Podcast Summary: If Freedom Failed (004) The Heavens Fall

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Date: September 19, 2025
Cast: Mark Stevens (Randy Felton), Stan Waxman (the Dean), John Stevenson (Bert), Ben Wright (the Prosecutor), Georgia Kirkwright (Lois)
Original Airdate: Golden Age of Radio
Episode Theme:
A chilling dramatization of life in a fictional American town, Springfield, USA, under communist rule. The episode paints a stark picture of how ordinary lives and American ideals are twisted, threatened, and destroyed when personal freedoms are supplanted by authoritarian, ideological rule. The story is inspired in part by real events in East Germany and the show’s intended warning is clear: “If Freedom Failed.”

Main Story and Setting

Set in a grim Springfield, USA (a town described as anywhere in America), the narrative follows Randy Felton—a law student with ordinary dreams—caught in the vise of a Communist regime. The episode unfolds as a cautionary tale, showing what could happen if American democracy were replaced by totalitarianism, echoing historical episodes in East Germany and elsewhere.

“This is the story of what happens to a young man with everyday ideals under a Communist regime.” (Narrator, 00:16)

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. The New Oppression in Springfield (00:16–04:45)

• Randy awakens after a brutal police beating, supported by his love interest, Lois.
• He reflects bitterly on how he’s ended up as “the whipped dog crawling back to his ex-keeper.”

2. Pressures to Conform—Law School and Party Affiliation (04:45–07:25)

• The Dean warns Randy that only Communist Party members are considered “desirable pupils.”

  “The facts are that only Communist Party members make desirable pupils.” (Dean, 07:17)

• Randy is forced to join the party to maintain his student status and career prospects.
• Lois is disillusioned when she discovers Randy has “joined the party,” leading to friction and disappointment.

3. Underground Resistance—Political Dissent (07:25–13:15)

• Despite appearances, Randy secretly works with Bert and others to help Sanders, the lone non-Communist political candidate.
• Their support is mostly limited to clandestine acts, such as posting campaign posters at night in treacherous conditions.

“It’s gonna be rougher than we figured. Looks like the party’s out for blood.” (Bert, 09:22)

• Tension heightens as police patrols are doubled before election day. Randy brushes off suggestions that he needs help or a lookout, determined but increasingly isolated.
• Paul, the newsstand proprietor, warns Randy about the dangers and gives him a knife for protection.

4. Confrontation with Authority (13:15–17:30)

• Randy is caught tacking up posters by two brutal uniformed officers, one an intimidating policewoman.
• In a tense and violent struggle, Randy fights back, barely escaping after being hit and threatened.
• He seeks solace with Lois, resolved to escape the regime’s grip. But election day dawns—the inexorable machinery of surveillance is still at work.

5. The Rigged Election (17:30–21:40)

• Randy insists on voting for Sanders, the opposition candidate, but the ballot and process are engineered to favor the Communist Party.

  “Now, if you wish to vote for Hollingsworth of the People’s Party, you need not even place a cross behind his name. Merely deposit a ballot in this box right here. Now, isn’t that simple?” (Election official, 20:47)

• Sanders’s name is only available via a hard-to-access write-in. The “secret ballot” is revealed as a sham, and a watcher tips off the authorities about Randy’s presence.

6. Trial and the Loss of Justice (21:40–34:00)

• Randy faces a show trial for “attempted murder” and “treason.”

• The Dean pleads with him to allow legal defense, highlighting the perversion of justice under the regime.

  “Ah, nuts. The wheels got jammed a long time.” (Randy, 22:29)

• The courtroom, ironically set in a dance hall where Randy and Lois once found joy, underscores the perversion of ordinary life.

• False witnesses, hostile prosecutors, and an atmosphere of intimidation define the proceedings. The futility of defense is clear.

7. Memorable Moments & Quotes

• The Dean quotes Latin:

  “Justitia fiat rua coelum.”—“Let justice be done, though the heavens fall.” (Dean, 31:01)

• Randy’s defiant testimony:

  “It would take me another five years to find one single reason why I should not have done what I did… I would not only repeat them, I would multiply them. And I would do it so precisely because justice must be done, though the heavens fall.” (Randy, 32:22)

• The prosecutor’s chilling “ten little Indians” litany, illustrating the erasure of dissenters:

  “Ten little Indians were standing in line. One of them cheated and then there were nine… He was hanged by the neck. And then there were none.” (Prosecutor, 33:54)

8. Closing—A Real-World Parallel (36:10–End)

• The program explicitly compares the dramatization to the real story of Hermann Joseph Flade, tried for standing up to Communism in East Germany.

  “You think this could not happen? It did happen in communist-occupied East Germany… Hermann Joseph Flade was to be beheaded. But the execution was delayed. …He was finally sentenced to 15 years in prison.” (Narrator, 36:20)

Notable Quotes

• Randy (on the meaning of resistance):
  “May I say I consider my life a worthwhile price for freedom. For I am sure this court may put an end to my individual strive for liberty. The new dawn will see thousands of others whose plain, downright sense of human decency will compel them to arise and protest.” (Randy, 34:14)

• Dean (on justice and resilience):
  “Let justice be done, though the heavens fall.” (Dean, 31:01)

• Prosecutor (on silencing dissent):
  “A mentally unbalanced killer is a trivial menace to society in comparison to this cold-blooded, calculated would-be murderer… Nothing but capital punishment could still his thirst for blood.” (Prosecutor, 33:42)

Important Timestamps

• 00:16 — Introduction: The grim premise and fictional setting in Springfield, USA.
• 04:45–07:25 — Randy faces the dilemma of colluding with the regime for survival.
• 09:22 — The Committee’s fear and strategy on the eve of the election.
• 13:15 — Randy caught posting Sanders posters, confrontation with police.
• 20:47 — The “election” and the emptiness of choice.
• 21:40–34:00 — Show trial, including Dean’s testimony and Randy’s final defense.
• 33:54–36:10 — The prosecutor’s final damning statements, verdict delivered.
• 36:10–End — Real-life parallel: The story of Hermann Joseph Flade, warning listeners the story is based on actual events.

Final Reflection

Tone & Purpose:
“The Heavens Fall” is somber, intense, and urgent. The script’s tone is melodramatic and didactic, blending ordinary life with political nightmare. It’s an emotional appeal to listeners to cherish and protect their freedoms by offering a dramatized, but historically rooted, warning.

For New Listeners:
This episode is a powerful artifact of mid-20th-century radio drama and anticommunist propaganda. Its message about vigilance in preserving freedom is clear, but its impact lies in its tight, suspenseful narrative and dialogue, which make the threat to personal liberty feel personal and immediate.

Core Message:
If freedom fails, ordinary lives are destroyed—not by foreign armies, but by the slow, corrosive power of compromised principles, fear, and acquiescence.