Elliott and Cathy Lewis star in a Larry Marcus script that has greed as its impetus. Much of the production is just the two of them plotting a crime against his better judgment. He starts to carry it out anyway. It’s a good story and the Lewises are convincing as the hateful and ethically corrupt couple.
Elliott portrays a cab driver who is dominated by his unscrupulous wife, played by Cathy. The driver comes home excitedly displaying a wallet that one of his passengers had left in the cab: a wallet containing $12,000 in cash. He just wanted her to see what that much money looked like, before he returned it to the passenger. The wife angrily threatens to leave him if he returns the money. Bewildered, he says he knows the customer, a radio commentator and one of his regulars. The fleet owner would figure it all out once he reports the loss. The wife replies, in a remarkably cold and calculating fashion, that there is only one solution to the “problem.” The commentator has to be killed before he has a chance to report his loss, and then they can keep the money. She intimidates the husband to go find the man and kill him, and bullies any moral reluctance out of him. He knows when and where to do it, and leaves. While he is out, the taxi owner calls and says the wallet has been reported as missing. Knowing that this conflicts with the plan, and the husband will be blamed for murder, she panics. She starts calling around to places where he might be. She leaves messages, as she desperately tries to stop him from carrying out the act. She calls the police… and then the surprise conclusion unfolds.
The $12,000 is more than $155,000 in US$2024. That’s 3.6x the average household income for 1950. That’s more than 1.5x the average cost of a home at that time. Who walks around with that kind of money? Radio scripters often used these big amounts to rattle the audience and hook their curiosity. One of the benefits of credit cards and other forms of electronic banking is that no one has to carry that kind of money on their person any longer.
Mobile phones would make this story line impossible as scripted today… unless they add an element of his leaving the phone at home, losing it, or forgetting to recharge its battery. Nowadays, the wife could send a group text asking where he is and requesting that a message for him to call home should be passed along. That could add some new complications to keep it interesting. Writers always find ways to make their plotlines work based on the context of the times.
The script title is confirmed as to no comma after “honor.” Comma use and placement is often controversial depending on the years one attended school and in which English-speaking country or region one was taught. Just from a verbal reading standpoint, it should have a comma to allow for appropriate time before the word “or.” From a print reading standpoint, it is not necessary. The script cover is the best guidance because it is of that time when the program was aired. Grammarians can argue about it all they wish. We’ll focus on enjoying the program.
The working title of this episode was likely "Do It for Me" before it was changed.
This is the final production under the supervision of William Spier. Norman Macdonnell returns to the series in 1954 after Auto-Lite cancels its sponsorship and completes that year. When the 1950-1951 season begins, Elliott Lewis is in charge of the series and there will be many changes. Those are detailed in upcoming blogposts.
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mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP500629
THE CAST
Cathy Lewis (Helen), Elliott Lewis (Harry), Barney Phillips (Announcer / Voice 1), Verna Felton (Voice 2), John Dehner (Walker / Voice 3), Jerry Hausner (Cabbie), Larry Dobkin (Voice 4), Joe Kearns (Signature Voice)
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