Lyle Sudrow stars in a Walter Black story about a double deception that backfires. Sudrow portrays a young man whose elderly, wealthy and sightless aunt sent him from Chicago to New York to continue piano study for a concert career. He has neglected his studies for quite a while and squandered whatever money she sent to play the horses through a syndicate that permits him to accumulate a $4,000 indebtedness (almost $45,000 in US$2025!). The mob is applying pressure on him for immediate payment. His aunt has always sent him money before, but this may be too large an amount for him to just ask for it. Under this duress, he concocts a scheme to obtain additional funds from her. A woman friend, an accomplished pianist is persuaded to become an accomplice in the plan. His tells her he needs $6,000 because a famous classical pianist has agreed to teach him, and he needs to fly to Europe to do so. The aunt is pleased, but won’t give him the money unless he visits her in Chicago, which he agrees. Since the aunt is blind, they can trick her by having the woman play the piano in the aunt’s apartment, and pretending that he is performing for her. The plan sounds like it may work, and it does, but the aunt has something else in mind. She wants him to play for a local promoter who can arrange a concert performance for him. The deception can’t go on, but a visit from the aunt’s doctor implies that she has a bad heart, and any shock can cause her to have a fatal heart attack. The nefarious mind of the nephew has an alternative plan… to literally scare his aunt, and then inherit the money needed for the gambling debt, and more. It’s a good story with surprises along the way.
The script title is a horse racing term for a bet on two different races. If the bet on the first horse is won, the proceeds from that win are placed on the second horse in a different race. If that horse wins, the bettor collects the total amount the second horse pays. In this case, the “first bet” was won, that they could deceive the aunt successfully about his playing. The “second bet” in this story is a much different matter.
The program was recorded on Tuesday, April 5, 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 very listenable. The Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#781) has cleaner, richer sound, and is the preferred one of the two.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP600410
THE CAST
Jane Rose (Aunt Meta), Lyle Sudrow (Johnny), Ellen McRae (Eve), Larry Haines (Porco), Walter Black (Dr. Hanna)
Katherine Emmett was originally cast as Aunt Meta. Another character named “voice” was planned to be doubled by Walter Black. That part or dialogue was either given to another role or edited out.
###
