Suspense.
And the producer of radio's outstanding theater of thrills,
the master of mystery and adventure,
William N. Robeson.
They call themselves the Beat Generation,
by which they do not mean defeated.
They mean beatific, which is to say blissful.
They're cool, man.
They're way out there.
They dig jazz which has no melody,
but they're very good at it.
They dig jazz which has no melody,
and poetry which makes no sense,
at least to the rest of us squares.
They are kids seeking an answer,
and to the Beat Generation,
the answer seems to be found in inaction,
in non-feeling.
They couldn't care less.
But face a beat cat with reality,
face him with murder, and what happens?
Listen, listen then to, like man,
Somebody Dig Me, starring Ted Reed,
which follows in a moment.
Another visit with Joe and Daphne Forsythe.
Joe.
Joseph.
What? What? What?
Who is she?
Who's who?
Who were you dreaming about?
Was I dreaming?
You were talking in your sleep, and giggling.
How about that?
What were you giggling about?
I can't remember.
Joseph, you mentioned a girl's name.
Oh, what name?
Spass.
Spass?
Yes, Spass.
Candy Spass.
It sounded like a dancer or a striptease or something.
Oh.
Oh, what?
Well, I must have said Candy Spass.
Candy Spass is a horse.
I bet on him once.
You bet on a horse?
Yeah, we had a pool.
I could have won three dollars.
Well, you should have put the money into savings bonds.
They're a much better investment.
It was only 50 cents.
For 63 cents a day, you can buy a 25 dollar bond a month.
And one year's worth of bonds will bring 300 dollars when they mature.
What's more, they're guaranteed to be winners.
The whole United States stands behind them.
Uh-huh.
So don't waste money betting on horses.
Put it in savings bonds.
Okay.
Can I still dream about horses, though?
If you do it quietly.
Say, why were you giggling about a horse?
And now...
Like Man, Somebody Dig Me, starring Ted Reed.
A tale well calculated to keep you in...
suspense.
Man like crazy.
Man, I dig everything.
I dig zen and underarm deodorant.
I dig Elvis Presley and Sputniks.
I even dig people that drive right on by when I'm hitchhiking.
People call me the tennis shoe,
because I wear them and because I'm always on the move.
But mostly, because I'm cool, man.
I could stand out here in the middle of this desert all day.
It wouldn't bother me.
You want a lift?
I'm with you, chick.
How far are you going?
I just stick with Route 66, man.
On to the ocean.
We're on our way to Las Vegas.
You going to California?
Like I wrote a poem, man.
I want to read it to the Pacific Ocean.
Read it to the Pacific Ocean?
Well, I already read it to the Atlantic.
Well, if you read it to the Atlantic,
why bother to read it to the Pacific?
Man, have you ever read a poem to the Atlantic in January?
Well, no.
We almost didn't stop for you.
Well, most people won't take chance on hitchhikers these days.
As you're lucky, we picked you up.
Look, man, I don't know what you want, but I ain't got it.
I ain't got no rose to pin on you and no medals.
Dick, I just stand by the road with my thumb up.
If you want to pick me up, cool.
If you want to drive on by, too cool.
If you want to stop the car and let me out, that's okay with me.
Because, man, I'm cool.
I just don't care.
You're the driver, and I'm just along for the ride.
Dig?
Well, I'm just making conversation.
Uh-huh. If you're going to Vegas, man, you'll have to turn off at Kingman.
I don't dig Vegas. Vegas is for squares.
Well, right now I'm going to get me some shut-eye.
I'm tired, man.
The cops run me out of town last night for building a fire to keep warm.
So I'm tired, man.
You mean just for building a fire?
Like how was I to know all that wood was somebody's house?
I pulled down the lids of my eyes and made like I was asleep,
but it was all I could do to keep from busting out laughing.
This was kicks, man. These squares were real kicks.
Turn on the radio, Walter.
Uh-huh.
Walter, I don't like that man.
Oh, don't be silly.
Keep your voice down. Do you want to wake him up?
I think he's crazy, and I think he's dangerous.
Honey, he's perfectly harmless.
I see his type on the road a lot lately.
It's kind of fab.
They call themselves the Beat Generation.
They pretend that nothing matters to them anymore. They just drift.
He's harmless.
Just the same. I wish we hadn't picked him up.
The idea of Matinee Melody is to bring you another bulletin
on the killer who's been terrorizing Southern Nevada.
Walter, listen.
The Hatchet Maniac's fourth victim was just found brutally murdered
in the small Nevada town of Searchlight, not far from the Arizona border.
Only one eyewitness has seen the killer.
She describes him as being medium height, dark coloring,
and wearing a red nylon jacket and tennis shoes.
Walter, you've...
All user, Head Mary, we're in Arizona.
But the description fits, and he could be carrying anything in that bag of his.
You want to look in the bag like...
I thought you were asleep.
Don't jump. Stay cool.
I'll put it in the front seat, and you can look-seat.
Man, it don't even zip or shut.
So what do you dig inside?
A bottle of wine from the supermarket,
typewritten copies of my poems,
a clean shirt with a dirty collar.
Man, I travel so light, I don't even dig toothbrushes.
So what am I going to do with a hatchet?
Man, there is one thing about squares they never, ever learn.
This is Kingman, buddy.
Where do you want to get out?
Anywhere.
Now we've got to get some gas.
Isn't that strange? The streets are almost deserted.
With that maniac running loose, everybody's probably locked up indoors.
Walter, shouldn't we have turned off by now?
We're just about out of town.
Yeah.
Oh, here's a place. See? Pops food and gas.
We can pull in here and ask and get some gas at the same time.
I don't see anybody.
Like maybe they're closed.
Lights are still on.
Well, I'll go inside.
Don't leave me, Walter.
Oh, there's nothing to be afraid of, Mary.
Well, I'm certainly not going to stay out here alone.
Like thanks, Chick.
Walter!
Like who was I to stay in the car when the party's inside?
Just as we go through the front door,
some cat hustles in from the kitchen, wiping his hands on his apron.
Oh, there you are. I didn't hear you drive up.
Walter, he's got blood on his hands.
Mary!
Please, don't be alarmed.
Tomorrow's specialist chicken and dumplings,
and somebody has to kill the chickens.
That's why I didn't hear you drive up.
Oh.
We need some gas.
Yeah, man, like gasoline.
Man, like right away I got eyes to see this cat ain't nobody's pop.
And he ain't never run no gas station before.
But do you think I'm going to tell Squares?
I drop my bag at the end of the counter,
and then I walk around to the back of the station to scrub some of the dirt off my face.
Takes me quite a while to scrub,
and I come back around the station just in time to see the two Squares drive off down the road.
And what do you think happens?
Instead of turning right to go to Vegas, they turn to the left.
When I come in the cafe, I surprise this cat behind the counter.
Oh, man, you walk up on people like too quiet.
That's why they call me the tennis shoe.
Hey, like your hip, they call me the cat.
I can tell why.
Where did those two Squares go?
Mexico.
They said they were going to Vegas.
I know.
They asked me where to turn, and I told them.
If they drive long enough, they'll wind up in Mexico.
Oh, man, you are too cool.
I leave the cat, and I'm walking west on 66 with my thumb ready,
10, maybe 15 minutes at the most,
when this squad car with a flashing light screams up to a stop.
Right away, they pull out those big shiny pistols,
and right away, I know what they're thinking.
This is really going to be crazy.
Hold your hands in the air.
Man, like go away.
Hold them up high if you don't want your head blown off.
That's better.
Then search them, George.
Oh, now, easy, man, easy.
I laugh when people do that.
He's clean.
What do you got in the bag?
I got goodies for Grandma.
You dig, Grandma?
Step away from it.
See what's in the bag, George.
My God.
What is it?
We got him.
Like got who, man?
This is the hatchet killer, Charlie.
I look over to dig what's in the bag, and I almost flip.
There, on top of the clean shirt with the dirty collar,
on top of all that cool poetry,
on top of an almost full half bottle of wine,
there's this hatchet I never seen before.
Man, like I'd laugh, but the hatchet is all bloody.
In a moment, we continue with the second act of...
Suspense.
How can we recognize devotion to freedom?
One way is to be able to identify the Navy Cross
established by Congress in 1919,
a cross made of bronze,
and a
design of an old sailing ship, the Caravelle,
with crossed anchors and the words United States Navy
on the reverse side.
It is suspended from a blue ribbon with a narrow white stripe in the center.
This rare award is given to any person serving in any capacity
with the Naval Service of the United States,
who distinguishes himself by extraordinary heroism
in connection with military operations and military service.
The Navy Cross is a symbol of the freedom in connection
with military operations against an armed enemy.
Individuals who have received the Navy Cross
include sailors who distinguished themselves
during America's involvement with Japanese operations in China
from 1937 to 1938,
and men aboard the U.S. Gunboat Panay,
which was bombed and sunk in Chinese waters on December 12, 1937.
It is an extraordinary accomplishment,
which a proud nation notes and acknowledges with gratitude.
Who is next for the Navy Cross?
It can be any dedicated seaman who so conducts himself
as to be worthy of the great tradition of this honored symbol of freedom,
the Navy Cross.
And now, starring Ted Reed,
act two of Like Man, Somebody Dig Me.
Ah, look, buddy, you'd better give us your name and give it to us fast.
I told you, man, I'm the tennis shoe.
I don't like your flip attitude.
So flip, man, flip.
I don't know whether you realize it or not,
but you're in bad trouble.
You've been caught with a murder weapon, no identification, and no alibi.
I told you my story, but you don't dig it.
You expect me to believe you've just been passing through the state?
Don't forget that Bronson cat in Gallup, New Mexico.
He's all the alibi I need.
I was swinging at a party at his place last night, all night.
He digs me, so I'm not shook.
Well, this is a new kick, Daddy-o.
I ain't never been up for murder before.
It is too cool.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Kingman Police.
Yeah, he's here.
It's the Gallup police.
Hello.
You got them there with you?
Put them on.
Will you shut up so I can hear?
Shut up!
Hello?
Uh, Mr. Bronson, this is the Kingman police.
We got a man here that says you know him.
Was at a party at your place last night.
Well, he calls himself the Tennis Shoe.
Huh?
Just a minute.
He says he never heard of you.
Let me talk to him.
Hello, man.
Oh, yeah, man.
Well, this is me, the Tennis Shoe.
Daddy-o, like I know.
Well, tell the man for me.
I know it, but I keep forgetting.
Bronson, this is for real.
They're trying to pin a murder on me.
Ha ha ha ha.
Crazy man.
You're way out there. Way out.
Murder, what kicks?
Ha ha ha.
Well, like men, won't somebody dig me?
Now, do you want to tell me why you killed him?
But I didn't.
You were carrying a hatchet that killed five people.
How did it get in your bag?
The cat must have put it there.
Who's that?
I told you already, the guy that was at Pop's place.
Who else saw him besides you?
I told you, the two squares that give me the lift.
The man and the woman you sent in the wrong direction?
I didn't send them in no wrong direction.
This cat did. He's cool.
He did it for a kick.
You kill the old man for a kick?
No, I'm innocent.
It's all a collection of circumstances.
I'm just a victim of the world, man.
Take him down and book him for first-degree murder.
What's going on out there?
Almost everybody in town's out front.
They're yelling for the hatchet killer.
You aren't going to let them in here, Chief.
If they're making up their minds that they're coming in,
it's going to take more than me to stop them.
You can't let them get me.
Don't pay any attention to them.
I'm going out there and try to talk them out of it.
All right.
Quiet.
They give me a chance to speak my mind.
Now, quiet down.
Quiet down.
I know all friends and neighbors.
I know how you all felt about Pop Daniels.
Well, he was a friend of mine, too.
But I know you all well enough to know
that you want to see justice done.
Here, that's what we brought this rope for.
That's right.
We want the killer.
Now quiet down a minute.
Not just a minute.
We want the killer.
It's like a nightmare.
A million hands pull and drag me out of the jail
across the street and into this sleepy little park
in the center of town.
I try to laugh, man.
I mean, it's a new kid being carried around like that.
I try to laugh, but no laugh comes.
And then I see this rope,
the one with a long knot in it.
And all of a sudden I know
that the only cat that's going to be swinging
at this party is me.
I'm going to be the only one who's going to be swinging
at this party.
I'm going to be the only one who's going to be swinging
at this party.
It's me.
In a moment, we continue
with the third act of...
Suspense.
We have together
ample capacity
in freedom to defend freedom.
This is NATO.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Day after day, month after month,
since April 4th, 1949,
the activities of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
have moved steadily forward on many fronts.
This complete cooperation
must and will continue
because the concept of national self-sufficiency
is out of date.
Countries of the free world are interdependent
and only in genuine partnership
and by combining their resources
should be able to
and by combining their resources,
sharing tasks in many fields,
can progress and safety be found.
The United States of America
is a part of NATO.
You should be aware of and alert to
the objectives and programs
of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
And now,
starring Ted Reed,
act three of
Like Man, Somebody, Dig Me.
I wonder whatever possessed that man
at Pop's place to give us the wrong turn.
Oh, I should have paid more attention
to my own sense of direction.
Oh, all that driving
and here we are right back in Kingman.
Only there was nobody in the street
when we came through and...
Now look at that crowd over there in the park.
Uh, probably a
political rally of some sort.
No, look at that rope. They're gonna hang somebody.
Hey,
old timer. Yes, sir.
What's going on?
I thought that fellow was been going around
chopping up people over in Nevada.
But he sure made a mistake when he killed
old Pop Daniels here in Kingman
this afternoon. We don't put up with that kind of stuff.
Look at that man. They're putting a rope on. Isn't that the thing?
Yes, that's our hitchhiker.
They're making a terrible mistake.
He was with us all afternoon.
Walter, where are you going? They'll hang him if I don't stop them.
Walter, come back here. They'll hang you too.
Wait!
Wait! This man is innocent!
All right, let me through.
Let me through here.
He's innocent. I can prove it.
Get out of here.
Listen to me!
Give me a chance and listen to me!
If you hang him, you'll hang an innocent man.
I can prove he's innocent
because he's been with my wife and me all day.
Man, am I glad to see you.
After that, it really wasn't any trouble.
They told the cops where I'd been.
The cops were mad because I wasn't the killer.
But there wasn't anything they could do about it.
And the next morning,
I walk out of jail
into the sunshine and the fresh air.
I walk out of jail into the sunshine and the fresh air.
Like, man, it's really great to be alive.
And the world looks good.
Even people look good.
But I walk down the main drag
and in less than five blocks,
I pass a little kid that tries to con me
into buying up all his newspapers
so he can go home early.
A neon sign that screams
good food and dance.
A hundred cars driven by guys that don't own them.
And no apology from some guy
I bumped into.
And then I start wondering what I'm so gone about.
Young man.
Yeah, like?
I wonder if you'd be so kind.
My daughter let me out of her car.
She told me the optometrist was straight ahead.
But somehow I got turned around.
Would you lead me to the right door?
Optometrists?
Yes, I broke my glasses three days ago.
Well, Grandma, I don't know how you did it.
But you just drifted yourself down about two doors.
Here, you take my arm.
Thank you so much.
You're such a kind young man.
Now watch it, there's a step here.
Oh, my, it's so cool in here.
Why, I didn't know you were hip, Grandma.
And what nice music on the radio.
Yeah, moms, it's way out.
Now here's a chair. You sit down.
Oh, thank you so much.
Whatever would I have done without you?
Shh, shh.
There's a sign over there that says quiet, please.
I'll tell the receptionist you're here.
Don't go away.
Can I help you?
Yes.
Are you family or a friend of the deceased?
It's my mother.
She don't want to view the body.
She just wants to sit here
and meditate about the dearly departed.
I see.
So you just leave her alone with her thoughts
and I'll be by and pick her up in a while.
Why, we do our best to be a comfort
in a time of trial and stress.
I'm sorry.
Trial and stress.
Man.
Oh, I get out on the street
and I put it way out in the desert
before I fall down
and bust out laughing.
I think of that old chick
sitting in that funeral parlor
waiting for a pair of glasses
and I just about crack up, man.
I mean,
I'm not a man.
Ha ha ha.
Oh, one thing about squares, man.
They just never, ever learn.
Suspense.
In which Ted Reed
starred in William M. Robeson's production of
Like Man Somebody Dig Me
written by George Bamber.
Supporting Ted Reed in
Like Man Somebody Dig Me
were Lillian Bief, Bill Quinn,
Dawes Butler, Barney Phillips,
Jack Moyles, Sam Pearce, and Norm Alden.
Listen.
Listen again next week
when we return with another tale
well calculated to keep you in
suspense.
This is the United States Armed Forces
Radio and Television Service.
Human Rights Force
Army."
Whose
next
encounter
is that?
The
Army
with
The
Army