 Yes, roma wines taste better because only roma selects from the world's greatest wine reserves for your pleasure and now roma wines r-o-m-a roma wines present Suspense, tonight roma wines bring you Mr. Kirk Douglas in community property a suspense play produced, edited and directed for roma wines by Williams Spear Suspense, radio's outstanding theater of thrills is presented for your enjoyment by roma wines that's r-o-m-a, roma wines, those better tasting California wines enjoyed by more Americans than any other wine for friendly entertaining, for delightful dining yes, right now a glass full would be very pleasant as roma wines bring you Kirk Douglas the young American actor who made such an auspicious screen debut and the strange love of Martha Ivers Mr. Douglas appears as George Mason with Kathy Lewis as his wife Lois in community property tonight's tale of Suspense sure, man, you look sloppy in the mornings, don't you? thanks, coffee yeah, maybe I shouldn't have qualified it you look sloppy most of the times nowadays why should I waste my time looking glamorous for you? I'm just your husband, I just pay the bills, that's all I do what bills? I should look like one of the ten best women of the year on what I can squeeze out of you, I suppose I'm not talking about clothes but you could get your hair out of your face and put on a little lipstick for a change sure, get up three hours early and go to the beauty parlor offer the privilege of making your breakfast and listening to your sour crack what's the matter with you? didn't you sleep well? I thought maybe you've been lying awake nights again wondering how you're gonna spend your share of Uncle Bert's fifty thousand bucks I'd never lie awake nights wondering how to spend any money that you ever got your hands on first well, you got something there I've got better use for that money than letting it go into freak hats and imitation furs well, then stop harping about it I don't care about the money, I don't want to see the money, I don't want to hear about the money what you call this, coffee? that's what it says on the can yeah, you can even make stuff out of a canned taste rotten look, if you don't like it, go get your breakfast at Schwab's drug store it's no pleasure for me well, I would if I could afford it you know you're not kidding me any, Lois stop even trying to communicate with you that doesn't prevent you trying to make my life as miserable as possible, though, does it? your life what kind of a life do you think I've had this past year? I can't even remember the last time I had a civil conversation with you and if there's anything else, I'm nothing more than a housekeeper around here a housekeeper that doesn't get paid yeah, it's tough sometimes I wonder how you stand so do I but I know why, all right well, you know everything if you're a periton from Uncle Bird, you'll stick to me like a leech, won't you? I told you I don't care about the money and I don't want to hear about the money enough about it even if your uncle is fool enough to leave it to you, which I doubt oh, sure, you don't care about the money not much all I care about is having a decent life now, if I'm about to come to the conclusion, it's impossible for you to be decent to anybody well, if it's as bad as all that, why don't you get a divorce? well, maybe I should maybe it's what time we talk divorce, George maybe it's just high time sometimes I wonder well, I don't you'll never get a divorce as long as you think I might inherit 50,000 bucks that's what you think well, I've thought about it I've thought about it plenty then why don't you do something about it because I know you're too cheap to pay alimony in the lawyer's fees, that's why is that honestly all that's worrying you? I'm certainly not worried by any illusions I might ever have had about you all right, I'll pay the lawyer's fees in advance and any reasonable alimony, you can get a judge to grant you do you mean that, George? I'm getting more in my life brother, you've got yourself a divorce I tried to register shock and righteous indignation but I could hardly keep my face straight Lois was going to get a divorce I'd been working on it for a year ever since I'd realized that Uncle Burt was going to die and I was going to inherit his estate ever since I'd realized that under the community property laws of California Lois would get half of it half of 50,000 bucks I figured maybe even more 50,000 bucks I wasn't going to share that with Lois or anybody else for a year I'd been nagging her and insulting her and even knocking her around a little but it was no use he just turned sullen and took it and so I'd just about given up thinking about divorce I'd begun to think about something else for Lois I'd begun to think about murder since Roma Wines are bringing you Kirk Douglas in community property Roma Wines presentation tonight in radio's outstanding theater of thrills suspense between the acts of suspense this is Truman Bradley for Roma Wines to enrich your quiet evenings at home to add warmth to your welcome when friends drop in serve Roma wine yes your family and friends will appreciate and enjoy the important difference in Roma the extra goodness in fuller bouquet richer body and better taste that better taste of Roma wine begins with California's choicest grapes then with ancient skill and America's finest wine making resources Roma master ventiners guide this grape treasure unhurriedly to tempting taste perfection these choice wines are placed with mellow Roma Wines of years before and from these reserves the world's greatest reserves of fine wines Roma later selects for your pleasure so for everyday enjoyment or gracious hospitality serve Roma California sherry quart or muscatel you'll find all Roma Wines delightful moderate inexpensive and always better tasting that's why more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wine and now Roma Wines bring back to our Hollywood soundstage Kirk Douglas as George Mason and Kathy Lewis as his wife Lois in community property a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense so now Lois is going to give me a divorce at last an Uncle Bird's $50,000 would be mine as long as she started proceeding before I inherited and knowing Lois I figured now that she'd finally decided she'd probably go to work on it that very afternoon when I drove out Uncle Bird's later in the day I was feeling like a kid just out of school it was one of my regular visits and I never missed three or four times a week that was a born of pain but I'm a guy that can put up with $50,000 worth of almost anything good afternoon Mr. Mason well hi Justin how's the old boy feeling this afternoon not too well I'm afraid sir gee I'm sorry to hear that one of his bad days eh rather difficult yes sir well uh you suppose it's alright for me to see him oh yes sir it's nothing that serious I should say he's called for his lawyer Mr. Bernard and for Dr. Thor I should imagine he'd be quite able to see you as well guess what it is your nephew Mr. Mason is here to see you sir alright show him in Uncle Bird how you feeling oh not well my boy not well not well at all well go on Justin close the door go about your business yes Justin we're seeing you've had sort of a bad day ah yes I'm completely bedridden now as you see I'm afraid the end is not far off my boy oh don't be silly Uncle Bird you'll live to be a hundred ah no no I've called Dr. Thor oh you can't scare me well you call Dr. Thorpe every other day I tell you I'm sick I'm dying are you going to sit there and argue with me oh well I know Uncle Bird but gee I well I hadn't realized it was that serious well it's most serious I'm glad you came today I'd have called you if you hadn't oh I understand your lawyer is coming over here oh yes I wish to be absolutely certain that my affairs are all in order before the end gee Uncle Bird would gosh it's hard to believe that anything could happen or like that I mean ah my boy there's no disputing with the grim reaper when your time comes oh put your chair a little closer sure ah George you've always been a good nephew to me of course I know you're always thinking of the money but that's only natural I don't care Uncle Bird now that's not fair ah you're a liar George but you're a good liar and that's a comfort to an old man of course I don't know what you like in daily life I've been ill so long just average I guess well I wouldn't think so now I imagine you're mean and greedy and thoroughly dishonest when it's safe to be as I was I runs in the family it's only natural too you make me sound like a pretty bad guy Uncle Bird ah only true to human nature George with a little dash of Mason family thrown in yes you've always been a good nephew to me George even though you may have been a hypocrite about it and that's all anyone has the right to expect at my age you won't have any reason to regret it I wish you wouldn't talk that way Uncle Bird ah what way well about the money and things like that I don't want to hear about it well have I ever asked you about it no no you haven't George you've been very clever about that but you may as well know now well I as my will stands now my estate will be divided into two parts oh yes one half of my estate will go and endowment to my old school we must college half yes come in old man's handing out bad news today now in your case I'm afraid you're about to lose a steady source of income doctor meaning meaning meaning me yes I'm afraid you're going to have to find some other victim to pay your office rent very soon oh well you know my nephew sure hi doc hello George oh by the way George here here's a prescription your wife asked me to write out for her you might have it filled on your way home at your time sure thanks yes bad news all around now George here I've just informed him that I'm leaving half my money to my old school it's mighty disappointed doesn't it well now Uncle Bertie well it's your money why should I be sore now the pulse please Mr Mason thank you of course I haven't told him all of it yet you want to hear the rest George whatever you say Uncle Bert really Mr Mason you shouldn't be talking too much about your condition is not as good today as it might be I know that but as I was saying I will as a matter of fact I'm leaving you fairly well provided for George enough to give you a little start in life anyway now take it easy Uncle Bertie it's you I care about not the money I oh yeah in a company that's the only way for it but you can relax again the other half is going to you know you didn't have to do that Uncle Bert not that I don't appreciate it but I think it will help you you'll be able to use $500,000 what you say really Mr Mason I must forbid you to get excited now your condition didn't you hear me George I said Uncle Bert Uncle Bert I'm afraid he's gone for heaven's sake man have a little decency can't you he's dead he can't be some kind of a gag did you hear it $500,000 come in I'm afraid you're too late Bernie you drew up the will you know Bernie he said 500,000 500,000 you mean your inheritance that's roughly what it comes to half a million bucks and permit me to be the first to congratulate you George on bearing up so well under your bereavement that is half a million bucks and he never told me or the rotten old liar I left the house in a day I got in my car and started driving just driving around I don't know where I drove to I just drove and I must have spent that $500,000 500,000 different ways but I wasn't in such a fog that I didn't do a little real thinking too about Lois because now if she got a divorce she'd nick me perhaps that money anyway and I wasn't having any of that not after what I've been through so it would have to be the other way so I'd have to talk her out of the divorce or it would look too much like a motive first I wanted to be absolutely sure of everything I spotted a corner drugstore it was late for this time but I had Bernie's home number so it didn't matter then on the way past the drug counter I remembered the prescription Dr. Opeth given I had the idea right then yes sir how long will it take you to fill this well oh that won't take any time okay where's your phone just to your left thanks Bernie George Mason money tonight old boy but come in first thing tomorrow great kidder aren't you listen Bernie I wanted to ask you something seriously though I met a friend of mine today a little Texas oil man but he married out here and well he's having a little trouble with his wife then I'm wrong but all he wants now is free advice you see he's worried about this community property law well it seems he came into quite a hunk of dough out here lately and coincidence department huh not exactly this was well a deal you know real estate well he wants to know if there's any way he can keep his wife from cutting in on it oh a heel huh that's right not a chance my boy any property accumulated in the normal course of affairs after the marriage is community property that's the law listen though there's nothing to do with your friends well I gotta go Bernie uh I'm late I'll call you tomorrow but I'm trying to tell you something well save it till tomorrow huh good night Bernie don't move to listen to bright sayings I had too much else to do at the drug counter I picked up the prescription it was what I thought it was sedative it said she'd been taking stuff to make her sleep for quite a while now at the next corner I bought her the biggest box of candy I could find then I went home to kill it yeah you're going to bed yeah I well I'll tell you about it you don't need to it's nothing unusual I know it isn't lost and well that's what I want to talk to you about oh here's something I picked up for you what's this for nothing I just thought you might like it you must have wrecked a car or something no but well I've been doing a lot of thinking today Lois so have I well you haven't done anything about that yet have you I mean the divorce not yet I know you're in a big hurry but tomorrow will be time enough won't it well now listen Lois like I said I've been doing a lot of thinking today it was quite a shock when you said that this morning when I said it when it came up that way I got the thinking well I've been pretty rotten these last few months well I don't know why but I have and I know you haven't been exactly the ideal companion something was driving me making me do things for myself I don't know what it's been worry trying to scrape along with everything going sky high and running into debt thinking about the old man's money I don't know what it's been but I know it's been awful for me too and I know it's been ten times as bad for you I know George but everybody has those kinds of worries nowadays well they don't take it out on somebody else the way I have but when you talked about divorce it made me realize I love you Rose I don't know how I could ever get along without you you really mean that to me I never meant anything more in my life just give me another chance Rose I'll do anything I'll go to a psychiatrist or something I know it's been my fault but I can change if you want to help me I can change overnight it'll be the way it used to be huh oh no I know I've been a terrible healer I knew it wasn't really you it hasn't been all your fault either I've been selling the nasty but I had to do something just to self-suffice just to keep from going crazy because I love you so much now there there baby you're different now I've learned my lesson honestly I know it will if we try if we both just try we used to be so happy we're going to be happy again too I love it I know it I think I'll really sleep tonight for the first time in a month I've been so nervous lately I've just been a wreck oh say that reminds me I ran into Doc Thorpe today and he gave me a prescription I had it filled on the way home oh my sleeping pills that's funny you're thinking about that now and I probably won't need them anymore you better take one anyway she has been a pretty tough day alright I guess tonight maybe I'm almost too happy you sleep would you warm up a little milk for me Doc to take a move I'll fix you right up I went downstairs and started warming the milk I'd had the stuff hidden away for a couple of months now it was a narcotic that would have the same effects as the sleeping pills and show up the same way in an autopsy I put some sugar and cinnamon and then dumped in enough of the stuff to kill a horse then I took it up to her alright darling nice what did you put in it oh just sweeten it up a little sweet sweet sweet oh here's your pills it tastes a little funny it's nice but funny yes maybe I got the milk a little too hot it always tastes funny when it's boiled I had to drink it all now that's a good girl feeling sleepy? all of a sudden well now you lie down and let me tuck you in and you get a good sleep and tomorrow we'll start all over again a new life that's right tomorrow there'll be a brand new life I took the glass downstairs and washed it out thoroughly and brought it back again half empty I dumped about three quarters of the sleeping pills down the drain and then tipped the bottle over on the bedside table to give things that reckless look you think that's pretty funny I suppose lying down in the next bed to someone you know is dying will be dead before morning someone you just murdered well maybe it is but all I was thinking of was that five hundred thousand bucks and spending it over and over another million different ways as I went off to sleep and believe it or not I slept like a baby woke up early feeling great not knowing why for a minute and then I remembered I went over to look at Lois she was lying just the way I'd left her I put out my hand and touched her arm that was all I needed to know she was cold stone cold give me the doctor quick quick what's the difference George Mason hurry please listen you gotta come right over here something's happened something terrible Lois those pills you gave her she's taken almost all of them I can't get her to move wait a minute George wait a minute some mistake I know there isn't she's cold you'd better call the police George police yes yes it's usual in such cases I'll be over but you'd better call the police in about half an hour they arrive two plain clothes dicks and a man from the corner's office he and one of the dicks went in to look at Lois and the other one stayed outside for a long time for you Mr. Mason I can't understand it had you and your wife had any quarrels no well we had a little fast but nothing more than any other married couple nothing to make her do a thing like that she'd been taking these setters as long the last few months I don't know exactly why she's been nervous and upset you know she wasn't getting any younger of course she took them on advice of a physician she was under a physician's care I suppose oh yes Dr. Alexander thought well he saw her regularly mentally how about it Doc narcotic poisoning pretty clear that bottle was full when she went to work on it she took enough to kill her heart and I got it filled for only last night well because that's about all Mr. Mason I've got to sort the family position up oh hello John hello Alex you know Lieutenant Farley how do you do Lieutenant hello Doc hello George yes yes so it was but I'm afraid there's some discrepancy here discrepancy yes I had been prescribing sedatives for Mrs. Mason for some time lately however I reached the conclusion that her mental health was such that the possession of drugs in any quantity would be dangerous my last prescription therefore contained no sedative of any kind what did it include nothing sugar and a neutral base quite if Mrs. Mason died of poisoning the poison was administered to her in some other form you said administered I did from the evidence I can reach no other conclusion well Mr. Mason can I call my lawyer you're entitled to that and where I sit bud looks like you're going to need a good one it'll be a lesson to you George before you commit a murder always check with your attorney great and kidder how Bernie George you'd only told me this on the phone yesterday instead of that cock and bull story about a friend from Texas I could have saved you a lot of trouble I tried to tell you money that you earn or make in business is community property money that you inherit is not that five hundred grand would have been all yours next time check with your attorney check with your attorney a great kid now he says don't worry if he can get me off the gas chamber I'll still have the worst years of my life ahead of me how do you like that America's favorite this is Truman Bradley bringing back for the curtain call our suspense star of the evening Kirk Douglas Kirk the strange love of Martha Ivers seeing you play the part of a weak neurotic man they had never guessed you were a wrestling champion in college well Truman you know the difference isn't as great as you might think you see college wrestling was my first acting experience that's where I learned to portray suffering well since you were undefeated champion Kirk I imagine most of the suffering was done by your opponent but you must have some other hobby besides wrestling Kirk after all you can't be throwing my wife claims my favorite hobby is eating I do have an awful sweet tooth you know when it comes to eating cake I'm worse than a ten year old at a birthday party say speaking of birthday parties Kirk reminds me that your host of the evening Roma Wines has a gift for you this hamper of Roma Wines with the compliments of Roma the greatest name in wine well thank you Truman and my compliments to Roma and for that sweet tooth of yours Kirk that may suggest this after dinner tomorrow or with dessert we have Roma California Port yes brilliant ruby red Roma Port with its rich full body and mellow natural sweetness is the ideal finishing touch to a fine dinner and when friends drop in add warmth to their welcome with Roma Port you'll find Roma Port delightful with your favorite fruits or nuts too Roman I'll remember that and remember Kirk that in all Roma Wines you enjoy an important difference and extra goodness and fuller bouquet with a richer body and better taste yes Roma Wines taste better because Roma selects better tasting wines from the world's greatest reserves that's why more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wine I can't think of a better recommendation thank you and good night Kirk Douglas appeared through the courtesy of Hal Wallace Productions and can soon be seen in the RKO picture out of the past tonight's suspense play was written by the President of the United States and Arthur Julian next Thursday same time you will hear Mr. Lloyd Nolan as star of Suspense produced and directed by William Spear for the Roma Wine Company of Fresno, California this is CBS the Columbia 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