Episode 414: The Blue Rocket Express

[00:00:16] Speaker A: The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society podcast. Welcome to the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society, a podcast dedicated to suspense, crime and horror stories from the golden age of radio. I'm Eric. [00:00:36] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:00:36] Speaker C: And I'm Joshua. [00:00:37] Speaker A: We love old time radio stories, but do they Stand the test of time? That's what we're here to find out. [00:00:43] Speaker B: This week I brought the Blue Rocket Express from the Adventures of the Abbotts, a series based on detective novels by Francis Crane. These stories feature Pat and Jean Abbott, the husband and wife team with a knack for solving murders. The show ran from 1954 to 1955, starring Les Damon and Claudia Morgan, but was preceded by the Abbot Mov Mysteries, another adaptation of the Crane novels, which ran from 1945 to 1947. Like the books upon which this series is based, well, most of the books, the title of each episode always includes a color. The first novel in the series, the Turquoise Shop, was published in 1941 and was followed by more installments over the course of 24 years. One of them was entitled the Polka Dot Murder, so technically not a color. [00:01:25] Speaker C: Frances Crane was born in Lawrenceville, Illinois in 1890, and she had her own fair share of adventures. She was expelled from Nazi Germany in the 1930s after publicly thumbing her nose at a broadcast of one of Hitler's speeches and claiming to be Jewish despite her Scottish Presbyterian heritage. [00:01:46] Speaker A: The Abbotts borrow liberally from their predecessors, Nick and Nora Charles, as well as Jerry and Pam north, but the Adventure of the Abbotts had their own copycat series called It's a crime, Mr. Collins, which even included a color in the title of every episode. [00:02:01] Speaker B: The Adventures of the Abbotts ran for a total of 35 shows, of which about half can be found online, as they were when rebroadcast by the Armed forces radio in 1957. This particular episode, the Blue Rocket Express, is one of those, although it was first heard on April 17, 1955. [00:02:17] Speaker C: It's late at night and a chill has set in. You're alone and the only light you see is coming from an antique radio. Listen to the sounds coming from the speaker, listen to the music and listen to the voices. [00:02:33] Speaker D: After all, traveling on a luxury train is very glamorous. But did you ever read one of those timetables where it says Baggage car note does not carry corpse? [00:03:00] Speaker E: The National Broadcasting Company presents the Adventures of the Abbotts, starring Claudia Morgan and Les Draiman as Pat and Gene Abbott, the nationally popular characters of detective fiction created by Francis Crane. NBC invites you to join Pat and Gene each week at this time for an exciting recorded adventure in romance and crime. Tonight's story, the Blue Rocket Express. And here is Gene Abbott to set the stage for our puzzle and murder. [00:03:38] Speaker D: Pat's office is in San Francisco, but he'd been called to New York on a case. And in order to clear it up, we had to take the Blue Rocket from New York to Chicago for a quick one day visit. And then we planned to take the rocket back to New York again. We checked our luggage through and we were strolling into Grand Central Terminal. [00:04:00] Speaker E: Gene? [00:04:02] Speaker D: Yes, Pat? [00:04:03] Speaker E: The train doesn't leave for 20 minutes. Why do you always drag me to trains nine years ahead of time? Now what are we supposed to do? Stand around the terminal twiddling our thumbs? [00:04:13] Speaker D: Don't get excited, dear. They open the train a half hour early. See track 32. It's open already. So come on, stop being a typical husband and get on the train. [00:04:23] Speaker E: Of all the silly things dragging me here so early that I. Oh, you go ahead. [00:04:28] Speaker D: Why? [00:04:29] Speaker E: I need razor blades and cigarettes and a couple of magazines I forgot to buy. [00:04:32] Speaker D: Uh huh. We got here too early. Well, you're lucky I brought you here so fast. You'd have forgotten about it. [00:04:37] Speaker E: Okay, now just stop being a typical wife and get on the train. [00:04:46] Speaker D: I checked our space at the desk inside the gate and went into the lounge car. I just lit a cigarette when the only other passenger in the lounge, a small bespectacled chap, nodded at me quite cheerfully. [00:04:59] Speaker E: Rather pleasant to board the train early, isn't it? [00:05:01] Speaker D: Yes, yes, it's very comfortable. [00:05:03] Speaker E: Are you going to Chicago or on to California? [00:05:07] Speaker D: Just to Chicago for the moment. [00:05:09] Speaker E: Oh, My name's Duffield. Professor Ernest Duffield. [00:05:13] Speaker D: Mine's Abbott. Gene Abbott. You with the University of Chicago, Professor? [00:05:18] Speaker E: Oh, no, no, no, no. I'm going to California. I'm in the through car. [00:05:23] Speaker D: Oh. Well, how do they work that? I've always flown across. [00:05:26] Speaker E: Well, you see, they switch the car off in Chicago and then hitch it on to the back of the El Dorado. That way, as they say in the ads, you don't have to change trains. [00:05:35] Speaker D: What do you teach, Professor? [00:05:38] Speaker E: Well, I'm not teaching anymore, Mrs. Abbott. I'm doing research. [00:05:41] Speaker D: Oh. [00:05:41] Speaker E: Matter of fact, that's why I'm going to Los Angeles to a conference. [00:05:45] Speaker D: And what's your subject? [00:05:49] Speaker E: Bacterial warfare. [00:05:50] Speaker D: Oh, I hate those words. Thank heavens no one's tried that yet. [00:05:55] Speaker E: Oh, but they have. [00:05:57] Speaker D: That sounds horrible. What is this conference in California? [00:06:02] Speaker E: I'm very sorry indeed, but I cannot discuss that. It would be classified Information. Now if you'll excuse me. [00:06:08] Speaker D: Oh, please, please don't go. My husband would love to meet you. [00:06:10] Speaker E: Well, I'd be delighted to meet him too, but I'm, well, sort of an old eccentric, I guess you might say. I can't stand crowds. The moment the train fills up, I prefer retiring to my compartment until the end of the trip. I'm alone. I can relax, read. [00:06:27] Speaker D: Goodbye, Professor. It's been most interesting. [00:06:30] Speaker E: Thank you, Mrs. Abbott. Good evening. Well, well. Leaving us so soon, friend? My name is Charlie Drake. Stick around, friend. I have a few stories you like. I, I, I beg your pardon. Get him. He ain't square. He's oblong. How about you, ma'? [00:06:42] Speaker D: Am? [00:06:42] Speaker E: I guess we might as well be friends. We're fellow travelers in the old shoot shoe. Drake's the name. Charlie Drake. I'm the original. Good time Charlie. [00:06:48] Speaker D: Uh huh. [00:06:49] Speaker E: Are you traveling alone, honey? Just a small town girl at the mercy of all the traveling salesmen. [00:06:54] Speaker D: No, no, no. I'm with my husband. [00:06:56] Speaker E: Oh, well, that ties it. [00:06:58] Speaker D: In fact, here he comes. [00:06:59] Speaker E: Well, I got everything I needed. [00:07:01] Speaker D: Gene, Pat, this is Charlie Drake, my husband. [00:07:04] Speaker E: How are you? Hi. Look, how's for all of us? Whipping up a little bridge game. Let's see, there's three of us here. Who's that fellow over there in the corner? Anybody know him? The old geezer? [00:07:11] Speaker D: No, we don't. [00:07:12] Speaker E: What do you say there, stranger? How about for being a fourth at bridge, eh? Oh, foxy grandpa. A little on the deaf side, huh? Well, I can always keep the folks happy. I don't believe I caught your name. I'm Pat Abbott. This is my wife, Jean. Going little old Chicago, are you? So am I. I'd love to be on that through car to sunny California, but business forbids. You got nice accommodations. [00:07:33] Speaker D: Yes, yes, we're quite happy about it. [00:07:35] Speaker E: Well, look, I'm in car 181, compartment C. Open day and night, never a dull moment. Anytime you're feeling blue, you want a few laughs. Call on your friend. Good friend Charlie. Hey, have you two heard the one about the near sighted octopus and the bagpipes? Have you? You'll bust your buttons, kid. This one's a real knee slapper. Now listen here. It seems the Octopus went to a. Who is it? Pullman. Conductor, sir. Urgent telegram for Professor Duffield. Oh, all right. Just a moment to find the light and my bathrobe. Yes. Shut up. Professor, get back into your compartment. What are you doing with that gun? Who are you? What do you want? You're bringing something to that California conference, Professor. It's a culture. Little germs in a flask. I don't know what you're talking about. Now, don't stall. There's no time. I know all about it. You've made a discovery. It's the most powerful bacterial weapon ever devised. The easiest to make, quickest, cheapest. Now, where is it? Where's the flask? Get out of here. I want the flask, professor, and right now. Be smart and turn it over. Who are you? Well, I guess you'd call me a salesman. I pick up little items like yours and then put them on the open market, sell them to the highest bidder. You'd be surprised how these items draw customers in America, Mexico City, Cairo, Berlin. I get around, I do, very nicely. Now, where's the flask? Stay away from there. Is it in the medicine cabinet? Hmm? All I have to do is shout the conductor, will you open your mouth and I'll put half a dozen bullets into that celebrated brain of yours. The flask in one of your valooses. I'm going to give you five seconds to get out of this compartment. The flask is top secret property of the United States government. Must be out of your mind, trying to get away with a thing like this. I've done pretty well before in our talk. Up, Professor. Where the devil is that culture? I said I'd wait five seconds. You've about used them up. You don't really want to die, do you, Professor? You have so much to contribute to America. Why get yourself knocked off? Don't you have a family, Professor? Friends? Don't you want to go on living, Professor? You're just begging to be killed, and I'm just the guy to do it. You know, I. I could even make it worth your while, Professor. I'll get lots of dough for the flask. Maybe I could cut you in for a piece. Now, where is the blasted culture, Professor? Don't touch that bell. Keep your hands off that bell or I'll crack your head open with this gun. So help me out. [00:10:48] Speaker D: After Pat and I left the lounge, we didn't see the professor or Good Time Charlie for the rest of the trip. We left the train at Chicago without knowing there was anything wrong. Neither did anybody else. Pat tended to his business and then took a relaxing spin on Lakeshore Drive in a cab. And by early evening, we were back on the return trip of the Blue Rocket Express, heading for New York after dinner in our compartment. Pat, I've been wondering. This is car 181. Compartment C. Now, where did I hear that before? [00:11:27] Speaker E: From that big boar, Charlie. He said this was his compartment on the way to Chicago. I'm awfully tired, darling. I think I'll hit the hay. [00:11:36] Speaker D: I'm wide awake. Night owl Gene, they call me. [00:11:39] Speaker E: Okay, you go on up to the lounge. I'm gonna ring for the porter and have him make up the berths. I'm knocked out. [00:11:46] Speaker D: Well, thank goodness we lost good time, Charlie. I was afraid we'd run into him again or when we got off in Chicago. [00:11:53] Speaker E: Yes, come in. Oh, porter, make up our berths, please. Thank you. [00:11:58] Speaker D: Oh, I'll step out of your way, porter. You can pull down that upper. Pat. Look, there's a body up there. [00:12:11] Speaker E: Yes, a dead body. Oh, get the conductor, please, porter. Someone did quite a job on him. [00:12:19] Speaker D: Well, it. It's Professor Duffield. [00:12:23] Speaker E: What? Who's he? [00:12:23] Speaker D: Well, I. I met him in the lounge car when we were at the leaving New York before you got here. He's a scientist and expert on bacteriological warfare. [00:12:31] Speaker E: Well, that makes it worse. Much worse. You better have the conductor notify the FBI immediately. [00:12:36] Speaker D: But this wasn't his compartment. What was he doing in here? [00:12:39] Speaker E: Reporter tells me someone's died in here. Yes, conductor. When he lowered the birth a moment ago, we found this body. What are your names? Mr. And Mrs. Patrick Abbott. All right, I'll find another space for you. Don't discuss this with anyone under any circumstances except for police. I'll have them aboard on it. Our next stop and we'll take care of everything. Now just keep calm and keep quiet. Don't go to sleep in the space I give you until I've had a chance to get more information. [00:13:01] Speaker D: This man, the dead man, was in the wrong compartment. [00:13:06] Speaker E: What do you mean? [00:13:07] Speaker D: Well, I met him on the way to Chicago on this train last night. If he was murdered and then his body was shoved into the upper berth and left field there, this is not the compartment he had for himself. His name is Professor Duffield. He was originally on the thru car to California. [00:13:25] Speaker E: He was in highly classified government work. Conductor, you better report that instantly when you contact the police. My schedule book says the man who occupied this space on our trip out was a Mr. Charles Drake. Now, conductor, my wife wouldn't make a mistake. Besides, Charlie Drake of Good Time Charlie, as he called himself, got off in Chicago. This is not Drake. Look, would you do something for me? Oh, what is it? Here are my credentials. I'm a private investigator. The New York police will know my name. If you want a Check. So will the FBI and the Pentagon. I've been on cases involving classified material. You tell all this to the police, Abbott. I'm just a conductor trying to get a train in New York. All right? Now, this train is a radiophone. So has the Eldorado. And time may be terribly important. Would you let me call them? What for? I want to ask them if Professor Duffield is aboard. He's lying there dead, isn't he? Look, just let me make the. I have a theory. There's a phone in the diesel cab of the El Dorado. I read about it in the magazine. I can't let people play games. Now, Mr. Rabbit, I have to see if there's a doctor aboard. I have to contact the police at the next town. Just the one call. I have the right to do that, don't I? Look, I can't get away, can I? You can listen to the conversation if you like. I'm telling you, this may mean the solution of the case. Okay, make your call. There's two cars ahead. Thanks. Come on, Gene. Where are we, conductor? And what time is it? Approaching manfield, Ohio. It's 8:55, mobile operator. This is ry 64372. I want bx6 500. [00:15:04] Speaker D: Oh, you think you'll get through, Pat? [00:15:06] Speaker E: Probably. I've got to ask him this question. [00:15:08] Speaker D: I don't get it. Professor Duffield's dead in compartment C, and then you're calling Eldorado. [00:15:15] Speaker E: This is Patrick Abbott. I'm a private detective aboard the streamliner Blue Rocket. You what? Okay, get on. Conductor. Hello, Eldorado? This is John L. McLeod. Conductor, abort 15. Yes, yes, it's all right. I understand. Yes. What's your question, Abbott? Do they have a Professor Ernest Duffield aboard? Passenger for Union Station, Los Angeles, in a compartment on the through car. Duffield or LA in the through car. Got a passenger that description. [00:15:51] Speaker D: Well, [00:15:53] Speaker E: but what's the answer? Yes. Are you certain? He is. Thank you. Goodbye. [00:16:01] Speaker D: What'd they say? [00:16:02] Speaker E: They have a Professor Duffield. He's fine. Enjoying the trip. Of all the ridiculous gags to. [00:16:07] Speaker D: Well, that's impossible. The dead man is the professor. [00:16:10] Speaker E: All right, the police will take over shortly. We'll find out all the answers. They're getting aboard at the next stop. Two or three minutes now. You said you'd find another space for us. Yes, yes, I'll try. Now, please, please. You wait here. I'll be back shortly. All right. This is just what I wanted. [00:16:26] Speaker D: What are you going to do? [00:16:27] Speaker E: Follow me to the door? Now, never mind the Conductor has been so nice. I wouldn't want to spoil a beautiful friendship. Now, this train is slowing down. Just stand here. I'll get these latches open on this door. Now, in about 10 seconds, as the train slows down some more, you jump. [00:16:48] Speaker D: What? [00:16:48] Speaker E: Just fall easy. You'll tumble on the ground a bit, that's all. [00:16:52] Speaker D: Well, you can't skip out now. We're in the middle of nowhere. You'll be. [00:16:55] Speaker E: We need every second there without any interference. Are you ready? [00:17:00] Speaker D: The train's going too fast. [00:17:01] Speaker E: I'm not jump. [00:17:09] Speaker D: We were lucky. We landed on soft ground. Oh, thank goodness. The train wasn't going quickly. It was very dark. We were in deep grass somewhere in the middle of Ohio. No lights anywhere. Nothing. [00:17:23] Speaker E: Now let's see if we can. [00:17:26] Speaker D: If we can what, my dear? Crazy. Mr. Abbott, exactly how do we solve a murder case involving a top flight scientist? By roaming around here by the railroad tracks? [00:17:36] Speaker E: Dear, this is Mansfield. I saw on the timetable that the El Dorados do at La junta, Colorado about 5:40 in the morning. Now, if we can find a road and get a hitch and grab a plane. [00:17:46] Speaker D: Yes, if. [00:17:47] Speaker E: Look. Look through the grass. There's a paved road way up there. I saw a headlight. Come on, let's try for that hitch. Hurry, Gene. [00:17:59] Speaker D: We got the hitch in an old Model T. A very friendly farmer picked us up and told us there was a small airport about 15 miles away. A young veteran was operating a cargo plane service out of it. We bounced along the 15 miles in the old Lizzie, rattling like the famous skeletons on a tin roof. At the airport we met the veteran. We thought we'd have trouble, but he was an eager kid and the idea of trying to catch the El Dorado appealed to him. We stepped into his plane. [00:18:28] Speaker E: Yeah, I think we can do it, Mr. Abbott. Where do you figure on landing? Well, that would be up to you, of course, but I'd like to pick them up somewhere on La Junta. If not, perhaps we might catch them in New Mexico. Okay, now you keep the timetable of the El Dorado in front of me and I'll head for La Junta. [00:18:42] Speaker D: Isn't that country out there pretty rugged? [00:18:44] Speaker E: Yes, ma'. Am. Cliffs, hilly, rough terrain. [00:18:46] Speaker D: Well, can you make a landing out there where we can walk away from? [00:18:50] Speaker E: Ma', am, I used to fly over a spot called the Hump back in the war. From a Sam Becoming. You can fly over that. Anything else is a vacation with hay. Fine. That's a help. It's all we need. Real soupy storm. Now we've Got to get through. Cross your fingers. I'm taking off. Only, by the way. [00:19:11] Speaker D: Yes? [00:19:12] Speaker E: There aren't any parachutes. [00:19:21] Speaker D: We took off. Pat and I squatted on bucket seats in the back. The weather was off. The little plane rocked, rolled and practically stood still in midair. Time was passing. Precious time. Pat? [00:19:40] Speaker E: Yes, Gene? [00:19:41] Speaker D: How do you fellas do it? [00:19:43] Speaker E: Do what? [00:19:44] Speaker D: Just sit there quiet like as if you were on a pleasure jaunt. Me? I've bitten what's left of my nails. I've recited pertinent excerpts from a book I read called how to Keep Calm in a Crisis. [00:19:56] Speaker E: Well, just relax. There's work to be done. [00:19:59] Speaker D: Oh, yes, you always say that, but you have ice water in your veins. You're the rugged type. Me, I'm the delicate scare, real easy type. [00:20:09] Speaker E: It's none of my business, Mr. Abbott, it's kind of silly to ask now, but are you 100% certain this trip was necessary? Why couldn't you have left the to the police where the train stopped? Because I'm after that train. By the time I convinced the authorities about who I am, what I suspected, what was going on and forth through the right channels to the right authorities, it'll be all over. But really over. [00:20:33] Speaker D: How to keep calm in a crisis. Remember the key words. What the dickens are those key words? [00:20:40] Speaker E: I'm down about as low as I can get. We ought to be directly over the railroad tracks. Can't get any lower. We'll smack up. Well, have you got any field glasses in this flying percolator? Yeah, around here somewhere. See if you can spot the train. It shouldn't be too hard. The El Dorado's got a headlight that throws a beam about a half a mile. I've got the glasses. I'm watching. [00:21:01] Speaker D: Pat, we're awfully low. [00:21:02] Speaker E: Yes, ma'. [00:21:02] Speaker D: Am. If he suddenly spots anything and has to climb to avoid it, we might stall. Mightn't. [00:21:07] Speaker E: Just relax, dear. I told you, you before you see the train. No, no, not yet. Well, you better see it soon. Mr. Abbott, I can't keep this up indefinitely. If we come to a very high spot, I may not be able to hedgehog like I'm doing. It should be here, unless it's late. I don't see a thing. Just miles of track. I can just about make out the tracks. This storm is cutting the visibility down too much. [00:21:31] Speaker D: Are you positive you're right about the time and the place? [00:21:34] Speaker E: Yes, absolutely. The only thing could throw us is if that train is very late. That could be. Then we'd have to backtrack. [00:21:40] Speaker D: Well, it probably is late with this weather. [00:21:42] Speaker E: If you just keep mum, dear, I. Wait a minute. Wait. Wait a second. I spotted it. I see it. The streamliner. About 20 cars. There's no freight. This is lit up like a Christmas tree down there. [00:21:55] Speaker D: Oh, thank heavens. [00:21:56] Speaker E: Now what can you get about 10 or 15 miles ahead of her and find a place to sit this plane down? I can try. Oh, my aching GI back. Find a place to sit down here, huh? We've got to. My friend, the scientist with top secret information has been killed. His head was bashed in. Holy. Aunt Hannah, is that what you. Strip. The killers are on that train. So put it down, sweet and gentle and make it real fast. If I can see a big enough stretch. This is a very small plane. But that doesn't mean we can land on a dime. You know, I had. Wait a minute. I see a spot. It doesn't look too bad. Of course, that rain's got so many puddles going. We could land and maybe hit a ditch or a gully or give hole and turn right over. I'll never see it coming. All right, all right. Put it down, pal. [00:22:39] Speaker D: Huh? [00:22:39] Speaker E: Right where you think we have a chance to make it. [00:22:40] Speaker D: Okay. [00:22:41] Speaker E: Now, if I. If I overshoot this field. There's a cliff up ahead there, see? We'll go right off the cliff. Put it down, I said. Steady. Ginger. [00:22:52] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:22:52] Speaker E: Brace yourself against that seat. Wish I could see, see more, but here goes. Start praying. Easy, boy. Easy. That's it. [00:23:07] Speaker D: Pat, I. I can't look. [00:23:08] Speaker E: Easy. This is it. Now, [00:23:15] Speaker D: past the cliff. [00:23:17] Speaker E: We're too close. We're too close. Made it. [00:23:23] Speaker D: Oh, [00:23:27] Speaker E: beautiful job. Now, look, you got emergency flare under the seat. Fine, I'll take a few. [00:23:32] Speaker D: What in the world are you going to do now? [00:23:34] Speaker E: Set these off on the track in front of the El Dorado and hope there isn't an accident. They do 90 miles an hour on some of these stretches. [00:23:48] Speaker D: He ran through the rain to the track. The pilot stayed back with his plane and was to join us later. [00:23:54] Speaker E: I'll light a flare here, Gene. [00:23:59] Speaker A: There. [00:24:00] Speaker E: Just hope the rain doesn't kill it. You hear the train coming? [00:24:03] Speaker D: No, not yet. [00:24:04] Speaker E: Okay, put another flare here. There. Now, let's see. No curves on this approach. That's good. The engineer will see the flares early. Only it takes them almost a mile to come to a full stop. There, that's it. Now just wait and watch. [00:24:28] Speaker D: Pat, you need a gun if you're going to board this train. [00:24:30] Speaker E: Yes, I need a lot of things. But I don't have any of them. I just have to take my chances. Good. He's seen it. Keep wide of the track, Gene. Very wide. [00:24:39] Speaker D: Yes, I am, dear. [00:24:41] Speaker E: He's slowing down. Now, look. When it gets to very slow speed, you watch down the left side. Watch the car doors. Someone might try to sneak off. I'll watch to my right. Shout if you see anything suspicious. She stops. Run down a way so you can see more of the train. That's the girl. Now look for the conductor. Don't say anything. Let me do all the talking. There he is. There comes the conductor. Hey. Hey, what's up? I set those flares, conductor. What's the matter? Is this part of washout? What's wrong here? My name is Abbott. Pat Abbott. This is my wife, Jean. I'm a private detective. We had to stop your train. Why? I want to see a passenger of yours immediately. Professor Duffield. We called you about it on the radio phone, remember? I have no time to explain the true car. The last one. Yes, ma'. Am. But wait a minute. You have no right to do this. You've already broken the law. Sitting up flares like Ken. All right, now, you come with me. There's a murder involved. Any armed police aboard? We could use them. No. And if what you're telling me is a lot of malarkey, step up, Jean. All right. Now, which compartment is Professor Duffy's? Compartment D. Here it is. [00:25:48] Speaker D: Path. [00:25:48] Speaker E: Sorry, conductor. I'm going in. Now, just a minute. You. You can't just. Yes, what is it, Pat? [00:25:52] Speaker D: Pat, it's Charlie. Good time, Charlie. [00:25:55] Speaker E: What are you doing here? I thought. You thought that we were on our way to New York by now, Charlie. Yes, we might have been. Well, Mr. Rabbit, there's Professor Duffield now. What's all the excitement about? You're talking to Professor Duffield. This man is not Duffield. Doctor. Get out of my way. Stay where you are. Charlie. Charlie. This man has been masquerading as Professor Duffield. He murdered the professor and the blue rocket to Chicago. Then he hid the body in the upper berth of his compartment. You don't. Get out of my way. He left the body in your own compartment. Then you took the professor's space in the through car. All the crews are changed. You told everyone in the El Dorado that you were Duffield. All right, Abbott. If you won't get out of the way, put down that guard. Everybody out of my way. I'll shoot anybody that tries to follow me. Don't move till I'm off This car, [00:26:32] Speaker D: Pat, how we stop him. [00:26:33] Speaker E: I'll get after him. That flasky he took with him may be terribly important. [00:26:36] Speaker D: Pat, come back. He'll kill you. [00:26:38] Speaker E: He's left the crane. I can see him through this window. He's running up the hill out there. [00:26:41] Speaker D: Pat, don't. [00:26:42] Speaker E: The door he sent there. I got it. Come back, Charlie. I told you not to follow me. Abbott. Side to side. I said come back. I won't miss this. Oh, look out. Behind you, the cliff. [00:27:10] Speaker D: Charlie, gripping the flask, fell 3,000ft. And turning to fire at Pat, he didn't notice that he was beside that same ominous cliff we almost went over. We were in the plane. Sometime later, Pat and I were back on the El Dorado. The conductor and local police were conferring about the crime. Pat and I were having hot coffee in the lounge. [00:27:34] Speaker E: I know exactly what you're going to say. [00:27:36] Speaker D: Do you? [00:27:37] Speaker E: Yes. You're very upset because I took so many chances. [00:27:40] Speaker D: Well, I certainly am. After all these years of married life. I've become rather fond of you, Patrick, and I'd hate to see your pardon. [00:27:47] Speaker E: Mr. Abbott. Oh, Mrs. Abbott. [00:27:49] Speaker D: Oh, hello. I remember you from the Blue Rocket. You're the gentleman who wouldn't play bridge with us. [00:27:56] Speaker E: Yes. I think I'd best introduce myself. I am Professor Ernesto Field. [00:28:02] Speaker D: You're what? [00:28:03] Speaker E: That is correct. My identification papers. Would you care to see them, Mr. Abbott? Mm, yes. They told me what you did. I am extremely grateful. And so, I imagine, is the government. It is quite simple. The man Charles Drake murdered was hired to impersonate me. I was bitterly opposed to the idea, but the Scientists commission insisted upon it. I pleaded with them, but they wouldn't listen. The chap volunteered for the job, fully realizing how dangerous it was. Well, professor, your flask is gone. I presume it contains something. Something very valuable. It was supposed to contain something valuable. Mr. Abbott and Mr. Drake went to great pains to find it. But of course, it was worthless. The flask Mr. Drake died with in his hand was a nickel's worth of colored water. The real flask obviously is being sent to California by other means. [00:28:58] Speaker D: And how do we know you're Professor Duffield? I don't like to seem rude or melodramatic, but couldn't those identification papers be a government manufactured fake? For security reasons? Couldn't you be a government agent, maybe impersonating Duffield too? Did the government take the chance of revealing who the real man is even now? [00:29:19] Speaker E: Did they? Mrs. Abbott, [00:29:26] Speaker D: Pat and I finally got back aboard the Blue Rocket on Our way to New York. We were alone in our bedroom. Pat, do you realize you haven't kissed me since we left New York 3 days ago? [00:29:38] Speaker E: My, my. That's quite a debt I owe, isn't it? [00:29:40] Speaker D: You owe me 228 kisses, plus interest and carrying charges, a grand total of 343. Wow. [00:29:49] Speaker E: I better start paying off, huh? [00:29:54] Speaker D: You'll find this is a very friendly bank, Mr. Abbott. We wouldn't mind at all if you'd overdraw your account. Moral of the story. There are plenty of fast express trains from Chicago to New York, but if you have a handsome husband who likes to make love to you, don't be a fool. Take a slow tr. [00:30:41] Speaker E: The National Broadcasting Company has presented the Adventures of the Abbotts, starring Claudia Morgan and Les Damon as those nationally popular personalities of detective fiction. Pat and Gene Abbott. Created by Francis Crane, the cast included Kenny Del Mar, Louis Van Rutten and Mandel Kramer. The Adventures of the Abbott was written by Howard Merrill, original music composed and conducted by Dewey Bergman, produced by Ted Lloyd and Bernard L. Shubert, directed and recorded by Harry Frazee. This is Bill Rippey speaking. Next week, same time, same station, another exciting adventure in crime with Pat and Gene in the Adventures of the Abbotts. This is the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. [00:31:48] Speaker A: That was the Blue Rocket Express from the Adventures of the Abbotts, here on the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society podcast once again. I'm Eric. [00:31:57] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:31:57] Speaker C: And I'm Joshua. [00:31:58] Speaker A: Tim brought that to the podcast this week. I want to start things off by doing this. [00:32:08] Speaker D: Wow. [00:32:09] Speaker A: He didn't see that, but I just gave Tim a standing ovation. That was phenomenal. Boy, I enjoyed every single moment of that. Also very interesting. I don't know what. I've never once listened to the Adventures of the Abbotts because. Because I see that title and I go, it's a comedy, right? It's like the. The Abbott family. A bunch of habits, and they're at home and, oh, how are they going to do their taxes this year? You know, like, oh, don't open the closet full of stuff. So, like, that's what I thought the Adventures of the Abbotts was. This was great. I love that she's the narrator of this. Is she always the narrator in these? She's fantastic, that actor. I like how they wrote for her. Oh, my God. We went. We were in a train, then we were flying and we were stopping the train and we were solving things. [00:33:02] Speaker C: I was waiting for Steve Martin and John Candy to show up right then. [00:33:07] Speaker A: There was that guy that was deaf. Turned out to be a different guy. It was good. That was really good. I loved it. [00:33:15] Speaker B: So the last time we listened to an adventure of the Abbotts. [00:33:18] Speaker A: Oh, we'd done this before. [00:33:21] Speaker C: Shut out. [00:33:23] Speaker A: When did we do this? Did I hate it? Well, this was great. [00:33:30] Speaker C: This is different. [00:33:31] Speaker B: Yes. [00:33:31] Speaker C: Than the other one we listened to. [00:33:33] Speaker A: Before we get into this. What other adventure of the Abbotts? What was the other? [00:33:37] Speaker B: Clicking silver. It was about smuggling uranium out of a nuclear facility. [00:33:42] Speaker A: That sounds good. [00:33:43] Speaker C: There was a threat of a spanking. [00:33:46] Speaker A: Oh, I remember that. [00:33:48] Speaker C: And I dismissed it. And I had to argue with some people online who said it was sexist. And I was like, no, it's S [00:33:55] Speaker B: and M. The more of these I listen to. This is a couple that has safe words. [00:34:01] Speaker C: Yes. I feel really justified in my previous reading of the Spanking based on the end of this episode, which is like, whoa. They're just like the extended slow train sounds. Stop imagining a tunnel. Stop imagining a tunnel. [00:34:18] Speaker A: But so embarrassed right now. [00:34:21] Speaker B: I don't mention it to embarrass you. That's just a. A side effect. That's a happy bonus. One of the things I reacted to that was so strange about this series to me, that I was like, I don't know if I like this, but it's fascinating, is how terrible this couple is as human beings, particularly in the one we listened to before. They're just nasty to people around them, and we're just identifying now as some sort of psychosexual relationship that making each other jealous. They need each other, they resent each other, they're toying with each other, which I know that is none of what you just expressed about what you enjoyed about this episode. [00:35:03] Speaker A: Yeah, I don't pay any attention to any of that. They were on a plane, see? [00:35:09] Speaker B: And so when listening to it, they [00:35:10] Speaker A: jumped off the train. [00:35:12] Speaker B: Yes, it was awesome. It was fun and exciting, but I'm not really getting that gross ickiness that I loved about this before until the very end when it's made clear like, none of this was necessary. You risked a lot of loss lives in people's ears for nothing. [00:35:28] Speaker C: Yes. [00:35:28] Speaker A: Yes. [00:35:29] Speaker B: Because that was the satisfying of what I was looking for. [00:35:32] Speaker C: And by the very end, I was like, that was 30 minutes of foreplay for these guys. [00:35:40] Speaker B: They will say at the beginning of this adventure of adventure and romance and mystery. And by romance, they mean, like, [00:35:49] Speaker C: yeah, [00:35:56] Speaker A: Don't ever make that noise again. [00:35:58] Speaker B: You know what I mean? [00:36:00] Speaker A: Send me that clip. That's Tim's ringtone Who the hell is calling you? It's Tim. [00:36:10] Speaker B: It's better than they recognize it. [00:36:11] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:36:12] Speaker B: Oh, that's Tim. [00:36:14] Speaker A: Oh, I know that sound. [00:36:16] Speaker C: Yeah, it's pretty sexually charged at the end. And to support your other reading of their weird relationship is they're a little prickly with each other right at the top, arguing about like, oh, you're being a typical wife. I have to buy this, blah, blah, blah. But as soon as some person outside their relationship questions his wife, he's like, my wife is never wrong about these things. He's, like, ready to punch him out. [00:36:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:36:42] Speaker C: Eric's like, but anyway, they were on this plane. [00:36:46] Speaker A: They opened up the compartment and there was a dead guy in it. [00:36:50] Speaker B: And I can't help but think, like, maybe people keep asking you, like, what if you just told the police? No, no time to get through all that rigmarole. I need to hitch a ride, hopefully from somebody in the middle of Ohio to get a plane. Maybe, if I can find one. [00:37:08] Speaker C: But to Eric's point, I agree, the level of adventuring that happens in that second half surprised me, and I think it was well done. It's thrilling. But then to marry it with Tim's point, I think why it was so thrilling to me is that notion of, screw everybody else. I'm the only guy that can do this, right. [00:37:31] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:37:32] Speaker C: And no, we're not waiting. We're jumping out of this train right now. That setup is what, to me, made it so exciting. And the fact that they're just up to then a married couple going on a business trip. And then when they suddenly, like, we're going to jump out of the train, and she's like, what? And she says, well, fortunately, the train was going slow for a train. [00:37:56] Speaker A: Right. [00:37:57] Speaker B: I particularly love the. Well, then we landed on soft ground. [00:38:01] Speaker A: Yeah, right. [00:38:02] Speaker C: Presumably, they landed having sex. [00:38:07] Speaker A: Okay, what if I do like how they justify it, though? And he says, why don't you just call the police? And he says, by the time this, this, this, this, this, it'll be too late. The only way to stop this is by not going through the proper channels. So I like the justification in the writing. [00:38:26] Speaker C: It is a justification, but again, I'm going to marry your two points. Like, that covers all your bases in the script. But reading the. His personality throughout and kind of, again, what jerks they are. Like, I want to have nothing to do with any of these people on the train. They're all losers. I think it's a fair reading to be like, he also doesn't trust that any of these people will get it right. No one knows as much as him. He lists off everyone who call the New York police. They'll know me. The government knows me. Everyone knows me. I'm amazing. [00:39:00] Speaker A: Guys are slowly ruining this for me. [00:39:02] Speaker C: We're saying that we love it for [00:39:05] Speaker A: different reasons, [00:39:09] Speaker B: but they're like, oh yeah, he's got a plan. I can gonna leap off this train. Where are we? Yeah, your plan could have just gone very wrong, sir. [00:39:18] Speaker A: Yeah, right. There was a saved by a model [00:39:21] Speaker C: T. [00:39:24] Speaker A: It's a true story. I took an Amtrak trip once. We're talking about the middle of nowhere, right? And they were very warny, meaning so many warnings, like a thousand times. Honest to God, if you smoke on this train, we will kick you off. And we're like, okay. And we were like, we were all smokers back then. It was in my 20s and I was like, oh, geez, let's not screw around with this. And then they said, we'll make plenty of stops, so just don't. So we were in the middle of somewhere, North Dakota, and the train stopped. And we didn't think anything of it because it happened a lot because another train was coming and you had to stop to let that one go by, do you know what I'm saying? Like, that was frequent thing on this. So we're stopped there and we looked out the window and I don't know what he's called. Porter guy, the guy that runs a train, whatever. And another guy had a guy who had his luggage and a jacket. This is winter. As far as the eye could see, nothing. North Dakota. Do you know what I'm saying? Like, imagine that, like, oh, I can see the earth curving. And he put them out there and they pointed in a direction and they got back in the train and the train took off. And the guy was standing there with his luggage and we're like, holy crap. Five seconds into the train moving. Once again, ladies and gentlemen, like to remind you, there is no smoking on this train. They just kicked the dude off. It was a different era, but I wonder to this day if that guy found like, I hope he had enough smokes. [00:40:55] Speaker C: Yeah, just frozen out there like the end of the Shining. [00:40:59] Speaker A: Anyway, point is, there's no smoking on screen, right? No, it reminded me of that when they were in the middle of nowhere, Ohio. And that guy. So that guy, the end of that story is he got a plane. [00:41:15] Speaker C: And I did enjoy the inclusion of the very over the top character of Good Time Charlie, the obnoxious guy. [00:41:21] Speaker A: He's a Red herring, too. [00:41:22] Speaker C: Yeah, he's a narrative red herring, but he's also a red herring by the murderer to make people think he's a different type of person than he is. Right, Because Good Time Charlie is the guise of the murderer. [00:41:37] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:41:38] Speaker C: You're looking at me like I'm crazy. Okay. [00:41:41] Speaker A: No, I'm just looking at you like you are. Tell me more stuff like I'm always looking at you. Teach me more. [00:41:49] Speaker C: Where were they? That there's a 3,000 foot cliff. Is this Ohio still? Or did I. No. [00:41:57] Speaker B: California. Because the train. [00:41:59] Speaker C: Yes. Yeah, they were catching it, but not in California. I thought they said they were going to catch it. [00:42:05] Speaker A: I thought it was Colorado. [00:42:06] Speaker C: Colorado. Okay, that makes more sense. [00:42:08] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:42:08] Speaker C: My brain was still in Ohio. [00:42:11] Speaker B: Probably not the Ohio Cliff Divers. It's just. [00:42:14] Speaker A: So they had a couple of hits. [00:42:20] Speaker B: Five points, Eric. [00:42:23] Speaker C: It was a pretty tidy script, bringing the old deaf guy who wouldn't play pinochle or whatever the game was with them back into the plot at the very end. [00:42:35] Speaker A: Bridge, but. Okay, bridge. Whatever it is, someone listened to this a few times. [00:42:39] Speaker C: Some old person game. [00:42:41] Speaker A: Yes. [00:42:42] Speaker B: But they stole 5 cents worth of colored water, which in today's money, that's like $600 worth of colored water. I don't know what they colored it with or if it's fancy water, but [00:42:54] Speaker A: it was red and salty. That's a reference to last week. [00:42:58] Speaker B: Everybody see a doctor. [00:43:02] Speaker C: The whole time I listened to this, though, it was so gratifying to hear Eric's response because that's all I imagined. Each, like, jumped out of the train, they're in a plane, flares on the track, and it was just guy falling off a cliff. I was just like, eric, he's just peeing himself. [00:43:21] Speaker A: So we get. We record a bunch of episodes at once when we do this podcast. So we have six this time, this recording session. And we started with what we did a few weeks ago, Poison, which was an absolute nightmare for me because it was about a poisonous snake in a bed and that it was hard. And I didn't understand that that was a Patreon suggestion. I thought it was coming from you. So up until we started recording today, I thought, damn, Joshua bringing me that snake story. [00:43:55] Speaker C: You know, you're mean. [00:43:57] Speaker A: And then I went, tim loves me. Tim got me a train as a gift and a bunch of adventure y stuff. [00:44:05] Speaker C: I don't even think of that as a snake story. [00:44:09] Speaker A: Oh, it's a total snake story. [00:44:11] Speaker B: You know, an ounce of snake, you've got a show snake. [00:44:16] Speaker C: It's a Shaggy snake story. [00:44:20] Speaker B: So, having listened to several of these, everyone starts with Jean Abbott giving a little speech about how the challenges that her life has to go through because her husband is distracted by these cases. And it is this ongoing theme of, as we've been saying, like, they really want to be together all the time. At least she want, like, I want that man here now all the time. [00:44:51] Speaker C: Go ahead and make the sound. [00:44:58] Speaker B: Like that. [00:44:58] Speaker C: Yes. I'm so sorry for your wife. [00:45:03] Speaker A: I want four minutes of that in loop as our tag on this show. [00:45:10] Speaker B: And the shtick is, I'm just kind of. You guys know what this is. But I'm saying out loud that she is always suspecting that him working on these cases all the time is with some beautiful blonde, some beautiful redhead that he is philandering. And as soon as he gets to be a little sharp about it, maybe implying, like, well, maybe this beautiful lady, it comes up like, I also am seeing other men. [00:45:40] Speaker C: Yeah, that sounds familiar. Wasn't that in the other episode that we listened to? Yeah, yeah. [00:45:45] Speaker B: That is part of, like, you're terrible people. You're just awful. And it's how you express your affection for each other is this kind of abuse. You're so weird. [00:45:56] Speaker C: But they're happy together. It works for them. And that's why it's fun to listen to. Maybe I'm doing relationships wrong. [00:46:08] Speaker A: No, you're not. Well, we could throw this to a vote. [00:46:15] Speaker B: I'm glad you enjoyed it. Like I say, this was when I first brought this. I thought that was an interesting little experiment. I don't know if I'll ever go back to that, but it's grown on me over time for the but with both the weirdness and the characters in the presentation. And it's a good show. So I'll bring some more in the future, see how it holds up. [00:46:34] Speaker A: Well, I'm horrifyingly embarrassed that I've incredibly familiar with the show and didn't know it. [00:46:41] Speaker B: It's very different. [00:46:42] Speaker C: Yeah, it is. [00:46:43] Speaker A: And, you know, I don't remember what happened yesterday, so everything's new these days. [00:46:49] Speaker C: That's good news, right? [00:46:53] Speaker A: So I really enjoyed it as a st alone, and I didn't fixate on their relationship or how rude they are or any of those things. I was just enamored with this. The. The mystery and the plot and this guy trying to get the. I just loved all of that intrigue of it a lot and how they got there. And I don't know. It's not a classic. It really does fall into the category of man called X for me. Or, you know, like, this is for me. And from that point of view, I will give it the vote of. I really enjoyed that. I will not give them any more awards. There will be no awards given. [00:47:39] Speaker B: I very much agree with that. It was super fun, enjoyable escapade with the cherry on top of that last beat of like, no, he didn't steal anything. That pilot you almost killed. All of this that happened, like, that was. Somebody should have said, no, don't do that. [00:47:57] Speaker C: Oh, somebody like the police or the FBI or the Pentagon, who you refuse to call someone like that. Yeah, I thought it was a action packed romp. [00:48:07] Speaker E: Yes. [00:48:07] Speaker C: I thought it was a lot of fun escapade. Great, fun dialogue, nice twists, and I definitely think it Stand the test of time. And I do think their relationship is important to that. And because although she's the woman who's like, I don't wanna jump from a train. I don't wanna do this. She says it all in a really reasonable, human way. It's not gendered. I mean, she makes it gendered occasionally, but, like, her actual issues with it are like, yeah, you have no plan. We jumped out of a train in Ohio and you think we're gonna magically cut them off somewhere before California. So like it. [00:48:53] Speaker B: And she won't let him go without her. [00:48:54] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. So I. I do think it gets in front of even some of the. The sexist tropes of the day. So it definitely Stand the test of time. It's another example that you can't just say things of the past were all like, X as you dig into it. You know, there are a lot of variation, a lot of different things. And this is. We made the jokes, but it is for real, like, sexually charged at the end. That performance wasn't a little cute. Peck me on the cheek. It just kept talking and talking. I'm gonna stop putting Tony Bennett on the record player anymore and just put this on. Be like, honey, we're listening to the Abbotts tonight. [00:49:35] Speaker A: Or, [00:49:39] Speaker C: Honey, we're listening to Tim grunt for four and a half minutes straight. I love longer than we'll need. [00:49:49] Speaker A: That's exactly right. You beat me to it. Tim, tell him stuff. [00:49:59] Speaker B: It's the sound of me trying to loosen a bolt. [00:50:04] Speaker C: If you know what he means, please [00:50:07] Speaker B: go visit ghoulishtowhites.com, home with this podcast. You'll find other episodes we've done there. Say, perhaps clicking Silver from the Adventures of the Abbotts. It's pretty good. [00:50:15] Speaker C: You too can listen to it and quickly forget it. [00:50:19] Speaker A: Shut up. [00:50:22] Speaker B: And you'll also find links to our merchandise page if you want to go and peruse our wares. T shirts, hoodies, other stuff that we sell with our logo on it. It's cool. There's some good stuff there. And you'll find a link to our Patreon page. [00:50:37] Speaker A: Yes. [00:50:37] Speaker C: Go to patreon.com themorals and become a member of the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Soc. We have lots of perks there. We have bonus podcasts like how many do we have now? Hundreds. We could easily say hundreds of individual episodes of about six or seven different flavors of bonus podcasts. So you could just gorge yourself on this. So become a patron. [00:51:07] Speaker A: Today, the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Theater Company performs live on stage recreations of classic old time radio shows and a lot of our own original work. Come hear us performing audio drama live by going to ghoulishdelights.com there you'll see where we're performing, what we're performing, when and how to get tickets. We also record the audio of those live performances and so you get like, you get to get that audio as a Patreon. So it's yet another bonus podcast of sorts of bonus radio shows. What's coming up next? [00:51:45] Speaker C: Next we will be listening to a recommendation from one of our Patreon supporters, Ryan Double Edge from Tales of the Texas Rangers. Until then,