 Box 13, with the Star of Paramount Pictures, Alan Ladd has Dan Holliday. Box 13, care of the star times. I should like very much to see you and offer a proposition which could be of mutual profit to us. Of course, there is some danger involved. But then your advertisement asks for adventure. So if you are interested, perhaps we could have lunch tomorrow afternoon. Say it one o'clock. Say it one o'clock, the golden arrow. Ask for Mr. Waring's table. There is some danger involved, he said. Yes, that's what the man said. And brother, that's exactly what he meant. And now back to Box 13 and Dan Holliday's newest adventure, Daytime Nightmare. This letter had brought you to lunch, Mr. Holliday. Uh-huh. Lunch and then what? Danger, it says. That sounds exciting. It always does. You know, Susie, someday I'm going to walk into one of these things and not walk out. Then follow up one of these other letters. There's one that asks for a babysitter. The woman says her children are an adventure. Oh, no thanks. I'll take Mr. Waring's letter and his proposition. Then you'd better hurry. It's almost 12.30 now. Oh, don't push, Susie. Don't push. What time will you be back? Probably this evening. But don't wait for me. Just lock up the ops and take off. So long, Susie. Arrow is one of those ulcer dining and luncheon spots where you can get a swell dollar lunch for five. I asked for Mr. Waring's table and the waiter showed me to an ice secluded corner. A small orchestra was playing. A couple were dancing. And Mr. Waring was just sitting there. I took a good look at him before I sat down. He was big and handsome. Maybe about 50. And the diamond he flashed on the little finger of his right hand was spelled with 1500 capital dollars. He looked up, saw me standing there. How do you do? You're a box 13? Yes, that's right. Your arm is to Waring. And you're right. Please sit down. I've ordered lunch. I hope you approve. Oh, thanks. I'm sure I will. You're younger than I expected. Oh, disappointed? No, no, please. Tell me, is a box 13 the way you make your living? Ah, not quite. Yeah, I read your advertisement several times. Adventure wanted, go anyplace, do anything, write box 13. Is that said with disapproval? No, not at all, Mr.... That holiday? No, not disapproval. The hand just regret. Regret that I hadn't the nerve to do such a thing when I was your age. Well, sometimes the regrets are mine. Huh? Oh, oh, I see. You mean once in a while you get something that's hard to handle? That's it. But you've always come out on top. Well, I've had a lot of luck. Is there, uh, any of it left? Do I need some? If you do what I ask, you will. All right. What's on your mind, Mr. Warrick? First we'll have lunch, then we'll talk. Will that be all right with you? You say so. Yes. Good. Charles, you may bring our lunch now. Now let's enjoy ourselves. There's lots of time to get serious after lunch. Well, Waring was a very good conversationist. I learned he was an attorney, an attorney for one of the biggest estates in the country. He kept leading the conversation around to that every time we got on something else. Then when lunch was over. Yeah. Enjoy it, Dan. Very much. It's a girl. Oh, no, thank you. No, if you'll come with me. Come with you? But I thought we were going to talk. Oh, I'd rather have more privacy. You'll understand why when I tell you what I have in mind. Oh, it's that important. Would you say $10 million was important? Oh, it commands attention, yes. Then please come with me. We left the golden arrow. The dormant saluted Waring and signaled a big limousine that sneaked up along the curb and purred to a stop. Please, get in, Dan. Well, no, pardon me. Where are we going? Oh, for rides through the park. Well, wait a minute. I, uh... I want to know what this is all about before I go into it. You're not very trusting, are you, Dan? Yeah, it's not very. Uh, something wrong, Dan? Yeah. Get in the car, Dan. Little air will make you feel better. All right. Go on. Get in. All right, Bert. You know where to go. I'd been drugged before, so I knew what it felt like. It felt exactly like this. I came crawling out of the long, dark tunnel with a buzzing in my ears, my mouth dry as cotton. I was lying down, and I at least held my arms. I was on a cot. A nice, white cot in a nice, white room. I sat on the edge of the bed, looked around. There was a window, but there were bars over it. I went to the door. Hey. Hey, open up. Open this door. Open this door, somebody, come on, open the door. Get away from it. Open it up, whoever you are. Move back away from it, and I will. Go on. I moved back in the way. There was a pause, and then... Well, Mr. Stokes, you've awakened at last. Stokes? What are you talking about? Come on, get me out of this gag or I'll break my way out. Samuel, Hugo. Mr. Stokes, you don't want Samuel and Hugo to take care of you, do you? What is this? Sit down, Mr. Stokes, please. Sit down. I won't sit down. Where's Waring? He'll be here in a moment. If you want to see Mr. Waring, I'm sure that can be arranged. Well, that's better. Call off those mastives and white coats. Wait outside, Samuel, Hugo, and close the door. Go ahead, I'll be all right. Stay where you are, Mr. Stokes. Look, if this is a gag, let's run it off the boards and put a tag to it. Gag? Why, Mr. Stokes, you sound almost rational. Rational? What are you talking about? Just that. I have no doubt that in a year, perhaps a little more, we can discharge you. You mean... you mean this is no gag? No, it's not a gag. You're Edward Stokes. Remember that. You're Edward Stokes. Where's Waring? He'll be here to see you with your wife. My wife? Of course. I wonder if you'll remember her. I don't know what you're trying to get away with, but if I have to play rough, I can play it. Samuel, Hugo! I think Mr. Stokes needs to be quieted. Take care of it, Samuel. Get them away from me. When you've decided to leave, get them away from me. When you've decided to be more calm, Mr. Stokes, we can have a talk in my office. Until then, I shall take precautions against your homicidal tendencies. Well, it was no gag. Samuel and Hugo were too big for games, and they played rough. Samuel left, and Hugo sat beside the bed to watch me. I knew now where I was. A sanitarium. A why? I called Edward Stokes. I had to find out, so I turned to Hugo. What? Oh, Hugo, these straps are hurting me. No thanks, Mr. Stokes. I can't loosen them for you. Look, get my clothes. Take out my wallet. Take the money that's in it, and just let me get to a telephone. I'm sorry, Mr. Stokes. You know that's against the rules. Who was the man who spoke to me before? That's Mr. Cordon. Mr. Not a doctor? Well, yes and no. This here is kind of a rest home. Does everyone get as much rest as I do? You're all right, Mr. Stokes. That's pretty funny. Yeah, I'm dying. Where are my clothes? No, no, no. We'll get them for you later. Look, I'm not Edward Stokes. I'm Dan Holliday, get it? My name's Dan Holliday. I'm a writer. Well, I'll bring you a pencil and paper later. You go. Go to a phone. Call the number I'll give you and ask for Susie. Hey, she got a sister for me? Now listen, you big lumex, this is a frame up. I'm not Edward Stokes. I don't know who he is. I never even heard of him. I'm Dan Holliday, a writer. Yeah, okay, okay, I believe you. Once I took care of a man who was Shakespeare, I believed him. I also took care of Michelangelo, Dante, Spinoza, why I... Look, I want to see Cordell. What for? I want to talk to him. What about? Does that make any difference? Yeah, because if it's not important, he'll get mad at me. All right. Tell him... Tell him I remember now that I'm Edward Stokes. It all comes back to me. Now, will you go to him? Okay, but please, Mr. Stokes, don't try what you did before. I... I hate to get rough. Right, I promise. It's a good boy, and keep on being a good boy, and you'll be allowed visitors this afternoon. I'll be very happy to see them. Very happy. All right, Mr. Stokes. I brought you to see Mr. Cordell, I guess. Now, promise you'll take it easy. Oh, sure. Thanks, Hugo. Yeah, it's nothing. And here he is, Mr. Cordell. Good. Close the door and wait outside, Hugo. Are you sure you'll be all right, Mr. Cordell? I think Mr. Stokes has learned his lesson. Are you sure? Please be a good boy now. Yeah, I will, Hugo. So, you've become reconciled, Mr. Stokes. I know I can talk myself blue in the face to Hugo or anyone else around here and not get anywhere. But I want you to tell me what this is all about. I'll be glad to. You're Edward Stokes. You're here for a rest. You were formerly at the Millhaven Sanitarium, but your wife thought this would be a better place. Don't you remember? Remember? Of course I do. You've made it all so clear. Good, good. Oh, by the way, you're looking so much better than when I saw your last, Mr. Stokes. Would you like to see how much better? What do you mean? There's a mirror on the door of that closet to your right. Open it and see how you've improved. I looked in the mirror. I didn't see Dan Holliday. I saw a stranger. Cordell's voice came to me from a million miles away. There's some gray in your hair, of course, but that's to be expected. As a whole, it's still a nice, deep, rich black. My hair's been dyed. I'll bet you think it was once blonde. I imagine you think your name was once Dan Holliday. Take a good look at yourself, Mr. Stokes. Get acquainted with your new personality. You'll be with it for quite a while. Cordell smiled at me. Then I knew for certain this was no joke. I was Edward Stokes. My hair dyed, clever touches of makeup here and there. Even Susie wouldn't have known me. Do you know why you've become Edward Stokes? Why, Mr. Cordell? Because Mr. Edward Stokes is dead. Now back to Daytime Nightmare, another Box 13 adventure with Alan Lan as Dan Holliday. Well, there was a twist. I was a dead man. Yet I was alive and being kept alive. But for what? Later in my room, I thought of making a break for it. But there was always Samuel and Hugo. Then later I was taken again to Cordell's office. This time Hugo went in with me. Cordell wasn't alone. With him were a wearing and a woman. The woman looked at me as I entered. Edward. Edward, darling. Would you mind just calling me Dan? Please, Edward. You remember me? Of course you remember your wife, don't you, Edward? Oh, hello, Waring. I must buy you lunch sometime. Lunch? Oh, of course, of course. I told your wife and Mr. Waring that you were so much better, Mr. Stokes. But now you've disappointed me. Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Cordell. Hugo, please wait outside. I'll call you if I need you. Sure, Mr. Cordell. He does look like Edward. Must you say it so loud, Phillip? Oh, sorry. How long does this go on? Not much longer. Of course it all depends on you. Yes, how? We'll leave that until later. Clarice. What? You've got to sign those transfer papers. They're all right. Of course. Oh, Edward, it might be interesting for you to watch yourself being committed. I'm warning all of you, I'm going to get out of here. And when I do, I... Cordell, Edward Stokes. How does he know about Edward? Cordell, did you open your mouth? What's the difference? He can babble his head off and no one will pay any attention. Suppose something goes wrong. How can it? It's all too perfect. Of course it is. Sign the papers, Clarice. Get it over with. Good. Now let's go. Nothing can go wrong. Not unless you double cross me. You've got your money and you're in as deeply as anyone. You better see that everything goes all right. Good luck. Well, Mr. Stokes, you're now officially in my care. That should make everything just ducky. Oh, it will. If it's not asking too much, what happens now? My dear Mr. Stokes, if you knew, you wouldn't like it. What's to prevent me from reaching across this desk and knocking your head off just for the fun of it? This gun will prevent it. You wouldn't dare use it. No, not directly. But suppose you did try something. Suppose we struggled and the gun went off accidentally. And killed you. Who would be your witness? Not you. You would be dead. Not Hugo. Because he saw you attack me this morning. Cordell leaned back in his chair and grinned. Then he played the gun on the desk. It was so close to me. So close. He knew what I was thinking because his grin widened. But I had to take the chance. I jumped. Stay right there, Cordell. All right. Now that you've got the gun, what will you do? Hand me that phone. Certainly. Here you are. Keep your hands on top of the desk. With pleasure. Uh, whom are you going to call? The police. All right, go ahead. Hugo! Hugo! Mr. Stokes. Be careful, Hugo. He's raving. You've got to believe me. I'm not Edward Stokes. I'm Dan Holiday. Give me two minutes to put through a phone call. No, no, no, Mr. Stokes. You don't want to do anything with that gun. Better give it to me like a good boy. Hugo, please. Please stay back. Careful, Hugo. He may shoot. Stay back, Mr. Cordell. I can handle him. Hugo, listen to me. Listen to me. Give me two minutes on that phone. Just one minute. Mr. Stokes, give me that gun. Come on. Give it to me. Wait, Hugo. Wait. I don't want to shoot. Do it if you come any closer. Hugo, I'm in a spot. The real Edward Stokes is dead, Hugo. He's been killed by his wife and his attorney. Listen to me. Stand still and listen to me. Easy. Easy. Easy, Mr. Stokes. Easy. The real Stokes has been killed. He was taken from the first sanitarium and killed. I was brought here, Hugo. Brought here to impersonate Stokes. Cordell wants me to shoot you, Hugo, so I can be killed legally. Stokes! Hugo! I know all that, Mr. Stokes, but... But if you... Hugo. Hugo. I'm afraid you killed him, Stokes. Cordell... You shot the poor devil. Of course I did, Mr. Stokes. You shot him with another gun you just took out of that drawer. That's perfectly true, Mr. Stokes. Ballistics can prove which gun killed Hugo. That's true too, Mr. Stokes. But who would think of ballistics in connection with a maniac? Ballistics can prove which gun killed Hugo. That's true too, Mr. Stokes. But who would think of ballistics in connection with a maniac? Ballistics in connection with a maniac. Cordell stood there, smoking gun in his hand. Cordell stood there, smoking gun in his hand. Oh, it was a beautiful frame. In a second, the rest of the people in the place would crowd into that office. What chance would I have? None. I'd talk myself into a lather. Cordell put the gun back onto his desk. Well, Mr. Stokes, what now? I... I can prove I didn't shoot this gun. Think you'll get the chance? I'll be back. Get out of the way. Be careful, all of you! Chase after him. He's got a gun. He killed Hugo. Stay back! I ran up into the night out into the rest of my nightmare. I cleared the grounds of the rest home and took to the woods. There was only one thing in my favor, the darkness. I stayed in the woods. But I had to get to a phone. I don't know how long I walked. Maybe an hour, maybe two. Then I saw a house. There were lights in it. I hesitated, but I had to get to that phone. Yeah, yeah, that's me. Don't. Don't scream, please. Get back. Please, please, don't. Look, I'm not going to hurt you. I want to get to a phone. Have you got one? No. There's no phone here. Where's the nearest one? The villain's station down the road. Have you got any men's clothes here? In the closet. Would you mind getting them out? Go away, please. I won't tell anybody you've been here. But don't hurt me, please. You know who I am? The radio. They said. How long ago? Half an hour, maybe. Get those clothes for me, please. All right. They won't fit you. They're too small. I don't care about that. Throw them on the table there. Just trousers and coat. All right. I pulled the trousers and coat on over the pajamas I was wearing. The woman watched me and she watched the door. She was expecting someone. Wally, probably her husband. Then... Please, please go now. How far is that filling station? About two miles. There's no phone closer than that? No. All right. You stay in here. You're not going to get hurt. Just stay in here until you're sure I'm far enough away. You get that? Yes, sir. I won't move. Good. I'll return the clothes later. She screamed. I could hear her screams fading into the night as I ran. I had two miles to go. Two miles to the brush and woods I couldn't risk getting to the road. Then I heard something. I ran. I ran until my legs were torn by the brush. I ran until my breath choked in my throat. Then I saw the station, but I couldn't get to it. Crept closer and lay down in the mud-filled ditch. I knew then what a fox must feel like with the hounds tearing at his heels. I listened. I heard Cordell's voice. He's dark-haired wearing pajamas, but he may have picked up some clothes somewhere. I haven't seen any. Better be careful of him, Clay. He's got a gun. Already killed a man back at the home. I will, Sheriff. Thanks for warning me. Okay, Clay. Oh, uh, got a gun? Sure. Always keep one in the station. Good. Keep your radio turned on, too. We're running bulletins on the air. That way you can tell if he's headed this way. Sure. See you later, Sheriff. Remember, he's dangerous. A homicidal maniac. Take no chances. Okay, Mr. Cordell, thanks. Go on. I watched the attendant, Clay, go back into the filling station. I watched him take a gun from a drawer and shove it into his pocket. I cut across the road. My stomach hurt from pressing it close against the concrete. Clay came out of the station, looked up and down the road. Then he turned off the lights and locked the door. Don't take another step. Don't look around. Don't reach for that gun in your pocket. What are you gonna do? Nothing. You won't get hurt. I want to use the phone in the station. It's out of order. You're lying. I'm not lying. Why don't you try it? Where are the keys to the door? Take your hands out of that pocket. You want the keys, don't you? Keep your back turned. I know that gun is in your coat pocket. The keys there, too? No, in my trousers. Reach in. Get them out. But be careful. Now, unlock the station door and go in ahead of me. Never mind the lights. Look, why don't you give me your gun? You haven't got a chance, fellow. The roads are crawling with prowl cars. They were here just a minute ago. Reach in and take out that gun. All right. Hold it by two fingers and drop it on the floor. Go on. Stand over there while I use the phone. It's out of order, I told you. Stay where you are. Hello? Hello? I told you. Where's another phone? The nearest one is about five miles down the road. You're lying. Like I was about this phone? Look, please, why don't you give up? Give me that gun. We'll go into town. Please, they'll shoot you down on site if you leave here alone. I've got to take that chance. No, you don't. I want to give you a break, fellow. I want to give you a break because... Because? Once I saw a dog shot. A dog they all said was mad. It wasn't mad. All I wanted was water. But they shot it without giving it a chance. Please, give me your gun. Look, if I tell you a story, you won't believe it. I know you won't. Maybe I will. Go ahead. I'm not Edward Stokes. I'm not the man they're hunting for. He's dead. Killed by his wife and his attorney. What? I think because they wanted his state. If I'm killed as Stokes, they'll identify me as him. Please, give me the gun. You. You don't believe me, do you? I believe only that if you leave here and get out on that road, you'll be shot down. I... You're hurt. Never mind. Get me to a phone. I can't. All right, here. Take the gun. Take it. What's the way for? Now you've got the gun. I want you to do one thing. Get me to a phone. Let me call the police. Let me identify myself, will you? Come on. I've got a car. They've got me to a phone. I call Lieutenant Kling and tell him the story. And less than an hour later, the sheriff, his men, Clayton and I walked into Cordell's office. Ah, you've got him. Good work, Sheriff. Yeah, we've got him. I'm surprised you took him alive. Yeah, so are we. Mind stepping over here a minute, Mr. Cordell? What, what for? Get over. What is this? You'll find the gun that killed Hugo in that drawer, Sheriff. What? This man's mad, Sheriff. I heard different from the city. Look out. Get the gun, Sheriff. That's the gun that killed Hugo, not the one I gave Clayton. You were right, Mr. Cordell. No one would have thought of ballistics to see which gun had killed Hugo. I think I need a bath. And a nice, long rest. Stokes were arrested on suspicion of murder. Police are searching for the body of Edward Stokes. Gee, Mr. Holiday. Well, it wasn't nice, Susie. But let's forget it. Sure, I know what you mean. Oh, say, I have to remind you. Of what? You've got a luncheon appointment today at... Luncheon? Oh, no, Susie. Next week, same time, through the courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Alan Lad stars as Dan Holiday in... Box 13. Box 13 is directed by Richard Sanville, with this week's original story by Russell Hughes. Original music is composed and conducted by Rudy Schrager. Part of Susie is played by Sylvia Picker, and production is supervised by Byrne Carstensen. Box 13 is a Mayfair production from Hollywood. Watch for Alan Lad in his latest Paramount Picture.