 You are about to hear a story based on actual events to protect the innocent. Names and places have been changed. Auto Lights and its 96,000 dealers bring you Mr. Jeff Chandler in a story taken from life. Tonight's presentation of Souspends. Tonight, Auto Light presents the Steel River Prison Break, a story concerning one of the most fantastic prison breaks ever engineered. Starring Mr. Jeff Chandler. I'll starch my sombrero if it's not Sheriff Sam. I'll brung in a rustler, Harlow. A cattle rustler? Nope, a gas rustler. A car. It uses gas, something awful, and bucks like a brown coat. Sounds like spark plug trouble, Sheriff. Your Auto Light spark plug dealer can help you in a jiffy. He has the exclusive plug check indicator that shows the exact condition of those spark plugs and whether they're right for your type of driving. Maybe they just need cleaning or adjusting, Harlow. Well, your Auto Light spark plug dealer has the special equipment to give you the best job money can buy, Sheriff. Yeah, but supposing them critters are dead. Well, then he'll replace them with a set of standard or resistor type ignition engineered Auto Light spark plugs. The spark plugs that are world famous for quality and performance. So friends, you'll find a page to have your spark plugs checked soon. See your Auto Light spark plug dealer. And remember, from bumper to tail light, you're always right with Auto Light. And now with the Steel River Prison Break and the performance of Mr. Jeff Chandler, Auto Light hopes once again to keep you in suspense. It was set for Friday. I mean set. We'd thought of everything, crawling to be waiting in a speedboat under the wall. We'd make it during the recreation period. Some of the boys had started a rhubarb in the far corner of the yard. We'd be up and over and in the river before the guards missed us. And then Tuesday night, the radio changed everything. Word has just reached us from Pequot City. The river is three feet below flood stage at lock seven and rising. Flood stage is expected at midnight. Rain is still falling in the upper watershed. Flood warnings have been issued along the waterfront here in Frickburg. Elsewhere, rising waters are reported in the Upper Allegheny in Monongahela. And flood stages may be expected from New Kensington and Wheeling to Pittsburgh. We return you to Tuesday riveries with the steel river Sinfoneta. That does it. What's that? Flood. You hear that on the radio? Yeah, I heard it. So it's raining outside. Yeah, it's raining up the river and it's raining in the mountains. We're mighty lucky to be nice and warm in a comfy little old present, sir. We gotta move up the timetable. What are you talking about? We walk out of here tomorrow night, Thursday morning, latest. How come? I'll stop the detail. Listen, the river will hit flood stage at lock seven at midnight tonight. So what? So lock seven is 80 miles upstream. Right below it, the Lucinda River runs into the steel. That means that lock eight at Renton will probably give way by tomorrow morning. Between lock eight and Frickburg, a half dozen little rivers pour into the steel. At midnight tomorrow night, the prison will be an island surrounded by the biggest flood since 1886. Very interesting. I don't know much about these things. We don't ever get much water on the Rio Grande. Well, I know. I was raised a half a mile from here. I know floods. I was raised on them. Flooded out twice a year when I was a kid every fall and every spring. By tomorrow night, this cell block will be a swimming pool. That'll be a change. Tomorrow night, we go. What about Cronin? Cronin ain't gonna get here in this flood. Look, Bragg, I don't think we ought to risk it. There ain't any risk. I don't know how it is when there's a flood. People go crazy. We get out of here. We act like any other characters trying to get to high ground. Only we head for my house. We get a change of clothes and we're on our way. You're going with me, you're going, I say so, and I say tomorrow. But, Bragg... What, Rudd? I can't swim. He had a gun. No matter how, Cronin got it into me. I buried it in a canatello in a soap plant. I put that canatello so far back in the corner, wasn't nobody gonna use it to make soap. I broke it out yesterday and hid it behind the tubes and things in my radio. I got a radio in my cell, because I've been such a model prisoner. Me. Wednesday morning before breakfast, Lefty, the head-screwed community cellblock, and made his little speech. Man, we're in for a flood. Looks like it's gonna be serious. Water's only a foot below the top of the downtown flood walls right now. Ain't that too bad? The Frickburg Disaster Committee's asked every able-bodied man to get down there and help sandbag those walls. I'm a stranger, Tom, myself. That's for citizens and tax payers. How many of you want to volunteer for the job? I'll go. Take off after breakfast, but remember, don't try no funny stuff, because I'll be right there with you, me and the rest of my boys. Oh, you don't want to stand out there in the rain all day? Okay. That's all. Breakfast in five minutes. Up goes the timetable again. Don't have to wait for the night. We'll make it this morning. What do you do with that radio? What do you think? Give me the tape. The tape? That phony boiler band is the other day. Oh, oh yeah. Oh, that hurts. Oh, you don't take it off that way. You do it this way. You take it. Shut up. Oh, that hurt me, Brack. Take this automatic on the inside of my leg. We're on our way. Yeah, Brack? You all set, Misha? Set. When we get down the river, we keep close together. Watch me. Sure, Brack. Whatever you say. A crummy color? Yeah, there was once painted different colors. And how come they're all the same color? All dingy gray lights. Smoke, cold smoke from the mills. Oh, I get it. Like down home, houses are all a crummy yellow in the crummy dust. See down the street? Third house on the left? Yeah, what about it? That's where we'll be tonight. Yeah, home sweet home. Master lives here. She got no use for cups. But since my old man got slapped around in the battle of barges of a homestead. What's the matter? Pinch. You can stand a few more minutes, can't you? You kidding? Hey, hey, look at that. Oh, that brick building? What about it? The Candlest School. That's where I went. You graduate, Brack? Ah, now I transferred to Pine Hill, graduated there. Pine Hill? Well, there ain't no way it's near the river. Turn into a gravel yard, looks like. I have you drop off here to fill sandbags. Minkowski, Steiner, Anthony, Walton and Brack. Me? Yeah, you. Well, Brack, there goes the pool game. Only one in it. God used to play in it when I was a kid. There was just three blocks from my old lady's house. I could have made it easy through back alleys. But I ain't that kind of guy. I went into the pen on the same rap with Marcia. I wasn't going to leave her without him. A run. I liked her, but I'm a little slow on the upstairs to pop it, maybe, but a good guy. I'd wait. But it was tough. Filling sandbags all day in the rain with that tape gun cutting into my leg. No blood getting on my foot. At first it hurt, then it was like pins and needles in my toes, and I couldn't feel nothing at all. It was real tough, because I didn't dare limp. I couldn't take a chance on any nosy guard, but it was a matter. It got tougher. Towards the end of the day, I was seeing spots in front of my eyes. I was like to pass out with a truck come by to pick us up. It wasn't until after Chow when we was locked in myself for the night I could get the thing off my leg. Then it all went in the reverse. The pins and needles came back, and after them the pain. That leg looks like you was branded. God feels it. Motion I never expected to see you back here. Are you kidding? Well, you know. Turn on the radio, let's see how the flood's doing. Tomorrow we're going to make sure we stick together. How are we going to do that? I don't know, but we've got to, because tomorrow is going to be our last chance. Holy... This is K.D.K.W. Frickberg. Bring you flood bulletins and assist in directing rescue operations. Attention please. The flood wall at Water Street and forth is given way. All residents of the Brownsville district are advised to evacuate their homes at once. Here we go. Brownsville, that's what they call a neighborhood around here. Hey, Marsha. You getting this? It won't be long now. The floor at the end of the cell block. The water. A trickle of water, I told you. It means there's a foot and a half or two feet out in the yard. There'll be six foot of water in this cell block by morning. The county jail is on high ground. You'll be safe there till the water drops. You'll be in the drunk tank on the fourth floor. I'm gonna open the doors. Form a line and follow me. No funny business. Oh, Settler? Hey, you forgot. And you don't take it to your land? Not this time. It goes into my belt. It's gonna need it in less than three minutes. Now stick close to me. I'll take him from behind. You get lefty, I'll get Riley. What about me? Just keep with me. Alright, come on boys. We ain't got all night snappin' up. You got the gun right there. I got it. Get behind me, run. Come on, shoot lefty. Fatty makes a good chest protector. Relax, Fatty, you might not get hurt. Stop that man, Bragg. And your gun. You make a pretty good target, lefty. They just might drop you. Now what, that'll get you. Sure, what's the difference? One guard and two guards. It's the same hot seat. Bragg, we better move. The Steel River Prison Break. Tonight's production in Radio's Outstanding Theatre of Thrill's Suspense. Happy, Sheriff? Sure am, Harlow. Happy as a pinnopony and pasture. Since modelite spark plug dealer, check him spark plugs with that exclusive modelite plug check indicator. What did it show, Sheriff? Those critters were as worn as the cowboys chaps after the spring roundup. But it less owed them for a hip herd of Ignition-engineered auto-light spark plugs. And now, my car takes off like a scared coyote runs sweet as a cowpoke's dream, uses less gas and a gophery shatter. Well, I knew it would, Sheriff, because Ignition-engineered auto-light spark plugs are designed by the same men who engineer the coil, distributor, and all the other important parts of the Ignition system used as original factory equipment. On many makes of our finest cars, trucks, and tractors. That's why, when you replace worn-out spark plugs with standard or resistor type auto-light spark plugs, you can be sure of getting smoother performance, quick starts, and gas savings. So, friends, see your auto-light spark plug dealer soon and have him compare your spark plugs with the famous plug check indicator. For his name and address, just call Western Union by number and ask for Operator 25. Oh, remember, too, you're always right with auto-light. And now, auto-light brings back to our Hollywood soundstage, Mr. Jeff Chandler, in Elliott Lewis' production of The Steel River Prison Break, a dramatic report well-calculated to keep you in... suspense. What you have to shoot that God for, right? I didn't want taking a chance. You dumb jerk, breaking out of stars, one thing murders another. We splashed up Ohio Street, and there wasn't no one following us. The screws were too busy getting the other guns into the buses. They couldn't have found us anyway because we lost ourselves behind the swinging doors of early his salon where I used to rush the growler for my old man. They were in pretty good shape. I hadn't used my own gun yet. Run had three rounds left and a guard's gun. We just stood there in the dark and we made it. We made it. So far, what are we doing now? Swim? I came swimming. We ain't gonna walk, that's for sure. My house is ten blocks closer to the river. This water's going up, not down. It stinks. Sure it stinks, blood's always stinking. You gotta smell what it's like when the water drops, and there ain't gonna be here to smell it. Wait a minute, listen to that. Where's that radio coming from? All the river men help when there's a flood like this. Not even a radio. Maybe a rescue ass, huh? That's what I figured, right? Let me handle it. You two act a little tight. Hey, hey, Max! Over this way! Just stay behind these swinging doors. Over here and at Hurleys! What are you doing there? Took the last guy out there half hour ago. Oh, we were in a back room with a pinch of beer. I thought that I cut through this way. Now that the cons are out of the pen, this entire area has been cleared. You guys might have drowned. Yeah, I guess you might have. Oh, here, take my hand. Oh, thanks, miss. I haven't thought so much pain in my life. Oh, all aboard? Yep. Hey, hey, what kind of suits is that? You guys are conflicted! That's right, buddy. Take off his windbreaker. Strip him. I want to cover this number on my back. Oh, yeah, sure. Come on, give me a hand, boys. Yeah. I'll tell you how, Brad. Good. Over the side with him. Huh? Oh, you ain't going to... No, I ain't going to. You are. Over the side. But that's murder! Look to this talk. You shot a guy 10 minutes ago. What was that target practice? Over the side. Okay, Brad. All right, miss. Hit the deck out of sight. Here we go. Mars House. On Ohio Street now. Turn left onto Liberty. Eight blocks from there. We're home. Turn off that radio. Here's Liberty Street now. Hang on. Take it easy, Brad. Now watch out, Brad. There's a boatload of people up here. Get down, Lut. Get down! You ran down that boat. Okay, I know. There were women and kids in it. That's it, Lut. We've got to go back. We can't go back. Where's Lut? Rock. Hey, Rock, where are you? Get down, Lut. Stay out of sight. He ain't here. I must have fell out when we hit the boat. We've got to go back for it. We can't, Lut. Yeah, but he's got the gun. We've got the guards going. I still got mine with a full clip. But, Greg, you can't swim. I know. Well, maybe the water ain't deep there. Maybe he can walk. You're kidding. Look at those storefronts. There's 15 feet of water under us. We tied up to the front porch roof of Mars House. Didn't take long to rip the radio and battery out of that launch. Kick a hole in her bottom and sink her on Mars's front yard. We needed the radio. I wanted to know whether the boys are looking for us or for flood victims. Floor Stanton Alley. Control the disregard 75 floor Stanton Alley. Attention all doctors and nurses in Crane Valley, New Thames, and Henry Boyd. Your services are in desperate need. They were looking for flood victims. With people drowning and typhoid threatening the water supply cut off, the phone lines out in the National Garden Army called in, no one was thinking much about three escapees. I mean, two. Ma was in home match. She was in all handy floods. When that water hits 35 feet at Ohio Avenue Bridge, Ma always lights up rent carries in Mount Austin. He sits at eye. Everything was snug on the second floor and my room was just like I left it. So March and I hit the sack hoping the water wouldn't come any higher. And it didn't. Hey, March. Come on. Rise and shine. Wake up. Hey, what are you doing in my cell? This ain't a cell, you jerk. Huh? Where am I? You're in my Ma's house. Remember, we ain't in a stern no longer. Oh, yeah, yeah. Come on, come on, get with it. Look out the window. Hey, I'm hungry. Oh, wait. Look at that. What? Stop raining. The water's dropping. You can see the parlor windows on the house across the street. So? So by this afternoon, we can move. I'm hungry. You're gonna be hungry. Ma's kitchen will be three inches deep and muck. Hey, when the water drops, I'll be looking first. We won't be here by midnight tonight. We'll be in Cronin's Joint in Youngstown. How? You're here, ain't you? Yeah. Don't ask how. Just take my word for it. We'll be there. At five o'clock that afternoon, we were plenty hungry. And we could stand a little more of that because the water had drained out of the street. People were beginning to drift back to their homes, picking their way through the ankle-deep muck. It's time for us to move. Ma's and I went on a couple of my best suits while the radio bled on and on. The Ohio Street Bridge is now 32 feet and falling. The Army engineers report that the blood crest is well past Brickburg and is expected to reach Steubenville tonight in Cincinnati tomorrow. Oh, sweetheart, we're in business. Steubenville in Cincinnati. The cops over in Ohio will be so busy, I'll never see the all-points flash. I might be going to ruin your pretty face. So turn up the cops and let's go. I've got the McCandless School. Hey. Hey, they turned my old school eyes into a morgue. Listen. This is Mary Correction. That's Miss... Moesha. What? Margaret Bragg. It's my ma. Maybe it was a mistake. Wouldn't be the first time they'd made mistakes like that. Maybe it was a trick. Maybe the warden put out that flash to trap me. Maybe it was on no level. I had to know. I had to be sure. So Moesha and I sloughed through mud up to our ankles but not out of the Youngstown Road. I was headed for this schoolhouse. Moesha, well, he's a good kid. He came along. They were stretched out in the assembly hall, row on row of Moncots covered with sheets. In the assembly hall were us kids used to pledge allegiance to the flag and sing America the beautiful. I beg pardon. Yes, may I help you? Yeah, Mrs. Margaret Bragg. I heard on the radio you had Mrs. Margaret Bragg here. Just a moment, please. I'll see if she's listed. Yes. Down that aisle to the right. Four or five cuts down. You'll find the name on the tag. Even if they got it here, maybe it's a trap. I've got to be sure. I've got to see her. Yeah, I know. If you want to get out, get it. It's okay with me. No, no, I'm sticking but keep your eyes open. Yeah, yeah, sure. What's that tag say? Campanelli, Luigi. New ones unidentified. Sarah Jean. Bend down the sheet, William Moesha. It's lefty to head guard. Doc, down behind his cot. Give yourself up. Let's not make any more trouble for these people. They've had enough of us. I couldn't get this far to give myself up and no lousy more. By an unidentified launch at the corner of Ohio and Liberty streets last night. You're lying. That's what the tag says. Sort of a hit-and-run pile. You're lying. And I was running that launch. Oh, you were. Like you said last night, Bragg, what difference does it make if you killed two instead of one? It's the same hot seat, ain't it? An exciting story and a wonderful performance. Thank you for inviting me to appear on suspense. I hope you'll ask me again soon. You can be sure we will, Jeff Chandler. Just as sure as AutoLite is the world's largest independent manufacturer of automotive electrical equipment. Yes, in 28 plants from coast to coast, AutoLite makes over 400 products for cars, trucks, tractors, planes and boats, including complete electrical systems, ignition engineered AutoLite standard and resistor type spark plugs, and the famous AutoLite Stay Full Battery. Yes, you can be sure, from bumper to tail light, another story based on actual events, a dramatic report on mediums and the terrible harm it is in their power to commit, starring the first lady of suspense, Miss Agnes Morehead in The Evil of Adelaide Winters. In weeks to come, we shall also present Mr. Charles Lawton and Mr. Tony Curtis.