ANNOUNCER:
NBC presents, transcribed, Frank Lovejoy in--
MUSIC:
TYMPANI ... THEN IN BG
ANNOUNCER:
(HEAVY ECHO) Night Beat!
MUSIC:
THEME ... THEN BEHIND RANDY--
RANDY:
(NARRATES) Hi! This is Randy Stone. I cover the Night Beat for the Chicago Star. Sometimes the stories of the night have their beginnings on the dayside. This one did. It was less than a dozen hastily written words on a piece of paper when I first saw it -- my city editor Farley's words -- all black and white in the light of day. It took the night to add the color, and the shadings, to give them perspective and make them come alive.
MUSIC:
ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND RANDY--
RANDY:
(NARRATES) It wasn't quite five o'clock in the afternoon, but the lights on Michigan Avenue were on. And I was going to work with Farley's words folded in an inside pocket. Specifically, I was on my way to meet a man named Riley Johnson. More specifically, Mr. Johnson owned a small plastics manufacturing plant on the South Side. Most specifically, Mr. Johnson was giving the plant to his employees. I haven't met a real live humanitarian in weeks. This I had to see.
SOUND:
OFFICE DOOR CLOSES ... KLACKING TYPEWRITER, WHICH STOPS WITH--
EDIE:
Yes? Can I help you?
RANDY:
I'm Randy Stone, Chicago Star. I'd like to see Mr. Johnson.
EDIE:
Well, he's busy at the moment, Mr. Stone.
RANDY:
Can I wait?
EDIE:
Yes, if you like. Have a chair.
RANDY:
Thank you.
SOUND:
RANDY'S STEPS TO CHAIR, WHICH SCRAPES AS HE SITS
EDIE:
News travels fast, doesn't it?
RANDY:
That's what everybody says. How does it feel to be an owner?
EDIE:
Oh, I wouldn't want to be quoted, Mr. Stone. I really have no opinion at all.
RANDY:
A guy hands over a business to you and you have no opinion? That's almost a story in itself.
EDIE:
I think it's up to Mr. Johnson to make statements to the press.
RANDY:
Ah, you see? You do have an opinion.
SOUND:
OFFICE DOOR OPENS ... GUTHRIE'S STEPS IN
GUTHRIE:
Hey, Edie, can I see Johnson?
EDIE:
I'm afraid it'll be a while; this gentleman's waiting. This is Mr. Stone. (TO RANDY) Mr. Guthrie.
GUTHRIE:
How are ya?
RANDY:
How do you do?
EDIE:
Mr. Guthrie's our plant foreman. Mr. Stone's a newspaper reporter, Jim.
GUTHRIE:
(RECOGNITION) Oh. You Randy Stone?
RANDY:
That's right.
EDIE:
(RISING, MOVING OFF) I'll see if Mr. Johnson can see you now.
RANDY:
Thank you.
SOUND:
DURING ABOVE, EDIE'S STEPS TO INNER DOOR, WHICH OPENS AND CLOSES AS SHE EXITS
GUTHRIE:
Yeah, I read your column every once in a while, Stone. I like it.
RANDY:
Well, so do I -- every once in a while.
GUTHRIE:
What are you gonna write about Johnson?
RANDY:
I don't know yet. Got any suggestions?
GUTHRIE:
Plenty, but you couldn't print any of 'em. You know him?
RANDY:
No, no. "Man Gives Plant to Employees" is like "Man Bites Dog" -- that's news.
GUTHRIE:
Stick around. He may bite a dog, too. I don't trust him. I don't figure his angle yet, but I'll bet he's got one and I'll bet it's a lulu. (MOVING OFF) Well, good luck, Stone.
RANDY:
Thank you.
SOUND:
DURING ABOVE, GUTHRIE'S STEPS OUT OFFICE DOOR ... THEN INNER DOOR OPENS
EDIE:
Mr. Johnson will see you now, Mr. Stone.
RANDY:
Fine.
SOUND:
RANDY'S STEPS INTO JOHNSON'S OFFICE
RANDY:
I'm Randy Stone, Mr. Johnson.
JOHNSON:
Yeah. Yeah, I know. Sit down. Close the door, too. Not that she'll miss anything.
SOUND:
INNER DOOR CLOSES ... RANDY'S STEPS IN ... CLINKETY-CLINK! OF BOTTLE ON GLASS AS JOHNSON POURS A DRINK
JOHNSON:
(DRINKS, EXHALES DEEPLY)
SOUND:
THUNK! OF BOTTLE ON DESK
MUSIC:
ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND RANDY--
RANDY:
(NARRATES) He didn't look up when I came in. Riley Johnson was drunk -- from years of drinking. His florid face was all puffed, the pink flesh stretched tightly across it, and the gaze he finally directed at me was fluid and colorless.
JOHNSON:
Let's get each other pegged right from the start, Stone. If you expected a wide-eyed visionary, you could've saved yourself a trip.
RANDY:
(SHRUGS) Well, it's too late to save the trip. (CHANGES TONE) I understand you're giving your plant to your employees.
JOHNSON:
I already have. Everything's signed over. And get this: I'm no philanthropist, so don't be writing any fine motives into it.
RANDY:
Well, I haven't written anything into it yet.
JOHNSON:
Just cut out all the humanitarian stuff out of it and get the facts straight. I'm just givin' 'em one big headache back for the million little ones they've given me. (SCORNFUL) Let 'em try to run it. All the little people workin' together for the common good. They'll murder each other.
RANDY:
(LIGHTLY) Hey, you could have sold the plant and saved all those lives.
JOHNSON:
I'd have sold it, if I coulda kept enough money to matter. Let 'em kill 'emselves. One of their inalienable rights!
SOUND:
JOHNSON UNCORKS BOTTLE ... CLINKETY-CLINK! OF BOTTLE ON GLASS AS JOHNSON POURS A DRINK
JOHNSON:
(DRINKS, EXHALES DEEPLY)
SOUND:
WHAP! OF GLASS ON DESK
JOHNSON:
(HALF TO HIMSELF) Empty.
SOUND:
BOTTLE IN WASTEBASKET
JOHNSON:
(HALF TO HIMSELF) There goes a nice gal. (UP, TO RANDY) Well, that's it. That's your story. Take it or leave it.
RANDY:
Ah, I bet you've got some cozy plans for your retirement.
JOHNSON:
Yeah. I'm gonna get drunk.
SOUND:
RANDY RISES
JOHNSON:
You goin' back uptown?
RANDY:
Yeah.
JOHNSON:
I'll hook a ride. I can't drive a car. I'm a menace. Ask anybody.
RANDY:
I'll take your word for it.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND RANDY--
RANDY:
(NARRATES) He hooked the ride -- as far as a "walk-down-a-flight-and-save" saloon. Before the night was over I tried to write the story about Riley Johnson -- no humanitarian stuff, just facts. And -- leaving out the undertones: the things Guthrie said, the things Edie didn't say -- it became a simple one-line story: "Riley Johnson, South Side plastics manufacturer, gave his plant to his employees yesterday." I went to bed at dawn still wondering who was giving who the business.
SOUND:
PHONE RINGS
RANDY:
(WAKES, MURMURS, YAWNS)
SOUND:
RECEIVER UP ... EDIE'S VOICE ON FILTER
RANDY:
(INTO PHONE, GROGGY) Yeah?
EDIE:
I'm afraid I've awakened you, Mr. Stone.
RANDY:
Yeah, I'm afraid you have. Who is this?
EDIE:
I'm Edie. At the plastics plant, remember?
RANDY:
Oh. Oh, yeah, yeah, sure.
EDIE:
I hate to bother you with this, but-- Have you seen Mr. Johnson recently?
RANDY:
Well, recently I've been asleep. The last time I saw him he was doing a half-gainer into a basement bar and grill, but that was twelve hours or so ago.
EDIE:
You must mean the Foxhole.
RANDY:
Might have been a foxhole, I don't know. On, uh, South Shore Drive?
EDIE:
Yeah, that's the one. I've called there. That is, I kept calling until it closed around three. Tincher -- he's the bartender -- said he left there the middle of last evening.
RANDY:
Maybe Tincher knows; I don't.
EDIE:
Mr. Johnson's a sick man, Mr. Stone. His drinking is an illness with him. I'm very worried about him.
RANDY:
Yeah. Well, maybe he's worth worrying about, but I'm--
EDIE:
(INTERRUPTS) I'd be apt to think he was, Mr. Stone. He's - he's my husband.
RANDY:
(BEAT) Oh. Oh, I, er-- I didn't know.
EDIE:
I don't think Riley knows any more, either.
RANDY:
He didn't come home last night then?
EDIE:
He hasn't been home in years. But that's not important right now. I - I have to locate him, that's all. Guthrie says the employees -- that is, the people here at the plant -- are planning some sort of farewell party or something here today and-- Well, he ought to be here.
RANDY:
Yeah. Well, the chances aren't good that I'll run into him anywhere, but if I do I'll give you a call.
EDIE:
Oh, would you? I'd be very grateful. I'll be at the plant all day. And I'm really sorry about waking you, but it is morning.
RANDY:
That's all right. I'll get back to sleep okay.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND RANDY--
RANDY:
(NARRATES) I dreamt a lot, and it was a big dream -- about getting back to sleep in the daytime. Edie's call at 7:30 a.m. was some sort of psychic cue for the kid across the hall to get a toothache and yowl his head off. This touched off a chain reaction. By noon, I threw in the towel and took my curled lip and jaundiced eyes out in search of food. Curiosity took me all the way to the Foxhole -- dark and musty and open for business.
MUSIC & SOUND:
BUSY BAR AND GRILL BACKGROUND ... SOLO PIANO PLAYS A TUNE, IN BG
TINCHER:
Oh, Riley'll be back. Yeah, he's never very far away from here. This place says "Home, sweet home" to him. How's the egg, huh?
RANDY:
You're a better bartender.
TINCHER:
(AMUSED) Hey, that's good. I wouldn't want this trap to get a reputation for fine food, you know? It classes up the clientele.
RANDY:
(LAUGHS) Well, you can't have that.
TINCHER:
No.
RANDY:
You seem pretty sure Riley will be back.
TINCHER:
Oh, sure. He had a hat full of dough last night. I relieved him of most of it. When he knows what he's doin', I'll give it back.
RANDY:
Hey, you know him pretty well. What's he trying to prove?
TINCHER:
Boozin'? I don't know. He sure don't like it sober. He'll talk okay, but not about himself, you know?
RANDY:
How 'bout Edie, his wife? He talk about her?
TINCHER:
Never heard him mention her. Oh, I know her, all right. I know who she is, anyway. (MUSIC: PIANO OUT) Never seen her, but she calls pretty often. It's funny, too, what gets into dames, huh?
RANDY:
Name anything.
TINCHER:
All she ever wants to know is, "Is he okay?" She even gave me his doc's phone number. I call him when Riley pulls his fold act. Hey, you want another egg, huh?
RANDY:
Not till Easter. Riley folds a lot?
TINCHER:
All the time. Every time, the doc says, "This is it, he can't take any more," but Riley keeps blastin' away at the bottle. He don't care, but, oh, she does. She's one of those "There's good in everyone" dames, you know? Real kind. For this, he don't come home ever.
RANDY:
You're wrong, Tincher. He's home now.
SOUND:
RILEY'S STEPS APPROACH
JOHNSON:
Well, well, well! The boy oracle.
RANDY:
Hiya, Johnson.
JOHNSON:
(IMPATIENT) Well, make a move, Tincher.
TINCHER:
Huh? Oh, sure! Why not?
SOUND:
TINCHER FIXES A DRINK
RANDY:
I got a message for you, Johnson.
JOHNSON:
(DRINKS, EXHALES)
SOUND:
GLASS SET DOWN ON BAR
RANDY:
They're planning something for you at the plant today. Maybe you ought to show up, take a few bows.
JOHNSON:
(SOURLY) You ever read the kind of bilge the boy oracle here writes, Tincher?
TINCHER:
Now, take it easy, Riley--
JOHNSON:
It's full of big talk about the little people. The little people with their big hearts! And the big people with little hearts! The whole cockeyed world is full of do-gooders. Cheek-turners! Let's all get together and smile through our tears. Love will find a way.
RANDY:
Hmm.
MUSIC:
DURING ABOVE, SOLO PIANO PLAYER STARTS A GENTLE TUNE ... CONTINUES IN BG ... RANDY RISES
RANDY:
What do I owe you, Tincher?
TINCHER:
Huh? Eighty-five.
RANDY:
Here.
SOUND:
COINS ON BAR
TINCHER:
Thanks.
RANDY:
Well, it's been fun. Can I use the phone?
TINCHER:
(MOVING OFF) Help yourself. It's over there.
SOUND:
CASH REGISTER
JOHNSON:
(RAMBLING ON, HIS VOICE FADING AS RANDY MOVES OFF) Riley's slipped and fallen from the glory road. Let's all help him back on his feet. All the Edies and the boy oracles and the rest of the--
MUSIC & SOUND:
PAY PHONE BOOTH DOOR CLOSES, SHUTTING OUT THE BAR AND GRILL BACKGROUND (INCLUDING THE PIANO) ... COIN IN SLOT ... PHONE DIALED ... PHONE RINGS AND CONNECTS (CALLER'S PERSPECTIVE) ... EDIE'S VOICE ON FILTER
EDIE:
Johnson's Plastics Company.
RANDY:
Oh, Edie? It's Randy Stone.
EDIE:
Oh, Mr. Stone. I haven't found Riley yet. I'm just beside myself.
RANDY:
Well, he's at his natural habitat, the Foxhole.
EDIE:
Oh, thank God. Is he all right?
RANDY:
Well, I wouldn't plan on him showing up at the plant.
EDIE:
I see. Well, I guess I didn't really expect him. Thanks, Mr. Stone. Thanks for calling anyway.
RANDY:
Sure. Bye, Edie.
EDIE:
Goodbye.
SOUND:
RECEIVER DOWN
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND RANDY--
RANDY:
(NARRATES) This was the second time I'd left Riley at the Foxhole. It got easier every time. Outside the sun shone and life went on. I knew the real story was all the things I didn't know -- about Riley -- and Edie. Maybe I'd never know them. Right then, they didn't seem important. I say "right then" because a couple of hours later when I checked in at the paper, all the things I didn't know became very important. Riley Johnson's employee-owned plastics plant blew up -- right in their faces.
MUSIC:
ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND RANDY--
SOUND:
BURNING BUILDING BACKGROUND ... ROAR OF FLAMES, MURMURING CROWD OF ONLOOKERS, FIRE DEPARTMENT, ET CETERA
RANDY:
(NARRATES) It was still smoldering and still burning, but under control when I got there. I found the fire captain over by a pile of rubble.
CAPTAIN:
Happened right around one o'clock. About half the employees were out to lunch.
RANDY:
The rest of them?
CAPTAIN:
Took 'em to the Mercy Hospital. We're pretty sure we got 'em all out.
RANDY:
Was anyone killed?
CAPTAIN:
Oh, not outright. One woman's supposed to be in the worst shape. Wife of the owner, according to a couple of workers.
RANDY:
Edie Johnson?
CAPTAIN:
Johnson? Yeah, I think that's the name.
RANDY:
Ah. I don't suppose you know yet if it was an accident or not.
CAPTAIN:
Ah, the arson boys are checkin'. We oughta know before too long.
RANDY:
Well, if someone blew it, they did a real thorough job.
CAPTAIN:
Yeah. Kinda complete.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION
SOUND:
HOSPITAL DOOR CLOSES ... RANDY'S STEPS IN
GUTHRIE:
(WEAKLY) Missed the fireworks, Stone.
RANDY:
(SURPRISED) Uh-- Guthrie! Hey, you all right?
GUTHRIE:
Yeah, I'm fine. Lucky, too. The doc says these are just superficial. (CHUCKLE) I'm walkin' along and all of a sudden I'm not walkin'. Feels like a truck hit me in the back. Then I wake up, the darn thing blew me clean out of the plant. Ever hear of such a lucky thing?
RANDY:
Well, that much is good, Guthrie. I understand that Edie's pretty bad off.
GUTHRIE:
(DARKLY) Bad off? Yeah. I guess you could call it "bad off." (BEAT) Told you Riley had an angle. (BEAT) Edie's blind.
MUSIC:
FIRST ACT CURTAIN
ANNOUNCER:
NBC is bringing you NIGHT BEAT, starring Frank Lovejoy as Randy Stone.
Loyal Americans have always stood behind our fighting forces through all the years of our country's history. Whatever the need, the folks on the home front have always responded generously. Today the need is for blood donations for members of our armed forces in Korea. The prompt use of blood plasma on the battlefield and whole blood in military hospitals saves the lives of many casualties. General Matthew B. Ridgway, commander-in-chief of the United Nations command, has said, "Every American who has given blood can and should feel he personally has contributed directly to the saving of the life of an American boy." Today, with the reserve of blood plasma virtually exhausted by G.I. requirements, an emergency exists. The Department of Defense is calling for an immediate stepping up of blood collections. This is an opportunity for you to have a part in this program -- a program vital to our fighting men in Korea. Call your Red Cross chapter or local blood donor center for an appointment to make your donation of blood for the armed forces. All types of blood are needed.
MUSIC:
TAG ... THEN IN BG
ANNOUNCER:
And now back to NIGHT BEAT and Randy Stone.
RANDY:
(NARRATES) Guthrie swallowed hard and looked away. After a while he began pushing at the bandage on his arm a little too hard, because it hurt him.
MUSIC:
OUT
GUTHRIE:
Isn't that a rotten break? Edie, of all the people in the world.
RANDY:
Yeah, that's rough. That's real rough.
GUTHRIE:
She used her eyes -- really used 'em -- to see good when nobody else could see it. You don't know her, Stone. She's the greatest.
RANDY:
Everyone seems to think so.
GUTHRIE:
If she'd only set up a beef about it, build a case for herself, I'd almost feel better about it. But she won't. She'll take it. Just like she's taken every raw deal she's had. And all her raw deals begin and end with the same louse!
RANDY:
I talked to the fire captain. They'll know in a while if it was an accident.
GUTHRIE:
I don't think it was. This whole deal smells like Riley. He'd hand you something that was loaded.
RANDY:
Well, he might. But even if they find out the blast was planned, it doesn't mean that it was Riley.
GUTHRIE:
What's the matter? You building a case for Riley?
RANDY:
No. Why should I? I don't know him well enough to build him a drink even.
GUTHRIE:
Nobody knows him -- except Edie.
RANDY:
And she loves him.
GUTHRIE:
Yeah, she does. (QUIETLY MYSTIFIED) How could she?
RANDY:
Edie's the only one who can answer that.
GUTHRIE:
Oh, I've asked her lots of times. She knows I love her.
RANDY:
Did you expect Riley at the plant this morning?
GUTHRIE:
Yeah, he was supposed to be there. (CHUCKLE, SCORNFUL) We planned a little thing in his honor.
RANDY:
A little thing like, er, an explosion?
GUTHRIE:
(SHARPLY) Look, there are simpler ways to get rid of him, Stone. I wouldn't blow up a plant full of people to get to him.
RANDY:
No, I don't think you would. Any more than I think Riley would blow it up to get to Edie.
GUTHRIE:
Unless he was after more than Edie -- huh, Stone?
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND RANDY--
RANDY:
(NARRATES) It wasn't far from the Mercy Hospital to the Foxhole. I figured somebody ought to tell Riley, just in case he didn't know about Edie, and just in case he'd care. Tincher was half-seated on a barstool and at first I thought he was all alone -- until he nodded across the room. Riley was lying flat, fit to the curve of the booth, and a man was bending over him.
TINCHER:
(UNEASY) He - he pulled a real fold this time.
RANDY:
His doc?
TINCHER:
Yeah. Yeah, he's been workin' over him quite a while. (HELPLESSLY) I don't know how you keep a guy from takin' on such a load. If I didn't let him have it, he - he'd get it somewhere else. A guy don't know what to do.
RANDY:
When did it happen?
TINCHER:
Oh, not long after you left. He just ups and keels over. Had a devil of a time locatin' the doc, too.
SOUND:
DOCTOR'S STEPS APPROACH
DOCTOR:
(SOBERLY) I think you'd better locate an ambulance, Tincher. Might as well get him to a hospital.
TINCHER:
Yeah, okay. Oh, er, doc, this is Randy Stone. He knows Riley.
SOUND:
TINCHER'S STEPS AWAY
DOCTOR:
I don't think you'll know him much longer, Stone.
RANDY:
This is the last one, huh?
DOCTOR:
Yeah, looks like it.
RANDY:
You think he'll come around at all?
DOCTOR:
He might. He's fooled me before.
RANDY:
Yeah, I know. Might have a good reason to fool you this time. Look, uh, I don't know what it'll mean to him, or if you can tell him even, but there was an explosion at his plant, and his wife is the worst off. She's blind.
DOCTOR:
Where is she?
RANDY:
Mercy Hospital.
DOCTOR:
That's where I'm taking him; I'm on staff there. Yeah, sure, I'll tell him -- if I get the chance.
TINCHER:
(APPROACHES) Hey, I, er-- I get nothin' but busy signals, doc. Maybe there's a run on ambulances right now, huh?
DOCTOR:
Well, that's that. We can't wait for one.
RANDY:
Can I give you a hand, doc?
DOCTOR:
Yeah, and a backseat if your car's got one. I'm in a coupe.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND RANDY--
RANDY:
(NARRATES) The doc took over when we got to Mercy Hospital. I took one more look at Riley as they wheeled him into the room. His face wasn't puffed and pink any more. It was gray and very old.
MUSIC:
ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND RANDY--
RANDY:
(NARRATES) Edie and Riley were just a few doors apart now. It was hard to imagine they'd ever been closer. I wondered about them as man and wife, what kind of life they'd shared. Riley, a guy so bent on his own destruction he wanted to destroy everything around him. Guthrie, a third part to a triangle -- or was there more to it than that? And Tincher -- could he have an angle? How did these people relate to each other really? Who was the heavy? I didn't know. I called the fire captain I'd talked to earlier. No report from the arson investigators. He said he'd call me at the hospital when he got word. I waited outside Riley's room for the doc.
SOUND:
ROOM DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES .. DOCTOR'S STEPS IN
DOCTOR:
Oh, Stone. I hoped you were still here. Riley's come around; he wants to talk to you.
RANDY:
Did you tell him about Edie?
DOCTOR:
Yes, I did. (BEAT) Go on. Go in there for a minute or two.
RANDY:
Will he make it, doc?
DOCTOR:
No, not a chance, and he knows it. (MOVING OFF) I'll be back. I have to check something.
RANDY:
Okay, doc.
SOUND:
DOCTOR'S BRISK STEPS AWAY ... RANDY'S SLOW STEPS TO ROOM DOOR, WHICH OPENS AND CLOSES ... RANDY'S STEPS TO JOHNSON
RANDY:
Hello, Riley.
JOHNSON:
(WEAKLY) Boy oracle. I'm in a fine fix if you're the best I can come up with.
RANDY:
The doc said you wanted to see me.
JOHNSON:
I never wanted to see you. Right now, I don't have much choice. Maybe I should have made a friend along the way. Believe me, if I had a friend, I wouldn't be asking for you.
RANDY:
Okay, okay, so we're real pals. Now, what do you want, a friendship ring?
JOHNSON:
Find that lousy Tincher. Tell him he didn't put a thing over on me. He never could and he never did.
RANDY:
I got it. I suppose he'll understand.
JOHNSON:
I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. Understand? He should. He's not satisfied that I practically kept him in business with my regrettable taste for whiskey, he's got to steal me blind.
RANDY:
I'll tell him.
JOHNSON:
Thought I wouldn't remember. I remember plenty. Plenty! I had a fistful of dough last night. He thinks I don't know he took it. Just tell him I know, that's all.
RANDY:
He's told me about your dough, Riley.
JOHNSON:
What does that prove? He's one of your little people, I suppose, with a big fat heart. (EXHALES) Brother. You don't know anything about people, not anything.
RANDY:
You said you had a couple messages, Riley.
JOHNSON:
Yeah. I did, didn't I? Well, the other one's for you. (SAVAGE, RASPY) Get out.
RANDY:
Yeah, sure.
SOUND:
RANDY'S STEPS THROUGH ROOM DOOR, WHICH OPENS AND CLOSES ... DOCTOR'S STEPS APPROACH
RANDY:
Oh. Hi, doc.
DOCTOR:
How is he?
RANDY:
Oh, he's normal, I guess. He doesn't change much, in my book.
DOCTOR:
Hmm. Stick around, will you? I want to see him, and then I'd like to talk to you.
RANDY:
Yeah, I'll be around. I'll go down to the drugstore and get some coffee.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND RANDY--
RANDY:
(NARRATES) The first cup of coffee did nothing for the tight knot I was using for a stomach. I wanted a phone call from the fire captain to point the blame for the explosion. I couldn't figure Riley. Did he fold because he couldn't handle any more alcohol or because he couldn't blow up a place without having a reaction to it? I stayed with the coffee, but it didn't produce any answers.
SOUND:
DRUGSTORE BACKGROUND (CROWD MURMURS, CUP AND SAUCER CLINK, ET CETERA) ... TINCHER'S STEPS APPROACH
TINCHER:
(JITTERY) I - I tried to see him, but they wouldn't let me in.
RANDY:
Sit down, Tincher. The doc'll be down in a little while.
TINCHER:
Yeah.
SOUND:
TINCHER SITS
TINCHER:
I just locked up and came over.
RANDY:
Have some coffee.
TINCHER:
No, no, thanks. I didn't know what else to do. I got these flowers. Then I forgot to give 'em to the nurse. Heh, silly I guess, huh? Flowers, huh?
RANDY:
Why beat yourself? The flowers are fine.
TINCHER:
You know somethin'? Hospitals sort of make me crawl. I get nervous just walkin' in the door. I don't know, everything's so clean and smells clean. Only I got nothin' against bein' clean, but-- It gets me, y'know?
RANDY:
Yeah. Yeah, it seems a little impersonal, but I guess it isn't.
TINCHER:
Yeah, well-- Oh, golly, I almost forgot. Er, Riley's dough. I want to-- I want to get it back to him, see? Remember I told you I took it off him last night?
RANDY:
Yeah. Yes, I remember.
SOUND:
HANDS OVER MONEY
TINCHER:
Well, you give it to him, will ya? You're gonna see the doc, huh? Oh, give him the dough and, er-- (SOUND: HANDS OVER FLOWERS) --the flowers, too, huh?
RANDY:
(BEAT) Sure, if that's the way you want it.
TINCHER:
Yeah, yeah. Tell Riley I'll be back when he's feelin' better.
RANDY:
I'll tell him.
TINCHER:
(MOVING OFF) I'll see ya.
RANDY:
Okay.
SOUND:
DURING ABOVE, TINCHER'S STEPS AWAY
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND RANDY--
RANDY:
(NARRATES) It was beginning to get me, too. I paid for the coffee, scooped up the fat wad of money and the thin bunch of flowers, and went back up to Riley's floor. The nurse at the desk took the flowers and told me that Edie was "about the same," whatever that meant. That's when the doc came out of Riley's room and motioned me down to the waiting room.
SOUND:
DOCTOR AND RANDY'S STEPS IN
DOCTOR:
Got a cigarette, Stone?
RANDY:
Why, sure.
SOUND:
RANDY HANDLES CELLOPHANE-WRAPPED CIGARETTE PACK
RANDY:
Here.
DOCTOR:
Thanks.
SOUND:
MATCH STRIKES
DOCTOR:
(INHALES AND EXHALES, THEN SIMPLY) Well, he's dead.
RANDY:
(BEAT) Well, Tincher will feel bad, I guess.
DOCTOR:
I think Riley thought as much of Tincher as he did anyone.
RANDY:
(DRY) Oh, yes. He thought Tincher was great. That's - that's why he wanted to see me -- to tell me the barkeep had stolen his money from him. (CHUCKLE) Here's the roll. Tincher brought it. He just took it to keep Riley from throwing it around.
DOCTOR:
Yeah, I know. Tincher's all right. I'll give the money to Edie.
RANDY:
Yeah. What kind of a guy was that, doc? I've seen a lot of guys go out -- a lot of bums, too. I never saw one who didn't go a little soft at the end. This guy goes, still spouting his hate and yakking about a friend who conned him, he says.
DOCTOR:
There isn't much doubt about Riley's character. He was a long way from the Good Samaritan. You knew him a day. I - I've known him for ten years.
RANDY:
Hmm. I'd like to know, er, what made Riley run.
DOCTOR:
The answer isn't very simple, but I'll simplify it. Five years ago, Riley Johnson was a regulation sort of a guy -- no stronger, no weaker than most. You can't measure what the brain men call moral fiber, but it's safe to assume Riley had his share until he got kicked over.
RANDY:
And, uh, who did the kicking?
DOCTOR:
(BEAT) Edie.
RANDY:
(BEAT) Edie?!
DOCTOR:
Yeah, she's all sweetness and light unless you happen to know her, which I do. I could tell you a lot of things about Edie, none of them very savory, but mostly she doesn't like a man, she likes men -- parades of them.
RANDY:
Like, uh, maybe Guthrie?
DOCTOR:
He's one of them, for now. It goes on. Riley couldn't take it, so he left. Made friends with a bottle. Mm, that's it.
RANDY:
(IRONIC) Oh, that's - that's great.
SOUND:
TWO CHIMES
VOICE:
(OVER PUBLIC ADDRESS) Telephone call for Mr. Randy Stone. Come to the second-floor desk, please.
RANDY:
Wait here, will ya, doc?
DOCTOR:
Oh, sure.
RANDY:
Thanks.
SOUND:
RANDY'S STEPS TO DESK ... RECEIVER UP ... CAPTAIN'S VOICE ON FILTER
RANDY:
Hello, this is Randy Stone.
CAPTAIN:
Oh, er, Stone? You wanted the report from the arson boys. Just came in.
RANDY:
What's the verdict?
CAPTAIN:
Clogged gas line to one of the burners. It's been backin' up gas for who knows how long. Long enough to blow up, anyway.
RANDY:
You're calling it an accident then?
CAPTAIN:
That's right. That's all it was -- just an accident.
RANDY:
Uh-huh. Well, thanks, Cap. Thanks for calling.
CAPTAIN:
You bet. Bye.
RANDY:
Bye.
SOUND:
RECEIVER DOWN ... RANDY'S STEPS TO DOCTOR
RANDY:
That was the fire captain, doc. The explosion at the plant was an accident.
DOCTOR:
(BEAT) I'm glad it wasn't Riley.
RANDY:
Yeah, I guess I am, too. Lovely little vignette, isn't it? The Johnson story: Riley's dead, Edie's blind.
DOCTOR:
No, not for long she isn't. They do some big things now, you know. They can transfer the cornea from healthy eyes to bad ones.
RANDY:
Oh, yes. Yeah, I know, but--
DOCTOR:
Edie will see again -- with Riley's eyes.
RANDY:
He did that?
DOCTOR:
Last thing he did. Told me to tell her to - take a good look at herself.
MUSIC:
BEAT, THEN DRAMATIC TRANSITION ... THEN MORE GENTLY BEHIND RANDY--
RANDY:
(NARRATES) It wasn't quite five o'clock in the afternoon, but the lights on Michigan Avenue were on. The traffic was taking on that rush-hour look and most of Chicago was getting ready to call it a day. Another day was giving way to another darker night. This was where I came in just twenty-four hours before. I still had the slip of paper Farley had given me, and it read, "Riley Johnson, Linton Avenue, South Side, giving plant to employees. Might be a story."
MUSIC:
OUT
RANDY:
(NARRATES) Yes, Farley, it was a story.
SOUND:
RECEIVER UP
RANDY:
(INTO PHONE) Copy boy!
MUSIC:
CURTAIN ... THEN IN BG
ANNOUNCER:
NIGHT BEAT, starring Frank Lovejoy, is produced and directed by Warren Lewis. Tonight's transcribed story was written by Kathleen Hite, with music by Robert Armbruster. Featured in tonight's cast were Ed Begley, Jeanne Bates, Paul Frees, Sidney Miller, and Shep Menken.
MUSIC:
FILLS A PAUSE ... THEN OUT BEHIND--
ANNOUNCER:
Listen next week at this time, and every week, as Randy Stone searches through the city for the strange stories waiting for him in the darkness.
MUSIC:
TYMPANI ... THEN TAG
ANNOUNCER:
NIGHT BEAT came to you from Hollywood.
NBC ANNCR:
Three Chimes Mean Good Times on NBC. Friday, enjoy sparkling comedy and musical variety with INSIDE BOB AND RAY. And, for pictures of Bob and Ray, the winners of radio's coveted Peabody Award, be sure to get this week's issue of Life Magazine. Tomorrow evening, enjoy Western song and adventure on THE ROY ROGERS SHOW. You'll hear another story from the Double R Bar ranch in Paradise Valley. Also tomorrow evening, THE MARIO LANZA SHOW stars Mario Lanza and Lisa Kirk in thirty minutes of your favorite songs. DRAGNET, authentic adventure, is next on NBC.
MUSIC:
NBC CHIMES