 Autolight and its 96,000 dealers present. Suspense. Tonight, Autolight brings you blood on the trumpet. A suspense play starring Mr. William Holden, with special trumpet effects by the famous Ziggy Elman. I don't get to this part in New Orleans much, Sergeant Juneau. I used to come and listen at the jazz once in a while. Who's been on the case? Me and Lieutenant Angelini. We've been on his study for 48 hours. Is this the place, Juneau? Well, yeah, this is it. That's not exactly a respectable-looking hotel. When a man runs from murder, Castle, he can't stop to live in style. Who found the body? Landlady. She called in. Messy, huh? When you beat somebody's head in with a thing like a trumpet, it's real messy. All right, Castle, this is it. No, uh-uh. Put your horn down, Vic. This is Sergeant Juneau from the New Orleans Police. Put the horn down. Come out, kid. Come out with no monkey business. Let me break it down. No way. The police. Oh, I'm glad it's the police. I'm so glad it's the police and not him. Vic, in the presence of police officer Castle, I arrest you for the murder of your wife. In just a moment, Mr. William Holden in the first act of blood on the trumpet. Hi, Harlow. Do I look any different? Well, should you? Of course. I'm winterized. I drove in to see my auto light spark plug dealer. He changed the oil and grease, put in antifreeze. And check the spark plugs, too. And that's mighty important, Johnny Plug Check, because spark plugs are the very heart of a car's ignition system. When they're right, your chances of starting, even in the coldest weather, are better than ever. So, when you have your car made ready for winter... Check the spark plugs, too. And replace worn-out spark plugs with ignition engineered auto light spark plugs, world famous for quality and dependability. You'll get smoother performance, quick start, and gas savings. So, friends, it's last call. Have your auto light dealer winterize your car now. Get worn-out spark plugs replaced with ignition engineered auto light spark plugs. Whether you choose the standard type or the resistor type, you can't buy better spark plugs for your car, because you're always right with auto light. And now, with blood on the trumpet and the performance of Mr. William Holden, auto light hopes once again to keep you in suspense. You feel okay now, Vick? How's a guy supposed to feel when he's arrested for murder? Want a cigarette? No. You've done a good job on her, boy. Thanks. Oh, here's my report, Castle. Get to Steno to type up three carbons and give one to Lieutenant Angelini. Angelini? Yeah, Vick, Lieutenant Angelini. He's the big boy in charge of the case, very famous New Orleans. Yeah, I've heard of him. Ikestad told me about him. All right, Vick. Let's start from the reason why you killed Sarah, your wife. All right. I didn't have a reason. It just happened. We had a fight. I don't know. I'm all mixed up. Come on, Vick, boy. Try hard, Prisar. Did you know? Go back to when it started. When it started? Who can say when it started? Maybe it started the first day I married Sarah. In my own mind, I don't know. Or maybe it started when I started playing trumpet in Lou Ikestad's club down in the French Quarter. They call me great, real great. The best trumpet set by her becker Armstrong. Everybody thought so, everybody. Everybody but Sarah, my wife. She didn't. She had different ideas about it. She couldn't understand a man loving music. Has been. You're a has been. Only you never went anywhere to be a has been. You were always the second rate hornblower and you'll never be anything else. You hear me? Never anything else. Oh, Sarah, these walls are like paper. So let them hear. I don't care. Let them know what a bum I've got for a husband. I'm sick of your talk. I'm sick of you. Go off. Leave it on. Sarah, you got cotton in your ears? I said leave it on. All day long the same record around and around. I said put it back on. It makes me sick. Sarah! Always the same song and dance a little time, Sarah, a little time. Sarah, please. You're a dreamer. You blow pipe dreams through that horn you play. Shut up! Wait, Sarah, wait. My ship will come in. Sure, I'll wait. While I'm waiting you beat your brains out blowing a horn in a cheap dive. Your ship sunk and you don't know- Kill you myself and make your wish come true. Same argument over and over in the same words they never changed. I was late getting to the club but I didn't care. Sarah, talking to me like that. The first set I was so sore I didn't need anything to make me hop. I threw that horn by the beat of my blood. Got our first break after the second set and Lou, the owner of the club, came over and took my arm. Said he had somebody he wanted me to meet. Oh, over here, Vic, my great trumpet man. What's up, Lou? Poor girl's up, Vic. A music lover who'd like to meet you. Miss Luanna Doran, meet my trumpet man, Victor Roberts. How do you do? Hi. Sit down, Victor, sit down. Talk some music. Talk some old-time jazz. Entertain, Miss Doran, Victor. Talk about the jazz we play. Yeah, yeah. Sit down, Vic. Thanks. Buy you a drink. This water's strong enough. You're good on that trumpet, Vic. Think so? Uh-huh. Pin a medal on me. Hey, look, hornboy. You don't have to sit here and talk to me. Uh-huh. I'm sorry. I tell you what I'll do, Miss Doran, I'll let you buy me that drink and you can tell me the story of your life. That sounds like a bargain. She ordered up and we sat and talked. She told me the story. It was a brutal one. A sick father and a rotten mother. So to get away from it all, she married young, a musician that had a sickness beside music. He drank himself to death. But from him, she'd learned something. She'd learned to love music, which was why she canvassed jazz joints. She said she'd been in every night for almost two weeks now, listening to our combo. She thought we were good, particularly the bright boy on the trumpet. Me. The guys were moving up to the next set, so I made my excuses and left her. Who likes to stop me by the platform? Lay off, Vic. It's no good. I don't know what you're talking about. I'm talking about trouble as another guy, a rough guy, a guy that's a mean cop, a guy that doesn't deserve the name cop and he wants a bad. He comes in every night, sits over in that corner and watches her. I don't see him tonight. Rico Angelini is a bad name for you to mix with. Look, Lou, take it easy. I just met her. Lay off, Vic. Go home to Sarah, your wife. We finished the last set about one. The table where Luana had been sitting was empty. Then one of the waiters came up and handed me a napkin. I looked at it. It had an address written on it in lipstick. Blood red lipstick. Capitular Hotel Canal Street. I started to fold it up and toss it away, but then suddenly I thought about Sarah and I didn't toss it away. I shoved it in my pocket and walked out. It took me 15 minutes to get back to the boarding house. The light up in our room was still on and Sarah was still up. And just like that, against the pull-down shade I saw two shadows. One was the shadow of Sarah and the other, the shadow of a man. I choked and my breath came hard. My Sarah, my own Sarah with some other guy. I waited five minutes. Ten minutes. Then the light snapped out. I went up the stairs onto the porch and ducked behind a swing. The front door opened and the outline of a big guy came out and went down the steps. I couldn't see his face, but as he passed under the street lamp I could see he was wearing a green checkered shirt collar. Sarah, my own sweet little nagging wife, two-timing me, playing me for a sap. I took the napkin out of my pocket. Thanks, Sarah, for helping me to decide. Then I went where the lipstick told me. Hi, trumpet man. Hi. Did the lipstick smudge? I'm here. It didn't smudge. Want to come in? Uh, Lou Eichstadt says to lay off. Is your father maybe? What do you want? A ride. How about a ride in my fast car, Vic? A ride this time of morning? I know a little place where they serve good black coffee. I've had kind of a rough time tonight. I'm tired. Too tired for some good black coffee? This is all crazy. A cup of black coffee and small talk? I like you, look. That's all. That's all? You think that's all? Down by the wharf? That's my last offer, trumpet man. I asked for it, didn't I? I went down and got into her car and she headed straight for the wharf. At Charello's, the lights were low, the music was soft and the coffee was good. We sat and talked and pretty soon we got back into her car and drove close to the river. She stopped the car and looked up at me. Her eyes were real black. She moved her lips close to mine. Those blood red lips. What's Angelity? Oh, blue-like stat, I get it. Who is he? What is he? A cop. I met him somewhere one night. He's called me a couple of times, but that's all. That's all? That's all, trumpet man. Nothing ever like this. Vic, let's go away, just you and I. That's not possible. Why? Tell me why it isn't possible. I... I have a wife. Now it makes a difference, doesn't it? No, Vic. No, it doesn't. Why should it make a difference? I don't know. I... I just thought maybe it would. Vic, this can be for keeps. You really mean it, don't you? Let's go away and you see how much I mean it. Let's go away together. Lever, we'll go away and start something new. Oh, Luana, I... I'm all mixed up in my mind. I meet you one night, you don't even know me. We hardly know each other. You look, Vic, let's go away. Let's go away in a little while. I don't know. I'll wait for you, Vic. I'll wait for you at the hotel. I... all right. All right, baby, you wait for me at the hotel. No. Press hard on my lips, Vic. Real hard, just like you do on your trumpet. Something that had been hard for me to settle was easy now. I was through with Sarah, my great big headache. I was finished and she wouldn't yell at me anymore or cheat anymore. I could go away now. Go away from her in her nagging voice. Away from Sarah and away from me. You, Vic? Yeah, me, Vic. Where have you been all night? It's four o'clock in the morning. Your voice makes me sick. What should I think? What should you think? A no-good bum husband who stays out all night. Now, be quiet for one minute and I'll tell you a secret, my sinful wife. I'm leaving you. I'm going away. You're going away? You're insane. What do you think you're... Oh, it's time, Sarah. I finally woke up from that crazy sleep I was in. I'm leaving you. So, you're leaving me. Yes, I'm leaving you. We don't make the right kind of music anymore. Music? Is that what you call it? No, it's not music. It's a hell. That's all it's ever been. You hear me? Everything I've ever done, every sacrifice I've ever made in just a simple sentence, you make it all over. Just as simple as that. Maybe it just isn't music. Maybe it's something else. Like maybe another woman. Sarah. I knew it. I smelled it. Someone else. That's it, isn't it, Vic? Sarah, stop it. Don't say another word. Who is she? Some music lover you picked up? Who is she? Answer me. Be quiet. Who is she? Who is she, your dirty chick? I said be quiet. You make me sick. You hit me. Hit me. I'll show you your dirty loss. I'll show you. Stop it, Sarah. Stop it. Get up, Sarah. I didn't mean to. Sarah, I said to get up. I didn't. Sarah, what's the matter? Why don't you? Oh, Sarah, you're bleeding. I didn't mean to, Sarah. No. No, Sarah. No. No light is bringing you, Mr. William Holden, in blood on the trumpet. Tonight's production in radio's outstanding theater of thrills. Suspense. Your winter quite contrary. How does your weather go? With blustery winds and ice and snow and frozen cars all in a row. That's a profound prognosis, my prophetic poet. Unless you've had your car winterized. It's last call, friends. Have your neighborhood auto light spark plug dealer change oil and grease, put in adi-freeze. And check. Right, Johnny plug check. Spark plugs are the all-important heart of your car's ignition system. And when they're right, your chances of starting even in the coldest weather are better than ever. So do. Yes, folks. Visit your friendly auto light spark plug dealer and replace worn out spark plugs with ignition engineered auto light spark plugs. The spark plugs that work as a team with your car's ignition system. Because they're designed by the same auto light engineers who design complete ignition systems used as original factory equipment on many leading makes of America's finest cars. And whether you choose the standard type or the resistor type, you'll be right because you're always right with auto light. And now auto light brings back to our Hollywood sound stage Mr. William Holden in Elliott Lewis' production of Blood on the Trumpet. A tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. Something banged against my head. I turned over on my back and opened my eyes. And then I sat up. I was in bed and the banging noise became a shade flapping against the window of a cheap hotel where I was hiding out. Off the bed and moved over to the window. The clock down across the street said 230. The sun was high and hot. I remember running from a boarding house last night. Running until I found this cheap hotel. What does a killer do? He runs. He runs from everything. I found a nickel in my pants pocket. And on this nickel I pin my hopes for survival. I call Luana. Luana Vick. What happened, trumpet boy? Is she talking out of it? Luana, wait. Please listen to me. Now listen to me, folks, and try not to get excited. Hey! You sound as if... Luana, Luana, look. After I left you, I went home to tell Sarah I was leaving her. She got mad. She got real mad, so... Well, I got a little rough, and... Well, what I did, I didn't mean to do. Babe, Vick, what is it? What happened? I hit her a couple of times. I hit her and she fell, and... Vick! It was accident. A mistake, Lana. I didn't mean it. I don't know how it happened. It was so fast. I just got mad. Vick! Luana, listen. I've got to get out of town. I've got to run. I can't go back to the house. Where are you? To some cheap hotel, the Piedmont. Just off Decatur. I need money. You've got to help me. What can I do? Get me enough money to get us out of town. But, Vick... You said it. Last night, you said we'd go away together. Vick! Meet me. When? Half an hour. No, no. You better stay right there. No one will spot you. Stay where you are, till it's dark, then meet me. Where? And what time? Tonight, at seven o'clock, when it gets dark. Down near the end of the coffee stand, in the café de Monde. All right. Tonight at seven. Down near the end of the stand, where it's dark. I hung up. I couldn't stay in the hotel. My picture was probably spread over every paper in town. Maybe the clerk remembered me coming in. I'd better get out and move around. I went down to Decatur Street. It was starting to fill with late afternoon shoppers. I walked up and down the streets until four o'clock. And then I found an almost empty café and went in and ordered a cup of coffee. I was sitting there, staring ahead, trying to clear my mind when, suddenly, I felt a big, fabby hand grip my shoulder. I turned and looked up into the beady gray eyes of the Batman with the green-checkered shirt collar. Why did you do it, Vic? Jumped up and with all my strength, I shoved both arms straight out and hit him in the stomach. I could feel both of my fists sink into the pounds and pounds of pleasure. And then he was reeling backward, knocking over chairs and people. And I was running out the door and down the street. I slowed down, mixing in with the people, pushing along. Was it possible, the guy that had been up in that room with my wife? Was it just a coincidence that he found me or was... was he really looking for me? Time, time. Before I had no time. Now I had too much of it. I passed a movie theater. I stopped. Keep off the streets until dark. That was it. I went in. I don't even remember the name of the picture. I couldn't even concentrate on it. Because all the time I kept thinking about the fat man. What did he want with me? Was it really just a coincidence that he'd spotted me? The picture ended and the lights went up. I crouched down low in my seat, staring straight ahead. And then out of the corner of my eye, I saw him. He was walking up the aisle, looking up each row of seats. He was looking for me. I turned my head and held my hand up to the side of my face. He was coming closer now. He was at the next row. The lights went out and the news wheel started. I moved quick. I stumbled into the aisle and out from the lobby and got lost in the crowd of people leaving the show. I couldn't shake him. Everywhere I turned, he was there. What did he want? Did he want to kill me? Kill me for murdering Sarah? Was that it? But that was my own business. If I wanted to kill my wife, that was my business. Oh, no, no. Bad reasoning. I hadn't wanted to kill her. I just ran until I thought my legs would drop. And then it was seven o'clock and I was down by the pier. There were a few people drinking coffee at the stand. I walked down to the far end. And then I saw her coming. Luana. Vic. Over here. Oh, Vic, you're crazy. The cops are looking all over for you. Oh, I don't care about the cops. It's him. What are you talking about? The guy that was with Sarah, the big fat guy. How long he's been after me? Luana, we've got to get out of here. Vic, you're crazy. You're all mixed up. You don't know what you're talking about. I'm not mixed up, Luana. I tell you, he's looking for me. Right now, any minute he might show up. Vic, maybe you better give yourself up. Maybe it was... For you. Don't you understand? I did this for you. I didn't ask you to kill her. I didn't... Vic, stop it. You're hurting me. All I need now is for you to turn against me. Vic, let me go. Let me go. Luana. Luana, come back. I did it for you, you dirty filthy... Hello, Victor. What do you want? What do you want from me? I want to give what's coming to you, killer. I'll get you now, killer. I'll get you now. Because you're finally cracked. It was no good. I just couldn't run anymore. Everywhere I turned, he was there. I was being hunted by a guy with murder in his heart. Can you understand that, Juno? I made it back to the hotel, and I was waiting for him when you guys showed up. I never knew I'd be so glad to see the police. Never knew I'd be so glad. The girl turns you in, Vic. Luana. She cried, Victor. She cried when she told us where he were. I guess maybe she did right. Yeah, I guess she did. Hello, Vic. It's him. The fat guy. Take it easy, Vic. Boy, take it easy. Why? He made me go out of my mind. A cop was chasing me. I just wanted to see a killer run, Vic. Find the confession, Vic. No. No, this confession is all wrong. The part about the trumpet. This is all wrong. I didn't hit her with a trumpet. Come on, trumpet boy. Sign. No, Angelini, I won't sign it. I didn't hit her with a trumpet. You're crazy. I won't. Something smells something. I look you. I'm tired. You give me a good chase. You make a confession now you sign it. No, I won't do it. This isn't what I said. I never said anything about hitting her with a trumpet. I hit her with my fist and she yelled. You're crazy. You murdered your wife in cold blood. You went up there after you finished the club. You had an argument. Then you smashed her head in with a trumpet. Then you wiped the blood off the trumpet. Hey, wait a minute. Shut up, Juneau. Can't you see this guy is stalling? Come on, kill him. No, I won't shut up, Angelini. My type of report is still on my desk. You haven't read it yet. So what if I have? So I was the guy that went up there and tapped the body. When I got back, I briefed you. I made the report out. You just said you didn't read it. Well, there was something in that report I didn't bother to tell you about. I didn't think it was that important. I didn't tell you that the blood had been wiped off of the trumpet. There were only two people who knew that. Me, Lieutenant Angelini. Me and the killer. Juneau, it was Angelini. Juneau, it fits. What Luana said to me, what Lou Eyckstead said, it fits. This guy framed me. I'll break your neck. Take it easy, Angelini. He was nuts for her. Only she couldn't see him for dust. He must have spotted me that first night with her. He followed me. He was the guy Sara was with when I got home. He was waiting for her. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. Angelini why? Look at me trumpet man. Look hard at my extra flesh and tell me why I would frame a man like you. Luana, your wife wasn't dead when I went up there the second time. Her head cut on the side. She was bleeding. She wasn't dead. You're under arrest Angelini. I can't say I'm sorry or a disgrace to the force. All right Vic. That's all I need from you. You can go now. Hey you. She's waiting for you outside. Luanna. And she's crying for you, Juno. Bright Sergeant Juno. Hey, do you think if maybe I wasn't so fat, she would have cried some tears for me? Sure, Angelini, sure. She might have cried for you. A Spence, presented by Autolite. Tonight's star, Mr. William Holden. Friends, this is Harlow Wilcox, and now I'd like you to meet our star, William Holden. Thanks for the curtain call, Harlow. I was hoping you would invite me to say a few words. How about your new Paramount Picture Union Station, no doubt? Well, Bill, I've seen it, and it's great. Well, thanks, Harlow, but I really intended to say a few words about Autolite. Bill, that's the best curtain speech you could make, but you'll need more than a few words. I know, Harlow, why Autolite makes 400 products for cars, trucks, planes, and boats in 28 plants coast to coast. These include complete electrical systems used as original equipment on many makes of America's finest cars. Electric windshield wipers, spark plugs, starting motors, batteries, bullseye-sealed beam headlights, coils, distributors, generators, all engineered to fit together perfectly, work together perfectly, because they're a perfect team. So friends, don't accept electrical parts supposed to be as good. Ask for and insist on Autolite original factory parts at your neighborhood service station, car dealer, garage, or repair shop. And remember, you're always right with Autolite. Next week on Suspense, Mr. Cary Grant, the star of On The Country Road. And in weeks to come, you will hear such famous stars as Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard and Van Heflin, appearing in Tales Well Calculated to Keep You In, Suspense. Suspense is produced and directed by Elliot Lewis with music composed by Lucian Mora-Wacken, conducted by Lud Glaskin, with special trumpet effects by Ziggy Elman. Blood on the trumpet was written for Suspense by Richard George Petitini. And remember, next week on Suspense, Mr. Cary Grant in On The Country Road. Suspense type or standard type spark plugs, Autolite stateful batteries, Autolite electrical parts at your neighborhood Autolite dealers. Switch to Autolite. Good night. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.