Later, the emblem may be worn only for the duration of their assignment.
Both as individuals and as members of military units, America's servicemen have proved themselves
worthy of medals and worthy of admiration by their countrymen.
And now, rub down and out, stirring Lloyd Bridges, a tale well calculated to keep you
in suspense.
Big Willie Spang was one of the other kind.
A large tub, but loaded.
Big Willie was known around town as a promoter, but nobody seemed to know what he promoted.
Used to come in every Friday night around seven for a sweat in the steam room and a rubdown
just before he left for the fights.
That's how I found out at least one thing that Big Willie had promoted.
A beautiful wife.
Oh, pardon me.
Yeah?
What can I do for you?
Is Mr. Spang through yet?
I think he is.
He ought to be out any minute now, Miss...
Mrs. Spang.
Oh, Mrs. Spang.
My name is Zach Weston.
It's nice meeting you.
Oh, thank you.
Oh, how are yous now?
Oh, you've come for me, Frankie.
You've come along, I like you.
Ah, Joycie.
There you are.
Hey, Zach, this is my wife, Joycie.
Yeah, yeah, we just met.
This is Zach's partner, Joycie.
This is Frankie Schatz.
Hello.
Howdy, Mrs. Spang.
Glad to know you.
Hey, Zach, I gave Frankie some tips, boy.
You bet him, I say, you make a few bucks.
Make yourselves a million.
We appreciate it, Big Willie.
Yeah, you ought to.
It's good advice.
Well, let's go, Joycie.
I don't want to be late.
Good card tonight.
Got a kid and the second bout gonna win it.
You bet on him, boys.
You bet like a tellin', you'll make a buck, huh?
Come on, Joycie.
See you guys.
Yeah, good night, good night, folks.
Am I seeing things?
Oh, you got 20-20 vision, kid.
That was for real.
Ooh, Papa, buy me something like that.
Class, Frankie, class.
What does it take?
I'm five-ten with an electric personality.
And a thin wallet.
Yeah.
Look, Zach, let's get rich, huh?
Let's make a buck like Big Willie says.
Let's make a million and get something like that, one for each of us, just like Big Willie.
I didn't tell Frankie, but I didn't think it would take a million.
It wasn't what she said.
She hadn't said anything, Willie.
It was just the way she looked at me.
The kind of a look that tells you this is a beginning.
The kind of a look that tells you the phone will be ringing soon.
Tomorrow, next day, as soon as possible.
Hello?
This is Zach.
Uh-huh.
This is Mrs. Spang, Zach.
Yeah, yeah, I know Mrs. Spang.
Big Willie talks about you all the time.
You've done wonders for him.
Well, I'm glad he thinks so.
Zach, how about doing something for my muscles?
Well, I'd say your muscles are fine, just the way they are, Mrs. Spang.
Well, you do advertise for men and women, don't you?
Yeah, that's right.
Well, then, can I make an appointment?
Why would it be convenient for you, Mrs. Spang?
Hmm, Wednesday afternoon, about three.
All right, that'll be fine, Mrs. Spang.
Oh, Zach, why not forget the missus?
I feel I've known you a long time, through my husband.
Wednesday afternoon at three, for your workout, Mrs. Spang.
Wednesday, she showed up at three.
Frankie had taken the afternoon off and the place was empty except for Benny, the punch-drunk
fighter who helped out around the joint.
Hey, Benny.
Benny?
Yeah, yeah, Zach, yeah.
Hey, you see that, Zach, huh?
I'm getting good, huh?
Maybe one of these days, huh, Zach?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Benny, one of these days you'll be back in the ring.
Hey, what do you want, Zach, huh?
The gym, huh?
I want to use the gym.
You go back and rinse out the steamer.
Go ahead, Benny, take five.
Oh, oh, sure, Zach.
Hey, you bet.
Yeah, I'll take five.
Rinse it out.
You bet.
Yeah.
Well, Zach, you all ready for me?
All set.
How do we begin?
Well, I think we'll start off your first day kind of light.
It's not good to exert yourself too much the first day.
Let's try this horse first, huh?
Can you get up on it?
Oh, sure, with a little help.
Here, use my hands for a step.
Okay.
Oh, I'm falling.
The kiss wasn't soft.
It was hard and demanding.
It was a kiss that yelled hunger.
She held onto me like she was fighting for her life.
Finally, I broke away from her and she looked up at me as if she were really surprised.
Is that a regular part of the course?
That's a part of it you bought, isn't it?
What else can you teach me?
Mrs. Spang, I've suddenly noticed that your muscles are in good condition.
They're fine.
We can't do a thing for you.
All right, send me a bill.
No, you're not satisfied.
My clients never pay when they're not satisfied.
Thursday went by, then Friday.
Finally, Saturday afternoon, she called.
Big Willie was out of town for a few days, she said.
At seven, she picked me up at the joint in her red convertible,
and a little after eight, we were eating lobster in a quiet place on the beach near Malibu.
What is it, Zach?
What's what?
What is it about you?
What is it with the way you look at me and the way I look at you?
It's a fire, Joyce.
A fire that never should have been started.
How do we put it out?
I don't think we do.
Oh, say nice things to me, Zach.
You're another man's wife.
He's not a man, he's a...
Oh, I hate him, Zach.
You know it's possible for a woman to hate a man she's married to?
You made a promise, remember?
People who are desperate make all kinds of promises.
Oh, I've honored him and I've obeyed him, but I broke my promise to love him.
Zach, tell me what I want to hear, please.
You want me to say I love you?
I love you.
Wrong? Of course it was wrong.
But a thing like this doesn't end in just one night.
There were other nights when Willie had to leave town because of the boys from back east.
We found ourselves taking long drives along the coast.
Then when the heat was off and he came back, we couldn't see each other.
I was like a caged animal waiting.
I couldn't call her when he was in town.
She had to call me.
Hello?
Oh, Zach, listen, Zach, I've got to talk to you.
What's the matter?
Well, I can't tell you over the phone.
I think he knows, Zach.
I think he knows about us and I've got to talk to you.
All right, where?
I'll pick you up in front of the sign board at Sunset in Doheny.
Eight o'clock.
Okay.
I'll drive the sedan.
All right, I'll be there.
Eight o'clock came fast.
I planted myself in front of the sign board and waited.
A little after eight, the big sedan pulled up next to the curb.
I walked over.
Hey, Weston.
What is this?
Get in the car before I blow your head off.
In a moment, we continue with the second act of suspense.
I have never read a collection of American folklore which had a section devoted solely to the downtrodden commuter.
But there should be.
There are legends galore about the miseries of these poor folk.
For example, there was this train in Idaho that was a mite slow.
Once an impatient passenger asked the conductor why the train had stopped.
There's a cow on the track, he said.
We have to chase her away.
A little later, when the train stopped again, the passenger roared, now what's wrong?
Oh, said the conductor serenely.
We just caught up with that cow again.
Folklore belongs to every nation's legendary past.
And I guess we Americans have our share of some good ones, like the one about...
But we'll have to save that one for the next time we travel your way.
See you then.
And now, starring Lloyd Bridges, act two of Rub Down and Out.
Nobody said anything.
This big moose in the back held a gun on me and the little guy in the front seat drove out sunset.
Then up Beverly Drive and on into the hills near Franklin Reservoir,
where there aren't any houses and there aren't any lights and no traffic.
All right, get out.
Go on, get out.
Will you tell me what this is all about?
Some advice, Mr. Weston.
We've been asked by a friend to pass on some friendly advice.
What friend?
Don't you know, Mr. Weston?
A friend who thinks you're a home wrecker.
A home wrecker?
Oh, you have very bad manners, Mr. Weston.
But you know it's impolite to interrupt while I'm giving you such important advice, Mr. Weston.
On our way.
My friend Henry here, he hates home wrecker students, don't you, Henry?
Yeah, I sure do.
What's the matter, Mr. Muscle Man? Can't you take it?
Double cross me, double cross me.
That's a very bad thing to say about my friend's wife.
Henry, bad.
Oh, please.
You want to go around wrecking homes, Mr. Weston?
You can get into a lot of trouble.
All right, hold it, Henry.
I hate home wreckers, Hope.
Sure you do.
Just once more.
All right, Henry. That's enough, I said.
I think Mr. Weston gets the point.
You can get over cuts and bruises and internal injuries.
But can you get over a double cross in a day?
Well, you can bet that I was going to try.
The next night was Friday, and Big Willie came in on the dot of seven.
He got his steam and his rub down and left, acting just the same as he always had.
I'd have thought that I'd dreamt it all up,
except for my split lip and the mouse under my eye.
Then the phone rang, and I was sure that it had happened.
Hello?
Zach? Oh, Zach, baby, what did they do to you?
Oh, what do you care?
Oh, Zach, honey, baby, darling, listen to me.
He made me do it.
Yeah?
You think it was me, don't you?
Oh, what am I supposed to think?
No, it was him, Zach. He made me call you.
There was nothing I could do. He was acting so crazy.
Well, I can't say that I blame him.
This whole thing was wrong from the beginning.
Never should have happened.
Oh, Zach, darling, that isn't true. We've done nothing wrong.
We haven't.
Oh, no, no, darling, because... because I love you.
Did you hear me, Zach?
Yeah. Yeah, I heard you.
I've got to see you, darling. I've got to see you tonight.
Yeah, what happens tonight?
Do I get the rest of my teeth kicked in?
Oh, Zach, darling, you've got to believe me.
I just can't go on living with him any longer.
All right, all right, Joyce.
Pick me up at sunset in La Cienega.
It was no use. I couldn't get away from her.
It's the sound of a voice, and I was a goner.
I told her that.
Parked in the Palisades, looking out over the moonlit ocean.
I just can't stand him, Zach.
I can't stand him a minute longer.
He was in the night, same as usual.
Sure, he'll keep coming back.
Why? He hates my guts.
He gets his kicked that way.
He's making fun of you, Zach.
He's scared you, and he wants to keep on scaring you.
I don't scare easy.
He hates you. Do you hate him?
You know I do.
Enough to kill him?
What?
For me? For us?
Yeah. Yeah.
When? When will you kill him?
Oh, Joyce. How could I do a thing like that?
Make it look like an accident.
Like an accident? Uh-huh.
Oh, baby, look, I...
I don't know. Let me think about it.
Maybe I can figure out something.
Oh, Zach. Oh, baby, what would have happened to me
if I hadn't found you?
In a moment, we continue with the third act of...
Suspense.
And now, starring Lloyd Bridges, act three of
Rub Down and Out.
What are you going to do?
Well, on a broad like that, you'd do anything.
Only murder is something that you don't commit every day of the week.
It takes a little thought, a little planning.
And I was an amateur.
And one night, I got the answer in a hot flash.
I was sitting all alone in the steam room after hours
trying to figure out a way to kill Big Willie.
When I suddenly realized that it was hot, too hot,
the steam burned my nostrils, and I was so weak
that I hardly made the door.
Benny. Yeah?
Hi, Benny. Yeah?
Hey, were you mucking with that steam valve?
Oh, yeah, I turned out full of rinse and rub down.
Oh, boy, you nearly cooked me.
Cooked me.
Yeah, sure.
There was only one door to the steam room.
It was big, heavy, and it locked from the outside.
And tomorrow was Friday, Big Willie's night for a steam bath.
The next morning, Joyce called. I knew she would.
She called every day now with the same question.
You got an idea yet?
Yes, I have, honey, at last.
What is it?
I'll tell you when I see you after the inquest.
Are you sure it'll work?
It can't miss.
Are you scared?
Not with you in my corner, baby.
That's where I'm going to be, honey, from now on.
Scared? Yeah, sure I was scared.
I wasn't going to let on.
There are a lot of things that could louse it up.
But as the day dragged on, everything worked out my way.
Frankie had a dinner date, so he was leaving early.
Benny wanted to go to the fights.
Finally, I had only one last worry.
Maybe Big Willie wouldn't show up at all.
But he did, right on the dot of seven.
I told him that Benny would take care of him.
He grunted at me and showed me his cigar-stained teeth.
Twenty minutes passed, and I heard Benny in the locker room.
Big Willie was taking his steam bath.
Benny? Yeah?
I'll go take care of Big Willie.
You take off, kid, huh? Go to the fights?
Yeah? Hey, hey, thanks, Doc. Thanks.
Then I walked across the gym and stepped up into the steam room.
Big Willie was sitting on a tile ramp,
a big towel wrapped around his middle.
How you doing, Willie?
Uh...
Well, not speaking, huh? I got nothing to say to you.
Well, I got plenty to say to you. Now, sit down.
Who do you think you're pushing around? Shut up and listen.
Maybe you've got a short memory.
Maybe you forgot what happened to you the other night. I remember.
Maybe you're sucking around for some more of the same.
You know, Big Willie, you don't look so hot,
all wrapped up in a wet towel. No wonder she hates your guts.
I'm getting out of here. I don't have to listen to this.
You ain't going anywhere, Big Willie, ever again.
This is your last stop. Benny! Benny!
You won't do any good, Willie. There's nobody out there.
Just you and me.
You got nobody to back you up now.
And I don't need anybody.
How you like that, Willie, huh? Why, you...
Uh-uh, Willie!
You're out of condition, fat man.
Oh, wait a minute. Now, wait a minute, Si.
Let me tell you something. Yeah, well, make it fast.
So you ain't the first... What do you mean?
With her. And you won't be the last either.
With that, you'll get another one.
Now, listen. Listen, I tell you, she ain't worth it.
But if you want her, you can have her.
Yeah, well, that's really generous of you, Willie.
But you won't keep her long.
You are a rat, aren't you? A dirty, miserable rat!
No! No, please, no more.
No more.
Now, you can take your steam bath now, Willie.
A nice long one. In private.
Hey, what the...
Hello?
Zach, Zach, don't do it.
Huh, what? Don't do it, Zach.
It's done. He's in the steam room now.
Maybe you can hear him screaming.
Oh, let him out, Zach. The police!
Police? Yes, they were here looking for him.
Why? Well, I don't know.
But they wanted to know where he was, and I told them.
You told them? Well, I had to.
Zach, I didn't think you'd do it so soon.
I didn't want you to get into trouble.
Zach, don't do it. Don't do it! I'll talk to you later, baby.
Talk to you later.
Yeah, Willie. Yeah, just a minute, Willie, boy.
Oh, no. It's stuck. The valve's stuck.
Just a minute, Willie. Just a minute.
I'll open the door, Willie.
It's locked. It's locked.
The lock sprung when I closed it.
The key. Where's the key?
Wait a minute, big Willie. Now, wait.
The key must be here somewhere.
Oh, no. No, no. The key, the key.
I've got to find that key.
Is this the key you're looking for, Weston?
What?
Police Lieutenant Arnold.
Here, Sergeant. Unlock the door.
Willie was still alive when they got him out of the steam room.
So they put him away for a long, long time.
On, of all things, income tax evasion.
After the judge heard my story, I ended up with one to two years
for assault with a deadly weapon.
Sentence suspended.
I bet it's the first time that a steam room was ever called a deadly weapon.
Joyce?
Well, big Willie was right about her.
I hear she's in Chicago now with one of the boys from back east.
I guess they had more than one reason for wanting to get rid of big Willie.
When I stop to think of it, in a way, I can't blame them.
Suspense.
In which Lloyd Bridges starred in William and Robeson's production of Rub Down and Out
by Richard George Pedicini.
Supporting Lloyd Bridges in Rub Down and Out were Tracy Roberts, William Conrad, Eddie Marr, and Jack Crouchon.
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.
Music