The Man Who Hated Scenes by The Price Of Fear

Summary

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The Horror! (Old Time Radio)

Episode: The Man Who Hated Scenes by The Price of Fear

Date: October 4, 2025
Host: RelicRadio.com
Stars: Vincent Price, Peter Cushing

Brief Overview

This episode of The Horror! transports listeners to the golden era of radio drama, featuring a chilling installment from the BBC series The Price of Fear. Hosted and narrated by Vincent Price, "The Man Who Hated Scenes" blends psychological unease and marital strife into a tale of obsession, betrayal, and deadly restraint. With Peter Cushing joining the stellar cast, the story unfolds during a chance meeting on a train, leading to a dark confession.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Atmosphere

• Vincent Price introduces the story with evocative nostalgia about train journeys, emphasizing their capacity for both romance and introspection (01:45).

  "Train trips fascinate me... The world seems yours for the asking. Right from that first whistle blow... Towards the romantic and the unknown." (Vincent Price, 01:45)

2. The Encounter on the Train

• A nervous man (Harry) requests to share Price's breakfast table due to insomnia, establishing his anxious, deferential nature (03:35).

  "You won't mind if I share your table?" (Harry, 03:35)

• The two bond over common discomfort and small talk, Harry revealing his avoidance of "scenes" and love of calm (04:05-04:47).

  "Well, there's no point in making a scene, is there? I do so hate scenes." (Harry, 04:31)

3. Harry’s Confession – Love, Marriage, and Isolation

• Harry discusses his marriage to Marilyn, a significantly younger, beautiful former swimmer—a relationship marked by infatuation and an idyllic but isolated lifestyle (08:02-09:30).
• Tension is revealed as Marilyn grows restless, feeling trapped in their luxurious, yet isolating, country home. The couple argues about the confining nature of their relationship and the truth behind their marriage (10:30-13:48).

  "A rich, eccentric, middle aged recluse comfortably ensconced in his 20 bedroomed ivory tower." (Marilyn, 10:50) "You moved me into your millionaire's Alcatraz and then you threw away the keys." (Marilyn, 12:51)

• Harry is devastated by these accusations but admits he still loves Marilyn despite knowing her true feelings (13:48-14:15).

4. Breaking Point and Illness

• After agreeing to travel and rekindle their romance, Harry falls ill from "acute emotional stress," retreating into a psychological breakdown (14:23-14:58).

  "I've never been able to stand scenes of any kind... my only defence was a period of total mental withdrawal. A self inflicted coma, if you like." (Harry, 14:58)

5. Marilyn's Change and False Domestic Bliss

• Marilyn stays by Harry's side, expressing a desire to transform their home into a true partnership by firing the servants and simplifying their lives (16:54-18:19).

6. Intruder in the Marriage – Charles, the Chauffeur

• As Harry recovers, Marilyn suggests short outings with Charles, a new, handsome chauffeur, who soon becomes her companion. Harry’s mental state is fragile, and he feels powerless to challenge the situation without provoking a "scene" (19:10-21:04).
• One night, Harry discovers Marilyn and Charles rekindling their past love at the pool—his worst fears realized (21:09-24:51).

  "He's a sick man, Chuck. Sicker than he even suspects. A year, two years, a little Longer, maybe. But it's not so important, is it? We can wait. Because we know that one day is only gonna be us, Chuck." (Marilyn, 24:21)

7. The Deadly Hint

• Unable to confront Marilyn directly due to his aversion to confrontation, Harry devises a "quiet" solution: draining the swimming pool when Marilyn and Charles go for a midnight swim, leading to their implied deaths (26:10-28:47).

  "A truly effective hint when I finally thought of it. You see, my friend, that evening, as soon as they had left the house, I opened each of the four valves and drained all the water out of the swimming pool." (Harry, 28:17)

8. Chilling Conclusion

• The tale ends in uncomfortable silence, symbolized by the train entering a tunnel (28:47). The host closes by reflecting on the darkness within ordinary lives and the consequences of emotional repression.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Harry's Motive:

  "It's probably why I've never objected when I've been overcharged or anything like that. Far easier to pay up. Remain calm." (Harry, 07:30)

• Marilyn’s Rage:

  "You made the whole arrangement seem irresistible, didn't you?... And in its place. This. A cage, damn you." (Marilyn, 11:58-12:47)

• The Reveal:

  "As soon as they had left the house, I opened each of the four valves and drained all the water out of the swimming pool." (Harry, 28:17)

• Atmospheric End:

  "It was like the fall of a curtain." (Vincent Price, 28:47)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro to The Price of Fear – 01:01
• Train setting and Harry introduction – 03:35
• Harry’s marriage, meeting Marilyn – 08:02
• First marital argument – 10:30
• Harry’s illness and breakdown – 14:23
• Servants fired, new domestic life – 17:44
• Arrival of Charles, suspicions rise – 19:15
• Affair confirmed by Harry – 21:09, 22:43-24:51
• Harry’s deadly 'hint' detailed – 26:10-28:47
• Final silence, story ends – 28:47

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Tone and Style

The episode is saturated with psychological suspense, creeping dread, and the dry, wry delivery of Vincent Price. The dialogue carries a gothic elegance, with moments of brittle civility shattered by passionate outbursts and chilling rationalizations.

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Summary

A classic macabre tale, "The Man Who Hated Scenes" is a masterful study in emotional repression, jealousy, and the calamity that reckons when fear of confrontation festers beneath a polished surface. Peter Cushing and Vincent Price breathe life into haunted, tragic characters, building tension through everyday anxieties until the shocking, silent climax. For those who revel in gothic psychological horror, this episode is a quintessential listen.

Transcript

[Harry]

Oh, stories. Real stories.

[Vincent Price]

And murder too.

[Harry]

Turn out your legs.

[Vincent Price]

Turn them out. Good evening. Come in, won't you?

[Harry]

What's the matter? Surely you're not nervous. Perhaps you can't. By telling a story we are meant to call from out of the past. Stories strange, weird tales of mystery and.

[Vincent Price]

Terror by radio's masters of the macabre.

[Harry]

Story where supernatural, the supernormal dramatized fantasy the mystery of the unknown. We tell you this Frank Franklin. So if you wish to avoid the excitement tension of these magnet rail referred to our radio theory to turn off your radio.

[Narrator]

Welcome back to the Horror. Thanks for joining me. Once again we're going to hear from the Price of Fear this week. Series that debuted over BBC radio in September of 1973. Aired for 15 episodes until May of 1974, then returned in 1983 for six episodes. It aired from May to July of that year. Our story today aired September 29, 1973. Stars Peter Cushing and Vincent Price. Here's the man who Hated Scenes.

[Vincent Price]

The Price of Fear, brought to you by Vincent Price. Train trips fascinate me. How about you? If the answer is yes, then this story, which I have chosen to call the man who Hated Scenes might well appeal to you. Indeed, for some of you listening, even the notion of making a long train journey across the United States will conjure up a world of limitless possibilities. The world seems yours for the asking. Right from that first whistle blow, right from the first shudder as the giant locomotive grips the tracks and pulls its human cargo away from the commonplace and the familiar. Towards the romantic and the unknown. Others of you, of course, might prefer to regard such a journey as simply a respite, a period of temporary seclusion, a chance to simply sit and think. My own inclinations vary and, I suspect, come somewhere in between. In any event, be it in the diner of a train speeding across the States or in the kitchen of my own home, I have always considered conversation at breakfast as something of a chore. And so it was. As I watched the little man coming towards me. My feelings were a mixture of resentment and dismay. His voice proved as tentative and deferential as his general demeanor.

[Harry]

You. You won't mind if I share your table?

[Vincent Price]

The fact that the rest of the diner was still completely empty and the stranger seemed perfectly prepared for me to refuse ultimately made no difference to my polite reply. Will you? Oh, no. Please do. I'd be glad for the company.

[Harry]

Oh, many thanks. Insomnia, don't you know? I've been a martyr to it all my life.

[Vincent Price]

Oh, I'm sorry about that. But still, it's nice to know I'm not going to be the only one coming in for breakfast this early.

[Harry]

Oh, yes.

[Vincent Price]

When I came in a few minutes ago, the dining car attendant looked as though he'd just got out of his pajamas and could certainly see no reason why I wasn't still in mine.

[Harry]

That he. He wasn't angry, was he?

[Vincent Price]

Well, let's just say not your usual service with a smile.

[Harry]

I see. You must forgive my asking. It's just that I could perfectly well come back later if it were more convenient for them. Well, there's no point in making a scene, is there? I do so hate scenes.

[Vincent Price]

He glanced nervously away as the same sleepy waiter approached us from the service area. He gave his order in an apologetic, hardly audible voice.

[Harry]

Just coffee and lightly scrambled eggs, please.

[Vincent Price]

Are you going all the way to New York?

[Harry]

Oh, much further, much further. I'm traveling on the QE2. We embark on Thursday.

[Narrator]

Oh.

[Vincent Price]

Home to England, then?

[Harry]

Oh, no, no, not for a long time yet. Cherbourg first, then the sun. The Ribiera, perhaps Italy, the Greek islands. I haven't made up my mind.

[Vincent Price]

Oh, I do envy you.

[Harry]

Then you shouldn't. No, no, it's just a case of doctor's orders. It's my nerves, you know. It's any kind of excitement to be avoided at all costs.

[Vincent Price]

Yes, yes, I do understand.

[Harry]

I think you really do, for some unknown reason. I'm sure you do. So, my friend, you can imagine the kind of state I got myself into when I discovered my wife was being unfaithful to me, can't you?

[Vincent Price]

Your. Your wife, Marilyn.

[Harry]

So beautiful. So very, very beautiful. Oh, but perhaps you'd care to judge for yourself. I just happen to have it. It's only a snapshot, but it doesn't do her justice, really. But here we are. It was taken at the side of the pool. Don't you know our pool?

[Vincent Price]

It's very impressive.

[Harry]

Marilyn loved that pool.

[Vincent Price]

I'd accepted and studied the photograph. The sleepy waiter had returned and was grudgingly serving my companions breakfast. Yes, the girl was certainly beautiful. There was no denying that fact. Even though the photographer had caught her just on the point of emerging from the pool. Her charms were not only obvious, but a trifle too obvious. The high diving board framed her head. It reminded me, somewhat disconcertingly, of a gallows.

[Harry]

I ordered scrambled eggs, didn't I? What?

[Vincent Price]

Yes, yes, I'm sure you did. But they've brought you fried.

[Harry]

So bad for the digestion. Don't you know. Oh, well, these things are sent to try us.

[Vincent Price]

Oh, nothing of the kind. I'll ring for the serves.

[Harry]

No, no, please don't. I do so hate scenes, you see. Please.

[Vincent Price]

Well, just as you wish.

[Harry]

Thank you. I suppose it's fortunate for me. I've never been short of money. It really is a wonderful insulator, old man. It protects me from all kinds of anxieties the average man can't avoid. It's probably why I've never objected when I've been overcharged or anything like that. Far easier to pay up. Remain calm.

[Vincent Price]

You. You were telling me about your wife, Marilyn.

[Harry]

Oh, yes, Beautiful. So beautiful. The most beautiful creature I've ever seen or I'm ever likely to see. I thought so right from the very beginning.

[Vincent Price]

Where was that?

[Harry]

It was at a resort in Florida. She was a swimmer before our marriage. Almost made the Olympic team.

[Vincent Price]

Did she really?

[Harry]

Yes, really. Anyway, she was doing some exhibition dives from the high board into the hotel pool. She was wearing a white bathing suit. I remember seeing her poised high above me. She seemed a positive goddess incarnate. Diana turned mermaid instead of huntress. Does that sound fanciful?

[Vincent Price]

No, no, not at all.

[Harry]

I didn't think it would. Do you? I never thought I was in with much of a chance, though. She was a good 20 years younger and always in the company of half a dozen bronzed Apollos. But. Well, we just seemed to hit it off right from the start. The difference in age didn't seem to matter.

[Vincent Price]

A case of mind over matter, I.

[Harry]

Suppose you could put it like that. In any event, within a month, Marilyn and I became husband and wife and were off on our honeymoon. We were so very happy.

[Vincent Price]

And afterwards, you. You returned home.

[Harry]

Home? It's a big Spanish type of place just outside Santa Barbara. A truly beautiful spot. I don't think I ever wanted to leave that house ever again. It gave me the seclusion and peace my nerves required. I had everything I ever wanted.

[Vincent Price]

And Marilyn.

[Harry]

Oh, for a long time, she loved the place too. We'd splash about in our pool every day. And often I'd just lie in the sun and watch her diving. And sometimes. Yes, sometimes we'd send the servants away for the day. And if you'll pardon the expression, we'd swim in the nude. Well, it was genuinely idyllic, my friend. In an age when all the graciousness seems to have gone out of life. Idyllic. So much so that when it finally came, Marilyn's outburst took me completely by surprise.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

What's so surprising about It. For God's sake. And you needn't think I'm so dumb as to not realize what you're getting out of this setup either.

[Harry]

Getting out of this situation?

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Getting? Yes. This place. Miles from anywhere. Perched on the edge of nowhere. Well, it exactly suits your ends, doesn't it?

[Harry]

I thought you liked the house.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

A rich, eccentric, middle aged recluse comfortably ensconced in his 20 bedroomed ivory tower.

[Harry]

I've always felt you shared my preference for the solitary life.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

But not the godforsaken.

[Harry]

I don't understand what you're getting at, Marilyn.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Don't you really? For a gentleman of your intelligence and breeding, I should have thought it altogether too obvious. However, I'll tell you, it's quite simple, Madeline.

[Harry]

Do you think you ought to drink.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

So much you didn't have the guts to stay on here and go completely alone? So for once in his life, one hermit ventured forth. He took a little trip into the big outside world. With the deliberate intention of trapping a little spouse to keep him company.

[Harry]

I've never thought of our marriage as.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

A trap, ego being what it is. I'm damn sure you haven't. But take it from me, it was just an arrangement right from the start. An arrangement to suit your own ends.

[Harry]

I've always tried to put your happiness first.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Happiness? That's a word from the past.

[Harry]

But I've given you everything you've ever asked for.

[Vincent Price]

Everything.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

I'll grant you, the bait was acceptable enough at first. Bait of the very finest quality, there's no denying. But bait, Harry, you made the whole arrangement seem irresistible, didn't you? But the world was to be our oyster, remember? New places, new faces, forever and ever. World without end. Amen. You really had me believing it too. Right up to the end of the honeymoon, you actually had me believing it. And afterwards, well, the honeymoon was over, wasn't it? So was the new faces, new places routine. And in its place. This. A cage, damn you. Oh, well. Up to the standard you taught me to expect, I'm not denying. But a cage for all that?

[Harry]

Madeline, I love you. Right from that first moment, you knew.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

That you wanted me. So you wooed me and you won me. You moved me into your millionaire's Alcatraz and then you threw away the keys.

[Harry]

I still love you.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Oh, maybe you do. Enough to go back.

[Harry]

Back where?

[Marilyn / Madeline]

To where the arrangement started going wrong. To our original arrangement, Harry. New places, new faces, forever and ever. World without end.

[Harry]

It is not an arrangement. It never has been.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

It still is. And shall I tell you something else. It's never going to be anything more Harry. Poor Harry. Poor, poor Harry.

[Vincent Price]

Have some more coffee. Oh, thank you so much. She got her own way then.

[Harry]

New places, new faces. If it had been in my power, she would have got her way. If it had been in my power, I'd have given her anything. Knowing what a person is doesn't necessarily mean you stop loving them, does it?

[Vincent Price]

No, I suppose not. So you left the house?

[Harry]

Oh, no, no, it never came to that. Oh, it was what Marilyn had insisted upon and what I'd agreed to. A really long trip abroad. A chance for us to find each other again. Extraordinary. How absolute naivety. Has a charm of its own. But as things turned out, it's certain simply wasn't to be. Oh, well, on the eve of our departure, I was taken ill.

[Vincent Price]

Desperately ill. As a result of the quarrel?

[Harry]

Well, my doctor called it acute emotional stress. You see, I've never been able to stand scenes of any kind. And in this case, well, my only defence was a period of total mental withdrawal. A self inflicted coma, if you like. It went on for a long time. Over a month. And then it refused to go on any longer. Did.

[Vincent Price]

Well, did Marilyn stand by you?

[Harry]

Marilyn? Ah, yes. Marilyn. Marilyn. Marilyn. Marilyn. Marilyn.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

It's all right. I'm here. I'm here.

[Harry]

Oh, dear God.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Easy now. You've been ill, Harry. Very ill.

[Harry]

Yes, yes, I have been ill, haven't I? I'm so sorry, Madeline.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Shush, shush. The only important thing now is that you get. The doctor's been very worried for you.

[Harry]

And you. Did you worry for me too, Marilyn?

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Oh, yes, I worried.

[Harry]

Thank you. Thank you for worrying. No, no, you were quite right. I'd been selfish and thoughtless, thinking only of myself. But I'll. I'll make it up to you. You'll see. I'll make it all up to you.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Of course. Of course you will. By simply getting well again.

[Harry]

Yes, that's it. Well again. Yes. And then we'll make that long trip together, eh? Just the two of us. Just as we planned to do.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

No.

[Harry]

Pardon?

[Marilyn / Madeline]

There's not going to be any trip, Harry. Not just yet. Not for a long, long time.

[Harry]

But I thought that was what you wanted.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

It was. Well, and then you became sick. And I realized I wanted something else much more. I wanted you to get well again so that we could always be together. Together? Here. Harry. I wanted this place for just the two of us. I wanted to look after you and care for you here in our own home. Harry and I decided that the most important thing in the world for me was to make it into a real home. Not some kind of show place. Not some kind of domestic hotel either, where everything gets done for you at the press of a button.

[Harry]

I'm not sure I understand.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

It's perfectly simple. I got rid of the servants, Harry.

[Harry]

The servants.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

We never really needed them, don't you see? It was they that came between us, Harry. Our only real happiness came when we were allowed to be along together.

[Harry]

How are we going to manage without this?

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Easily. Easily? I've already arranged it all. And it's working wonderfully. A woman comes up from town every morning to take care of the heavy work. I can get anything we need by making a phone call and having it delivered. Well, what more do we need? What more can we ask, eh?

[Harry]

Nothing, my love. Nothing.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Just the two of us.

[Vincent Price]

Just the two of you. And tell me, did it work out like that?

[Harry]

No. No, not quite like that.

[Vincent Price]

Well, how?

[Harry]

As the weeks went by and I got steadily stronger, Marilyn thought the occasional change of scene might speed my recovery. Nothing too far afield, mind you. Nothing too taxing. Just a little jaunt along the coast, the odd picnic in the hills. Well, my nerves being what they are, I've never felt competent enough to drive myself. And Marilyn didn't really feel up to it. We had got rid of my old chauffeur along with the rest of the staff, and so.

[Vincent Price]

So you engaged another one, Marilyn Engaged one.

[Harry]

His name was Charles. I had no objection to her choice. My own newfound happiness was such that I was scarcely aware of him.

[Vincent Price]

What was he like?

[Harry]

Charles? Oh, he was in his mid-20s, I suppose. I dare say handsome in an obvious sort of way. But as I say, I was. I was hardly aware. Not until that night. The night when. Oh, my God. Dear God. Dear God. That night. It's still with me. I woke up with a start, from a very deep sleep. Marilyn had taken care to give me my usual quota of sleeping pills, but for some reason on this particular night, they hadn't done the trick. Perhaps it was meant for several minutes. I just lay there, perspiring heavily, getting my bearings, aware only of the ticking of the clock. Then I called out for Marilyn. Yes, I didn't want to disturb her, but I needed another sedative badly. When she didn't answer, I got up and went to her room. She wasn't there. At first I thought she must have got up for something too. Until I saw her bed hadn't been slept in. It was almost 4 o' clock in the morning I was a little alarmed. And so I began to look for her. Marilyn.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Marilyn.

[Harry]

It wasn't until I reached the downstairs living room, which opens onto the patio, that I heard voices. I opened the patio doors. The voices were clearer now. My wife and our chauffeur together at the pool. I understood at once. It was pitch black and they'd taken the precaution of not turning on the pool light. But I could hear them laughing and talking in low, intimate voices. I heard them climb the steps to the high board and dive together into the deep water. I stood there, heartsick. The effort to simply hold onto myself was unbearable. My first instinct had been to rush out and confront them. But I couldn't bear the thought of such a scene. So instead I waited until they eventually left the pool. They lay together in each other's arms not 10ft from where I stood. I listened.

[Charles / Chuck]

Why did you ever leave me?

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Oh, I don't know. I did then. At the time, it seemed the only possible answer. But I know I never stopped loving you. Not for a single second. Which, in a funny way, is why I had to leave you in the first place.

[Charles / Chuck]

That doesn't make sense.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Let's just say an instinct, shall we?

[Charles / Chuck]

Instinct?

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Yeah. The kind of life we were living together must one day have killed that love.

[Charles / Chuck]

It wasn't so bad.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Wasn't it? Diving exhibitions at second rate summer resorts. The odd gala. Hardly enough to keep body and soul alive. Endless drag from one dreary hotel room to the next.

[Charles / Chuck]

So you sold out and settled for this instead. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to sound like that.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

I settled for both of us, Chuck. But you still don't know whether to believe that or not, do you? To believe that I only ever wanted this for us all along.

[Charles / Chuck]

I don't know what to believe when I'm lying here with you like this. Well, it's just a. Sharing you with him, I suppose. Seeing you together. Catching the odd, unexpected glimpse of you both in that damn driving mirror. See him look at you that way as though you were really his. Seeing him reach out to touch you. Seeing you smile back. Seeing you return the touch. But worst of all, knowing that though you're lying here with me now, in a little while you'll be gone. Because there's still some part of you that belongs to him.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Not belongs. It never has, it never can. It never will.

[Charles / Chuck]

I wish I could be sure of that.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

He's a sick man, Chuck. Sicker than he even suspects. A year, two years, a little Longer, maybe. But it's not so important, is it? We can wait. Because we know that one day is only gonna be us, Chuck. All this and us. Just the two of us.

[Charles / Chuck]

Just the two of us.

[Marilyn / Madeline]

Hold me. Hold me close.

[Vincent Price]

What did you do?

[Harry]

Do? Oh, the conventional thing, I'm afraid. The next day, I engaged a firm.

[Vincent Price]

Of detectives to make inquiries about Charles.

[Harry]

They only told me what I more or less knew already. That he was a swimmer who teamed up with Marilyn to do exhibition diving the summer before I met her. The rest was obvious when I became ill. She had sent for him. To solace her loneliness, shall we say. Then, as I grew better, she stumbled on the idea of employing him as our chauffeur. You can understand my dilemma.

[Vincent Price]

Yes. Yes, I am beginning to.

[Harry]

I was just recovering from a serious nervous illness. A breakdown, a scene, a quarrel would undo the weeks of convalescence. Now of all times. It was impossible for me to have it out with Madeline. To send Charles packing, to do what any other man would have done instantly. It was a weakness, but I couldn't overcome it. So I dissembled. I pretended I knew nothing. I waited. I racked my brains for some way of letting Marilyn know that I knew. And yet avoiding that inevitable scene.

[Vincent Price]

Well, did you eventually find a way?

[Harry]

Oh, yes. I saw how it could be done. Quietly, without any fuss.

[Vincent Price]

Tell me about it.

[Harry]

Oh, well. Marilyn wanted to go to the movies in Santa Barbara. I declined, but said Charles should drive her, as I didn't like her to be out on her own at night. She. She saw me to bed and watched me, ostensibly taking my sleeping tablets. I heard the car drive away and imagined handsome Charles Chuck sitting confidently beside her at the wheel. After a while, I got up. I had plenty of time.

[Vincent Price]

Plenty of time for what?

[Harry]

To arrange the hint. The hint that would let them know when they got back that I was fully aware of what was happening between them.

[Vincent Price]

Go on.

[Harry]

It was well after midnight when they got back. Very dark. A hot, sultry night. Just the night for a swim. Marilyn didn't even come up to her room, but went with Charles directly to his. And a few minutes later, I heard them laughing softly as they came out and went towards the the pool. It was inky dark, but I knew they were climbing the diving tower. The high board creaked as they stepped out onto it. And creaked again sharply as each one dived off into the pool. Marilyn first, then Charles right behind her. Their little game they enjoyed so much. It was too dark to see a foot in front of you, but of course, to swimmers of their skill, it made no difference. In fact, I rather imagine it added to their fun.

[Vincent Price]

And your hint? Did it work? I mean, did it break up the affair?

[Harry]

Oh yes, it broke up all right. The affair ended that very night. A truly effective hint when I finally thought of it. You see, my friend, that evening, as soon as they had left the house, I opened each of the four valves and drained all the water out of the swimming pool.

[Vincent Price]

The man watched me, waited. I could think of nothing to say. After what seemed an eternity of silence between us, the train entered a tunnel. It was like the fall of a curtain. That was Vincent Price bringing you the last in this series, the Price of Fear. Also starring in the man who Hated.

[Harry]

Scenes was Peter Cushing with Diana Olson and Steve Preston. The man who Hated Scenes was first.

[Vincent Price]

Recounted by Robert Arthur, dramatized by William.

[Harry]

Ingram, and produced by John Dyers.

[Narrator]

There's more from the Price of fear@ Relicradio.com alongside all of the other Relic Radio podcasts and our Shoutcast stream. Lots to listen to there. If you'd like to support this and all of the Relic radio shows, visit donate. Relicradio.com or click on one of the support links in the show notes. Your support makes all of this possible. Thanks to those who have helped out. Thanks for joining me this week week. Be back tomorrow with Strange Tales and next Saturday with a story from Quiet Please. On our next episode of the Horror.