Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: First Nighter 39-04-28 (0417) Three Who Face Death
Release Date: December 27, 2025
Source: Radio theater performance from the Golden Age of Radio

Episode Overview

This episode showcases a complete broadcast of "The First Nighter Program," featuring the radio play "Three Who Face Death" (originally aired April 28, 1939). In this suspenseful drama, a young woman named Mary arrives home suffering from amnesia, pursued by a gangster named Madden. As the events unfold, psychological intrigue, danger, and quick-thinking heroics come to the fore, with the play blending elements of crime, melodrama, and 1930s-era theatrical flair.

Key Discussion Points and Plot Breakdown

Setting the Stage: Opening Night on the Air

[00:43 - 03:45]

• The Narrator immerses listeners in the thrill of opening night at a "little theater off Times Square."
• Stars are introduced: Barbara Luddy as Mary, a distressed young woman; Les Tremayne as Paul, a psychology professor and Mary's love interest.

Act 1: Mystery and Danger Arrive

[03:45 - 11:43]

• Mary is found in a dazed state outside Paul's family home.
  • She exhibits signs of amnesia: "She looks straight at me, but she don't recognize me... unless something's wrong with her brain." – Whitey, (03:45)
• Paul and his father try to comfort her, unsuccessfully attempting to restore her memory.
• Enter Madden, the gangster:
  • Madden barges in, claiming Mary is his wife and demanding to see her.
  • Paul recognizes Madden: "Dad, take a good look at him. He's a gangster. You've seen his picture in the paper any number of times."
• Madden is accused of murder; the house's phone line is found cut, isolating the family.

Notable Quote

• Madden threatens:
  "Listen, white whiskers, before I came in here, I cut your telephone wire. So don't bother trying to telephone." – Madden, (09:10)

Act 2: Uncovering the Truth

[15:17 - 21:45]

• Paul and his father debate what to do. Paul refuses to involve the police, hoping to use psychology to cure Mary's amnesia.
• Paul attempts hypnosis:
  • He uses a candle to hypnotize Mary, restoring her memory.
  • Mary reveals she witnessed Madden committing murder and fled in terror, causing her amnesia:
    • Mary confesses:
      "I saw him shoot a man. I saw him commit murder... I drove away as fast as I could... and I don't remember anymore." (19:08-19:41)
• Madden confronts the group, brandishing a gun and threatening everyone who knows his secret.
  • "I'm talking about you and your old man, Mr. Smart Guy. There are three people who know that I bumped off Al Malone... If you don't think I'm going to do something about you three people, you got another guess coming." – Madden, (21:29)

Act 3: Showdown and Justice by Hypnosis

[25:14 - 32:48]

• Tensions erupt as Paul and Madden square off. Paul uses psychological taunts to get Madden to put away his gun for a fistfight.
  • "Paul would never be in your spot. You're a coward hiding behind a gun." – Paul, (25:26)
• Fight scene: Paul overpowers Madden after a struggle. They prevent Mary from panicking.
• Paul's gambit: While Madden is unconscious, Paul plans to hypnotize him, using his dulled will.
  • "You can't hypnotize this man." – Narrator skeptically, (28:42)
  • "I can if I catch him in a moment when his will is dulled." – Paul, (29:00)
• Under hypnosis, Paul compels Madden to leave and confess his crimes:
  • Paul's command:
    "You're going to leave this house... You're taking only one thing with you – the truth... You're going to confess to the murder of Al Malone... and your other crimes, and you'll stick to your story." (30:30-31:10)
• Madden confesses:
  • "I killed Hal Malone. I killed Red Adam. I killed my own brother. My own brother..." (31:50)
  • Paul sends him out to face justice, freeing Mary and his family from danger.

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• "That's amnesia. What's that? That's what you get when you're scared stiff." – Whitey and Paul, humorous exchange illustrating 1930s psychological understanding. (03:45)
• "I might have killed you, Madden, but I don't want even your evil blood on my conscience... so I send you this way to bring yourself to justice." – Paul, as he hypnotizes Madden to confess, reflecting a unique moral resolution. (31:20)
• Mary, upon recovering her memory:
  "That's not true. I don't even know him. It's not true... Cole Madden came here to kill me." (19:01-19:08)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:45] – Play begins, Mary found in amnesiac state.
• [09:10] – Madden enters, threats begin.
• [19:08] – Mary recounts witnessing the murder, explaining her amnesia.
• [21:29] – Madden threatens all three witnesses.
• [25:26] – Paul confronts Madden, calls him a coward.
• [27:03-27:49] – The fight between Paul and Madden.
• [29:00-31:50] – Hypnosis scene: Paul hypnotizes Madden, makes him confess.
• [32:48] – Curtain falls; play concludes, moral victory for Paul and Mary.

Tone and Style

The episode exemplifies the melodramatic, fast-moving style of 1930s radio theater. Dialogue is crisp, filled with earnest appeals, bold threats, and clear-cut morality. The family-centric values and faith in psychology as “modern science” reflect the era’s sensibilities.

Final Thoughts

"Three Who Face Death" delivers a compact, suspenseful tale mixing crime, psychological intrigue, and moral justice. Paul’s innovative use of hypnosis both saves the day and provides a unique radio drama flourish. The episode is a classic example of Golden Age radio — family-friendly suspense with a satisfying, if implausible, resolution.