IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS TITLE WAS USED BEFORE ON SUSPENSE.
THIS 1961 PRODUCTION IS A MUCH DIFFERENT STORY. THE
1958-09-21 SCRIPT BY MORRIS LEE GREEN AND
WILLIAM WALKER IS ABOUT A STALKING EX-HUSBAND.
Court Benson and Grace Matthews star in a William N. Robson story
about a family’s preparations for a feared nuclear war. They build
a fallout shelter in their backyard, and the townspeople and local
media make quite a hubbub about it. The opening is pure Robson, much
like he did in the time he was the show’s producer. Except this
time, it is delivered by announcer Stuart Metz.
The script is a product of its time, where 1961 had much
international tension, leading up to the building of the Berlin Wall
just weeks after this broadcast. There was much saber-rattling, and
concerns about nuclear war were growing in the late Spring and early
Summer. Premier Kruschev threatened a nuclear attack if NATO troops
did not leave Berlin and the rest of what would become East Germany.
On July 25, 1961 (coincidentally the very same day that Suspense
returned to the air), President Kennedy promised access to
fallout shelters in the event of an attack.
It was around this time that Twilight Zone was in production
for its third season, and Rod Serling rushed his own script about
these times into production. The episode would become The Shelter,
and was broadcast just two days before this broadcast. Serling’s
script was very dark, warning viewers in his opening monologue “What
you are about to watch is a nightmare.” The plotline showed how
supposedly friendly and kind neighbors can could against each other
in a crisis in a destructive manner. Robson’s script was also
influenced by the current events, but his story is quite different,
actually more positive, though it starts so ominously. It is so
interesting that the creative process of two people can use a current
event as a springboard, and head in opposite directions.
Robson assigned “Happy Valley” as the name of the town, so you
know that the opposite sentiment might occur. There is great interest
in a town’s family, the Endovers, and how they had built a shelter
in their yard. Neighbors, the press, the local television station,
and the town’s mayor were making a bit of a spectacle out of it.
(Pay attention at about 5:45 as you hear some rain and thunder
on its way). It is implied in the dialogue some believe the shelter
is a frivolous venture. On a dare, Mr. Endover says he will take the
family into the shelter for a weekend to prove how good it is. A
weekend should be easy because the shelter has two weeks of supplies.
The decision is spur-of-the moment and out of selfish pride, without
any warning to his family. It is clear that the reporter has a
manipulative personality, and ambitions to turn the story into
national news. The family is securely in the shelter, and the
newscaster is reassigned to a new scene of breaking news. The station
manager tells him that the rain may cause a local dam to break. It is
clear that the Robson has created the foundation of key plot
elements: the shelter, a dare that can create family conflict, and a
looming natural disaster.
There is some levity to the story. The family is confused in the
shelter: “what will we do without any TV?” The parents explain
that there are books, magazines, and activities for everyone. They
need the radio, and not the TV, because that is how they will get
instructions for their safety if there was a real nuclear attack.
They hear a radio report that Happy Valley was declared as a disaster
area because of potential flooding and mudslides. Suddenly, they are
confronted by a loss of power, and soon realize they can’t get out
of the shelter because they can see signs of the seeping mud around
the edges of the door, trapping them inside.
The
father emphasizes that they will be okay if they cooperate and
concentrate on surviving with what they have. The
TV reporter, finished with
his duties, is told to take some time off. He
realizes, however,
that the family may be trapped under the mud. This
doesn’t seem like “Happy Valley” any more. This
might be an unfolding tragedy that warrants news coverage.
At about 16:35 the family, after singing and talking to keep
their spirits up, realizes that this time has been put to good use.
They have not talked like this in a long time, and it is a time that
should be cherished, and continued once they are able to leave. Their
daughter starts to feel a bit woozy with a headache, when it is clear
that the mud is blocking the air ventilation system. They need to
conserve what little good air they have. The situation may become
very dire. They were having so much fun that they forgot to listen to
the radio for bulletins. When they turn it on, they hear reports that
help is on the way, with volunteers digging them out and bulldozers
en route to the scene. Messages of support and reassurance to
the family are read by the announcer. They soon hear the workers
getting near to the shelter. They soon exit, with many happy voices
around them, thankful for the rescue and the help. However reckless
his stunt was, it led to the family reconnecting in a manner they
hadn’t experienced for a long time. “Happy Valley” fits once
more.
The “No Hiding Place” title is a regular theme of Robson’s
writing. He often had plotlines or subplots that you cannot hide from
fate in a “man plans, God laughs” or “life is what happens when
you are planning other things” way. There are factors and events in
life that cannot be controlled or anticipated no matter how well you
plan. In this case, the shelter that was supposed to protect from a
man-made disaster, nuclear attack, could not protect from a natural
disaster. Unlike the Twilight Zone story, neighbors and
volunteers cooperated and came to the rescue. In this story, the
family was had to get out of the shelter. In the TZ story,
the family had to protect themselves from their
neighbors, and could not do so. The aftermath was that they could
never trust their neighbors in the way they did before. In this
Suspense episode
the family grew closer and could appreciate all the help that came
their way.
It is possible Robson may have started his position at the US
Information Agency and Voice of America by the time this was
broadcast. He was hired by Edward R. Murrow, who recommended him to
President Kennedy. It is not clear what Robson’s exact starting
date was, but it was in 1961.
Recording dates and times are not known because no script cover is
available at this time.
There are two recordings of this episode. The network recording, with
CBS news reported Robert Trout. It is followed by an opening clip of
the sports report that announces the news about New York Yankee Roger
Maris’ 61st home run. That report by Jerry Coleman,
former Yankee player turned broadcaster, details that the home run
would not surpass Babe Ruth’s record because of the additional
games played that year. Ruth hit 60 in 154 games while the 1961
season had 162 games. Maris’ record became known as “the
asterisk” because it was always mentioned he played in a 162 game
season. Though factual, it was often used to taint Maris’
achievement in 1961 and through the years that followed in his
career.
This recording is likely from a network feed and is not a station
aircheck. There is a time gap after Suspense that CBS that
allowed for local station ID and/or commercial announcement. Because
that was silent, that gap has been shortened in this recording. The
Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#850) is also in very good
sound. The recordings are very close in quality, making it difficult
to choose which recording is better. The network recording is
preferred because it is the way it was originally heard and it
has the novelty of the news broadcast that followed it.
The Twilight Zone episode, The Shelter aired on
September 29, 1961, and was the third episode of the third season.
There are so many opposites in the comparison with this Suspense
production. In TZ, outsiders are trying to get into the
shelter. In Suspense, they are trying to get out. In TZ,
perceived news events send the family in, and for Suspense,
it's a foolish dare that does it. The TZ story is about the
breakdown in relationships that pit neighbor against neighbor. The
Suspense episode is about neighborly care and concern, and the
family becomes closer than it was before. The program can be viewed
on many services.
The US Department of Defense made plans for shelter construction
available to the general public. This document is a combination of
many of those designs and plans and can be accessed at
https://dahp.wa.gov/sites/default/files/FamilyShelterDesigns.pdf
Episode stars Court Benson and Grace Matthews were radio veterans and
were one of New York radio’s most beloved couples. They were
frequent guests at the Friends of Old Time Radio Conventions. Court
was in numerous programs, and was a featured actor in the kids serial
Tennessee Jed. He would perform the opening for the program
for the attendees to a round of enthusiastic applause. Grace was a
star of the soap opera Big Sister and was one of the actors
who portrayed Margo Lane on The Shadow.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP611001
THE CAST
Court Benson (Sam Endover), Grace Matthews (Mary Lou Endover), Bill
Smith (Mr. Richards), Jimsey Somers (Cindy), Ivor Francis (The
Announcer), Leon Janney (The Mayor), Larry Robinson (Sandy), Lee
Vines (Charlie Lemmon)
###