December 31, 2023 • 14 mins
The Zero Hour (aka Hollywood Radio Theater) was a 1973–74 American radio drama anthology series hosted by Rod Serling. With tales of mystery, adventure and suspense, the program was broadcast for two seasons. Some of the scripts were written by Serling.
The radio series debuted on September 3, 1973, in syndication, and was picked up by the Mutual Broadcasting System in December. The original format featured five-part dramas broadcast Monday through Friday with the story coming to a conclusion on Friday. Including commercials, each part was approximately 30 minutes long. Mutual affiliates were free to broadcast the series in any available time slot that they wished.
In 1974, still airing five days a week, the program changed to a full story in a single 30-minute installment with the same actor starring throughout the week in all five programs. That format was employed from late April 1974 to the end of the series in July 1974.
The radio series debuted on September 3, 1973, in syndication, and was picked up by the Mutual Broadcasting System in December. The original format featured five-part dramas broadcast Monday through Friday with the story coming to a conclusion on Friday. Including commercials, each part was approximately 30 minutes long. Mutual affiliates were free to broadcast the series in any available time slot that they wished.
In 1974, still airing five days a week, the program changed to a full story in a single 30-minute installment with the same actor starring throughout the week in all five programs. That format was employed from late April 1974 to the end of the series in July 1974.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This is a special closed circuit presentationof Zero Hour, the new radio drama
series with Rod Serling, which willpremiere over Mutual on December seventeenth at seven
p m. Eastern Standard Time.The tales have been sent to all stations.
What will follow is a fourteen minutecondensation of one half hour episode starring
(00:21):
Academy Award winner George Kennedy. Thiscondensation is not for broadcast. It is
for audition and sales purposes only.Write A first call for all affiliates expires
Monday in November nineteenth. Stations desiringclearance are urged to contact station relations as
soon as possible. Now, misterSerling, I'm Rod Shirling. You're listening
(00:46):
to The Zero Hour. Resscherhis exerciseyour imagination. This week Charles Larson's Inside
Story of Television Murder, Someone's Deathand starring George Kennedy, Joyce Boulevart,
(01:26):
and Robert Reid in Elliott Lewis's productionof The Zero Hour. Just When We
(01:52):
Are Safest, There's a sunset,touch, a fancy from a flower bell,
Someone's death from euripides. Robert Browningon Men and Women for Television.
Producer Nils Frederick Blixen, someone's deathwas prologue to a show unwritten. He
(02:12):
cast himself in the hero's role,his youthful casting director, Joanna Redfern his
leading lady. But somebody is notfollowing the script. A second someone's death
has been written in. Nor isJoanna Redfern playing her part as she should.
The heroine is not supposed to befound at the scene of the crime
with blood on her hands. ForNeils Frederick Blixen, life behind the camera
(02:38):
was never this frustrating. But that'sthe difference between fiction and fact, and
the fact remains. Someone's death wasmurder. One would have thought, seeing
Heidi, that she'd fallen asleep overher book. She'd been struck twice in
(02:59):
the face by a sharp instrument witha long blade, probably an axe.
The murderer may have been splashed,probably had been. An examination would show
traces of blood in the trap underthe kitchen sink where he or she had
washed. No one in the fourplex had heard a sound. The murder
weapon was nowhere to be seen.Continued. I stood in the doorway and
(03:22):
watched a police car drive right away, facing the window, blurred by rain.
Sergeant names I want miss Redfern's attorneynotified he has been if you know
the child, it was killed child, tragic, tragic child, Mike her
grandfather get home? Really didn't Whendid this happen? We found her about
(03:46):
ten minutes to seven. She hadn'tbeen dead long. I know. My
secretary spoke to him. Why don'tyou come back inside, mister Books.
No, no, no, notthe eldest apartment. We're not quite through
there. Upstairs, the miss Redburnsin Red's apartment, Detective Ames took a
(04:11):
statement from a pale, perspiring reneeor test who protested he knew nothing.
He'd come home with a severe headache, he'd taken three aspirins, and he'd
been awakened by the police atself.I believe you have a room made,
mister Ortez, A mister Leeds,Bobby Leeds. Where is mister Leeds?
Now? I am sorry, Icannot tell you. He is no longer
(04:38):
leaving at my place. We hada little disagreement. And where does he
work? No, no, no, no, Bobby does not work.
Here is a Lili on the field. Occasionally he acts. You might say,
here's a mimic a female limprision islook okay, thank you, Thank
(04:58):
you, mister Ortez. You maygo oh and send up the boy Phil
Waters, will you ooey ooie?Incidentally, mister Blixen, you said the
little girl called your office tonight.At what time? Was that? About
six thirty? I should guess Ihad looked at my watch at six twenty
(05:19):
five, and my secretary said Heidihad called a little before that, and
then she phoned back about six thirty. And you spoke to the child that
my secretary spoke to her. Yoursecretary's name and address, mister Blixen,
Miss Mary McGrath A four hundred anda half will Away, and that's in
Glendale. Would miss McGrath be familiarwith the little girl's voice. Absolutely,
(05:41):
they'd spoken to each other many timeson the telephone, on and off the
telephone. There's no way she couldbe fooled, not even by a professional
mimic like a female impersonator. Well, my secretary certainly didn't say anything.
It was Heidi's voice as far asshe was concerned. That's all I can
(06:04):
go on. May I ask onequestion, certainly, do you have the
murder weapon? Nope? Then whyhave you arrested Miss Redferin? Well,
missus Redfern stated she arrived home atapproximately six forty five. She said she
noticed the elis door open slightly,called to Heidie, got no answer and
walked in and he came along afew minutes later. Heard someone cry out
(06:27):
as Redfern was standing over the bodywith blood on her heads. Driver picked
me up the next morning to gosee Red where they were holding her at
the Cibil Brand Facility for Women.Oh, in my opinion knows they would
have been better to concentrate on tyingher to the Gladstone murder. Now they
have to show a connection between Gladstoneand Heidi, and I don't think they're
(06:50):
going to be able to do that. Is that your good news for the
day, Well, let's a try. What are you dragging your heels about?
Get her off the Gladstone burn.He bought a gun, Well let
him do a ballistic test on it, means Frederick, I'm afraid there's a
bit of a hitch there. Whatdo you mean? You see the end
of day when your boss Todd hadRed fired. She went home, got
(07:12):
in her newly repaired car, drovedown to the pier and took the boat
trip to Catalina and threw the gunoverboard. Yes, that's right. It's
at the bottom of the ocean.Nobody will ever find it. When I
(07:33):
saw Red come into the visiting room, she seemed to have grown smaller behind
her. The police matron who broughther in stood and gazed like a cat
at a remote distance. There wasa glass wall between us, and Red's
voice came to me through a phonelike ray out for it. How are
they treating you? Do you needanything? Could you send me the trade?
(07:55):
Oh? Sure, they'll be luckyif Schreiber doesn't sue for false arrest
before it. Don't tell me youtwo Hamburgers still think I'm innocent. As
the day is long, here's nevera Queenix around. You want one?
Red? Have you heard from yourfather? Yes? This morning. He
thinks I did it, he advises. I plead insanity and throw myself in
(08:18):
the mercy of the court. Saidto be sure to talk to the analyst
who treated me after I killed mysister. But he's not coming to see
me. How's Leonard? Ellis Leonard? I don't know. The police tell
me he's been hospitalized. They foundhim in some bar, told him about
Hidie, and he began to getsevere chest pains. My poor guy.
(08:41):
All right, I'll check into it. Red. Did you notice anything out
of the ordinary before you went intoEllis apartment last night? Just the door
was open? Was that usual?What was never open? They were all
burglar freaks. They hear him everynight. There are enough locks change in
booth to outfit a dungeon on everydoor. Our time was up. The
(09:07):
matron was approaching. I told RedI'd be back. She put her hand
on the glass, palm flat,and I rested my palm on the other
side against hers, as though wewere touching. I left the building.
By the time I got back tothe studio, I didn't think anything was
worth too much. There was astrange secretary in my office. Took me
(09:28):
a moment or two to remember that. Last night at the office, just
before Jack and I had stepped outinto the rain, Mary had told me
she was flying out in the morningto Chicago to see her sick father.
I smiled at the new secretary.She had the heat turned up and her
coat over her shoulders, but noneof it seemed to warmer in the least.
I picked up all my messages fromher desk, including one from Tibbet
and research it read the threatening letter. The words were cut out of Star
(09:54):
Eyes Comics April fifteenth, nineteen seventytwo issue good Man Tibbot. I spent
the next ten minutes on the phonegood Samaritan Hospital to check on Leonard Ellis.
Learned nothing except that he was inintensive care. Hung up and got
a call from Ames Nick fon.Yes, I wanted to talk to your
(10:15):
secretary Mary McGrath, but I gotsomebody else. Don't they have the wrong
office? Where is miss McGrath inChicago? Her father's sick, didn't I
tell you? No? You gaveme your address in Glen Dale, but
there's no one there. Oh,I'm sorry. I was pretty shook up
last night. I've got the numberright here. Just a minute, Uh
yeah, four two seven, threenine nine. I don't remember the area
(10:41):
code. I'll get it. Thanks. I spent the day at my desk
going over all of the scripts thatwere ready to shoot. It was five
o'clock when I got another call fromSergeant Ames. We called the number you
gave us in Chicago for your secretary, Miss McGrath. She wasn't there.
Her father's very ill. She mighthave been at the hospital. Nope,
(11:05):
called a couple of her friends aswell, no sign of it. So
we went to the airline at LaHere. She never got on the plane.
Hey, mister Blixon, I'm here. I'm trying to find an explanation.
She was very close to her father. She told me he was dying.
(11:26):
We passed away at noon Chicago time. Oh, I'd better notify missing
persons. Hung up and sat thinkingabout Mary and the two deaths that had
already occurred. Mary. How couldshe be involved? Was I losing my
sanity? Was there a straight linethrough Dan Gladstone? Heidi? Mary?
(11:50):
Where would it end? With whom? Jack was parked in his usual place,
waiting for me, reading the lateedition of The Times and looking at
the legs of starlets as they passedthe checkout point at the gate. Hi,
mister Blixon, Hey, what doyou hear from our girl? I
(12:13):
saw her this morning. She'll makeit. Let the traffic clear a little
bit, Jack, I just wantto sit here for a minute. And
oh, my wife, Delara,she's got it all paid. She says
they're railroading Miss Redfern. And shesays the kid's grandfather did it. When
she based that on Well, forone thing, the paper said there were
three or four locks on the frontdoor, and all of them were open,
and Delores figures the kid was waitingfor whoever lived there to come in.
(12:37):
The paper said she was on thecouch, so she didn't open the
door herself. The locks were offand the guy came right in unless he
picked the locks first. Why youcan't pick a lock without making some kind
of noise. But it was rainingthat might have covered it. Hey,
what's the matter? Don't you wantthe old man to be guilty something like
that. Besides, he left thestudio at the same same time we did
(13:00):
last night, six thirty or thereabouts. He couldn't have gotten to the apartment,
killed a girl and split before Redarrived. But when did she about
a quarter to seven? Well,it'd be tight, but I think he
could make it in fifteen minutes.I don't know. I have to run
it myself, do it? Doit now? I want to go over
there anyhow, All right, youtime it, But the way I get
out of the lot? Hey,I feel like Mario and Rotty. Now,
(13:26):
who's going to pay the fine?If the cops stop me, they'd
better not stop you. I hopeyou're right. We crossed Cinemonica, turned
right onto a congested alley, lefta narrow street, and east again toward
mine. There were no automatic signalson Jack's route. At the boulevard stops,
he paused and nosed at once intohunting traffic. Twelve minutes and twenty
(13:50):
seconds later we pulled to a stopin front of the fort Place. Okay,
how about that. You're a professionaldriver and you barely made it.
Ellis was drunk, the streets werewet. No, I can't buy it.
It's out of reason, all outof reason. Leonard Ellis was the
only one in the whole house whocouldn't have done it, accept of of
(14:13):
course, Miss Redfern. Maybe,yeah, yeah, that's true. You
better not wait, Jack, Iwant to pick up something from the garage
and have no idea how long I'llbe. I'll see you tomorrow. Yeah
right. This episode of someone's deathcontinues. Oh vissigns run out. This
has been a special condensation of azero hour not for broadcast. Remember,
(14:37):
Monday, November nineteenth is a deadlinefor affiliate response. Stations urged to contact
station relations today. Zero Hour premiereis December seventeenth, of seven pm.
We hope your station is with us. This is the mutual broadcasting system.
This is a special closed circuit presentationof Zero Hour, the new radio drama
series with Rod Serling, which willpremiere over Mutual on December seventeenth at seven
p m. Eastern Standard Time.The tales have been sent to all stations.
What will follow is a fourteen minutecondensation of one half hour episode starring
(00:21):
Academy Award winner George Kennedy. Thiscondensation is not for broadcast. It is
for audition and sales purposes only.Write A first call for all affiliates expires
Monday in November nineteenth. Stations desiringclearance are urged to contact station relations as
soon as possible. Now, misterSerling, I'm Rod Shirling. You're listening
(00:46):
to The Zero Hour. Resscherhis exerciseyour imagination. This week Charles Larson's Inside
Story of Television Murder, Someone's Deathand starring George Kennedy, Joyce Boulevart,
(01:26):
and Robert Reid in Elliott Lewis's productionof The Zero Hour. Just When We
(01:52):
Are Safest, There's a sunset,touch, a fancy from a flower bell,
Someone's death from euripides. Robert Browningon Men and Women for Television.
Producer Nils Frederick Blixen, someone's deathwas prologue to a show unwritten. He
(02:12):
cast himself in the hero's role,his youthful casting director, Joanna Redfern his
leading lady. But somebody is notfollowing the script. A second someone's death
has been written in. Nor isJoanna Redfern playing her part as she should.
The heroine is not supposed to befound at the scene of the crime
with blood on her hands. ForNeils Frederick Blixen, life behind the camera
(02:38):
was never this frustrating. But that'sthe difference between fiction and fact, and
the fact remains. Someone's death wasmurder. One would have thought, seeing
Heidi, that she'd fallen asleep overher book. She'd been struck twice in
(02:59):
the face by a sharp instrument witha long blade, probably an axe.
The murderer may have been splashed,probably had been. An examination would show
traces of blood in the trap underthe kitchen sink where he or she had
washed. No one in the fourplex had heard a sound. The murder
weapon was nowhere to be seen.Continued. I stood in the doorway and
(03:22):
watched a police car drive right away, facing the window, blurred by rain.
Sergeant names I want miss Redfern's attorneynotified he has been if you know
the child, it was killed child, tragic, tragic child, Mike her
grandfather get home? Really didn't Whendid this happen? We found her about
(03:46):
ten minutes to seven. She hadn'tbeen dead long. I know. My
secretary spoke to him. Why don'tyou come back inside, mister Books.
No, no, no, notthe eldest apartment. We're not quite through
there. Upstairs, the miss Redburnsin Red's apartment, Detective Ames took a
(04:11):
statement from a pale, perspiring reneeor test who protested he knew nothing.
He'd come home with a severe headache, he'd taken three aspirins, and he'd
been awakened by the police atself.I believe you have a room made,
mister Ortez, A mister Leeds,Bobby Leeds. Where is mister Leeds?
Now? I am sorry, Icannot tell you. He is no longer
(04:38):
leaving at my place. We hada little disagreement. And where does he
work? No, no, no, no, Bobby does not work.
Here is a Lili on the field. Occasionally he acts. You might say,
here's a mimic a female limprision islook okay, thank you, Thank
(04:58):
you, mister Ortez. You maygo oh and send up the boy Phil
Waters, will you ooey ooie?Incidentally, mister Blixen, you said the
little girl called your office tonight.At what time? Was that? About
six thirty? I should guess Ihad looked at my watch at six twenty
(05:19):
five, and my secretary said Heidihad called a little before that, and
then she phoned back about six thirty. And you spoke to the child that
my secretary spoke to her. Yoursecretary's name and address, mister Blixen,
Miss Mary McGrath A four hundred anda half will Away, and that's in
Glendale. Would miss McGrath be familiarwith the little girl's voice. Absolutely,
(05:41):
they'd spoken to each other many timeson the telephone, on and off the
telephone. There's no way she couldbe fooled, not even by a professional
mimic like a female impersonator. Well, my secretary certainly didn't say anything.
It was Heidi's voice as far asshe was concerned. That's all I can
(06:04):
go on. May I ask onequestion, certainly, do you have the
murder weapon? Nope? Then whyhave you arrested Miss Redferin? Well,
missus Redfern stated she arrived home atapproximately six forty five. She said she
noticed the elis door open slightly,called to Heidie, got no answer and
walked in and he came along afew minutes later. Heard someone cry out
(06:27):
as Redfern was standing over the bodywith blood on her heads. Driver picked
me up the next morning to gosee Red where they were holding her at
the Cibil Brand Facility for Women.Oh, in my opinion knows they would
have been better to concentrate on tyingher to the Gladstone murder. Now they
have to show a connection between Gladstoneand Heidi, and I don't think they're
(06:50):
going to be able to do that. Is that your good news for the
day, Well, let's a try. What are you dragging your heels about?
Get her off the Gladstone burn.He bought a gun, Well let
him do a ballistic test on it, means Frederick, I'm afraid there's a
bit of a hitch there. Whatdo you mean? You see the end
of day when your boss Todd hadRed fired. She went home, got
(07:12):
in her newly repaired car, drovedown to the pier and took the boat
trip to Catalina and threw the gunoverboard. Yes, that's right. It's
at the bottom of the ocean.Nobody will ever find it. When I
(07:33):
saw Red come into the visiting room, she seemed to have grown smaller behind
her. The police matron who broughther in stood and gazed like a cat
at a remote distance. There wasa glass wall between us, and Red's
voice came to me through a phonelike ray out for it. How are
they treating you? Do you needanything? Could you send me the trade?
(07:55):
Oh? Sure, they'll be luckyif Schreiber doesn't sue for false arrest
before it. Don't tell me youtwo Hamburgers still think I'm innocent. As
the day is long, here's nevera Queenix around. You want one?
Red? Have you heard from yourfather? Yes? This morning. He
thinks I did it, he advises. I plead insanity and throw myself in
(08:18):
the mercy of the court. Saidto be sure to talk to the analyst
who treated me after I killed mysister. But he's not coming to see
me. How's Leonard? Ellis Leonard? I don't know. The police tell
me he's been hospitalized. They foundhim in some bar, told him about
Hidie, and he began to getsevere chest pains. My poor guy.
(08:41):
All right, I'll check into it. Red. Did you notice anything out
of the ordinary before you went intoEllis apartment last night? Just the door
was open? Was that usual?What was never open? They were all
burglar freaks. They hear him everynight. There are enough locks change in
booth to outfit a dungeon on everydoor. Our time was up. The
(09:07):
matron was approaching. I told RedI'd be back. She put her hand
on the glass, palm flat,and I rested my palm on the other
side against hers, as though wewere touching. I left the building.
By the time I got back tothe studio, I didn't think anything was
worth too much. There was astrange secretary in my office. Took me
(09:28):
a moment or two to remember that. Last night at the office, just
before Jack and I had stepped outinto the rain, Mary had told me
she was flying out in the morningto Chicago to see her sick father.
I smiled at the new secretary.She had the heat turned up and her
coat over her shoulders, but noneof it seemed to warmer in the least.
I picked up all my messages fromher desk, including one from Tibbet
and research it read the threatening letter. The words were cut out of Star
(09:54):
Eyes Comics April fifteenth, nineteen seventytwo issue good Man Tibbot. I spent
the next ten minutes on the phonegood Samaritan Hospital to check on Leonard Ellis.
Learned nothing except that he was inintensive care. Hung up and got
a call from Ames Nick fon.Yes, I wanted to talk to your
(10:15):
secretary Mary McGrath, but I gotsomebody else. Don't they have the wrong
office? Where is miss McGrath inChicago? Her father's sick, didn't I
tell you? No? You gaveme your address in Glen Dale, but
there's no one there. Oh,I'm sorry. I was pretty shook up
last night. I've got the numberright here. Just a minute, Uh
yeah, four two seven, threenine nine. I don't remember the area
(10:41):
code. I'll get it. Thanks. I spent the day at my desk
going over all of the scripts thatwere ready to shoot. It was five
o'clock when I got another call fromSergeant Ames. We called the number you
gave us in Chicago for your secretary, Miss McGrath. She wasn't there.
Her father's very ill. She mighthave been at the hospital. Nope,
(11:05):
called a couple of her friends aswell, no sign of it. So
we went to the airline at LaHere. She never got on the plane.
Hey, mister Blixon, I'm here. I'm trying to find an explanation.
She was very close to her father. She told me he was dying.
(11:26):
We passed away at noon Chicago time. Oh, I'd better notify missing
persons. Hung up and sat thinkingabout Mary and the two deaths that had
already occurred. Mary. How couldshe be involved? Was I losing my
sanity? Was there a straight linethrough Dan Gladstone? Heidi? Mary?
(11:50):
Where would it end? With whom? Jack was parked in his usual place,
waiting for me, reading the lateedition of The Times and looking at
the legs of starlets as they passedthe checkout point at the gate. Hi,
mister Blixon, Hey, what doyou hear from our girl? I
(12:13):
saw her this morning. She'll makeit. Let the traffic clear a little
bit, Jack, I just wantto sit here for a minute. And
oh, my wife, Delara,she's got it all paid. She says
they're railroading Miss Redfern. And shesays the kid's grandfather did it. When
she based that on Well, forone thing, the paper said there were
three or four locks on the frontdoor, and all of them were open,
and Delores figures the kid was waitingfor whoever lived there to come in.
(12:37):
The paper said she was on thecouch, so she didn't open the
door herself. The locks were offand the guy came right in unless he
picked the locks first. Why youcan't pick a lock without making some kind
of noise. But it was rainingthat might have covered it. Hey,
what's the matter? Don't you wantthe old man to be guilty something like
that. Besides, he left thestudio at the same same time we did
(13:00):
last night, six thirty or thereabouts. He couldn't have gotten to the apartment,
killed a girl and split before Redarrived. But when did she about
a quarter to seven? Well,it'd be tight, but I think he
could make it in fifteen minutes.I don't know. I have to run
it myself, do it? Doit now? I want to go over
there anyhow, All right, youtime it, But the way I get
out of the lot? Hey,I feel like Mario and Rotty. Now,
(13:26):
who's going to pay the fine?If the cops stop me, they'd
better not stop you. I hopeyou're right. We crossed Cinemonica, turned
right onto a congested alley, lefta narrow street, and east again toward
mine. There were no automatic signalson Jack's route. At the boulevard stops,
he paused and nosed at once intohunting traffic. Twelve minutes and twenty
(13:50):
seconds later we pulled to a stopin front of the fort Place. Okay,
how about that. You're a professionaldriver and you barely made it.
Ellis was drunk, the streets werewet. No, I can't buy it.
It's out of reason, all outof reason. Leonard Ellis was the
only one in the whole house whocouldn't have done it, accept of of
(14:13):
course, Miss Redfern. Maybe,yeah, yeah, that's true. You
better not wait, Jack, Iwant to pick up something from the garage
and have no idea how long I'llbe. I'll see you tomorrow. Yeah
right. This episode of someone's deathcontinues. Oh vissigns run out. This
has been a special condensation of azero hour not for broadcast. Remember,
(14:37):
Monday, November nineteenth is a deadlinefor affiliate response. Stations urged to contact
station relations today. Zero Hour premiereis December seventeenth, of seven pm.
We hope your station is with us. This is the mutual broadcasting system.
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