The_Last_Mile

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Mister District Attorney, Radio friends,this is Harrington. I'm speaking to you
from the District Attorney's office. Twomonths have gone by since we captured Duke
Orlando at the municipal Airport. Twomonths in which the District Attorney and our
entire staff have been working day andnight piecing together the evidence we have collected

(00:20):
against Duke Orlando and his restaurant director, the Ohio Kid. The Duke's torpedo
has applied us with much of theconnecting links that we needed. He has
turned state's evidence, which means he'llbe a witness for the District Attorney.
The District Attorney has been in courtfor the past five days, and this
morning he was going to call theOhio Kid to the stand. Kid,

(00:45):
I want to remind you that youhave sworn to tell the truth while on
the witness chair. Are all thestatements you have made so far the truth?
The things you described actually took placeas you said, yes they did.
You heard mister Tourney, the restinstant owner on the witness stand,
say that he was threatened by LuckyLynch and yourself, and Lucky said if

(01:06):
he didn't join your employer's protective society, something real bad was going to happen
to him or to his family.Yeah, Lucky said that. Did Duke
Orlando give him orders to say that? Yeah? The Duke said, if
any restaurant owner don't want to joinor just show him how badly they need
protection. And how did you showmister Tony? You know you heard mister

(01:30):
Tony tell how we bombed his house? Who's we lo he lynch in me?
Who told you to bomb mister Tony'shouse? The Duke was that the
only time the Duke ordered you todo something like that for him. Now
he was the boss of the wholeracket. He gave us the orders on
every job we pulled, the Bobkilling, the two long murders. He

(01:53):
give every one of the minutes wehave order in the park. Well,
radio, friends, the case ofthe People versus Duke Orlando is in its
final moments. While he was onthe witness stand, the Ohio Kid disclosed
the entire inside details of Orlando's restaurantracket. Now it looks as though we

(02:17):
have a closed case against him.The District Attorney is in court now making
a summation to the jury, andso, gentlemen of the jury, there
can be no doubt in your mindsthat Duke Orlando is guilty of the crime
as charged. Look back on thefacts that have been disclosed here in court.

(02:39):
We have proved that Duke Orlando ruthlesslyordered the bombing of mister Tourney's house,
knowing that a little seven year old, innocent child would be killed or
Maine. We have proved that hecoolly planned the death and disappearance of Bibi
the Union official, that he carefullyengineered a scheme to get rid of his

(03:00):
former right hand man Lucky Lynch,that he but it's not necessary for me
to go on. I know asintelligence citizens of this community, that you
will not hesitate for one moment,that you will render a verdict of murder
in the first degree. Duke Orlandois as guilty of the murder of Professor

(03:21):
Toulon as if he actually wielded theblower. Harrington speaking, No, the
da is still in court, courtressaysed about five minutes ago. Yes,
I expect him any minutes. I'llI doubt if you'll have time for that
today. Right, goodbye, OhHarrington, Well how to go to yahah?

(03:47):
I think we've got the case clinched, and of course there is still
a summation for the defense. However, I'm not worried. If Leicester were
still defending the Duke, I wouldn'tbe quite as sure of the outcome.
Lester might get around the tremendous amountof evidence we brought out, but I
don't think Stanton, his new attorney, will be able to. I'd like
to just a attorney speaking. Hedoes. That's slightly irregular. Well,

(04:15):
all right, I don't see anyharm. I'll be down to see him
shortly, Harrington. Duke Orlando wantsto see me, don't tell me he
wants to come clean now. Idon't know, but i'll find out soon
enough. I've got some work toclean up, but as soon as i'm
prou i'll be paying. Duke Orlandowill visit. Hello, Da. They

(04:41):
liked my new quarters. Not quiteas nice as your own place. Du
Yeah, they even got springs inthe bed. You won't be here long
enough to worry much about that.Trial's pretty near over in it, Ta,
Yes, but what did you wantto see me about? I decided
to give you a break. That'snice of you, Yeah, I thought
so. I'm gonna confess why well, I don't think my mouth beasts doing

(05:08):
so good. If you don't dosomething fast, we're going to lose this
case. I don't think he hasmy interest at heart. You don't,
so I thought i'd confess then youcould let me off easy. What gave
you that idea? Well, itsave you a lot of trouble. It
would have before this trial started.I gave you your chance when Lucky Lynch

(05:30):
died. You could have given upthen. Still late, now due,
I've got your dead the rights.You're going to the electric chair still dreaming
day huh? Well, too badyou won't take me up on this confession
idea. Have made it very easyfor you, and you could have let

(05:50):
me off easy. Nothing can makeit easy for you now due It certainly
won't be easy for you to listento that jury's verdict. Chatlemen of the
jury, have you reached a verdict? We have, your honor? What
is that verdict? We find thedefendant, Duke Orlando, guilty of the
crime of murder and the first degreeis charged. Duke Orlando, have you

(06:15):
at any legal cause why judgment andsentence should not be passed upon you with
this time? No, you dthe sentence of the court, Duke Orlando,
is that you should be confined tostate's prison, and that on someday
in the week beginning June eleventh,you'll be put to death in the mode
and manner prescribed by the laws ofthe stately. No, no, hey,

(06:45):
sinnat, duke. You've been walkingup and down for an hour.
It gets me nervous. Sin nowwell in I can't said I can't every
time I sin a thinking a chair. It ain't so ways of being quiet
with that in your mind, Iguess it ay plenty dark and he sells
ain't a duke funny. They putyou in a cell right next to mine.

(07:09):
I won't be here long, kid, but you're here for life.
Life in the cellar is a longtime life, and the cell, Duke,
ain't nearly so long as the timeyou're dead. Yeah, I guess
you're right, kid, Duke.Will you talk with me a couple of
minutes. Maybe I'm getting soft.I don't know sure. I ain't feeling

(07:33):
so good myself. I'll even gofurther. I'm a fool. I've always
been a fool, like a likea rubber tire. You know, you
pump up full of air, justa lot of air that don't last.
I never thought i'd hear you saysomething like that, Duke, Well,

(07:56):
I ain never did neither. Butthis is different sitting and thinking. You
scared? Kid? Yeah? Soam I? Hey, dude, did
you e perfall for a nice game? A regular game? Once? What

(08:18):
happened? She thrown me over whenshe found out who I was? Did
you ever know one? Nah?And I think I seen one once.
Never got to know her, though, I guess there are good dames.
Though ever played baseball when you wasa kid that much? There wasn't any

(08:41):
room on the street. Did yousure I played a swell game too?
The other kids used to call mehome run Orlando d We had a good
bunch of fellas. Sure. Iused to play baseball every Saturday. We
had a swell Have you got anybodywho cares about you, whether you're burn

(09:03):
or not? Nah? Ain't either. Why are we here today and other
guys outside? I don't know,kid, I guess I guess we're here
because we didn't use our brains.We try to be too smart. I
can't figure it out. Life,you know, is all complicated. It's

(09:26):
got me licked, Duke. Ifyou was to live your life all over
again? What would you do?She got me there. Let's see.
I don't know. I think I'dlike a nice little place where I could
stay in. Never go nowhere isstayed early Peanuts and maybe played the victim,

(09:48):
have a few friends, just talklive not long, dude. Come
on, put a move on.You're coming with me. We're putting me
in a saddleway. It'll be niceand comfort there at the death house.
Sorry, duke, time to takea little war. The last one didn't

(10:15):
no reprieve? Come, didn't Iget no steak? No, nothing's here
about your death one salong, Duke, Sorry, you'd gone pale to last
mile m extra extra, read allabout it you Collando dies in electric chair.

(10:52):
District Attorney writes, finished the restaurantback, and he'll read all about
it restaurant back and ended. MisterDistrict Attorney is a dramatization by phillips H's
Lord. All names of characters usedin this program are for obvious reasons fictitious.

(11:15):
Mister District Attorney subsequent to tonight willcome to you once a week in
half hour form commencing June twenty seventh, ten to ten thirty pm Eastern daylight
Saving Time. It will not beheard during the intervening week. We present
now Fred Waring Radio in a briefchat with Paul Douglas. He'll tell you

(11:39):
about Pleasure Time, which is scheduledto be heard over these stations at eleven
o'clock Eastern daylight Saving Time beginning nextMonday. Are you scared? Yes,
Freds, You've always been noticed forthe noted for the shortest half hour radio,
and Pleasure Time is going to bea new departure for you in the
Pennsylvanias. But don't you feel thatproducing a new show every day is going
to be a tough assignment. Onthe contrary, Paul, I'm very pleased

(12:03):
with the idea of five fifteen minutespots a week. For this reason.
We've always had twice as many ideasas we've had time in which to present
them, and this is the opportunitywe've been looking for to produce all the
ideas we've been keeping on the waitingshelf. Well, I can understand that,
Fred, but what puzzles me ishow do you ever expect to work
that enormous gang of yours into afifteen minute show? My memory shoves me

(12:26):
right, there's done a day StuartChurchill, PAULI mcclinic and Fern two Bees
and the Honey and the Les PaulTrio with Jimmy Atkins and Petsy Garrett and
Gordon Goodman and Jane Wilson in theclub, Yes, in the glee Club.
That adds up to a lot ofentertainment. Well that's not all,
Paul. We plan to introduce anumber of new features too, both script

(12:46):
and musical. For instance, Wellwith a new idea we hope will be
an entertaining way of presenting the baseballresults of the day. Yesse, that
features you, Paul. And amongthe feature instrumentalist will be Eric Today.
He's a violinist and a ranger andhe's about the tops among the English musicians,

(13:07):
just arrived in this country formerly withRay Noble. I believe I met
in the other afternoon. I've heardof him from Continental records. But now,
how about an inkling of these scriptplans? Well, I won't tell
all, but I will tell youone thing. Pollie will be heard in
a new role, the role ofa great lover Astounded Poli mclinic. Paul,
That Astounded is in parenthesis there speakin an astounded tone. All right,

(13:30):
paula mcclinic, in an astounded tone. That's right, that's right.
You mean that really, that croakingcrooner, that fog voice, the drummer
of yours is going to be agreat lover. Yeah, Pollie's going off
the deep end. The new loveis coming into Polie's life. And her
name is Inga Nelson. Isn't thatthe girl with the Swedish dialect? She
is? He's been on the aira few times in guest appearances with Fred

(13:52):
Allen, But to my mind,she's one of the finest young comedians of
today, you know, Paul,a funny woman is defined. I know.
But anyway, Fred, how inthe world was chann How in the
world are you ever going to getall these featured soloists, musicians, choral
groups and script spots in the fifteenminutes? It looks as though it's going
to be the fullest fifteen minutes inradio. Well, I'll confess, Paul,

(14:16):
it's sort of had me stumped fora time, but no longer.
I'm working out what might be bestdescribed as a stagger system. Stagger system.
Yes, in fact, it's astaggering stagger system. I'm having insomnia
these nights, trying to figure outschedules, performers works with the Rangers,
having conferences with script writers in orderto play material for our program as advance

(14:39):
it. You'll be a very busyman, Fred, Yes, I will
just one more question. What generaleffect would you attempt to achieve in producing
Pleasure Time? Well, a titlepretty well describes as Paul just a pleasant
fifteen minutes with all shades of varietyand music. Choral arrangements will predominate,
with the Glee Club featured. Ofcourse, I think we have to get
off the air, Fred, Ican say a lot a success and Pleasure

(15:01):
Time starring Fred Wearing with the Pennsylvanianswill start next Monday evening, Ladies and
Gentlemen, seven o'clock Eastern daylight Savingtime. This is a National Broadcasting Comedy
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