Fred MacMurray returns to the series, but not as a sturdy, strong-willed, and inspiring military pilot like he was in Flight of the Bumble Bee, but as an unhappy and struggling husband named “Walter,” who is anxious for the better things in life. A little criminality, however, may help solve his problems. He and his wife of sixteen years live paycheck to paycheck ($62 a week, about $38,000 annually in US$2024). They never seem to get ahead. Then, cousin Eugene comes to visit. He may be nice on the outside, but he is a conniving thief, and sensing the husband’s problems, he privately convinces Walter to help rob a train. The train reliably picks up money from a casino in Reno, Nevada and delivers it to a bank. The schedule is so predictable that they develop a plan to get on the train, grab the loot, and head off to financial freedom. Walter makes a case for being the person on the train because his appearance is so plain and nondescript that no one will be able to identify him. Before they execute their plan, Cousin Eugene tells Walter “Don’t forget to put the money in your suitcase.” It is a key line in the story, after the 19:00 mark.
Walter will be taking the train from Reno and will meet Eugene near Soda Springs, California (there is a Soda Springs in Idaho, which would be the wrong direction). The robbery goes well, and instead of taking just one bag of money (with about $25,000, almost $300,000 in US$2024) to split with Eugene, he takes two, so they can each have their own bag. After Walter jumps off the train, Eugene picks him up. Eugene is surprised at the two bags… but he may have been proud at the same time. Walter finally gets home to find that his wife was so concerned about his disappearance, she reported him missing. The police are there, and relieved to see that he is fine. She was so concerned about him, and now wants to pamper him by washing his clothes from what she thought was a fishing trip. So she opens the suitcase, against Walter’s pleading to leave it alone, and finds… well, it’s pretty obvious.
Electronic money transfers and the recent elimination of most forms of currency in casinos in favor of electronic cashless technologies, and credit cards, make these story details virtually impossible today.
This is another fine script by Richard-George Pedicini.
The program was rehearsed on Thursday, April 2, 1953 starting at 10:30am, and recording of the dramatic segments began at 3:00pm and ended at 3:30pm. It is likely that Elliott Lewis was in transit to New York at this time, necessitating Norman Macdonnell taking over as producer and director. Elliott Lewis remained in New York for meetings after the Around the World broadcast. Macdonnell spent a year in the 1949-1950 season as director of Suspense under producer William Spier. Macdonnell made his mark mainly with Gunsmoke, but did so earlier with Escape. When Auto-Lite left sponsorship in June 1954, and Lewis left a little while later, Macdonnell became the Suspense producer until the end of the year.
CBS publicity called this role “offbeat” for MacMurray. Seems like they forgot his chilling role as a corrupt insurance salesman involved in a murder plot in 1944’s hit movie Double Indemnity. This role is just mildly evil in comparison.
There are three recordings and the network recording is best. There is an aircheck recording with the network time tone that is close in quality. It is possible that the network recording is a better aircheck recording that had the time tone edited out. There is also an Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) from the late 1970s or early 1980s recording that is in low quality sound.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP530413A
THE CAST
FRED MACMURRAY (Walter), Paula Winslowe (Bess), Joseph Kearns (Eugene), Hy Averback (Conductor / Red), Jerry Hausner (Baggage Man / Cop), Larry Thor (Narrator)
COMMERCIAL: Tom Holland (Hap), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer), Sylvia Simms (Operator)
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