SMITH:

(COLD) The Camel Screen Guild Theatre!

MUSIC:

FIRST PHRASE OF "HOW MILD"

SMITH:

Our stars tonight...John Hodiak and Brenda Marshall!

MUSIC:

SECOND PHRASE OF "HOW MILD"

SMITH:

Our play..."The Dark Corner".

MUSIC:

COMPLETE "HOW MILD"

SMITH:

Our hosts....the makers of Camel Cigarettes.

QUARTET:

How mild,
How mild,
How mild can a cigarette be?
Make the Camel thirty-day test
And you'll see!

SMITH:

In a coast-to-coast test of hundreds of people who smoked only Camels for thirty days, noted throat specialists reported not one single case of throat irritation due to smoking Camels!

BARCLAY:

Test Camels for yourself..in your "T-Zone" -- T for taste, T for throat -- and see why more people smoke Camels than any other cigarette!

MUSIC:

FULL INTO PLAY THEME AND FADE OUT INTO:

SMITH:

And now while you discover the smoking enjoyment of Camel Cigarettes, for your listening enjoyment the Camel Screen Guild Theatre brings you a fast-moving, hard-hitting, mystery yarn that builds to a strange and unexpected climax! For drama, for suspense, for exciting action - The Camel Screen Guild Players present "The Dark Corner", starring Brenda Marshall and John Hodiak!

MUSIC:

FULL INTO PLAY THEME....AND DOWN, TO HOLD UNDER

GALT:

The sign on my door said 'Bradford Galt - Private Detective'....A crummy joint, but that was all I could afford. Cheap carpets, cheap lamps, cheap furniture. (TYPEWRITER STARTS) Cheap everything - except Kathleen. (MUSIC CUTS)

SOUND:

TYPEWRITER CONTINUES...DOOR CLOSES OFF

REEVES:

(COMING IN) Afternoon.....Galt in? (TYPEWRITER OUT)

KATH:

He's in the building somewhere. He'll be right back. Can I help you?

REEVES:

Lieutenant Reeves. Headquarters.

KATH:

Oh. (TYPEWRITER RESUMES)

REEVES:

(CASUAL) Maybe you can help me...If you know anything I want to know.

KATH:

(SWEETLY) I don't know anything you couldn't find out by asking Mr. Galt.

REEVES:

(EASILY) Nice quality - loyalty....How long you been working for him?

KATH:

Several weeks.

REEVES:

What do you know about him?

KATH:

(COLDLY) I like him.

REEVES:

(UNFAZED) Keep you busy? (TYPEWRITER CUTS)

KATH:

Look, I sharpen the pencils, answer the phone, do the typing, and mind my own business. If there's anything you want to know - (DOOR OPENS, OFF) Here's Mr. Galt. Ask him. (DOOR CLOSES, OFF)

GALT:

(COMING IN, EVENLY) Well, look who's here....Hello, Reeves.

REEVES:

(SMILING) Hi....(INDICATING) Private office?

GALT:

Why not?

SOUND:

STEPS....DOOR CLOSES

GALT: All right, Reeves. Let's have it - what's up?

REEVES:

(GRINS) Nothing. Just a little personal call...I promised my friends in California I'd see you didn't get into mischief!

GALT:

(ANGRILY) I don't owe California a thing! I paid in full and I got a pardon! You know that as well as ---

REEVES:

Now don't get excited. Take it easy ---

GALT:

I got a fast shuffle out west! All I want is a chance to work up a legitimate business here!

REEVES:

(SOFTLY) Sure...As long as you keep it legitimate....(PAUSE, THEN FRIENDLY) I guess that's all. I'll be running along...So long....

SOUND:

DOOR OPENS, FEW FADING STEPS

REEVES:

(OFF) G'night, Miss.

KATH:

(OFF) Goodnight...(DOOR OPENS, CLOSES OFF) (THEN COMING IN) Mr. Galt, it's almost six. If there's nothing else....

GALT:

(ABSTRACTED) There is...

KATH:

(PAUSE) Yes?

GALT:

(AS IF COMING TO) Have dinner with me.

KATH:

(LIGHTLY) Is that part of the job?

GALT:

(MOODILY) It is tonight.

KATH:

All right. But I ripped my nylons on that chair out there. Being the boss, I suppose you'll want to replace them?

GALT:

(GRINS) I'll make a note of it.

KATH:

(SMILING) You know, the working conditions around here are certainly looking up.

MUSIC:

ACCENTS.... AND CONTINUES UNDER:

GALT:

She was nice. She was fun. She helped me forget....We had dinner, and then we walked down the Avenue - stopped in at one of those Penny Arcades...(EFFECTS IN B.G.) She started playing the machines, and she was good. (PIN BALL MACHINE) Especially on the baseball game...(MUSIC CUTS)

SOUND:

PIN BALL MACHINE PLUNGER...BELLS RING

KATH:

(HAPPILY) There we go again! Another homer!

GALT:

How can you do it - after all that chop suey?

KATH:

My father was a major league umpire...(GRINS) Now what other games shall I beat you at?

GALT:

What kind of games do you want to play?....Some great playgrounds on Fifty-second Street.

KATH:

Including -- your apartment?

GALT:

(GRINS) Just a coincidence....After all, you can't blame a guy for trying to score.

KATH:

I don't play for score. I play for keeps, said she with a smile.

GALT:

Okay, I'm out on called strikes. Want to look at the peep shows?

KATH:

(WRYLY) 'Tahitian Nights'...I'll bet that one's warm.

GALT:

Gives me an idea. I may fire you and get me a Tahitian secretary.

KATH:

You wouldn't like those grass skirts. They're a fire hazard.

GALT:

One thing about those Tahitians, though. They don't wear nylons.

KATH:

(ODD TONE) Mr. Galt...

GALT:

Don't worry, I'm not firing you - yet.

KATH:

(LOW, URGENT) Mr. Galt, I think there's someone following us.

GALT:

Yeah, I know. Guy in a white suit. About five feet ten, brown hair and sport shoes. Ring on his left pinky. Don't stare back...Walk naturally. Come on...(STEPS UNDER)

KATH:

(LOW, WORRIED) I've never been followed before.

GALT:

That's a terrible reflection on American manhood.

KATH:

Why's he following us --- you?

GALT:

Let's find out.

KATH:

Me?

GALT:

Yeah. I'll put you in a cab. Drive around the block, then park across from our office.

KATH:

Then what?

GALT:

I'll ask our friend up for choir practice..if he sings nicely, I'll revive him. When he leaves, you follow him - let me know where he goes.

KATH:

But, Mr. Galt, I ---- (STEPS CUT)

GALT:

(CURT) Get in. (CAB DOOR OPENS) Cabbie, she'll tell you where to go...(LOUD) Good night, Kathleen. See you in the morning! (CAB DOOR SLAMS)

MUSIC:

SHARP ACCENT...AND FADE OUT INTO:

SOUND:

KEY FUMBLES IN LOCK....TURNS....DOOR OPENS

GALT:

(CRISP) All right, Mr. White Suit -- inside.

SOUND:

TWO STEPS..DOOR CLOSES...TWO MORE STEPS

WHITE S:

(SULLEN) Put away the artillery. I ain't loaded.

GALT:

Mind if I find out for myself?

SOUND:

HAND PATTING CLOTHES

GALT:

(FINALLY) Okay...Now over to the desk and shell out.

SOUND:

TWO STEPS...VARIOUS ARTICLES FALLING ON DESK.

GALT:

Pencil....key ring...cigarettes...And a roll of nickles.....they make nice brass knuckles, don't they?

WHITE S:

Brass knuckles ain't legal. I just carry my change the hard way. It's easier to --

SOUND:

SUDDEN BLOW OF GUN ON DESK

WHITE S:

(GRUNTS WITH PAIN AS BLOW LANDS) What's the idea -- smashing my thumb with the rod?

GALT:

Teach you to keep your hands off my desk....Now let's play twenty questions. If you answer all of them, maybe I won't knock your teeth out...We'll start easy. What's your racket?

WHITE S:

(SULLEN) Same as yours. Private operator. I --

SOUND:

SUDDEN HARD BLOW ON FACE

GALT:

Wrong answer. We don't go on a job without a license.

WHITE S:

I left it home.

GALT:

Go ahead...(PAUSE) Let me coax you. I'd love to do it the hard way....(PAUSE) How long have you been shagging me?

WHITE S:

Two days.

GALT:

Who buys the tickets?

WHITE S:

I don't know his name. He paid me by mail to --

SOUND:

SHARP BLOW...GLASS INKWELL TURNS OVER

GALT:

Wrong answer again.

WHITE S:

(COMPLAINING) You didn't have to knock the inkwell over.....Lookit my white suit.

GALT:

Start crooning or I'll work you over 'till your hair curls! (GRABBING HIM) Come on -- !

WHITE S:

(CHOKING) Hey - my tie - leggo --

GALT:

Talk!

WHITE S:

(STRANGLED) I can't - you're choking me -- !

GALT:

Talk! Who's paying you?

WHITE S:

(GASPING) A - a guy called...Jardine.

GALT:

(STUNNED) Jardine!...(PAUSE, THEN QUIETLY) Okay. Take your stuff....And you better get that white suit cleaned. Mr. Jardine's particular about neatness....(PAUSE) Well? What're you waiting for?

WHITE S:

(SHEEPISH) My roll of nickels.

GALT:

Here! And next time I catch you shagging me, I'll ram those nickels right down your throat!

MUSIC:

SHARP CHORD....AND FADE OUT INTO:

SOUND:

NICKEL DROPS....DIAL....THRU LINE RING, WE HEAR KID'S SLIDE WHISTLE, SLIGHTLY OFF

WHITE S:

Hello?.....Mr. Cathcart there?.....Tell him it's the guy from San Francisco........Yeah, I'll wait....

SOUND:

SLIDE WHISTLE CLOSER

WHITE S:

(SOFTLY) Hey, kid....(WHISTLE CUTS) You wanna make a nickel?

KID:

(COMING IN) Sure!

WHITE S:

Here....

KID:

Gee, thanks!

WHITE S:

(VICIOUS) Now shut up - cut the whistlin'!

KID:

(FADING, SCARED) Okay......

WHITE S:

(TO PHONE) Hello?...Yeah, it's me. I'm back at my place....No, I'm using the pay phone in the hall....Galt spotted me. Just like you said...(CHUCKLING) Took me to his office and pushed me around. I played softie for him....Yeah, when I left he put a tail on me, but I lost her over on the Avenue....Yeah, I told him the name....Brother, did he take it? It hit him right where he lived!...(CHUCKLING) Yeah....Yeah, I know...Okay. G'bye.

SOUND:

RECEIVER DOWN, AS:

MUSIC:

SHARP CHORD.....AND FADE OUT INTO:

GALT:

So he shook you, huh? You lost him.

KATH:

Look - I'm not Sam Spade...(THEN CURIOUS) Mr. Galt - who is he?

GALT:

White Suit? Just hired muscle.

KATH:

Who hired him?

GALT:

(GRIM) Forget it. You'll be better off.

KATH:

Who?....Come on, open up that steel safe. I want to know, and I want to help.

GALT:

I can't, baby....But that's - that's good talk, and I like it...(SLOWLY) I like you, too....everything about you...(ARMS ABOUT HER) You're sweet...

KATH:

(SLIGHT PAUSE, THEN LITTLE GASP) Mr. Galt --

GALT:

(GRINS) After that, you better call me Brad.

KATH:

(SOFTLY) Brad....

GALT:

(SUDDENLY HARSH) Listen - if you don't want to lose that star-dust look, get going while the door is open!

KATH:

(PUZZLED) But, Brad --

GALT:

If you stick here you'll get grafters, shysters, two-bit lugs - and maybe worse!...Maybe me.

KATH:

(QUIETLY) I'll take those odds.

GALT:

(GRATEFULLY) Thanks.

KATH:

(SMILING) I'll say 'welcome' after you've told me what it's all about.

GALT:

(PAUSE) Okay...I had a private agency in San Francisco. And a partner - name was Tony Jardine.. He was a (WITH VENOM) - barrister! A swift cookie with the women customers. They came in convoys. The set-up was perfect.

KATH:

Perfect for what?

GALT:

Blackmail....When I wised up, I called him on it and he promised to make good...We drove out to his place to talk it over -- and somewhere on the road he slugged me.

KATH:

Slugged you!

GALT:

Yeah. He wet me down with a bottle of Scotch, then put me behind the wheel and set me for a take off...I hit a truck and killed the driver...(PAUSE) Manslaughter...I got two years, less time off for good behavior.

KATH:

Oh, Brad...

GALT:

That was the last I heard of Tony Jardine - until White Suit popped up...Tony's paying him to tail me.

KATH:

Why?

GALT:

I don't know...(GRIM) I don't know - but I'm going to find out!

MUSIC:

SHARP ACCENT....AND FADE OUT INTO:

MARI:

(VEHEMENT, AGITATED) I tell you, Tony, I can't stand it any more! I can't bear him to touch me - to look at me!

JARDINE:

I know, darling - but you're taking a chance - coming here like this, in broad daylight...

MARI:

He won't know. He had to go to an auction. His paintings are always more important than I am!....(IMPLORING) Tony - please - you've got to take me away!

JARDINE:

(SOOTHING) Of course, darling - I will - as soon as --

SOUND:

DOOR BUZZER-SHARP

MARI:

(FRIGHTENED WHISPER) Tony -- ! (BUZZER) Who --?

JARDINE:

(WHISPER) Get in the bedroom - lock the door!

SOUND:

QUICK LIGHT STEPS FADING...DOOR CLOSES OFF...

JARDINE:

Yes? What is it, I --- Galt!

GALT:

(QUIETLY) Hi, Tony...

JARDINE:

(QUICKLY) Look, you can't come in here now, I --

SOUND:

DOOR CLOSES

GALT:

I'm in...(PAUSE, LOOKING AROUND) Quite a dump you got...Kind of heavy on the art stuff, though...

JARDINE:

(TIGHTLY) I've always liked good paintings.

GALT:

You even set 'em up on the chairs?

JARDINE:

That's a Van Gogh. It was just - delivered.

GALT:

(SNIFFS) Mm...perfume, too...Still catering to the female trade?

JARDINE:

What do you want, Galt?

GALT:

I'm just delivering a message - from me to you.... Lay off! Keep that tail off me, and stop playing me for a pigeon! I'm the kind of pigeon that shoots back!

JARDINE:

(FLUSTERED) I don't know what you're talking about.

GALT:

I'll bet...(THEN BITTER, SOFT) I kept remembering that pretty face of yours, Jardine...almost two years...all the time I was in hock...You better lay off, or you won't have that pretty face. Maybe you won't have any face at all.

JARDINE:

I didn't hire any tail - I haven't been after you. I didn't even know you were in town. That's on the level.

GALT:

You? On the level? Why, for six bits you'd hang your mother on a meat hook!

JARDINE:

(SWINGING) Why, you -- !

SOUND:

(SHARP BLOW...JARDINE GROANS SOFTLY....FALLS)

GALT:

(SOFTLY) I warned you, Tony. Happy dreams...

SOUND:

(FEW QUICK STEPS...DOOR KNOB TURNS, RATTLES)

GALT:

(CALLS SOFTLY) Hey, sister - you in there...(NO ANSWER) Nice perfume, baby - whoever you are - but you're wasting it on the wrong guy...(NO ANSWER) All right, I'm going. You can come out and mop him up.

MUSIC:

SHARP CHORD....AND FADE OUT INTO:

WHITE S:

Sure - he went over to Jardine's all right. But all he did was push him around...I heard the whole thing. I was outside the door.

CATHCART:

(QUIETLY) When was this?

WHITE S:

This afternoon.

CATHCART:

My wife was there at the time?

WHITE S:

She must've been. I saw her go in...(PAUSE) Look, boss, you're wasting your time. This Galt is a smart cookie - he ain't gonna let himself be shoved into a noose...And if you can't needle him into knocking Jardine off, why not let me do it? I can put a slug in him - the nice clean way.

CATHCART:

(SLOWLY) No...I'm sure we can do better than that. (SLIGHT PAUSE) Let me think it over.

MUSIC:

ACCENTS.....AND FADES OUT INTO:

KATH:

The shoulder's just ripped at the seam. Take it off, Brad, I'll sew it up.

GALT:

Thanks.

KATH:

What happened?

GALT:

He led with his right, and I swung too hard.

KATH:

(DRILY) Where did that get you?

GALT:

Nowhere. But I feel much better...Why don't you move over here where you belong?

KATH:

You might lead with your right.

GALT:

(GRINS) I need comforting. Don't you have any maternal instincts?

KATH:

(GRINS) Not during office hours.

GALT:

(PAUSE, THEN) Say, you sew a pretty nice seam. What other talents have you got?

KATH:

(KNOWS WHAT HE MEANS) I can cook....(PHONE RINGS)

GALT:

I'll get it. (RECEIVER UP) Hello?....Who?....Oh.....Okay, what're you selling?....(CASUAL) Yeah, I might be interested.....Yeah, sure, tonight...No, make it my place - five-oh-four West Fifty-second - apartment three-twelve....Yes, three-twelve...Okay. Seven-thirty. Right. (RECEIVER DOWN)

KATH:

(CURIOUSLY) Who was that?

GALT:

(QUIETLY) Mr. White Suit.

KATH:

White Suit! What does he want?

GALT:

(QUIETLY) For two hundred bucks...he wants to talk.

MUSIC:

IN FULL.....FOR CURTAIN

(APPLAUSE)

COMMERCIAL

SMITH:

Now a brief intermission and time for a smoke. Are you enjoying a mild cigarette?

BARCLAY:

More people smoke Camels than any other cigarette!

SMITH:

More people smoke Camels than any other cigarette!

BARCLAY:

You know, smokers are testing cigarettes more critically than ever before -- to find out what cigarette suits them best. The sensible test for any cigarette is day-in, day-out smoking -- not just a sniff, not just one puff.

SMITH:

Friends, make the Camel thirty-day test...in your "T-Zone" -- T for taste, T for throat. Smoke only Camels for thirty days and let your taste and your throat tell you how flavorful, how mild, how thoroughly enjoyable Camels are!

BARCLAY:

See for yourself why more people smoke Camels than any other cigarette!

SMITH:

In a coast-to-coast test, supervised by noted throat specialists, hundreds of people smoked only Camels for thirty days, averaging one to two packs a day. Each week, the specialists made careful examinations of the throats of those smokers and reported not one single case of throat irritation due to smoking Camels! That's how mild Camels are!

BARCLAY:

Test Camels yourself and find out why more people smoke Camels than any other cigarette!

SMITH:

Camel Cigarettes now present the Screen Guild Players in Act II of "The Dark Corner" starring John Hodiak and Brenda Marshall.

MUSIC:

FULL INTO PLAY THEME....AND DOWN TO HOLD UNDER:

GALT:

I had an early dinner with Kathleen. Then I dropped her off at a Newsreel Theatre.....And maybe movies are greater than ever this year, but Kathleen was squawking all the way. (MUSIC CUTS)

KATH:

Brad, how can I sit and watch a newsreel while you go home and face that --

GALT:

Look, it's seven now. The show takes an hour. I'll be back for you at eight.

KATH:

But I want to go with you!

GALT:

Sorry. White Suit won't talk with anybody around.

KATH:

I never thought I'd have to beg to see your apartment!

GALT:

(GRINS) Try me again some time...And about those nylons-- what size?

KATH:

Nines.

GALT:

I'll make a note of it.

MUSIC:

(ACCENTS AND CONTINUES UNDER:)

GALT:

I left her there and went on home...(DOOR CLOSES) I let myself in and reached for the light. I reached - but I never made it...(EFFECTS OF STRUGGLE UNDER:) Somebody had his arm around my neck....pressing something over my mouth and nose...I lasted just long enough to recognize the smell...ether...it....and then the dark room got even darker...the blackest kind of black I'd ever known.

MUSIC:

UP, FOR SHARP PUNCTUATION.....AND DOWN, TO HOLD UNDER:

GALT:

I must have been out for a couple of hours...The room was still dark when I came to...Funny, I was holding something in my hand...the poker, from the fireplace..(EFFECTS UNDER) I pulled myself up and turned on the lights. I turned on the lights, and then wished I hadn't...Someone was sprawled out on the floor...Tony Jardine...He was dead!

MUSIC:

UP SHARPLY AND FADE OUT INTO:

SOUND:

POUNDING ON DOOR

KATH:

(OFF) Brad! Brad!...(PAUSE) Brad!

GALT:

(LOW, HUSKILY) Go 'way!

KATH:

(OFF) Why didn't you come back for me? What's the matter?

GALT:

(LOW, TENSE) Nothing....I'll see you later - tomorrow - at the office.

KATH:

(OFF) You'll see me now! Let me in!...(PAUSE) I'm staying right here 'till you open the door!

SOUND:

PAUSE....THEN DOOR OPENS SLOWLY

KATH:

(COMING IN) What's the idea of all the -- (IN HORROR) Brad!

GALT:

(GRIM) Meet Tony Jardine. (DOOR CLOSES)

KATH:

Brad, what happened - what --?

GALT:

Don't crowd me. I haven't got the answers...(DULLY) The cops'll have 'em, though. They're laid out like roadmarkers - running right up my alley!

KATH:

They won't! They can't!

GALT:

I'll make book on it.

KATH:

But - you've got to call them! You've got to tell them!

GALT:

Tell 'em what? "I came home and somebody slapped me with a faceful of ether. When I woke up, there was Jardine with his brains beaten out - and me with a poker in my hand" ...... They'd still be laughing when they strapped me in the chair!

KATH:

(SYMPATHETICALLY) Brad ......

GALT:

You better beat it before they know you've been here.

KATH:

I'm staying, Brad.

GALT:

(ANGRILY) Beat it, I said! I've got to dope this out! If I miss, you'll be in it too!

KATH:

(EVENLY) If we miss....I'm hanging on to you, Brad. I need those nylons.

MUSIC:

SHARP ACCENT ... AND FADE OUT INTO:

KATH:

(INSISTENT) Think, Brad. You've got to keep thinking.

GALT:

(WEARILY) It always comes out the same...Somebody was after Jardine, and he picked me for the fall guy...He must've known about San Francisco. He must've known he could stack the cards against me.

KATH:

But how did he get Jardine to our place?

GALT:

He must've asked him to meet him there. It must be somebody Jardine knew.

KATH:

And where does White Suit come in?

GALT:

He was just the muscle - carrying out orders .... (SAVAGELY) If I could just get my hands on him, I'd make him spill it! I'd ---- (STOPS SHORT)

KATH:

What?

GALT:

(SLOWLY) Spill it ....

KATH:

What are you talking about?

GALT:

(TENSE) The ink, baby - the ink! I spilled the ink on his white suit - he was standing right there!

KATH:

So what?

GALT:

So he'd have his suit cleaned, wouldn't he? So the cleaner would have his name and address! We'll go through every one in the book! Where's the Classified?

KATH:

What's the use! We can't call them now! They won't be open 'till eight o clock!

GALT:

(SAVAGELY) What are we going to do all night?

KATH:

(DRILY) I wouldn't know ..... How much coffee can you drink?

MUSIC:

ACCENT CHORD ... AND FADE OUT INTO:

WHITE S:

(ON PHONE) Hello? ... Yeah, it's me .... Aw, quit worryin', will you? I told you I always use the pay phone in the hall. Now look ----

SOUND:

KID'S SLIDE WHISTLE ... OFF:

WHITE S:

(UP, MAD) Hey you - kid - cut that whistle, you hear!

SOUND:

WHISTLE CUTS:

KID:

(OFF, SCARED) Okay ......

WHITE S:

(TO PHONE) Now look, Mister, I ...... what? ... All right, so it ain't in the papers yet! What you want me to do - take out an ad? ...... Listen, I told you the deal went through, and it did go through! Either you pay me off today, or I'm coming down to the galleries, Cathcart! ...... Where? ...... The Lincoln Building? ..... Yeah, I got it! The Lincoln Building - three o'clock ... thirty-first floor. Right.

SOUND:

RECEIVER DOWN ... FADING STEPS ... SLIGHT PAUSE, KID'S SLIDE WHISTLE BLOWS AS:

MUSIC:

IN TO COVER AND FADE OUT INTO:

GALT:

(GRIM) Almost one o'clock ... We haven't even got a glimmer, Kathleen!

KATH:

(TIRED) I called every cleaning plant in the book. (PAUSE, SOBERLY) Brad - if one of them doesn't call us back ---

GALT:

I can just imagine the grin on Reeves' face .. (BITTERLY) He's been figuring right along I had it in for Jardine. Day before yesterday, when he dropped in here ---

KATH:

(STOPPING HIM) Brad ... what time does the maid hit your apartment?

GALT:

She ought to be getting there any minute now .. She'll take one look at Jardine and start screaming for the cops. They'll be over here before ---

SOUND:

PHONE RINGS ... RECEIVER UP:

KATH:

Hello? .... Yes? .... (THEN, EXCITED) You got the suit? You got it? ..... Yes, what name? ..... And the address? .... Thanks! Mister, I'm sending you ten bucks! ..... No - twenty!!

SOUND:

RECEIVER SLAMS DOWN:

GALT:

(TENSE) Kathleen -- ?

KATH:

We've found it, Brad! We've found it - come on!

MUSIC:

SHARP CHORD .. AND FADE OUT INTO:

SOUND:

KID'S SLIDE WHISTLE ... OFF:

WOMAN:

(SLATTERN) Yeah, I know the guy you mean, Mister ... But he left about half an hour ago - bags an' all.

GALT:

(URGENTLY) Where'd he go?

WOMAN:

Don't ask me. I wouldn't know. (SOUND: WHISTLE CUTS)

KID:

(OFF) I know.

KATH:

(QUICKLY) Do you, sonny? Tell us -- !

KID:

(COMING IN) I heard him on the telephone. He went to a building ....

GALT:

(TENSE) What building?

KID:

Same as the President .... the one with the whiskers ...

KATH:

Lincoln? The Lincoln Building?

KID:

Uh-huh. He was sick.

GALT:

Sick -- ?

KID:

He said be was gonna get his Cascara at the gallery ... Can you get Cascara in a gallery? I always thought ---

KATH:

Brad - the Lincoln Building!

GALT:

Let's get a cab.

MUSIC:

ACCENTS .... AND CONTINUES UNDER:

GALT:

All the way over, I had a feeling - a sort of premonition .... Then, we pulled up in front of the Lincoln Building, and I saw the crowd . . (MILLING CROWD UNDER) I shoved my way in ... and then I saw him .... Mr. White Suit ...... He was lying on the pavement - what was left of him - and a newsboy was saying ---- (MUSIC: CUTS) (CROWD HOLDS UNDER)

NEWSBOY:

Gee, he musta fallen thirty floors at least .... Boy, he came down like a red-hot rivet! You shoulda seen that baby bounce!

MUSIC:

SHARP CHORD ... AND FADE OUT INTO:

KATH:

(PLEADING) Brad - please - you can't give up now! Now is when you've got to think!

GALT:

(BITTER) Think! ...... How can I think? I feel dead inside ... I'm backed up in a dark corner and I don't even know who's hitting me!

KATH:

But there's no sense throwing in the towel! You'll get a break!

GALT:

(ANGRILY) I got a break! .... We found the suit - we got his name and address - that kid put us on to the Lincoln Building! What more breaks can I ask?

KATH:

I don't know - something - I --- (SUDDENLY) Brad - let's go over what that kid said ......

GALT:

(DERISIVE) He was going to get his Cascara at the galleries ..... You figure it!

KATH:

(THINKING ALOUD) Cascara at the galleries .... But you don't get Cascara at galleries, you -- (SUDDEN EXCITEMENT) Brad -- !

GALT:

(GLOOMILY) What?

KATH:

There's an art gallery - I know it sounds crazy - over on Fifth Avenue - the Cathcart Galleries!

GALT:

What would White Suit be doing at -- (STOPS .. THEN) Wait a minute, you might have something! ..... Over at Jardine's apartment that day - there was a painting, a Van Gogh - it was just unwrapped. He -- (STOPS)

KATH:

He what? ..... What is it, Brad?

GALT:

(SOFTLY) Down there on the street - just coming in ....

KATH:

Lieutenant Reeves!

GALT:

You keep him here. I'll go down the back.

KATH:

Where'll you be?

GALT:

(FADING) Sopping up culture at the Cathcart Galleries.

SOUND:

DOOR OPENS, OFF

KATH:

(FRIGHTENED) Brad -- !

GALT:

(SLIGHTLY OFF) I wouldn't want to die ignorant!

SOUND:

DOOR SLAMS, OFF.....AS:

MUSIC:

SHARP CHORD...AND DOWN, TO HOLD UNDER:

GALT:

It was almost closing time when I reached the galleries. They told me Cathcart was down in the vault....I sat down to wait in his private office, and suddenly she came bursting in -- (MUSIC CUTS)

MARI:

(COMING IN) Hardy, I'm so sorry I'm late, I --- Oh, I beg your pardon. I thought my husband was here.

GALT:

(POLITELY) Mrs. Cathcart?

MARI:

Yes...

GALT:

Your husband's down in the vault. He'll be right up, they said.

MARI:

Thank you. I believe I'll wait.

MUSIC:

ACCENTS....AND CONTINUES UNDER:

GALT:

She stood there...young and beautiful...and there was something about her - I couldn't place it at first - and then, a moment later, I could!...Her perfume...that afternoon at Jardine's....suddenly everything was falling into place...I looked at her. And I took a shot in the dark. (MUSIC CUTS)

GALT:

Mrs. Cathcart, I believe we have a mutual acquaintance.

MARI:

Yes?

GALT:

Yes....Tony Jardine.

MARI:

(FLUSTERED) Tony? I - Oh, yes, yes. Mr. Jardine is a very good friend of my husband's.

GALT:

Have you see him lately?

MARI:

Not for several days.

GALT:

I'm afraid you won't see him for a long, long time.... (PAPER RUSTLES) It's in the afternoon paper. He's been murdered.

MARI:

(STRICKEN) Murdered!....Oh, no....!

GALT:

That's what I came to see your husband about.

MARI:

Hardy? You mean Hardy did it? He -- (MOANS SOFTLY...FALLS)

GALT:

Mrs. Cathcart -- !....(THEN SOFTLY) Come on, you can't pass out on me now!..(LIFTING HER) Up you come...steady. We'll just put you on the sofa and --

CATHCART:

(SLIGHTLY OFF) Take your hands off her!..(COMING IN) How dare you touch her?

GALT:

(SLOWLY) Cathcart, huh?...It's good to see you at last - out in the open. It cuts you down to size. Way down.

CATHCART:

(QUIETLY) You came to see me about something, Mr. Galt?

GALT:

Yeah...I guess you'd call it a real modern. It was - finished - just night before last...I think it belongs in your collection. A Tony Jardine.

CATHCART:

(EVENLY) I never handle anything so worthless.

GALT:

No. You mishandled it.

CATHCART:

I, Mr. Galt? When it was found in your apartment?

GALT:

It was just delivered to the wrong address...After all, you paid to have it - done.

CATHCART:

Really?

GALT:

(HARD) Or didn't you pay him? Maybe you sent him out the window - down to the street - to collect what was coming to him!

CATHCART:

Fantastic.

GALT:

Yeah - fantastic! Finding a guy like me - someone who had it in for Jardine - a perfect pigeon!

CATHCART:

Mr. Galt, your conversation begins to bore me...(QUIETLY) You will not move, please. I have a gun.

GALT:

(SHRUGS) Go ahead, you'll blow the whole thing right into the headlines - your wife - Jardine --

CATHCART:

Ingenious, Mr. Galt, but incorrect. If I use this gun, no one will hear it. The galleries are closed. Everyone's gone.

GALT:

(WORRIED) Now, wait --

CATHCART:

(SOFTLY) You're going, too...downstairs...into the vault. No one has a key but myself. No one will ever know what became of -- (SHOT)

GALT:

(STARTLED) Hey --

CATHCART:

(HIT, STRANGLED) Mari...

MARI:

(COMING IN) That was for Tony! (SHOT) And that! (SHOT) And that! (SHOT) And that! (SHOT) And that!

MUSIC:

IN SHARPLY TO COVER....AND FADE OUT INTO:

REEVES:

(FRIENDLY) It all adds up, Brad. Looks like you're clean, all right. I'm glad.

GALT:

Thanks, Lieutenant.

REEVES:

I'll get the report typed up. You can drop in and sign it first thing in the morning.

KATH:

Uh - could you make that later in the day, Lieutenant? We have a date in the morning - at City Hall.

GALT:

(AMUSED TAKE) Hmm?

KATH:

(GRINS) Of course he hasn't asked me yet, but I warned him I was playing for keeps.

REEVES:

(CHUCKLING) Brad --?

GALT:

(GRINS) Listen, I know when I'm licked. You'd better make that for the afternoon.

MUSIC:

IN FULL....FOR CURTAIN

(APPLAUSE)

 

SMITH:

Our stars, Brenda Marshall and John Hodiak, will return to the microphone in just a moment.

BARCLAY:

What cigarette do you smoke, Doctor?

SMITH:

That question was asked of one hundred thirteen thousand, five hundred and ninety-seven doctors -- doctors in every branch of medicine, doctors in all parts of the country.

ANNOUNCER:

What cigarette do you smoke, Doctor?

SMITH:

The brand named most was Camel! Yes, according to this nationwide survey, more doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette!

BARCLAY:

Friends, Father's Day is June Eighteenth. Give Dad a gift that's always welcome -- a carton of Camels. There's a special Father's Day carton with a space for your own personal greeting.

MUSIC:

TAG

SMITH:

Now, before our curtain falls, one final word of thanks to our stars, John Hodiak and Brenda Marshall, for their superb performances tonight.

MARSHALL:

Thank you, Verne, it's been fun for us, too. You see, we know how much this program does for the Motion Picture Relief Fund and its Country House and Hospital, and we're more than happy to share in that great work.....Isn't that so, John?

HODIAK:

Absolutely, Brenda. And for more reasons than one...The makers of Camel deem it a privilege to send gift cigarettes each week to a very deserving group of people -- the veterans and servicemen in hospitals around the country. This week's Camels go to:

Veterans' Hospitals, Danville, Illinois, and Lebanon, Pennsylvania

...U.S. Army Station Hospital, Camp Carson, Colorado

...U.S. Naval Hospital, Beaufort, South Carolina.

MARSHALL:

Happy smoking, fellows. Your free cigarettes are on their way to you now with the compliments of Camels!

(APPLAUSE)

 

MUSIC:

THEME

SMITH:

Remember, every Thursday night - the Camel Screen Guild Theatre! Next week, one of the most poignant stories ever brought to the screen! The tragic and absorbing record of a man's life-long sacrifice - "My Son, My Son" - starring Herbert Marshall, Angela Lansbury and Roddy McDowall!...A magnificent story and a magnificent cast! Be sure to listen!

BARCLAY:

And for fun and hilarity, don't miss Camel Cigarettes' other great show over these same stations. Tomorrow night the Jimmy Durante Show - with Don Ameche and Vera Vague.

SMITH:

The Camel Screen Guild Theatre is directed by Bill Lawrence. The adaptations are by Harry Kronman. "The Dark Corner" was presented through the courtesy of Twentieth Century-Fox, whose next release will be "Night and the City."

BARCLAY:

John Hodiak can soon be seen in "Lady Without Passport," a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production. Brenda Marshall will next be seen in "Iroquois Trail," a United Artists release.

SMITH:

And remember, next Thursday night - the Camel Screen Guild Theatre presents, "My Son, My Son," starring Angela Lansbury, Herbert Marshall and Roddy McDowall.

This is Verne Smith speaking.