Lovers, Cheaters, and Murderers in Old Time Radio Collection

"Your cheatin' heart… Will make you weep…
You'll cry and cry… And try to sleep…
But sleep won't come… The whole night through…
Your cheatin' heart… Will tell on you."
- Hank Williams, "Your Cheatin' Heart", 1952

If romance novelists and country music singers are to be believed, there is no lower form of scoundrel than a cheating lover. Romantic love is, above all, an exercise in trust. Folks who have no romance in their souls can distill love and marriage into simple economic terms; a couple joins together not only for companionship, but to face the world together, to build a fortune and a dynasty, to have and raise their children, and in the course of time, to comfort one another through their Golden Years.

In the giddy happiness which is part of a young love affair, it can be hard to comprehend the fullness of trust that the marriage contract entails. When that giddiness wears off, and it usually does, sometimes one or both partners might feel that they could do better.

In the happiest, most well-adjusted relationships, the partners discover that the things that they fell in love with are just a small part of the treasure which their relationship will become. For far too many, however, the attraction fades and they begin to consider the most unthinkable ways to get out of their situation.

This is radio drama, of course, and people who choose these extreme measures will face the justice they deserve. In real life, people find ways to deal with an unhappy relationship; they might go into counseling, they may decide to leave the relationship, or there could be a few nights of crying into their beers.

"You'll walk the floor… The way I do…
Your cheatin' heart… Will tell on you."

• ABC Mystery Time, 1957, ABC, "Half an Hour".  Based on a short story by Sir James M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan. A wealthy man has married a girl from a rich family whom he does not respect. Because there is no love in her marriage, she decides to leave and join her lover on a trip to Egypt. Unfortunately, the lover is killed in a traffic accident. Can she return to her husband?
• The Columbia Workshop, November 17, 1938, CBS, "Luck". Strapping Will Yard doesn't believe in luck, while Jemison with his slight and twisted body believes that luck is everything. Jemison has had a good night at the poker table, at Will's expense, but after Jem confesses his love for a pretty girl, Will thinks he will have the last laugh.
• Lux Radio Theatre, March 10, 1941, CBS, an adaptation of The Awful Truth (1937). The original picture was the first of three Romantic Comedy collaborations between Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, but this adaptation stars Bob Hope and Constance Bennett. The story is a comedy about a love-hate marriage. After a fake trip to Florida, he lets her know that a divorce is their only solution. Not only are they still in love, but they need to decide who gets the dog!
• The Mysterious Traveler, September 1, 1946, Mutual, "No One on the Line". Harvey Benson's usual poker game is canceled so he stays in with his wife when the phone rings. When he picks up the receiver there is no one on the line. The next morning, he lingers over breakfast and the same thing happens. Soon, Harvey is convinced that his wife is having an affair, so he determines to take decisive, possibly fatal action.
• Order in the Court, March 12, 1953, Charles Michelson Syndication. Bob has been out West for the past few years, and when he returns, he expects his friends Aubrey and Thelma to be married. However, it seems that Aubrey is in love with Edna, the wife of a man at the factory. What will happen when Edna's husband turns up dead?
• Quiet Please, September 13, 1948, "Symphony in D Minor". Johannes, the psychiatrist, lost his sight but he is not so blind that he cannot see what is happening between his beautiful wife Carol and the virile Ray. Johannes is a very smart person, and Ray does not believe that he can be hypnotized, still, the doctor manages to plant a post-hypnotic suggestion. When Ray hears a certain piece of music, he will murder Carol. What is the music? Could it be the theme to Quiet Please?
• The Camel Screen Guild Theatre, Jan 26, 1946, an adaptation of Brief Encounter (1945). Laura imagines that she is confessing her sins to her husband. Every Thursday, she takes the train into a nearby town to do her shopping, one day she gets something in her eye at the train station and Alec, an attractive doctor tends to her. The next week, Alec is there again, and he takes her to the movies and a cup of tea. Soon, they fall in love, but how could they hurt their families?
• The Whistler, April 14, 1947, CBS Pacific net, "Maid of Honor". Nancy is in love with Bill and is going to be married. She wants Elaine to be her maid of honor, but Elaine is in love with Bill, too. As a talented radio actress, Elaine thinks that she can kill Nancy and make it look like a suicide. She manages to deflect any suspicion from herself, but the cops are sure it is a murder, and Bill is the prime suspect!
• Gunsmoke, June 12, 1960, CBS, "Kitty Accused". Arnie Grimes is sweet on Miss Kitty. She manages to deflect his advances, but his wife, Hattie, doesn't see it that way. In fact, she frames Kitty for stealing her diamond pin.
• Suspense, October 10, 1946, CBS, "A Plane Case of Murder". Randy spent the entire War locked up in a civilian concentration camp in the Philippines, and the thing that got him through it was dreaming about his girl back home, Marian. While he was gone, she married Ed, who has made a fortune in the cattle business. Randy is an aircraft salesman, so he arranges to sell Ed an airplane. How dangerous could that be?

See also: Unrequented Love Collection and  Marriage Can be Murder!