 Family Theater presents Grace Kelly and Edmund O'Brien. From Hollywood, the mutual network in cooperation with Family Theater presents Stopwatch Finale starring Edmund O'Brien. And now, here is your hostess, Grace Kelly. Family Theater's only purpose is to bring to everyone's attention a practice that must become an important part of our lives, if we're to win peace for ourselves, peace for our families, and peace for the world. Family Theater urges you to pray, pray together as a family. And now to our transcribed drama, Stopwatch Finale, starring Edmund O'Brien as Ed Gibson. Concerning Edward Gibson, legally tried and condemned to death in the Riverton Death House, there are these unusual facts to remember. No word from the governor yet. Time's going fast, Warden. Get your mind off the time, Gibson. Can I get you any magazines? No, no thanks. I think I'll just wait. What's the time? Exactly four minutes after five. That makes it six hours, roughly. Right. Six hours to live. I wouldn't keep thinking about it, Gibson. You wouldn't, then? I'd do something, get my mind on other things. What, for instance? I'd read the Bible or something. You're asking me to read a Bible and I've got six hours to live? I can't figure a better time to read one. Yeah. I know, they all do it, I suppose. If you want to, I'll get the chaplain, too. You don't need chaplains of Bible, Warden, when you don't believe in God. Gibson, you wouldn't be trying to fool me, would you? I think you're a pretty decent fellow. Decent fellow, eh? Yeah. When they tried me and found me guilty, you'd still say that. That's right. Well, thanks anyway. That's one of the reasons why I mentioned the chaplain. You've got six hours to live. Roughly five hours and forty minutes, Warden. All right. Now, Gibson, with five hours and forty minutes to live, do you mean to tell me that it's just going to be all over for you tonight just to play in blackout? That's right. They throw the switch on you and then it's curtains. It's quick. You get cold. It's over. Nothing more? Nothing more, just curtains. In other words, you just don't believe in God. Warden, how much time would you say I had left? Five hours and forty minutes. Five hours and forty minutes. Warden, if I had five years and forty minutes, five hundred years and forty minutes, I still wouldn't believe in God. That's on the level, Gibson. Sure. Why shouldn't an electric chair make me change my mind? Bye and see you again, Gibson. Thanks, Warden. How are you doing? Want anything to help you pass the time? No, no thanks anyway. I appreciate it. Don't mention it. What's the time now? Seven twenty-three. It leaves me about three hours and a half. Three hours and a half to live. I can stay here if you want and talk to you. Warden. Yeah. What would you do with three hours and a half? I mean your last three hours and a half. I'd probably get a few stiff hookers into me. Yeah. Yeah, I could get a drink, couldn't I? Anything you want, Gibson. To be honest with you, Warden, I never cared much for the stuff. Maybe a glass of beer now and then. You want beer? I can get you home. No, no. It's something you can't explain. I know what you mean. How'd you like the dinner we sent over? I'm good. I swelled down at Warden. You didn't eat much? I just wasn't hungry, that's all. Have you got a cigarette? Sure, sure. No word from the Governor yet? Nope, nothing. Here's the pack. Thanks. Light? Yeah, thanks. Cigarette tastes good. I like to smoke, Warden. I always like to smoke. Honest, Gibson, I wish you had a million years to smoke. Yeah, a million years. There's nothing else I can do for you, is there? Sure, sure there is. You can give me the keys and let me walk out the front door. Offhand, Gibson, I would say you're one of the fellows I'd like to let out the front door. You think so? Yeah. I followed your case. Oh, yeah. The whole country followed my case according to my lawyer. It's a pretty good show. You got to admit. Maybe if I'd never gone into that. What's the matter? That's nothing. I just keep thinking that's all. Sure, sure. I know what you mean. You know, it's funny how things can happen to you. I'm here in this death house tonight because I walked into a restaurant one day. Would you believe it? A restaurant? Yeah. I wouldn't be here if I hadn't walked into that restaurant. What happened? Well, I can trace it right back to that day in the restaurant when she said... May I take your order, sir? Oh, yeah, yeah. I'd like a steak in this quarter house and make it on the rare side, huh? Vegetables? Yeah, spinach and potatoes. Oh, only no cream on a spinach. Plain spinach. Yeah, that's right. Coffee? Yeah, you can bring me a cup of coffee, too. Yes, sir. It began with something as simple as that, given an order to a waitress. She wasn't much of a cool, beautiful, kind of a short girl, brown-eyes, dark hair, Latin-type, you'd call her. I fell for a warden. I fell about as hard as a guy could fall for a girl. What happened then? I married her. We went together six months and we had the wedding. It was okay, too, real church wedding, bells, organ, rice, you know, yeah. Yeah, we had good times together, too. Louise and I had a good job, bricklayer, had three kids, too. I just can't figure it out. I mean, it should have worked the other way. What do you mean, Gibson? What other way? I mean about the house. We figured it was just about everything we wanted. You know how people like to get out of cheap flats? You figure if you have a nice house, good big rooms, well, it's a place you can be proud of, a place you can invite people to, your friends. Louise always wanted a nice house, I see. And I got her a house. Boy, warden, you should have heard of that first day when I showed it to her. Beautiful. How do you like it, Louise? Hasn't it got everything I told you? It's beautiful, Eddie. Come on, let's look around. Hey, you can't compare this with that old flat, can you, Louise? Solid. Kitchen. Green tile. Yeah, you like that stuff, huh? I knew you would. Oh, this is first class, honey. Oh, Eddie has so happy. Hey, wait till you see the rooms upstairs, Louise. Are they big? Big. You get lost in them, they're so big. And the windows, they'll knock your eye out. They open sideways instead of up and down. They're the kind of windows that go in a house like this. The stairs, they don't creak. Creak? Well, you can fall down these stairs right next to you, honey. And honey, honey, look here. Fresh snobs on a door. First class, huh? Oh, Eddie, it's wonderful. One family suburban brick-mount award. It cost me about all I had, too. It was a good investment, Gibson. That's what everybody said. See, you don't have to listen to all this, Walton. I appreciate you coming here like this. Oh, it's all right, Gibson. Fine. Talk all you want. My time's my own. Yeah. Time. Time and talk. Doesn't do much good talking, does it? That was about the time you met this Jordan fellow, wasn't it? I mean, the papers covering your trial, they said something. Yeah, that's right. Jordan. Jordan lived down the street. I commuted with him practically every day in the 816. And I really understood Jordan those first six months. Quiet kind of fellow. Almost lonesome. One day I invited him over to my house. They sitting around that night. Before I knew it, we got to talking on religion. You know, how people get off in that subject when you ever get together everyone sooner or later bringing in religion. Now, please don't misunderstand me, Gibson. I'm not trying to disparage any man's belief. You and Louise happen to be well like my own folks. They went to church too. Respectable, conscientious type of people. Well, that was their like, their belief. And I take my hat off to them. Yeah, I understand that, Jordan. But you say that his religion stuff is a lot of malarkey. Am I right? That's putting it a bit too roughly, Gibson. Yeah, but you said that I don't believe in a God. You really don't believe in God, Mr. Jordan? That's right. Now, let me get this straight, Jordan. You don't believe in God, you don't believe in heaven, you don't believe in God. As I see it, Gibson, God, heaven, hell and all the assorted angels, archangels and devils are merely ancient superstitions which persist in disturbing the modern mind. Now, understand, I don't question the convenience of having a religion. The convenience. Yeah, the propriety, the usefulness of having a religion. It keeps a lot of frustrated people happy. The reward motive, you know. And you don't believe in prayer? Well, if there's no God to pray to, why should I believe in prayer? Or a soul, either. Yes, what about the soul? Not just a minute. I do believe the soul factor. It's the principle of activity. Dogs have cats, caterpillars and even men. But when you start talking to me about an immortal soul, well, that's where I draw the line. Where do you draw the line, Jordan? Six feet under the daisies when my time comes. Gibson, my boy. After I pass out of the picture, my soul won't go up or down or sideways, which precludes the ugly business of having to stand before some inquisitive creator to render an account of the innumerable benches I've been on. What? Mr. Jordan. You really believe that, Jordan? Believe it. I not only believe it, I preach it. It's a hobby of mine. You're playing the part of the naughty disillusioner. Well, I mean it. If there's no God, as you say, then, well, what about the commandments? Oh, the commandments. Well, they're an unusual code of the mores, allegedly dictated by some almighty Jehovah person with appropriate thunder. No, no, wait a minute. You mean the commandments didn't come from God like it says in the Bible? Well, if there isn't a God, I don't see how they could. But Mr. Jordan. Excuse me, Louise. Yeah, yeah, go ahead. Well, you see, it's a picture. Now, just hold on a minute, Jordan. Boy, I'm telling you, you got me in a state where I don't know whether I'm coming or going. I mean, well, everything I ever knew about the commandments and well, sin. Sin. Eddie, sin is merely being caught at what society says we ought not get caught at. Society? That's my opinion. And if you're not caught, Jordan, well, if you're not caught, Eddie, whether you're a free man caught me. But what else about this Jordan fellow, Jordan? Well, he had me mixed up ever since that talk we had in the house. I was trying to figure out some arguments, you know, proof about the things I used to believe in God and things. But I wasn't too quick on the trigger. Well, that Jordan was a clever egg. I had to admit it right to his face. Jordan, you certainly can dish that stuff out. Boy, you got me bamboozled. Well, maybe you're beginning to see the light, Eddie. Well, I don't know. I'm all right. I'm going to think of those. Say, tell you what? I want you to come with me tomorrow night. Why? Jefferson Circle. I have a regular audience down there every Thursday night. You mean you really make speeches in Jefferson Circle? Oh, it's a real study. The faces of the people, Eddie. They're like a bunch of scared kids when I give them the works. How do you mean the works? I call it my stopwatch finale. Stopwatch finale. That's what he called it. What did he mean stopwatch finale? Ah, it's an old gag word. You get out in front of the people and you pull out a stopwatch. The time's really gone, isn't it, Warden? My God, I'm talking as if I had a million years to live. Did you hear what I just said, Warden? What do you mean about? Yeah, I said my God. That's a kind of habit, I guess. Gibson, are you sure you don't want me to get the chaplain for you? No, I'm walking out on my own steam, Warden. Let's see. Where was I? You were saying something about a stopwatch. Oh, yeah. Well, this Jordan used to go down at Jefferson Circle every Thursday night. Get up on a platform in front of the people and he'd say, and he had a swell voice too. He'd say... And in conclusion, to prove that I'm sincere, to prove to you that no so-called God could have created this starving, this dying world, to prove that this so-called almighty God, if he does exist, is the biggest bungler and the most colossal criminal the human mind can conceive, to prove to you that there is no God. I now serve notice on His Majesty if what I say is not true. Then I defy God to strike me dead on this platform within five seconds. I'm telling you, God, do you hear me? I'm giving you five seconds to strike me dead if what I say is not true. One, two... Oh, that's what he called stopwatch finale, eh? Yeah. You know the rest of the story. Happens at thousands of people, I guess. You're going along living, working, trying to raise kids, live normal, and boom, it's like lightning the way it hits you. You don't figure on it. You just... Just a simple headache. That's how I came to know first. I had a headache that day and I left the job early. I went home, opened the door of my house, and I heard the laugh in the other room. I opened the parlor door and my wife jumped out of the chair like a scared rabbit almost. I wondered why she was so nervous all of a sudden, and I looked at it. Jordan. Your wife is really a sketch, Eddie. Most delightful sense of humor. Oh, Louise. You're home early, darling. Yeah, I got a headache. The old sign is trouble-aid? No, it's just an ordinary headache. Mr. Jordan dropped in for some tea. Yeah, that's fine. You don't mind excusing me if I go upstairs, huh? You're not sick, are you, darling? No, a couple of aspirins will fix it up. Go ahead. Don't let me disturb you. That's what I thought was a couple of aspirins will fix it up. I couldn't get that other feeling out of my head. I thought about it for weeks. Maybe I was wrong. I hope maybe I was wrong, and that Louise was only... Then Jim Holloway's, my brother-in-law, well, Jim came up to me one day. You working hard, Eddie? Yeah, they keep me going when the weather is right. You know how it is with Brickland, Jim. What have you got out there in the backyard? Oh, I'm building a little garage laying the bricks myself. Didn't Louise tell you about it? That kid's sister of mine never tells me a thing. You know, some of these days, Jim, I'm going to get a car. Louise and the kids will enjoy a trip to the beach and up to the country. I think Louise ought to get out more. She ought to have more fun. You know how it is with women staying home all day with the kids. It's no fun. Kind of washes them out. After I get a car, you know... Yeah. Huh? I came over to see you for something special. But you don't mind if I tell you something. No, go right ahead, Jim. Now, I don't want you to get excited. I don't want you to go losing your head or anything. What do you mean? Well, maybe I should keep quiet. I'm going out on the lamb and I'm doing it because I like you, Ed. What's on your mind? Now, it may be only rumors. Yeah. Yeah, go ahead. Well, if I were you, I'd keep my eye on that guy, Jordan. What do you mean? I mean, Louise. Yeah, Louise. Thanks, Jim. Thanks a lot. Now, that's how you first found out about it, Gibson. Oh, it's a dangerous thing going around the stories like that, even if it's the truth. Jim thought he was doing right. I don't blame him. What happened after that? Well, I got kind of sick the rest of that day. First, I thought I wouldn't say anything to Louise. But that night in the house, I came right out with it. I told her everything that Jim said. I could still see her face getting white. Look and her eyes. All right. You know everything now. What are you going to do about it? Louise, tell me it's... Tell me it isn't true. It is true. I love him. You snooped, you found out, all right? I love him. What else do you want me to say? Louise, the kids. Our house. I'm set up with it. And I'm set up with sneaking and the shame I'm finished. Our marriage? You mean it's off? Maybe it was never on. How can you say that, Louise? Louise, you're not going away with him. Yes, I am. I see, Louise. Everything was clear to me then. I saw the whole picture. So I walked out of the house. Sure. Sure I could see Jordan's point now. It was plain. Plain as the nose and your face. For the first time it clicked. I should have figured the angle long ago. It was an old game. Old as the hills. You could steal into a guy's house. The house he's paid for and sweated for. You could steal into his house and talk to his wife. Get her infatuated. Turn her head. Talk to his kids. Use nice words. Be a nice guy. You could talk a lot of big talk about religion and stuff. There is no God. There is no God. You could say those words. And because there isn't a God, you don't have to worry about a guy's wife or his kids or his house. All you gotta worry about is, don't get caught. Society doesn't like it. Well, I wasn't worried about society. About what's right and what's wrong. Don't get caught. If that's the game Jordan was playing, then little Ed Gibson can play it too. I walked down the Jefferson Circle at Night Warden. I saw him up on the platform. A couple of hundred people were there too. Jordan was going strong. It was the same old story. Jordan was strong. It was the same old stuff. And in conclusion, if what I say is not true, I have got five platforms within five seconds. We can still get a chaplain for you. No. I can make it alone. Okay, just as you say, Gibson. Warden. Yes, lad? There's one thing I didn't tell you. Maybe you'd like to know about it. What is it? Jordan. Yes. I ran to where he was lying on the platform. I see his lips were moving. Just whispering. And you know what he was saying? May God have mercy on my soul. He said that? Yeah. He said it. The guy who didn't believe in God. Here's the door, Gibson. Concerning Edward Gibson, he finally tried and condemned to death in the Riverton death house. There is this other unusual fact to remember. After he'd walked through that last door, after the electrode was applied and shortly before the switch was thrown, he was heard to say, Oh my God, my God, have mercy on my soul. This is Grace Kelly again. A famous writer once observed that life is like a long, slow journey by train across an unknown land. At the start of the trip, we're all eyes and ears and fascinated by so many new sights and sounds, scarcely even caring about our destination. Gradually, we develop into seasoned travelers and more and more we begin to look forward to that day when the trip will be over and there will be no more summits to climb or bridges to cross. So it is to some extent with the journey of life. But the one difference being that every minute of that journey is mindful of our final destination, eternal union with Almighty God. And there's a simple way to do that too, through prayer, daily prayer, and every day as we get closer and closer to our eternal destination, if we're to remember to offer a prayer to God asking his help and guidance, depend on it. He will see that our journey is a safe one and here's something else we can depend on. May that praise together stays together. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Family Theater by John T. Kelly. This series of Family Theater broadcasts is made possible by the thousands of you who feel the need for this type of program, by the mutual network which has responded to this need, and by the hundreds of stars of stage, screen, and radio who give so unselfishly of their time and talent to appear on our Family Theater stage. To them and to you, our humble thanks. This is George Crowell expressing the wish of Family Theater that the blessing of God may be upon you and your home and inviting you to be with us next week when Family Theater will present Citizens' Arrest, starring Bob Hope as the host. Join us, won't you? Transcribed.