 In just a moment suspense with Lucille ball Well look who's here say it's mighty nice of you to be sitting around all week just to hear me tell more about auto light Oh, I haven't been waiting around all week. Well, I was way up in Oregon. Oh, that's well. That's well Hey, Hap, do you know the real story about auto lights? Stay full batteries Sure, I know the real story about auto lights. Stay full batteries needs water only three times a year in normal car use What a battery stay full that is why bike Cornelius and auto light stay full battery has more liquid reserve Then a centipede has legs then an ocean has waves then a rabbit has well rabbits water Whales spouted geysers gush at people drink it but auto lights stay full batteries carry good old aqua pura So long and so well they take a drink about as often as you have a birthday a wedding anniversary and a new year's celebration Only three times a year in normal car use and let me tell you something else You'd better get an auto light stay full battery before before you go on some more Harlow. Let's listen to suspense Suspense Auto light and its 60,000 dealers and service stations bring you radios outstanding theater of thrills Starring tonight miss Lucille ball in Anton leaders production of a little piece of rope A tale well calculated to keep you in Suspense They said I'd never make good here in Hollywood Everywhere I went it was the same story Sure, they'd see me but the minute they took a look at my baby face. All I'd get was advice and excuses No job My last try was for a schoolgirl part I was too baby faced even land that one I was walking home still wearing the school uniform that I'd bought to help me get the part when I got the idea Then I remembered another thing It was years ago reading an old copy of the police gazette in grandpa's attic printed about 1880. I guess With their falsely youthful faces dressed as innocent schoolgirls these vicious females haunt the vicinity of select young ladies seminaries And with their heirs of artless girlhood They entice and trap unwary gentlemen Some from the best of families It was funny then But now Well, those gals were suckers. I take the exclusive gents for all they've got and give Absolutely nothing That's how I made good in Hollywood up to a thousand dollars a month good I just Take a little walk I've got uniforms for all the best schools and I still have the baby face So I help me lots of those kids look older than I do When school's out, I let some old wolf pick me up. They always want to park up in the hills or some other lonely place I drop my compact He bends over to pick it up. I let him have it with a special little blackjack. I carry Then I leave Taking their wallets and any letters I find you'd be surprised if some of the letters some of them do have Makes a dandy bank balance now and then them Remember I pick them old enough to have families dignified jobs Would they want to admit to chasing bobby socksers? They never squawk My landlady thinks I'm the ideal tenant Oh, she's no trouble at all the poor little thing Infantile, you know has to take long walks every day and rest the rest of the time Never any fun or dates like other pretty girls Well, lucky she can afford it. I say be a county ward otherwise And so sweet and quiet on complaining poor little soul Yes, mrs. Tilford is a swell character witness Of course, I always wear a coat over those uniforms near home and I keep them locked up just in case she snoops Yes, yes, I've got a nice career in hollywood That is I I did have until last month You going out in this cold isabel? Oh, this is a good heavy coat. Well, don't you overdo now? These walks are just what the doctor ordered. Anyway, you sure look healthy enough Thank heaven for that anything I can pick up for you on the way back. Oh, no, thanks, dearie. I got everything done Goodbye now I was dressed for miss cadwaller school this time and it was just letting out when I got there I didn't have long to wait You know, you get so you can tell by the way the cars move along the street if the guy's on the prowl This one was driving a big black coupe and he was a little younger than I liked about 40 But it can't be too fussy. I stepped off the curb pretending to look for a bus Waiting for the bus Why Yes, I am Which one the belair bus Oh, I say that's a shame Why I just passed it back there broken axle. Oh Uh, you know, I think I've seen you passing my house. What street do you live on Cameron? Oh sure. I'm just over on bender Hop in I'll take you home Well, you're a neighbor. I guess it's Gee, thanks, mr. Um rice alex rice insurance, how do you do? Like school. I hate it school's no fun. I'd like Oh, I what oh excitement danger I suppose you think I'm pretty silly No No, I think you're the kind of girl who get excitement and Danger Really? Yes, really Look, it's so early yet like to take the long way through the hills. It's pretty there now Oh, yes, I'd love to I think the hills are divine Oh, isn't it just out of this world? Yes, yes indeed What's the initial on your bag for the initial? Yeah, Irma. Oh, I know it's Ingeborg Ingeborg you made that up. No, it's Swedish Um, I'm a gene and no Irene Irene Taylor A pretty name for a pretty girl I'll bet You have beautiful hair and eyes and a beautiful throat Wow Throat Irene you're very oh, mr. Rice. I dropped my compact. You don't need it, but it might get stepped on you won't need it But I want it now. I You also here Character, huh? Well here roll back a little there. I Well, what do you know rope Now why would a guy carry a piece of rope in his inside breast pocket? Hmm nice wallet Well, goodbye mr. Rice and thanks for everything Back home. I showered and changed and settled down to see what was in this wallet worth keeping Only about 50 bucks what made it so thick was a lot of newspaper clippings Oh Oh, no, it can't be But it was Those clippings were all about the strangler Who'd murdered five girls in the last year Left them in the hills with a piece of rope around their necks and never a clue And alexander rice carried his press notices alexander rice carried a little piece of rope in his inside breast pocket Picked up girls drove into the hills And alexander rice wasn't his name No, his driver's license said benjamin carney I had picked up and slugged the strangler My latest sucker was the most dangerous man in the country Suspense auto light is bringing you miss lucille ball in radio's outstanding theater of thrills suspense Say there neighbor. I didn't get going very well on those auto lights stay full batteries Now look here. Hello will conks. I have a mind. I'm right back in their pitching See if I could only tell you about every one of those 400 auto light automotive aviation and marine products But that takes real breath lots of breath And while i'm not as short on taking breath as an auto light stay full battery is on taking a drink not by a jugful Even I just haven't got enough breath for that Well, have you just stopped talking so I can sure wind up and sound off on those auto lights stay full batteries, though Making camels look like topers is just the beginning with them They've got oversized electrical capacity plus fiberglass insulation You know what that means my friend sure. I know what that means It means you should find out for yourself. How long these batteries are bound to live You'd have to hibernate like rip van winkle I guess you could at that if you had an auto light stay full battery in your car I've got an auto by the way those auto light engineers designed that auto light stay full battery is so darned ingenious By cornelius that you could pay as little attention to your auto light stay full battery As rip van winkle did to old father time Go down to your auto light dealer and get one right away There's no better buy in batteries my boy Because no better batteries be behind the buy line of barlow bill cock now look bill cock I mean will cock so you got bees in my bonnet now if you'll only pipe down. We'll hear some more of suspense And now auto light brings back to a hollywood soundstage miss lucille ball as isabel In a little piece of rope A tale well calculated to keep you in suspense First I just shivered over my narrow escape Why if I hadn't been out to get him he'd have gotten me I'd be number six in tomorrow's headlines Then I suddenly realized I was the only one who could identify him I can't be silent let him go on killing. I've got to go to the police station and tell them I started to go out when it occurred to me. I couldn't I didn't dare go to the police and take the chance of exposing my own racket If that ever came out and it probably would San quentin here. I come It seems they're a little stuffy about people who carry blackjacks and steel wallets and sell letters So instead I went for a walk a real one this time and just tried to think Pretty soon another thought hit me He knew I could identify him by now the strangler was no fool He'd have me figured out and know the kind of place and time to look for me And he'd certainly be looking for me to kill me To shut my mouth forever I had to find a way to Does Thompson I I know who the strangler is. Who's this? I can't tell you that. Oh, I see. Well, what can you tell me? You know his name benjamin carney carney Car any y 1156 a boy del street. Yeah description about 40 59 or 10 160 pounds dark hair eyes skin even features Not ugly not handsome drives a big black coupe lady lake model got it any identifying marks mustache No, nothing. And how do you know this guy's the strangler? I just know. Goodbye. Hey wait a minute wait a minute So you can trace the call It's a phony clues and he thought mine was another but surely they'd check that name in a dress All the way home. I had a creepy feeling. He was around somewhere Following me waiting Evening paper barely mentioned my call just listed it with several others Radio wasn't very much better In the description of the killer as a 40 year old brunette medium height and weight with no distinguishing features Driving a new black coupe Police checks revealed that such a man with the name she gave had moved from the address given several months before the first of the strangler murders But there is no further trace of him Investigation continues, but it is believed. This is another spite accusation A portland oregon woman reported this strangler as the man who entered her hen house last night and No use phoning again. I didn't think a letter would help much either, but I tried being careful It couldn't be traced to me and mailed it to a newspaper that night Hey mike like you go to the courthouse take this to a shea will you another strangler letter telling all Why can't he just strangle letter writers one more and I'll strangle somebody Another failure the letter wasn't even printed I was getting jumpy from being cooped up like a prisoner What if he couldn't find me as long as I stayed home? I was losing money every day. I didn't pull my act I could leave town, but why should I give up this good thing my my perfect setup? I've been doing fine Another year I could quit the racket make friends The best my money made maybe even get married But now this had happened I'd never be safe Not as long as we both lived I finally faced it I have to find him and kill him This time I put an ad in the personnel's column. Would he see it? I'd run it till he did A.K. Rice can book your rope act for a mutual profit have immediate out-of-town engagement Signed slugger Rope act Mutual profit I knew that would get him because it sounded like blackmail and by pretending to fall for a shakedown He'd hope to get close enough to kill me Only was gonna be the other way around And so our strange correspondence began he answered right away Slugger interested in offers send details box 047 m 298 rice I had him hooked. I didn't lose any time writing Dear mr. Rice, I have an invention which I think you'll want for your rope act. It's expensive, but remember It's completely silent And yours exclusively if we agree on terms Signed slugger Completely silent It's delicious And expensive Yes indeed Slugger give price and details of contract rice So close now I couldn't afford the slightest mistake now or Dear mr. Rice 5000 cash buys complete assortment of paper and leather goods Time and place of meeting must be my choice, but decide fast I must leave town immediately Signed slugger PSU should never have left that snapshot in your wallet. It's awfully good of you snapshot I thought I oh no I didn't burn it. So the little lady's in a jam Needs money to hide out And I can help her make her get away Oh, I can indeed Slugger price okay We'll close at your convenience rice. I've got him My plan was as foolproof as I could make it. I packed a suitcase with the kind of clothes I'd hate to be found dead in Maybe I would be and told mrs. Milford. I was taking a vacation with friends Oh, I'm so glad dearie. I said to miss night yesterday that child should have country air city air Just don't do the same for you. Yes. I know it'll do me good And you stay longer if they ask you don't worry about me holding the apartment for you Well, thanks a lot mrs. Tilford. It's certainly nice of you. I have to catch that train now. Goodbye Goodbye. Have a nice time now I took those awful clothes to the bus depot changed washed and let the soap dry on my face till it was white and shiny and 10 years older With my hair skin back tight under an old beret. I I saw a stranger in the mirror Baby face was gone. Good. No one had noticed me and looking like this. Nobody would Then I walked to another apartment. I'd rented by phone last week. It was in a dingy neighborhood I miss sprout. Oh miss sprout. You can move right in the people left yesterday Here, this is the key. It's the first door at the head of the stairs. Fine. I'll I'll go right up It ain't clean yet and stairs bother me. So I'd really rather do it myself. Thank you. Well, I'll just leave you alone there Now I was miss annie sprout librarian And I looked as much like isabel towns baby faces as an alley cat looks like a persian I sat down to write the last letter Dear mr. Rice come to 609 fits gilbert place at 10 p.m. Friday And don't try to come near me or I'll scream my head off Tap five times come in And stand right by the door while we make sure neither of us is double crossing the other Have the money in an unsealed envelope I want that traveling money, but I'd rather take a chance on the cops Than on you so follow instructions Slugger You fool You baby faced fool He'd have to make sure the layout was right before he dare attacked me And the more precautions I took the more he'd believe I was on the level Near the door where he'd stand I I put a chest with a lamp on That was my booby trap that lamp The room was so dimly lit. He'd he'd have to light my lamp to look at the wallet And when he pulled the light chain, he'd shoot himself I had a gun fixed where the bulb should be and the chain pulled the trigger It was set to get him in the chest heart if I was lucky Dead or not, I'd leave him there for the cops with his wallet and clippings Pretty cute, huh? And I'd skip out the back way with all that beautiful money go to depot Become isabel towns again safe and free I wore gloves all the time I was there in the suitcase with isabel towns identity in it was ready by the back door The hours passed like centuries And the old house creaked like a sick old man in a squeaky bed Of course, it might be the house or it might be someone on the stairs And then it was 10 o'clock I was standing at the other end of the room facing the door The light was very dim I heard the feet coming up the stairs or Or was it just a creaking of the old house? No No Slugger you see Unprompt slugger Stand where you are Certainly Did you bring the money? Yes indeed Here Miss anvil Throw it down in the middle of the room between us Go ahead throw it down It'll stay there while you examine the leather goods Do you have the wallet here? Yes Throw the money. I can't reach it from here. You know, it's quite safe All right There the wallet Where is it? On that chest Beside you by the lamp Thanks slugger Aren't aren't you going to look to see that everything's there? Why should I? I trust you So long baby face See you around He's gotten away alive. He must have guessed I done something to the lamp So he was still alive and still dangerous But at least I had the money the five thousand dollars I picked up the envelope and opened it There was nothing in it. The pieces of newspaper cut to the size of bills Why you dirty cheat I ran to the door and opened it. I looked out but he wasn't in sight Maybe I could catch him before he got out of the house. Oh, you won't get away with this I stepped into the hall and before I could turn I felt the rope around my neck his hands I guess you'll be safe on the floor While we finish our business I'll take a look at that wallet, baby You might have held out some of those clippings I'll just turn on this light Thank you Lucille ball for a splendid performance. Miss ball will return in just a moment Say hap you're going back to Oregon Well, that's a nice trip if you can get it with an auto light stay full battery You know, I'd advise you to get a sign for your thumb saying any car with auto light stay full batteries can carry me I forgot my canteen. Well, of course you could buy an auto light stay full battery And simply insist that whoever picked you up use your battery But you couldn't get back to Oregon that way. No, sir. They'd never let you out of the car Just so they could keep that wonderful auto light stay full battery Let's see after you got to Oregon you could go to washington montana minnesota main new york and florida I've been trying to tell you I've got an auto light stay full battery. Oh, well, then you know that Auto light means batteries stay full battery Auto light means spark plugs ignition engineered spark plugs auto light means ignition system the lifeline of your car Oh here again as miss lucille ball It's always a great pleasure to appear on suspense Especially when the part is so unusual and exciting That's right, miss ball the part of isabel tonight was very different from your regular radio role on my favorite husband Plug why not? Why not? Something like uh, listen to lucille ball as liz koo got on my favorite husband every saturday night over your favorite cbs station All right Wonderful and I hope all of you will be listening next week when suspense presents william powell In a role that's also different from the parts. He's been playing lately He's playing a man who's just stolen a quarter of a million dollars and then finds out that But you'll hear about it next thursday when suspense brings you give me liberty another gripping study in suspense lucille ball may soon be seen in the paramount production sorrowful jones Barry kroger was heard tonight in the part of the strangler tonight suspense play was written by virginia cross with music composed by lusion morroweck and conducted by lud bluskin The entire production was under the direction of anton m leader in the coming weeks suspense will present such stars as John garfield margaret o' brian sydney green street agnes borehead edmund o' brian and many others Make it a point to listen each thursday to suspense radio's outstanding theater of thrills and next thursday same time here william powell in give me liberty Here's your party miss ball We should all support our local community chest in their drives for funds Money is badly needed for aid to the handicapped childcare hospitals clinics and a host of other humanitarian services Subscribe to your local community chest everybody benefits everybody gives Thank you. This is cbs the columbia broadcasting system