 Suspense! Tonight suspense brings you Miss Claire Trevor as star. But first a word from your announcer. In hotels, restaurants and homes of distinction, the choice in wines is... C-R-E-S-T-A... B-L-A-N-C-A... Cresta... Blanca... Cresta Blanca... Yes, the best serve Cresta Blanca wines. Those choice selections created to please the most discriminating tastes. And there's a magnificent Cresta Blanca wine to distinguish your dining, to enrich your entertaining. So always pour Cresta Blanca wines from the finest of the vines. Shanley's Cresta Blanca wine company, Livermore, California. And now, Shanley brings you Radio's outstanding theater of thrills... Suspense! Resented by Roma Wines. That's R-O-M-A. Roma Wines of Fresno, California. Tonight's star, Miss Claire Trevor in... The Blue Hour. A suspense play produced, edited and directed for Shanley by William Spear. Oh, now you're sure you don't know who killed why? Not even a guess. Just one more. Oh, boy. Just one more. All right, boys. The show's over. We're taking off now. See you on Broadway. Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye. You're more than just grand. Just grand, boys. Love you all. Bye. Good-bye. Where's my seat, honey? That was that. From then on, I had a nice quiet ride into New York with nothing to do but look down at the scene rate. You never know when the break's going to come in show business. I've been hoping for six years now, and the best I ever did was a one-night stand and some greasy clip joint. I know I'm no ballerina from the Ballet Rouge to Monte Carlo, but I can do a couple of worlds without breaking my neck, and besides, I got looks. That's what the men ask for. At least that's what Jason White asked for. He was my only connection with high society before he passed away. Oh, don't feel sorry for me because his getting bumped off was my break. They had my legs in every paper in Chicago. That's how I happened to come to New York. I got a contract to dance at an extremely chic joint called the Blue Hour, with a minimum mind you. All the way from Chicago, I was worried no one would meet me when I arrived, but I was wrong. There were about nearly a million reporters at LaGuardia Airport. You'd have thought I was Miss America, or a Bueller or somebody. I was really intriguing them until he showed up. That man Mahoney. How about one more picture, Miss LaPaule? A little more leg? Ah, that's it. Thank you. Oh, thank you, boys. Come around and see me at the Blue Hour. I'll give an extra good show if I know you're there. Well, you're pretty smooth at extra good shows, aren't you? I beg your pardon. Oh, it's you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Mahoney's the name. Alec Mahoney. I didn't ask your name. My, my, you're touchy. Wouldn't you like to know? Carry your bag for you. I can afford a porter. I'd like to speak to you. Call me up sometime. Who killed Jason White? Carp or reporter. Why? You got two different answers? Look, Mahoney, if you could read, you'd know from the papers I had nothing to do with Jason White's death. I never read the papers, honey. I'm a reporter. Well, I already gave my interview, and I'll leave me alone, Mahoney. I went through all this with a Chicago police. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Well, then why the sudden interest? Because the whole thing smells. Move, Mahoney. You're beginning to pour me. Well, the police were Jason White's apart when the night he was killed. What are we playing? 20 questions? No, no, no, just, uh, hunches, honey. Hunches, hmm? Look, Mahoney, Jason White was a nice guy. He liked me. I liked his money. We got along swell as long as he was spending it on me. Did you kill him because he stopped spending it? If that's another hunch, get out of my way before I haul off on you. Oh, now look, honey. Look, there's just two things you can do for me. Drop dead. I feel uneasy as if he knew something important. He seemed awfully nosy about who killed Jason White. He sure would have made a good lawyer. Besides, he wasn't half bad looking. That's the same, I hope, but I never see him again. I finally got a cab and decided to go straight over to the blue hour. Come to think of it, they didn't have anyone meet me at the airport. I've got some nerve treating their star attraction that way. I tell them a thing or two. I couldn't believe my eyes when I took a gander at the blue hour. It was the most beautiful place I ever saw. Extremely chic. The walls and ceilings were covered with real satin, and the floors were so clean they glistened. There were enough mirrors around a part of 4,000 noses at the same time. And there was an honest to goodness band, ten pieces. They were rehearsing as I answered. Oh, anybody would look good on that stage with that music. And I wasn't going to be the exception. I was in such a daze, I didn't see him come alongside of me. But somehow he had the knack of making you feel his presence. Miss LaPaul? Oh, yeah. How did you know? You're quite famous these days. I'm Anthony Lakata. Please, meet you, Mr. Lakata. I love your joint. I mean, the place. Extremely chic. I know I'm going to like working here. I hope so. Follow me, Miss LaPaul. Oh, that band is certainly out of this world. Glad you like it. This way, Miss LaPaul. I've never seen anything like it. Why don't you sit down? Thanks, I could use a seat. Those reporters gave me a good going over this morning. What'd you tell them? All the usual stuff, like how many offers I had, and I picked your club because it was the best in town, and I gave them a couple of good shots. Tell them anything about Jason White. Well, they were the usual questions. What usual questions? Like, did I love him? Do I miss him? Have any idea who killed him? Do you? Oh, look, Mr. Lakata, I want to be a dancer, not an information, please. I'm sorry, Miss LaPaul. I'm very interested in crime. Unsolved crimes. Just a hobby. Cigarette? Oh, thank you. When do I start working, Mr. Lakata? You're un-salary already. Gee, thank you. I could start rehearsing right away. By tomorrow night. Well, you must be very tired from the ordeal of everything that happened in Chicago. If you take a two-week rest, then we're going to see. Two weeks? Well, I'll be deader than a macro by then. Mr. Lakata, I'm hot as a firecracker now. How long do you think this publicity can last? I'm sorry, Miss LaPaul. I don't think it's possible. You don't think it's possible? Well, I like that. I've waited six years for this kind of a chance, and I'm not going to sit on my... I'm not going to just sit and watch it fizzle out. Unfortunately, Miss LaPaul, you must be satisfied with the arrangement. Satisfied my foot. I'll get a job somewhere else. You're forgetting one small detail, Miss LaPaul. You're on the contract. To me, I'm going to see that you stay there. Well, I don't get it. You chased me around in Chicago as if I was studded with diamonds. Well, you are very valuable. What's the game, Lakata? Don't you know? No. I don't know. What a shame, Miss LaPaul. I'm sure that before you finish here, you'll play the game very well. I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all. Because it didn't take a Sam Spade to figure out that the game he was playing had something to do with a guy I knew called Jason White. And Jason White was... was murdered. For Suspense, Roma Wines are bringing you Miss Claire Trevor in the Blue Hour. Roma Wines' presentation tonight in Radio's Outstanding Theatre of Thrills. Suspense. Suspense, Radio's Outstanding Theatre of Thrills, is presented by Better Tasting Roma Wines. That's R-O-M-A. Roma Wines, America's favorite wines. Have you discovered how much Roma California wines can heighten your enjoyment of everyday meals? Soaring food costs. Make this especially important today. Yes, delicate pale gold Roma Saterne or robust Roma Burgundy can make all the difference between just eating and delightful dining. This weekend, discover how a glassful of Better Tasting Roma Saterne adds to your enjoyment of chicken or seafood. Or enjoy the taste harmony of Roma Burgundy with roast beef, steak, or cheese dishes. To make your meals more enticing, serve Better Tasting Roma Wines. Remember, always insist on Roma Wines. That's R-O-M-A. Roma Wines, America's largest selling wines. And now Roma Wines bring back to our Hollywood soundstage Claire Trevor as Lois Lapau in the Blue Hour. A play well calculated to keep you in suspense. I may have felt uneasy when I left Mahoney, but I was downright scared when I left Anthony Locata's office. I must be a real square. Everybody seems to be talking riddles. I know there's something cooking that just concerns me, but I'll be darned if I know what. Mr. Locata had an apartment for me. In fact, he had me driven there. I wasn't blind enough to miss the stoogey planted outside my door. I was in a fine fix. Lois Lapau, I was gonna burn up the big city, stuck in an apartment with a bodyguard. The sad part of it all was I didn't know a soul to turn to for help, except... except... No. No, it wasn't possible. He wouldn't help me. So there was nothing for me to do but sit there and eat. Who is it? I'm Mahoney. Oh. Hello there, beautiful. Shut up and come in. Well, I'm honored, Mr. Lapau. Tell me, is this to be a social visit or... I'm scared. I need help. Well, your attitude seems to have changed. Did you see a man outside? An autograph hunter? More like a head hunter. He's planning there to watch me. Who planted him? Anthony Locata of the Blue Hour. Locata, huh? Well, this is developing faster than I figured. He sure is impatient. Nuts, he's impatient. He's making me sit around doing nothing for two weeks. It's some game we're playing. Only I don't like games and I'm scared. Well, well, you do have human instincts. Oh, Mahoney, what's going on? Why am I involved? Close the faucet on those crocodile tears, honey. Why don't you believe me? Because you're not playing square with me. What do you want from me, Mahoney? The truth. Oh, right. You were in Jason White's apartment the night he was killed. Weren't you? Yes, I was. What were you doing there? I went to see him. Oh. Oh, just like that, huh? He called me and asked me to come right up. Do you always run when a man asks you to come up to his apartment? He sounded frightened. He told me to hurry. I grabbed a taxi and got there as fast as I could. I knocked several times, but there was no answer, so I walked in. Every light in the place was lit. Every chair, table and drawer was upset. You know that from the newspaper stories. Jason was sitting in the one and only chair left upright. I remember he smiled as I walked in. Hey. You got here very quickly, my dear. Thank you. Jason, what happened? What's been going on here? Oh, forget about that. Come over here beside me. I don't understand this. Never mind, my dear. It's unimportant. Listen to me carefully. You sound sick. What's the matter? Nothing, my dear. Don't worry. Here, take this. It's a bottle of perfume. Yes, I've had it for you for a long time. But like most men, I forgot to give it to you. Take it now. You mean you had me rushed all the way up here for this? What's the gag? Jason. Jason, you're bleeding. You've been hurt. I'll call a doctor. No, Lois, please don't do that. I'd rather have it this way. Who did it, Jason? I don't know. Lois, promise me one thing. Don't open that bottle of perfume until I catch and convict whoever attacked me. If you do, your life will be in danger. I promise, Jason. You'd better go now. Forget that you were ever here tonight. God bless you, my dear. And thank you. Thank you for everything. Jason. Jason. And that's exactly what happened, Mahoney. I swear. Do you still have that bottle of perfume? Of course I have. May I sit? Thinking of using it? Perhaps. I keep it in my makeup kit. Here. Very interesting. What's very interesting? Did you notice the name of this perfume? Yeah, it's in French. I have a hard enough time with my English. Bleu bleu. Huh? Sounds like your tongue got stuck. Oh, I get by, honey, I get by. Bleu means the hour, and bleu means blue. The hour of blue. Or better known as the blue hour. The blue hour? That's the same name as the nightclub. Well, well, well, you catch on fast, don't you? And here's something else for you to mull over. Jason White bought a diamond and ant whip in 1929 called the blue hour. He was called that because it was a perfect blue-white stone worth about a half a million bucks. Holy mackerel. Now, do you know what's in this bottle? Uh, perfume? If you're telling the truth, honey, the blue hour diamond is floating around in there. You mean 500 grand worth of... Oh, brother. Yeah. Well, we'll find out in just a minute. No, no, don't. I told you what Jason said about my life being in danger. If that's open before his murderer is convicted. Sugar face, your life is already in danger. Well, cross your fingers, here goes. Oh, brother, look at that thing, Dazzle. Oh, shit. So that's the blue hour diamond. Boy, on my finger would that look extremely chic. Look, baby, look, if you want to live to enjoy it, we've got to beat the early bird to the worm. Now, here, sit down here. You've got a full evening in front of you, honey. Now here, here's what you're going to do. Alec wasn't kidding when he said we had a full evening in front of us. He had a plan and I had to memorize it. I was going to do some acting. And here I come to New York to be at answer. I was so mixed up with all that happened I wasn't sure of anything except that I fell in love with Alec Mahoney. He didn't know it yet, but as soon as things were settled, I was going to let him know. Meanwhile, I felt that Mahoney was staging a play and I was his leading lady. He said things, had me repeat them till I thought I'd scream, but he assured me one mistake would be fatal. He then picked out my chicast evening gown and had me put it on. I thought I detected a gleam in his eye as I paraded before him, but he pulled himself together, gave me a quick pat on the shoulder and left. I waited ten minutes by the clock. We still had Lakata's fair-head boy waiting outside. I then opened the door noisily and stepped out. Hey, you going someplace? Look, stupid, I'm going down to the blue hour. If you want to come along, just fall in line behind teacher. Nessa! Good morning, Mr. Lakata. What are you doing here? I came to see you. Was there something you didn't understand or saffron on? On the contrary. It was all too clear. Aren't you going to ask me to sit down, Tony? Sit down. Don't call me Tony. My name's Anthony. I'm sorry, Anthony. You look pretty good for a second, Raider. See, I'm flattered. I still don't know why you're here. I came to play the game. I see. What caused this sudden change of mine? It's a woman's prerogative, isn't it? Maybe. You see, I know something about you. And I think you've guessed something about me. Stop beating around the bush. All right, Anthony. I know you killed Jason White. For a dumb babe you think you know an awful lot. I was in the room when you killed Jason. Can you prove it? If I tried hard enough, I might be able to. But that's not why I'm here. Then what did cause this social visit? I think you know I have the blue hour diamond. I have. Put your eyes back in your head, Anthony. So you do have it. Up to this point, you only thought I had it. Isn't that right? What's the deal? I'll make it short and simple. I need money. I couldn't possibly pass that rock. You know your way around. Pass it. Split 50-50. And I'll forget I ever saw you in Jason's apartment. I never said I was there. So you didn't. Give me the diamond. Don't be stupid. I'll never carry it around. It's too heavy. Where is it? Come to my apartment in about half an hour. And, uh, come yourself, Anthony. Leave that Harry A. poem. If there's any funny business, you'll never get it. I'll be there. How long? I'm sure you'll do as I say, Anthony. Because that diamond must mean a lot to you. After all, you committed murder for it. When I left the car to his office, the taxi back to my apartment felt like a Turkish bath. But so far, everything went exactly as Mahoney said it would. He would have been proud of me. I didn't muffle on. Now the worst that could happen to me was getting killed. The prospect of this didn't appeal at all. Besides, it took me 25 years to find a guy like Mahoney. I wanted to stay around and enjoy him. Once I got back to my apartment, I had nothing to do but wait for Lakata. That's like waiting for poison to take effect. I turned on every light and the radio. I figured the soft music would help my nerves relax. It didn't. I smoked 16 cigarettes. I know I counted them. I was sitting there trying to keep my mind such as it is, off of unpleasant things, and then... Then I heard it. It was the window opening. Very softly in my bedroom. Somebody had come up the fire escape into my room. I should have known that Lakata wouldn't take a chance and come to see me alone like I told him. He had one of his gorillas in my other room to make sure that I'd be in his power. This apparently had not occurred to Mahoney, who thought he was so smart. I got up from the couch and stood there listening. The guy in there was coming closer because I heard him knock my sewing basket over. I looked around for an effective weapon. Then I spotted it. Just the thing. My big makeup case. I picked it up, hefted it, and I quietly kicked off my shoes and stole over to the bedroom doorway. I leaned back against the wall out of sight as the door started to open. I could see that big gorilla standing there with a gun in the dark with his hat pulled down over his face. He wanted to push his face out into the room. Now look. He fell back into the bedroom and I shut the door and stood there. Oh, Mahoney, wherever you are, don't fail me now. Who is it? Lakata. Oh, come in, Anthony. I'm glad to see you're prompt. It's a sign of good upbringing. You've got to play that radio. Oh, I'm sorry. Don't keep such late hours, Anthony. It's making you nervous. Where's the diamond? You're in a hurry. You've got a date. I've got to get back to the club. All right, Anthony, but remember, I don't care what you do with a diamond. I just want 250 grand. I share, is that clear? You'll get your share. Good. Here's the diamond. Had it in my handbag all evening. Oh, the blue hour. I saw it only once. Someday I'd have to have that. You saw it in Antwerp in 1929. Isn't that right, Anthony? How do you know? I have a crystal ball. You know too much. Not any more than you do now, Anthony. What was that reporter Mahoney doing here this evening? Mahoney, I don't recall. My man told me he was here. Oh, yeah. He came for an exclusive interview with my life. Did he tell you what's going to end tonight? No. You think for one minute I was going to let you run loose and you caught me? I still don't know how you could have been that apartment when I had to kill Jayce. So you did kill him. Mahoney was right. Mahoney? I thought so. Only don't count on him, sister, because my boys are out looking for him now. Anthony, let's talk this over, huh? You can keep the diamond. It's yours. You should have stuck to this clip joined back in Chicago. That's where you belong. No. No! Of course. Are you all right? It's me, Mahoney. Mahoney. Are you all right, beautiful? Are you all right? I'm alive. Oh, good. Well, what did you have to hit me on the head for, you big dope? Was that you? You know, I almost didn't make it. Well, I never would have spoken to you again, Mahoney. In fact, I never would have spoken to anybody again, would I? Oh, you're going to be all right now, honey. I must have lost four pounds tonight. Well, I never heard a woman complain Come on, get up, honey. You're all right. You're not hurt. Hey, what's wrong? Nothing. I'm just saying my prayers. Okay, Mr. LaPau, would you mind facing the sun just a little more so we can see the sparkle? Yeah, that's it. Hey, are you going to collect the reward for turning up White's killer? Yeah, Mr. LaPau, what about that? Well, I didn't turn him up, somebody else did. And not the way I heard it. Well, why are you going back to Chicago all of a sudden? I'm sorry. Goodbye, Mr. LaPau. Well, now you're really famous, aren't you? Mahoney. I thought when I didn't hear from you, I thought... Well, I've been busy. You didn't think I was going to let you run out on me, did you? Oh, that. I never really thought about it one way or the other. No? No, I'm still extremely angry with you. As you may well imagine, you haven't even bothered to explain. Well, honey, it was this way. Lakata was with Jason White on his trip to Antwerp and he saw Jason buy the Blue Hour Diamond. He offered him all sorts of dough for it, but he wouldn't sell. And Lakata never got over it. Holy mackerel. Well, he's over it now. There's just one thing I want to know from you, Mahoney. How did you know Lakata killed Jason White? Well, I didn't. You... You mean everything I did, risking my life playing games with a maniac who was all because you had a hunch? That's right, baby. Never go wrong, Mahoney. Oh! Well, what are you going to do now? Beautiful. You're a rich woman now, you know. How do you figure? Well, the diamond legally belongs to you. I think it would hold up in court. Well, I know one thing for sure. I'm giving up the ballet I think I'll get married. Oh. Society, I suppose. Holy mackerel, you're a big dope, Mahoney. It, uh, takes a lot of courage for a girl to do what I'm about to do. Will you marry me? Oh... I suppose so. Oh! Suspense. The Blue Hour. Starring Claire Trevor. Supported by Roma Wines. That's R-O-M-A. Roma Wines. Selected from the world's greatest reserves of fine wines. You get more enjoyment for your money when you serve Roma wines. Because Roma makes absolutely sure of better taste by pressing only the choicest California grapes. Then, with age-old skills and winemaking resources unmatched in America, Roma Master Ventners guide this luscious grape treasure unhurriedly to taste perfection. These finer wines are laid aside with Mellow Roma Wines of years before. And from these, Roma later selects for your pleasure. This weekend, treat your family and friends to glorious nut-like Roma sherry, fruity Roma port, or Mellow Roma muscatel. You'll enjoy these fine Roma wines. So delicious, so inexpensive too. That's why Roma, that's R-O-M-A, Roma Wines are America's largest selling wines. Miss Trevor will next be seen in the independent artist production The Velvet Touch. Tonight's play was by Matty Schwartz. Next Thursday, you will hear Kirk Douglas as star of Suspense. Produced and directed by William Spear for the Roma Wine Company of Fresno, California. Daylight saving time ends in certain areas September the 28th. This may change the time at which suspense is heard in your community. Please check your local newspaper for the time at which this program will be heard next Thursday and each Thursday thereafter. In the coming week, Suspense will present such stars as Louis Jordan, Agnes Moorehead, and others. Make it a point to listen each Thursday at Suspense, Radio's outstanding Theatre of Thrills, the CBS The Columbia Broadcasting System.