 Lipton tea and Lipton soup present in a Sanctum mystery Good evening friends of the inner Sanctum Here's your host at the creaking door Through these portals past the world's most horrified people What's the matter with my happy medium star to you Sorry, I keep him around to get in the right spirit, you know Oh By the way If you feel a cold thin sliver of steel across your neck in the next half hour Sit perfectly still Someone's got an edge on you Gracious, mr. Host. I'm afraid I'd have to move fast. No Mary. You must sit still you wouldn't want to lose your head Well, I'll remember your advice mr. Host But right now I have some advice for our Lipton listeners, you know a teapot can't talk But if it could I think it would tell you the same thing that I do about making tea I think it would probably say the most delicious tea is the tea with the most flavor And I'll bet it would cast its vote as so many folks do for Lipton tea Because Lipton's has that grand brisk flavor the flavor that's so different from other teas the flavor that fills your cup with pleasure You'll taste a world of tangy full-bodied goodness in Lipton's its tea at its tastiest So make that next part of tea you brew at your house Lipton tea and now here's a little tale of horror that speaks for itself the edge of death Written by Frederick Mayfaux and starring Larry Haynes in the role of Ralph We're going to tell you of a knight Satan played a game of murder Along a deserted strip of Manhattan's waterfront For his sport he chose two friends For his victim a woman And the weapon he suggested he had long ago placed in the hands of another murderer The weapon was a long slender graceful rapier Which first drew blood at the hand of Rasputin a mad monk of Russia Well, come on in man. What's the matter with you? You're soaked no hat no coat. You're my best friend my only friend you've got to help me I just got back from Chicago. I was gonna drop over to your shop a little later. You go back too late You could have helped me It's too late. What's the matter off? What have you done? Well, what's that in the package? Why it's the antique sword I gave you when you were married Ralph They could steal always looks different Coated with blood Fool you didn't yes I just pierced a woman's heart with that rapier not 15 minutes ago Warned you about your temper ever since we were kids You almost killed me once dear a man. You warned me about my hobby, too You said I had a psych a psychosis. It's what we psychiatrists call it your unnatural love steel blades your worship of ancient weapons and tempered steel it Well, it's off balance It's nothing in the world more beautiful in a piece of true hand-forged steel It's an art as old as man. Yes, I know we've been over all that before but Now you're a murderer. I want to know everything that happens. It's too late then I only can maybe I can dig something out of you that might help your defense now Ralph Close your eyes close your eyes and let your mind wander Tell me the first image you get tell me every detail No matter what I see the wedding Here at your house The guests have left Ingrid is blonde and beautiful in white satin She's standing beside And you come toward me Then oh, it was so good of you to make such a beautiful wedding for us. You are the best best man ever No, maybe maybe the best second best man ever Ralph was best today. Well, you gave me some stiff competition Then I've got another wedding present for you Ralph. I waited till now to bring it out because I I Didn't think the others would understand You're opening Do you like it Ralph? Is it a good one? It's the most beautiful right here. I've ever seen with the balance and the lines Magnificent steel look looking good. Isn't it wonderful? It will be the very nicest sword in your collection darling as well as your last His last oh, yes. Yes, then I Promised ingot no more auction and he'll keep his promise this time. I'm going to change darling won't take me long All right, darling. Hurry you really like that blade. Don't you Ralph like it. It's beautiful Where did you find it? Why so it yesterday in a small junkie antique shop in the village little Russian fellow runs it Oh, did he tell you anything about the blade? I mean where he got it. No, but he said it was Russian He said the hilt was black lacquer on Rosewood and the steel was superior Said something there. He mumbled on about wanting to get rid of it before the full moon something about it being an evil thing Claimed it once belonged to raspy with the mad monk of Russia Say I wonder if it did I doubt it Anyhow we finished by saying that whoever owned it would have evil luck and failing to get rid of it before the full moon Would die by violence I'll take it back to him if you like Ralph no no not on your life then but Don't mention that nonsense to Ingrid will you I remember all that myself Ralph I left for Chicago that night now What's the next thing that comes to your mind as important? well About three weeks ago. I Was working on some knives in the shop Ingrid had left I was alone The shop door opened Rob She was beautiful Why this marvelous dressed in black and Beautiful I beg your pardon. What did you say? I'm sorry You said beautiful There's no cause to be embarrassed. I have heard they said before Oh What can I do for you miss? Kassaf You own something that I would like to buy. Oh, what is it a rapier a Russian rapier? I saw it in your window as I passed. It's not for sale. Oh Really Are you sure I? Will pay you well Say a hundred dollars. Sorry Very well Perhaps you might change your mind Yeah Here is my card Come and see me if you do well. Thanks, but but I Shall we say before the next full moon? If it weren't for that bloodstained rapier on the table, I'd say you were lying How could this woman know your name or anything about the legend of the rapier? I know how What happened then off? I've handled steel all my life. I Forged it pounded it tempered it grounded to raise a red and I've never cut myself I Have to start she left I put the rapier to the stone and as I worked I kept seeing her eyes in the forge fire Glinting with evil beauty Kept hearing her voice Turned suddenly to see if she was there and I tripped the rapier fell and I fell against the upturned point Oh, I can't do all right old blood. That's not bad. It just passed with flesh called dr. Bird's all those stupid knives Why don't you get rid of them with phone? It cut to me the deadening certainly that my fate was tied to stash of Kossoff's The death was lunging at us with Rasputin's rapier and I was unarmed. I Told him about the woman. I told her about Stacia's offer of $100 for the blade. I Shouldn't have and to turn down a hundred dollars for it. Well, that's the limit I can't expect everyone to understand some things about my character, but I do expect you to try I think I do understand Ralph I think you didn't want to sell that thing because you want that woman to come back That was your first quarrel off. Yes There were lots more Things got worse The quarrel a lot it it wasn't English fault. I was changing I Kept thinking of Stacia Her eyes mocked me I Tore up a card in anger, but I'd memorized the address. It was an old Dutch mansion on Littner Street. I Had to see her again. There was a light in the house And oddly enough the front door was open a bit. I Rying a long time, but no one answered I obeyed an impulse and walked in It was a coal fire going in the high ceiling living room The cast dancing shadows on a life-sized oil painting above Cold hand grip my heart when I saw that painting Was the painting of a man in a monk's habit and His gnarled hand rested on the hilt of a jeweled rapier of exquisite beauty Yes, the man in the picture is long dead But his mad spirit is in this room It laughs from within you Ralph Whitcomb It has seized your body Stacia, you know if I were Ralph. I wouldn't be seen dead with somebody else's spirit You can't tell what will happen to a man when the spirit moves Goodness that sort of certainly brought Ralph bad luck. Yes, ma'am He'd got even trouble right up to the hilt and we're only halfway through the story Yes, there's still a lot more excitement to look forward to and I think looking forward to things is so much fun For instance, imagine you're brewing up a pot of Lipton tea Well, you know there's enjoy enjoyment ahead just as soon as that water starts bubbling in the tea kettle The very sound of it is warm and cheerful and friendly like Lipton's itself And then when you lift that cup to your lips, oh, there's such a deep down Satisfaction and Lipton's brisk flavor because it's so mellow and satisfying Brimming with a lively full-bodied goodness. Yes, all those little promises of enjoyment are completely fulfilled in your first Delicious sip of brisk flavored Lipton tea. Well, you certainly have a point there, Mary But now back to Ralph Whitcomb as he tells his friend the events leading to the murder. He's committed tonight He's telling of his first visit to the strange house of Statsia Kassav So the Kassav woman convinced you that the spirit or the Ghost of Rasputin had taken possession of your body and you fell for it Well, I fought against believing it then But it did explain so many of the strange promptings that have been stirring me all up inside. She's saying anything more about it. No, I Turned to face her She was a smiling column of white beauty She's black satin This Kassav, how is that? Call me Stacia How is it? You know my name What what do you know about the rapier does it matter? You have changed your mind About selling you rapier No, I Came to ask you about it. Are you came because you are confused? We will discuss it But first let us have some tea Yes, I Examine the room while she was out of it On the wall across from the fireplace were five boiled paintings All of them portraits of men at first. I thought the light was playing tricks It wasn't each face was painted with closed eyes Each was a study in sleep or death You like my painting Come and sit down. We'll have tea and talk Why those men you painted Stacia The five men you see in those paintings Each on the rapier you now possess Good Lord Then they're dead and the dates on the paintings Those are the dates on which they died Each on a day of the full moon Each kept the rapier beyond the time he should have Morty Stacia's eyes were eager and wide My ears began to ring I recall setting the cup down Remember Stacia's voice a long way on This is all so fantastic Ralph Are you sure it wasn't something you something you dreamed something I dreamed No, she drugged me. It was no dream Those portraits were no dream. The painting of Rasputin was no dream. They were there when I woke Stacia was gone The fire was out my headache. It was an easel near the lamp It hadn't been there before I Shuffled toward it Was a fresh painting on the easel I Stared at the face before me Its eyes were closed in sleep the face was Mine there was a date painted and then it was January 15th. Yes. Yes, that's tonight. I Couldn't find Stacia so I dashed out of the house cursing like a madman. It was four in the morning when I reached home Ingrid was waiting for me. She was crying Where have you been why what difference does it make you? You've been to see that castle. Yes. Yes. I've been to see that castle. I had to I'm losing my mind Ingrid Something's trying to kill me That woman knows about it. She knows how and when it'll happen Funny thing is I don't care anymore. I don't care. Oh, where are you going back to the shop? Back to that cursed rapier In the shop. I tried to reason the thing out. I Was toying with the rapier. It's a tiny green speck on the black hilt But I'd Lee I picked at it with my thumbnail and the chip of lacquer snapped off The hilt was supposed to be wood But here It was what looked like a large emerald My heart pounding I chipped and picked the lacquer until bit by bit I am covered the most dazzling and richly wrought collection of jewels I'd ever seen Set in solid gold were pearls rubies emeralds in a magnificent star sapphire This was the becheweled blade that brass buton held in his hand and stash his painting This was Rasputin's ring I returned to stash his house Like the first night the door was ajar Like the first night I walked in I Walked into the living room. I Looked about Nothing had changed Nothing that is except That mine was the sixth painting now hung beside the others and the odd Ezel already had a fresh canvas stash it was already painting a new portrait The face was in this date But the date was clear One lunar month from tonight. I gave up and walked home with the rapier under my arm Was drizzling and foggy along the waterfront and I was sick inside I Kept hearing stash his voice locked in my brain Oh There's no way out as long as either of us lives I just passed that little blind alley. You know the one about a block away from my shop. I Decided to trick her. I stopped short. I spun around and caught sight of woman and black as she dotted into the alley It was stash And there was no exit from that alley I tipped her to the entrance and leaped into its shadows all I could see was a large empty carton against the far wall She had to be behind that I Grip the jeweled handle of the rapier until it burned my hand Only one searing thought in my tired mind Stasha must die deep breath and drew the needle pointed steel back Aimed at where I judged her heart to be Body slumped forward I let a match to see her face But it wasn't stash a car soft I had killed Psychological masterpiece he told me the whole story of my office 10 minutes ago He killed her thinking it was you and now that she is gone. You are happy You will love me and forget her then. Oh perfect. Perfect. She she picked that stupid fool instead of me Now she's dead and he'll die too. Oh then tonight. I'm so glad I would do anything Everything went like clockwork this rapier. I found in your added attic the the legend I made up the faulty paintings of former owners your flirtation perfect perfect Perfect murder I've done it did my acting please you then oh you were magnificent, but There's only one weakness to my plan stasia What is it? When Ralph is picked up There must be no way for anyone to find out that you and I know each other stars I know and no one will know darling Ralph's fingerprints are still on this rape here He'll be electrocuted for one murder Might as well be for two I'm sorry Everything you said But I didn't have to I knew no don't move the gun is faster than a rapier How did you know Ralph? Something I said tonight. No no something I saw Stas you loved you The painting I saw on her easel tonight the one I told you she'd be gone Was your portrait The only way I knew was because as an artist She was conscious of the scar on your forehead She painted that in first a scar you gave me as a kid Oh, you've a lot more brains than I gave you credit for but at least we'll burn together Sorry Denton. I'll have to decline that on her Ralph am I too late? No, you're You're dead Everything you told me at my house tonight was a lie. No Denton your plan almost worked. I Told you the truth except Except for the part about murdering Ingrid you You should have studied psychiatry Ralph. I did Denton. I had a good teacher you Going home soon darling You seem so far away Ralph. Is anything wrong? No, no, I've been thinking about Denton Odd the way things turned out He made up that story about the rapier and it's belonging to Rasputin And its owners dying on the night of the full moon. You don't believe it. Do you know? But what he thought was a cheap blade Turns out to be a priceless treasure It matches the one Rasputin held in his hand in the painting. That was coincidence darling. Come on. I'll put your work away Let's go home. It's late. Mm-hmm Such a beautiful night, Ralph Let's walk home You know You know that painting stash you started of Denton the one that gave us part away. Yeah It had a date on it. I Wonder what ghostly hand guided a brush as she wrote that date The date she wrote was today's There's a full moon and tonight was the night Denton was electrocuted Wouldn't you say that the story which gets down to fine points? Happy ending to She get a ghost to ghost hook up between Stasi and Denton Ralph and Ingrid get an exhibit a worth a few bucks and go back to the old grind Well, I'm glad Denton's plot didn't work. Yes, Mary But if it had Ralph would have had a plot of his own, you know in the cemetery After all that's one of the best-selling plots. I know Nonsense mr. Hose if you think that's the kind of thought we want to leave our Lipton listeners with you're quite wrong Here's a much better thought for folks to carry away with them tomorrow When you visit the grocers get a package of Lipton tea Buy it try it and see if you don't agree that Lipton's brisk flavor gives you extra enjoyment Oh, yes, there's a great treat in store for you when you first taste Lipton's full-bodied zestful goodness Ask your grocer for a package of Lipton tea tomorrow and our friends in case you're wondering we do have a moral for tonight's story It's short and sharp knife can be beautiful if you keep your temper and Look out for people with an axe to grind They may be trying to get ahead of you Oh, by the way this month in a sanctum mystery novel is the pavilion by Hilda Lawrence and Next week the makers of Lipton tea and Lipton soup bring you another grizzly in a sanctum tale Directed by Hyman Brown Entitled the confession And now if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with Stouser and Danzen Yes, they've got the concession for hand forged hinges where it's hotter than the hinges of Until next Tuesday then good night pleasant dreams Mm-hmm Got tomorrow's meal on your mind Well, how about letting me make a suggestion? Now here's a real main new masterpiece that the whole family will love It's Lipton's noodle soup a grand soup chock full of wonderful fresh cooked chicken in goodness Lipton's noodle soup is prepared with ease ready to please in just a few quick minutes It's economical too. It costs less and makes lots more than canned soups So ask your grocer for Lipton's noodle soup makes and don't forget to tune in next Tuesday night for another inner sanctum mystery This is CBS the Columbia broadcasting system