BONUS - Substitute Stars of "Double Indemnity"

Summary

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Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)

BONUS - Substitute Stars of "Double Indemnity"

Host: Mean Streets Podcasts
Date: November 28, 2025
Featured Cast: Burt Lancaster, Joan Bennett, Myron McCormick

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Episode Overview

In this bonus episode, host Fletcher Markle introduces a rare 1948 radio adaptation of James M. Cain’s noir classic Double Indemnity—but with a twist: Instead of the famous film trio (Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson), the radio drama stars Burt Lancaster as Walter Neff, Joan Bennett as Phyllis Dietrichson, and Myron McCormick as the shrewd Barton Keyes. Listeners are immersed in a suspenseful tale of insurance, infidelity, and murder, showcasing how major Hollywood talent reimagined iconic roles on the airwaves.

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Key Discussion Points and Dramatic Highlights

1. Introduction to ‘Double Indemnity’ on Radio

• Fletcher Markle (00:50): Opens the episode, explaining the thrill of old time radio adapting cinematic classics with different stars.
  • “It’s tough to imagine anyone being better in Double Indemnity than Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson. But in the broadcast we’ll hear today, three actors... get to try their hands at Walter Neff, Phyllis Dietrichson, and Barton Keyes.”
• Background on Ford Theater and its move to CBS, setting the scene for the October 1948 broadcast.

2. Defining ‘Suspense’

• Walter Neff & Narrator (00:12): The episode begins with a clever lexicon play, setting the mood:
  • “Suspense… meaning held in doubt, expressing doubt. The state of being uncertain, undecided, or insecure… to keep one in suspense… therefore delay acquainting him with what he is eager to know.”
• Barton Keyes (00:33): A succinct, ominous: “Suspense.”

3. Character Introductions & Set-Up

• Walter Neff (05:49): Begins his "confession" to Keyes via dictation, drawing the listener into a first-person account of the plot—a device lifted straight from the film noir tradition.
  • Reveals from the outset that he is both murderer and narrator:
    • “I killed Dietrichson. Me, Walter Neff… yes, I killed him. I killed him for money and for a woman. And I didn’t get the money, and I didn’t get the woman. Pretty, isn’t it?” (06:38)

4. Sizzling Dialogue & Sexual Tension

• First Meeting: Neff and Phyllis (07:55–10:06):
  • Flirtatious exchange about insurance and an anklet.
    • Phyllis: “That's honey of an anklet you’re wearing, Mrs. Dietrichson.”
    • Walter: “Which is?”
    • Phyllis: “Phyllis. Phyllis, huh? I think I like that.”
  • Classic innuendo:
    • Phyllis: “There’s a speed limit in this state, Mr. Neff. Forty-five miles an hour.”
    • Walter: “How fast was I going, officer?”
    • Phyllis: “I’d say around 90.”
    • Walter: “Suppose you get down off your motorcycle and give me a ticket.” (09:35)

5. The Murder Plot Is Hatched

• After their initial flirtation, Phyllis hints at wanting an insurance policy her husband doesn't know about, sowing seeds of suspicion:
  • Phyllis: “Suppose you get an insurance policy on my husband without bothering him at all…” (15:27)
• Walter: Susses out her intentions:
  • “Look, you can't get away with it. You want to knock him off, don't you?” (16:17)
• Despite initial hesitation, Neff is ultimately pulled in by passion:
  • Phyllis: “What if they did hang me?”
    • Walter: “They’re not gonna hang you, baby. They’re not gonna hang you because I’m gonna help you do it.” (22:08)

6. Keys—The Moral Compass and Skeptical Detective

• Keyes’ Intuition About Frauds (11:06):
  • “Every time one of these phonies comes along, my little man ties knots in my stomach. I can’t eat. Yours was a phony claim, Galapis. I couldn’t eat.”
• Keyes vs. Neff: The “Little Man” Suspicion
  • Keyes regularly suspects something sits wrong with the Dietrichson claim, but can’t put his finger on it.

7. Executing the Crime

• The Alibi, The Train, and the Murder (25:22–35:37):
  • Neff and Phyllis manipulate the paperwork, getting Dietrichson to sign for accident insurance with a double indemnity clause.
  • The plan: kill Dietrichson on a train for maximum payout.
    • Neff: “We’re hitting it for the limit, baby. That’s why it's got to be the train.” (27:41)
  • The murder unfolds smoothly, but Neff feels an immediate sense of doom:
    • “As I was walking down the street… suddenly it came over me that everything would go wrong… It was the walk of a dead man.” (34:09)

8. Suspicion Grows—Keyes Closes In

• Keyes (41:13): His “little man” signals something’s off—in particular, that Dietrichson never submitted a claim for his broken leg.
  • “He had accident insurance, didn’t he? Then he broke his leg, didn’t he?... Why didn’t he put in a claim?... Something has been worked on us.”
• Neff to Phyllis:
  • “We can’t go through it, that's all.” (49:53)
  • Phyllis, undeterred: “We went into it together and we're coming out at the end together. It's straight down the line for both of us. You remember that?” (50:40)

9. Paranoia and Betrayal—Lola’s Revelation

• Lola, Dietrichson’s daughter (44:06): Tells a chilling story about her suspicions of Phyllis’ role in her mother’s death, building on the web of intrigue.
• Keyes and Jackson:
  • Keyes’ dogged investigation leads him to interview the train passenger Jackson, who cannot identify Dietrichson as the man on the platform.

10. The Final Reckoning

• Showdown Between Neff and Phyllis (53:10–56:20):
  • Neff confronts Phyllis with the evidence and her manipulation:
    • “You got me to take care of your husband for you. And you got Zucchetti to take care of Lola… That’s the way you operate, isn’t it, baby?” (55:12)
  • Phyllis tries to shoot Neff, but cannot bring herself to pull the trigger twice, finally:
    • Phyllis: "No, I never loved you, Walter. Not you or anybody else. I used you just as I was going to try and use Zucchetti.” (55:54)
• Last Confession to Keyes (57:05–59:14):
  • Memorable parting lines:
    • Walter: “You know why you couldn’t figure this one?... Because the guy you were looking for was… was too close. He was right across the desk from you.”
    • Keyes: “Closer than that, Walter.”
    • Walter: “Yeah? I love you, too.” (59:04–59:14)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Suspense as a Feeling (00:12):
  • Walter Neff: “State of anxious expectation or waiting for information such as to keep one in suspense…”
• Keyes’ Gut Instinct (11:06):
  • “My little man ties knots in my stomach…I know which ones.”
• Phyllis and Walter’s fatal attraction (09:35–10:06):
  • The banter about speed limits and getting tickets sets the charged, dangerous tone of their relationship.
• Fatalistic Closing (56:24):
  • Walter: “Yeah, close. Like this, Walter. Goodbye, baby.”
  • His emotional detachment as he confesses and says his final goodbye.

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Timestamps for Key Sequences

• Defining Suspense: 00:12–00:33
• Host intro, cast background: 00:50–04:25
• Neff’s confession starts: 05:49
• Walter & Phyllis, first encounter: 07:55–10:06
• Keyes’ “little man” speech: 11:06
• The insurance plot takes shape: 15:01–16:21
• Neff succumbs to Phyllis: 22:08–22:33
• The train murder: 31:00–35:37
• Keyes’ suspicions mount: 41:13–43:01
• Lola accuses Phyllis: 44:06–45:32
• The ending (Neff confesses to Keyes): 57:05–59:14
• Poignant final exchange: 59:04–59:14

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Thematic & Performance Notes

• Noir Tone: The radio production mirrors the film’s world-weariness and fatalism, brought to life through sharp, laconic dialogue and restless, anxious narration.
• Lancaster vs. MacMurray: Lancaster brings a brooding energy to Neff, playing up the character’s torment and moral decay.
• Bennett’s Phyllis: She leans into the femme fatale role, at turns cold, seductive, or frantic—a match for the stature Barbara Stanwyck established.

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Final Thoughts

This rare radio adaptation is a gripping showcase of how timeless Double Indemnity’s story is—and how it can be reimagined by a different set of Hollywood’s elite. With tight direction, atmospheric sound, and standout performances, the broadcast thrills old-time radio enthusiasts and noir fans alike, all the while capturing the dread and inevitability that make the story an enduring classic.

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Transcript

[Walter Neff]

Would you hand me that, please? Thank you. Now, let's see. Survey.

[Narrator]

Survive.

[Walter Neff]

Susanna. Suspect. Ah, here we are.

[Narrator]

Suspense.

[Walter Neff]

Meaning held in doubt, expressing doubt. The state of being uncertain, undecided or insecure. State of anxious expectation or waiting for information such as to keep one in suspense. Therefore delay acquainting him with what he is eager to know.

[Barton Keyes]

Suspense.

[Fletcher Markle]

Hello, and welcome to a bonus episode of Stars on Suspense. An addendum to our last show spotlighting the cast of Double Indemnity. One of the great things about old time radio recreations of classic movies is that we get the chance to hear different actors play iconic roles. It's tough to imagine anyone being better in Double indemnity than Fred McMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson. But in the broadcast we'll hear. Today, three actors, including two other stars of classic noir dramas, get to try their hands at Walter Neff, Phyllis Dietrichson and Barton keyes. Stepping into Mr. Neff's shoes is Burt Lancaster, who was front and center in last week's episode featuring the cast of the Killers. Phyllis Dietrichson is played by Joan Bennett, who gave the screen several memorable portrayals of femmes fatale in pictures directed by Fritz Lang. And the dogged insurance detective, Barton Keyes is played by South Pacific Tony award winner Myron McCormick. The trio starred in a presentation of Double Indemnity from the Ford Theater, an hour long dramatic anthology that was born in part out of NBC's unsuccessful attempt to land the Lux Radio Theater. Interestingly, after a year on NBC, the program moved to cbs which was the home of the Lux Radio Theater. And the episode we'll hear today originally aired on CBS on October 15, 1948. I'll be back next week to kick off December with the stars of Miracle on 34th Street. But for now, sit back, relax and enjoy this alternate radio version of a big screen classic. As Burt Lancaster, Joan Bennett and Myron McCormick star in Double Indemnity.

[Walter Neff]

AMX Los Angeles. Both AM and FM. 25 seconds before 7pm Bulova. Bulova. Watch time. Bulova invites you to see His Excellency, America's greatest watch value leader of your jewelers. 1948 watch parade. Yes, Double Indemnity is on the air tonight at 7. In just a few seconds, Burt Lancaster, Joan Bennet are the stars.

[Narrator]

Here with the story of an explosive triangle. A man, a woman and murder. Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we bring you Mr. Burt Lancaster and Ms. Joan Bennett in James M. Kane's memorable melodrama Double Indemnity.

[Walter Neff]

This is the Ford. The. The Ford Motor Company, builder of Ford, Mercury and Lincoln cars. Invites you to the Ford Theater. A full hour of the finest dramatic entertainment. With celebrated stars of Hollywood and Broadway. And now, to introduce tonight's program. Here is the director of the Ford Theater, Fletcher Mock.

[Narrator]

Ladies and gentlemen, we're about to step into the brassy yellow afternoons. And nervous nights of summertime Los Angeles. To enact for you one of James Kane's best Californian thrillers. Double Dignity is a curious blend of passion, violence and justice. The kind of story that rings the.

[Walter Neff]

Bell even more often.

[Narrator]

Than Mr. Kane's renowned postman. And with us in the Ford Theatre tonight. To impersonate two of the most unhappily matched villains in current crime fiction. We have Miss Joan Bennett and Mr. Burt Lancaster. Ms. Bennett, an actress of great beauty and charm. Slips out of character tonight to play Phyllis. Who is beautiful and has a certain charm, but who is certainly not a lady. Mr. Lancaster also abandons his usually pleasant manner. In favor of the solemn and brooding nature. Of a gentleman named Walter Neff, who is far from gentle. And as an added dividend, you'll be hearing one of Broadway's brightest and busiest performers. Mr. Martin McCormick as Barton Keys. Ms. Bernet, Mr. Lancaster, Mr. McCormick, please to begin.

[Walter Neff]

Office memorandum. Walter Neff to Barton Keys, Claims Manager, Los Angeles, Derek Hees. I take great pleasure in dictating this report to you. Suppose you'd call it a confession when you hear it. Well, I don't like the word confession. I just want to set you straight about something you couldn't say because it was smack up against your nose. Wait a second. I plugged this wound of mine a little tighter. Yes, I'm wounded. Yeah, that's better. Jeez, you think you're such a hot potato as a claims manager. Such a phony wolf on phony claims. Or maybe you are. But let's take a look at that, Petersen. Claim, accident and double indemnity. You were pretty good in there for a while, Keys. You said it wasn't an accident. Check. You said it was murder. Check. You thought you had a cold, didn't you? All wrapped up in tissue paper with pink ribbons around. It was perfect. Except it wasn't. Because you made one mistake. Just one little mistake. When it came to picking the killer, you picked the wrong guy. You want to know who kills Dietrichson? Well, hold tight to that cheap cigar of yours, Keys. I killed Dietrichson. Me, Wallen F. Insurance salesman, 35 years old, unmarried, no visible scarlet. Until a little while ago, that is. Yes, I killed him. I killed him for money and for a woman. And I didn't get the money, and I didn't get the woman. Pretty, isn't. All began last May. Around the end of May it was. I'd been out to Glendale. On the way back, I remembered this renewal possibility near Hawkes Fields Boulevard. So I drove over there. The house was one of those California Spanish houses everybody was nuts about. About 10 or 15. Is Mr. Dietrichson in?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I'm Mrs. Dietrichson. What is it?

[Walter Neff]

Well, how do you do, Mrs. Diedrichson? I'm Walvin S. Pacific Oil Risk. Yes, Pacific Oil Risk Insurance Company is about some renewals on the automobile insurance. I've been trying to contact your husband for the last two weeks, but he's never in his office.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Is there anything I can do?

[Walter Neff]

Well, the insurance ran out on the 15th. I'd hate to think of you having a smashed fender or something while you're not fully covered.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Oh, perhaps I know what you mean. I've been taking a sunbath on the roof. I just slipped into any old thing.

[Walter Neff]

No airplanes around, I hope. Now, about those policies, Mrs. Edekson.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Why don't you come in? We'll talk in the living room. Neff is the name, is it?

[Walter Neff]

Yeah, with two Fs.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Well, suppose we sit down and you tell me about the insurance.

[Walter Neff]

Fine.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

My husband never tells me anything.

[Walter Neff]

Well, I'll tell you. Two cars. We've been handling this insurance for Mr. Deduchen for three years, and we'd hate to see the policies left. That's honey of an anklet you're wearing, Mrs. E. Dixon. As I was saying, we'd hate to see the policies lapse.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I guess my husband's been too busy down at Long beach in the oil field.

[Walter Neff]

Couldn't I catch him at home some evening for a few minutes?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

You're a smart insurance man, aren't you, Mr. Ness?

[Walter Neff]

Well, I've been out 11 years, doing pretty well. Oh, worth a living.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

You handle just automobile insurance or all kinds?

[Walter Neff]

All kinds.

[Barton Keyes]

Right on down the line.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Accident insurance.

[Walter Neff]

Accident Insurance for sure, Mrs. Beatrickson. I wish you'd tell me what's engraved on that anklet you're wearing.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Just my name.

[Walter Neff]

Which is? Phyllis. Phyllis, huh? I think I like that.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

But you're not sure?

[Walter Neff]

Well, I'd have to drive it around the block a couple of times.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Mr. Ned, why don't you drop by tomorrow evening about 8:30? He'll be here then.

[Walter Neff]

Who?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

My husband. You were anxious to talk to him, weren't you?

[Walter Neff]

Yeah, I was, but I'm sort of getting over the idea, if you know what I mean.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

There's a speed limit in this state, Mr. Neff. 45 miles an hour.

[Walter Neff]

How fast was I going, officer?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I'd say around 90.

[Walter Neff]

Suppose you get down off your motorcycle and give me a ticket.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Suppose I let you off with a warning this time.

[Walter Neff]

Suppose it doesn't take.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Suppose I have to whack you over the knuckles.

[Walter Neff]

Suppose I bust out crying and put my head on your shoulder.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Suppose you try putting it on my husband's shoulder.

[Walter Neff]

That is it. 8:30 tomorrow evening.

[Barton Keyes]

Then.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

That's what I suggested.

[Walter Neff]

Will you be here too?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I guess so. I usually am.

[Walter Neff]

Same chair, same perfume, same anklet.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I wonder if I know what you.

[Walter Neff]

You mean. I wonder if you wonder. It was a hot afternoon and I can remember the smell of honeysuckle all along the street. How could I have known that murder can sometimes smell like honeysuckle? Maybe you would have known, Keys, the minute you mentioned accident insurance. But I didn't. I felt like a minion. I went back to the office to see if there was any mail. It was the day you had that truck driver from Inglewood on the carpet. Remember keys you sent me?

[Barton Keyes]

Hello, Warner? This is Sam Galapis from Englewood.

[Walter Neff]

Oh, Sure, I know Mr. Galapagos. I wrote a policy on a truck. How are you, Mr. Galapis?

[Barton Keyes]

He's so good. My truck pulled down. Yeah, he just planted his big foot on the starter and the whole thing blazed up in his face. Yes, sir. And didn't even singe his eyebrows. No, sir. Yeah. Sit down, Walter. Now look, Galapis. Every month hundreds of claims come to my desk. Some of them are phonies, and I know which ones. How do I know? Because my little man tells me.

[Walter Neff]

Uh huh.

[Barton Keyes]

What little man? Here, inside me. Every time one of these phonies comes along, my little man ties knots in my stomach. I can't eat. Yours was a phony clam, Galapas. I couldn't eat. So what did I do? I sent a tow car over to your garage this morning and they jacked up that burned out truck of yours. And what did they find? They found what was left of a neat pile of shaving. Shaving? What shaving? The ones you soaked with kerosene and dropped a match on. Ain't feel so good, Mr. Keith.

[Walter Neff]

Uh huh.

[Barton Keyes]

Here, just a minute. Find this and you'll feel fine.

[Walter Neff]

Fine? What?

[Barton Keyes]

It's a waiter on your claim.

[Walter Neff]

Right Here. Give.

[Barton Keyes]

Here, have a pen. Now you're an honest man again. Goodbye, Galapus. I ain't got no more trucks. 2,600 bucks is what that truck cost me. That's a lot. I do what I live. What's the matter, Galapus? Don't you know how to open the door? Just put your hand on the knob.

[Walter Neff]

Turn it to the left.

[Barton Keyes]

Now pull it towards you. That's the boy. Thank you, Mr. Keyes. Goodbye, Mr. Annette. Bye. What kind of outfit is this, anyway? Are we an insurance company or just a bunch of dim, wooded amateurs to write a policy on a mug like that?

[Walter Neff]

Now, wait a minute, Keys. I don't rate this beef. I clipped a memo to that Galapagos application to have him thoroughly investigated before we accepted the risk.

[Barton Keyes]

I know you did, Walter. I'm not beating at you the way the company will write anything just to get it down on the sales sheet. And I'm the guy that has to sit here up to my neck in phony claims so they won't throw more money out the window than they take at the door.

[Walter Neff]

Okay, turn the record open. Let's hear the other side.

[Barton Keyes]

Walter, I've had 26 years of this. Let me tell you, I'm getting just.

[Walter Neff]

And you loved every minute of it, Keith. You love it, only you worry about it too darn much. You and that little man.

[Barton Keyes]

That's enough from you, Walter. Get out of here before I throw my desk at you.

[Walter Neff]

I love you, too. Back in my office, there was a phone message from Philip Dietrich. She wanted the appointment put off from Wednesday night to Thursday afternoon.

[Barton Keyes]

Instead.

[Walter Neff]

I tell you, I spent a lot of time the next two days thinking about Phillip and the way that ankle of hers cut into her leg.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I hope you didn't mind my changing the appointment, Mr. Ness. Last night wasn't so convenient.

[Walter Neff]

Oh, that's all right. I was. I was working on my stamp collection.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I was just fixing myself some iced tea. Would you like some?

[Walter Neff]

Yeah. Unless you got a bottle of beer, it's not working.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I never know. There might be some in the ice box. Nettie. How about those renewals, Mr. Ness? I talked to my husband about it. He renewed you? He told me so. As a matter of fact, I thought he'd be here this afternoon.

[Walter Neff]

But he's not?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

No. That's terrible, Nettie. Oh, I forgot. Today's the maid's day off.

[Barton Keyes]

Well, never mind the beer.

[Walter Neff]

I see. It'll be fine.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Lemon? Sugar?

[Walter Neff]

Fix it your way. As long as it's the maid's day off, maybe there's something I can do for you.

[Barton Keyes]

Like.

[Walter Neff]

Like running a vacuum cleaner. Well, I used to pedal vacuum cleaners. Not much money, but you learn a lot about life.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I didn't think you'd learn it from a correspondence course. Your teeth. Thanks, Mr. Neff, I. Megan Waller, huh? Walter.

[Walter Neff]

That's right.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Tell me, Walter, on this insurance, how much commission do you make?

[Walter Neff]

20%. Why?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Oh, I thought perhaps I could throw a little more business your way.

[Walter Neff]

I can always use it.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I was thinking about my husband. I worry a lot about him down in those oil fields. It's very dangerous.

[Walter Neff]

Not for an executive, is it?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Oh, he just doesn't sit behind a desk. He's right down there with those drilling crews. It's got me worried sick.

[Walter Neff]

You mean some dark night, a crown block, my fort?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Please don't talk like that.

[Walter Neff]

But that's the idea.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Well, don't you think he ought to have accident insurance?

[Walter Neff]

Uh huh.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Well, what kind of insurance could he have?

[Walter Neff]

Well, enough to cover doctors and hospital bills. Pay 125 a week cash benefit. And he'd raid around 50,000 capital sum.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Capital sum?

[Barton Keyes]

What's that?

[Walter Neff]

In case he gets killed. Maybe I shouldn't have said that.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I suppose you have to think of everything in your business. I want to ask you something, Walter. I get an insurance policy on my husband without bothering him at all.

[Walter Neff]

How's that again?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

It would make it easier for you, too. You wouldn't even have to talk to him.

[Walter Neff]

Well, why shouldn't he know?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Because he doesn't want accident insurance. He's superstitious about it.

[Walter Neff]

A lot of people are. That's funny, isn't it?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

If there was a way to get it like that, all the worry would be over. See what I mean, Walter?

[Walter Neff]

Sure. You mean you wanted to have that policy without him knowing it. And that means without the insurance company knowing he doesn't know it. That's the setup, isn't it?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Is there anything wrong with it?

[Walter Neff]

No, I think it's lovely. And then if some dark, wet night, that crown block did fall on.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

What crown block?

[Walter Neff]

Only sometimes it can't quite make it on its own. It has to have a little help.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I don't know what you're talking about.

[Walter Neff]

Of course, it doesn't have to be a crown block. It could fall out of the upstairs window. Any little thing like that, just so long as it's a morgue.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

John, are you crazy?

[Walter Neff]

Not that crazy. Goodbye, Mrs. Dixon.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

What's the matter?

[Walter Neff]

Look, you can't get away with it. You want to knock them off, don't you?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

That's a horrible thing to say.

[Walter Neff]

Who do you think I was anyway. A guy that walked into a good looking dame's front parlor. And says, Good afternoon. I sell accident insurance on husbands. Have you got one that's been around too long. Or one you'd like to turn into a little hard cash? Just give me a smile.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I'll help you collect.

[Walter Neff]

Boy, what a dope you must think I am. I think you're right, and I think you're swell. As long as I'm not your husband.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Get out of here.

[Walter Neff]

You bet I'll get out of here, baby. I'll get out of here, but quick. I wasted a lot of time that afternoon trying to get her out of my system. I went back to my apartment. I sat there looking out of the window. Thinking she was a red hot poker I'd got my hands on. I'd better let go now before my hand got burned off. It had begun to rain outside and I watched it get dark. And I didn't even turn on the light. And right then it dawned on me that the hook was too strong. That this wasn't the end between her and me. It was only the beginning. Hello.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

You forgot your hat this afternoon.

[Walter Neff]

How did you know where I live?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

You're in the phone book. It's raining.

[Walter Neff]

Come in. Pe the coat off and sit down. Your husband working?

[Barton Keyes]

Yes.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

He found he'd be late. It's about time you said you're glad to see me.

[Walter Neff]

I knew you wouldn't leave it like that.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Like what?

[Walter Neff]

Sit down. Like it was this afternoon.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I must have said something that gave you a terribly wrong impression. You must never think anything like that about me, Walter.

[Walter Neff]

Okay.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

No, it's not okay. Not if you don't believe me.

[Walter Neff]

What do you want me to do?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I want you to be nice to me. Like the first time you came to the house.

[Walter Neff]

It can't be like the first time. Something's happened.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I know it has. It's happened to us. Maybe I oughtn't to have come.

[Walter Neff]

Maybe I wouldn't.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

You want me to go?

[Walter Neff]

No. Come here, baby. Walter. That perfume on your hair. What's the name of it?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I don't know. I bought it in Ensenada.

[Walter Neff]

You know, about six months ago. A guy slipped on a cake of soap in his bathtub. Knocked himself cold when I drowned. Only he had an accident insurance. So they had an autopsy and she didn't get away with it.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Who didn't?

[Walter Neff]

His wife. All she collected was a 3 to 10 stretch into Hatchabee.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Perhaps it was worth it to her.

[Walter Neff]

Walter.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Let me go for a Second?

[Walter Neff]

Sure. Make yourself at home.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

All right, dear.

[Barton Keyes]

Water?

[Walter Neff]

There's a wonderful view over here out the window.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

No, thanks. I hate looking out at the rain. You ought to have your couch re sprung.

[Walter Neff]

You ever think of a divorce?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

He wouldn't give me a divorce.

[Walter Neff]

Too much money.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

He hasn't got any money. Not since he went into the oil business.

[Walter Neff]

But he had it when you married him.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Yes, he had. And I wanted a home.

[Walter Neff]

Why not move over?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

But that's not beyond reason. I was his wife's nurse. She was sick a long time. When she died, he was terribly broken up. I. I pitied him so.

[Walter Neff]

And now you hate him. Yes.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

He's always been mean to me. Even his life insurance all goes to that daughter of his, that Lola.

[Walter Neff]

Nothing for you at all?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

No. And nothing is just what I'm worth to him.

[Walter Neff]

And so you. You lie awake in the dark and listen to him snore and get ideas.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Walter, I don't want to tell him. I never did. Not even when he gets drunk and slaps my face.

[Walter Neff]

Only sometimes you wish he were dead.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Perhaps I do.

[Walter Neff]

And you wish it was an accident. And that you had that policy for $50,000. Is that it? I'll tell you what it would be like if you had that accident policy and tried to kill him. We got a guy in our office named Pease. In three minutes he'd know it wasn't an accident. In 10 minutes you'd be sitting under the hot lights. And in a half an hour you'd be signing a name for a confession.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Walter, I didn't do it. I'm not going to do it.

[Walter Neff]

But if there's an insurance company in the picture, baby, they'll hang you just as sure as 10 dimes will buy a dollar. And I don't want you to hang, baby. Stop thinking about it. Yeah.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

All right.

[Walter Neff]

So we just sat there. And she started crying softly, like rain on the window. And we didn't say anything. Maybe she'd thinking about it, but I hadn't. I couldn't. Because you know how it is. Keys. In this business, you can't sleep for trying to figure out all the tricks they could pull on you. You're like the guy behind the roulette wheel. Watching the customers to make sure they don't crook on the house. And then one evening. One evening you get to thinking how you could crook on the house yourself and do it smart. Or if you got the weed right under your hands, you figure all you need is a plant out front. A shield to put down the bets. And then suddenly. Suddenly the doorbell rings. The whole setup is right there in the room with you. Lucky, I'm not trying to whitewash myself. I fought it, only I. I guess I didn't fight it hard enough. Mistakes were $50,000 for the life of a man, too. A man who'd never done me any dirt, except he was married to a woman. He didn't and I did. And I was holding her in my arms.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Will you phone me?

[Walter Neff]

Sure, Walter.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I hate him. I loathe going back to him. You believe me, don't you, Walter?

[Walter Neff]

Sure, I believe it.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I can't stand it anymore. What if they did hang me?

[Walter Neff]

They're not gonna hang you, baby. They're not gonna hang you because I'm gonna help you do it.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Do you know what you're saying?

[Walter Neff]

Sure, I know what I'm saying. We're gonna do it. We're gonna do it right. I'm the guy that knows how.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Walter, you're hurting my arm.

[Walter Neff]

There's not going to be any slip ups. Nothing sloppy. Nothing weak. It's got to be perfect. Call me tomorrow. But enough from the house. From a booth. And watch your step every single minute. This has got to be perfect. You understand? Straight down the line.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Straight down the line.

[Walter Neff]

And that was it.

[Fletcher Markle]

Keith.

[Walter Neff]

The machinery had stopped. Move. Nothing could stop it.

[Narrator]

So ends the first act in the four theater production of Double Indemnity. Starring Burt Lancaster and Joan Bennett. With Myron McCormick. Now Nelson Case.

[Walter Neff]

For four months now, you've been seeing a new car on the road. Floating by on the highway, gliding past on the street. A sleek, shining car with a low silhouette. An air of beauty and comfort. A feeling of power and effortless ease of handling. You've seen it pass countless times. You've admired the way it hugs the the road and flows around curves and over bumps. The way it maneuvers in traffic from far away. You've recognized the distinctive airfoil grille and advanced design. And you've stopped to look closely at its smooth, modern lines. Its picture windows. Its roomy interior. Luxurious living room on wheels. The comfort and strength and beauty that are built into every detail. Yes, you know very well what car it is. Like millions of others know it. You follow it with your eyes because you find pleasure just in looking at it. And every time you see it, you know why. It's the car of the year. The 1949 Ford. And now Tone Bennett and Burt Lancaster resume the Ford Theater's presentation of Double Indemn. Well, keys. The first thing we had to do Was to fix Dietrichson up with that accident policy. I had to get him to sign an application without his knowing what he was signing. And I wanted another witness besides Phyllis to hear me give him a sales talk. I was trying to think of York with your brain's keys. Because I wanted all the answers ready. For all the questions that you were going to spring as soon as Dietrichson was dead. A couple of nights later I went to the house. Everything looked fine, except they didn't like the witness that Phyllis had brought in. It was Dietrichson's daughter, Lola. The old man was a real grouch. A nice thing.

[Barton Keyes]

You'll tell me I need earthquake insurance and lightning insurance and hail insurance.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

If we bought all the insurance they could think up, we'd stay broke paying for it, wouldn't we, honey?

[Barton Keyes]

What keeps us broke is you going out and buying five hats and a crack. Who needs a hat in California?

[Walter Neff]

Dollar for dollar, Mr. Dedrickson. Accident insurance is the cheapest coverage that you can buy.

[Barton Keyes]

Maybe some other time, Mr. Nair.

[Walter Neff]

Whatever you say.

[Barton Keyes]

Suppose we just settle about my old insurance tonight.

[Walter Neff]

Sure. All we need on that is for you to sign the application for in your father.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

You're right.

[Walter Neff]

If I.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Run along now.

[Barton Keyes]

Run along where?

[Walter Neff]

Who is?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Just Ann.

[Barton Keyes]

And who?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

And Matthews.

[Barton Keyes]

It's not that Nino Zacheni guy again, is it?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Ann Matthews? I told you we were going roller skiing.

[Barton Keyes]

Better not be that Zucchetti guy if I ever catch you with it.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Good night, silly. Good night.

[Walter Neff]

Good night, Ms. Etrixon.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I'm sorry. Good night, Mr. Net.

[Barton Keyes]

Don't you stay out late.

[Walter Neff]

Now. You'll just sign these, Mr. Beatrickson.

[Barton Keyes]

Sign what?

[Walter Neff]

The application's for your auto renewal. So you'll be covered until the new policies are issued.

[Barton Keyes]

When will that be?

[Walter Neff]

Oh, in about a week.

[Barton Keyes]

Just so I'm covered when I drive up north.

[Walter Neff]

San Francisco?

[Barton Keyes]

Palo Alto.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

He was a Stanford man, Mr. Neff. And he still goes to his class reunion every year.

[Barton Keyes]

What's wrong with that? Can I have a little fun even once a year? Where do I sign?

[Walter Neff]

The bottom line. Both copies, please.

[Barton Keyes]

Sign twice, sir.

[Walter Neff]

Yeah? One is the agent's copy. And I. I needed my files.

[Barton Keyes]

Files.

[Walter Neff]

Duplicates.

[Barton Keyes]

Triplicates. There you are. Both signs.

[Walter Neff]

Both.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I'll walk Mr. Neff out to his car.

[Barton Keyes]

It's right.

[Walter Neff]

Winner.

[Barton Keyes]

He left it. You'll get cold.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I'll be all right, Walter. Was it all right?

[Walter Neff]

Fine.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

He signed it, didn't he?

[Walter Neff]

Sure did. You saw him. Listen, that Trippy said he was going to make to Palo Alto. When does he leave?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

End of the month.

[Walter Neff]

He drives, huh?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

He always drives.

[Walter Neff]

Well, not this time. You're going to make him take the train.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Why?

[Walter Neff]

Because it's all worked out for train. Listen, baby, there's a clause in every accident policy. A little thing called double indemnity. That means they pay double in certain kinds of accidents. The kind that almost never happen. Like for instance, if a guy is killed on a train. They pay a hundred thousand instead of 50,000.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I see.

[Walter Neff]

We're hitting it for the limit, baby. That's why it's got to be the train.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

It'll be the crane Walker, just the way you want it. Straight down the line.

[Walter Neff]

Keith, you know that big market up on Los Feliz? That's the spot Phyllis and I had picked out for a meeting place. We'll sell a lot of details. If she had to know by heart. I didn't let her call me at the office. So she was to be at the market every morning about 11 o'. Clock. And I could sort of run into her any day I wanted to see her. Sort of accidentally on purpose.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Water. I got to talk to.

[Walter Neff]

Not so loud. Let me talk. First policy came through. I got it in my pocket. I got it too. Phoned down at the oil field. Thought he was paying for the auto insurance checks. Just made out to the company. So it can be for anything. But you have to send a check for the auto insurance. Open your bed, quick. I'll put the policy inside here. Can you get in the safe deposit box?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Yes, we both have keys.

[Walter Neff]

Fine, but don't put the policy in there yet. I'll take away. Okay. Now, when is he leaving on the train?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

That's just it. He isn't going. What I've been trying to tell you. The trip is on. Mister, could you reach me that package of baby food? That one up there.

[Walter Neff]

Oh, sure.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Hey, thanks. I don't know why they always put what I want on a cocktail.

[Walter Neff]

Go ahead, baby.

[Barton Keyes]

Water.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

He had a fall down at the oil field. Broke his leg. It's in a cab. What do we do now?

[Walter Neff]

Nothing. We just wait.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Wait for what?

[Walter Neff]

Until he can take the train. I told you, it's got to be the train.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

There are other ways.

[Walter Neff]

Maybe. Maybe. But we gotta wait.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Maybe we have Walter.

[Walter Neff]

Only.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

It's so tough not being able to see. It's like a war between us.

[Walter Neff]

Okay, I better go now. They. And just remember, I'm thinking of you every minute. After that, a full week went by and I didn't see Phyllis once. I Tried to keep my mind off the whole idea. Kept telling myself that maybe those Fates they say watch over you. Had gotten together and broken his leg just to give me a way out. Then it was the 15th of June. You remember that day, Keith? You came into my office about 3 in the afternoon.

[Barton Keyes]

Hello, Walter.

[Walter Neff]

Oh, hello, Keith.

[Barton Keyes]

Came from Norton's office. Semiannual sales records are out. You're a high man, Walter. Twice in a row. Congratulations. Thanks.

[Walter Neff]

How'd you like a cheap drink? Excuse me. Sure. Why not? Speaking.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I had to call you, Walter. Very urgent. Are you with somebody?

[Walter Neff]

I am. Can I call you back, Margie?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

No, you can't.

[Walter Neff]

I've only got a minute.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Can't wait. Listen, he's going on the train tonight. Are you listening?

[Walter Neff]

Go ahead, Margie. Only make it snappy, will you?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

He's on crutches. The doctor said he can go if he's careful. The change will do him good. Walter is just the way you want it on a train, only with crutches. It makes it that much better, doesn't it?

[Barton Keyes]

Yeah. Yeah, that's 100% better.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

It's a 1015 from Glendale. I'm driving into the train. It's still the same dark street, isn't it? And the signal is still three hearts of the horn.

[Walter Neff]

Yeah. Okay.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Anything else?

[Walter Neff]

No. Wait. What color did you pick?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

He'll be wearing a navy blue suit and the cast is on his left leg.

[Walter Neff]

Huh?

[Barton Keyes]

Yeah, that.

[Walter Neff]

That suits me fine. This is it.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

W. I'm shaking like a leaf. At least straight down the line for both of us. I love you, Wolf. Goodbye.

[Walter Neff]

Sorry. He.

[Barton Keyes]

Margie, huh? I bet she drinks from the bottle. Well, I gotta get back to my office.

[Walter Neff]

Yeah, sure. The plan for the murder was simple. I plant myself an alibi which would prove that I hadn't been out of the house all evening. I put on a navy blue suit just like the one Dietrichson was wearing. I go down the back stairs, walk out to the Dietrichson house. Sneak into the garage with a key that Philip had given me. And hide in the back of the car. On the way to the station. Phyllis was going to drive off somewhere onto a dark street and hunt the horn three times. When the coast was clear.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Oh, walter.

[Walter Neff]

It all went off without a hitch. From that point on, it was even simpler. I wrapped a towel and some adhesive tape around my left leg so it would look like a cast. Then I borrowed these crutches. He didn't need them anymore. Phyllis drove me to the station, helped me out of the car. I pulled My hat down over my face as we stood there on the station platform.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I start as soon as the train leaves.

[Walter Neff]

Right. When you get the refinery train off onto the dirty road. From there it's exactly 8, 10 of a mile to the dump beside the tracks. Remember?

[Barton Keyes]

I remember.

[Walter Neff]

And no speeding. You don't want any cops down here with a cough in the night.

[Barton Keyes]

What?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Have we been through all that? So many times.

[Walter Neff]

When you leave the highway, turn off all your lights. I'll be back on the observation platform. I'll drop off as close to the spot as I can. Let the train pass and then dim your lights.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Excuse me. I want car 9, section 11.

[Barton Keyes]

Second car down.

[Narrator]

Better get on here and walk through the train.

[Barton Keyes]

We'll be leaving in a second now.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Thank you. Can you make it up, honey? Yeah. Take good care of yourself with that leg.

[Barton Keyes]

Yeah.

[Walter Neff]

Take it easy, D. And boom.

[Barton Keyes]

I'm all right now.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I'll miss you, honey.

[Walter Neff]

Bye. I got to my berth and I told the porter to make it up. Then I told him I was going back to the observation car for smoke. I shook him off when he wanted to help me. I got a joke. When I got out onto the observation platform. There was a guy there who wanted to talk. You know what he is? A fellow named Jackson. Evening.

[Barton Keyes]

My name's Jackson. Going all the way to Medford? Medford, Oregon? Uh huh. I had a broken arm once. That darn cast itches something serious, doesn't it? I thought I could go crazy with mine. Looking for something, Mr. Dietrichson? Uhhuh. Bet you left something behind. I always know. My cigar case.

[Walter Neff]

I. I guess I left it in my overcoat pocket back in section.

[Barton Keyes]

Would you like to roll yourself a cigarette? No, no thanks.

[Walter Neff]

I. I really prefer cigars. Maybe the porter could.

[Barton Keyes]

I could get you cigars for you. Be glad to, Mr. D. Well, if it's.

[Walter Neff]

It's not too much trouble. It's.

[Barton Keyes]

Car 9, section 11. Car 9, section 11.

[Walter Neff]

A pleasure. I saw the lights on Phyllis's car blink twice. Then I hopped off the train. I rolled over once or twice and got a little dusty, but no real damage. From that point on we had to move fast. I lost the crutches on the tracks. Then I ran to the car and Phyllis and I dragged Diedrichson over onto the tracks and left him sprawl there like a sack of empty peanuts. That's all there was to it. Nothing had slipped. Nothing. A bit overlooked. And there was nothing to give us away. And yet. Keys. After I took Phyllis home. As I was walking down the street, back apartment. Suddenly it came over me that everything would go wrong. Sounds crazy. Keys. But it's true, so help me. I couldn't hear my own footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man.

[Narrator]

Curtain on murder. And the second act of Double Indemnity. Starring Bert Lancaster and Joan Bennett. With Myron McCormick.

[Walter Neff]

Nelson Case. Let us talk. Gladly.

[Narrator]

I have a question. The other day I had a chance to drive a 49 Ford in traffic. And I was amazed at how beautifully it handled.

[Barton Keyes]

Now, why?

[Narrator]

What's the secret of that new Ford steering?

[Walter Neff]

Basically, it's the improvement in the geometry of the steering assembly.

[Narrator]

The geometry?

[Walter Neff]

You stop to think about it. The two front wheels and the steering gear form the three points of the triangle. In the 1949 Ford, that triangle has been constructed so that the driver gets the most effective steering with the least amount of effort. Technically, it's an improvement in the steering during linkage.

[Narrator]

Well, it's certainly effective in traffic and parking. The 49er handled like a dream.

[Barton Keyes]

Have you had it out on the highway?

[Narrator]

No, not yet, but I intend to.

[Walter Neff]

Well, that's where the new Ford ride really shows up. The hydrocoil springs in front and the Paraflex springs in the rear. Simply float the car over the bumps. The wheels may go up and down on rough roads, but the passengers don't.

[Narrator]

I know that everybody says the new Ford's a smooth riding car, and they're right. And being a man who's longer, Blake. I appreciate its roominess, particularly on long drive.

[Walter Neff]

But then, that's the basis of the design of the whole car. The 49 Ford was created for comfortable riding and easy driving. That's the important thing about it. Everybody knows how good the 1949 Ford looks. But you've got to ride in to know how good it really is.

[Narrator]

We're in complete agreement. Thank you.

[Walter Neff]

Mr. Case, there's one thing more.

[Barton Keyes]

Yes?

[Walter Neff]

Station identification. Oh, yes.

[Narrator]

Station identification, then.

[Walter Neff]

Following which, we'll hear the third act of Double Indemnity.

[Narrator]

Starring Bert Lancaster and Joan Bennett.

[Walter Neff]

This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System. KNX, AM&FM, Columbia Square, Los Angeles.

[Narrator]

This is Fletcher Markle again. Tonight's version for listening. Double Indemnity was adapted by Howard Rodman. From the motion picture script by Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder. Radio is frequently indebted to Hollywood for its dramatic material. Recently, however, Hollywood has discovered that it can find excellent film material in radio. Mr. Burt Lancaster, for instance, is currently starring in Sorry, Wrong Numbers. Which Paramount Pictures adapted from a radio script. Mr. Lancaster, who's a busy man these days may also be seen soon in Kiss the Blood off my hands. Ms. Joan Bennett's latest vehicle is the Eagle Lion. Production Hollow triumph now for the third act of Double Indemnity.

[Walter Neff]

Keys. That was the longest night I ever lived through. And the next day was worse when the story broke in the papers.

[Barton Keyes]

Come on, Walter. The big boss wants to see.

[Walter Neff]

Hello, Cheese. What is it? That the Dieterson case?

[Barton Keyes]

That's me.

[Walter Neff]

Is he wrong?

[Barton Keyes]

The guy's dead. We got him insured and it's going to cost us money. That's always wrong.

[Walter Neff]

What have you got so far?

[Barton Keyes]

Autopsy report. No heart failure, no apoplexy. No predisposing medical cause of any kind. He died of a broken neck.

[Walter Neff]

When is the inquest?

[Barton Keyes]

I had it this morning. We go in here. His wife and daughter. Lady. Identification? Train people and some passengers told our Dietrich and went through to the observation car. It's all over in 45 minutes.

[Walter Neff]

Verdict?

[Barton Keyes]

Accidental death. Good morning, Miss Andrews. Hello.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I'll tell the boss you're here. He's expecting you.

[Walter Neff]

What did the police think?

[Barton Keyes]

Patrickon got tangled up in his crutches and fell off the train. They're satisfied. It's not their job.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

You can come right in, Mr. Ness.

[Walter Neff]

Oh, thanks.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

He's on the phone.

[Walter Neff]

I believe the legal position is quite clear.

[Barton Keyes]

Just stand by. Right. I'll call you later.

[Walter Neff]

Come in, Mr. Keyes.

[Barton Keyes]

You do, Mr. Neff.

[Walter Neff]

Thanks.

[Barton Keyes]

Sit down, Sit down.

[Walter Neff]

Any new development?

[Barton Keyes]

Nothing much. Beatrickson's secretary says she didn't know anything about his taking out this insurance policy.

[Walter Neff]

I. I couldn't sell him at first. Mrs. Beatrice imposed it. He told me to think it over. And later I went down to the oil field, clothed him. He signed the application, he gave me his check.

[Barton Keyes]

And a fine piece of sales that was, Mr. Neff. There's no sense in pushing that far off. Are we sure Dietrichson fell off a train? I don't get it.

[Walter Neff]

You don't, Mr. Keyes. Then what do you think of this case?

[Barton Keyes]

No opinion at all.

[Walter Neff]

I'm surprised, Mr. Keyes.

[Barton Keyes]

I formed a very definite opinion.

[Walter Neff]

I think I know what happened to Deepakson. Mm.

[Barton Keyes]

You think you know what?

[Walter Neff]

In my opinion, it was not an accident.

[Barton Keyes]

I think it was suicide. What do you say to that?

[Walter Neff]

Who is it?

[Barton Keyes]

Me, Walter.

[Walter Neff]

Oh, hello, geese. What's in your mind?

[Barton Keyes]

Forgive me for driving around to your apartment, Walter, but there's something wrong. Yeah? I ate dinner two hours ago. Stuck halfway. I got myself an idea and couldn't swallow. There's something wrong with that Dietrichson kid.

[Walter Neff]

Well, what's in your mind?

[Barton Keyes]

That broken leg. Dietrichson broke his leg.

[Walter Neff]

What are you talking about?

[Barton Keyes]

Talking about Dietrichson. He had accident insurance, didn't he? Then he broke his leg, didn't he?

[Walter Neff]

For what?

[Barton Keyes]

He didn't put in a claim. Why didn't he put in a claim?

[Walter Neff]

Why, what the dickens are you driving at?

[Barton Keyes]

Maybe he just didn't know he was insured. Oh, no, no, that couldn't be. You delivered the policy to him personally, didn't you Walter?

[Walter Neff]

Sure I did. Uh huh.

[Barton Keyes]

Got any bacarbin in the soda?

[Walter Neff]

No, no I haven't. Maybe Norton was right. Maybe he wants suicide.

[Barton Keyes]

No, not suicide. But not accident either.

[Walter Neff]

Well, what else?

[Barton Keyes]

Look, a man takes out an accident policy that's worth $100,000. If he's killed on a train. Then two weeks later he is killed on a train. And not in a train accident, mind you, but falling off an observation car. Something has been worked on us.

[Walter Neff]

Well, such as? Such as what? Murder. Who do you suspect?

[Barton Keyes]

I always tend to suspect the beneficiary.

[Walter Neff]

The wife.

[Barton Keyes]

Yeah, that wide eyed dame that didn't know anything about anything.

[Walter Neff]

You crazy tease. She wasn't even on the train.

[Barton Keyes]

I know she wasn't, Walter. I don't claim to know how it worked or who worked it, but I know that it was worked.

[Walter Neff]

Well, I've got to get to a drugstore.

[Barton Keyes]

That dinner feels like a hunk of concrete inside of me. Good night, Walter.

[Walter Neff]

A keys. What are you going to do?

[Barton Keyes]

I'd like to move in on Mrs. Dietrichson right now, tonight. It wasn't for boss and these striped pants ideas about company policy.

[Walter Neff]

Only you haven't got a single thing to go on, Keith.

[Barton Keyes]

Uh huh. Not much.

[Walter Neff]

26 years experience.

[Barton Keyes]

All the percentage there is in this mop of concrete in my stomach. Well, see you in the morning.

[Walter Neff]

Good night.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Walter.

[Barton Keyes]

Huh?

[Walter Neff]

Oh, Phyllis, did you hear?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

How much do you think he knows?

[Walter Neff]

It's not what he knows, but those stinking hunches of his.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

But he can't prove anything, can you?

[Walter Neff]

Not if we're careful. Not if we don't see too much of each other for a while.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

For how long a while?

[Walter Neff]

Well, until this all dies down. You don't know Keyes the way I do. He'll watch you every minute from now on. Are you afraid, baby?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Yes, I'm afraid. But not of keys. I'm afraid of us. It's you and me I'm afraid of, Walter.

[Walter Neff]

It was the following day that that Lola Diedrichson came in to see me. She was plenty upset.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Mr. Neff, I'm not crazy or I'm not hysterical. I'm not even crying. Only I have an awful feeling that something's wrong. I had the same feeling once before when my mother died.

[Walter Neff]

When your mother died?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

We were up at Lake Arrowhead six years ago, and it was bitterly cold. My mother was very sick with pneumonia, so she had a nurse with her. But there were just the three of us in the cabin. Well, one night I got up and I went into my mother's room. She was delirious with fever. And all the bed covers were on the floor and the windows were wide open. The nurse wasn't in the room. So I ran over and I covered up my mother just as quickly as I could. And just then I heard the door open behind.

[Barton Keyes]

The nurse.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Stood there. She didn't say a word, but there was a look in her eyes I'll never forget. Two days later, my mother was dead. You know who that nurse was?

[Walter Neff]

No. Who? Phyllis.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Six months later, she married my father. I kind of talked myself out of the idea that she could have done anything like that. But now something has happened to my father, too.

[Walter Neff]

You're not making sense, Ms. Erickson. Your father fell off a train.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

And two days before he fell off a train, what was Phyllis doing? She was in her room in front of a mirror, Mr. Nepp, with a black hat on. And she was pinning a black veil on it. As if she couldn't wait to see how she'd look in mourning.

[Walter Neff]

Lola Dietrichson was going to tell her story to anybody who had listened to you. There was only one thing I could do about it. I offered to take her out that night. I wanted to cheer her up, so I took her to dinner as a little Mexican joining up street where nobody could see it. The next day, Sunday, we went for a ride down to the beach. That day she even left. I had to make sure that she wouldn't tell that stuff about Phyllis to anybody else. And I had no chance to talk to Philip. Phyllis myself. You were watching her like a hawk. He. I couldn't even phone her because I was afraid that you had wires tapped. And then you closed in on us a little more keys. You even tracked down Jackson, the guy on the observation platform. And with his help, you figured it all out to the letter. The fact that Dietrichson was never on the train in the first place. The fact that someone as closed as Dietrichson sent Jackson back for cigars, jumped off the tracks and planted Dietrichson's body On the tracks. The only thing you didn't know was that the guy who jumped off the train was me. I wasn't sure how much you did know, but that morning you asked me to come to your office. Jackson was there facing the door when I came in.

[Barton Keyes]

Don't go away, Walter. This is Mr. Jackson.

[Walter Neff]

Mr. Jackson.

[Barton Keyes]

He's taking some pictures for me. Look, Mr. Jackson.

[Walter Neff]

Here's a picture of Diedrichson.

[Barton Keyes]

Is that the man you talked to on the train that night? No, sir, it is not. Mr. Jackson, this is Mr. N. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Neff. Daxon. I want you to stick around for a while in town. Expenses paid, of course.

[Walter Neff]

Of course.

[Barton Keyes]

In the cashier's office. You ever been in Oregon, Mr. Neff?

[Walter Neff]

No, I've never been up there.

[Barton Keyes]

Hello, Logan?

[Walter Neff]

This is Cage.

[Barton Keyes]

Listen, I'm sending a man named Jackson.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Oh, wait a minute. Here.

[Barton Keyes]

We'll go trout fishing. Maybe I saw you up at Climate Falls.

[Walter Neff]

Nope. I don't fish.

[Barton Keyes]

Take care of yourself. Never go fishing. Yeah, he's coming right down. Okay. Neff.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Ness. It's the name.

[Barton Keyes]

There's a family in Ness and Corvallis.

[Walter Neff]

No relation.

[Barton Keyes]

All right, Mr. Jackson. Suppose you'll go down to the cashier's office. They'll take care of your expense account. Well, bye, gentlemen. It's been a pleasure. Bye, Mr. Jackson. By there it is, Walter. Now we know that Dietrichson dame is in it. And somebody else. Pretty soon we'll know that somebody else is. He'll show.

[Walter Neff]

He's got to show.

[Barton Keyes]

Whether it's love or hate doesn't matter.

[Walter Neff]

They can't keep away from each other.

[Barton Keyes]

They may think it's twice as safe, but it's ten times as dangerous. They've committed murder. It's not like taking a trolley ride together where they can get off at different stops. They're stuck with each other. They've got to ride all the way to the end of the line. It's a one way trip, Walter. And the last stop is the cemetery.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Hello, Walter. Why'd you phone me?

[Walter Neff]

Come over here.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

What's the matter?

[Walter Neff]

Everything's the matter. Jesus. Sitting back with us, not watering. Waiting for you to sue. But you're not going.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Well, if he rejects my claim, I have to sue.

[Walter Neff]

Yeah, and then he'll have you in court. And a lot of other things are going to come up. Like hers is about you and the first Mrs. Dietrichson.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

What about me and the first Mrs. Dietrichson?

[Walter Neff]

The way she died. Oh, and about that black hat you were trying out before. You needed a blackout.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Lola's been telling you some of her cockeyed story. She's been seeing.

[Walter Neff]

I've been seeing her, if you want to know. So she won't yell her head off about what she knows.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Oh, she's been putting on an act for you. Crying all over your shoulder, that lying little.

[Walter Neff]

Look, all I'm telling you is you're not going to sue. It isn't the money anymore. It's our necks. We're pulling out, you understand?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Because of what Keys can do. You're not fooling me, Walter. Because of Lola. What she did to her father. You're afraid she might find out someday.

[Walter Neff]

We can't go through it, that's all.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

We have gone through it, Walter. The tough part is all behind us. We just have to hold on now and not go soft inside. Stick close together, the way we started out. Excuse me.

[Barton Keyes]

Well, watch it.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I loved you, Walter. And I hated him. But I wasn't going to do anything about it. Not till I met you. You planned the whole thing. I only wanted him dead.

[Walter Neff]

And the one that fixed it so he worked it. Is that what you're telling me?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

We went into it together and we're coming out at the end together. It's straight down the line for both of us. You remember that?

[Walter Neff]

I remember these. About that trolley ride you talked about in the cemetery at the end of the line. And then I got to thinking what cemeteries were for. I guess that was the first time I ever thought of Phyllis that way. Dead, I mean. And how would it be if she were dead? And then a couple of things hit me in succession. First, Lola. I saw her three or four times that week. Last time, she told me about a boyfriend she used to have. Guy she was still in love with. With him then, for some stupid reason. Like. Well, like not maybe having enough to do with herself. The night she wasn't with me, she'd been following the ex boyfriend. You ought to remember his name. Keys. You told me about him the next day.

[Barton Keyes]

Walter, hang on to your hat. That Beaconson case is just busted wide open. The guy showed.

[Walter Neff]

What guy?

[Barton Keyes]

The guy who helped her do it.

[Walter Neff]

Oh, the somebody else.

[Barton Keyes]

What's more, she just filed suit against us.

[Walter Neff]

What?

[Barton Keyes]

When we get her into the courtroom, I'll tear him to pieces.

[Walter Neff]

Both of them.

[Barton Keyes]

Come on, Walter, I'll buy you a beer.

[Walter Neff]

No. No, thanks, ke. I got a shave and a shoe shine. I got a date.

[Barton Keyes]

Margie again. I still bet she drinks from a bottle.

[Walter Neff]

I was scared stiff, Keith. Maybe you were playing Cat and mouse with me. And maybe you know all along that I was just somebody else. I had to find out, and I knew where to look. In your office. Late that night, I took a record out of your files. And I played it on the dictaphone. This same dictaphone.

[Barton Keyes]

Memo to Mr. Norton. Confidential. Dietrich and file. With regard to your proposal to put Walter Neff under surveillance. I disagree. Absolutely no connection whatever has been established. Between WALTER Neff and Mrs. Phyllis Dietrichson.

[Narrator]

Whereas I am now able to report.

[Barton Keyes]

That such a connection has been at established. Between her and another man. This man has been observed to visit Mrs. Diedrichson. On several successive nights. And we have succeeded in identifying him as Juan Nino Zachetti.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Hello, Walter.

[Walter Neff]

Hello, baby.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I was sitting with the lights out watching for you.

[Walter Neff]

Anybody else in the house?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Nobody.

[Walter Neff]

Why, this is just like the first time I came here, isn't it? We're talking about automobile insurance. Only you were thinking about murder. And I was thinking about that anklet.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

And what are you thinking about now?

[Walter Neff]

I'm all through thinking, baby. I just came to say goodbye. A friend of mine's got a funny theory. Says when two people commit murder. It's sort of like they were riding on a trolley car together. One can't get off without the other. They're stuck with each other. And they have to go on riding together clear to the end of the line. The last stop is the cemetery.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Maybe he's got something.

[Walter Neff]

You bet he has. Only I've got another guy to finish the ride for me.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Just who are you talking about?

[Walter Neff]

An acquaintance of yours, Mr. Zetti. Been you and this the Keddie guy all along, hasn't it?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

That's not true.

[Walter Neff]

Well, it doesn't make any difference if it's true or not. Point is, Keys believes that Keddie is the one he's been looking for.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Walter. Maybe I don't go for the idea. Maybe I'd rather do a little talking.

[Walter Neff]

You know, sometimes people are where they can't talk. Under six feet of dirt, maybe. And if it was you, they'd charge that up as a game, too, wouldn't they? Sure they would.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

And that would make everything just lovely for you, wouldn't it?

[Walter Neff]

That's right. And if it's got to be done before that suit of yours comes to trial. And Lola gets a chance to send off. Before they trip you up in the stand. And you start to go down and drag me with you.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Maybe I had Zaghetti here so they wouldn't get a chance to trip me up. We can get the money and be together.

[Walter Neff]

That's cute. Say it again.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

He came here first to ask where Lola was. I made him come back. He's a crazy sort of guy. Quick tempered. I kept hammering into him that she was with another man. So he'd go into one of his jealous ranges. And then I'd tell him where she was. He has a dust. And you know what he would have done to us, don't you, Walter?

[Walter Neff]

Yeah. And for once I believed it. Because it's just rotten enough.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

We're both rotten, Walter.

[Walter Neff]

Only you're just a little more rotten. You got me to take care of your husband for you. And you got Zucchetti to take care of Lola. Maybe take care of me too. And then somebody else would have to come along to take care of Zuccheti for you. That's the way you operate, isn't it, baby?

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Walter.

[Walter Neff]

You can do better than that, can't you, baby? Better try again. Maybe if I come a little closer. How's this? Think you can do it now? Why don't you shoot again, baby? Don't tell me it's because you've been in love with me all the time.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

No, I never loved you, Walter. Not you or anybody else. I used you just as I was going to try and use the Kevin. That's all you ever meant to me. I could use you. Until a minute ago. When I couldn't fire that second shot. Something kept me from pulling the trigger. I never thought that could happen to me. I didn't know I cared that much. Much for you, Walter.

[Walter Neff]

Sorry, baby, I'm not buying.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

I'm not asking you to buy. Just hold me close.

[Walter Neff]

Yeah, close. Like this, Walter. Goodbye, baby. It's almost 4:30 now, Keith. It's cold. I wonder if she's still lying alone up there in that house. Or whether they found it by now. I wonder a lot of things, but they don't matter anymore.

[Barton Keyes]

Hello, Walter.

[Walter Neff]

Hello, Keyes. You're up pretty early, aren't you? I always wondered what you. What time you got down to that office, sir? Or did that little man of yours pull you out of bed?

[Barton Keyes]

Janitor did. Seems you leaked a little blood on the way up here.

[Walter Neff]

I wouldn't be surprised. I wanted to straighten you out on the Dietrichsen case.

[Barton Keyes]

So I gather.

[Walter Neff]

How long you been standing here?

[Barton Keyes]

Long enough.

[Walter Neff]

Well, now I suppose I get the big speech. One with all those $2 words in it. Now let's have it. Keys. Walter. You're all washed up. Thanks. Keys. I was short anyway.

[Barton Keyes]

I'M going to call a doctor.

[Walter Neff]

What for? They can lift me back to my feet in a gas chamber. Is that a. Keys? I got a different idea. Look, Keith. Suppose you went back to bed. And yet you didn't find those Dictaphone cylinders until tomorrow morning when the office opened. After that, you can work things out any way you like. Would you do that for me, Keith?

[Barton Keyes]

Give me one good reason.

[Walter Neff]

I need four hours to get where I'm going. Across the border.

[Barton Keyes]

You haven't got a chance, Walter. You'll never make the border. You'll never even make the elevator.

[Walter Neff]

Yeah? Will you watch me? Hold on, Keith. Keys.

[Barton Keyes]

How you doing, Walter?

[Fletcher Markle]

You know.

[Phyllis Dietrichson]

Keys.

[Walter Neff]

You know why you couldn't figure this one?

[Barton Keyes]

Why?

[Walter Neff]

Because the guy you were looking for was. Was too close. He was right across the desk from you.

[Barton Keyes]

Closer than that, Walter.

[Walter Neff]

Yeah? I love you, too. From the Ford Theater on Broadway, you.

[Barton Keyes]

Have just heard Burt Lancaster and Joan.

[Walter Neff]

Bennett with Myron McCormick in Double Indemnity.

[Barton Keyes]

By James M. King.

[Walter Neff]

The original musical score was composed and conducted by Cy Fuhr. The Ford Theater. A full hour of dramatic entertainment is brought to you every Friday by the Ford Motor Company, builder of Ford Mercury and Lincoln cars, Ford trucks, farm tractors and industrial engines. Now again, Fletcher Markle.

[Narrator]

May a director identify the principals in our cast tonight. In the foreground, Phyllis Dietrichson was played, of course, by Ms. Bennett. Walter Neff was played by Mr. Lancaster. Bart Wilkeers was played by Myron McCormick.

[Walter Neff]

Mr. Norton was Joe DeSantis.

[Narrator]

Lola Dietrickson was Mercedes McCambridge. Mr. Jackson was played by Robert Dryden. Actively assisting were Headley, Rennie, Miriam Wolf and Ivor Francis. Now to next week. Next week on the Ford Theater, we're offering a bright American comedy about a small town girl who makes good but can't make up her mind. If she has any brains at all, they're scattered. Because she's the kind of girl who suddenly finds herself engaged to three young men. Tom, Dick and Harry. That's the name of our story. And as for our stars, we look forward warmly to the astonishingly individual Miss Lucille Ball. And with her, the individually astonishing Mr. Eddie Albert.

[Walter Neff]

I hope you'll be with us.

[Narrator]

Till next Friday then, until Tom, Dick and Harry with Lucille Ball and Eddie Albert. This is Fletcher Marle with a good night and thank you from all of us in the Ford Theater.

[Walter Neff]

Double Indemnity was presented tonight with the courtesy of Paramount Pictures producers of Night Has a Thousand Eyes, starring Edward G. Robinson, John Lund and Gail Ross. Remember, October is the month of the community chest drive in your city and all over the nation. Remember that the Community Chest means many campaigns. In one, more than 12,000 red feather services receive community chest support. Remember that the need for these services is greater than ever before. Remember that everybody benefits, everybody gives. Remember to give to the community Chest.