Speaker 1: At Professor Blasman's secluded home, an experimental robot called Junior
Speaker 1: is being educated from a childlike mental state. Then a
Speaker 1: criminal known as Duke forces his way into the experiment,
Speaker 1: while Blasman's assistant Lola becomes increasingly concerned about Junior's lessons.
Speaker 1: From NBC, This is X minus one, episode thirteen, Almost Human,
Speaker 1: first heard on August eleventh, nineteen fifty five. George Lefferts
Speaker 1: adapted Robert Block's story for radio. The cast includes Santos Ortega,
Speaker 1: Joan Allison and Jack Grimes, Ladies and Gentlemen. X minus
Speaker 1: one opens the Laboratory Door and now the original broadcast.
Speaker 2: Cot dompoblastof X minus five four three two X minus
Speaker 2: one fire.
Speaker 3: From the far horizons of the unknown come transcribed tales
Speaker 3: of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories
Speaker 3: of the future adventures in which you'll live in a million,
Speaker 3: could be years, on a thousand, maybe worlds. The National
Speaker 3: Broadcasting Company, in cooperation with Street and Smith, publishers of
Speaker 3: Astounding Science Fiction, presents.
Speaker 2: HE minus one one.
Speaker 3: The Night Stories, Almost Human by Robert Block. Have you
Speaker 3: heard of the new science called cybernetics? It concerns man's
Speaker 3: efforts to develop a perfect thinking machine, a robot electronic
Speaker 3: brain that will not only do man's work, but even
Speaker 3: do his thinking for him, a robot that is almost human.
Speaker 4: No, it's not impossible at all. In fact, one day
Speaker 4: something like this may happen. A tall, suave gentleman in
Speaker 4: a black raincoat will walk down the street until he
Speaker 4: reaches a shuttered, isolated house, and then he will slowly
Speaker 4: mount the front steps, push the doorbear.
Speaker 5: Just a minute, I said, just a minute, hold your horses.
Speaker 5: What do you think you'd good?
Speaker 2: Evening?
Speaker 5: My dear duke, Why did you come here?
Speaker 2: Curiosity darling? I've been thinking of what you told me
Speaker 2: at our chance meeting.
Speaker 5: Nurse to me, Duke, you promised me.
Speaker 2: I decided to come and take a look for myself.
Speaker 2: Where is the professor in his study? Where's in the nursery?
Speaker 2: The nursery? How quaint?
Speaker 6: And do I take it?
Speaker 2: A junior's nurse mate? I helped the professor tell me
Speaker 2: as a.
Speaker 5: Guest, adukie's a nice otlt guy.
Speaker 7: Don't all right, yurse?
Speaker 8: What is it?
Speaker 2: Miss Williams?
Speaker 5: Professor? Blast a gentleman here?
Speaker 7: I don't understand. I gave orders no one was to
Speaker 7: be admitted to the house. He insisted, very well, wait here,
Speaker 7: I'll get rid of him. Sir Professor Blossom and I
Speaker 7: have come to see jor Junior. There must be some mistake.
Speaker 6: Eight.
Speaker 7: There are no children in this house. I don't refers.
Speaker 2: What you feel pressing against your belly is the muzzle
Speaker 2: of a forty five caliber pistle. How shall we visit, Junior?
Speaker 2: How what do you know about? I know everything? Shall
Speaker 2: we go inside? I warn you On the contrary, I
Speaker 2: warn you very well.
Speaker 7: This way this is the nursery.
Speaker 2: Whereas Junior in the next room behind the door with
Speaker 2: a panel in it, very considerately furnished, one of the
Speaker 2: ghost figures on the walls, like four toy blocks and
Speaker 2: funny rabbit touching. All right, let's say him you can
Speaker 2: look through the panel very Oh well, he would have
Speaker 2: believed us. Junior isn't very pretty, as he I was
Speaker 2: not concerned with esthetics. Why do you hire him?
Speaker 7: Is a dangerous The world is not yet ready for
Speaker 7: such a thing. Besides, I must study. As you can
Speaker 7: see by his play, he is very young, hardly out
Speaker 7: of the cradle. I am educating him with the nursery rhymes.
Speaker 7: The brain is undeveloped. It must learn its behavior patterns
Speaker 7: like any infant.
Speaker 2: You call that output monster an infant. Physically, of course,
Speaker 2: he'll never change. He is built of chrome, stealing glass
Speaker 2: and his brain that is my wonderful instrument. Unlike a human,
Speaker 2: he has no heritage, no basic instincts, suches.
Speaker 7: Love or hate. These he has yet to learn. In
Speaker 7: some respects. He is like a blank tablet. What is
Speaker 7: written upon the tablet will remain. You mean, he has
Speaker 7: no feelings. He will learn quickly. And now, if your
Speaker 7: curiosity is satisfied, I trust you will keep my secret.
Speaker 7: If anyone discovered open the door, I beg your pardon
Speaker 7: the door. Professor, very well, Junior, come here? What a monster?
Speaker 8: Ah wah?
Speaker 7: He talks, yes mentally he is about six years old.
Speaker 2: Now what is it?
Speaker 8: Son?
Speaker 9: Who is that? Man?
Speaker 2: Let me handle this. You may call me duke.
Speaker 8: Son.
Speaker 2: I've come to see you.
Speaker 9: That's nice.
Speaker 10: Nobody ever comes to see me except Lola.
Speaker 2: Play with me, Duke certainly, jor oh and Professor. Yes,
Speaker 2: while we're playing, you can have Lola and miss Williams
Speaker 2: prepare my room, your room. I forgot to tell you
Speaker 2: I've decided to stay until the climate changed and I
Speaker 2: can go out again. Meanwhile, I'll have a chance to
Speaker 2: play blocks with a junior. Understand, I begin to understand
Speaker 2: you are hiding from the law as you wish. All right, Jor,
Speaker 2: your move.
Speaker 9: Let's build a bridge.
Speaker 2: I have a better idea, Jr. What Let's build a coffin.
Speaker 9: A coffin I don't know that word.
Speaker 2: Then I'll teach you, Junior. I can see the professor
Speaker 2: has been neglecting the moral side of your education.
Speaker 11: Very sadly, you shouldn't have come here.
Speaker 2: Why not, my dear, afraid of me?
Speaker 5: No, afraid of myself? You know, good for me. You've
Speaker 5: always brought me trouble, except this time.
Speaker 2: This time it will be different, Darling. This time I'll
Speaker 2: bring you diamonds.
Speaker 5: Duke, what have you been teaching that?
Speaker 2: Nothing, Honey, I've just been playing with him, very education.
Speaker 5: I don't believe you.
Speaker 2: Who's bothering you today?
Speaker 12: When I walked in there, he said to me, I
Speaker 12: know how to kill people. Laura, I'll kill you if
Speaker 12: you want me to.
Speaker 2: He's learning very quick.
Speaker 5: Duke.
Speaker 12: I'm scared of that thing. It's unholy, a machine that
Speaker 12: acts like a human with a voice grinding at you,
Speaker 12: saying things you'd expect from a child.
Speaker 2: You dislike them so much? Why did you take this
Speaker 2: job as his nurse man?
Speaker 12: Because I wanted to start over again, I answered nat.
Speaker 12: The professor didn't ask questions. I would have been all
Speaker 12: right too if you hadn't come along.
Speaker 2: I'm very glad you did tell me, Darling, because Junior
Speaker 2: is going to make us two very successful people. Like
Speaker 2: any child, Junior listens to what he's told.
Speaker 5: Duke.
Speaker 12: I don't know what you're teaching, Junior, but I can guess,
Speaker 12: and it is right.
Speaker 5: It's evil.
Speaker 2: Now right on the blackboard, JUNR. My name is Junior.
Speaker 9: My name is Junior.
Speaker 2: People are evil.
Speaker 9: Evil are evil.
Speaker 2: Evil must be destroyed.
Speaker 9: Evil must be destroyed.
Speaker 2: The professor is evil.
Speaker 9: The professor is evil.
Speaker 2: The professor must What are you doing? I want you
Speaker 2: to keep out of the nursery. Professor, go away.
Speaker 7: You you don't even remember me.
Speaker 9: I know you.
Speaker 10: You are the professor. You want to keep me as
Speaker 10: your slave. You didn't tell me that people are evil.
Speaker 9: People are not evil evil.
Speaker 10: They must be distress. I am not a child any long.
Speaker 6: No, you're not a child.
Speaker 2: You're amongst j yes, that time is now, Junior.
Speaker 7: Yes, keep away from me, Junior, Junior, don't do it.
Speaker 11: Listen to me, Junior, listen to me.
Speaker 9: I did it?
Speaker 11: Oh?
Speaker 9: Can we go away now?
Speaker 8: Duke?
Speaker 9: I don't like it here anymore?
Speaker 5: Why did you do it?
Speaker 2: The professor was in the way. I have to move
Speaker 2: very quickly in Ala. You don't plan to come along,
Speaker 2: just say so. I can have Junior write your name
Speaker 2: and his blackboard.
Speaker 5: Where are we going?
Speaker 2: We go to Charlie's with Junior, with jor you can't.
Speaker 2: I'm relax, my dear. The Duke has great plans for
Speaker 2: you too. Wouldn't you like to be in the wealthy
Speaker 2: for the rest of your life? No cares, no worries,
Speaker 2: just good times and fine clothes all the time.
Speaker 5: The only way you get that way is by inheriting me.
Speaker 2: Not when you have a fellow like Junior around.
Speaker 5: I'm still afraid of you.
Speaker 2: Junior. Wouldn't hurt you. You wouldn't hurt Lola, would your Junior?
Speaker 9: I like Lola. She's plenty.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you say, he thinks you're pretty. Junior is growing
Speaker 2: up so down Charlie sure, Duke, Paula and I are
Speaker 2: going to hide out here for a while. We need
Speaker 2: some help.
Speaker 6: Listen, Duke, I'm I'm trying to keep the cops away.
Speaker 2: Sure and I listen to me. I need a casing
Speaker 2: job done. Oh sure, sure, duke. You know the Armor
Speaker 2: Truck Service. Sure, I want to know when they take
Speaker 2: the ACME deposits from Boston to Worcester.
Speaker 6: Dude, you ain't thinking of a payroll truck, are you.
Speaker 6: They got cannons on those trucks. They travel in pairs.
Speaker 6: You couldn't get near one.
Speaker 2: I asked you to do a casing job, Charlie, sure, Duke,
Speaker 2: anything you say, find out what time they passed an hour?
Speaker 2: Western Moster's added stretch abroad.
Speaker 6: Well, if you're gonna pull a job like that, you'll
Speaker 6: need fifty men. You want me to get some of
Speaker 6: the boys.
Speaker 2: I won't need anybody. I've got somebody where. He's out
Speaker 2: in the car.
Speaker 6: Oh, what's his name, doke? Anybody I know?
Speaker 13: His name is junior, Junior. I don't know any junior.
Speaker 13: You will, Charlie, you will, I'll smock Sam.
Speaker 8: Well.
Speaker 6: Thanks.
Speaker 11: Well, Oh, it sure gets hot in these armored trucks.
Speaker 6: You get used to it.
Speaker 2: How much we haul in this time? Got two hundred
Speaker 2: and fifty dollars.
Speaker 11: Brother, could I use a hunk of that?
Speaker 2: Who couldn't? What's the first stop?
Speaker 14: Acme National Bank? And we unload a payroll of the
Speaker 14: bronze and watch plant. Hey, what's that up ahead?
Speaker 15: It looks like something shiny on the road. Throw up
Speaker 15: your spotlight right it smokes?
Speaker 11: You see what I see? It looks like a.
Speaker 15: Mechanical traffic cop about eight feet so, standing right in
Speaker 15: the middle of the highway. Maybe it's a Halloween gay huh,
Speaker 15: because they're trying out robot traffic cops.
Speaker 11: Can you get pasting?
Speaker 14: No, we'll have to slow down. Get on that gun, Sam,
Speaker 14: Let's take no chances. Right, I'll give it the horn.
Speaker 2: Don't budge.
Speaker 14: Where's our rest cart? Truck pulled up right behind us?
Speaker 14: Thing won't move. It looks like something out of buck
Speaker 14: Roger's doing it. That's a heck of a note blocking
Speaker 14: traffic like that. I'll have to try and get it
Speaker 14: past it. There, girls, well.
Speaker 11: They smokes moving.
Speaker 15: Hell, it's coming toilets.
Speaker 5: Get on that gun.
Speaker 6: Give it a blast.
Speaker 11: Bullets are bouncing right off and it's still coming.
Speaker 14: Now back up. I can't the other trucks right behind
Speaker 14: it now, it's lifting it on.
Speaker 11: It's gonna smash over.
Speaker 6: Jeez, if I hadn't have seen it with my own eyes, Duke,
Speaker 6: we gotta quit this. I matter.
Speaker 2: Charlie getting shaky.
Speaker 16: The papers say he killed all four drivers. Listen, Duke,
Speaker 16: that rope and it's hot. We gotta get rid of it.
Speaker 2: I have to have blubbing one more good robbery.
Speaker 6: You ain't gonna pull another one.
Speaker 2: Why not help me out to the law is going
Speaker 2: to track that baby. Are you quite finished? Charlie?
Speaker 6: You got no heart, Dupe, You like Junior all steal inside.
Speaker 2: I just a big, warm hearted slab I suppose, flowing
Speaker 2: with the milk of human kindness.
Speaker 6: I got nerves.
Speaker 16: I can't stand that thing, the way it looks at you,
Speaker 16: with that that iron face and clanking around all the time.
Speaker 2: Listen, here it comes, Hello, Junior, Hello, Duke, I've been
Speaker 2: talking to Charlie. Yes, Duke, do you know what I think? Junior?
Speaker 2: I think Charlie's yellow. You know what happens to people
Speaker 2: who turn yellow, don't you?
Speaker 9: Yes, Gil tell.
Speaker 10: Him they're evil. We have to describe them.
Speaker 2: You see, Charlie, Junior doesn't black people who sing to
Speaker 2: police Duke.
Speaker 16: Wait a minute. You know I never turned Stooley or
Speaker 16: anything like that. I never saying to the copperies of
Speaker 16: my life.
Speaker 2: You can call me.
Speaker 6: I don't want no trouble with you. Stop him, I wouldn't.
Speaker 9: Less, Duke. I stopped him too, all right.
Speaker 2: Take him down to the cellar, Charley, put him down.
Speaker 2: Take him down to the cellar, Junior, Yes, Duke, Duke,
Speaker 2: we're next, Darling, stop shooting, Duke.
Speaker 12: We can't stay here. Charlie's going to be Missy Scott friends.
Speaker 12: Now I'll have the games after as.
Speaker 2: Oh, come on, I don't worry, Darling. The Duke will
Speaker 2: take care of everything. Where are you going to a
Speaker 2: travel agency to get some tickets? You and I are
Speaker 2: going to take a trip.
Speaker 5: Lola, you're leaving me alone here.
Speaker 2: Juniors shit too, It's just it.
Speaker 5: It's being alone with that thing.
Speaker 2: Don't you worry. In forty eight hours you and I
Speaker 2: will be on our way to Switzerland with five hundred
Speaker 2: thousand dollars worth of bluet.
Speaker 5: What about Junior.
Speaker 2: Junior will be taking care.
Speaker 5: How can you get rid of it?
Speaker 2: Julian will do anything I say, so I really have
Speaker 2: him get into the furnace and sit there while I
Speaker 2: fill up with oil and said bye to it. Too
Speaker 2: bad the Professor couldn't have stayed around to see him
Speaker 2: growing up. He's almost a man now. Junior is not
Speaker 2: quite as clever as a man. You find that out
Speaker 2: after restep center the furnace.
Speaker 5: Get rid of Junior before you leave.
Speaker 2: There's no time I'll be back about it. Please and
Speaker 2: be nice to Junior while I'm gone. Don't show him
Speaker 2: you're afraid of him. Good Bye, Darling, goodbye to.
Speaker 8: H Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah.
Speaker 5: H what Junior?
Speaker 9: Oil man?
Speaker 5: Can't you wait? Duke gets back? He always oils you.
Speaker 17: I want you to oil me, Lola, all right, I
Speaker 17: like you to oil me, Lola, Yes, Lola.
Speaker 9: Do you like Duke Sudan? Do you like me?
Speaker 5: But you know I do jun.
Speaker 9: Lola? What who do you like best? Me or Duke?
Speaker 5: I like you both, Junior?
Speaker 9: Yes? But who do you love?
Speaker 5: What do you know about love? Junior?
Speaker 9: In the books Man and Woman love? No, Lola, what
Speaker 9: do you think anyone will ever love me?
Speaker 5: Maybe?
Speaker 12: Some women can fall in love with anything, Junior, even
Speaker 12: with something like Duke.
Speaker 9: Why low love?
Speaker 5: I don't know?
Speaker 9: Maybe?
Speaker 5: Because well, as long as you think. Your men is
Speaker 5: the smartest and the strongest.
Speaker 9: I see, where are you going to wait for? Duke?
Speaker 5: He won't be home for a while.
Speaker 9: I'll sit in the hall and wait for him, all
Speaker 9: right you. I want to be alone and think about what.
Speaker 10: I read in a book today. It was bad to
Speaker 10: kill people. What does that mean?
Speaker 9: Bad? Bad?
Speaker 5: I don't know, Junior. I guess it's just a word.
Speaker 2: Hello, Hello, Duke. Oh see your while are you sitting
Speaker 2: in the dark?
Speaker 9: I was waiting for you, Duke.
Speaker 2: Well that's a good boy.
Speaker 9: Lola oiled mate, that's nice.
Speaker 2: I'll tell you what, Junior. I've got a little job
Speaker 2: that's down on the cellar. Let's go down there now, Duke,
Speaker 2: right now, JR.
Speaker 9: All right, Duke. Are we going away soon?
Speaker 2: Duke? Yes, Junior, we're going away.
Speaker 9: That's in the cellar, Duke.
Speaker 2: A little surprise to hear June. You'll find out.
Speaker 9: Thank June for the latest news. And now I'll brief
Speaker 9: into dude.
Speaker 6: I recorded dance music.
Speaker 5: Mm hmmm, Duke, is that you?
Speaker 8: Duke?
Speaker 11: Mmm?
Speaker 5: Hello, lo Love, I thought I heard Duke coming.
Speaker 9: He came in. Where is he down in the cellar?
Speaker 5: What's he doing?
Speaker 9: Nothing?
Speaker 5: Did he say he'd be up soon.
Speaker 12: No, maybe you better go down and get him.
Speaker 9: He's dead.
Speaker 5: Oh no, no, he isn't dead, you said.
Speaker 10: The woman loves the strongest and the smartest, while I'm
Speaker 10: stronger and smarter.
Speaker 5: But you are human.
Speaker 9: I'm almost human, Lola.
Speaker 12: No, no, stay way, don't touch me those metal part.
Speaker 2: I love you, No, no, I love you.
Speaker 9: I love you.
Speaker 18: The last thing she heard was the robots, harsh bully
Speaker 18: droning it over and over again.
Speaker 9: I love you, I love you, I love you.
Speaker 18: And strangely enough, it did sound almost human.
Speaker 3: You have just heard X minus one, presented by the
Speaker 3: National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Street and Smith, publishers
Speaker 3: of Astounding science fiction. Tonight by transcription, X minus one
Speaker 3: has brought you Almost Human, a story by Robert Block
Speaker 3: adapted for radio by George Leffards. Featured in the cast
Speaker 3: were Santos Ortega as Duke, Joan Allison as Lola, Jackie
Speaker 3: Grimes as Junior, Guy Repp as the Professor, Nat Poland
Speaker 3: as Charlie, Joseph Julian as Al Lynn Cook as Sam,
Speaker 3: and Merrill Joels as the radio voice your announcer, Fred Collins.
Speaker 3: X minus one was directed by Ken McGregor and is
Speaker 3: an NBC Radio Network production. And now next week, when
Speaker 3: the mighty earth Men arrive in their ships of space,
Speaker 3: courtesy and proper humility on the part of the natives.
Speaker 11: Is expected, but some native inhabitants.
Speaker 2: Are too small to be impressed.
Speaker 3: We'll see what happens to such an expedition marooned on
Speaker 3: a far planet next week at x x minus minus
Speaker 3: minus one.
Speaker 1: One that was x minus one with almost human good night,
Speaker 1: and thank you for joining us for another radio theater presentation.