 Family Theater presents Raymond Burr and Paul Pacceri. From Hollywood, the Mutual Network in Cooperation with Family Theater presents Showdown Starring Raymond Burr. And now here is your host, Paul Pacceri. Thank you, Tony Lafranco. 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 are 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, Showdown, starring Raymond Burr as Wally. All right, Wally. You know what I want? Yeah, Dave, I got it. Fine. Now remember, head back when the camera moves in. I want to see your eyes. Right. Head back. All right, fine. Positions, everyone. Give me a bell. Let's have a little quiet. I know what's wrong with me. I've been running away from you. Putting you off, afraid of getting hurt. I wasn't smart enough to see that the longer I waited, the more damage you could do me. Well, I'm smart enough now. I'll never run again. Cut. Print it. All right, boys. That's it for tonight. See you tomorrow, Dave. Oh, wait a second, Wally. Oh, what's in your mind? Well, I kind of hate to bring this up. Hey, walk me to my dressing room, will you? I want to get this makeup on. Sure, sure. What is it you hate to bring up? I'm not giving you what you want. Oh, no, no, Wally. The job you're doing is fine. Just fine. The picture's going great. It's... Well, Wally, it's about the fan magazine. Oh, not you, too. Listen, Dave... Look, don't jump down my neck. They ask me to talk to you in the front office. Dave, my life is my own. No, not altogether it isn't, Wally. You're in the motion picture business. An industry that depends on publicity and the fan magazines give it. It's easy enough for you to say that. You're a director. You don't have to go into the goldfish routine. Look, all this is pretty new to you, Wally. We all know that. But still... Well, Wally, in any business, you can't bite the hand that feeds you. All they want is a little history on you. I've made up my mind, Dave. My past life is my own. Is this some routine, man of mystery? No routine. Look, let's talk about it some other time, huh? I want to get cleaned up and get back home to the kids. Wait a second, Wally. Maybe I ought to warn you. About what? Well, there's a fan mag reporter waiting for you. Oh, you're kidding. No, I'm not in your dressing room. Well, thank you, Dave. Thanks for the warning. You want me to come along? You don't mind? No, not at all. Dave, why do they keep after me? I'm not that hot. Oh, you're hotter than you think, which if you don't mind me saying so is a little unusual for an actor. Now, that's one reason. And another, you've never said anything about your past life, anything at all. The public gets curious, and magazine writers have a job to do. I suppose so. I don't know why all the mystery, but I do know you'll have to eventually tell them something. Make it up if you have to, but tell them something. Yeah, I guess I'll have to. Wally. Yeah? Be nice to her. Oh, it's her, is it? Yeah, Wally, it's her. What I mean is, don't antagonize these people. It won't do you any good. Like I said before, they're only doing a job. Sure, sure. The woman's name is Dalma Jameson. She was out at your house with a photographer a few months ago, made a layout on you and your wife and the kids. Just in case you don't remember. I get the message. Fine, fine. Oh, here we go again. Wow, hello. Mr. Gray, I don't suppose you remember me. Well, sure I do. Your name's Jameson, isn't it? That's right. And the first name was Thelma. Well... You were out at the house a couple of months ago. Took some pictures of me and the wife, the kids. I'm very flattered, Mr. Gray. Make it wally. Sit down, Miss Jameson. Thank you. Oh, you've met Dave Ingalls. Oh, of course. Sure, Miss Jameson and I have been friends for a number of years. You don't mind if I take off my makeup while we're talking? Not at all. Um, hand me that towel, will you please? Oh, sure. Here you are. Thanks. You're, uh... You're not doing another story on me so soon. Well, it's the same one, isn't it, Thelma? I'm afraid it is. Oh. I'm afraid I didn't get enough information before. Well, what can I do for you? My editor says I have to get a little history. Oh, he does. That's right. I'm sorry. After all, Wally, they have to give the readers what they ask for. You see, we have a public tool, you know. I can't think of anything important I haven't already told you. I was a stuntman for six years, then one day on location in Mexico, an actor got sick. Dave Ingalls here gave me his role. Ever since then, I've been an actor. It's about all there is to it. Not quite. You see, we want to know what happened before that. Nobody just starts acting. You must have had some background or had some training. There must be a reason why you came to Hollywood in the first place. Miss Jameson, why does anybody come to Hollywood? But you're not just anybody, Mr. Gray. No. And there must be more to it than that. Now, why do you say that, Tom? Why? Well, it's reticence to talk about it. Though I can understand how just keeping it a mystery could be worth a lot of publicity. A man of mystery certainly offers some attraction up to a point, but, you see, I feel that, I mean, at least my editor feels that, well, we're past that point now. And he wants some facts. I told you all. Sure, sure. Well, Thelma, I think you're in for kind of a disappointment. I'm afraid the story is pretty commonplace. With all that secrecy? Well, there just wasn't anything to tell, so I thought it might be worth more, you know, publicity-wise, to keep it a mystery. So it's all been a publicity chemical? Oh, not really. No, no, look, all my life I've wanted to act. Here I am. That's the story. Well, what brought you to Hollywood? Just wanting to act? That's it, Thelma. Sorry there isn't some great story to tell you. When I got out of high school, I came to Hollywood. I enrolled in the Pasadena Playhouse. I couldn't stay there. I had to take up some stunt work to keep eating. You know the rest. Just a publicity gadget at my own making. That's it? Dave. So help me, 8 to 1, that's the way it happened. Sorry. I don't think my editor will buy this. Sorry. It's all I've got to sell. Well, then I guess I might as well be going. Oh, Dave, open the door for the lady. I'll tell you what I can do, Thelma. If anything comes up, I'll call you first. Well, thanks. Good luck to you. You're not kidding me. No, I'm not. All righty, be seeing you. Bye. Goodbye, Thelma. That takes care of that. I don't think she swallowed it. I didn't. No? No, I think she knew you were lying to her. I wasn't lying to her. Wally, she wanted the whole story. I don't want it published, Dave. She wouldn't take no for an answer, so you can say that that was just my way of telling her. It was none of her business. All right. But what is the whole story? Well, I mean between us, off the record, huh? And why have you been keeping it to yourself? Why? I'll tell you why, Dave. You said between us. And I meant it. You know me, Wally. Yeah. Dave, Dave, I'm not sure, but I think I might be wanted in another state. What? On a felony charge. You're kidding me. I wish I were. But you're a star, Wally. Your face is seen all over the country. Surely if you were wanted... Now, wait a minute. Maybe I better tell you about it. It'll help you understand. About six months before the end of the Second World War, I got pretty well shot up. Got my discharge from the Army. I was mustered out at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. After nearly 30 months of the Army, I made up my mind to really have a time for myself. Really be free. You know what I mean? I know the feeling. Go on. So I spent about a third of my back pay on a car and headed west. I'd made up my mind to see some of the country I'd been fighting for. It was going to be a grand tour, including all the points of interest. It was going to be, but it didn't turn out quite that way. Just outside of Columbus, Ohio, on the second night of my grand tour, I saw a soldier by the side of the road trying to catch a ride. I didn't really feel like having any company, but I stopped anyway. Pushed open the door and waited for him to catch up. Man, am I glad to see you. I thought I'd never get a ride. Get in. Get in. Cold night for walking. You're telling me I'm about froze. No lie. So the people wouldn't stop for you? Mister, they just haven't been any people. Gas rationing, I guess. Yeah. That's a war on. At least that's what they told me when they gave me this soldier suit. You on leave? I'm just coming back from leave. Going to Camp Madden. You know where that is? Well, that's a new one of me. Anywhere around Chicago. Is that where you're headed? Next stop, anyway. Hey, that'll do me fine. Good. So go ahead. Hey, don't mind if I do. Thanks. Oh, here. Let me light yours for you. Thanks. Hey, that's got it. Yeah, I see you're wearing a duck pin. A what? You know, the veterans button. Where were you? Oh, France mostly. Infantry? No, I was a tanker. Tanks. Man, you can have my share of that kind of war. Why do you say that? It's everybody's target. That's why. First thing they try to knock off. You're right about that. And I'll bet you're not out of the army because they got tired of looking at you. Right again. Tanks. Fui. I don't know. Four inches of armor can be pretty consoling. It didn't seem to do you a whole lot of good if you don't mind my saying so. Oh, you can't blame that on the tank. I got mine outside the thing. Why'd you get out? I never found out. We either broke a tread or lost a bogey. It stopped and you had to get out. Yeah, that's about it. Like I said, tanks. Fui. You got the time? Yeah, it's 12.30. You thinking of stopping the night somewhere? Oh, I thought I'd go straight on through to Chicago. Good. Hey, look up ahead. I bet that's the first car I've seen on this road in two hours except for yours. Boy, that guy's really traveling, too. I bet he's doing 80. Yeah, he's in a hurry, all right. Look at the way those lights are bouncing. Souped up, I'll give you odds. Hey. What's the matter? That car's on the wrong side of the road. The wrong side? He must be out of his mind. He's coming straight at us. Look out! That guy might have killed us. He wasn't even going to give us time to pray. Well, I'm glad that's over. I'm just afraid it's not over. That's what I'm afraid of. What do you mean? He's been on a circulation for a while. It's a kind of a game that guy was playing. Game? Yeah. A couple of kids in hopped-up cars drive head-on at each other. The guy who turns first is yellow. He's chicken. They must be nuts. He's turning around. I can see his headlights back there. I'm afraid we're inferred again. I knew I'd turn. He knew it. Hey, pull on the call. Maybe if we keep ahead of him for long enough, he'll give up. For two cents, I'd call his bluff. But I didn't go through a war so that some fool could kill me on the highway. He's following up, all right? Yeah. How far back? Well, it's hard to tell. About half a mile maybe, and he's gaining. Can't you get any more out of this thing? I'm doing 85 now. It's all the way to the floorboards. Well, that guy must be doing 100. He's sure closing fast. If this were only a tank. If this were only a tank, I was driving. It's no use, buddy. It might as well slow down and save your engine. That guy's coming up like we were standing still. We've had it. I could only get my hands on him. One minute. That's all I need. Just one minute. There's two of them in that car. I can see two of them. Man, if we only had something to throw at them when they go by anything. Well, he's motioning for you to slow down. Oh, he is. Say, there's a girl in that car. Girl? There's a kid driving, but there's a girl in there. Listen, you punk. You stop that car for a minute. We'll get out and see who's chicken. He only had something to throw. I come home to this. A guy and his girl. It figures. It wouldn't be just a guy alone. He's showing off for his girl. Maybe we'll see a side road. I've been looking for one. Oh, he's going to do it again. The same thing again? Look, look, look. You want to get out? I mean, there's no reason for you to risk your neck again. I might be taking more of a chance walking with those two on the road. Yeah. Maybe you better get out. Nah, I'll stick. Look, I'm not... I'm not going to turn this time. You're not... But that crazy kid... Listen, I didn't fight anybody in Europe more vicious than those kids. I just declared war on them. That's all. I'll pick you up afterwards, I hope. Well, I'll stick with you. You sure you know what you're doing? Nobody. I'm not sure at all, but let's go. No, it's a shame they don't hand out medals for this kind of a war. They did. I guess you and me had come out of this stoop shoulder from the weight of them. Yeah, if we come out of it. We're running around up there, ready to come at us again. A high school punk, a girl, and a ton of dynamite. Putting lives in jeopardy for a lousy thrill game. That girl's no better than he is. Hey, maybe you better get under the dashboard. I'm all right. Here they come. Smack down the wrong side. Oh, man, oh, man. Hey, what are you doing? I'm edging for the middle. When that punk turns away from me, he'll go in the ditch. Now, hold on. Look out! Thank God he turned. I think they hit a light pole. They've had it. Let's get back there. There's a flashlight in the glove compartment. Got it. There's the pole they hit. It looks like they only sideswiped it. Flash that light over on the car. Right. Well, you look at that. Man, oh, man. If there's anybody alive in there, it'll be a miracle. Here. Give me a hand on this door. Yeah. Look at my car. He's all right. What about the girl? We'll have to get the boy out before we can get to her. You think we ought to move him? Why didn't you turn? Why didn't you turn? You just shut up. He's a little cut up, but he looks all right. Listen, boy. Can you get out? I don't know. Can you move your feet? Yeah. Yeah. I can move everything all right. Here. Help him out. If I can get my hand under his shoulder here. Wait. Here's what saved him. Look. A safety belt. These kids got safety belts like pilots. Here. Let me open it. There. There. Now you can get him out. I think so. Easy. Easy. Sit him down on that wheel and let's see about the girl. Sue, is she all right? Finally got around to wondering about that. You're all right, kid. Come on. I'm right with you. Here, hold the light. How's that? She looks all right. This is coming around. I think so. Didn't he say her name was Sue? Yeah, I think so. Sue. Sue. No. Sue. Wait. Never mind that. Can you move? Can I move? Here. Let me open that seat belt. All right. Now Sue. Try to move. Can you move your feet? No. Try. Yeah, they moved. Man, it's a miracle. I can't move. It's probably broken that or your collarbone. It's all right. It's nothing serious. Nothing serious? I can't even move my arm. I mean it can be fixed. You ought to be dead. She would be except for that seat belt. Get me a doctor, please. We will. Now just take it easy. We'll get you a doctor so relax. Guess we better get to a phone, huh? Yeah. We'll have to go to the next town. Yeah, wherever that is. Boy. How is Sue? Is she dead? Your girlfriend's got a broken arm and a few cuts and bruises. But it's not your fault she's not dead, punk. Yeah. We'll see about that. What do you mean by that? You ran us off the road. That's what I mean. We'll see who's fault it is in court. Oh, he's a honey. A real honey. Look, boy. We've got to get help for your girl so we're going to the next town and send back a doctor. You understand? Yeah. We'll try to make it quick. We ought to leave you here and let you pull your own fat out of the fire. Come on. Man, oh man. It takes all kinds of people, but he takes the cake. And he wants to take me to court. Yeah. How about that? I was going to take it easy for a while and see the country. A kid. A stinking kid and his girl out looking for a thrill. What if you have to go to court? I'll need you for a witness. I'd be glad to do it, buddy. I'd love to, but I'm going back from a leave. I'm going back because it was canceled. You know what that could mean? You might be shipping out. Right. You know, I mean, how you might do a stranger in court with a witness in a small town that knows the kid, probably know him all his life. Oh, brother. Oh, it sure doesn't look good. Well, what can I do? Well, we had the flashlight. Those two never saw us. I don't know. Isn't that a felony? Wouldn't it be a technical hit and run? I don't know about those things. When I think of your chances and I think of his, I know what I'd do. I'd send him back in ambulance and a sheriff, maybe from a pay phone. And then I'd run like a scalded dog. That's what I did, Dave. We called up the sheriff in the next town and told him where the accident was and then we took off. I left the soldier in Chicago and I headed out and out west. You know the rest. I enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse and when my money began to run out, I got a distant work. I met you and now I'm an actor. All this happened about ten years ago? Yep. Now I got a wife and kids. A contract. Too much to lose. That's why you've kept your past a secret. Maybe... maybe it seems a little foolish to you, but I've always got that feeling in the back of my mind that someone might put two and two together. You know what I mean? Sure. Wally, why don't you let me look into this for you? Uh-huh. I mean... how could you do that? Never mind how, Wally, but I think I can do it safely. Okay? Okay. All right. I halfway hope they have got a want on me. Then I can get this skeleton out of the closet. I've worried about it long enough. Good morning, Dave. Wally, ready for work? Yep. I've got some news for you. Already? Mm-hmm. Had a little checking done in the department. They've got a few ways of getting facts most people don't even know about. Besides, most people expect writers to ask questions. What'd you learn? Wally, you know what you've been worrying about for ten years. Dave, Dave, you better come out with it. All right, all right. They called the town where you reported the accident. They got a copy of the accident report. Another car wasn't even mentioned. Wasn't even mentioned? What do you mean? Wally, the kid said he ran into a telephone pole. I guess he got to thinking it over. It seems he had a bad record of traffic violations and he knew he'd never even stand a chance in court, so he didn't even mention your car. You see, you've been worried about nothing for the last ten years. Dave, I... I don't know how to thank you. Well, the front office asked me to talk to you about the fan magazines. I thought I might call Thelma Jameson. You two could have a little talk. And you can just forget all about the accident. I'll do that. Fine. Now, Wally, I wasn't too happy with the rushes on that last scene yesterday. You want to take it again? Yeah. And keep your head back. I want to see your eyes. Now, get in position. I'll get it this time. Sure you will. Now, remember, head back, Wally. All right, let's have some light positions, everyone. Give me your bell. And we roll. 257, take four. I know what's wrong with me. I've been running away from you. Putting you off, afraid of getting hurt. And I wasn't smart enough to see that the longer I waited, the more damage you could do me. Well, I'm smart enough now. I'll never run again. This is Paul Picerni again. When we think of family prayer, we usually picture mothers, fathers, and their children gathered in the home saying their prayers together for a few minutes in peace and harmony. When this can be done, it is a beautiful and rewarding moment of the day. Thousands of families in our country are restoring the old, time-tested values of actually gathering together in prayer. But we have to remember that many, many of our families are or will be scattered. Military service, business, the trades, the professions we're trained in, tear us apart. But this doesn't mean we love each other less. The important thing to remember is that actually we need never grow apart. We need never fear for the loss of our frame of reference. We need never have that sense of feeling alone in the world. We can preserve the great value of family unity. We know our own and our own know us, as few others ever will take the trouble to know us. And it is prayer for each other that man and will bind us all to each other in a real and valid union. We can bring all of us together at some time each day in a unity that comes from God's protection of families that remain faithful to Him in simple and humble prayer. Though we be at opposite ends of the earth, we're united. And in this great and wholesome way, the family that prays together stays together. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. From Hollywood Family Theater has brought you transcribed showdown starring Raymond Byrne. Paul Picerni was your host. Others in our cast were Herb Alice, Gigi Pearson, Malmana, and Jeffrey Silver. The script was written and directed for Family Theater by Robert Hugh O'Sullivan, with music composed and conducted by Harry Zimmerman. 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 Tony Lofrano expressing the wish of Family Theater that the blessing of God may be upon you and your home and inviting you to join us next week when Family Theater will present The Girl in the Green Dress, starring Pat Crowley. Marshall Thompson will be your host. Join us, won't you? Family Theater has broadcast throughout the world and originates in the Hollywood studios of the world's largest network. This is Mutual, the radio network for all America.