The script for Hitch-hike Poker by John and Gwen Bagni is re-titled as Four of a Kind for a second performance. It stars Elliott Reid as a hitch-hiker who finds that a friendly game of “license plate poker” turns into a deadly life and-death situation. Things take a bad turn as Reid’s character becomes involved in a murder plot—with himself as the victim!
The original 1948 broadcast starred Gregory Peck. Important information about hitch-hiking are and the game of license plate poker are also detailed in the blogpost for that broadcast:
https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/12/1948-09-16-hitch-hike-poker.html
https://archive.org/details/TSP480916 is where recordings can be downloaded and streamed.
The script was by radio veterans John and Gwen Bagni. John passed away six years after the broadcast in 1954. Gwen married screenwriter Irwin Gielgud in 1955, but they divorced in 1961. In 1963, she married actor Paul Dubov, who passed away in 1979. Gwen lived for many years after, and died in 2001.
The program was recorded on November 14, 1958. Rehearsal began at 4:00pm with recording starting at 6:30pm. It was completed with in-studio edits by 8:00pm. Additional production edits were completed between that time and 9:00pm.
The original intended broadcast date was December 7, 1958. It was held until this new 1959 date. The title was changed by Robson, but details beyond him thinking it was better are not known.
Three recordings have survived. The surviving network recording is complete aircheck with a narrow range, but is listenable. There are two Armed Forces Radio Service recordings, AFRS#704 and an AFRS recording with an unknown number. The two AFRS recordings can be differentiated by the announcement that follows
AFRS#705: The Oregon Territory
AFRS#unknown: Military medals
The “AFRS#unknown” one is the best of the recordings with a rich, full-range sound. For many years, this episode circulated as a heavily edited aircheck from and Armed Forces Radio station in low quality sound. This recording will allow full enjoyment of the story and Reid’s performance.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590125
THE CAST
ELLIOTT REID (Ridge Fowler), Joan Tompkins (Virginia), Alan Reed (J. Stuart Belden), Jack Kruschen (Police Sergeant / Truck Driver), Barney Phillips (Al), George Walsh (Narrator)
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