Fed up with the everyday grind, tired out from the summer heat, want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape! Escape, designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure! You are prisoner in the magnificent mountain retreat of the richest man in the world, while haunting you, terrifying you, is the knowledge that the ultimate escape will be death. Tonight we escape to an isolated Montana plateau and the strange secret of a stranger family, as F. Scott Fitzgerald told it in his fantastic story, The Diamond as Big as the Ritz. I've been going to St. Midas Prep School for a couple of years. This was my second summer vacation. I'd met this fellow, Percy Washington, during the winter and got to be pretty good friends with him. Only I didn't know about his family or where he came from or anything like that. Of course I knew he must be rich. All the fellows at St. Midas came from wealthy families. So when he invited me to spend the summer at his home out west someplace, it was okay by me. We'd been on the train overnight when he first mentioned it. I don't even remember now what led up to it. We'd been talking about first one thing and then another. Um, Percy, exactly where is your home? I mean, you bought the train tickets and all that. It's in Montana, sort of a little place. Montana. Oh yeah. Pretty wild country, isn't it? Hmm, some of it is. Now, you take Hades, Missouri, where I come from. It's been settled for 150 years. One of the first towns on the Mississippi River. Indeed. Oh sure. That's very interesting. I sure do appreciate you're not making jokes about it the way some of the fellows do when I say I come from Hades. Why you know my father's orientation. John. Do you know that my father is the richest man in the world? Oh? By far the richest. I read about a man that paid taxes on a five million dollar income. Small fry. If my father paid tax on his real income, he'd disrupt the whole economy of the United States. No kidding. Oh, I like rich people. The richer a fellow is, the better I like him. My father could buy out all of the millionaires in the country and not even know he had done it. Is that a fact? No. I visited the Schlitzer Murphys once. They're plenty rich. Why, their daughter Vivian's got rubies as big as hen's eggs and sapphires that glow like headlamps. I like jewels. Always have. I used to collect them instead of stamps. And diamonds. The Schlitzer Murphys had diamonds as big as walnuts. Oh, that's nothing. Huh? Nothing at all. My father has a diamond as big as the Ritz. Oh. Please, I'm not joking. What? But you mean as big as the Ritz Carlton Hotel? Exactly. My father has a diamond as big as the Ritz. We got off the train about dusk at a little whistle stop called Fish Montana. There wasn't anything there, not even a station. Just a broken down old buggy and four or five sheep herders lounging beside the track. And I suppose wondering who we were. Anyway, Percy and I climbed into the buggy and without saying a word, the driver cracked his whip and off we went. I don't know how far we traveled. We didn't seem to be following any road though and after an hour or so it got dark. But the driver kept right on, never saying a word. I hope you'll pardon this inconvenience, John, but we have to take certain precautions, you know. It's all right. Anyway, we're almost there. You're home, you mean? Oh no, to the place where we consider it safe to transfer. Transfer? What do you mean? Oh, there's the signal now. Headlights? Well, up the horse, Absom. Here we are. An automobile, but how? There's no road. Oh, this car is special built. Doesn't need roads. Welcome home, master. Good evening, Giggsom. Come on, John, let's get in. Gosh, is this car what they've made out of, silver? No, platinum. Those are emeralds in the hubcaps. And the upholstering, it's fur. Mink. You're ready, master? Anytime, Giggsom. You've probably noticed the exceptional brightness of the headlamps. The lenses are cut from diamonds. Boy, what a car. So John Keep, we use it for a station wagon. Hey, why did we stop, Percy? This is just a deserted canyon. Oh, we're not there yet, John. Wait, you'll see. They sent down the hooks while we were coming from the station. The hooks? Yes, to attach to the wheels, you know. That's what Giggsom's doing now. Incidentally, Giggsom will look after you during our visit. Look after me? Your personal valet. Of course, there'll be other slaves available too, whenever you need them. Do you have a lot of slaves? Three or four hundred, I suppose. Already, Giggsom? Yes, master. Hello? Pussed away. We're leaving the ground. Yes, there's a hoist up there on top of the cliff. Has cables about a quarter of a mile long. But what for? Oh, it's the only way in. Imagine hoisting an automobile a quarter of a mile up the side of a cliff. It's really nothing. As you may have guessed, John, this is not going to be like anything you ever saw before in your life. Well John, there it is. That's your home? It's magnificent. Palatial. That's not bad. How big is it? I think it's around a hundred and forty rooms. The father may remember exactly. Then of course, there are other buildings, slaves quarters and things. Why hasn't anyone ever found out about it? This place, I mean. Well, for one thing, it's the only five square miles in the United States that have never been surveyed. Why not? Oh, things were arranged. I don't see how that's possible. Believe me, it hasn't been easy. I understand grandfather had to bribe three government bureaus, a vice president and half of Congress wants to keep the place off the maps. But somebody surely stumbled onto it. Prospectors, people like that. Oh yes, that happens occasionally. Then of course, we have to arrange things. You mean? Not always. Usually we just take them prisoner and keep them, like the aviators. Planes come here? Once in a while they fly over. Of course they never get away. We have nine anti-aircraft batteries around the hills. You shoot them down? Oh yes, great sport. It does upset mother a bit. And there's always a chance one might get away. That's father's greatest worry. This place is this whole thing. It's fantastic. Oh come now John, I picked you for a fellow with his feet on the ground. And you haven't seen anything yet, you know. This is only the beginning. And it was only the beginning. We crossed the acres of Lawn and entered the great chateau. And from that moment on, vision upon vision tumbled together in a gigantic kaleidoscope of color, symmetry and exquisite harmony. There were corridors lined with gleaming crystals lit by lamps cut from emerald and great halls carpeted with chinchilla fur and ermine. And there was a white haired man, pink faced and very pleasant, who was Percy's father. And Percy's mother, a lovely lady with dark hair piled high on her head like a fragile queen. Soft music came from hidden places, perfumes filled the air, exotic foods and wines more rare than pearls. I thought there could be no more nor greater wonders. I was wrong. There were many more and greater ones. And one of them I discovered the next morning in the garden. Hello there. Oh, you're lovely. My name is Kissmine. You're John Unger. You're a friend of my brother. You from the East? Oh, no. At least, not exactly. I'm from Hades. Oh. Would you like to sit down here on the grass? Why, yes, sure I would. I'm going east to school this fall. Do you suppose I'll like it? I think so. Of course, it'll be different from all this. That's what Jasmine says. She's in the East now. I've never been outside. Who is Jasmine? My sister. She's older than I am. I hope you won't be offended, but you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Yes, I know. What? I surprised you, didn't I? A year ago, I would have said thank you, but Father says it's very necessary to learn to take things for granted. So now I just take it for granted that I'm beautiful. You see? You're pretty sophisticated, aren't you? Oh, I'm not at all. I believe girls should enjoy their youth in a wholesome sort of way. Oh, so do I. I like you, John. I wish you'd spend some of your time with me this summer, not all with Percy. I will, Kiss Me, I will. You may be in love with me if you'd like to. I'm absolutely fresh ground, you know. I am in love with you. Of course, we'll have to meet secretly. My parents wouldn't permit it if they knew. Then that's what we'll do. I have to go now. I'm supposed to be with Mother at 11. Aren't you going to ask me for a kiss? Jasmine says boys always do nowadays. Some of them do, but not me. We don't expect nice girls to do that sort of thing in Hades. It was a funny thing. Percy's family were polite, friendly, always smiling. And yet all the time I had a feeling that some terrible and golden mystery lay hidden just around the corner. A few days after I had met Kiss Me, Percy remarked casually that an unusual event had occurred. A man had escaped from the cage. I didn't know what he meant then. But the next morning I was walking with Percy's father on the grounds of the estate. Mr. Washington, Percy said something about a man escaping from the cage. I didn't quite get it. The cage, well, perhaps you'd like to see it. This might prove interesting just as a novelty. It's over there. These trees are 60 feet tall and they have roses blooming all over them. Yes, yes, it's a rather interesting development by a Swiss botanist. These are the only ones in the world. I'll be darned. Although I suppose you'll see them all over the country in a few years. No, these are the only ones. That was arranged. Ah, here we are, the cage. It's a pit dug in the ground. A grating on top. Oh, yes, it's not really a cage except in a certain sense. Well, boys, how are you getting along? How many men are there down there? About 50, as I recall. Who are they? Oh, aviators we've shot down, wandering prospectors, men of that sort. But why are they kept there? And they've all had the common misfortune of having discovered El Dorado. Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen, I am sure you would like to know that your companion who departed without my permission has been taken care of. Yes, yes, yes, he was shot by some of my agents in 14 different places. Golf, Mr. Unger? They found him then? The man who got away? Well, those places were towns, my agents who overeek. None of them could offer a positive identification. I am afraid the man may still be at large. Ah, you see, it's not all utopia here. No, we do have our difficulties. Isn't it a little unnecessary, holding them like that? Not at all. It's the only way to keep this place hidden. Yes, I guess that must be important. Oh, Percy was telling me something on the train. I thought he was kidding, but he said you had a diamond as big as the Ritz Carlton hotel. Oh, yes. Yes, indeed. As a matter of fact, it's much bigger than the Ritz. Much bigger. Well, summer went on. I was more and more in love with Kismine. She was priceless, exquisite, like no other girl in the world. After a couple of weeks, I kissed her, of course, and I was really in love for the first time. I should have known, should have put two and two together when Percy's father showed me the cage, but I didn't. Until one morning late in the summer, I slipped off with Kismine to the Rose Gardens. Kismine, I think we ought to elope. Oh, I don't know. It would be much nicer to be married here. Then it'd be more romantic to elope. Yes, all the Sunday supplements would write stories about fabulous heiress elopes. I knew an heiress from Omaha once, but I don't think you'd like her. She visited my sister here. Oh, you've had other guests then? Well, yes, we've had a few. Wasn't your father ever afraid they might talk outside? Well, to some extent. Let's talk about something more pleasant. What's so unpleasant about it? Well, I grew quite fond of some of them. You mean they told? And your father? They didn't get a chance to. Father had to be sure. But that's murder. What else could we do? In the cage, they'd have been a constant reproach to us. And father does it so nicely. They're always drugged in their sleep and we tell their families they died of scarlet fever and bute. I'm not sure how that affects the statistics there. Of all the horrible. It is not. The draw would be terribly boring here without ever having anybody. My father and mother have sacrificed some of their best friends. You're no better than... That's what they planned to do with me then. Don't you try to forget it. Be nice to me until you're put away. It's only for two or three weeks. You'd go on this way kissing, talking about love when you know I'm not much better than a corpse. You're not a corpse. You're not. I won't have you saying I kissed a corpse. That wasn't what I said. You did too. I did not. You said that... Now just a moment. Father. Who kissed a corpse? Nobody. We were just joking. Now you two haven't any business here anyway. Now kiss mine. Go read. Go play golf. Now don't you let me find you here when I come back. Yes, father. Good day, children. You see. Now he knows you've spoiled everything. You don't really love me. Kiss mine. Oh, what's the use? What if you are rich and have this place? Why would it be so terrible if anyone found out about it? Why, it's on account of the diamond, of course. Diamond? What is this diamond all of you talk about? Well, it's... You'd better ask Percy. I'm always getting things mixed up. I will ask him. And another thing. I'm getting out of here tonight if I have to dig through the mountains. I'm going back east. Take me with you? No. Why not? Your father wouldn't permit it. If you won't take me, I'll go tell him I want to marry you. You can't do that. He bumped me off this afternoon. Oh, please take me, darling. And we'll be terribly poor and very happy. And I'll cook things for you. Herbs and berries and stuff. Would that be fun? Oh, you will, won't you, John? Well, my head was really in a whirl. That whole thing was fantastic. And so was the family. Even Kismine. I couldn't think of anything to do, but I rushed to see Percy. But John, why didn't you ask me before? Because I thought you were kidding all the time. I know. You wouldn't believe me if I'd told you. I'm ready to believe anything now. Well, it was my grandfather who started the whole thing, purely by accident. He came out here from Virginia after the war between the states and stumbled onto it. Into what? The diamond, of course. That's what made all this possible. Grandfather spent two years going around to different cities of the world, selling bits of it. Then he started building this place. He put his money into jewels. But father found that radium took up much less space. But, but why the secrecy? Oh, it just wouldn't do if anyone found out. Ruin the whole economy of the world. The thing's too big. This has been going on for three generations. Well, and the cage and this thing of inviting friends. Oh yes. You see, there wasn't really any danger before airplanes. They are what worry us. And you knew when you invited me here what would happen. Please, John. I thought you'd be more sensible about it. After all, you can see my position. Yeah. Where is it? Where do you keep this diamond that's caused so cockeyed much trouble? Oh, I thought you had guessed. You've noticed the hill the chateau stands on. Yes. It contains a cubic mile. And except for a thin covering of dirt, it's one big solid diamond. It was nearly midnight. I didn't know what awakened me, but all of a sudden I was staring across the patches of moonlight, spotting the ermine carpet of my bedroom, staring at three slaves I'd never seen before. They just slipped inside the door and stood there, each with a vicious length of shiny copper wire. The official executioners. I lay there on the bed watching them counting heartbeats, not daring to move, not daring not to move. They didn't know I'd wakened. They began edging across the room. Come on. All three of you. There's no time now for this. All hell's broken loose. Hurry. I took one long, deep breath. The first one had several moments. Then I was out of the bed in an instant, throwing on my clothes and dashing through the long crystal corridor to Kismine's room. Kismine, are you awake? John, over here by the window. So they woke you up too. If you mean three of your father's slaves, you- No, airplanes. Airplanes. So that's what it is. At least a dozen. I saw them crossing against the moon. Look, they're circling way over there. You think they're here on purpose? Oh, yes. They dropped warnings to father. It's that man who got away from the cage, you know. Good for him. Yes, wasn't he clever? I think we'll open up on the many second now. Open up? Yes, our anti-aircraft. Oh, this is going to be thrilling. Thrilling? Oh, look, they're in range now. Bravo! Bravo! Kismine, get away from that window. Oh, my heavens. Do you see that? Yes, and we've got to get out of here. Can't you understand? There's a little grove of trees across the side of the mountains. We always keep one of the cars there. We'll have a nice view of everything. A nice view? Kismine, you don't seem to understand. They mean business. They're out to finish off you and your whole family. But it all seems so silly. When you come right down to it, they've never even met us. What time is it, John? Is it morning yet? I don't know. I've lost my watch. It seems to be getting lighter, all right? It's quieter, too. Your guns. They're knocked out. Every last one of them. It won't be long now. It seems such a shame. The family put so much work on the place. Everything's always been so pleasant. Yeah. You better get some sleep, Kismine. I'm going to walk down the path a little ways. You'll come back. Yes, Kismine. I'll come back. At the edge of the wood, I stopped and looked out across the valley toward the wrecked chateau standing on its diamond hill. And then suddenly three men appeared bearing a heavy burden among them. It was Mr. Washington and two of the slaves. All right. This is far enough. We'll stop here. Now, hoist it up and hold it there. Both together now. Easy now. The burden they held up to the heavens was an immense diamond. Now, you out there. You there. I can see no one else anywhere in view. You, you, above there. I want you to understand. This is only a sample. I'll give you a thousand cutters pine, second pedestals of platinum. And I'll build you a temple a thousand feet high, cast of solid gold. And on the top of it, I'll put one diamond a hundred feet across. A thought began to dawn on me. I couldn't believe it. I'll letter your name in the temple in emeralds. And I'll see that the whole world worships at its base. All you have to do, all you have to do is make everything the way it was before. Mr. Washington was offering a bribe to God. He stopped talking and waited. And then out of the silent heavens blossomed the white puffs of parachutes. The man who had tried to bribe God looked up and saw them. He became old in an instant. Turning with lowered head, walked down the path toward the chateau. With sudden premonition, I whirled and headed for the spot where I'd left Kismine. Kismine in the car that needed no roads. Haven't we gone far enough, John? I suppose. We're ten miles from the chateau. It's all so hectic. Just rushing about and losing sleep and everything. Hand me those field glasses. Here they are. You see anything? No. Oh, wait. What is it? It's your father and mother. And Percy. They're going into a tunnel down below the chateau. They've got an underground escape. No. No, I remember now. The mountain's wired. Some kind of an atom bomb. Atom? Atomic bomb? That's it. Father's had it for years. He always said it would disintegrate the whole works. Diamond and all. Of course, he only regarded it as a last resort. So he'd rather have it like that. They're all inside the tunnel now. I can see the troopers moving in. I don't suppose there's really anything to be done about it now. And there wasn't. I keep thinking about things the way they were. It was all so pleasant. I don't suppose it'll ever be exactly like that again. Not ever, Kismine. And maybe it never was. Youth is a time for dreaming. Dreams die too. I'll probably have to take in washing. But of course, we'll be very happy. What will we do, John? Do? We can love a while. Underneath the stars. That's a form of divine drunkenness we can all try. And then there may be other diamonds in the world, who knows? And even though it's a shabby gift, there's always disillusion. Turn up your collar, Kismine, before you catch pneumonia. Let's go to sleep. Escape is produced and directed by Norman MacDonald. Tonight we have brought you The Diamond, As Big As The Ritz, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, adapted for radio by Les Crutchfield, with editorial supervision by John Dunkle. In tonight's cast were Sam Edwards, Peggy Webber, Danny Merrill, John Danaer, and Don Diamond. Special music by Ivan Dittmarz. Next week. Each time you fall asleep, you find yourself dreaming the same strange dream. One in which you live out your life in the distant future. And always a hideous fate moves closer to you. A fate from which you cannot escape. Next week we escape with another great story by one of the world's greatest authors. Good night then until this same time next week when once again we offer you Escape. This is Roy Rowan speaking for CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.
