: Kingsley Rochler, Roachless speaking. Next week, Rochel's fans will hear a vivid contrast to tonight's romantic theme. It's a drama fraught with social significance. Titled Farewell to Apes. It poses a subtle political problem. What would happen if an ape proclaimed himself dictator of a nation? Those who listen very attentively will recognize certain modern historical parallels. Until next week, then Rochel says good night. And Roche? Le will be pleased if you return to hear another Rochela presents. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. It was one of the most impressive shows of the series, in my opinion. Don't you think so, Charlie? [00:14:52] Speaker E: You should know it would have been. [00:14:54] Speaker D: A much more polished product production if you hadn't botched up the music cues in three places. They were distinctly sluggish. I told you a thousand times, Charlie, if you watch me. [00:15:04] Speaker E: Save it. I'm through. [00:15:06] Speaker D: Through what? [00:15:06] Speaker E: I'm through being your whipping post. You better find yourself a newer model, Charlie. [00:15:12] Speaker D: I can't believe it. No, no, you. You didn't say it. No. I've erased it from my mind. [00:15:17] Speaker E: Well, scribble it right back. I'm finished, Charlie. [00:15:20] Speaker D: I bleed. I can understand when these dolts, these actors, soundmen, fiddlers, mistake the tension of my sensitivity. These. These little moods brought on by the lashing of creative fire. But you, an artist, almost in your own right. How can you let a little turbulence. [00:15:43] Speaker F: Sorry I kept you two waiting. What's all this glaring about? [00:15:47] Speaker D: Charlie wants to quit the show. [00:15:48] Speaker F: Oh, he's just tired. Don't mind him. He'll forget it in the morning. Come on, King. Let's go get some coffee. [00:16:00] Speaker E: And then suddenly I had decided there was no longer any question, any hesitation. I had tested the mechanics of the thing, and it worked. The rest lay entirely within me. My own courage and patience, the. And above all, the slowness with which I could do the work. Slowness was all important. Slowness. [00:16:26] Speaker D: That's the most wonderful thing you've ever heard. [00:16:30] Speaker F: Oh, hello, Charlie. I didn't hear you come in. [00:16:32] Speaker E: Didn't you? [00:16:33] Speaker D: Welcome home, Charles. And a boy. I always say, a husband's place is in the home. [00:16:37] Speaker E: Having a good time? [00:16:38] Speaker F: Kingsley was just reading me some of his script for next week. I was helping him edit it. [00:16:41] Speaker D: She has some very decent ideas, Charlie. [00:16:44] Speaker E: Well, I'm glad to know that. [00:16:45] Speaker D: Good night. [00:16:46] Speaker E: Good night. [00:16:47] Speaker D: Good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow. [00:16:52] Speaker F: Good night, King. [00:16:53] Speaker E: Come on, Merle. Let's get to bed. We both need some sleep. [00:16:55] Speaker F: Of course. You know, darling, it's impossible to sleep with you. You twist and turn like a gyroscope. [00:17:00] Speaker E: I saw a doctor tonight. He gave me some sleeping powders. Can I give you some? A glass of hot water. [00:17:05] Speaker F: All right. [00:17:08] Speaker E: I filled two glasses with hot water. Into one of them, I dissolved a heavy dosage of the sleeping powders. Not fatal, but enough to ensure deep sleep. And I didn't turn the faucet clear off. I let it drip just a little. [00:17:23] Speaker D: Drink up. [00:17:24] Speaker F: Here's two. [00:17:27] Speaker E: I was pleased to see that she drank the entire glass. Then we got ready for bed and I snapped off the light. [00:17:36] Speaker F: Can't you learn to turn off a faucet? [00:17:38] Speaker E: The tap leaks. It won't turn off. Oh. [00:17:41] Speaker C: Oh, well. [00:17:44] Speaker E: From her breathing, I thought she'd fallen asleep, but I had to be sure. Merle? There was no answer. I got up and went into the bathroom, taking with me the contact microphone I'd borrowed from Van at the studio. Carefully, I fastened this sound microscope with a water tap and adjusted the amplifier so that the sound grew in volume slowly, very, very slow. [00:18:25] Speaker D: Charlie. Merle. [00:18:27] Speaker E: What's the matter, King? [00:18:28] Speaker D: Did you hear that noise? [00:18:29] Speaker E: What noise? [00:18:30] Speaker D: Well, you must have heard of that dripping sound. [00:18:32] Speaker E: Maybe a leaky faucet in one of the bathrooms. [00:18:34] Speaker D: It sounded almost like explosions. The sound filled the whole house. [00:18:36] Speaker E: I didn't hear anything. Merle's still asleep. It didn't wake her. [00:18:39] Speaker D: But I heard it as loud as. [00:18:41] Speaker E: If there wasn't any noise. [00:18:43] Speaker D: Don't tell me what I heard and what I didn't hear. I say there was a noise. [00:18:46] Speaker E: Call your own shots. But I didn't hear anything. [00:18:48] Speaker D: Maybe I was dreaming. Yes. Yes, that must be what it was. A dream. [00:18:53] Speaker E: Good night, King. [00:18:53] Speaker D: Good night. Good night. Good night, Charlie. Charlie, come here. What's the matter? Come here into my room. [00:19:23] Speaker E: Okay, I'm coming. I suppose you got another brainstorm for the show. [00:19:28] Speaker D: All right, let's have it, Charlie. It's the same thing I had trouble with a few nights ago. You heard the noise? Of course. [00:19:33] Speaker E: Are you hearing noises again? [00:19:35] Speaker D: Don't tell me you slept through that. [00:19:37] Speaker E: I don't know what you're talking about. I'm going back to bed. [00:19:39] Speaker D: Don't leave. Roachler demands that you remain here. He does? Please, Charlie, I. I don't mean to shout at you. I. I must be getting a little nervous. A little bit jumpy. Tell me, Charlie, didn't you hear a buzzing sound? Something like a mosquito, only louder. Enormously louder. [00:19:59] Speaker E: You'd better switch your brand, King. [00:20:01] Speaker D: You didn't hear it? [00:20:02] Speaker E: Not a tinkle? [00:20:03] Speaker D: Your death? No, she must have heard it. [00:20:06] Speaker E: She's sleeping like a baby. [00:20:07] Speaker D: But I heard it. I was standing here in this room, wide awake. It vibrated the walls of the house. Get dressed and back the car, Charlie. I'm going to see a doctor. [00:20:17] Speaker E: You think that's wise? [00:20:18] Speaker D: A doctor ought to be able to do something. [00:20:20] Speaker E: Sure, he'll do something. I wonder if you'll like what he does. [00:20:23] Speaker D: What do you mean? [00:20:24] Speaker E: I've wondered sometimes what would happen to a man if his hearing became too sensitive. If he heard too much. I don't suppose he'd ever be able to find rest or quiet. Eventually he'd blow his top. [00:20:36] Speaker D: I do have very sensitive hearing. I must have to achieve perfect sound balance on the broadcast. [00:20:42] Speaker E: Sure. You're even hearing things that aren't there. I wonder how long you'd have a sponsor if the lads who pay your salary knew the shape you're in. [00:20:50] Speaker D: I'm in perfect shape. I've been working too hard, that's all. I just need a little rest. [00:20:55] Speaker E: I'll get the car and drive you. [00:20:56] Speaker D: Out to the hospital. No, no, I think I'll be all right now. Go on back to bed, Charlie. [00:21:04] Speaker E: Whatever you say. You're the doctor. The next night I did a little production with traffic sounds for the benefit of the great Roachler. I sat in my room turning the volume knob slowly. Ever so slowly. [00:21:41] Speaker D: Charlie. [00:21:41] Speaker E: What is it, King? [00:21:42] Speaker D: Would you come into my room a second? I'd like to talk to you. [00:21:46] Speaker A: Okay. [00:21:47] Speaker E: What's on your mind? [00:21:48] Speaker D: I. I've got a terrific idea for next week's show, Charlie. See if it tweaks you. [00:21:56] Speaker E: Shoot. [00:21:57] Speaker D: There's this girl, French. She's Escaped from the Nazis. And, Charlie, how far are we from a main thoroughfare? [00:22:07] Speaker E: Sunset Boulevard. That's about five miles down the hill. [00:22:10] Speaker D: I guess we couldn't hear traffic from that distance, could we? [00:22:14] Speaker E: I couldn't. [00:22:15] Speaker D: Yeah, well, this girl's a painter and she falls in love with. You know, Charlie, I get these ideas in the middle of the night like this, and I like to talk them out before I forget them. [00:22:26] Speaker A: Why. [00:22:28] Speaker D: Why don't you bunk in here with me for a while? [00:22:30] Speaker E: Seems sort of silly. [00:22:32] Speaker D: Stay with me. Please, Charlie. It's terribly important. Roachler needs you. I need you. [00:22:51] Speaker E: I knew then that the breaking point was near. As I watched him at rehearsals, I could see the psychosis gradually engulfing him. [00:22:58] Speaker D: No, no, no, no, no, no. I've told you at least 11 times, Mr. Gluskin, to mute the brass and everybody. Quiet. Roach. Lens is on. [00:23:10] Speaker A: Quiet. [00:23:10] Speaker D: Complete quiet. Will you please stop your insufferable scuffling and scraping and babbling until called upon to make the required sounds. [00:23:20] Speaker G: Maybe he'd like to have us quit breathing. [00:23:22] Speaker D: The actor who made that statement is discharged from the cast without pay. Roachstler will not tolerate insubordination. [00:23:29] Speaker E: King, you can't let Louis go. You have to have him for the operating room scene. [00:23:32] Speaker D: May I remind you that Roachler is directing? No one, artist or performer, is indispensable. We can replace anyone and anyone. Take him home. [00:23:45] Speaker E: Out to my house. Now, don't worry about the show, King. [00:23:47] Speaker D: I'll take over. [00:23:56] Speaker F: Well, I've got to hand it to you, Charlie. You didn't louse up the broadcast as much as I thought you would. [00:24:00] Speaker E: Thanks. [00:24:01] Speaker F: How is he? [00:24:02] Speaker E: Resting in his room. Oh, it's been a rough day. How about a sleeping powder? Just to make sure we get our rest. The usual? [00:24:08] Speaker F: No, I don't think so. I've been waking up a little bit foggy. [00:24:11] Speaker E: You will take the usual sleeping powder tonight. It's very important to me. [00:24:14] Speaker F: Charlie, I don't understand you. When you act this way, you will. [00:24:17] Speaker E: Drink the usual sleeping powder. I forced her to take the sleeping powder. I had to make sure she was thoroughly drugged. For tonight. Merle was to be part of the plan. When she was deep in sleep, I carefully slipped the contact microphone underneath her body so that the metal lay within a few inches of her heart. [00:24:55] Speaker D: Charlie. What is it, King? Come in my room. Charlie, please. Please make it stop. [00:25:01] Speaker E: I'm here, King. I'm right beside you. Make what stop? [00:25:04] Speaker D: The throbbing. You hear it? It's heartbeats and grieving. You must hear It. [00:25:08] Speaker E: Your imagination's working overtime. [00:25:10] Speaker D: I can't stand it, Charlie. Make it stop, Charlie. [00:25:12] Speaker E: What can I do? [00:25:13] Speaker D: I gotta get away from it. I gotta have quiet peace. I can't stand it any longer. Make it stop, Charlie. [00:25:17] Speaker E: I watched him stagger out of the bedroom, down the stairs to his study. I heard a drawer pulled open. Good night, Mr. Rochler. From here on, Fowler produces. [00:25:41] Speaker F: What was that? [00:25:42] Speaker E: Nothing, darling. [00:25:43] Speaker F: I can hear noise in the room. I like dragons. [00:25:46] Speaker E: I'll turn it off, dear, so you won't hear it any longer. I stepped to the amplifier to shut off the heartbeats from the contact microphone. I flipped the switch, But the sound continued. It kept on going. I turned the switch again and again. Still I heard the heartbeats louder than before. [00:26:13] Speaker F: Thank you, dear. [00:26:14] Speaker D: That's better. [00:26:15] Speaker E: What do you mean, that's better? It's still going on. I beat the sides of the amplifier. Still the heartbeat continued. I tore the wires from connections. I smashed the contact microphone with a bookend. I got up the amplifier box. Still the heartbeats went on. Merle's heartbeats. [00:26:34] Speaker C: Charlie. [00:26:35] Speaker F: Charlie, what's wrong with you? [00:26:36] Speaker E: You know what's wrong with you. [00:26:37] Speaker D: You can hear it. [00:26:37] Speaker F: I can't hear anything. [00:26:38] Speaker E: You're lying. [00:26:39] Speaker F: Oh, Charlie, wait a minute. You're acting crazy. [00:26:40] Speaker D: I'm not crazy. [00:26:41] Speaker E: I know what's going on. You have another contact microphone hidden somewhere. You're trying to work the same thing on me. [00:26:46] Speaker F: Charlie. [00:26:47] Speaker E: All the time you were pretending to be asleep. You planned all this, didn't you? [00:26:50] Speaker C: I know. [00:26:51] Speaker D: Well, I'm not Roachler. [00:26:52] Speaker E: You can't drive me crazy with noises. [00:26:54] Speaker F: Charlie, wait a minute. Now there isn't any noise. [00:26:56] Speaker D: Charlie. [00:26:58] Speaker F: Stay away from me. Stay away. [00:26:59] Speaker D: No. [00:27:00] Speaker E: No, Charlie. I am free now. Of course. The so called forces of justice never overtook me. Fowler was too clever for them. I now enjoy a position in the radio profession very much like that of Mr. Rochler before his death. Would you care to come into my control room with me while I rehearse my orchestra and my actors? [00:27:44] Speaker D: All ready. Cast. [00:27:45] Speaker E: Fowler will now begin his rehearsal. Fowler insists on absolute attention to his directions. [00:27:52] Speaker D: Maestro, how many times must Fowler demand that you artists stop whispering during dramatic scenes? Fowler cannot tolerate. [00:28:01] Speaker F: Mr. Fowler, if you don't stop this shouting, the doctor will lock you up in that little room again. You know that all this noise is very disturbing to the other patients. [00:28:25] Speaker E: This is William Speer. Speer wants you to know that he hopes you have enjoyed tonight's little expose of Backstage Radio. I want to thank all our cast. Norman Lloyd, Mark Humboldt, Ms. Lorene Tuttle, Clifton Cromwell, and thanks as always to Lud Gluskin, our conductor, Lucian Morowek for his score, Burn Surrey for sound effects, and Ted Denton, our engineer. I should like you to know, of course, that tonight's story was all in the spirit of fun and was completely fictional. There are no such characters among us producers as Kingsley Rochler and any resemblance to actual persons, et cetera, et cetera. So Speer says good night. [00:28:58] Speaker D: Oh, and you. [00:28:59] Speaker E: Me? [00:29:00] Speaker D: Yes, sir. [00:29:00] Speaker E: When you say suspense is produced, edited and directed by William Speer, I want a great deal more importance there. [00:29:06] Speaker D: Those are the most vital words in the show. Yes, sir, Mr. Speer. Next Thursday, same time, Joan Loring will be your star of Suspends Radio's outstanding theatre of thrill. [00:29:35] Speaker E: This is the armed forces radio service. [00:29:48] Speaker A: That was fury and sound from Suspense here on the mysterious old Radio Listening Society podcast once again. I'm Eric. [00:29:56] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:29:57] Speaker C: And I'm Joshua. [00:29:58] Speaker A: Episode 400, everybody. Can you imagine telling the three of us nine, ten years ago that this was gonna happen? I would have looked at you and laughed. No, I'm not doing 400 of these with you. There's no way this is gonna go 400. This project will be over in a few months and we'll move on. God, it's been a. [00:30:24] Speaker C: We have other failed projects to get to. Right. [00:30:28] Speaker A: I want to start this by saying it has been an absolute joy to be with you gentlemen this, this long and doing the show, and I just don't tire of it. And it is absolutely astonishing. One of the greatest accomplishes of my life is this podcast and this, this endeavor that we've done together. [00:30:48] Speaker B: Now that I'm wrapping up, I'm sure gonna miss it, but. [00:30:52] Speaker A: So let's vote. [00:30:54] Speaker B: We got two. Oh, man. [00:30:59] Speaker C: No, I will second your sentiments. It was not what I expected to be doing for nine years. I didn't ever expect that there would be anyone who would share my weird interest in old time radio. I didn't think I'd find two other humans in my close proximity. [00:31:18] Speaker D: Right. [00:31:18] Speaker C: Who would be co hosts, let alone that anyone would listen. So it's been fabulous. [00:31:23] Speaker B: Yeah, I like it. [00:31:24] Speaker D: I like it a lot. [00:31:26] Speaker A: Good job, Tim. [00:31:27] Speaker B: Thanks, you guys. [00:31:29] Speaker C: Cool. You want to get his lunch money today or should I? [00:31:35] Speaker A: Right. And I also for picking our episode 400, Joshua, I think you did an outstanding job of picking an episode of what it's like to work with you. [00:31:53] Speaker C: That's screaming from the control booth. [00:31:55] Speaker A: Right? Right. It was mentioned in the beginning and I thought about this While we were. While I was listening to this. I know that Spear. And God bless him for having the sense of humor. The sense of humor and the self deprecation and. Yeah, let's just face that head on. Yep. Sometimes I'm a jerk. Like, that's the best way to take care of stuff like that. So I love you, Spear, for doing that. Even though you're dead and can't hear that. And. But I did think during this. I bet you this is more about Orson Welles. [00:32:27] Speaker D: It's funny. [00:32:29] Speaker B: Moment by moment, I thought Orson Wells, Opler or. [00:32:33] Speaker A: Oh, right. [00:32:33] Speaker C: There was a little bit of everyone in there. There was even a little. I thought Norman Corwin. To me, yes, Speer was the face on it, but it felt like it was satirizing. [00:32:44] Speaker B: Access to grind. [00:32:45] Speaker C: Yeah. Like just radio auteurs. Yeah. [00:32:49] Speaker A: What was the Son of Frankenstein dig that Ober did or Willis Cooper did? [00:32:55] Speaker C: Oh, rain on New Year's Eve. Yeah. [00:32:57] Speaker A: Where he just took everybody in Hollywood down, grinding his axe for 30 minutes. [00:33:04] Speaker C: What if there was a monster who killed everyone I hated on the set of Son of Frankenstein? [00:33:13] Speaker A: This is. If you take away the meta of this and the wink, wink and the fun of this and just look at it as a story about a radio station. Right. This is phenomenal. This is a really cool concept of I'm going to make you crazy with Foley, go to great lengths to drive you insane. And accidentally drive myself insane. [00:33:45] Speaker C: That's what I like about it. It succeeds as a roast by succeeding beat for beat at checking all the suspense boxes. Correct. [00:33:55] Speaker A: On so many levels. This is a phenomenal piece of work. [00:33:58] Speaker B: Well, to elaborate a little more on what you're saying, the narrator, when he takes over his own production of this, of the sabotage, it is the exact same task as producing a radio show. It's an episode of suspense, for one. [00:34:16] Speaker C: Yes. It reminded me in that way of the suspense episode, Murderous Revision. The writer who's angry decides to again murder the producer, but somehow make a radio show out of it. [00:34:29] Speaker A: I do have one complaint. You know I hate heartbeats. [00:34:33] Speaker E: Oh, yeah, yeah. [00:34:34] Speaker C: That was a bonus. That was a feature, not a bug. And we'll link to this somewhere in the show notes. They had this on the Suspense Project blog, but there is on the Getty Image site, there are pictures from this production, including the sound effects guy, Bernie Suri, I think was his name. There's a picture of him with the contact mic on his chest. And so he actually used the contact mic as described in the story to get his own heartbeat. [00:35:07] Speaker B: I I loved that. The first step in this process, we're going to put a. A microphone on this leaky faucet to drive this man to have to pee. [00:35:25] Speaker C: It's funny because it's Drew. [00:35:26] Speaker B: Yes. That was what I was saying. Why are you doing this to me? [00:35:31] Speaker A: Here's a thing I didn't quite catch. And please forgive me. It's me just not catching it. I know it's not an issue with the writing. Did they all live together? [00:35:41] Speaker C: Yes. [00:35:42] Speaker A: Okay. [00:35:43] Speaker B: Even after he fired him, they lived. [00:35:46] Speaker A: In a house together. [00:35:47] Speaker C: I read that. And Roachler insisted that they live there to be at his beck and call. But also, I thought it was a little bit part of the whole wink, wink, nod, nod. Roachler is literally having sex with your wife under your nose. [00:36:03] Speaker A: Right? [00:36:03] Speaker B: He's working on it. If not doing it. [00:36:06] Speaker A: Because I'm going to tell you, that would be the ultimate. Like, oh, there's this giant house and we do radio shows, and then I live there. [00:36:15] Speaker D: That would be awesome. [00:36:16] Speaker C: It doesn't sound like a curse when you put it that way. [00:36:21] Speaker A: Listen, if we all had our own separate wing, I'd live with you guys in a giant house. [00:36:29] Speaker C: So the meta note at the very top, when the narrator kicks in and says, you helped murder Kingsley Rochler. You sitting there by your radio, you were guilty. And it's heightened its satire. But when he says, because you fed his ego until it destroyed him. In our current age, where we lionize artists and creators and then find out they're monsters and ask ourselves, are we complicit in it? It had a sting to it. [00:37:01] Speaker A: I've said this story before, probably on this podcast, but my whole take on fame can be boiled down to one story. Please bear with me. Jennifer Aniston breaks up with Brad Pitt. Okay, I don't follow Hollywood gossip or anything like that, but this happens, right? [00:37:18] Speaker B: It's the latest thing, right? [00:37:20] Speaker A: So this happens. And I walked into a store and had a magazine rack. You know, that shelf of 500 magazines. And every cover was a picture of Jennifer Aniston crying, right? Or in tears. And it's saying, Jennifer's devastated in her breakup. I know this happens a lot. But at this moment, I was struck by what a nightmare that must be to be going through something so horrific, so gut wrenching, so difficult that we all have probably been through, you know, that breakup or that loss. [00:37:58] Speaker B: When I broke up with Brad Pitt, it was. [00:37:59] Speaker A: Yeah, right. I remember. I remember how sad you were. [00:38:02] Speaker C: But alimony made up for it. [00:38:04] Speaker B: Just on the COVID of no Magazines. [00:38:07] Speaker C: Right. [00:38:08] Speaker A: But imagine. [00:38:08] Speaker C: I love no magazine. Read it every month. [00:38:11] Speaker A: Imagine your pain. Like that for the all. All the world. Witness, watch, and follow. What kind of nightmare is fame? I can't even imagine what that must be like. So we're talking about feeding that and being complicit to making people crazy. [00:38:33] Speaker C: Yep. [00:38:35] Speaker A: I absolutely think there's something to that. [00:38:38] Speaker B: I'm wandering afar from this episode. But there is also a thing, particularly like right now in Hollywood, that the amount you get paid for your work goes up based on how much you appear in media. [00:38:52] Speaker C: Yeah. Your followers. [00:38:53] Speaker A: Right. [00:38:53] Speaker C: The number of followers you have on social media is a factor in being cast now. [00:38:58] Speaker B: And the number of times a year I mentioned, like in some magazine. So anytime you see actors going out in some ridiculous outfit, it's to get paid. [00:39:07] Speaker A: Right. [00:39:07] Speaker B: This is my bottom line. Improves if I go out here half naked. [00:39:12] Speaker C: Yeah. So it does speak to this episode in that, like, what they're satirizing the big egos. The money that's at stake, the reputation that's at stake hasn't changed. [00:39:23] Speaker A: Yep. [00:39:24] Speaker C: Mediums may change. [00:39:28] Speaker B: Strapless things. [00:39:35] Speaker C: Although Spears. I did wonder if they were trying to make a subtle point about Speer's dedication to his craft, despite the fact that he's a jerk. Because in the opening when he screams at him about all the notes, you know, I said gentle murmuring, not Circus Maximus or whatever. All the various tirade. He goes on. And then we hear it. You go, that's pretty good notes. Cause that's pretty good. The music slowly kicks in. Then the rain. And the voices in the background. You're like, yeah, he doesn't know how to make good radio. [00:40:07] Speaker A: Right. [00:40:08] Speaker C: The only thing that undercuts it is the intentionally corny performance from Laureen Tuttle. Really over the top. [00:40:15] Speaker A: Right. [00:40:16] Speaker C: And then I also thought it was funny for a moment before I looked up the worth of $2,000 today. I went, they said he got paid 2,000 a week for suspense. Did they just really broadcast William Spears salary? But then I looked it up and, like, there's no way he made the equivalent of $36,000 a week. Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe that's. [00:40:38] Speaker A: Why would it worth in suspense $2,000. [00:40:41] Speaker B: A week right now to live in a house. [00:40:45] Speaker A: 8,000Amonth. [00:40:47] Speaker D: Mm. [00:40:48] Speaker A: I would be not doing this anymore. [00:40:54] Speaker C: Don't listen to him. Patrons, please keep paying his money. We'll keep doing it. [00:40:58] Speaker A: Patrons, for $6,000 a week, here's your perks. [00:41:02] Speaker C: You can come stay in the house. [00:41:04] Speaker A: We will buy a house that you can come live in. [00:41:10] Speaker C: Well, yeah. At one point they even call Roachler the Wonder boy, which is what Orson Welles was commonly called. And to Eric's earlier point about that, this in many ways works as a suspense episode. I thought the idea of putting the contact mic on his wife, then going into full telltale, telltale art and strangling her and having that heartbeat speed up. [00:41:39] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [00:41:39] Speaker C: Then slowly slow down to actually hear the death via the heartbeat was a great piece of dramatic radio parody aside. [00:41:50] Speaker B: And plus then you can actually strangle your sound person who has the contact mic on him. [00:41:54] Speaker C: Clearly that's how they did it. [00:41:56] Speaker A: Right. [00:41:56] Speaker C: I can imagine William's beer, like Bart Simpson style, Tongue lolling out. All the stuff with the contact mic. Just getting into that gritty detail about radio I thought was fantastic. And there are just one or two great lines that I want to mention. Probably the one that made me laugh out loud the hardest. And I actually rewound just to hear it again because I think it was the delivery describing Roachler. He was a small, ugly man who affected a beard. [00:42:35] Speaker B: I took that personally for no good reason. [00:42:39] Speaker C: It is so entirely dismissive with so few words. [00:42:44] Speaker A: Right. [00:42:45] Speaker C: That is impressive. Yeah. And I want to take the time to appreciate his next episode, which was going to be a drama fraught with social significance called A Farewell to Apes. [00:42:59] Speaker B: Oh, my. [00:43:01] Speaker A: Yes. [00:43:02] Speaker C: It poses a subtle political problem. [00:43:08] Speaker B: That was where the Ober was like, that's Ober. [00:43:10] Speaker C: That's. That is so arch oblar. But also sounds a little like Orson Welles Mercury Theater intros and outros a little bit. [00:43:21] Speaker A: So you have some information about our podcast, Is that correct? Some statistics you wanted to show? [00:43:29] Speaker C: Oh, yes. So we're going to do a little sidebar before we vote on this episode because as a special treat for episode 402 of our amazing patrons, Ryan and Mac, thank you both so much. Took on the mammoth task of compiling our votes for each episode we featured on the podcast up through. I think we have, through this recording session. So we're up to episode 395. So this data that I'm about to share is for 395 episodes of this podcast. [00:44:11] Speaker A: I can't believe they did that. [00:44:13] Speaker B: But yes, now deeply regret all my variations on. [00:44:18] Speaker A: Right. [00:44:19] Speaker B: I'm going to call this the pseudo Soda Classic. [00:44:22] Speaker C: Yes. Because that's what they had to deal with. Because our categories are squishy. Yes. And so they came up in order to classify it in a five voting tiers. The timeless classic. That's the number one. Not A classic, but stands the test of time. That's ranked number two. Ranked number three is historically significant, but does not stand the test of time. The fourth ranking is fun, but doesn't really stand the test of time. And the final rating being crap. Not worth revisiting. [00:44:57] Speaker A: Right. Price of fear. Sorry. [00:45:00] Speaker C: Wow. So, using this data, we can come up with some interesting facts about the podcast and about us as human voting machines. [00:45:14] Speaker B: Did they discover that we're classics? [00:45:18] Speaker C: But in terms of classic votes, the three of us are closely clustered. Eric has given out the least. He is the stingiest at 112 classics. [00:45:33] Speaker A: 112? I would have guessed three. [00:45:35] Speaker C: Over the course of 395 episodes, Tim is in second place with 119. And I am apparently the most classic happy with 123. But it's a range of pretty close to 100 and 23 classics were closely. [00:45:54] Speaker A: Aligned just because 13 of them are frontier gentlemen. [00:45:58] Speaker C: That might be true. However, things change a little if you go to the bottom ranking. In contrast to classics, Eric has given out the highest number of worst or crap ratings by a wide margin. He has crapped out 45 crap boats over the course of this. [00:46:24] Speaker A: You can make it 46 because of last week and the Signalman. [00:46:29] Speaker C: Okay, maybe more compared to my 15. Very reasonable. And Tim's adorably paltry seven crack boats. [00:46:40] Speaker A: Wow, Tim. [00:46:41] Speaker C: But those seven episodes, I hated them so much. [00:46:44] Speaker B: So mad. [00:46:45] Speaker A: I will say it takes a lot for Tim to say that, so they must have been just terrible. [00:46:51] Speaker B: Nah, I was just mad. [00:46:54] Speaker C: Now, if you go through, I forgive you. [00:46:56] Speaker B: Seven episodes. [00:46:58] Speaker C: See? [00:46:58] Speaker A: Can't even hang on to it. [00:47:01] Speaker C: If you go through and calculate the mean ranking for all three of us in how we rank episodes going one through five. This is amazing. Eric is the harshest of the three of us with an average 2.31 rating. While Tim and I are almost tied our mean score. I have 2.03 and Tim is exactly 2. Wow. I like that. [00:47:28] Speaker A: It's a mean score. [00:47:29] Speaker C: And finally, I calculated an outlier count, because this is what I was curious about is who is most frequently the farthest from the other two in terms of votes. Given the other scores, it's no surprise to discover that Eric's vote is most frequently the outlier. In 88 episodes, Eric's rating was farther away, either positive or negative, from the other two hosts than either Tim or my rating was. Now, if that makes sense, I, on the other hand, I am an outlier in 60 episodes. Not too far off. Eric. And Tim was the outlier and only 34, making Tim the least likely to give a score, far from the group consensus. That either makes him nice or a sheep. [00:48:20] Speaker D: Whatever you say. [00:48:25] Speaker A: I agree. [00:48:27] Speaker C: He either cares about our feelings or wants to spare himself the discomfort. We'll never know. [00:48:33] Speaker B: Thinking is hard, all right. [00:48:35] Speaker C: And so moving away from the hosts themselves, I'm now like Roachler. Speaking of us in the third person, if you're curious, here are the top five most frequently listened to programs on the podcast so far. Suspense. [00:48:52] Speaker A: Suspense. Yep. [00:48:53] Speaker C: That's easy escape. That is 59 episodes. So by far the second most frequent you called it is escape at 28. Okay, so much farther down. The Shadow is a close second with 23 episodes, followed by Lights out with 20. And in fifth place, Quiet Please with 15 episodes. And Frontier Gentlemen doesn't appear in these rankings too many. And since they did so much work, I want to just share a couple bits of trivia that they logged with these rankings to kind of give us an idea when some of these pivotal moments in the podcast happened in 3, 395 episodes, we only forgot to vote once. [00:49:43] Speaker A: We forgot to vote which episode it was. [00:49:45] Speaker C: Episode 46, the Wardrobe Trunk from NBC Radio City Playhouse. [00:49:50] Speaker A: I don't even remember it. [00:49:52] Speaker C: Ryan arbitrarily assigned our votes as not a classic but stands the test of time. Kind of based vaguely on the way we were talking about it. We can revisit it sometime to vote. [00:50:03] Speaker B: Like a two minute bonus podcast, right? [00:50:06] Speaker C: In episode 54, our discussion of Whence came you from? Quiet please. We trimmed down our opening and finally rid ourselves of the word butt numbing in our regular intro that's on me. [00:50:20] Speaker B: Which I. I overwrote that. [00:50:21] Speaker A: But I also believe that it was Joshua's son Aaron that said to you, you should get rid of the butt numbing. [00:50:30] Speaker C: Very, very well might be. It sounds like something he would say. Yeah, dad. No. In episode 71, our discussion of Dark Journey from Suspense, Eric first utters the directive Tim Tellem stuff. Oh, What? [00:50:44] Speaker D: What? [00:50:44] Speaker C: Episode 71 episodes in and Dark Journey, Patreon memberships began with episode 75, the Wendigo from Theater 1030. So we've been begging for money for longer than I thought we have. And our first quarantine episode was 176 ancient sorceries from Escape. And that's just a little taste of some of the data you can pull from a simple data set, but a time consuming one to put together. So again, that was fun. Yeah. And I am doing my best to update it as I edit each episode. So we will continue to have some information on these episodes. [00:51:27] Speaker A: What did they win for doing that? [00:51:29] Speaker C: They get to continue giving us money. [00:51:35] Speaker B: There is a thank you in the works. [00:51:38] Speaker C: Okay. Yes. [00:51:39] Speaker A: Good, good. Well, now we have to vote. Speaking of votes on fury and sound. [00:51:46] Speaker B: Whatever you guys think, I hate it. [00:51:51] Speaker D: Classic. [00:51:59] Speaker A: I honestly. This is a classic. I loved it. I loved its performance. I love the meta. I love it as a standalone story. I thought it was just wonderful all the way through. I like everything about it. Classic. [00:52:17] Speaker B: Yeah, it's. It is one of those things that. This is a really ambitious idea and these are very talented people who did it excellently. So. Classic. [00:52:25] Speaker C: Yeah. It is a delightful curiosity and an expose of backstage radio, as Speer himself says. And I think it stands the test of time because broadly speaking, the, as we mentioned, the ego, artist, producer, director, gurus continues to be a trope, both in fiction and, sadly, real life. So it's definitely Eric relatable. And so it's keeps its snap as a piece of satire and parody. Is it a classic in the sense that it is foundational radio? Probably not. But is it a classic in the sense that it's experimental, rich with intertextuality? It requires help from outside sources to fully understand? Yes. So it's sort of like the. The Ulysses Infinite Jest classic of old time radio. So I think in a roundabout way, I want to make sure if Ryan and Mac ever have to listen to this episode, they have a hard time figuring out what my vote is. No, I think it's a classic as well. [00:53:38] Speaker B: I thought you said impotent jest. Yeah, like, that's a different book. [00:53:43] Speaker C: That's not really. [00:53:47] Speaker A: Hired Intertextualities, and I'm going to call you on it. I don't think that's a word. [00:53:52] Speaker C: It's a word. [00:53:53] Speaker A: No. We're done. [00:53:54] Speaker D: Wow. [00:53:55] Speaker C: The podcast is over. All right, thank you, everybody. [00:54:01] Speaker A: Tim, for the 328th time, tell them stuff. [00:54:04] Speaker B: Please go visit ghoulishdlast.com you know what's. I mean, this is episode 400. Jesus, why did I. Gotta. Come on, people. You'll find other episodes there. You can. You can, you know, click around. There's a bunch of buttons. [00:54:19] Speaker C: Look at stuff. Let's get off our backs. [00:54:23] Speaker B: I'm so tired. You'll also find a link to our store if you want, like, some swag to commemorate. By golly, I've been there for a long time listening to these episodes and I deserve a treat. Yes. Get yourself a T shirt and then feel good about yourself. And you can go to our Patreon page. [00:54:42] Speaker C: Yes, go to patreon.com themorals and you too can become an indentured servant to us. I have to thank Ryan and Mac again and they are also fantastic and they frequently come and see our live shows. Ryan lives here and he is at almost every show. Ryan and his wife Jody, both patrons and we see them regularly. So thank you guys. [00:55:14] Speaker B: And not jerks like so many of the other. [00:55:17] Speaker C: So many of you other people who don't come to see our shows. And Mac on several occasions has driven from out of state to come see us perform. So thank you both. So yeah, if you want to one day live up to Mac and Ryan, you can go to patreon.com themorals and become a member of the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society. [00:55:42] Speaker A: And speaking of coming to see us performing live, the Mysterious Old Radio. Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Theater Company. [00:55:50] Speaker C: Did you just forget our name? [00:55:52] Speaker A: Uh huh. [00:55:54] Speaker B: Is it too long? We should cut it. [00:55:56] Speaker C: Cut the button. [00:55:57] Speaker A: It's like I'm being introduced at one of our shows. We do live on stage recreations of classic old time radio shows and a lot of our own original work. Come see us performing audio drama by going to ghoulishdelights.com and there you'll find out where we're performing, what we're performing and how to get tickets. And if you can't make it, being a Patreon also gets you access to the audio recordings of those shows. Gentlemen, after 400 episodes, thank you so much. I love you both so much. [00:56:30] Speaker E: Thank you. I love you too. [00:56:32] Speaker C: What is Share your affection for me. [00:56:36] Speaker A: What is Coming up next. [00:56:38] Speaker B: Brace yourselves. It's time for the ninth year in a row, we'll be listening to an adaptation of the Signalman. This year it's from CBC Mystery Theater. Until then.