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The Signal Oil Company is bringing you The Whistler. Today we will tell you a tale of avarice and greed. The awful price John Hendricks paid for selling his soul to the devil. The story of death demands a payment. But first if you'll bear with me for a moment, I'd like to make a suggestion about your car. Because right now it's a very valuable possession. One you won't be able to replace until six months or a year after the war. Keeping your present car running is dependent…

Transcript

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Synopsis

In Death Demands a Payment, we meet John Hendricks, a man imprisoned for the brutal murder of his wife and her simple-minded son, driven by greed for a hidden fortune. Now serving a life sentence, he remains unrepentant and fixated on a plan to escape and reclaim the money he believes is rightfully his. His cellmate, Bill Smith, represents a stark contrast; having spent years in prison, he has turned to philosophy and self-reflection, hoping to emerge a better man. As Hendricks shares his escape plan with Bill, the tension between their differing perspectives on morality and ambition becomes palpable.

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← PreviousPatients for the DoctorNext →The Doctor Prescribes Death

Credits

  • Audio from Internet Archive (OTRR_Whistler_Singles). Curated by OTRR. Goldie does not claim ownership of this broadcast.
  • Historical context from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Whistler_43-12-19_ep083_Death_Demands_a_Payment.mp3

Whistler, Episode 83

Death Demands a Payment

Sunday, December 19, 1943 · 29:42

Whistler, Episode 83

Death Demands a Payment

Sunday, December 19, 1943 · 29:42

Summary

John Hendricks, a lifer in prison for murder, plots an escape to reclaim hidden money, but his cellmate Bill Smith warns him of the consequences of his greed.

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That night in history

Headlines

  • 1943 — All Chinese are again permitted to become citizens of the United States upon the repeal of the Act of 1882 and the introduction of the Magnuson Act.

On the air that night›

  1. Pacific StoryThe Beggars of the SeaEpisode 24
  2. The Jack Benny ProgramJack and Mary Go Christmas ShoppingEpisode 495
  3. The ShadowClub of DoomEpisode 289
  4. WhistlerDeath Demands a PaymentCurrently listeningEpisode 83