Up For Parole - Paul Botwin - Aired 03/17/1950

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode: Up For Parole – Paul Botwin (Aired 03/17/1950)
Airdate (Podcast): August 6, 2026
Main Theme:
This episode of "Up For Parole" dramatizes the authentic parole hearing of Paul Botwin, a young man who faced incarceration for theft, robbery, and burglary. Drawing from real parole board records, the episode delves deeply into Botwin’s troubled family background, the psychological and social roots of his criminal behavior, his efforts toward rehabilitation, and whether he deserves a second chance.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Reality of Parole Hearings (00:33–01:26)

• The parole board establishes the significance of the case, noting, “You are about to sit in judgment on another human being... to decide whether he shall become your neighbor, your employee, perhaps your friend, or remain... behind prison bars.” (01:26, Parole Board Member)
• The program urges listeners to weigh Botwin’s fate themselves—mirroring the real-life role of the parole board.

2. Paul Botwin’s Defense & Parole Plea (02:21–03:04)

• Paul delivers a contrite but somewhat rehearsed-sounding plea, claiming reflection, improved conduct, and a readiness to rejoin society.
• Parole board skepticism surfaces quickly:

  “Who wrote that speech for you... You can pick up one like that from any jailhouse lawyer.”
  (03:04, Parole Board Chairman)

3. Troubled Family History & Emotional Outburst (03:24–04:23)

• Paul's refusal to see his mother in prison brings up unresolved family pain. The chairman reads from a letter describing Paul’s closeness—perhaps obsession—with his deceased father’s photograph.
• Paul erupts, blaming his family for shaping him into a criminal:

  “They wanted a liar and a crook, and they got it. They made me do it... Is that what you wanted to know? ...Okay, I said it.”
  (03:47, Paul Botwin)

4. Flashback: The Good Son (04:35–07:24)

• Paul shares a bittersweet memory of being celebrated for a legitimate job offer, taking his mother to dinner, and proudly announcing his new future.
• He confides in his father’s picture, promising to make him proud—a moment dripping with aspiration and hope:

  “Hiya, Pa. Thought you oughta know about me being picked out for the job... I’ll make you proud of me.”
  (06:21, Paul Botwin)

• The scene ends with a sad admission:

  “It was a lie. The whole thing was a dirty, lousy lie.”
  (07:24, Paul Botwin)

5. The Shocking Return of Paul’s Father (09:10–10:49)

• Paul’s life unravels when his supposedly deceased father returns—revealed to be a lifelong convict.

  “She told you I was dead, didn’t she? ...Your old man was a con. Well, take a good long look, sonny, because your old man has come home.”
  (09:55, Paul’s Father)

• This revelation shatters Paul’s trust and self-image—a core catalyst for his downward spiral.

6. Descent into Crime and Alienation (11:19–13:44)

• Paul feels ostracized and loses faith in decency, embracing criminality:

  “I’ll be what I am. The son of a conviction. I changed. I got hard.”
  (12:07, Paul Botwin)

• Tensions mount with Martha (his girlfriend) and her father, mirroring his own estrangement.

7. The First Heist and Corruption’s Pull (14:48–15:52)

• Paul organizes a robbery, demonstrating his slide into deeper crime, spurred by resentment towards his parents and Martha’s family.

8. Cyclical Guilt and Family Strain (15:26–16:53)

• Paul’s father confronts him out of fear his son's crimes will send him (the father) back to prison. Paul responds with pure venom and blame, reinforcing his alienation:

  “Do I care about you going back to prison? Sure, I care, Paul. I care so much that if I had any spit to waste, I’d spit right in your eye.”
  (15:53, Paul Botwin)

9. Early Release, Temptation, and Second Crime (17:48–22:53)

• On initial release, Paul turns down honest work in favor of a warehouse “easy money” job—again prioritizing quick profit over legitimacy, rationalizing it for Martha’s sake.
• He describes the meticulous plan and execution of a large-scale silk heist, demonstrating his continued affinity for the criminal life.
• His relationships—especially with Martha and his mother—are marked by suspicion, refusal of support, and cold breaks.

10. Arrest, Betrayal, and Resentment (22:53–24:18)

• The heist ends in arrest after a betrayal (he believes Martha informed the police), reinforcing Paul’s narrative that others always let him down.

  “She was like Ma. A liar, like all of them.”
  (23:18, Paul Botwin)

11. Rehabilitation and Self-Doubt (24:45–26:53)

• The parole board notes Paul’s decent prison record but probes his attempts at self-improvement courses, suggesting a battle between self-sabotage and hope.
• Paul still oscillates between anger, guilt, and a longing for family and acceptance.

12. Emotional Confrontation & Epiphany (24:48–26:53)

• Martha and Paul’s mother meet him, expressing regret and pleading for understanding.
• Paul’s mother admits:

  “In my own stupid way, I thought... I’ll save my boy by keeping the truth from him. But you can’t build a life on a lie like that.”
  (25:25, Paul’s Mother)

• Paul, overwhelmed by confusion and anguish, struggles to forgive, stating:

  “He died because... because he had nothing. And what’s the use of talking? What’s there to say?”
  (26:20, Paul Botwin)

13. The Parole Board’s Final Challenge (26:44–29:18)

• The board prods Paul to go deeper, highlighting his dual nature—the embittered, self-pitying criminal and the decent young man yearning for belonging.
• Paul’s climactic confession:

  “My old man’s dead. You know why? Because me... I spit in his face... I killed him.”
  (27:22, Paul Botwin)

14. Decision and Epilogue (29:19–30:00)

• The board’s message:

  “When a man stops blaming society for his shortcomings and... begins to place the blame where it belongs, upon himself, he’s learned the basic truth. Paul Butwin... parole granted.”
  (29:21, Parole Board Chairman)

• Epilogue reveals Paul went on to become “a useful citizen, a married man with a son of his own,” ultimately justifying the board’s faith in redemption. (30:00, Narrator)

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “They wanted a liar and a crook, and they got it. They made me do it... They got just exactly what they asked for.”
  (03:47, Paul Botwin)

• “Hiya, Pa. Thought you oughta know about me being picked out for the job... I’ll make you proud of me.”
  (06:21, Paul Botwin)

• “She told you I was dead, didn’t she?...Your old man was a con...Now, how about a drink? How about a good, long drink? We’re reunited.”
  (09:55, Paul’s Father)

• “I'll be what I am. The son of a conviction. I changed. I got hard... I'd show them.”
  (12:07, Paul Botwin)

• “Do I care about you going back to prison? Sure, I care, Paul. I care so much that if I had any spit to waste, I’d spit right in your eye.”
  (15:53, Paul Botwin)

• “You can’t build a life on a lie like that.”
  (25:25, Paul’s Mother)

• “My old man’s dead. You know why? Because me...I spit in his face...I killed him.”
  (27:22, Paul Botwin)

• “When a man stops blaming society for his shortcomings and...begins to place the blame where it belongs, upon himself, he’s learned the basic truth. Paul Butwin...parole granted.”
  (29:21, Parole Board Chairman)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening Parole Hearing & Paul’s Statement: 00:33–03:14
• Family Trauma & Accusations: 03:24–04:23
• Flashback to “Good Kid”: 04:35–07:24
• Father’s Return & Revelation: 09:10–10:49
• Descent into Crime: 11:19–13:44
• First Large Crime: 14:48–15:52
• Second Crime, Heist Plan: 18:23–22:53
• Arrest & Betrayal: 22:53–24:18
• Mother and Martha’s Visit: 24:48–26:53
• Final Confession: 27:22
• Parole Decision: 29:19–30:00
• Epilogue/Narrator: 30:00–31:17

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Tone & Style

The episode combines stark, naturalistic dialogue with the melodrama characteristic of Golden Age radio. Paul’s voice alternates between tough defensiveness and poignant vulnerability, while the parole board acts as both interrogator and reluctant empath.

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Useful Takeaways

• The episode presents a nuanced portrayal of criminality, not as innate but as forged by cycles of betrayal, secrecy, and lost opportunity.
• It offers an early “true crime” dramatization, inviting audiences to reflect on the justice system and the meaning of redemption.
• The ultimately optimistic ending underscores the period’s belief in rehabilitation and personal responsibility.

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Transcript

[Paul Botwin]

Cha cha cha cha.

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[Paul Botwin]

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[Parole Board Chairman]

Your name?

[Paul Botwin]

Paul Bartlett.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Your age, 26. Charge against you, stealing vehicles. Speak up.

[Paul Botwin]

Stealing vehicles, conspiracy to rob and burglary. Sentence, five to ten years.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Proceed.

[Paul Botwin]

Having served two and a half years at the state prison and having received the permission of the warden and before this board. Up for parole.

[Narrator]

Tonight again another in the exciting new crime series, up for Parole. Authentic Cases is actually presented before the parole boards in your state prisons and told here for the first time.

[Parole Board Member]

Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to sit in judgment on another human being to decide whether he shall become your neighbor, your employee, perhaps your friend, or remain where you society have put him behind prison bars. For that human being is a social offender, a criminal. Now up for parole. At the close of tonight's broadcast, you can compare your own judgment with the official decision of an actual state parole board. I ask you, therefore, to listen and consider seriously the story you are about to hear told from the official records of Paul botwin, prison number 824371. Now pleading before the parole board and before you for his freedom.

[Paul Botwin]

One of those things, gentlemen of the board, the way things happen, I. I didn't think at the time I did it when I stole the car and the rest, that this was a crime not only against society, but against myself, too. But, gentlemen of the board, since I got in a stir, I had a lot of time to think. I followed all the regulations and stayed away from influences. I think therefore, gentlemen, I am eligible for your kind consideration. Well, that's about it.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Who wrote that speech for you? Baldwin, sir. You can pick up one like that from any jailhouse lawyer for a buck. Is that what they told you that we wanted to hear?

[Paul Botwin]

What? He coached me. Nobody told me to say anything. I was.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Skip it. That's all beside the point. First, I think we better start from the beginning.

[Paul Botwin]

Yes, sir.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Now, the warden's report here says that you refuse to see visitors, especially refuse to see your Mother.

[Paul Botwin]

Aw, look, you gotta bring her.

[Parole Board Chairman]

And in a letter to the warden, your mother writes.

[Paul Botwin]

What? What difference does it make what she writes?

[Parole Board Chairman]

She says you used to stand in front of a picture of your father, your dead father. A picture in the living room, and talk to him.

[Paul Botwin]

Cut it out, will you?

[Parole Board Chairman]

As if he were alive.

[Paul Botwin]

Okay, okay, okay. It was her and him. My mother and my old man. My girl, too, and her old man. All of them. They made me like this. They wanted me to be like this. They wanted a liar and a crook, and they got it. They made me do it. I can tell you the way they made me do it. They got just exactly what they asked for. Is that what you wanted to know? That what you wanted me to say? Okay, I said it.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Well, if you said your piece but one, you can leave now and the board will make its decision. Or if you want to, you can tell us what that outburst is all about. What it means standing in front of your father's picture.

[Paul Botwin]

Okay. Okay, I'll tell you. I'll tell you the whole thing. Six years ago, I was the good kid in my neighborhood. People. People used to say to their own kids, there goes poor Botwin. Why can't you be like him? I was 19, going on 20, going to mechanic school at the time. I got the good news about five o'. Clock, So I came home and surprised. Ma.

[Paul's Mother]

Who's that, Paul?

[Paul Botwin]

Said you.

[Paul's Mother]

Paul boy.

[Martha Collins]

What said you.

[Paul Botwin]

Take off your apron, Ma.

[Paul's Mother]

Oh, but, Paul.

[Paul Botwin]

No buts, no questions. Just take off the apron, mom. And get on your new dress. And pin these on a corsage.

[Paul's Mother]

Why, Paul?

[Martha Collins]

What?

[Paul Botwin]

You and me, we're gonna paint the town, Ma. We're going out. Best Chinese restaurant there is. Anything you want on the menu.

[Martha Collins]

It happened.

[Paul's Mother]

Mm.

[Paul Botwin]

It happened and more. Remember, I told you at the end of the term, the specialists come down from that electronics company and so on. Big shots to pick three men for jobs. Sure. Fire jobs. Well, I got tapped. Number two man. Start at $39.75 the first week. Oh, Paul. Paul, I. Aw, mom, cut that out. It'll take you an extra half hour to fix up your face. Come on.

[Paul's Mother]

Oh, Paul.

[Paul Botwin]

Go ahead, get your coat. Ma, I already ordered the table.

[Paul's Mother]

Tell him, Paul. He was a man with standards. He'd be proud. If only he were alive now.

[Paul Botwin]

All right, Ma. I'll tell him. You. You go ahead and get ready. I went into the living room where his picture hung, my father's picture, right over the piano. A big photo colored by an artist. And I stood There like I did ever since he died when he was four. Hiya, Pa. Thought you oughta know about me being picked out for the job and all that. It may not be much, but I'll work hard. I'll make you proud of me. Paul.

[Paul's Mother]

I'm ready, Paul.

[Paul Botwin]

You sure? Sure, Ma. You know, it's almost like he was smiling, Ma.

[Paul's Mother]

I know.

[Paul Botwin]

So long, Pa. It was a lie. The whole thing was a dirty, lousy lie.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Hold on now. But if you can control yourself, we'll listen to the rest of your story.

[Paul Botwin]

All right? All right.

[Paul's Father]

I'll try.

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[Paul Botwin]

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[Parole Board Member]

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[Paul Botwin]

It was just one month later. The day I graduated. I was to start to work. The next day I came home. Ma wasn't there. I was going out with Martha that night. She was my girl. And I. I started to get ready.

[Accomplice]

Who's there?

[Paul Botwin]

Yeah? Can I help you? What? Hey look Mac. This is my house. Who are you?

[Paul's Father]

Ain't changed.

[Paul Botwin]

Hey, where do you think you're going?

[Paul's Father]

You got a drink in the house?

[Paul Botwin]

Hey, wait a minute. I don't mind a guy walking in it. Look Matt. Just who do you think you are?

[Paul's Father]

Aladdin? Take a good long look, boy. Maybe you can answer your question yourself.

[Paul Botwin]

You. You. You aren't.

[Paul's Father]

Uh huh. That's just who I am. What'd she tell you?

[Paul Botwin]

You can't be.

[Paul's Father]

Leave it to Emma. Good old Emma. Always tell the truth. Never lie, Never steal. She told you I was dead, didn't she? She never told you about him? Over the piano, then? Well, he was in state prison for unlawful entry, burglary, violation of the Sullivan Act, 15 to 20 years. She never told you, then? She never told you your old man was a con. We'll take a good long look, sonny, because your old man has come home. Now, how about a drink? How about a good, long drink? We're reunited.

[Paul Botwin]

Oh, no. No, no.

[Martha's Father]

No.

[Paul Botwin]

It's impossible. It can't be. She wouldn't do a thing like that. Telling me that. You are him. You are him. Look. Look at the picture. Same eyes. You and him, you're the same.

[Martha's Father]

The same.

[Paul Botwin]

The same quarantine.

[Paul's Father]

Where you gone?

[Paul Botwin]

Who cares? Who wants to know? You gonna stop me? The next 24 hours, the whole world fell on top of me. A whole life. A life of. A life of lies. Everything I thought was decent was phony. Everything I believed in was a lie. I didn't know who I hated more, my father or my mother. What did I care what happened? My job. That didn't matter. People I knew were saying things behind my back.

[Martha's Father]

Lies.

[Paul Botwin]

Saying they knew it all along. I was too good to be true.

[Paul's Father]

Okay.

[Paul Botwin]

I said.

[Accomplice]

Okay.

[Paul Botwin]

I'll be what I am. The son of a conviction. I changed. I got hard. Never again was I gonna be soft, get sucked in by lies. I'd show them.

[Martha Collins]

I don't think it's a good idea, Paul.

[Paul Botwin]

My girl, Martha, she didn't understand yet. That's how big the change was. Even she didn't understand. We were talking together in a drugstore. In the back booth. Safe place.

[Martha Collins]

You sure it's a good idea, Paul?

[Paul Botwin]

What am I gonna do, go back and live there? Look at him every morning and her. Listen to explanations and all that kind of stuff. Look, now I'm on my own. And I got plans, kid. I got real plans. Why don't you go soft on me too?

[Martha Collins]

Oh, it's not that.

[Paul Botwin]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Your old man says if I see you, he'll. He'll break my neck. Well, I'd like to see him try. You're still with me, aren't you?

[Martha Collins]

Of course.

[Paul Botwin]

Okay with you. I can lick them all. Every stinking one of them. The neighborhood, my job, my own man and. And her. Oh, Paul, what's wrong?

[Martha Collins]

My father.

[Martha's Father]

Martha, get up and get out of here.

[Paul Botwin]

Now, look, Mr. Collins.

[Martha's Father]

I told you never to see him again, and here you are, hiding.

[Martha Collins]

We're not hiding.

[Martha's Father]

Do you know who he's been Hanging out with the kind of company he keeps. The things he's been doing. You look, Batwin, what did I tell you I'd do to you if I caught you again with my daughter? Mister, I told you I'd break your neck.

[Martha Collins]

Get it out. I told you the kind of a man you are.

[Martha's Father]

Now, get out of here. And if I ever catch you so much as looking at her again. Well, what you just got is only a sample, Botwin.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Just a sample.

[Paul Botwin]

It made me look like dirt in front of Martha. They made that happen. My own man and my mother. Okay. I thought before I knew where I was heading. Now I knew for sure. For absolute sure. Yo, Lefty, you got it straight at 10, he closes up the store. He's been averaging 250, 275 a night. Friday night, he ought to have at least 300. Now, you take lookout, Vince. Lefty, you go in the store first, and I'll handle the heavy work. Come on, let's go. It's parked on the corner of 137th and tremendous. Cadillac with white wall tires. The keys were in the glove compartment. Now, I'll meet you at Samish's garage in 15 minutes. A grand, at least. Split three ways. Look, but I said everything in the register. You told me enough. Now I'm telling you. And then came the best. The best of the whole bunch. I was watching my step, staying at a friend's place, and he found me.

[Paul's Father]

How?

[Paul Botwin]

I don't know. He got the right knock and I opened the door. My old man. Well, how do you like that? Come on, get in. Shut the door. Were you following?

[Paul's Father]

No, I. I was careful. Paul, I. I gotta talk to him.

[Paul Botwin]

What do you got to say to me, Paul?

[Paul's Father]

I'm on parole, you know. Then on good behavior. What you've been doing, it's been getting around. They're blaming me, boy. They say if I ain't a fit father, I ain't eligible anymore to be on parole. They're gonna send me back to the. And it's five years. You don't know what that means, boy.

[Parole Board Chairman]

I waited 16 years for this to get out and have a chance.

[Paul's Father]

You lousing me up?

[Paul Botwin]

Oh, brother, that's the best I ever heard. They're going to send you back for being a bad father because your son is doing jobs in the neighborhood.

[Paul's Father]

Well, what are you going to do?

[Paul Botwin]

Ma says it's shut up and I'll tell you. Do I care about you going back to prison? Sure, I care, Paul. I care so much that if I had Any spit to waste, I'd spit right in your eye. Okay. That's what they wanted. They made me a crook. My old man, Martha's father and neighbors, and her, my so called mother. They got just what they asked for. Is that what you wanted to know? Gentlemen of the parole board.

[Parole Board Chairman]

That wasn't the end, was it, Butler? That was just the beginning. There was arrest too, for the car theft. Sentenced to Pine Hill. It was the first prison term. And then there was more.

[Paul Botwin]

Uh huh. You want to hear that too? All right, well, I'll tell you.

[Narrator]

We'll return to our file in just a moment. But first, this Sunday night, genial Horace Height will hold his first quarterfinals of 1950 on his CBS Youth Opportunity Program. During these first months of the year, Horace has been making the rounds at the towns and cities, finding new and fine young entertainers. And the pick of these will compete this Sunday night when Horace Heights Original Youth Opportunity Program comes round on most of these same CBS network stations. Now back to the true story of Paul Botwin. Prison number 824 371, the man who is up for parole.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Proceed, Baldwin.

[Paul Botwin]

I did my time as best I could at Pine Hill. They. They treated me fair. They tried to give you a break. They served my time. And after a year, I got out.

[Parole Board Chairman]

You were at Pine Hill? An institution for first offenders of Wallace Prison. They got schools there. No hard labor. Warden wrote me a letter. He said that when you finally finished serving your term, you were offered three jobs. Two were in your own line. Telephone repairman. You turned them down. The other one was in a silk house as a shipping clerk. Why did you take that job?

[Paul Botwin]

Well, while I was at Pine Hill, I met two guys who told me I was a sucker if I didn't take the job at the silk warehouse. Because it was an easy money deal if I made my plans right. You see, Martha left home and I could see her anytime I wanted. And she'd marry me no matter what her old man said. So I. I wanted to make money quick. Big money, so we could get married. Well, when I did get out, I took the job. And in a month I had the place all cased.

[Parole Board Chairman]

That's what we want to hear about when?

[Accomplice]

The truth.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Now tell me, did you see this girl Martha?

[Paul Botwin]

Yeah. Yeah, I saw quite a bit of her. But I. I didn't tell her what I was up to. I only told her that soon we'd have some money and we'd go out west somewhere, get out of town.

[Martha Collins]

Paul, I still don't understand that you're doing well here. You have a good job.

[Paul Botwin]

We're gonna get out of this town. You just leave everything to me. There's big things coming, baby.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Real big.

[Martha Collins]

Paul, I don't care. The main thing is you and me. Why don't we stay here?

[Paul Botwin]

What can you build on? A family. A father, a mother. Like yours and mine.

[Martha Collins]

You want to see your mother, Pa?

[Paul Botwin]

Keep her out of it.

[Martha Collins]

Look, Pa, she's worked all this time. She saved a little money. She's ready to give it to you. We could maybe start a business or something.

[Paul Botwin]

Oh, Martha, you still on that? Look, make up your mind. You with me or against me?

[Martha Collins]

Oh, she's your mother.

[Paul Botwin]

She's a liar, that's what she is. She's the one that started the whole thing. You know that.

[Martha Collins]

See her.

[Paul Botwin]

I won't.

[Martha Collins]

She's been waiting half an hour.

[Paul Botwin]

She's here.

[Martha Collins]

She's outside. She just wants to tell you how sorry she is.

[Paul Botwin]

All right, Martha, go ahead. Open the door. Tell her to come in.

[Martha Collins]

Paul.

[Paul's Mother]

Paul.

[Paul Botwin]

Martha said my mother was coming to see me. Well, I got news for you. My mother's dead. She died when I was a little boy of four. She was a fine woman with standards, but she died. Oh, Paul.

[Accomplice]

That's right.

[Paul Botwin]

My mother's dead. Now, go on, get out.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Batwin.

[Paul Botwin]

Yes, Mr. Chairman Board.

[Parole Board Chairman]

I'd like to know if that's still your attitude.

[Paul Botwin]

Oh, I. No, she's alive, if that's what you mean.

[Parole Board Chairman]

I also meant that during your stay in the state prison, you've consistently refused to see her, open her letters or to write to her.

[Paul Botwin]

That's the way I feel right now. I just said it.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Go ahead.

[Paul Botwin]

So I went on with the plans. I had a heist job at the Silk Plan because that's what they wanted me to do. Okay. That's what I was gonna do first. I saw the fence lined up.

[Accomplice]

You got the truck tag, right?

[Paul Botwin]

Right.

[Accomplice]

You're doing delivery on the truck, right in the back?

[Paul Botwin]

Yeah, that's right.

[Accomplice]

Okay. Truck Stewart, the plant in Coopersville. 47 minute run. Timed it to the second she blows the tire. And the turnout over near Fremont Road. While you're fixing it, our trucks drive up. Tom Zayner, the company driver. You take care of our boys. Will slide the Silk into the tracks. One heads for the Inner city bridge, the other takes the north end tunnel. You get 10 grand for the job, the rest goes to me.

[Paul Botwin]

Oh, it was smooth. The flat tire. Taking care of Zanner, the company driver. Transfer the goods to the fences. Two trucks went smooth as silk. One filled up and headed for the inner city bridge, the other one for the tunnel. Me on it. Me and the fences. Driver. 10,000 was a good start. And there'd be more, plenty more. Well, we took the extension highway, turned north at River Street. And then I saw the lights in the tunnel. They were blinking on and off, on and off. What's the matter? What's the matter?

[Martha's Father]

They're blinking.

[Parole Board Chairman]

I don't know.

[Paul Botwin]

Well, is it for us?

[Martha's Father]

Maybe a traffic snot?

[Paul Botwin]

Well, get your foot on the gas.

[Martha's Father]

What do you think I'm doing?

[Parole Board Member]

Why?

[Paul Botwin]

They're closing it up. It is us. It's no good.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Stop that truck. Okay.

[Paul's Father]

Out.

[Parole Board Chairman]

No tricks.

[Paul Botwin]

They gave me the business in court. I took a plea. Guilty. What did I care? Because the first thing they told me when they got me in the station, the very first thing, we had a tip off.

[Paul's Father]

Fella, good looking kid, too. Name of Martha Collins.

[Paul Botwin]

After that, what did I care? She was like Ma. A liar, like all of them.

[Parole Board Chairman]

That's it, Butler. That's all there is.

[Paul Botwin]

Yes, sir. Except I've been serving my time. I. I never got no marks against me on the report, that's all.

[Parole Board Chairman]

You think that warrants parole?

[Paul Botwin]

Well, that's up to you.

[Parole Board Chairman]

No, it's up to you, too. Because your records have a couple of other things on it, too. Like that course you started to take in lathe work and woodwork. Automotive repair course that you started.

[Paul Botwin]

Ah, what's that got to do with anything?

[Parole Board Chairman]

What's the matter? You shame? You ashamed that there's any decency left in you? Is that what you're ashamed of? Ashamed that maybe the world won't think that you're tough, hard. Paul Botwin, number 824371. Is that what you're ashamed of?

[Paul Botwin]

I got nothing to say.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Just a second. Oh, yes, that's okay. But when you've got two visitors, Principal Keeper wants to know whether you'll see them.

[Paul Botwin]

No.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Don't you want to know who they are?

[Paul Botwin]

I know who they are.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Ward's going to pass judgment on your case within the next hour. We're sending you out now but one because we have to hear another case. That'll take about a half an hour. Then we'll decide yours. We'll send for you. You can go now.

[Paul Botwin]

Hello, Martha.

[Martha Collins]

Paul. Just one thing. I never chipped off the police. They just said I did it so you'd tell about the rest of the gang. I thought you ought to know.

[Paul Botwin]

Thanks.

[Martha Collins]

But that's not important. The important thing is. Oh, Paul, I feel so guilty about how little I made you understand. I wanted you the way you were before. I didn't want you and me against the whole world. I wanted to be part of the world with you. That's all I ever wanted. Can you understand that?

[Paul's Mother]

Yeah. Paul, can I say something? In my own stupid way, I thought, I'll save him. I'll save my boy by keeping the truth from him. But you can't build a life on a lie like that.

[Martha Collins]

And.

[Paul's Mother]

Well, now the only thing I care about is. Well, I hope you don't hate me too much. And you won't hate me forever.

[Paul Botwin]

Oh, my.

[Paul's Mother]

And one thing, too. You ought to know. Paul. Your Paul, he died. He died because he had nothing. Not you, not me. Nothing. And, well, I was the cause of that, too.

[Martha Collins]

That's all.

[Paul's Mother]

Marta, we better go.

[Martha Collins]

Yes, Mrs. Blackworth.

[Paul Botwin]

He died because. Because he had nothing. And what's the use of talking? What's there to say? Goodbye. I'm glad you came, Baldwin.

[Paul's Mother]

Yeah.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Board's ready. Let's go. Is there anything else before we decide? Butwin?

[Paul Botwin]

No, sir. No, that's all.

[Parole Board Chairman]

But when all along you've showed two sides of yourself. The decent side and the self pitying side. The side of you that says I got shoved, hit. Okay, I'll shove back. But there's another you. Butwin. There's a young man there who wants to belong, to embrace his mother, to get married and all that.

[Paul Botwin]

Oh, what's the sense? Come on, get it over with.

[Parole Board Chairman]

You had something to say?

[Paul Botwin]

Yeah. Yeah, I got something to say. My old man's dead. You know why? Because me. Me, his son, I. I spit in his face. I told him, go ahead and die. Who cares? I didn't care what happened to him, to them, to me, to. To anyone. I killed him.

[Parole Board Chairman]

That's what I wanted to say. That's all?

[Paul Botwin]

Yeah, that's all.

[Parole Board Chairman]

All right, Butterfly. Board will make its decision. Step outside with the gu.

[Parole Board Member]

While Paul Batwin waits and the parole board reviews his story and his parole file, you too have a decision to make on his case. Weigh Paul Botwin's story carefully before you form your judgment. Because in a moment, you will have an opportunity to compare your decision with that of the actual board before which he appeared.

[Narrator]

The cream of the fun and songs on Arthur Godfrey's daytime shows are now brought to you in a half hour special Godfrey digest every Saturday night on cbs. So if you want a fast half hour of humor and songs by Jeanette Davis, Bill Lawrence and the Mariners. Listen in every Saturday night to the Godfrey Digest on most of these same CBS stations. And now back to the case of Paul Botwin, who is up for parole.

[Parole Board Chairman]

Paul Botwin.

[Paul Botwin]

Yes, sir.

[Parole Board Chairman]

When a prisoner has learned a lesson after his harsh years of incarceration, when a man begins to learn a bitter lesson, this board will always be sympathetic. When a man stops blaming society for his shortcomings and begins to place the blame where it belongs, upon himself, he's learned the basic truth. Paul Butwin, this board believes that you have begun to learn that basic truth, and therefore, parole granted.

[Narrator]

And today, Paul Botwin, paroled prisoner, is a telephone linesman in an Eastern city, a useful citizen, a married man with a son of his own. Paul Bartlett has justified the faith you and your parole board placed in him when he was up for parole. You've been listening to up for Parole with Michael o', Day, written by Arnold Pearl and directed by Mitchell Grayson. Research by Wally Gould, music conducted by Harry Salter. Listen again at this same time next week when CBS will bring you the actual story of case 3375 OB up for parole. This is cbs, where you thrill to gangbusters every Saturday night. The Columbia Broadcasting System.

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[Paul Botwin]

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[Paul Botwin]

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