Tired of the everyday routine? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? 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. Yet in love with his beautiful daughter. While haunting you, terrifying you, is the certain knowledge that the only sure escape would be death. Today with Sam Edwards, starred as John Unger, we escape to an isolated plateau in the Rocky Mountains. And the strange story of a stranger family, as F. Scott Fitzgerald told it in his fascinating tale, The Diamond as Big as the Ritz. I'd 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, that was okay by me. We'd been traveling on the super cheap overnight when Percy 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. Exactly where is your home, Percy? I mean, you bought the train tickets and all, so I... Well, it's in the Rockies. Sort of, that is. The Rockies, huh? Pretty wild country, isn't it? Some of it is. 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. You know, I sure do appreciate your not making jokes about it, the way some of the fellows do when I say I come from Hades. John, do you know that my father is the richest man in the world? Huh? Who's your father richest? I read about a man that paid taxes on a five million dollar income. Small fry. If my father paid a 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 the millionaires in the country and not even know he'd done it. Is that a fact? I visited at the Schlitzer Murphys once. They're plenty rich. My daughter Vivian's got rubies as big as hen's eggs. 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. But you mean as big as the Ritz Carlton Hotel? Exactly. My father has a diamond as big as the Ritz. Well, from there on it was something like a dream. We got off the train about dusk at a little whistle stop where there was no town or anything, not even a station. Just a broken down old buggy. Well, Percy and I climbed in 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. And after an hour or so it got dark. The driver kept right on. I hope you'll pardon this inconvenience, John, but we have to take certain precautions, you know. Oh, that's all right, Percy. Anyway, we're almost there. You're a home, you mean? Oh, no. To the place where we consider it safe to transfer. Transfer? What do you mean? There's the signal now. Headlights? Pull up the horse absinthe. They've seen us. An automobile. But how? There's no road. Oh, it's special built. Doesn't need roads. Welcome home, master. Good evening, Gixxon. Come on, John, let's get in. Gosh, what's the body made out of? Silver? Platinum. Those are emeralds in the hubcaps. And the upholstering? It's fur. Mink. You are ready, master? Anytime, Gixxon. You'll probably notice, John, the exceptional brightness of the headlights. The lenses are cut from diamonds. Boy, what a car. This old junk heap, we use it for a station wagon. Hey, why did we stop, Percy? This is just a deserted canyon. Wait, John, you'll see. They sent the hooks down while we were coming from the train. The hooks? Yes, to attach to the wheels, you know. That's what Gixxon's doing now. Oh, incidentally, Gixxon will look after you during your visit. Look after me? You're 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. Master? Oh, already, Gixxon? Yes, master. Hello? Master, wait! Look, we're leaving the ground. Yes, there's a hoist up there on the top of the cliff. It has cables about a quarter of a mile long. Yeah, but what for? Well, it's the only way in. Imagine hoisting an automobile a quarter of a mile up the side of a cliff. It's nothing, really. 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? Yes. Why, it's magnificent. It's palatial. It's not a bad little place. How big is it? I think there are around 140 rooms, but Father may remember exactly. Then, of course, there are other buildings, slaves' quarters and things. Well, why hasn't anyone ever found out about it? This place, I mean. For one thing, it's the only five square miles in the country 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 and half of Congress once to keep the place off the maps. Oh, yeah, but surely somebody 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 hill here. You shoot them down? Oh, yes. Great sport. Does upset Mother a bit, though, and there's always the chance one might get away. That's Father's greatest worry. This place, 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. Even the air I breathed carried a subtle fragrance, like the scent of platine. There was a white-haired man, pink-faced and pleasant, who was Percy's father. More champagne, Mr. Unger. Oh, thanks, Mr. Washington. It's very good. It's the very best. I have it made, especially by Paul Masson himself. Gosh, really? However, Mr. Unger, I don't want you to think our life here is just a bed of roses. Upon occasion, we do have to arrange things. Oh, yes, indeed we do. I went to my room thinking 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 gardens. Hello there. Ah? Oh, you're lovely. My name is Kisminer. You're John Unger. You're a friend of my brother. Are you from the East? No, at least not exactly. I'm from Hades. Oh? Missouri. 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 my sister Jasmine says. She's in the East now. I've never been outside. 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. Sure. I like you, John. I wish you'd spend some of your time with me this summer. Not all with Percy. I will, Kismine. I will. You may be in love with me if you'd like to. I'm absolutely fresh ground, you know. I think I am in love with you. Already. 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'd met Kismine, Percy remarked casually that an unusual event had occurred. A man had escaped from the cage. Of course, 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. Oh, Mr. Washington, Percy said something about a man escaping from the cage. I didn't quite get it. The cage, huh? Well, perhaps you'd like to see it. Yes, it might prove interesting just as a novelty. It's over here. These trees, they're 60 feet tall, and they have roses blooming all over them. It's a rather interesting development by a Swiss botanist. These are the only ones in the world. Oh, I suppose you'll see them all over the country in a few years. No, no. These are the only ones that was arranged. Ah, here we are, the cage. It's a pit dug in the ground and a grating on top. Well, boys, how are you getting along? Good. How many men are there down there? About 50, as I recall. Aviators we've shot down, wandering prospectors, many of that sort. But why are they kept there? Well, they've all had the common misfortune of having discovered El Dorado. Gentlemen! Gentlemen, I am sure that you would like to know that your companion, who departed without my permission, has been taken care of. 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, actually, by places I meant towns. No, no, my agents were over eager. They shot 14 men, but none of them could offer a positive identification. So I'm afraid the man I seek may still be at large. You see, Mr. Unger, it's not all utopia here. 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. Yeah. Oh, Mr. Washington, Percy was telling me something on the train. I guess he was just 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. And I was more and more in love with Kismine. She, too, was priceless, exquisite, like no other girl in the world. After a couple of weeks, I'd kissed her, of course. And I was really in love for the first time. Yeah, I should have known. I 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'd slipped off with Kismine to the Rose Gardens. Kismine, I think we ought to elope. I don't know. It would be much nicer to be married here, but then it would be much more romantic to elope. All the Sunday supplements would write stories about it. Oh, Kismine. 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, huh? Oh, yes, we've had a few. Wasn't your father ever afraid they might talk outside? Well, to some extent. But let's talk about something more pleasant. What's unpleasant about it? 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 be 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 what effect that has on the statistics there. Of all the horrible things... No, it's not. After all, it would be terribly boring here without ever having anybody. Why, father and mother have sacrificed some of their best friends. That's what they planned to do with me then. See, now you're sort of depressed. I knew you would be. And we could have had such fun. Fun? Couldn't you try to forget it? And 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. What have you saying I kissed a corpse? That wasn't what I said. You did too. I did not. You said that... Just a moment. Father. Who kissed a corpse? Nobody. We were joking. You two haven't any business here anyway. Gizmine, you go read, go play golf. And don't let me find you here when I come back. Yes, father. Yeah, well, good day, children. You see, now I know you've spoiled it all. You don't really love me. Gizmine, you... Oh, what's the use? Look, Gizmine, why would it be so terrible if anyone found out about this place? Why, it's on account of the diamond, of course. But you'd better ask Percy. I'm always getting things messed 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. Oh, no. Why not? Your father wouldn't permit it. If you won't take me, I'll go tell him I'm in love and want to marry you. You can't do that. He'd bump 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. Won't that be fun? You will, won't you, John? Well, my head was really in a whirl. This whole thing was fantastic. And so was the family. Even Gizmine. Well, 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 have believed me if I had told you. I'm ready to believe anything now. Well, it was Grandfather who started the whole thing. Purely an accident. He came out here from Virginia and stumbled onto it. Onto what? The diamond, of course. Grandfather spent two years going around to different cities of the world, selling bits of it. And then he started building this place. First he started putting his money in jewels, and then he found the radium took up much less space. Father's carried on since, you know. But why the secrecy? It just wouldn't do if anyone found out. Ruin the economy of the world. The thing's too big. This thing has been going on for three generations. The cage, this thing of inviting friends. Oh, yes. You see, there wasn't really any danger before airplanes. They're 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? I thought you'd guessed. You've noticed the hill the chateau stands on. Oh, yes, but... 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 awakened. They began edging across the room. Come on, all three of you. There's no time now for this. Hurry. I took one long, deep breath, the first in 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. No, airplanes. Airplanes. So that's what it is. At least a dozen. I thought I'm 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 them any second now. Open up? Yes, our anti-aircraft. Oh, this is thrilling. Thrilling? Oh, look, they're in range now. Bravo! Bravo! Kismine, get away from that window! Good heavens, did you see that? Yes, and we've got to get out of here. Can't you understand they'll bomb the Chateau next? Oh, there's a little grove across on the side of the mountain. 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. It all seems so silly. Why, when you come right down to it, they've never even met us. Is it morning yet, John? Seems to be getting lighter. It's quieter too. It's your guns. They're knocked out, every last one of them. Well, it won't be long now. Seems such a shame. The family put so much work on the place. They've been working on it for so long. They've been working on it for so long. They've been working on it for so long. They've been working on it for so long. They've been working on it for so long. Everything's always been so pleasant. Yeah. You'd better get some sleep, Kismine. I'm gonna 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 and this diamond hill in the center. The bombing had stopped. The planes droned over the far rim of the plateau seeking some sort of formation. And then, on a small knoll just below me, three men appeared suddenly from the underbrush. The first one strode imperiously ahead and the other two bore a heavy burden between them. It was Mr. Washington and two of the slaves. All right. This is far enough. We'll stop here. Now, hoist it up. The only thing that they held up to the heavens was an immense diamond. Now, you up there. I could see no one else anywhere in view. You up there. I want you to understand. This is only a sample. I'll give you a thousand cutless fine second pedestals of platinum. And I'll build you a tower 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, but I couldn't believe it. I'll letter your name on the temple in emeralds and I'll see that the whole world worships at its base. All you have to do is to make everything the way it was before. Mr. Washington was offering a bribe to God. He stopped talking, waiting for an answer. And then, out of those same silent heavens blossomed the white puffs of parachutes. The man who tried to bribe God looked up and saw them, became old in an instant, and turning with lowered head, walked down the path toward the Chateau. With a sudden premonition, I whirled and headed for the spot where I left Kismine. Kismine and 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. This rushing about, losing sleep and everything. Hand me those field glasses. Here they are. Can 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. Wait, I remember now. The mountain's wired. Some kind of atom bomb. Atom? You mean atomic bomb. That's it. My father 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. The paratroopers are 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 will ever be exactly like that again. Not ever, Giz, mine. And maybe it never was. You know, youth is a time for dreaming and dreams die too. Probably have to take in washing. But of course we'll be very happy. What will we do, John? Do? Oh, we can love a while underneath the stars. We can try a form of divine drunkenness. 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, Giz, mine, before you catch pneumonia. I'm going to sleep. Escape, produced and directed by Norman MacDonald, has brought you Sam Edwards, in The Diamond as Big as the Ritz by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The radio adaptation was by Les Crutchfield with editorial supervision by John Dunkle. Featured in the cast were Nina Cloudin as Giz, mine, and Hugh Thomas as Percy with John Danaer and Jack Crushen. The special musical score was conducted by Leith Stevens. One week from tonight at this same broadcast time, CBS will hail the return of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, the delightful situation comedy show which began its career on CBS four and a half years ago. As they take their place among the stars on CBS's ten great Sunday night shows, Ozzie and Harriet will celebrate their homecoming by presenting to their CBS audience their own sons, David and Ricky. So remember to be here next Sunday evening, April 3rd, as Ozzie and Harriet return over most of these same CBS network stations at 6.30 Eastern Standard Time. Now, stay tuned for the Jack Benny show which follows immediately. This is Roy Rowan speaking. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.
