← The Horror! (Old Time Radio)
The Horror! (Old Time Radio)
A Man’s Worth by Beyond Midnight
The Horror features a story titled, A Man's Worth this week. This episode of Beyond Midnight first aired October 3, 1969. Listen to more from Beyond Midnight https://traffic.libsyn.com/forcedn/e55e1c7a-e213-4a20-8701-21862bdf1f8a/TheHorror1261.mp3 Download TheHorror1261 | Subscribe | Spotify | Support The Horror Support your weekly hauntings by visiting donate.relicradio.com! Thanks!
Loading summary
Transcript39 lines
- [00:06]
Burton Grumberg
Oh, stories. Real stories. And murders too. Turn out your legs. Turn them out. Good evening. Come in, won't you? What's the matter? Surely you're not nervous? For every car we are meant to call from out of the past. Stories strange and weird. Tales of mystery and terror by radio's masters of the maa. Stories of the supernatural, the supernova dramatized fantasy, the mysteries of the unknown. We tell you this. Frank. Frank. So if you wish to avoid the excitement of these magnet play recurring our radio series to turn off your radio.
- [01:02]
Relic Radio Host
Welcome back to the horror Old fashioned fear since 2007@RelicRadio.com Our story comes from Beyond Midnight this week. A South African series that debuted on November 1st of 1968. It aired for 78 episodes until April 24th, 1970 was written and produced by Michael McCabe who also wrote and produced SF68, a science fiction series you can hear on Relic Radio. Science Fiction. Our story today is from October 3, 1969. It's titled A Man's Worth.
- [02:02]
Burton Grumberg
A man's worth can be judged by the caliber of his enemies. A man's worth can be judged by the caliber of his enemies. Burton Grumberg had encountered the phrase in a pocket sized biography purchased at a newsstand just before the train left the station. A man's worth can be judged by the caliber of his enemies. Burton Grunder stared reflectively from the murky compartment window. Darkness silvered the glass and gave him nothing to look at but his own image. Old people ran into that face of the eyes narrowed by myopic squint denied by vanity, the correction of spectacles of the nose he secretly called patrician of the mouth. That was hard, unrelenting, cruel even. How many enemies have I got? How many? I've got a lot of enemies. I'm rich in enemies. Some of them are 24 carrot. This is the story of a man with enemies. This is a tale of a man with froze. This is a story of Burton Grundler who collects opponents like spank matches wherever he goes. Biotech the new Soak and pre Wash powder presents Beyond Midnight by Michael McCabe Just soak, just soak in biotech. Just soak, just soak in biotex. Just soak, just soak in biotex. If you have wondered how to get your washing really stain free, understand this Biotex removes the stains and dirt. Washing won't just soak, just soak in biotex stains. Grass stains, tiresome collar and cuff stains in grain, dirt, soil and grime out they all Come. And you don't stir a finger, just soak. Just soak in Biotex. Biotex with natural enzymes is the pre wash powder with the most enzymes to give you extra pre wash power. Absolutely no rubbing, no color loss, no fabric wear. Use it for cotton, silks, woolen, synthetics. Use it to make new again. Soaking in biotech removes the stains and dirt. But washing won't just soak, just soak in biotech. Men like Whitman Hayes, for instance. Whitman Hayes. I'm proud of him.
- [05:43]
Jean
Proud, are you, Burton, dear?
- [05:46]
Burton Grumberg
Do you think it odd that a man like me should be proud of an enemy?
- [05:49]
Jean
Not odd, Burton dear. No, not odd.
- [05:51]
Burton Grumberg
What then?
- [05:52]
Jean
Well, I don't quite know, dear. Mr. Hayes came up from nothing. He's had a very hard life. But mind you, Burton dear, I'm very proud that you've done far better than he has and will do far greater things. He is, after all, twice your age. She must be nearly 70 now, Mr. Hayes.
- [06:11]
Burton Grumberg
That's what he is. I'm 35. You were right when you said twice as old. Hayes knows the food business all right. Knows it from every angle. A wagon jobber for six years, a broker for 10. He was a food company executive for nearly 20 years before the old man brought him into the organization. To sit on his right hand pinning Hayes till a mat isn't easy, but it makes doing it even sweeter.
- [06:39]
Jean
Won't he retire soon, Burton, dear?
- [06:41]
Burton Grumberg
Hey, the Whitman Hayes of this world don't retire. They're carried out of a boardroom one day in a box.
- [06:49]
Jean
Oh, Burton, really.
- [06:50]
Burton Grumberg
He's senile. Trouble is, he doesn't know it. He's outlived his youthfulness. That's what I trade on. That's what I trade on. And that you have to do in business. I concentrate my questions on the new supermarket and suburbia phenomena to demonstrate to the old man that times have changed, that the past is dead and that new merchandising tactics are required and that only a younger man could supply them. Is there mail for me, Jean?
- [07:23]
Jean
Yes, Burton dear. There are a few letters on the hall table.
- [07:27]
Burton Grumberg
Don't put my mail on the hall table, Jean. Told you before, this isn't a boarding house.
- [07:34]
Jean
No, dear. I wonder if you'd like to go to the cinema tonight.
- [07:43]
Burton Grumberg
I'm gonna have a bath. I'll see you to the mail, too. At the same time. I'll have dinner then.
- [07:48]
Jean
Would you like to go to the cinema tonight, Burton?
- [07:50]
Burton Grumberg
What is it?
- [07:51]
Jean
Love in the Afternoon with Audrey Hepburn.
- [07:53]
Burton Grumberg
Yeah.
- [07:54]
Jean
Well, there's a war for a month at the Odeon about. About the first men to go into the concentration camps after the war.
- [08:01]
Burton Grumberg
But Burton, we'll go to that.
- [08:05]
Jean
Always. War and violence. And my own fault. Though I shouldn't have mentioned the other one.
- [08:11]
Burton Grumberg
I don't want to be disturbed, Jean.
- [08:13]
Jean
All right, Burton, dear. We would have stayed at home if I'd only said love in the afternoon. Audrey Hepburn's so lovely too. I'll go in the week on my own.
- [08:23]
Burton Grumberg
It. Society for United Action. What might that be when it's at home? Dear Mr. Grumzer, your name has been suggested to us. Suggested to us by a mutual acquaintance. Our organization has an unusual mission which cannot be described in this letter, but which you may find of exceeding interest. We would be gratified by a private discussion at your earliest convenience. If I do not hear from you to the contrary in the next few days, I will take the liberty of calling you at your office. Carl Tucker, Secretary. His first reaction was defensive. He suspected an oblique attack on his pocketbook. His second was curiosity. He went into the bedroom and looked up Society for United Action. It wasn't there. All the same, he said to himself. Okay, Mr. Tucker, I'll bite. Yes. Come. Mr. Grup, I haven't heard from you, so I assume you don't mind me calling today. What? Carl. Oh, yes, Yes. I received a letter from you. It's three o' clock now. Is it convenient to talk with you? When you said yes in your letter, you said call me. I presumed it was meant in the American sense. Call on the telephone. Is there a chance that we can talk now? Or would it be more convenient? Yes. Yes. Well, that is, if you could give me some idea. We're not a charity organization, Mr. Granter, in case you thought I was after money. We don't sell anything either. We're more or less a voluntary service group. Our membership is over a thousand at present. To tell you the truth, I've never heard of you. No, you haven't. And that's one of the assets. May I? Please wonchan take a seat. Thank you. I think you'll understand the buzz. I'm a senior retired broker. So? So I'm not here to send a razor blade. I couldn't if I tried. Anyway, the subject I want to discuss is rather intimate. So I have to ask you to bear with me on a certain point. Could. Could anyone overhear us at all, do you think? No. No one. Good. The point is, what I want to say is in the strictest confidence. If you betray this confidence. If you publicize our society in any way, the consequences could be most unpleasant. Well, right. Yeah. Yes, good. No, I mean society has prepared this little speech about our basic philosophy. But I'm not going to bore you with it. I'm going to go straight to the heart of our argument. You may not agree with our first principle at all, and I'd like to know that. Not first principle. Well put in the crudest form, Mr. Grime, sir, the Society for United Action believes that some people are just not fit to live. There. I said some of our members don't believe in my direct approach. They feel the argument ought to be broached more discreetly. But frankly, I've obtained rather excellent results in this rather crude manner. How do you feel about What I've said, Mr. Grunter? I don't know. I haven't thought about it. Were you in the war, Mr. Grunter? Yes, in the navy. I don't suppose I thought the enemy fit to live at the time. I suppose there are plenty of other cases too, and I've come to mention it. It's just that I've never given it any thought. Yes, I suppose murderers, these crimes in the papers involving children, perverts, people like that. I suppose they're not fit to live. So you accept our first principle. It's a question of category, isn't it? I suppose you could say that. Good. Now I'll try another blunt question. Have you personally ever wished someone dead? I don't mean those casual, fleeting wishes everybody has. I mean a real deep down, uncomplicated wish for the death of someone you think unfit to live. Have you? And another thing, Grunter. Stop trying to influence young Eckart. Stop trying to corrupt him. Yes, I take corrupt, and I mean corrupt. Eckhart's a decent young man. He'll not stoop to your kind of business dealings. He's going to make a very fine manager of bakery products if you leave him alone. I washed your face, Grunze. I know your mind. I know what you're thinking. I know you hate me. Well, I don't care. You're worthless, Mr. Grunter. A blot upon the earth, a scheming, nasty, and soon is a slander if you wish. But I will say it. An evil man. Have you, Mr. Grimson? Yes. Yes, I've wished for the death of someone I think unfit to live. Certainly I have. Darling, let's go out and paint the town red.
- [15:32]
Jean
But what about your headache?
- [15:33]
Burton Grumberg
Oh, that's gone, Grandpa. Headache powders. Did the trick? Grandpa headache powders kill pain, soothe stained nerves and lip depression. Grandpa headache powders are extra effective because they have a triple action. Grandpa headache powders work extra fast because they dissolve almost immediately. Get fast effective relief from any pain or pain. Get Grandpa headache powder.
- [15:55]
Jean
Ah, Grandpa. Oh, darling, don't you look as though you're enjoying yourself? The party's great.
- [16:04]
Burton Grumberg
Yes, it was until I ate.
- [16:06]
Jean
We'll take a DI Gel. I always keep some in my bag.
- [16:09]
Burton Grumberg
But I already took an antacid.
- [16:10]
Jean
Yes, darling, but dye gel is much more than an antacid. Dye gel has double action. There's a layer of antacid plus a layer of some. It's the cmefican that relieves that dreadful bloated feeling. Here, try a dye gel.
- [16:24]
Burton Grumberg
Like they say, when you eat too well, demand dye gel. Miss Monroe, please cancel my appointments for the rest of the afternoon. It doesn't matter. Well, young woman, who is employing whom? Do as I say. Who is employing whom? I often think. Mr. Oh, Tucker. I often think we in business would have a much easier time if that axiom were observed. Who is employing. Quite right. So there are times when the removal of someone from this earth would be beneficial. This isn't Murder Incorporated, is it? Hardly, Mr. Hardly. There is absolutely no criminal aspect in our aims or our methods. I'll admit we're a secret society, but we're not exactly the black hat. No. You'd be amazed at the quality of our membership. It even includes members of the legal profession. No, I don't. Thank you. Yes, members of the legal profession. But let me tell you how the society came to be. It began with two men. I can't reveal their names just now. The year was 1949, and one of these men was a lawyer. The other one was a government psychiatrist. Both of them were involved in a rather sensational trial concerning a man accused of a hideous crime against two small boys. In their opinion, the man was unquestionably guilty. But an unusually persuasive defense counsel and a highly suggestible jury gave him his freedom. When the shocking verdict was announced, these two, who were personal friends as well as colleagues, were thunderstruck and furious. They felt. Well, they felt a monumental wrong had been committed and they were helpless to write it. I see, I see. The psychiatrist. Ah, yes. For some years he'd made studies in a field which might be called anthropological psychiatry. One of these researches related to the voodoo practice of certain groups. The Haitian in particular. You've probably heard a great deal about voodoo Obaya. As they call it in Jamaica. Anyway, I won't. I won't dwell on the subject. Unless you think we hold tribal rights and stick needles into dolls or something. The chief feature of his study, this psychiatrist. Was the uncanny success of certain strange practices. Naturally, he. As a scientist, you know. Naturally, he rejected the supernatural explanation. And thought a rational one. And, of course, there was only one answer. When the high priest or whatever decreed punishment or death for someone. It was the guilty person's own convictions concerning the power of the death wish. His face in the voodoo. This made the wish come true. Sometimes he would simply sicken and die. Sometimes, through the voodoo curse, he would die by accident. An accident prompted by the secret belief that once cursed, he must die. Eerie, isn't it? No doubt. Anyway, our friend, these psychiatrists began to wonder, you see, if any of us have progressed far enough along the path of civilization. Not to be suggestible to this kind of punishment. He proposed that they experiment on this subject. Just to find out what you mean. They. They actually. I mean, with. They went to see this man, you see, and they announced their intentions. They told him they were going to wish him debt. They explained how and why their wish would become a reality. And although he laughed, they saw superstition, fear in his face. This was the man, the one responsible for the crime. That's right. That's right. They promised him that regularly, every day. They would be wishing for his death. Until he could no longer stop the mystic juggernaut. That would make the wish come true. Pretty silly really, isn't it? The man died of a heart attack two months later. Ah, I knew you'd say that. Such a thing as coincidence, you know. Naturally, that's what our friends told one another. They weren't satisfied, you see. So they tried again. Again, I won't recount who the victim was. But this time they engaged the help of four associates. This little band of pioneers was the nucleus of the society I represent today. And you mean to tell me there's a thousand. Yes, a thousand and more, all over the country. A society whose one function is to wish people dead. At first, of course, membership was purely voluntary. But now we've got a system. Each new member of the Society for United Action joins on the basis of submitting one potential victim. Naturally, the society investigates to determine whether the victim is deserving of his fate. If the case is a good one, the entire membership then sets about to wish him dead. Once the task has been. I'm sorry, no, I. Once the person has met his decreed fate, well, then the New member must take part in all future concerted action. That and a small yearly fee is all that's required membership. And in case you don't think I'm serious, here are the facts to date. 229 victims were named by our selection committee. Of those, 201 are no longer alive. Coincidence, Mr. Gr. Well. Well, that leaves 28. Well, this indicates that our method isn't infallible, doesn't it? We're the first to admit that. But new techniques are being developed all the time. I assure you, in the end we shall get them all. As our members are listed in this book, Mr. Grunter, I'm going to give you the option to call one, ten or a hundred of them. Call them? Call them and see if I'm telling the truth. Well, like the court, any of them. No, no, no, no. I wouldn't need to take your word for it, Mr. Tucker. It's incredible, but I can see just how it works. I really can. Just knowing that a thousand people wish you dead is enough to. Well, enough to. There's just one question you mentioned something about a small fee. It's £50, Mr. Grant. £50? I see. 50 times a thousand. That works out till very reasonable money, doesn't it? I assure you the organization is not motivated by profit. And not the kind you mean. The dues merely cover expenses, committee work, research and the like. Surely you can understand that. Yes, I suppose, sir. Then you find it interesting. Interesting? Can you offhand think of anyone you would wish? I think I could. I'll hound you from the company, Grunter. You and all your psychopathic creeps if I put my mind to it. I've striven, striven hard, man and boy. Given the best years of my life to this organization. I love my work and I'll not see an over ambitious Juxtapitt take over. You will not step into my shoes. And from my shoes will not infant DB Stevens. This term will not become secondary to the whim of a thug like you. I dedicate my life to breaking you, Burton. Granza Burton. If only it could work. It does work, mister. I would have thought that 201 out of 229. Yes, but 200 and phew. But how can it work though? If wishes became deeds, I'd have slaughtered dozens in my lifetime. No doubt you would, Mr. Grunster. No doubt you would have. But you weren't aware of my organization then, were you? No, but yes, I suppose it was always different. My wishes then were always secret things hidden. No man ever knew about them. And Burton Grunzer strode about the room. He thought swiftly and concisely about the information, the knowledge this amiable little man, Mr. Tucker, had brought him. The power Mr. Tucker was placing within his grasp. 201 out of 229. Very good odds. What was that? 85%? 90? Something very like it. I assure you. In the end we shall get them all. Yes, if I. I can see how it would work. A thousand minds burning, burning with a single wish of death. So I can imagine. I can see the chosen victim sneering in disbelief at first and then slowly, gradually giving in, succumbing to fear. You put it very well, Mr. Grupp. You have a wonderful grasp of what we're aiming for. At first, of course, the victim would just think that. Well, it. That it might work. And then suddenly, Burton Grunter saw the ruddy face of Whitman Hayes. But the victim has to know all this, of course. He has to know the society exists and has succeeded in his wishing for his death. That's absolutely. It's interesting. Absolutely essential. You've touched on the vital point, Mr. Granter. The victim must be informed. And that precisely is what I have done. Your death wish began at noon today. The facade has begun to work. I'm very sorry.
- [27:27]
Jean
It.
- [27:54]
Burton Grumberg
Sam. Just soak, just soak in biotech Just soak, just soak in biotech Just soak, just soak in biotech if you have wondered how to get your washing really stain free, understand this Biotex removes the stains and dirt. Washing won't just soak, just soak in biotex stains. Grass stains, tiresome collar and cuff stains, ingrained dirt, soil and grime. Out they all come and you don't spare a finger. Just soak, just soak in biotex Biotex with natural enzymes is a pre wash powder with the most enzymes to give you extra pre wash power. Absolutely no rubbing, no color loss, no fabric wear. Use it for cotton, silks, woolen, synthetics. Use it to make you again. Soaking in Biotech removes the stains and dirt. But washing won't Just soak, just soak in Biotech. Beyond Midnight is presented every Friday night at half past nine by Biotech the new Soak and pre wash powder. The program is adapted for broadcasting and Produced by Michael McCabe.
- [30:10]
Jean
Sam.
- [30:43]
Relic Radio Host
There's more old time radio horror alongside all of the Relic Radio podcasts at the website relicradio.com if you'd like to help support this and all of the podcasts, visit donate. Relicradio.com or click on one of the support links in the show notes. Thanks to those who have helped out over the years. Thanks for joining me this week. I'll be back tomorrow with Strange Tales next Saturday with our next episode of the Horror.