 Presents Marshall Thompson and Gig Young from Hollywood the mutual network in cooperation with family theater presents Coincidence starring Marshall Thompson, and now here is your host gig young Thank You Tony LeFranco Family theaters only purpose is to bring to everyone's attention a practice that must become an important part of our lives If we were to win peace for ourselves peace for our families and peace for the world Family theater urges you to pray Pray together as a family Now to our transcribed drama coincidence starring Marshall Thompson as Tom I have met Harry Moyles twice the day I reported for work at the studio and One other time three weeks later when he was passing through the commissary on the way to the executives dining room As a rule that's par for the course since most executive producers speak only to other producers But Harry had been a screenwriter himself years ago, so I was more flattered than surprised When his secretary called me last Thursday and said that mr. Moyles would like to see me in his office Come in Tom sit down. Thank you Cigarette. I just put one out. Thanks Well, you've been here almost two months. How do you like Hollywood? Oh very well indeed Especially the money. Yes, the buddy's good Uncle Sam gets most of it, but it's still good Well, at least he gets suspended. Here's he does it there The reason I called you in is to tell you I like this I was hoping you would we've had the screen rights to these properties of Morrison's for years novels short story sketches Dozens of people have tried to adapt them for pictures, but the stuff just didn't seem to gel leave in this one by lights Yes The great novel, but we couldn't string it together to make anything for the screen I tried it myself 20 years ago ash the thing up something awful Well, I'm I'm doubly flattered. Mr. Moyles Harry. Okay, not around here Of course, but like tonight when you're a guest in my house. We're friends. We're informal tonight I did it backwards you and Mrs. Elliott are invited for dinner tonight at my place It's in Bel-Air June at the desk will give you the address in the directions. Well, that's that's very generous Can make it can't you? Oh, yes. Yes, of course. Oh, don't say I invited you this late Irene will take my head off Not a word. She's the one my wife Irene who got interested in your work and thought you might be able to lick this Morrison stuff We have You're an admirer of his aren't you? Well, that's that's putting it mild I I think he was the best writer America's produced in the last 30 years. Yes. He was good. All right You you knew him didn't you mr. Moyles well for a few months back in the 20s when he came out here to get on his feet again What was he like to work with? No, how did you know I'd worked with him? I was down in the story department a few weeks ago looking through a catalog of unproduced properties and saw both your names on a Couple of originals. Yes. Yes, we tried a few together And I answer you Phil Morrison was a difficult man to get anything accomplished with if he didn't like pictures Notice that none of the material you worked on together was based on any of his novels or short stories Well, you see we didn't acquire any of the rights to those until after he'd left the studio Was that before he died? Yes. Yes, it was Yes, oh, I I was just going to ask what time were expected this evening or around seven We're just having in a few friends black tie. Good enough. Irene's looking forward very anxiously to meeting you and your wife Don't worry. We'll be there It's almost 10 of 7 you make it don't panic. I think we're lost. This is mountain country This is a pulver de boulevard and it's the shortest route from the valley to parlayer now calm down What should I not talk to mr. Morales about hmm? Was he any special hates peeves phobias? Not that I know of just stay on pictures his pictures. You can't go wrong. How about his wife? Irene Stewart big silent screen star retired about 25 years ago just about the time I was born Betty Whatever you do, please don't say that. I was just kidding. Okay What's the matter tonight? I should think you'd be all revved up about having dinner with the boss I am revved up. You're in a big brown study. I am not you am too But if you don't want to talk about it But I don't know There's something funny about this job funny about that studio. I thought you liked working there. I do like it The way I got the job in the first place is still puzzling me. You're a fine writer. This town's crawling with fine writers Not as good as you thank you, baby, but better than me. No at least when it comes to pictures I've been writing for magazines for the last eight years You sold two stories to Hollywood which they never produce and you wrote a wow of a biographical series on Philip Morrison for the post Tom What did you mean? There's something funny about studio? Her moist What about him? I went across something in their story files. I can't figure out Years ago better than 30 years ago Morrison came out here to work for the studio. He was on the skids needed money You know, it's turned out a few screen stories together. Well, that's a coincidence. I've got a bigger one for you Person quit the studio right in the middle of a story that he and Miles were working on it's unfinished I found a synapsis of it in the files Stuff's all dating Person quit in March and less than three months later the studio brought up the screen rise to every story novel sketch Everything he's ever written paid him about a hundred thousand dollars. Nice and those days. It was even nicer Morrison stayed out here and started the work on a new novel That couldn't have been very long before he was killed was it about six months His car went over a cliff out near Malibu and he was burned to death. Isn't that what happened exactly? What's the coincidence? Well, one of the characters in the unfinished story that he and Morales were working on at the studio almost a year before Was a novelist who was burned to death when his car went over a cliff But he had Harry Morales was big and expensive and for the most part uneventful Except for one thing that happened just a few minutes before Betty and I left It was better 1130 and some of the guests were getting their coats We were standing in the vestibule admiring what I think was an original Goya and somebody tapped me on the arm Oh, yes, Mrs. Morales Betty. I want to steal your husband away. Can I do it? Well, that remains to be seen will only be a minute. Oh, no rush. I've got Goya to keep me company Right here in the library Tom It's something I think you'll be very much interested in Well, I must say you call it by the right name This is a library a few years back Harry started collecting first editions, but then he lost interest. Oh, it's beautiful Here's what I wanted to show you the books on the shelf Fill Morrison's books all of them. They were present from him Everyone is autographed You know some of these have been out of print for years, Mrs. Morales if there's any that you'd like to borrow Thanks, it's the same but I'm a bad returner once I get hold of a book. Oh that wouldn't matter you Made such a close study of his work If anyone should have a right to read these Irene our guests are leaving. Oh, excuse me Tom. I was just going Harry your wife's been showing me your collection Yes, I should have kept it up. You probably got the only complete set of Morrison in the country. Yes, I guess we have Well, thank you again for your hospitality Mrs. Morales. Well, we were delighted to have you Tom Oh, I must go out and say good night to your wife Irene. There's something I want to ask you. We'll be right along Tom Yes, you bet Tom. I think you better get my Everybody's leaving you be quiet a minute. What's the matter with you showing him those books? I just wanted him to see them What harm can that are you out of your mind? He's an expert on Morrison. Suppose he starts digging around What if he does you want this thing to blow up in your face? I don't care anymore I'm tired of being punished. Well, I do care. I'm not the one who's done the punishing. Oh, Harry Please no, no, we do this my way or we don't do it at all Now fix up your face. You've got to say good night to the guests. Come on honey. Let's get out of here Tom, what's it all about? I don't know. I don't know yet, but I'll find out. Come on. Come on Next day at the studio. I put in my eight hours expecting any minute that the phone would ring and mr. Morales would want to see me But it didn't That night after dinner Betty and I started through the copies of Morrison's books that I brought with me from New York looking for Well, we didn't know what Tom Will you ask me something truthfully try to? Why are you doing this digging into Morrison's past and Irene's and mr. Morales? Well at the risk of sounding cynical it could make a fascinating and lucrative sequel to the magazine series I did on Morrison last year and maybe one just a might sensational look honey He was a national figure a celebrity The last two years of his life, which he spent out here are sure filled with question marks Like the coincidence of driving over a cliff when he'd previously worked on a story with the same gimmick in it with Harry Morel one of it whose wife obviously at some connection with Morris He gave her a set of his books to Irene with deepest affection for authors That's not an uncommon dedication. What about the argument she and Harry had in the library last night Maybe he's jealous of a man who's been dead for 30 years. It's conceivable It wasn't that kind of an argument They've got a secret between them and Morales is scared of death. It's going to get out Well, you poke around into the past all you want, but I think one coincidence is mighty slim evidence to go on all right Why did they buy up the screen rise to all of Morrison's properties less than two months after he left the studio? Maybe they wanted well he was a has been his books weren't selling. He was on the skids Why did they buy them then especially at that kind of a price? It just doesn't add up I still think they may have wanted them not one picture has been made of his stuff not one You told me more I said the books were hard to a day. Oh Baloney, honey Take it easy you look you lift out the symbolism and the introspection and you've got good solid drama Tom You don't have to yell. I just don't get it. He was a great writer. Honey, honey years. They slept off his work like it was nothing I'm sorry Betty. There's something else going on here. I I want to get the answer to it Tom, I'm sorry. I yelled at you. Don't be I think you're doing what's right. I hope so Whether it ever gets published or not Very the following week Hey more else left on a short business trip to the east and his wife Irene accompanied him I waited until the next afternoon and then drove out to Harry's place in Del Air The houseboy let me in and turned me over to a mr. Weldon a fussy little man I had met briefly at the dinner party the previous week Turned out he worked for mrs. Moiles as a combination household manager and social secretary Yes, indeed. Mr. Elliot. I remember you quite well. Well, thanks and not many people do mrs. Moiles will be terribly sorry She's missed you. Well, it wasn't really a social call But she offered to let me borrow one of her Morrison books if I wanted to my my it was anything wrong Well, I do wish that she'd left me a memo about that not that she'd mind. I'm sure she wouldn't it's mr. Moiles it goes back to his first edition period and beg your pardon about five years ago He started collecting first editions and he laid down an inflexible rule no books borrowed from the library Well, I can certainly understand that Well, as a matter of fact, I don't want to take any of the books with me. Oh well in that case I'm sure there won't be trouble couple of them are supposed to be out of print I Just like to get the name of the publisher and the publication date and see if I could run down a copy somewhere Oh, well by all means come along. I'm quite sure mr. Moiles will have no objection to that. I Think you'll find the Morrison shelf over there. Yes, mrs. Moiles showed it to me the other night they should be arranged in order of their publications I'm especially interested in the last novel. He wrote just before he died. Oh, yes Yes, that would be this one At full there was thank you See Yes, thank you. Thank you mr. Weldon. This is just what I was looking for I still don't think this is enough to make a case last novel right there in coal type dedicated to I am With love Irene Moiles hanky-panky sure it looks like it and where does Harry Moiles come into this? I don't know but you're thinking plenty. I'm thinking I get pretty mad at a guy You went around dedicating novels to my wife mad enough to push him over a cliff. Oh, maybe Well, I must admit Harry doesn't seem like the type well I wouldn't know about that, but I think he'd be a little more inventive How do you mean well if he was going to murder a man? Why would he use a method that he'd already signed his name to in a story? You've forgotten you ever wrote such a thing. Oh, well guys like Harry were the workhorses out here 30 years ago They came up with a scenario every week. What's original about a car going over a cliff? Well, then why do you attach so much importance to it? That's the way Morrison died and you think Harry Moiles killed him. I don't know But if he did and he did it in a hurry, this is the way he might have chosen Tom If you really think there's something to this Why don't you go to the police? Well, I thought about it and I did the next best thing what I hired a private detective mostly to go around and official files and whatnot Does he know what you're trying to prove? No, no, no, I told him it was just a research job on Morrison I showed him the magazine series I did last year and I think he swallowed it Well, maybe he'll turn up something you can use Yeah, yeah, I just wish I could be sure I wanted him to The following Monday was the big day And like most big days it started pretty small I went to the studio and worked from 9 until noon While I was having lunch I heard that Harry Moiles was back in town He'd flown in from New York late Sunday afternoon But he hadn't come in to work yet It was about 1.30 when I got the call from private investigator George Gilbert He wanted to see me that afternoon in his office and cramped two room affair in downtown Hollywood Well, Mr. Elliott, I've got a few things here for you Some telegraph from the east, some on long distance I'll have written confirmation for most of it in a day or so How about what you got at this end? Well, not too much Most of it confirms what you told me, Morrison Died in the automobile crash out at Malibu, August 1926 Wasn't his car, though Oh, did you find out who's it was? Yes, it was a rented car I guess they called him Chartered Cars then A 1924 Apperson I ran across one funny thing, though Yes? Morrison didn't have a driver's permit And for what I can make out, he never even owned a car Either out here or back east Would you conclude from that that he didn't drive at all? Maybe he didn't even know how to? Well, he was driving the car that went over the cliff Which ain't saying he knew how very well What else? I got nowhere on his literary estate It's handled by a New York lawyer named, uh, Sir Folsom Apparently Morrison had relatives somewhere in the east But I couldn't find out where or what their names were Well, does the estate amount to anything? Well, someone's been taking money out of it for years But I don't know who or just how much If you don't know that, how do you know it's been happening at all? I'm sorry, Mr. Elliott, that is a confidential source Well, you mean I'll just have to take your word for it, huh? Well, let's face it, you're not taking it for much Well, I guess I'll take it Excuse me Hello? Yes? Yes, just a moment, please It's for you, Mr. Elliott Are you sure? Yes, it's the lady who says she's your wife Oh, hello Yes, Betty You what? Harry called and told you this? Okay, yeah, sure, sure And you want you to come along, too, huh? All right Look, you call a cab, I'll meet you out there Do you know the address of their place? Now, that's right, Bill Eyre I'll leave right now The evening rush had started a long sunset So it was almost an hour before I pulled into the curved driveway In front of Harry Moyle's place The houseboy told me that Betty had already arrived In the Chee, Harry and Mrs. Moyle's Are waiting for me in the library Good evening, Elliott Hey, Mrs. Moyle What took you so long, honey? The traffic was pretty heavy Yes, it can get rough at this hour Well, can I offer you something? Oh, no, no, thanks Well, then have a seat I don't suppose there's much to be gained In beating around the bush You've probably guessed what I brought you out here to discuss Something about Morrison? Quite a lot about Morrison Tom, give me credit for having a little sense I know what you're trying to find out But I want to make sure you know Exactly what you're doing before you decide to go ahead Harry, you gave me your word And I intend to keep it But this has been coming for 30 years You can't be sure, you're assuming too much I warned you it would happen, but you wouldn't listen Well, now it's happening and I have to think of myself Harry, this is not only embarrassing But I frankly don't know what it's all about You haven't had a private detective making inquiries Into Morrison's background for the last week Alright, now let's put our cards on the table You think I'm somehow Implicated in Morrison's death, don't you? Yes, I'm afraid I do You see That doesn't mean he knows anything Harry, I guess I've been brought out here to be threatened Threatened? Oh no, Tom, you mustn't think that Let me tell him what he must think I don't threaten people, my boy But I make certain that a man who works for me has no secrets In your case, I've made doubly certain And what have you found? You've been doing some amateur detective work In my legal department My story files, library of my own home Alright Tell me exactly what conclusions you've reached They aren't very pretty Forget that, just tell me I think you were jealous of Morrison's Attentions to your wife And you killed him Let him finish And then I ran him over the cliff In much the same manner as in that unfinished story That he and I were working on at the studio Well, Morrison didn't have a driver's permit There seems to be some doubt as to whether he could drive at all So most of your evidence is just guesswork Yes, it wouldn't hold up in court But it might make good reading Especially in view of the printed dedication In Morrison's last book to I.M Well, you can't very well stop people From speculating that the initial stand for Irene Moyles No, you can't Mrs. Elliott Yes? Your husband is a persistent seeker after the truth, isn't he? I'd say so I wonder just how persistent Why don't you try me and find out? I intend to No Irene, no I don't feel sorry for you anymore Tonight I'm feeling sorry for myself I don't like the feeling, so I'm going to get rid of it Tom, you say you think I pushed Morrison Over the cliff in that car Yes You're right, I did Harry, if you're determined to make a confession He was dead when I pushed him over He had died an hour earlier of a heart attack A heart attack? Brought on by a violent argument with the woman to whom he was secretly married Morrison was never married That was because of the woman She had a film contract which prohibited marriage Harry, a film contract? You've told him enough The woman's professional name was Irene Stewart You were Morrison's wife? Harry, you've told him enough He will tell me when I've told him enough So, the dedication on his last novel to I.M. was to I.M. was to I.M. was to I.R. Morrison, not Moyles We weren't married until over a year after his death November 1927 That can be proven very easily Well, I I guess all I can do is Apologize, Harry Your apology is accepted I suppose I'm fired No, no, not unless you want to be No, I don't want to be I like what I'm doing And you have no further questions? What few I might have don't seem to be of any of my business But you have Well, let's say that whatever they are they've been pushed into the back of my mind But the matter not being your business hasn't stopped you from coming this far He's trying to say he's heard enough, Harry I don't believe that I'm ashamed enough about this as it is So you want to walk out of here with your wife drive back to the valley and forget it? Yes And what will you talk about on the way home? Harry This will never be finished until Tom Elliott wants it finished Leave me, Harry You and Betty will talk about this discussion we've had You or she will say I wonder why Harry Moyles took it on himself to conceal the place and manner in which Morrison died, or I wonder what the violent argument was about which led to his death Am I wrong? I don't think any private discussion I might have with my wife will affect you or Mrs Moyles You don't understand yourself very well, Tom For I've seen you come and go for years the seeker after truth, the born researcher you won't stop here Harry, would you let him alone? Yes, when I'm convinced he's willing to let us alone then he isn't he isn't, it's written all over his face I guess you're right I do want the answers to those questions I was one of the few people at the studio who knew that Irene and Morrison were secretly married I'd been in love with her long before she met him Oh, Harry, for heaven's sake! We've been married for almost 30 years is it a secret that I'm in love with you? No, dear, but... It was I who arranged the purchase of Morrison's literary properties by the studio It made him financially independent Gave him a chance to go back to work on his novel I see His last novel, a fool there was Up to that point he was willing to go along with Irene and keep the marriage a secret She had a career to think about Morrison could sympathize with that But then they learned that she was going to have a child and Morrison insisted the marriage be made public And that was what the argument was about? That was it And after his heart attack you disposed of Morrison's body to protect Irene Yes She went east and had the child By then, of course, the studio knew everything But she was a big star, they took pains to protect her Well, like you said, clears up just about everything The child was a boy Born in Philadelphia, January 1927 You don't have to say any more Irene adopted him out, there was no other way There's no need to tell me this The administration of his father's literary estate was left in the hands of a lawyer named Falsum It was Falsum who contacted us in the east last week and said someone was making inquiries I don't need to know anything Are you sure? Yes, I'm sure Very well Come on, honey Tom? Let's get out of here Betty and I left the library in the house of Harry Morales and his wife, Irene And we will not go back And all the way home, I held in my mind the picture of the heavy-set druggist and his wife whom I'd called mother and father and the life we had known But they were dead and ill And there were no more questions I could ask them There were no more questions I wanted to ask I had probed into the past of a man I admired A man, a man with whom I had felt a close kinship But now I would forget him because he was as dead as my parents And so was the past, he was part of And in time I might even forget that somewhere a son of his still lived who, like me was born in January 1927 in Philadelphia This is Gig Young again It wasn't Benjamin Franklin who said a man cannot do a single good deed because every good deed we do is passed on from one person to another and continues to multiply itself among many people All of us can look back in our lives and remember someone who helped us in difficulties and a mental renewal of our faith and hope and a promise that when we'd have an opportunity we would be generous and unselfish in helping others Yes, we have the opportunity to help those in need And one of the greatest needs in the world today is the renewal of charity and brotherhood and faith in God A renewal of the practice of family prayer With God all things are possible With God's help, our lives, our homes Our families and the world can be kept in peace and happiness But we must ask for that help We must pray sincerely, humbly Not only by ourselves, but as a family A prayerful home is a happy home And a prayerful world is a peaceful world because nations that pray together for peace will live together in peace Just as the family that prays together stays together All things are brought by prayer than this world dreams of From Hollywood, Family Theater has brought you transcribed coincidence starring Marshall Thompson Gig Young was your host Others in our cast were Edgar Berrier Charlotte Lawrence Margaret Brayton Michael Hayes and Herbert Ellis The script was written and directed for Family Theater by John T. Kelly with music composed and conducted by Harry Zimmerman This series of Family Theater broadcasts is made possible by the thousands of you feel the need for this type of program by the mutual network which has responded to this need and by the hundreds of stars of state screen and radio who give so unselfishly their time and talent to appear on our Family Theater stage You are humble thanks This is Tony LaFranco expressing the wish of Family Theater that the blessing of God may be upon you and your home and inviting you to be with us next week when Family Theater will present Flight to Bermuda starring Dorothy Warren-Schold as Joe Join us, won't you? Family Theater is broadcast throughout the world and originates in the Hollywood studios of the world's largest network This is Mutual, the radio network for all America