And now, tonight's presentation of radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
Tonight, we bring you a factual story, the dramatization of one man's deadly way of earning
his living. All he needed was the morning newspaper, a telephone, and a gun. So now,
starring Mr. Stacy Harris, here is tonight's Suspense play, Want Ad.
Well, you see, a guy in my line works alone, more or less. At least he should. But when I first got
into town, I met a little lady. And after we'd known each other a couple of months or better,
we got married. As a matter of fact, it worked out pretty well because every morning she'd get up
ahead of me and fix me some eggs and coffee. Pretty nice, huh? The little lady's name is Wilma.
Baby. Baby. Hey, you through with the funnies? Do you have to work today?
Yeah, I'm afraid so. Oh, I was hoping we could spend a quiet day together. Here. You know,
sort of lie around, look at the paper and everything. Baby, you know I'd like that. But,
well, I've got other things I have to do. Leave me all alone to spend the day with myself. I got
a new dress. I could wear it. That's fine, honey. It's fine. I better get busy. You just
never pay any attention. Well, all right. Oh, baby. I think I'll go into shopping. I'll see you later.
All right. Bye. Bye-bye. Section three, pages 10 to 17. Now then, personals.
George, come home. Addie need you. Some people. Henderson will talk to you about your problem,
writing. Ah, here we are. Okay. Hello. I'm calling about an advertisement in this morning's paper.
Do I have the right number? Yes, yes, I am. What kind of a code is it? Well,
sounds like something I might be interested in seeing. Yes, well, hold on a minute. I'll
take that down. Okay. 1425 West... How do you spell that? Y-O-N Yondota. Yes, in about an hour. Thank you.
One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, four to go, and five to make sure,
and six to blow if I have to. How many women can go out and plunk down the kind of money it
takes to walk out of a store with a mink coat? Huh? Not many? Well, from my dough, not any.
That means that where there's a mink, you can bet there's a boyfriend or a husband around to pay
for it. And you can bet that when the coats got to go, that he's already gone and the lady's got
to eat. Get it? She's all alone and she wants to sell her coat. Howdy-do. Yes? I'm Mr. Vernon.
I called about your advertisement in the paper this morning. Oh, oh yes, Mr. Vernon. You haven't
sold it yet? Well, no, I haven't. Oh, good. Now, I don't want to do business with any dealer. I just
don't want to be bothered with any dealers. Half a dozen have called me already. I hope you're not
a dealer, Mr. Vernon. Do I look like a dealer? Well, I just can't tell anymore. They're very
clever people. I just want to sell the coat outright to somebody, not on any contingency
basis or anything just like that. Sell it outright, you know what I mean? Yes, I know what you mean,
but I'll have to see it before I can make my offer. Well, all right, come in. Thanks.
Well, I'm Mrs. Phelps. How do you do, Mrs. Phelps? Well, you have a very nice home here.
Thank you. Lived here long? Two years. Would you like to step in here, please? Oh, sure. Oh,
I've been plagued to death with all kinds of dealers. I don't know how, but some of them
found my address without even calling the number I put in the paper. Oh, they do things like that?
Oh, they sure do. Let me tell you, they certainly do. Well, here it is. Oh, yes,
yes, that's very, very nice. Very, very nice. It's a silver-blue mink, isn't it? Yes. Oh,
Mrs. Phelps, could I ask you to put it on? It'd help me. You're about my wife's size. Oh,
sure. Now, here, you can see that it's cut very full. See, the sleeves are very full,
too. Batwing sleeves and cuffs, too. Makes a coat very luxurious. Yes, that's a lot of coat there.
That's just a lot of coat, Mrs. Phelps. Well, I love it. I just love it. My husband bought it for
me a year ago, and I hate to have to sell it, but, well, I need the money. And you can see,
it's hardly worn at all. Look at the lining. See, it's all intact. Why, I don't think I wore
this coat more, oh, more than a dozen times. Mrs. Phelps, how much did it cost retail? Mr. Phelps
paid $4,000 for it. These are the insurance papers. You can see what they insured it for.
And I'll tell you right now that a friend has already offered me $2,800 for it, and I wouldn't
think of selling it for anywhere near that. Why, I'd rather keep it. What, would you think of selling it for
$34? $34? Yeah. Well, that's still pretty cheap. I don't have to tell you that if the coat's a
year old, it's a $600 depreciation. That's not bad. I could possibly get the same coat new for $38.
I doubt if you'll get a better offer than $34, Mrs. Phelps, and I'm willing to pay right now.
Well, I'd have to talk to my husband first. Oh, is he here now? He's not home right now,
but he'll be here any minute. Oh, could you come back this afternoon, or maybe?
I came to buy the coat now. I'm leaving town this afternoon. I thought you were ready to sell.
Well, I... Oh, all right, Mr. Vernon. I'll take your offer.
Oh, good. But, well, I don't know you at all. Now,
you understand you'd have to give me a certified check, or I'd have to keep the coat until your
check cleared the bank. No, I paid cash. I brought the cash with me.
Oh. Yes. Is anything wrong with that? Oh, no. No, Mr. Vernon. I just didn't expect to sell it so
quickly. I still have the box that came in. It's a perfectly lovely box. I'll give you that for
nothing. It's nice. I would like a bargain. You know, Mr. Vernon, you are getting a bargain,
a real bargain in this coat. Oh, I tell you, my husband and I looked for almost two years before
we found a mink that... Oh, just suited. You know what I mean? Now, you can buy any fur coat, mink
or sable. I don't care what it is. And 30 days later, you hate the sight of it. But this one,
oh, your wife will never get tired of it. Isn't this a pretty box? Yes, yes, it is.
Now, you tell your wife to be sure and keep it in a fur storage vault during the warm months. You
have to take care of mink. That's all there is to it. Yes, I know. Something like this,
you really take care of. Oh, yes. Well, she'll just love it. I know. You live around here?
On the east side. Oh, it's lovely over there. Just lovely. Whereabouts? On the lake. Isn't
that nice? Well, now, there. How does that look? Just fine. My, I'm glad you came in the morning.
I'll want to take the money to the bank right away. I hate to have to keep that much money
around the house. Yes, I figured you would, Mrs. Phelps, so I won't bother giving you the money.
Oh, what? Well, then you won't have to make a trip to the bank or worry about money around the house.
Oh, you mean you want to give me a personal check? I want to give you nothing. But you
did come here to buy this coat. Don't you want it? Yep. I want it, Laney. Oh, you're a thief!
I sure am. Now, don't scream. Don't open your mouth. Oh, please, don't hurt me. Please, don't hurt me.
Come on over there. Come on. Oh, oh. Oh, worth $4,000. One year old. Oh, real goodbye. You should have seen
your face when I told you I'd give you $3,400 for it. Oh. I'm a thief. Anybody could buy that
coat new for $2,500. It'll bring me about a thousand in the shape it's in right now. I'm a thief with a
gun in my hand taking what I want. Now, you figure out what you'd be if you were counting my $3,400, huh?
Oh, what? Oh, you're quite a cute kid, Mrs. Phelps, but then I'm used to people like you. Now, go on.
You get in there. Oh, please. Go on. Get in. Don't take my coat, please. It's the only thing I have that's worth anything.
Well, that's how simple it works. I've been in the business for a little while now, and I know a few
things about it. Of course, you got to watch your step and be ready for anything that happens,
like today. Liz? Hey, Liz, I've been trying... Oh. Who are you? Hi, who are you? I'm Frank Phelps.
Who'd you say you were? I didn't say. Besides, you wouldn't know me anyhow. Where's Liz? Hey,
that's Liz. Is it? And that's Liz's coat. That's my gun. Why, you... What have you done to her? What's
been going on here? Just hang on to your hat, brother, and you won't get hurt. She's okay.
No cheap crook's gonna come into my house and pull a stunt like this. Now, wait a minute. I'll show you.
You people will certainly have something to talk about over dinner tonight, won't you? Yeah,
yeah. Something you can talk about, all right. Now, one of the hard parts, Don,
and it isn't usually as it was today. The next part is to get ahold of a fence who can use an
ice-making coat. That's pretty easy. I use Walter myself. He takes the pain out of everything. I
don't go to him, just a little old phone call and he comes to me. Sorry. Your what? Oh, you blew
it this time, boy. I don't want this thing. It's too hot. Keep it. What's with you? You're getting
touchy. I'm not getting anything. I just don't want to do business with you anymore. No sir.
Now, wait a minute, you. Get your hands off of me, boy. Get your hands off of me. A smash makes you a
big time, huh? Is that it? Gun whip turns you into Class A stuff. Hands off of me, boy. Last time I'll
ask. There's no sense in us arguing, Walter. I'm gonna try very hard, but I don't think I'm gonna
like you anymore. You're a killer now. I'm a what? Guy Phelps died this afternoon. It's in all the
papers. Shouldn't have run at me. Is that what you're gonna tell the cops when they drag you out of
somewhere by the scuff of the neck? How the cops gonna do that to me? They always grind off little
punks like you, boy. You killed a guy. You beat him to death. You stole his wife's mean coat. There's
any place they won't look for you, boy, and they know where to look for your kind. They won't stop
till they find you. You're gone, boy. Just plain gone. Only you don't know it yet. You're listening
to WANT Ad, tonight's presentation on radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
When you get right down to it, a patrolman's job is people. It's up to him by and large to
help or insist that man get along with his neighbors. Even in the most desperate moments
of the chase, a policeman must deal with the human equation. His story, therefore, is always
dramatic, always highly charged with emotion. For another engrossing story of a patrolman,
here's CBS radio's realistic Thursday night drama, 21st Precinct, over most of these same stations
tomorrow night. And now we bring back to our Hollywood sound stage, Mr. Stacy Harris,
starring in tonight's production, WANT Ad, a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.
I know maybe a half a dozen fences in town. I only tried two of them after Walder. Those
fellows are kind of chicken about some things. They get a little action with a piece of merchandise
and they get scared. Of course, they're all afraid of something or the other.
Are you thinking, hon? Is that what you're doing, thinking?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what I'm doing.
About that man. Didn't he want the coat?
No, no, he didn't want it.
Such a pretty coat. Oh, baby, I wish we had a fireplace. I wish we had a big, big fireplace
and we could just sit in front of a fire on a rainy night like this and everything. That'd
be nice, wouldn't it, baby?
Yeah, yeah, sure would.
We could drink hot coffee maybe and listen to music, make fudge, huh?
Do you like my new thing?
What?
This. Isn't it pretty?
Yeah, it's like a million, like a whole million bucks.
I liked it, so I bought it just like that. You hardly look.
I'm gonna have to leave town. I'll have to get out of here. I'll have to go where they
can't find me. That's what I'll do. I'll leave town. That'll be okay. Pretty soon they won't
be looking for me and everything will be all right.
Baby.
Just take a couple of things, a suit, some shirts. It won't be hard. It doesn't have
to stop me from getting out of town.
Oh, baby.
Honey, what's the matter? May I say something?
You're gonna leave me.
You're going away.
Honey, look, look, kid. I have to go. Don't you understand? Puddin', I have to leave town.
If I don't, they're gonna get me.
They won't get you here. Just stay here with me.
Honey, I have to go. Look, I have to go.
Take me with you.
What?
Let me go with you and we can have some real nice time some other place.
Where?
The same as we did here, please.
Sure. Sure, I'll take you. I'll take you with me.
Oh, baby, you're so good to me.
Wait a minute. We haven't got time for that. We gotta get busy. We gotta get a car first.
But we haven't got any money.
Look, how did I get the coat? How'd I get all those other coats?
Oh, but Ralph, you can't do that anymore. That man who was here said they're looking
for you. You can't do that anymore. They'll be waiting for you.
He says I can't. I say I can. Now, don't you see how I use my head? All right, they're
waiting for me. Okay. But they're waiting for a guy with a fur coat on his mind. But,
baby, I'm now a guy with a car on his mind. Get it?
Oh, baby, you're so smart. Oh, gee, you're smart.
Well, sir, with little old Wilma wiggling around in my arms, I begin to go over the
new idea myself. It's pretty good. So the next day when the paper came, I went right
to work.
I wish it was a Rolls Royce, honey. I always wanted a Rolls Royce.
Someday maybe I'll get you one, honey.
Baby, I love that.
Wait a minute. Hello? Sorry. Wrong number. There's a man. What's the next number there,
baby?
PR. I guess that's prospect. 3217.
3217.
For sale. Like new. Late model, convertible, private party.
Hello? You advertised a late model convertible for sale? I see. What make is it? How much
you asking? Well, could you give me an approximate amount? Yeah, I see. When will your husband
be home? Well, I'd like to come around and see it. Okay. Yeah. 27 Pierpont. Yes, thank
you.
Hey, baby, this is the one. This is the one.
Which one is the one?
That new late model convertible.
Oh. Well, what was the matter with the others, baby?
Don't you? A man answered on the others I called. This time a woman answered.
Oh.
Don't you see? It's the same thing. A woman trying to sell a car or a coat. She's alone,
no one around. It makes it safer.
Oh, I see. You like my new hat?
Yeah, fine. It's a knockout, baby. Real knockout.
I'll wear it in the car. What kind of car did you say it is?
It's a convertible. Big new convertible.
Oh, well, it looks so swell going down the highway in a big convertible. Maybe we can
put the top down.
Sure, sure we can. Now, look, I told her we'd be right over to look at the car. You come
with me, huh? It'll look better if you come with me.
There won't be any trouble. I mean, the police are looking for you, aren't they?
You let me worry about the police. There won't be any trouble at all. You just keep your
new hat on and come with me, baby, huh?
All right. I'll dress all up.
Well, it took her a while, but I finally got her over there. It's a very nice looking house.
Just the kind of a place where they had to have a convertible to show off a little bit.
Just my meat. Wilma thought it was a very nice place, too.
Oh, baby?
Hmm?
The gum.
Oh, juicy fruit. Want some?
No, no, no. Take the gum out, baby.
And look, you better let me do all the talking. I've been at this kind of thing for a long
time now, huh?
You know best. Do I look all right?
Yes, well, just a little.
Hello.
Hello. I'm the man about the car.
Oh, yes.
I'm Mr. Watson. This is Mrs. Watson.
Oh, come in, please. Come in.
Well, you see, we'd like to see the car if we could. We're in kind of a hurry.
The car's in the garage in the back. It's just easier to come through the house.
Oh, I see. All right. Good.
This way.
It's so funny about this.
What?
If she had a car of her own, she'd have it sitting out in the driveway in front, not hidden
out in the garage in the back.
After the rain last night, I thought it best to keep it in the garage. I wanted it to look
nice to show today.
Oh, silly. Come on.
I'll bet you two are newly married.
Oh, no. We...
We've been married for some time now.
You just look like newlyweds somehow.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
This way.
Hello.
Oh, hello.
This is my husband, Mr. And Mrs. Watson.
Hello, Mr. Watson.
How do you do, I'm sure.
You seem familiar, Mr. Watson. Have you lived here long?
No. No, just passing through, as a matter of fact.
Where are you staying?
At the Alpine Hotel.
How long did you say you'd been in town?
A week.
How long did you say you'd been in town?
A week.
How long did you say you'd been in town?
Oh, you mean that the Alpine Hotel was in the back of the house?
Yes.
Oh, I see.
Mr. Watson, he could organs be different.
��
Where did you grow up?
He grew up in a hotel that liked React washing detergents,
What do you think of the car?
Boy, I haven't really had a chance to look at it yet.
Well, there she is. Take a look.
Yeah, it's a pretty nice car, all right.
What are you asking for it?
Blue Book's paying 32 for this model right now.
Cost you 38 on a lot.
We'll compromise. 35.
Sounds pretty good. Slow steep though.
Well, I'll tell you what, how about 34?
Can you get someone to carry the papers?
Well, I can pay for it myself.
You brought cash?
No, no, but I can go to the bank and get it
if you'll give me an hour.
No cash, huh?
Well, you didn't expect me to walk in here
with $3,400 on me, did you?
I don't know you people from Adam.
I, no offense, you understand,
but a man would be crazy to carry that much money
around strangers.
What bank?
What was that?
He asked you what bank you'd go to to get the money.
Oh, well, any bank.
I just draw a draft on myself on my Cleveland account.
You say you're an electrician, Mr. Watson.
Yes, yes, that's right.
Is your name really Watson?
What's that?
Don't you usually look for fur coats?
Look for what?
What's your real name?
Huh?
Your real name.
What is it?
Baby.
Shut up.
Let her talk.
Oh, look, I came here to buy a car.
Now, what is this, huh?
Here's the car, buy it.
What?
I'd like to try it out first.
Baby, will you shut up?
Come on, please, shut up.
You have some identification.
Identification?
Baby, will you just shut up?
What's the matter with your wife?
I don't know, I don't know.
We thought you might be needing a car.
You thought what?
I said we thought you might be needing a car
to make a trip in.
Mr. I don't know what you're talking about.
You know a man named Phelps, Frank Phelps?
1425 West Yondotas.
Oh, look, I told you, I'm new here.
I don't know this town at all.
I don't know any Frank Phelps.
Frank Phelps was killed yesterday.
A man went into his house, stole a mink coat from his wife,
then used his gun on Frank Phelps
when he came home unexpectedly.
He beat him to death, Watson.
Just stood there and beat him to death.
I don't know any Frank Phelps.
I think you do.
I don't, I tell you, I don't.
Do I, baby?
No, honesty doesn't, and neither do I.
Mrs. Watson.
Yes?
You know we're police officers, don't you?
Yes.
I wanna ask you one question.
Yes?
Why are you wearing Mrs. Phelps' mink coat?
What?
I didn't think you'd mind.
You never pay any attention to the things I wear.
You just never pay any attention at all.
Oh, baby.
Oh.
Baby?
Huh?
Let's go.
We went.
And let me tell you this
in case you wanna think something over later.
Always work alone.
Always.
That's one little old rule I'm sticking to from now on.
Yes, sir, and the next time it's gonna be different.
But, well, I don't make any difference either,
because there isn't gonna be any next time.
For me.
Suspense.
In which Mr. Stacy Harris starred
in tonight's presentation of WANT AD.
Be sure to join us next Wednesday
when we again bring you another presentation
of radio's outstanding theater thrills,
Suspense.
Suspense is produced and directed in Hollywood
by Anthony Ellis.
Tonight's script was written for Suspense by E. Jack Newman.
The music was composed by Rene Garagang
and conducted by Leith Stevens.
Featured in the cast were Mary Jane Croft,
Paula Winslow, Joseph Kearns, Virginia Gregg,
Jack Moyles, and Lou Krugman.
And now a public service message from CBS Radio.
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one of our cities is missing.
Radar can spot enemy aircraft before they reach our cities,
but there are gaps which only your eyes can fill.
CBS Radio suggests write or telephone
your nearest civil defense center.
Or write to Ground Observer Corps Air Force Washington, D.C.
to learn how you can serve in our Ground Observer Corps.
Stay tuned now for five minutes of CBS News
to be followed on most of these same stations
by My Son Jeep.
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