Theatre 5 64-08-04 002 A House of Cards

Summary

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Theatre 5: "A House of Cards" (Original Airdate: August 4, 1964)

Overview

In this haunting episode of Theatre 5, a radio series from the golden age, listeners are taken into the suffocating confines of a fallout shelter following a devastating nuclear attack. "A House of Cards" is a tense family drama that explores survival, fear, moral dilemma, and human limits under extreme isolation. As the family's vital systems fail and hope flickers, they are forced to confront uncomfortable truths about themselves, their neighbors, and the reality of life after the bomb. The episode ultimately reveals itself as a psychological experiment, challenging the nature of resilience and the cost of preparedness.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Life in the Fallout Shelter (01:10 – 05:47)

• Opening Tension: The episode begins in the middle of a crisis. Anne lies awake next to Ed, knowing something is wrong with the machinery that sustains their underground existence. The generator is leaking fuel, spelling inevitable doom as the final reserves dwindle.
• Practical Constraints: Ed explains, “They’re buried the same as we are. Forty feet away, under twenty feet of earth. Even if I could dig over to them, it wouldn’t do any good. The fuel is almost gone.” (01:51)
• Routine and Denial: Despite the danger, Ed insists they try to live as if it were any other day for their children’s sake. Daily routines—school, the egg-cycle, chores—become rituals of normalcy masking dread.
• Children’s Questions: Mark and Mary, the children, struggle to understand. Mark inquires about the extent of destruction and whether their grandparents survived. Ed, with measured calm, assures, “Somewhere, somehow, there are people left.” (05:22)

2. The Strain of Survival (06:00 – 10:08)

• Contemplating Escape: Anne proposes fleeing when the air runs out; Ed replies the radioactive zone is too vast—“The circle of radiation may be anywhere from 50 to 100 miles...we couldn’t make it in a day or two…” (06:24)
• Uncertainty and Frustration: Anne’s frustration boils over: “Well, I can’t do everything. Cook meals on a single burner, keep house and raise two children in a 9 by 12 room…” (07:41)
• Metaphor Revealed: Anne likens their security to a fragile structure: “You put one [card] in wrong and the whole thing comes tumbling down.” (09:54)

3. Unexpected Visitor and Moral Crisis (10:12 – 15:23)

• The Sound of Digging: Tension explodes when they hear digging at the shelter’s entrance. Anne exclaims, “They found us. Somebody’s trying to rescue us.” (10:42)
• Ed’s Caution: Ed warns, “A rescue crew wouldn’t enter an area this hot, even with protective clothing. Who else could it be?” (10:48)
• Possible Identity: Anne suspects it’s their neighbors, the Biglers—“Do you suppose I know it is? …She laughed and said they were only stocking for three months. Bill said no radiation would linger beyond that.” (13:00)
• The Moral Dilemma: Ed wants to help their starving neighbors; Anne threatens him with a rifle: “If you open that door, Ed Johnson, I swear I’ll shoot you.” (13:52)
• Fear of Contamination: Anne insists, “He is [a stranger] if he’s contaminated with radiation poisoning.” Ed tries to reason, suggesting leaving food in the airlock. Anne refuses: “Well, let them starve. …Let her laugh now.” (14:27)

4. Descent into Despair and the Final Choice (15:23 – 19:56)

• Power Fails: The generator dies, and the family prepares for their last night, the air steadily running out.
• Desperate Options: Anne pleads to risk escape; Ed is pragmatic: “In the end, we'd wind up like him [the neighbor at the door]. There just wouldn't be any point in it.” (15:55)
• Acceptance: As their air supply dwindles, Anne suggests they take sleeping pills to ensure a peaceful end—“Well, then that’s the way I want us to go, Ed. Asleep and all of us together.” (17:04)
• Compassion in Final Acts: Even in resignation, Ed leaves food and water for the man outside: “Maybe it’d be nice if just once before he dies, he knows the world isn’t completely devoid of human beings.” (17:28)
• Emotionally Charged Goodbyes: The parents tenderly give the pills to the children. Anne weeps: “I love them both so much.” Ed: “I love you all. …Everything so much.” (19:11, 19:18)
• House of Cards Metaphor: Anne’s closing recognition, “It was just a house of cards, that’s all. It couldn’t work.” (19:28)

5. Experiment Revealed & Reflection (20:15 – 22:08)

• Shift in Perspective: Suddenly, doctors and scientists enter. The family is alive. The ordeal was a psychological experiment.
• Observations:
  • “A family of four in a 9 by 12 fallout shelter for nine months? Yes, I’d say they did pretty well.” (20:34, Doctor)
  • “But they lost touch with reality till the end.” (20:41)
  • “You probably would have too, if your only contact with reality was a radio and suddenly that was taken away from you.” (20:45, Doctor)
• Philosophical Conclusion: The key message—“No, the experiment wasn’t a success, but the people were. As long as people have to hide under the ground, all experiments are failures.” (21:28, Doctor)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “For the children’s sake, try not to be [afraid].” – Ed (02:19)

• “You can’t build a shelter to protect your family from radiation and then throw it open to a total stranger.” – Anne (13:58)

• “It’s like a house of cards. You put one in wrong and the whole thing comes tumbling down.” – Anne (09:54)

• “But maybe it’d be nice if just once before he dies, he knows the world isn’t completely devoid of human beings.” – Ed (17:28)

• “It was just a house of cards, that’s all. It couldn’t work.” – Anne (19:28)

• “As long as people have to hide under the ground, all experiments are failures. But maybe we can learn how to protect the people so they can outlive the failures of experimenters.” – Doctor (21:28)

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Key Timestamps

• 01:10 – Family’s plight revealed: failing generator, danger grows.
• 03:29 – Children express longing for lost normal life outside.
• 06:11 – Parents consider desperate escape.
• 09:54 – Anne’s “house of cards” breakdown.
• 10:27 – Mysterious digging is heard outside shelter.
• 13:52 – Anne threatens Ed with rifle over helping others.
• 15:00 – Generator dies; family faces final hours.
• 17:04 – Family prepares for a gentle end together.
• 19:41 – Quiet, emotional family goodbyes.
• 20:15 – Experiment’s reveal; doctors intervene.
• 21:28 – Final philosophical assessment.

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Tone & Language

The dialogue throughout is terse, emotionally charged, and true to the period’s melodramatic radio style. The family interactions alternate between earnest tenderness and the stark, practical fear of survival—punctuated by moments of deep introspection (“I love you all very much. …Just hold me and sleep.”) and explosive fear or anger (“If you open that door, Ed Johnson, I swear I’ll shoot you.”).

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Conclusion

"A House of Cards" offers a claustrophobic, emotional exploration of human frailty, moral choice, and the thin veneer of civilization when tested by disaster. The twist ending not only reframes the preceding torment but questions the ethics of such experiments and the limitations of preparedness in the atomic age. The story resonates as much today as it did during the Cold War, serving as both a period time capsule and a universal meditation on survival, compassion, and the fragility of hope.

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Transcript

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[Ed]

Anne?

[Anne]

Yes?

[Ed]

You awake?

[Anne]

Yes. I've been lying here with my eyes open. Something's wrong, isn't it? Shh.

[Ed]

Don't wake the children.

[Anne]

It's the oxygenator, isn't it?

[Ed]

Yes, but that's not all.

[Anne]

I thought so. The motor?

[Ed]

No, the motor's fine. You can hear from it yourself. It's the generator I'm worried about.

[Anne]

What's wrong with it?

[Ed]

The fuel tanks. I think the blast shook them and they developed a slow leak. We've been losing fuel steadily for over three months now.

[Anne]

Isn't there anything we can do to fix it?

[Ed]

You know as well as I do that we can't. They're buried the same as we are. 40ft away, under 20ft of earth. Even if I could dig over to them, it wouldn't do any good. The fuel is almost gone.

[Anne]

Oh, Ed, what are we going to do?

[Ed]

I don't know.

[Anne]

How much time do we have left?

[Ed]

I don't know. One day, maybe two.

[Anne]

Oh, Ed, I'm frightened.

[Ed]

And for the children's sake, try not to be.

[Anne]

What are we going to do?

[Ed]

Try to live today just as if it were any other day. Theater 5 presents A House OF CARDS Everybody get up. Another day. Come on.

[Mark]

What time is it?

[Anne]

It's time to get ready for school.

[Mark]

Oh, I don't want to have school again today. I want to go outside and play now.

[Anne]

Mark, let's not start that again. Today.

[Ed]

Get up and get dressed. Mark, we need somebody to make the egg cycle go. Mother's gonna make eggs this morning. And we'll need the extra power for the ventilator.

[Mark]

Oh, boy. Eggs. Oh, Mary, big deal. Eggs. Every day it's the same old thing. Get up, ride the X cycle. Have school, take a nap, read, have more school. Mark, I want to go outside and play. Play?

[Anne]

Mark, you know very well why we can't go outside and play. The next thing you know, you'll have Mary all upset. Now, get dressed. We need the egg cycle to make the ventilator go over these eggs.

[Mark]

Daddy, yesterday Mark said that the bomb was a hundred, maybe ton that hit us. I did not. I did.

[Anne]

Two.

[Mark]

I did not.

[Ed]

All right, all right, that's enough.

[Mark]

How big was it, Daddy?

[Ed]

I don't know.

[Mark]

It was 100 megatons, wasn't it, dad?

[Ed]

No.

[Mark]

See, on the radio they said it was a hundred megatons.

[Anne]

Let's not talk about the bomb.

[Ed]

It's all right, Anne. On the radio they said it was between 50 and 100. They didn't know for sure. They have no way of knowing.

[Mark]

Did it knock down our house?

[Ed]

Yes.

[Mark]

And my school?

[Ed]

Probably.

[Mark]

How about Grandpa and Grandma's house?

[Ed]

I don't know. I think not. They're pretty far away.

[Mark]

Are Grandpa and Grandma still alive?

[Ed]

It's all right, Aunt. I think they're still alive. Mary, Grandpa's a pretty smart man. He could have gotten them away before the fire got to them.

[Mark]

Mark said there was nobody left alive in the world but us.

[Anne]

Mark?

[Mark]

I did not. I did, too.

[Anne]

Now, Mark, that was a terrible thing to say.

[Mark]

Well, then how come we can't get anything on the radio anymore?

[Anne]

Ed, I don't think this is a subject we ought to discuss before breakfast.

[Ed]

I think it's better they know the truth when they ask for it. And it's better than guessing about half truths. Now, there could be any number of reasons why we can't pick up anything on the radio anymore, Mark. Maybe. Maybe our antenna was destroyed by the firestorm that followed the blast. Maybe it's covered with radioactive ash. We know that most of the major cities were hit the same time ours was. Maybe the smaller cities don't have broadcasting stations powerful enough to reach us. It could be any number of things. But I can assure you of one thing. Somewhere, somehow, there are people left.

[Mark]

Is. Is my bicycle gone, too? Yes, in the swing.

[Anne]

Oh, I knew this was going to lead to no good. Now, Mark, you march over to the Excycle and get it going? This place is getting full of smoke. Now, Mary, darling, you wash your face and get out your homework. We're going to study fractions and you didn't do too well last time. Ed?

[Ed]

Yes?

[Anne]

The children are asleep now.

[Ed]

You gave them a pill?

[Anne]

Mm. And their orange juice. It should be safe to talk now. What are we going to do?

[Ed]

I don't know. I've been thinking about it.

[Anne]

Couldn't we run for it?

[Ed]

What do you mean?

[Anne]

When the air gives out in here, pick up the children and run. Maybe if we run fast and long enough, maybe we could get out of it.

[Ed]

I've thought about that too. But the circle of radiation may be anywhere from 50 to 100 miles, depending on the size of the bomb and the wind drift. We couldn't make it in a day or two days even if we ran.

[Anne]

Can't we open the ventilators?

[Ed]

No, no, it's still too hot out there. The exterior Geiger counter still reads more than 80 wrenches an hour. If we open the exterior ventilator an hour, it'd be as radioactive in here as it is out there.

[Anne]

Why has it stayed so hot so long? You said that within three months it would cool down long enough for us to leave.

[Ed]

I thought it would, but.

[Anne]

What's gone wrong?

[Ed]

I don't know. Any number of things could have. Maybe we were closer to the blast than we figured we would be. Maybe we're covered with radioactive earth. It could be any number of things.

[Anne]

Couldn't we open the door and see?

[Ed]

No. No. It's too hot to expose the children to. It could ruin them.

[Anne]

Just a crack.

[Ed]

I'm afraid not.

[Anne]

I wonder what time it is.

[Ed]

Two o'. Clock.

[Anne]

No, I mean I wonder what time it is outside.

[Ed]

About the same.

[Anne]

We don't even know what time it is, the day of the week or anything.

[Ed]

Yes, we do. I've kept it all marked off on the calendar.

[Anne]

Yes, but how many times has the clock stopped? Twice. Three times.

[Ed]

Exactly twice.

[Anne]

Because you forgot to wind it?

[Ed]

Because we both forgot to wind it.

[Anne]

Well, I can't do everything. Cook meals on a single burner, keep house and raise two children in a 9 by 12 room.

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[Anne]

Hi, I'm Kristen Bell, and if you know my husband Dax, then you also know he loves shopping for a car. Selling a car, not so much.

[Ed]

We're really doing this, huh?

[Anne]

Thankfully, Carvana makes it easy. Answer a few questions, put in your van or license and done. We sold ours in minutes this morning and they'll come pick it up and pay us this afternoon. Goodbye, Truckee. Of course, we kept the favorite.

[Ed]

Hello, other Truckee.

[Anne]

Sell your car with Carvana today. Terms and conditions apply. Oh, I'm sorry, Ed. I didn't mean to snap at you that way. I'm just so tired of it all, it seems. You try so hard and you never win. You build a fallout shelter to be safe from the bomb and you have to worry about the firestorms that follow. So you make it completely self contained. Water, food, air. Enough to last you six months in case the radiation's hotter than you think and the blast knocks a fuel line loose and all your plans go up in the air like a puppet smoke. It just isn't fair, Ed. It just isn't fair.

[Ed]

And you've got to control yourself.

[Anne]

I'm tired of being in control of myself. It's like a house of cards. You put one in wrong in the whole thing and tumbling down.

[Ed]

Please.

[Anne]

It isn't fair. It just doesn't.

[Ed]

Annie.

[Anne]

Is that it? The generator?

[Ed]

No. Now that's the oxygenator. When the generator goes, everything will go. The lights, water, everything. And we've got to make some decisions.

[Anne]

Listen.

[Ed]

What?

[Anne]

Listen. It sounds like digging. There it is. Do you hear it?

[Ed]

Yes, I can hear it. Yes, you're right. It is digging.

[Anne]

They found us. Somebody's trying to rescue us.

[Ed]

Ann, wait.

[Mark]

They're here.

[Anne]

We're safe.

[Ed]

Anne, stay away from that door.

[Anne]

They're here.

[Mark]

They found Us?

[Ed]

We have no way of knowing who's on the other side of that door. The Geiger counter says it's 80 wrenches an hour out there. A rescue crew wouldn't enter an area this hot, even with protective clothing.

[Anne]

Who else could it be?

[Ed]

I don't know, but whoever it is, we'd better make sure before we let him in. If he's been wandering around long out there, he won't be pretty to look at.

[Anne]

Listen. He's still at it.

[Ed]

Whoever it is, he's kept it up over two hours.

[Mark]

Who's out there, Dad?

[Ed]

I don't know, Marky, but we're gonna find out. Hand me that Geiger counter, son.

[Anne]

You're not going out?

[Ed]

No. I just want to get a radiation reading in the airlock.

[Mark]

Here it is, dad.

[Ed]

Stand back at the table, Ann, and keep Mary behind you.

[Anne]

All right. Stand behind your f. Father Mark.

[Ed]

There'S a reading of 10 just inside the inner door. Oh, boy. It's hotter in here. 10, 20, 40 at the door. That's hot. That means it's in excess of 80 outside.

[Mark]

Who's out there, Daddy?

[Ed]

I don't know. Let's see if I can make him hear us. There's someone out there, all right. He hears me, but he won't answer.

[Anne]

Who do you suppose it is?

[Ed]

I don't know.

[Anne]

Bill Bigler. What? Bill Bigler from over the next block. He's the only one in our neighborhood that built a fallout shelter besides us.

[Ed]

But what would he be doing out there? He's got a Geiger counter. He knows it's too hot to be moving around out there.

[Anne]

Food.

[Ed]

What?

[Anne]

Food. They've run out of food. Do you suppose I know it is? I talked to Alice on the phone the day after they finished their shelter. She asked me how much food we were stocking, and I said, enough for six months. Well, she laughed and said they were only stocking for three months. Bill said no radiation would linger beyond that. And if it did, they wouldn't want to come up to see what the world looked like.

[Ed]

Could be. This is almost the fourth month. They could have lasted this long if they'd stretched things.

[Anne]

I know it's them.

[Ed]

Oh, they must be starving. We've got to help them.

[Mark]

No.

[Ed]

And they're our neighbors.

[Anne]

We never so much as spoke to them until we built our shelters.

[Ed]

But they're human beings.

[Anne]

Ed, I'm warning you, stay away from that door.

[Mark]

Ed, my.

[Ed]

Anne, put that rifle down. You're frightening the children.

[Anne]

If you open that door. Ed Johnson, I Swear I'll shoot you.

[Ed]

Ann, try to be reasonable.

[Anne]

I am being reasonable. You can't build a shelter to protect your family from radiation and then throw it open to a total stranger.

[Ed]

Bill Bigler is not a total stranger.

[Anne]

He is if he's contaminated with radiation poisoning.

[Ed]

And all I plan to do is put some food and water in the airlock, the outer door and lock the inner one.

[Mark]

No, he.

[Ed]

He can't get inside with the inner door locked.

[Anne]

No, but the radiation can. You told me that.

[Ed]

Not that much.

[Anne]

Enough. You know that. Enough to hurt the children.

[Ed]

But Anne, those people are starving today.

[Anne]

Well, let them starve. Anne. Alice Bigler laughed when I told her we stockpiled enough food and water for six months. Well, let her laugh now.

[Ed]

Ann. This is insanity.

[Anne]

I mean what I say.

[Mark]

Anne. Mommy, please don't.

[Ed]

And you're frightening the children. Please put the gun down.

[Mark]

Please.

[Doctor]

Mom.

[Mark]

Mommy, the lights. Why the lights go out?

[Ed]

Mark, go get the flashlight.

[Mark]

What happened, Daddy?

[Ed]

We've just run out of fuel, that's all.

[Mark]

Will we be all right, dad?

[Ed]

Yes, yes. Nothing's wrong. I'll take care of it. It's time to go to bed anyway. Everybody undress and hop into bed.

[Mark]

And what about the man outside?

[Ed]

Don't worry. He can't get in. I won't let him hurt you.

[Mark]

I'm scared, Daddy. I'm scared.

[Ed]

Don't be merry. It's all right, honey.

[Anne]

He's still at it?

[Ed]

Yes, but he's getting weaker.

[Anne]

What's he doing out there?

[Ed]

It sounds like he's trying to pry the door open. Depending on how long he's been out there, he must be pretty sick. He's probably leaning against the door, vomiting.

[Anne]

Oh, Ed, please.

[Ed]

I'm sorry. Are the children asleep?

[Anne]

Yes, finally. What are we going to do?

[Ed]

I don't know, Ed.

[Anne]

Couldn't we please try and run for it?

[Ed]

And the most distance we could cover would be 20, 30 miles. In places, the ashes would be hip deep, maybe higher. In the end, we'd wind up like him. There just wouldn't be any point in it.

[Anne]

Couldn't we try and open the air vents?

[Ed]

No, it's still too radioactive for that. We might just as well open the door.

[Anne]

Oh, why has it stayed so hot for so long? The brochures, everything. Said you'd be able to leave at the end of three months, four at the most. Now, what went wrong?

[Ed]

If I knew Anna, we wouldn't be here. So many things can go wrong that you never count on. Maybe we were just too close. To the blast. I don't know.

[Anne]

How much air do you think we have left?

[Ed]

An hour, maybe less.

[Anne]

What'll happen then?

[Ed]

The oxygen in the room will be gone, and we'll start breathing our own carbon dioxide.

[Anne]

Will it be bad?

[Ed]

I don't know. If you're asleep, it shouldn't be bad. Certainly not as bad as being out there.

[Anne]

Do you think we'd stay asleep through it?

[Ed]

I was just wondering about that.

[Anne]

If we took sleeping pills?

[Ed]

Yes. Then I think so.

[Anne]

Well, then that's the way I want us to go, Ed. Asleep and all of us together.

[Ed]

That's what I was thinking, too.

[Anne]

I'll have to wake the children.

[Ed]

What for?

[Anne]

To give them a pill. I don't want either of them to wake up trying to breathe.

[Ed]

All right, dear, but hurry. Time's running out. I'll put some food and water in the airlock.

[Anne]

But why? You said it wouldn't do him any good.

[Ed]

I know, I know. But maybe it'd be nice if just once before he dies. He knows the world isn't completely devoid of human beings. Hurry, Ann. The air's getting bad.

[Anne]

Mary. Mark. Wake up. Mark. I want you to take these.

[Mark]

Is it time to get up yet?

[Anne]

No, darling. Just drink this and go back to sleep.

[Mark]

Tell me when it's time to get up.

[Anne]

I will. Mary. Mary, Mother wants you to take these.

[Mark]

What for?

[Anne]

To help you sleep.

[Mark]

I don't want any.

[Anne]

But, Mary, they're good for you.

[Mark]

I don't want it.

[Anne]

Ed. Ed, I can't.

[Doctor]

It's all right.

[Ed]

Here. Give them to me. Mary, you have to take your pills, honey. We're all taking them. See? I'm taking mine. Mommy's gonna take hers.

[Mark]

What?

[Anne]

I think.

[Ed]

Well, they're just sleeping pills so we can all go to sleep together.

[Mark]

Will we wake up together?

[Ed]

Yes, if. If we wake up, we'll all wake up the way we went. To sleep together.

[Mark]

I want some pills, too.

[Ed]

Here you are, honey.

[Mark]

Good night, Mommy. Good night, Daddy.

[Ed]

Good night, Mary.

[Anne]

I don't want to cry.

[Ed]

It's all right, dear.

[Anne]

I love them both so much.

[Ed]

I know. I love them, too.

[Anne]

I love you all. Everything so much.

[Ed]

I love you, darling. I'm sorry I couldn't make it work. I tried. I tried very hard.

[Anne]

I know. We all tried. It's not your fault. It was just a house of cards, that's all. It couldn't work.

[Ed]

I love you, Anne.

[Anne]

Just hold me, dear, and try to sleep.

[Ed]

I love you all very much.

[Anne]

I love you, too. Just hold me and sleep. Love you, Sleep.

[Doctor]

Get no stretches in here.

[Ed]

Take the children first.

[Doctor]

Take the woman's pulse, Greg. She got too hysterical near the end.

[Ed]

Do we have the stomachs pumped, Doctor?

[Doctor]

No. They took only one sleeping pill apiece. That much will just help them sleep the whole thing off. Be careful with those children there.

[Ed]

Would you say the experiment was a success?

[Doctor]

A family of four in a 9 by 12 fallout shelter for nine months? Yes, I'd say they did pretty well.

[Ed]

But they lost touch with reality till the end.

[Doctor]

You probably would have too, if your only contact with reality was a radio and suddenly that was taken away from you.

[Ed]

But they really thought they were survivors in a fallout shelter. The last people left alive on Earth, Greg.

[Doctor]

That was the purpose of the experiment. To change the variables until you find the breaking point. Anybody can survive when everything's running smoothly, but break their communication, disrupt their fuel supply, threaten them with the unknown from without. They did pretty well. For two months. They wouldn't mention to each other that they were losing fuel. Neither one would mention it for fear of frightening the others. They did pretty well.

[Ed]

Then. The experiment was a success.

[Doctor]

No, the experiment wasn't a success, but the people were. As long as people have to hide under the ground, all experiments are failures. But maybe we can learn how to protect the people so they can outlive the failures of experimenters. Watch that stretcher there. Be as gentle as you can. That's a human being you're carrying.

[Ed]

Theater 5 has presented a House of Cards, written by George Bamber and directed by Warren Somerville. In the cast, Vicki Bola, George Petrie, Bryna Rayburn, Cecil Roy and Guy Sorrell. Audio engineers Bill Sandroiter and Marty Folia. Sound technicians Ed Blaney and MC Brock. Original music by Alexander Vlastenko Orchestra under the direction of Glenn Osser. Executive producer for Theater 5, Edward A. Byron. We invite your comments right to theater five, box 233. New York, New York. This is Fred Foy speaking.

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