Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Suspense 1944-10-25 – "A Shroud For Sara"

Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Starring: Lucille Ball as Sarah Martell
Date: December 8, 2025 (original broadcast: October 25, 1944)

Overview

This episode features a classic "Suspense" radio play, "A Shroud for Sara," starring Lucille Ball as the enigmatic and ruthless Sarah Martell. The episode transports listeners to the golden age of radio, presenting a noir tale of crime, betrayal, and ambition, set amid an election for governor. It is a twisting psychological drama where love, greed, and murder intersect. The story explores how each character becomes entangled in Sarah's web, leading to deadly consequences and a shocking conclusion.

Key Discussion Points and Plot Breakdown

1. Return and Robbery

[02:07–06:39]

• Sarah reunites with George Monk, her estranged criminal husband, after ten years.
• George pulls off a dangerous heist, stealing $17,000 from the Vanda Finance Company and admitting to having killed a man during the robbery.
• A romantic yet tense exchange reveals Sarah had never divorced George, and she manipulates him while plotting their escape.
• Memorable Quote:
  • George: "There's a bald-headed man lying dead over there at the finance company. He's finished. We're just beginning." [05:28]
• Sarah, displaying ruthlessness, secretly calls the police to tip them off about George's whereabouts, ensuring he will be apprehended.
  • Sarah (to police): "If you go to the LaSalle Station, you'll catch the murderer at the Sunset Limited train gate. His name is Monk. George Monk." [06:39]

2. Political Intrigue and Sarah’s Double Life

[10:01–13:44]

• Sarah is revealed to be married to Peter Martell, a gubernatorial candidate with a physical disability (crutch).
• Tension and mutual distrust simmer between Sarah and Peter, centering around the mysterious black valise (the stolen $17,000) and their failed ambitions.
• Sarah’s ambition is exposed—she’s willing to do anything to become "the governor’s lady," including hiding crimes and leveraging her relationships.
  • Peter: "Look at all the terrible things you've done to satisfy your ambition. Even murder now, and it's all been a waste of time." [13:22]
• Peter and Sarah confront each other over past secrets, including a suspicious bullet wound Peter received previously.

3. Bribery, Blackmail, and Murder

[14:06–18:14]

• Dr. Varney, who once treated Peter’s gunshot wound, is blackmailed by Sarah for his silence.
• Sarah proposes buying off Stephen Archer (Peter's electoral rival), offering to have Peter withdraw from the race for $100,000.
• Instead, she makes a separate deal with Archer: she'll file for divorce, killing Peter's campaign chances, if paid half now and the rest after. Archer agrees but insists on noting serial numbers of the bills he gives her.

4. A Death and Deeper Schemes

[19:16–21:20]

• Sarah pays Dr. Varney $50,000 to intentionally overdose Stephen Archer during his regular sedation.
• The next morning, news breaks that Archer has died from the overdose, and a large sum of money is missing—the serial numbers mean the money can’t be used.
• Peter reveals he ran a newspaper ad designed to lure George (the original thief) to town, setting another deadly game in motion.
  • Peter: “Isn't it cleverly worded, my dear?...if that little black valise did not contain $17,000, you have nothing to fear. But if it did, well, then I may be spared the chore of killing you. I'll let George do it.” [22:48]

5. The Violent Climax

[23:15–27:55]

• Dr. Varney discovers the payoff from Sarah was stolen Archer money, now unusable, and accuses her.
• Sarah is murdered in her room. The police are baffled by the violence: she was choked, stabbed, and bludgeoned.
  • Inspector: “Can you imagine a sane man first choking her to death with his hands, then stabbing her with some keen instrument, then bashing her head in with a blunt instrument?” [25:12]
• Peter, Dr. Varney, and George Monk gather and realize each entered the room intending to murder Sarah. The definitive killer is unknown, as each could have delivered the fatal act.
  • Peter: “The cumulative effect of our individual deeds has convinced the inspector that a maniac murdered my wife. But we three know better. However, there is one of us who knows more than the other two. One of us killed her first. I say first because the other two were not one whit less murderers for the fact that she was already dead.” [26:58]
• They agree to keep the truth unknown, each as guilty as the others.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Exchanges

• Sarah (to George): "You're going to stick with me, aren't you?" [04:28]
• Sarah (on killing): "Only the obvious. It's murder then. I changed my plans." [04:21]
• Peter (to Sarah): "A very fortunate accident, wasn't it, Sarah? Just when I was ready to accept a commission in the army. … Your ambition ran higher than that." [13:22]
• Sarah (to Archer): "I want to leave him. I want to be rid of him forever. Where could I go without money? What could I do? He's so disgustingly honest that we're always broke." [17:00]
• Varney (to Sarah): "How clever you are, Sarah Martell. How clever and how dangerous. Yes, too dangerous to—" [23:43]
• Inspector (on Sarah’s murder): “Who but a maniac would have stayed in there to torment that poor dead body?” [25:12]
• Peter (to George and Varney): “One of us killed her first. I say first because the other two were not one whit less murderers…” [26:58]
• Final exchange:
  • Varney: "You hated her very much, didn't you?"
  • Peter: "No more than you did, Mr. Martell." [25:48]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:07] - Sarah and George’s reunion and confession of murder
• [06:39] - Sarah betrays George by tipping off the police
• [10:01] - Sarah’s domestic confrontation with Peter Martell
• [13:22] - Peter accuses Sarah of ambition-driven crimes
• [14:54–15:06] - Sarah bribes Dr. Varney
• [16:03] - The bribe proposal to Archer; plotting to fix the governor’s race
• [19:16] - Sarah’s proposal for murder to Dr. Varney
• [20:59] - News of Archer's death broadcast; the stolen money revealed as tainted
• [22:14] - Peter’s newspaper ad luring George
• [23:45] - Dr. Varney’s call; the murder implementation
• [25:12] - Inspector describes the brutal murder
• [26:56] - The three men’s pact to keep the truth of who killed Sarah unknown

Analysis & Tone

• The episode is structured as a tight, relentless noir thriller, with darkly witty exchanges and a mounting sense of doom.
• Lucille Ball’s Sarah is cunning, manipulative, and ambitious—a femme fatale archetype.
• The layered betrayals and moral ambiguity drive the suspense, culminating in an ending where guilt is distributed among all, and justice is ultimately subverted.
• The tone is one of cynicism and fatalism, characterizing both the violence and the sophisticated plotting among the characters.

For Listeners

This episode is a must for fans of the golden age of radio, classic suspense, and clever, character-driven mysteries. It showcases Lucille Ball’s dramatic talents and features a tightly-woven plot that unfolds with twists until the final, unresolved question is left lingering: Who really killed Sarah? And does it even matter, given the shared guilt of all involved?