Suspense.
Auto Light and its 96,000 dealers present Miss Betty Davis in Good Night Mrs. Russell,
a suspense play produced and edited by William Spear.
Say Harlow, what's the idea? Why do you stand there so stiffly and keep banging your hand
on your forehead?
I'm saluting, Hap.
Saluting?
Yeah.
Oh, I get it. Saluting auto light resistor spark plugs.
No, no. Not that those wonder working wide gap whizzes don't warrant a whale of a whack
on the welkin. They do, they do. But tonight, I'm saluting the truckers of America.
The nifty nonpareil purveyors of conveyors who are holding their annual get together
and gab fest in Boston, Massachusetts starting tomorrow.
Oh, you mean the American Trucking Association.
The same. Why, they've got millions of accident-free miles to their credit. Sell them if ever,
make a mistake on the road.
How do they do it?
I'm not sure, but I think auto light resistors spark plugs must be behind it. Because, well,
because you're always right with auto light.
And now with Good Night Mrs. Russell starring Miss Betty Davis with Elliot Reid, auto light
hopes once again to keep you in suspense.
There's no escaping now. He hasn't said a word for 10 minutes. I know he's turning over
in his mind how he's going to kill me. Argument and reasoning are useless. It's almost dawn
now. In a little while, the milkman and the paper boys will be making their rounds. I'll
be dead.
The cafe was just half a block away from where I worked. It was a small, pleasant little
place, spotlessly clean with a large plate glass window in the sidewalk. And there was
always a beautiful looking roast turkey and a juicy baked ham in the window. And you could
watch Henry carve off succulent pieces of meat and arrange them into meat sandwiches with
an olive and a dab of potato salad on the plate. Every noon, all of us who worked in
the Hillmar building would go there for lunch. We crowded in on the high stools and jabbered,
as women do while Henry patiently served us and put up with our female chatter. He was
always the only one there.
How are you today, ma'am?
Fine, thank you, Henry. How about some of your nice baked ham?
Yes, ma'am. Coming up.
He was always especially nice to me. I suppose that was because I'm well a little older than
the others. Other girls are all very young, very cute. Henry always seemed uncomfortable
a little with them.
Yes, ma'am. Coffee?
Please. And I believe I'll have some of your cherry pie. You're an excellent cook, Henry.
Why, thank you, ma'am. I'm glad you think so. Twenty and fifteen's thirty-five, and...
Henry had been right in the middle of adding up my check, and he stopped and stood very
still and looked out of the corner of his eye with his head cocked on one side as though
he were listening to something. His expression was a little horrified. I thought maybe he'd
heard a sound that meant something to him, you know, like the refrigerator out of water
or something. Then all of a sudden he shook his head and rushed away. Whatever it was,
he'd heard.
Twenty and fifteen's thirty-five, and forty-five. You should try one of my dinners sometime,
ma'am.
Henry, Henry, how about some service?
Excuse me, ma'am.
That was Henry. Oh, one other thing. Funny, but Henry never smiled. Perhaps I should have
realized about him because of that. But I didn't. He was so nice and clean and polite,
I rather liked him. As a rule, I make my own dinner in the apartment, but one night I had
to work quite late at the office, and I decided to stop by Henry's and get a little bite before
catching the streetcar home. Ever since my husband's death, I've felt just a little uneasy
on the streets alone at night. I was glad to see the bright light in Henry's little
cafe down the block. Henry was alone inside, and I could see him fussing around cleaning
up the place. He didn't hear me approaching.
What's that? Oh, you're, you're frightening me, ma'am. I didn't hear you coming.
I just thought I'd try one of your dinners tonight, Henry. You mentioned it.
Yes, I know. Sit down, won't you, ma'am?
You weren't closing or anything?
No, no, not at all. What would you like?
Oh, I'll try your number four dinner.
Number four? Yes, ma'am.
He seemed frightened about something or suspicious. Yes, that was it. He seemed suspicious about
something, I thought. I wanted to help him somehow, but I didn't want to butt in.
This is the first time you've ever been by here at night, ma'am.
Yes, I had to work late tonight, Henry. Didn't want to go home without dinner, you know.
I see.
There's something wrong, Henry.
No, no, I'll get the rest of your dinner.
Delicious soup. Thank you, ma'am.
You don't often work late, do you?
No, I don't. This is the first time, in fact. My boss asked me to stay late to type some
letters.
I know. You work in the Hillmar Building.
Why, yes, I do. How do you...
I know lots of things, ma'am.
This is a good dinner, Henry. I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought I was. I'm afraid
I'm going to have to leave some of it.
I thought you liked my cooking. You said so just the other day.
Oh, I do. I think you're a fine cook, Henry. I'm just not hungry tonight. I waited too
long to eat, I guess.
You don't have to make excuses, ma'am. If you didn't like it, just say so.
Oh, no, I mean it. Your food is wonderful, Henry. If it weren't, I wouldn't have come
here.
Wouldn't you?
No. Now, could I have my check, please?
85 cents, ma'am.
All right. There you are, Henry. You may keep the change.
I'd rather not, ma'am. Here.
Very well. Good night, Henry.
Good night. And ma'am.
Yes?
Next time you come, I'll have something you like.
But I did like...
Oh, good night, Henry.
Good night, Mrs. Russell.
It was good food, but I... Oh, I felt ill at ease in there for some reason. That's why
I couldn't eat. I decided not to go back there alone. Rather hard to talk to Henry.
And I didn't go back alone. That is not for three weeks. Had to work late and again and
for the last time I went to Henry's.
Hello, Henry.
Ah, you decided to try me again, I see.
Why, Henry, I've been eating here every day.
Not at night.
What's the difference?
Well, in the daytime, you're always with your friends.
I like to eat with my friends. Now, come on, let's have no more of this silly talk. How
about one of your wonderful dinners, Henry? I promise to eat all of it tonight.
All right, ma'am. Which one?
I'll try the number four again, please. I think that way I can convince you I really
like it.
Why?
Why? Oh, because I think four is lucky, don't you?
All right, ma'am. It's all ready.
You don't have many customers at night, do you, Henry?
No, ma'am. Not many.
I'm surprised you stay open.
Are you? There you are. I hope you... I hope...
Henry, what is it? You seem to be listening for something. Is there...
Are you enjoying your dinner?
I hate to sound like I'm prying. I know it isn't my business at all, but I do think something's
bothering you.
Do you?
Yes, isn't it? Some way I can help you?
Something's bothering me, ma'am.
Yes. You know, I had a son like you.
Did you?
He was in the army, killed in the war. He was very much like you.
I see.
That left me all alone in the world. My husband Leonard died four years ago.
Yes?
He was a wonderful man. Everyone admired him. The contractor, you know.
I see.
You'll have noticed that as I talked away about my family and everything, he became
very quiet. He sat down on the cooler back of the counter and just watched me, his face
absolutely blank. Couldn't tell what he was thinking. When I'd ask him a question, he'd
just answer with, I see, or yes, or no. Sometimes he wouldn't answer at all, just stare at me.
I was getting uneasy again. I just about decided to make up an excuse to pay my bill and leave.
It was getting quite late when my head began to feel heavy and I began to feel sick. Henry,
Henry, I feel ill. Henry, I'm awfully dizzy. I don't think I can... Henry, can't you hear
me? I believe I'm going to faint. Perhaps you'd better help. Did you do something?
Good night, Mrs. Russell.
Auto Light is bringing you Miss Betty Davis in Good Night, Mrs. Russell, tonight's production
and radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense. Say, Harlow, how'd you stain your
tie? Oh, that's from the alphabet soup we had at dinner. Boy, do I love that soup. Crazy
about it, huh? Yeah. We have a special alphabet too. Only the letters A-L-R-S-P. A-L-R-S-P?
And for Auto Light Resistor Spark Plugs. Oh, brother. Say, when you eat it, do you make
noises that sound like A-L-R-S-P? Noise? No, sir. Everything's smooth with Auto Light
Resistor Spark Plugs because only Auto Light Resistor Spark Plugs have the built-in 10,000
ohm resistor that makes practical their wider gap setting and results in... One. 200% longer
electrode life. Two. Quicker starts in cold temperatures. Three. Better engine performance
on leaner gas mixtures. Gas savings. Four. Less spark plug interference with radio and
television from passing cars and trucks. Auto Light Resistor Spark Plugs are backed by the
engineering know-how of Auto Light, leader in resistor spark plugs. Millions are in use
today. So get yourself a set of Auto Light Resistor Spark Plugs. Remember, you're always
right with Auto Light. And now, Auto Light brings back to our Hollywood sound stage,
our star, Betty Davis with Elliot Reid in Good Night, Mrs. Russell. A tale well calculated
to keep you in... Suspense. I don't know how long I was unconscious. It seemed just for
a moment, a moment crowded with horrible nightmares and dreadful sounds. I remember hearing a
woman screaming, screaming and crying horribly. It was ghastly. I must have been unconscious
several hours. And when I opened my eyes, it was dark, pitch dark. A clock was ticking
somewhere and I realized that the screaming woman had been me. Is, is anyone here? Where
am I? I'm tied up. Who's there? Can anyone hear me? Help. Help. Help. Where am I? You're
in my room, Mrs. Russell. It was Henry. Where was he? The room was black as night. I could
see nothing. What was I doing here? Why was I tied up? How did I get here? I remembered
nothing after, after feeling dizzy at him. So that was it. You, you put something in my
food, didn't you, Henry? Yes, I did, Mrs. Russell. I didn't want to kill you at the
cafe, you see. Kill me? Yes, Mrs. Russell. Kill you. Did. Why, Henry? Why? Because
you're my enemy, you and all the others. Your enemy? I, I like you, Henry. I've always
liked you. I, I do. Don't lie, Mrs. Russell. You thought I didn't know, didn't you? You
thought I didn't know what you were up to. What I was up to? Planning to kill me. Night
after night, I've heard you, all of you, outside my window, whispering, whispering, talking
about how you were going to kill me. Didn't you know I could hear you? I'm saying. Oh,
no, I'm smart, Mrs. Russell. And you know it. That's why all of you planned to kill me,
get rid of me. Oh, it's just lucky I found out you were one of them. You'll be the first
to die, Mrs. Russell. And you're going to die slowly in the dark. How do you like that,
Mrs. Russell? Be quiet, Mrs. Russell. Or I'll have to beat you up before I kill you.
I tried to make myself think. I remembered you're supposed to humor people that are like
you, Henry. I tried to control myself. No one can hear you. No one even knows you're
here. And I'm not going to untie you, either. Not until you're dead. Henry, I'm just, I'm
I'm only in order. You'll lie here in the dark and listen to the clock for half an hour.
Just half an hour, Mrs. Russell. And then I'll kill you. You see, I want you to suffer
like you've made me suffer. Henry, I'm just an ordinary woman. Oh, I'm smart enough to
see through those remarks you made. Remarks? Always talking about what a good cook I was.
As if you felt I wasn't a man. I know what you were thinking. Henry, I didn't mean anything
of the sort. I really. And then rubbing it in about your precious son in the army. Rubbing
it in, torturing you. Henry, that's wrong. And always ordering number four dinner. Oh,
I'm smart, you see, Mrs. Russell. I can figure things out. Number four is lucky, you said.
Four for four F you meant. Henry, Henry, all those things, they were your imagination.
I didn't mean them that way at all. I didn't know about the army. Weak excuses, Mrs. Russell.
You're like all the rest. I'm too smart for you and you know it. So you want to kill me.
I'm a dangerous enemy, Mrs. Russell. How long have I got to live, Henry? Oh, a half hour.
I don't know. The alarm will ring and then I'll kill you. I was resigned to it then.
It seemed so hopeless. But then I thought if I could just get him to turn on the light,
I might see a way out. It was a full lawn hoe, but I tried it. Henry? Henry? How do
you know you set the clock right? Henry? I heard you. No, you didn't answer. I thought
you thought you could get me to turn on the light. Sorry, Mrs. Russell. Henry, you're
torturing yourself more than you are me. Henry, do you know that? What do you mean? Well,
you don't know when the alarm's going to ring either. You must be sitting on the edge of
your seat waiting to hear it. Aren't you? You see, when it rings, I know that I'll have
to die. But you know that you'll have to commit a terrible crime. Murder, Henry. Shut up.
It is true then, isn't it? You can't trick me into turning on the light. I'm too smart
for that. You're going to suffer in the dark. As I have. I decided to turn on the light,
Mrs. Russell. At first I was blind to having been in the dark so long. Then I saw his hands.
They were long and slim and brown. Blue veins stood out on the backs of him. I looked up
at him. He was glaring at me from beneath, bulging for it. Then he picked up the alarm
crock and looked at it. Henry, I see it's ten minutes to three. Yes, Mrs. Russell. You
have ten minutes to live. Can you wait? It was a tiny, neat living room. I was on a couch.
The shades were down. There was no phone. The front door might be unlocked. It might be.
I can wait, Henry. Eight minutes now. Somehow with the lights on, I felt more optimistic,
though. The hands were racing each other around the face of the clock. If I could just get
untied now, there'd be a chance. I'd have to be careful, but quick, quick. Five minutes,
Mrs. Russell. Henry, what? Are those things strapped to that board over there on the wall?
Huh? Oh, that's my collection. A collection? Match folders. Oh, do you collect match folders?
Oh, yes. I'll show them to you. I held my breath as he took them down off the wall. If
that clock would only stand still for five minutes. Here. See? I have folders from all
the famous night spots. Here's Ciro's and the Stork Club and 21. I bet you didn't think
I'd been to all those places, did you? I know. Have you, Henry? Oh, sure. Lots of times.
People would never believe me. That's why I have these. They're lovely, Henry. Henry,
my arms and legs are numb from being tied up like this. Could you? No! I warned you
not to get tricky, Mrs. Russell. I just wanted you to loosen my hands so I could look at
your collection. Well, just your hands. I've forgotten about everything. His collection
for the moment. But that alarm would go any second and I would remind him. Here. As he
untied my hands, my eyes fell on a large jade bookend beside the couch. There. Now, be careful,
Mrs. Russell. You just wanted to see my collection, remember? Yes, Henry. Show it to me. Now,
oh, see this one? That's from the Coconut Grove. Yes, yes, Henry. And this one. I let
my hands steal along the couch toward the bookend. Isn't that beautiful? Yes, yes, it
is, Henry. I had it in my hands. You're not paying attention. Oh, yes, I am! Henry! I
don't remember doing it, but somehow I'd gotten the bindings off my feet when I was
outside in the night. He'd been telling the truth. His house was completely isolated on
one block. I ran down the block as hard as I could. I didn't even think about direction,
just ran. I knew he'd come to in a minute and I had to get out of sight. I'm not used
to such exercise and my heart was pounding so hard. It ached. In the middle of the next
block, I stopped for a moment and leaned against a tree to breathe. And I looked back and I
saw him. I could see him beneath the street lamp. He'd stopped not knowing which way I'd
gone. He was wild. His mouth was hanging open loosely. I shrank back further in the shadows
and prayed he'd go the other way. He didn't. He started walking rapidly again in my direction.
There was a house on this block, a big rambling place. It was after 3 a.m. and the people
would be asleep, but I knew I could run no further. Help! Help! Let me in, please! Please,
open the door! Open! And then I saw the note pinned to the door. It said, no milk for 10
days. I could hear Henry's footsteps down the street and I knew he must have heard me.
My heart felt as though it would burst. The street was deserted. And then I heard a car
approaching. It was a block away. I ran out on the street and waved my arms. Help! Help
me! Stop! Please! Please stop! Stop! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help!
Hello, Mrs. Russell. Henry! Come on, Mrs. Russell. Come on! Now, we're going home again.
Mrs. Russell? There's no escaping now. He hasn't said a word for 10 minutes. I know he's turning
over in his mind how he's going to kill me. It's almost dawn now. In a little while, the
milkman and paper boys will be making their rounds. I'll be dead. You shouldn't have tried
to get away, Mrs. Russell. You made me very mad. I know. You shouldn't have hit me either.
You were even smarter than I thought, Mrs. Russell. You almost made it. But you weren't
smart enough, were you? If you're going to kill me, Henry, please do it. Haven't you
tortured me enough? You see, it just didn't do you any good to be my enemy, did it? I
don't like to kill you, but I have to. It's the only way I can protect myself. Don't
you see you're not well, Henry? Please try to listen to me. You'll have to kill all the
others too. If I don't, they'll kill me. The others? Oh, don't pretend you don't know,
Mrs. Russell. Oh, I've heard them whispering about me. You must have heard them too. The
voices... The voices? All the time. Just like I told you. When I'm at work and even here
at home, I hear them plotting. They don't know I know. Henry, there's no one. It's
all an illusion. Don't you see? Just like you are, they're afraid of me because they
know I can outsmart them. I'm too clever for them and they know it. That's why they want
to kill me. That's why you want to kill me, isn't it, Mrs. Russell? I don't want to kill
you, Henry, if only... Oh, I've sort of got to like you, Mrs. Russell. If you weren't
dangerous to me, I might let you live. I'm not dangerous to you, Henry. Oh, yes, you
are. I've decided to choke you. If you close your eyes, it will happen very quickly. You'll
hardly know it. Are you ready, Mrs. Russell? Please don't struggle. It'll be much easier
for both of us. Aren't you going to close your eyes? No. What's that? What? Listen. You
can hear them. Don't you hear them? The voices. The voices. The voices. Don't you hear them?
Yes, I hear them, Henry. See? Now you believe me, don't you? You hear what they're saying?
Yes. Yes, it's just as you said, Henry. They must be right near. Yes, right near. There
are a lot of them. Too many! You'd better hide, Henry. Yes. Yes, but where? They sound
louder all the time. They're getting closer. Have you a closet? Yes, that's it. The closet.
Over here. Shall I help you, Henry? Yes, yes. But be quick. This closet. I'll hide in here.
All right, Henry. I'll protect you. There. A good place to hide. What if they find me
here? I'll lock the door, Henry. No. I don't want to be locked in. They're getting closer,
Henry. You'll unlock the door when they're gone? Yes, Henry. Lock the door, Mrs. Russell.
You'll be safe now. Good night, Henry.
Suspense presented by Auto Light. Tonight's star, Miss Betty Davis with Elliot Reed. You
know, Harlow, it's really marvelous how safely and courteously American truckmen drive. You
said it happened. Auto Light cooperates regularly with the American Trucking Associations in
their excellent highway safety programs. Say that swell, Harlow. Swell? Say that reminds
me. We haven't said anything about the more than 400 products Auto Light makes for cars,
trucks, planes, and boats in 28 plants, coast to coast. They're swell, too. And Auto Light
makes complete electrical systems for many of America's finest cars. Batteries, spark
plugs, generators, starting motors, coils, distributors, all engineered to fit together
perfectly, work together perfectly because they're a perfect team. So folks, don't accept
electrical parts that are supposed to be as good. Ask for and insist on Auto Light original
factory parts at your neighborhood service station, car dealer garage, or repair shop.
Remember, you're always right with Auto Light. Next Thursday for Suspense, Victor Matur will
be our star. The play is called Momentum. And it is, as we say, a tale well calculated
to keep you in suspense. Tonight's Suspense play was produced and edited by William Spear
and directed by Norman MacDonald. Music for Suspense is composed by Lucian Moorowack and
conducted by Lud Gluskin. Goodnight, Mrs. Russell was an original radio play written
by Ben S. Hunter. Betty Davis will soon be seen in the Warner Brothers production Beyond
the Forest. You can buy Auto Light resistor spark plugs, Auto Light staple batteries,
Auto Light electrical parts at your neighborhood Auto Light dealers. Switch to Auto Light.
This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.