Real Gone by X Minus One

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Real Gone" by X Minus One

Podcast: Relic Radio Sci-Fi (Old Time Radio)
Episode Date: April 13, 2026
Host: RelicRadio.com
Original Story Airdate: Historic X Minus One Broadcast, starring Al Jazbo Collins
Main Theme: The intersection of art, science, and ambition through a satirical science fiction lens

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Episode Overview

In this episode of Relic Radio Sci-Fi, listeners are treated to a classic "X Minus One" story titled "Real Gone." This witty, self-aware tale—featuring jazz personality Al Jazbo Collins playing himself—blends satire and science fiction to explore themes of art, invention, greed, and ambition. Set in mid-century New York, the story follows disc jockey Al as he becomes entangled in the bizarre business of micro-sculpture and scientific intrigue involving expanding plastic cubes, massive art deals, and a deadly partnership gone awry.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction to the Story and Protagonists (00:33–04:13)

• X Minus One Launches: The legendary "blast off" countdown and signature intro set a classic sci-fi radio tone.

• Al Jazbo Collins as Narrator: Al welcomes us with charismatic patter, sharing his experience as a popular jazzy disc jockey. He immediately establishes the story’s playful, irreverent voice.

  "You ever hear of him? He's an artist. I don't mean records or music. I mean an artist—artist, sculptor..." – Al Jazbo Collins [02:01]

• Meeting Ralph Therian: Al reminisces about Ralph’s creative but often mischievous artistry, highlighted by World War II antics and failed potato sculpture assignments.

2. The Creative Gold Rush: Ralph's New "Art" (04:13–06:55)

• Transformation of Ralph: The formerly starving artist now appears successful and ostentatious, decked out in expensive, eccentric attire.

• Ralph’s Artistic Breakthrough: Ralph shows off a small plastic cube containing a miniaturized, intricately carved sculpture.

  “That is a detailed copy of Rodin’s The Kiss.” – Ralph Therian [05:25]

  "I just sold two original compositions to Morgenstern ... for $25,000." – Ralph Therian [05:58]

• Al’s Skepticism: Al, ever the everyman, is unimpressed by the steep price for what looks like a glorified paperweight, highlighting the absurdities of the art market.

  "Money is never secondary. Money is the primariest thing there is." – Al Jazbo Collins [06:28]

3. Art Dealers, Wealth, and the Value of Genius (07:59–09:53)

• Introduction of Larry Oss: A wealthy, dual-identity entertainer and art collector, Larry Oss is enthralled by Ralph’s plastic sculptures, contrasting pop music success with high art.

  “This is the most exciting discovery in art since the invention of red paint.” – Larry Oss [08:32]

  "The Picasso, the Renoir, the Cezanne will in time fade into insignificance. This is a new art form." – Larry Oss [09:39]

• The Satire of Artistic Value: The banter over escalating prices ($30,000 for a cube) lampoons the hype and speculative trends in the art world.

4. Discovery of the Secret Process (10:07–15:11)

• Ralph’s Windfall: Ralph receives a massive commission and celebrates with Al, setting up their deeper involvement.

• Introduction to the Studio and Science: Al is taken to Ralph's secret studio and introduced to the weaselly technician Burton.

  “In those little glass bottles is the secret of $100,000. And I'm going to show you how I do it.” – Ralph Therian [13:51]

• The 'Blow-Up' Process: Using a mysterious catalyst and electronics, they expand a plastic cube to enormous size, allowing Ralph to sculpt the inside before shrinking it back. The process is revealed as a blend of advanced chemistry and technological wizardry:

  “The long organic chain of molecules in the plastic is infinitely expandable under the right condition.” – Burton [15:04]
  “A cube this big is as soft as putty ... and I start to carve my pretty sculptures inside.” – Ralph Therian [15:33]

5. Tension, Greed, and Breaking Point (15:12–20:25)

• Partnership Conflict: As the "art" business booms, Burton demands a bigger share—escalating comic rivalry and resentment.

  "I want 50% Therian. 50%. That's only fair, isn't it?" – Burton [16:14]
  "That is the typical wailing of the non-creative technician. Envy. Pure envy for genius." – Ralph Therian [16:06]

• Ultimate Mishap: The process becomes a metaphor for their contentious partnership: the artist and scientist, both driven by ego and greed, are literally trapped by their creation when the catalyst is sabotaged.

  "The catalyst ... I made it up half strength. ... The two of them were in there when the roof fell in. The roof and the walls." – Al Jazbo Collins [20:25]

6. Ironic Epilogue: The Final Paperweight (20:25–21:26)

• Twist Ending: Al, in deadpan style, reveals the result—a morbidly realistic sculpture of two men locked in struggle, now immortalized in the latest cube.

  "Little plastic cube, about 2 inches. Look in there. Two fellows with their hands around each other's throat. ... This one's in full color." – Al Jazbo Collins [21:18]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Art and Money:

  “Money is never secondary. Money is the primariest thing there is.” – Al Jazbo Collins [06:28]

• On Artistic Innovation:

  “This is a new art form.” – Larry Oss [09:39]

• On Creative Ego:

  "That is the typical wailing of the non-creative technician. Envy. Pure envy for genius." – Ralph Therian [16:06]

• On the Outcome:

  "Two fellows with their hands around each other's throat ... this one's in full color." – Al Jazbo Collins [21:18]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:01] – Al introduces Ralph Therian and their history
• [05:17] – Ralph unveils his micro-sculpture breakthrough
• [08:32] – Larry Oss extols the “new art form”
• [13:51] – The secret of the expanding cubes is revealed
• [15:04] – The blow-up and carving process explained
• [16:14] – Tensions over profit-sharing escalate
• [20:25] – The fatal denouement: science, ambition, and disaster
• [21:18] – The episode’s final, chilling twist

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Tone and Style

The episode maintains a wry, ironic tone, with jazzy repartee, sharp one-liners, and playful mockery of both the art world and scientific hubris. Al Jazbo Collins’ narration is breezy, self-mocking, and streetwise, acting as an audience surrogate amid the surreal events.

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Summary

"Real Gone" is a clever send-up of both the art scene and the dangers of unchecked ambition—a blend of New York cool, science fiction, and cautionary farce. The episode’s conclusion brings the story full circle with its darkly comedic take on artistic immortality, perfectly encapsulating X Minus One’s talent for marrying speculative science with human folly.

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For those who enjoy satirical sci-fi, jazz-age dialogue, and stories where invention, greed, and creativity collide, this is a classic "X Minus One" not to miss.

Transcript

[Burton]

Relic radio.

[Ralph Therian]

This is Relic Radio. Sci Fi Old time radio. Science fiction stories from relicradio.com.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Countdown for blast off. X minus 5, 4, 3, 2.

[Narrator]

X minus 1.

[Ralph Therian]

Fire.

[Narrator]

From the far horizons of the unknown come tales of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories of the future, adventures

[Al Jazbo Collins]

in which you'll live in a million.

[Narrator]

Could be years on a thousand, maybe. World the National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Galaxy Science Fiction magazine presents

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Minus one.

[Narrator]

Tonight real gone, starring al jazzbo collins. Playing of all things al jazbo collins.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Ah, come in, come in. Glad to see you. Albert here, your Collins friend. Just a minute, I'll close the door. You know, when you run a disc jockey show, the song pluggers just seem to ooze through the grain of the wood. There. Now we won't be bothered for a while. Have a seat. I'll take this record off the chair. Hound Dog, exclusive to me, sung by Helen Traubell with the Vienna State Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Felix Weingartner. Now sit down. You do the writing for that Real Gone show on NBC, don't you? That X minus one with the rocket ships and the three headed men from Mars and all that jazz. Well, that's why I asked you up. I ran into a little something. Just an idea, you know. I figured maybe you could English it up and use it. About a friend of mine, Ralph Therian. You ever hear him? He's an artist. I don't mean records or a musician. I mean an artist. Artist, sculptor. I ran into him during the war. He used to sit in a barracks making busts of the sergeants out of GI soap. When they had him on kp they couldn't trust him to peel potatoes. He'd end up doing caricatures of the captain and the lieutenants out of raw spuds. Man, he was the greatest. He got the whole company restricted for a week. When we were stationed somewhere near Boston, it snowed and he made a life size statue out of snow and ice depicting the captain sitting in a howdah on the back of an elephant. The captain didn't mind so much, but the elephant happened to look like the regimental colonel and he took a dim view of the entire affair. Ralph studied in France somewheres under the GI Bill of Rights. And I used to run into him once in a while on 57th Street. He's looking kind of hungry and desperate. Then one day a couple of green weeks ago, I ran into him on Madison Avenue and man, he looked like he belonged. He had one of them Tyrolean chapeau with a shaving brush stuck on one side, an important German loading coat, and he was carrying a snakeskin dispatch case.

[Burton]

Al. Albert.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Well, hello, Ralph, my friend.

[Ralph Therian]

Well, you're looking great, Al. Hey, I like that beard.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Thanks.

[Ralph Therian]

Kind of gives your face the Mount Rushmore quality.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

It's generally admired, my friend. But what brings you over here on this street of dreams? I was under the impression an artist was immediately downgraded 3 degrees of integrity when he set foot on Madison Avenue.

[Ralph Therian]

I was just up seeing a client.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

A client? You've given up the sculpting kick?

[Ralph Therian]

Oh, no, no. I'm just working in a new medium.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Well, you look real prosperous.

[Ralph Therian]

How do you like the shoes?

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Very dapper. Very dapper. I don't believe I've ever seen lizard skin huaraches before.

[Ralph Therian]

Had them imported, made underwater by natives of Ecuador.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Yeah.

[Ralph Therian]

Takes about three hours to have them made, so they use about 12 natives per pair.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Ralph, my friend, you give the general impression that you are loaded with loose.

[Ralph Therian]

I am. There's money and art money. You've just got to get something new. Here, wait a minute. Let me open my case here. Al, take a look at this.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

What is that, an ice cube?

[Ralph Therian]

Look inside.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Now. Man, that's real. Entraps. And what is it?

[Ralph Therian]

That is a detailed copy of Rodin's the Kiss.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Pretty sexy.

[Larry Oss]

How do you do it?

[Ralph Therian]

Well, you see, I carve it from underneath the plastic block.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Oh, it looks sort of solid to me. How do you get in?

[Ralph Therian]

Well, look at the bottom. You see that little hole? I worked through there with my engraving instrument. Of course, this is just a sample I've been doing originals mostly.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

What are the little cubes good for? Paperweights, I guess, huh?

[Ralph Therian]

This is art, Albert. Art. Do you know how much I get for one of these?

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Beats me.

[Ralph Therian]

$5,000.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Oh, that's a pretty stiff price for a paperweight.

[Ralph Therian]

Well, you just don't understand, Al. This is the hottest thing since Picasso. I just sold two original compositions to Morgenstern, you know, the dealer from Philadelphia, for $25,000.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

25? Wow. I should have paid attention when Mama bought me that clay when I was a little boy.

[Ralph Therian]

Well, it's about time the creative artist got a little bit of recognition.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Recognition's not the point, man. At 25 GS, I wouldn't care if people walk past me in high noon.

[Ralph Therian]

That's because you're not an artist. The money is secondary.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Money is never secondary. Money is the primariest thing there is.

[Ralph Therian]

Al, would you be interested in a fine Original composition. Well, I. I'll make a special price for you, Albert. $4,000.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

No, Ralph, my friend, I keep my papers from blowing off my desk with my right foot and my left piled one on top of the other. And I find that quite adequate to the and aspirations.

[Ralph Therian]

Well, the trouble with you is you've got no soul.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

The trouble with me is I have not got four grand. Ah, this sort of thing is happening to me all the time. For example, I have a barber who plays unaccompanied Bach chacons with a clock, quarter inch drill and a length of steel pipe. I figured Ralph Therian was stringing me until I ran into Vladimir Osepki. Now, Vladi is one of these men who leads a double life. He composes concerti and avant garde operas under his square moniker, but he's better known in the Brill Building as Larry Oss. He got in on the ground floor of this rock and roll affair and he took an already substantial fortune and ran it up to a fantastic munificence. Larry has money. He hasn't even folded yet. And he collects art. I was up at his house one night discussing such things as Tin Roof Blues and Warzek by Albin Berg, and Larry got around to showing me his collection.

[Larry Oss]

Now, this is a Picasso, Larry.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

That's what I call cool brushwork, my man.

[Narrator]

Cool.

[Larry Oss]

I homed it next to the Tintoretto for contrast.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

This stuff runs into a pile of loot.

[Larry Oss]

Well, I figure since I've launched rock n roll on an unsuspecting public, the least I can do is collect old masters and leave them to the nation when I die.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

It figures. I mean, that figures.

[Larry Oss]

Here's my latest look. Isn't it beautiful? You mean this hunk of plastic? Yes. Look into it. That design, that composition, the delicacy of that line. This is the most exciting discovery in art since the invention of red paint.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Larry, was this piece of jim crackery executed by one Ralph Therian?

[Larry Oss]

That's right. You know him?

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Mm.

[Larry Oss]

Remarkable talent. Remarkable.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

A genius. And how much did this stroke of genius cost you, if you don't mind my mentioning a crude thing like money?

[Larry Oss]

Not at all, not at all. It was a steal. A steal. I got it from Morgan's turn. Oh, I out foxed him. I got it from him for only $30,000.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Yeah, you out foxed him all right. Tell me something, Larry. What makes this worth $30,000?

[Larry Oss]

Albert, Albert, Albert, what makes a Stradivarius worth 30,000? In a fiddle played on the street by a beggar trade?

[Ralph Therian]

Hours, huh?

[Al Jazbo Collins]

You mean his stuff is that good?

[Burton]

It's art, Albert.

[Larry Oss]

This is art. This is genius. To work with such delicacy and such control and such genius in so small a space. You see? That's it. This plastic block is how long? About 2 inches. And yet within this 2 inches is the majesty, the feeling of a sculpture 20, 30ft high. This is an art which has not been known in the world since the painters of miniatures in the late Renaissance.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Why, then, it's for real.

[Larry Oss]

Real. This is the gem of my collection. The Picasso, the Renoir, the Cezanne will in time fade into insignificance. This is a new art form.

[Ralph Therian]

Brilliant. Brilliant.

[Larry Oss]

And now let me play a new record we're putting out.

[Ralph Therian]

It's called I love you, Baby.

[Larry Oss]

Cause your lower lip drags on the ground. A real cool, you bangy beat.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

I let Ralph Therian's new art form slip my mind for a while. While I struggle with song pluggers, advertising salesmen, account executives from the agency. And I met him again a few weeks ago at a small cultural establishment on the corner where I work. You might call it sort of branch public library with a brass rail.

[Ralph Therian]

Hey, what's the idea of putting this lemon peel in? If I want a fruit salad, I'd ask for it.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

How do you do, Ralph, my friend?

[Larry Oss]

Oh, hello, Al.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

You look like you're thriving, my man.

[Ralph Therian]

Well, as a matter of fact, I just signed a contract with Morgenstern to deliver $100,000 worth of my original compositions. I'm celebrating in here, man.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

This place is only fit for sweating out the downhill phase on a manic depressive psychosis.

[Ralph Therian]

Oh, I'm just starting here. I intend to work my way up. Albert, be my guest.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Well, I just had a difficult morning with the station manager, who has an illusion in his little Rikki Tikki mind that my program is the answer to Lawrence Welk and Guy Lombardo. He'd been trying to convince me to program two solid hours of Wayne King, relieved by vocals by Frank Crummett and Julia Sanderson. I had resisted, and I was in the mood for eating the lotus and forgetting. Several hours later, Ralph was feeling very confidential.

[Ralph Therian]

Albert. Albert, my friend. I like you. Why don't you shave, Ralph?

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Love me. Love my beard.

[Ralph Therian]

I will try. Albert, you have the look of an Abraham Lincoln gone hog wild among the cream puff.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Ralph, you have an artist soul.

[Ralph Therian]

Albert, I trust you. I trust you. I trust you.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

I am touched.

[Ralph Therian]

And so, Albert, I'm going to take you to my studio, my secret studio.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

And I will reciprocate, my friend. Tomorrow, when I am doing my disc show, you may come to my secret studio with the esteem that my program is held in today. Tomorrow I'll be doing my broadcast from a small hole with a round iron top and plenty of running water below.

[Ralph Therian]

What time is it?

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Half past something.

[Ralph Therian]

I'm late. I'm late.

[Burton]

Hurry.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

He took me to a loft somewhere down in the banana warehouse section. He had three locks on the door and he opened them with three separate keys. I stepped inside and took a look around. The loft stretched a whole city block. The only thing that kept the New York Rangers from using it as a practice rink was the lack of ice. It was empty, except in one corner of the room. There was a mess of machinery. Looked as if someone had eviscerated a television set and left it to die of shock. There was a weaselly looking little man in a shiny blue suit standing in the middle of the floor, tapping his foot.

[Burton]

Syrian. I've been waiting for half an hour. Half an hour. Where have you been?

[Ralph Therian]

Now take it easy, Burton. Take it easy. Plenty of time.

[Burton]

I've told you, the act active life of the catalyst is only. Who's this?

[Ralph Therian]

This is my friend Al. Al Collins.

[Burton]

Well, who is he and what is he doing here? I've told you, we must have no one here.

[Ralph Therian]

Now, he's my friend. I trust him.

[Burton]

Oh, I suppose you've told him all about it.

[Ralph Therian]

Yes, I have. Have you got the stuff?

[Burton]

Certainly. I have three ambules, but it won't last. You've gotta hurry.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Roll up your sleeves. Ah, now just a minute, both of you gentlemen. If I've been brought down here to witness the inoculation of a little happy juice into somebody's arm, I'm leaving. I have no desire to tangle with the Federal Narcotics Bureau.

[Ralph Therian]

Now, Albert, do I look like I'm taking narcotics?

[Al Jazbo Collins]

I wouldn't swear to it.

[Ralph Therian]

You don't understand. In those little glass bottles is a secret of $100,000. And I'm going to show you how I do it. First, we take a plastic cube out of my pocket. So we put it down on the grid in the middle of the floor. So now if you will kindly step to the outside of the white line painted on the floor back there.

[Burton]

Go ahead.

[Ralph Therian]

Now, Mr. Burson, we'll turn on the machinery. I take this vial of catalyst thus and pour it over the plastic block. So now we wait.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

We stood there at the edges of that loft and watched that tiny plastic block sitting in a frame on the Middle of the floor. And then suddenly it began to grow. In about 20 minutes, that cute little plastic block stood about 20ft on its side. It almost touched the skylight. And there was about a foot of clearance on each wall.

[Burton]

See, the long organic chain of molecules in the plastic is infinitely expandable under the right condition.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Is that a fact?

[Burton]

By applying the right voltages in series, we can expand the cube to about this size. But there's an outside limit due to the cohesive charge on the molecules.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Oh, naturally, naturally. Of course, those molecules do stick together.

[Burton]

Well, it's the catalyst that does it. And I make that. I make the catalyst. You hear that? Therein? I make it.

[Ralph Therian]

Now, calm down, Burson. Without me, you just have a great big blob of plastic. I'm the one who turns it into money. You see, Albert, a cube this big is as soft as putty. Inside, I take my pneumatic drill and I make a hole in the bottom. And then my tools and I start to carve my pretty sculptures inside.

[Burton]

I'm warning you, I won't take this kind of treatment for long.

[Ralph Therian]

Now, calm down, virgin. You're getting your 10% cut.

[Burton]

10%? 10%? Why, before I brought you this process, the only artwork you could get people to look at was mustaches on subway advertisements, Burson.

[Ralph Therian]

That is the typical wailing of the non creative technician. Envy. Pure envy for genius. Now, look out. I'm going under there and start work.

[Burton]

I want 50% Therian. 50%. That's only fair, isn't it? I put it to you, Ms. Collins.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Just keep me out of it. Gentlemen. Leave me out of it.

[Burton]

I'm warning you, Therian. I'm warning you.

[Ralph Therian]

Just get out of my way. Grease monkey. Let an artist work.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Ralph crawled under the giant cube and started to work. I could see what he was drawing. A collection of lovely ladies. Something like the closing number at the Union City Burlesque. Didn't look very good. The lines were kind of thick and muddy. Had a kind of a soft and sloppy quality to it. Just about as if you were carving in butter. Took him about an hour, and then

[Narrator]

he crawled out just about in time.

[Ralph Therian]

What does it say on that watch?

[Burton]

You've got about 20 seconds left. You cut it pretty fine there, Darian.

[Ralph Therian]

It's all right. It's a masterpiece. Wait a minute. Okay, now. There she goes.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Well, now, what happened was that plastic cube that was blown up to about 20ft on the side suddenly popped like a balloon with a cigarette stuck in it. And what ended up was that tiny little 2 inch cube sitting in the middle of the floor. Ralph picked it up and brought it over.

[Ralph Therian]

Look at it. Beautiful. Beautiful. The work of genius.

[Burton]

The work of science.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Makes a real nice paperweight.

[Ralph Therian]

Albert, my friend, what you have just seen was the creation of a $20,000 masterpiece. Take a good look.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

I did take a good look. The whole design was there. But what had looked to me like kind of a muddy, buttery picture when it was 20ft high was now sharp and beautiful and clear as a snowflake. I went back to the studio and demonstrated my independence by scheduling two solid hours of Dizzy Gillespie. The next day I got a telephone call just before I went on the air. It was Ralph asking me to come over to the studio. Said it was important. So after the show, I shook the last song plugger out of my lapels and headed down to Ralph Therian's loft. I found that fellow Burson walking up and down at the edge of the room looking at a stopwatch nervously. They had another plastic cube blown up in the middle of the room and Ralph was inside the cube working. They were having quite an argument.

[Burton]

I know you got paid off today, Therian. $100,000. I know you got it. And I want my share. 50%.

[Ralph Therian]

Don't bother me. I'm working.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Hi, Ralph.

[Burton]

Oh, hi there, Albert. Just a minute. Wait till I crawl out. I warned you. You can't say I didn't warn you. There'll be no more of the catalyst. No more.

[Ralph Therian]

Listen to him, Al. That's why I asked you over. I wanted a witness. And you're the only one who knew all about it.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Oh, now look, gentlemen. I told you not to get me involved in this.

[Ralph Therian]

Now listen. This little worm, this test tube termite, had the gall to threaten not to bring any more of that catalyst.

[Burton]

But I warned you. I warned you. I want my share of that hundred thousand.

[Ralph Therian]

If you'll excuse me, I'll get back into that masterpiece. That catalyst is only good for 2.7 hours. Hand me the drill, will you, Burton?

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Here it is.

[Burton]

But I warned you.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Boy, this plastic is tough today.

[Burton]

I warned him. I warned him. He must have the money here somewhere. Yes, there must be somewhere. Bills, bills, check stubs.

[Ralph Therian]

What are you doing over there?

[Burton]

Person? Looking. Just looking. Well, if you're looking for that hundred thousand dollars, you can stop.

[Ralph Therian]

I've got it right here in my pocket. Now don't bother me while I finish work.

[Burton]

What? What? Tyrion. Theon, come out of there. Come out. Come out.

[Ralph Therian]

I've got to finish.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Just a Little more.

[Burton]

Come out. You don't understand. Come out. Get out of my way. Mr. Collins.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

With pleasure.

[Burton]

Darian, hand me that money, quick.

[Ralph Therian]

Get out of my way, Buron.

[Burton]

I'm working. But listen. You don't understand. The catalyst.

[Larry Oss]

Let go of me.

[Burton]

Let go of me. The catalyst. I made it up half strength. Give me that money, quick. The money.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

Well, that's all there was to it. I figured out that little fellow from the plastic company. Figured he'd get himself a new sculptor when he made up that catalyst half strength. The two of them were in there when the roof fell in. The roof and the walls. Well, that's about all there is to it. Figured you might be able to use the story. I wrote a few notes on it. They're here somewhere. Under the paperweight. Oh, you like to see the paperweight. Little plastic cube, about 2 inches. Look in there. Two fellows with their hands around each other's throat. Looks realistic, don't it? As if they were squeezing. Of course, this one's an improvement on the work Ralph Therian did. This one's in full color.

[Narrator]

You have just heard X minus 1. Presented by the National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Galaxy Science Fiction magazine. Which this month features the victim from space. A time to sew, a time to reap, a time to live. All the Agathians agreed with this. But not when it came to A time to die. Galaxy magazine on your newsstand today. Tonight, X minus 1 has brought you Real Gone by Ernest Kanoy. Based on an idea by Al Jazbo Collins. And starring Al Jazbo Collins as himself. Featured in our cast were John Baragray as the late sculptor Ralph Durian. John McGovern as his equally late scientific collaborator. And Harold Hubert as the fabulous Larry Oss. This is Fred Collins. X Minus One was directed by Kenneth McGregor and is an NBC Radio Network production.

[Al Jazbo Collins]

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