Suspense: Run, Sheep, Run! (AFRS

Suspense: 07/13/54, episode 559
Brought to you by the Old Time Radio Researchers, courtesy of The Suspense Project
Elliott and Cathy Lewis star in a Morton Fine and David Friedkin script. Elliott portrays a man, Joe, who seems to be cheating on his wife, driving through some fog, and picks up a beautiful woman, Roberta, who seems to suddenly appear out of nowhere. Stopping to pick her up turns out to be a big mistake, and it almost costs him his life.
Joe and Roberta are chatting, and she suddenly screams… he’s hit a pedestrian and killed him! Now what do they do? Does he drive away, even though he has a passenger whom he just met, and can be a witness against him? He doesn’t know what to do. She wants him to report it to the police (we suspect she doesn’t mean it). He decides to drive away with her. Worried about being caught, they go to a bar for a drink to facilitate some clear thinking about what happened. He decides to call his wife to explain why he’s late getting home. She won’t even let him talk and hangs up after complaining about his persistent gambling habit. He’s drunk… and driving with the woman again when they hear a radio report about the man killed in the hit-and-run. It becomes clear that something else is going on. The woman has an associate, and Joe realizes that he is being set up for the blame for a murder that they committed. Now they’re heading to the Mexican border. How does he get out of this? He does… when he phones his wife and tells her what happened, she thinks he’s drunk and nonsensical.
The melody of “Young at Heart” can be heard at various points of the production in bridges and scene changes, and it also closes the drama. The song was released to popular acclaim in 1953.
At 25:18 Lewis says “smuggling ring… ring.” He must have thought he did not get the word “ring” out the first time or that it another actor’s line prevented it from being heard.
This episode is somewhat similar in pace and tangential core concept to Joker Wild, also by Fine and Friedkin. The ending is also much like the amusing one of Dead Ernest where he calls his wife and she admonishes him for being late getting home.
The title “Run, Sheep, Run” is the name of a kids’ game. It is a variation of “hide and seek.” A group of players chooses a captain, and the rest of the group hides. The captain tries to guide them safely home by calling "run, sheep, run" when he thinks they can escape being caught by those searching for them. The captain may devise some code words with the group that will be hiding so they don’t give away their location to the seekers. The title for this episode fits the plotline. Consider the woman’s tough guy compatriot as the captain. He’s been directing her in a manner to not get caught, perpetrate the frame of Lewis’ character (the “sheep”) for the crime, and their travel (the “run”) to the border of Mexico, all while keeping an eye out for the cops (the “searchers”).
Hitch-hiking was prevalent in the 1950s and gradually fell out of favor in the 1960s because of reports of crimes against hitch-hikers.
This episode is Elliott Lewis’ final acting appearance on the series. Cathy Lewis would make several appearances on the series through 1959. Elliott and Cathy divorced in April 1958 after 14 years of marriage. Elliott married Mary Jane Croft in 1959 and were together until his death in 1990 at age 72. Cathy Lewis never remarried, and died of cancer in 1968 at age 51. Her obituary highlighted her long-time role on My Friend Irma.
There are two surviving recordings, one network, and an Armed Forces Radio Service one (AFRS#495). Neither of them are are excellent recordings. For many years, only the AFRS recording was available. The network recording was likely found later and has a comparatively dull sound with narrow range (the recording here is much better that what has been circulating previously). The AFRS recording is the better of the two, with minor flaws. Both are very listenable. Since the show is no longer sponsored, the only “commercials” are for other CBS programs or are public service announcements.
Cathy Lewis (Roberta), Elliott Lewis (Joe Haywood), Anthony Barrett (Mark), Jack Kruschen (Radio announcer / Guard), Irene Tedrow (Hazel), Mary Lansing (Operator), Larry Thor (Narrator)
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Love the music in the end ... 😀😀