 And now, tonight's presentation of Radio's outstanding theatre of thrills. Suspense. We bring you a transcribed story of a mother, a father, a locked door, and a baby. We call it The Seller Door. So now, starring Paula Winslow and Parley Baer, here is tonight's suspense play, The Seller Door. Wash the car. Oh, I decided to move along instead. Oh, I could hear you. Hi, Sandy. Hi. What's new? New. Hey, did you hear that end? He can say anything now. You know that woman on the corner? What's her name? Oh, Miss Emerson. Yeah. She wouldn't believe me when I told her Sandy wasn't quite two. She thought he was three or four. Oh, really, Joe? That's right. Lunch right after your bath, honey. Well, what's the schedule? Well, I'm going to bathe him now, lunch, his nap, and then we can go to the park. I better drain some of that water out of the heater. Where's the bucket and on the basement? Oh, I moved everything onto the service porch. It was too tough going up and down those stairs. Hey, look, all those toys and he plays with an egg beater. Say, the water heater's all right, Joe. If you have to fix something, how about the light socket in the bedroom closet, huh? Hell, I'll fix them both. Oh, what was that? I don't know. Those kids from across the street. Oh, they must have kicked that football in the yard again. Where are you going? They're killing the head, Joe. Be right back. Oh, come on, Sandy. We'll run the water into the tub. Where's your boat, honey? Can't take a bath without the boat. After your nap, we'll go to the park and ride in the pony car. Oh, here's your boat. Now look, don't go out in the hall, dear. You stay here. Huh, did you save the head? Job for three years. Say, can you watch Sandy for a minute? I want to get a towel out of the kitchen. We'll take on the ponies this afternoon, son, huh? Hey, Anne. What'd he do? He took off his stockings. Oh, he's been doing that for months. Yeah, I know, but look how neatly he tucked them in his shoes. Just like I do. Cues. Was there something wrong with putting my arms around you? No. You going to fix the light socket upstairs? After I drain the water heater. Sandy's bath's going to get cold. Okay, I'm on my way. Oh, Joe. Yeah? Put a low flame under the fans on the stove, will you? Check. Thanks, dear. Oh, the water's just right. Come on, you take off your pants. No. Oh, you did it yesterday. Come on, start with the buttons. Oh, Joe, can you answer the phone? Give me your hand, Sandy. We'll answer the phone together. Oh, you better let me carry you again. The floor's cold and you've got your shoes off. There we go. Now, hang on. Phone. Nope. Phone. Back, mother. I was just going to give Sandy his bath. No, he didn't have a cold after all. Mother, look, can I call... Mother, can I call you back? All right, you call me back. About 15 or 20 minutes. Oh, okay. Bye. To the bath, we hope. Whenever I have a bath. Yeah, lunch. Lunch. We'll have lunch. Okay. Okay, sweetie. I guess the floor is not that cold. Come on out in the kitchen with me. We've got to find Daddy the pliers. Pliers. Pliers. You only turn the lights on in the evening when it's dark. Come on. Let's go back in the hall. Wall. No. No. Hall. This is the hall. You wait right here in the hall. Now, only be gone a second. You wait right here. I'll be right back, honey. And you stay right here. Okay? But there never was anything like it on the air. If you're new to radio, you'll soon realize you'd never heard anything like it. The Radio Workshop will continue after a few years' vacation to bring you the new, the exciting, the unusual, and all fields of radio broadcasting. Dramas, music, operas, poetry, and comedy. Here at the CBS Radio Workshop this Friday evening and every Friday. And now we bring back to our Hollywood soundstage, Harley Bear and Paula Winslow starring in tonight's production, The Seller Door, a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. Open is my shoulder. Well, you've got to get this door open. He's out there alone. I know it. Keep your voice down and relax. There's no use scaring the kid. Joe, there's water in the bathtub. There's a flame on the stove. Do something. Only get the door open. He's playing with the egg beater. At least he's still in the hall. Look, can't you pry it open? The hinges are on the other side. It's a spring lock. There's no way of turning the lock from here. Just smash open that door. He's not in the hall. He doesn't answer. Now, take it easy. Falling apart isn't going to help. Take a few seconds. See if you can get him back in the hall. Oh, okay. It sounded like, like water splashing. No, I didn't hear anything. I left the back door open. The screen door is locked. If he went outside, the traffic... Yes, this isn't going to work. Well, you've got to... I'll have to try something else. Oh, he's got his toy duck. Yeah, he's in the hall. Down by the bathroom. I always give him the duck when he's in the water. Sandy, come down here by the door. Right here, Sandy. He's knocking. Sandy, come up to the door. Right here. Do you see the little knob, Sandy? Can you turn it for Daddy? Oh, he doesn't know what you're talking about. Oh, I've seen him play with every door knob in the house. But he can't reach it, Joe. He gets up on his chair. Sandy, get your chair, Sandy. Get your chair and bring it to the door. Look, Joe, can't you pry the door open? No, I can't... Sandy, get your chair and bring it to the door. Be here till tomorrow morning, till the cleaning woman comes. Get your chair, Sandy. Joe... Shhh. ...on his chair. Oh, it's so stupid. Oh, for heaven's sake, stop beating yourself. It isn't going to open the door. I don't know why you closed it. But I told you... Well, why didn't you pick him up and bring him with you? I should have been gone only a couple of seconds. I don't like to carry him down these stairs. They're so steep. Well, you know how the lock works. You were down in the basement. I thought you put the catch on the lock. But I left the door open. You know how many times have I told you with Sandy in the house not to leave the basement door open? Well, he was with you. What was that? Sounds like he's pulling the pots and pans out of the cupboard. Joe, I've got things cooking in the stove. Sandy! Sandy! Don't shout like that. You'll scare him half to death. Sandy, bring your chair to the door. That's a good boy. Bring it right up to the door, closer. Now, get on the chair, son. Get on the chair and turn the knob. For his duck. He probably left it in the kitchen. Well, he'll come back as soon as he finds the duck. Oh, I hope he didn't throw it in the tub. Joe, the window. Oh, it's too high. You could raise me up to the window. Sure, but you'd never get through. It's too narrow. I can wiggle through. It's too small. We could at least try. It's a waste of time, man. We can't afford it. You can't get through that window. Well, I will. And stop it. Stop it! Let me go. That isn't going to help either. You can't tear down the door. Let go. Take it easy. I can't help it. It's better not to frighten him. Sandy. Still looking for the duck. Sandy, come to the door. Daddy's right here, son. Now turn the little knob. Climb up on your chair and turn it for Daddy. On the chair, Sandy. Let me talk to him. You don't want to confuse him. Come on, Buster, up on the chair. He did it. Hang on to the doorknob, Sandy. It's all right. Turn the little shiny knob, Sandy. The one under the doorknob. The lock. You've done it. He's playing with a doorknob. Well, he has to hang on to something. I don't want him to fall. Shhh. The little knob below the doorknob, son. The little shiny one. That's the lock. Bye-bye. No, no, no. Stay right there, son. Don't go away. Don't go away. Now turn the shiny one. Right here, where Daddy's tapping. He's too young to understand. Watch the doorknob, Sandy. See? See how I turn the doorknob? Now you turn the one under it. It's your turn now, Sandy. Good boy. Now turn it all away. He's turning it the wrong way. No, turn it the other way, son, until you're right. I mean, turn the other way. Once more, Sandy. Okay, Sandy? Oh, as if he could tell us. No, he's all right. Sandy, Sandy, fix your chair. Game's over, Joe. Can't you break it open? You saw me try. Sandy will be right out. You wait right there in the hall. Hey, we're right across from the Donaldson's kitchen. Well, I don't think they're home. I can possibly hear you. There must be some way. I could just get this bolt loose. Well, that's what you should have done in the first place. Well, it's frozen tight. Oh, it moved. That was the pliers, not the bolt in the kitchen. Oh, don't be so sure. You always expect the worst. If the house was on fire, you wouldn't admit it. Well, I don't go around looking for trouble. What you mean is that I face things and you don't. No, what I mean is you're not happy unless there's something wrong and if there isn't something wrong, you create it. I created this, I suppose. Yes, unconsciously. Look, I have told you a hundred times not to leave the basement door open. Tell me I created this. All right. Fine defense. Well, I've had to learn a few, like at the Henderson's party the other night. It was over a month ago. You know what I'm talking about. That's probably Mother. She was supposed to call back. Sandy's found his duck. He always picks up the phone unless I'm there to stop him. Well, let him pick it up. If we didn't come to the phone, she might get the idea. There's something wrong. Sandy! Leave him alone. He's in the hall. Sounds like he's next to the phone. Oh! Was that the phone? He pulled it to the floor. And he doesn't sweat its grammar or not. I can't hear him if you keep talking. I don't hear anything. Sandy! Sandy! Maybe they'll phone back. Oh, he never puts the receiver back. Sandy! Sandy, come out here in the hall. Can you hear him? No. Now what are you doing? Well, this screwdriver isn't very sharp, but I think I can chisel enough of this door jammalade to get the lock. That should work. Here, hold the pliers. Oh, hurry! Well, I'm going as fast as I can. Then the house, he could hear me. He may be back in his room playing. Could you hear that? What? The back door. He's gone outside. Well, I didn't hear this. Well, how could you? I'm listening for him to crack cement with a... Something hit the window. Hey, it's a football. I can see part of it. It must be those kids from across the street. They'll come to get it. Joe, don't start shouting until we see them. I can see his feet. Come around and get into the bathtub. Put the receiver back or the phone would ring again. Been in here at least an hour. Well, it won't be long now. Can you move over and give me a little more room? Well, I'm flat against the wall. That's right. Start putting words in my mouth. I don't have to go back a month, like the Henderson party, to find something to complain about. Complain? Oh, you make it sound so simple. One small complaint. If I knew what you were talking about, it might help. I felt like a fool. What did I do? Sandy. Keep working at the door. What do you think I'm doing? Tell you it was uncomfortable. Oh, at the party. Yes, at the party. Well, you'll have to let me in on it. I'm in the dark. Well, did you have to insult everyone by talking to Healy all night? Oh, he's 20. I'm 10, 12 years old. That's not the point. I'm only accusing you of being rude. What did I do that was so rude? You didn't mix with anyone. You didn't talk to anyone. You ignored everyone. Well, you're the one who told me how to act at parties. Oh, it's my fault. When I complained about these parties for business reasons and how much they bored me, you're the one who told me how to act at them. Oh, I'm sorry I even meant... You said find somebody interesting, hang on to them, spend the evening with them. All I did was take your advice. But you still have to acknowledge that there are other people present. Oh, all right. Those people aren't interested in seeing me. They only want to see you. I'm your wife, so I go along. Oh, that is fine. You want too much because you're not a smashing success overnight. You take it out on me. All right, I'm for the kid I grew up with. Or as I shoved the lock back. He got tired and went to sleep. Where'd you find him? All closet. Let me take him. No, I'll hold him. Where are you going? To put him to bed. You want me to? No, I'll do it. What time is it? 11.25. Oh, no, it can't be. We must have been in there a couple of hours. We were only in there about 20 minutes. I'm sorry about those things I said. You know I didn't mean them. You know I love you. But the receiver back on the phone turned the flame off on the stove. As soon as I get him in bed, we'll have lunch. Spence. In which Paula Winslow and Parley Baer starred in tonight's presentation of The Seller Door. Next week, the story of a group of brave men who risk their lives in a desperate effort to save their fellow men. We call it Arctic Rescue. That's next week on... Suspense. This is transcribed in Hollywood by Anthony Ellis. Tonight's strip was written by Bernard Gerard. The music was composed by Rene Gerriganck and conducted by Wilbur Hack. Sound patterns by Bill James and Tom Hanley. Featured in the cast were Richard Beals and Byron Kane. Stay tuned for five minutes of CBS News to be followed on most of these stations by the Jack Carson Show. America's favorite shows on the CBS Radio Network.