This story by radio veterans John and Gwen Bagni (who also authored the episodes Hitch-hike Poker and Crisis) follows a traditional Suspense plot format of a man who innocently finds himself in a life-threatening situation not of his own making. This time the setting is Mardi Gras in New Orleans, which is always a fascinating locale for stories such as these. It is somewhat similar to Beyrouth by Sunrise in that regard, but this is so much better. Robson produced this on Escape twice, 1950-05-05 and 1951-08-30, so we know he believed it was top notch.
A sales representative is on one of those thankless trips going from city to city to make sales calls to drum up business. This is the period of time when phones in hotel rooms were critical for sales people to make their plans for the day and communicate with their offices. He’s waiting for a call from his boss, so he picks up the Gideon Bible in the room and just starts paging through it. Then he keeps getting interrupted with knocks on the door with people looking for something that the prior guest left behind. Disappointed that his reading was interrupted, he decides to take the Bible with him. Then the chase and many confusing encounters and circumstances begin. It’s a superb story.
This episode was recorded on Wednesday, November 21, 1956. Rehearsal began at 1:00pm and concluded at 6:30pm. Recording began at 6:30pm and was finished at 7:00pm.
There are three surviving recordings, and the network recording is best. There are two other recordings of lower quality. The Armed Forces Radio Service recording has been edited by a hobbyist, most likely, but the drama is complete. The 1980s Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) recording has “odd” openings that draw from the many eras of Suspense. These recordings were heavily edited by AFRTS production staff.
In this story, the Bible is “stolen” because others wanted it for their purposes. It is impossible to “steal” a Gideon Bible. The Gideons International, famous for placing Bibles in hotel rooms, began in 1899. They started distributing Bibles in 1908. The organization encourages people to take the Bibles from hotel rooms if they need them.
Gwen Bagni is billed with the last name of Gielgud. Husband John passed away in February 1954 at age 43 of a heart attack. She then married screenwriter Irwin Gielgud, who unfortunately passed away in November 1961 at age 42. Her third marriage was in 1963 to actor Paul Dubov. He died in 1979 at age 60, of cancer. Their personal experiences of re-marrying after widowhood became the inspiration for their screenplay collaboration for the 1968 hit movie With Six You Get Egg Roll. Gwen passed away at age 88 in 2001.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP561125
THE CAST
John Lund (Cummings), June Foray (Operator / Guest / Cleaning woman), Peg La Centra (French nun voice disguise), Joe de Santis (John Stang, the House Detective), Jay Novello (The Devil), Joe Kearns (The Clown), Larry Thor (Officer Culpepper), Harry Bartell (Desk Clerk / Police Sergeant), Jack Moyles (Cigar Clerk), George Walsh (Narrator)
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