November 9, 2003 - 740905 - Deadline for Death

[vgarci]

This week's program is presented for your review by Texas (Kurt).

For those who do not have the program, you can download it (with or without a Streamload account) at: www.streamload.com/vgarci (http://www.streamload.com/vgarci)

[vgarci]

Kurt,
What a terrific program! This play was stacked with interesting characters, dialogue and content. One hardened criminal drew our sympathy and another, less likeable criminal, garnered respect for being true to his word.

One great example of our authors subtle touch happened in the third act. Linda brings our main character his last meal of coffee and a rare hamburger... just as he likes them. A great job of forecasting that the grim reaper still had his number.

A question: I know that daylight saving time was conceived in the 1700's but was it in practice before the energy crisis of the 70's? I ask because I wonder if this story's terrific end was inspired by national/global issues that occurred when it was written.

[Steve]

This episode was not my cup of tea. Only occasionally do I enjoy revenge curse stories and, even then, only when the curse is thrown by an innocent person who was wronged by someone greedy, crooked or evil (As in, say, [i:d5f14acf1c]The House of the Seven Gables[/i:d5f14acf1c]---the [u:d5f14acf1c]novel[/u:d5f14acf1c] by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Not the RMT version, which alters the original story.) At least there's a sense of justice involved. In [i:d5f14acf1c]Deadline for Death[/i:d5f14acf1c], our "protagonists" are both crooks, so I really can't find myself caring too much about how the curse plays out. Neither one of the characters drew my sympathy, and certainly not my respect.

Also, this play has kind of a one-note plot. I mean, from the beginning we already [i:d5f14acf1c]know[/i:d5f14acf1c] the curse came true. It's being recounted by the two dead criminals. So the whole thing just becomes an end-game---listening to Sammy become more and more paranoid, tortured by Johnny's ghost, until we find out how he ended up dying. [color=red:d5f14acf1c](SPOILER ALERT)[/color:d5f14acf1c] The one interesting little twist comes at the end of the second act, when Sammy's girlfriend reveals that he's lost his mind and has no sense of how much time has passed. It foreshadows the idea that his own guilt-feelings kill him.

Despite the script, though, the acting and production values were good and the little plot twist mentioned above was interesting, so I give this one a 2.

Until next time....!

Steve smile.gif

[wtmsr]

This sounds like a modern "The Tale Tell Heart". I enjoyed it but this type of plot is not my favorite.

[Steve]

Hey, very good point! I hadn't thought of that, but it [i:0387aef4d2]is[/i:0387aef4d2] something of a twist on "The Tell-Tale Heart" plot---being eaten up by one's own guilt. (By the way, has anyone heard the [i:0387aef4d2]CBC Nightfall [/i:0387aef4d2]version of "Tell-Tale Heart"? Omigosh! It is one of the creepiest radio dramas I've ever heard! And very true to the original. Well worth checking out if you haven't heard it.)


Steve smile.gif

[wtmsr]

Steve, Do you (or anyone else out there) have it? I like to compare different "takes" on the same show.

Wendell

[Steve]

Hi Wendell,

Yes, I have it. And I'm glad to share it, however I don't currently have a Streamload account so I don't have a way of getting it to you right now. I don't know if there's another way to send it to you online, but I should have an account within 2 or 3 weeks, so if no one else on Streamload ends up having it I can get it to you at that time. Quite a few of the [i:d8614b89b4]CBC Nightfall [/i:d8614b89b4]shows are extremely creepy. Their version of "The Monkey's Paw" is good too. Unlike RMT, though, their stories are strictly horror-oriented.

Steve smile.gif

[brian1984_2001]

I really enjoyed this show and gave it a five!

The script built the tension nicely. Knowing the outcome does not necessarily spoil it. The character's paranoia and fear keep you on edge.

I didn't see it as resembling the tell-tale heart. Our anti-hero didn't have any feelings of guilt. Just fear.

I'm not big on the suspense thriller, but this one is pretty good.

[Steve]

Guilt, Fear. Whichever. Doesn't matter. The point is that madness caused by an obsessive emotion killed Sammy. He did himself in, in the end.

Actually, now that I think of it, in "The Tell-Tale Heart" it's not just guilt, but also fear, that makes the guy lose it. Obviously, the entire story of "Deadline..." isn't exactly like "...Heart", but it [i:2e6b3065d9]does[/i:2e6b3065d9] use [u:2e6b3065d9]exactly[/u:2e6b3065d9] the same plot device of an all-consuming obsession to do the character in. In fact, this plot device dominates the story. So there is a similarity. I think Wendell's observation is quite valid.

Steve

[Texas]

Couple of thoughts:

- I've heard the RMT's adaptation of "The telltale heart" and I can see some similarities. However, Arnold Moss (who besides acting in has penned a couple of interesting tales for the RMT) seemed inspired heavily by the old [i:4422d61a88]Twilight Zone[/i:4422d61a88] with this one, off the top of my head by Judgment night (http://www.thetzsite.com/pages/episodes/010.html) (recurring judgment), A stop at Willougby (http://www.thetzsite.com/pages/episodes/030.html) (a guy playing mind games with himself) and Dead man's shoes (http://www.thetzsite.com/pages/episodes/083.html) (A gangster living in fear of his life due to a partner he was responsible for killing and who promised to kill him in return).

- This one was TWZ cool, not as much for the plot as for the execution of it. (No pun intended). The music was all right, but the sound effects were bowling pin hitting, hoodlum-frisking, mirror breaking cool, IMO.

- This was a role that in later years might have gone to an actor like Larry Haines. Himan Brown or whomever was casting director made a better choice: [b:4422d61a88]Joe Julian[/b:4422d61a88], a blue collar radio guy (you Ohio RMTers, he was a former announcer at WLW-AM in Cincinnati) who sounded like he [i:4422d61a88]was[/i:4422d61a88] Sammy Rogers. Julian and Michael Tolin were made for each other in this play. (Julian didn't do much at the RMT, but he was the gruff sounding yet kindly Uncle Pietro ("That's 'Pete' kid, and don't you forget it!") in "The horror within", and also acted in "Hurricane" and "You only die once".)

- How many RMTs do we get to have a cast of characters (heard or not) named Johnny, Sammy, Benny, Tommy, Vinnie, Joey, Luigi and Little Red Mike? :D

[dave]

even tho i did know where this was going to end up i enjoyed it. i especially liked the twist when we find out hoe much time has actually passed. i liked the broken mirror scene. my favorite character was the little red guy. slightly damon runnion-like.

i thought for a short time that the girlfriend might end up killing the guy because of the way he treated her.
sometimes i pick the least likly suspect for a crime trying to out smart the cbsrmt writers.
i gave it a 4.

[UNTIL NEXT TIME]

Good enertainment...the power of the conscious, or at least a guilty conscious? The name Johnny Promise and the acting of Joseph Julian make for a unique sounding episode. The conclusion was inevitable. It reminds me of a terrific Cornell Woolrich novel "Night has a thousand eyes", where a similar natural irony does in our protgonist Baddie. :evil: ....Until Next Time