 This is the man in black here again to introduce Columbia's program suspense Our distinguished star this evening is the stage and screen favorite mr. Paul Lucas Whose performance is in the lady vanishes and in the stage production the watch on the Rhine you will recall with pleasure Tonight's tale of suspense is a story by John Dickson Carr fire burn and cold and bubbled If you've been with us on these Tuesday nights You will know that suspense is compounded of mystery and suspicion and dangerous adventure in this series Our tales calculated to intrigue you to stir your nerves To offer you a precarious situation and then withhold the solution until the last possible moment and so with Fireburn and cauldron bubble and the performance of Paul Lucas the other members of our company We again hope to keep you in Rory Lane theater presents the distinguished American actor Myron Willard in Shakespeare's Macbeth What's magic effects especially designed by Ludwig von Anheim? historic Drury Lane theater a relic of all London on This site in the cramped and crooked lanes of all which there has been a playhouse since Nell Gwynn sold oranges in the pit The present theater though modernized is heavy and darkened with time By daylight it is a dinginess of red-plush seats haunted by all ghosts But at night when the lights bloom for some new production When a murmur of a crowd fills the carpeted aisles the orchestra begins to tune up It is kindled with that strange magic before the rise of the curtain What's it's way sir eat well event that team program Okay, thank you. No matter. This is rowey your seats are G and backstage where nerves crawl and there is a tendency to scream The three witches of the play are huddled around the people in the curtain looking out into the audience They are hideous looking creatures these witches in gray rags like cobwebs But as they speak Dear I am scared. Don't let it bother you darling. You can't even see the audience when the floats are on There's nothing to worry about nothing except the size of the take at the box office You won't even have to worry about that tonight. Look out there. You two are as shaking as much as I am now Don't pretend all right. All right. Everybody's jumpy on first night What I can't understand is why they want to use young girls as witches and then make us talk in cracked voices Is though we were 80 double double Toil and travel Did darling it's only one of the ghost effects you've been hearing it for weeks at rehearsal I will say this for modern Willard as an actor and a manager, too He's the first one who's ever had a real professional magician to do the ghost effects for this ham show Oh, are they serious look there where out in the audience in the second half of box on the left-hand side Oh, don't you see the woman who's just coming in. Yes, I can see her not a bad looking bit of goods for her age What about her? But that's Marcia Blair Marcia Blair You don't mean you've never heard of her I can't say I have either if it comes to that move over Ivy give us a squint Marcia Blair used to be mr. Willard's leading lady. She was a very great actress 15 years ago Oh 15 years ago. She's had a terribly romantic history Well, she's made lots of money and retired from the stage and she married some horrible no good And you see that tall grayhead man standing beside her. Well, he doesn't look much like a no good. That's not the man I mean Celia. That's Howard white her second husband Oh, they say he loved her for years and followed her about and practically worshipped her But she was married to this no good and wouldn't get a divorce then the no good died I suppose so Marcia Blair and her faithful Howard got married. Yes, I Remember reading in the paper that they've been married one year tonight. I I Expect they're very happy and I'd be happy too if I had a mink coat and a string of pearls like that Well, you've got to admit. She's beautiful. All right, Katie if you say so I Used to go and see her act when I was a little girl. She she was kind of a nighter. I Wonder what they're saying to each other up in that box now. I Wonder what they're saying. I wish you wouldn't be so uneasy nothing can happen to you here You're uneasy yourself Howard. Yes. I suppose I am a little Howard. I know I shouldn't be talking like this on our first anniversary But that's what worries me. What if Barry isn't dead? What if he isn't dead? Listen to me darling your late husband heaven condemn his soul Died in New York more than a year ago. We have proof of that and who wrote those letters to me I don't know dear somebody playing a joke on you joke if you marry him Marsha You won't be alive a year from then joke, but you're married to me my dear and you are alive Shall I quote you something from another play Howard? Well, the eyes of March are come I Caesar but not gone and It's still two hours two hours to the time. We were actually married. Oh look here dear This is carrying an obsession too far It would be just like Barry to wait until the last moment just to make it worse. You knew him Yes, I knew him. He was a genius. I suppose so There's a mere businessman. I never quite understood this theatrical temperament except yours of course Barry was a greater actor than Myron Willard will ever be Barry could play anything from a cockney to King Lear His skill at makeup wasn't merely good. It was terrifying. Oh Howard I am frightened. Suppose he's managed to get close to us tonight and and yet we can't see him Well the music started Marcia, I I'll have to go must you go Howard really if I break this appointment with Fern Dale dear the deal would be called off And since I haven't got too much backing anyway, I all right there. I understand Go ahead unless you wanted to come with me and miss Myron's opening tonight. Oh, I couldn't do that I tell you you'll be perfectly safe here dear. Of course Howard. I know that you're in full view of 3,000 people nobody could attack you. The only daughter this box is guarded Outside that door with miss Fenton who's devoted to you and the chauffeur who's even more devoted to you What could happen dear? Nothing of course and I'd prefer to be alone anyway Yes, I rather guess It's just that I can't endure anybody being with me when I'm watching a great play But that doesn't include you darling then if you'll accept these madam in honor of our first anniversary Oh Howard, but they're lovely of course. I'll accept them and here's a program Got everything else you need. Yes. Yes. I think so. I just opened the door to the passage to make sure our watch dogs are on guard Yes, they're out there. All right Good night, Marcia. See you in an hour or two. Good night Howard and good luck Miss Fenton Bradley. Yes, Mr. White. Yes, sir anything wrong miss Fenton You've been my wife's companion secretary for five or six years. Yes, mr. White and I've loved every minute of it And you Bradley you haven't been my chauffeur for quite so long, but they tell me you're an ex-wrestler That's right. She champion of the shortage athletic club and in me prime though I says it was shouldn't as good a man has ever climbed through the ropes now You know your instructions badly. You trust me sir. Nobody gets into this ear box tonight unless it's over my dead body Nothing must happen. Do you understand nothing? Please you're as white as paper as for you miss Fenton I'm afraid it's a little awkward. I Know I ought to ask you to go in and join Marcia, but you needn't apologize. Mr. White. I know she doesn't want company She'll be leaning forward with her elbows on the box rail just as she always does She's merely watching a play. She's acting Lady Macbeth every line every gesture And I don't mean to disturb her. You won't leave this door either of you. You crush me sure if No Anything wrong badly. It is a very rummy-looking cove coming along the passage sir wearing a big black cloak with a red line Oh that meant badly. That's only her von Anheim. He's a professional magician and escape artist. I Was just wondering excuse me. Don't worry, mr. White. We'll look after her von Anheim. I see von Anheim Now can't not say I did it never shake the gory lucks at me I beg your pardon and I beg yours my friend. I was merely quoting a line from the play You are not leaving the theater Surely not walking out on Macbeth afraid. I've got to oh that's a pity my friend You will miss some of my best effects to say nothing of Shakespeare's When Banko's ghost appears at the table, I don't want to hear any more about ghosts thanks bankers or anybody else's I Imagine you mean your wife's late husband You've heard about it then. Yes, your wife has told me a good deal She seems to think that in my profession. I might have some charm over demons or spell against ghosts You know von Anheim in a muddle kind of way. That's what I've been wondering myself Unfortunately, no, I am all too human But your problem interests me and I confess it worries me. What is you? What about me as I understand it her first husband was a half-made American actor who later went completely mad and died in New York His uh, oh, what's the word I want or obsession. That's it obsession. His obsession was Marcia Blair's eyes Yes, always her eyes is seen to hypnotize him. It is not new You know, you'll find the same motive the eyes of a beautiful woman all through the works of Edgar Allen Poe Then as I understand it after this man's death She begins to receive a series of letters how letters apparently written by him and Threatening her with some rather horrible form of death if she married you I tell you Barry Lake is dead He can't get about his coffin. Oh getting out of coffins. My friend is not so difficult. I have done it myself Oh, please stop joking von Anheim. You don't happen to be dead Through there is that small difference Is your wife here in the theater tonight? Yes She wouldn't have come here except that it's Marron Woodard's first night. We haven't seen Marron either of us in years She's back there in box. So I hear I was hoping that you might invite me to share the box Look here old man. I I don't want to seem inhospitable, but she doesn't want company. Well, that's about it Well, then walk back a little distance with me this way So that you can see the stage from the back of the dress circle Now the orchestra has stopped and they'll ring up in a moment There look at it. Look at what the stage man Lights have gone out all except the dim yellow footlights shining at the curtain Cough the last murmur the last rustle of program dies away in one vast breathing hush Curtain goes up It goes my arm on on my I've got to leave. What are the stage directions? There's a place thunder and lightning answer three which When indeed I wonder maybe you're pardoned on him No, it was nothing in the London newspapers for that year 1936 You may read how Myron Willard triumphed and Drury Lane is Macbeth But tonight as the clock ticks on There is another drama in the dimly lighted corridor outside box D There sits miss Louise Fenton Marcia Blair's companion secretary Beside her burly and broken-nosed is big Jim Bradley the ex-wrestler And when more than half an hour There's the applause Jim that was for the end of the first day Yes, I hear it. Nothing's happened and take my word for it. Nothing is going to happen Oh, she's such a likable person Jim and I think one of our greatest Shakespearean actresses I don't much care for this Shakespeare business miss. You give me a good movie with gangsters in it. It's my style Oh, you don't understand Jim. I've seen her as Juliet as Rosalind as Porsche in our own drawing room without any props I've heard was Lady Macbeth to whom you should see her eyes We're eyes miss. Yes, you should see her eyes when she delivers that speech The raven himself is horse that croaks the fatal end. Hey miss look there Oh, what is it that foreign-looking Cove in the black cape coming along the passage now? I beg your pardon. You are miss Louise Fenton. Aren't you? Yes, my name is Fenton. What is it? I am looking for Anheim a friend of mr. White's and I must see Marcia Blair at once No, you don't governor. You're not going in there. Why not cuz nobody goes in there Not if it was the king himself. There's orders. I'll listen to me both of you When the lights went on I happen to be looking at box D from the other side of the theater And I think there is something wrong, but I can't be anything wrong Jim Bradley and I've been sitting here the whole time Except of course except when Well except when I went in there for a few seconds you went in there miss Fenton May I ask when that was it was after mr. White is gone and just before the play started I went in to ask if she wanted anything She said she didn't I came out again and Bradley's been with me all the time Except when he went to get a drink of water at the corridor. That's just too much gospel One moment and listen to me Marcia Blair is leaning forward across the railing of the box Oh, but that's nothing help on Anheim. That's the way she always is does she always fall forward with her arms? held straight out and her head down on her arms, but if we care for me, it's a trick trick Why not open the door and see for yourselves? Would that do any harm? No? I? Supposed it wouldn't but oh, there must be some mistake. We haven't heard a sound from in there There couldn't be anything wrong. You open the door miss Fenton. I'm going to old talk to this gentleman just in case Quiet please quiet What is it this? Walk in there with me both of you Please go casually as though nothing were wrong. We don't want to attract attention now Yeah, but on This is blood all over our face. Yes And don't begin screaming again miss Fenton. Then I tell you she's dead Bradley Yes, sir. Pick Miss Blair's buddy up and carry her out into the corridor In another minute, we'll have the whole theater wanting to know what's wrong. All right, sir You win but what about the people in the other boxes? Well, they see they've gone down to the bar to get a drink. They won't see anything. Honey She ain't no lightweight the poor lady ain't steady doesn't All the door open her that's got it now close the door Shall I put her down on the floor carefully? Yes, better do that. I never took those threats seriously That's what I blame myself for and if something did happen Well, I thought he'd attack her never thought he'd hide away across the theater and fire a shot And you were quite right miss Fenton Marcia Blair was not shot. She She wasn't shocked. Oh take a look at the wound. Oh, I can't look at it. She was stabbed Stabbed through the right eye with a narrow sharp blade which entered her brain and killed her instantly Not that pretty death, but the quick one you seem to know a lot about this governor Perhaps I do my friend and perhaps I can guess a lot more You mean somebody stood out there and flew a knife at it like a ready musical turn No, I don't mean that either. There's no knife in the wound and none in the box. The murderer took it away Took it away. Exactly. Have fun on him. Please wait You're not saying someone climbed up from outside 20 or 30 feet from the floor and stab poor Marcia in full sight of 3,000 people that miss Fenton is what the evidence seems to indicate it's impossible yet. It happened. There is Marcia Blair's body What's the warning bell for the second act people will be coming back here anyway any minute. What are we going to do? There's a claim triumph Myron Willard is Macbeth Helen Gale is Lady Macbeth magical effects by Ludwig van Anheim Very few persons knew that there is a dead woman in the theater But at the end of the play It is a different story the crowd files out past a cordon of police The lights are extinguished The great theater is dark Mumbling with echoes see the stage now Only the back ends or overhead lights pour down a pale blaze on two men who stand grotesque Against the background of Dunzenane castle One of these men is Howard White very near collapse The other is Myron Willard himself still wearing his makeup still wearing helmet and chain mail and When Willard speaks Howard White Confounding man. Can't you hear what I'm saying? Excuse me madam. This is all most finished or not that I am blaming you old man Thank you madam. It's traditional. You know that Macbeth's an unlucky play But up to the very end. I thought I'd never done better 11 curtain calls. No 12 How did you like my tomorrow on tomorrow's speech? I'm sorry madam. I'm afraid I didn't hear it Yes poor old Marcia. She'd have hated to die like that Marcia was proud of her eyes always nearsighted as an old but too vane to wear glasses There's one on I'm looking out of some under the castle archway One on I did you call me my friend? You're rather difficult to recognize under all that Macbeth makeup. Yes. I was just thinking the same thing never mind that Where are the police now at the moment? Mr. Willard the police are in your dressing room. They are using it for questioning No reception tonight, of course. No, but I thought you might be interested in two items of information that police have just discovered Go on We had a fairly full house tonight. I believe fairly for every seat was reserved reserved. Yes, but not occupied I don't follow you one box on the ground floor box E to be exact was empty reserved and paid for but empty and Box E oddly enough for just underneath the one occupied by Marcia Blair all the same I still don't see quite what you're now our next item of information comes from an usher and Outside our seat in the stores very close to that empty box was occupied We're a very curious stranger who arrived late in the dark and slipped out again by a nearby exit a few minutes afterwards Just one moment one on him. Are you saying this stranger climbed up and attacked Marcia in full view of the audience? No, my friend the murderer did not approach from that direction Then he must have reached Marcia through the door guarded by Bradley and Miss Fenton. No, not from that direction either I'm found it man. It must have been one way or the other not necessarily I'm telling you how I don't you think I've got enough troubles already without this nightmare on top of it Have one on him. Have one on him. You must take it easy Miss Fenton. You must not excite yourself Have the police. Yes. Look, you've got to help me. They won't believe me. They won't believe the young lady sir And that's a fact I tried to help her all I can but there's things I can swear to and things I can't you see I did go into that box. Oh just for a couple of seconds I admit it but no other person went in or could have got in so they say or at least a hinting that I killed her But I swear I never touched who was questioning you miss Fenton Inspector Grimes or Sergeant Blake. I'm well. I'm not sure the sergeant. I think then I shouldn't worry forever you Inspector Grimes knows better his guest in fact exactly what I have guessed You'll seem on rather familiar terms with the police my friend. I am mr. Willard I am anyone who practices escapes from handcuffs sex chest and stageboxes perhaps stageboxes if you insist Excuse me. Isn't that inspector Grimes in the wings now? Yes, and he's nodding his head Then I can tell you I think what you want to know. Well, if you do happen to know anything at your duty to speak up Oh Marsha seems to have had some ridiculous idea that our former husband Barry Lake was still alive Her fears weren't justified, of course, and she wasn't killed by any dead husband. I beg your pardon Her fears were justified though not quite in the way she believes and she was killed by her husband Then Barry Lake is still alive. No Barry Lake is dead Don't mean Marsha was really killed by a goat. No, I mean She was killed by her devoted second husband, mr. Howard white That's not true. It's a slanderous statement. I have you in court for it Everybody knows how devoted I was to Marsha your devotion my friend was devotion to her money and your business affairs have been shaky for a long time That's not true, and you can't prove it Marsha Blyre was inclined to be sure we see a little close fisted with money That's true anyway. It's a lie a lie willing to marry him But mr. Howard white knew he'd never touch a penny unless he killed her He wrote the letters himself help on on him. He can't be guilty. She was alive after he left the box It wasn't anywhere near her when she died perfectly correct miss Fenton. He wasn't there, and yet he killed her exactly But you and Bradley can supply the clue that will hang him me sir. I don't know nothing No, I don't either. I think you do if you'll put your mind to it Do you remember what Howard white said to her just before he left the box? Yes, he said Good night Marsha. See you in an hour or two, and she answered good night and good luck. No, I mean just before that I Wasn't anything you see it's a slanderous statement without any proof. It's an insult to my position on the stock exchange I do remember something rather queer think miss Fenton think he said to Marsha jokingly if you'll accept these madam in honor of our first anniversary and Marsha said how would they're lovely of course, I'll accept them that's right Sure, he did say it and what do you think he was referring to miss Fenton? What was he asking her to accept? Well, I imagined it was flowers a corsage or something like that Did you see any flowers in the box or pinned to Marsha Blair's gown? No I've come to think of it. I didn't then what did he give her? Don't look at me. So now here is a woman who is very near sighted Red yet refuses to wear glasses, but she can accept a pair of glasses miss a lie. You can't prove it You better stay here. Thank you Bradley, but the place is surrounded with police But I still don't understand now What happens when you lift opera glasses to your eyes and they are not in focus you turn the little wheel in the middle to Bring them into focus For Marcia Blair, it was deadly. You mean the Yes, they were specially constructed glasses miss Fenton They were invented by a French criminal years ago that little wheel is a little trigger It releases the spring of a sharp thin blade which strikes through the eyes into the brain Oh down please you can't prove Marcia Blair died instantly the glasses torn from her eye by their own weight Dropped over the box rail to the carpet at aisle below The only witnesses who might have noticed would have been the people in the box just underneath and that box was empty by arrangement Yes, even if anybody did see them fall how the white was prepared to remove the evidence instantly You haven't forgotten the curious stranger curious. I mean the man who slipped in after it was dark Who can I'll see just under the box and slip out again a few minutes later the black of lice will start to finish You can't prove a word of it. I beg your pardon my friend Didn't you see Inspector Grimes? Not to me a moment ago Well, you are going to hang my friend for one of the neatest and cruelest crimes in my experience The police have just found those upper glasses with the neat set of fingerprints in the side pocket of your moto car And so ends fire burn and cauldron bubble starring the distinguished actor Paul Lucas tonight's tale of This is your narrator Ted Osborne the man in black who conveys to you Columbia's invitation To spend this half hour in suspense with us again next Tuesday same time when Nancy Coleman stars in fear paints a picture William Spear the producer John Deets the director Bernard Herman the composer conductor Robert Salmon studio technician and John Dixon car the author collaborated on tonight's Suspense this is the Columbia broadcasting system