Episode Transcript
[00:00:16] Speaker A: Come in.
Welcome. I'm E. G Marshall.
It is said that opportunity is like a knife. It can serve or sever our hopes depending on whether it is seized by the blade or the handle. The knife, mankind's first invention and symbol of our dual nature. The assassin uses it to kill the surgeon.
[00:00:44] Speaker B: To kill.
[00:00:46] Speaker A: The same edge, the same point, the same steel.
Our mystery drama the Artist was especially adapted from the Guy de Maupassant classic for the Mystery Theater by Sam Dan and stars Michael Wager. It is sponsored in part by Buick Motor Division. I'll be back shortly with Act 1.
[00:01:07] Speaker B: The standard engine is a V8, standard.
[00:01:10] Speaker C: Tires, steel belted radials.
[00:01:12] Speaker B: There are front and rear stabilizer bars.
[00:01:14] Speaker A: Special springs and shock valving, fast ratio.
[00:01:16] Speaker B: Power steering and a rally steering wheel.
[00:01:19] Speaker C: What makes all this interesting is that it belongs to a full size 6 passenger Buick. The 1977 Le Sport Coupe.
[00:01:27] Speaker B: You'll have to drive it to believe it.
[00:01:46] Speaker A: When we think of romance, we dream of young lovers. Romeo and Juliet. Who wants to know about men and women who grow old together in contentment and tranquility?
Give us the flaming passion of youth.
That is what our story is all about.
That thwack you hear is the sound of a large knife with a needle point and a murderous edge being thrown against a board by Professor Raoul Delacroix.
Standing against the board is Mademoiselle Fifi, charming young lady with the face of an angel and the nerve of a devil. Because the professor, from a distance of 30ft is outlining her body with those deadly knives of his. The slightest mistake, the tiniest error of judgment, can mean serious injury or sudden death for Mademoiselle Fifi. But Professor Delacroix never makes mistakes, which is why he is paid fabulous fees to perform in the most exclusive nightclubs.
[00:02:51] Speaker C: My good friends, I am about to throw the final knife which will be placed under Mademoiselle Fifi's arm on a direct line with her adorable heart. I ask you this. When it is done, please do not applaud. For what we perform this night is not an act, but a ceremony that celebrates the ultimate faith that one human being can have in another.
Are you ready, my beloved?
[00:03:19] Speaker D: I am ready, my darling.
[00:03:21] Speaker C: Oh, yes. In the event you may not have known, Mademoiselle Fifi is my wife. And so now.
[00:03:34] Speaker B: I didn't applaud, nor did anyone else in that audience. We watched that shiny murderous knife spin easily from his fingers, describe a graceful arc and come to rest quivering in the board, as close to her body as it could get without piercing skin or drawing blood.
We sat in shocked silence, as we might in a church.
In silence and in awe not only of his almost supernatural skill, but also because of the smile on her face. The almost supremely confident smile I have ever seen.
My name is Mark Harrison and my entire life has been changed just because I happen to see a knife throwers act in an expensive night spot.
And now I'm trying to make it all come together.
Morning, Mother.
[00:04:30] Speaker E: Are you just getting down to breakfast, Mark?
[00:04:32] Speaker B: I must have overslept.
[00:04:33] Speaker E: Well, you'll be late for work again.
[00:04:35] Speaker B: Suppose so.
[00:04:36] Speaker E: Really, Mark, you own the plant. You should set an example.
[00:04:40] Speaker B: Mother, I don't know the first thing about business. I don't care to learn. And as long as we have competent people running the place for us, we'll be fine.
[00:04:47] Speaker E: Oh, how I wish you'd get married.
[00:04:48] Speaker B: I don't know anyone.
[00:04:50] Speaker E: Nonsense. You know plenty of women.
[00:04:52] Speaker B: None of them are what I'm looking for. Oh.
[00:04:54] Speaker E: Oh, we've arrived at that stage of the conversation. You say you haven't found what you're looking for and I ask, what are you looking for? And you answer you don't know. And we go round and round with that for a while.
[00:05:07] Speaker B: Well, the fact is, I do know what I'm looking for.
[00:05:11] Speaker D: Oh.
[00:05:12] Speaker E: When did this happen?
[00:05:14] Speaker B: Last night.
[00:05:15] Speaker E: You mean you met the girl you want to marry?
[00:05:17] Speaker B: No, no, not exactly. But I did meet the kind of a girl I want to marry.
[00:05:22] Speaker E: Well, that's progress.
[00:05:24] Speaker B: Who's the girl? Mademoiselle Fifi.
[00:05:27] Speaker E: Mademoiselle Fifi?
[00:05:29] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:05:30] Speaker B: There's a knife thrower's act at the Gilded Cage. He is Professor Delacroix. Mademoiselle Fifi is the target.
[00:05:34] Speaker E: Oh, I think those things are gross.
[00:05:36] Speaker B: It's an art. A positive art. The way he places those knives, Mark.
[00:05:40] Speaker E: I wouldn't be able to.
[00:05:41] Speaker B: Look. She stands there. Her life is in his hand.
[00:05:44] Speaker E: I would imagine so. The smallest mistake. Firstly, I think the girl is rather stupid to flirt with death.
[00:05:49] Speaker D: Why?
[00:05:50] Speaker B: She trusts him.
[00:05:52] Speaker E: That's the understatement of the week.
[00:05:53] Speaker B: It is complete, unconscious questioning. Trust. It's absolute conviction.
There's something so innocent about it. Something so pure. Yes. What I saw last night actually touched me to the very depth of my soul.
[00:06:09] Speaker C: Oh, come, Mark.
[00:06:11] Speaker B: How else can I put it? That's what happened. That's how I felt.
Two people so deeply in love and each evening that love must hold a confrontation with death.
[00:06:23] Speaker E: Why does she do.
[00:06:25] Speaker B: Must be glorious to love like that.
It must be terrible. To love like that.
[00:06:30] Speaker E: Well, make up your mind.
[00:06:31] Speaker B: It's the only way I could ever love.
[00:06:33] Speaker E: I wish you'd get married and get rid of all that romantic nonsense.
[00:06:37] Speaker B: Those two people.
[00:06:37] Speaker E: Those two indeed. A glorified sideshow performer and a. A neurotic girl.
[00:06:44] Speaker B: A mother. How can you call her that?
[00:06:45] Speaker E: She flirts with death.
[00:06:48] Speaker D: Why.
[00:06:52] Speaker B: That night and every night I went to the Gilded Cage.
And I sat there, breathless, in a state.
How else can I say it?
Delicious terror as the lethal knives flew through the air and came to rest against.
But not in her body, forming a deadly halo around her head, a lethal collar around her neck.
Finally, one evening, scarcely knowing what I was doing, I found myself backstage at Monsieur Delacroix's dressing room door.
How I got there I could never tell you. I'm basically a very shy person. But there I was. And before I knew it, I had knocked on the door and it opened.
[00:07:34] Speaker C: Yes? Oh, it's you. Mr. Mark Harrison. Please, come in.
[00:07:39] Speaker B: You know my name?
[00:07:41] Speaker C: Of course.
[00:07:42] Speaker B: How?
[00:07:43] Speaker C: I. Sit down, sit down. Have a drink. Phoebe, Mark is here. How wonderful. She's in the other room changing.
[00:07:50] Speaker B: How did you know?
[00:07:51] Speaker C: How did I know your name?
Very simple, my friend. I asked.
[00:07:58] Speaker B: Why would you ask? I can't imagine why you should want to know who I am. Or care, for that matter.
[00:08:04] Speaker C: Why have you come to see me?
[00:08:07] Speaker B: Because I. I've never been so moved by a performance. I had to pay my respect to a great artist. And also to a great artiste.
[00:08:17] Speaker C: Yes. Thank you.
[00:08:19] Speaker B: But I. I still don't understand why you should want to find out who I am.
[00:08:22] Speaker C: These past several weeks, you have become a person of great importance.
[00:08:27] Speaker B: I have?
[00:08:28] Speaker C: To me.
[00:08:28] Speaker B: But why?
[00:08:30] Speaker C: How a performer thrills an audience. Oh, yes, but it must be a two way street. You see, the performer is nourished by the audience. My creative engine runs on electricity. And this can only come from those who watch and believe.
And you, Mr. Mark Harrison, of all the believers, you are the most devout, isn't that so?
[00:08:56] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:08:57] Speaker C: Night after night, I see you in the audience, watching me as I was meant to be watched, appreciating my genius for what it is. And so I made inquiries and had you not come to pay your respects to me, I would have come to pay mine to you.
[00:09:13] Speaker B: Oh, thank you. Professor Delacroix. Ah.
[00:09:16] Speaker D: Oh, darling, we have a visitor. I see. The charming gentleman who always sits at the ringside table.
[00:09:23] Speaker C: Vivie, this is Mr. Mark Harrison.
[00:09:26] Speaker B: I think your performance is the most thrilling.
[00:09:29] Speaker D: Ah. In the beginning it was even more exciting. Raoul would throw his knives blindfolded.
[00:09:36] Speaker B: Blindfolded.
[00:09:37] Speaker D: Perhaps you might convince him to do it again.
[00:09:40] Speaker C: Never, never. No one will ever convince me.
[00:09:42] Speaker B: But professor, how exciting it would be.
[00:09:44] Speaker C: If it would be a false excitement. It would cheapen my art.
Well, now that we're all friends, Mr. Harrison, you must visit us more often.
[00:09:54] Speaker D: When? All day you practice, in the evening you perform and at night you must go to bed early.
[00:09:59] Speaker C: Yes, art is a hard mistress.
[00:10:01] Speaker D: As long as art is your only mistress.
[00:10:05] Speaker C: Don't be a stranger, Mr. Harrison.
[00:10:06] Speaker B: Oh, no, I, I won't.
Good evening, Mother.
[00:10:15] Speaker E: Oh dear, did you have a hard day at the office?
[00:10:18] Speaker B: I had a hard time finding a place to hide.
[00:10:21] Speaker E: Morton Holmes called you.
[00:10:22] Speaker B: And?
[00:10:23] Speaker E: And I said you'd call back.
[00:10:24] Speaker B: Oh, why didn't you say I was in Europe?
[00:10:25] Speaker E: Oh, honey, he's not so bad.
[00:10:27] Speaker B: He probably has another fabulous blind date lined up for me.
[00:10:31] Speaker D: Call him back.
[00:10:32] Speaker E: He may have a nice girl.
[00:10:34] Speaker B: Morton has nothing to do with nice girls.
[00:10:36] Speaker E: Well, call him back anyhow. You have nothing else to do.
[00:10:40] Speaker B: How do you know?
[00:10:41] Speaker E: The gilded cage is closed Monday night so you can't go see your knife thrower.
[00:10:46] Speaker B: Mother, he's not just a knife thrower.
[00:10:48] Speaker E: Whatever.
Why don't you call Morton?
[00:10:51] Speaker B: I have a better idea. Why don't I just take you to the opera?
[00:10:54] Speaker E: I happen to have a date. I'm afraid it's Morton or nothing.
[00:10:57] Speaker B: I can stay home and read.
[00:10:58] Speaker E: Oh, oh come, Mark, please.
[00:11:00] Speaker D: Go out, meet people.
[00:11:04] Speaker B: All right, but Morton is the biggest waste of time.
[00:11:09] Speaker E: Then you should make other friends.
[00:11:11] Speaker B: Yes, I suppose so. Of course.
Hello, Martin.
[00:11:17] Speaker C: Hey Mark, it's you, buddy. Listen, save my life, will you?
[00:11:20] Speaker B: I'd rather not.
[00:11:22] Speaker C: On the level. Listen, Sally has a friend.
[00:11:24] Speaker B: Spare me from Sally's friends.
[00:11:25] Speaker E: How do you know Mark? She may be nice.
[00:11:28] Speaker B: Morton, I'm.
[00:11:29] Speaker C: Don't say you're busy. Your mother already told me you weren't doing anything.
[00:11:32] Speaker B: Now listen, I.
[00:11:33] Speaker C: Listen, this is the cutest gal you.
[00:11:35] Speaker F: Ever saw in your life.
[00:11:36] Speaker B: Yeah, I've heard that build up before.
[00:11:38] Speaker C: She's French. I mean, she speaks perfect English, but. Oh la la.
[00:11:42] Speaker B: Oh, look, Morton, the fact is I have a headache. She's dying to go out with you. Is that a fact? Why?
[00:11:48] Speaker C: She says she knows you.
[00:11:51] Speaker B: She knows me?
[00:11:52] Speaker E: Mark, what have you been keeping from me?
[00:11:55] Speaker C: Mother, will you stop it? And you know her.
[00:11:59] Speaker B: Morton, I don't know what you're talking about.
[00:12:05] Speaker A: Well now, if you're an experienced listener, you know what Morton's talking about. Or do you? Who can this girl be? And When Mark says to Morton, I don't know what you're talking about, does he really mean I don't want to.
[00:12:22] Speaker B: Know what you're talking about?
[00:12:25] Speaker A: We have a prodigious amount of work to get done in the second act. How does your laxative work? Many brand name laxatives contain ingredients that expand in your stomach. That's how they work.
[00:12:36] Speaker C: We know a medicine that works differently. It's in the Ex Lax pill.
[00:12:40] Speaker A: Overnight, the Ex Lax pill gently stimulates.
[00:12:43] Speaker C: Your system's own regular rhythm.
[00:12:45] Speaker A: Stimulates your system for relief in the morning. No surprises, just relief in the morning. That's the Ex Lax pill. Try it tonight with confidence. For occasional use only as directed Ex Lax pills.
[00:13:03] Speaker B: What's the big idea?
[00:13:07] Speaker G: The big idea is the Astoria idea.
[00:13:13] Speaker C: An idea designed to come through with.
[00:13:16] Speaker G: Many happy returns for you.
[00:13:19] Speaker A: Easy chair money. Another big idea from Astoria Federal. Sit back and relax while your money's earning you a big 5.47% a year on your five and a quarter percent passbook savings account. And your money's yours when you want it, with no loss of interest. Astoria has other big ideas in High yield saving certificates. And every Astoria account earns the highest rates the law allows. Yes, big ideas come naturally from the nice people with over three quarters of a billion dollars behind them.
[00:13:48] Speaker G: An idea designed to come through with many happy returns for you. The Astoria idea.
[00:13:58] Speaker A: I got the Christmas pictures back. I got the silk finish this time. Glossy silk? Glossy silk. At the Photo Mat store.
[00:14:06] Speaker C: Glossy cost the same as silk finish. Just the thing to start your first argument for the new year.
[00:14:11] Speaker G: Does Photomat also make reprints for loved ones?
[00:14:13] Speaker E: Sure we do.
[00:14:14] Speaker G: I would like seven reprints made of this picture.
[00:14:16] Speaker E: Oh, you have seven loved one? Yes, seven.
[00:14:18] Speaker D: Your last name, White and your first name, Snow, who does your hair.
[00:14:21] Speaker A: Reprints and enlargements are very inexpensive at the PhotoMatch store.
[00:14:25] Speaker H: Flag.
[00:14:26] Speaker A: You remember the picture I took of you at Halloween?
[00:14:29] Speaker H: You remember?
[00:14:30] Speaker C: Here it is.
[00:14:33] Speaker A: It's exactly what the photo mate said.
[00:14:35] Speaker I: If you're not happy with any picture.
[00:14:36] Speaker A: We develop, we'll buy it back.
[00:14:38] Speaker E: Lawsuit seven. Sure we do.
[00:14:40] Speaker C: It's all here at the Fotomat store.
[00:14:42] Speaker G: The Fotomat store.
[00:14:46] Speaker B: Right now.
[00:14:47] Speaker I: When you bring in a roll of.
[00:14:48] Speaker B: Film for developing, you can buy a replacement roll for half price. That's good fresh Fotomat color, print or slide film. Half price at the Fotomat store.
[00:15:07] Speaker A: Truth, as they say, is stranger than fiction. But why is everybody intrigued by that concept? What's so surprising about it? Fiction, after all, Is predictable because it must follow strict laws of form. You who listen to our stories expect us to abide by certain set rules and conventions. Truth, on the other hand, has no restrictions. It can meander about as it pleases without being beholden to anybody. And get itself into the strangest situations. Well, what we're telling you is a true story.
[00:15:44] Speaker C: The girls are waiting for us here in Sally's apartment. You're in for the surprise of your life, Mark.
[00:15:52] Speaker B: Ah.
[00:15:52] Speaker D: Hello.
[00:15:53] Speaker C: Hello, Fifi.
You know Mark?
[00:15:57] Speaker D: Of course I know Mark. Sally's inside putting on her makeup.
[00:16:00] Speaker B: Oh.
[00:16:01] Speaker C: Why don't I go and check on her?
[00:16:03] Speaker D: A splendid idea.
Well, hello.
[00:16:09] Speaker B: It can't be you. Here.
[00:16:11] Speaker D: Touch me. I'm real.
[00:16:13] Speaker B: What are you doing here?
[00:16:14] Speaker D: And what are you doing here?
[00:16:17] Speaker B: I.
[00:16:18] Speaker D: To answer both our questions. I want to have a little amusement. And so do you.
[00:16:24] Speaker B: But.
But you're. You're married.
[00:16:28] Speaker D: You're a funny man. But I like you.
[00:16:31] Speaker B: I'm afraid I don't understand.
[00:16:33] Speaker D: Oh, come. You want me. You wanted me from the first moment you saw me in the gilded cage. That's why you kept coming back every night.
[00:16:41] Speaker B: No.
[00:16:41] Speaker D: I said to my friend Sally, do you know this young man? And she said, oh, he's a friend of a friend. So why are we standing here?
[00:16:51] Speaker B: I. I don't really think that.
[00:16:54] Speaker D: Why don't you kiss me?
Oh, you want to kiss me, don't you?
[00:17:01] Speaker B: Look, I feel.
I mean, I have definite ideas about what's right and what's.
[00:17:10] Speaker D: And still you came here.
[00:17:13] Speaker B: I didn't know it would be you.
[00:17:15] Speaker D: Oh, yes, you did. You knew it would be me.
[00:17:17] Speaker B: No, that's not true.
[00:17:18] Speaker D: Oh, it's true. And something else is also true.
There can only be one moment like this.
One moment when I feel this way. One moment when I want you more than anything or anyone in the world. If this moment passes, it may never return. But take me in your arms now, this minute.
[00:17:47] Speaker B: I couldn't help myself.
I'd never felt that way in my life. This girl, this.
This woman, she. She overwhelmed me.
The only word I can think of. Suddenly, I had no will of my own, no mind of my own. Everything was overcome by the desire to hold her, to possess her.
She became the whole world.
[00:18:12] Speaker E: Another cup of coffee?
[00:18:14] Speaker B: Oh, no, thanks, mother. I'll be late for work.
[00:18:16] Speaker E: Oh, late for work.
Tell me, how is your affair coming?
[00:18:21] Speaker B: Affair?
[00:18:22] Speaker E: Now, don't say the next sentence.
[00:18:24] Speaker B: What affair, Mother? What are you talking about?
[00:18:28] Speaker E: You're a love affair.
[00:18:29] Speaker B: Have you been spying on me?
[00:18:30] Speaker E: I would never do a Thing like that. I can tell by your mood, your actions, the little things, that you're in love. Will you admit that?
[00:18:41] Speaker B: All right, I'll admit it.
[00:18:43] Speaker E: But grudgingly.
[00:18:44] Speaker B: Mother, what am I supposed to do?
[00:18:46] Speaker E: Son, love exhilarates. Love is not a burden. Unless.
[00:18:52] Speaker B: Yes, Unless.
[00:18:54] Speaker E: Unless it's an affair with a married woman.
Have I guessed it?
You don't have to answer. Then, instead of an innocent joy, love becomes a guilty secret.
What's her name?
You see, you keep it even from me.
[00:19:15] Speaker B: I'm old enough to manage my own affairs.
[00:19:17] Speaker E: Of course. And you're also old enough to be happy.
[00:19:20] Speaker B: I'm gonna be late for the office.
[00:19:22] Speaker E: You are not going to the office. I don't want to discuss it. I must say, when you kick over the traces, you don't do things by halves. Quiet, shy, bashful. Mark finally has an affair with, of all women, a knife thrower's assistant.
[00:19:37] Speaker C: Mother, this is monstrous.
[00:19:38] Speaker E: Why?
[00:19:40] Speaker B: How could you know who she is unless you hired a detective?
[00:19:43] Speaker E: Well, you kept talking about that knife thrower.
[00:19:46] Speaker B: He's more than just a knife thrower.
[00:19:47] Speaker E: Yes, he is. A man you have betrayed.
[00:19:49] Speaker B: Don't say that.
[00:19:50] Speaker E: If I don't say it, will that change anything?
[00:19:52] Speaker B: How did you find out?
[00:19:53] Speaker E: I had my best friend, Judge Corwin, take me to the Gilded Cage one night. You didn't see us. You had eyes for no one but the breathtaking Mademoiselle Fifi. It was obvious.
[00:20:05] Speaker B: Obvious?
[00:20:06] Speaker E: Perhaps it was only obvious to me. I agree with you. The man's a genius, an artist. It just happens I don't care for his art. But that's not the issue. The girl, however, is obvious. She's what I said she was. A tart.
[00:20:19] Speaker B: Now, Mother, don't.
[00:20:21] Speaker E: Please let me finish.
Mark, there's all kinds of flirting. There's a sort that's done in all innocence. The light hearted, non serious, playful little game that always ends, however, before any points is.
[00:20:34] Speaker B: Mother, I have had enough of this.
[00:20:36] Speaker E: But Mademoiselle Fifi flirts because she must. It's what brings excitement. And for all I know, even meaning to her life.
[00:20:43] Speaker B: That is ridiculous.
[00:20:44] Speaker E: Every night she flirts with death. Each knife throw may be.
Do you know why she's taken up with you?
[00:20:54] Speaker B: We're in love, Mother. In love.
[00:20:57] Speaker E: Hazardous as her life may seem to the public, perhaps it's not dangerous enough for her.
I would say she needs even more excitement and suspense.
Can you imagine what would happen if Professor Delacroix knew of this affair?
[00:21:12] Speaker B: Oh, that has become my nightmare.
[00:21:15] Speaker E: One of those Knives could miss the mark by a fraction of an inch.
A fatal accident.
And who could prove it was done on purpose?
[00:21:25] Speaker B: Please, Mother. Please don't say any more.
She touched a nerve. He's very good at touching exposed nerves. Raw, vulnerable, sensitive nerves.
[00:21:39] Speaker A: What would he do?
[00:21:43] Speaker B: What would the professor do if he found out? I hardly have to guess. He's a proud man. A man of honor, great dignity.
Did I even have to ask myself?
He would kill us both. And the terrible thing, the awful situation was, I was in love with her.
And he had become my best friend.
[00:22:05] Speaker C: Mark, my boy, the world is divided into two camps. The charlatans and the artists.
[00:22:12] Speaker B: But not everyone has skills or talents.
[00:22:15] Speaker C: Ooh. But everyone who lives has life. And life is the greatest art of all. Without the audience that understands and enjoys, there is no art. How can there be? You. You understand the true meaning of what I do. You appreciate the incredible coordination. Doesn't everybody know too many. It's a trick.
[00:22:39] Speaker B: Oh, how can it be a trick? It's being done in the open, for all to see.
[00:22:44] Speaker C: Ask and listen to what so many people say. They think it's done with mirrors or it's done with magnets. Oh, it's ridiculous, but that's what they think. Why do you suppose I refuse to use a blindfold?
Do you think it makes a difference to me? Of course not. But if I did wear a blindfold, I would only excite the suspicion that it was a fake. That there were hidden holes or slits. Or that it was made of some transparent material.
[00:23:12] Speaker B: It's hard to believe.
[00:23:13] Speaker D: Well, good morning.
[00:23:15] Speaker C: Well, it's hardly morning, Fifi, darling. It's almost noon.
[00:23:19] Speaker D: Have you gentlemen been having another one of your earnest conversations?
[00:23:23] Speaker C: Yes, but I'm afraid, my dear, that you shall have to entertain young Mark for a bit. I must practice.
[00:23:30] Speaker D: You are always practicing.
[00:23:33] Speaker C: The fact that you live to say so is eloquent testimony to that fact. You see, Mark, my genius is due to the fact that I have been blessed by God. And that I practice each day of.
[00:23:44] Speaker D: The year for hours and hours and hours.
[00:23:49] Speaker C: Well, until this evening.
[00:23:52] Speaker D: Darling.
[00:23:53] Speaker B: Fifi, I must talk to you.
[00:23:55] Speaker D: You angel. You talk to me every day.
[00:23:58] Speaker B: Do you love me?
[00:23:59] Speaker D: Why do you ask?
[00:24:02] Speaker B: Because I love you.
But I want more.
[00:24:06] Speaker D: Shouldn't love be enough?
[00:24:07] Speaker B: I want you to marry me.
[00:24:08] Speaker D: I'm married to Raoul.
[00:24:10] Speaker B: It's wrong.
[00:24:10] Speaker D: Why?
[00:24:11] Speaker B: Because we love each other. Why should our love be kept a secret?
[00:24:16] Speaker D: And will our love be stronger, more enduring? Because everyone knows about it.
[00:24:21] Speaker B: It's still wrong. We should be Married.
[00:24:23] Speaker D: And what about Raoul? Well, I. Raoul cannot live without me.
[00:24:29] Speaker B: But he spends a little time with.
[00:24:30] Speaker D: You as a man. But Raoul could survive without me as an artist. Who else would he get to stand against the board? But no, darling, mine is not a job that is filled by an employment agency or through an ad in the classified.
[00:24:44] Speaker B: I understand.
[00:24:45] Speaker C: No.
[00:24:46] Speaker D: No, you don't.
We stand 30ft apart. We are eye to eye. He's the thrower. I am the target.
Together we execute a ballet. His is all motion.
Mine is all stillness.
No one can throw the knife the way he can. But no one can stand as still as I can. Not a muscle twitches. The complete absence of movement, that is also an art.
People like us are not made. We are born.
He could never find someone like me again. It would be the end of him as an artist. And therefore the end of him as a man.
[00:25:31] Speaker B: A ballet. The ballet of death.
[00:25:34] Speaker D: Yes, of course.
[00:25:35] Speaker B: And I'm afraid.
[00:25:36] Speaker D: Afraid of what?
[00:25:38] Speaker B: Afraid of what? Good Lord.
[00:25:40] Speaker D: Tell me, why are you afraid? And of what are you afraid?
[00:25:43] Speaker B: Nightmares. My nightmares, My darling.
[00:25:46] Speaker D: Why should you have nightmares?
[00:25:49] Speaker B: I dream that one night I. Under the hot bright lights, perhaps a bead of perspiration might momentarily blind him.
[00:25:57] Speaker D: It doesn't matter. He can throw blindfolded. Watch him carefully. He closes his eyes before the release.
[00:26:03] Speaker B: Oh, my darling. One day his luck will run out.
[00:26:06] Speaker D: Luck? Oh, no, no. Don't ever let him hear you say that word. Not you. Because it will only tell him that you don't understand him. It isn't luck. It's skill. God given skill.
[00:26:20] Speaker B: But no one is perfect.
[00:26:21] Speaker D: He is perfect.
[00:26:23] Speaker B: The two knives he throws to enclose your neck.
[00:26:26] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:26:26] Speaker B: Do you realize at the merest fraction.
[00:26:28] Speaker E: Of an inch and an arterage that can't happen.
[00:26:33] Speaker B: How can you sit there so calmly and say it cannot happen?
[00:26:36] Speaker D: I am absolutely safe. Raoul can never miss.
[00:26:41] Speaker B: You say that's a calmly so matter of fact. As if you're looking at a clock and announcing the time.
[00:26:48] Speaker D: The analogy doesn't hold.
If I told you the time, the clock could be wrong. But now Raoul. Raoul is never wrong. Raoul never misses you.
[00:27:04] Speaker B: You must know something that I don't know.
[00:27:07] Speaker D: I don't know anything. I'm not a deep person. I'm not an intellectual. I may not even be intelligent. I only know what I want to do. And right now I want to kiss you.
[00:27:18] Speaker A: Now.
[00:27:19] Speaker D: I said now, didn't I?
[00:27:21] Speaker B: Here.
[00:27:22] Speaker D: We're here, aren't we?
[00:27:23] Speaker J: But.
[00:27:25] Speaker B: But Raoul.
Raoul's in the next room.
[00:27:28] Speaker D: Raoul is in Another world.
[00:27:32] Speaker B: Darling, you say Raoul could never miss.
But suppose, just suppose, he found out about you and me.
[00:27:40] Speaker D: Darling, if it bothers you so much, just make sure Raoul doesn't find out.
And now, will you kiss me?
[00:27:57] Speaker A: Well, admit it now. We have a rather cool young lady on our hands. It would be difficult to imagine a woman, young or old, with that much. Well, as the French would say, sang froid. Cold blood. Which is a perplexing situation since she seems to have so much hot blood when she's in Mark's arms.
She's so sure of herself and of her husband.
But why?
The entire third act is dedicated to that question.
[00:28:30] Speaker C: The 1977 Buick Regal. It comes with Buick's terrific V6 engine. It carries six people and lots of Buick comfort. It's lean, it's maneuverable in city traffic. It's the most luxurious mid sized car Buick builds. Yeah, this new Regal is pretty much everything a car should be, except for one thing.
[00:28:49] Speaker A: It isn't yours yet. But it can be.
[00:28:52] Speaker C: Just see a Buick dealer for a test drive soon.
[00:28:55] Speaker G: Dedicated to the free spirit just about everyone.
[00:29:12] Speaker A: We have been presenting for your edification or mystification, a young lady named Mademoiselle Fifi. She is the wife of Professor Raoul Delacroix. She is also the mistress of Mr. Mark Harrison.
This would hardly be an unusual situation if Professor Delacroix were some musty, dry as dust or pedagogue. Not so. Our professor is a handsome, vigorous man of 40. He is also a professional knife thrower. She acts as his target. Wouldn't you suppose that she should be the last woman in the world to be unfaithful to her husband?
[00:29:49] Speaker D: Will I see you tomorrow?
[00:29:50] Speaker B: Mark, Darling, I cannot keep coming here every day.
What? What will your husband think?
[00:29:58] Speaker D: Why are you so worried about Raoul?
[00:30:01] Speaker B: The way you ask that question, one would never believe that Raoul holds your life in his hands every evening. If I keep coming here every day, won't Raoul become suspicious?
[00:30:12] Speaker D: I don't think so.
[00:30:14] Speaker B: You say that.
The way you smile when you say that. It's too much for me.
[00:30:21] Speaker D: If I'm too much for you, maybe you'd better not see me anymore.
[00:30:28] Speaker B: Yes, maybe I'd better not.
[00:30:32] Speaker D: Very well.
Goodbye.
[00:30:36] Speaker B: That's best. It's best for both of us.
For all three of us. Because it can only end in disaster.
[00:30:44] Speaker D: Mark, if you want to leave me, you only have to say goodbye. There's no need for a great farewell speech.
There's the door.
Goodbye.
[00:30:56] Speaker B: Goodbye.
[00:30:59] Speaker D: Well, why are you still standing there?
[00:31:04] Speaker B: I.
I Can't leave you.
I love you.
It's wrong, but I love you.
[00:31:14] Speaker D: Then take me in your arms.
[00:31:21] Speaker E: Good morning, Mark.
[00:31:23] Speaker B: Good morning, Mother.
[00:31:25] Speaker E: Some breakfast?
[00:31:27] Speaker B: Just coffee.
[00:31:28] Speaker E: Oh, Mark, you look terrible.
[00:31:30] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:31:31] Speaker E: But you don't sleep nights.
[00:31:33] Speaker B: Maybe I have insomnia.
[00:31:35] Speaker E: Maybe you have a guilty conscience.
[00:31:37] Speaker B: Why don't we change the subject? You've already made your position clear. Do we have to go through it again? Yes, I know.
I know what I'm doing is wrong, but I can't help myself. I try to break off, but every time I see her, I say this must be the last time. I must end it.
[00:31:55] Speaker E: Well, why don't you?
[00:31:57] Speaker B: I understand now and only now why, how a man could abandon his family, deceive his employer, even betray his country for a woman.
[00:32:07] Speaker E: Oh, Mark, aren't you romanticizing?
[00:32:09] Speaker B: Don't say that, Mother. Or we'll never be able to talk to each other again. It's how I feel.
[00:32:16] Speaker E: Let me introduce a new complication.
Yesterday afternoon the two of you were having lunch. Tete a tete.
At an out of the way country restaurant and motel near the turnpike.
[00:32:31] Speaker B: Why are you having me followed?
[00:32:32] Speaker E: That is unworthy of you, Mark.
The fact was reported to me by an old friend who happened to be lunching there himself.
[00:32:40] Speaker A: Very well.
[00:32:41] Speaker B: I'm sure we can count on his discretion.
[00:32:43] Speaker E: The trouble is, it's not the first I've heard of it. Word is getting around. Gossip is being started.
[00:32:48] Speaker B: I know.
[00:32:49] Speaker E: You know?
[00:32:51] Speaker B: I suspect it would be.
[00:32:53] Speaker E: And the professor?
[00:32:55] Speaker B: You don't know him. He lives in an ivory tower.
[00:32:58] Speaker E: Perhaps, Mark, but sooner or later he will have to find out. There are enough malicious people in this world who will make sure.
[00:33:05] Speaker B: Yes, Mother, I know that.
[00:33:07] Speaker E: Put a stop to it. I can't. Then.
Then reconcile yourself.
Accept the fact that you will be the cause of her death.
[00:33:20] Speaker B: You're right, Mother.
I will have to give her up.
Yes, I'm giving her up. How easy it was to say it.
Difficult to do it.
I didn't go to the club at night. I didn't visit the De La Club by day. I.
I did the only thing that would work. I stayed away.
I did it for a whole week.
Then I knew, come what may. I. I couldn't do it any longer.
So late one morning, despite every honest attempt and sincere desire to stop my Mark.
[00:34:02] Speaker C: Mark Harrison. Come in.
[00:34:05] Speaker B: Hello, Professor.
[00:34:06] Speaker C: My dearest friend, I haven't seen you.
[00:34:08] Speaker B: Hi. I know.
[00:34:10] Speaker C: Tell me, is everything in order?
[00:34:12] Speaker B: Oh.
[00:34:12] Speaker C: Oh, yes.
[00:34:13] Speaker B: I think so.
[00:34:13] Speaker C: I missed you. I missed you at the performance. And I missed Our little talks. Well, you see, you haven't been able. Oh.
[00:34:21] Speaker B: Oh, no, no.
[00:34:22] Speaker C: And Fifi has missed you too.
[00:34:24] Speaker B: She has?
[00:34:25] Speaker C: Yes. You've been good for her. A young fellow like you. Someone to talk to while I'm busy at practice.
[00:34:32] Speaker B: How. How have you been, Professor?
[00:34:34] Speaker C: Oh, I'm always the same. I keep my engine, my nervous engine, constantly tuned. The eye, the hand, the factors of judgment. All of these form an incredible machine. And I believe it has a life of its own. There are times when I'm convinced that it isn't even subject to my control. Because if it were, then I might.
[00:34:58] Speaker B: Yes, then. Then you might.
[00:35:01] Speaker C: Oh, nothing, Nothing. Nothing at all.
Perhaps someday I can tell you. Well, Fifi would be so sorry she missed you.
[00:35:09] Speaker B: Isn't she home?
[00:35:10] Speaker C: No, no. She said something about.
What was it? Oh, she was on the phone and she said she was going shopping. Well, a shame. It's noon and I have to retire to my practice room.
[00:35:23] Speaker B: I understand.
[00:35:24] Speaker C: I know. I know. So few people do. Promise me you won't be a stranger anymore. Promise.
[00:35:31] Speaker B: Oh, I promise.
I had come to see her because I could no longer keep away.
But she wasn't home shopping. That would mean she'd gone downtown. Now it was noon lunchtime. I knew there were only two or three places she cared for. I'd find her, and we'd go somewhere and spend the afternoon together. She would be angry with me for neglecting her so long, but she'd forgive me. She'd have to. When all said and done, she loves me. And she cannot live without me.
Just as I cannot live without her.
Darling. Mark. I knew where I'd find you.
[00:36:15] Speaker D: Where have you been?
[00:36:17] Speaker B: It doesn't matter. I'm here now. Come on. Let's drive out to that place in the country.
[00:36:21] Speaker D: Why?
[00:36:22] Speaker B: Because I want to take you in my arms.
[00:36:25] Speaker D: Tomorrow.
[00:36:27] Speaker B: Tomorrow?
[00:36:27] Speaker D: Yes.
And now, darling, will you excuse yourself? I have a date.
[00:36:32] Speaker B: A what?
[00:36:33] Speaker D: A date.
[00:36:34] Speaker B: A date with a man. Of course.
[00:36:37] Speaker D: If it were with a woman, it would be an appointment.
[00:36:42] Speaker A: You.
[00:36:43] Speaker B: You're going out with other men?
[00:36:45] Speaker D: Naturally.
[00:36:46] Speaker B: Naturally.
But. But you're in love with me. You said so.
[00:36:51] Speaker D: I'll even say it again.
I love you.
[00:36:56] Speaker B: How can you go out without.
[00:36:57] Speaker D: Because you're very difficult, Mark. You're so nervous, apprehensive, filled with so many fears and worries and.
[00:37:04] Speaker B: But my only concern for you.
[00:37:06] Speaker C: I know.
[00:37:06] Speaker D: But it doesn't make you a very satisfactory lover. And there.
[00:37:09] Speaker B: And therefore you betray me.
[00:37:11] Speaker D: Oh, that's a harsh word. Oh, hello, Morton, darling.
[00:37:16] Speaker A: Frib.
[00:37:16] Speaker C: Feintrel. Hey, Mark, old buddy, three's a crowd.
[00:37:24] Speaker B: You're cheating on me with him.
[00:37:26] Speaker D: I think you had better leave, Mark.
[00:37:29] Speaker B: Leave? Leave you here with him?
[00:37:32] Speaker C: Come on, Mark. Aren't you. I told you to keep out of it. Oh, look, pal, you're behaving like a truth. I warned you.
[00:37:49] Speaker B: Professor.
[00:37:50] Speaker C: Hello, Mark.
May I come in?
[00:37:54] Speaker B: Of course.
[00:37:55] Speaker C: Sure.
[00:37:56] Speaker B: Won't you sit? Sit down.
[00:37:58] Speaker C: I've come here to your home to thank you.
[00:38:02] Speaker B: Thank me?
Why? Why would you want to thank me?
[00:38:07] Speaker C: Come now, Mark. It's in the open. At last. It's in the open between us.
[00:38:12] Speaker B: Oh, professor, please, please allow me to tell you. I. I mean, I. I couldn't help myself.
[00:38:19] Speaker C: No, no, no. Let me talk. You are bold, gallant and a true, devoted friend. Professor, you walked into that restaurant. You saw them sitting there. It was obviously a rendezvous.
[00:38:31] Speaker B: A tete.
[00:38:31] Speaker C: A tete. You could see they were lovers.
[00:38:34] Speaker B: Professor, you must allow me to tell you the truth.
[00:38:38] Speaker C: And because you are my loyal friend, you became enraged at her dishonesty, her unfaithfulness, and so you attacked him.
[00:38:48] Speaker B: Is. Is that. Is that what you think?
[00:38:50] Speaker C: Poor Mark.
If only you had known the truth. She has the face of an angel. And the morals of a slut.
Do you think this Morton, whatever his name is, is her first one, her only one?
She picks up a lover as often and as casually as you or I might pick up a cigar.
[00:39:13] Speaker B: You.
You know this?
[00:39:15] Speaker C: I've always known it. How I despise that woman. That common tramp. Professor, you have no idea how I yearn to kill her.
[00:39:27] Speaker G: You.
[00:39:28] Speaker B: You want to kill her?
[00:39:30] Speaker C: Day and night? I can think of nothing else. And not because she has betrayed me. Not because she lusts after other men.
[00:39:38] Speaker I: Oh, no.
[00:39:38] Speaker C: That's her nature. She can't help it.
[00:39:41] Speaker B: Then why?
[00:39:42] Speaker C: It's that smile, that evil smile that says, here I stand. Kill me. Kill me if you dare. For that, she deserves to die. That is a crime.
[00:39:56] Speaker B: But you could kill her at any moment.
[00:39:59] Speaker C: Yes, my young friend. It would be so simple, so easy. A mistake of less than a quarter of an inch, and I could sever the jugular. The blood would spurt out two, three brilliant crimson jets, and all would be over.
And I would have my revenge. True?
[00:40:18] Speaker B: True. Yes.
[00:40:20] Speaker C: At absolutely no risk to myself. An accident, bad luck. A mistake that could occur in our business.
And so now you may ask, why don't I do it?
[00:40:33] Speaker B: It's because you're too decent, too kind.
[00:40:37] Speaker C: Nonsense.
I don't do it because I can't do it.
[00:40:44] Speaker B: You.
You can't do it.
[00:40:47] Speaker C: Don't you think I try every night with each knife I throw? Don't you think I long to end her life? Don't you think I want to make that quarter inch mistake?
[00:40:58] Speaker B: Then why?
[00:40:59] Speaker C: Why don't I? Because I can't. I cannot. Because my hand refuses to obey me.
[00:41:06] Speaker B: I don't understand.
[00:41:08] Speaker C: But she understands. She knows why the knife can never pierce her heart. That's why she stands there and smiles her evil smile. She knows me. She knows the secret of my art.
She knows what a faultless machine I've become. She knows that I'm a true artist. And that my hand, my brain, my eye will not permit me to make a mistake.
And so she stands there and laughs at me. Laughs at me, Laughs at me.
[00:41:47] Speaker B: That night I went to the gilded cage.
I watched Fifi smile. And I saw the agony on Raul's face.
Suddenly I.
I could no longer look at the act.
Instead, I let my eyes roam around the room.
And here and there I saw men sitting at tables. And they.
They weren't looking either. And then I knew.
I knew that they too were in on the secret.
And that all of us were members of a club.
We had come here not to see an act, but to see a murder. Yes, Professor Delacroix is a magnificent machine. But he is also human. And one day, one day there will be the slightest malfunction. The machine will make the slightest miscalculation. It only needs. What? A quarter, a sixteenth of an inch?
[00:42:47] Speaker C: My good friends, I am about to throw the final knife which will be placed under Mademoiselle Fifi's left arm in a direct line with her adorable heart.
[00:43:10] Speaker A: The final knife. Will it be this one? This is what the members of the club have come to see.
Well, if you were told that there was going to be a murder at such and such a time, at such and such a place, and absolutely nothing could be done to stop it. Would you go to see it?
Think about it.
[00:43:32] Speaker F: What's for dinner?
[00:43:34] Speaker C: Has an old familiar ring.
Where does a mother go for the best of everything?
What's for dinner?
[00:43:44] Speaker G: The family wants to know who's got the answers.
[00:43:49] Speaker C: Who's got the most to show?
[00:43:51] Speaker A: Shop.
[00:43:52] Speaker C: Right.
[00:43:56] Speaker G: Shoprite.
[00:44:00] Speaker I: Shoprite has everything you'll need for entertaining, for family get togethers or for those many everyday meals. Lean, savory, fresh hand shank. Half 99 cents a pound, but half a dollar nine a pound. Shoprite mixers. Ginger ale, Club Seltzer. 28 ounce bottles, five for 99 cents. Stop up for lots of sandwich making too. Shoprite white bread, 20 ounce loaves, three for 89 cents. Check your nearby Shoprite for holiday store hours. And from everyone at Shoprite. To you and your family, a very happy and healthy new year.
Would you buy an imitation when you can get the original? The genuine? Well, of course not. Crack Us and Atalanta brands. The originals are genuine imported polish hands. They're available at your favorite grocer supermarket or butcher. Crackus and Atalanta, the original brands are the only brands of imported Polish hams to carry both a Good Housekeeping seal and the Parents Magazine seal of approval. Insist on the best for your money. Fine, lean, great eating. Crackus or Atalanta brands of genuine imported polish ham in 2, 3, 5 or 7 pound. Take home sizes. You can also buy these fine ham sliced from larger sizes at your deli counter. Crackus and Atalanta polish hams have been imported for more than 25 years by New York Commodities Corporation, New York. Available at all ShopRite supermarkets.
[00:45:19] Speaker F: Hi, Ben. Do you own this print shop?
[00:45:22] Speaker C: Yes, I've always owned my own business. If you would have a faithful servant serve yourself, I always say.
[00:45:28] Speaker F: Then you may be interested in the Franklin Savings Bank Keough plan. It's a retirement plan for anyone who's self employed or owns an unincorporated business.
[00:45:36] Speaker C: Well, thanks for the council, son, but I've already begun saving for my retirement.
[00:45:41] Speaker F: Oh, really?
[00:45:41] Speaker A: Where?
[00:45:42] Speaker C: My mattress.
[00:45:43] Speaker F: But Ben, at the Franklin Savings bank you'd be earning high interest. You could even double your money in 10 years.
[00:45:49] Speaker C: Well, at that bank of yours, money really begets money, doesn't it?
[00:45:52] Speaker F: Uh huh.
[00:45:53] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:45:53] Speaker C: Well, with all that money, I'd be smartly taxed.
[00:45:56] Speaker F: Yes, Ben, indeed you would. But at the Franklin Savings bank, all Keogh deposits and earnings are tax deferred until you retire. Now will you take my advice?
[00:46:04] Speaker C: Oh, I see what you mean. He that won't be counseled can't be helped. Where can I open my Keo Plan?
[00:46:10] Speaker F: At any of our 13 convenient offices. The Franklin Savings bank. With over a billion dollars on deposit. Member, fdic.
[00:46:19] Speaker G: Oh ho spell backward to O O and O. How delicious it is. O Ho spell backward to O. O and O. How Nutritious it is. Ho instit oatmeal o ho farina. Ho ho quick o2 o o h o h o. Rut words or backwards. The name you should know is H O O H O O H O. Hot breakfast on a cold day is Lapoose. That's super spelled backwards. So mom makes us steaming bowls of ho instant Oatmeal with raisins and spice. There are other flavors, but that's my favorite. Just add hot water and you've got a delicious breakfast in seconds. Mom loves ho Instant oatmeal. Cause it's nutritious but I love it cause it's soup. Mercs that scrumptious spelled backwards.
[00:47:26] Speaker A: We have been listening. Listening to a story about possession. Possession seems to be a popular topic for entertainment these days. But it's somewhat misunderstood. We tend to think of possession as the intrusion of demons or devils into our body or soul. But actually, each one of us is possessed. We are possessed by what we are. By how we have been trained.
We respond to a lifetime's experience.
We are what we have become.
The long way, the hard way.
Our cast included Michael Wager, Patricia Elliott, Court Benson and Anne Petoniac. The entire production was under the direction of Hyman Brown.
And now, a preview of our next tale.
[00:48:18] Speaker H: No, no.
[00:48:18] Speaker B: I'll see you out. Mr. Clark, I'm honored.
[00:48:21] Speaker A: Oh, thank you. But I'm not John Clark anymore.
[00:48:24] Speaker B: I'm just the bookkeeper introducing your people to the great man.
[00:48:29] Speaker A: Fisher insists that we maintain the image.
[00:48:36] Speaker C: Mr.
[00:48:37] Speaker B: Clock, this is Pete Fine, who wants your vibes on his tape recorder.
[00:48:41] Speaker A: Now, please, folks, Mr. Clark has got.
[00:48:44] Speaker B: To get off the planet this afternoon.
[00:48:47] Speaker A: And this is. Is.
[00:48:48] Speaker B: What's Your name, sir?
[00:48:50] Speaker C: Mr.
[00:48:50] Speaker A: Clock likes to know people's names.
[00:48:52] Speaker B: You what?
[00:48:55] Speaker D: What?
[00:48:57] Speaker C: Cougar Krueger.
Krueger, you murder it. I've been waiting for this. I've been hunting you for 10 years.
[00:49:11] Speaker A: Mrs. EG Marshall, inviting you to return to our Mystery Theater for another adventure in the macabre.
Until next time, pleasant dream.
[00:50:03] Speaker I: Tonight's WOR Mystery Theater was also brought to you in park by shoprite Supermarkets, where you get a lot more for a little less. The preceding program is furnished by CBS Radio.
[00:50:15] Speaker F: This is Rosemary Pooler of the State Consumer Protection Board.
If there's a mistake on your credit card bill and you can't get it straightened out, write the card company a letter and send it by certified mail. Keep a copy for your records. Credit card companies must resolve problems with your bills in 90 days, but only if you write the company a letter. A call to the numbers they list on your bill won't do the trick. Only a letter protects your rights.
[00:50:45] Speaker I: This is WR New York and RKO General Station. It's 8:00. Here's John Scott.
[00:50:52] Speaker H: Mayor Beam is pleased with this meeting with President Elect Carter, Alex Rose of the Liberal Party and Phil island of the New York jets are dead in New York City stock market breakthrough 1000 on the Dow Industrial Average. It's 25 degrees in cloudy mid Manhattan. The man says cloudy and cold tonight with occasional light snow or snow flurries likely. This is John Scott with the 8:00 edition of the news. It was a rewarding trip to Georgia for New York State and city officials. When it was over one commented that New York City has been welcomed back into the Union by Governor by President elect Carter. WOR's Bob Brady has the story.
[00:51:27] Speaker A: Mayor Beam came back to New York with a promise from President elect Jimmy Carter that New York City will not be allowed to go into bankruptcy. President elect Carter reiterated the fact that.
[00:51:37] Speaker B: He'S in partnership with New York City.
[00:51:39] Speaker A: He's not going to let New York City down.
[00:51:42] Speaker B: Bankruptcy was not to him a viable alternative. If the city needed the money there would be a way which we would be helped by the federal government.
[00:51:55] Speaker A: And he's ask the Treasury Secretary to discuss this with us and come up with some kind of a program within the next 60 to 90 days. Beam says he promised Carter the city would have a balanced budget next year, then turned over a list of recommendations for federal administrative changes that would financially aid the city including revision of the Michelama housing program for W News. Bob Brady replied.
[00:52:23] Speaker H: Carter says he'll meet next week with key members of Congress on his economic recovery program. He said a tax cut is in his words, a likely part of that program. Two well known New Yorkers die today. Phil island died of a heart attack at the age of 74 in the office of the New York jets, which he owned. And Alex Rose, liberal party leader, died in his home at the age of 78 of an undisclosed disease. New York City's only liberal councilman, Manhattan's Henry Stern was asked about Alex Rose by WOR's Lester Smith.
[00:52:52] Speaker J: Here was this man who was a giant in politics and you know, towered above the leaders of the major parties and yet his own party was really quite small.
[00:53:03] Speaker I: What did Alex Rose mean to politics.
[00:53:05] Speaker B: In New York City and for that.
[00:53:06] Speaker I: Matter New York State?
[00:53:07] Speaker J: Well, he symbolized for 40 years a strong moral commitment to good government, to doing the right thing, to progressive causes and that's why he survived. There's no other political leader of the 30s who stayed in power. Most of them were dead, disgraced, indicted long ago. But Alex Rose stayed honest and stayed clean.
And there's something very special about him that was different. Because even whether his candidates won or lost next year, you'd always have to deal with Alex and his his moral luster would always be there because even if he went down, he'd go down in a good cause.
[00:53:52] Speaker H: The skipper of the ill fated tanker Argo Merchant told the investigators today he thought he was in safe water when the Liberian tanker went aground off the New England coast on December 15. Captain Georgios Papadopoulos testified at a New York federal court hearing. He said he was getting radio direction finder bearings had put him in safe water until shortly before the tanker went aground off Nantucket Island. The wrecked ship later spilled more than seven and a half million gallons of oil into the Atlantic. The captain told the hearing he couldn't say whether the fault lay with the equipment or the operator. Attorneys for The Continental Insurance Company, which had written more than $2 million in coverage on the ship's cargo, are seeking to establish that the Argo Merchant was not seaworthy. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard says oil from another ruptured tanker, this one in the Delaware river, is washing ashore along river beaches in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania. The Civil Aeronautics Board says President Ford has blocked a major cab proposal to provide airline passenger service from 12 US cities to Europe. The plan would have given 11 of the 12 cities their first transatlantic routes. In his decision, Mr. Ford said not enough consideration had been given to economic matters or the wishes of foreign countries in proposing the new routes. A Pentagon spokesman says the Navy has ordered a halt in payments on an $82 million contract to Raytheon Company for production of the Sparrow Air to air missile. This in an effort to avoid breaking the law, Congress decreed earlier this year that procurement of the missile must come only after the Defense Secretary has certified that is combat ready. But Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has not yet done so. The Navy last month authorized Raytheon to start production of the Sparrow. Despite the lack of certification, President Ford says the Justice Department has started the process of looking into amnesty for Vietnam era draft dodgers. Mr. Ford, vacationing at Vail, Colorado, has been repeatedly quizzed about his promise to the widow of Michigan Senator Philip Hart that he would consider blanket amnesty before leaving office. The WO News time. It's now five minutes past eight.
[00:55:53] Speaker E: If friends drop by when the day.
[00:55:55] Speaker G: Is done or you throw a party.
[00:55:58] Speaker B: For everyone Whenever you want a bag.
[00:56:02] Speaker G: Of fun Boxmen's right on the tips of the sun so bring on Box man so bring on Boxmen so bring on Bachman Bring Bachman bring on the.
[00:56:19] Speaker H: FL Right now Bachman and Canada Dry have teamed up to save you money and Jack's cheese twists and extra thin pretzels and six or eight packs of featured Canada Dry beverages will carry coupons good for 25 cents off each other's products. Look for details on both and save 50 cents.
