And now, Roma Wines, R-O-M-A, made in California for enjoyment throughout the world.
Roma Wines presents Suspense.
Tonight, Roma Wines bring you Mr. John Lund, as star of A Plain Case of Murder,
a suspense play produced, edited, and directed for Roma Wines by William Spear.
Suspense, radio's outstanding theater of thrills, 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 in entertaining guests, to your enjoyment of everyday meals.
Yes, right now, a glass full would be very pleasant,
as Roma Wines bring you the young actor who has just made such an auspicious screen debut
in the Paramount picture to each his own.
John Lund appears as Randy, with Kathy Lewis as Marion, in tonight's tale of Suspense.
How you feeling now, Judson?
Lousy. You the doctor?
That's right. Who are those other two guys?
They're from the district attorney's office.
Huh. I suppose I might have known.
First thing I open my eyes, I'd see those vultures hovering around.
You're supposed right, all right. You gonna tell us about it?
Why should I?
Just to keep the records straight and save us a lot of trouble.
And you've got nothing to lose.
How do you figure that?
Because they're gonna carry you out of here with a sheet over your face before morning.
Is that right, Doc?
I'm afraid that's right.
Okay.
Take this down, Sonny.
Gotcha.
You can call it a plain case of murder.
Spelled P-L-A-N-E.
I make jokes, get it?
Yeah. Very, very funny.
I've been home three weeks when I finally broke down and called her.
And she said to come on out. Her husband wouldn't be home.
It's funny. I'd already met Dorothy, but I called Marion anyway.
Maybe I was crazy with hate even then.
Maybe it was what I did to her.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
Maybe it was what I'd been through, stuck in one of those civilian concentration camps
out in the Philippines for three long years.
And all the time dreaming about Marion.
Making up endless little scenes about how happy I was going to be when it was all over with Marion.
Until it seemed that all I was living and fighting for was Marion.
The whole war was just for Marion.
And then to come back and find she's married to this other guy.
Something like that will do things to you, no matter how good you are.
And so, once she told me to come out, I went.
Why?
A sort of horrible fascination, I suppose, to see it with my own eyes.
Because I already knew from everything I'd heard that she'd married the guy for his money.
And that the Marion I'd been dreaming about all those years was just another cheap little gold digger.
I went up to the big front door and rang the bell.
She must have seen me coming up the drive.
Because there she was right away to let me in herself.
My dream girl, Marion.
Randy.
Hello, Marion.
Hello, Randy.
You mind if I come in?
Of course not.
Come on in here. It's a little more private.
What do we need to be private about?
Oh, I thought we'd like to have a little talk.
Sure. Let's have a little talk.
Oh, Randy, please don't be bitter. Don't you see I couldn't help it?
Ed's such a wonderful person. I know you'll like him.
I can see why you like him.
No, no, Randy. It's nothing like that.
I thought you were dead. And then Ed came along and...
Well, we fell in love, that's all. A person can't help falling in love, can they?
You never tried to find out how dead I was, though, did you?
Oh, Randy, I did. I tried every way there was.
I checked on that. There's no record that you ever tried.
But I did. I swear I did.
Okay, skip it. It's really a lovely place you've got here.
Yes, isn't it? You can see the property better from over here.
Ed owns all this part of the valley. Clear over to those trees.
You can see them up against the mountain. You see? You see them?
Uh-huh. What's he do with it all?
Oh, nothing much. You see, Ed's real business is cattle.
Of course, this isn't cattle country.
He's visiting one of his cattle ranches now.
Oh. He away quite a lot?
Yes. Randy, tell me about you.
I saw in the papers a big welcome they gave you.
And all you've done out there, it must have been awful.
Wasn't fun.
Well, what are you doing now?
Well, in a way, you know, a thing like that almost pays off.
Pays off?
Uh-huh. All that hero business.
You know, I was out there for a commercial aircraft company.
Selling private planes to sugar growers and gold miners and so on.
Yes.
Well, the first thing that happens is that the company makes me vice president in charge of sales.
Seventy-five thousand a year.
Seventy-five thousand?
Uh-huh. And then the movies want to do my life story.
And they discover that I've got such great executive ability, they make me a part-time producer.
Another fifty thousand.
Then, of course, a percentage of the picture and the story price itself will come to, oh, about another two hundred and fifty thousand.
Well, Randy.
And then, through contacts in the aircraft business, I run into some guys in the oil game.
And that pays off.
I don't know. I figure I'll be able to retire in three or four years with a cool million.
I'd like more, of course, if I wanted to stick to it. But why be a hog?
Why, Randy, that's wonderful. I never dreamed.
Right then and there, I knew I had her.
I don't know what had made me tell her all those lies to begin with.
Just for the satisfaction of watching her show her hand and jump at it, I guess.
But now I knew I had her.
And as she talked, as I saw that greedy gleam coming into her eyes, I began to know what I was going to do about it.
Well, well, Randy Judson, a big, rich, famous man.
I'm so happy for you, Randy.
Not even talking about running me for governor.
Yeah, funny things fate does.
Well, Marion, I've got to run along.
Oh, Randy, must you?
Yeah, there's a new field we think is coming in today. Not a million a year if it does.
Well, all right, I'll walk you to the door.
All right, thanks.
Well, goodbye, Marion.
Randy.
What?
Don't you want to kiss me goodbye?
You know I do, Marion.
Oh, Randy. Randy's seeing you again.
I'm afraid I made a terrible mistake.
Yes, Marion. I'm afraid you have.
I was pretty sure after that that all I had to do was wait.
There was some truth in what I told her.
About 2%.
I had been a salesman for a commercial aircraft company and I still was.
And I had a little money, enough to look the part of the big executive when I was around Marion anyway.
And of course it had to be secret.
Not only because of Dorothy and of Marion's husband, but because of what I had figured out for later.
But as the weeks went by, I saw her all right.
I saw a lot of her and waited.
And I didn't have to wait too long.
Oh, Randy. Randy, I love you so much.
I know you do, baby.
Randy, what are we going to do?
I don't know, Marion.
There must be something we can do.
Divorce?
Oh, he'd never give me a divorce. You know that. Never.
Yeah. It's just one of those things, I guess.
Oh, Randy, I can't go on like this. Something's got to happen.
Nothing's going to happen, Marion.
It could.
What could?
Something, anything. Just so I could be free and be with you.
There's only one thing that would do us any good.
Things like that do happen. Somebody makes them happen.
You want to kill him?
Randy, I know it's terrible. I just know it's wicked to even think of such a thing.
But you do.
Yes.
What's stopping you?
Oh, I'm afraid. Alone.
You mean you want to kill him, but you want me to help you to kill him?
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Marion, my dream girl.
Oh, I agreed to help her, all right.
Sure I did. I planned it for her.
First there was the plane. That was going to do several things for us.
And of course, my being an aircraft salesman made it easy.
Marion suddenly became interested in aviation.
She began reading about it, hanging around the airports.
Then she started taking lessons.
She learned fast, too, I'll say that for her.
Soloed in six hours and had her license in ten.
All this time I stayed out of the picture and just waited.
Went out with Dorothy once in a while.
This was the build-up.
It lasted about six weeks until I got her call and went out there.
My name is Judson, Mr. Dunham.
Oh, how do you do?
I've certainly been hearing a lot about your product lately.
Oh, by the way, this is my wife.
Mrs. Dunham.
How do you do, Mr. Judson? Oh, my, she really is a beauty.
It's a two-place job, you see.
Funny room in the fuselage for baggage.
Uh-huh.
150 horsepower engine, variable prop.
She'll cruise at nearly 150, and yet her landing speed isn't much more than 45.
And of course she has flaps for low-speed landing.
Uh-huh.
I'm really sincere when I say that you can't match her.
Anywhere near in the price field.
Well, I don't know much about it, but if that's what Marion wants...
Oh, Ed, you're a darling.
Well, that's the way we like to make a sale.
How about a little spin?
Oh, I don't know.
Oh, go on, Ed, you've got to begin sometime.
Just around the field.
Oh, by the way, you've got practically a perfect natural landing field here.
Yeah, have to pull up a hanger, I suppose.
Ah, that won't run you much.
Climb in.
I'll wait right here for you, dear.
There you are.
You keep on the way, no, Marion.
I will.
Oh, by the way, before I take you up, here's a release you have to sign.
Just a formality.
Oh.
There's three copies, one for me as the pilot, one for the company,
and one for the Bureau of Civilian Aeronautics.
Uh-huh.
Where do I sign?
Oh, anywhere at the bottom there.
Uh-huh.
Okay.
That's fine.
Thank you, Mr. Dunham.
It's funny.
In spite of everything they tell you about reading anything you sign,
the average man will glance through the first copy and sign the others without looking,
particularly if he's nervous or in a hurry.
That's what he did.
The first two copies were just something I'd dreamed up,
because there's no such release anyway.
But the last was a blank piece of paper.
And when he signed that, he signed his own death warrant.
For Suspense, Roma Wines are bringing you John Lund with Kathy Lewis in A Plain Case of Murder,
a radio play by Robert L. Richards.
Roma Wines presentation tonight in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
Between the acts of Suspense, this is Ken Niles for Roma Wines.
Next week is National Wine Week, and throughout California,
gay festivals will mark the occasion,
celebrating the vintage from which will come another taste treasure of fine Roma wines.
For this year, as always, Roma master vintners are choosing the choicest grapes
of California's richest vineyards to bring you better tasting wines.
With unmatched skill and the world's finest winemaking resources,
Roma vintners patiently, unhurriedly guide this vast grape treasure to tempting taste perfection.
Then, along with Roma wines of years before, this abundance of taste richness
awaits selection from the world's greatest wine reserves for your pleasure.
The result is finer taste, always, in every Roma California wine,
be it cherry, port, muscatel, burgundy, or sauté.
That's why more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wine.
Let Roma wine add pleasantness and good taste to your living.
Tomorrow, enjoy Roma, R-O-M-A, Roma wine, largest selling wine in all history.
And now Roma wines bring back to our Hollywood soundstage John Lund as Randy Judson,
with Kathy Lewis as Marion Dunham in A Plain Case of Murder,
a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.
Let's see what you've got.
Here.
To whom it may concern, I can give no reason for what I am about to do,
and I pray to heaven the reason will never come to light.
But it is the only way.
To my loving wife particularly, I know this will come as a great shock,
but at least I can leave her amply provided for.
Goodbye, and Edward Dunham.
Uh-huh.
You sure he is leaving you amply provided for?
It would look bad if...
I took care of that some time ago.
What about the typewriter?
There's no question but what it'll be identified as his.
He writes stuff on it all the time. He's had it for years.
Well, you want me to keep this, or will you?
I'll keep it.
All right, doesn't matter.
You're positive the gun is registered in his name?
Yes.
And he'll be alone tonight?
Yes, we've been through all this.
I know.
I don't want any mistakes. This is no penny ante.
Now, you got your reservation?
Yeah, yeah, I checked again this morning.
Okay. Now, you better leave in plenty of time.
You want to be sure and make Phoenix before that little airport closes down.
I know.
I'll come down back at the house tonight a little beforehand, say, 12.45.
Be sure you don't use any throttle coming in, a long glide.
Cut your motor as far out as you can.
Yeah, yeah, I will.
I'll be on time.
You've got to get back to Phoenix before daylight.
And when you put through that call to me, lay it on thick.
I will.
And don't worry.
I'm not worried.
No, I don't think you are.
The wheels were moving. Complicated, but good.
We'd been over it enough, rehearsed it line by line,
so I knew exactly what she'd be doing and saying almost every minute.
First, she'd be circling that little airport about a mile from the hotel
and sounding as though she was in trouble,
a little trick of thinning out the mixture that I'd showed her.
And then she'd be coming in for a landing, taxiing over to the hangar.
That would be a little before five.
There, sounds like she's acting up on you, huh?
Yeah, she is. I didn't think I was going to make it.
Oh, carburation maybe.
Exhaust valve sticking, I think.
Yeah, yeah, that could be it all right.
Thanks.
Hey, you staying in Phoenix?
Yeah, for a few days. Can I leave it here?
Oh, sure. Tomorrow, first thing, I'll get a man.
No, no, I'm going to get the man down here who sold it to me.
I've only flown it about eight hours.
Oh, gee, it shouldn't be doing that.
I'll say it shouldn't. Is there anybody here at night?
No, I'm sorry, ma'am. I come on again at eight in the morning.
Well, he may be down here.
Because I'm going to get him out of bed if it's the last thing I do.
It's a brand new $6,500 airplane.
Oh, I don't blame you.
Well, in case you're out here before I am,
I'll give you the key to the shop, so if there's anything you need...
Thanks, but don't bother now. Just send it around the hotel.
Okay. Where are you staying?
Desert Inn, Mrs. Marion Dunham.
Hello.
This is the hotel operator, Mrs. Dunham. I have your call to Los Angeles now.
Oh, yes, thank you.
Go ahead, Los Angeles.
Hello.
Mr. Judson, this is Marion Dunham.
Who? Oh, how do you do, Mrs. Dunham?
I don't do so well, Mr. Judson. In fact, if you ask me, I'm lucky to be alive.
What?
I'm mad, Mr. Judson. I think I've got a right to be.
I started out for Phoenix today, and that airplane you sold me, I just barely made it.
I don't see why a brand new $6,500 airplane could possibly...
I can't understand it, Mrs. Dunham. What seemed to be the trouble?
Well, an exhaust valve or two just burned up, apparently.
The plane's absolutely useless to me in the condition it's in now.
I doubt if it'd even get off the ground.
Oh, I quite understand, Mrs. Dunham. I'll send a man to the first thing.
I don't want just a man. I think you ought to come down here and look at it yourself, Mr. Judson.
I should come. Why, there's nothing in particular that I could...
Well, are you responsible for these planes you sell to people, Mr. Judson, or aren't you?
Well, I... Oh, all right, Mrs. Dunham. I'll be down first thing in the morning.
Where are you staying?
The Desert Inn.
The Desert Inn. All right, Mrs. Dunham. Tomorrow morning, then.
Well, thank you, Mr. Judson. Good night.
Good night, Mrs. Dunham.
Did you get your call to Los Angeles, Mrs. Dunham?
Yes, thank you. But is the doctor on his way up here?
Oh, never mind. Never mind. That must be him. Thank you.
Come in.
Mrs. Dunham?
Yes. Come in, doctor.
I'm awfully sorry to bother you, doctor, but I've got a frightful headache.
I flew in from Los Angeles today and something went wrong with my plane.
I suppose it's just nerves, but I was wondering if you could give me something to help me sleep.
Why, certainly, Mrs. Dunham. Thank you.
I've got just the thing for you right here.
Here, take one of these or two if you think you need them.
Well, I'd better take two.
Well, they're pretty strong.
How long will they make me sleep?
You'll be dead to the world for a good eight or nine hours. Particularly if you take two.
Well, thank you, doctor. I'll go in and take them right now.
Would you mind hanging that do not disturb sign on the door when you go out?
Not at all, Mrs. Dunham.
Good night. Good night, doctor.
I was at the field back of her house a little ahead of time.
And I had a little bottle of chloroform in my pocket.
Oh, the plan was all right.
Like I say, it was perfect.
But it was just a little bit too perfect for Marion.
Because when they found her lying there beside the corpse,
every one of those little steps she'd taken to give herself an alibi would prove that she'd planned it.
Premeditated. Murder in the first degree.
They'd say it went wrong only because her husband managed to knock her cold before he died.
The suicide note? There wouldn't be any.
I'd see to that.
And I'd even be a witness against her.
Because instead of flying down to Phoenix with a couple of burned valves in my pocket to support her alibi,
I'd fly down there and find there wasn't any plane or any Marion.
And when she started that last walk to the gas chamber,
maybe she'd begin to realize what I'd been through.
My dream girl.
I knew she'd sneaked out of the hotel a good two hours ago.
And sure enough, I heard the motor.
Then I heard her cut it, then she was gliding in,
and then we were walking together over towards the darkened house.
Yes, yes, everything went all right.
What's the matter with you? You haven't spoken a civil word to me yet.
I'm just nervous, I guess.
You got your keys? Yes, I got it. Be quiet now.
This way. It's dark. I got a flesh. No!
I knocked something over. Shhh!
What's there? It's Joachim.
Who is it? I'll have to go to him and stall him somehow.
All right. Get in there. Get into the plot, quick.
Okay.
It's me, Ed. Oh, what in the world are you doing, Bob?
Oh, I thought I'd come in a little later.
It seemed like an hour that I was in there, straining to hear and not being able to.
Ah!
She'd done it. I heard her running down the hall. She'd done it.
I had my hand on the door knob and was just about to step out.
When there was a click and the knob wouldn't turn.
Marion! Marion! Marion!
That was the front door. I was locked in and she was gone.
For a moment I almost fainted.
Because I could see just how she'd planned it.
Just what I'd planned to do to her.
She'd fly back to Phoenix and then put in a call to her husband on some pretext.
And she wouldn't get any answer and pretend to be worried and call the cops.
And they'd find me.
They'd say I killed them and then got in a panic and locked myself in the closet by mistake.
It was a spring lock and it could happen.
The door was solid. Oak. At least two inches thick.
I went frantically through my pockets for something to work in the lock with.
It was no good. But I did find my pocket knife.
There was just one chance.
I had about three hours to whittle a hole through that door big enough for me to get my hand through.
I went to work.
In ten minutes my clothes were wringing wet.
In twenty minutes I thought I was going to die of exhaustion.
And I'd hardly begun. Somehow I kept going.
Then the knife blade broke. I was almost crying.
I opened the small blade and kept on.
My hand was raw with broken blisters.
The second blade broke.
I kept on with the stump of the big one.
Hours passed it seems.
And then at last I was through.
But the hole wasn't big enough yet.
More hours.
And then I tore half the skin off my hand and got it through.
I opened the door.
I was free.
As I started out the front door, the phone rang in the hall.
I picked it up and listened.
Phoenix Arizona calling Mr. Edward Dunham.
Hello? Hello? Operator?
I put the phone quietly back.
That would be Marion.
That meant that she'd call the cops next.
And they'd be out to investigate.
I only had a few minutes left.
But there was still my plane.
I started running across the field to where it stood.
If I could get it, I'd be able to get it.
If I could get off in that plane, I had a chance.
A good...
And then I stopped.
Marion.
She'd fly back.
She'd land right on this very field.
Sure enough, in about 20 minutes the cops came.
Then more cops.
From homicide, I suppose.
They prowled all over the place.
But they didn't find me.
I was hidden in that little clump of trees.
And pretty soon, they went away.
And I waited.
Three hours more.
Then I heard it.
Marion's plane.
And then I saw her coming into land.
I was out there and up on the wing
before she even rolled to a stop.
Randy!
The double cross, huh?
You're a fine one to talk.
You and your Dorothy. I suppose you thought I didn't know about her.
That you got engaged to her the very day that...
You were gonna frame me, weren't you?
Well, I beat you to it and you'll die!
Do you hear me? You'll die!
She was dead when I let go of her.
My dream girl.
I had to get out of there!
The cops had seen her land and they must have seen me too.
Because they were running out on the field
and began shooting as I took off.
But something was wrong!
Maybe Marion had even figured on this. I don't know.
I remember fighting to pull it up
and then those trees coming at me.
In the trash! In the fire!
You got all that, Scotty?
I got it.
How is he, Doc?
Not so good.
Here, Justin. Sign here.
Sure. I'll sign.
Hurry up. Sign it.
Hey, Doc.
He's gone.
Dead, huh?
Dead.
Fine thing.
I got a confession and no one to sign it.
What's the difference? You got witnesses.
Yeah.
Plain case of murder.
Spelled P-L-A-N-E.
Very, very funny.
Suspense!
Presented by Roma Wines, R-O-M-A.
Made in California for enjoyment throughout the world.
And now this is Ken Niles bringing back to our suspense microphone
our star of the evening, John Lund.
John, may we all congratulate you on a swell job of acting.
And may I too offer you the thanks of the Roma Wine Company
with this gift basket of Roma wine.
Oh, thanks a lot, Ken.
And my thanks to Roma for the basket.
You know, at this point I should be able to add a little bit of an immortal line about wine.
But all I can think of is a jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and now.
And I don't recall whether Omar Khayyam specified Roma wine or not.
Oh, John, if Omar were living today, I'm sure he would specify Roma.
Because for both host and guest, there's real pleasure in the tempting nut-like taste of Roma California sherry.
Golden Amber Roma sherry assures tasteful, gracious hospitality for the party giver,
satisfying enjoyment for guests.
No wonder famous hosts from Hollywood to Manhattan praise Roma sherry as the perfect first call for dinner.
The all-occasion wine for entertaining anytime.
Roma sherry before dinner. Sounds good to me.
Well, John, Roma sherry is good because starting with choicest grapes from California's finest vineyards,
Roma sherry is patiently, unhurriedly guided to tempting taste perfection by the unmatched skill of Roma vintners,
by the unequaled resources of Roma's famed wineries.
Then, along with Roma wines of years before, Roma sherry awaits selection from the world's greatest wine reserves for your pleasure.
So for better taste, always insist on Roma wines.
Remember, more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wine.
Ken, speaking of things that most Americans enjoy, who's for suspense next Thursday?
Well, it's going to be a particularly unusual and original show next Thursday.
The play is called The Man Who Wanted to Be Edward G. Robinson, and our star, of course, will be...
None other than Edward G.
None other, indeed. He'll play two roles. He'll be sort of a switch family Robinson.
Well, I'll be listening. Oh, by the way, I hope nobody was too surprised that Mark Stevens and I switched dates tonight.
However, to each his own, to each his own.
Well, good night, John. We'll be looking forward to seeing you in Paramount's Technicolor production, Perils of Pauline.
Next Thursday, same time, you will hear Mr. Edward G. Robinson as star of Suspense.
Produced and directed by William Spear for the Roma Wine Company of Fresno, California.
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