Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio

The Saint: It's Snow Use 10/29/1950

26 min
Apr 12, 20266 days ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

In this classic 1950 Saint radio episode, detective Simon Templar investigates the murder of Charlie Tomsen, whose body is discovered frozen inside a snowman at a ski resort. Through clever deduction involving mismatched socks and colorblindness, Simon exposes the hotel clerk as the killer, who murdered Tomsen for his wallet full of money and attempted to frame the sculptor Sergei.

Insights
  • Misdirection and false suspects are essential to detective storytelling—the sculptor and multiple ex-wives create red herrings that delay the reveal
  • Physical evidence details (mismatched socks, colorblindness, empty wallet) are more reliable than witness testimony in solving crimes
  • Humor and romantic tension balance dark crime plots and keep audiences engaged through lengthy exposition
  • The killer's attempt to frame an innocent party reveals desperation and overconfidence, ultimately leading to their downfall
Trends
Golden Age radio crime dramas rely on ensemble casts with comedic supporting characters to sustain listener interestRomantic subplots and banter between protagonists serve as narrative pacing devices in mystery storytellingPhysical setting (snowy resort) becomes a character itself, isolating suspects and intensifying tensionDetective protagonists use psychological insight and observation skills rather than violence to solve crimesRadio drama format requires explicit dialogue exposition to convey visual clues and plot mechanics to listeners
Companies
NBC (National Broadcasting Company)
Network that broadcast this Saint episode and other classic radio programming in 1950
Choice Classic Radio
Modern podcast service that republishes and distributes classic old-time radio shows to contemporary audiences
People
Vincent Price
Starred as Simon Templar (The Saint) in this radio drama episode
Leslie Charteris
Created the original Saint character that the radio series is based on
Lewis Vitties
Wrote the script for this Saint radio episode
Quotes
"I have a terrible memory. I do remember a Smith and then Jones, though of course they're easy names."
PeggyEarly in episode
"Charlie thinks I'm married to the Saint. He'll think twice before beating my brains out."
PeggySetup for plot
"The difficulty of that has always been overrated. There's an easy way of finding a needle in a haystack—just sit down on the haystack."
Simon TemplarMid-episode
"Tomsen's corpse was wearing one red sock and one green sock. Whoever had dressed him was colorblind."
Simon TemplarClimax/revelation
"A man who tried to chisel on a chiseler."
Simon TemplarFinal commentary on clerk
Full Transcript
Welcome to Choice Classic Radio where we bring to you the greatest old-time radio shows. Like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube, and thank you for donating at choiceclassicradio.com. The Adventures of the Saint, starring Vincent Price. The Saint, based on characters created by Leslie Charvers and known to millions from books, magazines, and motion pictures. 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voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice voice intelligent women sit down all right but i'm not intelligent oh you're being wanted i am not i'm sorry you are beautiful though i bet you say that all the beautiful girls you meet you like to ski no why you are not the key train because of the telegram you sent me then you are silent template i kind of thought you look like one thank you your telegram sounded desperate uh... what do you want me to do a very small thing i'd like to be my why are you married no but i well then nobody will mind if you're my husband and nobody will mind uh... look Peggy i said only for a while none of my husbands was ever able to say i stayed my welcome none of your Peggy how many husbands have you had i have a terrible memory i do remember as smith and then jones though of course they're easy names yeah look and may i ask you why you want me to be your husband so nobody will murder me charlie thinks i'm married to the saint he'll think twice before beating my brains out which would be the neatest trick of the year he said on account of i don't have any brains i'm quoting charlie who is charlie he's in the car up ahead with the blind he's a friend of yours oh no he used to be my last husband i mean he was my husband last i think i understand and why should he want to kill you alimony did you get from him it doesn't seem much of a motive it's a lot of alimony also he doesn't like my following him around you follow him around why to make sure vicky doesn't kill him vicky that's a blind she married charlie asked me and she wants to kill him well who wouldn't besides she doesn't even like him but she's crazy about money and if she kills him she'll get all the money and i won't get any alimony so i know a girl isn't supposed to be forward and ask the man to be her husband anyway not the first time they meet after all this is a matter of a life and death so simon will you be mine well he's snow valley how'd we go oh simon look all the taxicab the sleighs so they are i'm right in folks thank you where to uh we're going to uh the snow top snow top hotel it's a nice lobby i'd better go register register look uh piggy let's pretend we're not married i mean let's not pretend we're married to the hotel clerk i'd never marry a hotel clerk piggy i didn't mean never mind charlie and vicky must have gone upstairs already you think they were on a honeymoon don't finish that sentence i'm going to register i'll get separate rooms for it oh but simon is that friendly it's practical excuse me piggy oh my gorgeous you're okay at last you're coming to me what are you doing here sculpting like anything even snowmen i'm sculpting but for right now i'm making a bust wiki what anybody can see a vicky you'll be busy all winter sir but i'm having now the studio in the woods you wishing i make you a bust also i'm going to be too busy to be sculptured where's the skull oh piggy don't saying that all my life i'm dying for you you look fine payachi huh ready payachi you're a laughing clown laughing that's all oh well i'll think about it what's to think piggy is necessary to leave look sege i'm married again now his name is simon why don't minding our husbands the husbands might be minding you oh mine beautiful what i'm doing with mine chisel is not the business of any charlie doesn't mind your sculpting a sculpt sculpt making a bust wiki no she's not so beautiful like you also i'm not admiring this charlie oh sege vicky is calling him i go but my heart stays with you you better not leave it here somebody might step on it oh kegi who on earth was that oh that was sege papa all time i don't believe it well it happens in bogary all the time that's where he comes from he's got a studio out in the woods and he's making a bust of vicky he tries to do that with all of charlie's why i never heard of him before oh you must have he's a very famous chiseler hmm pegie i've got us a couple of rooms yours is 218 we can pretend we're married for your husband's form of benefit the clerk will show you up to your room in a minute what are you going to do i'm going to find the bar and drink myself to death 216 217 ah here we are 218 thanks mr clerk um which room to the thompson's room right next to yours ma'am if you need anything thank you you're very welcome coming simon simon where are you hiding behind the door um pegie pegie pegie where what are you doing on the floor it was an earthquake and the hotel fell down and hit me on the head and i'm dead oh come on now let me help you up put you on the couch there and now you can go right back and get my head you're left and on the floor and your head's where it belongs seems to be a little too much of it so that's where the hotel's at oh but this isn't the earthquake season what happened well somebody knocked at the door just after i got here that would be about an hour ago go on i stuck my head out and boom who booed you i didn't see him do you want to boom him back i might enjoy it but uh pegie do you have anything worth stealing simon you can believe me who steals my purse steals trash besides your purse wasn't stolen it's right here on the table strange i'm hungry simon are you getting hit on the head good my apple it may not be good for your head especially if the next time you get hit a little harder how does your head feel now like it's beginning to belong to me eat some more steak simon are you trying to fatten me uh of course not because stop off i mean he's a sculptor you know yeah but he's crazy about my figure that's all mine and he hasn't even married to him look neither am i because you don't have to shout even though i did throw myself at your head it doesn't mean i have to have a figure like a flower is that i didn't say ah good evening good evening simon missus sir again pop off no no i stay here that's a joke and that's debatable but oh my beautiful this one sounds like a husband well yes he's my husband his name is simon he's her husband no don't apologize he also is not necessary standing out i'm being courteous and i'm not inviting you to sit down this is a way to treat great sculpture like myself are you are the Michelangelo of right now yeah there's one thing you unquestionably have in common with Michelangelo man genius your fingernails they're dirty i am in salt oh spicy wiki is coming in wiki oh wiki yes there she is where's her husband he doesn't come in we oh why not who cares maybe perhaps he's suffering from dyslpepsic i should really love to see a man suffering from dyslpepsic something he'd no doubt you know oh wiki she's coming he is i've been noticing well that is like oh sergey sergey my love we've been waiting long and who is this lovely man are these lovely people you're with well she is baguio he's her husband uh how how do you do uh my name is temper oh i'm zickey toms yeah you lost something haven't you done oh have i your husband what what do you i've seen you someplace before uh huh where in charlie's photograph album oh you're not i am darling charlie's former wife and i know all about the long winter evenings and charlie shows his photograph album to his wife sergey i don't think we'd better bother these nice people any longer let's go have our dinner but wiki oh have you seen charlie oh i see we'll come along sergey well for then she'll not understand wiki oh why not she's worrying about her husband ridiculous i'm seeing you sooner not if i'm seeing you sooner oh ha ha ha ha um did you notice vicki yes i did she does act people but what i meant was she turned pale as soon as i mentioned charlie to her so she did which reminds me where is charlie oh it's so pretty out here very high type snow of course none of my former husband's ever took me for a walk on our honeymoon but i don't mind good there's funny charlie didn't show up all through dinner simon yeah would you mind not discussing other people let's discuss well hey what happened to that snowman snowman oh he must have melted he was right there on the side of the road he didn't melt pecky because it gets cold and not warm in the night time i wouldn't say that takey be still huh well the snow is completely flat where the snowman was and slay marks right next to the spot and cold silence why are you more interested in that snowman than you are in me oh he was thought he had a kind face oh hey let's go back to the hotel and get warm i'm going right to my room i'll take you on oh simon i want to make sure nobody hits you on the head again oh but before i do you know i'm a little worried about charlie perhaps uh oh clerk yes sir have you seen mr. tomson around mr. tomson oh yes oh no oh yes oh no what i was merely remarking that i know who mr. tomson is and i have not seen him around as a matter of fact mrs. tomson was asking about him too i see thank you mr. what is the things seem to be disappearing around here the snowman charlie tomson takey we're not going upstairs we're going out again to look for charlie no the snowman simon and the resemblance between me and an eskimo was no coincidence it's alive i'm freezing we've been all over town looking for that fine thing there's only a little more ground to cover we've worked our way around to the back of the hotel i know but but simon's finding a snowman in the middle of all this snow so i look for a needle in the haystack the difficulty of that has always been overrated there's an easy way of finding a needle in the haystack how we just sit down on the haystack that's the end oh my god do you hear what i just said sire it was a joke yeah let's keep the conversation on a higher level simon what straight ahead near those trees there he is yeah doesn't seem to have been damaged much look he's frozen solid we're about uh hundred yards from the hotel and we should have a wood pile here which is just what we need some nice dry wood i need a nice hot bath what good is wood it burns i'm gonna build a fire oh i appreciate your worrying about me simon but it would be even warmer than the hotel i'm not building the fire for once i'm building it because i want to give that snowman a hot foot simon that's a very pretty fire but why do you keep staring at that snowman oh i'm uh waiting for it to melt now that isn't a nice thing to do to circuit his work we've begun the mills already oh fine yeah yeah now we know why the snowman was moved don't we that's jolly he was in the snow oh simon is he cared he's very dead somebody beat his head in yeah sheriff will be over in a little while peggy as soon as he gets his galoshes on i hate to think of charlie lying out there in the snow it was never an odd door man no peggy maybe you better run upstairs to your room simon turns it's just that i wanted to get over to sarge studio before the sheriff gets there you think sir get killed charlie and put him in the snowman it's possible charlie's death makes vicki a very rich widow sarge might approve of that i'd like to ask i'll go this no peggy a wife's place is at her husband's side it looks still weird another word and i'll mail you right out here in the lobby never mind let's go get ourselves a sleigh this here is the studio folks oh peggy why don't you stay out here in the sleigh you don't think all these sculptures have been inside them no but he might be dangerous i'm coming with you you don't mind if i come too a little dark out here oh no we'd love having you come on oh the studio looks like a hunting yard yeah the prints of grouse dogs should be inside but they won't be let the windows three fourths covered with snow he ain't answering too quick uh-huh come to the door though come on oh it's so dark wait a minute i'll find the lights what's going on here all right hey that's my sleigh that was your sleigh somebody please shut the door it's so cold all right now what are we gonna do now we'll phone town is a phone anyone see one no they don't have lines strung out in these woods oh that's fine look what i found huh oh it's a wallet it's not much help no identification but simon is the kind charlie always carried with lots lots of money in it yeah perhaps but it's empty now it could just as well be sergant sergant carries a purse simon now you mentioned that charlie's wallet was missing when we found him aimless than any more i wonder if any spare socks are going to turn out spare sock charlie tomsen was wearing one red sock and one green one somebody may have walked off with the mate to one of them well come on everybody let's start walking it's gonna take us about a week to walk back to hotel snow's kind of deep out there and sergi may not be back for hours or months simon a couple pairs of skis in the corner near the door yeah they're very decorative people go from place to place on ski sure sure people who can ski i once read a book simon and they said skiing is really very simple it did don't look at me i ain't getting on them wooden death straps all right you stay here we're sent for you you mind don't mind it all if they get out look i'll help you get those ski strapped on i hope it's down hill all the way simon you're such a liar you ski beautifully you know this is wonderful just like flying yeah as long as you stay on your feet simon i'm hungry hungry well when we get back to town and you know what i'd like what a small lamy sandwich hegy people get shot for jokes like shots came from the pump with trees down the slope hey pey do you know what bad little boys do this at time but if we can get under the snow here get to some rocks of course make snowballs with rocks yeah he can't get us unless he gets a lot closer oh dear i can't see what is he's moving in and i have to come out into the open okay i've got one ready all right now he's moving out here goes simon you hit him now for the next you hit him again oh simon no i know i'll be felt won't you hear oh gosh i'm so glad to get back to the hotel oh uh mr temper oh yeah the sheriff said he wanted to see you as soon as you came in he's in the manager's office to your left thank you would you send someone out to mr popoff studio let the slave driver stand with the i'll take care of it sir thank you simon do you know who killed charlie and charlie well i'm not sure but i think it isn't going to take much longer to find out go in oh hello sheriff i'm simon temper i know mr temper the saint this is a great pleasure thank you and this is peky smith jones and so forth glad to meet you my name is hudson got statement from mr thompson the sculptor fellow mr temper i thought you might have something to add yes i have it might be better if you got them in here though and we cleaned up the whole thing at once hold the right in the next room hold on would you mind stepping in here folks oh i am disgusting is this the way to spend i'm going to a lawyer maybe several lawyers yes when your husband arrived at the hotel what was the first thing he did well he said he was going to take a shower i left him upset i think excuse me desk oh uh clerk will you get me a sprig of holly with berries on it i noticed a floor shop in the lobby no i know it isn't christmas yet no it's not for a gag it's for a noose confidential everybody this simon is crazy for a mistletoe he is not sending i kissed a girl under a mistletoe once oh no difference oh come in here you are mr temper oh thank you would you please hand me that vase on the table sir thank you again sir very nice uh uh the berries are green now why hello hi ah just a minute peggy look like when a man wants a sprig of holly with berries he wants red berries now you go right out and get me what i want oh well i'm sorry about the berries being green i guess they aren't right yet i'll go right now oh no excuse my boss oh you broke the ball he's also breaking the head the clerky mr temper why did i just wanted to make sure he wouldn't try playing games with his gun sheriff gone well yes peggy the one he tried to kill us with but if he was the one then he must have been the one who killed tomsen he is but why i don't what reason would he have to kill charlie i think he'll tell us oh seems to be with us again what good evening i hope you slept well i'll listen you you'll listen sit down thank you sheriff charlie tomsen was killed in his shower then he was dressed dragged out of the hotel and planted inside the snowman that's why you moved the snowman wasn't it so that you wouldn't have to carry the bodies of greater distance i never touched charlie tomsen yet i know you did how temper tomsen's corpse was wearing one red sock and one green it meant whoever had dressed him was colorblind yes and the business with the holly proved that the berries were really red but when i told our friend here that they were green he had to take my word for it he couldn't tell the difference why why you you evil man simon he must have been the one who hit me over the head in my room that's why i knew mrs tomsen hadn't killed her husband what do you mean no you wouldn't have had to hit peggy over the head in order to get into your husband's room and i couldn't suspect mr popo why not some of my best friends are suspecting me because you would never have left tomsen's empty wallet in your own studio it was the clerk peggy and i surprised planting it there after of course he had taken all the money out of it that's why tomsen was killed mr popo he always carried lots and lots of money in his wallet and peggy supplied that information you mean this clerk he tried to frame me so i am looking like a murderer that he did what do you like that a man who tried to chisel on a chiseler simon we're long oh so we are simon did you know that some people pronounce keys she's there must be a moral in that someplace or an immoral simon we're not really married but you could kiss me anyway nice simon very nice you've been listening to another transcribed adventure of the saint the robin hood of modern crime now here's our star ladies and gentlemen this is vinson price inviting you to join us again next week at the same time for another exciting adventure of the saint good night the nice script was written by lewis vitties this is mbc the national broadcasting company