Drama Units and Activities
The Radio Drama
Unit(s): Voice and Diction
Purpose:
To reinforce the use of the voice as a primary means of
dramatic presentation
Objective:
The students will demonstrate oral skills through the
presentation of a radio drama.
Materials:
- Class set of copies of the radio play "The Dead Sleep
Lightly"
- Materials to create live sound effects:
A. A table with a pair or hard sole shoes (walking sounds)
B. A large piece of tin (thunder)
C. Tape recording of rain
D. A handcrafted bell ringer with a door bell and a telephone
E. Recording of wind
- Recording of War of the Worlds or another radio drama
Procedure:
- Play the recording of War of the Worlds or
other radio drama.
- Discuss how the voice is used as an attention getter
and keeper.
- Distribute copies of "The Dead Sleep Lightly."
Assign the speaking roles and two students to operate the sound
effects during the show.
- As a follow up, students could create their own radio
drama with effects and record them on cassette to playback for
the class.
The Dead Sleep Lightly
A Radio Play by John Dickson Carr
Characters:
Narrator
Dr. Gideon Fell, a private detective
Hoskins, his servant
George Pendleton, a publisher
Pamela Bennett, his secretary
Mrs. Tancred, his housekeeper
Inspector Hadley, a police detective
Telephone Operator
Woman's Voice
- Narrator:
- It was very dark that night in London
in 1933. Wind whistled in the narrow streets and growled
in the chimneys. It even made its way into the warm study
of Dr. Gideon Fell, two stories up from the street. There,
before a fire, Dr. Fell sat dozing in an armchair.
(We hear several long snores. A door opens, then
closes.)
- Hoskins:
- Dr. Fell! Wake-up, sir! There's a lunatic downstairs!
- Dr. Fell (yawning):
- Why don't you show him up, Hoskins?
- Hoskins:
- Are you sure you want to see him, sir?
- Dr. Fell:
- That depends. What kind of lunatic is he?
- Hoskins:
- He's a big, fine looking man, about 50
years old. But he's shaking all over. He said his name is Pendleton.
- Dr. Fell:
- I wonder if it's George Pendleton, the
successful publisher. Show him in, Hoskins.
(The door bursts open.)
- Pendleton (very upset) :
- Are you Dr. Gideon Fell?
- Dr. Fell:
- Yes, sir. Mr. Pendleton?
- Pendleton:
- Yes. I followed your man here
upstairs. I hope you will excuse my barging in like this.
- Dr. Fell:
- Calm down, and sit over here by the fire. That will be all, Hoskins.
- Hoskins (reluctantly) :
- Very good, sir.
(The door closes as Hoskins goes out.)
- Pendleton:
- Doctor, I thought I stepped on some
clay soil as I was coming up the stairs just now. Was
that my imagination?
- Dr. Fell:
- Clay soil?
- Pendleton:
- Yes, the kind that is often found in
graveyards. It's on my mind, you see, because I went to a
funeral yesterday.
- Dr. Fell:
- Is that why you are so upset?
- Pendleton:
- No. The person who died was only a
member of a club I belong to. I went to the funeral
because I was expected to show my respect. I'm a busy
man, but it pays to keep up social duties like that.
- Dr. Fell:
- Please go on.
- Pendleton:
- It was wet day in Kensal Cemetery. I
was planning to leave home the next day on a long
vacation. After that, I was going to sell my house and rent
an apartment in the city. Pamela Bennett, my
secretary, was with me at the funeral. On our way out
of the cemetery, we must have lost our way, because. . .
(Pendleton's voice fades into the sound of thunder. We
hear rain falling during the following conversation.
We realize it took place yesterday after the funeral.)
- Pamela:
- This looks like an old part of the cemetery.
- Pendleton:
- It is. It's where they bury you when
you haven't much money. Remember that.
- Pamela:
- We must have taken the wrong path, Mr.
Pendleton. I'm sorry if I got the directions mixed up.
- Pendleton:
- Don't mention it. It's a small
matter. Miss Bennett, you're the best secretary I've
ever had. Why do you want to leave your job?
- Pamela:
- I want to get married.
- Pendleton:
- Who is the man, and what does he do?
- Pamela:
- Frank is a radio technician.
- Pendleton:
- Hah! I'll bet he doesn't make as much
as I pay you. Why do you want to `marry him? It will just
interfere with your career, and . . . . No!
- Pamela:
- What's wrong?
- Pendleton:
- Do you see that grave at the end of
this row? The name has almost disappeared.
- Pamela:
- Yes, It says, "To the Memory of Mary Ellen Kimball."
- Pendleton:
- Poor Mary Ellen! Now that I think
about it, she had an aunt living here in Kensal.
- Pamela:
- Do you know her well?
- Pendleton:
- I'll tell you a secret, Miss Bennett.
I was married to her very briefly, but. . .
- Pamela:
- What, sir?
- Pendleton:
- It's not easy to explain. You see, I
used to be poor. I had to make my way in the world,
and Mary Ellen couldn't help me. I soon realized I had to get
out of that marriage. I had to have a wealthy wife or
none at all. I was sorry to break with her, but I had
other things to think of.
- Pamela (whispering) :
- You snake!
(Her words are drowned out by thunder.)
- Pendleton:
- Did you say something?
- Pamela:
- No. We'd better get back to the car.
This wet clay soil is ruining my shoes.
- Pendleton:
- Of course I was sorry to hear of Mary
Ellen's death.
- Pamela:
- You could have some flowers put on her
grave. Shall I call someone to do that for you?
- Pendleton:
- That's a good idea. But how will they
be able to find the grave?
- Pamela:
- Each one has a number cut into the stone
at one side. This one is Kensal 1-9-3-3. It sounds like
a phone number, doesn't it?
- Pendleton:
- Yes. Kensal 1-9-3-3 (Pause.)
Mary Ellen always said she'd come back if I called her.
But it's too late for me to do anything now, isn't it?
- Pamela:
- Its much too late, Mr. Pendleton.
(We hear thunder. Then we hear Pendleton talking to Dr.
Fell again.)
- Pendleton:
- That's what happened at the cemetery,
Dr. Fell. Then, for some reason, I began to get nervous. I
couldn't eat lunch. I couldn't get any work done at the
office. That number kept running through my head. Kensal
1-9-3-3. Then, when I went home that evening,
everything went wrong. First, I had lost my key, and Mrs.
Tancred, my housekeeper, had to let me in. . . .
(A doorbell rings. A door opens.)
- Mrs. Tancred (surprised) :
- Why, sir. I didn't know it was you.
(Pendleton enters his house. The door closes.)
- Pendleton:
- I'm sorry to trouble you, Mrs.
Tancred. I seem to have lost my key. (Pause.) What
are my bags doing in the front hall?
- Mrs. Tancred:
- They are packed and ready for you,
sir. I hope you haven't forgotten about your vacation.
- Pendleton:
- Oh, yes. Of course.
- Mrs. Tancred:
- It's a pity that you're selling the
house. But it must have been lonely for you here at times.
- Pendleton (fiercely) :
- I am never lonely!
- Mrs. Tancred:
- Yes, sir.
- Pendleton:
- There are many people who envy me!
- Mrs. Tancred:
- Of course, sir.
- Pendleton:
- I will have dinner at 7:30.
- Mrs. Tancred:
- Yes, sir.
(We hear her footsteps leaving.)
- Pendleton (to himself) :
- I can't stand the
idea of having dinner alone tonight. I know! I'll call Bill
Fraser, and we'll go out for dinner.
(We hear a phone receiver being lifted. Then the
receiver hook is pressed up and down.)
- Pendleton:
- Hello? Operator?
- Operator:
- Number, please?
- Pendleton:
- I want. . . .What is Bill's number?
- Operator:
- Number, please?
- Pendleton (blurting out) :
- Kensal 1-9-3-3.
(Thunder crashes.) What have I said?
- Operator:
- Kensal 1-9-3-3.
- Pendleton:
- Operator, wait! I've made a mistake!
- Operator:
- I 'm ringing Kensal 1-9-3-3, sir.
(There's a ringing tone. Then a young woman's voice
answers. It is very faint.)
- Woman's Voice:
- Hello?
- Pendleton (wildly) :
- There's been a mistake!
- Woman's Voice:
- George, dear? Is that you?
- Pendleton:
- Who is this?
- Woman's Voice:
- It's Mary Ellen, dear. Don't you recognize my voice?
- Pendleton:
- No! No!
- Woman's Voice:
- I knew you'd call sooner or later. Now I'll come back to you.
- Pendleton:
- You're not Mary Ellen! Mary Ellen is dead!
- Woman's Voice:
- Yes, dear. But the dead sleep lightly, and they can be lonely.
- Pendleton:
- I won't listen to you!
- Woman's Voice:
- I'll be there by 7:00. I'll wear
a veil so you won't be frightened by the way I look now.
- Pendleton (terrified) :
- Stay away! Do you hear?
- Woman's Voice:
- Remember, I'll be there when the
clock strikes seven times. Good- bye, dear.
(There is a clock. Then Pendleton hangs up the
phone.)
- Pendleton (shouting) :
- Mrs. Tancred!
(We hear footsteps approaching.) Who's been playing
tricks on the telephone?
- Mrs. Tancred:
- You haven't been trying to use the phone, have you?
- Pendleton:
- I called a friend of mine. A woman
answered and pretended to be somebody I used to know.
- Mrs. Tancred:
- Sir, the phone was disconnected
this morning because you're selling the house. Don't you
remember? A man came this morning to disconnect the wires.
- Pendleton:
- Are you mad, or am I?
- Mrs. Tancred:
- Look for yourself. There's the cord. It's not connected to anything.
- Pendleton:
- You don't believe me, do you?
- Mrs. Tancred:
- I've got to fix your dinner now, sir.
(Her footsteps start to leave.)
- Pendleton:
- Wait! (The footsteps stop.)
Don't leave me! What time is it?
- Mrs. Tancred:
- There's a clock on the mantel, sir. It is -
(The clock strikes seven times. Music comes up and fades
out, as we return to the present in Dr. Fell's study.)
- Dr. Fell:
- That can't be the end of your story,
Mr. Pendleton. Did the ghostly visitor arrive?
- Pendleton:
- I don't know: I ran out of there and
spent the night at a hotel. Today I got in touch with the
telephone people. They told me the phone was disconnected
yesterday morning.
- Dr. Fell:
- Are you sure it was Mary Ellen's voice you heard?
- Pendleton:
- Yes, and I know she is dead. I
couldn't find her aunt in Kensal. I was told she had
moved. But I found the doctor who treated Mary Ellen. She died
from. . . starvation. She called herself Mrs. Kimball.
- Dr. Fell:
- Why did she call herself Mrs. Kimball?
- Pendleton (quickly) :
- I don't know.
- Dr. Fell:
- Mr. Pendleton, perhaps I can help you.
You must tell me the truth.
- Pendleton:
- I've been through enough already. I
won't be cross-examined. I've already spoken about this
with a man at Scotland Yard, Inspector Hadley.
- Dr. Fell:
- What did Hadley say?
- Pendleton:
- He said you could help me, but I can
see that you won't. Good night.
(We hear his footsteps leaving. A door opens and
closes.)
- Dr. Fell (calling) :
- Hoskins!
(The door opens.)
- Hoskins:
- Yes, sir?
- Dr. Fell:
- Bring me my coat.
- Hoskins:
- You're not going out, are you, sir?
- Dr. Fell:
- Mr. Pendleton may be in real danger at home tonight.
- Hoskins:
- Let me call Inspector Hadley and have him meet you there.
- Dr. Fell:
- No, we don't want the police there.
- Hoskins:
- Why not - if that man is in danger?
- Dr. Fell:
- Never mind. Just wait till he's gone,
and then get me a taxi.
(Music comes up and fades out. Then we hear a taxi pull
up and stop. The taxi door opens.)
- Dr. Fell:
- Thank you, driver.
(The taxi door closes. The taxi drives off.)
- Dr. Fell:
- So this is Mr. Pendleton's house.
(We hear his footsteps start, then stop.) Who's
that standing by the gate?
- Hadley:
- It's Hadley, Fell. Hoskins sent for me.
He said it was urgent.
- Dr. Fell:
- So, he's disobeyed me again! Well, did
Pendleton get home safely tonight?
- Hadley:
- I don't know. I just got here. There's
a light in the library.
- Dr. Fell:
- And the door from the library to the
garden is open.
- Pamela's Voice (from nearby) :
- Oh! Who's there?
- Hadley (surprised) :
- I beg your pardon, miss. It's so dark that I didn't see you.
- Pamela:
- That's all right. Will you let me
through the gate, please? I want to see Mr. Pendleton.
I'm Pamela Bennett, his secretary.
- Dr. Fell:
- I am Dr. Gideon Fell. This is
Inspector Hadley from Scotland Yard.
- Pamela:
- I am here because Mrs. Tancred phoned the
office today. She's Mr. Pendleton's housekeeper.
She said Mr. Pendleton rushed out last night and hasn't
been back since. He wasn't at the office today. Is he all
right?
- Dr. Fell:
- I fear he isn't.
- Hadley:
- What do you think is wrong? Look at this
place. It's as peaceful as a grave. (a woman scream in the
distance.) What was that?
- Pamela:
- Look! It's Mrs. Tancred! She's coming
out into the garden.
(We hear footsteps running toward them)
- Mrs. Tancred (frightened) :
- is that you, Miss Bennett?
- Pamela:
- Yes, Mrs. Tancred. What is the matter?
- Mrs. Tancred:
- Mr. Pendleton has been murdered!
He's lying on the floor on the library with the
telephone beside him. His face is an awful color. I don't think
he's breathing.
- Hadley:
- But there hasn't been a sound from the house.
- Mrs. Tancred:
- Clay soil has been tracked across
the floor of the library. The tracks go from the garden
door to where he;'s lying. There are wet clay marks on Mr.
Pendleton himself. It looks as if somebody covered
with clay tried to hold him.
(Music comes up and fades out. A door opens.)
- Dr. Fell:
- So this is Mr. Pendleton's library.
- Pamela:
- Is he dead, Dr. Fell?
- Dr. Fell:
- No, Miss Bennett. He's on the way to
the hospital. He's had a bad heart attack, but I'm
afraid he'll pull through.
- Pamela (surprised) :
- You're afraid he'll
pull through?
(The wind blows. The open door to the garden slams
against the house.)
- Dr. Fell:
- Don't be frightened. That was only the
garden door being blown against the house.
- Pamela:
- I'm not frightened. What do you mean by
you're afraid he'll pull through?
- Dr. Fell:
- Someone has been trying to scare that
man out of his wits. Don't you see what happened?
- Pamela:
- No, I don't.
- Dr. Fell:
- As Pendleton sat here in the dim light,
a ghostly figure appeared at the garden door. It wore a
veil, and it walked toward him, tracking in clay. It
stretched out its arms to him lie this. Then -
- Pamela:
- Dr. Fell, please keep away from me!
- Dr. Fell:
- Forgive me. I got carried away. Would
you care to hear how the whole trick worked?
- Pamela:
- Trick? What trick?
- Dr. Fell:
- If you asked to have your phone
disconnected, they would do it at the central office.
They wouldn't send someone over to yank out the wires.
- Pamela:
- Wasn't Mrs.Tancred telling the truth?
- Dr. Fell:
- Yes, but the man who came to disconnect
the phone wasn't from the phone company. He took away
the real phone and left a fake one in its place. He put a tiny
microphone under this desk. It can pick up every word that is
said on the phone. Do you follow me?
- Pamela:
- I think so.
- Dr. Fell:
- Hidden wires go from the microphone to
the next room. The fake phone holds a radio receiver.
So someone in the next room can talk to the person using
the phone. (Pause.) One of two things happened tonight.
Either Pendleton called Kensal 1-9-3-3, or someone
pretended to call him from that number.
- Pamela (tensely) :
- Then that "someone" must live in this house.
- Dr. Fell:
- Not necessarily. (Pause.) Let's
be honest, Miss Bennett. Why did you try to scare your
father to death? Pendleton is your father, isn't he? And Mary
Ellen Kimball was your mother.
- Pamela (through her teeth) :
- I, do not like you, Dr. Fell.
- Dr. Fell (cheerfully) :
- I, on the other
hand, admire you a great deal. I figured you were behind
this when I heard that your finance is a radio technician.
- Pamela:
- Frank set up the fake phone, but he
thought it was only a joke. He's not guilty.
- Dr. Fell:
- Mary Ellen Kimball called herself
"Kimball," because your father didn't want her to be known
as "Mrs. Pendleton." You called yourself "Bennett" when you
went to work for your father. You led him to the
wrong gate in the cemetery. You put that phone number in
his mind. You stole the key to his house. You needed it
to come in here. Then you pretended to be a telephone operator
and your mother on the phone.
- Pamela (fiercely) :
- Yes, because he killed
her! He didn't use a knife or a bullet, but he broke
her heart and left her to starve.
- Dr. Fell:
- Did he know about you?
- Pamela:
- He knew that his child would soon be
born, but he never did anything about it. I'm glad I've torn
his rotten life to pieces! (She begins to cry.) Call in
Inspector Hadley. Have me arrested.
- Dr. Fell:
- You don't think I'm going to tell Hadley, do you?
- Pamela:
- Isn't that why he's here?
- Dr. Fell:
- No. I wanted to keep the police away from here.
- Pamela:
- But they'll find out what happened. Look
at those clay tracks on the floor.
- Dr. Fell:
- They can't be identified. They're only
smudges. Pendleton could have made them himself.
- Pamela:
- What are you talking about?
- Dr. Fell:
- If you ask me, Pendleton kept going to
the garden door, looking for a ghost. He finally went outside,
then tracked in clay from the garden. He had a heart
attack when he heard an imaginary noise.
- Pamela:
- But there won't be any clay on his shoes.
- Dr. Fell:
- Yes, there will. He didn't come home
last night. His shoes will still have clay on them - from
his trip to Kensal Cemetery.
- Hadley (from a distance) :
- Dr. Fell? Where are you?
- Dr. Fell:
- There's Hadley now. Wipe away your
tears. You've come through the rest of this with a poker
face. So keep your head up. And keep repeating, "I do not
like you, Dr. Fell."
(We hear footsteps approaching.)
- Hadley:
- Fell, there's been no crime committed
here. Pendleton's own shoes have clay on them.
- Dr. Fell:
- Miss Bennett, what were you saying?
- Pamela (almost crying) :
- Nothing!
Nothing at all! (Pause.) I think I like you, Dr.
Fell.
(Music comes up.)
The End
