Rebecca (Lux Radio Theater, 06/Nov/1950)
Audio
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Broadcast Details
- broadcast as part of Lux Radio Theater
- date: 06/Nov/1950
- length: approx 55 minutes
Credits
- William Keighley — producer
- Rudy Schrager — music
- John Milton Kennedy — annoucer
Cast
- Vivien Leigh — Maxim de Winter
- Laurence Olivier — Second Mrs de Winter
- Betty Blythe — Mrs Danvers
- John Dodsworth — Favell
- Eleanor Audley — Mrs Van Hopper
Transcript
ANNOUNCER: Lux presents Hollywood!
MUSIC: THEME ... THEN IN BG
ANNOUNCER: Lever Brothers Company, the makers of Lux Toilet Soap, bring you THE LUX RADIO THEATRE, starring Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier in "Rebecca." Ladies and gentlemen, your producer, Mr. William Keighley!
MUSIC: THEME ... UP AND OUT
SOUND: APPLAUSE
KEIGHLEY: Greetings from Hollywood, ladies and gentlemen. The motion picture industry was delighted when Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh decided to return to the United States after too long an absence. As you know, they're recognized as two of England's finest artists. We've honored Miss Leigh with our Academy Award for her performance as Scarlett O'Hara and Mr. Olivier for his Hamlet. So I was especially delighted I was able to persuade them to appear on THE LUX RADIO THEATRE. Since they're sailing next week for England, their schedule is extremely tight and we consider it a rare privilege to have them in their first and only radio appearance together on our stage. We chose David O. Selznick's immortal screen play "Rebecca" -- first, because of Laurence Olivier's brilliant characterization in his original role of Maxim de Winter. And, second, because the role of Mrs. de Winter is tailored to the charm and acting ability of Vivien Leigh. We regret that Sir Laurence and Lady Olivier can't stay longer in our country, but we hope when they sail next week for England, they'll take along --- plenty of Lux Toilet Soap. ... Vivien Leigh has been a friend of Lux for years. Now, here's our play, starring Laurence Olivier as Maxim de Winter and Vivien Leigh as the woman who tells the story of "Rebecca."
MUSIC: INTRODUCTION ... THEN GENTLY, EERILY BEHIND "I"--
"I": (NARRATES) Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gates leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me. Then, like all dreamers, I was possessed of a sudden with supernatural powers, and passed like a spirit through the barrier before me. The drive wound away in front of me, twisting and turning, and finally there was Manderley -- Manderley, secretive and silent. Time could not mar the perfect symmetry of those walls. But I knew I looked upon an empty, desolate shell, with no whisper of the past in its staring, blackened windows. We can never go back to Manderley again. That much is certain. But sometimes in my dreams I do go back -- to the strange days of my life, which began for me in the south of France. There, on a great cliff towering above the sea, I first saw him. He was looking down, staring at the rocks below. And then, suddenly, I thought I saw him about to--
MUSIC: UP AND OUT
"I": No! No! Stop! Stop!
SOUND: BACKGROUND OF WIND AND SURF
MAXIM: (ANNOYED) What the devil are you shouting about? Who are you? What are you staring at?
"I": (STAMMERS) I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare. But you were so close to the edge of the cliff, I was afraid that--
MAXIM: Oh, you were? Well, what are you doing here?
"I": I was only walking. I came up the path and I--
MAXIM: Well, get on with your walking. Don't hang about here screaming. Go on.
MUSIC: TRANSITION
SOUND: MURMUR OF DINERS
MUSIC: DINING ROOM ORCHESTRA PLAYS A LILTING TUNE IN BG
MRS. VAN HOPPER: (DISGUSTED) I'll never come to Monte Carlo out of season again. Not a single well-known personality in the hotel.
SOUND: RATTLE OF COFFEE CUP
MRS. VAN HOPPER: This coffee's stone cold. (CALLS) Waiter?! Garcon?!
"I": I don't believe he can hear you, Mrs. Van Hopper.
MRS. VAN HOPPER: Well, get him, get him. What are you being paid for, girl? You-- (STARTLED, SEES MAXIM) Oh-- (LOW, TO "I") Why, that's Max de Winter. Look. See him coming this way? (BEAT, HARSHLY) What are you looking so surprised about?
"I": I - I saw him -- today -- on the cliff.
MRS. VAN HOPPER: Oh. (LOUD) Mr. de Winter! How do you do?
MAXIM: (POLITE, BUT RESERVED) How do you do?
MRS. VAN HOPPER: I'm Edith Van Hopper. Do you remember me? It's so nice to run into you here. Do sit down and have some coffee. (TO "I") Mr. de Winter's having some coffee with me; you may go.
"I": Of course.
MAXIM: I'm afraid I must contradict you. You shall both have coffee with me. (TO WAITER) Garcon? Coffee, please.
WAITER: Oui, Monsieur.
MRS. VAN HOPPER: You know, I recognized you just as soon as you came in. Are you playing the tables much here at Monte?
MAXIM: No, I'm afraid that sort of thing ceased to amuse me years ago.
MRS. VAN HOPPER: Oh, I can well understand that. If I had a home like Manderley, I should certainly never come to Monte. I hear it's one of the biggest places in that part of the country and you just can't beat it for beauty.
MAXIM: Cigarette, Mrs. Van Hopper?
MRS. VAN HOPPER: Oh, thank you.
MAXIM: (TO "I") And you?
"I": (AWKWARD) Oh, no - no, I-- Uh-- Thank you.
MAXIM: And what do you think of Monte Carlo? Or don't you think of it at all?
"I": Well, I - I think it's rather artificial.
MAXIM: (CHUCKLES)
MRS. VAN HOPPER: She's spoiled, Mr. de Winter. That's her trouble. Most girls would give their eyes for the chance to see Monte.
MAXIM: (DRY) Wouldn't that rather defeat the purpose?
MRS. VAN HOPPER: Now that we've found each other again, I do hope I shall be seeing something of you. Your valet's unpacked for you, I suppose?
MAXIM: I'm afraid I don't possess one. Perhaps you'd like to do it for me?
MRS. VAN HOPPER: (CHUCKLES UNCOMFORTABLY) Er-- Well, this young lady might make herself useful. She's a capable child in many ways. Aren't you, dear?
"I": (WEAK PROTEST) Mrs. Van Hopper--
MAXIM: That's a charming suggestion, but I'm afraid I cling to the old motto, "He travels fastest who travels alone." Perhaps you've not heard of it. (MOVING OFF) Good night.
MUSIC: DINING ROOM ORCHESTRA FINISHES ITS TUNE DURING ABOVE
MRS. VAN HOPPER: (MILDLY OFFENDED) Well. What do you make of that? Do you suppose that sudden departure was intended to be funny? Oh, perhaps he didn't quite realize how it looked. Poor thing. I suppose he just can't get over his wife's death. They say he simply adored her.
MUSIC: SOMBER TRANSITION ... THEN IN BG
"I": (NARRATES) When I came alone to the dining room the following day, he was already there, at the next table.
SOUND: MURMUR OF DINERS
"I": (NARRATES) As I sat down, I paid the penalty of my awkwardness. I knocked over a vase of flowers, the water soaking the cloth.
WAITER: (GENTLY REPROVING) Mademoiselle--
"I": Oh, I-- I'm so sorry. What a stupid thing to do.
MUSIC: OUT GENTLY BEHIND--
MAXIM: You can leave that, waiter. Go and lay another place at my table. Mademoiselle will have lunch with me.
WAITER: Oui, Monsieur.
"I": Oh, no. Oh, no, I couldn't possibly.
MAXIM: Why not?
"I": Oh, well, please don't be polite. It's very kind of you, but--
MAXIM: I wasn't being polite. I should have asked you to lunch with me even if you hadn't been so clumsy. Sit down. We needn't talk to each other if we don't feel like it.
"I": Well, thank you very much.
MAXIM: What's happened to your friend?
"I": Oh, she's ill in bed with a cold.
MAXIM: Oh. I'm sorry I was rude to you yesterday. The only excuse I can offer is that I have become boorish through living alone.
"I": You weren't really. You just wanted to be by yourself.
MAXIM: Tell me -- is Mrs. Van Hopper a friend of yours or just a relation?
"I": No, she's my employer. I'm what is known as a "paid companion."
MAXIM: (CHUCKLES) I didn't know that companionship could be bought.
"I": (CHUCKLES)
MAXIM: Is that a sketching pad? Do you sketch?
"I": Yes, a little.
MAXIM: Were you going sketching this afternoon?
"I": Yes.
MAXIM: Where?
"I": Oh, I haven't made up my mind.
MAXIM: I'll drive you somewhere in the car.
"I": Oh, no. Please, don't. I didn't mean--
MAXIM: Nonsense, nonsense. Order your lunch and we'll get along.
MUSIC: TRANSITION
SOUND: SEASIDE BACKGROUND (WAVES, GULLS, ET CETERA)
MAXIM: You've taken long enough with that sketch. I shall expect a really fine work of art.
"I": You're not a very easy subject. Your expression keeps changing all the time.
MAXIM: Does it? Well, I'd concentrate on the view instead, if I were you. It's much more worthwhile. Rather reminds me of our coastline at home. Do you know Cornwall at all?
"I": Oh, yes. Yes, I went there once on a holiday. I was in a shop there and I saw a postcard with a beautiful house on it, right by the sea. And I asked whose house it was, and the old lady said, "That's Manderley!"
MAXIM: (GRIM) Yes. Manderley is beautiful. But, to me, it's just the place where I was born and have lived in all my life. Now, I don't suppose I shall ever see it again.
"I": (SENSES SOMETHING WRONG; THEN RAMBLES QUICKLY AND AWKWARDLY TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT) Oh. Well, uh-- We, uh-- We're lucky not to be home during the bad weather, aren't we? I can't ever remember enjoying swimming in England until June, can you? But the water's so warm here, I could stay in all day. There's a dangerous undertow and there was a man drowned here last year, but I never have any fear of drowning, have you?
MAXIM: (UPSET) Why did you say that?
"I": Have I--? Have I said something wrong? I - I didn't mean to.
MAXIM: (BEAT, CALMER) Come along. I'll take you home.
MUSIC: TRANSITION ... THEN IN BG
"I": (NARRATES) That night, I learned the reason for his strangeness. I was late getting back to the hotel. As I opened the door of Mrs. Van Hopper's suite, I heard her talking to someone on the telephone.
MRS. VAN HOPPER: (INTO PHONE) Oh, yes. I knew him quite well. I knew his wife, too. She was the beautiful Rebecca Hildreth, you know -- the most glamorous creature in all England. She was drowned, poor thing, while she was sailing near Manderley.
MUSIC: UP, FOR AN ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND "I"--
"I": (NARRATES) I am glad it cannot happen twice, the fever of first love. For it is a fever, and a burden, too. I have forgotten much of Monte Carlo, of those morning drives with him, of where we went, and what we said. But I have not forgotten how I trembled as I sat beside him.
SOUND: AUTO ENGINE ... IN BG
"I": You know, I wish there could be an invention that bottled up the memory like perfume. And then, whenever I wanted to, I could uncork the bottle and live the memory all over again.
MAXIM: And what particular moment in your young life would you want to keep?
"I": Oh, all of them -- all of these last few days.
SOUND: AUTO ENGINE ... OUT BEHIND--
MAXIM: Sometimes, you know, those little bottles contain demons that have a way of popping out at you just as you're trying most desperately to forget.
"I": Yes. Of course.
MAXIM: Stop biting your nails.
"I": Oh, I didn't know I was. I-- Would you please tell me, Mr. de Winter, why you ask me to come out with you? It's obvious that you want to be kind, but why do you choose me for your charity?
MAXIM: I asked you to come out with me because I wanted your company. You've blotted out the past for me more than all the bright lights of Monte Carlo. But if you think I just asked you out of kindness or charity, you can get out of the car and find your own way home. Go on, open the door and get out!
"I": (STARTS TO WEEP)
MAXIM: Here. Take my handkerchief. You better - better blow your nose.
"I": Thank you, Mr. de Winter.
MAXIM: Please don't call me Mr. de Winter. I have a very impressive array of first names. George Fortescue Maximilian.
"I": (CHUCKLES THROUGH HER TEARS)
MAXIM: But you needn't bother with them all at once. My family call me Maxim.
MUSIC: TRANSITION
SOUND: KNOCK ON DOOR
MAXIM: Come in, come in!
SOUND: DOOR OPENS
MAXIM: Well, hello. What are you doing here? Anything the matter?
"I": I've come to say goodbye, Maxim. We're going away.
MAXIM: What on earth are you talking about?
"I": But it's true. We're going now, and-- I was afraid I wouldn't see you again.
MAXIM: Where's she taking you to?
"I": New York. I don't want to go. I shall hate it. I shall be miserable.
MAXIM: You mind if I finish shaving? (MOVING OFF) I shan't be long.
"I": But I can't stay. I--
MAXIM: (OFF) Tell me something. Which would you prefer, New York or Manderley?
"I": Oh, please don't joke about it. Mrs. Van Hopper's waiting, and I - I'd better say goodbye now.
MAXIM: (OFF) I'll repeat what I said -- either you go to America with Mrs. Van Hopper or you come home to Manderley with me.
"I": You mean you want a secretary or something?
MAXIM: (OFF) I'm asking you to marry me, you little fool.
"I": Marry you?
MAXIM: (CLOSER) Well. My suggestion doesn't seem to have gone at all well. I'm sorry.
"I": Oh, but you don't understand. It's that-- I-- Well-- Well, I'm not the sort of person men marry.
MAXIM: What on earth do you mean?
MUSIC: ROMANTIC ... SNEAKS IN QUIETLY AND BUILDS TO END OF SCENE
"I": I don't belong in your sort of world, for one thing.
MAXIM: (CHUCKLES) What is my sort of world?
"I": Well, Manderley-- Oh, you - you know what I mean.
MAXIM: Well, I'm the best judge of whether you belong there or not. Of course, if you don't love me, that's a different thing. Fine blow to my conceit, that's all.
"I": I do love you! I love you most dreadfully. I've been crying all morning because I thought I'd never see you again!
MAXIM: Bless you for that. I'll remind you of this one day and you won't believe me. It's pity you have to grow up.
MUSIC: UP, FOR A ROMANTIC TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND "I"--
"I": (NARRATES) I was afraid to tell Mrs. Van Hopper, for I knew what she would say. When we were alone, she congratulated me. But I didn't like her smile.
MRS. VAN HOPPER: But of course, you know why he's marrying you, don't you? The fact is, that empty house got on his nerves. He just couldn't go on living alone. You haven't flattered yourself that he's in love with you, I hope. Not after being married to Rebecca Hildreth -- the most beautiful, the most cultured woman in all England. (CHUCKLES) Well, goodbye and good luck -- Mrs. de Winter!
MUSIC: PENSIVE ... THEN BEHIND "I"--
"I": (NARRATES) We were married that evening in a little village near the sea. And in May, we came to Manderley. We arrived early in the evening. It was raining as we drove through the high iron gates. The drive twisted and turned as a serpent. And then, suddenly, there was the house -- Manderley -- a thing of grace and beauty. And yet, somehow, almost frightening.
As we came into the great hall, I saw that it was crowded with people -- the staff of the house and the estate. They stood silent and curious, gazing at me. And then someone advanced from the sea of faces. She was tall and gaunt, dressed in deep black, and her prominent cheekbones and hollow eyes gave her a sort of skull's face.
MAXIM: This is Mrs. Danvers. You don't have to worry about the house at all, darling. Mrs. Danvers takes care of everything.
"I": Good evening, Mrs. Danvers.
MRS. DANVERS: Good evening, Madam. I have everything in readiness for you.
"I": Oh, er, that's very good of you.
MRS. DANVERS: Will you go to your room now, Madam, or will you have tea in the library?
"I": (UNSURE) Why, I - I don't think I--
MAXIM: The room first, Mrs. Danvers.
MRS. DANVERS: Yes, sir. This way, if you please, Madam.
SOUND: TRANSITIONAL PAUSE ... "I" AND MRS. DANVERS' FOOTSTEPS TO BEDROOM DOOR WHICH OPENS
MRS. DANVERS: I hope you'll approve the new decoration of these rooms, Madam.
"I": Oh, I - I didn't know that they'd been changed. What did it look like before?
MRS. DANVERS: It had an old paper and different hangings. It was never used much, except for occasional visitors.
"I": Oh, then it wasn't Mr. de Winter's room originally?
MRS. DANVERS: No, Madam. He has never used the East wing before. The only good view of the sea is from the West wing.
"I": The room's very charming, and I'm sure that I shall be comfortable.
MRS. DANVERS: If there's anything you want done, Madam, you have only to tell me.
"I": Mrs. Danvers, I suppose you've been at Manderley for many years.
MRS. DANVERS: I came here when the first Mrs. de Winter was a bride.
"I": I do hope we'll be friends, Mrs. Danvers. But you must be patient with me. This sort of life is new to me, and I do want to make a success of it and to make Mr. de Winter happy. So I know that I can leave all the household arrangements to you.
MRS. DANVERS: I hope I shall do everything to your satisfaction, Madam. I have managed the house since Mrs. de Winter's death, and Mr. de Winter has never complained.
"I": I - I think I'll go downstairs now.
MRS. DANVERS: Certainly, Madam.
SOUND: BEDROOM DOOR CLOSES ... THEIR FOOTSTEPS DOWN STAIRS ... THEN OUT BEHIND--
MRS. DANVERS: The room in the West wing I was telling you about is there, through that door. It's not used now. It's the most beautiful room in the house -- the only one that looks down across the lawns to the sea. It was Mrs. de Winter's room.
SOUND: SOMBER ACCENT ... THEN IN BG
"I": (NARRATES) I knew even then that Mrs. Danvers despised me -- standing there watching me -- laughing silently at my awkwardness -- telling me over and over that there'd been another before me, the beautiful Rebecca Hildreth. There was everything to remind me of that -- the letter "R" embroidered on the linens, her writing paper in the drawers of the desk, her dog who still slept outside her room. She was everywhere at Manderley -- Rebecca, who had died and who still wandered through that house.
SOUND: OMINOUS ACCENT ... THEN LIGHTER BEHIND "I"--
"I": (NARRATES) I met someone else the next morning when I came down to breakfast.
FRANK: Oh, good morning.
"I": Good morning.
FRANK: You're Mrs. de Winter, aren't you?
"I": Yes.
FRANK: My name's Crawley. I manage the estate for Maxim. Awfully glad to meet you.
"I": How do you do?
FRANK: Fearful lot of stuff piled up while Maxim was away.
"I": Yes, I - I'm sure there must have been. I do wish I could help you with some of it.
MAXIM: (APPROACHES, LIGHTLY) Help him? Frank never allows anybody to help him. Like an old mother hen with his bills and rents and taxes. Come on, Frank, we must go over these estimates.
FRANK: I'll get my papers.
MAXIM: (DRY) You'll find quantities of breakfast over there, darling. But you must eat it all or cook will be mortally offended.
"I": (AMUSED) I'll do my best, Maxim.
MAXIM: Later on this afternoon maybe, we'll take a walk around the estate. Just you and I, darling. There's a good deal I'd like you to see.
"I": I'll be ready, Maxim. Any time.
SOUND: SCENE FADES OUT ... TRANSITIONAL PAUSE ... FADE IN OUTDOOR BACKGROUND (HEAVY WIND BLOWING) ... JASPER THE DOG BARKS CONSTANTLY
MAXIM: (TO DOG) Come along, Jasper! Come along! (GOOD-NATURED, TO "I") Keep that coat up around you, dear.
"I": It isn't raining now, Maxim. Must I?
MAXIM: Certainly, certainly. Can't be too careful with children.
"I": Oh, it's glorious here. I love every foot of it, Maxim.
SOUND: JASPER'S BARKING MOVES OFF
MAXIM: Jasper! Here! Not that way! (WHISTLES) Jasper! Come back!
"I": He went down those steps by the cliff. Where does that lead to?/p>
MAXIM: (UNEASILY) Um, it leads to a little cove where we used to keep a boat.
"I": Let's go down there.
MAXIM: Oh, no, dear, it's a perfectly dull and uninteresting stretch of sand -- just like any other.
"I": Oh, please, Maxim.
MAXIM: Some other time, darling. Not today.
SOUND: JASPER HOWLS MOURNFULLY IN THE DISTANCE
"I": Listen! Is that Jasper? There must be something wrong. Perhaps he's hurt himself.
MAXIM: No, he's all right. Leave him alone, dear.
"I": (MOVING OFF) But I think I'd better go and see--
MAXIM: No, come back! Don't bother about him, I tell you! He can't come to any harm! He'll find his own way back!
SOUND: HOWLING WIND AND WAVES ... UP, FOR A TRANSITION ... THEN DOWN IN BACKGROUND
"I": Jasper? Jasper? Jasper?
SOUND: JASPER WHIMPERS AND SCRAPES AT COTTAGE DOOR
"I": Oh, there you are. What do you want in that cottage, Jasper? Come on home. Come on, Jasper.
SOUND: COTTAGE DOOR OPENS
BEN: (CREEPY, ACCUSING) He comes here lookin' for her.
"I": (STARTLED) Oh, I - I didn't know there was anybody--
BEN: I know that dog. He comes from the house. He ain't yours.
"I": No, he's Mr. de Winter's dog.
BEN: I know that dog. He comes down lookin' for her.
"I": Who? Who's cottage is this?
BEN: Mrs. de Winter.
"I": Oh. (TO DOG) Come here, Jasper.
SOUND: JASPER WHIMPERS A LITTLE
BEN: You won't tell anyone you saw me in here, will ye?
"I": Don't you belong on the estate?
BEN: Yes, but I warn't doin' nothin'. I was just puttin' my shells away. She's gone in the sea, ain't she? She'll never come back no more.
"I": No. She'll never come back. (TO DOG) Come on, Jasper. Come on, boy.
SOUND: HOWLING WIND AND WAVES ... UP, FOR A TRANSITION ... THEN DOWN IN BACKGROUND
"I": (APPROACHES) Maxim?! Maxim! Here I am! Wait! (CATCHES UP WITH MAXIM, A LITTLE BREATHLESS) Oh, Maxim, I'm sorry I was such a time.
MAXIM: (UPSET) You knew I didn't want you to go there, but you deliberately went.
"I": Well, why not? There was only a cottage down there, and a strange man--
MAXIM: Well, don't go there again! Do you hear?
"I": Well, why not?
MAXIM: Because I hate the place! And if you had my memories, you wouldn't go there or talk about it or even think about it!
"I": What's the matter? Oh, I'm sorry. Maxim--
MAXIM: (CALMS DOWN, LOW) We should have stayed away. We should never have come back to Manderley. What a fool I was.
MUSIC: SNEAKS IN ... TENDER
"I": Oh, I - I've made you unhappy. Somehow I've hurt you. I can't bear to see you like this because - because I love you - so much. (WEEPS VERY QUIETLY)
MAXIM: Do you? Do you? I've made you cry. Forgive me. I sometimes seem to fly off the handle for no reason at all, don't I? Come. We'll go home and have some tea and forget all about it.
"I": Yes, let's forget all about it.
MUSIC: UP, FOR A CURTAIN
SOUND: APPLAUSE
ANNOUNCER: In a few moments, we'll bring you Act Two of "Rebecca." And now here's Libby Collins, our Hollywood reporter, to give us THE LUX RADIO THEATRE'S Movie News of the Week. What's the good word tonight, Libby?
LIBBY COLLINS: The big news this week, John, is the Hollywood premiere Thursday night of the Twentieth Century-Fox picture "All About Eve." Darryl F. Zanuck can be proud of this sophisticated comedy about life behind the footlights.
ANNOUNCER: It's going to be a gala event, all right. Everyone wants to see Bette Davis and Anne Baxter in two very dramatic roles.
LIBBY COLLINS: Oh, yes. Bette is a famous star whose career is threatened by an apparently sweet and admiring young actress played by Anne Baxter. Almost too late she finds she's befriended a ruthless schemer with no scruples about stealing her career and the man she loves.
ANNOUNCER: Anne turns out to be a rather unsympathetic character, doesn't she?
LIBBY COLLINS: (CHUCKLES) Yes, indeed.
ANNOUNCER: But she's certainly easy on the eyes!
LIBBY COLLINS: Oh, and what a glamor girl she is in "All About Eve." She has charm and vivacity, too. That Lux complexion of hers never looked lovelier than it does in the close-ups.
ANNOUNCER: Camera close-ups are so revealing. That's why, of course, so many famous stars depend on Lux Soap beauty care.
LIBBY COLLINS: Yes, John. Screen stars can't take chances with million-dollar complexions. Lux Soap gives delicate skin the protecting care it needs. No wonder stars like Anne Baxter wouldn't be without it.
ANNOUNCER: There's something about that Active Lather. It leaves skin looking so fresh.
LIBBY COLLINS: All you do is smooth on that rich Active Lather -- work it well in -- rinse -- and then pat with a soft towel to dry. That's Anne Baxter's daily care -- and I think every woman who tries it will be delighted with the new beauty Active Lather facials give her skin.
ANNOUNCER: That's a smart tip, Libby. Lux Soap is as gentle, as fine a soap as you can buy for complexion care. Why not get Hollywood's own beauty soap tomorrow? Remember, nine out of ten screen stars use fragrant white Lux Toilet Soap. Now, our producer, Mr. William Keighley.
KEIGHLEY: Act Two of "Rebecca," starring Laurence Olivier as Maxim and Vivien Leigh as Mrs. de Winter.
MUSIC: SECOND ACT INTRO ... THEN BEHIND "I"--
"I": (NARRATES) The weather was wet and cold for almost a week and we didn't go down to the beach again. But I couldn't forget the dark, lost look in Maxim's eyes when we came up the path through the woods. It was my fault. I had gone down to that cottage. I seemed to have opened up a road into the past and now, because of it, there was a barrier between us. I began to dread any mention of the sea -- until one morning in the library, I was alone with Frank Crawley.
FRANK: Oh, but you're not disturbing me, Mrs. de Winter. Please, if there's something I can explain about the estate--
"I": Well, I - I was down at the cottage on the beach the other day, Mr. Crawley. The place seems to be going to wrack and ruin. Are those all Rebecca's things down there?
FRANK: Yes. Yes, they are.
"I": What did she use the cottage for?
FRANK: The boat used to be moored near there.
"I": The boat? Oh, was that the boat that she was sailing in when she was drowned?
FRANK: Yes. It capsized and sank and she was washed overboard.
"I": Where did they find her?
FRANK: Near Edgecombe -- about forty miles up channel -- about two months afterwards. Maxim went up to identify her. It was horrible for him.
"I": Yes. It must have been. Mr. Crawley, please don't think me morbidly curious, but would you answer just one more question?
FRANK: If it's something I'm able to answer.
"I": Tell me, what was Rebecca really like?
MUSIC: SNEAKS IN ... NOSTALGIC
FRANK: I suppose -- I suppose she was the most beautiful creature I ever saw.
MUSIC: SWELLS TO ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND "I"--
"I": (NARRATES) Maxim had to go up to London at the end of June; some business of the estate. Frank Crawley had gone along with him and I was alone at Manderley. I was surprised one evening to hear voices coming from the West wing -- from the room that had been Rebecca's. I recognized one as Mrs. Danvers. The other's was a man's voice, a stranger.
MRS. DANVERS: I really don't think it was wise for you to come here, Mr. Jack.
FAVELL: Oh, nonsense, nonsense. It's been just like coming back home. Though I must say, I feel a little like the poor relation, sneaking around through back doors. Well, toodle-oo, Danny.
MRS. DANVERS: Goodbye, Mr. Jack, and please be careful.
FAVELL: I will. Don't worry.
SOUND: DOOR OPENS
FAVELL: (SEES "I") Oh. Hello.
"I": Good evening.
FAVELL: (MERRILY) Danny, all your precautions were in vain. The mistress of the house was hiding behind the door.
"I": (FLUSTERED) Oh, I wasn't really. I - I heard voices and--
FAVELL: What about presenting me to the bride, Danny?
MRS. DANVERS: This is Mr. Favell, Madam.
"I": How do you do?
FAVELL: How do you do?
"I": Uh, won't you have some tea, or something?
FAVELL: (CHUCKLES) Now, isn't that a charming invitation? I've been asked to stay to tea, Danny.
MRS. DANVERS: (DISAPPROVINGLY) It's rather late.
FAVELL: Mmm, oh, well, perhaps you're right. And we mustn't lead the young bride astray, must we? (TO "I") Well, goodbye. Oooh, and I know what was wrong with our introduction. Danny didn't tell you, did she? I'm Rebecca's favorite cousin. Toodle-oo.
MUSIC: UNDERSTATEDLY EERIE ACCENT ... THEN INCREASINGLY SPOOKY IN BG
"I": (NARRATES) The man went quickly down the stairs and Mrs. Danvers went after him. I had a terrifying impulse to see what lay behind the door in front of me -- the door to Rebecca's room. I pushed it open slowly. I could hear the sea plainly through the window.
SOUND: THE SEA ... PULSING SLOWLY BUT INSISTENTLY
"I": (NARRATES) I had expected to see the furniture swathed in dust sheets, but nothing was covered up. There were flowers on the dressing table; a satin dressing-gown on the chair; and, beneath, a pair of bedroom slippers. And then -- suddenly -- the door closed behind me!
MUSIC: UP, OMINOUSLY AND OUT WITH--
SOUND: DOOR SHUTS
MRS. DANVERS: (COOL) Do you wish anything, Madam?
"I": (SHAKEN) No. No, I - I just came in--
SOUND: THE SEA PULSES SLOWLY AND INSISTENTLY TO THE END OF THE SCENE
MRS. DANVERS: You've always wanted to see this room, haven't you? Why did you never ask me to show it to you? It's a lovely room, isn't it? The most beautiful room you've ever seen. Everything is kept just as Mrs. de Winter liked it. Nothing has been altered since that last night.
SOUND: DRESSING ROOM DOOR OPENS
MRS. DANVERS: This is where I keep her clothes. You would like to see them, wouldn't you? Feel this wrap. It was a Christmas present from Mr. de Winter. He was always giving her expensive gifts, the whole year 'round. You wouldn't think she'd been gone so long, would you? Sometimes when I walk along the corridor, I fancy I hear her just behind me -- that quick, light step. I couldn't mistake it anywhere. It's not only in this room -- it's in all the rooms in the house. I can almost hear it now. (PAUSE) Do you believe the dead come back and watch the living?
"I": (UNNERVED) No! No, I don't believe it!
MRS. DANVERS: Sometimes, I wonder if she doesn't come back here to Manderley, and watch you and Mr. de Winter together.
"I": (INHALES SHARPLY)
MRS. DANVERS: You look tired. Why don't you stay here a while and rest? Listen to the sea. It's so soothing.
"I": No. No--
MRS. DANVERS: Listen to it. Listen -- to the sea.
"I": I won't listen. I won't! I won't!
SOUND: THE SEA ... UP, FOR PUNCTUATION
MUSIC: TURBULENT TRANSITION
"I": (WITH GREAT RELIEF) Maxim! Maxim, I'm so glad you're home again!
MAXIM: (GOOD-NATURED) Hey, hey, you're choking me.
"I": Oh, am I?
MAXIM: Well, what have you been doing with yourself?
"I": Oh, darling, I've been thinking. Could we have a costume ball -- just as you used to?
MAXIM: Now, what put that idea into your mind?
"I": Oh, nothing. I just feel that we ought to do something to make people feel that Manderley is the same as it always was. Oh, please, darling. Could we?
MAXIM: (CHUCKLES) All right, if you think you'd enjoy it. You'd better get Mrs. Danvers to help you, hadn't you?
"I": No. No. I don't need Mrs. Danvers to help me. I can do it by myself, Maxim.
MAXIM: (AMUSED) Oh, ho ho. All right, my sweet. I'm sure you can.
MUSIC: TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND "I"--
"I": (NARRATES) But Mrs. Danvers did help me. It was she who suggested that I design my costume after one of the family portraits in the gallery -- a lovely young woman in a white dress, with great puffed sleeves and a hat with gay ribbons. When the night of the party arrived, I could hardly contain myself for excitement -- for I'd kept the costume as a surprise for Maxim.
MUSIC: OUT BEHIND--
SOUND: LAUGHTER AND CHATTERING OF HAPPY BALL ATTENDEES
"I": (NARRATES) I ran quickly down the stairs and then I waited for the clapping and the laughter that would greet me. Suddenly, they were all quiet.
SOUND: BALL ATTENDEES FALL SILENT
"I": (PAUSE, NARRATES) Nobody clapped. (BEAT) Nobody moved. (BEAT) And then Maxim was coming towards me -- his face white, his eyes blazing.
MAXIM: (LOW, UPSET) What the devil do you think you're doing?
"I": (CONFUSED, LOW) Maxim! It's the picture -- the one in the gallery. What have I done?
MAXIM: Go and take it off. Go and take it off. Doesn't matter what you put on. Anything will do. (NO RESPONSE, EXPLODES ANGRILY) What are you standing there for?! Didn't you hear what I said?! Go upstairs and take it off!
MUSIC: TRANSITION
MRS. DANVERS: May I help you with another gown, Madam?
"I": No. No, thank you, Mrs. Danvers.
MRS. DANVERS: Mr. de Winter was upset. I watched you just now, Madam. I watched you go down the stairs, just as I watched her a year ago. Even in the same dress you couldn't compare with her.
"I": (GASPS) The same dress! You knew it. You knew that she wore it, and yet you deliberately suggested I wear it! Why do you hate me? What have I done to you that you should hate me so?
MRS. DANVERS: You tried to take her place. You let him marry you. I've seen his face, his eyes. They're the same as those first weeks after she died. I used to listen to him -- walking up and down, up and down, all night long, night after night -- thinking of her, suffering torture because he'd lost her.
"I": (TEARFUL) I don't want to know! I don't want to know!
MRS. DANVERS: You thought you could be Mrs. de Winter -- live in her house, walk in her steps, take the things that were hers. But she's too strong for you. You can't fight her. No one ever got the better of her, never, never! She was beaten in the end, but it wasn't a man, it wasn't a woman -- it was the sea.
"I": (WEEPS) Oh, stop it! Stop -- stop it!
MRS. DANVERS: You're overwrought, Madam. I'll open a window for you. A little air will do you good.
SOUND: WINDOW OPENS ... PULSE OF THE SEA IN BACKGROUND
MRS. DANVERS: Come and stand here, Madam. Don't be afraid. Now - now, look down there. Isn't the sea lovely? Why don't you go? Why don't you leave Manderley? He doesn't need you. He's got his memories. You've nothing to stay for. You've nothing to live for, really, have you? Look down there. It's easy, isn't it? Why don't you? Why don't you? Go on. Don't be afraid. Why don't you jump?
SOUND: OMINOUS RUMBLE! NEARBY ROCKET FIRE
"I": (STARTLED SHRIEK)
SOUND: SHIP'S WHISTLE TOOTS AN INSISTENT DISTRESS SIGNAL
"I": What is it? What's that noise? Maxim? Maxim!
SOUND: ANOTHER OMINOUS RUMBLE! ANOTHER ROCKET FIRED
"I": Maxim?! Where are you?! Maxim!
SOUND: SHIP'S WHISTLE DISTRESS SIGNAL AGAIN ... THEN FADES OUT ... TRANSITIONAL PAUSE ... THEN FADE IN SEA WAVES AND MURMURING CROWD
"I": What is it, Frank? What's happened?
FRANK: Shipwreck! There's a ship aground, sending up rockets! (CALLS) Robert! Robert, notify the coast guard! Shipwreck!
MUSIC: QUICK TRANSITION
SOUND: SEASHORE BACKGROUND (WAVES)
"I": Frank? Frank, have you seen Maxim on the beach?
FRANK: Not since half an hour ago.
"I": He hasn't been in the house all night. I'm afraid something might have happened to him. (BEAT) Frank, what's the matter? You look terribly worried.
FRANK: Well, the diver who went down to inspect the bottom of the ship came across the hull of another boat -- a little sailboat.
"I": Frank--? Is it--?
FRANK: Yes. Yes, it's Rebecca's boat.
"I": Rebecca's? Oh, why did they have to find it? Why couldn't they have left it there in peace at the bottom of the sea? Poor Maxim. It'll be so hard on him.
FRANK: Yes, it's going to bring it all back again -- and worse than before.
MUSIC: TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND "I"--
"I": (NARRATES) I searched the beach frantically for Maxim, but there was no sign of him. Then suddenly I came upon the boathouse -- Rebecca's cottage. There was a light burning dimly in the window. I pushed open the door and there, in the glow of the dying fire, I saw the tortured face of Maxim.
MAXIM: (WEAKLY) Hello. Come in.
SOUND: COTTAGE DOOR CLOSES
"I": Maxim! You haven't had any sleep. Have you forgiven me?
MAXIM: Forgiven you?
"I": For last night -- for my stupidity about the costume.
MAXIM: Oh, that. I'd forgotten.
"I": Oh, Maxim, can't we start all over again? I don't ask that you should love me. I won't ask impossible things. But I'll be your friend and companion. I'll be happy with that.
MAXIM: You love me very much, don't you? But it's too late, my darling. We've lost our little chance of happiness.
"I": No, Maxim, no.
MAXIM: Yes. It's all over now. Rebecca has won. Her shadow has been between us all the time, keeping us from one another. She knew this would happen.
"I": What are you saying?
MAXIM: They sent a diver down. He found another boat.p>
"I": I know. Rebecca's boat.
MAXIM: Yes. The diver made another discovery. He broke one of the ports and looked into the cabin. There was a body in there.
"I": Body? Then she wasn't alone? There was someone sailing with her?
MAXIM: You don't understand. There was no one with her. It's Rebecca's body lying there on the cabin floor.
"I": (DISBELIEF) No. No.
MAXIM: The woman that was washed up at Edgecombe -- the woman that is now buried in the family crypt -- that was not Rebecca. That was the body of some unknown woman, unclaimed, belonging nowhere. I identified it, but I knew it wasn't Rebecca. I knew where Rebecca's body was. Lying on that cabin floor, on the bottom of the sea.
"I": Maxim -- how did you know?
MAXIM: Because - I put it there.
"I": You? You?
MAXIM: Will you look into my eyes and tell me that you love me now?
"I": (DISMAYED) Oh, Maxim--
MAXIM: You see? I was right. It's too late.
"I": No, it's not too late. You're not to say that. We can't lose each other now. We must be together always, always.
MAXIM: We may only have a few hours, a few days.
"I": Oh, Maxim, why didn't you tell me before?
MAXIM: Sometimes I nearly did, but you never seemed close enough.
"I": How could we be close when I knew you were always thinking of Rebecca? How could I even ask you to love me when I knew that you loved Rebecca still?
MAXIM: What are you talking about? You thought I loved Rebecca? I hated her.
"I": (BEAT, STUNNED) Hated her?
MAXIM: Oh, I was carried away by her -- enchanted by her -- as everyone was. But I never had a moment's happiness with her. She was incapable of love, or tenderness, or decency.
"I": You didn't love her?
MAXIM: Remember that cliff where you first saw me in Monte Carlo? Well, I went there with Rebecca on our honeymoon. That was where I found out about her -- four days after we were married. She stood there, laughing, her black hair blowing in the wind, and told me all about herself. Things I'll never tell a living soul. I wanted-- I wanted to kill her. "I'll make a bargain with you," she said. "You'd look rather foolish trying to divorce me now after four days of marriage, so I'll play the part of the devoted wife, mistress of your precious Manderley. And people will visit us and envy us and say we're the luckiest, happiest couple in the country. What a grand joke it will be -- what a triumph!" I should never have accepted her dirty bargain, but I did. And I kept it. So did she, apparently. But after a while, she began to grow careless. She took a flat in London and she'd stay away for days at a time. Then she started to bring her friends down here. I warned her, but she only shrugged her shoulders. Then there was a cousin of hers -- a man named Favell.
"I": Yes, I know him. He came the day you went to London.
MAXIM: Why didn't you tell me?
"I": I didn't like to. I thought it would remind you of Rebecca.
MAXIM: Remind me! As if I needed reminding! Favell used to visit her here in this cottage. I found out about it and I warned her that if he came here again I'd shoot them both. One night when I found that she'd come back quietly from London, I thought that Favell was with her. I decided to come down here and have it out with both of them. But she was alone. She was lying on the divan. She looked ill -- queer. Suddenly she got up -- started to walk toward me. "When I have a child," she said, "neither you nor anyone else can ever prove it wasn't yours. You'd like to have an heir, wouldn't you, Max, for your precious Manderley?" Then she started to laugh. "How funny," she said, "I'll be the perfect mother just as I've been the perfect wife. And no one will ever know." She was face to face with me. She was smiling. "Well, Max, what're you going to do about it? Aren't you going - to kill me?" I suppose I went mad for a moment. I must have struck her. She stood staring at me. She looked almost triumphant, and then she started toward me again, smiling. Suddenly, she stumbled and fell. When I looked down -- ages afterwards it seemed -- she was lying on the floor. She'd struck her head on a heavy piece of ship's tackle. I remember wondering why she was still smiling. And then I realized - she was dead.
"I": But you didn't kill her. It was an accident!
MAXIM: (SCOFFS) Who would believe me? I lost my head. I knew I had to do something -- anything. I carried her out to the boat. I put her in the cabin. When the boat seemed a safe distance from the shore, I took a spike and drove it again and again through the planking of the hull. I opened up the seacocks and the water began to come in fast. Then I climbed over into the dinghy and pulled away. Then I saw the boat keel over -- and sink. It started to rain.
"I": Maxim, does anyone else know of this?
MAXIM: No, no one.
"I": Then we must explain it. It's got to be the body of someone you've never seen before.
MAXIM: No. No, they're bound to know her -- her rings and bracelets, she always wore them. They'll identify her body. Then they'll remember that other woman -- the other woman buried in the crypt.
"I": Maxim--
MAXIM: I've done a very selfish thing in marrying you. I've loved you, my darling. I shall always love you. But I've known all along that Rebecca would win in the end.
"I": No! No, she hasn't won! No matter what happens now, she hasn't won!
SOUND: PHONE RINGS TWICE ... RECEIVER UP
MAXIM: (WEAKLY, INTO PHONE) Hello? -- Hello, Frank. -- Who? -- Colonel Julyan? ---- Yes. Yes. Well, tell him I'll meet him there as soon as I possibly can.
SOUND: RECEIVER DOWN
MUSIC: SNEAKS IN ... OMINOUS
"I": What's happened?
MAXIM: Colonel Julyan called. He's the Chief Constable of the County. He wants to know if I could possibly have made a mistake -- about that other body.
MUSIC: UP, FOR A DOOM-LADEN CURTAIN
SOUND: APPLAUSE
KEIGHLEY: In a few moments, we'll return with the third act of "Rebecca." Acting in a school play often leads to more than local fame. The guest I've invited tonight, Miss Barbara Rush, really began her professional career with her part in a class play at Santa Barbara State College. Is that so, Barbara?
RUSH: Yes, Mr. Keighley, because it got me a scholarship at the Pasadena Playhouse.
KEIGHLEY: Where so many studios have discovered fresh new talent.
RUSH: Well, that's how it turned out for me. One night, when I was appearing in "Antony and Cleopatra," a Paramount talent scout saw me and signed me up.
KEIGHLEY: I'm sure you made a lovely Cleopatra. Have you any particular ambition in pictures, Barbara?
RUSH: Well, to be a good enough actress to play different kinds of roles, Mr. Keighley. I'm thinking of Betty Hutton's new Paramount Technicolor musical, "Let's Dance."
KEIGHLEY: And, believe it or not, Betty has never danced on the screen before.
RUSH: And imagine all those intricate dance routines she does with Fred Astaire.
KEIGHLEY: Yes, Betty is certainly a remarkably versatile star. You know you have to be good to be Fred Astaire's partner.
RUSH: They make a terrific team in "Let's Dance" as they sing, dance, and romance.
KEIGHLEY: And Betty lives up to her reputation as a comedienne, too.
RUSH: (CHUCKLES) That's a hilarious scene when she makes up her mind to sleep in the bathtub.
ANNOUNCER: Sounds very uncomfortable.
RUSH: Well, it was only for a few minutes, Mr. Kennedy. Afterwards, she could take plenty of time to relax in her own bathtub -- in her Lux Soap beauty bath.
ANNOUNCER: Than which there's nothing more refreshing!
RUSH: Yes, that big new bath-size cake is so luxurious. And I love the Lux Soap perfume. It leaves such a delicate fragrance on the skin.
ANNOUNCER: Yes, screen stars say this beauty bath makes them sure of all-over Lux loveliness. Thank you, Miss Barbara Rush, for coming tonight. And now a Hollywood beauty hint to women everywhere. Try this generous satin-smooth bath-size Lux Toilet Soap. You'll enjoy the creamy abundant lather, the flower-like perfume. Nine out of ten screen stars use Lux Toilet Soap. We pause now for station identification. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.
MUSIC: FOR A STATION BREAK ... THEN OUT
KEIGHLEY: The curtain rises on Act Three of "Rebecca," starring Laurence Olivier as Maxim de Winter and Vivien Leigh as Mrs. de Winter.
MUSIC: INTRODUCTION ... THEN BEHIND "I"--
"I": (NARRATES) The body they had found in the boat was identified as Rebecca de Winter. There had to be an inquest, of course. Maxim was calm. Almost too calm. I think that frightened me even more.
SOUND: MURMUR OF INQUEST CROWD ... OUT BEHIND--
CORONER: I'm sorry to drag you back for further questioning, Mr. de Winter, but you've heard the statement of the boat builder, Mr. Tabb. I wonder if you can help us in any way.
MAXIM: (CURT) I'm afraid not.
CORONER: The holes in the planking were evidently made from the inside. Can you think of any reason for that?
MAXIM: (SNAPPISH) Well, of course I can't think of any reason.
CORONER: Then, since Mrs. de Winter went sailing alone, are we to believe that she drove those holes herself?
MAXIM: You may believe whatever you like!
CORONER: Can you enlighten us as to why Mrs. de Winter should have wanted to end her own life?
MAXIM: I know of no reason whatever!
CORONER: Mr. de Winter, however painful it may be, I have to ask you a very personal question. Were relations between you and the late Mrs. de Winter perfectly happy? (NO ANSWER) Once again, were relations between you and--?
MAXIM: I won't stand this any longer! And you might as well know--
"I": (SWOONS) No, Maxim--
CORONER: (ALARMED) Mrs. de Winter!
SOUND: BODY FALLS! AS "I" FAINTS ... EXCITED MURMUR OF INQUEST CROWD
CORONER: We'll adjourn until after luncheon.
MAXIM: Darling? You all right? Frank, help me. I'll take her outside.
MUSIC: QUICK TRANSITION
SOUND: DELIBERATE FOOTSTEPS
MAXIM: Careful, darling. There's no rush. I'll take you to the car.
"I": Very foolish of me -- fainting like that.
FAVELL: (OFF) Hello.
"I": (TENSE) Maxim. It's that-- It's Favell.
SOUND: FAVELL'S FOOTSTEPS TO MAXIM AND "I" BEHIND--
FAVELL: (CLOSER) And how does the bride find herself today?
MAXIM: What do you want, Favell?
FAVELL: How are you, Max? I was rather worried about you when I heard about the inquest. That's why I came down.
MAXIM: I'm touched by your solicitude, but if you don't mind--
FAVELL: My guess is they'll turn in a verdict of suicide. That is, of course, unless something unforeseen occurs.
MAXIM: What do you mean?
FAVELL: Well, I have a strong feeling that before the day is out, somebody's going to make use of that rather expressive, though old-fashioned term, "foul play."
MAXIM: Go on.
FAVELL: You see, Max, I find myself in a rather awkward position. You've only got to read this note to understand. It's from Rebecca. She wrote it to me the day she died.
MAXIM: She--? [What makes you think that note would interest me?]
FAVELL: Oh, I'm not going to bother you with the contents now, but I can assure you that it's not the note of a woman who intends to drown herself the same night. (BEAT) You know, Max, I've often wondered what it would be like to retire to the country, have a nice little place with a few acres of shooting. I've never figured out what it would cost a year, but I'd like to talk about it with you.
MAXIM: Darling, Mr. Favell and I have a little business transaction on hand. I think we'd better conduct it over at the Inn. They may have a private room there.
"I": (LOW) Maxim--
MAXIM: (LOW) Are you all right now, dear?
"I": (LOW) Yes, but I--
MAXIM: (LOW) Frank will be here in a moment. Ask him to find Colonel Julyan. Then bring them both over to the Inn immediately. (UP) Come on, Favell. Let's go.
MUSIC: QUICK TRANSITION
MAXIM: Colonel Julyan, this is Mr. Favell.
FAVELL: Oh, I know Colonel Julyan. We're old friends, aren't we?
COL. JULYAN: Good morning.
MAXIM: Since you're old friends, I assume you also know that he's head of the police here. I think he might be interested to hear your proposition.
FAVELL: I don't know what you mean. I only want to see justice done, Colonel. The evidence suggested certain possible theories concerning Rebecca's death. One of them, of course, is suicide. Now, I have a little note here which puts that possibility quite out of court. Will you read it, Colonel?
COL. JULYAN: (CLEARS THROAT, READS) "Jack, darling. I've just seen the doctor and I am going to Manderley right away. I shall be at the cottage all this evening, and shall leave the door open for you. I have something terribly important to tell you. Rebecca."
FAVELL: Well, does that look like the note of a woman who had made up her mind to kill herself? Now, come, Colonel -- as an officer of the law, don't you feel that there are some slight grounds for suspicion?
COL. JULYAN: Of murder?
FAVELL: What else?
FRANK: It's blackmail -- pure and simple!
COL. JULYAN: Blackmail's not so pure nor so simple, Mr. Crawley. Mr. Favell, perhaps you can provide us also with a motive?
FAVELL: Ah, I knew you were going to bring that up, Colonel. (MOVING OFF) Yes, I'll supply that, too.
SOUND: FAVELL OPENS A DOOR OFF
"I": (LOW) Maxim, what's he going to do?
FAVELL: (OFF) Will you come in, Mrs. Danvers? (BEAT) Ah, thank you.
SOUND: DOOR CLOSES
FAVELL: (CLOSER) Colonel Julyan -- Mrs. Danvers. I believe you know everyone else, Danny.
COL. JULYAN: Mrs. Danvers, there are a few questions--
FAVELL: No offense, Colonel, but I think if I put this to Danny, she'll understand it more easily. Danny, who was Rebecca's doctor?
MRS. DANVERS: Mrs. de Winter always had Dr. McClean from the village.
FAVELL: Now, you heard. I said, Rebecca's doctor. In London. We know that Rebecca went to a doctor in London on the last day of her life. Who was it?
MRS. DANVERS: I don't know.
FAVELL: Oh, I understand, Danny. You're trying to defend her. But that's what I'm doing.
COL. JULYAN: Mrs. Danvers -- it has been suggested that Mrs. de Winter was deliberately murdered.
MRS. DANVERS: (HORRIFIED) Murdered?
FAVELL: There you have it in a nutshell, Danny. But there's one more thing you'll want to know -- the name of the murderer. George Fortescue Maximilian de Winter. (BEAT) Well, Danny?
MRS. DANVERS: There was a doctor. Mrs. de Winter sometimes went to him privately.
FAVELL: What was his name?
MRS. DANVERS: Dr. Baker -- one-six-five Goldhawk Road -- Shepherd's Bush.
FAVELL: There you are, Colonel. There's where you'll find your motive! He'll tell you why Rebecca went to him. To confirm the fact that she was going to have a child -- a sweet, curly-headed little child. She told Max about it. And so, like the gentleman of the old school that he is, he killed her!
COL. JULYAN: Maxim, I'm afraid we shall have to question this Dr. Baker.
MAXIM: I'm ready to leave now if you wish.
"I": Maxim, let me go with you.
MAXIM: Please, darling. Wait for me at Manderley. I'll be back first thing in the morning.
MUSIC: QUICK TRANSITION
COL. JULYAN: You're still sure you never had a patient by the name of Rebecca de Winter, Doctor?
DR. BAKER: Never, Colonel Julyan. Oh, here. Here are all the appointments for that day. (READS) "Ross, Campbell, Steadall, Perrino, Danvers, Mathews--"
FAVELL: Danny?! What the devil?!
MAXIM: Would you read that name again? Did you say Danvers?
DR. BAKER: Yes, Mr. de Winter, I had a Mrs. Danvers for three o'clock.
MAXIM: What did she look like? Can you remember?
DR. BAKER: Yes. Yes, I remember her quite well. She was a very beautiful woman -- tall, dark, exquisitely dressed.
MAXIM: Rebecca!
COL. JULYAN: The lady must have used an assumed name, Dr. Baker.
DR. BAKER: Is that so? Well, this is a surprise. I'd known her for some time.
FAVELL: What was the matter with her?
DR. BAKER: My dear sir, there are certain ethics--
COL. JULYAN: Could you supply a reason, Dr. Baker, for Mrs. de Winter's suicide?
FAVELL: For her murder, you mean! She was going to have a child, wasn't she? Come on -- out with it.
DR. BAKER: No, she was not, Mr. Favell. But she was very seriously ill.
MAXIM: (STUNNED) She was not going to have a child?
DR. BAKER: That was what she thought, but my diagnosis was quite different. She wanted the truth and I told her. She had only a few months to live.
MAXIM: A few months?
DR. BAKER: Perhaps even less. There was nothing that could be done, nothing that she could do -- except wait.
MAXIM: Did she--? Did she say anything, when you told her?
DR. BAKER: She smiled in a queer sort of way and-- Oh, yes, I remember she said something that struck me as being very peculiar at the time. When I told her it was a matter of months, she said, "Oh, no, doctor. Not that long."
COL. JULYAN: Thank you. You've been very kind. You've told us all we wanted to know. (DISAPPROVINGLY) I should like to have a talk with you, Mr. Favell.
FAVELL: (SHAKEN) I - I didn't know that--
FRANK: Will we be needed any further at the inquest, Colonel Julyan?
COL. JULYAN: No. I can see to it that Maxim's not troubled any further.
MAXIM: Thank you, Colonel.
MUSIC: TRANSITION
SOUND: AUTO ENGINE ... MOTORING DOWN A COUNTRY ROAD
MAXIM: Frank--
FRANK: Mmm, yes?
MAXIM: There's something you don't know.
FRANK: Oh, no, there isn't.
MAXIM: Yes, there is. I didn't kill her, Frank. But I know now that when she told me about the child, she wanted me to kill her. She lied on purpose. She foresaw the whole thing. That's why she stood there laughing when she--
FRANK: Don't think about it any more.
SOUND: AUTO PULLS TO A STOP
FRANK: What's the matter, Maxim? Why do you stop?
MAXIM: (TENSE) What - what time is it?
FRANK: Oh, it must be three or four. Why?
MAXIM: Look at the sky. Over that way. Can't be the dawn breaking over there.
FRANK: Hardly. Perhaps it's the Northern Lights, but - but it's in the winter that you see them, isn't it?
MUSIC: SNEAKS IN ... OMINOUS
MAXIM: They aren't the Northern Lights. That's Manderley! It's burning!
SOUND: AUTO MOTORS HURRIEDLY DOWN THE ROAD
MUSIC: UP, FOR A BLAZING INFERNO ... THEN OUT FOR--
SOUND: BACKGROUND OF CRACKLING FLAMES AND A DISTRESSED CROWD ... AS AUTO PULLS UP AND STOPS--
MAXIM: Robert! Robert, have you seen, Mrs. de Winter?! Where is she?
"I": (APPROACHES) Maxim! Maxim! Here!
MAXIM: (AS THEY EMBRACE) Oh, darling.
"I": Oh, thank heaven you've come back to me!
MAXIM: Are you all right?
"I": Yes, I'm all right. But Mrs. Danvers -- she's gone mad. She set the fire. She said she'd rather destroy Manderley than see us happy here.
SOUND: EXCITED MURMUR OF CROWD
FRANK: There she is! At the window! The West wing!
"I": Maxim! She'll be killed! She'll--
SOUND: HORRIFIC CRASH! AS THE WEST WING COLLAPSES
"I": (BLOODCURDLING SCREAM)
MUSIC: HUGE ACCENT ... THEN GENTLY, EERILY BEHIND "I"--
"I": (NARRATES) Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. As I stood there hushed and still, I could swear that the house was not an empty shell, but lived and breathed as it had long ago. But Manderley is no more, and we are happy now, Maxim and I -- for all our fears and sufferings lie buried in its ruins.
MUSIC: UP ... TO A FINISH
SOUND: APPLAUSE
KEIGHLEY: The curtain falls on "Rebecca" and all our thanks for a truly memorable evening to Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. Laurence, the last time we met the circumstances were quite different. It was in England during the war.
OLIVIER: Yes, I remember it well. You came down to Denham Studios while we were filming "Henry V."
LEIGH: You were making a picture for the American air forces, weren't you, Bill?
KEIGHLEY: Yes, and, as I spent most of my time on the bomber stations, I didn't have the opportunity of seeing you, Vivien.
OLIVIER: Well, we hope you'll make us another visit again, Bill. Perhaps we'll be able to repay some of Hollywood's wonderful hospitality.
LEIGH: We just can't believe that any two people could be so generously treated. And the same was true in New Orleans as well.
KEIGHLEY: I believe you were there on location making scenes for your picture "Streetcar Named Desire." Well, Scarlett O'Hara should have felt right at home in New Orleans.
LEIGH: (CHUCKLES)
OLIVIER: That's right, Bill. Looks like all of Vivien's American picture career will be spent in the Deep South.
KEIGHLEY: (LAUGHS) By the way, Vivien, didn't you play "Streetcar Named Desire" on the London stage for some time?
LEIGH: Well, as a matter of fact, I did. And then when Larry decided to come over for Paramount to make the picture of "Carrie" for William Wyler, I decided to take advantage of Warner Brothers' offer to do "Streetcar."
KEIGHLEY: And what are your immediate plans?
LEIGH: Oh, plenty of rest. You see, we're taking the long way home. We're sailing next week on a tramp steamer.
KEIGHLEY: Mmm, sounds wonderful. And what about when you get back to England? More Shakespearean roles, Laurence?
OLIVIER: (STAMMERS) No, I rather think we'll do something a little lighter for a change.
KEIGHLEY: (LAUGHS) A fine idea. You know, we'd love to see you both in a comedy.
LEIGH: All of which prods me to ask, Bill -- what's your play next week?
KEIGHLEY: Well, next week, we'll present one of our special musical treats that's a boisterous comedy as well, Twentieth Century-Fox's recent screen hit "Wabash Avenue." And our stars will appear in their original roles, Betty Grable and Victor Mature -- a wonderful cast in a musical of the wonderful Gay Nineties.
OLIVIER: I'm sure everyone will look forward to that, Bill, just as much as we do. Good night.
LEIGH: Good night.
KEIGHLEY: Good night and bon voyage.
SOUND: APPLAUSE
ANNOUNCER: Who is this Hollywood star?
LIBBY COLLINS: She was born in Paris, but speaks English without a trace of an accent. An Academy Award winner, she's also one of Hollywood's best-dressed stars. And always wears bangs.
ANNOUNCER: A fashion leader with bangs, huh?
LIBBY COLLINS: Mm hm.
ANNOUNCER: I nominate Claudette Colbert.
LIBBY COLLINS: (CHUCKLES) Claudette it is, John. She's a perfectionist in her clothes as well as in her work. She insists on Lux Flakes care for all her lovely washables -- from exquisite suit-blouses to flannel ski shirts and soft wool sweaters. Actual washing tests prove that gentle care keeps colors at their loveliest up to three times as long. No wonder Hollywood stars won't risk ordinary washing methods for their glamorous wardrobes. Take Claudette Colbert's tip. Give all your nice washables that lovely Lux look. Get a big box of Lux Flakes tomorrow.
MUSIC: LUX THEME ... CONTINUES IN BG
KEIGHLEY: Lever Brothers Company, the makers of Lux Toilet Soap, join me in inviting you to be with us again next Monday evening, when THE LUX RADIO THEATRE presents Betty Grable and Victor Mature in "Wabash Avenue." This is William Keighley saying good night to you from Hollywood.
SOUND: APPLAUSE
MUSIC: LUX THEME ... TILL END
ANNOUNCER: Heard in our cast tonight were Betty Blythe as Mrs. Danvers, John Dodsworth as Favell, and Eleanor Audley as Mrs. Van Hopper. Our music was directed by Rudy Schrager. This is your announcer, John Milton Kennedy, reminding you to join us again next Monday night to hear "Wabash Avenue," starring Betty Grable and Victor Mature. Stay tuned for MY FRIEND IRMA, which follows over these same stations. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.
SOUND: APPLAUSE
