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CBS Radio Mystery Theater My Own Murderer
Old Tube Radio13 viewsAug 23, 2021
A man is obsessed with committing murder and goes into therapy.
CBS Radio Mystery Theater (a.k.a. Radio Mystery Theater and Mystery Theater, sometimes abbreviated as CBSRMT) is a radio drama series created by Himan Brown that was broadcast on CBS Radio Network affiliates from 1974 to 1982, and later in the early 2000s was repeated by the NPR satellite feed.
The format was similar to that of classic old time radio shows like The Mysterious Traveler and The Whistler, in that the episodes were introduced by host E. G. Marshall who provided pithy wisdom and commentary throughout. Unlike the hosts of those earlier programs, Marshall is fully mortal, merely someone whose heightened insight and erudition plunge the listener into the world of the macabre (in a manner similar to that of "The Man in Black" on yet another old time radio program, Suspense).
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FunTranscript
00:00Stay tuned for Mystery Theater.
00:27Come in.
00:30Welcome. I'm E.G. Marshall.
00:34We have another story designed to hit you right between the ears.
00:39Murder, of course, is a common, everyday subject of the mystery story.
00:44But we promise you that this one murder has an entirely new kind of definition.
00:49You've heard the expression, being of two minds.
00:52Well, Joe Vincent, our hero, or should I say our victim, is very definitely a man who could be described that way.
01:01The only trouble is, one of those minds seems to be bent on homicide.
01:08Our mystery drama, My Own Murderer, was written especially for the Mystery Theater by Henry Schlesser and stars Mandel Kramer.
01:16It is sponsored in part by Anheuser-Busch Incorporated, Brewers of Budweiser, and Buick Motor Division.
01:24I'll be back shortly with Act One.
01:26What is the past?
01:36What is the present?
01:39Sometimes our minds can no longer tell the difference.
01:42Sometimes the strains and stresses of our lives stop us from sorting out the differences between then and now.
01:51You're about to meet a man who has this problem.
01:54And others.
01:55But in order to meet him, we have to take you away from what we hope are your comfortable surroundings
02:01and bring you to the mean streets of Skid Row, to the shabbiest part of a large metropolitan city.
02:09Because that's where you'll find Mr. Joseph Vincent.
02:18I woke up.
02:20There was nothing unusual about waking up.
02:22I've been doing it all my life.
02:25But lately, waking up has been the beginning of a nightmare, not the end.
02:29The moment I opened my eyes, I knew this morning was going to be one of those...
02:35One of those days when I'd have to face that terrible emptiness again,
02:40that frightening jump between the real and the unreal.
02:45Because when the cold light of morning oozed through the dirty panes of the window in front of me
02:49when I finally made sense out of the strange angles and unfamiliar shapes that form my surroundings,
02:55I realized that I was in a room I'd never seen before.
02:59It was a hotel room, probably.
03:02There were always hotel rooms.
03:04Foul-smelling boxes.
03:09But I was Joseph Vincent.
03:12And I didn't belong in a fleabag flop house of a hotel.
03:16I didn't belong in this cell of misery.
03:19I was Joseph Vincent, and I was rich.
03:24Hello?
03:24Hey, you, checker.
03:26Time is 12 o'clock.
03:28What was that?
03:29This is a hotel, buddy, not a furniture room.
03:32You got 20 minutes to get out of there, or I'll have to charge you another nine bucks.
03:37Nine dollars?
03:38Is that the rate?
03:39That's right.
03:40I told you that way you checked in.
03:41When?
03:42When was that?
03:43What time last night?
03:44I don't remember.
03:45Was I drunk?
03:46Lock, mister.
03:46All right.
03:47All right.
03:47Just tell me one more thing.
03:49What's the name of this hotel?
03:52It's the Hotel McCauley's.
03:55All right.
03:55Thanks.
03:56And don't worry.
03:57I'm leaving.
04:02I managed to get myself out of the bed.
04:05I was still dressed.
04:07My pants and shirt were eroded by wrinkles, but my jacket was lying untouched across a moldy armchair.
04:14I reached for the wallet and checked my money.
04:17It was all there.
04:20Then I saw something else.
04:23It was a water glass and a small bottle.
04:27I picked it up and looked at the label.
04:28There was a skull and crossbones on it.
04:32I flushed down cold, and the small label blurred in front of my eyes.
04:39It was poison, no doubt of it.
04:42I put the bottle down with disgust.
04:46I struggled into my jacket.
04:47I went to the mirror to check out the condition in my face.
04:53There it was once more, the same familiar sight.
04:55The letters written in soap across the face of the mirror.
04:59And the message was signed as it always was, but this time the words read,
05:02next time you die.
05:10Come in, Mr. Vincent.
05:12Thank you, Doctor.
05:12Please sit down.
05:17Why don't we begin with the obvious?
05:20Tell me how you got my name.
05:21Well, you may not be flattered, Doctor, but I found it in a directory, a medical directory
05:27in the library.
05:28Well, at least you know something about my credentials.
05:31So, why not tell me about yourself?
05:34Well, you know my name.
05:36Joseph Vincent.
05:36I'm in Wall Street.
05:40Well, I was.
05:42I've been sort of retired for a while.
05:44Mm-hmm.
05:44How old are you, Mr. Vincent?
05:46Fifty-six.
05:47Young for retirement?
05:49Was it voluntary, reasons of health?
05:52Yes, it was voluntary.
05:53I made quite a bit of money in the market.
05:57I didn't see any real reason to keep to a nine-to-five schedule, especially after my wife died.
06:06When was that?
06:08It was about a year ago.
06:10It was an automobile accident.
06:11I was in the same crash, but I came out with just a concussion.
06:17Eleanor was killed outright.
06:18Was she driving?
06:20No, I was.
06:21Anyway, that was when I decided to quit.
06:27The work didn't seem so interesting to me anymore, and then there was this other thing.
06:34What other thing?
06:35This thing that had started to happen to me.
06:39What was that exactly?
06:43Dr. Abrams, someone is trying to kill me.
06:48Are you really certain of that, Mr. Vincent?
06:53Yes.
06:54There have been three attempts.
06:55The last one took place two days ago.
06:58That's when I decided it was time for me to see somebody.
07:00A psychiatrist and not the police?
07:02Yes.
07:04May I ask why?
07:07Well, the person who is trying to kill me is myself.
07:11Mr. Vincent, are you telling me that you have suicidal impulses?
07:18No.
07:19No, doctor.
07:19I don't have anything of the kind.
07:20Not me.
07:22Look, I get these spells, doctor.
07:25They started right after the accident.
07:28I keep waking up in filthy hotel rooms.
07:31Is that what happens during these spells?
07:33Yes.
07:34I suppose maybe you could call it amnesia, blackouts.
07:39I've had half a dozen since the accident, each one a little longer than the one before.
07:44They come on suddenly without any warning.
07:47And then I just find myself in one of these cheap rooms downtown around 10th Avenue or something.
07:54Sometimes I wake up at home in my own bed.
07:57Do you live alone?
07:58No, I have a housekeeper, Mrs. McLeavy.
08:00She's been with me, well, for more than 20 years.
08:04She's been worried sick about these disappearances of mine.
08:08Tell me about the last time.
08:11Well, I...
08:12I woke up in a place called the Hotel Margolis.
08:17I must have been drinking.
08:18I had a hangover.
08:19I could still taste the wine I'd drunk, a cheap muscatel.
08:24There wasn't any wine bottle in the room, but there was something else.
08:28The bottle of poison.
08:30Poison?
08:31Yes.
08:32And there was one more thing.
08:34What was that?
08:35A note.
08:37Written on the mirror, in soap.
08:40Well, what did it say?
08:42It said,
08:44Next time you die.
08:47And it was signed, Joe Vincelli.
08:50Joe Vincelli?
08:52Who's that?
08:54It wasn't the first time Vincelli had threatened me.
08:56Twice before he left notes for me on the mirror.
09:01This time he tried to poison me.
09:04Next time.
09:05Next time is it.
09:07Mr. Vincent, who is Joe Vincelli?
09:10I told you.
09:11It's me.
09:13Yes.
09:14Look, I know my name is Joseph Vincent, but it wasn't always.
09:18I came to America 34 years ago, and my name was Giuseppe Verdi Vincelli.
09:22My father was a great opera lover.
09:25Everybody called me Joe when I arrived, and I had a lot of different jobs.
09:30I was a construction worker.
09:32I was a barber, a salesman for an ice cream company.
09:35Then a friend of mine got me interested in the stock market.
09:39I went to school at night for about four years, and then I got a job down on the street.
09:45I don't know, maybe I was smart, or maybe I was lucky, but...
09:48And why do you think Joe Vincelli is after you?
09:54I don't know, Doctor.
09:57That's why I'm here.
09:59So you can explain it to me.
10:01Why this other man that's in me, in my own body, wants me dead.
10:08Dr. Abrams?
10:12Yes, Penny?
10:13I just wanted to remind you that Mr. Vincent will be here at four o'clock.
10:17Oh, yes, yes, I remember all too well.
10:22You don't sound very happy about it.
10:24I'm not sure that this case belongs to my office.
10:29You've dealt with suicidal types before.
10:31Yes, yes, I've dealt with them, and it's not difficult to find a suicide motive in Vincent's case.
10:36Guilt over the death of his wife.
10:38Because of the auto accident?
10:40An auto that Vincent was driving.
10:43Subconsciously, he blames himself for her death and is seeking punishment.
10:47The only punishment that fits the crime.
10:50So he's resurrected the cruder, more violent personality of Joe Vincelli to do the job for him.
10:58And I'm afraid he might succeed.
11:03How awful.
11:05This other personality knows that Vincent is trying to defend himself, so he's all the more cunning, all the more difficult to reach.
11:13Maybe you need an exorcist, Doctor.
11:16Maybe I need a detective.
11:18What?
11:18It may take months to get the answers out of Vincent's unconscious, and by that time...
11:24But what could a detective do?
11:26He could follow the man, find out where he goes during these blackouts, what he does.
11:32Do you think that would help?
11:33If I knew the answers to those questions, I might be able to save his life.
11:39Dr. Abrams, don't you remember what my husband Pete does for a living?
11:44Your husband?
11:45He's a cop.
11:46I don't understand what you intend to do, Dr. Abrams.
11:53Well, I know it's unorthodox, Mr. Vincent, but I think the problem is critical enough to warrant some unusual tactics.
12:00That's why I wanted you to meet Mr. O'Connor.
12:02Just call me Pete, Mr. Vincent.
12:04Pete is my nurse's husband.
12:06At the moment, he's on leave from the police force.
12:09I've got a minor disability.
12:10A junkie stabbed me in the side last month.
12:12But don't worry.
12:13I can get around just fine.
12:14Well, what do you intend to do?
12:16Arrest Joe Vinccelli?
12:17You're not too far wrong.
12:19What we need to do, Mr. Vincent, is find out exactly where your friend Joe Vinccelli takes you when you have these spells of amnesia.
12:28Hmm.
12:29Now, I could continue to probe your unconscious for that answer, and I will, but at the same time, I'd like to try a direct approach to the problem.
12:36Yeah.
12:38I see that it does make sense.
12:40I've often thought I needed to be watched.
12:42If we can catch you in the personality of Joe Vinccelli, Mr. Vincent, maybe we can make Joe listen to reason and leave you alone.
12:51But the least we can do is stop him from killing you.
12:55Just wanted to say good night, Dr. Abrams.
13:03Good night, Penny.
13:03See you tomorrow.
13:05You know, if you wanted me to work on those files tonight, I could do that.
13:08No, no, no, Penny.
13:09You run along home.
13:10The files can wait for another time.
13:12Well, tonight isn't a bad time at all, since I won't have a husband to cook for.
13:16Oh, yeah.
13:17That's true.
13:17Oh, I forgot.
13:18Pete's starting this surveillance tonight.
13:20He calls it a steakhouse.
13:22I'll get that.
13:25Dr. Abrams' office.
13:26Penny?
13:27It's Pete.
13:28Hi.
13:28We were just talking about you.
13:30Ah, great.
13:31That's why my ears are burning.
13:33Say nothing to the rest of my face.
13:34You sound funny.
13:36Is anything wrong?
13:36Yeah.
13:37I'm wrong.
13:38This layoff of mine must have turned me stale.
13:41Pete, what's happened?
13:42I loused up the job.
13:43Well, what's the matter?
13:44Doctor, I think you'd better talk to my husband.
13:47Hello, Pete.
13:48What's the trouble?
13:49He outfarts me, Dr. Abrams.
13:51The first night, I let Vincent get away.
13:53He took this razor and got away from me.
13:55Razor?
13:56What are you talking about?
13:57I spoke to his housekeeper, Mrs. McCleavy.
14:00She caught him packing up this straight razor and leaving the house.
14:03If we find Vincent with his throat cut, it'll be my fault.
14:07Well, the question is, who got away?
14:16Was it Joseph Vincent, the wealthy, cultured, retired stockbroker?
14:21Or was it tough Joe Vinccelli, a man capable of violence, perhaps capable of murder?
14:29And would both personalities finally come into conflict and end both their lives?
14:35We'll learn a great deal more when I return shortly with Act Two.
14:48Joseph Vincent has disappeared.
14:51And in the offices of Dr. William Abrams, a gloomy trio has gathered to determine their next step.
14:57None of them certain that Joseph Vincent hasn't already known the vengeance of his alter ego, Joe Vinccelli.
15:05I don't know how I could have been so stupid.
15:08The boys in the station house hear about this.
15:10They won't let me back.
15:11Stop blaming yourself, Pete.
15:13No, no, it's my fault, really.
15:14I should have warned you that something like this could happen.
15:17Yeah, but the very first night of my stakeout, that's something I never figured.
15:21It's something that Joseph Vincent's alter ego figured, however.
15:26Pete, how did it happen exactly?
15:28Well, I was sitting outside in my car and I saw Mr. Vincent leaving his house.
15:31So I started the engine.
15:33Well, that's when he waved to me and came over.
15:35Well, what'd he say?
15:36He just said he was walking around the corner to the newspaper store.
15:39Did he look the same, sound the same?
15:41Exactly.
15:43I couldn't see anything wrong with the guy at all.
15:46He fooled me, Penny.
15:47He wasn't Joseph Vincent at all.
15:49It was this other guy, Joe Vinccelli.
15:52Well, what did you do when he didn't return?
15:54I went looking for him, of course, but he was nowhere in sight.
15:58So I figured he hopped a bus or a taxi.
16:00His car was still out in front.
16:01That's right.
16:02Well, anyway, that's when I decided to go into the house and talk to Mrs. McCleavy.
16:05His housekeeper?
16:06Right.
16:07And she told you about the razor?
16:08Yeah.
16:09She said she passed Vincent's bedroom and saw him putting the straight razor into a case
16:13and slipping it into his coat pocket.
16:15But why?
16:16I think I'd like to ask Mrs. McCleavy that myself.
16:24I feel just terrible about this doctor.
16:27Just awful.
16:28I just don't understand it, Dr. Abrams.
16:30I've known the man for 20 years and I've never seen him act so strange.
16:35When was the first time you knew about Mr. Vincent's problem?
16:38I never did know the first couple of times.
16:41He didn't say a word.
16:43But then he couldn't hide the truth anymore.
16:45Once he was gone for a whole week, just walked out of the house without a word and didn't come back for a week.
16:53His clothes were a terrible mess.
16:55They were in such bad shape he told me to throw them away.
16:59And did you?
17:00Yes.
17:01Did you notice anything unusual about the clothes?
17:04I mean, any strange markings, perhaps something in the pockets?
17:08Well, there was one thing.
17:11What was it?
17:12Well, I'm a little bit ashamed to say.
17:15No, please, Mrs. McCleavy.
17:16It might be important.
17:17Well, it was a calendar.
17:20One of those.
17:22Those?
17:22Oh, you know, with one of those women on it without a stitch.
17:26Oh, yes, I see.
17:27Do you still have it?
17:29No, I threw it away.
17:31Along with his dirty clothes.
17:32But do you have the clothes he wore the last time he disappeared?
17:35Oh, yeah, I got them all ready for you.
17:37Just back from the dry cleaners.
17:40The dry cleaners?
17:41Of course.
17:42I sent them out just as soon as he came back.
17:44Oh, Mrs. McCleavy.
17:46We wanted those clothes just the way they were.
17:49Well, I can't imagine why you'd want dirty clothes, Doctor.
17:52Well, never mind.
17:54I'll take them just the way they are.
17:56I'll get them for you.
17:57Oh, Mrs. McCleavy.
17:58Yeah?
17:59One more thing.
18:00Did Mr. Vincent always use a straight razor?
18:03Why, no, he never did.
18:06What?
18:07He used an electric razor.
18:09All the time.
18:11Hey, Joe.
18:18For the love of Pete, if it ain't Joe Vichel.
18:21Hello, Mike.
18:22How are you?
18:23Where have you been for the last couple of weeks?
18:25I give up on you already.
18:26Well, I've been around.
18:27Around, huh?
18:29Tell me the truth.
18:31You were hitting the bottle again, huh?
18:34Oh, I don't know, Mike.
18:35Maybe a little.
18:36You're sure a funny guy, Joe.
18:38Joe, five times you come to work for me, and five times you walk out without a goodbye.
18:44If I didn't like you so much, I'd throw you out on your ear, eh?
18:48He, he, he, he, he, he, he, he.
18:50You're a good barber, Joe.
18:52You give people their money, Joe.
18:54Thanks, Mike.
18:56I appreciate that.
18:57A man like you, a real artist with the shears and the razor.
19:03Joe, listen to me.
19:05Why don't you try and cut it out?
19:08Ah, the vino, I mean.
19:10Yeah, yeah, I guess I should, Mike.
19:11That stuff don't do no good.
19:14You ought to be working steady, saving money.
19:18No, no, for your old age.
19:19Sure, sure, I know, Mike.
19:21What's the matter, Joe?
19:23You don't look so good.
19:25Oh, well, it's my head.
19:29My head, it hurts.
19:30Ah, you see, that's what the vino gets you.
19:35No, no, no, I, I, I haven't, I haven't had a drink.
19:38It's just, just that my head hurts sometimes.
19:42Mike, you will take me back, won't you?
19:45Can I work for you again?
19:47But for how long, Joe?
19:50Two days, a week, with you, I was ever sure.
19:53But I need the work, Mike.
19:55I don't know what I'd do with myself if I didn't work.
19:57Oh, okay, Joe, okay.
20:02I could never say no to a good barber.
20:04You got the job.
20:06Thanks, Mike.
20:06And listen, you bring your old razor, Joe, huh?
20:10Or you, or you hock it, maybe.
20:12No, no, I didn't hock it, Mike.
20:15I got it right here.
20:20I wish you wouldn't look like that, Dr. Abrams.
20:23I'm sorry, Penny, I can't help blaming myself for what's happened.
20:27That's fine.
20:28I've got a husband who blames himself and a boss who blames himself.
20:31Maybe it was wrong to handle it this way.
20:33Maybe we should call the police.
20:34He is the police.
20:36And he really doesn't think you have grounds to involve him, Doctor.
20:38That man is carrying a murderer around with him.
20:42Well, I suppose so.
20:43But I can't help wondering.
20:45It all seems pretty obvious to me about where Mr. Vincent goes when he has these blackouts.
20:51All right, where?
20:52Well, you know the old expression, Cherchez la femme?
20:56Yes, I know.
20:57Find the woman.
20:58Don't you think that's the most likely explanation?
21:01Because of that girly calendar Mrs. McLeavy found?
21:05Well, it does seem to indicate an interest in the opposite sex.
21:08The poor man's been widowed for over a year.
21:11Would it be surprising if he went out hunting for feminine company?
21:16That must be Pete.
21:17Let him in, Penny.
21:17Hi, honey.
21:20How are you?
21:21Uh, okay, I guess.
21:23I'm afraid I don't have much to report.
21:25I got the laboratory report on Vincent's clothing.
21:27The suit Mrs. McLeavy had dry cleaned.
21:30Yeah, that made it kind of tough.
21:31But there was one substance the dry cleaners didn't get out.
21:35What was that?
21:36Well, near as they can tell, Doc, it was powder.
21:39Face powder.
21:40Face powder?
21:41Are you sure, Pete?
21:43Well, not much doubt about it.
21:44It was a kind of cheap brand, but that's what it was.
21:47Well, what do you know?
21:49I was right.
21:50Cherchez la femme.
21:58Nobody gives us a shave like you, Joe.
22:01You really got the touch.
22:02Oh, thanks, Mike.
22:04It's worth it to be having you work here.
22:07Just so you can give me a shave.
22:10Hey, Joe, you're sort of a gun, so you're back.
22:14Oh, hi, Phil.
22:15How are you, Joe?
22:16Where you been lately?
22:17I miss you, old buddy.
22:18Oh, I've been away.
22:21Last time I saw you, you were hitting that vino pretty hard.
22:24Oh, you're a bad boy, Joe.
22:26You know that gin and vino don't mix.
22:29That's right.
22:31Hey, we played gin rummy together, didn't we?
22:34Hey, how you like that?
22:35Doesn't even remember.
22:37Took 50 bucks off me, and he can't remember a thing.
22:39Hey, good for you, Joe.
22:41Teach you these young punks that ass.
22:43Well, how about wear your gray shades, Joe?
22:46Oh, no, I'm sorry.
22:47I'm sorry.
22:47I, uh, I'm not working anymore today.
22:50You mean you're quitting so soon?
22:51Yeah, Joe.
22:52Joe has got the headache.
22:53Oh, oh, that's too bad, Joe.
22:56Hey, listen.
22:57If you feel like relaxing, how about coming over to my place?
23:00My girl Anita is there.
23:01She'll fix us a little pasta or something, and maybe we could play a friendly game of gin.
23:05Well, I don't know.
23:06Hey, Joe, no.
23:07Maybe you'd better go home and lie down for a while.
23:11Home?
23:12Well, yeah, you've got some place to stay, don't you?
23:15Hey, come on, Joe.
23:16Give me a break.
23:17Let me try to win back some of that bread.
23:19All right.
23:20All right, all right, Phil.
23:21I'll give you a chance.
23:22Just, uh, just let me get my coat.
23:23Hey, great.
23:24I'll wait for you outside.
23:27Hey.
23:29Listen, Joe.
23:30You really think it's a good idea?
23:33Sure, sure.
23:34Why not?
23:34Oh, you don't know that guy.
23:36What are you doing playing cards with a guy you don't even know?
23:39You've got to do something, Mike.
23:41I can't just eat and sleep.
23:43A guy's got to do something.
23:44Well, I just hope you know what you're doing.
23:55Go on, Joe.
23:56Help yourself.
23:56Boy, these cards are really lousy.
24:04They'll look better after a little more vino, Joe.
24:06Looks to me like you boys need a fresh bottle.
24:09Hmm?
24:09No.
24:10No, no more for me.
24:11Don't you like the stuff, Joe?
24:13Maybe I shouldn't drink anymore.
24:15My head feels like a tom-tom.
24:17Hey, maybe it's the red stuff.
24:19Hey, Anita.
24:20How about breaking out that Chablis?
24:22How's that sound, Joe?
24:23Hmm?
24:24Yeah.
24:24Okay.
24:25Okay.
24:26Hey, I'll give you the eight of hearts.
24:31Oh, that's nice of you, Joe.
24:34I'll take that little eight of hearts and give you the two of diamonds.
24:37Here you go, boys.
24:39Nice fresh bottle.
24:40Two of diamonds.
24:41Two of diamonds don't do me no good.
24:44Drink up, Joe.
24:45Yeah, thanks.
24:47Thanks a lot.
24:49How about picking another card, Joe?
24:51Oh, can I just pick one?
24:59You're getting a little stupid now, Joe.
25:02Drink your vino, Joe.
25:03That'll make everything look better.
25:05Yeah, go ahead, Joe.
25:06Have a drink.
25:07Yeah.
25:09Oh, yeah, that's right.
25:10It's good.
25:11It's very good, Phil.
25:12This is very nice.
25:13Oh, careful.
25:20Hey, Joe.
25:23Yeah.
25:24He's out like a light.
25:26Dead to the world.
25:27Hey, come on.
25:28Give me a hand with him.
25:30What are you going to do, Phil?
25:31You don't know what I'm going to do, baby.
25:33I want to make sure that Mr. Vinccelli is really dead to the world.
25:44It would appear that Mike the barber gave good advice to his friend, Joe Vinccelli.
25:50Too much vino obviously doesn't do him any good.
25:54In fact, too much vino seems to be threatening his life at the moment.
25:58Obviously, more than one person seems to want Mr. Vincent dead.
26:04Or is Phil's intended victim, Joe Vinccelli?
26:08We'll find out when I return shortly with Act Three.
26:12Joseph Vincent has disappeared.
26:26And a man who used to call himself Joe Vinccelli has taken over his body,
26:31returning to the trade he knew as a young man.
26:34But Joe Vinccelli has encountered another young man who doesn't seem to like barbers
26:39and is about to do something about it.
26:43At the same time, in the office of a psychiatrist named Dr. Abrams,
26:47a worried trio ponders the problem.
26:50I can tell you one thing.
26:52Vincent didn't take a taxi when he walked around that corner.
26:55I checked it out at the hack bureau.
26:56No cabbie in the vicinity picked up a guy that fits his description that night.
27:00Therefore, he either walked to where he was going or he took a bus.
27:05Let's face it, we're at a dead end.
27:08Oh, don't use that word.
27:10You really think the guy's a menace to his own life, Doctor?
27:13Well, he hasn't been my patient long enough for me to answer that,
27:16but based on his past history, I'd say the chances are pretty good.
27:22I'll get it.
27:24Dr. Abrams' office.
27:27Who?
27:28Yes, he's here.
27:30Pete, this call is for you.
27:31Oh.
27:31A man named Halsey?
27:33Oh, yeah, yeah.
27:34It's Sam Halsey from the lab.
27:35Hello, Sam?
27:37Yeah.
27:38Uh-huh.
27:40How many did you say?
27:42Oh, that's peculiar, huh?
27:44Yeah, yeah, sure.
27:46Well, thanks a lot, Sam.
27:47I really appreciate this.
27:48So long.
27:50What was that all about?
27:52Well, the laboratory isn't still working on those clothes of Vincent, are they?
27:55No, not the suit that was dry clean,
27:57but I found another suit in Vincent's closet.
27:59I kind of, uh, well, borrowed it to see if we would turn up the same kind of face powder.
28:04Did you?
28:05No.
28:06But Sam says they found something else.
28:09They found hairs on the suit.
28:11Small particles of hair.
28:12Uh-huh.
28:13Blonde or brunette?
28:14Well, that's the crazy part.
28:15They found both.
28:16And some redhead, too.
28:17Wow.
28:18Did you say he wasn't a Romeo?
28:20Now, wait a minute.
28:21If they were small particles, I...
28:24Of course, I just remembered what Vincent told me about his early life in this country.
28:29What did he say?
28:30He had several jobs here before he got into the stock market,
28:33and one of them was barber.
28:36Barber?
28:36Hey, that would explain it all right.
28:39The small bits of hair.
28:40And that calendar he brought home that time.
28:43Where's a better place to pick up a girly calendar than a barbershop?
28:46And that face powder on his clothes.
28:48Oh, that's it.
28:49He goes to a barbershop.
28:50I'd say he probably works there.
28:52And that would explain why he packed that straight razor of his.
28:55It's probably the same razor he used when he started shaving guys in America.
28:58But why in the world does he want to work in a barbershop?
29:01He's a rich man.
29:02Ah, but he's not a rich man.
29:03When Joe Vinccelli takes over his body,
29:06he's the poor immigrant all over again doing the same work he did then.
29:09So all we've got to do is find out which barbershop he works in.
29:14He's sure to be working under his old name, Vinccelli.
29:17But there must be a thousand barbershops in this city.
29:21We can't call all the barbers.
29:22Well, if we're lucky, we won't have to call them all.
29:26We'll find the one where Mr. Vinccelli is working.
29:29Hey, come on, Joe.
29:36Ah, you can make it home, buddy.
29:37Just a few steps more.
29:39Hey, hey, hey.
29:40What is this?
29:41You bringing that wino back here?
29:43What's the matter?
29:43Don't this hotel want customers?
29:45Not like that one.
29:46He won't be in any trouble.
29:47He'll just sleep it off.
29:48And we'll just make sure he's got enough money to pay the room rent.
29:51You don't have to worry about my pal.
29:53Yeah, maybe you better pay for it in advance.
29:55Okay, sure, friend.
29:56Anything you say.
29:58As long as I can make sure my boy Joe is all right.
30:01Hello?
30:06Apex Barber?
30:07Vinccelli.
30:08You have a barber named Joe Vinccelli.
30:08No, D-I-N-C-E-L-L-I.
30:12All right, thank you.
30:13Okay, okay, thank you.
30:15Hello?
30:16Is this the Continental Barbershop?
30:18Hello?
30:19Freddy's Barbershop?
30:20You have a barber named Joe Vinccelli working there?
30:24You have a barber named Joe Vinccelli there?
30:26Oh, what's that?
30:27Hey, Doc.
30:27Doc Penny.
30:28I got him.
30:29Never mind.
30:30Yeah, yeah, I understand.
30:32But can you tell me where he went?
30:33Isn't he there?
30:34No, he took off this afternoon with a friend.
30:36Does he know where the friend lives?
30:38He said he doesn't know.
30:39Hello?
30:40Listen, are you the owner?
30:42Yeah, it's very important that we find Mr. Vinccelli.
30:46But you must have some idea.
30:48Pete, Pete, tell him we'll come down there and talk to him in person.
30:55Yeah, look, if Joe is in some kind of trouble...
30:59No, no, it's not the kind of trouble you might think, Mr. D'Angelo.
31:02You said you were a cop, right?
31:05Yes, I'm a police officer, but this gentleman here is a doctor.
31:08Joe Vinccelli's doctor.
31:11Who's Joe Vinccelli?
31:11The guy I know is named Vinccelli.
31:14Yeah, well, they're one and the same.
31:16We think that your friend may be in danger, Mr. D'Angelo.
31:20He has definite suicidal tendencies.
31:23Joe does?
31:24That's right.
31:25And unless we can locate him, he may never work for you or anyone else again.
31:31Well, like I told you, there's a fellow that comes in here.
31:34Joe played guards with him a couple of times.
31:37All I know is his first name, Phil.
31:40Well, what does he do for a living?
31:41I don't know.
31:42I think he's a bookie.
31:44I told Joe not to get mixed up with him.
31:47And you don't know where he lives?
31:50No, I don't know.
31:52Oh, wait a minute.
31:54He has got a girlfriend in the neighborhood named Anita French.
32:01Maybe she can tell you where he is.
32:06That's it, Joe.
32:08That's all it's going to take.
32:10Just turn on the heater and let some nice gas into the room.
32:15Sure, Joe.
32:17You just lie back and take it easy.
32:21Just one more thing.
32:22Gotta get the soap.
32:24Well, here it is.
32:27Ah, let's see.
32:29What do we want to write today, Joe?
32:32Hey, I know.
32:34Just one word today, Joe, okay?
32:37Just one word.
32:45Yeah?
32:46What do you want?
32:47Uh, Miss French?
32:48That's right.
32:49Police, Miss French.
32:50Police?
32:50What did I do?
32:51Oh, nothing, miss.
32:52We just want to ask you a few questions.
32:55Well, maybe we come in?
32:56Yeah, I guess so.
32:59Well, looks like there's been a card game here, huh?
33:01Is that why you're here on a gambling bus?
33:04Well, forget it.
33:06It was just a friendly game.
33:07No, no, no.
33:08That's not why we're here.
33:09We came to ask you about a friend of yours named Phil.
33:12And his friend, Joseph, I mean, Joe Vinccelli.
33:16Was Mr. Vinccelli here today, miss?
33:18Yeah, he was.
33:19So what?
33:20Where's Mr. Vinccelli now?
33:22How should I know?
33:23The game broke up and they left.
33:25Miss French, this may be hard to explain, but this man you know as Joe Vinccelli isn't Joe Vinccelli.
33:33He has another personality, another identity.
33:36I don't know what you're talking about.
33:37Well, it's not important that you understand.
33:39What is important is that Joe Vinccelli is in danger of taking his own life.
33:43What?
33:44We've got to find this guy before he hurts himself.
33:46Now, can you understand that much?
33:48Hey, Pete, wait a minute.
33:50Look at this.
33:51What is it, Doc?
33:52A matchbook.
33:54The Hotel Margolis.
33:56Hey, that's right across the street.
33:57That's where Vinccelli went the last time.
34:00Maybe he's going back again.
34:06Mr. Vinccelli!
34:08Joe!
34:09Are you in there?
34:10He might be asleep.
34:11Or worse.
34:12Come on, you open the door.
34:13All right, I'm ready.
34:14All right.
34:16Oh, good Lord, it's gas.
34:18Turn that heater off.
34:21Is the window open?
34:25Hey, Doc.
34:26Look at that mirror.
34:28Yeah, he's written all over it with soap.
34:31Hey, is he dead?
34:32No, no, he's still alive.
34:34All right, get him out of my hall.
34:35Quick.
34:35Give me a hand.
34:36Come on, come on.
34:38Are you sure he's breathing?
34:40Yeah, yeah, yeah.
34:40He's okay.
34:42Mr. Vinccelli.
34:43I'd sure like to know what's going on here.
34:45Hey, shut up.
34:46Come on.
34:47Oh, that's Dr. Abrams.
34:51Is that you?
34:52Yeah.
34:53Yes, it's Dr. Abrams.
34:54Oh.
34:55Do you know who you are?
34:56Yes, I'm Joseph Vincent.
35:01Wow.
35:02That's something, anyway.
35:03Hey, Doc.
35:04Do you see what it says on the mirror?
35:08Yes.
35:09Just one word.
35:11Oh.
35:11Death.
35:12Yeah.
35:13And it's signed Joe Vinccelli.
35:16What?
35:16What happened?
35:18Did I do it again?
35:21Did I try to kill myself again?
35:23It looks that way, Mr. Vincent.
35:26Only this time you almost succeeded.
35:28Hey, hey.
35:29Wait a minute.
35:30What is it, Pete?
35:31Mr. Vincent, let me see your hands.
35:34My hands.
35:35Look at them.
35:36They're filthy.
35:38Well, so what?
35:38Well, it means he hasn't washed them.
35:40No.
35:40Well, I guess I didn't.
35:44There's no soap smell on him, either.
35:46Not a trace.
35:47What are you getting at, Pete?
35:48The note on the mirror was written with a cake of soap.
35:51But there's no trace of soap on Mr. Vincent's hands.
35:55He didn't write on that mirror, Doc.
35:58We were wrong about Joe Vinccelli.
36:00No, Pete.
36:01I'm sure there's a Vinccelli personality.
36:04But maybe Vinccelli isn't a killer.
36:07Maybe the killer's got an identity all his own.
36:10Hey, Mike.
36:16Oh, hello, Pete.
36:18I nearly said you called something about my buddy Joe.
36:22Yeah, that's right.
36:23I'm afraid Joe won't be around to shave you no more, Pete.
36:27No kidding.
36:28Disappear again?
36:29Yeah.
36:30Hey.
36:31But look, I don't want to lose a good customer.
36:33You sit down.
36:35I show you I can give you as good a shave.
36:37Okay, Mike.
36:38I want to take a chance.
36:41Ah, poor Joe.
36:43He really liked this vino too much.
36:46Yeah.
36:46I'm afraid of so.
36:47Here.
36:48Let me put this towel around you.
36:51Hey.
36:52Is he going to be okay?
36:53You know?
36:54Well, I'm afraid it's a kind of serious field.
36:57Hey, this is louder or too hot for you?
37:01No, no, no, no.
37:02It's fine.
37:04Go on, Mike.
37:04Tell me the worst.
37:06I'll tell you the worst, Phil.
37:08Hey.
37:09Joe.
37:10What are you doing here?
37:11Hand me that razor, Mike.
37:12I'll take over.
37:13Yeah.
37:14Sure, Joe.
37:15And I'll be in the back if you need me.
37:18Hey.
37:18Wait a minute.
37:19What's the matter, Phil?
37:20Huh?
37:20You always said I gave the best shave in town.
37:23Hey, listen, Joe.
37:25Maybe you better not.
37:26A man in your condition.
37:27Don't move.
37:28Razor is a very delicate instrument, you know that?
37:33Joe.
37:34Take it easy, huh?
37:35One wrong move here.
37:37You could kill a man in two seconds.
37:39Joe, I...
37:40Feel how sharp that blade is against your throat?
37:44Oh, I keep my razor sharp, Phil.
37:46Get that thing away from me!
37:47Wouldn't move if I were you.
37:49What is this?
37:50You know what it is, Phil.
37:52I'm not Joe Vinccelli anymore.
37:53I'm Joseph Vincent now.
37:55And Joseph Vincent doesn't remember how to handle a razor anymore.
37:59Hey, you're crazy.
38:00Not as crazy as you thought I was.
38:02I thought it was Joe Vinccelli who wanted me dead.
38:05But it was you.
38:07You, Phil, all along.
38:08Why?
38:09What for?
38:09I swear I never meant to hurt you.
38:12No, just to kill me.
38:13Hmm?
38:14Now, if you don't tell me why...
38:15Hey, stop!
38:16Hey, look, I'm bleeding!
38:17Only a small cut, Phil.
38:18In another few seconds...
38:19Somebody help me!
38:20You can help yourself, Phil.
38:21Tell me who you are.
38:23I'm a...
38:25I'm Phil McLeavy.
38:28McLeavy?
38:29I'm your housekeeper's son.
38:30Mrs. McLeavy's son.
38:32I don't believe you.
38:33She wouldn't do anything like this.
38:34She doesn't know anything about it.
38:35It was all my idea.
38:37What idea?
38:38Stop it.
38:38Hey, hey, stop it, will you?
38:40Look at her blood.
38:41I...
38:41Talk or I'll kill you.
38:43Oh, okay.
38:44When she told me about those spells you had, I...
38:46I figured it out.
38:49She showed me a calendar you brought home once.
38:51It had the address of Mike's Barbershop, so...
38:53So I came here...
38:54Why did you follow me?
38:56I thought...
38:57If you're trying to kill yourself, nobody would ever think it was murder.
39:01Why?
39:02What was in it for you?
39:04Well, I...
39:05I knew you were going to leave my mother a lot of money.
39:09You didn't have anybody else.
39:11And when she got it, I'd get mine too.
39:13Phil, you would kill her next.
39:16Oh, no, no.
39:17I swear it.
39:18You know something, Phil?
39:20Some people should get their throats cut.
39:22I know.
39:23Don't.
39:23No.
39:23Mr. Vincent.
39:24Hold it right there.
39:26Help me.
39:27Help me.
39:28He just tried to kill me.
39:29Stop flubbering, pal.
39:30You're okay.
39:32You just had a very close shave.
39:34They say that barbershop shaves are becoming a lost art.
39:45And if that's the kind of shave they're handing out these days, I can well understand.
39:49Of course, we hope the barbers in our audience aren't offended.
39:54Personally, we think there's only one thing more relaxing than an afternoon in a barber's chair.
40:00And that's the time spent listening to the Radio Mystery Theater.
40:08Perhaps you'll remember the story about the man in the barbershop who was getting a fine straight razor shave
40:14while a very pretty blonde lady manicured his nails.
40:17He said to her, you're the prettiest girl I've seen in years.
40:21How about a date tonight?
40:23She replied, why don't you ask my husband?
40:26He's shaving you.
40:28What?
40:29Know that?
40:30Well, that's not the purpose of the Radio Mystery Theater anyway.
40:34We're here to hand out chills and thrills.
40:37And we hope you'll be back for more.
40:39Our cast included Mandel Kramer, Robert Dryden, Catherine Byers, Suzanne Grossman, Ian Martin, and Sam Gray.
40:47The entire production was under the direction of Hyman Brown.
40:51Radio Mystery Theater was sponsored in part by Buick Motor Division
40:54and Anheuser-Busch Incorporated, Brewers of Budweiser.
40:58This is E.G. Marshall inviting you to return to our mystery theater
41:01for another adventure in the macabre.
41:04Until next time, pleasant dreams.
41:09Tonight's W.R. Mystery Theater was also brought to you in part by ShopRite Supermarkets,
41:36where you get a lot more for a little less.
41:38The preceding program is furnished by the Columbia Broadcasting System.
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