Dramatic Listening... The Podcast Where You Learn English By Listening To Radio Plays

~ CBS Radio Mystery Theater, The Lady Was a Tiger, Act 3, Scenes 5-7 — Tying Up Loose Ends ~ Larry flirted with the idea that he might even be some sort of an American James Bond. [Photo © Jose AS Reyes/Bigstock] A Few Loose Ends: This episode wraps up the play with a few surprises. Carol is in for a surprise. She finds out how Larry hid Professor Teal’s note right under their noses. The Russian agent, Egor Smonovic, is in for a surprise too — a taste of his own medicine. Then back to Larry and Carol. When the excitement dies down, Larry has time to flirt with Carol and entertains the possibility of a new lifestyle. The New James Bond: 'Step aside, James Bond. There's a new 007.' Larry indulges in a little fantasy — perhaps he should pursue Carol. He could join her in her world of espionage. The image of himself that swept across his mind was of a confident, good-looking young man in a suit, holding a gun as if it were a fashion statement. He snaps out of it when he realizes how love for Carol is merely infa

~ CBS Radio Mystery Theater, The Lady Was a Tiger, Act 3, Scenes 1-4 — True Colors ~ Rozanski: The injection will be easier if you don’t fuss, young man. [Photo © Yastremska/Bigstock] True Colors Is Carol a femme fatale, or is she actually Larry's best friend? Is she the rattler that only pretends to give him fair warning, or is she really on his side? Is she with the Americans or the Russians? It's time for Carol to show her true colors.  Nothing but the truth Dr. Rozanski is determined to get the truth out of Larry about where the note is hidden. As in all good spy stories, once Rozanski has Larry cornered, he takes great pleasure in explaining the significance of the note to the Russian government. This knowledge raises the stakes for Larry — he absolutely has to live through this and get the note to his own government. Moment of truth When circumstances spin out of control,the Russian spies decide to give up on the note and silence Larry instead. It's time for Carol to show her true colors — to reveal wh

~ CBS Radio Mystery Theater, The Lady Was a Tiger, Act 2, Scenes 4-5 — The Rattler's Warning ~ A femme fatale double agent frames an unemployed reporter for homicide in Paris. Larry Fielding: And the only reason I’m alive is because somebody wants the paper.Carol Johnson: That’s right.Larry Fielding: And if I give it to you, then there’s really no reason not to kill me.[Photo © prometeus/BigstockPhoto] The Rattler's Warning: Larry is thankful to be out of prison, but he's still a murder suspect. He goes to the American Consul for help, but he’s met with disbelief, and they recommend he get out of France. Carol has to work fast. She reveals more to gain Larry's trust. She tells him who she's working for. Not really trusting her, Larry tries to go over her head. He heads out the door to find Carol's director. That's when a big Russian agent, Egor, forces him back inside the hotel room. Although Carol tells Larry, "I warned you," Larry feels misled. Carol had given him about as much warning as a rattlesnake g

~ CBS Radio Mystery Theater, The Lady Was a Tiger, Act 2, Scenes 1-3 — The Jailbird Walks ~ A femme fatale double agent frames an unemployed reporter for homicide in Paris. Carol Johnson: Well, you look pretty good for a jailbird. Larry Fielding: You look pretty good yourself for a…Come to think of it, what are you? [Photo © Aaron Amat/Bigstock.com] No good to us in jail: In this episode, Larry, now a murder suspect, is now a jailbird. He has been thrown into jail to await trial. As long as he is in prison, he is of no use to anyone. The Russian’s decide to get him out. How do you think Russian spies would get a man out of jail? What method will they use? When a person is charged with a crime, he awaits his trial in jail. However, if he is not considered a threat to society, he can get out on bail. This means someone has to pay a large sum of money to get him out. The money is a guarantee that he will show up for the trial. Larry is still facing trial, even if the Russian spies get him out of jail. FREE

~ CBS Radio Mystery Theater, The Lady Was a Tiger, Act 1, Scenes 4-8 — In Grave Danger ~ A femme fatale double agent frames an unemployed reporter for homicide in Paris. Dave Wilson: And just what is it that you’re seeking? Carol Johnson: [Breathy] To warn you that you are in grave danger! [Photo © Victoria Andreas/Bigstock.com] Running Smoothly Like Clockwork Larry and Dave have made it to France. Larry goes off to play his part by interviewing Professor Teal. During the interview, he is handed the slip of paper, the map, as planned. Everything seems to be going fine, running smoothly like clockwork. Les Deux Magots Dave Wilson waits for him at a café called Les Deux Magots. This is a very famous café on the Left Bank of the Seine river. It opened in 1885 and is still in Paris to this day. The name of the cafe means "The Two Mandarins" -- an old name for Chinese government officials. Inside the cafe there are two carved statues of Chinese Mandarins which likely date back to the 1880s when the building was a

~ CBS Radio Mystery Theater, The Lady Was a Tiger, Act 1, Scenes 1-3 — The New Recruit ~ A femme fatale double agent frames an unemployed reporter for homicide in Paris. Larry Fielding: Umph! Take…take my money, and leave me alone. Umph! Look, if you want money, I told you…you can have it![DMPhoto © Bigstock.com]  New Recruit: Larry Fielding, a newspaper reporter, gets fired from his job, apparently for no reason. Things go from bad to worse, but in the end he makes a new acquaintance who tries to recruit him for an assignment. It looks like a good thing — the silver lining around his dark cloud. Although somewhat suspicious at first, he is persuaded to go for it. FREE PDF: Keywords & Transcript Quizlet:  Have fun learning the keywords with English-Chinese Flashcards and Games. DL062 Keywords on Quizlet Let’s Talk! What is your best guess? Why do you think Larry got fired? And who is Wilson — friend or enemy? Now that you know Dave Wilson is a spy, what do you think of his heroic rescue of Larry? Althou

Mr District Attorney and the Intimidated Jury, Scene 10 Mr DA: You see, Stanley thought Butler had double-crossed him with the hospital story, and so he implicated him in the killings. [Photo © Kasia Bialasiewicz: Bigstock.com] No way is that cop gonna' talk! In our last episode, the District Attorney’s chat with Mr Butler alerted Butler that he needed to do something fast or he and Stanley would be caught. The policeman was alive and recovering from a coma after getting shot by Stanley. If he ever identified Stanley, Stanley would have to stand trial again. The DA had already connected him with Stanley through Taylor. It was getting quite unnerving for Butler, but he knew exactly how to manage this situation. This was a job for Stanley! Thieves fall out Stanley's orders are to shut the cop up, but how? Stanley only  knows one way to deal with any problem. But before he can carry out his plan, Harrington jumps him and handcuffs him. Stanley wonders what went wrong. How did the cop and the DA know he was comi

Mr District Attorney and the Intimidated Jury, Scene 9 MR DA: That was another report on the officer who was shot. The doctor’s believe he’ll be well enough to talk by tomorrow.BUTLER: Good! [Photo © inigocia/Bigstock.com] Brilliant deduction After finding a canceled debt in Taylor’s books, the District Attorney pays Butler a visit. Butler had held the mortgage on Taylor's businesses, and now the debt is gone. Butler certainly appears to be the man Taylor felt indebted to, so the DA has deduced that Butler is the big kingpin behind the jury rigging. It's time to pay the big kingpin a visit for a game of cat and mouse. The cop will talk The DA seems ‘chatty’. Why is he telling Butler so much about the case? Butler is doing his best to distance himself from everyone that the DA mentions. He tries to deny knowing them, but the DA won’t let him get away with that. The DA even mentions the policeman. Hey, now! Isn’t he going a little too far? Why warn Butler? The DA seems to be warning him that he's almost caught

Mr District Attorney and the Intimidated Jury, (scene 8): Mr DA: I think I got something! [Photo © Kletr/Bigstock.com] Gone fishing? Where's the District Attorney? He hasn't gone fishing, has he? In this episode, Harrington comes looking for the DA, but the DA is not in his office right now. While waiting for the DA, Harrington and the District Attorney’s secretary talk shop. They discuss the case and the medical condition of the policeman who’d been shot. Going for the big fish: You’ll recall from two episodes ago that the DA was quite sure Taylor was just a stooge doing the dirty work for someone higher up the ladder than him. It was really someone else more powerful who was digging up dirt on the jury members and feeding it to Taylor to use. That guy — the 'behind the scenes' guy — that’s the guy the DA really wants to catch — the big kingpin behind this illegal game. So the DA hasn't taken a day off. He's out investigating Taylor’s financial situation, hoping to find new evidence that will lead him to t

Mr District Attorney and the Intimidated Jury, (scene 7): STANLEY: What else could I do? I’ve got a stiff with me, remember. [Photo © VadimGushva/Bigstock.com]  The heat is on, but Stanley is totally unaware of it. Boy, does this kid ever need to wake up and smell the coffee! This one's on the house! Two episodes ago, Mr. Stanley, the hitman, killed jury foreman, Mr. Taylor, for Mr. Butler. Taylor was being charged with jury tampering, so he had come to Butler (the kingpin who was really behind the jury rigging) seeking protection. When Butler seemed not to care, Taylor had pointed out that he too was in danger of being found out. Butler saw that Taylor would easily give him up to the D.A. to save himself, so Taylor had become a threat. Stanley owed him a favor, so he had Stanley get rid of Taylor for him. Stanley dealt with Taylor swiftly with one quick shot, but Stanley’s job wasn’t finished yet. He still had a corpse to get rid of. Dumping the stiff: In this episode, Stanley comes back and tells Butler ho

Mr. District Attorney and the Intimidated Jury, (Scene 6): SECRETARY: You think he was just acting as a stooge for Stanley? [Photo © Luminis/Bigstock.com] Just the stooge: The District Attorney and his secretary are talking about the case and they are quite satisfied that they have enough evidence to convict Mr. Taylor of jury tampering. It looks like Mrs. Clark was right. The jurors had been manipulated into voting ‘not guilty’ out of fear of blackmail. And they all said the blackmailer was Taylor. The D.A., however, is quite sure that Taylor is just a stooge — a puppet being manipulated by someone above him. So who is the kingpin? His secretary ponders this for a moment and concludes that the D.A. must be implying that Mr. Stanley is the kingpin pulling strings behind the scenes. The D.A. isn't so sure about that, but somebody has got to be behind it. The D.A. wants to question Taylor again to find out who he’s working for — who the kingpin is.  Let's make a deal: It's much more important to catch the king

Mr. District Attorney and the Intimidated Jury, (Scene 5): [Photo  © Dunedin Arts/Bigstock.com] BUTLER: He says if he falls, I fall too.    Everything to lose: The District Attorney has just informed Mr Taylor that a member of the jury, Mrs Clark, had charged him with swaying the jury into voting “not guilty”. He's been warned. He could end up on trial. He could end up doing time in prison. By 'doing time', I mean serving a length of time in prison as punishment. As soon as Taylor gets out of the DA’s office, he heads straight for Butler’s bowling alley. No, he doesn't want to go bowling. He needs to see Butler, the guy who owns the bowling alley. Butler has got to hear about this. And when he hears it, Butler had better protect him! Don't jostle the kingpin: In bowling, the pins are set up in a triangular shape. The one that is front center is the kingpin  (五號瓶). Hit that one just a little off to one side or the other and all the pins will fall. Butler, the owner of a bowling alley, is also the kingpin —

Mr. District Attorney and the Intimidated Jury, (Scene 4) [Photo © jabiru/Bigstock.com]  TAYLOR: Well, I must tell you right now, Sir, this is the most libelous thing I've ever encountered.        Taking offense: Harrington has rounded up the accused jury foreman, Mr Taylor, and brought him back to the DA's office. When Taylor hears the charge against him, he takes offense. "Ridiculous! That's libelous!" he cries, but it is all a pretense. Deep down inside, he knows he manipulated the jurors and brought them all around to that "not guilty" verdict. He feels uneasy, but he can't let the DA see that. Debt free: He'd been so relieved when the court case was finally over. Working for a gangster had made his jury duty rather tense, yet it had all gone like clockwork. Ah! Well, as he saw it, the gangster had been "paid in full" when Stanley walked, so he felt the relief of being debt free. Debt free, in more ways than one! Was it worth it? But now he's suddenly in hot water — if the DA can prove he swayed the ju

Mr. District Attorney and the Intimidated Jury, (Scene 3) [Photo © VadimGuzhva/Bigstock.com] STANLEY: I wanna thank you, Mr. Butler. BUTLER: For what? STANLEY: For the fix. BUTLER: You mean the verdict?   Gangster Etiquette In this episode, we see into the gangsters’ world. Now, when you’re being tried for murder, being faced with the electric chair, and someone gets you off, it’s definitely appropriate to go to him to express your thanks. That's just good etiquette. And that’s the first thing Mr. Stanley does after being set free. Well…, almost the first thing. First, he celebrates. Then he finds the gangster who had done him the favor, and promises a favor in return. Gangster Talk We have a lot of slang words and phrases in this scene. Gangsters don’t exactly use textbook English. So be ready to pick up on some colorful language here. FREE PDF: Keywords & Transcript Quizlet:  Have fun learning the keywords with English-Chinese Flashcards and Games. DL054 Keywords on Quizlet Let’s talk about it! D

Mr. District Attorney: Intimidated Jury, (Scene 2) MRS. CLARK: This Mr. Taylor had lunch with two other men on the jury. When we returned, well, they had changed their vote to ‘not guilty’.  Photo © [jabiru/Bigstock.com]  It's not your fault: Harrington saw that the morning paper had an article about the Stanley trial. The paper supports the D.A. The article criticized the jury for reaching such a ridiculous verdict. Well, it's good to know you have the public's support, but it doesn't change the situation. The Informant: But a visit from Mrs. Clark, a juror on the Stanley case, gives the District Attorney hope that he can call a mistrial. A mistrial is a trial that is not acceptable because something during the trial was done incorrectly. The outcome of the trial, that is, the verdict, becomes meaningless. It has no legal effect. Mrs. Clark is suspicious that Mr. Taylor, the jury foreman, had manipulated everyone into voting 'not guilty'. If she is right, the D.A. could call a mistrial. Then, Mr. Stanley w

Mr District Attorney — Intimidated Jury, Scene 1: A Reasonable Doubt Composite Photo © BigstockPhoto | lisafx and www.BillionPhotos.comDistrict Attorney: I thought we had everything we needed on this one, but evidently there was a reasonable doubt in the minds of the jurors. The Jury is Still Out As our story opens, we find a crime has already been committed. We are in a courtroom waiting for the jury to return with their verdict. Will they find Mr Stanley guilty or not guilty of murder? The District Attorney and his assistant, Harrington, have done a thorough job of collecting evidence and witnesses testimony. The D. A. argued the case very convincingly. So what’s taking the jury so long to decide? Isn’t it obvious? — Ah, here they come now. Let’s find a seat and listen to their verdict. A Reasonable Doubt Harrington and the District Attorney can't believe the verdict. How could the jury have gotten it so wrong? The DA is resigned to the fact that there was still a reasonable doubt in the mind of at least on

Photo by Bigstock Photo: Nosnibor137The jury's job is to decide whether the person on trial is guilty or not guilty.   The Old Time Radio Legal Thriller: Mr. District Attorney was a popular radio program on NBC and ABC radio stations from 1939 to 1952. Each episode is a legal story that centers on the court trial. Meet the Jury: When a serious crime has been committed, such as murder, the American legal system chooses a group of citizens to judge the case. These people are just ordinary citizens, not lawyers or judges. They will sit through the trial, hear all the arguments, see all the evidence, and listen to the witnesses testify. They will discuss the case together and finally reach a decision. Their job is to decide whether the person on trial is ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty.’ This group of people is called the jury, and their decision is called a verdict. Jury Gone Wrong: It is believed that a jury will discuss everything in detail, and use reasoning to persuade one another that the evidence points to a cert

Photo: © Bigstock Photo |  kharlamova_lv MARY: And Betty, I want you to go back to everybody you collected that money from and give it all back, and explain fully why you’re giving it back. BETTY: Yes, Mrs. Andrews. What have I done! Archie is shocked when he realizes what he's done. There's his dad telling him he's not broke, yet Archie had heard him worrying over how to make money — he'd heard him with his own ears! Archie's mom pulls the two strands of the story together and finally everyone realizes how this disastrous mistake was innocently made. Put out the fire Unfortunately, the rumor has already spread around town and had devastating effects on the Andrews' social life and business relationships. Now it's time to put out the fire, but that's easier said than done. I call the rumor a fire, because rumors spread quickly — like wild fire. And once they've begun to spread, they are difficult to put out. Fortunately, all involved are at the Andrews home. When they realize their error, they quickly go

Photo: © Bigstock Photo | nitoFRED: J.P. Anderson just canceled the contract wesigned this morning!MARY: But why?FRED: He kept saying about how he had to be sure of delivery and couldn’t go out on a limb! Now, what makes Jim think I can’t deliver? At a Time Like This Fred arrives back home with the party food. Of course, he has quite a story to tell his wife… and she has a new turn of events to tell him about, too. From this point on, a series of events take place that tell Fred and Mary something is wrong. Their lives seem to fall apart right before their eyes. Their friends, neighbors, and business associates are seeing them differently. Their perception of the Andrew’s has changed for the worse. It’s quite shocking, and Fred doesn’t know how to manage his face, his “presentation of self” because he doesn’t know where these ideas are coming from, what others’ changed impression of him is based on. We don't want to bother you... First, the Jenkins back out of the social engagement -- the Scrabble game get-to

Photo: © Bigstock Photo | gstockstudioVERONICA: Archie, when I ask him, he'll go! Or I don't know Daddy! The Unwitting Charity Case When Fred hurries down to the corner store for party snacks, he experiences what it is like to be a charity case (「仁愛案件」，貧寒人家) – someone you do a favor for out of pity. But he doesn't really know what's going on. Mr. Pringle, the shop owner offers him credit at his store, something Fred feels no need for. But Pringle's kind intentions come with strings attached (有附帶條件的援助). Mr. Pringle judges Fred -- he thinks Fred is being irresponsible with the little money he has, spending it on things that are not necessities. Fred, who does not view himself as poverty-stricken, cannot understand Pringle's behavior or the conversation they have. Relying on Favors When Archie gets to Veronica's house, he is shocked to discover that his family troubles are not private. However, as the daughter of the richest man in Riverdale, Veronica is one of Archie's best connections (關係). Who better to ask f