 Suspense! Tonight, AutoLite and its 96,000 dealers present Mr. Gregory Peck in Nightmare, a suspense play produced and edited by William Spear. Friends, AutoLite welcomes you to suspense and this is Harlow Wilcox urging you to do yourself and your car the great big bountiful favor of replacing old worn-out narrow gap spark plugs with a set of new wide gap AutoLite resistor spark plugs. That's the biggest news I know, but I've also been told to tell you that suspense is going to receive a great big important national honor tonight during our usual between-the-act intermission. And say when it comes to honors, you will want to award your car a set of wide gap AutoLite resistor spark plugs. Your engine will idle smoother, give better performance on leaner gas mixtures, actually save gas. And if you want the real lowdown on how AutoLite resistor spark plugs reduce television interference, see a copy of this week's Saturday Evening Post and turn to pages eight and nine. See your AutoLite spark plug dealer today and remember you're always right with AutoLite. Oh and remember too, suspense on television returns to many stations throughout the nation Tuesday night, September 6th. And now with Nightmare and with the performance of Gregory Peck, AutoLite hopes once again to keep you in suspense. They say every nightmare has a prelude, something that inspires it, something that happened or almost happened that your inmost mind seizes upon. It lives there in the back of your head and it multiplies itself and fattens on tiny fears until it's grown into a monstrous bloated horror. And then when it's full-sized with dread, it springs out at us from evil blackness at night when you're defenseless in sleep. The prelude to my nightmare occurred at six o'clock that evening, the third of July. Since Elsa's illness, I've been walking home from the station evenings instead of having her meet me. It's a pleasant six or seven blocks along Hartsdale Road and then up the hill to Ridgecrest, just at the corner there, the kids play baseball. The signs say slow children and everything but it's a nasty spot and coming down the hill a guy might look out look out hey you what's the matter with you don't you know that you can't see him brother they got no right to play have you been drinking hold me no because if you had I'd pull you out of that car so fast and take you over to the police all right brother calm down nobody's hurt nobody's hurt just a little scared I was still trembling when I got home my head ached and I couldn't eat dinner it wasn't something I could tell Elsa about she wasn't ready yet to hear things like that so I just sat there at the table looking across at Steady half hearing his prattle about the new fishing rod and how many fish he'd catch on our outing tomorrow and some little story he'd learned in school about Thomas Jefferson and the first Fourth of July and then pretty early I took a pill and went to bed it was the next afternoon we were driving along my wife my boy and myself you know that winding road that leads up from Kingston to Falls Town in the trout country a lot of hairpin turns and a few bad shoulders but beautiful beautiful scenery and that's what we all needed after her nervous breakdown a little slow around the turns Ben why do you drive so fast you're never driving too fast as long as you feel the cars under control better it wasn't our control a minute ago what a curve Ben the gas tank's almost empty why didn't you listen to me and fill up at the last station there's always a reserve after the empty mark that we run out of gas well it seems to me youngster that when I tell you that what's wrong why are we stopping oh that's what I'd like to know yeah yeah I know how to gas oh Ben will you ever learn well everybody runs out of gas once in a while okay well it's a nice day for me to take a hike but Ben is it all right to be parked like this on the curve so close to the road no why not where's the traffic only adventurers like us know about this road well goodbye folks oh with you dad oh no you'll stay here rule of the woods always leave one man behind to protect the women can I take out my rod can I practice how to cast sure and you lady you wipe off that smile with my feet this is the first class tragedy that's a smart thing you did coming back this way nothing up ahead for five miles but the royal coachman what do you mean his name for trout fly well I know that name of a roadhouse fancy name for a saloon hang out for fishermen they say oh oh what do you say don't go there crookeders looking bunch ever seen crooks from the big town you go to my nephew Sammy's place in town Sammy Crawford clean sheets good beds home cooking good undertaker to call yourself a mortician what do they need him for the fish a live redid he put you to bed well one anything else how's your oil just the cash thanks are we all straight yeah oh one dollar deposit on the can give it to my nephew Sammy and let him take the dollar off your bill oh well we may not see Sammy we'd like to pitch camp tonight got a place no that's bad gets dark mighty quick up this way you sleep at Sammy's missed him better make a reservation trout season now maybe you're right you got a telephone in there you have 15 cents oh this is gonna be expensive fishing or what's nephew Sammy's number it's right here on the wall over the phone oh say look at that fella coming down the pike there 80 miles bound for the roadhouse can't wait say there are two dozen numbers over this phone pick the biggest one the one in red oh look at him go would you go on you're crazy for you you're gonna save five minutes if you have to kill five people to do it will you try to straighten out some of them bins up ahead you're crazy for the pine trees were casting their last longest shadows across the road as i hiked back to the car well we weren't gonna get too much fishing done on the fourth of july but we had to find sound for Stevie what a kid teasing his old man all the time when i came around that the hairpin turned and there was the car a few yards away but no family uh Elsa hey Stevie no family oh Stevie was asleep and she didn't want to call out that's right the kid was tired a lot of excitement for one day i stepped on something Stevie's trout rod lying in the middle of the road these kids have no sense of responsibility a split bamboo rod with silk winding and a balance that was so perfect well i stepped up to the car Elsa sat in the back seat looking at me and in her lap she held my boy dead Elsa couldn't speak she couldn't speak she couldn't speak i forced some brandy between her teeth made her swallow it hands were like ice i wanted to rub them but i couldn't pry them loose from the boy no no you want to make sure i know you want to make sure Elsa how did it happen his trout rod he was standing at the edge there casting he wasn't on the road he wasn't and then there was a noise a car coming up fast you could tell and before we could move it came around the bend and it swirled so much dust so much dust and pebbles everywhere such a thick cloud of dust and Stevie flying out of it like a ball or a bird flying out of it Elsa take some more brandy it'll do your good no no i don't want any get away Elsa you've got to take some more brandy Elsa that's how he looked standing in the road with the bottle in his hand who was standing in the road the man the man who killed us he he came back he got out of his car and he came over to where i lay in the road with Stevie he had a bottle and he took a drink and he offered me a drink and he said he was sorry and then he drove away he said he was sorry sorry Elsa Elsa darling Elsa don't don't Elsa and then it began to grow in me and then the hate began to grow she couldn't remember his car or the clothes he wore and i couldn't make her describe his face but i knew that somehow i'd find him couldn't be very far off not in this part of the country i'd find him and when i did i'd kill him auto light is bringing you mr. Gregory Peck in nightmare tonight's production in radio's outstanding theater of thrills suspense and this does my auto light heart good it's my privilege to introduce mr. Fred Dearborn president of the national safety council who will present to mr. Royce G Martin president of auto light the national safety council's annual award for but you can't guess an auto light suspense program yes suspense not only won the alfred p slone award for distinguished public service to highway safety but another great honor for this same program will now be presented friends mr. Dearborn thank you harlow wilcox the national safety council wishes to thank you mr. martin and the electric auto light company for bringing to your tremendous radio audience the years outstanding highway safety program james cagney and the suspense show titled no escape it was a wonderful story presented to perfection by mr. cagney and his supporting cast the judges unanimously selected it as the winner so now mr. martin i have the pleasure of presenting to you this certificate of award thank you mr. Dearborn in promoting highway safety and you can rest assured it is a great pleasure to have suspense when this outstanding recommendation from the national security council i speak for one and all of auto light employees i trust that tonight's show will make an equal contribution especially at this time with a heavy travel over the labor day weekend thank you again mr. Dearborn and now auto light brings back to our hollywood soundstage gregory peck in nightmare a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense i plunged the car back into darkness toward the roadhouse the killer the dirty dirty killer there was so much dust dust and pebbles and stevie flying on him like a bird yes like a bird yes outside he got out of his car and he offered me a drink he stood there and he said you better take a drink well there's the royal coachman that roadhouse and he said he was sorry he'll stop here and use the phone there's a sam crawford in false town he runs some tourist house and a funeral chapel i'll call him from here yes see all the lights why are all the lights on it's a roadhouse elsa so many people going why are they laughing well they don't know how we feel elsa they don't know about us is it all right to leave you here for a moment i i want to call there he is would you like me to elsa that's him he killed us that's him who the one who hit stevie where there he is where that one the man standing in the doorway how do you know can you see his face came over and he stood close and he said you better take a drink he was big and fat and his body filled the frame of the door he ran a pudgy hand across his face now he was drunk all right and he was trying to shake and he never drive again not after i got through with him elsa sit back now don't let anyone see you he killed us yes i know i know wave here elsa wait here don't get out of the car i watched him go inside he walked across the lobby and disappeared in the bar i went in after him he was sitting there his elbows on the bar and his head between his hands i said where i could watch him and still not be too close yeah with soda before the bartender hardly let go he had it down and then his watery bloodshot eyes looked about the room his eyes caught mine called to the bartender and then whispered something in his ear looking at me then pointing the bartender walked over what'll it be mac oh uh oh nothing uh really i i don't care for anything all right it's on this gentleman have a drink fella it's on me no thanks can't drink alone never could come on i'll have a drink what'll it be can it sell the man you gotta have a drink with him come on better take a drink with him fella oh soda just plain soda but i'll pay for it myself just plain soda please here's the money what do you think you're doing he don't want your money isn't that right your money's no good here he kept breathing in my face and talking and ordering more drinks and i kept thinking of elsa in the car the way her eyes changed when she saw him the thing in her eyes when she looked at him that fat man breathing down my neck and guzzling like nothing happened i'll have it again the same way come on fella drink up come on you can't drink that stuff without something in the drink hey i give him something in that soda i don't want anything he don't want anything don't want it you know i'll have it again the same way coming up he kept looking at me breathing at me he had the face of such an ordinary man only very beefy such an ordinary man how could he do what he did and then run away i wondered who he was what kind of working day did he have a family did he have a son of his own was he having all those drinks to try to forget well i couldn't let him forget how long was he gonna sit there a couple more drinks and he finally got up threw a bill on the bar and started to go hey you change never mind the change he waved a pudgy hand big shot big tipper very generous nice guy even offered elsa a drink after he killed our boy i followed him into the lobby he went to the desk two fifty seven he started for the elevator i hurried to the stairway i ran up to the second floor i waited off the stairway landing and watched the elevator door open wait a minute not so fast i said wait a minute don't shut that door not so fast i want to ask you a question i have to go people ringing can i ask you a question please step away from the door you're blocking answer my question get away from the sure now ask me whether you he started down the hall coming towards me i stepped back into the stairway took a cigarette out of my packet started to light it he walked past then he stopped oh i didn't want to talk to him just wanted to do it and get it over with i started toward him we were alone and somebody was coming down the stairs you wouldn't mind coming along i don't like it even the service is lousy in the place one elevator you can die how's about a light well before i can answer him his fat pudgy hand closed over mine and drew the lighted match to the cigarette in his mouth he puffed loosely his hand was damp and warm i drew back thanks yeah yeah see you're out i counted the doors as he passed on down the hall one two three the fifth door down that was his room i walked slowly down i stood in front of his door so now it would happen i uh i want to ask you something may i sure sure come in come in he waddled over to the bed and sat down there you sit down this watery bloodshot eyes blinking at me i didn't know how to begin or what to do the blind rage was gone something happened to me now suddenly i i didn't know what i was doing there what do you want walked over to the window fumbling for some foolish excuse it was no use i couldn't kill anybody i couldn't do it ask you what do you want i looked out of the window the light from the neon sign in the roof made everything look so lonely and dead what's the matter with you and there was my car in the driveway and elsa sitting there and face the thin outline of her face so gray or her mouth pressed tight in a straight hard line what do you want for me she was holding my son holding him tight press close to her holding him my son what do you want why did you kill my son huh you're drunken fool why did you kill my son you're crazy shut eyes bulging from his head frightened and guilty he reached for the phone and then i was on him why did you kill him you killed him you killed him it was done all done and over with and now i felt better now it would be easier be a little less pain when they buried my son you all right i made sure of that now let's get out of here a twisted black top road unwound steadily under the headlights but something had changed it it was no longer a road it was a cloudy misty jungle where everyone was old and haggard and there were no children and then we brought our boy into falls town don't mind a suggestion mr kane you look pretty done in when we carried the boy out of the car i had a look at your wife as i know good thing you didn't stop at the royal coachman where the royal coachman that's a roadhouse halfway between here and my uncle's gas station you didn't see it uh no well it's all lit up with neon like a regular christmas tree troopers just fallen there's a job for me somebody choked somebody to death lots of excitement oh well uh who who did it they'll find him she looks bad your wife we ought to get her right to bed yes elsa well this is sam crawford elsa he's going to take care of stevie and we're going to sleep in his house tonight i think we need some sleep don't you that's him what do you mean that's him he did it he did what he killed my son elsa i'm sammy crawford ma'am i run the local he killed us he killed us elsa elsa look at me are you all right elsa i don't think she knows what she's saying he came over he stood there with a bottle he said he was sorry elsa elsa this is sammy crawford he wasn't there he was here miles away he killed us i'll get doc sadler it's the matter with the elsa i know he didn't do it he couldn't have i was talking to him on the telephone when it happened from the gas station elsa we know who did do it we know and he's dead he said he was sorry he said he was sorry elsa look across the street elsa do you hear me look across the street yes you see that man walking toward the street light can you see him answer me yes we'll just look at him elsa that's all there now now he now he's under the light that's him no that's him no that's him he did it he did it elsa that's a minister you know it wasn't a minister you saw and it wasn't sam crawford he was talking to me on the telephone that's him no that's him no elsa no no no no no no no then no then darling hello stevie hi darling what on it great racking i uh there's a nightmare oh else it was it was did he lost a job yes yes that was it how did you know because i know everything come on now up out of bed we've got a big day fall of july comes but once a year garage doors open stevie boy well we burn up the road stevie stop that talk oh i'm sorry you know instead of going up by falls town and up there we'll cut across just before kinkston and find our fishing over around litchfield huh i feel like Connecticut today okay dad what did you dream about darling it was so awful me well since you have to know i had a horrible jealous dream i dreamt you didn't love me oh dear oh that was the wildest dream imaginable now wasn't that a waste of time suspense presented by auto light tonight star Gregory peck in nightmare mr peck the subject of our show and your character portrayal won't do highway safety any harm this labor day weekend today's newspapers carried some dreadful predictions of the accidents and deaths likely to happen yes i saw them and if i may i'd like to add a few words of my own on this subject of safety the mic is yours greg well this evening the electric auto light company has been honored for its efforts on behalf of highway safety you too can earn such an award of course yours won't be quite the same no bronze plaque or embossed certificates and no one will pin any medals on you yours will be a greater more personal reward the deep felt satisfaction that comes from knowing that you've taken care and not endangered your own life or the lives of others so drive carefully won't you today tomorrow always thank you yes folks drive carefully and drive happily too by switching now to new white gap auto light resistor spark plugs their ignition engineered to work as a perfect team with your car's complete electrical system so for a smoother engine idle and long spark plug life just remember you're always right with auto light next thursday for suspense ray maland will be our star the play is called chicken feed and it's the story of a man whose life was worth literally a nickel it is as we say a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense tonight suspense play was produced and edited by william spear and directed by norman mcdonnell appearing with mr peck were lorraine tuttle and alan reed music for suspense is composed by lucian moral wek and conducted by ludd bluskin nightmare was a radio play by herb meadows from a story by samuel bloss gregory peck is currently being seen in mgm's the great sinner don't forget next thursday same time auto light will present suspense starring ray maland resistors park plugs auto light staple batteries auto light electrical parts at your neighborhood auto light dealers drive right switch to auto light goodnight this is cbs the columbia broadcasting system