Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

16 have been interrupted to allow officials to take precautions. As far south as Florida, great winds aie raginc:. lovsiling buildings in their patli. Tho weatiier bureau reports that the storm is moving I'apidly north. Reports from ships at S(^a announce that the tidal wave has become a great wall of water. A number of vessels have been sunk, and others are running to port in front of it. But they v.'on't get there. Tile wave is moving too fast for them." On the screens were pictures of a Florida hurricane. Frame buildings were lifted bodi'y from their foundations and hurled hundreds of feet away before being smashed to matchwood. Yachts and small craft in the harbour were re- duced to small pieces against the harbour walls. Jeff and Peaches, watching at Jeff'a home, stared at the screen in amazement. "The wind in New York has reached eighty- five miles an hour," the loudspeakers went on. "The city's drains are taxed by the heaviest downpour in years." Jeflf hunched his shoulders. "This is going to keep people at home," he said. "Who's going to think of votittg with news like this coming in?" There was a pause. Then the loudspeakers started up again, this time with news far worse than anyone had expected. "Men and women of America, something terrible is happening." they said. "The tidal wave is sweeping down on New York. Look!" The screens snowed a huge mass of water hurtling up the River Hudson. Giant liners were lifted bodily into the air and sent with crashing force into warehouses. The wall of water nished through the streets, and vast sky- scrapers began to topple. One broke in half and fell, filling a couple of streets with debiia. "The Empire State Building! It's crum- bling!" loared the loudspeakers, and people watching could see it happening on the screens before their eyes. "It is only a matter of time now. New York is doomed, and people are dying in their hundreds of thousands." Again the screens showed buildings being wrecked. Up in White Plains, the people hung about the streets Avondering what was going to hap- pen next. The loudspeakers soon told them. "Tho tidal wave has now reached the Bronx, and it is sweeping up the river. Soon other towns will bo wrecked—Yonkers, Hastings, Scarsdale, White Plains " Somebody screamed. Somebody el.se started to run. Instantly th.ere was panic. People fled through the streets in a mad effort to get away from the danger that threatened to overwhelm them. The weakest stumbled and got tratrijjled underfoot. It was ghastly. '"Peaches." Jeff said suddenly, "get the car out. and take Laurel and Buddy away. Head north to AUiany—I'll join you there later." "iWhy dortt you/;ome along, too?" Peaches asked. "I'm going up to the 'News-Tribune' office to see Mike Halloran." , The telephone-bell started to ring. Jeff took off the receiver, and found that it was Halloran who wanted him.- "What is it. Mike?" he asked. "What's all this about a tidal wave?" Hal- loran asked. "I haven't a television set here, hut the radio is- handing out some queer talk about it. The trouble is, I can't get confirma- tion. Do you know anything?" "No more than you do," Jeff replied. "I'm coming right over to see you." He slammed down the receiver, and fought his way tluonfrh the streets. When he bur.5t into HallnraT.'s office he found his foVrner boss standing in fionl of tlie tape-machine looking puzzled " (,'ome here, Jeff," he said. " Take a look at this!" Jeff took the tape from him, and stared down at it in amazement. The machine was ticking steadily, and the words printed on the tape were: "United States Steel: 66.2—66.3—66.4. Ploughkeepsie Copper: 23.7—23.5—23.4." Jeff stared at the tape for some time, watch- ing the stock markets coming in. At last he aaid: "That's queer—darned queer! Aopording to the television broadcast Wall Street and all the business sections of the city have been wrecked. Yet the reports are coming in over the tape as usual!" January 20th, 194(r BOY'S CINEMA He snatched up a telephone and put a call through to a big New York newspaper. He had himself connected with a friend of his there, and asked: " Say, is everything all right down your way 1" ' II would be if you television experts would stop playing the fool," came tho reply. "If a fake tidal wave is your idea of a joke, it's a poor one. People down here are getting jittery." "Thanks." said Jeff, and hung up. Then he dialled his home number, and heard Peaches answering. "Thank goodness you're still there. Peaches," he went on. "Put the car away again. "There's no danger. The whole of that tidal wave stuff is a fake." "What!" Peaches exclaimed. "If that's so an awful lot of people are getting hurt around here. Folks are trampling each other down at the rate of hundreds." "We'll soon put a stop to that," Jeff snapped. "Get a squad of cops and meet me outside the rival television station in five miruites. Okay ?" "Okay!" Peaches answered. Mike Halloran stared at him, suddenly en- lightened. "Sutter and Farrow!" he exclaimed. "Right," Jeff answered. "You'd better hold your front page open, Mike. Just for once I'm going back to being a newspaperman, and when you get the story I'm going to phone back to you shortly, you're going to double your circulation." "And Farrow and Sutter will be finished," Mike added. Jeff nodded, and dashed out into the street. The scenes around him were terrible. Women were sci-eaming and they raced through tho streeta, clutching their small children. People were falling in the mad panic and were unable to get up again. • JeOf literally had to fight his way through the mob. When he reached the television station Peaches are already there. Four cops were with him. " Follow me!" shouted Jeff, and dashed in- side. Ho made straight for the broadcast studio and slammed open the door. As he did so, Sutter was heard to say: " You're all right now. Farrow. All the boys will have registered their votes, and you'll be elected. The crowd who were going to vote for the other guy is well on its way." He started to laugh. Then he turned and saw Jeff and the cops. Instantly he reached for his shoulder-holster. But he was too late. Jeff dived at him and se!it the gun flying out of his hand. "Peaches, line Farrow and Sutter up in front of the camera," he said quickly. "Get the cops to hold them there, then go back and put the camera on them." Sutter started to get violent. Peaches twisted one of his. arms behind his back and held him fast. "Take it easy, mister," Peaches said. "This isn't going to hurt—much!". He and the cops got Farrow and Sutter lined up, and the cops put handcuffs on them. Mean- while, Jeff had been examining some boxes of film. " Take a look at this!" he exclaimed, and held up one of the boxes. On it was a printed label reading: "RENTED FROM HORRORFILMS INCORPORATED.'* "There's your tidal wave—a movie," Jeff went on. Tho manager of the studio began to look uncomfortable. "That reminds me," he said. "We forgot to announce that it was just a film. Has any- thing gone wrong?" " 't'oii'll soon find out," snapped Jeff, and ."stepped in front of the camera. "Let her roll, Peaches." Peaches started the camera turning, and Jeff Shannon started making an announcement. "Hallo, folks! This is Jeff Shannon, j^our television news broadcast reiiortcr speaking. This time I'm speaking from the rival station, and I'm telling you (hat the tidal wave is all a fake. If you want confirniation of that, g;o to the nearest call-box and ring up your friends Every Tuesday in New York. You'll find that you can get through all right." He turned to Peaches. "Givd them all the volume you've got," he said, and turned back to the camera. "The tidal wave was faked by Farrow and Sutter, and it was intended to stop you from going to the polls. Take a look at this!" He held the film box up to the camera. "You see, folks—a horror film! It's nothing moro dangerous than tJiat. And now for Far- row and Sutter theiWelves. They're in the hands of the police. liook for yourselves." Ho stood aside, and the camera focused on the two culprits. Farrow was openly scared. He was shrinking back, his face white. He did not look very much like a future mayor at that moment. ^s for Sutter, ho was struggling and snar- ling. He looked like what he was—a gangster at bay. Jeft' let the camera turn on them both for a full minute, then stepped forward again. "That's all there is to it, folks," he said. "You can read the full story of this gigantio hoax in the next editions of tho ' News- Tribune.' In the meantime, just remember that there's nothing to be scared about. Stop running about, and tell all your friends that everything's all right. And, as I say. ring ud people you know in those sections of New York that are supposed to have been wrecked, and find out for yourselves. This is no fake, and you can find out for yourselves. You don't have to take my word for it. That's all. I'm signing off now." Peaches cut the camera, and Jeff turned to Farrow and Sutter: "Well, it seems you two are going to have a lot of trouble," he said. "You can't do anything to me," snarled Sutter. "There's nothing illegal in showing that film. And you heard what the manager said. It was all a mistake." "Sutter, you have a loud voice," Jeff told him. "And you were saying things when we came in here which will get you twenty years in the pen." He pointed to the windows. "There are people outside who have been killed and injured in the panic you created, and I have an idea that when "the district attorney starts asking questions, a lot of your pals are going to rat on you, just to save their own skins." Sutter knew that he was beaten then. He collapsed, muttering. Farrow just moaned. "I'm not to blame for anything," he said. "I didn't want any part of it. Sutter thought up the whole thing. It was his plan from beginning to end." ' You rotten double crosser !" Sutter growled. "He practically forced me into it," Farrow went on. " It is true about my criminal record. He found out and threatened to expose me unless I did what he told me." "Shut up. Farrow !" Jeff said. "You make me sick !" Tho cops took the two culprits awaj-, and tho rival television station was closed down pending an inquiry by the district attorney. Half an hour later Jeff went home. Ho found Laurel and Buddy waiting for him. Buddy had a bandage round his head, but he was all right otherwise. Laurel flung her arms around Jeff's nock. There were tears in her eyes. "Jeff, you were wonderful!" she cried. Jeff grinned and patted her on the shoulder. "You see what happens when you get mixed up in politics?" he said. "Never again! Not until the next time, anyway. And now how about a drink for a fellow? I'm as dry as a bone." Laughing happily, she went away to get it. By permission of British Lion Film Corpora- tion, LtJ. Based on the film "Tidal Wave," which has the following cast: Ralph Byrd as Jeff Shannon Kay Sutton as Laurel Shannon Mickey Kuhn as Buddy George Barbier as Uncle Dan Frank Jenks as Peaches Mark Lawrence as Sutter Ferris Taylor as Farrow Oscar O'Shea as Mike Halloran