 This is the man in black here again to introduce Columbia's program, Suspense. Our leading lady tonight is Miss Nancy Coleman, one of Hollywood's most powerful and resourceful young stars, whose performances you may have admired in King's role, the current Warner Brothers picture, Edge of Darkness, and other noted films. The story called Fear paints a picture is tonight's tale of suspense. If you've been with us on these Tuesday nights, you will know that suspense is compounded of mystery and suspicion and dangerous adventure. In this series our tales calculated to intrigue you, stir your nerves to offer you a precarious situation, and then withhold the solution until the last possible moment. And so it is with fear paints a picture and Miss Nancy Coleman's performance, we again hope to keep you in suspense. There is a picture hanging on a wall. You look at it casually, an extraordinary picture you will say, skillfully done. Look at those fine brush strokes, those superb colors. But isn't the subject matter a little bizarre? It is something more than just bizarre. But let us begin from the beginning with the death of Benjamin Powell, a rich and strange man. There were dark rumors about the Powell. His wife had died many years ago. No one knows how. But Benjamin Powell had a daughter, Julia, a high strung and neurotic girl, and many of us wondered about her too. Benjamin Powell died, and in his last will and testament he made Julia heir to all his considerable fortune, except that... But let me read you the will. My Benjamin Powell, being of sound mind and in full possession of all my faculties, hereby request that after my death, my daughter Julia live with Mr. Harvey Lyons, my lifelong friend, until her 23rd birthday. At which date all my worldly belongings will come into her possession, provided that nothing untoward happens to her by that time. But in the event that she is incapable of taking over my estate upon her 23rd birthday, I hereby appoint Harvey and Laura Lyons as my final heirs, their being no other living blood relatives, and trust to their judgment that they will take care of Julia adequately and with kindness, signed Benjamin Powell. Three months later, seated around the huge, ornate fireplace in the dark wing's coated living room, are three silent people, the heavy drapes that run from the high ceiling to the floor, move softly in a gust of wind. For the past quarter hour no one has spoken. Harvey reads his newspaper, Laura knits with nimble fingers, and Julia, Julia stares with unseeing eyes at an open book. You're not reading, Julia. I'm not concentrating. Are you feeling all right? I'm all right. You do look a little tired, Julia. Perhaps you'd better get some rest. I'm not tired, Harvey. I've been wanting to ask you, in a week, Julia will be 23. Isn't that wonderful, Harvey? Next Tuesday is her birthday. We'll have a party. I'll get old Tom and his fiddle, and we'll have a real old-fashioned party. Harvey, what did Father mean by the will? The will? Julia, perhaps you'd better go to bed. You look a little pale. The will said I might not be able to take over the estate by my 23rd birthday. What does it mean? I don't remember that. I didn't read the will very carefully. Yes, you did, Harvey. You know what I'm talking about. Perhaps we'd better discuss it in the morning. You're tired. I'm not tired, Laura. Please, Julia, I'd rather you wouldn't ask me. That's a delicate handkerchief, Julia. Twisting it will only tear the lease. I'm sorry. I didn't realize it. It's one of your best handkerchiefs. It's no use, Laura. I've got to know. You're a very high-strung girl, Julia. And I'd rather not upset you before bedtime. Upset me? You sort of get moody very often, Julia. Harvey, Laura, I'm not going to bed until I find out what all this means. I've got to find out. You don't like your room, do you? No, I don't. It's too big. The wallpaper. I don't like the pictures on the wall. There's nothing wrong with a big room. Everyone prefers a large room. Everyone likes pictures on the wall. Well, maybe it's the kind of pictures. Yes, it's the pictures. They rub me the wrong way. You see, your feelings about things are different. Different from the feelings of normal people. Normal people? Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... I understand this torturous way of telling her. I'll tell you, Julia. Your mother died in an asylum. She went mad after her 23rd year. It's been in the family for generations. I never saw my mother. I thought... We didn't want to tell you this. I wish we hadn't, but you forced us. You mean I'm liable to become insane? Well, you see, any one of us can become insane. There's nothing wrong with me. I'm perfectly all right. I'm as sane as anyone. Being high-strung doesn't make me mad. I don't like it here. I don't like this house. I'm sane. I'm sane. Of course you are, Julia. There's nothing the matter with you. You'll be all right. Your father wasn't sure that's all. You're as sane as any of us. Come along. I'll take you to your room. We'll have a cup of tea together. How is she, Laura? She's calmed down. Is she asleep? No, Harvey. She's reading. That must be Dr. Barrows. I'll open the door. Hello, Dr. Barrows. How do you do, Mr. Land? Come in. Come in. Thank you. This is my wife, Laura. How do you do? I'm glad to meet you, Dr. Let me take your things. The maid will have your room ready in a few minutes. That's very good of you. Here, sit down and make yourself comfortable. Thank you. Well, how's Julia? She's been very moody lately. Very moody. She seems so unhappy. I've tried to draw her out, but I haven't been much good at it. Is she still, uh, grieving over her father's death? No, it isn't that. I... I don't think she likes our house. She has some queer ideas about her room. And the wallpaper. She doesn't like that. She doesn't like the pictures on the wall, either. I've caught Julia several times staring into the mirror, looking at herself with hate. I've heard her talking to herself very often. That's nothing. All of us talk to ourselves once in a while. I don't know, Doctor. I don't think she's very stable. There are things that go on in her mind that she won't talk about. All of us keep things to ourselves, things we never talk about. Mr. Powell described Julia's case to me just before he died. I've had occasion to observe her just once. Oh, you knew Mr. Powell, did you? Oh, yes, for quite a number of years. I treated his wife poor Mrs. Powell. She went mad. Started somewhat the same way as Julia. Oh, I wouldn't make that comparison. So far there's no basis for any such theory. Well then, let's say that Julia has strong dislikes. Took a hate to the pictures in her room. Pictures, eh? Ah, I'd like to go up and see her if she's not asleep. Well, I guess it's all right. She's not asleep yet. Her room's the second from the right as you reach the top of the stairs. Thank you. I'll just stop in for a few minutes. Come in. Hello, Julia. You remember me, don't you? No, not exactly. I'm Dr. Barrow, a friend of your father. I treated your mother. My mother? No, no, don't be alarmed. I'm staying with your guardians for a few weeks. Do you mind if I come in for a few minutes? No. This is a fine room, Julia. A very comfortable one. I don't like it. It's too big. It makes me uncomfortable. Nonsense. You're just imaginative. You think someone might be hiding in here while you're asleep? Is that it? It isn't that. Don't you like that picture, Julia? What picture? The one you're staring at. I wasn't staring at it. I just... Just looking at it, eh? Looks like a fine painting. I don't like it. I'm... I'm going to have it removed. It's going to be like Julia, but I don't think you should. It's an unpleasant picture. It gives me nightmares. Look at it. That frightful looking man about to come through the doorway, and the unsuspecting girl sitting in a chair with her back towards him. He's not frightful looking at all. It's just the black scarf around his neck. He's about to kill her. You certainly have a vivid imagination. I'm sure the artist had no such idea in mind. I hate the picture. I'm going to ask Harvey to take it out of here. You mustn't be afraid of it. The longer you keep looking at it, the less afraid of it you'll be. You've got to conquer your fears, or... or they'll conquer you. Well... That picture has a horrible fascination for me. I can't take my eyes from it. Last night I... I dreamed that the man in the picture came through the door with a knife in his hand and killed the girl. It was an awful dream. But that was only a dream. If I take that painting off the wall, you'll find other things to be afraid of. Now you do as I say. Forget about that picture. Get a good night's sleep. Nothing like a good night's sleep to lift your spirits. If that picture fascinates you, keep looking at it. Don't be afraid of it. Will you do that? Yes, Dr. Beryl, if you say so. That's fine. I'll see you in the morning. Good night, junior. Good night. In this big, rambling house of Harvey Lyons, midnight came and went. One by one the lights went out and soon the whole house was blackened by the cover of night. Not a single light gleamed from any window, the ominous rumble of an approaching thunderstorm. Julia's room, the large room with its many pictures, she was dreaming, dreaming again of the man in the picture. The figure with the flowing black scarf is alive and his hands grow longer and longer. Julia tosses in her sleep as if trying to avoid him, trying not to look at him. Look at my thunder. What a terrible dream. That awful picture. What was that? There's someone in this room. Someone's hiding in this room. The light. Where's the switch? Where is it? Oh, here. There's no one here. Coming from the ceiling. It's from up above me. It's my imagination. There's nobody there. There's nobody. I've got to go back to sleep. Dr. Beryl said I need sleep. I... Julia, what happened? You're the only one here on the hallway. Pull yourself together, Julia. What man? The man in the picture. He's moved. What do you mean? The picture. The man at the door. He's not at the door. He's inside the room. You must have been dreaming. Of course, dear. It was only a dream. I heard a scream and I... Julia, what's happened to you? She says she saw a man in one of the paintings move. Oh, I see. He did move. I saw it. He's not outside the door anymore. He's inside. You dreamed that, Julia. That's what I said. It wasn't a dream. The thunder wakened me. I woke up and heard footsteps coming from the ceiling. I thought it was my imagination. And I looked at the picture. The picture I told you I didn't like, doctor. The man was inside the room. That's hardly possible, Julia. Figures and pictures can't move. Of course not. It was just a bad dream. No, it's true. I saw it. Come along, Julia. We'll all take a look at the picture. No, I... I don't want to go back into the room. No, no, no. There's nothing to be afraid of. Come on, Julia. Don't be frightened. You've got to fight off these delusions. Here, give me your hand. Come along. Well, now, what picture was it? The one near the bed. Oh, yes. The picture by Gregory. It's one of our oldest paintings. Well, there it is. It's the same as I saw it a few hours ago. Look at it, Julia. I... I can't believe it. The man with the black scarf is still outside the door. And he'll stay there until that picture crumbles to dust. I could have sworn I saw him inside the room approaching the girl. Dreams can be very vivid. And there are no footsteps coming from the store room. I must be out of my mind. I could have sworn... Nothing at all, Julia. All of us occasionally have vivid, realistic dreams. Once I dreamed I was being chased by a herd of elephants. It was so real I heard the thundering footsteps even after I woke up. It was so... Delusions can be very real and horrifying. You do believe... You do believe, don't you, Julia, that it was only a nightmare. Yes, I... I think so. If Julia wants to, I'll take the picture out of her room. I don't think it's wise. You have to fight these unreasonable fears. That's true, Julia. Never give in to them. Well, I'll go crazy if I keep looking at that picture. It might be the other way around, Julia. If you run away from it, the mental disease prevalent in your family will take firm hold in you. You will get worse and worse, as Dr. Barrow says, until you be afraid of your own shadow. You'll be afraid of everything, of everyone you meet, afraid to be alone, afraid to be with people, afraid of yourself, afraid of your own clutching fingers. No, no, don't tell me anymore. Please, Mr. Lyons, there's no need for this kind of talk. Julia, look at the picture. It's nothing but some paint on a canvas with a frame around it. There's nothing about it that can harm you. And the danger lies in yourself. You've got to keep staring at it as often as you can by candlelight or in the dark, until you've learned to laugh at it. It won't be easy. I'll try. That's fine. I knew you had courage. I'll get you a sedative so that you'll be able to sleep. I'll be all right in the morning. I'm sorry, I became hysterical. And I'm sure you won't let yourself go anymore. I promise. You're sure you're not afraid? No. No, I'll be all right. I'm sure I'll be all right. Well, Julia, it's 11 o'clock. You know what Dr. Barrow says. I'm not at all sleepy, Laura. I'd rather stay up for a while. I'm in the middle of a fascinating story. You run along. I'll go to bed presently. Is anything wrong, Julia? No, of course not. Everything's fine, Laura. You're afraid to go to sleep, aren't you, Julia? No, no, it isn't that. Is that picture bothering you again? Yes. Last night I heard footsteps again. Sound woke me. And the figure in the picture, it moved. It moved closer to the girl. How terrible. Why didn't you call me? We thought you were over it. It hasn't bothered you these past three nights. Well, I didn't want anyone to know. I took some sleeping tablets and I fell asleep again. In the morning, the picture was the same as ever. That's a brave girl. Laura... Laura, do you think I'm crazy? Of course not. You're as sane as... as sane as I am. Tell me the truth. I must know. You're just nervous and high strung. And you have a vivid imagination. That's all. You're trying to serve me. Why didn't you tell the doctor that you... thought the picture moved? I was ashamed. You shouldn't be ashamed. Dr. Barrow is here to help you get well. Oh, that must be Harvey and Dr. Barrow now. Hello, Laura. I've arranged to have Old Tom at his fickle here tomorrow night for Julia's birthday. And I've invited the Grovers. They'll be delighted to come. That is if Julia's feeling well. Julia, you should be in bed. It's after 11. She's afraid to go to sleep. Please, Laura. It's the footsteps in the picture again, isn't it? Yes, doctor. It moved again. At least I thought it moved, but I... I went back to sleep. Well, that's an improvement. At least you didn't get hysterical and try to run away like the last time. But you were all right for a few nights. It's come back. There isn't much I can do for you, Julia, except to tell you to go to sleep. Fight off these delusions. You've got to do that. Come, Julia. I'll go with you to your room. Well, perhaps you can sleep in my room tonight, Laura. Just tonight. I feel a lot more comfortable tomorrow night. I'll be able to face it alone much better. No, Julia. That would be an admission of defeat. All right, if you think it's best. Good night. Good night, Judah. Well, keep up your courage. It doesn't look so good, does it, doctor? Well, not too good, but it's not hopeless. She has an unstable mind subject to delusions, which become very real to her. Her obsession about the picture is not so bad. We all suffer occasionally from optical illusions, but hearing footsteps coming from the storeroom above her... The storeroom? How did you know there's a storeroom above her? Your wife told me. Of course. Well, that storeroom hasn't been opened in years. I guess there's no point in investigating it, is there? I don't think so. Those footsteps like the moving figure in the painting are all in her mind. Her mother behaved just like that before she went mad, didn't she? Well, there's some similarity. You haven't been to the storeroom recently, have you? No, I just mentioned to you that it hasn't been opened in years. Oh, yes, so you did. Forgive me for not listening more closely. That's perfectly all right, doctor. Well, I just hope that Julia will be well for her birthday party tomorrow. Oh, I had no idea she was having a birthday. How old will Julia be? She'll be 23. Well, I must remember to get her a gift. Well, I guess I'll go to bed. So will I. I'll see you at the morning. But Julia wasn't thinking about her birthday. During the 10 or 15 minutes she spent in Laura's room, fear fluttered in her heart when she finally stood alone inside her own room. Panic. Black, unreasoning panic began to take hold of her. In wild haste, she began to undress, never looking at the picture. I won't look at it. I won't. I'll go right to sleep. I'll take some pills and fall asleep. What was that? It was nothing. Nothing at all. All I have to do is keep from looking at the picture. I won't look at it. It can't do me any harm if I don't see it. I mustn't even think of it. I'll think about the trip I made to South America. It was a wonderful trip. The sunset. What was that? Footsteps. Those footsteps again. I mustn't hear it. I mustn't hear it. It was a wonderful trip. The Blue Caribbean. The Rio is a beautiful city. Shuckle of mountains, the music, the dancing. Those footsteps. It's not footsteps. It's just my heart beating out. I'll close my eyes. I'll sleep. Why can't I sleep? Oh, Lord, let me sleep. I don't want to look at the picture. I won't. I know what I'll see. You'll be closer to her. Maybe he'll have killed her. I mustn't open my eyes. I mustn't... I won't. I've got to look at it. It's moved. It's close to the girl. I'm not dreaming. It's real. It's me. That girl is me. I can't stand it. I can't! Poor girl. Stop crying and tell me all about it. Tell me in detail don't be ashamed. Get it out of you. It'll do you good to talk. It's the same thing again and again. I tried not to look at the picture. I tried so very hard, but it was hopeless. I had to figure where the black scarf was inside the room. A knife in his hand is very close to the girl. But this time the girl had turned around and it was my face. My face. Did you hear any footsteps? Yes. I heard them as soon as I got into the room. You think it's very real, don't you, Julia? Despite the fact that everyone says it's a delusion. It's very real to me. I must be really insane. I'm going crazy. Don't say that. It's no use. I'm not getting any better. It's getting worse and worse. Don't give up. You mustn't. Come along. I'll go to your room with you. I'll stay there until you fall asleep. Unless you want to stay here. I don't know. I don't know what to do. Will you stay with me, Laura? Yes, Julia. Come, let's go back. The picture doesn't seem to have... What's the matter, Laura? Nothing. Nothing at all. There. Did you hear it? What steps? It was probably a bird creaking. Now you go to sleep. I think everything will be all right in the morning. You won't leave me. No, Julia. I'll be here. Thank you, Laura. Thank you very much. Laura stayed in Julia's room until she was sure that she was fast asleep. Then carefully she tipped toad out of the room, closing the door gently behind her. Julia slept peacefully, feeling safe and secure. Several hours passed and then, suddenly Julia awoke. She sat bold upright and wide awake with her heart pounding away. Laura. Laura, is that you? Laura! She's gone. She left me alone. But I'm not alone. Something woke me. The picture. It's the picture. I must look at it again. If he's moved again, I... I don't know what I'll do. I'll turn around and look straight at it. I'll look straight at it. He's killed the girl. He stabbed her. He stabbed me. I'm the girl. Oh, I've got to get out of here! It's no use. I've lost. I've lost everything. I've even lost my sanity. I can't fight anymore. I can't fight against you and the black scarf. And now, you're here. I can touch you. I can feel you. It's real this time. What do you want me to do? No. I won't run away. I won't scream. Do I want to spend the rest of my life in the silent like my mother? No, I don't. I don't. You're pointing at the window. You want me to open the window? Yes. I'll open it. You say it will be best for everybody if I jump. Yes. The only way out. The only way. I'll do it. I'll do it now without thinking. It will only take a moment. Julia! Julia! Julia! We came just in time. I've got to hurry. She's safe. I'm safe. You can come out from behind that chair, my friend. Come out or I'll shoot. I don't understand my head going around in circles. I can explain everything. I was really observing, Julie. The procedure was a little unusual. I'll do the explaining, Dr. Barrow. You tried to drive Julia crazy. He tried to drive me crazy. He tried to do it with a picture. You're all making a serious mistake. Look at the picture. The figure is inside the room stabbing the girl. No, it wasn't your imagination, Julia. He painted several pictures, each one of them with a figure close to the girl. He used the storeroom upstairs. That's why you heard footsteps. I found a black scarf in his room. When I looked at the picture a little while ago, it was full of dust. I dusted it off myself a few hours before. Yes, and Dr. Barrow seemed to know there was a storeroom above you. I couldn't understand how he knew that since it had been closed for years. Why? Why should he want to drive me crazy? Because he's not Dr. Barrow. He's Ralph Power, your cousin, who disappeared many years ago. Everyone thought he was dead. After I got suspicious, Harvey and I went up to the storeroom and found a lot of pictures he's been painting. This scoundrel is a very talented artist. He's been changing the pictures on the wall. He'll give you insane and then contest the will since he's your nearest blood relative. Oh, horrible, and I really thought... I had no intention of killing Julia. I swear I didn't. I just wanted to frighten her. Almost jumped out of the window. I might have been dead right now lying dead outside. Don't think about it, Julia. It's all over now. You're all right. I'm not insane. Of course not, Julia. Oh, I almost forgot. It's already Tuesday. Happy birthday, Julia. How does it feel to be 23 years old? It feels wonderful. And so closes, fear paints a picture starring Nancy Coleman, tonight's tale of... Suspense. Appearing with Ms. Coleman were Edwin Maxwell as Harvey Lyons, Fred Mackay as Dr. Barrow and Beatrice Benedera as Laura. This is your narrator, the man in black, who conveys to you Columbia's invitation to spend this half-hour in suspense with us again next Tuesday when our star will be Mr. Peter Lawry in the suspense play called The Moment of Darkness. William Spear, the producer, Ted Bliss, the director, Lucian Marowick, the composer, Latt-Glaskin, the musical director, and Sigmund Miller, the author, collaborated on tonight's Suspense. This is the Columbia Broadcasting System.