.
Hey, who's the youngster?
Tommy. He's a proof boy at Mystery House.
We needed a youngster tonight, Dad, so...
Here he is. A youngster in a mystery story?
Well, of course. And he's mighty important to the plot of the show.
He certainly is, Art.
Matter of fact, there's just one thing I can think about, and it's more important.
Eh, what's that?
You certainly asked for this one, Art. Listen.
Okay, Tom. What's tonight's story?
Nothing but the proof.
This is the story of Johnny Loomis.
Johnny Loomis, who said...
I've decided to commit a murder.
And I know that I won't be bothered about any paying remorse after I kill Jess Fallon,
because he has to die.
Dorothy isn't mature enough to recognize true values,
and she's fascinated by the romantic voice,
the dramatic poses, and the theatrical background that Jess Fallon affects.
She's come to marry him, and she'd be greatly unhappy married to an actor.
Besides, I love her. I must kill him.
But I must take my plans carefully, logically, calmly.
I must have an alibi that can't be broken.
Oh, I hate all that smile. That's better. I know.
Come on in. I'm busy.
Hello, Johnny. I've tried my best to get around,
but I have to get into this infernal guardsman costume for the third day.
That's quite all right, Jess.
I just dropped backstage to congratulate you on a magnificent performance.
Well, thanks, but you've seen the show half dozen times before, Johnny. Why all this?
I wasn't referring to your part in the play, Jess.
I was talking about the superb job of acting you've done with Dorothy.
Oh.
Act?
Yes. She's an impressionable youngster.
You've been able to act a romantic hero for her.
She's not marrying you, you know. She's not in love with you.
Hey, look, this is no time to get me all riled up, Johnny, right before the big act of the show.
Yes, I know. Acting is the one important thing in the world to you, isn't it, Jess?
I'd say that the part you've created for Dorothy's benefit is your most successful role.
Oh, I knew that you felt that about the way that you meet Johnny,
but I didn't think it'd be such a fun sport about it.
What's so wonderful about sportsmanship?
I don't play for sport, Jess. I play to win.
I like your nerve coming in here while the show's on trying to stir up a rouse.
The show, the show! That's the important thing, isn't it?
I'd also love to be clear out of here, will you? Yes.
I'm leaving.
And this is the last time you see me alive, Jess.
What? Now, don't talk like that.
It's your fault, Jess.
I'm going to commit suicide.
You wouldn't kill yourself. You couldn't.
No. Just wait and see.
That guy's completely dead.
Oh, well, I'd better try to get organized for that third act.
Hmm, he's crazy. Really crazy.
Maybe I ought to tell somebody.
I thought it was your imagination, Jess, but I'm worried about Johnny Lumer.
You mean he's been scaring you with that suicide talk of his?
Yes. Yes.
You think he'd actually go it far, Dan?
I don't know, Dorothy. He's a queer, that smoothie.
I never quite understood him.
What makes me feel terribly is acting this way.
Somehow it spoils all the happiness of our wedding plan.
Don't worry, Dorothy.
Well, I suppose I ought to be heading to the theater, matinee today.
I have a notion to go with you.
I'd love to have you, darling, but there's not much for you to do while the show's on.
I could watch the show.
I think you already know the lines better than I do.
Maybe.
But every time I see it, it's a thrill to know that every other woman in the audience is crazy about you, and you don't mind.
I'm afraid that you're an incurable romantic.
It's fun being one.
I hope you'll never change, darling.
All my life I felt that way about things.
Maybe that's why I knew the first time I talked to you that this was it.
You know, I really owe Johnny Lumer something for bringing us together.
Oh, there's the phone.
Hello?
What?
Oh, yes, Johnny.
No.
Speaking of the devil.
You want?
Johnny, please. Listen to me. Don't do anything foolish.
Please.
What?
Is he threatening suicide again?
Listen, now let me take that phone. I'm going to tell him off.
Yes, please.
No, Johnny, you're being very silly about all this, and you're making me very unhappy.
Why don't you come over and talk to me?
No, you mustn't, Dorothy.
I'd like to explain something to you, Johnny.
Maybe that would make everything better all the way around.
You'll come?
Fine.
I'll be waiting for you.
Goodbye.
Dorothy, you shouldn't have invited him over here. He might be dangerous in his present mood.
Johnny and I are going to have an understanding.
In trying to be kind to him, I've hurt him more than I would have by making a clean break.
Well, take a lot of curtain calls this afternoon, darling.
I'm coming back here just as soon as the matinee is over.
I'll be worried about you and Dorothy again.
And you tell him for me that if there's any more of this foolishness, so help me, I'm going to call the police.
I counted on my suicide threat, flattering Jess Salamigu.
I knew he'd talk for his friends about it, but I had to be sure that the suicide idea was firmly planted.
So I had to talk to Dorothy, another actor.
It was most appalling for me to mouth words about taking my own life, but necessary.
It was easy enough to see that she was frightened.
Johnny, you're talking like a madman. Try to be sensible about this, please.
Yes, well since when has sense and love gone together?
But I've explained to you that I don't love you. I never have loved you.
Love has to be a mutual thing to be successful.
But you don't know whether you love me or not, Dorothy. You're infatuated by an actor playing a glamorous role.
That's not true.
Marry Jess Salamigu and all your life you'll regret it. What's more, all your life you'll know that you killed me.
No, no, you mustn't talk like that.
I can't stand the thought of you marrying anyone else, Dorothy.
I... I'd have to kill myself. Can't you see? There's nothing else for me to do.
You talk about Jess being an actor. You're the actor.
You're trying to scare me with your suicide tricks.
You've got the slightest intention of going through with them. You were doing the acting.
That's most unkind, Dorothy. And so wrong. Goodbye.
No, no, come back here. Johnny, come back! Johnny!
I knew that Jess Salamigu's matinee would be over at 4.40 o'clock.
That he'd reach his little apartment near the theater at ten minutes before five.
So at four o'clock, I sat down at my desk and wrote a rather modern suicide note.
One that would make people feel sorry for me.
Then I went down to the basement and asked the janitor for change for a dollar deal,
explaining that I wanted to put a quarter in my gas meter.
I went back up to my apartment and telephoned Dorothy Carlisle.
Hello, Dorothy? Dorothy, I thought things all over.
Darling, you're saying that I was bluffing about suicide with just the impetus I needed.
You were wrong, dear. I'd be much better off dead.
What? Why? My apartment, of course.
Wait. What for?
I'm afraid nothing you could say would make any difference now, dear.
Well, I'll wait. I've quite made up my mind.
It was just 4.40 when I finished the phone call.
Just time for Jess Fallon's matinee to end.
The only time for me to get to his room is before him if I hurry.
I turned on all the gas jets and the kitchen stove,
and I locked both doors to my apartment with the spring locks,
and went down the back street, my hat pulled low over my eyes,
and a buffer up around my chin.
I went to Jess Fallon's room and waited.
Well, Johnny, how'd you get in here? What do you want anyway?
One question at a time, Jess.
I've got a good man to report you to the place.
You've caused altogether too much trouble. You and your friend.
I won't cause much more trouble, Jess.
Your troubles are just about over.
What?
Don't you know why I'm here?
You're insane.
I'm here to kill you, Jess.
You fool, put that gun down. You can't get away with it.
You haven't any idea how well I can get away with it, Jess?
Put down that gun. Why, you fool!
You're the fool, Jess. You're a fool to think you could take Dorothy away from me.
I'll never let you or anybody else take her away from me.
No! Get away from me!
Now, home, down the back stairs, so that nobody sees me.
I looked around carefully and breathed deeply at the fresh crisp air.
No, I wasn't shaken at all. No rebond, no excitement.
Yes, everything was working out according to plan.
I'm pale.
One of those little trivial things that can't be foreseen.
A stupid little accident that could ruin everything.
Oh, Mr. Loomis! Oh, Mr. Loomis!
Just a minute, Mr. Loomis. Hey, wait for me!
Quiet, quiet, boy. Don't you need to disturb the whole neighborhood?
I guess you don't remember me, Mr. Loomis. I'm Ronnie Morgan.
We live next door to the Carlisle.
Don't you remember, Mr. Loomis?
You took me for an automobile ride one Sunday afternoon last fall, along with Dorothy.
You're sure you don't have me confused with someone else, son?
Why, gee whiz, Mr. Loomis? What's the matter?
You act like you're sorry, because I stopped you.
I just wanted to say hello.
I was hurrying to get home by five o'clock, and it's nearly that now.
And I thought maybe you'd give me a lift in your car.
I'm sorry. I don't have my car here.
You're not sure about the time, are you?
Of course.
Yes, of course.
Well, if you'll excuse me, Ronnie, I'm in a dreadful hurry. I'll see you some other time.
No!
Oh, I was panicking together.
That stupid schoolboy who could completely upset my carefully planned alibi.
I had to work fast, furiously desperately fast.
And I did.
As soon as little Ronnie Morgan had walked on, I ran back down the alley,
back up the steps, and into Jeff Stalin's rooms.
I remembered his theatrical trumps full of costumes.
I overwhelmed him.
And I thought through the costumes.
East Indian costumes?
No, no.
Prince of the Royal Court?
No.
Quick, quick, a bit minute.
A devil suit.
Brilliantly red, completely pale, horns, and hideously painted devil's mask.
It felt like what I wanted.
I put it on and raced down the alley, along the route that Ronnie Morgan would be taking,
running for my life.
I had a big cancer now, but I kept in the late afternoon shadows.
I got a glimpse of a little boy walking leisurely along the sidewalk.
I ducked my way through a yard.
I slipped up behind him and...
The second act of Nothing But the Truth opens in front of Johnny Lewis' apartment.
Dorothy Carlisle has just been joined by Detective Dennis Delahanty,
who is trying to force the door.
I'm afraid it's too late, Lieutenant.
I ran down to the janitor's apartment and called you as soon as I got here.
Johnny promised to wait.
I called him back and he didn't answer.
I hurried, Lieutenant.
I got here as fast as I could.
Oh, this smells good.
Where is he?
Oh, this smells good.
We're too late, I know.
I guess we'd better break the door in, all right?
Yeah, plenty of gas.
Keep it out from under it.
Stand away from the door, please, Mrs. Carlisle.
Oh!
Oh, I can't!
Now, you'd better stay out here in the hall, miss.
I'll get him.
How long have you been in there?
I went 20 minutes to five when he called me.
I got here about five minutes to five.
What time is it now?
Quarter past five.
Oh, if he did, I'd have to get myself.
Need any help?
I haven't found him yet.
Kitchen door's closed.
He's probably in there.
Is he there?
Yeah.
I don't think he's dead yet.
He collapsed on the floor.
That may have saved him.
You didn't get much gas in your lungs, Mr. Loomis.
Thanks for falling to the floor as soon as the gas hit your lungs.
Gas right.
I suppose I should be grateful to you for saving me, Lieutenant.
But I'm not.
I don't have to do it all over again.
No.
No, you must, Johnny.
You've got to get hold of yourself.
Oh, thanks, Dorothy, but I'm not interested.
You really shouldn't have bothered bringing me to a hospital.
I suppose I shouldn't have called you.
I won't make that mistake next time.
Oh, well, that's for me, I suppose.
I told the folks I'd be here.
Hello?
What?
Lieutenant De La Handy.
Wait.
Yes, he's here.
Right.
Hello?
What?
Yes, I guess I can get over to that address, but a murder, huh?
Any clues?
Gun is all, huh?
No fingerprints, I suppose.
What's the murder man's name?
What did you say?
Jess?
Oh, no.
Last name, Fallon, huh?
No.
No, no, no.
Mr. Harlow, please.
You know the man.
I know him.
I loved him.
We were going to be married.
Well, maybe not all a mistake, Dorothy.
Like this little scene here.
Yeah.
Maybe it is a mistake at that.
Oh.
Johnny, no, Miss Kim, Jess, Lieutenant.
I know it.
I'm sure of it.
Being sure of a murder doesn't help much, Miss Kyleisle.
What you think and what you feel may be right, but the law won't listen to you.
It takes nothing but proof.
Solid, hard facts.
Johnny, no, Miss Kim, he was jealous of Jess and he killed him.
I gave my life on it.
You've given Mr. Loomis a pretty good alibi, Miss Kyleisle.
I wouldn't give him.
You said he called you at 20 minutes to five.
Yes.
And you got to Loomis' place at five minutes to five.
You're sure of that, are you?
Yes.
Positive.
Loomis had already started his suicide attempt when you got here.
The gas was turned on and the doors were locked.
But what of it?
He killed Jess.
No.
You've just proved that he didn't.
Jess Fallon left the theater at 440, at the same time Loomis was calling you.
Walking real fast, you can make it from the theater to his rooms in ten minutes.
That puts him at home no earlier than 450, don't you think?
Johnny Loomis killed him.
It's a good ten minutes from Fallon's rooms to Johnny Loomis' apartment.
Now that would mean Loomis couldn't possibly have killed Fallon and gotten back to his place before five o'clock.
Now you see, it won't work.
You can't make it work.
Oh, excuse me, officer.
Somebody's at the door.
Wait.
Hello, Ronnie.
I'm sorry, but I'm rather busy right now, dear.
You run along the plane.
Mother said it might be pretty important, Miss Dorothy.
She said I could come right over and talk to you.
Right away.
It's important?
Yes.
It's about Mr. Loomis and the murder.
About Mr. Loomis?
Yes.
And I've been playing in the schoolyard with the rest of the kids and I was late getting home.
Five minutes to five when I saw Mr. Loomis.
Five minutes to five, did you say?
Yes, sir.
Just where did you see Mr. Loomis, sonny?
Over on Finner Street.
The block where the murder was.
I asked him for a ride in his car.
He didn't want to talk to me and that's just awful funny.
Now, Blatt seemed pretty cute.
But he couldn't have been there.
In the kitchen on the floor?
He wasn't.
He must have turned on the gas right after he called you.
And he locked the doors and turned over to Fallon's and killed him.
Meanwhile, you got to Loomis' and tried the front door and smelled the escaping gas.
Oh, God.
And you called me.
Johnny Loomis got back to his place about five minutes after five, went up the back stairs and into the kitchen.
He took a few whips of gas and lay down on the floor, knowing that he'd get enough air there to keep him alive even if he passed out.
I got there ten minutes later and broke down the door.
That's the way he did it.
The only way he could.
And with Ronnie seeing him near Jeff Fallon.
That's the proof I needed, Miss Carlyle.
Now we've got Johnny Loomis right where we want him.
Ronnie, I just can't understand why you'd make up such a fantastic story.
I didn't make it up.
It's a truth and you know it.
There's no use trying to lie out of it, Johnny.
You're caught.
Dorothy, I'm surprised you'd believe an impressionable youngster who's probably been reading all kinds of blurred tales.
Why you talk to me, Mr. Loomis.
You even said there was something about my knowing what time it was.
You don't know what you're saying.
Now I know you wouldn't want to hurt me.
So why don't you admit to these people that you made all of this up just to have some excitement, hmm?
I didn't.
Ronnie, you're sure you haven't thought about this until you actually believe it was so?
I guess I know.
You don't too.
You acted awful funny about seeing me.
You remember how he was dressed, Sonny?
Sure.
Here on a fuzzy gray hat pulled low over his face.
Your gray fedora.
In a chicken scarf.
Red and gray pulled up over his face.
Call the dentist.
I gave him a scarf exactly like that.
Yes.
But Ronnie has had the opportunity to see plenty of times when I've called here along with the hat.
It's rather ridiculous.
I guess I know I saw all right.
His description stands up, Loomis, and you are checking his story a bit.
Now it looks like you're trapped, Loomis.
Ronnie, you're quite sure you saw me.
Yes.
And I didn't give you a ride when you asked me?
No. You say you didn't have your car.
So what did you do?
Well, I started walking on toward home and you walked the other way.
Of course.
And then did anything else happen, Ronnie?
Yes.
Yes?
There was something else exciting?
Yes.
I didn't tell anybody about it because I was scared.
And I didn't think they'd believe me anyway.
Oh, and you didn't think they'd believe you anyway.
Well, what was this other exciting thing that happened, Ronnie?
Well, I walked a little ways into the next block wondering why you acted so funny.
And I heard footsteps behind me and...
Footsteps?
Yes.
And I looked around and it was a devil.
A what?
A devil.
All red with a meanest-looking face.
He was throwing your life and horns floating out of his head and a long tail with a sharp
hook on the end.
And he grabbed me and started making funny noises.
Yes, yes.
I'm quite sure he made funny noises, Ronnie.
He grabbed you, you say?
Yes.
And he was dancing up and down and I jerked away from him.
I started running and I got away from him.
I ran most of the rest of the way home.
And when I looked around, he wasn't chasing me anymore.
And he was a red devil, you say?
A bright red?
You bet.
Awful bright.
With huge horns.
Okay, okay.
You don't need to ask him anymore, though, miss.
You win.
Run along home, kid.
And don't read any more of those ghost stories.
They might get you into trouble someday.
Oh, that's true.
I saw it.
Oh, sure.
But run along now.
And stay away from any more red devils.
Dorothy, you've no idea how deeply you wounded me,
believing that I killed the man you thought you loved.
You did kill him?
You mustn't be so bitter and suspecting, dear.
Don't you dare call me dear.
Get out of here.
Never want to see you again.
You're wrong, dear Dorothy.
You love me.
You've always loved me.
I'll never get over it.
And I wish you'd get out of my sight.
I hate you.
I want to be dead to you.
Mike, you've been at Delahunt?
Yes, ma'am.
I'm glad Mr. Loomis is here.
Hello, Delahunt.
I've got a warrant for your arrest, Loomis.
My arrest?
What?
I thought we'd gone over all that.
Yeah.
A little boy's story wouldn't stand up.
But I got the thinking.
So I got the chief to give me a half a dozen cops, and we scoured the neighborhood of just
Fallon's apartment.
What boy?
I don't know.
Well, I got the chief to give me a half a dozen cops, and we scoured the neighborhood
of just Fallon's apartment.
What?
A package?
What is it?
Something that was pretty well hidden, when I unwrap it.
Oh, quick!
It's a red devil costume.
Yeah.
And we checked with the theater.
to my right to the right little Ronnie Morgan story and the ball away even the
part about the red devil you're under arrest from us I don't believe so that I
think I'm going to kill both of you I guess it might not be
a bad idea to kill that little brat next door if I can find you before I skip I
wouldn't try shooting on it no well I would.
Here on. The devil.
To. My face. You never have shot me if I hadn't been.
And then. Too bad we can't bury him in that classroom.
Sort of it is character.
Thank you.