Pelican Players #6: Suspense - On A Country Road

·25 min·2 clips

A radio warning reveals an escaped mental patient with a meat cleaver is loose near their shortcut.

The episode is a production of the classic radio drama 'On a Country Road', performed by the Pelican Players. It begins with an introduction noting the drama originally aired in the 1950s and stars actors like Cary Grant. The story follows David and Dorothy, a couple driving on Long Island who encounter a traffic jam and decide to take a shortcut through Centre Moriches. As a storm brews, they hear a radio news bulletin warning about Kelly Geller, an escaped mental patient from Rescue Mental Hospital who murdered five people with a meat cleaver. Despite Dorothy's fears, David insists on the shortcut, and they soon run out of gas on the lonely road. In the dark and rain, a woman runs into their car and begs to be let in, claiming the real killer is after her. They reluctantly allow her in, but tensions rise as she acts suspiciously, especially when they mention calling the police. Dorothy becomes convinced the woman is the killer, especially after seeing her hold a piece of broken glass. A violent struggle ensues, and David stabs the woman with a knife to protect Dorothy. When police arrive, responding to a farmer's call about a barking dog, they reveal they already captured the real killer half an hour earlier, meaning the woman in the car was innocent. The drama ends with the cast credits and a promotional message for a casino giveaway. The format is a full audio drama with voice actors, sound effects, and a suspenseful narrative structure typical of old-time radio shows.

As heard by us

A storm, a locked car, and a woman at the window give this old-time radio drama a sharp, uneasy charge.

Walter Basser's On a Country Road turns a roadside pause in a brewing storm into a compact spell of melodrama. Dorothy and David remain trapped in the car while a woman circles outside in the dark, a barking dog slices through the night, and lightning keeps the window alive with…

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Why you'd press play

You want locked-car suspense on a dark country road, where every flash of lightning makes the danger feel closer.

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