 Autolight and its 98,000 dealers bring you Mr. Frank Lovejoy in tonight's presentation of Suspense Tonight Autolight presents a story based on fact Terrifying in its truth the dramatic report of a man returned home to find he now lives in a frightened city our Star mr. Frank Lovejoy Hi Harlow What's the matter Hap? I'm in love. Oh, what's your name? It's not a her It's the famous auto light stay full the battery that needs water only three times a year in normal car use where millions of Drivers go for the auto light stay full Harlow sure Hap because it's the great battery with the fiberglass Retaining mats protecting every positive plate to reduce shedding and flaking and that means longer life for the auto light Stayful battery as proved by tests conducted according to accepted life cycle standards Tell other drivers how to meet this lovable battery Harlow all right friends your neighborhood Autolight battery dealer services all makes of batteries and he will gladly show you the auto light stay full battery for your car To quickly learn his location call Western Union by number and ask for me operator 25 I'll give you the location of your nearest auto light battery dealer where you can get an auto light stay full the battery that needs water only three times a year in normal car use and Remember from bumper to tail light. You're always right with auto light and now Autolight presents the frightened city starring mr. Frank love joy hoping once again to keep you in suspense The train pulled out of Eastern at 120 in the afternoon it had pulled in three minutes earlier It was a simple thing. I had to do then Watch it cross the bridge over the Wabash watch it grow smaller and when it was out of sight. I was finally home and Home was pick up the barracks bag and walk up the small hill from the depot Down in a main street on an autumn afternoon Turn left on sycamore down three blocks For the houses of painted white and as rockers on the porches and wide elm trees in November color And the far-off sound of a dog barking in the smell of smoldering leaves and 595 sycamore Street up the path up the steps Jane Jenny How's the baby? He was teasing but he's all right. I haven't seen him yet. He's beautiful. How's Johnny? How's Johnny says a Johnny? How is he your husband my brother-in-law Johnny? How it? What's the matter with you? Didn't you get my letter? I was aboard ship the last two weeks. So Johnny is dead Johnny went walking one night and he's dead one night Johnny said he was gonna walk down the main street He told me he wanted to stop in the police station He had something to tell Jenny. She needs he went out and he was walking along walking along Hey Baby a car drove by someone shot a gun at Johnny And Johnny's dead who Who shot Johnny says Janey, I'm talking to you who shot Johnny Janey Come with me Nick. Here's your nephew He's sleeping and he's my son. He's pink and he's fat and he says mama. You can say dad that too, but it's a word He won't need He's a good baby. I Love him as much as a mother can love a child Now I want to show you something else I've had it here in my apron and I've been wondering what to do about it I found it under my door about a week ago the day after Johnny was shot. I'll read it to you Don't talk to strangers what happened to daddy can happen to son. Give it to me My little boy is going to grow up He's going to play with other boys and laugh and cry when he scrapes his knee on the sidewalk and go to school Give me the note and live a life. No No note Nikki These pieces get burned get forgotten it gets forgotten like everything else that's happened who did it Janey You're back from a war. That's everything be peaceful now Look at my son Nick the way he wakes up So peaceful Then the infinite gentleness as she lifted the child held him close and kissed him and the room was stillness and anguish and the bitter fear and the emptiness and This was homecoming Outside it was November along quiet Avenue In the glimpse of the coat-sweated woman in her backyard gathering in her wash feeling in at the starch of cold autumn wind Walk to a cross street and three blocks east police headquarters Give a murdered man's name and yours ask for the chief of police and in less than an hour be shown into him Hello, mr. Crawford have a seat You know why I'm here. Yeah, I do I just came from my sister She's scared. She she gets threatening notes and burns them up Why I Don't know who killed her husband. I don't know Now look you this happened to my sister and now it's happening to me a Week ago a man walked down the street. He was on his way to see you when he got murdered I've got some things to tell you tell me Four people saw it happened here brother-in-law That night one of them a woman was brutally beaten tossed into a vacant lot kid playing in the trash found her there Today's later another witness got a bomb thrown through his nice new house and almost killed his wife That's two The other two won't talk either like your own sister won't talk I'm tired mr. Crawford. I got a lot of things to clear away. I Want their names and addresses? They'll talk to you They'll talk to me. I want those names All right Tell the sergeant in the next office. I said you can have mr. Crawford. What? Things have changed in this town. It's different Hang around you'll see Hello Evening mr. Osborne. I'm mr. Osborne something I can do for you They told me down at your place of business. You'd be home. It's about Jimmy Stewart Might have I sit down? Oh Johnny Stewart friend of yours. He was married to my sister. He'll says oh Then you must be Nick heard a lot about you from Johnny how you were soldiering Welcome home Nick Johnny worked for you didn't he good accountant nice guy Johnny one of the best Your with him the night he was killed. That's right. I was with him Well, you want to tell me about it? Johnny was walking by my store Just as I was closing up. I told him to wait a minute. I'd walk with him. We walked we talked Got to a corner. I told Johnny to wait for me while I went into the drugstore to buy some cigarettes Just as I came out a car turned the corner Shot him down drove away That's how it was. What kind of car I wouldn't know sedan convertible old new a week ago. They put me through this I didn't know then I don't know now Well, he worked for you. He he was your friend You know all about him and me and his wife Nick I like it here on my pot swing. It reminds me. I'm alive Don't spoil it for me Nick Mrs. Mason you were sitting right here at your window and you saw it happen You saw Johnny kill. I I didn't see it What kind of a car just tell me that nothing Well the men who beat you up. Did you identify them? There were weeds Dirty old tin cans Please and they threw me down and kicked me my throat Go away What are you doing in my house? You listen to me Nick. I can remember when Johnny Stewart was a kid And he stole penny candy from me right here in this same drugstore Yeah, and he grew up to be shot down right on this corner right outside this store What happened that night mr. Nolan Nick? I built up a nice business here 20 years. What did you see? Nicky it was me had to scrub his blood off the sidewalk What did you see? Nothing Nothing, that's what I saw Nick nothing Hi over Raking leaves you can work up a sweat even in November. Yeah big tree a lot of leaves indian summer evening. You sweat. I know Your Tom Rockston, aren't you? That's right. I'm Nick Crawford glad to know you Johnny Stewart was my brother-in-law. Oh Really? That nice house Tom Thanks, I Understand your wife was almost killed when they tossed a bomb into it That's right. The hazel was out back lucky That bomb was tossed into your house because you were a witness to a murder Wasn't it? House looks okay now got nice neighbors helped me. We fixed it up ourselves Who killed Johnny? You're scared to death aren't you? I've got a pretty good house here. Mr. Tracked house gi loan Once I had a nice uniform just like you Now what I've got so wonderful wife and anybody asks me I'll say hazel's a wonderful wife and I love her Like I said Scared Right now mostly of you and whatever you're carrying around with you. I don't want to rub off on me a hazel So I'll tell you something leave me alone When I went outside it was evening in Easton The air was chill and the dew was turning to light frost on the lawns. I Walked for a while and I noticed a thing The people on the streets Their stairs their looks over the shoulder at me the whispers in the turning aside to let me pass The word had gotten around that Johnny Stewart's brother-in-law was back in town and he was asking questions. I Was being pointed out and walked away from I'd come home And I'd come home to a frightened city Is bringing you mr. Frank Lovejoy in the frightened city tonight's presentation in radio's outstanding theater of thrills suspense Hey Hap isn't that wonderful well Harlow it looks just like an auto light stay full battery to me Hap I'm surprised at you Don't you realize that this is the battery that needs water only three times a year in normal car use? Don't you know that the auto light stay full is protected by fiberglass retaining mats around every positive plate to reduce shedding and Flaking aren't you aware of its longer life as proved by tests conducted according to accepted life cycle standards Sure, Harlow. You'll agree when I say money can't buy a better battery So friends visit your nearest auto light battery dealer He services all makes of batteries and he's got an auto light stay full for your car in case a replacement is needed To quickly locate your nearest auto light battery dealer call Western Union by number and ask for operator 25 I'll tell you where you can get an auto light stay full the battery that needs water only three times a year in normal car use Remember from bumper to tail light. You're always right with auto light And now auto light brings back to our Hollywood soundstage Mr. Frank lovejoy in Elliot Lewis's production of the frightened city a dramatic report Well calculated to keep you in suspense The next morning in eastern clear bright Look out the window of an upstairs room where you slept in an almost forgotten bed And the glint of sunlight is autumn leaves wet with melting frost and Three houses down the man on the bathrobe darting out of his front door to where the morning paper had been tossed into an evergreen bush Watch him stalk it retrieve it scurry back Trace a design on a pane of steamed window and it's almost the way you remembered it Almost yeah, come on in Hi, hi You sleep good. Yeah, I Heard the kid balling a little while ago. Oh, yeah, he was hungry. He's all right now Nikki one got home real late last night. I waited up a long time. Then I got tired and went to sleep my brother's first night home in three and a year as you Think you could have managed to get home early enough for us to talk Well, what do we talk about Jane you what's happened to you in three years, but Johnny Dead Johnny murdered Johnny your husband the man you had the kid with we don't talk about that huh sister shut up Jane I told you shut up. You're going to yell me into keeping quiet. Jane. I told you I Don't want my baby killed Johnny was enough. You hate me for wanting to know why Johnny's dead You'll hate me for that Janie My baby gets hurt I'll hate you to your grave You've got lots of new things in the house Jane, you know new furniture new carpets Looks nice. It looks expensive. You're coming down for breakfast. How much did Johnny make working as an accountant for Osborne 50 60 a week how much Nick leave me alone new sofa big green leather chair new carpet that costs a lot of money How did you get them Jane? installment plan somebody give you a birthday present How'd you do it Jane you got a home hobby you take telephone subscriptions for latest magazine How did Johnny do it is that it how he's stealing Robby killed Tell me Osborne Ask him why oh we suddenly became rich how Johnny left a bank account with $30,000 in it What are you talking? You said you walked the town last night didn't just see what's happened to it See what people walking into back rooms shops with no customers open late men paying newsboys with bills and not taking change or Newspapers people walking into back rooms card rooms dice tables numbers and Johnny was part of it Johnny worked for us And Johnny got sick of it was on his way to tell the cop Oh Janey, what's the matter if you tell anybody what I said I'll swear you're lying My baby Nick my son I just died That's what you did to me. It just died. Hey, what's a big idea busting up my office? I'll tell you the idea Osborne I Reached across that desk to grab you by the throat and I was gonna try to break you in half But a thing stopped me you want to know what stopped me Osborne What's the matter with your neck? I want you to look at me, and I want you to say to yourself Here's a man who's angry And you say to yourself here's a man who might reach across the desk and kill me. He hasn't made up his mind yet On your feet Osborne on your feet Why did you kill Johnny you crazy talk to me talk tell me why did you kill Johnny? I was walking with him son walking with him. How could you set him up as a pigeon? It's real simple Walk with and then go into a drugstore and wait until he's killed now. You know how now. Tell me why talking to your sister Son Osborne you send your boys down to see my sister. They might live through what happened to him But I doubt it tough boy soldier boy. Here's what's else Osborne This town suddenly stinks Dice rooms card rooms numbers and everything that goes with it My brother-in-law gets a shiny garbage disposal a new grand piano real fine rugs in a large bank account on how much a week 75 accountants make about that. Don't they we could start you at about 300 people like mr. Osborne door guy. Who's talking? Polite mr. Osborne. That's the word for just now I could kill you husband Think about it with me Here we are in this room you the man who's got the whole town of Eastern so scared that nobody has a friend anymore Takes a powerful man to frighten almost 20,000 people, but you did it anything happens to me Nikki boy You'd get one block from here. Let's think about that. Oh, that's what I'm coming to Then there's me in this room and you're afraid of me and that makes me pretty big too But I'm not gonna kill you because this is my town and it used to be a pretty good town the Uniform and the flag and the fist that's all you need and there's law and there's people who need to know what's happening here I'm gonna tell you what I'm gonna do get proof Nikki How about eight o'clock tonight? I'm gonna take a walk and I'm gonna take the same walk that Johnny did And I'm going into that drugstore, and I'm gonna make a phone call a long-distance call to st. Louis to a newspaper guy I know and Then it's gonna be in the papers about a frightened city and the reporters will come here and they'll find out Osborne You're getting real scared, baby You mean it about taking that walk tonight Nick. I mean it maybe we'll bump into each other We will and on the way home stop at Lane's sporting goods store Buy a gun buy cartridges And mr. Lane is all business no good evenings. No, how have you been Nikki? Just bring it up on the cash register and not look at you and walk quickly away from you when it was done And the walk home Small town held in November twilight Inside the house Try the new piano The room where the baby is Play with him and Jane comes in and takes him away from you and tells you there's supper in the kitchen if you want it And eat alone paper propped against water pitcher Alone from now on everything alone Because the police wouldn't let you be a pigeon glance at the kitchen clock And it's time Yeah Just for a walk Will you be late maybe don't wait up for me thing for you Nick some change. I want to use your phone sure Nick Oh long distance. What's the station-to-station charge to st. Louis? Just a moment will be a dollar twenty including the tax but number do you wish please? Or are you calling in st. Louis, please? I pick a number. I'm sorry, sir But don't be sorry Get anybody you want to talk to in st. Louis have a talk on me. I will return your money, sir Now don't do that There's somebody I want to call in st. Louis, but I can't think of who it is. I will give you information. No, no just just talk to me I'm sorry, sir, but I can't do that operator I've got to talk into this phone for just a little while longer just to let somebody think I'm not kidding in case somebody's watching About what do you wish to talk to st. Louis, sir? Do you think I should turn your money no no don't do that. I've got a number get me uh Benton 64373 in st. Louis one moment, please Nick Oh, Nick Sorry soldier And just think you could have died on a battlefield not in your home time Osborne didn't die he lived quite a long time five months hospital trial confession sentence And in five months it was spring in eastern. It was a good spring And you know how people are they react to the weather Hi, Nick Tree starting to bud already you notice they get friendly and they smile a lot like winter was a long time a dark time And it was over come on over to the house when you have a chance nick you do that you hear Grass grows in the spring time, but babies grow all the time. Did you see him? Did you see him? Nick he walked my son walked sure sure. I saw him sis. He's growing up That happens sis and you know what? He's lucky. He's got a good town to grow up in Spence Presented by auto light tonight star mr. Frank lovejoy This is harlow wilcox and here once again is our star frank lovejoy This was your first appearance of our new season frank and we wanted to know we enjoyed every minute Thank you harlow and thanks to auto light for making it possible You had some wonderful shows this season and next week's promises to be one of the best Ladies and gentlemen, if I may I recommend that you be sure to listen to death and miss turner Starring miss agnes moorhead. Yes frank It should be a great show brought to you by one of the great names in american industry Auto light and its family of 98 000 distributors and dealers in the united states and thousands more in canada and throughout the world Our family also includes the nearly 30 000 men and women in 28 great auto light plants from coast to coast And auto light plants in many foreign countries as well as the 18 000 people who have invested a portion of their savings in auto light Every auto light product is backed by constant research and precision built to the highest standards of quality and performance So remember from bumper to tail light. You're always right with auto light Next week a new radio play by the originator of suspense. Mr. William spear. The story is called Death and miss turner and it will star the first lady of suspense miss agnes moorhead. That's next week on suspense Suspense is produced and directed by elliot lewis with music composed by lucian morowak and conducted by lutt gluskin The frightened city was written for suspense by morten fine and david freedkin Featured in tonight's cast were jones banks lou merrill herb butterfield polo winslow high everback and charles calbert frank love joy appeared to the courtesy of warner brothers whose current release is operation secret remember next week miss agnes moorhead in Death and miss turner. You can buy auto light stay full batteries auto light electrical parts and auto light resistor or standard type spark plugs At your neighborhood auto light dealers switch to auto light. Good night. This is the cbs radio network