 Family Theater presents Gene Crane and Robert Stack from Hollywood the mutual network in cooperation with Family Theater presents Today is Sunday starring Robert Stack and now here is your hostess Gene Crane Thank You Tony LaFranco Family Theater's only purpose is to bring to everyone's attention a practice that must become an important part of our lives If we are to win peace for ourselves Peace for our families and peace for the world Family Theater urges you to pray pray together as a family and Now to our transcribed drama today is Sunday starring Robert Stack as Joe I finished the medical report and got up and went over to the window I Could see all the way down the main street through the big elm trees to where the red light at Morton and highway 14 Blinked and blinked in the quiet summer darkness I first heard the noise I thought it might have been one of the comedians from the resort crowded white lake driving his girlfriend home on a souped-up two-seater It was old stuff They'd go through Gentryville and he'd start snapping the ignition off and on and the explosions were supposed to wake up All the Hicks they never did but the white lake boys kept right on trying I leaned out the window waiting for a breeze it wasn't there Explosions were about ten minutes old now, but no card come by from either direction I Turned away and went back to my desk and glanced at the medical report for the insurance company Everybody thinks the only doctor in a small town has got it made Everybody should try it sometime. Yes, Dr. Fry. That's right. They are a friend of mine's been hurt I'd like you to take care of them. I sure where is he how? Yeah, bring him up What's wrong with your friend? He got shot. I helped him get the man into my office and down on a couch He was about 25 with a slight build and short blonde hair The bullet was lodged in his upper arm that had shattered the bone when that happens There's usually a lot of picking and probing to do although the slug itself isn't very hard to find Good man doc, is he gonna be all right. Well, it may still be a few bone spenders left But he hasn't lost too much blood So how long are you gonna be out like this in a study going to wear off in about 20 minutes. I Think you better tell me how it happened Well, it was an accident. It was cleaning his gun hunting rifle. It must be quite a rifle How do you mean doc? It shoots 38 revolver bullets You stay where you are doc. I know I'm here who's a everybody in town I live upstairs that phone gun extension out there in the hall how get over in the doorway, okay? When I nod you tell the doc to answer it in here you bet. All right doc pick it up. No funny stuff Hello, Joe. Hello, Julie. Joe uncle. How do you mean honey? Three men broke gotta come right away. Hold the wire second What do I do keep your hand over the phone? Ask her how bad he's hurt Hello, honey. Joe, what's wrong? I thought it was someone at the door. It's all right is Vic wounded very badly He's been shot. Oh, you've got it. I'll be right over honey. Don't move him You better let me go I'm the only doctor around here and if I don't get to him and time he might bleed to death Then it'd be murder on top of armed robbery. Who is the girl? She works in the sheriff's substation. Her uncle's a night watchman at the bank. Yeah, what's she to you? Not a thing Not a thing You call there honey. You go around calling everybody, honey. All right. We're engaged. Look if I don't get over that pretty soon It's you'll go when I'm ready Yeah, I Can't take money from you take it a thousand bucks. I told you you're gonna earn it Now you listen That guy who got plugged is probably gonna be fine if I get to him and you'll get to him Being your girl's uncle. I take it. You know, of course. All right. You give him half of this 500 And tell him it's for keeping quiet in case he recognized anyone same as you're here crazy outside of the rough stuff The only one who gets hurt in a bank robbery is the insurance company You keep quiet and it'll stay like that. I say we ought to take care of this guy right now And leave the night watchman to do a lot of talking before he blinks out How do we know he will blink out because this is the only dark in town and he needs one any more questions? Yeah What's to keep this guy from spilling after we leave? The girl What are you talking about? Look doc, we know you've got one And we know who she is So if you were the uncle peep just once she gets in trouble big trouble I'll give Hal a hand with a kid We'll take him out the bank By the time I got down to the bank they brought Vic into the beauty shop next door and had him laid out on one of the Massage tables it was a pretty good crowd to start with but gradually Julie and a tall Hard-looking man named Crowley emptied them out into the street Vic's wound didn't look serious So I had Julie phone over to the hospital at Edgemont for an ambulance while I went to work patching him up Crowley just stood there and watched I didn't know much about him except that he worked in the sheriff's office Feel like talking Vic Sure sure I do if the doc doesn't mind. It's all right. Just don't tie him up Did you get a good look at any of them big only one other two had masks I Guess he had a mask too, but Must have taken it off to work on the ball. What do you look like? Well, it was pretty big bring your knee up a little Vic. Oh sure Oh, just hold it like that for a second. Well, I there you can let it down now. Thanks Boy, you say he was pretty big Yeah Yeah, I can you let the questions wait a little while he's still in shock All right, but while we stand here they're getting away. I take it you put out an alarm three men one wounded I I winged one of them. All right. We still don't know what kind of car they were using Well, it was a dark sedan. It's all I could tell Could have been black or green or anything. You didn't see the license No, don't even know it was from this state Yeah, there's a call for you up at the office. It's the sheriff. Where is he Williamsburg? You'd better come along and take it down It's probably orders. I'll be right with you How's he doing just fine? I'll be okay, Julie. You know, they blame near missed me You just lie there and keep quiet. I'll be right back Joe as well Incidentally, the ambulance is on its way say Vic Yeah, you want a cigarette? Sure Yeah, thanks Vic The man you saw without his mask you think you'd know him if you saw him again. I Think so He was big In a real long funny-looking face. Well, do you think you'd know him from a picture? Maybe Why well, that's probably all you'll get to identify him by police photos. I I think I'd know odd-looking gent big guy Vic I've got to tell you something that happened tonight. It's gonna sound pretty crazy, but it's true I want you to have the whole story before Crowley gets back Then we can both think it over for a day or so and then decide what to do The ambulance arrived from Edgemont about 20 minutes later and two attendants came in with a stretcher and carried Vic out As they loaded him into the back Crowley was still trying to get a description of the man who opened the fault But all Vic could remember was that he was kind of tall and seemed to have dark hair a few minutes later The ambulance pulled away and I drove Julie home about eight o'clock the next morning I was making coffee in the hot plate in my office when Crowley turned up Feels like it's going to be a scorcher today. Yeah Have a cup. No, thanks. Just finished breakfast. Well, what can I do for you lieutenant? I won't take much of your time doctor I guess you're pretty busy at this hour usually but things seem to be kind of quiet this morning. Don't worry. It won't be long Before what the phone starts ringing little Millie's got the colleague Johnny tried to swallow the thrashing machine You don't like it much. Do you being a small town doctor? Not too much. You like being a small town cop Beats working This way you usually take most of your calls. Yes, why I thought maybe we woke you up last night It's right here in the office filling out a medical report and a man I examined for insurance Is that kind of a sideline with you sideline that accounts for about 30% of my income? I guess every little bit helps Where's the other phone die What your lines been out of order since 120 this morning just about the time I had Julie call here Other phones out in the vestibule. Well here. I'll show you off the hook Yeah, I Wonder how that happened. Well here don't touch it dark. Allow me What's the handkerchief for fingerprints? What are you getting at you? Maybe I Think you're in trouble me According to four witnesses who heard the sounds of the shots and I'm one of them The men who robbed the gentry bill savings and loan pulled away from it in the car a little before one this morning One of the men was wounded. We found stains on the pavement. So he needed a doctor right away Look if you're trying to implicate me, you're the only doctor in town Oh, they must have driven out of town then 15 minutes later You'll receive a phone call here to come over and take care of Vic and you say You took it in your office Not on this instrument. All right, maybe I did take the call out here. I'm not sure you got up from your desk in the office which has a phone on it and Walked out here to the vestibule to take the call. Look, I'm telling you I took the call out here I'm not sure if I was coming out of the office or headed upstairs or what and then when you were finished You didn't hang up You just laid to receive it down here on the table like you always was excited Maybe I knocked the thing off without knowing it You know where you really stubbed your toe doc I don't even know what you're talking about when you told me in the beauty parlor that I shouldn't have any trouble tracing The robbers because one of them was wounded. You just said there were stains on the sidewalk. You didn't know that and Julie didn't say a word about it over the phone because I was there when she called you Well, she Told me when I drove up in the car. Did she tell you there were the same kind of stains in your front porch? Your practice doesn't bring in a lot of money does a dog. I make a living keep much cash on hand here About $50 small bills. I suppose singles fine. Yes, mostly mind if I have a look around to see if you've got anything large here You have a search warrant. I can get one you come back when you've got it I'll have to state that I need it because you were unwilling to cooperate. You'll go right ahead and state it I'll get it You're a great man with that handkerchief. Hello, Joe Just a minute, Julie You take it in the office doc. I don't want these prints smeared Hello, Joe. Yeah, honey. Was that Lieutenant Crowley who answered the phone? Yes, he he just stopped by Joe a doctor just called me from the hospital in Edgemont. He thinks we'd better come over there. He say what was wrong? Are you at the office now say there? I'll pick you up in five minutes. All right, Joe Crowley, I'm afraid we'll have to postpone our little chat. I know I'll ride over to Edgemont with you Search yourself, but I don't like people listening into my private phone conversations. That's funny. What I should think you'd be getting used to it It was a little after nine o'clock and we got to the hospital at Edgemont And two hours later Vic was dead It is a combination of things things like a poor heart and sporadic arteries and a general failure to respond to treatment The main thing of course was the bullet He might have lived another 20 years if that hadn't come along. Can I Get you anything, honey? No, no, thanks, Joe Cigarette I don't think so Why is Lieutenant Crowley still in there? He's got to make the arrangements about getting the certificate signed. Oh, I hope they catch them I hope they catch them. I know honey. I know take it easy Thanks again, Dr. Cutter. I'll be in touch with you I'm awfully sorry, Julie. Thanks, Lieutenant Incidentally Carter says it wasn't anybody's fault. He just wasn't strong enough. What do you mean? It wasn't anybody's fault? I just wanted to put your mind at rest, doc you were a Little slow getting over at the bank last night. I came as quickly as I could. Yeah, I know Carter says you did a fine job The extra five minutes wouldn't have made any difference. I could have told you that There's something else I wish you could tell me. What's that? Who pulled a trigger on him? Most of that afternoon went into making the funeral arrangements Notifying a few of Vicks relatives who lived upstate and talking to a reporter for the Edgmark banner The story made the early additions along with a statement by the sheriff phoned in from Williamsburg His men would be on 24-hour duty until the killers are apprehended It was after six o'clock and we got back to Gentryville nobody talked much on the ride home I Dropped Julie at the house Crowley at his office, and then I turned on a Morton Street and drove toward my place It started to cool off, but the Sun was still bright and I was driving west That's probably why I didn't see the convertible parked out in front till I almost banged into it The top was up and there was a woman seated behind the wheel a good-looking woman Yes What can I do for you the friend of a former patient of yours asked me to get in touch with you Which patient is that the man you took care of in your office last night a man who was hurt I Didn't take care of anyone in my office last night. You must have the wrong doctor my friend paid you a thousand dollars I don't know a thing about it You think I'm with the police don't you and the thousand dollars is just a good guess It's a nice round number My friend gave you a five hundred dollar bill three one hundreds and four fifties. Is that sound like a gas? What do you want? My friend would like the thousand back in exchange for this 1200 in small bills Lots easier to spend Not so many questions someone else was supposed to get half of that thousand Did you give it to him? No, I didn't have to he didn't see anything that was worth five hundred dollars to forget And then you'll have all this to yourself Have you got the thousand with you? No, I'll have to get it. I can wait. It's not in the house I hid it come back around 11 o'clock tonight. I'll have it for you now wait a minute I've got my own neck to think about lady. I don't want to stick it out any more than your friend does That wasn't a bluff what he told you about the girl. I never thought it was She doesn't know anything about it. You think I'm crazy. That was her uncle who got killed My friend isn't gonna like this. They can't like it much less than I do when I've got to go on living in this town You'll have the money here at 11. I'll be in my office. It's on the first floor you go in and don't worry He knows where it is I watched the convertible drive off and then went up the steps to the house The money was where I'd left it rolled up and stuffed into a half package of cigarettes in the top drawer of my desk I Flattened the bills out in front of me It was just a chance and the way things were shaping up not a very good one But my friend with a long face was worried. He didn't want me to be walking around with money like this He wouldn't even want me to be found dead with it Lieutenant Come on in die. That's about a close-up shop Yeah, really been a scorcher. Yeah, I didn't you know I wanted to ask you something shoot Do you have any ideas about who those men who killed Vic might be? No, but I do have an idea who might be able to help me. I know all about that idea. We got any others a couple They're a little vague You think they might be the kind of men who pull robberies like this before no doubt about it like where Well, I was just looking over this Dodger that came in yesterday Bank hold up in Michigan two days ago three men Another in Indiana last week They killed a bank guard in Indiana. What would it take to convict them for that the killing? Any number of things eyewitnesses Philistics test on the murder weapon. Well, how about the serial numbers of the bills? They stole it from the bank which bank say the one in Indiana where the guard was killed They do pretty good the Bills themselves would be even better. Yeah, but the serial numbers would do yeah I'd say so I suppose you'd have to contact the bank to check the numbers in the bills Yes, but even so if somebody knew that I wouldn't do any good to day-to-day Sunday the banks are closed That's right. You look in your mail tomorrow morning lieutenant. I think you'll find something Good night It's about 830 when I got home After I mailed the letter I had a sandwich down at the drugstore and walked around for a while before going back to the house I thought about calling Julie, but I ruled it out It's funny the way you find out how much you love someone. I'd do anything in the world for you, honey I must have said that tour a dozen times without knowing I really meant it The office was like an oven. I'd forgotten to open the windows. I Sit there for a long time in the dark smoking listening to the clock on my desk. Hello, dr. Fry Speaking this is mrs. Bradley. Dr. Milly's had another attack her stomachs aching something awful Well, do you have any of that medicine left? I gave you just about a spoonful give it to her if that's not enough call Wilson at the pharmacy and tell him I said he could refill the prescription There's any question about it. He can reach me here. She's aching pretty bad Well, the medicine ought to fix it if it doesn't give me a call you're gonna be in your office another hour or so. Yes Maybe not quite that long. Okay doc. Thanks Not at all mrs. Bradley Not at all. Hello doc Hello Come on in you. Uh got the thousand I gave you in the office here there's Just one thing I'd like to get straight sure the night watchman's dead. So Nobody's in on this but me. That's right But how do you stand elsewhere? Let me worry about that. Will you die? I figured you worried enough already But in case you get nabbed for something else, I don't want you to come back here and make trouble for my girl Don't worry because Whatever happens to you It won't be my fault. I know it won't doc now Where's a thousand? Right here Good man Yeah, here's your 1200 Lots of paper, huh? Yeah Look, you don't have to trust me take it over there under the lamp and caught it. I trust you Take it over under the lamp. I Guess you must know I figured on this get over there but Julie's not in on it. So when you pull that trigger it can stop here. All right, it stops when I say so Put the money in your pocket. Yeah, but she doesn't know a thing about this. They never do That's something I make sure of Or you'll be all through moving forever get them up Crowley is that you yeah, I Shouldn't listen to private phone calls or peep through windows But in the long run it pays You take that muscles gun and walk him outside. I've got a friend of yours with me She wants to talk to you I Got all of them three men and the girl Joe I'd Crowley get my letter He fished it out of the box in front of the drugstore with a piece of chewing gum on a stick And on top of everything else he robs the males Joe and I suppose he figures that's all right because it was addressed to him I suppose so how'd he get so smart he could have been barking up the wrong tree all along He talked uncle Vic this morning in the hospital while you and I were out having coffee. Oh Joe Joe you were willing to give up your life to save mine. Oh, that's a great Exaggeration you were Joe Lieutenant Crowley told me how it was Lieutenant Crowley is a dumb flatfoot would Is is that your phone? Yeah, it's probably Mrs. Bradley again. She's got a kid with a colleague. I better get it You're gonna have to get used to this for a long time Phone calls late at night people with a stomach ache who haven't got sense enough to take bicarbonate of soda I hope so Joe what I hope I'm going to get used to it for the rest of my life This is Jean Crane again in speaking of family prayer Which is frankly family theater's purpose and only purpose a great deal of stress is laid on the children We visualize a family as composed of father mother children or father mother child Well, it is true that children are the completion basic object and normal triumph of family life But there are also couples who through no fault or selfishness or timidity of their own just aren't blessed with children And yet they are a family It may be just a family of two and they became a family the minute They left the altar and plighted themselves to each other for life To these no less than two families in which there are children family theater recommends family prayer For these two have needs and souls and emotions and aspirations that are out of this world And rightly so in the full bloom of youth as newly married folks They will derive as family theater knows the great joy of making their love Singular and special and of realizing that true marriage is not a matter of two parties But of three and the third is God While in the autumn of life knowing as they must that one will precede the other and one will be left for a short time alone There need be no sadness or melancholy or panic if they have lived or even started to live a Marriage of which the third partner has a share for then one will not be left alone It's so easy. It's so true. It's simply this the family that prays together stays together More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of From Hollywood family theater has brought you transcribed today is Sunday starring Robert Stack Jean Crane was your hostess others in our cast were Paul Freese Vic Perron Gloria Grant Herb Butterfield and Vivi Janis The script was written and directed for family theater by John T Kelly with music composed and conducted by Harry Zimmerman This series of family theater broadcasts made possible by the thousands of you who feel the need for this type of program by the mutual network Which has responded to this need and by the hundreds of stars of stage screen and radio Who give so unselfishly their time and talent to appear on our family theater stage to them and to you are humble things This is Tony LaFranco expressing the wish of family theater that the blessing of God may be upon you and your home and Inviting you to be with us next week when family theater will present Horse sense starring Jack Carson. Rod O'Connor will be your host join us. Won't you? Family theater is broadcast throughout the world and originates in the Hollywood studios of the world's largest network This is mutual the radio network for all America