William Holden makes his first appearance on the series as a New Orleans jazz musician who is suspected of murdering his wife. The production features popular trumpet player Ziggy Elman. The odd title is about the forensic evidence that solves a murder. Scripter Richard-George Pedicini referred to this episode as “a turning point in my career.” It’s a superb production with a satisfying surprise ending.
The musician’s wife despises what he loves most, his music. She is always nagging about his failure to get into the big money and the time that he spends away from her. He finds some solace in the company of a young woman who has been frequents the little French Quarter club where he plays every night, just to hear him. He learns that his wife is two-timing him, and decides to leave her. His plan is to run away with the woman at the nightclub who is infatuated with him and his music. He confronts his wife about his plans. She screams at him, insults him, and hits him. He loses his temper and strikes her in self defense. He realizes what he did and is instantly repentant. When he bends down to pick her up, however, she is bleeding and unconscious. She struck her head in the fall. He’s sure she is dead, panics, and runs from her apartment. He is soon arrested, and accused of murdering her… by striking her with his trumpet! But there are details about the police account of the incident that don’t make sense… and he learns his wife was injured, but was still alive when the police arrived. He’s being framed!
Pedicini toiled in post-WW2 Hollywood as an actor and in the CBS continuity and script departments. He had already appeared on Suspense as a supporting actor in the 1947-10-30 Subway and 1947-11-28 Pit and the Pendulum. This script, his first for Suspense, was written and accepted by Elliott Lewis but had not been cast. In a 1996 interview on Same Time, Same Station, he said that he and Lewis had lunch with Holden about his upcoming Suspense appearance. Holden told them he was tired of playing “goody two-shoes” roles and wanted something different, like a seedy down-and-out trumpet player. He described what he wanted… and those elements were already in Pedicini’s script! You can hear Pedicini tell it in his own words. Listen to that 1:38 portion of the interview at the same Internet Archive page as the broadcast recording. Interview participants are Larry Gassman and Keith Scott (who sneaks an impression in), John Gassman, and classic radio collector and transcription expert Ken Greenwald. Pedicini wrote 14 scripts for Suspense, and many of them had musical themes in their plotlines. He wrote for television, was an actor, and eventually worked in advertising. He later left California and moved to Sydney, Australia.
Ziggy Elman had an interesting career with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and with his own orchestra. His first big hit was in 1939, And the Angels Sing. His fortunes faltered starting in the mid-1950s. His name was Harry Aaron Finkelman. He was called “Ziggy” by fellow musicians because he was often found at Ziegfield shows, and “Elman” as a shortened version of his last name. Many of his recordings are at the Internet Archive https://archive.org/search?query=ziggy+elman&page=4 Other details are at:
His life and career: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggy_Elman
Further insights from his son http://www.bigbandlibrary.com/ziggyelman.html
His trumpet has a respectful home in Texas https://www.trumpetguild.org/content/itg-news/781-ziggy-elman-s-trumpet-finds-a-new-home#:~:text=His%20clear%2C%20strong%20sound%20attracted,a%20%231%20hit%20in%201939
This publicity image was found in an album of photos from radio station CKRC of Winnipeg, Canada, published in 1951.
This was William Holden’s first of four appearances on the series. It was planned to help promote his new movie Union Station. His career had its biggest boost in an earlier film, the classic Sunset Boulevard. A few years later, he would have another hit, Stalag 17, for which he won an Oscar. More details about his career and life can be found at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Holden
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP501109
THE CAST
WILLIAM HOLDEN (Victor), Jack Kruschen (Cassieux), Barton Yarborough (Juno), Cathy Lewis (Sarah / Creole), Eddy Fields (Lou), Alvina Temple (Luana), Joe Kearns (Signature Voice / Angelini)
COMMERCIAL: Bert Holland (Hap), Dal McKennon (effect), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer), Sylvia Simms (Operator)
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