← Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)
Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)
Episode 405 - Vanessa Brown
01:36:41
Born in Austria, Vanessa Brown and her family fled the Nazis and made their way to America where she soon found success on the Broadway stage and as a juvenile contestant on The Quiz Kids. She broke into films in the 1940s before returning...
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- [00:00]
Vanessa Brown
Would you hand me that, please? Thank you. Now, let's see. Survey. Survive. Susanna. Suspect. Ah, here we are. Suspense. 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. Suspense.
- [00:51]
Narrator
Hello and welcome to stars on Suspense with another Hollywood legend in Radios outstanding theater of thrills. Our leading lady this week is Vanessa Brown, the Austrian born actress whose family fled the Nazis and emigrated to the United States. Ms. Brown got her start in showbiz on Broadway acting as Lillian Hellman's understudy. Hollywood soon came calling. She appeared in several films through the 40s, among them the Ghost and Mrs. Muir, where she played the adult version of Gene Tierney's daughter. But as the 50s rolled around, Vanessa Brown transitioned mostly to television and back to the stage. In the original production of the Seven Year Itch, she originated the role that was later made iconic by Marilyn Monroe. In the film version of the play, Vanessa Brown made three appearances on suspense in the late 1950s. Today, we'll hear the first two of those three, beginning with the Vanishing lady, an Armed Forces Radio Service rebroadcast of an episode from April 7, 1957. It's a radio adaptation of a classic urban legend, one that was turned into several radio plays and quite a few movies. Ms. Brown stars as a young woman accompanying her mother to the 1899 World's Fair in Paris. When her mother falls ill, the doctor sends Ms. Brown to get medicine. When she returns to the hotel, she finds that her mother has disappeared without a trace. And everyone she encountered that day, including the doctor, claims to have no memory of her missing mom. It's a classic story, one whose framework has been used time and time again, and it's ideally suited for suspense. Plus, Vanessa Brown is quite good in the lead role. Unfortunately, the episode makes a fatal mistake. The ending, when we finally figure out what's been going on, isn't dramatized. Instead, the announcer explains it to us in a very flat delivery. It completely deflates the show right when it should be reaching its climax. If you want a different, and I think a little better radio version of the story, you can find an adaptation from Escape and its episode of February 1, 1948. It was also turned into a first season episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents called Into Thin Air. Fortunately, things pick up in our second show from September 29, 1957. It's Vamp Till Dead. This is another Armed Forces Radio Service rebroadcast and it's an encore production of the script written by master mystery writers John Michael Hayes and E. Jack Newman. Newman penned episodes of some of the great radio detective shows, Johnny Dollar, Richard diamond, the Lineup and many more, and Hayes was a regular collaborator of Alfred Hitchcock. Hayes wrote the screenplays for 44 classic Hitchcock pictures To Catch a Thief, the Trouble With Harry, the remake of the man who Knew Too Much, and Rear Window Vamp. Till Dead tells the story of a woman who takes a job as secretary to the man she believes killed her sister. It was first performed on suspense in 1951 with Ginger Rogers. You can hear that production back on episode 169 of this podcast. This is another great production with Vanessa Brown, supported by Ben Wright and Jeanette Nolan, and we'll close this week's show with a few bonuses starring Vanessa Brown. First, we'll hear her in the romantic comedy It's a Date From Hollywood Star Time, originally aired on CBS on January 11, 1947, a show that finds her co starring with Herbert Marshall and Mary Astor. And as an extra Bonus, we'll hear Ms. Brown in an excerpt from a July 21, 1946 episode of Quiz Kids. In the early 1940s, when she was appearing on Broadway, Vanessa Brown did a stint as one of the juvenile panelists on the game show. Using her birth name of Smilla Brind, she was part of a group of children ranging in age from elementary to high school, who would answer challenging questions sent in by listeners. In this excerpt, she's interviewed about her now booming film career and her days on Mike as a Quiz Kid. But first, we'll kick things off with the Vanishing lady, and hopefully we won't meet the same fate. Our show gets underway right after these messages.
- [05:49]
Vanessa Brown
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- [06:37]
Commercial Announcer
This is the Autolite Suspense show. Drive as if your life depends on it. It does.
- [06:44]
Vanessa Brown
Good night. Switch to Auto Light. There's a common phrase that's being kicked around in your house and mine more and more every day, and that is high cost of living. Sound familiar? I bet it does. I'm sure you've heard Mother and Dad mention it more often than once, and you will undoubtedly hear it many more times as the days go by. Now, just in case you're hazy on exactly what it means, let me give you a rough idea. It means that the cost of your clothes and food has gone up to a point where the family budget has become somewhat strained. Well, that's one of those things. And you can't be expected to increase the family income. But there are some things you can do to help. For instance, take better care of your clothes when you come home from school. Change into old clothes before you go out to play. Take care of your health, because doctors and medicines are expensive. Eat well, but don't waste. Take your full share, but eat all you take. Try not to ask Mother and Dad to buy you things you don't actually need. Make the best of the most of what you've got. Try to be more than usually careful of your school equipment, such as paper, pencils and so forth. Make them last and go as far as you possibly can. Remember that all members of a family must pull together at a time like this. So do your share. This is the cold season. What do medical authorities say about the common cold? Doctors tell us there's no known drug which will cure a cold. There are effective medications for treating complications accompanying or following a cold. If you've been taking sensible precautions and still have one cold after another, it's best to see your doctor. And here's another important health tip. When you have a cold and need a laxative, that's the time to rely on gentle Ex Lax. Pleasant tasting. Chocolated Ex Lax helps you towards your normal regularity. Gently overnight, Ex Lax gets along with any cold remedies you may be taking. And Ex Lax works where nature wants, in the lower tract, not the stomach. Taken at bedtime, Ex Lax won't disturb sleep. Gives you the closest thing to natural action. The next morning, you're well on your way towards your normal regularity without upset or discomfort. So when you have a cold and need a laxative, take XLax, the laxative you can use with complete confidence. Ex Lax helps you towards your normal regularity. Gently overnight. Ex Lax. Are you looking for a smooth shave, men? Then try Fitch's no Brush Shaving cream. It'll give you the kind of shave you want. Because 40 years of experience have gone into the making of this product, Fitch's no Brush contains a special skin conditioner ingredient that takes the work out of shaving. You won't have to struggle and scrape against stubborn whiskers. Because the skin conditioner prepares your face beforehand, it holds the whiskers up so your razor can zip them down closely and quickly. Even against the grain of a tough beard, your razor will glide swiftly, never nicking or scraping. Fitch's no Brush is a boon to sensitive faces because it lubricates gently, keeping that tender skin from being irritated. After this quick, easy shave, your skin will feel cool and refreshed, wonderfully smooth. And if you prefer a lather cream, try Fitch's Brush Cream. It forms a rich, abundant lather when applied with a brush. This lather stays moist all during the shave. Fitch's Brush Cream also contains the special skin conditioner for sensitive faces. Fitch's Brush and Fitch's no Brush Shaving Cream are available in handy 25 and 50 cent sizes. For a shave you like, switch to Fitch. And now, a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. Suspense and the producer of radio's outstanding theater of thrills, William N. Robeson. The story you're about to hear is unique. It is horrible. It is filled with terror, and it may or may not be true. In any case, every time a World's Fair is held in Paris, it reappears in the papers and magazines around the globe as a news story and travels by word of mouth to the ends of the earth as a true story. True or false, heard for the first time or twice told, we believe this great classic of terror will keep you in suspense. Listen then, as Ms. Vanessa Brown stars in the Vanishing lady, which begins exactly one minute from now. Sometimes a man can have too high an opinion of himself. Sometimes that opinion can drive him to great deeds. Here now is one of America's legendary heroes to tell you of some of his unique characteristics. If his adjectives seem a bit outlandish, remember that his image was an inspiration to a pioneering people. And he still affects a nation addicted to tv. I'm that same David Crockett, fresh from the backwoods. Half horse, half alligator, A lethal touched with the snapping turtle can wade the Mississippi, leap the Ohio, ride upon a streak of lightning and slip without a scratch down A honey locust can whip my weight in wildcats and if a gentleman pleases for a ten dollar bill he may throw in a panther. I can hug a bear too close for comfort and beat any man opposed to Jackson. Folklore belongs to every nation's legendary past, and I guess we Americans have our share of some tall ones. The story you are about to hear first appeared in the pages of the Detroit Free Press in the summer of 1889. At the time, the Paris World's Fair was celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the fall of the Bastille and the beginning of the French Revolution. It reappeared in the London Daily Mail in 1911. Two years later, Mrs. Belloc Lounge used it as the basis of her novel, the End of Her Honeymoon. And sometime after that, it became the storyline of another novel, she who Was Helena Cass by Lawrence Rising. As recently as 1951, it cropped up again as a British motion picture, so Long at the Fair. It is a hardy tale, a sort of modern folk tale. It has never been proved. It has never been disproved. And one can only wonder if in the dread secret archives of the police judiciary in Paris, the real facts are recorded in fading ink on yellowing paper, locked forever from a curious and intrigued world. No one knows. Perhaps no one ever will know. But we can guess. And this, we guess, is what might have happened to lovely young Cynthia Winship and her mother as they arrived at the Hotel Crillon one beautiful summer day, the day the great Paris World's Fair opened. Bonjour, madame.
- [13:32]
Commercial Announcer
I. I don't understand French. Is there anyone here who speaks Englishieu?
- [13:39]
Vanessa Brown
Madame. What can I do for you?
- [13:40]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, well, my daughter and I have just arrived from Marseille. We're on our way home from India and we.
- [13:47]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, I am afraid, madame, we cannot accommodate you.
- [13:49]
Commercial Announcer
But you must. I'm not feeling tall. Well. And I telegraphed ahead for a reservation.
- [13:57]
Vanessa Brown
The name, please.
- [13:58]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, when she. Mrs. Winshift and daughter.
- [14:01]
Vanessa Brown
Mrs. Winship. Ah, yes. And it is indeed most fortunate. You did telegraph, madame. For you, I have reserved the last room in the hotel.
- [14:10]
Commercial Announcer
I'm so relieved.
- [14:12]
Vanessa Brown
Would you be so kind as to register?
- [14:14]
Commercial Announcer
Yes, course. Here. Cynthia, my dear, you may as well learn how to do this for yourself. Yes, Mama. Where do I write? There. In that line. Oh, I see.
- [14:27]
Vanessa Brown
Voila. You are fatigued from your journey. Yes. I shall have the boy show you to your rooms at once. Chasseur. Chasseur. Madame et Mademoiselle Winship. A numerous. These are your baggage, madame?
- [14:43]
Commercial Announcer
Yes, these six. Keep your eye on that porter sincere. Don't trust them, these Frenchmen. I don't think you'll make off without things, Mama.
- [15:01]
Vanessa Brown
Here we are. Room three two, madame.
- [15:06]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, what a lovely big room. Look. And the park out there. Oh, that square with the statues in.
- [15:14]
Vanessa Brown
It the ladies desire.
- [15:18]
Commercial Announcer
No, thank you. Here.
- [15:21]
Vanessa Brown
Thank you, ladies.
- [15:23]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, Mama, it's like something out of a book. Yes, my dear, that's just the trouble. With Paris. On the surface, it's so attractive, but underneath it's evil. The furniture, the gilt clock, all this lovely marble table. Oh, Mama, everything is so French. I'll be very glad to be where everything's so English by this time tomorrow. Now come away from that window and help me get him to something comfortable. There's a dear. Yes, Mama. I don't know when. I've been so tired. I just can't seem to catch. What's the matter, Mama? Ma, speak to me. Here. Here, I'll get you up in the bed. There. And I loosen your corset. Here. Here, Mama. Here. Here are the smelling salts. Now breathe deeply. Mama. Mama, the telephone. I've got to get a doctor. Hello, Jacob? Hello. Hello, operator? Will you please send the doctor up to room number. No, let's see. Number 342. Will you please send a doctor to room number 342? A doctor? A doctor. Ah, real doctor. Oui, mademoiselle. Tout sweet? Quite sure. It wasn't long, although it seemed like an eternity before the doctor arrived, accompanied by the manager of the hotel. To my great relief, the doctor spoke English. He felt mother's pulse, took her temperature and did the usual things doctors do. And then he turned to the hotel manager. While they talked in this language that I couldn't understand, I looked from one face to the other, trying to read from their expression how serious my mother's illness was. They were as casual as though they were ordering dinner. Finally, I could stand it no longer. They must. You must. You must tell me what is the matter with my mother.
- [17:59]
Vanessa Brown
Mademoiselle, your mother is ill. Yes, seriously ill. It is a collapse, due perhaps to the strain of traveling. However, a week or two of absolute rest.
- [18:10]
Commercial Announcer
A week or two? Oh, no. But we're going on to England tomorrow.
- [18:14]
Vanessa Brown
That would be out of the question. She cannot be moved for at least several days. The next 24 hours will be critical.
- [18:22]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, Mama. Oh, my God. Poor mamma.
- [18:26]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, mademoiselle. Mademoiselle, you must not break down too. I need your help.
- [18:31]
Commercial Announcer
Yes.
- [18:32]
Vanessa Brown
Yes, Doctor, immediately. I need some medicine. Will you fetch it for me?
- [18:36]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, but I must not leave your.
- [18:38]
Vanessa Brown
Mother for a moment during these critical hours. Here. I will write down this address and a little message to my wife.
- [18:44]
Commercial Announcer
Your wife?
- [18:45]
Vanessa Brown
Yes. I have the medicine already prepared at my own. It will be much faster to go there for it than to a pharmacy. There are very few chemists who have the ingredients.
- [18:54]
Commercial Announcer
But couldn't you telephone?
- [18:57]
Vanessa Brown
I have no telephone. A messenger Perhaps mademoiselle does not know Paris en fete. With the exposition opening, nowhere can you find a reliable messenger. They are all selling souvenirs. No, Mademoiselle will accomplish the errand more rapidly herself. Here is the address, mademoiselle. 24 beasts. And here is the message to give to my wife.
- [19:21]
Commercial Announcer
But I don't do Paris at all. I'm a total stranger.
- [19:24]
Vanessa Brown
I am sure the manager here will give the necessary instructions to the coachman. But certainly, if mademoiselle is ready.
- [19:38]
Commercial Announcer
Before I. I quite knew what was happening. I was seated in a rickety carriage outside the hotel with the doctor's message clutched in my hand while the hotel manager gave valuable directions to the coachman.
- [19:58]
Vanessa Brown
It is arranged, mademoiselle. Jacques is one of our most trusted coachmen. He will get you to the doctor's house and back in safety.
- [20:06]
Commercial Announcer
Thank you so much, sir. And you'll look after my mother, won't you?
- [20:09]
Vanessa Brown
But of course. Of that you may be sure. Au revoir, mademoiselle.
- [20:23]
Commercial Announcer
I felt completely helpless, alone in a foreign city where no landmark was familiar and the language it gibberish to my ears. In the charge of an evil looking coachman, driving an ancient carriage at snail's pace up and down endless wide boulevards, across traffic choked squares, knowing that my mother's life might well depend on the speed with which I accomplished my errand. Driver. Can't you go any faster? This is a matter of life or death. When we left the hotel we had crossed a huge square with two turned into a wide avenue which led up a gentle incline, at the top of which was a huge arch. But before long we turned off into narrower streets. It must have been 20 minutes later when we turned into another wide boulevard and I saw another huge arch up ahead. Or was it the same arch? Coachman, haven't we passed that arch before? I don't want to look. I don't want a sightseeing tour. I want to go to this address directly. Don't you understand? Now please take me there at once. At last we turn into a narrow street and pulled up before a grim gray house. The blue enamel sign on the wall read 24 Beasts. I jumped out of the cab almost before it stopped, rushed up the three stone steps and pulled at the bell knob. Oh, hurry, hurry, hurry. Bonjour, mademoiselle. The doctor sent me for some Medici. Monsieur le Doctor. Here.
- [22:21]
Vanessa Brown
Here, read this.
- [22:44]
Commercial Announcer
The doctor's watch took their reading and rereading the notice that she didn't understand it until I thought I would scream. Please, please hurry. Get me the medicine. Look, it's my mother. She may be dying. I must get back to her. Please hurry. A year woman was there. I pointed to a chair, slowly walked down the hall and closed the door behind her. I waited and waited, and I began to wonder. I wondered about the time the cab had taken to get here. About that arch that looked so familiar. And I was torn by the hundred meanness anxieties that torture you when your nearest and dearest are ill. And then I heard something that froze my blood. A telephone. A telephone clearly ringing somewhere in the house. Now, the doctor had said he had no telephone. That was the reason Rom has come all this way for the medicine. Oh. Oh, no, no. It wouldn't be in this house. It must be next door or across the street. Of course. Of course. That was where the sound was coming from. No, it was the voice of the doctor's wife answering the phone. Oh, no. Wrong. What monstrous plot was this? I felt my scalp crawl with terror. My brain pounded. My head felt as though it would burst. I wanted to scream, to run out of this awful house, to run all the way across Paris to the bedside of my mother. Voila, mademoiselle. La medicine. Thank you. Thank you. Now, driver, please. Please, in the name of your own mother, hurry back to the hotel as fast as possible, please.
- [24:39]
Vanessa Brown
In a moment we continue with suspense. Do you know the Social Security benefits to which you will be entitled when you separate from the service and take a civilian job? Here's a tip from Social Security. Roger Clark had a Social Security card, sure enough, but Roger lost it. It's not important, said Roger. I don't need the card. I'll never forget that Social Security number as long as I live. So as Roger worked here and there, he rattled off his number incorrectly. And there was all kinds of trouble getting things straightened out so Roger's earnings could get on his Social Security account. Don't be like Roger. If you have lost your card, write to Social Security Department, 15 Hollywood 28, California, and ask for Form SS5 to replace your lost Social Security card. And now we continue with the vanishing lady, starring Ms. Vanessa Brown. A tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.
- [25:55]
Commercial Announcer
I pleaded with the coachman. I begged him to hurry. I explained him in tears that my mother was desperately ill. But the carriage never increased its speed. We crept across Paris just as slowly as we had come, and I was sure I saw that same white arch three times. But at last we crossed the great square with the statues in it. And I knew we were close to the hotel.
- [26:21]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, please, please hurry, mademoiselle.
- [26:26]
Commercial Announcer
Just beyond the great square, we turned up a narrow street which shortly entered a wide circle, in the middle of which was a tall, slender monument. The driver swung around the monument and pulled up before the entrance of the hotel. I jumped out of the cabin and I saw the sign over the hotel entrance. It said, Hotel Ritz. Driver, you've taken me to the wrong hotel. I feel. Look, I don't understand what you're saying, but I want you to take me to the Hotel Creole.
- [27:01]
Vanessa Brown
She.
- [27:02]
Commercial Announcer
Stupid man. Can't you understand? My mother's sick. You've taken more than two hours to get me to that doctor's house and back. Can't you understand? A small group of passers by had stopped and were listening curiously to the argument. And then they joined in, taking sides. Everywhere I looked were foreign faces, strangers, enemies. And then, shouldering through the crowd, I saw a young man in tweeze with a pipe clamped in his easel. And before he had a chance to speak, I knew help had come.
- [27:36]
Vanessa Brown
Jose, are you having some trouble?
- [27:37]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, thank heavens. An Englishman.
- [27:39]
Vanessa Brown
Yes, that's right. Now, what seems to be the matter?
- [27:41]
Commercial Announcer
I told him as rapidly as I could. He paid, the mulish cab driver, popped me into another cab, and five minutes later we walked into the lobby of the Hotel Creole. The manager was behind the desk. My mother. Is she all right?
- [27:54]
Vanessa Brown
I beg your pardon?
- [27:56]
Commercial Announcer
My mother. Mrs. Winship in 342. Is she all right?
- [27:59]
Vanessa Brown
There is no Madame Winship in 342.
- [28:02]
Commercial Announcer
What?
- [28:03]
Vanessa Brown
342 is occupied by Monsieur Auguste Noailles, a permanent guest.
- [28:07]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, no, no, no. You don't understand that I'm Cynthia Winship. Don't you remember? Two hours ago, you put me into a carriage to go to the doctor's house for some medicine for my mother.
- [28:17]
Vanessa Brown
I am afraid mademoiselle is mistaken. I have never seen her before in my life. Say, look here. What is this?
- [28:23]
Commercial Announcer
I swear to you, it is as I say. We signed the register less than three hours ago. We got in on the train from Marseille.
- [28:31]
Vanessa Brown
Right. But we'll have a look at the register.
- [28:32]
Commercial Announcer
Yes, I'll show you. I'm in 342. Where's the register?
- [28:37]
Vanessa Brown
It is here. M. You may see for yourself. See today's day. 13 guests registered. But I do not see any mademoiselle, Madame Winship, do you?
- [28:50]
Commercial Announcer
No.
- [28:51]
Vanessa Brown
Perhaps mademoiselle is mistaken. Perhaps she is registered at some other hotel.
- [28:57]
Commercial Announcer
No, no. This is the hotel, the crillon you were standing there when we arrived. You came to the room with the doctor. You put me in a carriage.
- [29:05]
Vanessa Brown
But I assure you, mademoiselle, these are fantasies.
- [29:07]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, no. Wait, wait.
- [29:08]
Vanessa Brown
What is it?
- [29:09]
Commercial Announcer
The bell boy there, he carried our baggage. He'll remember.
- [29:12]
Vanessa Brown
Gaffon. Yes. Do you recall carrying this young lady's luggage up to room 342 this afternoon, monsieur?
- [29:21]
Commercial Announcer
But you were. There were six pieces. Don't you remember?
- [29:26]
Vanessa Brown
No, Mademoiselle. Repair. He said he never saw you in his life before.
- [29:32]
Commercial Announcer
But this is monstrous. And it's impossible. My mother is somewhere in this hotel. What have you done with her? What have you done with her?
- [29:53]
Vanessa Brown
Now, how do you feel, Ms. Winchard?
- [29:55]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, better, thank you. Soup was very nourishing.
- [29:59]
Vanessa Brown
Well, won't you have something else? A salad, a little roast?
- [30:01]
Commercial Announcer
No, no, thank you. Just a cup of tea. Pips?
- [30:04]
Vanessa Brown
Certainly. Garpond. Yes?
- [30:09]
Commercial Announcer
I don't know how to thank you, Mr. Oh. Do you realize I don't even know your name?
- [30:15]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, well, it's Stanley. Bruce Stanley.
- [30:19]
Commercial Announcer
I'm glad to meet you, Mr. Stanley.
- [30:20]
Vanessa Brown
Well, it's a pleasure, Mr. Stanley.
- [30:24]
Commercial Announcer
You believe me, don't you?
- [30:26]
Vanessa Brown
Of course I do, Ms. Winsheart.
- [30:27]
Commercial Announcer
We did register at that hotel. We were in room 342. I can even describe the furnishings. There was a big window that went from the floor to the ceiling.
- [30:39]
Vanessa Brown
Well, I'm afraid every hotel room in Paris has windows like that.
- [30:43]
Commercial Announcer
No, really?
- [30:46]
Vanessa Brown
Yeah.
- [30:47]
Commercial Announcer
Well, in this room, the drapes were plum colored and there was a marble top table. Black marble it was. And a gilt clock. It had run down. The hands had stopped, I remember, at 20 minutes past 3. The walls were covered in rose brocade and the bedspread was a washed out yellow. If I could get into that room, you would see that I'm not making this up.
- [31:09]
Vanessa Brown
No, I'm sure you aren't. Perhaps I can find a way to make them let you in the room.
- [31:14]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, can you?
- [31:15]
Vanessa Brown
Yes. I'm with the Embassy, you know, under Secretary sort of thing. I believe that the British Empire has enough influence to change the mind of an obstinate palace in King.
- [31:24]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, then let's do it right away.
- [31:25]
Vanessa Brown
Well, I don't think that the might of Britain can move quite that fast. It's past dinner time, you know. But tomorrow we'll see.
- [31:32]
Commercial Announcer
I can't wait until tomorrow.
- [31:33]
Vanessa Brown
Well, I'm afraid you'll have to. We can do nothing with the people at the hotel. You saw that. We'll just have to be patient until tomorrow. I'll get a room for you tonight in the pension near the embassy.
- [31:42]
Commercial Announcer
You are very kind, Mr. Dennis.
- [31:44]
Vanessa Brown
Not at all.
- [31:45]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, no.
- [31:46]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, what is it?
- [31:48]
Commercial Announcer
I just thought of something. The doctor.
- [31:51]
Vanessa Brown
The doctor?
- [31:52]
Commercial Announcer
Yes, yes, the one the hotel manager brought in to look after my mother. I still have his address somewhere here in my purse. Here. Here it is. Now we must go there immediately. He can tell us about my mother.
- [32:05]
Vanessa Brown
24. That's not far. I set up the boulevard near Guer Montpar.
- [32:12]
Commercial Announcer
How long would it take to get there?
- [32:13]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, about 20 minutes.
- [32:15]
Commercial Announcer
20. 20 minutes. It took over an hour this afternoon.
- [32:31]
Vanessa Brown
Monsieur de Grasse. Well, here we are. Yes, yes, this is the place Attende. Minute the girl.
- [32:42]
Commercial Announcer
The house is dark.
- [32:44]
Vanessa Brown
Well, it is quite late.
- [32:45]
Commercial Announcer
I don't care. We've got to find out tonight. Where is he?
- [32:57]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, he's there at the upstairs window. Monsieur le doctor, c'est Mademoiselle Winchief says he doesn't know you.
- [33:07]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, but he must. He must. Doctor, don't you remember this afternoon you sent me here to your house for medicine for my mother.
- [33:17]
Vanessa Brown
Says he doesn't understand English.
- [33:18]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, the liar. The liar.
- [33:20]
Vanessa Brown
He does.
- [33:21]
Commercial Announcer
He speaks perfect English.
- [33:29]
Vanessa Brown
I'm sorry, Cynthia.
- [33:31]
Commercial Announcer
What am I going to do? What am I going to do? If it hadn't been for Bruce, I'm certain I should have gone out of my mind. He found the room for me at the pension near the embassy where I spent a sleepless night. I tossed and I turned and I worried myself into an agony almost beyond endurance. Where was my mother? What had they done to her? Bruce called for me at half past ten the next morning and took me back to the hotel. To my surprise, the attitude of the manager had changed completely.
- [34:18]
Vanessa Brown
But of course, Mademoiselle may inspect room 342. We are only too glad to convince mademoiselle that her mother is not and never was in the Hotel Carillon. I personally will escort you to the room. This way, please. To the ass.
- [34:33]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, that terrible man.
- [34:35]
Vanessa Brown
That horrible. Now, Cynthia, don't worry. You'll get to the bottom of this.
- [34:44]
Commercial Announcer
Now remember, Bruce, what I told you last night. Lucy. Plum colored plates, black marble top table, rose walls and a gilt clock with the hands topped at 20 minutes past three. You've seen it?
- [34:57]
Vanessa Brown
Yes, indeed. Voila le troisia metage. This way. It was room 342. You wish to see, mademoiselle?
- [35:07]
Commercial Announcer
Yes, that's right. Third door to the right.
- [35:10]
Vanessa Brown
So here we are.
- [35:12]
Commercial Announcer
You see, Bruce? I know where it is.
- [35:14]
Vanessa Brown
Yes, my dear. Voila Enter, please.
- [35:19]
Commercial Announcer
Now, Bruce, you'll see the yellow bedspread and. Oh.
- [35:24]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, no, not quite the room you just described in the elevator. Mademoiselle. The drapes are royal blue, no? A little dusty. I fear I must have this room renovated. There is no marble top table.
- [35:39]
Commercial Announcer
No.
- [35:41]
Vanessa Brown
The clock, as you notice, is running, no. And right on time. It seems the walls are not rose brocade, but yellow flower paper. Now, my dear mademoiselle, you see how thoroughly mistaken you are.
- [35:57]
Commercial Announcer
No. No, no.
- [36:10]
Vanessa Brown
Well, that's the story. As it may have happened. The lady Mrs. Winship had vanished. The room completely redecorated overnight. A gigantic conspiracy of silence so cruel as to cause a young girl to take leave of her senses. But the stakes were higher than the sanity of a pretty English tortoise. Mrs. Winship was suffering from bubonic plague. Which she had caught before leaving India. The doctor had recognized the symptoms at once. Recognized, too, that she had no more than an hour to live. He had purposely sent Cynthia on a fool's errand. The hotel manager was in on the conspiracy. And the cab driver. And soon the British Embassy, the Quai Dorsey, and the police judiciary. For had it become known that there was a case of bubonic plague in Paris, the city would have been emptied of visitors. The World's Fair would have been a failure. The French Frank would have fallen. And the very stability of the pound sterling would have been threatened. That's the whole story. Some years ago, Alexander Wolcott tracked down the man who first reported it in the Detroit Free Press in 1889. And asked him whether he had invented it or had heard it somewhere in his travels. And the Detroit Reporter replied that he could not remember. Which, as far as Mr. Wolcott was concerned, left the question still open. For as he, Riley, observed, he doubted if any man could have invented a tale like the Vanishing Lady. And then forgot that he had done. What do you think? Suspense. In which Ms. Vanessa Brown starred in William and Robeson's production of the Vanishing Lady. Based upon Alexander Wolcott's version of the legend. And adapted for radio by Mr. Robeson. Listen. Listen again next week when we bring you another tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. Supporting Ms. Brown and the Vanishing Lady Were Diana Bourbon, Virginia Gregg, Ben Wright, Ramsay Hill, John Dana and Edgar Barrier. Suspense. And the producer of radio's outstanding theater of thrills, the master of mystery and adventure, William N. Robeson. It is a cliche of murder that the killer always returns to the scene of his crime. But we know of no Recorded instance in which the victim has returned to the scene of his demise. However, we come as close as we can in the upcoming story. We have contrived to produce a reasonable facsimile of the corpse with some startlingly unpredictable results. Listen. Listen, then, as Ms. Vanessa Brown stars in Vamp till dead, which begins in exactly one minute. Do you know the Social Security benefits to which you will be entitled when you separate from the service and take a civilian job? Here's a tip from Social Security. Disabled workers at any age up to 65 can now look forward to monthly Social Security benefits. Unfortunately, not all severely disabled workers are aware of the possibility of cash disability benefits for younger workers and their dependents. Illness or accident may strike at any age. Disability while young often causes the greatest economic hardship with a growing family to be cared for. For this reason, Congress has improved Social Security protection against loss of income and offers disability insurance benefits with no age limitations. To find out more about the protection you have under Social Security, write to Social Security Department, 15 Hollywood 28, California. And now, Vamp Till Dead, starring Ms. Vanessa Brown. A tale well calculated. To keep you in suspense, your first name. What did you say it was?
- [40:24]
Commercial Announcer
Amy, Mr. Gentry. Amy Watkins.
- [40:27]
Vanessa Brown
Amy, Amy, Amy. Yes, yes, yes. And are you a good secretary, Amy?
- [40:31]
Commercial Announcer
You have all of my recommendations, Mr. Gentry. I mailed them to you a week ago.
- [40:35]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes. To be sure. I must have looked at them or I wouldn't have hired you. And had you come all the way from New York, now would I? Do you think you'll like it here in this big house where? Working for me?
- [40:45]
Commercial Announcer
I hope so, sir.
- [40:47]
Vanessa Brown
Tell me, what do you think of me?
- [40:49]
Commercial Announcer
I beg your pardon?
- [40:50]
Vanessa Brown
Me? How do I strike you? What am I? A gentle person? A wit? A profound talent? A buffoon? Tell me, Amy, I'd be interested in your opinion.
- [41:01]
Commercial Announcer
I've only known you a half hour, Mr. Gentry.
- [41:03]
Vanessa Brown
Well, then, I'll tell you. I'm a writer, Amy. Do you know what it means to have a million words inside of you and not to be able to let them out?
- [41:11]
Commercial Announcer
No, sir.
- [41:12]
Vanessa Brown
It's an utter horror. And that's the way it's been with me for more than a year. But now I'm ready to go back to work again and release those million words. And it'll be your job to take them down.
- [41:22]
Commercial Announcer
I'll do my best.
- [41:24]
Vanessa Brown
Not going to be easy. Very demanding, amy.
- [41:28]
Commercial Announcer
I understand, Mr. Gentry.
- [41:30]
Vanessa Brown
The cook's name is Jenny. She'll help you find your way around the house. And for heaven's sake, Call me Paul. Not Mr. Gentry.
- [41:36]
Commercial Announcer
Yes, Paul.
- [41:38]
Vanessa Brown
That's better. Amy. I feel it helps if people adjust to new situations as quickly as possible. Have you heard about my wife?
- [41:46]
Commercial Announcer
No, sir, I haven't.
- [41:48]
Vanessa Brown
Well, you will. So I'll tell you. People around here say that I killed Mrs. Gentry. Good night, Amy.
- [42:05]
Commercial Announcer
I ran upstairs to my room. I could still hear him laughing even after I closed the door. And then finally he stopped. And I was lying across my bed when I was aware that someone was standing beside me. He's like that child. You mustn't mind him. Who are you? I'm Jenny, the cook. Oh. Oh, yes. But somehow you don't look like a cook, my dear. I find more inspiration in cooking meals for a great writer like Paul Gentry than I ever found in the 23 years I taught high school English. I see. Now, don't let him upset you. He really doesn't mean it. He can be as gentle as he is harsh. No one really understands him.
- [42:58]
Vanessa Brown
Him?
- [42:58]
Commercial Announcer
Did. Did. Did Mrs. Gentry understand him? No, she didn't. She never made an attempt. There's a question in your eyes, Amy. Yes. Was she murdered? Yes. In that little guest cottage down by the brook. You can see it from this window. How. How. How did it happen? It was almost a year ago. They argued over something trivial at dinner. The flowers on the table. Mrs. Gentry ran out of the house a few minutes later. I could hear her playing the piano in the cottage, some little tune that always infuriated him. The next morning, her body was found slumped over the piano. Her neck was broken. And. And people think there was no evidence against Mr. Gentry. No proof, only hearsay and talk. I see. Now. Now there's a question in your eyes. Yes. Amy, this information doesn't seem to disturb you. And that puzzles me because along with that, this. There's something about you. What? It's about your appearance, my dear. Really. It's quite remarkable how much you resemble Isabelle Gentry. For the next three weeks, I took dictation from morning until night. There was quantity, certainly, but the quality was poor. The book was going badly. And then one afternoon when I walked into his study, there was another man standing there beside Paul.
- [44:59]
Vanessa Brown
Amy. Amy, this is Al Pender. Al's a reporter on the local paper. He tried his best to have me indicted for murder.
- [45:06]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, how do you do, Mr. Pender?
- [45:09]
Vanessa Brown
I'm glad to meet you, Amy. I just dropped in to interview Mr. Gentry about his new book. You see, Amy, I'm a celebrity. They interview me about my new book. Why don't you Tell him all about it.
- [45:19]
Commercial Announcer
I wouldn't want the responsibility, Paul.
- [45:22]
Vanessa Brown
You can tell him how bad it is as well as I can.
- [45:24]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, no, Paul. I couldn't possibly say that about it.
- [45:27]
Vanessa Brown
What could you say about it? Anything worthwhile? No. The dropped eyes, the withdrawal. Isabel used to react the same way when I became angry with her.
- [45:36]
Commercial Announcer
Do I. Do I remind you of her?
- [45:38]
Vanessa Brown
Yes. Yes, you remind me of Isabel. Of all the things in her that stopped me from writing. How do you like that, Pender? There's a story for you to print. You want me to print it? Gentry? I'd kill you if you did.
- [45:48]
Commercial Announcer
I'm sorry if I remind you of Isabel. Paul.
- [45:52]
Vanessa Brown
Are you Amy? Are you really? No, I don't think you are. I don't think you are at all. Well, has he been like this very long?
- [46:02]
Commercial Announcer
I'd rather not say, Mr. Pender.
- [46:04]
Vanessa Brown
Amy, did you know that no one in town would take this job?
- [46:08]
Commercial Announcer
Yes.
- [46:09]
Vanessa Brown
Still, you came here.
- [46:11]
Commercial Announcer
Yes.
- [46:12]
Vanessa Brown
He killed his wife. Everyone knows it.
- [46:14]
Commercial Announcer
It was never proved.
- [46:15]
Vanessa Brown
No. No. Because of a technicality. You know, he's right. You do look a great deal like Isabel. And that means you're in danger here. He's crazy. He might actually come to think of you as Isabel.
- [46:30]
Commercial Announcer
I want him to think of me as Isabel in every way possible. Every day, every minute. There must be some way to prove he killed her.
- [46:42]
Vanessa Brown
See? Why are you so interested? Who are you, anyway?
- [46:48]
Commercial Announcer
I'm Isabelle Gentry, sister.
- [46:57]
Vanessa Brown
The second act of suspense continues in one minute. This is Johnny Baker with communism on the spot. Here's another case that illustrates the worthlessness of Soviet constitutional guarantees. On one Thursday morning in 1940, Soviet workers were told about the change to the eight hour day and the seven day week. Just the day before, workers had completed a seven hour day, part of the five day week established under the 1936 constitution. But now they were suddenly required to work 21 extra hours a week. They knew it was impossible for the constitution to have been amended since amendments must be approved by the Supreme Soviet, which wasn't even in session. They could therefore only conclude that this was another arbitrary violation by the government of a constitution it held far from sacred. And now we continue with Act 2 of Vamp Till Dead, starring Ms. Vanessa Brown, a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.
- [48:07]
Commercial Announcer
Yes, I am the sister of the woman Paul Gentry was accused of murdering. I was abroad during their courtship and marriage. We had never met, so it was simple for me to begin my campaign. I began to do everything the way I had remembered Isabel. I wore her favorite Perfume. I held my head to one side and smiled the way she used to. I started using her expressions in my speech. I wasn't sure whether I was torturing him or he was torturing himself. But I was certain he began to think of me as Isabel. And then I began visiting the guest cottage where she was murdered. And playing the piano at which she died. Amy. Oh. I didn't notice you come in. Jenny, what are you doing here in this cottage? Practicing. Must you practice that? What do you mean? That's the tune she used to play. I told you he hated it. Oh, I forgot. And you're here. You're wearing it the way she used to. Am I? Don't you see what you're doing to him? What? He hardly spends an hour a day writing now. It's just like it was when she was alive. There was something about her that killed his inspiration. Instead of creating, he only wanted to destroy. Now you're doing the same thing to him. Me? But I only want to help him. There's only one way you can do that. How? Leave. But he needs me. You're not helping. You're hindering. Always reminding him of her. Jenny, why do you stay? Oh, I'm like his desk or the chair he sits on. Just a piece of furniture doing a job. He doesn't think about me one way or the other. Oh, someday I'll see him get back to writing the way he used to. You mean without her? Yes. Do you think he killed her? Jenny. Oh, that's something I. I don't dare think about. Amy, I thought about it. In the days that followed, Paul's work went from bad to worse. And so did his temper. He was unmanageable. Most of the time, he would slump in his chair, drinking and staring at me. Just staring, staring, staring, staring, staring. I knew he was almost ready to break the day. He went into a rage, and he started throwing things around his study. I left the house, walked down to the guest cottage, sat down at the piano and started to play. Was this it? I wondered. Would the trap be sprung now? I hadn't long to wait. Behind me, I heard the door slowly open, and I continued playing. First move would have to be his.
- [52:00]
Vanessa Brown
Hello, Amy.
- [52:02]
Commercial Announcer
Al surprise you? Uh, yes.
- [52:07]
Vanessa Brown
I brought you something.
- [52:09]
Commercial Announcer
A gun. What for?
- [52:12]
Vanessa Brown
Well, if you won't be sensible and leave this place, then you need it for your own protection.
- [52:17]
Commercial Announcer
I can handle my situation without a gun.
- [52:20]
Vanessa Brown
Can you? That man is out of his mind. The first time he comes at you, let him have it. Everybody in this town Knows about him. Look, no jury would ever convict you.
- [52:30]
Commercial Announcer
I came here to get proof that Paul Gentry killed my sister. I want him to pay for it legally. But it seems to me that you want me to be judge, jury and executioner.
- [52:40]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, now, listen, Amy.
- [52:42]
Commercial Announcer
Sal, I am going to tell you something. Isabel used to write to me, and she was pretty frank. She told me about a newspaper man she was interested in. Could you be that man?
- [52:55]
Vanessa Brown
Yes.
- [52:57]
Commercial Announcer
Now, is it because you loved Isabel that you wanted to see her murderer? Court. Or would you just like to sacrifice Paul Gentry because he was married to the woman that you wanted?
- [53:08]
Vanessa Brown
Pender, are you aware that this property belongs to me? What are you doing on it? Talking to her. What does it look like?
- [53:15]
Commercial Announcer
Paul. Paul, please.
- [53:16]
Vanessa Brown
How many times do I have to tell you to leave my wife alone? Your wife? Just a minute. You get off my property while you can still walk. El Isabel. You get back up to the house where you belong.
- [53:36]
Commercial Announcer
I ran back to the house, up to my room. A moment later, I heard his heavy steps coming up the stairway. Before I could do anything, he was standing in my doorway.
- [53:47]
Vanessa Brown
Isabel. Isabel. Why did you make me do it?
- [53:51]
Commercial Announcer
Why? Why did you do it, Paul?
- [53:55]
Vanessa Brown
I couldn't help myself with those men all the time. Especially Pender. Amy. Isabel's dead. You're Amy. Why do you keep making me think that you're Isabelle? Why?
- [54:06]
Commercial Announcer
You're imagining it, Paul.
- [54:09]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, Amy. Why don't you leave here while it's safe?
- [54:13]
Commercial Announcer
I think it is safe, Paul.
- [54:16]
Vanessa Brown
You aren't afraid of me the way you were that first night? You aren't afraid of what I might do to you?
- [54:20]
Commercial Announcer
No, Paul, I'm not afraid. If you really want me to go, I will. But I'd rather stay. I want to be close to you, closer to you than anybody in this world has ever been.
- [54:33]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, I don't want you to go, Amy. Ever. I love you.
- [54:39]
Commercial Announcer
I know.
- [54:40]
Vanessa Brown
I want you to marry me.
- [54:42]
Commercial Announcer
Of course. Of course, Paul. Ever since Isabelle died, I've wanted to be your wife.
- [54:59]
Vanessa Brown
Act three of suspense follows in one minute. This is Johnny Baker. With communism on the spot. The communists insist that Soviet citizens enjoy basic freedoms under their constitution. In theory, the Soviet constitution does promise freedom, civil liberties and justice under law. These are, however, merely paper guarantees which carry little weight for the same Constitution also declares that these freedoms are to be exercised in conformity with the interests of the working people and in order to strengthen the socialist system. The Communist Party, as the vanguard of the people, decides what these interests are. It interprets the constitution as it sees fit. It thus turns out that the rules of the party, not the constitution, are the supreme law of the land. And now we continue with Act 3 of Vamp Till Dead, starring Ms. Vanessa Brown, a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.
- [56:13]
Commercial Announcer
Next day, we were married quietly by the justice of the peace. Surely this bait would spring the trap. Surely my sister's murderer would attempt to kill the woman who so closely resembled her and now replaced her. That night, I dressed for dinner in the perfect image of my sister, and Paul greeted me as I expected him to.
- [56:40]
Vanessa Brown
Isabel, you never look more beautiful.
- [56:42]
Commercial Announcer
Well, thank you, Paul.
- [56:44]
Vanessa Brown
Your chair.
- [56:45]
Commercial Announcer
Thank you.
- [56:46]
Vanessa Brown
You may serve, Jenny.
- [56:48]
Commercial Announcer
Yes, sir.
- [56:49]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, Jenny, use the large soup bowls, please, for Isabel.
- [56:52]
Commercial Announcer
I understand, sir.
- [56:54]
Vanessa Brown
I know you prefer them. Darling.
- [56:56]
Commercial Announcer
Yes.
- [56:57]
Vanessa Brown
Is something wrong, Isabel?
- [56:59]
Commercial Announcer
Paul, I just noticed you have carnations on the table.
- [57:04]
Vanessa Brown
Why, yes.
- [57:05]
Commercial Announcer
You know I don't like carnations, Paul. I don't like them at all, Isabel.
- [57:10]
Vanessa Brown
They were all I could get. I'm afraid you'll have to like them.
- [57:12]
Commercial Announcer
Look, I don't have to like anything. Have Jenny take them off the table.
- [57:16]
Vanessa Brown
Now, see here.
- [57:17]
Commercial Announcer
You'll either get rid of them or I won't eat dinner with you. You hear me?
- [57:20]
Vanessa Brown
Then don't eat dinner with me, my dear. I'd like it better that way. Then I won't have to look at your bored, critical face all the time.
- [57:36]
Commercial Announcer
It was rude and cruel, but I had to know. I had to act the same way Isabel had acted. For it was just a year ago tonight that she had been murdered. And then I was in the cottage where it had happened, sitting at the piano, playing her tune. I sat there waiting. I knew I would hear steps first and then a door. But I heard nothing. Nothing. And then, at last, I heard the steps. Yeah.
- [58:43]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, no. Amy. Amy, are you all right? Are you all right, Amy?
- [58:56]
Commercial Announcer
Yes, Al. Yes, yes.
- [59:00]
Vanessa Brown
Stay where you are or I'll blow your head off. I always knew it was you who killed Isabel.
- [59:04]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, yeah.
- [59:04]
Vanessa Brown
Because she refused to run away with you. You're wrong, Gentry. It wasn't me. Look, Paul.
- [59:11]
Commercial Announcer
Paul, darling. She was the one.
- [59:15]
Vanessa Brown
Jenny. Jenny. I had to knock her out. She tried to kill Amy the same way she killed Isabel. She was afraid Amy was going to take you away from her. Oh, Amy. Amy, my darling.
- [59:26]
Commercial Announcer
Paul, do you. Do you know who I am? Oh, I really am.
- [59:33]
Vanessa Brown
Yes, I know you're not Isabelle. I've known all along. I had to pretend because you pretended.
- [59:38]
Commercial Announcer
Forgive me. Please forgive me.
- [59:41]
Vanessa Brown
It's all over, my darling ending.
- [59:44]
Commercial Announcer
Yes. Yes, Paul. It's over. Isabelle is truly dead.
- [60:02]
Vanessa Brown
Suspense, in which Ms. Vanessa Brown starred in Vamp Till Dead, written by E. Jack Newman and John Michael Hayes. Suspense is produced and directed by William N. Robeson. In a moment, the names of tonight's players. This is Johnny Baker with communism on the spot. A few words now on the position of the family. Under Communism in Soviet society, the family has been reduced to a kind of machine for producing workers. Soviet leaders have deprived families of the right to educate their children and have minimized the influence of family life by drawing women into the labor force. The institution of the family is looked on as part of the machinery for producing what are designated as obedient, disciplined Communists. To accomplish this, the role of the parents has been taken over by the schools, by youth organizations and by the establishment of boarding schools. The final aim of the party is evidently the education of all children away from the family. Supporting Ms. Vanessa Brown in Vampire Till Dead were Janette Nolan, Ben Wright and Norm Alden. Listen. Listen again next week when we bring you Jack Carson starring in Misfire, another tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. Suspense has been brought to you through the worldwide facilities of the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. You're twice as sure with two great Frigidaire and General Motors. Brigidaire presents Hollywood Star Time. Direct from Hollywood tonight, the radio production of the lilting and vivacious motion picture comedy It's a Date, starring Vanessa Brown, Mary Astor and your Saturday evening host, Herbert Marshall. Good evening. Tonight, the accent is entirely on youth as Frigidaire brings you It's a Date. Young, in fact, is our main character, Pamela Drake, played by the refreshing Vanessa Brown. Young in Heart are Georgia Drake and John Aram, played by Mary Astor and myself. Tonight's play is a delightful comedy, a surprising conflict for a comedy and a load of heart and a load of good sense to temper its agreeable nonsense in a brief moment. Then, our sparkling play during that brief moment, here's Wendell Niles. For Frigidaire, you're twice as sure with two great Frigidaire and General Motors. For Frigidaire is made only by General Motors. And it is this association of experience with experience of skill with skill that makes Frigidaire America's favorite refrigerator. Remember this. When you choose your new refrigerator, remember that millions of Frigidaires in millions of American kitchens have established Frigidaire's reputation for complete dependability, for lasting satisfaction. Yes, you're twice as sure with two great names. For Frigidaire is made Only by General Motors. No other company can make a Frigidaire. Now, Mary Astor, Herbert Marshall and Vanessa Brown in It's a Date.
- [64:28]
Commercial Announcer
Well, I was just minding my own business, that's all. I got tired of the crowded dining saloon on board the big liner. You see, I was on my way to join Mother in Honolulu and I had the most exciting news for her. I was going to be in my first Broadway play. A play produced by Sydney Simpson, no less. I, Pamela Drake, daughter of Georgia Drake, the Broadway. Broadway star, was going to be a star in my own right. So I went up on deck alone and in the moonlight I rehearsed my lines in St. Anne, the love scene in Act 1. I gave the lines everything I had. Gerald, how long ago did we learn? Was it a hundred, a thousand years ago?
- [65:14]
Vanessa Brown
Hey, you.
- [65:15]
Commercial Announcer
Or is all love measured in its head? Penny. Auntie Gerald. Hey, Gerald. Who's that? Over here.
- [65:26]
Vanessa Brown
Number four lifeboat. I need help.
- [65:30]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, are you a stowaway?
- [65:33]
Vanessa Brown
I've been hiding in this lifeboat for two days.
- [65:35]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, dear, you must be hungry and thirsty. Especially thirsty, poor man.
- [65:40]
Vanessa Brown
Yes.
- [65:41]
Commercial Announcer
You stay right here in this lifeboat. I'll bring you something.
- [65:44]
Vanessa Brown
Thank you. Thank you. Scotch and soda with a fist of lemon peel.
- [65:47]
Commercial Announcer
You leave it to me. I'll take care of you. Well, as far as Honolulu Angel.
- [65:53]
Vanessa Brown
Angel of mercy and kindness, bless her. Johnny, my boy, I thought I'd seen all the ways of catching a woman. But that lifeboat stowaway routine of yours. Now, look here, Captain Andrews, I'm not trying to catch that 18 year old child. You were worried about her. She was behaving like a lovesick and deeply unhappy girl out there in the moonlight. And you asked me to do something about it. All right, don't get peeved, Johnny. I just didn't want any disappointed young women jumping off my ship. Okay. I went out there in my unique fashion. I tried to give her an interest in remaining on board. But that's all over now. I'm not crawling back into that lifeboat again. Oh, but you've got to. My beard is sticking me to death, my shirt is crawling, and I'm sick of eating pineapple three times a day. And now she has the idea of sneaking me off in the boat in her clothes. That I gotta see. You never will. I'll go back tonight for my evening feeding. But when the girl shows up, I demand that you come around and discover me. Quitter.
- [66:59]
Commercial Announcer
Now, here's my dinner, John, and don't be discarded. I think it had another way for you to get off the ship when we dock.
- [67:05]
Vanessa Brown
I know this guy's as a crate of pineapples.
- [67:07]
Commercial Announcer
How did you know?
- [67:09]
Vanessa Brown
They're coming out of my ears.
- [67:10]
Commercial Announcer
Well, anyway, here's my plan. When we put in at Hannibal. Oh, dear. Someone's coming. Captain, get under the canvas and I still argue.
- [67:18]
Narrator
Yes, sir.
- [67:21]
Commercial Announcer
Quiet. Oh, good evening, Captain.
- [67:25]
Vanessa Brown
Good evening, miss. Lifeboat inspection.
- [67:27]
Commercial Announcer
Lifeboat insp. Oh, Captain, look up there. Isn't that a submarine periscope I see.
- [67:32]
Vanessa Brown
Well, even if it is, I believe we are at peace, miss.
- [67:36]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, yes, we should.
- [67:38]
Vanessa Brown
Now then, let's have a look under this canvas.
- [67:40]
Commercial Announcer
Captain, could you tell me where the beauty salon is?
- [67:44]
Vanessa Brown
Yes, at the foot of that companionway, miss. Now then, let's see.
- [67:47]
Commercial Announcer
Captain. Captain, I think I'm going to sink.
- [67:49]
Vanessa Brown
Be careful. Keep away from that rail.
- [67:50]
Commercial Announcer
Captain, I'm falling.
- [67:52]
Vanessa Brown
Great scotch. Great Scot. John, come out of that boat. Reverse engines. Captain, what's happened? Man overboard. Our damsel in distress jumped overboard. What? Full speed astern. Man overboard. And I'm going after her. Out of the way, Captain. What kind of life belt, you knucklehead? Forget it. Here we go. All right, folks, stand aside, please. Here they come. Up the ladder. Here you are, my girl. Grab my hand.
- [68:32]
Commercial Announcer
Thank you. Thank you.
- [68:35]
Vanessa Brown
Good girl. Now, here. Here's a hand, Johnny, my boy. Thanks, Andy. Thanks a lot. Good boy. Johnny, my lad. Here, wrap this blanket around yourself.
- [68:44]
Commercial Announcer
Johnny, my lad. Do you know each other that well?
- [68:47]
Vanessa Brown
Old friends for years, as a matter of fact.
- [68:50]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, then why was John afraid you'd find him in the lifeboat? Unless.
- [68:55]
Vanessa Brown
No, no, no, no, no.
- [68:56]
Commercial Announcer
Of course it was. It was all part of an elaborate flirtation.
- [69:01]
Vanessa Brown
Well, to tell you the truth, miss, he is very fond of you. Nonsense.
- [69:05]
Commercial Announcer
You step out of my way.
- [69:06]
Vanessa Brown
No, no, no, no. Listen.
- [69:07]
Commercial Announcer
Out of my way. Look out.
- [69:09]
Vanessa Brown
Don't push me. Catch him, somebody. Man overboard. And save that blanket on him. It's pure wool. Have another brandy, Johnny. Thanks. You need it after those two plunges into the Pacific Ocean. Look, Captain Andy. What was the idea of telling that mere child that I was very fond of her? My responsibility, Johnny. I don't want ladies jumping off my ship simply because they feel nobody loves them. Decent of you, but either one will be glad when this hard voyage is over. Fill up my grass again. I'm all nerves.
- [70:06]
Commercial Announcer
No, Gerald. You borrowed one small portion of my love, but only borrowed it. Now I want it back. I'll never love again, Gerald. Never, never, never. Come in. My bags are all ready to go. All the door that's going as yours. All Right. Mother. Baby. My little girl. How are you, Pamela, darling? I'm fine, Mother. Oh. Oh, you looking simply wonderful. I feel wonderful. And I'm so glad you decided to spend your vacation with me in Honolulu. And how's Grandma, Mother? Oh, same old tyrant as my dressing room is always. Same old Sarah. Oh, I've missed you so much. I've missed you, Mommy. Especially lately. Well, I'm glad my little girl still needs me. I don't want to lose you yet. You almost did leave me on this very boat. Roman. Pamela, not a shipboard romance. Not quite. But I could have fallen in love with him in a minute. Only didn't have a minute to spare. Listen, I've been setting apart for a play I'm going to be in when I'm. Broadway. Pamela, no. Yes. Isn't it wonderful? Oh, you're not going to be the only Broadway star in this tight little family. Darling, I'm stunned. I'm delighted.
- [71:15]
Vanessa Brown
Who wrote it?
- [71:16]
Commercial Announcer
Who's producing? I can't tell anyone, not even me. But never mind. I have my own new play to think about. Is it good? No, Pamela, this one is great. I've been studying like mad. Listen to this. Nobody owns you, Gerald. And I've scarcely owned my son. You borrowed one small portion of my life and only borrowed one. I'll never love again, Gerald. Never, never, never. And stuff and stuff and stuff. Oh, it's wonderful. It's wonderful. Mm. Sidney gave me the script before I left New York two months ago. Sydney, this is really a great part. Something I can be identified with forever. Sounds very exciting, Mother. Very. Oh, it is. Pam. Pam, aren't you well? Oh, yes. Yes, Mother. I'm just tired, I guess. Of course you are. Let's get off this ship and back to my hotel. And while you rest and freshen up, I'll tell you all about my new play, huh? Yes, Mother. So much, Pamela for the second act curtain. But do you notice the beautiful construction of the play? The almost classic quality? I love it. I do, too, Molly. All right, now. Act three, a year later. Oh, let it go. Sarah can take it to the next room. Sarah went out a while ago. I'll get it. Hello? We have a CableGram here for Ms. Drake. Ms. Drake? Which miss? This is Miss Drake. A cablegram from New York City signed Sydney. Oh. Message reads, just learned your daughter Pamela is on her way to visiting. Telephone to 8:00 tonight. Your time to explain about the play. Oh, my love sign. Sydney. Shall I repeat the message? Thank you, no. Shall I send it Over. Oh, no, thank you. Goodbye. Goodbye. But John. I said goodbye, John.
- [73:20]
Vanessa Brown
That.
- [73:21]
Commercial Announcer
That man from the boat does him off, Pamela. Oh, very well, john. Dinner at 7:30 then. Thank you so much. Oh, yes, Mother will certainly be there. Bye. I will certainly be where? Pamela, that was John Arlen, the man from the boat, as you say. He wants to meet you at dinner. Now, Pamela, it can't be that serious. Invite the boy to lunch sometime. But not dinner. He insists on dinner and he's not a boy, Mother. Well, how old is he? Oh, I'd say I'm 40. 40? My dear child, I'm not a child. Well, a man of 40. A man of 40 deserves some consideration as an adult human being. John expects to have dinner with us tonight at 7:30. Oh, Pamela, look. He's in this very hotel. Which makes it not only rude but almost impossible to refuse him. All right, I'd better start getting dressed if we're to dine with your lovesick gentleman. Send Sarah into my room when she comes in, will you, dear? Yes, Mother, I will. Operator. Operator, will you please connect me with Mr. John Arlin's room? Oh, I started something, now I've got to finish it.
- [74:30]
Narrator
Hello, John?
- [74:32]
Commercial Announcer
This is Pamela.
- [74:33]
Vanessa Brown
How nice. Who?
- [74:35]
Commercial Announcer
Pamela? Pamela Drake. The boat.
- [74:37]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, yes, of course. Yes. Pamela, how are you?
- [74:39]
Commercial Announcer
Look, will you take my mother and me to dinner this evening?
- [74:42]
Vanessa Brown
Haven't you got anything to eat?
- [74:45]
Commercial Announcer
I'm expecting a very important call from New York at 8:00 tonight and Mother mustn't be here when it comes.
- [74:49]
Vanessa Brown
I see.
- [74:50]
Commercial Announcer
Will you do it? Well, I. Oh, thank you, John.
- [74:53]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, quite all right, my dear.
- [74:55]
Commercial Announcer
7:30.
- [74:55]
Vanessa Brown
It's a date.
- [74:56]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, thank you so much. Goodbye, John.
- [74:58]
Vanessa Brown
Bye, Pamela.
- [75:00]
Commercial Announcer
Now. Well, so far so good. What a wonderful player a movie this would make if it weren't so serious.
- [75:27]
Vanessa Brown
In just a moment we continue with Act 2 of it to Date, starring Mary Aster, Herbert Marshall and Vanessa Brown. Did you ever say to yourself, if there were only some way to take the guesswork out of cooking, then you're just the kind of person Frigidaire engineers had in mind when they designed the Frigidaire electric range. They were thinking of you when they gave definite cooking heat to the surface cooking units, engineered Frigidaire's radium tube units so you never have to guess at the heat you're using. They had you in mind when they planned the big Frigidaire oven, made it so even heating that things are sure to come out perfectly done and no guesswork about it. Frigidaire engineers were thinking of you when they gave this oven a temperature control that regulates its heat exactly and automatically. And consider the Frigidaire cookmaster, the automatic control you set to turn the oven on at a certain time all by itself and to turn it off when the cooking time is up. No guesswork there. Everything is timed the minute. Remember these examples of how Frigidaire engineers designed an electric range to help you take the guesswork out of cooking. Remember them as evidence of all the other advantages you will find in the Frigidaire electric range. And remember, you're twice as sure with two great names for Frigidaire is made only by General Motors. Hollywood Star Time continues with Act 2 of it to date starring Mary Astor, Herbert Marshall and Vanessa Brown. Vanessa Brown appears by arrangement with 20th Century Fox. Currently releasing Darla Zanx production. The Razor's Edge music for Hollywood Star Time is composed and conducted by Johnny green. Now, Act 2 of It's a Date. Dinner with Pamela and her mother was a revelation and a delightful shock. I was quite unprepared for the poised and charming and beautiful woman Pamela presented as her mother, Georgia Drake, the famous Broadway actress. I'd seen and worshiped her a dozen times. Sometime around 8 o'clock, Pamela excused herself on some pretext I knew she had gone to her apartment to receive that important telephone call.
- [78:08]
Commercial Announcer
Hello? New York is calling. Ms. Georgia Drake. This is the. This is Ms. Drake. One moment. Go ahead, New York.
- [78:16]
Vanessa Brown
Hello, Georgia.
- [78:17]
Commercial Announcer
This isn't Georgia, Sydney. It's Pamela.
- [78:20]
Vanessa Brown
Pamela, I want to speak to Georgia.
- [78:22]
Commercial Announcer
I don't want you to speak to Georgia.
- [78:24]
Vanessa Brown
But look, my dear, I must.
- [78:25]
Commercial Announcer
Sidney, I won't play St. Ann for you.
- [78:28]
Vanessa Brown
You've got to play St. Ann, Pamela.
- [78:30]
Commercial Announcer
That's Mother's play. You promised it to her before you gave it to me and she loves it. And Sidney, she's going to do it.
- [78:35]
Vanessa Brown
But she's wrong for it. Pamela. I didn't realize it until the author pointed it out to me. It takes a younger woman.
- [78:41]
Commercial Announcer
It takes you mother is young. You don't know how lovely she looks. Sidney, she's going to do that play.
- [78:48]
Vanessa Brown
Pamela. Pamela, don't say anything to her, will you? I'm coming out there. I'll arrive in a week. Let me explain everything to you.
- [78:53]
Commercial Announcer
It won't make any difference. I still insist.
- [78:55]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, fine. That's the idea. See you in a week.
- [78:57]
Commercial Announcer
Bye, Sidney. Oh, you'll be very good at St. Anne. Hamlet. Sarah, I couldn't help overhearing. Well, I. I'm not Sure. I like the part anyhow. You like it anyhow? There are more important things in life than the stage. Like what? Well, I've met a man so. That 40 year old man on the boat. He loves me and I'm rather fond of him and. Oh, Sarah, don't tell mother about the play. She wants to do the part so much. And if she does play it, won't it be better if she never knows they asked me. Yes, I suppose so. Promise you won't tell mother? Promise? I promise. Thank you, Sarah. Thank you. Oh, John, you're priceless.
- [80:05]
Vanessa Brown
Nonsense, Georgia. Every man has his price. Now what are you laughing at?
- [80:10]
Commercial Announcer
You. First one friend sends you a message that he's broken his leg and you ignore it. Then the waiter tells you that your brother just shot himself. No reaction just now the manager tells you that your house is on fire.
- [80:22]
Vanessa Brown
Well, it is. I did it for the insurance. Oh, have a heart, lady. How did I know? You turn out to be Georgia Drake. And so completely enchanting.
- [80:31]
Commercial Announcer
The fact remains you sent those native runners to drag you away from Pamela's fat, stupid, talkative mother. Hello, you two merry people. Well, can anyone get into this? Pamela, where have you been? Sitting down, dear. Well, what do you think of this man, Mother? Loads of char. Oh, I'm sure. Handyman to have around the house too.
- [80:51]
Vanessa Brown
Put up screens, things like that.
- [80:54]
Commercial Announcer
Why, don't look so positively trapped, John. Nothing's happened to you yet.
- [80:59]
Vanessa Brown
What?
- [81:00]
Commercial Announcer
Never mind, dear. Aren't you going to ask the dance with me? Have a nice evening, Georgia. Oh, yes, Sarah. I can't remember the last time I danced. Mother was positively beaming all evening. Your mother works too hard and dances too little. That's my choice. Sarah, no nonsense. You're still a young woman. You ought to be getting a lot more out of life than you do. More dancing, more pleasant dinners with pleasant men. Sounds attractive the way you tell it. Then why don't you give up the stage for a while and have some fun? What, and give up that wonderful part in St. Anne? Well, no, mother. It's the finest part you've ever had and you'll be wonderful in it. If. If I were going to act. I'd give anything to be in such a play. If you were going to act. But I thought. I've been thinking of giving up the theater. Oh, Pamela, no. John loves me and I'm rather fond of you. Mother, he's twice your age. Yes, but I'm old from my years. You're practically a hag, Pamela. Sarah, I'm Sure, I could make him very happy. And my entire relationship with men has been very adult. What relationship? Skipping rope? Sarah, you're the youngest of all of us. Really you are. I'm tired. I'm going to bed. You forgot your raggedy dolly. Good night. John, Arlen is more than twice her age. Sarah. I don't understand it. I don't understand it. No, I guess you don't. Oh, Mr. Ireland. Well, come in, please.
- [82:57]
Vanessa Brown
Thank you. Sarah, where's Miss Drake?
- [83:01]
Commercial Announcer
Which one?
- [83:02]
Vanessa Brown
I don't know. Sarah, where are they now?
- [83:05]
Commercial Announcer
In the other room, playing a scene from St. Anne.
- [83:07]
Vanessa Brown
She's great, isn't she?
- [83:09]
Commercial Announcer
Which one?
- [83:11]
Vanessa Brown
Both of them.
- [83:12]
Commercial Announcer
This is where I came in.
- [83:14]
Vanessa Brown
Sarah, I'm desperate.
- [83:16]
Commercial Announcer
Have you got a desperate brother?
- [83:19]
Vanessa Brown
I've known the Drake women for a week now and I. I've never proposed to a woman before.
- [83:24]
Commercial Announcer
You know, that's curious. Neither have I.
- [83:27]
Vanessa Brown
Tell me, what do you do?
- [83:29]
Commercial Announcer
Well, it depends on whom you're proposing to.
- [83:32]
Vanessa Brown
I've been considering writing it out and mailing it with a stamped self addressed envelope.
- [83:36]
Commercial Announcer
Yes, women appreciate those niceties.
- [83:39]
Vanessa Brown
No, no, that's cowardly.
- [83:41]
Commercial Announcer
If you'd give me just a teeny weeny hint.
- [83:45]
Vanessa Brown
Sarah, I was thinking maybe I'd take Pamela for a drive tonight.
- [83:50]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, Pamela?
- [83:51]
Vanessa Brown
Yes. Why? Nothing. I could ask Pam. I'd say, Pam, would you be good enough to ask your mother if she'd like to marry me?
- [83:59]
Commercial Announcer
What?
- [84:01]
Vanessa Brown
Well, how would that be?
- [84:02]
Commercial Announcer
Well, that would be great.
- [84:04]
Vanessa Brown
You really think so?
- [84:05]
Commercial Announcer
No, but I like your attitude. I like you. You're big and you're cute and distinguished and I like you.
- [84:11]
Vanessa Brown
Thanks.
- [84:11]
Commercial Announcer
Doggone it, I like you.
- [84:13]
Vanessa Brown
Well, will you marry me?
- [84:16]
Commercial Announcer
I don't like you that much, but Georgia does.
- [84:19]
Vanessa Brown
Well, how do I find out?
- [84:20]
Commercial Announcer
Ask her. Invite her to the Governor's Ball tomorrow night and ask her.
- [84:24]
Vanessa Brown
I'd have to invite Pamela, too.
- [84:25]
Commercial Announcer
All right, invite Pamela too. But ask Georgia. I like you. Now, I'll go in the other room and announce you.
- [84:31]
Vanessa Brown
Yeah, leave it to them. But Sarah.
- [84:33]
Commercial Announcer
Yes?
- [84:34]
Vanessa Brown
Don't let go my hand.
- [85:02]
Commercial Announcer
John, I love to go riding like this, but why did you take me away from.
- [85:08]
Vanessa Brown
Well, you see, Georgia, I. I wanted to. The point is.
- [85:13]
Commercial Announcer
Take a deep breath and begin over again.
- [85:15]
Vanessa Brown
John. Oh, I'd better stop the car. Georgia, there's something I want to ask you.
- [85:22]
Commercial Announcer
Yes, John?
- [85:23]
Vanessa Brown
It's about Pamela. Oh. You see, for years I've watched my friends getting married, but nothing ever seemed to happen to me. I began to think, well, I'm just not the type ever to go Overboard. I was wrong.
- [85:36]
Commercial Announcer
Were you, John?
- [85:37]
Vanessa Brown
Yes, George. I'm so in love, I can't see straight. I don't know what else I can tell you, Georgia.
- [85:45]
Commercial Announcer
Well, John, I appreciate your asking me, but Pam is still very young.
- [85:49]
Vanessa Brown
Really? Don't you think this will be the best thing for her? Georgia? She'll have a man's protection and guidance and understanding.
- [85:55]
Commercial Announcer
There's something in that, I suppose.
- [85:56]
Vanessa Brown
Still, it hurts my pride, like everything, to have to things on this basis. But if you want me just as a father for Pam, that suits me fine.
- [86:06]
Commercial Announcer
Say that again.
- [86:08]
Vanessa Brown
What I mean is, take me one way or the other, but please take me, John.
- [86:13]
Commercial Announcer
You mean you want me?
- [86:15]
Vanessa Brown
It's no use, I suppose.
- [86:16]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, yes, John. Yes, yes. All the use in the world.
- [86:20]
Vanessa Brown
You'll marry me?
- [86:21]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, darling, of course I'll marry you.
- [86:23]
Vanessa Brown
Oh. Oh.
- [86:31]
Commercial Announcer
And I thought you were in love with Pamela.
- [86:34]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, no, wait, John. No, you can't change your mind. You made a verbal contact just now.
- [86:39]
Commercial Announcer
Well, it's Pamela. Pamela's in love with you.
- [86:41]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, no, she's not.
- [86:41]
Commercial Announcer
She'd be dreadfully hurt.
- [86:42]
Vanessa Brown
She isn't in love with me. Georgia. I'll explain everything to her.
- [86:46]
Commercial Announcer
When?
- [86:46]
Vanessa Brown
Now. Tonight? We'll drive back to the Governor's ball right now and tell her. She won't mind. You'll see. Come along, Georgia. Pamela must be in the palm.
- [87:01]
Commercial Announcer
Wait a minute, John.
- [87:02]
Vanessa Brown
Wait a minute, huh?
- [87:03]
Commercial Announcer
Isn't that Sydney Simpson over there?
- [87:05]
Vanessa Brown
Donnie, I wouldn't know. The gentleman.
- [87:06]
Commercial Announcer
My producer. Yes, it is. Sydney. Sydney. Sydney Simpson.
- [87:11]
Vanessa Brown
For heaven's sake. Georgia, how are you? Why are you looking great?
- [87:15]
Commercial Announcer
What are you doing in Holland anyway? I thought. Oh, Sydney, I'd like you to meet Mr. John Arlo. We've just been in dates.
- [87:21]
Vanessa Brown
Well, hello. Hello there. Congratulations, Aldous. Thank you. I know you'll be very happy. Georgia, this is splendid.
- [87:27]
Commercial Announcer
Great. Thanks, Sydney. But I have some bad news, too.
- [87:32]
Vanessa Brown
You have bad news?
- [87:34]
Commercial Announcer
I'm not going to play St. Anne for you, Sidney.
- [87:36]
Vanessa Brown
You're not going to play St. Anne?
- [87:39]
Commercial Announcer
No. I'd like to take a little rest and quiet domesticity for a while. Oh, please try to understand.
- [87:46]
Vanessa Brown
Well, I.
- [87:47]
Commercial Announcer
Besides, I know someone who could play St. Anne as well as I could. Maybe better, huh?
- [87:52]
Vanessa Brown
Who?
- [87:52]
Commercial Announcer
Pamela.
- [87:53]
Vanessa Brown
Pamela?
- [87:54]
Commercial Announcer
No, she's a fine actress, Sydney.
- [87:57]
Vanessa Brown
Heads up, kids. Here comes Pamela now.
- [87:59]
Commercial Announcer
Mother. John. Wherever in the world have you two. Sydney Simpson.
- [88:05]
Vanessa Brown
How are you, Pamela? Congratulations. You know.
- [88:07]
Commercial Announcer
Congratulations.
- [88:08]
Vanessa Brown
What for Pamela?
- [88:09]
Commercial Announcer
Why, Johnny, you told them we were engaged before you even asked me.
- [88:12]
Vanessa Brown
Pamela, listen.
- [88:13]
Commercial Announcer
And I accepted. Accept you, John Heart and soul. Now kiss me.
- [88:17]
Vanessa Brown
Excuse me, but one or more of us is seriously insane. John is engaged to Georgia. Yes or no?
- [88:24]
Commercial Announcer
What?
- [88:24]
Vanessa Brown
Yes, Pamela. See?
- [88:25]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, no.
- [88:26]
Vanessa Brown
Please try to understand, Pamela. Georgia and I are more.
- [88:29]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, but I do understand. It was very clever of you to pretend you loved me because you had nothing better to do, Pamela. Amusing yourself, listening to the sound of your own voice, making up plaything. A puppet, a fool. Out of me, Pamela. People are staring at me. I want them to stare. I want them all to know what a fool I think. I hope all of you here are greatly amused. Laugh at me. Laugh, laugh. Laugh at me all you like.
- [88:58]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, now it's laugh, eh?
- [88:59]
Commercial Announcer
As for me, I don't need anyone. I'm happy the way I am alone. John, you borrowed one small portion of my love. But only borrowed it. Now I want it back. I'll never love again, John. Never, never, never. Huh?
- [89:22]
Vanessa Brown
It's all right, Babylon. Cut. You'll play St. Anne.
- [89:25]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, I was good just now, wasn't I, Pamela? Laugh, laugh, love. Oh, Pam.
- [89:32]
Vanessa Brown
Ham. You wonderful, wonderful ham. Thank you, Herbert Marshall, Mary Aster and Vanessa Brown for your splendid performances in It's a Date. In a moment, Herbert Marshall will be back to tell you about next week's Star and Story. Mary Astor appeared tonight by arrangement with Metro Golden Mayor, producers of the all star Technicolor musical Till the Clouds Roll by, including Van Johnson, Frank Sinatra, Katherine Grayson and Robert Walker. It's a Date was presented by Frigidaire through courtesy of Universal International Studios. Now releasing, the Wicked lady, starring James Mason and Margaret Lockwood. Hollywood Star Time is presented each week with the best wishes of your Frigidaire dealer. We invite you to come in and learn about the famous line of Frigidaire electric refrigerators, electric ranges, electric water heaters, home freezers and a wide variety of refrigerating and air conditioning equipment for homes, farms, stores, offices and factories. Now here again is your Frigidaire host, Herbert Marshall Wendell. Once upon a time, there was an aspiring young composer of popular songs who wrote a song called June Moon. Now think of it, the pity and wastefulness of it all, using June and moon in one song title. What came at such a sinful waste is the makings of one of the most brilliant comedy successes on Broadway and of Hollywood Star Time. And Frigidaire has invited Mickey Rooney to star in our production of June Moon next Saturday. If you love laughter and hail hilarity, better do as our good doctor Wendell Niles recommends. Quote. Listen next Saturday at this Time, when Frigidaire presents Mickey Rooney in June Moon. And your Saturday evening host, as ever, Herbert Marshall. End quote. Good night, all. Hollywood Star Time was directed by Jack Johnstone. Tonight's script was written by Milton Geiger. This is Wendell Nile speaking for Frigidaire. Made only by General Motors, cbs, the Columbia Broadcasting System. And now we all climb up on radio's magic carpet and whisk away across the country to Hollywood, where Harvey Fishman is waiting to interview our special guest from movieland. She's the charming young starlet, Vanessa Brown. You'll all see her soon playing the role of Agnes Willing in the movie production of the late George Apley. But you Quiz Kid fans remember her on our program many times when she was just a little girl. Quiz Kid named Smila Brind. And my goodness, how time passes. Smila's grown up into a lovely young lady who marries George Apley's son in the picture. We're all aboard, Harvey, and in just about five seconds, we'll be right there with you in Hollywood. Thanks, Mr. Kelly. Hello again. Well, it looks like this is family reunion day on the Quiz Kids. As you know, an old member of our gang is really made good here, and movie folks are expecting great things from her. Gee, I wonder if she still remembers how to introduce herself as a Quiz Kid.
- [92:31]
Commercial Announcer
Why, certainly. My name is Vanessa Brown. I'm a junior at UCLA. I'm 18 years. Oh, what am I saying? I'm 16 years.
- [92:41]
Vanessa Brown
Gosh, you look good.
- [92:42]
Commercial Announcer
Thank you, Harvey. So do you.
- [92:43]
Vanessa Brown
How you grow. Yeah, let's do it one at a time. How about you, Vanessa? What's happened to you since you left Broadway and the Quiz Kids?
- [92:52]
Commercial Announcer
Well, we were lured to Hollywood with a contract.
- [92:54]
Vanessa Brown
And you've been in a bunch of pictures. I know because I enjoyed them all.
- [92:58]
Commercial Announcer
I hope you enjoyed them half as much as I enjoyed making.
- [93:01]
Vanessa Brown
Well, what's the nicest thing that's happened to you since you came out here?
- [93:04]
Commercial Announcer
A Christmas present.
- [93:05]
Vanessa Brown
A Christmas present?
- [93:07]
Commercial Announcer
Yes. Mr. Danuck signed me to a. To a contract last Christmas Eve.
- [93:12]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, boy, I bet you had a merry Christmas.
- [93:14]
Commercial Announcer
A merry year, too. Why, I'm on my second picture for 20th Century Fox already. It's been wonderful. Of all the fine directors we have on the lot, I've had two of the very best.
- [93:25]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, well, who are you working with right now?
- [93:28]
Commercial Announcer
J.L. mankiewicz. He's so. Well, Uncle Joe is wonderful.
- [93:35]
Vanessa Brown
He must be wonderful. You mentioned his name twice. Well, as long as you're plugging your picture, the late George Apley. You might as well tell us the producer's name.
- [93:44]
Commercial Announcer
Another grand person. Fred Komar.
- [93:47]
Vanessa Brown
Good enough. Any other excitement?
- [93:49]
Commercial Announcer
Yes, I've done radio work.
- [93:51]
Vanessa Brown
Why, sure. I heard you as Bernadette on Easter, your Sunday, Vanessa. Say, do you mind if I call you Van for short?
- [93:57]
Commercial Announcer
Of course not.
- [93:59]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, Van.
- [94:00]
Commercial Announcer
Come, come. Is that any way for a newspaperman to act? Confidentially, Har, what's the latest from your Hollywood Beat?
- [94:06]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, hard work. I've been kissed by Mary Pickford.
- [94:10]
Commercial Announcer
Oh, were you at Pickfair, Harvey? How did you like it?
- [94:12]
Vanessa Brown
Oh, it was well, especially the swimming pool. Even though I came out a drip.
- [94:16]
Commercial Announcer
I could say something.
- [94:18]
Vanessa Brown
Yeah, girl, is it about time for us to say good night?
- [94:22]
Commercial Announcer
Yes, Harvey, it is.
- [94:24]
Vanessa Brown
Okay, you say it first. With a little help from William Shakespeare.
- [94:28]
Commercial Announcer
Good night. Good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow that I should say good night till it be morrow.
- [94:37]
Vanessa Brown
Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, Peace in thy breast. Would I were sleep in peace so sweet to rest.
- [94:46]
Commercial Announcer
Good night, Mr. Kelly.
- [94:47]
Vanessa Brown
Good night. Until next week. Mr. Kelly.
- [94:52]
Narrator
We just heard Vanessa Brown in the Vanishing Lady Vamp Till Dead, Hollywood Star Time and Quiz Kids. That'll do it for this week's show. Thanks so much for joining me. I hope you'll be back next week for more Old Time radio thrillers. In the meantime, you can check out down these Mean Streets, my Old Time Radio Detective podcast. If you like what you're hearing, don't be a stranger. You can rate and review the show in Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. And if you'd like to lend support to the show, you can visit buymeacoffee.com Meansts OTR now, good night until next week when we'll hear another legend of Hollywood Wood starring in tales well calculated. To keep you in suspense.
- [96:13]
Vanessa Brown
Ladies and gentlemen, the chief hope of our enemies is to divide the United States along racial and religious lines and thereby conquer us. Let's not spread prejudice. A divided America is a weak America. Through our behavior, we encourage the respect of our children and make them better neighbors to all races and religions. Remind them that being good neighbors has helped make our country great and kept her free. Thank you.