 suspense and the producer of radio's outstanding theater of thrills the master of mystery and adventure William M. Robson. A couple of years ago we were delighted to chill our audience with the performance of Frank Lovejoy in a story of civilian aviation called The Long Night. Since that time Mr. Lovejoy undaunted by the terrors of his performance began taking flying lessons and recently qualified and was licensed as a private pilot. This accomplishment plus the many requests of air-minded listeners have impaled us to repeat the story now with the deep bow of appreciation to the unsung heroes of the Civil Aeronautics Administration who man the control towers of the nation's airports all day long and through every long night. Listen, listen then as Frank Lovejoy stars in The Long Night which begins in just a moment. 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. Thirteen vertical stripes of red and white topped 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 reed. 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 serviceman 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 the long night starring Frank Lovejoy a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. Rockford radio this is Delta 2318 over Delta 2318 this is Rockford radio go ahead. You stand in the airport controlled tower 90 feet up in the sky over Rockford field waiting to go on the night watch and you listen to the babble of voices that fill the crowded room in an endless series of requests requests for an altitude change request for landing permission request for the weather ceiling 2200 feet and lowering steadily smoke and haze below cloud ceiling with fog blowing in from the northeast cloud smoke haze and fog in a ceiling getting lower every minute this is going to be a long night okay Charlie I'll take it yeah well happy landing yeah hello Charlie Rockford this is TWA flight 701 1000 feet met foot 2100 TWA 70 acknowledge. This is Beachcraft Bonanza 91457 Beachcraft 91457 this is Rockford tower over. I've been homing on your range in the prison working right. What seems to be the trouble with your ADF? Just like I was told to and I ought to have been somewhere over Minneapolis long ago. All right 457 we'll work something out for you where you're flying from. What was your last known position? Well I guess the last time I positively knew where I was was when I departed Indianapolis. What time was that? 530 maybe 545. 530 please verify that would be more than three hours en route you should be well out of my range. What's your remaining fuel? I think I've got about 45 minutes maybe it's the very best an hour. What's your altitude? About the clouds. 457 take a good look around you are there any breaks in that overcast do you see any holes any thin spots in your area at all? Are you an instrument pilot? How many you checked out on instruments do you have any instrument training? In a moment we continue with the second act of suspense. Another visit with Joe and Daphne Forsythe. Oh ouch. What's wrong Joe? Daphne have you been using my razor again? Just a little. I was peeling peaches. Oh fine. Why didn't you change the blade? It feels like you've been sharpening pencils with this thing. Now just a minute buddy it was you who said we could use more economy around here and I've been saving wherever I can and by shaving the skin off the peaches. Look at my face think how the Red Cross could have used all this blood. It's your own fault you and your economy. Well being penny conscious isn't such a bad idea not if you use common sense take savings bonds for instance. Uh-uh here it comes. Go right ahead and scoff but I got eight million Americans who agree with me. We all buy savings bonds on the payroll saving plan because we know that investing in bonds is the best way to use our money. We could use some of that money around here. Well maybe or maybe we just think we can. When we buy bonds we guarantee we'll have the money in the future when we'll certainly need it more. Stop waving that razor you're splattering me with soap. Well I don't mean to get excited but who wouldn't. Where else can a man make an investment that's guaranteed to pay off four dollars for every three and guaranteed by the credit of the whole US of A. So there. Bravo Bravo. All right all right now let me change the blade and get back to shaving. I think I'll stay and watch. Why. Because you're so cute when you cut yourself. Oh fine. And now. Starring Frank Lovejoy act two well the long night. You look at the clock nine oh four. You look at the clock and mentally give yourself forty five minutes forty five minutes to find him bring him in and get him on the ground. Your mouth feels dry you reach for a cigarette you do the next thing that must be done. Mike yeah ATC emergency Roger. This is Rockford Tower emergency to all concern emergency landing at Rockford Airport all aircraft below eight thousand feet within twenty miles of Rockford radio range leave courses immediately and maintain rock tower beachcraft nine one four five seven command four five seven. Okay Rockford emergency landing at tell me are you familiar with range orientation. No I don't know anything about that either. Just a business man with a new airplane. I know only enough about the radio to tune in the station. Six seven. I know I'm lost though I need help. Yes yes I know now. I'm going to try a fix on you and bring you in over the Rockford Airport. I'll tell you what must be done but you have got to do it I can't fly the airplane for you do you understand. Yeah okay Rockford I understand. I want you to listen very closely to the rain signal put everything else out of your mind listen and describe exactly what you hear. Okay hello Rockford I hear a code sound is that the rain. That's right now what does it sound like. Well it's okay four five seven now is it loud or soft. It's pretty loud. Okay that's the end quadrant now I want you to tune to the Madison Wisconsin range and tell me what you hear. Okay what does that read. That's right. Okay four five seven now that's the A quadrant now I want you to try Peoria and then Chicago. Rockford Madison Peoria Chicago four corners to check from. Four radio sounds that you hope he's reading correctly. You finish the check and he comes through without a bobble you know you have him fixed you know at least his direction from you. You take a deep breath and for the first time you feel a tiny flicker of hope that you're going to find your stranger and get him in all right but you're a long way from home you light another cigarette and you push the black microphone button hard. Now listen carefully four five seven I'm going to run a check procedure on you I want you to take up a northeast heading turn your volume down as low as you can and still receive the rain signal. At the very moment you detect the change in signal strength either higher or lower advise me. All right Rockford I'll do my best. Hello Rockford my gauges indicate empty tanks there's some gas left I know but I have no idea how much you know where I am. I'm quite sure of your direction from me and I believe I know how far you are out within say 20 miles. If what you've told me is correct I estimate you have 30 minutes fuel remaining I believe your gauges are indicating normally not try to concentrate on doing what I've told you to do. Yeah okay Rockford out of port. Last much longer I'm not trying to hurry you but the gauges say empty and my son is getting sick. You didn't say anything about having any passengers aboard how many are there. Just my son and me. Does the air off is there turbulence. No the air is smooth. You said your son is getting sick. In 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. Soviet dominated nations are held together only by political and military coercion. The strength and fiber of NATO lies in the fundamental unity in the face of dangers which threaten. Thanks to this solid fundamental unity NATO nations can overcome difficulties and bring into harmony their individual points of view. The United States of America is a part of NATO. You should be aware of and alert to the objectives and programs of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. And now starring Frank Lovejoy act three of the Long Night. You don't say anything for a long minute. You just stare out into the miserable night and your thoughts are not nice. You think of your own kid and you thank God he's home safely in bed. And now you have an even stronger reason to bring this stranger home. You reach for the microphone button. Listen carefully for five seven. You should be approaching my west leg close into the station. I want you to listen carefully and describe any change in your signal. I will call you. You call me when you hear anything change. All right for five seven. That's fine. That's good. Now listen carefully. When you hear nothing but a tone when there's nothing but a loud buzz in your ears. I want you to turn right to nine three degrees on your compass. Do you understand me. Yeah. That is correct. The tone is strong. Now I don't hear the other signal nothing but the tone. Shall I. Yes. Yes. Turn right. Turn to nine three degrees and advise. Advise when on course when on nine three degrees advise. Good. Are you're approaching the range now almost over the station. The range is about two miles from where I'm sitting. The signal you hear will continue to increase in volume until you cross the range at that time it will fade out quickly and for a moment you may hear nothing. Then it will increase again rapidly. Now at the very instant your signal fades I want you to make an immediate left turn to a heading of four or five degrees. You take that heading and advise understand understand. Mike. Yeah. Get on the phone and alert the local police and fire departments tell them what we've got Roger get all the lights on on the field and the runway markers. We get them down through this you won't have any time to spend looking for the field yeah we'll do that is if we get them down through it. Roger four five seven you're doing fine now come left to four five straight and level hold it until I tell you different I'll call you back I think you've got him can if he's where he ought to be we'll hear him in about 20 seconds I'm going out on the platform and listen let me know if he calls him OK you stand on the steel grading of the tower platform you try to hear over the sounds from the field below you strain your ears for a sound that should come to you out of the Southwest you never want to hear anything so much in your life you hold your breath you stop breathing they hear better and then it's there a single engine singing a quiet sweet sound and approaching directly on course you flick your burning cigarette out into the black space and stumble back into the tower room and grab the mic four five seven this is Rockford you're over the field I hear you clearly start a 360 immediately in orbit in your present area. What to do with this engine is ready to quit a little bit of the clock it's nine forty six five maybe six minutes more if you're lucky six minutes at the outside to get him lined up properly for a straight in approach to talk him down through four thousand feet of solid clouds six minutes to bring off a miracle you mash the microphone button hard and you try to sound calm four five seven I hear you plainly you're circling the airport now there isn't time to talk this thing out you'll have to do exactly what I tell you to do the first time and do it right it simply isn't enough time wait a minute you have any shoots parachutes aboard all right all right we'll have to do it this way now listen to what I say you don't have to talk you just listen now come around to a do west heading do west as you do start slowing her down slower down trim her up for a power approach a normal power approach do you understand don't talk don't talk just bring her around head west power on slower down flaps down to approach position trim her up make her steady advise me when you're headed west and slowed down steady I'm trying to do what you're all right all right four five seven don't talk advise when on course I know you don't know all we can do is try Roger now four five seven you're going to bring her around very slowly and precisely to an east heading you're going to handle her very gently so she won't fall off on your flying so slow do you hear me yes I hear you let her continue to settle at 500 feet of minute just bring her around slowly to the east recover and then take your hands off the controls she will fly with my hands off the she will fly she'll fly better than you can now listen to me when your eastbound hands off she'll descend slowly into the clouds after you're in those clouds do not touch the controls don't think do as I tell you now when you get in the clouds everything will change for you you'll think the airplane is all wrong that is doing everything it shouldn't do if you leave it alone it'll start a slow spiral to the left but I don't think it'll be enough to do any harm until you've broken out under the ceiling now whatever it does you'll think it's going to the right or up or down or even spinning but it won't be doing any of those things unless you make it do them now don't touch it are you eastbound now take your hands off the control take your hands off now and now just let her have it let her fly herself ceilings down to 600 feet can't go doesn't give much time to recover and get his bearings when he breaks out but it's all we can do it's all anybody can do you stand there waiting you're only too aware of what can be happening in the cabin of beachcraft 457 sweating out each second of the time with a terrified pilot and his deathly scared kid you wonder if this man this stranger and yet no longer a stranger can keep his fantasies under control for the long let down the lonely long let down through total darkness with nothing but a great fear for companion a minute goes by another and then get off those controls cut the throttle all right she's going to stall give her the throttle slowly keep your hands off except the throttle she'll climb back out on top if you keep your hands off her two minutes wasted and now if the tea cup of gas still in his tanks holds out if he gets back on top you still have to do it all over again you begin to feel the long night closing in on you he's almost calm when he calls you back this time you can almost hear his sigh of relief back on top now good now let's try it with the power off this time no use do nothing i just couldn't listen there's time there's time for another try forget it you can still hello four five seven hello beach four five seven he can't hear you can his hands froze to the mic you better hit the crash button roger rockford tower to all planes awaiting landing instructions the emergency is over normal radio procedure is now in effect rockford tower out this is united 512 at 12 000 feet plane view range at 215 suspense in which frank lovejoy starred in william and robeson's production of the long night adapted by sam pierce from the story by lolly blanton supporting frank lovejoy in the long night where barney phillips peter leads sam pierce and eddie firestone listen listen again next week when we return with it's all in your mind starring bary kroger a tale of telepathy and terror well calculated to keep you in suspense this is the united states armed forces radio and television service