 suspense and the producer of radio is outstanding theater of thrills the master of mystery and adventure William M. Robeson. Life is a series of choices many of them uncomfortable as when one is compelled to choose between what he wants to do and what he ought to do. The child learns through tears, chastisement an example to curb his compulsive desires and cooperate in his society and unless he is assisted by the grown-up surrounding but what about the grown-up who is there to assist him when he is caught between the horns of the ancient dilemma love or duty caught also 8,000 feet above the earth with the lives of 47 people depending on his decision listen listen then as Bartlett Robinson stars in the crowded void which begins in exactly one minute another visit with Joe and Daphne foresight Joe Joe come on Joe get up it's two o'clock what do you want Joe you got to get off that couch and fix up the yard Joe let me sleep no we've got to keep the place in good shape now rise and shine oh come on Daphne I'll do it tomorrow tomorrow always tomorrow you can't keep putting things off I don't who was it but the savings bond to take care of our future who suggested the idea well who read the story in the paper that told about bonds being a good investment because they pay off four dollars for every three and who pointed out the article for you to read well right and now I'm pointing out the art to you our bonds are guaranteed by the government our grass isn't mow that proves it what a little knowledge in the hands of the wrong person can be dangerous and what does that mean you know one plain simple fact bonds are a good investment now you're not only use it to get me to buy a bond a month and a payroll savings plan but you'll probably use it against me the rest of my life if it gets you to mow the yard I will move out boy I'm going I'm going but understand this my next wife is going to show more respect for my hard work so would I if I ever saw any by murder and now the crowded void starring Bartlett Robinson a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense your attention please Pacific Central Airways announced the immediate departure of Southbound flight 17 for Los Angeles now holding a gate number two I stood on the ramp at San Francisco Airport and watched my passengers string out to the plane and the telegram in my jacket pocket felt like a sheet of lead usually it made me proud to think that these strangers would trust their lives to me in the blackness overhead tonight I was scared hey Sam yeah Mel I've got our Los Angeles weather oh how is it not much better than it is here fog and drizzle 500 foot ceiling lowering half a mile visibility extreme turbulence anything else yeah they got planes stacked up to 5,000 feet over LA international waiting to land oh brother it's about you want to know if you're going to cancel well I sure hate to I know you heard anything more no not since the telegram I should never have taken this flight oh look Sam you didn't know when he left LA that she was I shouldn't have left her there's no use beating yourself for it now yes and there's no use bouncing around over LA with a plane full of passengers well we'll we'll cancel for a while and wait it out here until the traffic things out there you have Sally tell the passengers Captain Bradley Pacific Central Airlines you have a long-distance call at the dispatcher's desk a long yes yes I'm coming I here you are captain it's Los Angeles thanks hello yes doctor yes well I don't know we're canceling the flight the weather's all sucked in down there doctor oh what's wrong is she all right well doctor she'll pull through won't she yes yes can I talk to her oh Jeannie I'm sorry I shouldn't have left Jeannie I'll be there you hang on I'll be there dispatcher flight 17 will go out on schedule we'll go sell him where's Mel in the cockpit Sam would you stop and talk to the woman in seat 11 with the baby hmm oh all right why first flight yes she's terrified her name's Gordon okay oh pardon me sir excuse me may I get through please well Mrs. Gordon yes what's this little character's name hi there she's a little girl captain her her name's Neeta she sure is cute hey Neeta she likes you captain do you have children no no no not yet my wife's expecting now she well she lost the first one look at that yawn she's not about to let an airplane ride interfere with her sleep captain are we going in this fog why sure it's perfectly okay well good night Neeta you sleep tight oh Mrs. Gordon yes don't worry all right captain thank you you bet Sally come on forward please you're right that woman's scared to death keep an eye on that it's going to be rough over LA all right Sam and you'd better get dinner cleared away by the time we make pass the robles I'll start serving as soon as we're off Sam spot your zone with a nine o'clock of weather oh hand me my headset right that's a good Sam you're gonna cancel nope let's crank them up well whatever you say number three prop clear turning number three eight blade switch and boost on bring in mixture on number three right number four clear there turning number four Pacific Central 462 this is your dispatcher this is Pacific Central 462 go ahead 462 San Francisco Center advises possible delay over Los Angeles due to weather extremely heavy airway traffic do you Sam you catch that tell him negative we're going negative 462 departing on schedule we continue with the second act of suspense memo on medals interesting information about our military awards and decorations for almost the first half century of its existence from 1862 till 1904 the original design of the Medal of Honor was identical for both the Army and Navy a five pointed star with a large medallion in the center showing the goddess of wisdom Minerva warding off the figure of discord the Navy Medal of Honor hung suspended from its ribbon by a small anchor the Army Medal of Honor by an eagle resting on crossed cannons originally the ribbon was the same for both branches of service 13 vertical stripes of red and white top with a blue border in 1904 the army changed its medal to the present design with just the head profile of Minerva in the center of a smaller star backed with a green enamel laurel reef in 1913 the Navy changed its Medal of Honor service ribbon and in 1919 made an additional change resulting in the present-day design five white stars on a field of blue the Medal of Honor today as in the past remains the highest military decoration that can be earned by an American servicemen for devotion and valor above and beyond the call of duty it is an inspiring call to great sacrifice and dedication undimmed throughout the long years of our history as a free people and now starring Bartlett Robinson act two of the crowded boy awful rough out there you getting tired Sam I'm okay hey what's the matter I forgot to make our Santa Barbara position report relaxed boss I made it I don't know what's wrong with me tonight I do genius be okay Sam I hope so I have us at Malibu intersection in 30 seconds we're four minutes late okay call Los Angeles approach control Roger Los Angeles approach control this is Pacific Central 462 over this is 462 over Malibu intersection at 2255 8,000 feet instrument flight plan to Los Angeles International estimate Los Angeles at 2302 you have an approach clearance for us over negative hold on the Los Angeles range maintain 8,000 feet until further instructions out oh no ask him how long we'll have to wait okay Sam approach control this is Pacific Central 462 you give me an estimate on how long we'll have to hold over 462 at least 20 minutes delay request you hold your radio transmissions to a minimum there are five other commercial airliners and a flight the Air Force jet stack below you out I guess he told us 20 minutes I'm sorry Sam yeah well at least we're in line that's rough better put on the seatbelt like Mel's been on for five minutes thanks Sam how long until we land about 20 minutes more why have you got a date I'm sorry Sally what's the trouble it's Mrs. Gordon Mrs. Gordon the woman with a baby she wants to speak to you she knows we're late and the rough air doesn't help and now the baby senses it and it's howling its head off the others are getting nervous too and I just can't handle it well take it easy Sally Mel go on back yes sir no Sam you she wants to talk to the captain she wants me to leave the cockpit now don't be silly please Sam please want back Sam I can I know you can but okay Mel but hold our assigned altitude you wait here Sally until you get hold of yourself well here here what's this and what's the matter Nita what do you suppose is the matter she's scared to death now now Mrs. Gordon why don't you let the stewardess take her and give her some warm milk no we're gonna crash I want her with me Mrs. Gordon nobody's going to cry you know you don't even know where we are we're lost Mrs. Gordon if we were lost you think I'd be back here with you captain I'm sorry but when you've talked to me before you seem worried yourself and I got thinking about it well you thought I was bothered about the weather yes well it wasn't that I'll tell you why I look worried my wife is in the hospital having a baby right this minute the doctor called me just before we took off and you're flying anyway well she's in Los Angeles in Los Angeles yes and that's why we came what do you mean that's why we came isn't it captain you wouldn't have tried it otherwise would you this is Gordon this is a scheduled flight my wife's condition has nothing to do with it does too you're afraid for and you brought us with you now we're all gonna be killed you better sell me I don't know how much more I need to take tonight Mel wants you in the cockpit something's gone wrong down below yeah Mel what's wrong but on your headset we got trouble jet for the Air Force jet in the flight at 7,000 holding on Los Angeles radio do you read me over he's been trying to contact a flight of F-100s for five minutes at 7,000 we're still holding eight yes sir listen attention all about 7,000 maintain present altitude until further advise oh Mel we've had it they can't get them out of there until they contact them they'll never clear us through a flight of jets clear us through them I hope to tell you they won't they do I get out and walk ask approach control for the estimated delay Sam how's you gonna know until he contacts the jets ask him you're the boss Los Angeles approach control this is Pacific Central 462 you have an estimated approach time for us over this is approach control negative negative the delay is indefinite repeat the delay is indefinite indefinite indefinite indefinite it couldn't be indefinite give me a time something to wait for don't just say indefinite suppose I let down anyway it's a big sky they're fast and I'm slow but it's a big sky what are the odds what a genie's odds I'll be there genie you just hang on I'll be there Sam hey Sam I got the control no not Sam let me I got will you tell them I'm letting down your what get your hands up tell them approach control this is 462 we're Sam we can tell them this is 462 we're we're commencing descent from 8000 out 462 462 maintain your altitude do not descend there is jet traffic at 7000 do you read me start the landing check off we can't do it Sam those jets of clapper check off list mixtures for rich mixtures for rich carburetor air direct carburetor air direct and bottles coming back bottles coming back Sam don't go it in just a moment we continue with the third act of suspense we have together ample capacity in freedom to defend freedom this is NATO the North Atlantic Treaty Organization the military organization of NATO has four major components the military committee consisting of the chief of staff of each member country the standing group which represents the chiefs of staff from France the United Kingdom and the United States the commands by geographic location and the Canadian United States regional planning group of these the military committee is the senior authority the United States of America is a part of NATO you should be aware of and alert to the programs and objectives of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and now starring Bartlett Robinson act three of the crowded void jet four three nine what's our altitude seventy five hundred feet you just can't do this dropping into a flight of F-100s and this monster just reading my altitude don't answer him and keep your eyes open meld keep my eyes open I can't even see our wink tips Sam for the last time you're at seventy three hundred feet three hundred feet more and we'll be in them close my couch yes wonderful altitude meld seventy two hundred all brother Sam I tried the sedative on that woman it works Mrs. Gordon the baby the other passengers they're all as calm as clams now what what did you say Mrs. Gordon and the baby and the other passengers are just as calm seventy one hundred Mrs. Gordon the baby the passengers this is Gordon the baby the passengers forty seven human beings forty nine counting melon celly they're depending on me and I'm gambling their lives down there somewhere beneath those lost screaming jets one human being depending on me the odds they're too great meld yeah Sam give me climbing power quick bring in climbing power let's get up out of here oh let's get up out of here altitude seventy one let's be quiet whoa you hear that Sam yes I heard genie darling hang on for a little while longer hang on genie I'll get there as soon as I can you taxied up to the ramp meld I've had it just follow that last jet okay skipper there goes your license Sam mine too probably no no not yours just answering this is 462 affirmative message it's genie I know it I'm going back you shut her down Mel pardon me sir please ma'am will you excuse me move will you please there was a nice landing I'm sorry let me prove please hey you from approach control yes captain Bradley yes captain I'm sorry I blew my top at your radio everybody is jittery tonight we thought you said you were letting down this message they said you had a message oh yeah the hospital called yes you got a little boy seven pounds three ounces what about my wife well I'll take it easy captain take it easy she's all right all right are you positive that's what the man said she's all right Sally she's all right oh Mrs. Gordon she had a little boy and she's all right oh I'm so glad you were frantic about her weren't you I guess so I had to be so silly I'm sorry really I am no no Mrs. Gordon you were all right no I wasn't I wasn't but I'm glad we came yes Mrs. Gordon I'm glad you came to suspense in which Bartlett Robinson starred in William and Robeson's production of The Crowded Void by Michael Frost supporting Mr. Robinson and The Crowded Void were Ellen Morgan Shirley Mitchell D Tatum John Daner Barney Phillips and Sam Pierce listen listen again next week when we return with another tale well calculated to keep you in suspense suspense has been brought to you through the worldwide facilities of the United States armed forces radio and television service