Backfire: The Whistler (March 24, 1955)

“Backfire” is an episode of The Whistler, the old-time radio show, first broadcast March 24, 1955. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Carl Kyle, a former convict working as the chauffeur for the Pearson household, grows bitter after Amy Pearson ends their secret affair. Her husband Arnold has taken him on despite his prison record, and Carl's resentment builds as he is reminded of his place. When Arnold confronts him with rumors about Amy's meetings at the Club Madrid, Carl's anger escalates. The story follows his mounting tensions within the household as the wealthy Pearsons' marriage unravels.

The Pearson house and grounds, the Club Madrid nightclub, and a service station in an American city

Characters: Carl Kyle, Amy Pearson, Arnold Pearson, Martha, Terry Locke, Inspector

Listen for: Listen for the chauffeur Carl's growing resentment toward his employer's wife and the tense confrontations in the Pearson house as the household tensions build.

Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.