Late Into the Night
by William Keenan
SNT 1974-09-24
256K
Doris is getting strange telephone calls from someone in Germany who is trying to reach her boss, Michael Hayward, who is out of the office at the moment. When Doris asks the man for a return number for Michael to reach him at, the stranger replies in an agitated way that he can't stay where he is because he's on the move.
Later, when the stranger finally gets a hold of Hayward, he tells him that he's an old army mate, Dave Owen Thomas, whom he hasn't seen in 15 years. Dave sounds very agitated over the phone saying that he's in trouble and asks Mike if he could fly over and help him out.
When Mike arrives at a pre-arranged meeting place, David is nowhere to be found. The hotel room David is supposed to be in is occupied by an elderly english gentleman. At 3:00 a.m. the next morning Michael is awaken by the hotel manager who tells him that the elderly english gentleman has fallen or was pushed from an upper floor window - he is still barely alive and is asking for Michael. When Michael arrives, the old man asks him if he reads poetry. When Michael says yes the old man whispers in his ear so no one else could hear: "...late into the night..." before dying.
Now, the German police are wondering what has Michael to do with his death?
With Anna Cropper [Doris Wickham, Hayward's secretary], John Bennett [Michael Hayward], Elizabeth Kelly [Aunt Claire O'Connell], David Marlowe [Colonel Boris Balakev of the KGB], and Ronald Herdman.
Note - there's a running musical joke through the play - the same background music keeps appearing in different scenes - through the taxi-driver's radio, through the speakers at the airport, and elsewhere - on different instruments and as variations. It's very well done. Composed by David Fleming-Williams, I think.
Re-broadcast on BBC Radio 4: Saturday Night Theatre on 7th February 1976 @ 8:30 p.m. Time: 1 hr. 26 min.
Replies
Dear Rick -
Here is another interesting offering.
Thanks,
Bob
Thanks.
Thank you, Rick, for another SNT.