Ralph Bell and Eugene Francis star in a script production they co-authored. Ralph plays “Harry,” a husband, and Eugene plays “Ted,” the man having an affair with Harry’s wife, Myra. Ted and Myra are conspiring to kill Harry so they can be together. The story, however, might have been acceptable in 1959, but would get a lot more scrutiny in modern times. The story involves placing a bomb in Harry’s suitcase. It is timed to explode while in flight. The wife claims it is a “birthday gift” that he should not open until he arrives at his destination. Setting that unsavory and destructive aspect of the story aside, the plan is thwarted by the weather delaying the flight with Harry returning home with his suitcase, with the timer still set. This story almost turns comedic as Ted and Myra have to figure a way to get the suitcase away from Harry so they don’t get caught in the explosion. But it’s hard to enjoy that when you know what the original murder plot was.
It is doubtful that such a script would be approved today (similar to the 1947-10-23 The X-Ray Camera) that would bring so many people to their death just so a couple can selfishly run away together. With today’s screening and other security precautions, the script’s entire concept is obsolete. Airplane security in 1959 was lax, almost like getting on a local bus. Security is much different since the time of the late 1960s plane hi-jackings and through the post-9/11 security changes. The script has its shortcomings, for sure, but the attempts to separate Harry from the suitcase come close to redeeming it.
At the Old Time Radio Researchers Facebook page, current day performer and classic radio researcher Patte Rosebank stated believes that this 1949 event described in a YouTube video may have given Ralph Bell and Eugene Francis the plotline premise: https://youtu.be/R0J42cDEuWA?si=3K0vS29B8Q_CDm3Q There are also details at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/sault-au-cochon-plane-crash-1949-1.5274763
No script can be found to identify the program recording date.
Two recordings have survived. The network recording is an aircheck from WROW in Albany, New York. It is in very listenable sound. The Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#760) is the much better of the two. It has a rich, clean sound. The recording is new to circulation among hobbyists.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP591108
THE CAST
Ralph Bell (Harry Jason), Connie Lembcke (Myra Jason), Bob Dryden (newscaster, Sgt. Duran), Eugene Francis (boyfriend Ted)
###
