 to all presents the mysterious traveler this is the mysterious traveler inviting you to join me on another journey into the realm of the strange and the terrifying i hope you will enjoy the trip that it will free you a little and uh... chill you a little so settle back and get a good grip on your nerves if you can where are we going well let us say for the moment we're taking a little trip into time and a story i call new year's nightmare the year ended its last minute the crowds at the club propaganda were waiting expectantly for the clock to strike midnight at a ringside table a lovely young woman angrily whispers to the man with her chris if you take another drink i'll leave oh julie this is new year's eve it'll be nineteen forty seven and another minute gotta celebrate don't like just one more one more just one more that's what you always i wouldn't mind if it were just tonight but you're always getting drunk another bottle of champagne nothing i say means anything to you does it you think because i've forgiven you a dozen times in the past i'll do it again but you're wrong chris happy new year darling nineteen forty seven is going to be our year no chris it isn't i won't marry a man who gets drunk in new york and wakes up the next day in another city oh julie what are you saying you don't mean that you know i love you yes chris you love me but not enough to give up drinking i'll miss you chris miss you terribly but i know i'm doing the right thing julie don't talk like that i couldn't live without you you know that won't you i'm sorry chris here's your ring will you please take me home you don't have to leave the sight of my drinking is too much for you i'll go someplace else and do it martin will take you home happy new year and goodbye drink mister five o'clock in the morning and i'm dead on my feet sure i'll drink up no matter what she says that's right now you better go home and sleep it off good night and a happy nineteen forty seven thanks i'm the same to you find another bar new years got to celebrate another bar across the street got to celebrate hey mister look out for that car you're gonna get run down if you don't who's horn oh darling it's midnight new years oh my head is strobing so how did i get here why darling you live here live here what are you talking about charles i'd better call dr smith you look so strange connect me with dr smith's apartment please never seen this place before hello doctor this is blanche arnold it's charles isn't well could you come to our apartment at once oh thank you goodbye what do you mean i live here who are you where am i on your wife charles this is our home don't you remember here my wife you can't be i'm not married what am i doing here what's your game can't you remember anything about us what are you talking about i never saw you before and what you keep calling me charles my name is chris chris andrews chris andrews so that's what the initial c a stood for all that noise out there what are they making such a racket for because it's midnight new years eve but it was midnight hours ago when i left the club tropicana what are you talking about oh that must be dr smith i'll answer it dr smith i don't know any dr smith oh come in doctor i'm so glad you're here i think it's the amnesia it seems to have left him all of a sudden charles it's dr smith i don't know him and i don't know you and please stop talking to me charles i told you my name is chris andrews i want you to sit down mr andrews i'd like to talk with you for a few minutes what about tell me mr andrews what's the last thing you remember before finding yourself in this apartment why judy she and i were at the club tropicana celebrating new years eve i see i remember we quarreled about my drink i walked out on her and i had a few drinks someplace else that's all i can recall oh my head i had hangovers but i've never thought like this before what time is it it's just four minutes after twelve but it can't be four minutes after twelve new years eve that was hours ago when i left the tropicana mr andrews that was new years eve 1947 what do you mean that was new years eve 1947 this is new years eve 1948 1948 what are you talking about it's 1947 well here's the morning paper you can see the date for yourself there's de january first 1948 no it can't be it can't be a year gone just like that but where did it go i haven't lived it yet perhaps you'd better let me clear up a few things for you 1948 my name is smith i was a resident physician until recently at the park hospital when i was on duty last new years day 1947 you were brought into the hospital seriously injured having been run over by a car you recovered consciousness five days later you didn't know who you were you were a victim of amnesia amnesia yes and we didn't know who you were as you had no identification papers but my wallet letters they were gone the only clue to your identity was a belt buckle with the initials c a on it we didn't know your real name so i called you charles for the c blanche was your nurse i liked the name charles and that's for your last name we thought Arnold was as good as any so you became charles Arnold but what have i been doing since the day i recovered consciousness well you weren't discharged from the hospital until may then you went to work as an insurance clerk as an insurance clerk but i don't know anything about being a clerk i'm a reporter well there was no way of learning what your occupation had been so when blanche started this opening in an insurance office you applied for the position and that's where i've been working up to now yes and then after you got your job we were married married charles i mean chris don't you remember i'm afraid blanche you really can't married but judy it's like a dream my head keeps throbbing i keep expecting to wake up there's a date in the paper january 1st 1948 doctor you said he might never get over his amnesia well that was a strong possibility but apparently the sounds of new years brought back his memory you're going just like that judy my friends job all gone doctor where am i i mean what's the address of this apartment house 13 north 13th street philadelphia but how did i get to philadelphia now that we don't know all that i can tell you is that your accident occurred just a few blocks from here darling i know what a shock it must be strange you must have called me darling many times in the past and yet this is the first time i i've ever heard you call me that yes i know what did you say your name was oh doctor come in won't you how are you blanche all right i suppose how's chris getting along he's fine blanche what's this i've never seen you cry it's just that everything so changed those six months chris and i were married before he regained his memory with the happiest of my life and now this past month since he got his memory back it's been as though i were married to a stranger it isn't as though he doesn't try to be nice to me but it's also obvious he doesn't love me now blanche you mustn't say that it's true i tell you how can a man love a woman those first six months as he loved me and then fall out of love with her when he's regained his memory you must have patience blanche it will take time for chris to adjust himself to what's happened he fell in love with you as Charles Arnold and i'm sure he will as chris andrews you just must give him time oh just let me look at you this can't be true you're being here it is it's been a long time yes a year and a month since new year's eve 1947 chris what are you doing here in philadelphia i live here so do i i got a job with ryan company is a copywriter here a few months ago look judy we can't talk here on the side that's right well look i live only a few blocks from here we can go to my apartment oh that's fine there's so much i won't ask and there's so much to tell thank you would you like something to drink no i uh don't drink anymore chris you have changed you look so much older well you don't you're as lovely as that night i saw your last thank you chris judy you'll have to let me explain what happened after i left you that night at the tropicana if you find it difficult to believe i won't blame you it still seems like a nightmare to me that night after i left you and so now you know everything from the moment i last saw you to this one oh no wonder you look different after having gone through an experience like that you're all right now you know who you are you're happily married you have a job i'm not happily married judy chris you mustn't talk like that surely you must have loved your wife if you married her and she hasn't changed judy there's never been anyone for me but you you know that and you still feel that way about me no i don't when we met tonight that old look was still in your eyes you do care you know you do please chris no matter how i feel about you it's over now you're married and that's all there is to it i wish you'd go and i don't want to see you again i met a friend oh you look so tired do you feel well blanche this past month i tried my best to be a good husband haven't i well you have been done no there's something missing and you know it or it isn't your fault it's mine and as a result we're both unhappy you mustn't say that chris i feel that in time things will be as they were when we were first married when you were charles arnold but they won't be blanche it's no use i tell you chris who is the friend you met tonight the girl i was once engaged to i see blanche you've got to give me a divorce no chris i'll never do that but why you know i don't love you what's the sense in going on like this chris when you were charles arnold you did love me and we were happy together i had your love once and i mean to win it back i won't give you a divorce chris i asked you not to call on me again judy i've got to talk to you may i come in well alright but just for a few minutes thank you judy even if we hadn't met again a week ago things wouldn't have been any different between my wife and myself i'll never love her and i'm not going on with her what do you mean chris i'm going to leave her judy and start all over some place far away i just came around to say goodbye are you set on leaving her yes nothing can change my mind about that you've got to understand my position chris i could never be happy with you if i thought i'd been the one who came between you and your wife but if you are going to leave her i would like to see you again when you're free would you judy yes but i don't want to see you until she's given you a divorce uh divorce judy i am going to be free nothing is going to prevent it nothing how would you like to go out tonight go out yeah we might take in a show or go dancing didn't i ever take you out when i was charles arnold why yes we used to have wonderful evenings together then well why not now unless you don't want to oh chris there's nothing in the world i'd rather do hey why the tears oh it's just that i'm so happy oh come here did this mr arnold ever put his arms around you oh yes often chris stop squeezing me so tight sorry darling that's so you remember that i'm your husband and uh not mr arnold and a blanche oh yes chris i'm taking a week's vacation soon what do you say if we go up to the adirondack mountains for a week of winter sports oh chris i'd love to well it'll be like a second honeymoon all the view is wonderful from here isn't it being up here is like being alone in the world yes just the two of us all this past week's been a wonderful one chris i've never been so happy nor have i oh be careful chris don't go so near the edge had canyons four thousand feet deep oh this ledge is perfectly safe come over here and take a look at the valley below all right oh please keep your arms around me chris looking down like this frightens me there you're safe in my arms chris why are you looking at me that way what way dear i don't know is your is your head throbbing again no dear uh i don't suppose you've changed your mind about giving me a divorce have you giving you a divorce but i thought we were so happy together yes that's the impression i meant people to get chris you can't be serious why everything's been wonderful these past few weeks i see it won't be any use trying to talk you into it what do you mean i'm sorry blanche i don't want to do this but you've given me no alternative it's really your own fault that you must die let go of me no you're struggling darling no one can see or hear you you can't possibly escape you can't throw me off that ledge i'll hang you i don't think so dear we've been so happy these past few weeks i'm sure the police will see it i want to thank you for the note you sent me and blanche died i can't tell you how sorry i was to hear about it chris it all happened so quickly what have you been doing since then oh just working trying to straighten myself out yes judy perhaps i shouldn't talk about it now seeing that blanche has only been gone a month but i've been thinking of leaving town would you come with me please sit down chris you make me nervous walking back and forth like this all right but you haven't answered my question it isn't easy to answer it would be if you said yes i see in your eyes you mean no why chris i've met someone else recently someone else but you said if i were free you'd marry me i didn't say i'd marry you i said if you were free i'd like to see you again but now i'm not even sure of that it's so different from what you used to be stop being clever if you didn't say you'd marry me you'll imply this much please chris you're making it so difficult for me i'm making it difficult for you and i suppose what i've been through doesn't count i risked my life to get you risked your life chris what are you saying i used to your foolish to believe that blanche fell off that mountain didn't yes and i didn't because you said you'd marry me oh no i meant a divorce but she wouldn't give me a divorce it was the only way i could gain my freedom and now you tell me there's someone else oh chris i did it for you and you're going to marry me no i won't if i can't have you no one else will chris what's the matter with you we were meant for each other darling in life and in death chris if you come any closer i'll scream for help if you won't marry me you'll never marry anyone else there things like a nightmare by an automobile new year's morning would you mind telling me your name there weren't any identification papers in your clothing and we'd like to inform your relatives of what's happened my name it's i can't remember my name i see what about your address can you remember that no no i can't remember anything now you mustn't get excited it'll all come back to you you received a fractured skull from the accident there was a mountain mountain you mean you live near one i don't know there was a mountain and the police were chasing me and i jumped off a high building it's all mixed up you probably dreamed that while you were unconscious but you're all right now just need rest and quiet where am i you're in the park hospital philadelphia philadelphia what day is it it's january 5th 1947 it's 7 26 in the evening and you don't know my name no all we have is your belt buckle with the initials c a c a nurse will you look after the patient now i'll be in the c m later tonight yes doctor are you comfortable the initial c a what do you stand for perhaps the c is for charles charles charles i don't know well suppose i call you charles just for the time being i always like to name charles all right what's your name i'm miss thompson but you can call me blanche and charles let me be the first to wish you a happy 1947 have you enjoyed our little trip oh by the way i want to wish you all a very happy new year and i do hope you'll be careful about making new acquaintances and perhaps you'd better keep an eye on the old ones too after all who can foretell the future not even chris andrews or should i say charles arnold knows what's in store for him but we do don't we and speaking of the future i oh you're getting off here i'm sorry but i'm sure we'll meet again i take this same train every week at this same time most of these stations to a tale titled no grave can hold me another tale of the mysterious traveler this traveler has been presented from our new york studios carl caruso speaking this is the mutual broadcasting system