 Yes, Roma wines taste better, because only Roma selects from the world's greatest wine reserves for your pleasure. And now, Roma wines, R-O-M-A, Roma wines present... Suspense! Tonight, Roma wines bring you, Mr. Wallymare, in dead earnest. A suspense play produced, edited and directed for Roma wines by Williams Spear. Suspense! Radio's outstanding theatre of thrills is presented for your enjoyment by Roma wines. That's R-O-M-A, Roma wines. Those better tasting California wines enjoyed by more Americans than any other wine. For friendly entertaining, for delightful dining. Yes, right now, a glassful would be very pleasant. As Roma wines bring you, Wallymare, in a remarkable tale of... Suspense! Accident reports submitted to Police Inspector Blandon from Lieutenant Steve Healy. Place 15th Street and 4th Avenue, time 245 p.m. March 11. Remarks. Venice Bowers, age 34, was crossing the intersection as signal light changed from green to red. A car driven by Theodore Toby made legal right turn from 15th Street in to 4th Avenue. Hey, hang the car! Come on, Mr. Healy! Here's the guy! Hey, please! All right, all right. Give him some air. Come on now, let me throw you. All right, stand back. Let's have a look. Is he hurt, bad officer? I didn't see him. Honest, I didn't. I had the right of way. He's fast now. One of you people called for an ambulance. Yeah, you. Okay, move back. He's bleeding. Here, I'll prop up his head. Yeah, use his jacket. Here, I'll hold him. Now he's limp. Feels just like he's dead. Yes, Venice Bowers felt like he was dead. Venice Bowers suffered from catalepsy, a strange disease. He carried it all times a note in his inside coat pocket stating that he was a cataleptic and that in the event of seeming death his wife should be immediately notified or as doctor in the event his wife is unavailable. The letter also requested that no autopsy or embalming should be performed on his body for 72 hours, although in his particular case the duration of the attacks were usually four hours or less. Venice Bowers also wore a sterling silver bracelet with an inscription reading, Do not embalm me. I am not dead. Catalepsy is a disease of the nerves in mind. The physical condition of the cataleptic when he is under a spell closely resemble death in all aspects including the primary stages of rigor mortis. Officer Abbott was at the scene of the accident. He administered first aid to the injured man before making out his report. That ought to stop the bleeding. Looks like just a cut on his forehead when he hit the ground. Nothing much. He can't be hurt bad, officer. I didn't hit him hard. That's right, officer. God, I look like just a little bump. All right now, clear back. Clear back. Let's have a little air here. I'll have to take down some information. What's your name? Theodore Toby. Here's my license. Hey, hey you kids. What do those kids do? They picked up. Oh, here it comes. I hope he's all right. It doesn't look like he's breathing. My gosh, he is. I told you to get back now. Come on. He's back. All of you here. Hello, Doc. Glad you got here. He's out cold. Yeah, I'd say he is. Well, have a look. Well, let's get him away. He's dead. Well, anyway, it didn't happen in the coach. Okay. I'll take him away. Keep them back, officer, will you? Okay. Keep back. Come on. Clear off. He's all over. It's the second one today. Yeah. Well, let's go. Whose jacket was that he was laying on? I don't know. Did you pick it up? Nope. Hey, officer. Yeah. Where's the jacket? The jacket. The guy's jacket. Oh, my gosh. It's gone. Oh, okay. Oh, those kids. Never mind. Let's go pay him. Ennis Bowers had lost the identification of his condition. The letter was in the inside pocket of his jacket. The silver chain he wore on his left wrist had snapped and fallen to the pavement. Two youngsters picked up the chain. Robert Manelli aged nine and a half and Tommy Stoner, eight. Y'all got us. Did you hear him? Yeah. He's in the back. No. What for? So he can keep it? Let's go around the back to your father's shop, boss. Sure is a nice chain. Hey, there's writing on it. Maybe it's a guy's name. Have you heard that? Hey, what's it saying? Oh, just a second. We'll be out of the alley. Yeah. Pop's gone home to eat. Can you read it now? Wait a second. Will you? It says, do not embal... Do not something me. I am not dead. It's screwy. What do we do with it? Sell it, dopey. I... Well, that's stealing, Bob. It ain't stealing. We found it, didn't we? When we tried to sell it, they'll ask us where we got it. What do we tell them? Nothing. I'll use your head. You know what we'll do? What? We'll use Pop's weld and torch. We'll melt it down. But he told us not to use it. Pop ain't here, is he? No. Well, come on. Well, there it is. Yeah. Now here, you put it on that brick. Okay? Yeah. Be careful. What are you kids doing? What? Oh, well... Hello, Pop. Nothing, Mr. Minnelli. We ain't doing nothing. Nothing, eh? I thought I told you kids not to go need the torch. Well, we want to melt this down. Come on. Come on. Give me that. Now, what's it all about? Well, we found this chain, Poppin. We want to melt it down and sell it. Chain and melt? Who's is it? You don't know. Do we, Tommy? No, no, we don't. Yeah. Well, where you get it? We found it. Oh, come on. Come on. Let me have it. Well, there's nothing wrong, Pop. We just found it. See? It's all right. Oh, shut up. Do not embalm me. I am not dead. Okay. What's that? It's screwy. Well, where you find it? Emma Street. Honest, Pop. Ask Tommy. All right. Get out of here. Well, how about melting it down, Pop? We can sell it and buy some baseball. All right. I'll keep back. Yeah. Look at Tommy. You see it? Yeah. Got in the melt. You see how he does it? Keep away, I told you. Go on, Melvin. They sold the melted chain for $1.30 to a dealer. $1.30. What the coat? The coat was the principal thing in the coat. In the inside pocket was the letter. The information about Ernest Bauer's condition was in the letter. The instructions that could save his life. The coat was picked up from the street by Honest Jerry Murdock. Now, there's a big sign near the corner of 15th Street. It says Honest Jerry Murdock, swap shop. He brought the coat into his store, rummaged around on his shelves until he found some cleaner, started to clean the blood stains. I'm looking for a sports jacket. Just a moment. What kind? Conservative. Oh. Come over here, please. Mm-hmm. Yeah, something on that order. There you are. Just pick out what you want. How much you want to spend? About five bucks. Oh. These cost more. How much? From eight to twelve. Now, over here, we got some cheaper. These don't look so hot for eight bucks. From eight to twelve. Over here. Well, I'll take a look. No, at least don't appeal to me. And what size do you wear? Forty. Oh, yeah. Try this one on. Nice and conservative. There. Yeah. It's kind of tight around the shoulders. Yeah, it looks cheesy. Well, I guess you ain't got what I want. Wait, wait, wait a minute. Wait, what's your hurry? I'm just putting a new one in stock over here by the county. No, that looks all right. What size is it? I don't know. Here, let's try it on you, huh? How's that? Yeah. That feels all right. All right. Yeah, it's kind of stiff in front here. It's almost new, ain't it? You'll break it in. It feels like cardboard or something. Look, you want it? Five dollars. Okay. There might be still a couple stains on it. I had no time to take them out. You use some cleaner on it to bring it to the tailor's hill spot. It'll be better than new. Yeah. Here is the five. Ernest Bowers was brought to the receiving room of the better general hospital. The time for ten. Bowers was going to awaken, it would probably be before 645. Intern on duty, Dr. Weldon made out his report. He wrote it down while he was standing near the telephone switchboard. Oh. This is the better general hospital. Is there anybody by the name of Bowers at home that's Bowers? B-O-W-E-R-A. No, nobody home. Is Mr. Bowers married? His wife thinks so. Where can I reach her? There's been an accident. I don't know. She's out. Will you tell her to call the better general hospital? Huh. Mr. Bowers is dead. That's funny. Just a superficial cut on the forehead. Well, that's cardiac. I'm going to go. Hey, get me the orderly room, honey. Okay. Use that phone there. Right. This is Dr. Weldon. There's a delivery for you to go to the morgue. Morgue now? Yeah. I ain't had anything to eat since... Yeah, I know. Since lunch. Go on now. It's down the receiving room. The papers are down there too. Can I get a sandwich first? No. Go on. Get going. Oh, why can't I wait a few minutes? It's got to go now. They'll want to start the embalming so they can go home. It was then 4.22 in the afternoon. Dr. Theodore J. Weldon left, honey, at the switchboard and walked upstairs to the intern quarters and settled down to reading the sports page of the afternoon paper. At that moment, if anyone had been in receiving room B of the better general hospital where the body of Ernest Bowers lay on the patient carriage, they would have seen a fly crawl slowly across the face of the dead man, and they would have seen his nose twitch. For suspense, Roma Wines are bringing you an all-star cast of Hollywood radio players headed by Wally Mayer in Dead Ernest, a radio play by Celie Glester and Mervyn Gerard. Roma Wines' presentation tonight in radio's outstanding theatre of thrills, Suspense. Between the acts of suspense, this is Truman Bradley for Roma Wines. In Roma Wines, you enjoy an important difference. Yes, Roma gives you an extra dividend of enjoyment in fuller bouquet, richer body, and better taste. To bring you better tasting wines every time, Roma selects from California's choicest grapes. Then with ancient skill and America's finest wine-making resources, Roma Master Ventners guide this grape treasure to tempting taste perfection. These choice wines are placed with Mellow Roma Wines of years before, and from these reserves, the world's greatest reserves of fine wines, Roma later selects for your pleasure. That's why more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wine. That's why you will find Roma California wine your best buy in good taste. So whether you prefer sherry or port, muscatel or toque, insist on Roma wine, R-O-M-A, Roma, the greatest name in wine. And now Roma Wines bring back to our Hollywood soundstage Wally Mayer, who as police lieutenant Healy heads an all-star cast of Hollywood radio players in Dead Ernest, a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. Henry Prince had purchased the coat in which was the letter that could save the life of Ernest Bowers. When Henry Prince left Honest Jerry Murdock's second-hand store, he stopped to have a chat with some friends, made some purchases at the grocery store, and then started home. The time a few minutes after five, he lived about two blocks from the scene of the accident, and his wife was waiting for him. Turn around a little bit, will you? How do you like it for five o'clock? Oh, it looks all right. You lose some of that weight. Look better. Wait a minute, wait a minute. What's that, a spot? Where? Take it off a minute. Here. Yeah? Yeah. I wonder what that is. Oh, he said there were a couple of spots. Cleaner will take them off. Yeah, it looks like it might be... What's this in the pocket? Hmm? I don't know. For heaven's sake. To whom it may concern, please open and read. Well, that's what must have felt stiff, huh? Yeah. This note is carried on my person wherever I go. It is to advise responsible parties that I am a... a cataleptic, that if it appears as though I am dead, I am not, and that my body is not to be molested for a period of 72 hours, neither by autopsy nor by embalming, although the maximum periods of my attacks usually do not exceed four hours. Please telephone my wife, Mrs. Margaret Bowers, at 211-231. This is a boarding house. Address, 841-111, West 25th Street. If she is not there, please try to ask Mr. 434-22. This is the number of Dr. Benton. It is of vital importance. It may mean my life. Thank you, Ernest Bowers. Yeah, that's a funny one. Where'd you get that jacket, Harry? That honest, Jerry Murdock. Gee, I wonder what we can do. Well, nothing is probably forgotten already. Somebody sold the jacket to him, forgot to take the letter off. Sounds like something a guy'd forget. Well, it might be important. I said, look at that, Harry. Those spots look like blood. No, too dark. That's the color that blood turns. I'm gonna telephone that number. Well, go ahead, but I think you're wasting your time. I'll go hush with you a minute. Oh, the crying out loud. I'd like to talk to Mrs. Bowers. She ain't in. Well, how do you know? You didn't even go to find... She went out, and you weren't the first after her. Who else wanted to get in touch with her? Oh, somebody. I don't know who. Oh, well, thank you. There, you see? You're wasting your time. I'll try that doctor. Oh, for heaven's sakes. I'm turning into a regular busybody. Well, think of somebody else. Well, I'm getting hungry. Oh, hush with you. Oh, hush with you. How about some dinner? It's cooking. It's cooking. Honestly, I can't get it out of my head. That guy, whoever he is, just lying there and people think of him dead when he ain't. Maybe doing things to him. Gee, what's him bombing? Oh, they do that at the morgue. It's preparing his body for burial. I think they take all the blood out of his veins. For heaven's sakes, that'd kill him if he wasn't already dead. Ha-ha, couldn't kill him any deader. Harry, I'm gonna find out about that coat. Now, where's this place you bought? Now, wait a minute, Francis. I put in a good day's work. I'm tired. I don't want to run around the city looking for something I don't even know about. Well, I'll go myself. How about me at home here while you go out? I want to eat. I'm hungry. Well, dinner won't be ready for another 15 minutes anyway. Where's the place? Oh, all right. I'll go with you. Sure. What do you have? We want to find out about the man next door. Do you know when we'll come back? Oh, honestly, Harry? Yeah. No. Are you there? No, he isn't. Harry, listen, go take another look. I'll try that number again. Oh, Pramp. I haven't said that. I'm hungry. I'm using this. Oh. Well, he ain't back yet. Well, what does this sign say, 10 minutes? Yeah, but those guys put up signs like that if they're going away for an hour. Well, we'll just wait a couple of more minutes. Oh, come on, Francis. Oh, hello. Wait. Is Mrs. Bowers in? No. Uh, Mr. Bowers. He's there. He is? That's what they tell me. Oh, look. Listen, would you please? Your father and me, lady. I got a meal set up on the table. I can't be answering a million questions. Yeah. All I want to know is when Mr. Bowers died. How do I know? Ask Mrs. Bowers. She'll be home soon. Yeah. Well, thanks. Well? Mr. Bowers is dead. I found that out. Oh, you see? I told you. Well, what about the letter then? What if he ain't dead? What if they only think he's dead? What do you want to do? Wait here all night? If I have to. Well, without me then. Well, just do as you please. I'll be home. I'm hungry. It's after six. If you think more of a crazy letter than you do with feeding your own husband, then that's all. What do you mean, that's all? Just what I said. That's all. Harry, the trouble with you is you haven't got any imagination. No, I haven't got any imagination. I'm just a home-loving guy. That's all. I don't go sticking my nose where I don't belong. Oh, well, for heaven's sakes, go home then. I'll find out about it. Think of something beside your stomach once in a while. Officer! Officer! Yes, ma'am? Do you know where the fellow who owns that swap shop lives? Honest Jerry Murdock? No, ma'am. I don't. Oh, dear. Gee, I want to get in touch with him. And there's a sign on his door. Why don't you ask him, ma'am? There he is now. He's just going in over there. Oh, gee. Thank you. Oh, gee. I'm sure glad you came back. Come in. Come in. Just out having a bitey. Yeah, listen. You sold my husband a jacket, a sports jacket this afternoon. Did I? What kind? Well, a light blue one with little red boxes in it. It had a few stains on it. Oh, sorry. I can't take anything back once it's sold. No, no, no. I don't want to give it back. Listen, where did you get it, Mr. Murdock? How come I remember where I got it? Long ago. Was it very long ago? I don't see what's any of your business where I got it. Well, it may be important. I've been trying to reach the numbers. The doctor's number's always busy and his wife isn't home yet. I don't know what you're talking about. Look, tell me one thing. Just one thing. Did you have the jacket in here a long time? Well... Oh, please. Listen, it's very important. Well, no, no. I just got it in this afternoon. Where did you get it? Look, you said one question. He asked it. I answered it. That's all. There was blood on it. Well, then I can't help. Listen, if that man's alive and they do anything to him, I'll just never get over it. I'll never be able to live with myself. What are you talking about? Listen to me. There was a letter in the inside pocket of that jacket. You see, it said that Ernest Bowers was a cataleptic. What's that? He goes into... No, no, no. A cataleptic is somebody who looks like he's dead at times and he isn't. He goes into a spell and it looks as though he's dead. You see, sometimes they take dead bodies to the morgue and bomb them. That means they take all the blood out of their veins. Now, this fellow Bowers is a cataleptic. I don't know whether he's dead or alive, or even if he's worrying about this letter, I don't know. I... There was... What? An accident before... Where? Who was in it? I don't know. Believe me, lady. I didn't know anything about all this. You think that this guy was taking away an ambulance was a cataleptic? That coat. Was it his? Yeah, lady, but it was left there in the street. They drove away and left. Who? The ambulance. What ambulance? I don't know. It was on the corner. The cop was there. He told somebody to call an ambulance. It came and took away the man. Is that the cop out there right now? Yeah, yeah, but look, look. You're gonna protect me. I ain't done anything wrong. I didn't know anything like this had happened. Officer! Ernest Bowers lay on a slab at the moor. If he were alive, how abilities were that he would regain consciousness before 645. The two embalmers on duty at the time had decided to get a bite to eat when the phone rang. Yeah, but we're going out to eat. Yeah, I know another one just came in. We got it here. Well, what's a rush? Oh, no. We just want to grab a cup of coffee. We'll get right on it. Well, is it our fault if it comes in just when we want to have a... Oh! Well, we can go home after? Yeah, that puts a different complexion. Okay. Yeah. Hey, what time is it, Anthony? 6.30. Good. Doc says if we embalm this one now, we can go home. Well, let's start in then. I'm hungry. Okay, I'll start the motor. Young guy, ain't he? Yeah. I was saying to the wife about that yesterday. Oh, get the injector out, will you, Tony? Yeah. She was saying more and more people die older and older. Here. Yeah, it looks like we can open through the neck. Yeah. Give me a piece of that gauze. Yeah. I said to Velma, she should be around this place a while. We get them all ages. You want me to do it? No, no. You get the injector ready. Look at him. You'd never think that such a little thing like his heart stops beating could make him dead and not alive. Yeah. Okay. Oh, hold us steady, will you? Yeah. Ready? Just a second. What's the matter? My glasses. They're clouding up. Take them off. That's all right. I'll just clean them. What did the wife say to that? What? All about all ages? Yeah. Oh, she didn't have anything to say. Only that most of the guys we deal with probably come to a violent end. There's something in that. Okay, I got my glasses cleaned. Oh, let's see here. What's the matter? They're steamed up again. That's funny. Every time I bend over and it, I wonder. What? Oh, it must be my imagination. What? I could have sworn this guy was breathing on my glasses. Is he? No. How could he? Oh, come on then. Let's go. It's a quarter to seven already. Yeah. Oh, hold it. I'll get the phone. No, no. Let's get this started first. Okay. We'll just stop. Huh? What's the matter with you? I thought I saw this guy's hand twitch. Don't be silly. Give me a scare. Let's wait a second. I'll get the phone. It'll probably be another job and we'll never get out of here. Let her ring. But the doc said we could go home after. All right. Well, come on. Let's get this thing over with. Okay. Give me the knife again. I'll make a nice, neat little incision right. Hey, Tony. Yeah? Look, I'm bent over like this. See, I ain't going to move. My glasses are full of steam again. Oh, Lord. Is he alive? Well, look at me. I'm shaking all over. Look at him, Hal. Look at his lips. Huh? Listen. Shut that thing off. Apparently the life of Ernest Bowers was worth $1.30 for a silver bracelet to the boys who ran away with it. And $5 for a bloodstained jacket to Honest, Jerry Murdock. Their petty thefts brought a man to the brink of death. As for the busy telephone in the doctor's office, it wasn't busy at all. The good doctor had unwittingly replaced the receiver on the phone stand incorrectly. There is just one more episode which perhaps does not belong in an accident report, but which I would like to include. After regaining full consciousness, Ernest Bowers put in a telephone call from the morgue. Hello, Mrs. Brawley. Is Mrs. Bowers in? Yes. This is Mr. Bowers. I know Mrs. Brawley, but they made a mistake. Are you? Well, darling, it's quite a long story. Well, never mind. You get right home. You hear? Your dinner's getting ice cold. The Spans. Presented by Roma Wines, R-O-M-A, Roma, America's favorite wines. In just one moment we'll have a special announcement of interest to our suspense listeners. This is Truman Bradley reminding you that Roma wines taste better because Roma selects better tasting wines from the world's greatest wine reserves. Yes, in Roma wine you enjoy an extra premium goodness in fuller bouquet, richer body, and better taste. That's why more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wine. So insist on Roma, a premium wine in everything but price. Tomorrow enjoy the ruby richness of Roma, California port. Delicious after dinner, ideal for entertaining. Now, it is my pleasure to introduce Mr. Don Thornburg, vice president of the Columbia Broadcasting System. Ladies and gentlemen, your regular suspense listeners will, I'm sure, be pleased to know that your suspense program has won the 1946 George Foster Peabody Award for Outstanding Excellence in Radio Drama. In behalf of the Columbia Broadcasting System, I congratulate producer William Spear, the actors, the musicians, sound effects men, technicians, announcers, and the sponsor Roma Wines, whose combined efforts have earned for suspense the well-deserved title of Radio's Outstanding Theatre of Thrill. Dead Ernest heard this evening. It's one of the plays upon which the Peabody Award was based. It was repeated by popular requests. Next Thursday, same time, Roma Wines bring you Mr. Robert Mitchum as star of Suspense Radio's Outstanding Theatre of Thrill, produced and directed by William Spear for the Roma Wine Company of Fresno, California.