Evie Juster and Larry Haines star in a Robert Arthur script about two people having an affair and desiring to get the woman’s husband out of the way. The man is annoying, always laughing at his own terrible jokes in the loudest manner. She has had her fill of him. He is strangely enamored with an audience participation show and submits a gag to them. The show is in the Truth or Consequences! or People are Funny style, and they have accepted his stunt idea. He has revealed the stunt to no one other than the show producers. She plots a supposedly fool-proof method to murder him with the assistance of one of his trusted employees. The husband owns an old house that looks like it’s haunted; no one goes there because it is rather spooky-looking, so it is likely their crime will not be discovered for a very long time. They bury the deceased husband in the basement of that house, hiding the evidence. Of course, when they hear the audience participation show, the husband’s stunt involves that very house… and the participants have to rush there… to find “buried treasure,” a cash prize for whatever participant finds it first. Will the nefarious couple get there in time before the contestants to prevent the discovery of their deed?
It is a good and entertaining story, despite being predictable in many ways, but still a fun listen. Evie Juster was a very versatile actor. When the radio era ended, she found steady employment in commercials as a mimic of newborn babies crying, young children, as well as adult voices. She also appeared in 225 CBS Radio Mystery Theater episodes, ranked fifth among the most appearances. Ian Martin is also in the cast, and he made 255 appearances in the series. Larry Haines appeared in 85.
Because the episode has a title that is nearly identical to an Inner Sanctum episode and an episode of The Mysterious Traveler, it was always assumed that this was a re-used script. Neither of those episodes are available; this is a new script. The Inner Sanctum episode of 1946-05-07 plotline was about a hit and run driver. The Mysterious Traveler of 1944-05-07, repeated in the syndicated series The Sealed Book (episode #11), has a plotline that involves cave exploration. The Sealed Book production is available.
The script is based on a Robert Arthur short story. You Can Die Laughing appeared in the February 1958 edition of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and was also included in some compilations of the magazine’s that were published in book form in later years.
The episode was recorded on Thursday, July 20, 1961. The session began at 10:30am and concluded at 2:30pm.
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https://archive.org/details/TSP610730
THE CAST
Larry Haines (Jack Holden), Evelyn Juster (Betty Willoughby), Gertrude Warner (Jean Rexford), Lee Vines (Jolly George Gordon / Man), Ian Martin (Herbert Willoughby), William Mason (Bill Rexford)
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