 Suspense. Produced, edited, and directed by William Spear. Suspense, radio's outstanding theatre of thrills, presents the last of a special series of Friday night performances at this hour. Tonight from Hollywood, we bring you a most unusual broadcast. Darring a famous radio couple who have never before appeared in a story of this kind, Mr. Ozzie Nelson and Ms. Harriet Hilliard. You are accustomed to hearing our stars in their own comedy show. But tonight Ozzie and Harriet appear for us as a couple who are driven to the plotting of murder in Too Little to Live On by Robert Richards. A play well calculated to keep you in suspense. It doesn't matter now. How do you think anything could matter anymore to me now? You should have let me die. That was the best way. That's all that matters to me now is that I want to die. That's all I care about, being dead. I don't know whether we ever thought about it before this morning or not. It might have crossed our minds sometime, one or the other of us, I don't know. But we never talked about it, never. Never before this morning. And then this morning everything just seemed to come to a head. Every little thing that happened all those months and years just seemed to pile up at once. It just seemed as though this morning was the last straw. Hi honey. Hello darling, your breakfast is there keeping warm on the back of the stove. I get it for you but I'm already late with his. That's right. You better hurry though. I'm not going to the office today. You're not? He wants me to stick around as lawyers coming over sometime today. His lawyer? Yeah, don't you remember? I guess I forgot. There's lawyers coming over so I have to stick around the house all day. Couldn't you go over to the office and come back? No, that's not the way he wants it. He says the lawyer's coming but he doesn't know when. At least that's his story. Well maybe he really doesn't know. Oh, he knows all right. Not that it matters much. I don't have any appointments today anyway. People around here wouldn't have their teeth fixed if you paid them to. Well I can't help it if they're poor Dave. I didn't say they could. I just said they can't afford to go to the dentist. Now in the dentist they can't afford to go to. I know. Oh darling, if we could only move to another neighborhood, then at least you could start building a decent practice. Sure how? With what? I know. Uncle Ed's money when we get it. At least that's what we've been telling ourselves the last three years. Couldn't we talk to him? Couldn't we make him see? I'd like to see us have it tough. I'd like to have it dependent on that money. That's all he lives for and he'll probably live to be a hundred. We just got to be patient Dave. Oh there he is. He's up. I've got to hurry. I think at least he's spent enough dough to have some decent tires put on that wheelchair. So it wouldn't bump around over our heads like a ten ton truck day and night. Well I suppose we ought to be thankful he doesn't spend his money. In a way. Have you seen him this morning? Uh huh. How's he feeling? Not the same I guess. He made me bring his lemon juice and water down and heated up again. Said it wasn't hot enough. Willie almost bit me again. Yeah that mutt. Well the dog's getting old I suppose he can't help it. Any more than Uncle Ed? They could both help it. He wants it that way. He gets a kick out of it. Now it's got so we even have to kowtow to a snarling little mutt. He sits there and laughs. We've just got to be patient Dave. One thing when we get that $30,000 we sure will have earned it. Dave? Yeah? What about the lawyer? What about it? I mean what do you suppose it means? What should it mean? He's always getting that guy over here every three or four months and going into some kind of a huddle. But why should he want you here? He probably needs us both as witnesses to something. You know he's been talking an awful lot lately about that orphanage over in Brooklyn. Sure and last winter all he could talk about was some foundling home for stray dogs down in Pennsylvania. Just cracking the whip that's all to see us jump. Oh Dave if he was to change his will now after all we've been through. Oh don't worry he won't. Oh there he goes. He's something for his breakfast. Coming right up on the land. Let's see I hope his eggs are right. Get the coffee off the back of the stove darling while I get a cup. Okay. Take it easy. It's all right honey. It's only a cup. I know. Sometimes it makes me so nervous I feel as though I'm going crazy. Take it easy dear. Here let me get the coffee. No. I'm all right now. There's a pan of milk warming on the stove. Fill this bowl about half full and break up the handful of those little dog biscuits in it. Okay. Sugar. Salt. Pepper. Cream. All right come on open the door for me will you darling. You're all carry the tray. No he likes to have me bring it. What's the difference? Oh don't ask me Dave. Oh the paper for him. Oh you've got it. Oh I haven't read the paper yet myself. You can read it later. Come on. We're sorry I was a little late. Well set it down. Set it down. I heard what you said about the paper David. If it's getting so you even begrudge a little thing like that to help us in believe. No I don't begrudge it Uncle Ed. Here's your paper. So important for you to read the paper. Why don't you subscribe for two of them. I'm afraid the budget in this family won't stand for little luxuries like that. Ah when I was your age I had my first thousand dollars in the bank. Things were a little different in those days Uncle Ed. I was a little different. That's what the difference was. I said Willie's breakfast down for him Myra. No no not there. Over by his bed where he can get at it. Yes Uncle Ed. I'm afraid Willie doesn't like me anymore. Here I'll give it to you. Hey hey stop that. Don't you dare strike that dog David. I wasn't going to hit him. I just want him to let go of my swing. Poor Willie. Oh well if Myra would take him out once in a while he wouldn't feel that way. I'd take him out anytime you asked me to Uncle Ed. I forget sometimes you want to do it without my asking. Well you can go now. I know you don't want to stay any longer than you have to. Oh Myra. Hand me my glasses over on the bureau. Glasses? Yes Uncle Ed. Here. Myra you fool. Oh Uncle Ed I'm so sorry. Maybe I can mend them. Of course you can't mend them. I've broken you idiot. Don't talk to her like that. What's that? I said don't talk to her like that. Dave please. I see. Now you're trying to bully me. A helpless old man in a wheelchair. Well I won't stand for it. Uncle Ed he didn't mean it. I made my bargain with you David. And I intend to keep it as long as you do. And I've never complained about the care you've given me. Although heaven knows it's been a little enough. But don't think for a minute I'll stand for anything like this. I'm sorry Uncle Ed. I'm afraid that's scarcely enough. Well it won't happen again. Look I'll get the glasses fixed. I know a guy that can do it right away. Probably take a weekend in the meantime I'll be as blind as a bat. And don't expect me to pay for it. No don't worry I'll pay for it. You'll have them back tonight. Oh this reminds me David. Be sure that you're here when my lawyer comes today. I'll be here. That's why I stayed home from the office. Well that's all for now. Oh and I suppose neither of you has taken the trouble lately to find out which of my prescriptions need refilling. Oh yeah I was thinking of that yesterday. Oh were you. Well let's do it now. Business entirely gone. Look entirely gone. You better get another bottle of iron tonic and see the drops. Well that's all right for now. And then sign it. You better get that refill too while you're at it. Take the bottle of the business too. I'll go right away Uncle Ed. Yes you do when you come right back. You know that I must have my business not later than twenty minutes after each meeting. Yes I know. Come on Myra. Oh take it easy dude. It's all right. It's all right now. Oh David I've died. I can't go on like this. Oh take it easy on me. It will be much longer. Who we've been saying that for three years we're like prisoners. We can't go out of the house together because somebody has to be with him. We can't have friends in because they disturb him. Oh Dave we can't even have a baby. I could kill him. Sometimes I could kill him. Dave don't. I mean it when I see what he's doing to you when I see him making a slave out of you making a nervous wreck out of you so you can't even call your soul your own. No Dave please. I'm all right now. Sure we made a bargain like he said but not this kind of a bargain. Oh darling I know it's just as bad for you as it is for me. I'm here alone with him all day. I'm sorry I shouldn't have let myself go that way. No I hate myself Myra if I'd known I was going to be like this. It's not your fault darling I knew what we were doing. I'm not even a man anymore. I let him sit there and say things to my wife that a man wouldn't take from anybody on earth but I take it. I take it and smile. Dave Dave it's not your fault. It is my fault if I was any kind of a man I'd do something about it. Well there's nothing to do don't you see. I should never have acted like this. We've just got to be patient and wait that's all. Wait. Maybe another three years maybe ten more years. Oh honey. Oh what's the use of kidding yourself. We know how long it's going to take him to die and I don't even think he's sick. And I think he's just putting it on to make us wait on him. But the doctor said. He could fool a doctor as it's been done. Even when he does die how can we ever be sure. Dave you don't. I think he's just that mean yes. Snatched the money away at the last minute and died laughing at us. But he said it was a bargain he said. You think promises mean anything to him. Could he do it without I mean with. Do what. Change his will. Well sure he could do it anytime he wanted to. But I've even telling us. Nothing that says he has to tell us anything. Oh Dave the lawyer. Yeah I know. Today. Why does he have to come today of all days. After I broke his glasses and you hollered at him. Yeah I know. Could he do it just like that today. Sure. He could do it today he could do it anytime. We'd never know until he told us. Oh he wouldn't. He couldn't. Why not. He might just as well do it anyway. He'll hold it over since the last minute like he did just now. So we probably die of heart failure before he does. But you said just a few minutes. I know I've been kidding myself for three years but not anymore. Dave what are we going to do. What can we do. I don't know. I don't know yet. If only something could happen. Like what. Nothing's going to happen Myra. Unless we make it happen. Dave. We couldn't. We can't go on like this either. We can tell him to go. And throw away three years of our lives. The three years we've rotted in this dump. We've earned that money. Ten thousand dollars a year isn't half enough for what we've gone through. Dave I don't care about. Well I do. Anybody but him might feel different. I'll have more feeling about him and I do that dog up there. Dave. You don't really mean. I don't know what I mean. Listen. I've got to go over to the drug store and get his medicine. All right. Hurry back. I'll only be a minute. It's just across the street. Dave. Yeah. What about the lawyer? What about him? What if he should come now? Yeah. Well keep an eye out for him. But what if he comes? I don't know. I've got to think. Stall him off. Tell him something. What should I tell him? Tell him the old man's sick. He can't see him. Sick? Yeah. Yeah. Sick. All right Dave. Oh Dave. Have you got his glasses? Yeah. I'll give them to Mr. Herman at the drug store. He knows an oculus right here in the neighborhood. He wouldn't mind sending them over. Well, good morning Dr. O'Connor. Good morning Clancy. Taking the day off today? Yeah. Yeah. That's right. Taking the easy. Hey. How's the old gentleman this morning? Oh he's all right. Well I'm glad to hear it. Glad to hear it. He's a fine old man. Well Dr. O'Connor you come for your regular batch of medicines I suppose. Yeah. Yeah. That's right. How is Mr. O'Connor? Better I hope. Well I'm afraid he's been having a little pain lately. Oh that's too bad. He's such a courageous old man. So cheerful. Yes. Every time I go by and he's sitting up there by his window he waves. All he sends is a remembrance at Christmas. Yes. Your uncle is a real gentleman. Yeah. Yeah. That's right. Well what will it be today? Oh the iron tonic. Business. 100 tablets. And refill the thiocyanate prescription. Here I brought the bottle. All right. I'll get it for you right away. You got a prescription for the thiocyanate. A new one? No but I'll sign it. Oh surely that's right. You can sign it. You know how it is Doctor. We got to be careful of these things. You better give me the big tablets this time. Sure thing. You reach just over the counter. You'll find the prescription blank. Just below there. You got it? Oh yeah. Yeah thanks. There we are. But don't bother wrapping. All right. Let's see. That's 487. 487. Here I got it even. Oh and I'd say Mr. Hammond I want if you could do me a little favor. Why surely anything Doctor? My uncle broke his glasses this morning. I'll say. That's too bad. Yeah. He's almost helpless without them. Yeah that's right. I know he is. Yeah I wonder if you could send them around to a good oculus in the neighborhood. Sure sure I could. No trouble at all. Yeah I could go myself but well he's not feeling too well this morning and I ought to get right back. Whatever the bill is you know I'm good for it. Don't you worry about that. Why sure I'll do that right away for you Doctor. Well thanks. Thank you Doctor. Give the old gentleman my best doctor. Sure sure I will. No did you get the glasses. Yeah I gave them to Mr. Hammond come on in the kitchen. Oh. Myra do you know what these things are that he's been taking. No not exactly. Well this is business. Stuff he takes after each meal three or four of them. The stuff he's due to take right now. Wait a minute. These are thiocyanate. He only takes these once in a while for his heart. Just one of them. Plus that one because I got bigger tablets this time. Dave what are you trying to say. I'm trying to say if he took three or four of these instead of his business by mistake he would kill him. Dave no. By mistake I said. It couldn't be. Yes it could. Look at the tablets. Can you tell him apart. Hardly. If they were in the wrong bottle. Afterwards they know if they're in the wrong bottle they'd know that somebody would. No he'd think it was alright from the shape. Afterwards we'd put him back in the right bottle. Well then they'd know it couldn't be a mistake. They'd know he could read right on the bottle from the label. No they wouldn't. They'd know he couldn't read the label. They'd know he couldn't read anything. His glasses. That's right his glasses. And the oculus that have to swear to it. Dave are you sure. Are you sure he can't see. He's blind as a bat without him. Not much I know is real. Don't you see it's the only way Myra. Chance of a lifetime. No tampering with anything. No changing labels so they could analyze glue if they got suspicious. None of that. I know but. And don't forget his lawyers coming today. Couldn't we just tell him to go. What about the money. Dave I. Can't think. The front door. That must be the lawyer now. Yeah it is. And see him standing outside. What should we do. Get rid of him. Well hurry before he rings again he might hear it. Well I tell him. Well what you told me to tell him that. He's had a bad turn we're calling the doctor and then. If he asked any questions any time we could say it was. Yeah. Good morning Mr. Eldridge. How do you do Dr. O'Connor. Say I'm sorry you had to come way out here but my uncle has had sort of a bad turn. Oh I'm so sorry nothing serious. No we're calling a doctor. I don't think it's anything serious Mr. Eldridge I. I don't see how it could be. No but he was wondering if you could come back some other day. Oh I see well it's just a matter of his signature on a document. Yeah well I'm really afraid he is not putting it down. I see well perhaps I could phone him later in the day. Could I say I could phone him. There'd be no objection to that with that. No no no but if there's any message I could give it to him later. Yes well you might say that I've made the changes that he requested. He'll know what I mean. All right I'll do that and thank you Mr. Eldridge. Thank you Dr. Good day sir. Is it gone. Yeah. Did he. No no no it was all right. What is it Dave. Did he say anything. Oh he said that he made the changes whatever they were and that he'd understand. He said that all he wanted was his signature on some document. His will. We didn't say that. Oh. No I never Myra. Oh Dave let me just think. Just for a minute. Come on what about it. Yes. All right. Here are the two bottles. Oh Dave no. I have to come. Why. Because. No there hasn't been anyone here. Has there Myra. No. I thought it might have been Mr. Eldridge. I got your medicine. It took long enough about it. I'll put it over here by the bed where you can get it. What do you want Myra. I just came to get your tray. Didn't Willie like his breakfast. Oh it was too hot of course. Give it to him now. Have you got water for your pills. Yes. What about my glasses. I'll be ready this evening. All right. Are you sure Mr. Eldridge up here the minute he arrives. Yes yes I will Uncle Ed. Yes. Want me to take the tray. No. I got it. Oh Dave how could we. The use of that it's done now. Horrible. Don't you realize that we're. Murder all right it is and I'm glad. Dave don't say that. What's the difference what you call it was the only thing to do it's even better for him this way. Dave I'm afraid. Nothing to be afraid of. He's wheeled himself over to take his pills. Dave does it. Will it. Take along. That is the age and if his heart is anything like what the doctor says it is no. Is it. Painful no like a heart attack that's all. What is that. He must have fallen. Then he. Yeah yeah. In any way. We ought to go up. No no wait a minute. With the bottle. That's plenty of time. Shouldn't you wear gloves or something. I thought it would look funny if there weren't anything. David we ought to go up even. I mean it would look better. We'll have to call the doctor. We'll have to anyway either way. I suppose. Don't worry it. It won't be like that. The wheelchairs empty. He's not here. Quick look in the closet. He's dead. The dog is dead Myra. But. There's a note on the chair. What Dave what is it. It's from him. It says my dear dear niece and nephew. The thing is at last occurred which I have always known would someday inevitably occur. Poor little Willie has given his life to save mine. It may interest you to know that from my window I saw Mr. Eldridge leaving. I also suspect the incident of breaking my glasses was not quite an accident. And so my dear children I have gone to the police. And the little bottles with their transpose contents are in my pocket as final and conclusive evidence of your murderous intent. Fortunately I have never been quite as helpless as I allowed you to believe and have in fact conserved my strength or precisely such an emergency circumstance to which it now appears I owe my life for your further information. Mr. Eldridge was not coming to change my will. Now my would be heirs and assigns a fun farewell. I will see you in court. You're loving Uncle Ed. Yes. Did you hear my body fall? I thought you would like that. I did. How could he have gotten out? Down the front stairs while we were. You said he couldn't read the label. He didn't try it on the dog. What can he do? Intempted murder 20 years to life. But would they believe. They'd believe what everybody else believes a fine old gentleman. David. Are there any more. What? The pills. There isn't anything else to do with that David. No. Yes not. Are there more? Enough? Yes. Of the little ones in my pocket. These? Yeah. How many? Half a dozen. You said it didn't hurt? No. Not much. Oh David. I have children. Look out the window see who it is. David. I'm afraid. What's there to be afraid of now? Couldn't we go away somewhere some other country? With what? That's probably the police now. David is. You'd better go down and tell them something. Anything. Just so they leave us alone. Give us some time. Yes all right. Myra. Yes. Goodbye darling. No wait. Goodbye. Good evening Mrs. O'Connor. I'm sorry but. Yes Clancy. I know. I'm afraid you don't man. I've got some bad news for you Mrs. O'Connor about your uncle. Yes Clancy. I don't know how he could have got out there but. He was just hit by a car. Yes. Yes. Yes man. He's dead. Dead. Yes son. Dead. I tried but they stopped me. David had died before I got there. That's all. I just wanted to have children. I wish I was dead. Spent. Produced, edited and directed by William Spear. Tonight you heard Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard as stars of Too Little to Live On. Now Mr. Spear joins our stars at the microphone. Ozzie and Harriet may I tell you sincerely that you are great. Well thank you indeed Bill. You really mean it? I certainly do. Well thanks. It's been a real experience to do a show of this kind Bill. I don't know about Ozzie there but I never plotted the murder before. Now we had such a fine accomplice in the control booth too. I'm blushing attractively. Incidentally I'm told that you inherit this broadcast time next week. Yeah that's right Bill. Next Friday night the same time Harriet and I will be acting like ourselves again in our own show. The Adventures of Ozzie that's me and Harriet that's her. This is our last Sunday coming up. How about suspense Bill? You're changing time too aren't you? We are and we have some pretty exciting things planned. Beginning week from tomorrow that's Saturday January 3rd. Suspense will be broadcast as a full hour series. Every Saturday from 8 to 9 o'clock eastern time. Oh full hour that's wonderful. Tell more. Well with us every Saturday during the series as the man who will lay down the welcome mat and play host to our listeners will be a very very distinguished star. I'm very happy and very honored to have him with us. I'll give you another hint he's an actor director. I guess you're gonna make us wait for his name huh? Just creating suspense Harriet. The gentleman's name is Mr. Robert Montgomery. Oh that's really something. Oh Bob is great Bill. Oh it'll be a wonderful series. Shall we wish each other some kind of good luck or something? Fine I'm sure you've had a merry Christmas so let's put in a plug for a happy new year to you and a happy Friday from now on too. Happy Saturday to you Bill. Ozzie and Harriet appeared through the courtesy of International Silver Company creators of International Sterling and 1847 Rogers Brothers Silver Plate. Tonight's suspense play Too Little to Live On was written by Robert Richards. Appearing in it were Joseph Kearns who played Uncle Ed. Wally Mayer Frank Albertson and Jerry Hausner. Music composed by Lucian Morrowek was conducted by Led Gluskin. Next week at the same time listen to the adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Next Saturday night at 8 o'clock eastern time listen to Mr. Robert Montgomery in Suspense. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.