- 1 year ago
Mr. And Mrs. North (TV-1953) STRANGER THAN FICTION
"Mr. & Mrs. North" was a classic television series that aired in the early 1950s, bringing to life the amateur detective adventures of a married couple in New York City. One of the episodes that still captures the imagination of classic TV enthusiasts is "Stranger Than Fiction," which aired on February 20, 1953. This episode is a perfect blend of comedy, drama, mystery, and romance, showcasing the Norths' knack for solving crimes that even the police find baffling.
The episode "Stranger Than Fiction" presents the Norths with a peculiar situation. They are invited to a country retreat by an uncouth pulp writer Jerry is publishing, only to discover upon arrival that they were never invited. The plot thickens with a murder, and the Norths find themselves in the middle of a suspenseful investigation. The episode is a delightful watch, with a mix of intrigue and the charming dynamics of Mr. and Mrs. North.
For those who appreciate the golden era of television, "Mr. & Mrs. North" offers a nostalgic trip down memory lane. The series is a testament to the storytelling of the time, where character-driven narratives were the heart of the show. "Stranger Than Fiction" stands out as an episode that exemplifies the series' ability to weave complex plots with lighthearted moments.
If you're interested in revisiting this classic or discovering it for the first time, you can find "Stranger Than Fiction" through various online platforms. It's a wonderful opportunity to experience a piece of television history and enjoy a story that is, indeed, stranger than fiction.
Listen to our radio station Old Time Radio https://link.radioking.com/otradio
Listen to other Shows at My Classic Radio https://www.myclassicradio.net/
Entertainment Radio | Broadcasting Classic Radio Shows | Patreon
Remember that times have changed, and some shows might not reflect the standards of today’s politically correct society. The shows do not necessarily reflect the views, standards, or beliefs of Entertainment Radio
"Mr. & Mrs. North" was a classic television series that aired in the early 1950s, bringing to life the amateur detective adventures of a married couple in New York City. One of the episodes that still captures the imagination of classic TV enthusiasts is "Stranger Than Fiction," which aired on February 20, 1953. This episode is a perfect blend of comedy, drama, mystery, and romance, showcasing the Norths' knack for solving crimes that even the police find baffling.
The episode "Stranger Than Fiction" presents the Norths with a peculiar situation. They are invited to a country retreat by an uncouth pulp writer Jerry is publishing, only to discover upon arrival that they were never invited. The plot thickens with a murder, and the Norths find themselves in the middle of a suspenseful investigation. The episode is a delightful watch, with a mix of intrigue and the charming dynamics of Mr. and Mrs. North.
For those who appreciate the golden era of television, "Mr. & Mrs. North" offers a nostalgic trip down memory lane. The series is a testament to the storytelling of the time, where character-driven narratives were the heart of the show. "Stranger Than Fiction" stands out as an episode that exemplifies the series' ability to weave complex plots with lighthearted moments.
If you're interested in revisiting this classic or discovering it for the first time, you can find "Stranger Than Fiction" through various online platforms. It's a wonderful opportunity to experience a piece of television history and enjoy a story that is, indeed, stranger than fiction.
Listen to our radio station Old Time Radio https://link.radioking.com/otradio
Listen to other Shows at My Classic Radio https://www.myclassicradio.net/
Entertainment Radio | Broadcasting Classic Radio Shows | Patreon
Remember that times have changed, and some shows might not reflect the standards of today’s politically correct society. The shows do not necessarily reflect the views, standards, or beliefs of Entertainment Radio
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TVTranscript
00:00Mr. and Mrs. North starring Barbara Britton and Richard Denning.
00:30Can't you do anything but sit around and drink beer?
00:53Looks great for a big author, doesn't it?
00:55Just sitting around, swillin' brew.
01:00Why don't we go back to New York?
01:02Why do we have to live out here?
01:04Won't you shut up?
01:05When he can't think of anything else to say, he just says, shut up.
01:09Well, why don't you do something about it?
01:12Okay, there is something I can do about it.
01:13I can keep your mouth shut.
01:15So you don't like it up here and you think you're having a rough time, huh?
01:17Where do you think you'd be if I hadn't pulled you out of the gutter?
01:20I'll tell you where you'd be.
01:23You open your mouth again.
01:24Get the door, will you, kid?
01:29Sit down, I'll get it myself.
01:32Get off the buzzer, I'm coming.
01:39Well, I was beginning to think we'd come to the wrong place.
01:42And we'd send a taxi away.
01:44Jerry North, what brings you up into this neck of the woods?
01:47Just been asking Pam that same question.
01:49You've been evicted?
01:51Oh, Mr. Kovac, I'd always thought of you as a serious writer.
01:54Are you going to keep us standing out here all night?
01:57No, no, come on in.
02:04You want a drink?
02:05Some beer?
02:07Well, if you don't mind, I'd prefer a...
02:09Yes, thank you.
02:09Jerry'd love a glass of beer, wouldn't you, dear?
02:11Yes, yes, wouldn't we?
02:14Come on in.
02:15Harris, get a couple of cold bottles.
02:26I don't believe we've met your other guests.
02:29Oh, this is my wife, Sally.
02:32Oh, how do you do, Mrs. Kovac?
02:33This is Sarge Stewart.
02:34Sarge and I were together in the Air Force.
02:36Jerry North, my publisher.
02:39Hi.
02:41And I'm Pam North, his publisher's wife.
02:46This is Harris.
02:48He's my secretary.
02:51You know, Mr. Kovac, your voice sounds
02:53quite different over the phone.
02:55My voice sounds what?
02:57He never sounds different.
02:58He always sounds the same.
03:00All right, secretary, give me another beer.
03:04Well, I guess you came up to talk about the story.
03:06Well, you needn't have bothered.
03:07I was coming to town tomorrow anyhow.
03:10I shouldn't have bothered.
03:12At your invitation, I left my comfortable apartment,
03:15spent two miserable hours on the train,
03:17permanently dislocated my sacroiliac in a taxi
03:20with an idiot driver, all to spend a lovely weekend
03:23in the country.
03:24Ha, ha, ha.
03:27I invited you?
03:29You're kidding.
03:32I was never more serious.
03:35What does he mean, I invited him?
03:38Well, actually, you didn't invite him.
03:40You invited me, and I invited him.
03:45What is this, a gag?
03:48You invited us to dinner on the weekend.
03:51Of course, if you've changed your mind,
03:52we're perfectly willing to walk the three
03:54miles back to the station.
03:56Be more comfortable than taking a taxi.
03:58All right, wait a minute.
03:58Let's get this straight.
04:00I called and invited you up here for a weekend?
04:02You did.
04:03Either you're crazy or I am.
04:05I'm perfectly willing to debate it with you.
04:09There must be some mix-up.
04:10Come on, as long as you're here, sit down.
04:11We'll have a gab for a while.
04:18Mr. and Mrs. North going to spend the night?
04:19Oh, yeah, I guess they'll have to.
04:23Go fix up the back bedroom.
04:26Well, you heard him.
04:28Now, not tomorrow, now.
04:36Oh, no.
04:57Well, now, Jerry, wasn't that nice?
04:59Yes, I don't know when I've had such a delicious dinner.
05:02Oh, I'll get it.
05:04Oh, do you write, too?
05:06Well, I, yeah, he writes, uh, poems.
05:12Clean off the plates, will you, kid?
05:14Yeah, he even wrote one about me once.
05:16Honest, a poem.
05:18There was a part in it about my hair, like a cloudy sunrise.
05:24Oh, he's crazy.
05:26Jerry, didn't you want to talk to Mr. Kovac about his book?
05:29Oh, yes.
05:30As a matter of fact, I did.
05:31Excuse me, I'll get it.
05:40Oh, do you mind?
05:41Well, no.
05:42I wanted to talk to you anyhow.
05:44What, to your husband?
05:45About your poems.
05:46Have you ever published a poem?
05:48No, I haven't.
05:49Oh, you haven't?
05:50No, I haven't.
05:51Oh, you haven't?
05:52No, I haven't.
05:53Oh, about your poems.
05:54Have you ever published any?
05:56Nobody ever buys poems.
05:57They only pay for trash, like...
05:59Like Chuck Kovac's books?
06:01Do you mind if I read some?
06:04Are you afraid of what they might say?
06:07I gather that you're fond of Mrs. Kovac.
06:10But you don't care for Mr. Kovac or for Mr. Stewart.
06:14Sarge is my brother.
06:16I'd like to kill him.
06:18The chapter on the court-martial's all right,
06:20but there's too much brutality in the guardhouse scene.
06:23The public pays to read about things
06:24they haven't got the nerve to do themselves.
06:26Besides, you've got a lot of opinions
06:28for a guy making a lot of loot off me.
06:30I don't deny there's a certain audience
06:31for your stuff, Kovac.
06:33But as long as I'm your publisher,
06:34I'll decide what we can use.
06:36Well, I think I'll go down to the lake
06:38and grab a swim before I turn in.
06:40Wait, I want to talk to you.
06:42Well, it's been a very interesting evening.
06:46Wait a minute.
06:47I'll show you your room.
06:48Oh, I'll take him.
06:49This way, please.
06:50Good night.
07:01You stay here.
07:17Does everyone sleep up here?
07:18Well, the rest do.
07:19I have a cabin outside.
07:32May I have my notebook back, Mrs. North?
07:34Oh, well, if you don't mind,
07:35I'd like to keep it tonight to read your poems.
07:38No, I don't mind at all.
07:40It's very kind of you.
07:44Oh, Mr. North, there's something I ought to tell you.
07:46Harris!
07:49Good night.
07:50Good night, Mr. North.
07:51Good night.
07:52Good night.
07:57Jerry, what do you think about that invitation?
08:00An idiotic practical joke, I suppose.
08:03It's only kind of a joke.
08:05If Mr. Kovac's books make so much money,
08:08why does he live in a place like this?
08:10Probably thrifty.
08:12Jerry, you publish poetry?
08:15And I lose money on it.
08:17Let me read you some of Mr. Stewart's poems.
08:19I think he's a new find.
08:20Oh, no, not tonight, dear.
08:22Come on, let's get some sleep.
08:23Listen.
08:25Though love is lost to me,
08:27I still may know the same hard distance of the stars,
08:31the wan white wildness of the winter moon.
08:36A meeting in a cabin midst a night of duress
08:39would explain a call from one in distress.
08:43Jerry, listen to this.
08:45Go to sleep, dear.
08:47Jerry, I think that young man's in trouble
08:49and is trying to get a message to her.
08:51Go to sleep.
08:52Jerry, I think this is serious.
08:56Jerry.
09:13You just stand here.
09:14Yeah, why?
09:15You just talk.
09:18I don't know what you're talking about.
09:19I'm telling you, you're pushing me around.
09:21You're so far.
09:23You're just going to have to find a way back and go.
09:25And you can have that.
09:27Come on, Jerry.
09:28Yeah, I'm going to have to go.
09:30I'm going to have to go.
09:32I'm going to have to go.
09:34You're going to have to go.
09:36You've got to go.
09:37I'm going to have to go.
09:39I'm going to have to go.
09:40Now I got something else on my mind, that phone call to the Norths.
09:51Who did it?
09:52Well, don't look at me.
09:54They could tell you a lot.
09:55Well?
09:56They said it wasn't a woman's voice, didn't they?
09:57Yeah.
09:58Well, one of them must have done it.
09:59They've been crossing you off a long time.
10:00Why, just this evening, I watched them outside the window.
10:09She was planning a runaway with them.
10:10That's not news to me, Harris.
10:11I've known that a long time.
10:14Wipe that lipstick off your kisser.
10:17Off, smart guy?
10:21Yeah.
10:22Only I can do it better.
10:23Wait a minute.
10:24Wait a minute.
10:25I don't want to get in a beef with you now.
10:26More important, to find out who made the phone call.
10:27Okay, kid.
10:28Why'd you do it?
10:29Do what?
10:30You know what I'm talking about.
10:31You just used Sally and Sarge to throw me off the track.
10:32You made that call, didn't you?
10:33Why should I do anything like that, Chuck?
10:34I didn't ask you why.
10:35I just want to know if you did it.
10:36No.
10:37No.
10:38Now, you snippy liar.
10:39I'll whack your brains out.
10:40Wait a minute.
10:41Wait a minute.
10:42We're not alone in the house.
10:43Use your head.
10:44I don't want to get in a beef with you now.
10:45More important, to find out who made the phone call.
10:46Okay, kid.
10:47Why'd you do it?
10:48Do what?
10:49You know what I'm talking about.
10:50You just used Sally and Sarge to throw me off the track.
10:51You made that call, didn't you?
10:52I don't want to get in a beef with you now.
10:53Why should I do anything like that, Chuck?
10:54I just want to know if you did it.
10:55No.
10:56No.
10:57Why, you snippy liar.
10:58I'll whack your brains out.
10:59Wait a minute.
11:00Wait a minute.
11:01We're not alone in the house.
11:02Use your head.
11:03Yeah, you're right.
11:04I'll talk to you later.
11:05I got a whole lot to say to you two.
11:06A whole lot.
11:08I got a whole lot to say to you two.
11:10A whole lot.
11:37Ben?
11:53Ben?
12:05Let's go.
12:11Come on.
12:29Pam.
12:30Oh Pam darling, are you all right?
12:33Where's this koblack?
12:34It was so dark, I fell.
12:41There's got to be a light switch around here somewhere.
12:46You know, if you'd used that flashlight earlier, we'd have avoided a collision.
12:50Oh, I guess I was confused. I thought I heard a noise.
12:53Oh, there was no noise. It was my wife. I just came down to look for her.
12:58Mr. North, you're quite a character.
13:00Well, I guess I'd better say goodnight now. I'm pretty tired.
13:04Mrs. Kovac, is anything wrong?
13:07Oh, no. No, of course not. I just...
13:22This is a fine place to be in the middle of the night.
13:25Someday you're going to stick that pretty nose of yours into something that'll bite it off.
13:29Now, you're going back and stay in that bed if I have to tie you in it.
13:34It's practically not breathing! Look!
13:51It's Harris.
14:00Not a very poetic ending, is it?
14:02Poor little guy. Poor little guy.
14:07As far as I can tell, Sheriff, Mrs. Kovac was just lying there on the floor.
14:12I've told you this 20 times now.
14:14And now she's gone and nobody knows where she went.
14:16Why don't you ask him?
14:17She was your wife. Why don't you tell him what happened?
14:19You don't seem very upset over your brother's death, Mr. Stewart.
14:22I'm more upset than I look.
14:24Kovac, she was your wife, and if she didn't kill him, why was she running away when she bumped into North?
14:29Well, we had a little argument.
14:31About Harris?
14:32Are you kidding? It was a private matter.
14:34Then why did she kill him?
14:35Oh, it's an open and shut case.
14:38Well, it seems like very weak circumstantial evidence to me.
14:41I'm sure that if Bill or any New York detective...
14:43Ann, please.
14:44Well, I know that Bill or anyone at Homicide in New York wouldn't form an opinion on so little evidence.
14:50Well, he hasn't even searched the rooms or anything.
14:53Just a minute, young lady.
14:54I don't need any big city detective to solve this case,
14:57and I don't need any help from amateurs, either.
14:59This is a matter of chaise et le femme,
15:02which means find the woman, and that's just what I'm going to do.
15:06Well, I'm broadcasting an alarm over my radio telephone.
15:17Now, Pam, please, will you stay out of this?
15:19But why should Mrs. Kovac...
15:20I beg you, just this once, huh?
15:23Just this once, huh?
15:31Car number one to control, over.
15:34Control to car number one, come in.
15:36Roger.
15:38Control.
15:39Don't you have to file a flight plan for that, Sheriff?
15:42I want an alarm broadcast for Sally Kovac.
15:46Five feet, four inches, age 25, and wearing a light camel hair coat and no hat.
15:52Roger.
16:11I want an alarm broadcast for Sally Kovac.
16:12Roger.
16:41I want an alarm broadcast for Sally Kovac.
16:42Roger.
17:07Jerry, Sheriff, all of you!
17:12It was stuck in the mirror in Harris' room.
17:18It's obviously a suicide note.
17:20See what happens when you believe circumstantial evidence?
17:24When a guy like me falls in love, there's only one way out.
17:30So he killed himself.
17:32Lieutenant Weigand would have found that out before he broadcast the alarm for Mrs. Kovac.
17:36Well, I had to be thorough.
17:38I knew something was wrong when...
17:39You knew something was wrong.
17:40Sheriff, you won't be needing us anymore, will you?
17:42No, it's an open and shut case.
17:44I'll take your numbers where I can reach you, if any further questioning is necessary.
17:50Come on, Pam.
17:51But Jerry...
17:54Jerry, it's too easy.
17:55Everything fits too well.
17:56I don't want to hear another word out of you.
17:58Now go upstairs and get the bags packed.
17:59We're getting out of here on the first train back to our nice, stuffy apartment.
18:03But I...
18:04Upstairs.
18:05Yes, dear.
18:09Up.
18:39Mr. North, I'd like to talk to you about something on my mind.
19:05First, I want to get you straight.
19:07I don't understand.
19:08I mean that just because we're out of the city doesn't mean that I'm any hayseed cop.
19:13No, sirree.
19:14Right here in this county last year, there were seven felonies and 20 misdemeanors.
19:19Not to mention a manslaughter and a suspicion.
19:24Suspicion of what?
19:25Suspicion.
19:55There's been a lot of books by wardens, FBI men, big city detectives,
20:07but there's never been one about a country sheriff.
20:13You know that cop's trying to push me off the bestseller list?
20:17I got news for you.
20:19You're already pushed.
20:21Nobody pushes me around.
20:23North, that cop, and especially you.
20:29What's the matter?
20:30I got to be wrong, but it looks like a light in the cabin.
20:53What's the matter?
21:17You killed him.
21:19All the changes in the manuscript are in his handwriting.
21:22And besides, there's a line of dialogue right out of the script here on page 70.
21:27You're pretty cute, aren't you?
21:29You stay back. My husband is just inside the house.
21:33He'll never hear you.
21:35Law and Order is out there trying to sell him his autobiography.
21:39Whatever we say here is confidential.
21:42You didn't write the novels. Harris did.
21:46You're pretty sharp too, Mrs. North.
21:48Sure he wrote the stuff. He got a kick out of it.
21:51He was a little guy. He could write about a lot of things he never could really do.
21:56And you got all the credit.
21:58And his brothers put the money with you.
22:02But why did you invite us down here?
22:04What are you talking about? I never invited you up here. He did.
22:07He was sore about the money and Sally.
22:11He was going to tell your husband that he invented ghostwriting, my stuff.
22:18That's kind of a funny term now, isn't it?
22:21And Sally left because she knew you were through.
22:24That you couldn't earn any more money now that Harris was dead.
22:27Let's not jump to conclusions, Mrs. North.
22:30Give me that note.
22:32I will not. Its evidence proves that you're guilty.
22:35Give me that note!
22:49No!
22:51I better be getting down to the jail. They may have brought that girl in by now.
22:55And I want to thank you, Mr. North, for your encouragement.
22:58I want to take your advice about my book and write it.
23:00Good. You do that.
23:03It's a fire.
23:05Hey, get out of there, you little minx! Come on!
23:11Help, Harris! Let me alone!
23:15Get out of here! Come on!
23:17Come on!
23:40Will you please hurry up?
23:42Trying to find what? The place is burning down!
23:44But I have to find it!
23:46Find what?
23:48These columns are here!
23:49Will you come on?
23:51My shoes!
23:52Oh, for the love of mine, come on!
24:01So, Mr. North, a lot of interesting things happen in the life of a country sheriff,
24:05like the country doctor.
24:07You don't get the fame and prestige of the big city men,
24:10but he gets the job done.
24:12Yeah, but you're giving in to city ways yourself, Sheriff.
24:14But I'm not so sure scientific progress is a good thing in your case.
24:17You know, if you'd been riding a horse instead of driving that car,
24:20you'd have gotten your man alive.
24:22Well, if I'm taking you to the station, we better get moving.
24:24That's right. Let's go.
24:28Well, what are you going to do with the poems?
24:30Publish them.
24:31Oh, thank you, Jerry.
24:32Oh, I'm not being sentimental. They're good.
24:34So are you, Mr. North.
24:37If you want to catch the 720, I'll take the shortcut out by Jonestown.
24:41Otherwise, you'll have to wait until 8.15 and...
24:48I'll take the long way.
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