The Shadow - "The Nursery Rhyme Murders" (Old Time Radio)

From The Shadow, “The Nursery Rhyme Murders” originally aired February 22, 1948, as episode 436. This Mutual Broadcasting System mystery was sponsored by Blue Coal, written by Alfred Bester, and stars Bret Morrison as Lamont Cranston and Grace Matthews as Margo Lane.

A local archival recording finds Cranston and Margo investigating a frightening escape from Brookside Home, a private sanitarium. As ominous clues begin to echo familiar nursery rhymes, the pair race to uncover the connection before another threatened victim is drawn into the pattern.

The Shadow presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:51 Original Broadcast
25:04 Closing

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Speaker 1: A disturbed patient escapes from Brookside Home, a private sanitarium,

and becomes part of a case in which murder scenes

echo familiar nursery rhymes. It is the Shadow the nursery

rhyme Murders. Broadcast by Mutual on February twenty second, nineteen

forty eight, episode number four hundred thirty six. Brett Morrison

is Lamont Cranston, the man known as the Shadow, with

Grace Matthews as Margot Lane. Alfred Bester wrote the script.

As Cranston and Margo follow clues from Brookside Home to

nearby rural properties, the pattern points toward further danger. This

Blue Coal sponsored Sunday broadcast now takes us into another

case for the Shadow, and now the original broadcast.

Speaker 2: All evil.

Speaker 3: Men Shadow, the Shadow who these the portions of law

and orders.

Speaker 4: In reality, a long.

Speaker 2: Times and wealthy young man about town. Years ago, the

Orient Transon learned the strange and mysterious secrets, the hypnotic

power to solve men's minds so they cannot see them.

Transom's friends and companion, the lovely Margoline, the only person

who knows to whom The voice of the invisible Shadow,

the Bond Today's Baba. The Nursery, Rhyme and Murder Brookside

Home is a private sanitarium located in a densely wooded

area in the Suburbs. It's about eight o'clock in the

evening as Superintendent Alfred Foster walks down the corridor.

Speaker 5: On his way to visit one of his people. Good evening, Bert,

how are you.

Speaker 2: I'm fine, thanks to doctor Foster. I've been waiting for

you to be a sleep by now, Burn. I I've

been waiting for you to come and read to me.

We can't read to you every night, but you promise,

you said, if I ate all my supper, you'd read

a story to me, and and I eat it all,

Dtor Foster, every bet of it, the cial and everything

pread to me. Now please. We told you, Bert that

after you've been here a while, we'd have to stop

reading to you at night. You're not going to read

to me tonight.

Speaker 5: A little feverish too. I think I just go to

sleep and in the morning walk.

Speaker 6: You promised to read me a bedtime story.

Speaker 5: No, no, you broke your from, Bert.

Speaker 2: You mustn't get excited.

Speaker 4: You broke your from.

Speaker 2: Stay where you are. Don't don't come in there that

you're mad and I'm going to hurt No. No, take

your hands off my orderly orderly to read me. No

body for get him off and quick and lose my light.

Cut him cold, let him cold.

Speaker 5: I'll stay over that bird.

Speaker 2: Thank you, Andrews. That was close.

Speaker 3: You promised to.

Speaker 7: Read broke from You want me to get one.

Speaker 2: Of the other orderlies doctor Foker. Hello, that's all right, Andrews.

But I just got a little excited. I can handle

him all.

Speaker 6: I don't know.

Speaker 5: I think we ought to send him over to the

violin ward.

Speaker 2: You'll better not send me away. You better not out Albert. No,

you better not try and send me away. If you do,

I'll hurt you all. I'll hurt you all bad. No

orderly orderly, be quiet for it and go to sleep.

Three o'clock. I wanna drink a water, Andrews. I wanna

drink of water. Go to sleep or please Andrews, please

alright for just the second.

Speaker 5: Okay, it's your water.

Speaker 2: I was awful thirsty. Now here are thanks Andrews. Thanks.

Speaker 3: Now give me those keys, No, you don't give.

Speaker 2: 'em to me. Now I got the keys, I'm going

to get out I'm going to get out.

Speaker 7: What's that home?

Speaker 2: Hello?

Speaker 8: This is Polly Andrews. I'm Pavey Andrews's wife.

Speaker 7: Oh yes, hello, missus Andrews.

Speaker 8: Is my husband there?

Speaker 2: I'm Saders.

Speaker 8: Given all the order is off the ground time, but

but used to see the state back national?

Speaker 7: Well is that just hit operator?

Speaker 8: Our cottage is at the north end of the ground.

Speaker 2: I understand.

Speaker 8: Useless is violence. I'm here all alone and well, I'm frightened.

I don't know what we can do.

Speaker 2: I'll Thomas standard Steffania when.

Speaker 7: He gets back here.

Speaker 8: Well, all right, thanks at all the glads, then goodbye?

Speaker 2: Who's that? Who's there? O? Love Holly?

Speaker 8: You you.

Speaker 2: Polly Flinders sat among the sisters, warming her pretty little toes.

Her mother came and daughter and whipped her little daughter

for spoiling her nice new clothes my month. I know

it's presuming an our acquaintance, but I want to thank

you and miss Lane for coming to my office this

morning when I phone out at all. But I'm glad

to be of service. The fact is I need your

help desperately. You see the mount. I'm a psychiatrist, not

a criminologist. I don't think it's a case for the police,

but I do need help in trying to find this escape.

Speaker 8: Patience and the searching part of our no traces b

used this last night.

Speaker 2: Acter about it, No, Mislaane, he's still at large.

Speaker 5: I feel pretty badly about it too.

Speaker 2: Bert was showing signs of violence, in fact, he attacked

me yesterday, but instead of sending him with the violent ward,

I kept him here for observation.

Speaker 7: Then you think he's capable of being a killing.

Speaker 2: I'm afraid so, mislaid condovcase was this patient but not

fundamentally a criminal type. But I've extremely unbalanced emotionally. During

his periods of rationality, he reverted to his childhood and

lived in a complete juvenile world. What do you mean

by that?

Speaker 5: But he went to bed when it got dark.

Speaker 2: He ate his serial faithfully insisted that I read bedtime story.

The nursery rhymes to him.

Speaker 8: Bedtime story n rhymes.

Speaker 2: You been handling the case, trying to find out as

much as I can about his background, especially as childhood.

Any luck well, I haven't been able to get much

out of Burt himself, but his father has given a

pretty good lead. His father, Yes, he's a well to

do but eccentric old man. He used to come to

visit his son devoted every week. Recently he's been coming

less and less. He incort has some sort of a

father complex. Perhaps his father has been neglecting him lately. Yes,

he's he's become more and more unbalanced until he reached

the breaking point and decide to escape. Yes, something like that,

Lamon converted buck the posta. Yes, what is it? What's

the matter? Missus Andrews Probby Andrews's wife was murdered in

a cottage last night. Father, they just fathered strangled at dead.

But the rest of it doesn't make sense. What does

make sense? The killer carried a body upstairs and left

it in the fireplace.

Speaker 8: More poor woman's body killed up in the past.

Speaker 2: Very strange resting place. Yes, notice one other thing, Fred, Yeah,

killer took the shoes off the corpse. But why why

did he take a shoes off?

Speaker 8: Why did he carry a body up there and put

it in the fireplace? It doesn't make sense.

Speaker 2: The contrary, Margaret, it does make sense. What do you

mean the torture dips of Bert's mind. He acted with

a terrible logic, and I don't think I follow you

in the morning now, he said, this man but love

bedtime stories and nursery rhyme.

Speaker 5: Yes, that's right.

Speaker 2: Well, in my opinion, he killed this woman right out

of a Mother Goose rhyme. What listen to this muggle?

Little Polly Flimders sat among the cinders, warming a pretty little.

Speaker 8: To The dead woman's first name was Faw.

Speaker 2: Yes, she sat among the sinders. Have to mean the fireplace, maggle,

he said, warming are pretty little toes. No wonder the

killer took her shoes out precisely. The clues are all

in the rhyme. I wonder if it's only the beginning.

Speaker 8: What do you mean them?

Speaker 2: I wonder if the killer is going to stop with

this first murder, Margot, because with all the Mother Goose

stories there are dead and rhyme many times Lamy and

miss Lane, I'm glad you're here.

Speaker 5: Yeah, right o.

Speaker 2: That's what we got through a phone called it. What's wrong?

We haven't been able to locate Happy Andrews, the husband

of the dead woman.

Speaker 8: It's midnight now. You've been looking for him all day, yes,

miss Lane.

Speaker 2: Ever since his wife's death, Andrews was out trying to

find Bert with the rest of the searching party, and

now he's vanished. A woman is killed and her husband disappears,

and I'll parton alone.

Speaker 5: Hello, that's a park, doctor Poker. Could you come out

of the reception room for a minute.

Speaker 2: Yes, yes, of course, Park Lamont, Miss Lane, if you'll

excuse me for a moment, I'm going out to the

reception room. Maybe the searching party has come in, has

of course.

Speaker 8: Not. I suppose BERTI has kills the orderly as well

as his wife.

Speaker 2: I don't know, Margaret Streams haven't been able to relocating them.

Speaker 8: It's just supposed unto.

Speaker 2: He answered, Hello, Sleep and doctor little boy Blue, come

fo your horn. The sheep's in the meadow, The cow's

in the cord. Where's a boy who looks after the sheep?

He's under they stack fast?

Speaker 5: Sleep?

Speaker 3: Who is this?

Speaker 2: Who is this?

Speaker 5: Hello?

Speaker 2: Hello? What's but Houston? Smuggle? Come on? I think we're

better get outside past Where are we going? For the

farm and back to the cemeterium.

Speaker 8: Who do you expect to find out there?

Speaker 2: Wouldn't be surprised, Mogle if we found little.

Speaker 5: Boy Blue.

Speaker 8: Wandering around the ground the night.

Speaker 2: But I have to talk to the force to be

very glad we live without a Margle with the flash ladder?

Who's stacking next to the barn?

Speaker 3: Yeah?

Speaker 2: Then, who are careful? We may be walking into a trap.

Speaker 3: There we are.

Speaker 2: A pitchfork. I'm gonna start digging, am what you secon find?

Kelly has given us a clue. Margle, Why'm not long

cause not as a body under this sad.

Speaker 8: He's droid and he's wearing a blue orderly jacket.

Speaker 2: This mad little boy Blue.

Speaker 7: Only this little boy Blue isn't just fast as please?

Speaker 6: He's dead?

Speaker 8: Who about this?

Speaker 4: Margo and Lamarck in search of the nursery Ryan Hiller

while at Brookside Home in the office of Superintendent, You

say you have heard the killers laugh after you found

the body of the month.

Speaker 2: Yes, we ran after him but lost him in the darkness.

Speaker 8: For it taste, it was a little boy slimbers.

Speaker 2: Then it was a little boy Blue. I wonder who

Bert will take next. I can guess his next victim,

who myself?

Speaker 8: You?

Speaker 2: I'm very of the same thing. For it, Bert hated

me as much as he hated Andrews. As I see it,

he went to Andrew's house to kill him and found

Andrews wasn't there and killed his wife instead, and.

Speaker 8: Cart andrews and the ground played and killed him and

buried them under the head.

Speaker 2: Yes, and logically, well I come next, could be right?

I am afraid, I am, but we've got to find

this man. We've got to reserve a statewide dragging it

up for him now. Yes, so busy covering the highways

and terminals. I wonder if they haven't given the most

logical place a very fast examination. The most logical place. Yes,

but it's home. I think we'd better have a talk

with Bert's father in the month. I wouldn't be surprised

if he knew a great deal more about where it's

sun was hiding. It's a good idea. Come on, long,

I don't get my thing. Oh, it won't be necessary

for what do you mean you're not going with us?

Fraid it's not safe. Oh, but admit it yourself. You're

probably next on Burt's list. Yes, you're the psychiatrist, time

the criminal. Just remember, we'll phone you here the office

as soon as we've seen old man Eustace. Well, all right, thanks, Lamont,

I'll get it. Come on, Mark, and so mister Eustace

a doctor Foster's suggestion. We decided to come here to

see you. Let me see.

Speaker 8: I know you're as anxious to find bag as we

are to Eustace.

Speaker 2: They're saying, man, then if we could just step inside

for a moment, mister Eustace, help you all right now,

might step and hide? Thank you thought of me.

Speaker 4: Enter the parlor.

Speaker 2: That's right? What he really isn't a uh never see

anything like this, old muscle leam.

Speaker 8: No, and I don't think anybody else has to.

Speaker 2: The lunch sixty year the way to the duty. I

haven't used the poto for some time. Sit down, thank you?

Uh you live here all along, mister Eustace, Yes, yes,

said uh. If they're all alone ever since Departrom went

away and men.

Speaker 7: Some lady am I and before that, mister Houston, Oh

that it.

Speaker 2: Was just bertim and I very His mother has been

dead almost for days. I see. You know, of course

that bert left at the hospital. Yes, yes, sir, Now

you read it in the papers. I suppose now I

didn't read it in the papers, but I know it.

Speaker 8: I know it.

Speaker 2: You couldn't buy any chance tell us where Bertie is now,

could you, mister Eustace. And I don't know mister Dick Granston.

I don't know what was that, Norris want to be

in the cat. She must have knocked something over upstairs.

There was hardly the footsteps of a cat, mister Eustace,

and yeah, ain't had a must be someone else now,

so I think there is, and I better find out.

Go back to miss Eustace. Eustace be walking the door

for usast certainly it has Marco. We're locked in.

Speaker 8: Less he's got away with two colons.

Speaker 2: That's why we're breaking out of the parlot down there

for mister Eustace and Burda disappeared. Come on, Marga, we'd

have to make sure we go down this court. Stay

close to me, right. I'm like, oh, it's not a dn.

Speaker 8: I just ran into another little darn spider where spider

war won't hurt. Maybe not, but there was a spider

in the middle of this one. I wonder Brake was

unbalanced living in this little mansions.

Speaker 2: The quarrel duck like Ustless for her father's certainly.

Speaker 3: Pretty.

Speaker 8: He got stairs in the floor office.

Speaker 2: Come my, Marco, down the end of this cortor. Here

must be a flight of stairs there.

Speaker 8: God, he's up there top of the stairs.

Speaker 2: Can work.

Speaker 6: How I was up there's a dolls there and my

lady Jaber. I met the lad who not says players

I don't get by the last flight.

Speaker 7: And oh now, oh mord must be mister Eustace, poor

old man.

Speaker 2: Wait a second, La, there's a flash. Stay with the

old boys. What's the matter, Margaret, This is mister Eustace.

Speaker 8: No, it's broke, but him not old Mister Eustace couldn't

have just vanished in.

Speaker 2: The looks as if he did, Margaret, We suddenly went

over every into the house.

Speaker 8: Do you really think we can pick up his trail

at doctor Parster's house.

Speaker 2: That's the most logical place to look for him. Now, No,

that's writ it's place on the here here we are,

nephew doing now if we can jump it. But I

saw something in the car headlines to give a man

back there behind the guard looked back to a man

who's I'm going around back. You're going to Prett's house.

Tell him I was delayed, the.

Speaker 8: Carefully doning Please, that old man is a crazy killer.

Speaker 2: Shadows going to set a trap, Margot. This time, I

think the crazy killer had spoken his last nursery rhyme Yes,

I saw the same pigular monster when I stopped to

pick up the mail. Yes, And he left this in

the mailbox a note. Listen, Doctor Foster went to Gloucester

in a shower of rain, He stepped in a puddle

up to his middle and never went there again.

Speaker 8: Then old mister Houston is here, he did.

Speaker 2: See he must have. It must mean that that crazy

killer is going to creep into his house and murder

me in the night. Get out of his mind. None

of us is safe anymore. We're all why this is strange?

Speaker 8: What is it?

Speaker 2: The killer really hits close? There's another note here on

my desk. You just must have slipped in through the

window and left another note. Yes. And the odd part

about it is it's addressed to you.

Speaker 6: To me.

Speaker 2: Yes, read it, see.

Speaker 8: Saw Marjorie taw Jackie shall have a new master. He

shall have but a penny a day because he can't

work any faster.

Speaker 2: I don't understand, Marjorie Doll. It's almost like Marco. I

mean the killer. I mean, I'm afraid he means you

mis lame Marco. Marjorie's very close day, close enough for

all practical.

Speaker 8: Purposes, Doctor Poter, Why are you look at me like that.

Speaker 2: It's a nice rhyme, isn't it. It has a swing

to Marjorie Doll. Jackie shall have a new master. He

shall have but a penny a day because he can't

work any faster. The nursery rhyme killing, Yes, miss Lane,

I am. I love nursery rhymes. Oh what a Hubbert

went to a cupboard to get a poor dog. The

bold little jack Corners heading the corner eating gets Christmas

pie and chill went up the hill up? But did

he so much so I don't see him. That's the

one I can't see. Who are you? You'd like to hear?

A little nursery rhyme? Doctor Foster? Who are you? I

have a little shadow that goes in and out with me.

What can be the use of him is more than

I can see? Stop, very very likely from the heels

up to the head. And I see him jump before

me when I jump into my head, start it stopping.

I'm I'm there already, Foster. Now mine has been cloded

by the dark sellows you profess to study. Who are you?

Who are you? A shadow? Foster? Shadow here to see

justice done? You thought you could blame these murders on

Burt and then I'm his father. He became so obsessed

with his case that your own mind broke under the street.

Let me have them here.

Speaker 5: I'm cutting it out, No, Usser.

Speaker 2: The state is a place for you, a place where

never again will you be allowed loose among society, A

place where you can safely recite nursery rhymes. Your heart's compemed.

That's the whole story, Margot. Foster wasn't a doctor at all.

He was just a clever quack who outsmarted himself.

Speaker 8: He became to obsessed to that normal cases that just

berg Eustace. He became undownced himself.

Speaker 2: Is that that's right, Margaret. Birth's escape must have been

the snapping point for Foster's mind. He went on a rampage,

blaming everything on Birth. We went to see old man Eustace.

Foster was afraid we'd find Bert get the truth out

of him, so he had to get rid of Burt

and then shift the blame to the father.

Speaker 8: When Boston was the one poly andrus on his voice

we heard on the phone both Burton's father was completely

That's right, Margaret, I still don't see why he called

you in on the case when he was guilty in

the man.

Speaker 2: And that's how he outsmarted himself. He didn't want to

risk calling in the authorities, but he did need an

outsider to verify his alibis and collaborate his statements. I'm

a criminologist, we've met before, seemed like the logical choice.

Speaker 8: Well, after that case, there's one thing I'm sure no.

Speaker 2: What's that, Marl.

Speaker 8: If I ever have to read to a child again,

it's going to be from the Encyclopedia Britannic Win.

Speaker 4: A crime.

Speaker 2: Crime shut On.

Speaker 1: The Shadow concludes this evening with the nursery rhyme Murders.

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