"Sleep is for Children" can best be described as "Suspense meets The Couple Next Door." Here we have Walter & Ellen Gordon, the perfectly normal couple next door, and in their suburban neighborhood there is a murderer on the loose.
The Gordons have a daughter named Stephanie and that is where the entertainment comes in. You probably know a little girl like her or have one in your family. She is a brat, but that is what creates the tension and the suspense. We know that whatever her parents tell her to do, she won't do. Along with Stephanie comes her roller skates, which are perpetually in the way and a hazard to everyone throughout the episode. In the end, Stephanie gets her come-uppance as a result of her own brattiness. It's wonderful.
This episode also has an eggman, which is something like the milkman. The eggman has a lot of resentment towards the encroaching suburban community that has brought families like the Gordons into the area.
"Sleep is for Children" stars Elspeth Eric as Ellen Gordon, Ralph Bell as Walter Gordon, Bill Adams as Mr. Beckler and Betty Garde as Rosa. Ruth Tobin and Sara Fossel also appear. It is one of two episodes written by Ralph Bell and Eugene Francis. This broadcast aired on March 6, 1960 and includes the commercials, but they are quite snappy.
Download Suspense.1960.03.06_Sleep_Is_For_Children.mp3
Most of the action in "Sleep is for Children" takes place on the phone. Here is an episode of the The Couple Next Door that also centers around a phone call and a little girl who won't cooperate. In this case, however, the little girl is the funniest part of the episode because she is so true to life. This episode aired January 1, 1958. Peggy Lynch and Alan Bunce star.
Download CoupleNextDoor.1958.01.01_Phone_Call_To_Mexico_City.mp3
(Photo from Morguefile.com)
Comments