Tom Brown and Eve McVeagh play husband and wife at an auction where they buy a trunk full of jewels for $3. They soon realize that it may prove to be last purchase of their lives. It’s a big trunk, described as “big enough to hold a body.” A stranger appears at the auction, breathless from running, but was too late to get in on the bidding: it is clear that he wants it very badly. It is not until the happy couple lug the old trunk home that they make the breathtaking discovery of its contents: jewels! The stranger persists and ends up dying in their home… and they have to hide his body! It is a tense, but mostly comedic story, that builds to a strange but entertaining climax, and its unlikely turn of events make it a generally fun listen.
The original broadcast featured Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. Details about that broadcast and the original Phoebe Atwood Taylor story that was adapted by Ellis are at these resources:
https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/04/1950-11-23-going-going-gone.html
https://archive.org/details/TSP501123 is where the recordings can be streamed or downloaded
There are three recordings of the program available, the network broadcast and two Armed Forces Radio Service recordings (AFRS#532 and AFRS#752). All of them are in enjoyable sound. AFRS#752 may have a slight edge over the network broadcast but some may prefer the network broadcast instead. AFRS#532 has some minor disc noise.
The script was recorded on Friday, April 15, 1955 with an intended broadcast date of Tuesday, April 26. It was held and broadcast on May 10, 1955. The reason for the delay is not known.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP550510
THE CAST
Tom Brown (Wally Pindell), Eve McVeagh (Jan), Joe Kearns (Minchie), Dick Ryan (Floor Man / Voice 1), Joe Forte (Auctioneer), John Dehner (Fling / Voice 2), Larry Thor (Lt. Dixon / Narrator), Gloria Ann Simpson (Woman on Phone), Ray Kemper & Bill James (Boys)
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