The Singing Walls by Suspense

Summary

Relic Radio Thrillers: "The Singing Walls" by Suspense

Aired: September 2, 1943 (Originally)
Podcast Date: December 19, 2025
Featured cast: Preston Foster (Denny Sullivan), Dane Clark (Tommy Cochran)
Source & Host: Relic Radio, RelicRadio.com

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Episode Overview

In this episode of Relic Radio Thrillers, host RelicRadio.com presents "The Singing Walls" from the legendary CBS series Suspense. Adapted from a story by Cornell Woolrich, this gripping radio play follows the bewildered Tommy Cochran, who wakes after a blackout to suspect he may have committed murder. With the help of his police detective brother-in-law, Denny Sullivan, Tommy desperately pieces together a night lost to drugs and confusion, racing against time to either prove his innocence or face the consequences. It's a classic tale of memory, clues, and deadly misdirection, saturated with 1940s noir atmosphere.

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. Setting the Stage: The Nightmare Begins

• Tommy’s Confusion and Guilt ([02:41] - [07:12])
  • Tommy wakes, rattled by a disturbing, semi-lucid memory/dream of a party, a bricked-up window with "singing walls," a strange man, and blood on his shirt.
  • Quote:
    "Last night I think I killed a man."
    — Tommy ([08:29])
  • His sister Mildred is skeptical but alarmed when she sees the bloodstained shirt and finds two keys in Tommy’s pocket, one unknown to them.

2. Calling For Help: Detective Denny Sullivan Steps In

• Piecing Together Memories ([08:47] - [10:40])

  • Denny, Tommy’s brother-in-law and a homicide detective, listens as Tommy recounts muddled memories: a man with a “frog voice,” a mysterious party, and a body in a closet.

  • The tension rises as Tommy has only four hours before a potential check-out at a hotel where a body may be discovered.

  • Quote:
    "Right now there's a dead man in a closet somewhere in this town. And you killed him. Oh, but then maybe you didn't..."
    — Denny ([10:12])

3. The Search: Clues and Red Herrings

• Tracking Down ‘Joe’ and ‘The Singing Walls’ ([12:03] – [16:08])

  • Denny’s detective skills deduce that "Joe" refers to a saloon, not a person’s home. They visit Joe’s bar and confront him.

  • Testing Joe, Denny orders a drink and exposes him for drugging drinks, coercing him to reveal the location of the suspicious party.

  • They go to the Sorrell apartment in search of the closet seen in Tommy’s memory—finding nothing suspicious and no body.

  • Memorable Exchange:
    "If my hunch is right, Joe is going to be plenty surprised when he sees you walk in there..."
    — Denny ([12:52])

4. Breakthrough: The Clue of the “Singing Walls”

• Music as a Trail ([18:37] - [20:36])

  • Tommy hears the same harmonica music (“the singing walls”) from the night in question, traced back to a portable radio and a local bandleader.

  • Denny, following this broadcast, is led to the nearby Silver Slipper nightclub and an adjacent seedy hotel.

  • Quote:
    "That’s it. The singing walls. The music I heard last night."
    — Tommy ([18:53])

5. The Climax: Truth in the Closet

• Locating the Crime Scene ([21:13] – [24:40])

  • At the hotel, Tommy’s handwriting is found in the guest register. In Room 209, they discover the murdered man (Benjamin Doyle) in a closet and Tommy’s fingerprints on the weapon.

  • Tommy is nearly convinced of his guilt due to these damning clues.

  • Quote:
    "Those prints are yours all right, kid."
    — Denny ([24:26])

6. Revelation and Resolution: Framing the Frame-Up

• The True Culprits & Tommy’s Vindication ([25:32] – [29:18])

  • As Tommy is left alone, the real villain—the frog-voiced henchman ("Froggy")—emerges, revealing the plot to frame Tommy.

  • Denny is also captured but, appreciating Tommy’s earlier request to leave a window open for the music, understands Tommy’s coded hope for rescue.

  • Police burst in at the last moment, arresting the real killers. The murder is tied to criminal underworld retribution, not to Tommy.

  • Key Confession:
    "Sure, sure, that's why I framed this guy. All the trouble I went to, doped him and brought Doyle in there when he was out. Planted a key on him, bloodied him up with a knife in his hand..."
    — Froggy ([26:51])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tommy’s Anxiety:
  "Last night I think I killed a man." ([08:29])
• Denny’s Loyalty and Duty:
  "If you did it, you know I'm going to turn you in, don't you?" ([11:02])
• Music as Salvation:
  "I heard the music. I hoped you would. I asked him to leave the window open."
  — Tommy to Denny, after their rescue ([28:46])
• Self-doubt and Relief:
  "I thought you did it, Denny, until just now."
  — Tommy ([29:18]) "So did I."
  — Denny ([29:18])

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Important Timestamps

• [02:41] — Tommy's first confused memories; introduction of "the singing walls"
• [08:29] — Tommy confesses to his sister he may have killed someone
• [10:12] – [10:40] — Denny summarizes the urgency and stakes of their investigation
• [12:03] – [14:03] — Denny and Tommy meet Joe at his saloon; confrontation
• [16:13] – [18:03] — Search of the Sorrell apartment; no body found, moment of despair
• [18:53] — Tommy decisively identifies “the singing walls” music
• [22:19] – [24:40] — Discovery of the hotel scene, body, and incriminating evidence
• [26:51] — Froggy’s confession: the frame-up exposed
• [28:46] — Denny and Tommy rescued; vindication

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Episode Tone & Language

The dialogue is steeped in classic hardboiled noir: clipped, urgent, and in moments, vulnerable. The cast delivers palpable tension, especially between Tommy—helplessly piecing together fragmented memories—and Denny, torn between compassion and his duty as a lawman. The episode’s sparing use of music and sound effects (the “singing walls”) heightens the mysterious, claustrophobic atmosphere of 1940s radio crime drama.

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Final Thoughts

"The Singing Walls" is a prime example of Suspense at its best: high stakes, unreliable memory, shadowy backrooms, and brotherly loyalty tested by evidence. Through layered clues and a memorable twist, the episode keeps listeners guessing up to the very end, all delivered with authentic Golden Age radio style.

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For more classic mysteries, visit RelicRadio.com.

Transcript

[Narrator]

Relicradio.com presents stories of mystery and intrigue, espionage and suspense. Hear tales of ticking time bombs, mysterious crime scenes and cloak and dagger action. This is relic radio thrillers. Welcome back to relic radio thrillers. Thanks for joining me. This Friday we'll hear from suspense. This Week, a CBS series that debuted in 1942, aired for over 900 episodes until 1962. Our story today is adapted by one from Cornell Woolrich. It's titled the Singing Walls. This one aired September 2, 1943.

[Man in Black (Host/Narrator)]

This is the man in black, here again to introduce Columbia's program suspense tonight. Heading our Hollywood cast are two noted leading men. One, Mr. Preston Foster, the star long established, the hero of many an adventurous film. The latest, the 20th Century Fox production Guadalcanal Diary. The other, Mr. Dane Clark, a newcomer to the screen whose auspicious debut in action in the north Atlantic has made him warmly welcome in these parts. Mr. Clark appears tonight as a young man who awoke one morning to find himself in a very serious jam. And Mr. Foster is the San Francisco homicide detective who was willing to help his friend up to a point. The play called the Singing Walls by Robert L. Richards, adapted from a story by Cornell Woolrich, is tonight's tale of suspense. If you've been with us before, you will know that suspense is compounded of mystery and suspicion and dangerous adventure. In this series are tales calculated to intrigue you, to stir your nerves, to offer you a precarious situation, and then withhold the solution until the last possible moment. And so it is with the performances of Preston Foster as detective Denny Sullivan and Dane Clark as young Tom Cochran, we again hope to keep you in suspense.

[Joe]

Have another. No drink at all. There's lots more. So a guy named Joe brought you, huh? You come up here from Joe's place. What's that? Oh, you don't even know where Joe lives, huh? Me? No. I don't know either. I never seen Joe before in my life. How you feeling now, Ken?

[Mildred]

Huh?

[Joe]

Sure have a little more. It's good for what ails you. Ah, that's nothing. You're all right. Sure. Right. No, let's get out of here. I know a better place. Come on. Come on. I'll help you. No, that's not a window. It's bricked up. They put a building up right behind this one. That's right. It comes right out of the walls. Singing walls. Yeah, we got hot and cold running water here and singing walls. Have another. Sure. Bottoms up. That's the idea. Make yourself right at home. Hey, lie down. Lie down and take a little snooze. Sure. I'll be right back. Bag. What's the matter? Have a little trouble in here while I was gone?

[Tommy Cochran]

What's.

[Joe]

Blood. Sure? Blood all over your shirt. Oh, him. Oh, he's all right. Just put him in the closet, lock the door like that, see? Now you put the key right in your pocket so you'll know just where to find it. Don't worry. He'll be all right. No, I'm not going any place. I'll be back in just a minute. Here, have another. Have another.

[Man in Black (Host/Narrator)]

I'll.

[Joe]

I'll. I'll be back in just a minute.

[Tommy Cochran]

No.

[Mildred]

No.

[Tommy Cochran]

No.

[Denny Sullivan]

Let me out. Let me out of here.

[Joe]

Call me.

[Tommy Cochran]

Let me out of here. No.

[Man in Black (Host/Narrator)]

No. Call me.

[Mildred (Sister)]

Tom. Tommy. Tommy, wake up.

[Tommy Cochran]

What? What is it?

[Mildred (Sister)]

I've been knocking at your door the longest time. You were having a dream or something?

[Tommy Cochran]

Yeah. What time is it?

[Mildred (Sister)]

It's way afternoon. You came in pretty late, did eh?

[Tommy Cochran]

Toss me my bathrobe, will you, Sis?

[Mildred (Sister)]

Don't you know what time you got in?

[Tommy Cochran]

Not exactly.

[Mildred (Sister)]

Oh, Tommy, I know it's tough not having a job all these months and I know you've tried, but this isn't doing you any good.

[Tommy Cochran]

I know, sis, but last night was the first time in a month. And anyway, it was different. Had a few drinks, but it was different. Something happened.

[Mildred (Sister)]

What do you mean something happened?

[Tommy Cochran]

Well, it wasn't just the drinks. They were doped or something.

[Mildred (Sister)]

Oh, Tom.

[Tommy Cochran]

No, look, sis, it's not just an alibi. I don't remember where I was or anything. Only just now I seem to be dreaming about it.

[Mildred (Sister)]

About what?

[Tommy Cochran]

About last night. I could. I could hear you banging on the door. All the time I was dreaming. Then it seemed as though I wasn't dreaming at all. That I was remembering a lot of things.

[Mildred (Sister)]

What sort of thing?

[Tommy Cochran]

It was all mixed up. There was a guy with a kind of a frog voice that kept giving me drinks. And I was sort of floating. Then there was a place that music came out of the walls. There was something about blood on my shirt. The key to a closet.

[Mildred (Sister)]

Tommy, you're shaking like a leaf.

[Tommy Cochran]

Yeah, it was a pretty scary dream. If it was a dream.

[Mildred (Sister)]

What you need is some good hot coffee. Now hurry up and get dressed and come on downstairs. Here, I'll get you out a clean shirt.

[Tommy Cochran]

I better wear the old one.

[Mildred (Sister)]

I've only worn it once, but it's all messy.

[Tommy Cochran]

Does look kind of. Mildred.

[Mildred (Sister)]

What?

[Tommy Cochran]

My shirt. Give it to me.

[Mildred (Sister)]

Now, what's the matter?

[Tommy Cochran]

Look, Mildred, that's blood.

[Mildred (Sister)]

Well, I guess it is.

[Tommy Cochran]

I know it is. Just like it was in the dream.

[Mildred (Sister)]

Oh, Tommy, don't be so silly. You must have hurt yourself somewhere.

[Tommy Cochran]

But I didn't. Look, there isn't a scratch on me.

[Mildred (Sister)]

Then he got in a fight.

[Tommy Cochran]

Maybe.

[Mildred (Sister)]

What else could it have been?

[Tommy Cochran]

Well, that's what I'm trying to think.

[Mildred (Sister)]

Well, stop thinking and hurry up and get dressed. My goodness, look at the way you threw your clothes around last night. Trousers on the floor. Here, dear. Everything's falling out of the pocket. I'll pick it up. You get dressed.

[Tommy Cochran]

Thanks.

[Mildred (Sister)]

You didn't come home with much, did you?

[Tommy Cochran]

Well, I didn't have much to start with.

[Mildred (Sister)]

Well, I'll put it all up here in the bureau. 25 cents and change. And your keys. Now hurry.

[Tommy Cochran]

What'd you say?

[Mildred (Sister)]

I said hurry.

[Tommy Cochran]

No, no, no, before that. What'd you say?

[Mildred (Sister)]

I said I put your change and your keys up in the bureau.

[Tommy Cochran]

Keys?

[Mildred (Sister)]

Yes.

[Tommy Cochran]

Mildred. I only have one key.

[Mildred (Sister)]

Well, there are two there.

[Tommy Cochran]

Now I know. Let me see him.

[Mildred (Sister)]

Here. One's the key to the front door.

[Denny Sullivan]

Yeah, but the other one doesn't belong.

[Mildred (Sister)]

To any door in this house.

[Tommy Cochran]

It's the key to the closet.

[Mildred (Sister)]

What closet?

[Denny Sullivan]

Last night.

[Tommy Cochran]

It wasn't a dream, Tommy.

[Mildred (Sister)]

What are you talking about?

[Tommy Cochran]

Mildred, you better call Denny right away.

[Mildred (Sister)]

But he's on duty.

[Tommy Cochran]

I know, but get him over here right away.

[Mildred (Sister)]

Tommy, what is it?

[Tommy Cochran]

Last night I think I killed a man.

[Denny Sullivan]

Let me look at your eyes.

[Tommy Cochran]

Listen, Denny, you were doped, all right. Well, I didn't know what it was.

[Denny Sullivan]

Never mind that now. How much do you remember?

[Tommy Cochran]

Look, Denny, I hated to bring you in on this and I. I didn't know who else to go to.

[Denny Sullivan]

Skip it. What's the use of having a brother in law who's a cop if he can't help you once in a while? How much do you remember?

[Tommy Cochran]

Well, just what I've told you. Just like it was in the dream. Only it wasn't a dream. You see, there was this guy, Joe. Just some guy I'd known from someplace. I don't know where. See, I met him on a street and he took me to the party. Then the guy with the frog voice began giving me drinks. And then everything got confused and I was in another place with the singing walls, some harmonica playing or something. I. I don't know even know whether it was in the same apartment even. But that's where the closet was.

[Denny Sullivan]

What about the guy, you dead guy?

[Tommy Cochran]

Well, at first he wasn't there. And then he was. He was sort of slumped over in a big armchair.

[Denny Sullivan]

Then frog boys put him in a closet.

[Tommy Cochran]

That's what I remember. And then he left. And then I suddenly seemed to realize that the guy in the closet was dead. And that's why I got out of there. I don't know how.

[Denny Sullivan]

You don't have any idea where it was? No.

[Tommy Cochran]

No, I don't even know where the party was.

[Denny Sullivan]

You'd never seen any of these people before?

[Tommy Cochran]

Except this guy Joe, who took me to the party. And that's all I know about him, Denny. Just a guy named Joe that I knew from by sight. From someplace. I don't know where or his last name or anything.

[Denny Sullivan]

Not much to go on, is there, kid?

[Tommy Cochran]

No, not much.

[Denny Sullivan]

Guy named Joe singing walls in a closet. Another guy with a froggy voice.

[Tommy Cochran]

But I'd recognize him or his voice if I ever saw him again.

[Denny Sullivan]

I mean, you're in a jam, it looks right now there's a dead man in a closet somewhere in this town. And you killed him. Oh, but then maybe you didn't. If we find him before somebody else does, maybe we can figure out what did happen. The way it stands now, you're it. I know we haven't got much time either. Place is an apartment. They probably would have found the body already and I'd know about it. It's a hotel. They check the guests out by six o'.

[Tommy Cochran]

Clock.

[Denny Sullivan]

That gives us about four hours.

[Tommy Cochran]

Four hours for the murderer to find the guy he murdered. It's kind of crazy, isn't it?

[Denny Sullivan]

Tommy, you know how I feel about Mildred. You know, I don't exactly hate you either. You know I'll do everything in the world I possibly can to clear you.

[Tommy Cochran]

Sure, Denny. I know.

[Denny Sullivan]

I'm a cop. Tommy, if you did it, you know I'm gonna turn you in, don't you? Sure.

[Tommy Cochran]

I know that too.

[Denny Sullivan]

Okay, kid, now let's start from the beginning. What about this Joe?

[Tommy Cochran]

I. I don't know anything about him.

[Denny Sullivan]

You know his name, you know his face. Think, Tommy, think.

[Tommy Cochran]

I'm trying to.

[Denny Sullivan]

I could only remember.

[Tommy Cochran]

If I could only remember.

[Joe]

So a guy named Joe brought you, huh? You come up here from Joe's place. What's that? Oh, you don't even know where Joe lives, huh?

[Mildred (Sister)]

Me?

[Joe]

No. I don't know either. I never seen Joe before in my life.

[Denny Sullivan]

You still don't get it, Tommy.

[Tommy Cochran]

No. No, I don't.

[Denny Sullivan]

You told me where Joe is.

[Tommy Cochran]

I have?

[Mildred (Sister)]

Sure.

[Denny Sullivan]

You see the sign over that saloon?

[Tommy Cochran]

Yeah. It's Joe's place. But how do you know that, Tommy?

[Denny Sullivan]

You were playing with bad boys last night. And this is where bad boys hang out? Among other places. It's got a name. It's run by a guy named Joe. He minds his own business, as far as we know, but his customers don't. So it all clicked when I remembered you said the guy, the frog voice, asked you if you came up there from Joe's place. He didn't mean where Joe lived or anything. He meant this place. He thought maybe you were one of the boys.

[Tommy Cochran]

Yeah, but how did I ever meet this Joe? I've never been here in my life.

[Denny Sullivan]

He runs another joint, a respectable saloon, A sort of COVID about three blocks from our house. The town tavern.

[Tommy Cochran]

Hey, that's right.

[Denny Sullivan]

Remember, Joe may or may not be in on this. Frog Boyce made a big play to you that he didn't know.

[Tommy Cochran]

Joe.

[Denny Sullivan]

Never seen him before in his life. His customers always cover him. It's better for them that way. If my hunch is right, Joe is going to be plenty surprised when he sees you walk in there.

[Tommy Cochran]

Me, walking there?

[Denny Sullivan]

Ah, don't worry. Just walk in and sit down at the bar. You're not out in a couple of minutes, I'll know you recognize the guy. We're on the right track. I'll come in as though I didn't see you and go into the phone booth.

[Tommy Cochran]

And then what?

[Denny Sullivan]

Then we'll see.

[Tommy Cochran]

Okay, kid. Okay.

[Denny Sullivan]

Oh, one thing.

[Joe]

Huh?

[Denny Sullivan]

He offers you a drink on the house. Take it. Sure.

[Tommy Cochran]

Oh, here goes.

[Denny Sullivan]

Would it be Nick here? Well, we got you.

[Tommy Cochran]

Oh, it doesn't matter.

[Denny Sullivan]

Suit yourself.

[Mildred]

Well, well, what do you know?

[Denny Sullivan]

Tommy.

[Tommy Cochran]

Hiya, Joe.

[Denny Sullivan]

Hey, what are you doing down in this part of town, kid?

[Tommy Cochran]

Oh, I. I had to come down to see a guy. I didn't know you had this place.

[Denny Sullivan]

Oh, just a little sideline. It's where our face started, you know.

[Tommy Cochran]

Sure, I know.

[Denny Sullivan]

One beer. That'll be 10 cents. Hey, no, no, none of that. You gotta have one on me, kid. A real drink. What do you have?

[Tommy Cochran]

Well, I. Scotch. Okay.

[Denny Sullivan]

Scotch for the gentleman, Larry. The very best, you understand? Oh, yeah, sure. I'll take rye. Hey, Tommy. There was some party last night, huh?

[Tommy Cochran]

Yeah.

[Denny Sullivan]

Hey, where'd you disappear to? I was looking all over for you.

[Tommy Cochran]

You know, that's a funny thing. I don't even remember.

[Denny Sullivan]

I get it. Well, a guy has to cut loose once in a while, huh? Yeah. One scotch, the very best. One rice. Well, here's to you. Wait a minute. Hey, who Are you?

[Tommy Cochran]

This is my brother in law, Denny. This is Joe.

[Denny Sullivan]

Say, you must have got those drinks mixed up. You never drink scotch, Tommy. You only drink rye.

[Tommy Cochran]

Yeah, that's right.

[Denny Sullivan]

Yeah, you take the rye and give Joe the scotch and I'll take your beer. I don't like scotch. I never touch it. Okay, I'll take it. Thanks. By the way, Joe, you haven't got a little bottle I could pour this into, have you? Say, who do you think you're kidding, bud? I'm from headquarters. There's my badge. Oh, oh, now wait a minute. I didn't know that you. I suppose you don't know what I'd find in this drink if I took it down to be analyzed either. Hey, now look, I don't want any trouble. I never had any. They can tell you down at headquarters.

[Joe]

Of course, it's a matter of dough.

[Denny Sullivan]

You can't buy your way out of this one, chum. I want talk and I want it quick. What kind of talk? Where'd you take Tommy last night? It was just a little party. A private party. Yeah, they slipped things in. People's drinks there too. I don't know anything about that. Now honestly, I. I hardly know the people. Who's the guy with the frog voice?

[Tommy Cochran]

Voice?

[Denny Sullivan]

I don't know any guy with a frog voice. Now look, I told you, I don't want any trouble. They could tell you that down at headquarters. Listen, there's a narcotics rapping this for somebody and it could be you. Where was the party, Courtney? Square west, number 75. Some people named Sorrell. Come on, Tommy. You're coming too, Joe, just in case. Sorel, AJ this look like the place, Tommy?

[Tommy Cochran]

Looks like it could be. Everything has been so confused since last night, I.

[Denny Sullivan]

Well, this is it. It better be. Mrs. Sorrell?

[Man in Black (Host/Narrator)]

Yeah.

[Denny Sullivan]

I'm from police headquarters.

[Mildred]

Oh.

[Denny Sullivan]

Mind if we come and look around?

[Mildred]

I'm.

[Denny Sullivan]

No, come on, Tommy. You too, Joe. By the way, you two know each other?

[Mildred]

Face familiar. I think he's been here on a couple of parties. We kind of get crazy parties. All kinds of people wander in and out.

[Denny Sullivan]

The trouble is, it might be you know anyone with a froggy voice?

[Mildred]

No, not that I can remember.

[Denny Sullivan]

Okay, let's look at the apartment.

[Mildred]

Well, this is the hall, of course, and here's the living room.

[Denny Sullivan]

Joe, you stay here in the hall and you better be here when I get back. I'll be here. So this is the living room?

[Mildred]

Uh huh. This is the bedroom. Looks kind of messy now.

[Denny Sullivan]

See anything?

[Man in Black (Host/Narrator)]

No.

[Mildred]

Over here is the kitchenette.

[Denny Sullivan]

I see.

[Mildred]

That's about all there is to it.

[Tommy Cochran]

What's that room there?

[Mildred]

Oh, that's just a sort of stuff.

[Tommy Cochran]

Oh, well, I think we better look at it, though.

[Mildred]

Come on. All right. There. See? Nothing much in it. Old armchair and a bed. We use it as a guest room sometimes.

[Tommy Cochran]

Jenny, that closet.

[Mildred]

Oh, there's nothing in there. It's a lot of old odds and ends.

[Denny Sullivan]

Open it. Well, all right. Unlock it.

[Mildred]

I. I'm not sure where the key.

[Denny Sullivan]

Is, and, lady, you better find it.

[Mildred]

Well, I'll try. Be right back.

[Tommy Cochran]

Well, there was a closet like that and a window just over there where that one is. And the armchair and the bed.

[Denny Sullivan]

Don't you remember?

[Tommy Cochran]

I can't.

[Denny Sullivan]

Denny, let me have that key.

[Tommy Cochran]

Wait a minute. Here she comes.

[Mildred]

I think this is it.

[Denny Sullivan]

Try it.

[Mildred]

Sort of stick sometimes.

[Denny Sullivan]

I'll help you.

[Mildred]

Come see. Just a lot of old junk, huh?

[Tommy Cochran]

Oh, come on, Denny.

[Denny Sullivan]

Sure. Sure, I'm sure. Well, I guess that's all, Mr. Sorrell. Thanks for showing us around.

[Mildred]

That's all right.

[Denny Sullivan]

Hello, Joe. Still here, huh? You don't mind if I stay here and visit a while, do you? No, I guess not.

[Mildred]

Well, goodbye.

[Denny Sullivan]

Bye. Thanks again. Well, goodbye and good luck, copper.

[Tommy Cochran]

I'm sorry, Denny.

[Denny Sullivan]

That was a try.

[Tommy Cochran]

What do we do now?

[Denny Sullivan]

I don't know, Tommy. I don't know. Think, Tommy, think. We found Joe. Now, what about those singing walls?

[Joe]

That's right. It comes right out of the wall. We got hot and cold running water here and singing walls.

[Tommy Cochran]

Penny.

[Joe]

Yeah?

[Tommy Cochran]

Listen.

[Joe]

What? That's it.

[Tommy Cochran]

The singing walls.

[Denny Sullivan]

The music I heard last night.

[Joe]

You sure?

[Tommy Cochran]

Sure, I remember the piece. The harmonica and everything.

[Denny Sullivan]

It's coming from right around here someplace.

[Tommy Cochran]

Kenny. It's coming from their apartment. The one we just left. Sorrell's.

[Denny Sullivan]

Well, come on. This must be the place. Tommy, the closet. Now, the music. He must have been pulling a fast one on us. Well, all right. Quit stalling. Come on, Tommy.

[Mildred]

Stalling?

[Denny Sullivan]

You heard me. You two brushed us off pretty slick, didn't you? Hey, now, listen, I told you I don't know anything about this.

[Tommy Cochran]

But if you.

[Denny Sullivan]

Where's the music coming from?

[Mildred]

Well, from the radio.

[Denny Sullivan]

The radio?

[Mildred]

Yes, I turned it on.

[Tommy Cochran]

The key.

[Denny Sullivan]

Kitchen.

[Mildred]

Just now while I started to fix dinner.

[Mildred (Sister)]

It's a little portable.

[Mildred]

Here, see?

[Denny Sullivan]

Okay.

[Mildred]

I don't get it. What did you mean by skip it?

[Denny Sullivan]

Oh, Tommy, here we go again. I don't care.

[Tommy Cochran]

That was the music I heard. And that's the same number. And it sounds like the same band.

[Denny Sullivan]

Hey, wait a minute.

[Mildred]

Now what?

[Denny Sullivan]

Where's your phone? On the desk, Tommy. Let's see what station that's coming over.

[Man in Black (Host/Narrator)]

All right.

[Tommy Cochran]

Wbta, the local station.

[Denny Sullivan]

Thanks. Hello, operator? Get me stationed wbta, a radio station. I don't know what the number is.

[Joe]

Just get it.

[Denny Sullivan]

This is a police call.

[Joe]

Thanks.

[Denny Sullivan]

May be wrong, Tommy, but I got a hunch. Hello, wbta? What's that band you've got on now? I don't care if it's an electrical transcription or a Mickey Mouse cartoon. What's the guy's name? What? Turn off that radio now. What was that guy's name? Yeah. Mm. Well, where can we get ahold of this guy? Where does he hang out? I see. Five nights a week, huh? That include tonight?

[Man in Black (Host/Narrator)]

Thanks.

[Denny Sullivan]

A small time band leader, Tom Harmonica Hallen is Harmoniers, he calls himself, and he plays at a place called the Silver Slipper out in the concourse. Come on.

[Tommy Cochran]

Coming.

[Mildred]

You better get on that phone, Joe.

[Denny Sullivan]

You dumb. You would have a turn on that radio.

[Tommy Cochran]

There's a Silver Slipper right over there.

[Denny Sullivan]

Okay, let us out here.

[Joe]

Right.

[Denny Sullivan]

Here you are.

[Tommy Cochran]

Thank you, sir.

[Denny Sullivan]

Look familiar to you around here, Tommy?

[Man in Black (Host/Narrator)]

No.

[Tommy Cochran]

Oh, I'm afraid it's a bum steer, Denny.

[Denny Sullivan]

Look, kid, here's the way I figured this music deal. You may have heard a recording of this band the way you did a little while ago, but there's a good chance you actually heard the guy himself. You know what time it was when you heard it?

[Tommy Cochran]

Well, it was just night. That's all I know.

[Denny Sullivan]

All right. They don't make recordings, often of unknown bands. And this Silver Slipper isn't on the air. So maybe you're out here someplace and heard the band itself.

[Tommy Cochran]

Maybe.

[Denny Sullivan]

I know it's kind of a long shot, kid, but right now it's the best we got. Let's case the joint, okay? Don't look like there were any rooms with closets and a silver slipper.

[Tommy Cochran]

Say, what about that crummy looking hotel next to it?

[Denny Sullivan]

Yeah, I was just thinking. If you were in a room in the closet and all that, and you really did hear this band, that hotel's the only place you could have been. I wish I could remember something. The shape you were in, you probably signed your own name too. Come on. By the way, what time you got?

[Tommy Cochran]

10 to 6.

[Denny Sullivan]

10 to 6. Deadline's pretty close, kid. Yeah. This better be right. What a dump.

[Tommy Cochran]

I could only remember.

[Denny Sullivan]

Well, there's a clerk. We'll see. Say, you got a guy named Tom Cochran here? Tom Cochran? I don't know. It's all right. We're friends of his. Let's see. When did he register? Last night.

[Mildred]

Sure.

[Denny Sullivan]

Here it is. Tom Cochran and Ben Doyle, room 209. I don't think they're in, though.

[Tommy Cochran]

No?

[Denny Sullivan]

No, I've been ringing them to see if they were going to check out by six. I was just going to send somebody up. Well, they were out in a big party last night. Probably haven't pulled themselves together yet. As a matter of fact, that's why we came to see them. Should I ring again? No. We'll sort of surprise them. Okay. Right up those stairs. But they got to be up by 6 or pay for another night. We'll take care of that. Let's go tomorrow.

[Tommy Cochran]

Denny, did you see that handwriting on the register? Yeah, it was mine all right.

[Denny Sullivan]

This is it, Tommy, one way or another. Yeah, here's 209. Don't put your hand on that doorknob. Fingerprints. Use your handkerchief.

[Tommy Cochran]

Slack.

[Denny Sullivan]

I got some keys. It's an easy lock. Here we go, Kid.

[Tommy Cochran]

Denny. This is it.

[Joe]

Close that door.

[Tommy Cochran]

Yeah, there's a closet.

[Denny Sullivan]

Give me the key. Here. You better hold my gun on that door just in case.

[Tommy Cochran]

All right, then he.

[Mildred]

Look out.

[Denny Sullivan]

He was just falling. He's dead.

[Tommy Cochran]

Oh, gee, this is awful.

[Denny Sullivan]

You remember now?

[Tommy Cochran]

Yeah, but I can't put it together.

[Denny Sullivan]

Let's have a look. Oh, stabbed. Here's his driver's license. Benjamin Doyle. Give me it. Hello? Oh, yeah. We found him all right. Oh, they're gonna keep the room for another night. Oh, no, no. There's not a thing we want. We're in for it now, kid. Billy, look on the floor over there. Class knife covered with blood. That's what did it, all right.

[Mildred]

Yeah.

[Tommy Cochran]

Hey, I know it's mine.

[Denny Sullivan]

Tommy, why didn't you tell me?

[Tommy Cochran]

Honest, Denny, I didn't even know I'd lost it until I just saw it. There now.

[Denny Sullivan]

Fingerprints all over. It's clear. As though they've been made in sealing wax. Right handed, aren't you, Tommy?

[Tommy Cochran]

Yeah, right handed.

[Denny Sullivan]

Let me see your right hand. Doesn't take an expert to read these. Those prints are yours all right, kid.

[Tommy Cochran]

Yeah, I guess they are.

[Denny Sullivan]

And you still don't remember?

[Tommy Cochran]

Honest, Denny, I don't.

[Denny Sullivan]

Can you think of any other explanation?

[Joe]

No.

[Tommy Cochran]

There's the guy with the frog voice, but I must have just dreamed him up. I don't know.

[Denny Sullivan]

Okay, I guess this is it.

[Tommy Cochran]

You did all you could, Danny. Don't feel bad.

[Denny Sullivan]

You can plead insanity or something. Maybe we can prove you were doped.

[Tommy Cochran]

Maybe you better Call headquarters, Danny. Let's get it over.

[Denny Sullivan]

All right.

[Tommy Cochran]

So where are you going?

[Denny Sullivan]

I don't want a phone from here. The Kirk will listen in. It's no use getting all the wolves on us before we have to.

[Tommy Cochran]

Aren't you afraid that I'll.

[Denny Sullivan]

No. No, I won't. I just have him send a detective car. You won't have to go in the wagon.

[Tommy Cochran]

Thanks.

[Denny Sullivan]

Better let me have my gun.

[Man in Black (Host/Narrator)]

Sure.

[Denny Sullivan]

I'll be back. Lie down for a couple of minutes. Look kind of sick I am.

[Joe]

That's the idea. Take a little snooze. I won't be gone long. Get a little sleep. Do you good. I'll be right back. Have a little trouble in here? Blood?

[Denny Sullivan]

Sure.

[Joe]

Blood all over your shirt. Oh, he's all right. Put him in the closet. Lock that door key right in your pocket. I'm not going anyplace. Back in just a minute. Minute. Sure. I'll be right back. Be right back. Here he is.

[Tommy Cochran]

You?

[Joe]

Yeah, me.

[Mildred]

Hey.

[Denny Sullivan]

What are you going to do with him, Froggy?

[Joe]

Get him in the other room until his copper friend misses him and starts looking.

[Denny Sullivan]

Now, listen, I don't want to be in anything like this.

[Joe]

Shut up. You're in it up to your neck. Come on, you. Get up. Okay, get going. Up the hall here. Open the other door, Joe.

[Denny Sullivan]

Sure.

[Joe]

Get in there.

[Denny Sullivan]

That the guy, Frog?

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Denny Sullivan]

Listen, Froggy, this don't look so good. There was people who knew you were getting ready to give it to Doyle and.

[Joe]

Sure, sure, that's why I framed this guy. All the trouble I went to, doped him and brought Doyle in there when he was out. Planted a key on him, bloodied him up with a knife in his hand. I still don't see how he. How he ever came to in time.

[Denny Sullivan]

Yeah, but he did.

[Joe]

So what? Reframe him again.

[Denny Sullivan]

Music.

[Joe]

You like music, don't you? You're pretty sweet about music, ain't you? Well, for your information, that's Harmonica Hale rehearsing for the night. And in this room, it comes through the window on account of the resi. Window. But in the other room, it comes through the walls on account of the rate no window. Catch on.

[Man in Black (Host/Narrator)]

Better close the window, Joe.

[Tommy Cochran]

No, no, wait a minute. Yeah, I do like music. You mind if a guy in a spot like I am hears a little music? What about it, Froggy?

[Joe]

Sure, sure. Leave it up and let's have music while we work. It'll cover up the noise if he makes any fuss.

[Denny Sullivan]

So, what's a new angle?

[Joe]

Knock him off, jump him in the park, Gent by his own hand. Remorse. We leave the gun beside him and plant some of Doyle's stuff on him. Yeah, yeah, I got it. All right, get going, get going. Tie him up.

[Denny Sullivan]

Right.

[Joe]

Yeah. Put a hate Jimmy's mod. Yeah. Put a card around him. He's drunk, see, and we're taking care of him.

[Denny Sullivan]

Okay. Where's the con?

[Joe]

Round him back. Nobody will see us going out that way. All right. All right. You ready? Just a minute. All right, take a look. Okay.

[Denny Sullivan]

All right.

[Joe]

Take a look out that door.

[Denny Sullivan]

Okay.

[Man in Black (Host/Narrator)]

All clear.

[Joe]

Yeah. Let's go. Lock the door after we go on. Okay. Down the hall at the backstairs. Hey, what the.

[Denny Sullivan]

All right, drop those. Give them, you guys. I got him.

[Joe]

What is this?

[Denny Sullivan]

You'll find out. Griana, get that gag out of the guy's mouth and untie him. My job. Denny. I heard the music.

[Tommy Cochran]

I hoped you would. I asked him to leave the window open.

[Denny Sullivan]

I heard the conversation, too. Enough. Okay, boys, take him down. All right, Come on, come on.

[Tommy Cochran]

Say, who are those guys?

[Denny Sullivan]

Graziani's a mobster. Doyle was one of his boys who double crossed him. You feeling okay?

[Tommy Cochran]

I guess that was kind of close.

[Denny Sullivan]

Yeah. All the way around. Yeah. Look, kid, I.

[Tommy Cochran]

Skip it, Denny.

[Denny Sullivan]

I'm sorry, Tommy. Honest.

[Tommy Cochran]

I thought you did it any until just now. So did I.

[Man in Black (Host/Narrator)]

And so closes the Singing Wall. Starring Preston Foster with Dane Clark. Tonight's tale of suspense. This is your narrator, the man in black, who conveys to you Columbia's invitation to spend this half hour in suspense with us again next week at this same time when Ms. Lillian Gish and Mr. Otto Krueger will star in the suspense play Marry for Murder. The producer of these broadcasts is William Spear, who with Ted Bliss, the director, Bernard Herman and Lucy and Marowick, conductor and composer, and Robert L. Richards, the radio author, collaborated on tonight's suspense.

[Denny Sullivan]

This is cbs, the Columbia Broadcasting Foreign.

[Narrator]

That's our thriller for this week. You can find more from suspense, Relic Radio thrillers and all of the other podcasts at the website relicradio.com. there's a shoutcast stream there as well with even more Old Time Radio. And if you'd like to help support it all, give that donate button a click or visit donate. Relicradio.com. we've got some downloadable sets for certain donation amounts, so any amount is always helpful and appreciated. Thanks to those who have helped out this year. Thanks for joining me this week. I'll be back next Friday with another episode of Relic Radio Thrillers.