Quiet, Please - Old Time Radio Horror
Is This Murder? - Quiet, Please | 01/16/1949 (Ep083)
Hope you enjoy this episode of Quiet, Please. - Disclaimer: The audio on many of the Quiet, Please episodes have different levels of crackling. Poor audio. - Find all our OTR radio stations and podcasts at theaterofthemind-otr.com - Podcast @ Spreaker | Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music
- Broadcast on:
- 20 Sep 2024
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- other
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Uncover opportunity and move upward at MossAtoms.com. Quiet, please. Quiet, please. [MUSIC PLAYING] The American Broadcasting Company presents Quiet, please, which is written and directed by Willis Cooper, and which features Ernest Chappell. Quiet, please. For today, it's called, is this murder? Thank you very much for coming to see me. I would have come to your office, but I'm sorry, infirmities prevent my going out. That's why I have to have it so dark in here too. I hope you won't mind. Thank you to sit down. Just put your coat on the chair there. Anyway, would you care for a drink? There's some excellence here and there on the sideboard. At least I've been told it's excellent. A manziato, I think. I don't judge myself, but you help yourself. Please do. A manziato, like the stuff that the good manziato was drowned in and posed, like for a story, the cast of a manziato. You remember the story, of course. Yes, settle, help yourself. I asked you to come here because I think I need some legal advice about murder, I'm afraid. Yes, quite. I'm afraid I'm a little hazy about things legal, so, uh, are you mind? Like the Sherry, that I've been told it's excellent. They help us out too. Way. I hardly know where to start, but, uh, that door, that's my workshop. I haven't been in there in quite some time. Artificial limbs, rather unusual ones, if I do say so myself. Well, I've invented a few devices you see, and they've been quite successful. Oh, yes, uh, the great many persons wear hands, arms, legs, and so on that I invented. You didn't know my assistant, of course. Well, I don't know. I don't know where he is. As a matter of fact, it's Dan I wanted to talk to you about. Dan and Joyce. Joyce was your sweetheart. No. No, I didn't murder them. It's rather an awkward story to tell. Are you sure you're comfortable? Good. Have you ever read the words of Mary Wolf still craft Shelley? Ever heard of her? Well, she was the wife of the poet Percy Vish Shelley. She was a novelist. She died in 1890, 30, 60 years ago. But I'm afraid one of her novels is more or less responsible for what I'm going to ask you about. You don't. I mean, you ought to make it with your works. Hi, the best known novel she wrote was Frankenstein. Oh, it's nothing at all like the Frankenstein you've seen in pictures. No borders, Karloff, no baililical, see where the flies you're like, no weird castles. But it's a powerful book with a very important message. You haven't read it. Well, perhaps you ought to. I was talking with Dan about it one day in the workshop there. We could just about make as a monster with all this equipment and I said, hey, not a monster, Dan, old boy. I do better than Mr. Frankenstein did. At least mine would be good looking. Wouldn't need any spare parts of dead people either. And no, indeed. How'd you get it to work, though? That's the problem. There's new arm almost has its own brain. Not much like the one that lion or that was. That is named, well, it's like a war in the picture. Only had to manipulate with his other hand. That's good looking, too. No good without a brain and some live muscles to put it to work, though, is it? Nothing is. That's an intriguing thought, isn't it? What? The synthetic man. Wouldn't have to feed him, wouldn't have to pay him wages. Great idea. And he'd be good and strong. Do all I'm an arms and legs. Chrome steel fingers and plastic muscle. Chromium plated head with wide-angle lenses for eyes. Microphones for ears. Then what for a brain? You know what Frankenstein used, too. A brain? A wrong kind of brain. That was in the picture. He got a criminal brain by mistake, remember? I wonder what would have happened if he'd got a good brain. You've got the book and the pictures. Make stuff, boy. All right, but what would happen if you could make a synthetic man and put a real good human brain in it, hadn't he? But it would be something. Wouldn't it be? Just think of muscles that never tire. A man, a thinking man, that couldn't be harmed by disease. That would be capable of superhuman things, and that would-- Live forever. Nice, but impracticable boy. I wonder. Well, now look that. Don't you go missing up my nice, clean workshop with mechanical men. Ordinary wants to trouble enough. That's about joyous things, too. I get to work, boy. I'd be careful with that elbow, will you? It bends the other way. [MUSIC PLAYING] You're trying some more, Shari. I'm told it's exit. Oh, yes. Murder, we were talking about. Oh, yeah. Let me see if we can collect my clocks. Oh, oh, yes, yes. This first conversation, well, I've repeated to you. It took place about six months ago. I'll make it fun. Where is Dan? I'm sure I have the faintest idea. If you don't mind, I'd like to be orderly, methodical. I think the next occurrence was Joyce's visit to me. Oh, rather, I met her in the cocktail lounge downtown. You know, they haven't been there in a long time. I dropped in one afternoon, it was three or four weeks later. And I was drinking a lemonade out in a beer. My how long it's been since I've had a lemonade. Oh, no, no, no, thanks, no, Shari. But you help yourself. Can you find a bottle, all right? It's a document here, but I'm afraid I have to have it that way, forgive me, do. Well, I was sitting quietly drinking my lemonade. Then she suddenly appeared alongside me, sat down at the table before I saw it almost. White choice, I said. Why, Joyce? Hello, Ernest. What are you drinking? Lemonade? Of course, would you have one? Mm, no thanks. I've got a run. But do happen. No, I had a drink. I'm just leaving. Matter of fact, I had two drinks. Three, if you must know. I don't want any more. Hi, what's the matter? Dan stood me up again. Dan stood you up? Third time in a week now. Well, how come, Joyce? I thought you were-- You tell me. What? Well, I'm sure I don't know what. I mean, you aren't making them work nights at the workshop? I certainly am not. Well, that's where he is, all right. At the workshop. That's what he says. Joyce said, my dear. The workshop's right in my own home. If Dan has been in it. Whoa. Oh, my goodness. Now what do I say? If he isn't at the shop, where is he? Oh, I don't know. Look at him. I happen to love that guy. No, he ain't sticked by lights, Joyce. He isn't out with somebody else. Another girl I'm in. For his sake, I hope he's not on it. Well, I-- Because if I catch him cheating on me, do you know what I'll do? I'll murder him. [MUSIC PLAYING] I beg your pardon? No. She didn't murder him. I'm sorry to keep you in suspense, but I'm afraid I'll have to tell you the story in my own way. If you please. Well, Joyce went away and I thought to myself, look, my goodness, that Dan is very foolish. That's a very attractive girl I said to myself, Dan often took place past her and loosed with her. When she loves him too, I said to myself, but I shuttered a little when I said it. I didn't like the way she said, I owe her murder him. No, sir. I didn't like it. But she was a very attractive girl. But, yes, I know I said was a very attractive girl. Slip of the tongue, sir, as far as I know she still is. Well, anyway, I text Dan with her the next morning. Dan, I said, Dan, you look tired. I am tired, Anastasia. Sleeping all right. All right. Here you've been working nights. Who told you that? Joyce. Oh. Said you were working here at the shop. She did. I know you haven't been working here at the shop. Because I don't know that. Of course you were. Have you been working? If I had been on my own time, Anast. Joyce seems to think it's her time too. It does, huh? What are you up to, Dan? Listen, Anast, do I have a prior to your affairs? How you don't need to take that tone with me, Dan? No. Sorry. Dan, let go. Love you. So what? Well, not really, Dan. I'm sorry, Anast, but I've got so many things to think about. All right. All right, I'm sorry. Can I help you, Dan? You think I've gone crazy? You've never shown any signs of it, old boy? Well, all right. Let's get to work. But I really do think you ought to give more. Consideration to Joyce, old boy. Listen to that. You know that talk we had a few weeks ago. Talk. Frankenstein? Frankenstein. Oh, that's right. Have you been letting that play on your mind, Dan? I've done more than that. All right, come here. Well, what? Come here. See? Well, I'll tell you. I told you I've done more than just think. [MUSIC PLAYING] Do you know what he'd done? I looked. My gleaming chromium plated ahead. Duralaminons and legs. And the fingers are high-test chrome steel-oast. I used your industrial-type hand. You see? I haven't installed the lenses for the eyes. Now, there's the selenium cells for light to react on. I've got two small microphones for the ears. And look, the hands and arms and the legs are controlled by this son-in-law. Why, you're a fool, that's yours. But isn't he a beauty and a-- You're a fool! If he only had a brain, who's that? You idiot. Think so, huh? I'll go. Lock that thing up. It's locked up. Who is it? Why is that? Good morning, Joyce. He's Dan here. Oh, there he is. Well, hello, Dan. Hello. I wonder if you remember we had a date last night. I'm sorry, I was busy. Busy? Where, here? Yeah, here. Was he here on his-- Yes. He was here. Oh. Alone? Yeah, well, he was. Well? He was alone, Joyce. I don't believe it. Now, look here, Joyce. Tell her, Dan. Listen. Tell me what. Tell me what, Dan. Look, this is all-- Owning a rental property sounds like a dream. Collect a rent, and relax. That is until you realize how much work goes into getting it ready. First, you need to conduct market research to understand local rental trends and determine a competitive rent price. 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At Moss Adams, that question inspires us to help people and their businesses strategically define and claim their future. As one of America's leading accounting, consulting, and wealth management firms, our collaborative approach creates solutions for your unique business needs. We leverage industry-focused insights with the collective technical resources of our firm to elevate your performance, uncover opportunity, and move upward at mossadams.com. Foolishness, Joyce, he cut it out on it. Go ahead, Ernest. I tell you that. Hold it, Dan. Look here, Joyce. Dan's been working on a project to his own. What's her name? This isn't her, Joyce. No. Jordan, now look here. Stop being a fool, sure. I'm not the cabinet there. Don't you see you're being a fool, Dan? Open the cabinet. I do, I won't. Well-- What in the world's that? It's a mechanical-- It's a monster. Oh, who do you think you are, Dan? Frankenstein. I told you. Let's see it. Does it work? Certainly does work. Can it walk? It's made out of some of the artificial limbs, I imagine. And a lot of other things, too. Can it talk? Bring it out, Dan. I can talk, yet. Oh, my god. Make it move, Dan. Look out. I'll make it raise its arms. Press this button here. See? The other one, Dan. Why, how wonderful. Dan! Dan! Yes, and that was the first mishap. That mechanical arm, that arm of sturdy duralim, for the fingers of chrome steel smashed down in the back of Dan's neck like a sledgehammer. Oh, no, he wasn't killed. That's not the murder I'm going to ask you about. He was paralyzed. That is, his legs were paralyzed. He was in the hospital three and a half months. The doctors did everything they could for him, but there wasn't anything that really could be done. He was helpless. Do have another glass of the sherry. It's excellent, I'm told. Dan used to drink it. Dan Joyce. Joyce loved it. What? Yes, yes, I know I didn't mean to use the past tense. I suppose she still loved it. Oh, oh, no, sir, right. I assure you, I'm telling you. What do they say in court? The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Yes, indeed. Oh, right, we've run in back here, of course, no relatives, as far as I know. And we were very close, Dan and I. Oh, yes, Joyce was here frequently. Yeah, that girl really loved it. Loves that boy. I suppose it was really pretty frightful, having to lie in bed all the time, unable to move. Joyce used to stay here all day and sit with him. Then at night, I'd come in his room, and three of us would sit around and talk mostly about Robert's mechanical men, monsters. And I brought the man, the machine, into his room so we could tinker with it while we talked. Then we talked a great deal about it. How do you know it won't work if we put a brain in it, Ernest? It isn't possible, Dan. Frankenstein's worked. Dan, that's a story. Maybe. Maybe it's true. How would you get a brain, Dan? Frankenstein got a brain. And look what happened. That was a criminal brain. Look, Dan. Even if you could, by some miracle, a touch of brain to this thing, yet it'd work. But it wouldn't work right. Why, Ernest? Because man has no business playing around with such things. You think any brain would turn out to be evil, just to punish a man for trying to create a superhuman thing like this? That's exactly what I think. Where would you get a brain, Dan? I don't know. Stop talking this nonsense. The thing is, Ernest, I don't think it's nonsense. Well, it is. Where would you get a brain? If I knew a doctor. Well, you don't. How would you know the brain wouldn't be evil? I'd make sure of that. How? I'd select it very carefully. Will you stop talking about this? Scare you, Ernest. You don't have to be so gruesome. I'd pick a woman's brain, I think. Women are smarter than men. Dick. Want to lend me a brain, Joyce? Well, I should say not. You'd have a fine time, Joyce. You live forever. I don't want to live forever. Nothing could hurt you. You could do anything you wanted. And have to live in that metal skeleton? No, thanks. You'd never be hungry. I like being hungry. Too much fun to eat, and drink. Never be tired. Yeah, I like to be tired, boy. Good night's sleep. I wish I could put my own brain into it. Then I could get up and walk around, do things, go play songs, stop this morbid talk. This is a play toy, Dan. You talk as it is coming to life any minute. All it needs is a good brain, Ernest. Well, I tell you what I'll do, Dan. You tell me where to get a brain, and I'll get it for you. And we'll make a million dollars. How's that? Well, good night. I'm going home. Gee, I'd certainly hate to have Frankenstein here put his arms around me. Here's this murder. I mean, suppose a man does take a human brain and put it into the frame of a mechanical robot, charge it with colloids that simulate blood in a very brain structure itself. Suppose he does it successfully. Here's this murder. No, wait before you answer. Suppose that the brain was right on living. Suppose that the operation, if you want to call it an operation, suppose it works. The brain will never die. Life goes on. The only thing that's missing is the body at once inhabited. Is this murder? The only effect is that somehow, rather, while it's in the body, the brain is capable of fine. The noble feelings of love, affection, friendship, of all the virtues in addition to all the vices. Yes, that's true. But when it's transplanted, look at the Frankenstein story. When it's transplanted, the virtues are missing. Only the vices remain. Intelligence? Yes. Awareness? Sensions? But good is gone. Only evil remains. But that's not the question, sir. If the body only is killed and the mind survives forever, is this murder? You don't have to answer yet. Oh, you-- you think you know what I'm driving at? Well, we'll see. Now, I'm in at the Dr. Sherry, too. I've almost finished. Then you can judge, because I have another question for you. This final thing happened like before last. I went into Dan's room. He was towering a wire under the round, chromium-plated head of this thing, or this monster. Joyce was sitting alongside him, watching closely. She didn't see Dan wink at me as I closed the door. Hello, Ernest. How do you feel, Dan? Me? I feel fine. How are you, Joyce? Oh, I've got a little headache, Ernest. Oh, I'm sorry. Have a nice break. I took one. Too bad, dear. Well, how's it going, Dan? I'm more convinced than ever, Ernest. If you only had a brain. If I only had a brain. Joyce, I wish you could do something to snap this fellow out of this. Why? Because are you studying to believe this nonsense, Joyce? Well, I don't think it's nonsense, Ernest. I see. She's got a brain, Ernest. No, it's that much-- Dan, I'm going to take that thing away from you. Take away my pretty Frankenstein? Oh, well, I should say you're not, Dan, listen. I don't want to say this, but I'm afraid-- I mean, Joyce, don't you-- I mean, what you help me. Help you what? Get Dan's mind off this thing, I mean. No, she won't. Joyce. Dan could only get a brain. Joyce, Ernest. Won't you help me? I will not. Please, Ernest. It's already now. Oh, it needs to stop that. Don't, Ernest. Come on, Ernest. Help me. I won't, Ernest. Joyce, do you know what he's going to do? What? He's going to, Ernest. I know what you're going to do. I know what's in your mind, and I won't help you, I-- What's he going to do, Ernest? What-- what's in his mind? Come here, Joyce. Lean over here. Dan, darling. No, sir. Joyce, do you know? No, stop. Stop, Dan! Stop! [MUSIC PLAYING] And when I came to, all it was in my mind was a confused memory of a pain in my throat and bright lights. Unconfused voices and Joyce's laughter. I tried hard to think. I was dazed. I thought I was lying on the floor. I got up, slowly. I saw Dan still lying on the bed. He was smiling at me. He said something. Yeah, well, I couldn't make it out. And then I heard his voice. How do you feel, Ernest? And I tried to answer. And it was a long time before my voice came. And finally, I said, I said, where is Joyce? Why here I am, right in the time. And I stretched out my hand to steady myself. And I looked at my hand. Arms and legs are irrelevant. I think there's a chromium steam. And I looked in the mirror. And I saw a round chromium plated head with lenses for eyes. And you can turn on the light now if you want to. I asked you the question again. Is this murder? It is. And if a steel and a relevant robot takes a life or more than one life, is this murder? Because I have been murdered, you say. I do not live. I cannot commit murder very well. I told you how the force of evil has taken hold of my brain. No, I didn't kill Dan, no choice. Not yet. I told you I didn't know where they are. I do. During the workshop back there, I locked her in the closet where my body used to be. Dan, where he's paralyzed. Remember, his hands are strong. But against chrome steel, it won't be murder. Well, it won't be murder either. When I kill you first, like you, sir, no, there isn't anymore, Sherry. Yes, the-- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING] The title of today's quiet story is this murder. It was written and directed by Willis Cooper. The man who spoke to you was Ernest Chappell. And the others were Joyce, Gordon, and Dan, overly. As you as your music for quiet, please is played by Albert Berman. Now, what about next week? Here is our writer/director, Willis Cooper. Thank you for listening to Quietly. For next week, I have a story for you called "Summer Goodbye." And so until next week, at the same time, I am Quietly yours, Ernest Chappell. Now a listening reminder for predictions that have a 77% chance of coming true and even more, listen to Drew Pearson on ABC tonight. At ABC, Drew Pearson tonight. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company. 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We leverage industry focus insights with the collective technical resources of our firm to elevate your performance, uncover opportunity, and move upward at MossAtoms.com.