Quiet Please 47-06-08 001 Nothing Behind the Door

Summary

Harold's Old Time Radio Podcast Summary

Episode: Quiet Please 47-06-08 001 Nothing Behind the Door
Release Date: January 21, 2025
Host/Author: Harold's Old Time Radio

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Introduction

In this episode of Harold's Old Time Radio, titled Nothing Behind the Door, listeners are transported back to the Golden Age of Radio with a gripping dramatic narrative. Written and directed by Willis Cooper, the story unfolds through the voice of Ernest Chapel, portrayed by Ernest Chapel himself. The episode delves into themes of mystery, trust, and the unknown, set against the eerie backdrop of Mount Wilson in California.

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Plot Summary

The story begins with Ernest Chapel reminiscing about his past in California, particularly his friendships with Aldo Minucci and Hugh Grant. The trio, along with their associate Martin Lawrence (playing an astronomer), decide to investigate a secluded and fenced-off area atop Mount Wilson, intrigued by a little house elevated on stilts and shrouded in secrecy.

As the friends navigate the dark, wooded paths leading to the locked building, tension mounts. The fence around the house piques their curiosity, and despite warnings from the astronomer that "there's nothing behind that door" (10:27), their intrigue prevails. The group manages to break through the fence but finds the interior door padlocked and ominously empty.

Resolving to uncover the truth, they attempt to forcefully open the door, only to discover that the interior is pitch black and eerily silent. As they struggle with the absence of visible contents, Martin Lawrence's character eerily insists that "there's nothing in there" (22:25). However, as the tension escalates, unexplained phenomena begin to unfold—the friends hear whispers, see shadows, and sense an ominous presence.

The climax builds as Ernest confronts the disquieting reality that friends may not return, and the empty space behind the door may hold more than mere emptiness. The narrative reaches a chilling conclusion with echoes of warnings not to tamper with unknown doors, leaving listeners pondering the fine line between reality and the unseen mysteries that lie beyond.

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Character Analysis

• Ernest Chapel (00:18): The central narrator whose reflective and anxious tone sets the stage for the unfolding drama. His internal conflict and fear amplify the episode's suspense.

• Martin Lawrence (05:31): Portraying the astronomer, Martin's character serves as both a guide and a skeptic, providing scientific explanations that are repeatedly challenged by the group's experiences.

• Aldo Minucci (08:24) & Hugh Grant (08:33): Representing the adventurous and skeptical friends, Aldo and Hugh drive the exploration forward, often clashing with Martin's assertions and their own growing fears.

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Key Themes

1. Mystery and the Unknown: The locked door symbolizes the allure and danger of uncovering secrets beyond human comprehension.
2. Trust and Betrayal: The dynamics among the friends shift as fear and uncertainty test their trust in one another.
3. Isolation: Set on a mountaintop, the story emphasizes the characters' isolation, heightening the sense of vulnerability.
4. Science vs. Superstition: The astronomer's scientific explanations are juxtaposed against the supernatural or inexplicable events, questioning the limits of human understanding.

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Notable Quotes

• Ernest Chapel:
  "There's a hole. It's a great big patch of nothing." (00:28)
  Sets the eerie tone, suggesting something is amiss in the natural order.

• Martin Lawrence:
  "We must, in order to keep this telescope focused accurately on the celestial objects we are observing, neutralize those motors mechanically." (05:31)
  Illustrates the scientific background of the astronomer character.

• Hugh Grant:
  "The sky's gone by." (06:30)
  Highlights the unsettling visual phenomena experienced by the characters.

• Ernest Chapel:
  "There might be something the matter with the light." (19:29)
  Indicates the beginning of the supernatural or unexplained events.

• Martin Lawrence:
  "There's nothing behind that door." (22:25)
  A recurring line that becomes increasingly ironic as the plot progresses.

• Ernest Chapel:
  "Maybe somebody will tell you it's just a place where they store equipment. Maybe. Why do they keep the door locked, then?" (27:01)
  Expresses the lingering doubt and mystery surrounding the locked door.

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Key Moments

• Initial Exploration (08:21): The trio decides to divert from their planned activities to investigate the fenced house, setting the adventure in motion.

• Breaking Through the Fence (09:27): Their attempt to bypass the fence symbolizes the crossing from the known into the unknown, escalating tension.

• Encounter with the Locked Door (19:22): The revelation that the door is padlocked and appears empty fuels the mystery, challenging Martin's assertions.

• Supernatural Interactions (21:00): As the plot thickens, the friends experience inexplicable phenomena, hinting at a presence beyond rational explanation.

• Chilling Conclusion (22:57): Ernest's final reflections leave listeners with a haunting message about curiosity and the dangers of probing the unknown.

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Conclusion

Nothing Behind the Door masterfully blends suspense, character dynamics, and an eerie atmosphere to create a memorable radio drama experience. Through vivid storytelling and effective use of sound and dialogue, the episode captures the essence of the Golden Age of Radio, offering both nostalgia and thrilling entertainment to its audience. The unresolved mysteries and chilling warnings serve as a testament to the enduring allure of radio storytelling, leaving listeners eager for more adventures in future episodes.

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Additional Information

• Cast:

  • Ernest Chapel as Ernest Chapel
  • Martin Lawrence as the astronomer
  • Aldo Minucci as Aldo Minucci
  • Hugh Grant as Hugh Grant
  • Pat O'Malley as James Van Dyke, the astronomer

• Music: Composed and played by Gene Purrazzo, enhancing the episode's suspenseful and mysterious mood.

• Upcoming Episodes: The next episode titled I've Been Looking for You promises an exciting and unusual love story, featuring guest star Claudia Morgan.

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Tags

#OldTimeRadio #RadioDrama #Mystery #Suspense #GoldenAgeRadio #MountWilson #NothingBehindTheDoor #WillisCooper #ErnestChapel #HaroldOldTimeRadio

Transcript

[Willis Cooper]

Mutual Broadcasting System presents the first of a series of new and unusual dramatic programs written and directed by Willis Cooper and featuring Ernest Chapel.

[Ernest Chapel]

Quiet, please. Quiet, please. 6,800ft above sea level. A little house, maybe 20ft long, 15ft wide. It's made of corrugated iron sheets with a high peaked roof. It sort of hangs over the edge of the mountaintop with nothing but the spikes of pine trees stretching all the way down to Pasadena. Better than a mile below you. Did you ever get out to California? Well, if you do, go up there sometime and take a look at that little house. But look at it through the fence that surrounds it. That's far enough. Through the fence, you go out Foothill Boulevard toward Pasadena. But you turn off on Angeles Crest highway at Lac Nada. Just keep on driving up here and you'll get there. Just keep right on going. The top of Mount Willis. End of the highway. You ever look through a big telescope at the sky at night? At the things up there? Things so far away. You sprain your brain just trying to imagine how far away they are with nothing between you and them. Billions and billions of miles of nothing. I don't know what it does to you, but, brother, I free. Listen. Do you know there are holes in the sky? No, I mean it. I've seen them. There's a thing in the constellation Andromeda. Now, wait a minute. I'm not going to get technical with you. Just listen. There's this thing. Astronomers call it the Horsehead Nebula. You know what it is? It's a hole. It's a great big patch of nothing.

[Martin Lawrence]

Just nothing.

[Ernest Chapel]

There aren't any stars there.

[Martin Lawrence]

There's just a hole.

[Ernest Chapel]

No, nobody knows anything about it. Astronomers look at it. They take pictures of it, and there it stays. There it is now and tomorrow and the next day and a million years from now. And it's been there always. Yes, it has. It's so far away that what you see now is the way it looked a billion years ago. Before there was anybody to see it. Friends. And there's lots more of those places. So what's all this got to do with the little house up on top Mount Wilson? I'll tell you, this was quite some time ago. I'd been living in California State for several years. I had a couple of bucks. Had a nice little place near Van Eyes. That was before the valley got to be so popular with movie people, radio comics, people like that. And it wasn't bad living alone, waking up in the middle of the night, hearing the Southern Pacific lark whistle for A crossing out around Chatsworth. Listening to a dog howling way out across the valley. Going back to sleep. I don't get back to sleep so easy these days. Well, these people from Cleveland were out there. Aldo Minucci and Hugh Grant. We used to be great friends, Aldo and Hugh and I. So nothing would do, but they'd come to stay with me. That was all right. I had a Dodge convertible. The boys got quite a kick out of California. That's how we came to go up to Mount Wilson that day. Aldo and Hugh had been, you know, looking around for our places. They had some ideas. So one day we were having breakfast and they were looking at an automobile club bulletin. Aldo said, let's go to Mount Wilton. So we did. So we did. I've been up there once before. You know how it is in California. I knew everything. I thought I knew everything. I found out different. We were inside the big dome where the hundred inch telescope is. It's like being inside a giant's watch. The telescope is in the middle a big spidery framework with ladders climbing all over it. Up under this dome, the tourists stand on kind of a catwalk around the edge while the astronomer explains as much as he thinks the apple knockers will understand. There were just a few of us that day standing close to a little kind of pulpit, listening with our mouths open. Yeah, it is like a pulpit. I got to think in that day how the astronomer looked like a priest up there. Nice old white haired fellow like a priest. And I was thinking he was talking about the heavens too. I'd seen it all before, but my mouth was as wide open as Hughes and Aldo's.

[Martin Lawrence]

It moves around the sun at the rate of about 18 and a half miles per second. So therefore, you see, we must, in order to keep this telescope focused accurately on the celestial objects we are observing, neutralize those motors mechanically. The telescope itself, as you will observe, is controllable in any direction by this motor. Watch it in phase. Notice the motion of the telescope and the final movement. The rotation of the entire dome exactly synchronized with the speed of the Earth to space. Watch through the shovels above his face.

[Ernest Chapel]

Look at.

[Hugh Grant]

Look at Ross.

[Ernest Chapel]

I see. Look outside.

[Hugh Grant]

We. We ain't moving.

[Ernest Chapel]

The sky's gone by.

[Martin Lawrence]

Look at you.

[Aldo Minucci]

I see it.

[Ernest Chapel]

It's an optical illusion, Aldo.

[Martin Lawrence]

No, it's not an optical illusion in relation to space. This spot we are on is standing still through these motions here in the dome, the mirror of the telescope is kept in, aimed exactly at one spot far out in space.

[Hugh Grant]

What space, Mr.

[Martin Lawrence]

It's nothing.

[Aldo Minucci]

What about the air?

[Martin Lawrence]

There are two miles of air, my friend, and then nothing.

[Ernest Chapel]

Oh, stars.

[Martin Lawrence]

Yes, the stars. And the places where there are no stars.

[Ernest Chapel]

My skin twitched a little when he said that. The places where there are no stars. Did yours? Well, the show was over. We went outside into the sunlight. We walked across the long wooden bridge. There's a deep gully in front of the dome and down a little path past the thing they call a coelostat. A small dome on legs about 100ft high. Thing. They study the sun and sunspots and. And things like that. With that was quiet up there. Along toward the middle of the afternoon. There was a chill in the air. We were just talking. It's an odd place. And you get kind of impressed. The people impress you. The astronomers, they live up there all by themselves. They look at the sky. They see things. You always get the feeling they know a lot more than they're telling. Like doctors. Like priests. I guess I said that, didn't I?

[Martin Lawrence]

Well, that's what they like.

[Ernest Chapel]

The path leads through the woods. Biggest live oaks you ever saw. Leads through the woods over to the old hotel. So I said, hey, how about a beer before we start down, huh?

[Hugh Grant]

A beer? That's for me.

[Aldo Minucci]

Can I get hard liquor up here, Ross?

[Ernest Chapel]

No, I don't think so. Anyway, I wouldn't want to drink, not with all that mountain road ahead of me.

[Hugh Grant]

No, sir. Don't stake no drink, Ross. I don't want to ride that road with nobody's had a drink of liquor. Maybe you shouldn't have a beer even.

[Ernest Chapel]

Wait a minute. Beer won't hurt me.

[Aldo Minucci]

Hey, what's this fence for, huh?

[Ernest Chapel]

Never noticed that before.

[Aldo Minucci]

It's quite a fence. A hard time getting over there.

[Hugh Grant]

What would you want to get over it for?

[Martin Lawrence]

I don't know.

[Aldo Minucci]

What do you suppose is on the other side where they got the heavy things?

[Ernest Chapel]

Apart from Seattle. Except that little house out there on stilts.

[Hugh Grant]

Yeah. Funny looking place.

[Aldo Minucci]

Fence goes right around it.

[Hugh Grant]

Ain't that a gate?

[Ernest Chapel]

No. Come on, let's get a beer.

[Aldo Minucci]

No, I want to look at this, Ross.

[Hugh Grant]

Probably they got something valuable in there.

[Ernest Chapel]

Sure. Scientific instruments or something. This place is all full of that stuff.

[Hugh Grant]

Hey, look. Sign.

[Ernest Chapel]

Huh? Where?

[Hugh Grant]

Here.

[Ernest Chapel]

Oh, come on.

[Aldo Minucci]

Ah, wait. What's it say?

[Hugh Grant]

The public is forbidden to pass beyond defense under severe penalty.

[Aldo Minucci]

That all?

[Hugh Grant]

Yep.

[Ernest Chapel]

What do you suppose they got in that place? I don't know. I don't care.

[Aldo Minucci]

There's a door up at the end of that trestle. Maybe we could get back and get into that other shed where the trestle starts.

[Martin Lawrence]

Huh?

[Ernest Chapel]

What do you want to go in there for? Come on, we gotta get going.

[Aldo Minucci]

I'm just curious. You know what I mean? Place might come in handy.

[Hugh Grant]

Oh, yeah.

[Aldo Minucci]

See, especially if they keep everybody out like this.

[Hugh Grant]

But the thing must be full of stuff you like, Ross said. Scientific stuff.

[Aldo Minucci]

Yeah, Might be, might not be. Hey, here comes that fellow that made the spiel up there.

[Hugh Grant]

Well, ask him. He'd know.

[Ernest Chapel]

He won't tell you.

[Aldo Minucci]

Well, we'll find out. Hey, fella, how are you?

[Ernest Chapel]

Hey.

[Martin Lawrence]

Were you talking to me?

[Ernest Chapel]

Yeah.

[Aldo Minucci]

What's in that funny looking building over there?

[Martin Lawrence]

Nothing.

[Ernest Chapel]

Yeah?

[Hugh Grant]

What's the idea of the fence then?

[Martin Lawrence]

We don't want people to go in there.

[Aldo Minucci]

I'd sure like to see what's in it.

[Martin Lawrence]

I said there's nothing in there.

[Aldo Minucci]

You sure, mister?

[Martin Lawrence]

Yes, I'm absolutely, sir.

[Ernest Chapel]

Could we get a pass to go in there maybe?

[Martin Lawrence]

No. You saw the sign, didn't you?

[Aldo Minucci]

It said something about the penalty of the law.

[Martin Lawrence]

You didn't read it very carefully.

[Hugh Grant]

You didn't read it. I did.

[Martin Lawrence]

Read it again.

[Hugh Grant]

Wait. Public forbidden to pass beyond this trench under severe penalty.

[Ernest Chapel]

I see what he means. He didn't say anything about the law.

[Martin Lawrence]

Ah, that's right. Well, then there are other fellows. Oh, tough guy, huh? No, not at all.

[Hugh Grant]

Well, what does it mean, then?

[Martin Lawrence]

I'll give you a little friendly advice. I wouldn't try to find out if I were you. Oh, is that so? Yes.

[Ernest Chapel]

Do you really know what's in there, mister?

[Martin Lawrence]

Yes.

[Ernest Chapel]

What?

[Martin Lawrence]

Nothing.

[Aldo Minucci]

Okay, lads, let's go get that beer.

[Ernest Chapel]

Well, of course, you know what was up. You're way ahead of me. My Cleveland pals weren't in California just for a vacation. There was a bank I'd had my eye on for a while out in Pacific Palisade. It wasn't the first bank that Venucci and Hugh Grant and I had worked to deal on. I didn't go much for this place up on Mount Wilson with nothing in it and a fence around it. Aldo and Hugh. Well, after all, could you find a better place to stash away some dough? Nobody could get in, they said, and if we could, well. So I bought the idea finally. And to make a long story short, we took, I think it was $53,000 out of the bank. 53, 54. Now, what's the difference? It's all gone now. It's a long drive from Pacific Palisades over Sunset Boulevard, then up Beverly Glen to the Valley, down past the sanitarium on Foothill Boulevard to where you turn off on the Angeles Crest Highway. A long drive, especially at 1 o'clock in the morning. That was when we pulled out of Pacific Palisades. It was summer. After you turn on the mountain road, you're not allowed to smoke. You see, a fire warden might come along and those guys can tell. Somebody smoking in a car a half mile off they'd throw you in the can for forest fires. Now, we didn't want anybody stopping us. It was risky enough anyway because practically nobody ever drives up there. Late at night, early in the morning, I mean. Well, we didn't meet anybody. All three of us were jittery with no cigarettes. That road stuffing up in daylight. Boy, in the dark. It was half past four when we got to the top. The hotel was dark, cabins were dark, but the sky, just like solid stars. Why is it put in here? Reach up and touch it. I remember the old guy in the hundred inch dome. Nothing between us and the sky down below. If you've ever been up there at night, you know what I mean? That's like looking down at stars. The light says 17, 18, 19 towns. Pasadena, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Vanille, San Fernando, Culver City, Santa Monica. Makes my hair stand on him like that. And I haven't seen it for never mind how many years. Well, we stumbled through the pitch dark. We got off the path three times, nearly fell downhill and brother, that'd be a fault. We still couldn't risk a cigarette. It was dark. Hugh Grant was in front, then mean Ronaldo. We each had briefcases. Hugh had a pair of big spring wire cutters that'll go through a steel cable. All of a sudden he bumps into the fence.

[Martin Lawrence]

Ouch.

[Ernest Chapel]

What's the matter?

[Aldo Minucci]

The fence.

[Hugh Grant]

Where are you?

[Ernest Chapel]

Stand still, will you? It's dark.

[Aldo Minucci]

Shut up. Listen for a minute. Hear anything?

[Hugh Grant]

No.

[Ernest Chapel]

No.

[Aldo Minucci]

See anything?

[Ernest Chapel]

No.

[Hugh Grant]

Look.

[Aldo Minucci]

What?

[Hugh Grant]

The dome over there.

[Aldo Minucci]

You see somebody?

[Hugh Grant]

No. Them two big windows up there with that big round dome. Looks like somebody watching.

[Ernest Chapel]

Sure does.

[Aldo Minucci]

I'll cut it out. I'm gonna try the fence with a.

[Hugh Grant]

Cutter for the flashlight.

[Aldo Minucci]

No. I wish we bought.

[Ernest Chapel]

Forget it. I just don't like that place.

[Aldo Minucci]

Get out of the way.

[Hugh Grant]

Once we've helped you.

[Aldo Minucci]

Just keep out of the way.

[Ernest Chapel]

Wait.

[Aldo Minucci]

Hear anything?

[Ernest Chapel]

That wire made enough noise to.

[Aldo Minucci]

All right, all right. I'll try another strand.

[Ernest Chapel]

Now.

[Aldo Minucci]

See if you can slide under there. One of you.

[Hugh Grant]

Me? No, can't make it yet.

[Aldo Minucci]

I'll try another. Look out for your arm. There. Now try.

[Hugh Grant]

When I take off My coat. All right.

[Martin Lawrence]

Now, let's see.

[Aldo Minucci]

How about it?

[Ernest Chapel]

He's through.

[Aldo Minucci]

All right. Go ahead.

[Martin Lawrence]

Me?

[Ernest Chapel]

You. All right. Cut another strand, Hugh.

[Aldo Minucci]

Now. Make it now.

[Ernest Chapel]

Yes, sir. Yeah. Where are y'all doing?

[Hugh Grant]

Right here. Come on, Hugh. Hey, Slide the briefcases through first.

[Aldo Minucci]

Coming up. Got em.

[Hugh Grant]

Got em.

[Aldo Minucci]

Here I come. All set?

[Hugh Grant]

All set.

[Ernest Chapel]

I'm all set. I'm as all set as I ever will be, I figure. I don't like any part of this place. I don't like the dark. I don't like the stars up above us. I don't like the lights down below. I don't like the silence. I don't like climbing around the top of a mountain with nothing under me but thin air for a mile or more. All I can hear is Hugh and Aldo in front of me, cracking through the weeds, cursing when one of them whacks his shin against a sharp rock. All I can see is two black shapes in front of me. Blacker shape. That's the building. A little house with nothing in it. Aldo and Hugh are panting. Come on out. 6,800ft. You know, your breath is pretty short. It's tough going, especially when you're dragging a briefcase full of money, too. You're scared and sweating and tired. Then all of a sudden, we're under the building alongside one of the struts that hold up the little crescent.

[Aldo Minucci]

Boost me up, Aldo.

[Ernest Chapel]

Aldo boosts him up. He was a little guy. He's spry. A lot spryer than I am up there a mile in the air. And I guess he's not as scared as I am. So I look up, and he's sprawling on the trestle with 9 million stars behind him. Reaching down to me.

[Aldo Minucci]

Grab my hand, Russ.

[Ernest Chapel]

I scrambled up. Never know how I made it either. Here we are in a second. Aldo's up there with us.

[Aldo Minucci]

Keep quiet a minute and rest. That's our knockout.

[Hugh Grant]

Yeah.

[Ernest Chapel]

Here.

[Hugh Grant]

Hear anything, Gill?

[Aldo Minucci]

Just the wind, Russ.

[Ernest Chapel]

I. No, I thought I heard something. Guess it's just the wind. Listen. It's the wind. Well, so we stood up. So Hugh walked the rest of the way down the little trestle. We followed him, stumbling over the planks. And there was the door. He rattled the bar on it. It was padlocked. So Hugh took the big cutters and he wrenched away at the bar. We shivered there in the cold, waiting to see if anybody heard us. There wasn't a sound. So Hugh tried again, and the bar fell off. Kept still for another minute and then.

[Aldo Minucci]

Open the door. Hey, where's the flashlight.

[Hugh Grant]

Wait.

[Aldo Minucci]

Nobody can see us. Put your fingers over it and turn it. Turn it in there.

[Hugh Grant]

Ok. I don't see anything.

[Ernest Chapel]

Well, the guy said there was nothing in there.

[Aldo Minucci]

I can't see a thing. Open up the light a little more.

[Ernest Chapel]

I got it open.

[Hugh Grant]

It's all black in there.

[Aldo Minucci]

There's something the matter with the light.

[Hugh Grant]

No, there ain't. Look.

[Aldo Minucci]

Turn that light off me.

[Hugh Grant]

Well, look, now when I shine it inside.

[Ernest Chapel]

Nothing.

[Aldo Minucci]

Well, there's gotta be something in there.

[Ernest Chapel]

Nothing, the man said.

[Hugh Grant]

Can't even see the floor.

[Aldo Minucci]

Well, I'll find out if there's anything in there.

[Hugh Grant]

No, don't go in. Just can't tell what's liable to be.

[Aldo Minucci]

Well, look out. I'll toss a briefcase in.

[Ernest Chapel]

No, no. Throw the wire cutters in.

[Aldo Minucci]

Where are they? Here, lover. Might. Look out, will you keep still? You'll wake up the dead. Well, nobody heard us. I guess they're shot. With luck tonight. No kidding. I'll give me them cutters. Here, shine the light in there.

[Ernest Chapel]

Sure.

[Aldo Minucci]

Can't see anything, can you?

[Hugh Grant]

No, man.

[Aldo Minucci]

Get out of the doorway. Keep the light in there.

[Hugh Grant]

Go ahead. Throw them against the far wall.

[Aldo Minucci]

All right. Look out.

[Hugh Grant]

Where'd they go?

[Aldo Minucci]

Tossed them hard enough. They'll bounce. Move the light around. I can't see a thing.

[Hugh Grant]

I can't either.

[Ernest Chapel]

They ought to be.

[Hugh Grant]

The light just kind of seems to stay.

[Aldo Minucci]

Oh, cut it out. There's probably some kind of stuff on the floor.

[Ernest Chapel]

Powdered.

[Aldo Minucci]

Maybe they fell into it. Here, stand to one side, Ross.

[Ernest Chapel]

What are you gonna do?

[Aldo Minucci]

I'm gonna look around. You got a gun, Aldo?

[Hugh Grant]

Just this little tiny pill.

[Aldo Minucci]

All right. Come on, Russ. You stay here and watch and listen.

[Ernest Chapel]

I wouldn't go in there, Hugh.

[Aldo Minucci]

Nobody asked you to. I'm going. Come on, Aldo.

[Hugh Grant]

Listen, you.

[Aldo Minucci]

You've got the screaming mimies, too. Come on with that gun. There's nothing in there.

[Ernest Chapel]

Look, you. Come on, let's get out of here.

[Aldo Minucci]

Oh, shut up. Yeah, Might as well take the dough, too. We can stick it in there. Go ahead. Aldo, with the light.

[Hugh Grant]

You go first.

[Aldo Minucci]

All right, now stand there and keep your ears.

[Hugh Grant]

Hey, Hugh, where are you? Can't see him.

[Ernest Chapel]

Listen, Aldo, don't go in there.

[Hugh Grant]

I got to. Hey, Hugh. Hugh, where are you?

[Ernest Chapel]

Listen, Alto.

[Hugh Grant]

Keep your eyes and ears open now.

[Ernest Chapel]

We'll be right back.

[Hugh Grant]

Hey, Hugh, you all right? Coming in, Hugh. 2. Aldo, what's in there? Hey, Hugh.

[Martin Lawrence]

Okay, Ross.

[Hugh Grant]

Something's the matter with him. Here I come, Hugh. I'm gonna.

[Martin Lawrence]

Hugh.

[Ernest Chapel]

Hey, Hugh. Aldo. Hey, what's in there, you two. Hugh.

[Martin Lawrence]

I can see you. You can stand up now. They won't come out, I assure you. Come on, son, stand up.

[Ernest Chapel]

I've got a gun.

[Martin Lawrence]

No, you haven't. Stand up.

[Ernest Chapel]

When my friends come out.

[Martin Lawrence]

They're not coming out, my friend. Stand up. You wouldn't believe me when I told you.

[Ernest Chapel]

What's in there. What's in there? I said.

[Martin Lawrence]

I told you. There's nothing behind that door.

[Ernest Chapel]

My friends went in there.

[Martin Lawrence]

They're not there now. There's nothing in there. You understand me? There's nothing in this.

[Aldo Minucci]

Listen.

[Martin Lawrence]

No, you listen. I. No. I suppose it'll do no good to tell you.

[Ernest Chapel]

Tell me what?

[Martin Lawrence]

I'd better show you.

[Ernest Chapel]

Show me what?

[Martin Lawrence]

Come with me.

[Ernest Chapel]

No.

[Martin Lawrence]

Come with me.

[Ernest Chapel]

I won't. You've got it. Wait. Wait for me. Across the little tressim, away from the door he closed on my friends. Through another door into a long shed in the dark. And I was glad I couldn't see the stars. Out another door at the end of the shed, down the path, past the coelostat. Reaching up into the sky, shining in the starlight, looking like one of those visitors from Mars you heard about on the lady hole. Across the little wooden bridge with the two eyes of the hundred inch dome staring down at me in a cold wind. Coming up the other side of the mountain, up the ramp into the dome itself and up the iron stairs.

[Hugh Grant]

Follow me.

[Ernest Chapel]

A little yellow light at the head of the stairs. And then out on the catwalk in the dark with the floor 40ft below us. Up another ladder. My legs are getting tired. Up.

[Martin Lawrence]

Follow me.

[Ernest Chapel]

Up another dizzy ladder. And another. And across another spidery walk.

[Martin Lawrence]

Here. Sit in this seat.

[Ernest Chapel]

I can't speak. My throat is dry. My legs are trembling. I'm icy cold in that great dome out far above the floor. I can't tell you.

[Martin Lawrence]

Sit still. You won't quarrel.

[Hugh Grant]

Why did.

[Ernest Chapel]

Sit still, I said.

[Martin Lawrence]

You'll have to be sure. Wait. Magnetic destination. You can look now.

[Ernest Chapel]

Look at what?

[Martin Lawrence]

Look through the telescope.

[Ernest Chapel]

No.

[Martin Lawrence]

Look. Sun. What do you see?

[Ernest Chapel]

Stars. Millions of stars.

[Hugh Grant]

Wait.

[Martin Lawrence]

Look again. What do you see?

[Ernest Chapel]

Nothing. Nothing.

[Martin Lawrence]

What now?

[Ernest Chapel]

Stars again. Millions. No. A black cloud.

[Martin Lawrence]

Now.

[Ernest Chapel]

Nothing.

[Martin Lawrence]

That nothing you see is a million light years away.

[Ernest Chapel]

What is it?

[Martin Lawrence]

There's nothing there to see. My friend, there are scores of places in this universe where there's nothing. Far places, near places. You understand what I mean?

[Ernest Chapel]

Is that what you meant when you said.

[Martin Lawrence]

When I said there's nothing behind that door? Yes, but where? Where your friends, your misguided friends? I don't know. Perhaps. Take your eye from the telescope. Wait. Look now, if you dare.

[Ernest Chapel]

Or what?

[Martin Lawrence]

Look.

[Ernest Chapel]

Yes. You guess what I saw. You guess what I saw. Clawing through black clouds of nothing. You guess what eyes I saw. I saw nothing. Yes. The little house is still there on Mount Wilson. You can go look at it if you want to. But don't go too close. Maybe somebody will tell you it's just a place where they store equipment. Maybe. Why do they keep the door locked, then? Well, just one other thing. Don't you go around opening doors you don't know anything about. There might be nothing behind one of them.

[Willis Cooper]

You have just heard Quiet, please, Which is written and directed by Willis Cooper. The man to talk to you is Ernest Chapel.

[Ernest Chapel]

And the man who played Aldo Minucci is Martin Lawrence. Pat O'Malley was Hugh Grant. And James Van Dyke, the astronomer. The music was. Was composed and played by Gene Purrazzo. And now for a word about. Quiet, please for next week, Here is our writer, producer Willis Cooper. Bill, I've written what I think is an exciting and unusual love story. For next week, Chappie. We'll welcome as our guest, the charming star of stage and radio, Claudia Morgan. Quiet, please, for next week. It's entitled I've been looking for you. Until next week, then, quietly yours, Ernest Chapel.

[Willis Cooper]

This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.

[Ernest Chapel]

Sa.