Now, the Roma Wine Company of Fresno, California presents... Suspense!  Suspense is presented for your enjoyment by Roma Wines. That's R-O-M-A, Roma Wines. Those excellent California wines that can add so much pleasantness to the way you live. To your happiness and entertaining guests. To your enjoyment of everyday meals. Yes, right now a glassful would be very pleasant, as Roma Wines bring you a remarkable tale of suspense. And with the strange tale called Cricket, and with the performances of Margaret O'Brien as Little Florence, and of Dame Mae Whitty as her grandmother, Mrs. Edna, Roma Wines open deed to keep you in suspense. Ma says we have to move from this house, Cricket. We have to go away. I guess it's the noises and the things she hears at night. She's good, and I love her, but she doesn't understand. There's nothing in this house to frighten anyone. Nothing that is bad. Listen, Cricket. There'll be no one here but Anna tonight. And tonight, tonight, you said you'd come. But I won't be here, Cricket. Grandma's taking me to Golden Screen to stay with Aunt Collar until we find another house. Couldn't you come there too, Cricket? It wouldn't be hard to find. No, I guess you couldn't. I guess this is the only house that you can come to. Is that because... because you've died here, Cricket? Yes, Grandma. Are you ready? Yes, Grandma. I was just saying goodbye. Please, Florence. You promised not to worry me anymore. Couldn't we stay here tonight? Just tonight. No, dear. Come now. We mustn't keep the cab waiting. All right then.  I'll be right down. Hope you'll understand. No, this is the maid. Mrs. Ebony isn't here. No, she's staying overnight in Golden Screen with her granddaughter. You're welcome. Goodbye. Who is it? It's me, Anna. You shouldn't come in without knocking like that. I heard Mrs. Ebony was gone. Have you finished with the cleaning? Not quite. You're early. I was worried. Has there been another robot raid? Not that.  Anna, I want you to tell Mrs. Ebony you're not coming back after today. But, Charles, I can't... If Mrs. Ebony chooses to live in this house, that's fair to fair, but... Have you heard it tonight? Have I heard what? You know what I mean. I've heard nothing. The neighbors have... Oh, if they minded their own business, they wouldn't hear so much. They said it was bad. I'm not interested in what they said.  Why should I be? Because of all the things that go on in this house. Oh, what was that? Who is it? Anna? Oh, Mrs. Ebony. I thought you'd gone. Good evening, Charles. Good evening. I thought you were staying the night and gold as green, Mrs. Ebony. I am. I left Florence there. But I have to meet the real estate man here, Mr. Peters. Then you are going to move? Yes, Anna. Oh, I hope you're not moving because of the stories that have got around. Oh, don't you worry about me. You'd better go now, Anna. Take your umbrella. It's raining. If you need me, you'll drop me a line, won't you? I will. Thank you. Goodbye. Goodbye, Mrs. Ebony. I suppose you don't hear it now, Anna. Charles. The neighbor's dog sat it again, Mrs. Ebony. The neighbor's dog. You know, there isn't a dog within miles of here. That must be Mr. Peters now. It ain't no dog anyone's ever seen, and you know it. Well, good night, Mrs. Ebony. Oh, hello there. Oh, Mr. Peters. Good night, Anna. Charles, come in, Mr. Peters. I'm so sorry to be so late, but I've been to Brighton. Have you good news, fellas? Well, I saw the house. It's going to take a lot of work before you'll be able to move into it. Oh, no. I'd planned so on being out of this house. Well, couldn't you stay here until... I can't stay in this house another night. But, Mrs. Ebony, after you went through all the trouble of remodeling it after the bombing last year, it seems a pity that you'd be leaving it for something so far less attractive. My granddaughter isn't well. She hasn't been since her parents were killed at Coventry. I know that, but I should think she'd be more comfortable here than... I'll say what, that noise upstairs. I get it, too. It's someone up there. Mr. Peters, would you do me a favor? Certainly. Would you come upstairs with me? Of course. What is it? Follow me. Do you see anyone in the hallway here? No. No, I don't. This is the guest room. Do you see anything unusual? No. I'm sorry to have to do this. Well, not at all, but... This is my bedroom. There's no one here, is there? No. No, there isn't. Let's go downstairs again. I could show you through this whole house, and you'd see nothing. No one. Yes, but... Sharon... She isn't here. I took her to her aunt's this afternoon. Well, I distinctly heard noises. But perhaps they came from a neighbor's. Mr. Peters, the noises you heard a while ago. Did they sound as though they might have come from a neighbor's? No. They were in this household, right? I wish I could help you, Mrs. Edney. I must ask you to say nothing about our moving to Florence. She's against leaving this house, but I know it isn't good for her to stay here. I understand that. I, uh, smell something burning. Yes. It's always like that. First the noises, then something burning. But there is something burning. You can search the house, you'll see no one. Nor will you find anything burning. I know. Are you certain there's no one upstairs? You saw. You saw a while ago. Yeah, but I heard it so clearly. And that smell... Would you like to go upstairs again? Yes, uh, I'll go alone this time. Florence. I'm Mr. Peters, remember me? Yes. You're the man who wants us to move out of this house, don't you? Well, I look for another house for you because your grandmother asked me to. Don't look any more. Well, if you say so. I thought you were at your aunt's. No. Florence, uh, what burning smell?  No.  Yes. What is it? It's him. Him? What do you mean? Oh, you wouldn't understand. Now you must tell me. You wouldn't want the house to burn down, would you? The house won't burn down. Mr. Peters, would you please go away? Very well. Good night, Florence. Did it hurt much, Cricket? Any of your granddaughters upstairs? She couldn't be. Are you sure she wasn't up there a while ago when we both went up? What you saw? I showed you. Yeah, you didn't show me your granddaughters room. I'm going upstairs. Please wait. Sir, what are you doing here? I couldn't stay at Aunt Coller's any longer. How did you get in? I came in the back door through the kitchen. Why? I was afraid you'd send me back again. How did you get here? I was given a ride. It was raining. Oh, you're soaking wet. What have you done with your shoes and stockings? I left them by the oven to dry. Well, put on your pajamas and go to bed. I suppose we'll have to stay here tonight. I'll say good night to Mr. Peters and I'll be up later. I've come back, Cricket. I knew you couldn't go to Aunt Coller's, so I've come back here. You don't have to worry anymore. Mr. Peters! I'm out in the kitchen. Would you come here for a moment? I found these shoes by the oven. They're scorched. Well, Florence must have put them to dry. Yes, I know you've been through a great deal lately, but I'd suggest that you take yourself in hand. But Mr. Peters... Well, I think you've been imagining things. You insisted there was no one upstairs. But there have been other times. And are you sure that if you'd investigated them, you wouldn't have found an explanation like tonight? I know what you're thinking. I'm only trying to help you.  You've been very kind and patient. I'm sorry to have kept you so late, Mr. Peters. Oh, not at all. But I do wish you'd reconsider your decision to move. Yes, I'll reconsider. Thank you. Call me in a few days, and if you still want to move, I'll see that... Very well, Mr. Peters. Good night. Good night. Why don't you complain to the neighbors about that dog? They've no right to... But you see, there isn't any... Thanks again for everything. Good night. For Suspense, Roma Wines are bringing you as co-stars, Dame May Whitty, and Margaret O'Brien. In a moment, we will present the second act of Cricket by Mel Dinelli, which is Roma Wines' presentation tonight of Suspense. Between the acts of suspense, this is Truman Bradley for Roma Wines. Elsa Maxwell is recognized internationally as an authority on gracious living. You will be interested in something she said the other day about wine and wartime food rationing. Listen. I find that people who know one simple secret of serving delicious meals aren't bothered much by food rationing. That secret is to enjoy good Roma wine with food. For instance, I recently had dinner with some old friends. The main dish was kidney bean casserole, and to give this simple food a delightful party flavor, my hostess served cool Roma California Burgundy. Everyone remarked about its wonderful bouquet and aroma, and about the way that good Roma Burgundy added enjoyment to our plain meal. Such added enjoyment is one of the reasons why more and more people serve delightful Roma wine. That's a grand suggestion from Elsa Maxwell. So why not try Roma California Burgundy with your dinner tomorrow night? You'll enjoy its tart pecancy, its fruity, robust taste. The happy result of selecting luscious wine grapes from California's choicest vineyards guided to perfection by the ancient winemaking skill of Roma's famed wineries. Good Roma wines never vary. They're always enjoyable, yet cost only pennies a glass. Remember, more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wine. R-O-M-A. Roma wines. And now Roma wines bring back to our soundstage, Margaret O'Brien as Little Florence, and they may whitty as her grandmother in the second act of cricket, a play well calculated to keep you in suspense. I'm letting you stay Florence, but just for tonight. Now you must promise me to go to sleep. But I'm afraid I'm missing if he comes. Oh, you must stop talking like that. Do you know why he might come tonight, Grandma? He's not coming, dear. Oh, yes he is. It's just a year that he's been gone. A year's an awfully long time for someone that you love to be gone, isn't it? Try not to think about it, dear. Please, Grandma, tell me about it. Oh, no, dear. I want you to go to sleep. Please, Grandma, tell me just once, and then I'll go to sleep. Tell me how brave he was. Please. Oh, Florence. Well, then will you promise to go to sleep? Yes, I promise. Very well. Very well.  A very brave dog. Yes, a very brave dog. It was during one of those awful raids that we sometimes thought none of London would be left standing. I put you to bed in this very room, and I'd gone downstairs to lock up the house for the night. Now the awful bombs seemed to be coming closer and closer. I was standing at one of the windows looking out when I heard the screeching whistle very close. Then there was a split in crash. The door seemed to go out in London, and the next thing I knew I was out on the street in crowds and confusion. I'd been hurt, and it seemed to hold. But I knew you were still in there. I tried to get out, but they kept telling me not to. But I'd hurt myself. The house was blazing by now. And then I remembered that Brickett was in there too. And I prayed that somehow, someway he'd do something. And then we saw you. You were dazed, and Brickett was tugging at you, pulling you towards the doorway. He was leading you straight to safety. You were almost out, both of you. Suddenly the flaming doorway crashed. It looked so you'd been buried under the doorway, and for a moment I thought, but then we saw you coming towards me. It was Cricket who'd been trapped inside the house, and we could hear him. The poor, brave dog. There was nothing we could do, but the whole house seemed to fall in after that. And so the little girl was saved, and her best friend gave his life for her. Why do you make me tell you about it, Florence? It only makes you feel worse. No, Grandma, it makes me see how brave and wonderful he was. You're imagining things. It isn't good for you. Listen, Grandma, Charles hears it too. I heard him telling Anna about it. Please, Florence. And that burning smell. Mr. Peter says it was my shoes. But it was, dear. Then what was it all the other time? Oh, I... Florence, if you want us to stay in this house, if you don't want us to move, you must promise to stop talking like that. It's him. When the burning smell is strong, I can almost see him sometimes. Florence, your feverish being out in the rain. You've taken cold. Let me feel your head. He can't come to any other house. I know.  I mean it this time.   Yes, Grandma. Did it hurt much, Cricket? I know it's late, Mrs. Edny, but I thought as long as Charles said things to make you nervous and you being alone here and all, well, I thought it was the least I could do. What is it, Anna? It's about the howling, Mrs. Edny. Charles said there was no dog in the neighborhood, but it seems there is. He belongs to the Hitchfords up the street or wise. They're renting the place and the lease doesn't allow them to keep pets, so they've been hiding the poor animal out in the barn all tied up. He's what we've been hearing. We found out on the way home. Oh, thank you for coming back. Florence is ill again. This might help to straighten things out. Is she bad, Mrs. Edny? I'm afraid so. I've called the doctor. Could I help? Or if you could stay here tonight? I've made plans too, Mrs. Edny. It's foolish, I suppose, but somehow I am relieved to know there is another dog in the neighborhood after all. I know what you mean. I wouldn't for the world have let Charles know, but I was a bit jumpy myself. If we could only convince Florence now. Have you taken the temperature? No, I was going to. Listen. Yes, it's a robot raid. They've been expecting one. The lights. It's probably got the power out. What do we do? Don't be nervous. Have you candles? They're upstairs. It's so dark. Yeah, take hold of the banister. Just follow me. Careful of the landing now.  Yes. Probably has something to do with the lights going out. Look, Anna. That light. Do you see it? Yes. It's Florence's room. But all the other lights are out. Oh, don't get excited. We'll go up and see. Come on. Florence. Yes, Grandma. What are you doing with that lighted candle? It's for cricket. I told you to stay in bed. I put it in the window for him. It'll help him find the house. Florence, you're ill. Yeah, dear. Let me tuck you in bed. Listen, he's lost. Child, that's a neighbor's dog, Mr. Hitchfoot. That's not cricket. Oh, yes, Anna. I know his voice anywhere. Please keep covered until the doctor gets here. But I'm so warm. My head's burning. I'll take a temperature. I'm on fire like he was. Why doesn't he come? Florence, please. You'll feel better when the doctor gets here. Oh, listen to your mouth, dear. Is my hair burning, Grandma? It's the fever. Keep the covers on, dear. Are the covers to smother the fire, Grandma? Yes, dear. Keep them on. Why doesn't he come? I'm burning. Oh, what's keeping the doctor? The robot raid. He's probably got his hands full someplace. Here, here. Let's look at the temp. Let's look at the thermometer. Let me have it, dear. Shh. I think she's asleep. Yes. Poor child. Is it Edna? It's almost 103. Good heavens. They're getting closer. What'll we do? We can't move Florence with a fever like this. It may be new in pneumonia. Don't get excited. Because I'm burning like he did. Shouldn't I close the window? There's a wind coming up. Oh, no, Anna. I want to listen for him. I'm wanting to see the candle so he can come home. All right. Try to sleep, dear. Is he coming? Why doesn't he come? Why doesn't he? Got to get that fever down. I'll go and get some aspirin. I'll go with you and get another blanket. If the doctor would only come. Cricket? Is that you, Cricket? Oh, they can only see you now, they believe me. Why have you come back, Cricket? Don't run away, Cricket. Here, Cricket. Oh, why? Why can I see you this time? I've never been able to see you before. Oh, don't run away. I'll help you. Oh, now I'll have to follow you. And Grandma told me to stay in bed. Oh, wait for me, Cricket. I'm coming. Wait for me. Look at the smoke. That's never happened before. It's coming from upstairs. Florence. The curtains are burning. The candle she put in the window. Yes, Florence. Look in the bathroom. I can beat these flames out with a rug. Florence! They must have climbed down the trellis. Oh, dear. I can't see her out there. She couldn't be out in this cold. She must be. Come on. We'll go out the front way. We've got to fight her. We will. Let's try the knoll back in the house where she used to walk him. Florence! We've got to fight her, Anna. Listen. As long as you can hear them robot motors, we don't have to worry. It's only when they stop. Look! It's just coming over the knife. It's Florence. Oh, thank heaven. Oh, Florence. Florence. Oh, darling, you. You shouldn't have come out like this. I had to. I saved him. He might have burned to death. Wouldn't you like me to carry her? No, thank you. It's not far. I put the flames out with my blanket, like he did. And now I don't burn any more either. Florence. Mrs. Edny, feel her head. What do you mean? The femur's gone. How? I don't know. I can't see the house. Has he? Was he? It must have hit directly on top of it. There's nothing. Nothing left of your house. Are you all right over there? It was a bad one. Oh, Mr. Hitchwood. Oh, it's you, Anna. Thank heavens. I thought maybe you were in the Edny place. This is Mrs. Edny. Mr. Hitchwood. Oh, I'm sorry about your home, Mrs. Edny. Oh, thank you. We've got our place too. Was anyone hurt? No. Our dog disappeared just before the attack. And we were out hunting for him. I guess if it hadn't been for him, we'd have all been killed. Was there anyone hurt at your place, Mrs. Edny? No. We were hunting the dog, too.  Yes, he was. But how did you know? We've been keeping him hidden. And I knew his name, too. Did you now? Or what was it? Cricket. That's remarkable. Remarkable, Florence. Hi. Hi. I just can't... What are you saying, Mr. Hitchwood? Was that really your dog's name? It was indeed. That's very remarkable of you to know, Florence. I thought there was only one dog in the world named Cricket. There he is. And so closes Cricket, in which Roma Wines have brought you Miss Margaret O'Brien and Dame May Whitty as co-stars of tonight's study in... Suspense. Before our stars return to the microphone, let me say a word for Roma Wines, the sponsor of Suspense. Here's a brief message from that noted authority on smart and pleasurable entertaining Elsa Maxwell. Most of the parties I'm giving these days are simple affairs. And when I entertain, I always serve well-chilled Roma California sherry. Before dinner and later in the evening, you'll find that glorious amber-golden Roma sherry is a gracious touch that's sure to get the meal off to a good start and adds to the evening's pleasure. And don't worry about fancy glasses. It's the wine that's important. So be sure it's that good Roma wine. Because Roma Wines are so reasonably priced, any family can afford to serve them regularly. Yes, Roma Wines cost only pennies a glass. So enjoy them often. Serve Roma with your everyday meals. Roma wine is delicious, for Roma quality never varies. Remember, more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wine. R-O-M-A. Roma Wines. And the next time you use Bermouth, either sweet or dry, choose Roma Bermouth. Zestful, full-flavored, blended, mellowed and developed with all the traditional quality wine-making skill of Roma Wineries. Yet surprisingly low-priced. Try Roma Bermouth soon, won't you? This is me, Whitty. It's always a very great pleasure to be invited to act on suspense, which we all consider to be radio's outstanding theatre of thrills. It is especially an exciting privilege to play tonight opposite this amazing little girl, Margaret Bryant. Have you anything to say, Margaret? Thank you. This has been the most delightful experience of my whole entire life. Suspense is produced, edited and directed by William Spear. Margaret O'Brien appears through the courtesy of Metro Golden Mayor and is currently being seen in their production, Music for Millions. Next Thursday, same time, Roma Wines will bring you Mr. Lloyd Nolan, as star of Suspense. Resented by Roma Wines, R-O-M-A. 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