Now, the Roma Wine Company of Fresno, California presents...
Suspense!
Tonight, Roma wines bring you the suspenseful play called The Taming of the Beast, starring Nancy Kelly and Helmut Dantien.
Suspense is presented for your enjoyment by Roma Wines. That's R-O-M-A, Roma Wines.
Those excellent California wines that can add so much pleasantness to the way you live, to your happiness and entertaining guests, to your enjoyment of everyday meals.
Yes, right now a glass full would be very pleasant, as Roma Wines bring you a remarkable tale of suspense.
And with the drama called The Taming of the Beast, and with the performances of Miss Nancy Kelly as Nora Van Nostrand and Mr Helmut Dantien as Dr. Ferrari, Roma Wines hope indeed to keep you in...
Suspense!
I knew what kind of woman Nora was the minute I laid eyes on her. She was very beautiful, equally neurotic and utterly heartless.
She was the kind of a woman who wants everything, gives nothing and still thinks she's a passionate bargain for any man.
Completely unconscious of the fact that her only real motivation in life is to humiliate, dominate and finally destroy any man she can get her hands on.
But that didn't matter either. You see, she had three million dollars.
And I'd already made up my mind if my plans worked out that I was going to kill her.
She and Mark had given a party that night.
The last of us were just leaving and you could tell then that a storm was brewing and was going to break out the minute the door closed behind us.
Good night, Nora, darling.
Oh, Evelyn, it was wonderful to have you.
Darling, you know I wouldn't miss one of your parties for anything. You can always count on at least one good fight.
Good night, Mark.
Oh, good night.
Oh, good night, Nora.
Good night, Harry.
Oh, can I see you tomorrow?
Call me.
Oh, I will. Good night, Mark. Thanks a million for everything.
Good night. Good night, Mrs. Venostran.
Oh, Dr. Ferrari, I'm so glad Maxine brought you along. You were simply fascinating. I do want to hear more about it sometime.
Thank you. Thank you very much. Good night, Mr. Venostran. It was a great pleasure indeed.
Good night, Doctor.
Mark, Mark, must you insult everyone that I ever bring into this house?
Me? I didn't insult anyone.
Well, maybe you didn't slap anyone across the face with your gloves, but you might just as well have.
Maybe I might at that.
And what does that mean?
Nora, for your information, and I mean this very sincerely, it's apt to stir up some pretty primitive adrenal reactions when a man sees some handsome heel trying to make a date with his wife right under his very nose.
Oh, Mark, how utterly childish. What are you thinking of?
It's not what I'm thinking of. It's what he's thinking of. You know what it is.
Well, what if he is? He's only human. And if you're insinuating that I'm...
I'm not insinuating anything. If I thought that...
What do you expect me to do while you're downtown all day? Sit around home playing housewife? You know I'm not that kind of a person. You promised me when we were married.
I know, Nora, I know. I'm sorry. It's just that I'm a little jealous. Can't you see that? Because I love you. Okay?
No. No, Mark. I think we ought to have a very thorough talk about the whole thing.
All right, darling, but not tonight. I'm tired.
Not tonight. Not tonight. I'm tired. That's what you always say every time I want to discuss anything with you.
It's all right when you want to sit up all night and talk, but when it's a question of my problems and my friends...
What do you mean, your friends? I've never heard you say a decent word about anyone other than your life, unless you wanted to pick a quarrel with me.
Mark, don't you shout at me. All right, but...
I'm certainly not the one who's trying to pick a quarrel. I'm simply trying to get you to adopt a reasonable attitude.
Well, you're not trying to be reasonable. You're just trying to make me out of heel because I don't like that bunch of sponging, neurotic...
Spongey? Who pays for the parties we give? Who bought and paid for this house that you're living in?
Laura. I did. And I don't notice you leaning over backwards.
I'm your husband, Laura. Then stop torturing me. Stop preaching.
Stop telling me what I ought to do and try to be decent yourself once in a while.
I'm not preaching. Oh, shut up!
I won't stand for this, Laura. Won't you? Well, then maybe you won't stand for this either.
Laura. For this.
Laura, I warn you, stop throwing those glasses around. What will you do? What will you do? What will you do?
Laura, you're all you mind. You're sick. You're crazy. All right. All right. I'm crazy.
See? See? I'm crazy. I'm crazy.
You... You hit me.
I could kill you when you act like this. I could kill you.
Yes, what is it? Dr. Ferrari, Mr. Mark Van Oostrand would like to see you.
Van Oostrand? So soon? Have him come in.
Hello, Dr. Ferrari. Come in, Mr. Van Oostrand.
Sit down. Thanks. So, I'm afraid I didn't make a very good first impression as a host last night.
Oh, that's all right. A man in my profession never goes on first impressions anyway.
No, I suppose not. But if there was anything that... Well, I guess without realizing it, I was a little disturbed even then.
About your wife. How did you know?
Oh, it's rather obvious. You're a sane, sober, well-adjusted sort of man, while Mrs. Van Oostrand is inclined to be more volatile.
You mean neurotic, don't you?
If you prefer. And if you know what the word means.
I think I do.
Very well, then. Yes, Mrs. Van Oostrand is very definitely neurotic. But most of us are, more or less.
Doctor, I'm not trying to blame her. I know there are causes behind these things. And I love Nora.
But I don't know how I could go on living without her. And I mean that quite literally.
Of course you do.
At first I was able to cope with it all right, but now I'm beginning to lose my grip.
Like last night. We had a terrible quarrel after all of you had left. We made it up, of course, but this time it really shook me. Frightened me.
Yes.
I'd suggested a couple of times before that maybe she ought to go to a doctor, some nerve specialist or something.
It always made her so furious that I... Well, anyway, after hearing some of your conversation last night, some of the results you'd had, well I thought, what could I lose? I'd try again.
And so you did.
Yes. And I was never so surprised in my life. She agreed.
Well, of course we often find that meeting people socially is very helpful in overcoming resistance.
Yeah, that's what I thought I was. Doctor, you can help her, can't you? I don't know what I'd do if...
Mrs. Van Oosteren herself will cooperate. Yes, I can.
Swell. She's here with me waiting outside. Shall I bring her in?
Please do.
Nora?
Yes?
Come in, will you, darling?
How do you do, Mrs. Van Oosteren?
Hello, Dr. Ferrari. I suppose Mark has convinced you by this time that I'm mad as a hatter.
Oh, no, darling.
In our profession, Mrs. Van Oosteren, we don't go and hearsay evidence.
Well, I guess there's no sense in my hanging around.
I know I wouldn't wait if I were you. These preliminary interviews sometimes take quite a while.
I'll see you this evening, Nora.
Goodbye, darling.
Goodbye.
Well, Mrs. Van Oosteren?
Well, what do we do now? I suppose I go into some sort of a trance and you pry all my little secrets out of me.
Let us understand each other. Nobody's forcing you to come here, and you can go now if you like.
And suppose I don't like?
All right, then let's talk sense.
You know this is all very silly, don't you?
I don't know anything of the kind. Why did you come if you thought it was silly?
To humor Mark.
Oh, I see. You've never humored him before my going to a doctor, have you?
All right. Do you want the nice, sensible reason, or do you want the real one?
Let's try the real one.
Well, then, I came here because I find you very attractive.
I see.
Well, it's your turn.
Do you want the professional answer?
Oh, no. Let's not be professional yet.
In that case, I think you're the most exciting woman I've ever met in my life.
For suspense, Roma Wines are bringing you as stars Miss Nancy Kelly and Mr. Helmut Dantien,
whom you have heard in the first act of The Taming of the Beast,
a radio play by Charles Smith and Robert Richards,
which is Roma Wines' presentation tonight of Suspense.
Between the acts of suspense, this is Truman Bradley for Roma Wines.
Next Sunday is Easter, and now here is a timely word from Elsa Maxwell,
gracious authority on hospitality.
Easter is a joyous day, and I know many of you have carefully saved ration points
to get something special for dinner.
Perhaps it is a tempting mouth-watering roast of ham or a tender golden brown roast duck.
May I suggest that you add to the joyousness of the occasion by serving Roma California Sauternes.
This glorious wine lends a welcome note of golden color to your table
and adds to the enjoyment and pleasure of dining.
An attractively set table, a steaming platter with the Easter ham or duck or roast,
done to a golden brown turn and then the crowning touch,
a glistening glass full of Roma Sauternes set beside each dinner plate.
Truly a tempting picture.
And Roma Sauternes is the gracious note that makes your dinner truly enjoyable.
You'll enjoy its fragrant delicateness and delightful bouquet.
Like all the Roma wines, this masterpiece of the winegrowers' art has unvarying goodness.
The happy result of selected grapes, picked at the very peak of their flavor
in California's choicest vineyards, guided to perfection by the ancient skill of Roma's famed wineries.
Serve Roma wine this Easter. Serve it regularly.
Remember, more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wine.
R-O-M-A, Roma wines.
And now Roma wines bring back to our soundstage,
Nancy Kelly as Nora van Oostrand and Helmut Dantien as Dr. Paul Ferrari
in The Taming of the Beast, a play well calculated to keep you in suspense.
Of course I'm no more a doctor than Shirley Templow, a psychologist either.
But I've picked up enough of the lingo to get by. It's easy.
You just go to one of these semi-resort places in a state where the laws aren't too strict,
put on a little front, get invited to the right parties,
and before you can say Sigmund Freud, everybody in town, was so much better than you.
You can't do that. You can't do that.
You can't do that. You can't do that.
You can't go to parties, and before you can say Sigmund Freud, everybody in town,
was so much money and time, they haven't anything better to do
are flocking into your office and writing you big fat cheques
just to lie around and talk about themselves.
With Nora, all I had to do was to get her to come around once,
and I knew I could keep her coming back.
Well, things were coming along very nicely with Nora,
I still kept a little professional touch just for appearances.
Then one afternoon she came in and I noticed she had a look in her eye.
A glit of excitement and amusement too.
Almost as though she was secretly laughing at me.
For a minute I was worried and I fell back on the indifference and the professional manner
until I could find out what it was.
You're very quiet today, darling.
Is this one of the days I'm supposed to do the talking?
No, Nora. I will do the talking.
Well then why don't you? I'm waiting.
Nora, have you had those x-rays taken as I asked you to?
How now, darling? How in the world did x-rays get into this conversation?
Because they are very important.
A minor organic disorder can cause all kinds of psychic disturbances.
I've told you all about that, darling.
Yes, darling, you did and it was very boring.
That's not the point. Did you have them taken?
Yes, I did.
At the Mills Laboratories?
Yes.
And when will I have the proofs?
Oh, two or three days, I think they said.
Oh, that's right. That's fine.
Paul, I want to ask you something now.
What?
Paul, do you really think I'm improving?
What do you think?
Oh, well, I feel more vital, more alive, more exhilarated than I have for oh years.
Do you really think it's you?
What do you think?
Well, I think maybe yes.
Nora, perhaps the time has come for me to have a little talk with you about some things that I haven't been sure you were quite ready for up to now.
Darling, you're really pretty attractive, aren't you?
Nora, as you become a more adjusted person, a more complete and more developed person, you must expect certain changes in your attitude towards your environment and your life.
Oh, I'll certainly feel cheated if there aren't. What are you getting at, Paul?
Nora, you must expect as you become adjusted that relationships with people who are no longer as adjusted as yourself will no longer be entirely satisfactory to you.
Oh, relationships such as, such as marriage?
Yes, quite, Nora.
This is a proposal, isn't it, Paul?
What, Nora?
Yes, yes, I think it is. And I think what you're really trying to tell me and haven't the courage to say is that I've got to get Mark out of the way.
I didn't say that, Nora.
Well, that's what you meant, wasn't it? But you don't need to worry, Paul.
Worry?
I suppose it really isn't fair. I suppose I really should have told you as soon as I came in.
Told me what?
Yes, I know I should have. You must be able to confide in your analyst. Isn't that the idea?
Nora, what are you talking about?
About Mark.
What about Mark?
Mark shot himself as I was leaving the house about 20 minutes ago.
This, of course, was a wonderful break. In all my plans, I never thought Mark would bow himself out with as little fuss as that.
I must say he was a sport about it. No notes left behind, no accusing anybody. He just put the gun to his head and that was it.
After that, it was easy. Nobody knew anything yet, so I was able as Nora's analyst to say that it was vital to our health to get away.
We left the very night and were married in Yuma six hours later. And we stayed away just travelling around for nearly six months.
Nora had the big house and everything back home, so of course finally we went back.
I'd forgotten all about the x-rays I told Nora to have taken. They were nothing but window dressing anyway.
But the next day when I went downtown to close up my office...
Dr. Ferrari speaking. Who? Oh yes, Mills Laboratories, yes. Yes, of course. Oh yes, x-rays for Mrs. Ferrari.
Yes, well, what is it? Tell me. What? Oh, this is terrible. Are you sure? She's my wife, you see. She's... I'm very sorry.
Forgive me, yes. Listen, you must promise me one thing. Promise me that you won't tell this to another living soul.
Absolutely to no one, you understand that. Thank you very much. You might as well send them around to my house.
I could hardly believe it, because you see I hadn't really made up my mind yet when I was going to kill Nora or how.
I only knew for a certainty that she would become unbearable eventually, and then I would have to do it.
But now, there was my answer. The brakes were coming my way all right and fast.
Of course Nora became more and more difficult just as I'd known she would, but I could stand anything now. That is, I thought I could.
But one day I went into my study. I'd closed my office, but the big stud in the east wing did come in handy every so often.
And I always kept it locked. Only this time when I unlocked the door and went in there was Nora.
Oh, hello. What are you doing in here, Nora? What do you mean, what am I doing in here?
Just what I said. What are you doing in here? Going through your things? Yes, I can see that. And why?
Paul, you seem to forget that this is my house. And you seem to forget that these are my things.
And that the reason I keep them locked up is precisely so that you won't go sticking your nose into things that are none of your business.
Now get out of here. Oh no. Nora, are you going to walk out or am I going to put you out? Neither, I think.
Who was that woman who was in here this afternoon? A patient. A patient. You haven't had a patient since you retired on my money.
That's right. And enjoying every penny of it. Who was she? I told you, a patient. You're lying.
All right, I'm lying. She was anything you want to think. Now will you please go away and leave me alone?
Then I suppose these are hers. Oh, you found those, didn't you? Yes, yes, I found them, did I?
And would you mind telling me why any patient of yours has to have full length x-ray pictures?
Oh really, Nora, you're beginning to board on the psychotic. You don't think I get excited about x-ray pictures of women, do you?
What are these pictures? I see you've forgotten, my dear, that when you were more impressed with my talents than you seem to be now,
you had some full length x-ray pictures taken. Oh. Those are yours. I don't blame you for not recognizing yourself. Beauty is only skin deep.
Paul, why did you stop analyzing me? Because you didn't need it anymore. You decided that rather suddenly, didn't you?
Yes, I decided that the day after I married you. Now will you please leave me? You're becoming very tiresome.
Tiresome? Now I'm tiresome? After you drove poor Mark to his grave? After you... Those who are bringing in poor Mark now.
Bringing? Oh, if I could only bring him back. Oh, stop it, Nora. You wouldn't have Mark back if you walked into this room right now.
Oh, wouldn't I? No, and I tell you why. You never did want Mark from the moment you found out that you could snap your fingers and he would come running to you like a puppy.
And you wanted me from the moment you found out that I wouldn't. And that's why you wouldn't leave me if I tried to beat you away with a club. How is that for analysis?
Oh. Oh, you beast. You vile, contemptible beast. So I am a beast. But until you find some way of taming the beast, you are stuck with it.
And that concludes the lesson for today. Class dismissed. Maybe I will, Paul. Maybe... Maybe I will find some way of taming the beast.
Go ahead and try. And in the meantime, you might try being a little more like a human being yourself in the short time you have got left.
Well, I... What do you mean? What I say. What do you mean?
All right, Nora. I've tried to keep it from you. But maybe you have got that coming to you, too.
Oh, what are you saying? It's not what I'm saying. It's what those x-rays are saying. And if you don't believe me, take them to any doctor.
I asked you what you were saying. Why don't you tell me? You have got a brain tumor, Nora. You will be dead in about 90 days.
I suppose I shouldn't have told her. But I couldn't resist it. And I couldn't see that it would make much difference one way or the other.
The laws in this state are pretty tight about a husband sharing a wife's property. And I was bound to get half anyway.
Nora had no relatives. So even if she tried to get nasty and leave the other half to the old lady's home or something, I could always break the will.
As a matter of fact, telling her seemed to do a certain amount of good. Because suddenly she changed.
For the first time since I had known her, she had moments and even several days in a stretch of being genuinely kind and considerate and even affectionate.
She wasn't suffering much, having violent headaches, but otherwise in pretty good shape right up until the end.
And the 90 days were nearly up when she called me into her room one day. And I went in and sat beside her on the bed.
Paul, do you ever think much about death?
Oh darling, you mustn't have morbid thoughts like that. Maybe it won't happen for a long time. Maybe.
Oh no, my thoughts aren't morbid. I really don't mind now. I don't mind in the least.
That's the way to be, Nora.
But what about you, Paul?
What about me?
Yes. How do you feel about death?
Well, I guess I never thought much about it.
Oh, don't you think everyone should?
Maybe.
What do you think, Paul?
Well, I can't say that I'm exactly looking forward to it, but it looks like I'm lucky. Looks like it's still a pretty far away for me.
And that's funny, Paul, because you know, I am looking forward to it.
You're looking forward to it?
Paul, don't you think that if somebody really accomplished something by dying, they would look forward to it?
You mean being a hero or a saviour of your country or something? I don't believe in heroics.
No, no, I don't mean that. I mean, if someone did something for themselves, something they wanted to do more than anything else in all their lives,
and the only way they could do it was by dying, then wouldn't they look forward to it?
Well, maybe. Though I can't quite imagine the circumstances.
No, no, I suppose you can't. But Paul, if someone lost everything they'd always wanted by dying, that would be terrible, wouldn't it?
Yes, yes, I guess it would.
Dying would be torture then, wouldn't it? It would be the most terrible torture that any human being could ever experience, wouldn't it?
What's this all about, Nora? I never knew you were a philosopher.
Paul, did you ever see this before?
Why, yes, that's Mark's gun, isn't it? The one he killed and saved with.
That's right, Paul. Mark's gun.
What, what are you doing with it up here?
Well, didn't it ever occur to you that I wouldn't go without taking you with me?
No, Nora, you are, you are, what are you talking about? Give me, give me that gun.
No, no, don't, don't move, Paul.
Nora.
That hurts, doesn't it, Paul? You wouldn't get the money then, would you, Paul? You wouldn't get the money or anything, only death.
That would be torture, wouldn't it, Paul?
Nora, you're out of your mind. That would be murder. They would hack.
You see, Paul, they wouldn't hang me, would they?
They wouldn't have time, because I'll be dead in a few days.
But I'll still be alive when you're dead.
Nora.
You see, Paul, I did find a way of taming the beast after all.
Nora, no, Nora, no.
I'm going to die. There is not the slightest question about that.
Probably by tomorrow night at the latest. That's why I'm able to tell about this.
It doesn't matter now. Nothing matters much when you are dying, and you know you are dying.
But Nora was right. It would have been torture, except for one thing.
I still had one break coming. I've still got one last laugh.
Because now I know how Nora is going to feel when she goes.
Because she told me so herself. She told me what torture it would be.
For me, she thought. Only it won't. It will be for her.
Because it wasn't more than half an hour after she had shot me that the phone by her bed rang and she answered it in person.
Hello?
Mrs. Van Nostra, that is Mrs. Ferrari?
Yes.
Oh, thank heaven we've located you, Mrs. Ferrari. There's been a terrible mistake.
Well, who is this?
This is the Mills Laboratories. We took some x-rays of you last year, do you remember?
Yes.
Well, this has never happened before. But we were checking through our files today when we found out about the mistake.
We sent you the wrong x-rays. The other patient just died and that's how we came to find out about it.
So, you see, we... Hello, Mrs. Ferrari? Mrs. Ferrari?
Yes?
So I say, you see, you're in perfect health and you'll probably live to be a hundred. Hello? Hello, Mrs. Ferrari? Hello?
You'll live to be a hundred. You'll live to be a hundred.
And so closes the Taming of the Beast, in which Roma Wines have brought you Miss Nancy Kelly and Mr. Helmut Dantien as stars of tonight's study in Suspense.
Before our stars return to the microphone, let me say a word for Roma Wines, the sponsor of Suspense.
Elsa Maxwell is world famous for her hospitality and her understanding of niceties of entertaining. Recently, she said...
When friends drop in during the afternoon or evening, I find there is nothing more delightful than a glass of Roma California Sherry.
I serve Roma Sherry frequently before dinner too, and everybody welcomes it.
Ideal for all occasions, with a glorious golden amber color that looks so tempting, and with a light nut-like flavor that always tastes so good.
Distinguished Roma Wines, always delightful, always unburyingly good, yet cost only pennies a glass.
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Try Roma Vermouth soon, won't you?
Um, this is Nancy Kelly. It's always a really great privilege and delight to appear on Suspense.
And tonight I enjoyed particularly working with Mr. Dantien, and I should like you to know that in person he isn't at all the unscrupulous kind of villain that he played tonight.
But I guess you'll know that he isn't all bad if you've seen him in his current picture for Warner Brothers, Hotel Berlin.
Thank you very much, Miss Kelly. And allow me, ladies and gentlemen, to say in returning the courtesy that it's the greatest possible proof that Miss Kelly is a wonderful actress.
If she made you believe she was as evil and ruthless as she seemed to be in the play.
And, uh, I will make a plug too, Nancy. I know you will like to see her in the RKO picture, Betrayal from the East.
And I think we've just time to pass along this very important word from our government.
The armed forces need more nurses. If you're a registered nurse under 45, please recognize this need.
You can wire for information to the Surgeon General, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C., or call your local Red Cross chapter.
And if you cannot now qualify as an Army nurse, your services are urgently needed in essential civilian jobs.
Suspense is produced, edited, and directed by William Spear.
Next Thursday, same time, Dane Clark will be your star of Suspense.
Presented by Roma Wines, R-O-M-A. Made in California for enjoyment throughout the world.
This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.