 The Cavalcade of America starring Gregory Peck. Tonight the DuPont Company brings you School for Men starring Gregory Peck on The Cavalcade of America. First here is Gain Whitman. Good evening. Prepared especially for use in and around the home, DuPont's two DDT products spell sure death to many troublesome pests. Brushed on screens or sprayed on walls and other flat surfaces, the 5% DDT insect spray leaves an invisible residue with long-lasting killing power. The new DDT insect dust is ideal to puff into cracks and corners where crawling insects hide out. If you can't get them at your local dealers, write DuPont for information. DuPont DDT insect spray and DDT insect dust are two more of the DuPont Company's better things for better living through chemistry. And now School for Men starring Gregory Peck as Jim Davenport on The Cavalcade of America. Don't let the title of tonight's play fool you. This is a mystery. Yes, that's right. I'd like to tell you the story. My name is Jim Davenport. This is my story, too. It was just after my training, 12 weeks of it, at the finest school of its kind in the world, the FBI School in Washington. Now, uh, don't get that wrong. I'm not an FBI agent. Just a member of the Brook City Police Force, a detective sent by my chief to take the training the FBI offers any police officer who can go. And the facilities are, well, we'll let my story tell more about that. I wasn't assigned to this case because it was in Midvale where my brother Jerry lives and works as a detective. Midvale, an average-sized, average-looking Midwestern town. And on this particular spring night, it was quiet, dark. Cool. Who's that? Come on, open up. Go away. Get away from here. Hey, Agnes, what's the matter with you? It's me, Jim. Jim? Oh, Jim. Jim. Hey, what goes on here? Can't a brother-in-law drop in without... I'm sorry, Jim. Wait a minute. I'll close the door. Well, what's the idea of the barrage of locks and bolts, Dracula making his nightly rounds? It's desperate. I'm on pens and needles. Well, what for, Agnes? What's the trouble? Nothing wrong with Jerry? Oh, no, he's fine. Where is he? Say, what's the trouble? Jerry's out on these cases. Oh, this is a fine way to treat a brother-in-law. As soon as he steps in the house, he gets trouble thrown out. Now, look, Agnes. Settle down. Suppose you start at the beginning. You're sure there's nothing wrong with Jerry? Jim, he hasn't slept. Decently, he's eaten a square meal in weeks. Well, when my brother doesn't eat, there's something wrong. Jim, there have been two murders a third tonight. Oh. Well, now I get it. I get off the train, walk down the main street. It was like a moor. Yes, everyone's terrified. People are afraid to go out. I worry so about Jerry. Yeah? Why? You know how he is. Jim, when he's working on a case, he never thinks about himself. He rushes in almost without thinking. Someday, I'm afraid his courage will... Yeah, I know what you mean. The old methods. Yeah, that's it. But, oh, Jim, I feel awful. We haven't seen you in months, and when you do drop in... All right, let's forget it now. Can you still do magic with a waffle baker? I listen much better on a full stomach. Yeah, Jim, this guy's got the devil's luck and brain. Yeah, but there must be some lead, Jerry. Something you can pick up. Well, that's what we thought after the first murder. We hit a wall. What about the second murder? Same thing. Now this one tonight. Yeah. Who was it? Same as the other two. A girl. This time it was Mary Neville. Oh, Jerry, no. Yeah. Oh, wait a minute, Jerry. Are you sure the same person's doing all the killing? Looks like it. Break in, kill, break in, kill. Hmm, it sounds like pattern murders. What's that? Pattern murders. This kind of a killer never varies. Every murder was committed the same way. Exactly, strangulation. And the time between them, I mean, how long from one murder to the next? Almost exactly two weeks to the day. Look, this killer's following a set pattern. You've got about two weeks before he hits again, if he does. You can do a lot in two weeks. With what? We've got nothing to work on. Well, you can never tell. I could... Well, what are you going to say? Oh, I don't know. Jerry, I've got no business budding in. Well, who says you are if my own brother can't come to see me? No, I don't mean my visit. I mean my... Well, my help. Help? What are you getting at? Well, look, I... I spent 12 weeks in Washington. Yeah, I know. The FBI school. Look, Jim. Look, look, wait a minute. I've heard about fellas going down to that place. They all come back talking like professors of crime. Why, they're a pain to every cop on the force. I'd rather keep my popularity and learn the tricks from Bill Howell. Yeah, who's Bill Howell? Well, he's been on the force 10 years. He's in the tradition. When there's a job, he goes into it head-on. He doesn't handle the crooks with tweezers and microscopes. He lets them have it. This is his case we're going on now, and he called me in because he likes me, and he thinks I can help. Now, look, Jerry. I know I'm with the Brook City police force, and this is mid-vale. But if what I've learned in Washington will help you, I'll be glad to stick around. Okay. First thing tomorrow morning, we'll go to the Neville home. You see, Jim, just like I said, the killer's smart. Yeah, but he'll slip sometime. That's what we said six weeks ago. Oh, hiya, Bill. Jim, this is Bill Howell, best detective on the force. Bill, my brother, Jim. Hi, Bill. Okay. I was on the carpet again this morning, Jerry. Uh-oh, Ben. My ears are sinning. Look, we've got to get something. Anything. Yeah, you tell me where to find it. Hey, Jerry, you sealed this room after the murder last night, didn't you? Yeah. No one's been in or out since we left last night. Why? Oh, I'm just asking. Now, let's get it straight. The murderer broke in this window. Well, first he cut that screen so he could pry open the window latch. Yeah, it's copper. The screen, it's copper. Yeah. He had to cut all around to get in. That's nothing new. We saw that last night. Now, what am I going to do? What are you driving at, Jim? Well, this window is out of the way over here at this side of the house. Where are you going? Look, there are three other windows towards the front of the house. Much easier to get at. But this killer picks the one that's the hardest to get at. Uh-huh. Go ahead. Why? Why? The window he broke into is almost covered with shrubbery from the outside. Yeah. What's on your mind, Jim? Well, this murder was committed while it was dark. This window would be tough to find to see in the dark. But he picked it. Passed up those other three. Sure, less chance of them being seen from the street. Yeah, that's all, Jim. Is it? I'll give you ten to one that if there was no light in this window at night, you couldn't see it. But your murderer knew where and how to find it. You thinking about an inside job, Jim? I'm not thinking about anything until we ask the family some questions. But we have only one servant and maid. Surely you don't think that she... No, no, we don't. But was anyone in the house who might have looked it over, who might have seen that that window was the most protected from the street? I don't know. I don't know. I can't be expected to remember something like that at a time like this. No, of course not. Thank you, Mrs. Neville. Is that all you wanted? Well, for now, yes. What are you doing to find the man who killed my girl? What are you doing? Nothing, that's what nothing. He killed three people already and he'll do it again while you... Look, you better get some rest, Mrs. Neville. Sorry. It's okay, Mrs. Neville. We know. I'll be in my room if you want. What are we doing? Well, what are we doing? Banging our heads against a wall, that's what we're doing. Joe, do you think it was an inside job, Jim? No, I didn't say that. I just thought that it might have been someone who knew that that window was there. Look, a dozen strangers come into our house in a month, Jim. Milkman, gasman, waterman, grocery delivery, dry cleaners, laundryman. We can't check all of them. What are you doing? What made you see this? What have you got? It's a thread that was on the floor. Let me see it. Well, what about it? Well, was it here when you looked last night? I didn't see it. It would be easy to overlook against the carpet. Oh, sure, sure. But maybe it's the something you've been waiting for. A thread, not even an inch long. It could have come from anything. I know that. Well, do you want it? If you're thinking it might have come from the killer's coat, no dice. Why? We examined the cut edges of the screen with a magnifying glass, thinking maybe he might have caught his coat, but he didn't. He came through clean as a whistle. Well, let me have this thread, will you? What are you going to do with it? I'd like to send it down to Washington. Wishing? Yeah, to the FBI lab there. And they'll tell us what? All about it. The FBI lab in Washington gives every police force in the country the best laboratory of its kind in the world. Take advantage of it, Jerry. Bill, you're in a blind alley now. This thread might tell you something. What can you lose? But, Jim, there are 11,000 people in this town who might own a brown tweed coat well-worn. Well, that report from the FBI lab doesn't help. No, you didn't read all of it. They found traces of sodium pyosulfate on the thread. He said it there. What's that? Well, I sent along a list of uses for the chemical. Look at these last three I checked. What's the matter with the rest of the list? There's a flock of uses. Now, too unlikely. But it's used for paper bleaching. Anybody in mid-vale manufacture paper? No. No in the next, ink manufacture. No dice there. Now, third is photography. Photography. Yeah, sodium pyosulfate is commonly called hypo. Used in photography to fix prints and negatives after development. Photography. Photographer. Hey, Jim, maybe your gimmick is right. A photographer would be able to get into a house. He'd be there a long time. Plenty of time to case the fly. I suggest we go back to the Neville home and ask a few questions. No, no. There's no one here who knows anything about photography. What's that got to do with my marriage? Well, it's just a check, Mrs. Neville. Now, did Mary have any recent photographs made? Photographs? Why, yes. Oh, took it? I don't know. I was away when I came back. Mary had it already made. She gave it to me for my birthday. Is that it on the piano? Yes, that's it. And you don't know the photographer's name? No. And the only one who could tell us would be Mary. Mrs. Neville, we're going to take that photograph. We'll return it later. Dead end again. The guy didn't even sign it. No name. What kind of a photographer doesn't sign his name? You got me. Jerry, on a long chance. Let's question the families of those other girls. No, I don't remember who it was. But he did come to the house and take my sister's picture. And shortly after, your sister was killed? Yes, that's right. Now, think hard, please. What was his name? I can't remember. How was I to know it would be important? You couldn't know, but we'd like to take that photograph. Yes, there was a photographer who took Anne's picture just before... What was his name? Do you remember? I... I... Please, think hard, Mrs. Cook. I think it was Benson. Yes, that was it. Joseph Benson. How do you know? Because I was going to make out a check, but he wanted cash. Jim, it looks like we're on the right track. Eleven photographers in the phone book are not one named Benson. Well, Mrs. Cook was wrong. Maybe not, Jerry. It doesn't have to be his right name. Maybe he's not even a real photographer. Just use that excuse to get into the houses and look him over. I don't think so. Look at it this way. To take those photos and they're good, you'd have to have equipment, camera, lights, dark room. Does that sound reasonable? Yeah, sure. Okay, let's pay a visit to these eleven photographers one by one. No, no, don't do that. Are you crazy, Jim? The one lead we've got the first in six weeks and you want to stop dead on it. Benson, you said these were pattern murders. Space two weeks apart. All right. It's been six days, almost a week since Mary Neville was killed. That gives us about eight days to nail the murder before he gets somebody else. Eight short days. Yeah, but if you ask questions now, the one we're after among those eleven photographers will get suspicious. He's clever, Jerry. So clever that he didn't leave a clue until we found this thread. Give him one chance to suspect that we've got a lead on him and he'll cover up fast. Then what's the answer? Well, I'm going to send these three photographs to the FBI lab in Washington. Have them checked for fingerprints and a few other things. But that'll take time, Jerry. Just a couple of days and we've got eight. Let's hope we learn something. Something that'll put the finger on that killer before those eight days are up. You are listening to School for Men starring Gregory Peck as Jim Davenport, with Robert Bailey as Jerry on the Cavalcade of America, sponsored by the DuPont Company, maker of better things for better living through chemistry. With only a few days left to catch a vicious murderer before he strikes again, Jim Davenport and his brother Jerry have used the facilities of the FBI laboratory. Jim, trained in the FBI school in Washington, tells Jerry the results of sending three photographs to the lab. Each one of these three photographs was printed on the same kind of paper. So, couldn't a lot of photographers use the same kind? Sure, but we've got three coincidences, Jerry. First, a photographer entered the three houses where the three girls were killed. He left his photographs unsigned. Third, the same kind of paper was used to print each one. That's too much to ask, even of the long arm of chance. Yeah, sure it is. All right. Here's the list of the 11 photographers in Midvale. Now, which one do we want? And we've got only three days to jump him before he goes on the loose again. Get a list of photographic supply houses. We'll ask some questions. Well, let's see. We supply all the shops with that paper. Uh-huh. Well, do you ever supply directly to the photographers? No, we sell them. We're wholesale. Photographer usually gets his disc out of the shops he deals with. All right. Let's have a list of the shops you supplied in the last three or four months. Right here. There are only four. The Acme Camera Shop, the Iris, Miller's Photo & Hobby Shop, and the brand Central Camera Store. The address is right there. Yes, we sell quite a bit of it. It's popular. Well, have you sold a large quantity of this paper to a photographer recently? Oh, I can check. Please do. As a matter of fact, I think I remember selling a gross about two months ago. To one photographer? Yes, I think so. He showed me his business card and I gave him the regular trade discount on the gross of paper. Have you got his name there? Yes, in his studio address. It's a Hubert Carson 515 Law Away. We're best just around the corner. Oh, it's a nice studio you've got here, Mr. Carson. Yes, I'm quite pleased with it. Uh, can I help you, Mr. Mr. Uh, Davenport. Davenport. Does the name sound familiar? No, I don't think so. Well, you do very nice work. Thank you. I, uh, say, isn't that a photo of the Neville girl? Oh, yes, it is. I took her picture just about a week before the horrible tragedy. Poor girl. Lovely, too. About a week before? Yes, when I read about the terrible tragedy, I could hardly believe it. So I imagine it was a shock. Treadful. But, uh, you came to see me about... Uh, some work I want done. I'm quite sure what I want. Well, perhaps you'd like to see some samples of my work. I mean, other than these hanging in here. Yes, yes, I would very much. Well, if you'll step into the display room. Oh, just bring a couple in here. I'd like to look at these color prints. Oh, certainly. I won't be a moment. No hurry, Mr. Carson. No hurry. Sherry admitted he took Mary Neville's picture, even had a print of it in his studio. Well, that doesn't sound like a guilty man to me. Jerry, the man who wrapped us a psychopathic killer. He'd feed his insane ego on news of his crimes. I want things around him to remind himself of his... his imagined superiority. Having Mary Neville's photo around might be there. And... Hey, hey, fingerprints on that glass you snitched from Carson's studio match those on the photos you sent to the FBI lab. We got him. Not yet. Huh? What more do you want? Now he can prove you's in all three houses where the murders were committed. Even gave a phony name on one job. Granted, but evidence like that wouldn't stand up five minutes in court. The smart defense lawyer could bust that wide open. Let's haul him down and ask him a few questions. Fine, Bill. Simply because a man took photos of the three girls there's no reason to believe he killed them. Look, suppose we put a tail on him. We got two and a half days before he's liable to go on another rampage. Okay, put a tail on him, have him watched. What if he gets wise? Well, then you've lost him. You can't prove anything now. Let him get wise and he'll lie doggo. Maybe even leave town. And start his killing someplace else. Oh, we're up another tree. Oh, look, Jerry. Bill, I sent something else to Washington. Huh? What? A knife I found in his studio. Knife? But the murders weren't committed with a knife? No, but the copper screen in the Neville home was cut with a knife or something like it. So? If there's even a minute trace of copper on Carson's knife, the FBI lab will find it. And that'll be it. One more thing. The newspapers are yelling for something. Give it to him. Hmm? What? Tell him you've got a lead. You mean tip our hand, let Carson know? Are you crazy? No, no. Tell him papers about the thread from a wool jacket. A brown coat. I don't get it. If Carson's our man, he may try to get rid of that coat. Yeah. But put a tail on him. If he leaves his studio apartment with a package, nail him. Sure, he left his studio apartment a dozen times. And no package. No. And the manager of the building swears nothing like a coat was burned in the incinerator. Yeah, but if Carson's our man, he must have read the papers. He must know about that thread. And he tried to get rid of that coat. Yeah, but he didn't. There was an eye on him every minute of the day and night. I'm telling you, the guy didn't take it out. Oh, he should have done his get in his place while he was out and pick up the coat herself. Well, that wouldn't have meant a thing, Jerry. Don't you see, he'd admit it was his coat. We could prove the thread came from it, but so what? He admits having been in the Neville house. Oh, but no thread could lay around for four weeks. Look, one of the things I learned at FBI school was that a case wants to be tight. So tight that there's no loophole. Sure, but Carson didn't try to get rid of the coat. We gave him two days. Well, that could mean he was wise. Spotted your man. And that could mean he'll lay off, maybe leave town. Jim, we gotta stop that. If we ever lose him, Lord knows how many more he'll kill. He'll be... Wait a minute, Jerry. Holy macro. What's the matter? Something you said at the Neville home. Jerry, you said thousands of people come into a house in a month. Yeah, what about it? Gas men, laundry men, dry cleaners. Dry cleaners, pick up and delivery. Carson could have had the dry cleaner pick it up. Oh, what dumbbells we are. Find out what cleaners service that neighborhood. Here it is. My driver picked it up. You're sure that's the coat? Here's the tab, Hubert Carson. Oh, another dead end. This coat's not brown, it's blue. Oh, well, it was brown. Brown? Look now, was this coat brown when it came in? Oh, yes. Jerry, our newspaper trick worked. He had his coat dyed. Come on, let's get Carson. Take it easy, Jerry. Easy, what for? You said we've got all we need. Sure, but remember, Carson's killed three times. One more won't matter to him. Don't worry. The FBI lab gave us the case. But I'll take over from here on. Make him step out in the hall. Don't go in. Oh, I picked up a hundred guys. Yes? Carson, you're under arrest. Arrest? I don't think you get dressed, and come on. What's this all about? You know. Want me to come in after you? Well, do you mind if I get my coat? Wait a minute. Stand where you are, Carson. What's the matter? It's just this. There's a gun in his coat pocket. And why not? With all these crimes? Very well. Now, may I have my hat? Or do you think I have a gun in that? Go ahead, Carson. Look out, Jerry! Oh! He did have a gun in that hat. You see, Jerry, it would have been much better if he'd been made to step out in the hall. You two are pretty smart. Yeah, and we're getting smarter. Get moving, Carson. Get out of here. I've got him covered. Jerry, what's the rush? Brother, I'm in a hurry. With all these things I learned about the FBI on this case, and now that I find myself still alive, I'm going to pay a visit to dear old Washington. Come on, Carson. You're making me late for school. So, Hubert Carson was tried and convicted. My brother Jerry's in FBI school now. But when his 12 weeks are over, he'll go back to mid-vale and teach the others on the force. He'll know, like every other police officer, that the FBI laboratory stands ready at all times to aid local law enforcement by brilliant scientific methods. And the result? A more and more effective fight against crime by men equipped with the best training America has to offer. Good, Gregory Peck. But don't go away. We have something more for you. Something that will be very exciting to you and our audience. But first, let's listen to Gaine Whitman and his interesting message from DuPont. One of the many pleasant things about summer is that we can wear lightweight, comfortable clothes, light dresses for women, light suits for men, slacks, open collar shirts, and summer shoes. Remember the crepe sole shoes you bought before the war? How they gave you the feeling of being well-dressed and yet had all the comfort and usefulness you looked for in a casual or a sports shoe? People who worked in factories and garages like them, because the springy crepe made a wonderful shock absorber. But ordinary crepe sole shoes did have several admitted disadvantages. They couldn't take much heat, for one thing. After a few weeks on hot summer pavements, the soles began to spread out from the bottom of the shoes more and more so that after a while you looked as if you had gotten your feet stuck in a clay bank. Men who wore crepe sole work shoes had trouble with them because oil or tar or grease attacked the rubber and it went to pieces. Now a number of shoe manufacturers have crepe sole shoes on the market which resist the action of heat, sunlight and oil. Instead of natural rubber, they are using DuPont neoprene. Crepe soles of neoprene can be worn in the warmest weather without danger of spreading. The neoprene soles do not become soft and sticky which means that they will not pick up and track dirt. And what is more, the neoprene crepe is tougher than natural rubber. In addition to the popular amber color, neoprene crepe soles can be furnished in bright attractive fast shades which makes it possible to obtain a wider variety of styling for women's and men's shoes. If you buy a pair of shoes this summer with neoprene crepe soles, you'll learn for yourself how much better they are. This is a typical example of applied chemical science. Soles of natural rubber were good. So good that people bought them even knowing they had faults. But now chemical research has developed soles which have the good points of natural rubber and in which, through the use of neoprene, the faults have been corrected. Chemistry has made a good product better. Neoprene rubber is one of the company's better things for better living through chemistry. During the past seasons, the DuPont Cavalcade of America has brought you Hollywood's most famous picture stars. We are pleased to have Gregory Peck with us again tonight, especially so because of the honor he is about to receive. I'd like to introduce at this time Maxwell Hamilton, editor of Motion Picture magazine. Mr. Peck, it gives me great pleasure to present you with this award on behalf of the readers of Motion Picture magazine. Through a nationwide poll, they have selected you as the most popular actor of the year. Congratulations and good luck from your fans. Thank you, Mr. Hamilton. If one of America's greatest newspaper men had not happened to attend a public auction on the day his future career was hanging in the balance, he might have deserted journalism and become a lawyer. But auctions are difficult to resist and Joseph Pulitzer suddenly found himself the owner of the defunct St. Louis Dispatch. The newspaper which was to start him on the fabulous career that was to make American journalism a highly respected and honored profession. Be sure and listen next Monday to page one, the story of Joseph Pulitzer starring John Hodiak on the Cavalcade of America. The music for the DuPont Cavalcade is composed and conducted by Robert Armbruster. Our Cavalcade story was written by Philip Lewis. Gregory Peck may currently be seen in the McComber Affair, a Benedict Bogus production for United Artists. Featured in the cast with Mr. Peck tonight were Robert Bailey as Jerry and Betty Lou Gerson as Agnes. Others included Ken Christie, Virginia Gregg, Harriet Reed, Peggy Weber, and Francis Heplin. This is John Easton inviting you to listen next week to John Hodiak in page one. And in coming weeks you will hear Joseph Cotton, Robert Young, Lee Bowman, and other famous Hollywood stars on the Cavalcade of America. Brought to you by the DuPont Company, a Wilmington Delaware. America came to you from Hollywood. This is NBC, the National Broadcaster Company.