SOUND:
TRAIN WHISTLE.....
MUSIC:
ORGAN SIMULATES TRAIN...UP..THEN DOWN BEHIND
ANNOUNCER:
(OFF AND SLOW) The Mysterious Traveler!
MUSIC:
ORGAN UP BRIEFLY...OUT BEHIND WHISTLE
SOUND:
(ON CUE) WHISTLE...THEN ESTABLISH TRAIN INTERIOR....DOWN TO B. G.
MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER:
(VERY SUAVE) This is the Mysterious Traveler..... inviting you to join him on another journey into the realm of the strange and terrifying. I hope you will enjoy the trip...that it will thrill you a little and chill you a little...So settle back...get a good grip on your nerves...Where are we going?...(LAUGHTER IN VOICE) That's hard to say. So many of us think we know where we're going, but fate has a way of changing our destination...as in the tale of (SHARP STAB OF ORGAN) "The Strange Journal of Professor Drake."...(ORGAN...FEW CHORDS AND OUT) (CHUCKLES) You seem a bit nervous. Perhaps it would calm your nerves if I were to read to you from Professor Drake's journal. There are some extremely interesting entries in it - particularly those beginning with the entry made November 1st.
MUSIC:
UP INTO EERIE, THEN DOWN BEHIND FOLLOWING....
MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER:
November 1st....Today, Paul is reaching the final stages in the preparation of his serum number 14. After two years of intensive work, and thirteen failures, he believes that he's at last on the right trail. Day and night he works, refusing to rest....determined to succeed....
ORGAN:
STING
SOUND:
FADE IN BUBBLING OF RETORT FLASK.
PAUL:
(TENSE) What's the temperature of the serum now, father?
FATHER:
Eighty-six point three, Paul.
PAUL:
(ANXIOUSLY) We mustn't let it drop too fast.
FATHER:
Shall I apply more heat?
PAUL:
Yes, but be careful...hold the mouth of the tube away from the flame....Good...Now let me have it. You'd better enter the temperature in the journal.
FATHER:
All right, Paul...Let me see...
SOUND:
OF WRITING.
FATHER:
Serum #14 removed from pressure chamber...at five P.M...Temperature 122 degrees Centigrade...Allowed to -
SOUND:
OF PHONE RINGING.
FATHER:
Now who can that be?
SOUND:
OF PHONE PICKED UP.
FATHER:
Hello...Yes, this is the home of Professor Drake...No, this is his father....Reporters?...No, I'm sorry, but Professor Drake has nothing to say to the press...No, I can't reveal the experiment he's engaged in!...Goodbye!
SOUND:
OF PHONE HUNG UP...DOORBELL RINGS.
FATHER:
(ANNOYED) Now there's someone at the door. If those reporters are hanging around....
PAUL:
Answer it, will you, father? And no matter who it is, I can't see them.
FATHER:
All right, son.
SOUND:
OF DOOR OPENED, THEN CLOSED...DOORBELL IN..BUT MUCH LOUDER.
FATHER:
All right, I'm coming.
SOUND:
OF DOOR OPENED.
FATHER:
Julia!
JULIA:
Hello, doctor. Where's Paul? I must see him.
FATHER:
You can't, Julia. He's in the midst of an experiment.
JULIA:
But I haven't seen or heard from him for two weeks. After all, I am his fiancee.
FATHER:
Julia, if Paul succeeds in the experiment he's engaged in, he'll go down in history as one of the world's greatest scientists.
JULIA:
But what kind of an experiment is it? He hasn't held a class at the University for two weeks, and everyone's wondering what he's working on.
FATHER:
I'm sorry, Julia, but I can't reveal it even to you. Now you must excuse me. I'm sure Paul will call you the moment he's through.
JULIA:
(RELUCTANTLY) Well...all right. But tell him I was here and I'll be waiting for his call.
FATHER:
(IMPATIENTLY) Yes, Julia, I'll do that. Goodbye.
JULIA:
(FADE) Goodbye, doctor.
SOUND:
OF DOOR CLOSING
FATHER:
(SOFTLY) I must hurry..the serum can't be allowed to cool too rapidly.
SOUND:
OF DOOR OPENING AND CLOSING.
FATHER:
Is everything all right, Paul?
PAUL:
(ENGROSSED IN WORK) Yes. The temperature is now down to seventy-two point five. Prepare five c.c.'s of nitrate solution, will you, father?
FATHER:
Yes, of course...Paul, that was Julia.
PAUL:
What did she want?
FATHER:
To see you, of course.
PAUL:
I've told her a dozen times...the work I'm engaged in is more important than either of us. Is the nitrate solution ready?
FATHER:
Here you are, Paul.
PAUL:
Thanks....Well, this is the last step for serum #14. If when I add this nitrate, the serum turns blue...it will be ready for use.
SOUND:
OF ONE LIQUID BEING POURED INTO ANOTHER.
FATHER:
It isn't changing color.
PAUL:
It takes a moment or two for it to - ...It's changing color now!
FATHER:
You're right!...(SLOWLY) Now there remains the ultimate test - its use upon a human being.
PAUL:
Yes. I'm going to test the serum on myself.
FATHER:
No, Paul!..I mean...let me be the guinea pig. If anything goes wrong, a small town doctor like myself wouldn't be missed, but a great scientist like you would be.
PAUL:
Thank you, father, but I can't allow anyone to take it but myself. Will you make the entries in the journal while I prepare fifty c.c.'s of the serum?
FATHER:
All right, Paul.
PAUL:
My journal must be complete on every step in the experiment.
SOUND:
OF WRITING.
FATHER:
Serum #14 was completed at 8:27 P.M....First injection of 50 c.c.'s received by Professor Drake at...(WRITING OUT) Are you ready, Paul?
PAUL:
Yes, father. You can record in the journal that the first injection of serum #14 occurred...at 8:30 P.M.
MUSIC:
UP SHARP AND DRAMATIC...THEN DOWN INTO EERIE BEHIND.
MYSTER TRAVELER:
That was the first entry in Professor Drake's strange journal - Here is the entry for November 3rd...This morning, three days after the first injection, serum #14 began to have an effect on Paul. After two years of failure...he has succeeded.
ORGAN:
STING
FATHER:
(ASTOUNDED) It's amazing, Paul. Try the next weight.
PAUL:
All right...Now wait until I get a good grip on it...(HE STRAINS AS HE PICKS IT UP) There...
FATHER:
You're gaining every hour.
PAUL:
Yes. (HE SETS DOWN WEIGHT...A BIT BREATHLESS) Have you entered the results in my journal, father?
FATHER:
Yes.
SOUND:
OF DOORBELL RINGING OFF.
FATHER:
I'll answer it, Paul.
PAUL:
(FADE) If it's those newspapermen again, tell them I have nothing to say.
FATHER:
All right.
SOUND:
OF DOOR OPENING AND CLOSING
FATHER:
Oh, it's you, Julia.
JULIA:
Yes. I found the outer door unlocked, and took the liberty of coming in. Please let me pass....I want to see Paul.
FATHER:
But Paul is busy. He isn't to be disturbed.
JULIA:
(ANGRILY) For three days I've been calling and the answer has always been the same...he's busy. Well this time you can't put me off. I will see him!
FATHER:
(FADE) But, Julia, he can't...
SOUND:
OF DOOR OPENED.
JULIA:
Hello, darling.
PAUL:
What...Oh, hello, Julia.
JULIA:
You don't seem very happy to see me, Paul - you haven't even kissed me.
PAUL:
Oh...I'm sorry.
THEY KISS
JULIA:
(GASPS) Paul, you squeezed me...so tightly.
PAUL:
I'm sorry, dear. I'm afraid I don't know my own strength.
JULIA:
(LAUGHING) That's all right. On second thought, I really don't mind. It shows you did miss me.
PAUL:
(ABSENTLY) How have you been?
JULIA:
Lonely. You look so tired, Paul. Why don't you rest for a few days?
PAUL:
I can't, Julia, until I've completed my experiment.
JULIA:
What kind of an experiment is it? What're all these weights on the floor?
PAUL:
Darling, I can't reveal anything yet, not even to you. But when my work is done, you'll be the first one to hear about it. Now you must leave.
JULIA:
(RELUCTANTLY) All right, Paul. But promise you'll call me from time to time, so that I'll know how you are.
PAUL:
I'll do that, and you mustn't worry about me, dear. Goodbye.
(THEY KISS)
JULIA:
(SLIGHT FADE) Goodbye, darling.
SOUND:
OF DOOR CLOSING.
FATHER:
I tried to keep her out, Paul, but she insisted.
PAUL:
That's all right, father. Let's go back to work. Did you make the entry in the journal about the three hundred pound weight?
FATHER:
Yes.
PAUL:
Good. Now I'll try four hundred pounds.
FATHER:
Be careful, Paul.
PAUL:
(AS HE STRUGGLES WITH WEIGHT) I will...there - I've lifted it off the floor. (HE LETS WEIGHT DOWN) Phew! I'm afraid that's my limit.
FATHER:
But think of it, Paul! Before you took the serum, you could only lift a two hundred pound weight - but now you're able to lift four hundred pounds! Your strength has been doubled!
PAUL:
Yes. If I'm right, my serum can change the future of mankind. With the added strength it gives, man will be able to resist diseases that he succumbs to now.
FATHER:
His lifespan will be lengthened by twenty or thirty years!
PAUL:
Yes, but it isn't completely tested. We have months, perhaps years of work ahead of us. Now that we've seen the effects of the first injection, we'll try a second.
FATHER:
Another 50 c.c.'s?
PAUL:
Yes. You make a record of it in the journal while I prepare it.
SOUND:
OF WRITING
FATHER:
After the results of the first injection were noted...a second injection of 50 c.c.'s of serum #14 was taken by Professor Drake at....
PAUL:
At exactly 8:15 P.M.
MUSIC:
UP SHARP AND DRAMATIC...THEN DOWN INTO EERIE AND BEHIND.
MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER:
Here's the entry for November 6th...Serum #14 is effective beyond Paul's wildest hopes. The results of the second injection were fully as remarkable as those of the first.
ORGAN:
STING
FATHER:
(HAPPILY) Think of it, Paul. Today you were able to pick up a six hundred pound weight with ease.
PAUL:
(VAGUELY) Yes...six hundred pounds.
FATHER:
Why are you staring at yourself in the mirror so?
PAUL:
(TROUBLED) Oh...I don't know.
FATHER:
What will the next step in the experiment be?
PAUL:
Next step?
FATHER:
Yes...Paul, why do you keep looking at yourself in the mirror like that?
PAUL:
(HESITANTLY) Do you notice any change in my head...the contour?
FATHER:
Why, no...of course not.
PAUL:
I suppose it's just my imagination, and yet my face...the shape of my head...seems to have changed slightly.
FATHER:
Nonsense, Paul. I've brought you up since you were an infant. Don't you think I'd notice a change if there were one?
PAUL:
Yes, of course. It must be just my imagination.
MUSIC:
UP INTO OMINOUS...THEN DOWN BEHIND FOR....
MYSTER TRAVEL:
On November 7th, he wrote: This morning when I entered the laboratory, I found Paul fast asleep at his desk.
ORGAN:
STING
FATHER:
(SOFTLY) Wake up, Paul..Wake up.
PAUL:
(WAKING UP) What?...Oh, I must've fallen asleep at my desk. What time is it, father? Is it still night? (HE YAWNS)
FATHER:
No, it's eight in the morning. Here. I'll raise the shades.
SOUND:
OF SHADE BEING RAISED.
FATHER:
You should have gone to bed when I - (A GASP) Paul!...No!, it can't be...
PAUL:
What is it, father? What's wrong?
FATHER:
(A WHISPER) Your face....
PAUL:
My face?..(SUDDENLY) Quick, hand me that mirror!
FATHER:
Here ...
PAUL:
(A GASP) No!...No...(VOICE TREMBLING) I was right last night - about my face changing...It's easy to see - this morning.
FATHER:
(FRIGHTENED) Paul, what does it mean?
PAUL:
(PULLING HIMSELF TOGETHER) It means -- I've failed. Notice the way my features are becoming coarse...flattened. The serum has tripled my strength, but it's causing me to go backwards to what man was thousands of years ago.
FATHER:
(HORRIFIED) Paul, you don't mean...
PAUL:
Yes, father...physically I'm slowly changing into an ape.
FATHER:
Oh, no! Paul, we must do something to stop this change!
PAUL:
There's no need to get excited, father. You forget we have the neutralizer solution I prepared. It should be the antidote for serum #14.
FATHER:
You mean with an injection of the neutralizer solution, your appearance will revert to normal?
PAUL:
Yes, within-twenty-four hours.
FATHER:
(A SIGH OF RELIEF) While you're preparing for the injection, I'll make an entry of it into the journal.
PAUL:
Good. And after I've taken the neutralizer, you must take photographs and measurements of my face as it is now. I want my journal to be complete to the last detail.
FATHER:
Yes, Paul.
SOUND:
OF WRITING.
FATHER:
(AS HE WRITES) Serum #14 has failed, as noted in Professor Drake's own record. To wipe out effects of serum #14, 100 c.c.'s of neutralizer solution was injected at...
PAUL:
At exactly 8:17 A.M.
MUSIC:
UP SHARP AND DRAMATIC..THEN DOWN BEHIND FOR...
MYSTER TRAVEL:
The entry for November 8th says: The horrible changes that serum #14 worked on Paul prevented me from sleeping last night. At dawn, unable to wait any longer to see the results of the neutralizer solution, I arose and slipped quietly into the laboratory. There I found Paul asleep, his head buried in his arms.
ORGAN:
STING
FATHER:
(SOFTLY) Wake up, Paul...Wake up.
PAUL:
(AWAKES SNARLING) What!
FATHER:
(STUNNED) Paul!
PAUL:
I'm sorry, father. (BEWILDERED) For a moment I didn't know you...(AMAZED WHISPER) I wanted to kill you.
FATHER:
Paul...your face...it's worse.
PAUL:
(SHOCKED) What!
FATHER:
Look in this mirror.
PAUL:
No! No! That can't be my face! It can't be....
FATHER:
The neutralizer solution...it didn't work.
PAUL:
No...it must've been too weak to overcome the serum in my body...(INCREDULOUS) Look at me, father. My face has become broad, the features flattened, the cheek bones prominent...and notice how thick the hair on my body has become..(A WHISPER) I've reverted to...the Neanderthal Man.
FATHER:
The Neanderthal Man...But Paul, he existed 50,000 years ago!
PAUL:
Yes, I know...At the swift pace I'm retrogressing, it may only be a week...a few days...before I revert into an ape!
FATHER:
No...no.
SOUND:
OF PHONE RINGING...PHONE PICKED UP
FATHER:
(VOICE TREMBLING) Hello...Oh, it's you, Julia..Paul?
PAUL:
Tell her I can't see her, father! I can't see anyone!
FATHER:
I'm sorry, Julia, but Paul is busy...No, Julia. He'll get in touch with you as soon as possible. Goodbye.
SOUND:
OF PHONE HUNG UP.
FATHER:
Paul, what're you going to do? Every minute that passes....
PAUL:
Yes. There's only one way I can save myself! I must find a neutralizer that will stop serum #14 from changing me into an ape, before it's too late!
MUSIC:
UP SHARP AND DRAMATIC..THEN DOWN BEHIND
MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER:
Entry for November 9th...Paul and I have been working twenty-four hours without rest - but so far have been unsuccessful in finding a neutralizer. The hours come and go so quickly that it's frightening, and with the passing of the hours....Paul changes. He has now reverted to the intermediate stage between man and ape - the Java Man...I find it almost impossible to recognize him.
MUSIC:
WASHING UP..THEN DOWN BEHIND...
MYSTER TRAVEL:
November 10th...Paul has been working forty-eight hours without a rest. This morning when I entered the laboratory, he was staring at the mirror with a crazed look in his eyes. He has begun to assume the appearance of an ape.
ORGAN:
STING
FATHER:
(FADE IN) Paul, you can't go on this way. You must get some rest.
PAUL:
I can't rest! Every minute is precious! (CONFUSED) I..I lost four hours.
FATHER:
You lost four hours? I don't understand.
PAUL:
While I was working here last night, I glanced at the clock to find it was just three o'clock - then the next thing I remember, was finding myself in the hall..and the clock was just striking seven. (FRIGHTENED) I can't remember those four hours! Where I was...what I was doing!
FATHER:
Paul...what can that mean?
PAUL:
(WHISPER) It means in that four hours I lost my ability to think as a man - my mentality became that of an ape.
FATHER:
(STUNNED) No, Paul, it can't be!
PAUL:
But it is, father. My skull is shrinking, pressing in my brain. These spells will occur more and more frequently as the days go by, until...(HE PULLS HIMSELF TOGETHER) You'd better begin entering in the journal the changes in me that have taken place in the past twenty-four hours.
FATHER:
(BROKENLY) Yes, Paul.
PAUL:
No matter what happens, the journal must be complete. Are you ready?
FATHER:
Yes.
PAUL:
November 10th...the changes in my appearance continue.
SOUND:
OF WRITING.
PAUL:
I am now passing from the Java Man state into the Simiidae Family - of which apes are a part. My physical dimensions are as follows...Weight, two hundred and twenty pounds...Height, five feet nine inches...Chest, fifty-two inches expanded. My body is completely covered with a growth of hair, making it more and more difficult to bear the heat of my clothing. The skin of my face and body is rapidly turning to a deep brown, and becoming extremely coarse and calloused...Are you writing all this down, father?
FATHER:
Yes, Paul.
PAUL:
My arms have lengthened almost five inches, and I find myself walking more and more in a stooped manner, with my hands almost touching the floor. As yet no change in my voice has been noted.
FATHER:
(BREAKING) Please, Paul, that's enough for now. Let's not waste anymore time, we must find a neutralizer that will save you!
PAUL:
Father, my hands...they've lost their dexterity. I can't handle test tubes or chemicals any longer. You'll have to do it for me.
FATHER:
I'll do everything you want me to, Paul, but we must hurry. There may be so little time left!
MUSIC:
UP SHARP AND DRAMATIC..THEN DOWN BEHIND..
MYSTER TRAVEL:
On November 11, he wrote: Another twenty-four hours has passed, and still no success...Except for his human speech, Paul is now indistinguishable from an ape.
MUSIC:
WASHING UP..THEN DOWN BEHIND.
MYSTER TRAVEL:
November 12...Last night Paul's mind slipped back to the mentality of an ape. He suddenly dropped a test tube and snarled at me. In that moment he was completely an ape. When I spoke to him, he bared his teeth. I left the laboratory, locking the door behind me. Early this morning, Paul called to me in a normal voice, and we resumed our frantic search.
MUSIC:
WASHING UP..THEN DOWN BEHIND.
MYSTER TRAVEL:
November 13...Last night, while Paul and I were in the midst of our search for a neutralizer, I left the laboratory in order to get some chemicals from the supply room. When I returned to the laboratory...
ORGAN:
STING
SOUND:
OF DOOR OPENING.
FATHER:
Paul, I have the nitrate compound you wanted, and also the.. Paul?...Paul, where are you?...Paul! The window! It's wide open...He must've gone out the window. But why?... I've got to find him.
MUSIC:
UP WITH A SMASH...THEN DOWN AND LOSE.
FATHER:
(CALLING SOFTLY) Paul, it's father....Paul, where are you? (HUGGING MIKE) I've got to find him. He must be someplace in the neighborhood! (VOICE UP) Paul!
WILLIAMS:
(FADE IN) Good evening, Doctor Drake.
FATHER:
(STARTLED) What?..Oh, it's you, Professor Williams...I didn't recognize you for a moment, it's so dark.
WILLIAMS:
I thought I heard you calling. Are you looking for someone?
FATHER:
Why...no. I was just getting a little fresh air.
WILLIAMS:
Fine, so am I. Do you mind if I walk a bit with you?
FATHER:
No, of course not.
WILLIAMS:
Is there anything wrong, doctor? You keep looking around so nervously.
FATHER:
Oh, no. Nothing's wrong.
WILLIAMS:
Well, all they're talking about at the University these days is the secret experiment Paul is engaged in. Everyone's expecting another great discovery from him. How's he coming along?
SOUND:
OFF OF A WOMAN SCREAMING
FATHER:
What was that!
WILLIAMS:
It sounded like a woman screaming down the street!
FATHER:
Quick, come with me! (SCREAMING OUT)
SOUND:
OF TWO MEN RUNNING.
WILLIAMS:
(BREATHING HARD) Perhaps we'd better call the police first.
FATHER:
There's something on the pavement ahead!
WILLIAMS:
It's a woman! (FOOTSTEPS OUT)
FATHER:
Here, give me a hand, while I take a look at her....
WILLIAMS:
How is she, doctor?
FATHER:
She's dead.
WILLIAMS:
Dead?
FATHER:
Yes...murdered. Half the bones in her body have been crushed.
MUSIC:
SHARP STING...THEN DOWN TO SCALE BEHIND
MYSTER TRAVEL:
Entry for November 14th...Last night, after the police had questioned me, I returned here to find Paul in the laboratory, his mind normal...He could recall nothing of what had happened, or where he had been...and I didn't have the courage to tell him...Paul and I have been working for twenty-four hours, and at last feel we have a neutralizer that will save him. While it is being developed, he is sleeping in his room. To prevent another accident from occurring, today I had steel bars placed over Paul's bedroom windows.
ORGAN:
STING
SOUND:
OF DOOR BELL...DOOR OPENED.
FATHER:
Oh, it's you, Julia.
JULIA:
Good evening, doctor. (DETERMINEDLY) I want to see Paul.
SOUND:
OF DOOR CLOSING.
FATHER:
I'm sorry, Julia, but Paul can't be disturbed. He's asleep in his room.
JULIA:
(ANGRILY) It's been almost two weeks since I've seen or heard from Paul. Even if he's asleep, I insist on seeing him, just to know he's all right.
FATHER:
I can understand your anxiety, Julia, but I assure you Paul is quite well. I'll have him call you as soon as he wakes up.
JULIA:
No, doctor, I won't be put off again! I'm going to see Paul!
FATHER:
(FADE) (FRANTIC) Julia, come back! You can't see him now! Julia!
JULIA:
(SURPRISED) Why, his door...it's locked from the outside.
SOUND:
OF DOOR UNLOCKED AND OPENED QUICKLY.
FATHER:
(FADE IN) Julia, don't go in his room!
JULIA:
(UNHEEDING) The light switch...Oh, here it is.
SOUND:
OF LIGHT SWITCH.
FATHER:
Julia, you shouldn't have -
JULIA:
Why...he isn't here. His room is empty.
FATHER:
(DAZED) He..isn't here.
JULIA:
(SHOCKED) Why, you have steel bars on his windows....(SLIGHT FADE) and on this one over here, the bars are bent apart.
FATHER:
Yes, you're right.
JULIA:
Why were these bars put over Paul's windows?
FATHER:
I'm sorry, Julia, but I can't tell you. It...it's all part of the experiment.
JULIA:
This window...it's as though someone bent the bars to escape.
FATHER:
Now Julia, you're just letting your imagination run away with you.
JULIA:
(SLOWLY) No, I'm not...But no man could have bent bars as strong as these....That ape!
FATHER:
(FEARFULLY) What ape...Julia?
JULIA:
The one that the police believe crushed that poor girl to death last night.
FATHER:
Now really, Julia, do you think -
JULIA:
You were using him in the experiment! Yes, and that's why you had bars put on the windows. This room was his cage, and now he's escaped!
FATHER:
Julia, you're wrong. I assure you -
JULIA:
(ALARMED) But Paul, where is he? Did he go after the ape? Answer me!
FATHER:
I promised Paul I wouldn't tell anyone about it.
JULIA:
(FRIGHTENED) He's out looking for the ape, isn't he?..And the ape's a killer!
FATHER:
Please, Julia, everything will be all right if you'll only -
JULIA:
You may be willing to let Paul risk his life on some stupid experiment, but I'm not! (FADE) I'm going to get the police!
FATHER:
(FRANTIC) No, Julia, don't do that! Come back! Come back!
MUSIC:
WASH UP SHARP AND DRAMATIC..THEN DOWN FAST AND LOSE FOR
ANNOUNCER:
(FILTER) (TENSE) We interrupt this program to bring you a message from police headquarters...Twenty minutes ago an unidentified girl was found crushed to death. It is believed that she was killed by the same ape that murdered Betty Ryan late last night. All residents are warned to get off the streets and lock themselves in their homes. Police are conducting an intensive search for this animal, and it is believed -
SOUND:
OF RADIO TURNED OFF.
PAUL:
(SLIGHTLY OFF) (STUNNED) Father...
FATHER:
Paul!
PAUL:
(FADE IN) Father, I heard...what he announced.
FATHER:
Why, your clothes, they're gone!
PAUL:
I killed that girl tonight, didn't I? And the one last night too!...(A HORRIFIED WHISPER) I'm a murderer.
FATHER:
Paul, it wasn't your fault! You didn't know what you were doing!
PAUL:
That doesn't matter. I'm still responsible for their deaths.
FATHER:
You mustn't think about it, Paul! Remember the thousands of lives your other serums have saved!
PAUL:
So that's why you had steel bars placed over my bedroom windows.
FATHER:
(FRANTIC) Paul, listen to me! The police are looking everywhere for you. We haven't a moment to lose! The new neutralizer we were working on last night should be just about ready now, shouldn't it?
PAUL:
(PULLING HIMSELF TOGETHER) Yes! And this time I'm certain it will wipe out the effects of serum #14. It's twenty times as powerful as the first neutralizer I created.
FATHER:
You must take an injection before it is too late, and you slip into the darkness of an ape!
PAUL:
Yes, you're right! Remove the tube of neutralizer from the pressure machine, father, and prepare 100 c.c.'s of it at once!
FATHER:
Yes, Paul! (AS HE WORKS) After you've received the injection, how long will it take for you to return to normal?
PAUL:
If my calculations are correct, I shall return to normal in twenty-four hours...Hurry, father!...I feel so strange.
FATHER:
All right, Paul. It'll only take me a few more seconds.
SOUND:
OF POUNDING ON DOOR.
MARCUM:
(MUFFLED) Open up in there! It's the police!
PAUL:
The police!
FATHER:
Paul, they've come for you!
PAUL:
Quick, father, the neutralizer, before it's too late!
FATHER:
I have to fill this hypodermic, Paul, before I can give you the injection!
MARCUM:
(MUFFLED) Open up, I tell you! We know you have that ape in the house!
PAUL:
Hurry, father, hurry!
MARCUM:
(MUFFLED) All right, you men, break the door down!
SOUND:
OF DOOR BEING SMASHED.
PAUL:
Father, it'll be too late in a second!
FATHER:
I'm almost ready, Paul!
SOUND:
OF DOOR OPENING WITH A CRASH.
PAUL:
(TERRIFIED) It is too late!
MARCUM:
(FADE IN) The ape! There he is, men! (BOYS TALK IT UP) Be careful now.
SOUND:
OF CRASH OF GLASS AS PAUL GOES THROUGH WINDOW.
FATHER:
Paul, come back!
MARCUM:
He's escaped! Flash a warning to every patrol car! Issue tommy guns to all the men! The orders are - shoot to kill!
FATHER:
No, no! Don't let them do that! I can control him. If you'll only call your men off, I'll bring him back!
MARCUM:
(GRIMLY) Sorry, doctor, but you've done quite enough already. This is a matter for the police now, and we're out to kill that ape!
MUSIC:
UP SHARP AND DRAMATIC...THEN LOSE FOR....
SOUND:
SLIGHT TOUCH OF WIND...LOSE BEHIND...
MARCUM:
All right, men, spread out. We've got him cornered now. He can't escape with the river behind him...Advance cautiously and look carefully around you.
FATHER:
Please, Chief, you've got to listen to me! If you'll only let me inject this neutralizer into him, there won't be any need for all this.
MARCUM:
The answer is still...no! That ape would kill you before you knew what had happened.
FATHER:
No, he wouldn't! He knows me!
JULIA:
(NEAR HYSTERIA) Don't listen to him, Chief! That ape's a killer! Why, Paul hasn't even returned yet! Perhaps the ape has...(SHE BEGINS WEEPING)
MARCUM:
Don't you cry, Miss King. We're going to put an end to that ape for once and for all!
FATHER:
(DESPERATE) Chief, you must listen to me! That ape, it isn't -
COP:
(SLIGHTLY OFF) (EXCITEDLY) Chief, I think I've spotted him!
MARCUM:
Where?
COP:
(FADE IN) Over there...on the water's edge!
MARCUM:
Yes, you're right! It's the ape!
FATHER:
No, no! It isn't an ape! It's my son, Paul!
MARCUM:
Your son Paul! I know an ape when I see one, and that's an ape!
FATHER:
Yes, I know, but he's changed into an ape! This neutralizer will bring him back to -
COP:
He must be crazy, Chief!
MARCUM:
Yeah. Okay, Joe, you're a sharpshooter. Let him have it.
FATHER:
No, no! I won't let you!..I'm coming, Paul, I'm coming!
MARCUM:
(FAST FADE) Doctor, come back! Come back, do you hear! Hold your fire, Joe!
FATHER:
(FADE IN) Paul, here I am...it's father. I have the neutralizer.
PAUL:
FADE IN SNARLING OF AN APE.
FATHER:
Paul, don't you recognize me? I've come to help you.
MARCUM:
(OFF) Come away from him, doctor!
PAUL:
SNARLING ON MIKE.
FATHER:
Paul, give me your arm, so that I can give you an injection. (SNARLING UP) Paul!..No, don't! (HE SCREAMS AS HE IS CRUSHED)
MARCUM:
(OFF) Doctor, lookout! (SCREAMS OUT)
COP:
(OFF) It's too late, Chief...he's done for.
MARCUM:
(DAZED) Yes...(HARD) He's dropped the doctor's body now, Joe. Let him have it!
SOUND:
OF TOMMY GUN GIVING WITH A BLAST.
PAUL:
(SNARLS LIKE AN APE AS HE IS HIT...THEN) Oh...my chest...(HE MOANS) Father...where am I? What's...happened? (HE GROANS..DIES..AS...)
MUSIC:
UP WITH A SMASH...THEN DOWN INTO...
SOUND:
TRAIN INTERIOR UP....THEN DOWN INTO B.G. WITH MUSIC.
MYSTER TRAVEL:
This is the Mysterious Traveler again. (WHISTLE OFF) Have you enjoyed our little trip? What am I going to do with..."The Strange Journal of Professor Drake"? I thought I might carry on his experiments, but I would need someone to assist me...as a sort of human guinea pig. Perhaps you would like to volunteer....Oh, you're getting off at the next stop?...I'm sorry. Perhaps you'll join me again soon. I take this same train every week.
MUSIC:
SWEEPS UP TO PEAK AND OUT ON CUE.
ANNOUNCER:
(ON CUE) You have just heard Chapter seven of the Mysterious Traveler....a series of dramas of the strange and unusual brought to you each week by station WOR. In tonight's program, "The Strange Journal of Professor Drake", ________________ played Paul Drake, and ________________ played the father. The Mysterious Traveler, written by Robert Arthur and David Kogan, is directed by Jock MacGregor. Original music was played by Doc Whipple.
MUSIC:
UP FOR FILL....DOWN ON CUE AND OUT AS...
ANNOUNCER:
(ON CUE) Listen next week to a tale titled.
M.T.:
_______________________________
ANNOUNCER:
Another tale of The Mysterious Traveler.
SOUND:
TRAIN WHISTLE IN DISTANCE
MUSIC:
FILL IF REQUIRED ... DOWN BEHIND ON CUE
ANNOUNCER:
(ON CUE) The Mysterious Traveler is presented by WOR-Mutual every Sunday at seven over most of these stations. This is Mutual.
MUSIC:
UP TO END.