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Narrator/Announcer
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Pete Morgan
Every door has a key. There's a key to every situation. Behind every unopened door, there is a mystery. And the opening of this door introduces us to another in the series the Key. You got the keys, Luke? Sure. Here. Your old man know you're using a card night? No. Rape. He's in next door watching the tv. Come on then, let's go. Where are we meeting the rest of the gang? That line's straight near the quarry. Hey, take it easy, Rafe. You want Pop to hear? Relax, son. We'll just back out of the drive nice and slow. I sure hope Pop don't hear us, that's all. He said I wasn't to use the car unless I asked him first. Yeah, my old man says that all the time. Hold tight. Look, here we go. Just as well I left the gate open. We'd have taken it with us. You want to play chicken Lick, you gotta learn to drive real smooth. Don't know why you're worrying anyhow. Well, your pop watches tv. You wouldn't hear a thing, even if the house fell on him. He sure does go for those thriller stories. He watches them all the time. Ain't he kind of old to drive a souped up buggy like this? The way Pop drives, this buggy's strictly a slow old oil burner. Well, let's see what she can do, Luke. Hey, Luke, she's sweet. Let's not wait till we meet up with the boys, huh? First car we see, there's one coming now, right? Okay, hold tight. First time you play? Chickens are worse after that. Dip on his lights. Like watching a man haul down his flag. Here we go. Look at him, Luke. Just a pair of headlights and he's scared stiff. Now let's pull right over and look at the hitting branch. He'll back down. He's ticking. Loki. Chicken. We hit him, Luke. Let's get out of here fast. These cars turned over, right. We hit him. What for? Pop's sake? You wanted to join the gang. Luke, now you're in, son. You're in. Hey, Mr. Seven, you're up here. Quick, Hank, give me a hand and get him out of there. Come on, pal. Got this door open and we. My wife, officer. She's boys in the pack too, I think. Yeah. Lift him out gently, Hank. Yeah. Okay, I got him. There we are. Just as well. He's out to it, Hank. You see his wife? Yeah. Guess we'd better get them out. Looks like another guy in too much of a hurry to get home. So you figure there's any hope for the other two? Let's wait for the ambulance. If the doctor can help those two, I'll give you a month's pay. Over here, doctor. Two of them. One and boy. Where? Oh, yeah. Still in the car, huh? Figured. You want to look at him before we tried to move him. No chance of fire, sir. He all right? Fainted, I guess. All right. We look at him afterwards. You. I can see why you didn't move him. Hey, Lefty. Two stretches past coming up, Doc. Doesn't look good, doc, does it? Good. They'll go to the hospital, officer, but from there they'll go straight to the morgue. You to manage, okay? Sure, Doug. Come on, mate. Let's get this over and head back to that Pokemon again. He's coming out of a gun. Wife? Helen, is she. She's all right. Don't worry. And the boy? Harold? Just take it easy, pal. There, okay? Be well enough to talk. Sure. How did it happen? It's pretty badly. Shock sellers. Better leave that till later. Play. It was chicken. That's what it was. You know why the chicken cross the road? Why that chicken, you had to get to the other side. But, hey, you sure my wife's. Now, Doc, don't lie to me. Don't. Don't tell me. Plain chicken, is that it? Well, my wife, she. She. Huh? Roll up his sleep, officer. Listen, doc, if he can't, don't let him. Could be we'll catch the driver. He's in no condition to talk. With what he's got to face, it's better he doesn't. Hey, Doug. You know who this is? Just had a look at his license. Found in the glove box. It's Pete Morgan, the racing driver. You know, Indianapolis. Indianapolis? Christ, that last spin. I had to race one in that last building. Okay, officer, roll his shirt down. He'll be all right now. You gonna be the one to tell him, Doc? Yeah, I guess so. When he wakes up. That's how you get to be real successful. In the medical profession, Officer, Telling guys like Pete Morgan what's happened to their wife and kid. Better you than me, doc. Chicken? That's what he said. Telling him is one road I sure don't want to cross. Sorry to keep you waiting, Morgan. Spot of trouble with the driver. Trying to bribe the cop who booked him. I'm in no hurry, Lieutenant. No, I guess my saying I'm sorry about your. Well, I. I don't suppose it helps much. Yeah, well, I asked you to come down to the station house, Morgan, for one reason. I've been all through this statement of yours. I figured you might want to add to it. Such as? Well, the traffic cop who found you claimed you was muttering something about chicken when they pulled you out on a number plate. So? So this statement of yours doesn't mention that at all. Now, I know it's going back over something you'd rather forget, but if you can help us in any way. I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I was just delirious at the time. I guess I didn't know what I was saying. Supposing you tell me just what happened once again. Car skidded, that's all. And you expect me to believe that a racing driver of your experience couldn't control that? That's right. And there was no question of another car being involved? That's right, Lieutenant. If there had been, Morgan, you're giving the driver the chance to play chicken again by covering up for him. Well, let it go, Lieutenant. You figure I'd cover up for the guy who killed my wife and. No, but I can't see supposing there had been a fella coming at me. Well, you say some kid in a hot rod and I'd been able to get his plate number. Well, what would happen to him? Oh, well, we'd pull him in. He'd go off on a traffic homicide charge and then a jail sentence, a stiff one. Or reform school. Oh, that's the theory, but not always the practice, Lieutenant does. Listen, Morgan, the law. The law can be twisted, Lieutenant. It can be beaten. If this is just a theory, you're sure worked up about it. Listen, Lieutenant, a man who earns his living the way I do, driving fast cars and taking risks on the track, always gets wound up about a thing like this. Game of chicken. Why not? Practice ought to be wiped out. But because teenagers are the main participants, they get warnings and fines. What would you do? Me? Well, that's. That's a good question, Lieutenant. What. What would I do? Huh? I give it some thought, let you know And I've got the answer. Do that. You want this statement of yours to stand? Yeah. Anything else, Lieutenant? No. Thanks for stopping by. I'll be seeing you, Lieutenant. Oh, Morgan. Yeah? On the left hand door of your car, there was a long dent right along a smear of light blue paint. It couldn't have happened in the accident as you describe it. No. How did it happen? I can't remember, Lieutenant. Light blue paint. Yeah. Thanks. Hey, Morgan.
Narrator/Announcer
Yeah?
Pete Morgan
Oh, that's you. Callahan. Yeah, he's leaving now. Keep tailing him, will you? Okay. Yeah, I. I want to know every place he goes. What's that? Of course I'm sure of it. And for some reason of his own, Pete Morgan is covering up for the driver. That's why I want you to keep following him. He just might try to handle this himself.
Narrator/Announcer
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Pete Morgan
Rafe. Rape. Listen, I gotta tell my pop about this. It's a whole month now. It gets worse. I keep thinking about. About that woman. You know, when I get through it on this hiker wood, Luke, it's gonna look real pretty. You see what it's gonna be? You're not even listening to me. Sure, I'm listening. Yeah. How many times have I got to tell you, Luke? We're in the clear. Didn't I get the dent in the car fixed for you? If there'd been anything to tie us in with what happened, the police would have been around here to your house fast that way. I see. If we weren't to blame. Anyway, this Pete Morgan's a racing driver. Should have pulled over quicker. That's all. Anyway, it's finished. You. You want it, Luke? A racing car? Yeah, that's right. Just like the one Pete Morgan drives. Go. And you keep it by you, Luke.
Narrator/Announcer
Why?
Pete Morgan
Well, so that whenever you feel like talking about what happened that night. You won't. Not if you've got any sense of it. Kareem. Think maybe there's the police now. Probably your parents back from town. They're not due to late. Don't answer. Yeah, I am. Coming. What do you want, mister? You mind if I come in, son? My pop isn't home, mister. He's not? Well, I'll just come in and wait. Mister, I don't think my pop would like you barging in this way. Well. Well, none of it is my famous Pete Morgan. What? I've seen your picture in the papers lots of times, Mr. Morgan. What do you want to see my pub about, Mr. Morgan? The plate number on his car, son. You tell me if I'm wrong, but isn't it oot957, Is that right? Oot957. I don't remember. Why do you want to know, Mr. Morgan? You live here too? Me? No. I'm Rafe Corbett. Me and Luke were just thinking about going down take a look at the. Yeah, yeah, that's right. So if you could come back later maybe. Where's your pop's car, Luke? He's. He's out in it right now. It isn't any of my business, Mr. Morgan, but why are you asking all these questions? Is it a light blue sedan, Luke? Yeah. You don't have to answer him, Luke. Come on, let's go see that ball game. You carved this, Luke? Mia? I carved it, mister. Why? Well, it's pretty good. Seems funny though. You're carving a model of the car I drive. Doesn't. Maybe you can remember that number plate. I can't even remember my dad's, let alone Luke's. Why do you want to know the number, Mr. Morgan? You ever drive your pop's car, Luke? Sometimes. You like driving? Sure I do. Listen, Mr. Morgan, we ain't. You drive it at night too. Why not? Is there a law against it? No, none that I know of. Were you driving that car at night a month ago? On the 23rd of July. That's a month ago exactly. Lou. You better get out of here, Mr. Morgan. You haven't got any right to be here. I'll come down and watch the ball game with you until your pop gets home. Luke. Why do you want to see him? Don't you know, you haven't got a thing on us, mister. Not a thing. You're in that car as well, Corbett. Is that it? Now, listen, you. Don't you pull a knife on me, Corbett, or I'll break your arm. Drop it. Now sit down and be quiet. All right. Which one of you was driving? It was my fault, Mr. Morgan. I wanted to join the gang. Whose gang? Shut up, Luke. Shut up and rape. I said shut up. You're quite a boy, aren't you, Corbin? You can't prove a thing. I saw the number plate of the car that forced me off the road. Corbett. Why have you waited all this time? Who was driving, Luke? If you tell him, Luke. No need to. I know. All right, so it was me. What are you gonna do about it? Hand me over to the police? I could. I'm GLAD you know, Mr. Morgan. I've been wanting to tell someone to talk about it. We didn't mean. Didn't mean to. Is that all you've got to say? I don't want to hear you talk about it, Luke. You're not going to ease your conscience by telling me how you felt all this time. But it's the only time I ever played chicken. I haven't ever been in a car since. Every time I look at my. I can see. My wife was 28 years old, Luke. Her name was Helen. Maybe you saw that in the paper. My son, still Harold, his age. He was husky as a football player. He just started to talk. But most of the time he still used his own language, which he understood mighty well. If I could take back that one night. You saw me crash, didn't you? Yeah. And you didn't even bother to come back and see if you could help. You think your sniffling now helps? Just what are you gonna do, Morgan? Sit here and talk? How old are you, Rafe? 17, if it's anything to you, Luke? 16. Lieutenant Dodds down at the station asked me what I'd do to a chicken player. I said. Then I. I didn't know. When I came through that door, I figured I had the answer. But I was wrong. I was going to use this. A gun? Yeah. I came here to kill whoever was driving that car. Go ahead. I ain't chicken. No. Now, lying back in that chair, you're telling yourself you're a big man, comic book hero, tough guy. Mr. Morgan, don't shoot him. Nearly all the guys have played chicken at some time or other. And nothing happened to them. Concentrated on killing yourselves. I wouldn't give a nickel. I'll do anything, Mr. Morgan.
Narrator/Announcer
Anything.
Pete Morgan
He wasn't my fault. It was right from the gang. They all said I was yellow. They were right, Luke. Yeah, you didn't have enough backbone to let the gang call you chicken. Now you want to try and forget the whole thing by unloading the memory of that night. Well, that's why I'm leaving you here, Luke. To wait for the police. They'll want to hear you talk. They'll want you to repeat it over and over, the whole story, until it's set in your mind in a way nothing will ever shift. You weren't driving the car, Luke, so you'll have an easier time. In one way, I wanted to go back, Mr. Morgan. You didn't even have the nerve for that. That's why I'm leaving you here, Luke, to wait. I want you to be able to remember it all. I wanted to keep you awake nights. I want you to see the look in your father's face when they sentence you. If you ain't gonna use that gun, Morgan, why don't you put it away? I'm not using it. Rife with you. I still haven't found the answer. Come on, get up. Maybe Lieutenant Dodds is right. The law can take care of you. You figure Luke will still be there in his house when the cops come, Morgan? If he runs, they'll find him. You sure ain't taking any chances, are ya? You know, if it wasn't for the hands being tied, I'd jump you, Morgan. When Dodd sees you, he'll take that rope off and replace it with handcuffs. One thing won't worry me, non look on my old man's face when they sentenced me. I guess he'll be too drunk to hear anyway. Shut up, Carl. You know something, Morgan? I got a big kick out of driving Luke's car that night. Yeah, Big lift. Reform school, huh? Maybe jail. Guess I might get 10 years. But I'll be out on parole before you can spit, Morgan. If you want to get down to that precinct station in one piece, Corba, just stop talking. I ain't scared of you. No law against talking, is there? You know, maybe I'll stand up in court and say I'm sorry it was all a mistake. And could be I'll cry a little. Poor misunderstood teenager. You're a murderer, Rafe. As surely as if you'd pulled a trigger. But how are you going to prove that? All I need is a mouthpiece like they have in the. Shut up, Corbett. Shut up. Shut up. You know, they tell me Reform spills pretty swell these days. Get me away from my old man anyhow. Maybe I'll get to learn a trade. And then in a couple of years, I'll be out. But, Morgan, that won't help you any. That won't. What are we stopping for? Finish what you were gonna say, Rafe. You mean about not helping you any? Well, sure. I'll be looking you up, Morgan. Might even call you a couple of times. But that won't bring back your wife and kid. Won't it? Get out of the car, Raife. What? Light like this, you don't need your hands untied to run. There's a sheer drop on one side of the road, Rafe, and steep bank in the other. Listen, what are you. You got the kind of brute stupidity that shouldn't be allowed to live, Rafe. Not even a reform school. What happened to my wife and son could happen again while you can think and feel and drive a car. I said get out. Now start running, Rafe. Let's play my kind of chant. Start running. You want. You won't see me break, Morgan. I ain't afraid of you. All right. I wonder. No. No. Morgan. No. No. No. Lieutenant Dodd speaking. It's Callahan. Lute. What is it? I lost Pete Morgan. What? How? I guess he'd gotten down that I was telling him. Listen, Callahan, if my hunch about Morgan is right, he's dangerous. Now, pick up his trailer. Shut that door, will you? It's all right. Callahan is here. Pete Morgan. Goodbye. Still want the door shut, lieutenant? Yeah. Mind if I sit down? Go ahead. Thanks. Remember that question you asked me, lieutenant? About what I'd do to a chicken player? Yeah. I found the answer. A closing door finishes a story. Next week, another key will open another door to another story. Mystery, romance or adventure all start when a door is unlocked by the key.
Narrator/Announcer
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Pete Morgan
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Episode: The Key – Chicken
Original Air Date: June 18, 2026
Host: Harold’s Old Time Radio
Format: Radio drama from the Golden Age of Radio
This episode features a classic radio drama from the series "The Key," entitled “Chicken.” The story delves into the dangers and consequences of reckless teenage behavior, specifically the deadly game of “chicken” played with cars. It follows the aftermath of a tragic accident and the emotional, legal, and moral reckoning for all involved, particularly focusing on racing driver Pete Morgan and the teenagers responsible. The episode is a gripping exploration of guilt, justice, and retribution in a tightly-woven narrative typical of Golden Age radio dramas.
[00:51] The episode opens with teenagers Luke and Rafe sneaking out with Luke’s father’s car for a nighttime rendezvous. The theme of thrill-seeking is quickly established.
[01:45] They quickly begin to play "chicken" with another car, which leads to a collision—the consequences are immediate and severe.
[02:40] The boys realize the gravity of their actions:
[03:10] Emergency responders arrive at the scene and pull survivors and victims from the wreck. It’s clear the accident has resulted in at least two deaths.
[05:20] The identity of the crash victim is revealed: Pete Morgan, a racing driver, whose wife and son were also in the car. The emotional devastation is palpable.
[08:30] Lieutenant Dodds interviews Pete Morgan at the police station, trying to clarify his statement. Suspicion arises that Morgan is covering for the real perpetrators.
[10:35] The Lieutenant orders surveillance on Morgan, suspecting he’s planning to take matters into his own hands.
[13:09] Pete Morgan arrives at Luke's house, determined to discover the truth and confront the boys.
[16:20] A tense stand-off ensues, culminating in Rafe threatening Morgan with a knife. Rafe confesses to driving during the fatal night.
[18:25] Pete Morgan, torn between vigilante justice and the law, ultimately decides not to take revenge but to leave the boys to face the legal consequences.
[20:40] Rafe remains defiant, suggesting he’ll easily beat the system and expressing little remorse.
[22:35] Pete Morgan brings Rafe out of the car, threatening to play his own dangerous game, but ultimately refrains and prepares to turn the boys over to the authorities.
The episode is delivered in a tense, dramatic style with sharp dialogue and emotional depth. The interplay between guilt, justice, and the complexity of moral choices is characteristic of mid-century radio dramas. The dialogue is gritty, fast-paced, and leans into suspense and ethical ambiguity.
This episode of "The Key" delivers a classic cautionary tale about youthful recklessness and its far-reaching consequences. Through tightly focused character studies and escalating tension, it explores how no one walks away unchanged when tragedy strikes—and that some doors, once opened, can never be closed again.