Lights Out Audition Show Date: Mar 27 1935

Lights Out 1935 Audition

CAST:
ANNOUNCER
VOICE

VIN, initially cool and calm
MARCELLA, the moll
PETE, the Swede
EVERETT
GUARD, an imperturbable Scot
2ND GUARD (1 line)
and murmuring police officers

ANNOUNCER: You will hear one episode of LIGHTS OUT in just a moment. LIGHTS OUT is a unique program. It brings to radio all the horror, all the mystery, all the supernatural thrills and chills that radio has so far missed. LIGHTS OUT brings you ghost stories, stories of the supernatural, tales of pseudoscience, psychological dramas at the witching hour of midnight. You'll hear vampires brought to life. You'll be present at torture scenes in Spanish dungeons. You'll hear the sullen thud of the headsman's sword. You'll live in the 25th century. LIGHTS OUT will awaken every old memory of ghosts, of hobgoblins, of banshees, of ghouls that lingers in your reluctant mind. Every Wednesday night at midnight, thousands of listeners sit shivering in the dark to hear these stark tales of tragedy, of horror, of fantastic terror. Tonight, it may be a tale of the tortures of ancient Rome. Next week, we speed across the Atlantic Ocean in a haunted airplane. Again, we hear the tortured voice of a murderer's subconscious mind as it leads him on through his dreadful deeds. We'll hear tales of scientists who bring machines to life. We'll tremble at mysterious footsteps and haunted houses. That's LIGHTS OUT. LIGHTS OUT is no story to listen to casually between hands of bridge. And that's why we ask the listeners to turn out their lights and listen in the dark -- if they dare. Turn out your lights, too, and listen. VOICE: Lights out, everybody. SOUND: TWELVE CHIME NOTES ... WIND UP ON TENTH CHIME ... OUT BEHIND ... GONG! EVERETT: (FADES IN, NARRATES IN A GHOSTLY LETHARGIC STILTED MONOTONE) I remember - there were four of us - and we were friends. Vin - and Pete - and Marcella - and me. Marcella was my girl. We were in the racket. It was a tough racket, but it was a good one. You've heard of us. Our racket was mostly banks. Banks are hard to take, but when you do take 'em, you get plenty. Of course, people sometimes get killed workin' the bank racket, but none of us ever did. Not on the job. Maybe you remember the stickup of the Commercial National. It was in all the papers. It was a morning in the summertime. Vin and me drove down to the bank from our hideout, with Marcella and Pete. Vin and me were to do the work. Marcella and Pete stayed in the car. Pete had a machine gun, and Marcella was to do the drivin'. She was a great driver, Marcella was. Vin and me went in. Everything went just as we had planned it. We got three hundred and seventy thousand dollars. We had to kill the bank's special officer to get away, but we got away. Although it seemed everybody in town was shootin' at us. SOUND: SCENE FADES OUT ... TRANSITIONAL PAUSE ... SCENE FADES IN ... IN CONTRAST WITH THE SLOW NARRATION, THE PACE OF THE DRAMA ACCELERATES ... FADE IN ON A VOLLEY OF GUNSHOTS, WHICH CONTINUE UNDER-- MARCELLA: This way, Everett! Come on! Come on! PETE: Keep out of the way of the blasts! EVERETT: Open the door! Open the door, Pete! SOUND: CAR DOOR OPENS VIN: Okay. Toss the bags inside! MARCELLA: Get in! Get in! VIN: (TO MARCELLA) Okay! All aboard! SOUND: CAR ENGINE ROARS AS CAR DRIVES OFF ... TWO FINAL GUNSHOTS ... CAR HORN HONKS ... ENGINE CONTINUES UNDER-- MARCELLA: (TIGHT-LIPPED WARNING, TO OTHERS) Corner. Hang on. SOUND: POLICE WHISTLE! EVERETT: Nuts to you, Copper! SOUND: ENGINE UP TO FILL A PAUSE ... THEN UNDER-- EVERETT: That the right alley, Marcella? MARCELLA: (COOL) I'll find the right alley. Hang on. PETE: (BEAT) Each one grab two bags now when we stop. And right up the stairs. I'll stay down and change the license plates. MARCELLA: Get set. SOUND: ENGINE SLOWS TO A QUICK STOP PETE: Okay! Everybody out! VIN: Yeah, come on. SOUND: SCRAMBLE ... CAR DOORS OPEN AND SHUT, BAGS PICKED UP, FAST STEPS UP STAIRS, THROUGH DOOR, WHICH OPENS AND SHUTS, THEN LOCKS ... CAST MURMURS AND SIGHS WITH RELIEF ONCE THEY'RE INSIDE VIN: (LIGHTLY) Well, my friends-- (EXHALES) MARCELLA: (A LITTLE BREATHLESS) How much did you get, Everett? EVERETT: I don't know yet. Let's count it, Vin. VIN: Okay. Take a gander out the window, Marcella. See how Pete's doing. MARCELLA: Yeah. (PAUSE AS SHE WALKS OFF TO WINDOW AND LOOKS) He's set. Startin' in. EVERETT: You got the food and everything, Marcella? MARCELLA: (CLOSER) Think I'm a sap? EVERETT: Ahh, nuts. Can't a guy ask a civil question? (BEAT) How much, Vin? VIN: (SLIGHTLY OFF) Twenty thousand in this pile. Looks to me like about a quarter of a million. EVERETT: Hot dog! Marcella kid, we'll be on our way to Europe a week from today -- if everything goes oke. MARCELLA: (CRYPTIC) Yeah. If everything goes oke. SOUND: "SECRET KNOCK" AT DOOR MARCELLA: (BEAT, TO EVERETT) It's Pete, ya dope. EVERETT: (BEAT, AT DOOR, LOW) That you, Pete? PETE: (BEHIND DOOR, LOW) Yeah. Open up. SOUND: DOOR UNLOCKS AND OPENS ... PETE IN ... DOOR SHUTS AND LOCKS EVERETT: (AT DOOR) Get away with it, Pete? PETE: (CLOSER) Yeah. So far. EVERETT: (CLOSER, CHUCKLES) We're a bunch of smarties havin' a hideout this close to the bank. The coppers'll be combin' the countryside for us. PETE: Yeah. (TO MARCELLA) That was pretty smart of you to think up that idea, babe. MARCELLA: (POINTEDLY) Oh? Do you think so, Pete? Well, I'm glad somebody appreciates me. EVERETT: Now listen, Marcella-- PETE: (INTERRUPTS) You shut up, punk. EVERETT: Who you callin' punk, you big Swede? PETE: Lay off. EVERETT: Well, don't go callin' me names. VIN: (SLIGHTLY OFF) Will you birds quit the scufflin'? We'll have the cops here the first thing you know. MARCELLA: Yeah, make 'em stop, Vin. VIN: (SLIGHTLY OFF) I'm busy. EVERETT: (BEAT) How much is there, Vin? VIN: (COUNTS) Three hundred and fifty-- Three hundred and sixty-- Three hundred and seventy. (BEAT, WITH FINALITY) Three hundred and seventy grand. PETE: Whew! Swell. EVERETT: Hot dog! (BEAT) That's, er, ninety grand and a bit apiece. Almost two hundred grand for you and me, Marcella. Can we do Europe on that. MARCELLA: (SLOWLY) I've changed my mind about Europe with you, Everett. EVERETT: What'd you say? MARCELLA: You heard me. EVERETT: Listen to me, babe-- MARCELLA: (INTERRUPTS) Don't you touch me. EVERETT: Why, you-- SOUND: EVERETT SLAPS MARCELLA IN THE FACE MARCELLA: (EXCLAIMS IN PAIN) PETE: Leave her alone, punk. EVERETT: Now look here, you big lutefisk. You keep your-- PETE: (INTERRUPTS) I said leave her alone. EVERETT: And who are you? PETE: I'm the guy that said leave that gal alone. VIN: (WORRIED, ADMONISHES) Oh, nix, guys! EVERETT: Stay out of this, Vin. (TO PETE) What'll you do about it if I don't, svenska? PETE: I'll drill a hole right through your slats. That's what I'll do. EVERETT: Oh, you will, huh? SOUND: GUNSHOT! EVERETT: (CHOKES, IN PAIN) SOUND: EVERETT'S BODY SLUMPS SLOWLY AGAINST FURNITURE, THEN HARD TO FLOOR, THEN DEAD PETE: (GRIM) Yeah, I will. (BEAT, TO MARCELLA, WITH SLOW PLEASURE) Come here, baby. Ya got a new daddy now. GONG! PETE: (NARRATES IN A GHOSTLY LETHARGIC STILTED MONOTONE) I remember, too. I remember how Marcella and Vin and I split the three hundred and seventy thousand dollars. It was a lot of money. She and I had almost a quarter of a million together. We went to Europe -- just as she had planned to go with Everett -- and we had a great time. I took her to Sweden, to Dalarna, where my people come from. My father was glad to see her. We told him I'd been a successful building contractor in America. I left him ten thousand dollars. That was enough to keep him in style the rest of his life. I was glad to do that. We had plenty of money. We went on to France, to Switzerland, to Italy. Ah, Marcella was beautiful. Everywhere we went, she attracted attention. People pointed at her as we walked through the hotel lobbies. Oh, I was very proud. We had Swedish passports and nobody in the world would have known us for what we were. We went to the Riviera. I had always loved gambling and now was my opportunity to gamble on a grand scale. I lost two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in four nights. So we came back home. I remember we ran across Vin in New York and he promised to come and see us at our hotel. SOUND: SCENE FADES OUT ... TRANSITIONAL PAUSE ... SCENE FADES IN ... MARCELLA: --how glad I am to be home, Vin darling. VIN: Are ya honest, kid? MARCELLA: I can't tell ya how much. Kiss me again, Vin. VIN: (AS THEY KISS) M-hm. MARCELLA: (EXHALES, DREAMILY) Gee, you're swell. VIN: You're not so dusty yourself, you know. MARCELLA: You really think so? VIN: Sure, I think so. MARCELLA: Why don't you do something about it then? VIN: What? MARCELLA: Why don't you take me away from here, Vinnie? VIN: No kiddin'? MARCELLA: I'd go anywhere with you, darling. VIN: What's the matter? You off Pete? MARCELLA: I'm tired of him, I guess, Vin. We had a swell time in Europe, but he don't know how to love, Vin. VIN: (SKEPTICAL) And I do, huh? MARCELLA: I'll say. Take me away, will you, Vin? VIN: Listen, Marcella, I never double-crossed a guy in my life. MARCELLA: You won't be double-crossing Pete, Vin. He - he ain't interested in me any more. VIN: Ain't he? MARCELLA: Honest. VIN: (UNCERTAIN) Hmm. MARCELLA: All he wants to do is go somewhere and gamble all the time. He lost a quarter of a million dollars at Monte Carlo. VIN: (REALIZES) Oh. So that's why you want to scram. MARCELLA: (QUICKLY) No! Honest. It isn't that, Vin. (PERSUASIVELY) I've got a little dough left. I've got enough so you and I could be comfortable the rest of our lives -- together -- without ever pulling another job. VIN: Pete and I had it all fixed to crack a joint upstate next week. MARCELLA: Oh, no. No, don't do it, Vin. You've got some of that Commercial National dough left, haven't you? VIN: 'Bout sixty-five grand. MARCELLA: (DISBELIEF) Out of a hundred and eighty? VIN: (DRY) The ponies, sweetheart. MARCELLA: Well, listen, Vin. I don't care if you haven't got a dime. Let's get out of this. Let's go straight, you and me. There are plenty of places. Central America-- VIN: (INTERRUPTS, DISMISSIVELY) I wouldn't go for that. MARCELLA: (SEDUCTIVELY) With me, Vin? I'm pretty good company. VIN: Listen, Marcella-- MARCELLA: (INTERRUPTS, QUICKLY) Vin, I tell ya, Pete doesn't care for me any more. I'm just excess baggage. He'd drop me in a minute if he knew how-- (BREAKS OFF, SEDUCTIVE AGAIN) Well, Vin, I always did go for you. Vin, I-- I love you. Vin, I-- VIN: Hon', I'm no double-crosser. MARCELLA: (POURING IT ON) Don't you love me a little bit, Vinnie? VIN: (WEAKENING) Love ya? I'm crazy about you, Marcella, but-- PETE: (SLIGHTLY OFF, LOW AND SLOWLY) Oh, ya are, are ya? SOUND: ROOM DOOR SHUTS PETE: (CLOSER, SLOWLY) You double-crossin' rat. VIN: Now listen, Pete, don't get me wrong-- PETE: I got it right, rat. Gonna swipe my woman, huh? VIN: Pete, I tell ya-- PETE: (INTERRUPTS) You can't tell me nothin'. Said you was goin' to call on us. Why'n't you wait till I was here? VIN: Because Marcella-- PETE: (BEAT, DARKLY) Yeah, because Marcella. (TO MARCELLA) What d'you got to say about this? MARCELLA: (UNASHAMED) Nothing. PETE: (TO VIN) Listen, rat, I knocked off one guy over this hair-twist-- VIN: Now listen, Pete-- PETE: --and I can do it again. Go get your clothes packed, Marcella. MARCELLA: (ALARMED) What? PETE: Throw your clothes in a suitcase. We're goin' to check out quick. MARCELLA: (WORRIED) Pete, what do you--? PETE: (INTERRUPTS) Get in there and pack your clothes, you-- SOUND: PETE SLAPS MARCELLA IN THE FACE MARCELLA: (EXCLAIMS IN PAIN) VIN: You let her alone. PETE: Oh, yeah? SOUND: PETE SLAPS MARCELLA AGAIN MARCELLA: (EXCLAIMS IN PAIN) PETE: Get in there and pack! VIN: (THREATENING) Pete, you hit her again-- PETE: You'll what? VIN: (SAVAGELY) I'll kill ya. PETE: (AMUSED) Yeah? SOUND: PETE SLAPS MARCELLA AGAIN MARCELLA: (EXCLAIMS IN PAIN) SOUND: GUNSHOT! PETE: (GRUNTS IN PAIN) SOUND: PETE'S BODY SLUMPS TO FLOOR PETE: (EXHALES DYING BREATH) VIN: (BEAT) I told you I'd do it, Pete. MARCELLA: (EMOTIONAL, BUT PLEASED) Oh, Vinnie. Vinnie, darling. GONG! MARCELLA: (FADES IN, NARRATES IN A GHOSTLY LETHARGIC STILTED MONOTONE) I remember, too. I remember how I ran and packed my clothes, and how Vin and I hurried out of the hotel. Pete had been careful to take a room at the end of a corridor, and nobody heard the shot. We went way out west, and we read the newspaper stories of Pete's death in a city a thousand miles away from New York. I wasn't sorry. We had plenty of money. We bought a place out in California. Beautiful Spanish place on the Palisades, up north of Santa Monica. We could look out the tall windows and watch the sea breaking endlessly on the sand a hundred feet below us. We could sit together and watch the sunset. Nobody knew us. People let us live as we wanted. Then I met Chet. Chet was a young doctor. I called him to take care of Vin one night when Vin had a bad cold. Vin was drinking too much anyway, and he was spending money a little too freely. Chet and I became better acquainted. We went on long rides up the coast road. We swam together at Malibu. We discovered that we were in love. And then, Vin supplied us the solution to our problem. There was a big bank holdup in Los Angeles. I read about it in the papers. Two men were killed. Unaccountably, Vin had taken to staying home. For two weeks, he stayed in the house, never going out. And then one night he got drunk. And talked. That was all I needed. SOUND: SCENE FADES OUT ... TRANSITIONAL PAUSE ... SCENE FADES IN ... VIN: (OFF, CALLS TENSELY) Marcella? SOUND: PHONE RINGS ... CONTINUES UNDER VIN: (ON, SOUR, NERVOUS) Marcella! MARCELLA: (BORED, TIRED OF LIFE) What do you want, darling? VIN: The phone's ringing. Answer it. MARCELLA: Can't you even answer the telephone? VIN: You know I can't answer it. See who it is, quick. It's drivin' me crazy. MARCELLA: Well, if you wouldn't be such a sap-- SOUND: RECEIVER UP MARCELLA: (INTO PHONE) Hello? --- Oh, hello, Chet. --- Nothin'. VIN: Who is it? MARCELLA: It's Dr. Walsh. (INTO PHONE) What? --- Oh, about two o'clock. That'd be all right? --- All right, Chet. --- Yeah, he's here. --- Yes. (TO VIN) Vinnie? You don't mind if I go for a ride with Dr. Walsh, do ya? VIN: No. MARCELLA: (INTO PHONE) It's all right, Chet. --- (CHET ASKS IF SHE LOVES HIM; QUIETLY) Of course I do. --- You know I do. --- (CHET WANTS HER TO SAY IT; UNCOMFORTABLY) I can't. --- Yes. --- Yes. --- Yes. --- All right. Two o'clock then. Pick me up here? VIN: (SNAPS) He can't pick ya up here. MARCELLA: What'd you say? (INTO PHONE) Wait a minute, Chet. (TO VIN) What'd you say, Vin? VIN: I said, I don't want people comin' here. Let him pick ya up somewheres else. MARCELLA: Oh. (INTO PHONE) Chet, will it be all right if you pick me up at the Miramar in Santa Monica? --- I'll be on the porch. --- All right. --- Bye. SOUND: RECEIVER DOWN VIN: You know I don't want people comin' here, Marcella. MARCELLA: (APOLOGETIC) I forgot, honey. VIN: Well, don't forget again, or you and me'll find ourselves up at Folsom -- waitin' to be topped! MARCELLA: Oh, darling, don't talk that way. VIN: Bring me a bottle of whiskey out of the kitchen. MARCELLA: Honey, I don't like to see you drinkin' so much. VIN: Nuts! Bring me the bottle and get out! Go meet your boyfriend. MARCELLA: (RETURNING WITH BOTTLE) You don't mind, do you, Vinnie? You won't go out with me, and Chet's gonna take me to the nicest place for dinner. VIN: Go on. Get out of here. MARCELLA: You won't be lonesome without me, will ya, honey? VIN: No. MARCELLA: (COOLLY) Come on. Kiss me goodbye then, darling. SOUND: PAUSE AS THEY KISS VIN: (MOOD CHANGES, AFFECTIONATE) Marcella-- MARCELLA: Don't get mushy now, Vinnie. Mama got to go. SOUND: PHONE RINGS VIN: (SOUR AGAIN) There's that telephone again. Answer it. MARCELLA: Oh, you-- SOUND: RECEIVER UP MARCELLA: (INTO PHONE) Hello? --- (SUDDENLY TENSE) Who? --- Oh. --- (DISMAYED) But - but-- VIN: Who is it? MARCELLA: (INTO PHONE) But listen-- VIN: (INSISTENT) Who is it? MARCELLA: (HUSHES VIN, LOW) Be still. (INTO PHONE, PLEADS) Listen. Can't you make it a little later? VIN: Who is it, Marcella? MARCELLA: (TO VIN, UNCONVINCINGLY) It's - Chet. VIN: (HALF-CONVINCED) Oh. MARCELLA: (INTO PHONE, MORE DESPERATE) Oh, but, please-- I'm goin' off right away, you know. --- (PLEADS) Another half hour. --- (QUIETLY HORRIFIED) On the way? SOUND: BEAT ... THEN RECEIVER DOWN VIN: (BEAT, SUSPICIOUS NOW) What did he want? MARCELLA: (BRISKLY, MOVING OFF) I forgot something. I've got to go upstairs again. VIN: I said, what did he want? MARCELLA: (OFF) I'll be right back. VIN: (AN ORDER) Come here, babe! MARCELLA: (OFF) I - I'll come right back, Vin. VIN: (SAVAGELY) D'you hear me?! Come here! MARCELLA: (CLOSER) Now don't, Vin-- Now don't-- VIN: Who was that on the phone? MARCELLA: It was Chet. Said you didn't mind if I-- VIN: (INTERRUPTS, INSISTS) Who was that on the phone? MARCELLA: I told you once. VIN: Yeah. What did you mean when you said "on the way"? MARCELLA: (IMPROVISING) Well, Chet said he couldn't wait. He was on the way now. (BEAT, INSISTS NERVOUSLY TO A DISBELIEVING VIN) Yes, he did. Yes, he did! VIN: You lie! MARCELLA: No, I - I didn't, Vin. No, I didn't. VIN: If I thought you-- SOUND: DISTANT POLICE SIRENS APPROACH ... CONTINUE UNDER VIN: Listen. MARCELLA: (SCARED) Oh, no. No, don't, Vin. Don't, please! Oh, Vin--! VIN: So ya did double-cross me, ya--! SOUND: VIN SLAPS MARCELLA IN THE FACE MARCELLA: (GASPS IN PAIN, PANICS) Oh, please, Vinnie! I didn't tell the coppers! I didn't! Honest, Vinnie-- VIN: Shut up! MARCELLA: (GASPS IN PAIN) SOUND: SIRENS ARE CLOSE NOW ... JOINED BY ROAR OF POLICE CAR ENGINES VIN: So that's the payoff, huh? Pete bumps off Everett for ya, and I put the slug on Pete, and now you-- SOUND: SIRENS OUT AS POLICE CAR ENGINES PULL TO A STOP AND MURMURING OFFICERS STORM THE HOUSE AND POUND ON THE FRONT DOOR UNDER FOLLOWING SCUFFLE-- VIN: You lousy double-crossin' little-- MARCELLA: No! No, Vinnie, I tell ya--! VIN: You rat! MARCELLA: (SCREAMS IN PAIN) VIN: Well, I'm the last chump you'll take, baby! MARCELLA: (SCREAMS) Vinnie! VIN: Shut up, you double-crossin' little--! MARCELLA: No, Vinnie! I didn't--! SOUND: MURMURING OFFICERS POUND NOISILY ON THE DOOR MARCELLA: (TO OFFICERS, WILDLY) Oh, break the door down! He's going to kill me! Help! He'll kill me! VIN: Yes, I'll kill ya, you--! SOUND: TWO GUNSHOTS! MARCELLA: (SCREAMS) VIN: (TO OFFICERS) Now come on in, coppers, if ya can take it! Come in and get me! (LAUGHS MANIACALLY) SOUND: DURING ABOVE LINE, WE HEAR THE CRASH! AND SPLINTERING! OF DOOR BROKEN DOWN GONG! VIN: (LONG PAUSE, THEN NARRATES IN A GHOSTLY LETHARGIC STILTED MONOTONE) I remember, too. I remember how they broke the door down. I remember how Marcella looked, lyin' there on the floor with blood stainin' her yellow hair. I remember how one big fella took aim at me and fired. And I remember how the bullet felt, tearin' through my shoulder. My gun was empty by that time. The only one I'd killed was Marcella. I remember how Chet come to the cell where they locked me up, cried, threatened me -- while I smiled back at him. I was out of my head then, I think. I remember the trial. Newspaper photographers, flashlights in my face, and my right arm chained to another man. I remember the train that took me to Folsom, and the crowds at all the little stations along the way, waitin' to catch a glimpse of me through the car window. I was news. I was a victim in the arena. I remember wantin' to say, "I, who am about to die, salute ya." Met some strange people in Folsom. I knew a man there who was a great writer. He was in for life. Shot a man in a holdup. I knew a man who could speak Arabic, Greek, Sanskrit. He was a forger. He was in for forty years. And there was Dancy the guard. I got to know Dancy pretty well. We almost become friends. A strange friendship. I'd been fightin' the law all my life. And all his life, Dancy had been on the law's side. Was very interestin'. I remember a talk we had one mornin'. SOUND: SCENE FADES OUT ... TRANSITIONAL PAUSE ... SCENE FADES IN ... VIN'S STEPS PACING THE CELL ... THEN UNDER-- GUARD: You might as well stop that walkin' back and forth, Vinnie. It won't do you no good at all. VIN: Yeah, I guess so. SOUND: STEPS STOP VIN: (RESTLESS) But it's somethin' to do, Dancy. GUARD: You should take it easy, me boy. VIN: Yeah. GUARD: Gittin' all excited ain't goin' to do you no good, I'm a-tellin' ye. VIN: Guess you ought to know. GUARD: Yep. VIN: (ANXIOUSLY) Dancy? How do guys generally act in the--? Er, in here? GUARD: What do you mean? VIN: Am I doin' all right? GUARD: Yeah. So far. VIN: So far? GUARD: Yep. VIN: What do you mean by that? GUARD: (DRY) We'll be able to tell better how you're doin' in a minute or so. VIN: Huh? (AMUSED) Oh, yeah? Yeah. GUARD: (BEAT) It's got to come for all of us, you know, son. VIN: I suppose so. GUARD: You and me and your girl -- and the young doctor that cried so for her. All of us got to go when our time comes. VIN: Yeah. GUARD: Yep. So it goes. VIN: (BEAT) Dancy--? GUARD: Eh? VIN: Does it--? Does it hurt? GUARD: Does what hurt? VIN: Bein'-- Bein' topped. GUARD: Oh. Well, I don't know, Vinnie. Ain't nobody ever-- Well, ever been able to tell. VIN: Yeah, that's right. (BEAT) I hope it don't hurt much. (LIGHTLY) I'm a sucker for pain. GUARD: It probably won't. It'll all be over in a second or two. VIN: (AN OUTBURST) God--! (A SERIOUS PLEA) Listen, Dancy, will you stand up there with me? GUARD: Oh, I'll do that, me boy. God help ya. VIN: Yeah. God help me. SOUND: METAL DOOR UNLOCKS AND CLANKS OPEN 2ND GUARD: All ready, Dancy? GUARD: Oh. Yes. Yes, we're ready. Come on, Vinnie. VIN: (SUDDENLY STRICKEN) Dancy? I - I - I can't. GUARD: Come on, sonny. You're not goin' to be a coward now, are ye? After the way you've kept a stiff upper lip. VIN: Oh, Dancy, I can't! I - I can't! GUARD: Sure ye can, Vinnie. (WITH EFFORT) Let me take hold of your arm now. VIN: (TEARFUL) No! Oh, no! I - I can't! I don't want to die! Oh, please--! (WHIMPERING, CRYING, CONTINUES UNDER--) GUARD: (TO 2ND GUARD) Take his other arm, Ernest. (TO VIN) Come on, Vinnie. Don't make a show of yourself now. (WITH EFFORT) Come on. VIN: (BROKENLY) Oh, please, Danc--! They're gonna hang me! No! No, I can't! I can't go this way! Let me go! Let me go! GUARD: That's right. Right down this way, Vinnie boy. Right along now. VIN: (HYSTERICAL) Oh, no! Oh, please don't! Make 'em wait! Wait just a minute! Just wait a minute, Dancy! No! No! GUARD: Come right along, Vinnie. We'll hold you up. Come on. VIN: No! I'm not ready to die! I can't die now! Just wait! Let me live! Please, please! GONG! ANNOUNCER: This is the National Broadcasting Company. MUSIC: NBC CHIMES