Mandel Kramer and Larry Haines star in a Peter Fernandez story as a pair of not-so-bright hijackers who think they’ve outsmarted the system. They’ve been watching the pattern of an armored truck driver and have calculated when he stops for coffee and breakfast at a local diner. The driver is Charlie, boyfriend of the waitress, so he has let his romance with her affect the pattern of his route. They decide the time is right to attempt the heist, but the habit of stopping at the diner may be predictable and facilitate the crime, but it also makes it easy for an unexpected hero to disrupt their plan and save the day… and prevent the robbery.
It is common procedure for armored truck companies to randomize their delivery patterns and change delivery personnel as a means to reduce such robberies. Moving physical cash from place to place is expensive, and sometimes risky, which has led to greater reliance on electronic funds transfer and use of credit and debit cards. If the buffoons played by Kramer and Haines could figure out a pattern, then the armored truck service clearly wasn’t doing their job well. But, then there wouldn’t be a story where an insightful waitress could thwart the dimwitted thugs. It’s a good story that does not have the excitement that the better Suspense episodes usually provide.
The program was recorded on Thursday, August 18, 1960. Rehearsal began at 4:30pm and ended at 8:00pm. Recording was done from 8:00pm to 8:30pm.
Two recordings have survived. The network aircheck recording is much superior to the copies that have been in circulation among hobbyists for decades. Unfortunately, the commercials and announcements have been edited out. The Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#800) is in better and richer sound, and is preferred for listening.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP600821
THE CAST
Mandel Kramer (Zel), Larry Haines (Benno), Teri Keane (Maggie), Danny Ocko (Frank), Frank Butler (Charlie), Robert Readick (Simmons), Peter Fernandez (Jimmy)
Jim Boles was originally cast as Zel, and replaced by Mandel Kramer.
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