 Roma Wines presents Suspense Roma Wines made in California for enjoyment throughout the world Salute your health senor Roma Wines toast the world The wine for your table is Roma Wine Made in California for enjoyment throughout the world This is the man in black here for the Roma Wine Company of Fresno, California to introduce this weekly half hour of suspense Tonight from Hollywood, Roma Wines bring you Joseph Cotton in a suspense play called Sneak Preview which tells of a rather remarkable adventure experienced by that noted director of screen-thrillers Frank Henderson and so with Mr. Henderson's by far stranger than fiction story as related and enacted by Joseph Cotton we again hope to keep you in suspense Go ahead please Mr. Henderson This all began you say two weeks ago? Yes that's right I just finished the final cutting and dubbing on my newest picture Escape to Destiny Thank you like it by the way Luella Yes go on Well I took the film East with me and the first day I got there we ran it in the projection room for a few of the boys in the New York office they seemed to like it pretty well Now that it's all over and we're safe Yes Well there's one thing that still worries me What's that? It's well it's Ruth Will you marry me? Darling that's the one thing I've known the answer to from the very beginning Well boys there it is Frank it is but terrific it's the best picture you've ever made Oh it's great great Hitchcock will absolutely quit No kidding you really think so? I do Frank honestly I think it even tops perilous journey Definitely And it's solid box office Frank Solid Well it's all yours boys I can't think of anything more to do to it We might lighten the music a little under that scene and the wine cellars I'll get it Hello? Who? What does he want? Okay put him on Hello? Yes this is Frank Henderson Who? I don't think I know any Captain McNeil Oh well may I ask why the chief of the security bureau wants to I hope there's nothing wrong I see All right I'll be there Who was it Frank? Somebody at the police headquarters Police headquarters? What's he want? That's what I'd like to know Well Mr. Henderson my secretary tells me you were a little mystified Well a little I guess You never heard of any Captain McNeil Oh no no it was just that I didn't think to connect you with the Captain McNeil Very nicely put Mr. Henderson Very nicely put But you don't need to explain There aren't so many people as you'd think Who'd ever heard of any Captain McNeil An undercover agent isn't very much good if everybody knows him I guess not Mr. Henderson when I heard you were going to be in New York I just couldn't resist meeting you You see Mr. Henderson I'm probably your greatest living admirer Well thank you I guess I've seen every picture of you Or since the first one you directed Most of them three or four times I'll have to remember you and my will You know you'd have made a first-class professional detective I'm not so sure about that There's a lot of difference between fact and fiction I guess Not so much I've always followed the reasoning in your pictures with complete agreement Well I'm glad to hear that Yes but with one exception What was that? I couldn't go along with you there It was in your fifth picture Murder in the morning You remember near the end of the picture where the killer has the detective And his pal at gunpoint in an empty room I remember The friend is allowed to leave He's helpless anyway unless And here was the point Unless the detective is able to get over certain vital information to the friend In the presence of the killer But without his knowledge You remember? Sure and when the friend is leaving The detective hands him his hat And inside the hat band He slipped a piece of paper with the information on it Is that what you mean? Exactly And that's where I disagree Although I realize it probably wasn't your fault Probably the writer or the producer Oh no no as a matter of fact That was my own idea It's too simple to unimaginative If you all forgive me the word No intelligent criminal would allow a thing like that to happen Right under his nose But the way the thing was done I thought Even so How is the friend to know that this paper is under his hat band? Oh you see It isn't something you'd likely to notice You don't look under your hat band every time you put on your hat I know but we have It's far too fetched It's not true to life It's fiction Excuse me a moment Hello? Yes? Yes I see I'll be down in just a few minutes Pardon the interruption Not at all captain I really ought to be going I've kept you too long Mr. Henderson I wonder if you're interested in real crime Real crime? Have you ever seen an actual murderer? Well You do make me feel like an amateur now No to tell you the truth I never have Come on then It might give you an idea It's down the hall As a matter of fact I've never seen this particular murderer myself But you know he is a murderer Sure Not much like a character in one of your pictures though Nothing romantic or exciting Was he clever? Yes indeed His career has been 20 years There's never been enough evidence to convict him There isn't even a photograph of him Here we are But if you don't know any more than that What charge are you holding him on? Charge? You don't need any charge when you hold him here There he is Oh dead Dead at last How did he die? Shot in the back He found him in Central Park Well there you are Raidery, Sarko Murderer, spy, drug addict And about everything else in the book No, who killed him? Who knows? Who cares? A plenty of people would have been happy to do it If they did I suppose he had identification on him Sure Bank book, wallet, a few consequential papers Is that all? That's all Little money Handkerchief, tin of aspirin Aspirin? Sure Criminals have headaches just like other people It was aspirin I suppose Well you professionals may not be romantic Mr Henderson We are thorough Oh cool Yes it was aspirin I remember you saying he was a drug addict So that was all he had on him, huh? That's right Nothing very sensational or exciting No clues What about that bank book? Was it in his own name? Oh he had a lot of names Gregory Sarko was the one in the bank book His own by the way, why? Because a perfectly crazy notion has just entered my head For a new picture It could be But here I am in New York Little time on my hands The guy intrigues me that's all Dead man intrigues me His life intrigues me Sure, finding out more about it intrigues me What's the difference? The guy is dead What have I got to lose? Well now Don't say it's likely Mr Henderson But it's possible, just barely possible That you might lose your life To change from a mood of suspense To one of carefree gayity Let us wish ourselves a way to Havana, Cuba Seated at the table in the fashionable hotel In Asinale, Cuba Near us, a group of Cubans Are entertaining an American visitor Our American has just remarked that in point Of great enjoyment, the Cuban Rumba Is one of America's most delighting important dances And then raising his wine glass The Cuban host responds Then we have perhaps discharged some part Of our debt to you Americans For this wonderful tasting wine That gives us such great enjoyment It is wine that Cuba imports From your far away California It is Roma wine Americans didn't have to wait for wine connoisseurs Of other lands to discover the greatness Of California's wine districts The superb quality of Roma California wines So many millions made this discovery for themselves That Roma wines have long been America's largest selling wines But these millions discovered something more In Roma wines they discovered an easy And expensive way to increase The delights of daily living Yes, millions have discovered that Roma wines Is a beverage on the table And when used in entertaining Add charm of a special and wholesome kind I told you Roma wines cost little That's because here in America You pay no high import duty No expensive shipping charges Two Roma wines are made in Roma's own wineries In the heart of choice California Vineyard districts So cost to you is only pennies of glass For R-O-M-A Roma wines made in California For enjoyment throughout the world And now it is with pleasure that we bring back To our sound stage Joseph Cotton As movie director Frank Henderson And Robert L. Richard's sneak preview A tale well calculated to keep you in Suspense I'm not an adventurous or even a particularly Courageous man and yet certainly I found myself engaged in what might Possibly as the captain had said It said be a fairly dangerous occupation I poured for hours Over Captain McNeill's file on Sarko Even persisting in the face Of a sudden and somewhat mysterious Reluctance on the part of the captain To have me do so The next thing I did was to inquire at the bank Which had issued Sarko's bank book And found out exactly nothing I was pretty discouraged And about ready to quit when I went back To my hotel that evening Would you mind closing the door please? Thank you Mr. Henderson My name is Edward How do you say what's the big idea? No, no Mr. Henderson, keep away from the telephone please Are you threatening me with that gun? I regret it Mr. Henderson, I deeply regret it But unfortunately I cannot deny it Listen, this whole thing is ridiculous And melodramatic Mr. Henderson, why are you so Interested in Gregory Sarko? Sarko? Yes, Sarko If you will forgive a B-picture expression Is your racket Oh no Mr. Henderson I just like to make money, that's all Look Mr. Edwards or whatever your name is If it's any of your business And I don't see that it is My interest in Sarko is simple curiosity I was talking with a Captain McNeil At police headquarters, he showed me his file On Sarko Well if you know so much What are you doing up here acting like a suspense radio character? It may sound silly to you It was just that I'd never seen a murderer Before, alive or dead And when I saw Sarko's body at police headquarters I got interested Mr. Henderson, would you mind repeating that? I said I got interested No, no, you said you actually saw the body of Sarko Sure, what's so terrific about that? Did you see his face? Of course What do you look like? Iron gray hair, dark eyes Yes Mr. Henderson, we simply must reach an understanding That you have no idea what possibilities this opens for me Well I'm no mind reader Mr. Henderson, may I have your word That you will do nothing unreasonable If I put away this gun Thank you I must administer my eye drops My eyes are very bad, perhaps you've noticed I thought you might have a cold Nothing so simple, unfortunately Congenital weakness There we are Now Mr. Henderson My interest in all this is very sordid I'm afraid Money to the extent of, shall we say $300,000 Nice tiny little sum Half of that sum could be yours Mr. Henderson You'll forgive me if I don't jump at such a handsome offer Without knowing a little more about it I might have realized, I suppose That Mia Luka was not paramount to one of your position Let's leave Paramount out of this But Mr. Henderson, it so happens That I can put you in the way of quite a bit Of rather special information about Sarko I shall write several of them down for you here That's just fine Write several of what down Names, addresses, places where you can Discover what you want to know Okay, what's the catch? Mr. Henderson, you must trust me What do you want? I want very little But when you've seen these people And when what they tell you suggests That there is still more to know Come to see me All right, good hunting Well, by this time I was so obsessed With the thing that I actually set out To follow the itinerary of the rather sinister Mr. Edwards to the very latter There was a man serving a life term At Sing-Sing, his name was Coletti Well, it didn't used to be So healthy to talk about Sarko But seeing he's dead Yeah, I know him pretty well Did you ever do any business with him? Yeah, we had one little deal He helped me in some business I had With Senator O'Malley, you remember him? He was chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committed during disarmament conferences After the last war That's right, until 1927 Was that the year you and Sarko Had your business with him? That's right That was the year he was assassinated, wasn't it? It was quite a coincidence, Mr. Henderson Quite a coincidence Sarko, huh? I just hope he didn't die easy I don't think he did from the looks of him Maybe there is some justice after all Are you quite sure he was a drug addict? Huh, how do you think I first learned To take this stuff at the convent? Yeah, there is one guy who might talk I've never seen him But they called him Eddie the Greek You, sir, hang around Doyle's gambling place You'll see, Mr. Henderson, it all turned out Rather well from your point of view, didn't it? In a way But there are a few little pieces of the picture still missing You see, that's why I dared hope That you'd come back to see me That's fine What about Eddie the Greek? Oh, yes, Eddie the Greek I hope it won't be too great a shock If I have the strong impression that Eddie the Greek Is one of your pseudonyms, Mr. Edwards Very good, Mr. Henderson, very good indeed If I have been called that on occasion Then what's the idea of the wild goose chase You're supposed to know more about soccer than anybody All in good time, Mr. Henderson All in good time At the moment there is a rather more pressing matter No, is there? Oh, yes, there is a little matter of the $300,000 Look, I'm in a business Where they pay pretty good dough But nobody can earn $300,000 Just overnight and beyond the level But my dear Mr. Henderson, there is no question of earning Okay, okay You tell me Well, it's really quite simple, Mr. Henderson With the information you possess Together with the information I possess There is a very liberal and sensible gentleman Of my acquaintance who will give us $300,000 Blackmail, huh? But what possible objection can you have To the transfer of $300,000 From the pocket of one scoundrel To the pocket of another? None, I guess, except that I just don't Have a part of it Not even if it meant You're coming into the possession of the final And I might say the most Sensational part of your Missing information about Sarko How do I know you can supply it? I have something here at my desk Which I think you might consider Sufficient proof Oh, yes, here it is A photograph But before you look at the face Read the writing across the bottom, please Very Sarko from Cardo Lando, Monticello He's a quite famous Spanish gentleman Except that lately he's been engaged in some Uh, really Very subversive activity in South America Another face, please But It's Sarko Rather shall we say it is the man Whose body you saw at police headquarters But are you positive? Of course I am Would you be so good as to write a few words Because I was sure And even on our brief acquaintance, Mr. Henderson I know that you would not write anything Above your signature that was not absolutely true Sure, if it will make you feel any better It is true, yeah So, now you see it, Mr. Henderson You saw this body, you will learn Except for one or two police officers With whom I confess it is a little Difficult for me to deal And the body is not that of Sarko And the real Sarko Is alive and quite well Say in here in New York How could I meet him? Or you will meet him, Mr. Henderson When he pays us for $300,000 By this time I had to go through with it I could see the whole thing on film What a thriller I left everything in the hands of Mr. Edwards A meeting was arranged to hotel room The R830 And there we waited for the man I traced All over the underworld of New York The murderer, spy, dope peddler Sarko Not nervous are you, Mr. Henderson Aren't you? A little, yes I must confess Our visitor this evening is Not what you might call an easygoing man But we will not be murdered No, we will not even be followed At least not successfully Where do you go from here? To my little apartment where you met me It's the safest place in all New York You don't mind if I catch up on my notes While we wait Oh, of course You know Mr. Henderson, sometimes I fear That you might think that I've not been quite as candid With you in this matter as I might There are one or two little things, aren't there? Your own connection with Sarko, for instance Naturally, but I honestly believe That once you just Will you stand by the door please, Mr. Henderson Open it when I give you the word You have to point that gun There will be no shooting, this gun is just in case You may open the door now, Mr. Henderson Come in Thank you, gentlemen Captain McNeill Surprised to see me? Naturally he is When an appointment has been carefully arranged For Mr. Henderson to meet the arch-criminal Sarko, and when that arch-criminal Turns out to be none other than the illustrious Captain McNeill, naturally Oh I sort of wondered how you managed To get yourself a part in this little drama Mr. Henderson, now I know Well, would you mind awfully explaining it to me? If I were to tell you That I am not Sarko But rather that you are Confederate Mr. Edwards is Sarko Would that help? Oh, I'm truly sorry Mr. Henderson It seems my fate to be forced From one deception to another Then you are Sarko You know, word yes You see, Captain McNeill Would scarcely have acceded to my request If he'd not feared that a third And highly respectable party Were also privy to our little secret There would be ways of dealing with Sarko But a well-known motion picture director That would be another story By the way, Captain, did you bring the money, please? I did How convenient to deal with a police officer Who also happens to have a large private fortune Who'd you want to count it? Oh, I can see it's close enough Listen, Mr. Edwards, if you think you're going to get me To play Cat's Paw for you Mr. Henderson, you forget That I have your signature on the photograph Of that man whom the good Captain McNeill Stakeingly killed You see where you fit into the picture now, Mr. Henderson? Uh-huh And not a very pretty picture, either Yes, it would be most inconvenient For Captain McNeill if it were known That he had accidentally liquidated The good Count Montresero Even though from a patriotic standpoint It's undoubtedly an excellent thing that he did But there might even be International complications, might there not, Captain? Ah, Mr. Henderson If I'd only resisted a temptation To kill you that body If only you had, Captain McNeill You'll forgive me, gentlemen If I administer my eye drops My eyes seem to grow worse As my fortunes grow better And you'll forgive me if I leave now Perhaps someday there'll be Another meeting It could happen Yes, who knows You're a had, Captain McNeill Uh, thank you Good night For, believe me, I wish to If only because your interest was so flattering You know, he'll catch up with you some day, Mr. Redmond's Captain McNeill Not as long as I can prove That he killed Count Montresero By the way, was that just Sort of happy coincidence for you, or was it? Not quite I had done some business with the Count Which had turned out rather badly He was a pure Nazi agent without doubt In any event, I was in difficulties With a fellow and I persuaded him To secure some very valuable information If he would appear in New York as Sarko Which he was unwise enough to do And then you tipped off Captain McNeill That Sarko was in town You're a pretty clever boy, aren't you, Mr. Redmond's? Thank you, Mr. Henderson, thank you And now may I suggest that We return to my little flat? We? Under the circumstances, Mr. Henderson I believe it would be safer For both of us Do you like your drink, Mr. Henderson? Oh, it's very good, thanks, thanks Uh, I've missed the ad words I do wish you'd put that gun away Oh yes, the gun Mr. Henderson, I've been trying to think of a way Out of this dilemma all evening I would have liked to spare you This last little deception What? Little deception I'm going to have to kill you Oh I am sincerely sorry You've been a most pleasant companion But knowing as much about me as you do May I finish my drink, please? Oh, but certainly And now, if you'll excuse me for a moment My eye drops are in my coat in the hall Oh, by the way, it's useless to try To escape, Mr. Henderson This is the only way out And the windows are barred with steel shutters Thank you for the information Edwards, Edwards Dad Captain McNeill I take it that someone has just liquidated Our friend Sarko Ah, so it would seem Did you see it happen? No, no Did you have much trouble finding your way here? None whatsoever, Mr. Henderson I'm afraid I have a little confession You don't need to But I do You remember the metal of the information on the piece of paper Slipped under the hatband The thing in your picture that I disagreed with I apologize It's a highly practical device Highly practical I made clear enough in the picture that the paper was Rolled up into a little hard ball I suppose it hurt your head when you put your hat on It did And I found the address of this place when I removed it You'd make a fine detective, Mr. Henderson By the way How much have you known? You know, I'm kind of surprised myself Quite a lot as a matter of fact You knew about the body I showed you I was pretty sure it wasn't Sarko A drug addict who takes a precaution of carrying Aspirin for his headaches I certainly carry his favorite drug too I use that in a picture once myself Don't you remember the Blue Canary? So you did now, so you did I should have remembered And I suspected Edwards because of the eye drops There was nothing the matter with his eyes His particular brand of drug works On any mucus membrane including the eyes Mr. Henderson, you're all right And just what A immediate plan Well, I'd kind of like to get out of here What about the money in the photograph? Don't let it worry you The money in the photograph is safe I kind of thought so And I suppose we can safely leave To the regular police force The question of who killed Sarko I think we can If I knew who I'd sort of like to thank him He did save my life, you know And if he knew you I'm sure he'd want to thank you as well Because in a way You also saved his life Well That's about all there is to the story Pretty exciting stuff Be good material for one of your pictures I'd think Mr. Henderson Sure it would, sure For that dumb studio of mine I called a big meeting just before I left New York And I told this story Changing a few names and places of course And what happened? I don't know Frank It's a good story But I don't know It's like a swell picture Public it never go for it Frank It's too crazy, it's unbelievable I wouldn't buy it Don't make sense Frank I think like that Couldn't happen, look I'm telling you that it Too arty, entirely too arty Wouldn't gross a dime And by the way Frank I wanted to talk to you about the new release Where have you been? Me? Oh, I've been around And so Closes sneak preview starring Joseph Cotton tonight's tale of Suspense Joseph Cotton star of the Lockheed America's ceiling unlimited Appeared by courtesy of David O. Selznick And will soon be seen in the all-star Selznick production since you went away Did you know that these Roma wine suspense dramas are setting A record for the millions of delighted Listeners they are attracting? I want you to feel that by tuning in The suspense program every week You can count on real radio enjoyment Well in just as dramatic style The popularity of Roma wines Is also record breaking Because Roma wines are by far America's largest selling wines Millions make sure Of great wine enjoyment Simply by asking for Roma wines Here's something else these millions have discovered You don't need fancy glassware Or a special occasion To enjoy these zestful taste-delighting Roma California wines Roma wines possess lips Smacking flavor and zest Because they come from Roma wine's own Wineries right in the heart of The magnificent California wine grape districts And you can enjoy them as a daily delight Because the cost is only Pennies of glass Ask for R-O-M-A Roma wines Made in California For enjoyment throughout the world This is Joseph Cotton It was a great pleasure to join forces With this really excellent company Whose business and pleasure It is each week to keep you in suspense I know you'll want to be listening next week As I will When Sunny Tufts will be your star Suspense is produced and directed By William Spear Next Thursday, same time You will hear Sunny Tufts in Suspense Presented by Roma Wines Made in California For enjoyment throughout the world This is CBS The Columbia Broadcasting System