Sterling Holloway stars in a Perceval Gibbon story about a nondescript man who lives an uneventful life as a retail clerk in the drapery department of a department store. He saved up his money to take a cruise that includes a stop in Mozambique. A young woman passenger leaves the ship for lunch with him and some other men, and talk about their excursion. As they return to the ship, she realizes she left the souvenir she bought, a small idol, back at the restaurant. Holloway’s character volunteers to retrieve it as the others go back. There’s only sixty minutes left before the ship leaves the dock, so he does not have much time. He is able to find it, but is caught in a rainstorm. Something is wrong, however, as that idol must be something special, because there are several people after it. He has experiences in that hour that some people don’t have in a year… or a decade… or more! It seems there is no way he will get back to the ship… but somehow, he will… and no one will believe his story.
It’s a good story, written by journalist and author Perceval Gibbon thirty years before the airing of his story. It was adapted by William N. Robson. He spent much of his career in South Africa, and covered the Boer War as a journalist. A Wikipedia profile of him is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceval_Gibbon and the original story can be found at https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/17932
The story was presented on Escape three different times. This script was originally produced three times on 1948-01-07-48 and 1948-01-10 (the series had two performances a week for a while) and on 1949-07-28. This was the only time the script was used on Suspense.
This program was recorded on Wednesday, January 16, 1957. Rehearsal began at 1:00pm and concluded at 6:30pm. Recording commenced at 6:30pm and ended at 7:00pm.
There are two surviving recordings of this episode and the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) one is the better of the two. The other recording seems to be an aircheck of some kind. It is missing Robson’s opening monologue and announcements, and has a clipped end. The AFRS recording has some minor defects near the end of the program, but is otherwise in very pleasing sound.
This was Sterling Holloway’s only Suspense appearance. He made was in many films and television programs over the decades, and was one of those actors whom you might recognize by his voice more than his appearance. He had a long relationship with the Walt Disney organization for many projects. He was the voice of Winnie the Pooh. Many who grew up in the 1970s would remember his voice-over for Purina Puppy Chow where he also sang “Puppy Chow… for a full year… till he’s full-grown!” https://youtu.be/ljpUTcN6U8Q?si=V9qYr5FOOnZfFiXS
For an unknown reason, William Conrad performs using a pseudonym in this episode.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP57-01-20
THE CAST
Sterling Holloway (Ronald A. Dawson), Hans Conried (Egon the 1st vendor / Peter), Jack Moyles (Jones), Byron Kane (Twitchell), Tracey Roberts (Miss Patterson), Nan Boardman (Marlene / Woman), Jay Novello (Lazarus the 2nd vendor / Sydney / Police Official), John Biedermeyer [aka William Conrad] (Fat Greek), George Walsh (Narrator)
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