← Harold's Old Time Radio
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Hey, sweetie. Your mother showed me this Carvana thing for selling the car. I'm gonna give it a try. Wish me luck. Me again. I put in the license plate. It gave me an offer. Unbelievable. Okay, I accepted the offer. They're picking it up Tuesday from the driveway. I haven't even left my chair. It's done. The car is gone. I'm holding a check anyway. Carvana, give it a whirl. Love ya. So good you'll want to leave a voicemail about it. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up. Fees may apply. Adventures in Time and Space Transcribed in future tense. Can you predict what will come in 100 years? Can you see beyond the known dimensions of time and space into the unknown? Dimension X. In 1987, Atlantic Spaceport was established on the site of Old Fort Devon outside of Boston. And as the ships pushed deeper and deeper into space, the time of voyage increased by geometrical progression. It became more and more difficult to persuade able spacemen to sign on for flights which lasted for years. 10 to 15 monotonous years in the cramped focal of a deep spacer. The bar rooms and one armed joints in Scully Square in Boston were plastered with recruiting posters for the Deep Space Star runs. Flashy four color signs with a blue eyed young man gazing into a star studded sky. Seek your future in the stars, Jeff. There's your last chance to get out of the wedding. Sure, just send Judith a short note. I can't get away to marry you today. I'm 300 million light years away. Very funny, very funny. Well, think it over, boy. Tomorrow, the shackles of matrimony. What? Tonight, the stars. The mystery of the galaxy. Eat, drink and be merry. For tomorrow you commit matrimony. Oh, come on. We came here to have a little fun. We might as well be at Mother's Music hall on Commonwealth Avenue. Please. Ah, the problems of the rich. Hey, Jeff, just where does the coffin fortune come from? I guess it started in Nantucket. My great great something or other used to be a whaler. A whaler? Thar she blows. A dead whale or a stove boat. Watch my trusty harpoon. Ouch. Look out with a fork. Where's the money now? Oh, I don't know. We've got a lot of commercial holdings. Mills, import, export outfits, rocket lines, you know, mere trivia. Hey, why don't we get out of this dump? We could go up to the Copley Plaza. It may be stuffy, but at least the glasses are cle. You're the condemned man. All right, you guys go ahead. And get a taxi copter. I'll settle. Meet you out in front. Right. Excuse me. Want something, bud? A check. Okay. Okay. Hey, Milton. Check. He'd be right out. Right. Hello, mate. Huh. Nice night, eh? I suppose so. I've been watching you celebrate. Sort of. Well, so am I. Just got off a deep space run out to Centaurus. Centaurus? That's a 15 year run, isn't it? 15 in three. Bloomin munch. How'd you know? You were spaceman? No, not exactly. Hey, barkeep, where's that check? Hang on to your hat, bud. Milton is slow, but he's sure. Fill it up, Charlie. Say, why don't you join me, mate? Here, Charlie. Oh, no, no, thank you. No. Oh, come on. Won't take off a mo. Celebrate whatever it is you're celebrating on me. Come on, pour it, Charlie. Yeah, sure. Well, I guess I might as well. Thank you. Cheers. Cheers. Was that varnish, Charlie? Special brand, eh, Charlie? Yes. Look, could you get that waiter out here? I've got to meet my friends. Watch your hurry, mate. You got plenty time. Sure. Sit down. Take it easy. You don't look so good. Don't feel so good. Well, here now you sit right here. You'll feel chipper as a bloomin grasshopper in a second. Gotta get outside in a hurry. Where's it? Check. Check. Oh, all right. Come on. Get him out the back before his mates turn up. Grab his other leg. Let's go. You know easy. That's what he thinks. Where he's gone, he's got plenty of time. Oh, all right, mate. Up on your feet. Wakey, wakey, wakey. Let go of me. What's the idea? Rise and shine and greet the dawn. Where am I? What's going on here? I'm all now made up. Bened him. Wakey, wakey, wakey. Come on, show it ache. Show it ache. Wait a minute. Hey, you were at that bar, Scully Square. Come on now up to the power room or you'll be in trouble. Power room? What are you talking about? Where am I? Well, that's hard to say exactly. Orphaned about eight hours out of Atlantic Spaceport. Atlantic Spaceport? What kind of a joke is this? If Alan and Peter think this is funny, they. What ship is this? R.S. michael M. Rafferty. Coffin line. Coffin line. Well, that makes it easy. You've got to put back to port. Forget your toothbrush, mate. Listen, you run. Take me to the captain or I'll tear you apart. Here they go. Am I the Pearl? Get moving. Sure, sure, mate. I'll take you up to the captain. Captain Lundstrom is just the man you want to. Martin, what the devil are you doing on the bridge? Get below. Say right away, sir. Right away. Only this here gentleman asked to say now. That's right, Captain. There's been a mistake made. I'm afraid it was supposed to be a joke. Oh, yes. You see, I'm going to be married today. And I suppose my friends thought it would be funny to make me miss the ceremony. I'm sure it won't be too much trouble to have you drop me off back at Atlantic. What? Morton, what is this? Oh, it's simple, Captain. He wants you to turn the ship around, that's all. If there's any trouble with your superior, I'm sure I can fix it up. You see, I'm Jeff Coffin. Yes, well, you don't understand. My father is Cyrus Coffin. He owns this ship. He does, eh? I can understand you're not believing me, Captain, but I can identify my. Hey, where's my wallet? My, my. Look, Captain, all you have to do is rad. Mr. Black, remove this man from the bridge. Hi, sir. You heard the captain, buster. Wait a minute. Let go of me. This is no way to treat a passenger. Passenger? Wake up, sonny boy. You're one of the crew. What are you crazy? I'm Jeff Coffin. Maybe. But you signed on as a crewman. Now stand at attention. You can't get away with this. And say sir. Why, you cheap hoodlum. Now, listen careful, sonny. You're a spaceman on this ship, and when an officer gives you an order, you're gonna jump. How do you. All busted. Let go of my arms. I guess you need a little lesson in ship's discipline, and you might as well get it now. All right, Mr. Black. Now take him below. All right, now, mate, you grab yourself a buffer and you get to work on those deck plates. I can't get away with this. It's kidnapping. Maybe yes, maybe no. I get this here deck nice and shiny. We might even see a bats and grub. I'll be back in two hours. Mind you, I want to be able to see my blooming reflection in it. Hey. Hey. You'd better get started. I can't get away with this. The law says once you sign on, you're under absolute orders. I looked it up, but I didn't sign on. I was kidnapped. You won't be able to prove it. Come on, mister, please. I didn't get anything to eat today. Give me a break. All right, you run the buffer over. If Zeded? Yeah, that's right. Like this. Okay, you sign on. Yeah. I ran away from home. What? How old are you? Sixteen. I'll be 30 when we get back. What do you mean, 30? We're headed for Mars, aren't we? Only to refuel. We're bound out to send Taurus. Nah, we can't. But that's 15 years, Martin. I've got to get back. There's no you getting married. She'll think I'm dead. Martin. Martin. Martin. Now watch up. You want me to call Mr. Black again? He'll give you what for. No, no, listen. Now, listen. I've got to get back. I can't disappear for 15 years. How is that a fact? Look, we stop at Mars, right? Yes. And you'll be below decks under lock and key. Listen, I can make it worth your while if you get me off at Marsport. Jumping ship. That's real naughty, mate. $1,000. Why, what would I Tell me poor old mother in Battery Sea 2005. In advance. What do you mean, in advance? I bet you're the one that rolled me for my wallet as a way they don't believe your young Coffin. Maybe I know better. All right. So, Dale. All right. Look, Mr. Coffin, can you take me with you? I didn't realize what it would be like. I'll pay my share. I could work it for you or maybe borrow money. I couldn't stand 15 years. I go crazy. He'll cost you another thousand. You cheap swindler. Here now, Mr. Coffin, I'm all what stands between you and a lovely pleasure cruise for 15 years. So I'll thank you to treat me with a respecting politeness or to gentlemen like myself deserves. Standby. Stand by for landing procedure. All right, now listen careful. This is the cable locker for the grappling anchor. When she lands, this hatch will open and the cables go out. Don't get yourself caught in me or be tore apart. All right, we got that. Are you sure we can get out? You just do what I say. When you drop down, run for the blast pit. Nobody's there for a lantern. Lay low until dark. You got that? All right. Don't worry. I'll tell the patrol you help us get away. That'll help you when they catch up with this gang. Well, thank you, sir. Thank you kindly. I've got to get to me stationary. Good. Thanks. Thanks, Mr. Morton. There's the landing horn. Yeah. Keep clear of that cable, Joey. Here comes the deceleration blast. Hold on. There goes the grappling cable. All right. Come on. Drop to the hatch. It's about six feet. It's clear. Hurry up. Here I go. You all right? Twisted my ankle. It's all right. There's the blast pit. Come on. Get going. Yeah. Yeah. We're all right so far. Yes. She apologies. Use the pit. Get down so they can't see. I don't know how to thank you, Mr. Carpenter. I must have been crazy to sign on that ship. That's all right. Joey. What happened? Have a fight at home? Yeah. Wait a minute. Huh? I hear somebody coming. What? Keep still. Maybe we better look. If we stick our heads over the edge, they'll see us. Sure. Keep down and keep quiet. I hear him do us. Well, well, well. Look what we have here. Two little babes in the wood. You two move, and I'll shoot you each once in the belly. Martin, you got good eyes. I told you I saw him come his way. Mr. Black. Jumping ship. Why, that's a terrible thing to do. You double crossing rat. You got paid in advance, didn't you? Then turned us in. I'll see the port police about this. Yeah. We already turned your papers over to the port police's shipjumpers. Papers? I didn't sign any papers. You just don't remember signing them. I got them stamped nice and legal. It's no use, Mr. Coffin. We haven't got a chance. My. My. Jumping ship. Don't worry, mate. You'll see your girl again in 15. Mr. Black, inform the ship's company that these two men have been found guilty of attempted desertion. Desertion? When you kidnap me? You dirty crook. Don't you talk to Captain Lundstrom that way. I'm sentencing them to 24 hours Hull Watch. Take them away. Morton, take him to the aft lock. All right, sir. Ship jumping. If you didn't have that gun, I'd break you in two. Double crossing rat. He'll calm down after 24 hours. Hull watch. What's hull watch? Very simple. We put you two in spacesuits and shove you through the airlock on the end of a line. You sit out there and you watch the hull for 24 hours. You can talk to each other on the wireless intercom, but no food and no water. And the heating units in those suits are just a little bit defective. Makes it interesting. Along about the 18th hour, I'll bet. Here we are, gentlemen. The airlock. Now, you get in here, you've got five minutes. Get into suits and we blow you out of the lock. See you in 24 hours. Maybe. Joey. Joey can you hear? You all right? Yeah. Getting awful cold. How much longer we got? I don't know. I suppose that's part of the fun. Guessing I'm awful thirsty. It can't be too much more. Hang on, kid. It's cold. It'll probably get colder. We better stop the safety hook. Jeff. Jeff, what would happen if we drifted away from the ship? We'd keep going in the same direction. Till the oxygen gave out. Yeah. Will it get much colder? I don't know if I can take it. We haven't got any choice, Joey. Just hang on. It can't last forever. Well, welcome back to our little home. Water. Water. Tasty. Right here. Here. Slopping like a bloody animal. Joey. Best hub, he'll be all. Help him teach you a lesson. Both of you just take my advice and behave yourselves. Got 15 years to go on this year's ship and you might as well make the best of it. Hey, Martin, what do you call this message? That's your supper, mate. Food. Concentrate. What's the idea? Only two months out, non concentrates already. You complaining, Reed? Yeah, I'm complaining. If Captain Lundstrom's chiseling on the manifest, that's his business. But when he tries to take it out of our house. Keep quiet or I'll turn you in there, Mr. Black, concentrate is what you get to eat from here on out. Now shove it in your face and keep court. I'll shove it in your face and see how you like it. Look out. What's going on in here? Gordon, what happened? He struck me. It's watch. 48 hours hull watch. What are you all looking at? Get back to your places. Morton, bring that man to the aft airlock. All right, Red, out of there. Your time's up. Come on, you, mate. Go in and get him. Come on, Joey. Chief, 48 hours out there. Unsnap the helmet. Careful. Get it off. Come on now. Hurry up. Bring him too. I can't. What? He's dead. Get him undressed. Hang up that spacesuit. He must have had a heart attack. Heart attack? He's frozen to death. Mr. Black will be fair. Heartbroken. Red was a first class jet man. Hurry up with that suit. It's cold in here. That's all I have to say. It's murder, that's what. Just plain murder. Base code gives a 30 hour limit for punishment. They didn't even have a burial. Just shoved him out of a lockdown. Well, if the owners knew about this, they'd stop. Ah, fat load of good that's going to do us for the next 15 years. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. If we could get the ship back to Mars. Oh, look, that's no good, son. Two weeks after we landed, we'd be hung. That's what space code says about mutiny. If they catch you in the act, they shoot you down. And no question. Well, I'm willing to take the chance. Are we gonna let Black and Lundstrom kick us around for 15 years? Why don't we take over and head back? Okay, I'm ready. Quiet. Quiet. Quiet. Quiet. Did I interrupt something, gentlemen? A discussion. Talking about the captain, maybe? Well, don't grab him. Let go of me. I'll have you all out in the island shifts. I'll see you now. Police, you gents. What I'll do? Yeah, chew on my oil. Right. Morton. Well, that's done it. Harry, he's an officer. Who cares? Look, we gotta move now. Joey, get up to the radio room and smash the set before they can get a message out. Right, Pop. You get out. Tell the engine watch. All right. The rest of us will go up to the bridge. How about this? Right. Tie him up. Speed counts. Now. We've got to take over before they know what hit him. Careful. We've got a surprise. We'll get him cold, Jeff. Quiet. Sparks were sending when I got in, but I knocked him out and smashed the sep. We're all right. All right. Come on, let's get up to the bridge. Hey, look out. Let's close the hatch. Hey, we're. We're cut off from the bridge. We'll never get through that. He must have found out somehow. Folks will intercom. Black must must have turned it on from the bridge. He must have heard the whole thing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We better get out of here. Yeah. What'll they do? I don't know. They got all the controls up there. We can shut down the drive, but we can't steer. Dog. Down the hatch behind us. Well, what next? All right, man. Captain Lundstrom's giving you one minute to give up. Quiet. In a pig's eye, Black. You'll hang for mutiny, every one of you. What do we do now? Quiet. They can hear everything on the intercom. Not if I cut the switch. Gotta get through to the bridge. Well, it's a Mexican standoff. We can't get at them, they can't get at us. What's that? Air leak. The pressure's down. What is it? Lunston. He blew the hatch in the mess hall section. Just opened it up and let the air out. Oh, Anybody caught Al Haines, he was cooking supper. Dead as a doornail. Well, they can kill us all. They'll do it too. All they've got to do is bleed off the air. They've got the atmosphere controls up there. I see all of you blokes swinging from a land in crane. I will. You scum. Morton, you know what Black's going to do? Bleed off the air down here. Serve you all right. If I had my way, I'd see you all out in the yard until you froze stiff. You're forgetting something, Morton. You're back here with us. What do you mean? If Black and runs from blowout compartments one by one, I'll bleed the air off. You'll get it too. They'll take care of me. Don't you worry about that. You think so? Joey, plug that intercom back in. Yeah. Black. Black. Coming up. We've got Martin back here. Yeah. If you try anything honest, he'll get it too. What am I supposed to do? Cry? You don't care if he dies. That's his problem. We're gonna drop the oxygen level 5%. You can't do that to me. Captain. Captain. It's unfortunate that you are captured, Martin. But the security of my ship comes first. You. You mean you don't care? You'd see me dead? Precisely. Well, you can't. It's murder, that's what. I'm not one of them. You can't kill me. You can't go he pull me in a gun. Don't do it. I always followed orders. I did the dirty work. And Paul? He can't hear you anymore. Martin do this. Shut up, Martin. They kill you as soon as look at you. Now listen. We've got to get through to the bridge. You know this ship. There must be some way. We're your only chance. Morton, get us through that hatch and up to the bridge. All right, all right. Why shouldn't I? They'd kill me. And there is a way to get through. Emergency release works by and I don't tell crewman about it. To keep them from breaking. Throwing an engine blast and leaking radiation to the bridge. Let's get going. We've got to get through before Lundstrom cuts the air down and gets us all. Here's the hatch. Morton, where's the release? Under the floor panel. Getting. Draw it up, Harry. I got it. She's up. Works on a key. Really? Back against the walls. They've got the guns. Let them have them. I want to wrap my wretch around. Black's neck. All right, Morton, open it up. Here it goes. Look out. We're headed quiet. Morton. Martin. He's dead. Electrocuted. And the hatch is still closed. He didn't get to turn that key. It killed him instantly. Harry, they got your watch gloves. They're insulated. Oh sure, sure. They'll take any curse. Let's get Morton out of the way. Hey, don't touch him, Joey. He's got the current through him. Yeah, I'll pull him away with the glove. All right now stand by. Here goes the key. Let's go. Oh, let go of gun one through. Hold them both. You don't have to worry about Black. I got him square with a wrench. Anybody else hurt? I am the side. I think it just grazed me. We'd better tie Lunchtrum up. What do you think you are going to do now? Turn around and go back home? I don't think so. I have burned the navigation tapes and none of you can recalculate watch. You'll just wander in space till the fuel gives out. You'll die right here on the ship. How you coming, Jeff? It's no use. I've had a little space math, but not enough to compute a flight. Sooner or later you're going to beg me to let you surrender. Jeff, the interceptor screens went on media. No, no. It was a ship. A patrol ship coming up on us. Hey, must have got off an SOS we don't have to worry. We can just tell them the truth. Sure. You are not familiar with the space code, young man. Mutiny is punished by immediate execution on the ship itself. In other words, they don't ask questions, they shoot. He's right, Jeff. We're through. Can we get away? Not from a patrol ship. They've already sent us a heave 2 flash. If we run, they'll blow us out of space. I'm afraid your mutiny is over, gentlemen. Soon they'll be alongside with an airlock coupling. And 10 minutes after that you will all be dead. Nobody move. Sergeant, take a squad and secure the ship. Collect all weapons and post a guard in the engine room. Yes, sir. You Brown? Williams, Kentucky. Kelly. I'm delighted to see you, Major. I was not sure that an SOS had gotten through. Oh, you're Captain Lundstrom. That's right. I can swear out the affidavit of mutiny. And I don't think a mutiny charge will stand up. Lust not with the relief of command warrant out for you. I think we'll just forget about it. You're under arrest, Captain. Oh, you can't do that. Space code is clear. You recorded my sos? Sos? Of course. How else did you get here? They sent us after you to get Jeff Coffin. Where is he? I'm Jeff Coffin. We had a missing persons alarm for you, and then when a check you signed turned up at Mars. Poor check. That's right. I gave one to Morton to help me get away and he sold it to a fence for half face value. We traced it back to this ship. Coffin. I've got orders to escort you personally. We're taking you back to Earth, son. Major, can I send out a message? Of course. Oh, that reminds me. I've got one for you from your fiance. Huh? She said to tell you that she didn't object to a bachelor party in principle, but she did think six months was stretching it a bit. Competition, they say, is the life of trade. And it will be as true two centuries from now as it is today. You'll hear about it next week when we present Dimension. Today. Dimension X has transcribed Shanghai, an original story by Ernest Kinhoy. Featured in the cast were John Sylvester as Jeff and William Griffiths as Morton. Your host was Norman Rose. Music by Bert Berman. Engineer Bill Chambers. Dimension X is produced by William Welch and directed by Edward King. Three chimes mean good times on NBC. Tonight, it's the Big show on NBC. Your stars will be Groucho Marx, Ezio Pizza, Jane Powell, Fanny Brice, Frank Lovejoy, Meredith Wilson and many, many more. Supervising the hour and a half Big show will be MC Tallulah Bankhead. Incidentally, when unpredictable Tallulah meets unconventional Groucho, look out. It's the Big show every Sunday on NBC. Now the Quiz Kids, and later here, Tallulah and the Big show on NBC.