Eric Dressler plays “Henry,” a man who believes the prognostication of a fortune teller and prepares for the end of his life. The script is by Peter Fernandez, who also appears in the production. Henry has consulted fortune tellers on every decision he has had to make in his life, including his financial investments and romances. He is wealthy, happy and submissive to the demands of destiny. Therefore, he docilely accepts the “inevitable,” but his confidence in the hand of fate eventually suffers a shock as he makes final preparations for leaving this world. He sets the time, the place, and the specific fatal accident he will have walking down a staircase with a broken step. Friends Irene and Joseph are skeptical of it all, until Joseph learns how serious he actually is. Irene gasps in shock when Joseph tells her that Henry will be leaving all his money to her. When Joseph suggests that they kill him to be sure she gets the money (with some for him, of course), she suddenly moves from shock to interest in making it happen. They decide to poison him with arsenic. When Henry arrives to visit, they offer him a drink, but he refuses. He’s just three minutes away from the proscribed time to descend the staircase… and he survives because he’s too careful walking down the stairs! Now he thinks he will live forever. It’s an amusing end to an outlandish story.
The program was recorded on Tuesday, January 12, 1960. Rehearsal began at 3:00pm and ended at 6:30pm. Recording was done from 6:30pm to 7:00pm.
Two recordings have survived. The network recording is a WROW aircheck and is listenable. The Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#769) has richer sound and is the preferred one of the two.
This script was re-used for the ABC Radio series Theatre 5, episode #132, which was broadcast on 1965-02-02.
LISTEN
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https://archive.org/details/TSP600117
THE CAST
Eric Dressler (Henry), Bryna Raeburn (the Signora Eugenia), Claudia Morgan (Irene), Peter Fernandez (Salesman), Maurice Tarplin (Rudy), Mercer MacLeod (Joseph), Dwight Weist (Clerk), Edwin Wolfe (Caretaker)
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