Radio soap opera veteran Claire Niesen stars in a John Roeburt play about a jealous woman who is convinced her husband is having an affair with a young and attractive co-worker.
Vicki Kent is disturbed by her nightmares but a psychiatrist laughs off her fears and attributes them to idleness and “middle age.” She is a jealous sort and imagines situations and motives that are darker than they really are. She believes her husband of twenty years, Walter, and a female associate, Martha, are having an affair. Vicki interprets Walter’s workaholic nature and his last minute changes in plans as indicative of him having a rendezvous with the woman. She interprets her dreams as telling her that Walter has a hidden hatred for her. They are married but she feels very alone. Walter brings Martha home for a business dinner. Martha is an influential figure in the firm, and this dinner might be helpful to Walter’s career. Vicki attributes him having the dinner to flaunt their affair and humiliate her.
It will soon be their twentieth anniversary, and she receives a cold, impersonal gift of a monogrammed cigarette case delivered by an office boy. (She does not know that Walter had much different plans for that, revealed at the end of the story). Walter tells her that he must go on a trip, a cruise ship to Paris, to replace a colleague who developed appendicitis. Vicki doesn’t believe that at all, especially when she learns that Martha will be on the same trip. Vicki goes to the dock and boards the ship (this was a time when it was common for passengers and friends and family to go on board for visits and goodbyes, which has not been possible in the last few decades, especially after 9/11 security measures for all transportation). Vicki confronts Martha, who denies an affair or such intentions, and shoots her. The sound of the gun is masked by the loud activities on board. She returns home and is shocked when Walter arrives shortly thereafter. His colleague’s problem passed and he did not have appendicitis. Martha’s murder eventually hits the news, but there are no suspects named in the news. Vicki is frantic about whether or not she left any clues behind; she thinks she left the cigarette case there! Walter is suspicious about Vicki’s behavior, but he’s really more concerned about her mental state than whether or not she killed Martha. They argue, and she shoots him. Walter lies dying on the floor and Vicky taunts him. She tells him to reach out to Martha, and as he is dying, he realizes what Vicki did and how insane she really has been. He reveals that the “monogrammed cigarette case,” was in his coat pocket. He had taken it to have diamonds and rubies set into it, along with an inscription about their anniversary. Vicki murdered two innocent people based on delusion and paranoia. Now she realizes her husband was always telling the truth.
The title refers to the second act of MacBeth and the scene where he hallucinates a dagger that leads him to King Duncan’s chamber to kill him. The title ties to Vicki’s mental instability and desire to kill Martha and her husband Walter, whom she believed were having an affair, but were not.
The program was recorded on Thursday, May 10, 1962. The session start and ending times are not known.
There are two surviving recordings of this episode. The network recording is of low quality with somewhat narrow range and occasional distortion. The Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) recording has much better sound quality. It has some minor sound issues, but is very listenable. It has a slightly clipped ending at the time of the AFRS identification.
This is the first of two Suspense appearances by Claire Niesen. Her radio acting career started when she was 15 years old. Her most important role was as Mary Noble, main character of the series Backstage Wife, which she held for 14 years (1945-1959). She was on many other soaps, as well, and did some theater work early in her career. Niesen was married to Melville Ruick, who also appeared on Suspense. Sadly, she passed away of cancer about 18 months after this performance, at age 43.
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https://archive.org/details/TSP620520
THE CAST
Leon Janney (Walter Kent), Claire Niesen (Vicki Kent), Guy Repp (Office Boy), Ralph Camargo (Dr. Randow), Evelyn Juster (Martha Coles / Operator)
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