Vic Perrin stars as a payroll worker, George Lockman, who decides to keep some of that money for himself and fly off to Paris, never to be heard from again. It’s $50,000 that he grabs, almost $600,000 in US$2025 value. His plan, however, doesn’t stand up to the realities of life, as happenstance thwarts his actions at nearly every turn. He assumes the name “Robert Gelder,” and has a briefcase for the stolen money monogrammed with those initials. He boards a flight to New York but does not realize it stops in Chicago until an annoying and talkative older woman tells him. Panic starts to set in, but he realizes he has enough time in his plans that it can still work. While in the airport, he meets the big boss of the company, making him panic again. The boss is on a business trip; they converse and George thinks it will be okay as they go their separate ways. That is, until the boss is on the very same flight to New York! When they get off the plane there, the boss realizes George is carrying a briefcase that might not be his, because it has the initials “R.G.” He has to surrender the bag to the baggage office because the boss convinces the clerk that it’s incorrect and he should leave the case with the clerk for “Gelder” to show up. He and the boss head to a hotel in New York, and events turn badly there (not spoiling this or the ending, dear reader). George goes back to the airport retrieve the bag, but it was sent back to Chicago. Because the bag has the money, he flies back there and goes to the baggage clerk. He has no identification to prove he is “Gelder.” But that talkative old woman sees him, and vouches for him. The clerk is suspicious, so he pretends to call New York but actually calls airport security. As George leaves, security calls back that they want to stop him. They chase him into the parking lot, and there’s a surprise ending, and George utters a wisecrack that is the perfect ending to the story.
Conrad flubs a line after 18:25 when calling down to the hotel front desk: “This is Mr. Scraf…. Mr. Kraft speaking.”
The first of three Suspense scripts written by Allan Botzer. He was an announcer in the Pacific Northwest with KOL and KIRO in Seattle, and moved to Los Angeles. When WW2 began, he became one of AFRS’ first workers, dispatched to Guadalcanal in the South Pacific. After the war, he remained in Los Angeles and worked for CBS Radio and KNX. In addition to announcing, he wrote for Luke Slaughter of Tombstone, CBS Radio Workshop, and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.
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THE CAST
Vic Perrin (George Lockwood, aka Robert Gelder), William Conrad (J. T. Kraft), Paula Winslowe (Mrs. Lee), Charlotte Lawrence (Mrs. Crowley / Stewardess), Paul Dubov (Henry / Barney), Joe DuVal (Baker), Don Diamond (Airline attendant), Bill Lally (Luggage Clerk), Bill Justine (Security clerk), George Walsh (Narrator)
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