Testing! Testing!

"Examination Day."

By Henry Slesar (1927-2002; Wikipedia HERE; the ISFDb HERE; the SFE HERE; and the IMDb HERE).
Filmed for TV in 1985 (IMDb HERE).

First appearance: Playboy, February 1958.

Illustration by Leon Bishop.
Reprints page (ISFDb HERE).

Short short short story (2 pages).
Online at SFFaudio (HERE or transcribed HERE).

   "It's just to make sure you answer the questions truthfully. Not that the Government thinks you won't tell the truth, but this stuff makes sure."

WHEN was the last time you took a test? Was it anything like this? "Lights appeared on the machine, and a mechanism whirred. A voice said: 'Complete this sequence. One, four, seven, ten . . .'"

Principal characters:
~ Mr. and Mrs. Jordan, Dickie, and the attendant.

Resources:
- In the past we have and in the future will continue to touch base with Henry Slesar, the latest instance being "The Candidate" (HERE).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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"He Was Lying in an Aisle Between a Couple of Overturned Chairs, and a Knife Handle Protruded from Between His Shoulder-Blades."

"The Stars Foretell."

By Frank Gruber (1904-69; Wikipedia HERE; the ISFDb HERE; the GAD site HERE; The Thrilling Detective HERE; and the IMDb HERE).

First appearance: Pocket Book Storyteller Weekly, June 25, 1949.

Short short short story (4 pages).

Online at Archive.org (HERE; go to Page Four).

(Note: Some text smeared but legible.)

   "'Six and one dead is seven,' he said aloud. 'That's strange—everyone's here'."

SERGEANT DEERING'S job is on the line, so in order to keep it he needs to do three things: Solve a murder committed in front of more than a half dozen witnesses (including himself!), rightly interpret a bloody dying clue from another murder, and not get himself killed by someone who's way too proficient with a knife . . .

Main characters:

~ Detective-Sergeant Sam Deering, the swarthy assistant, Professor Hyde, L. B. R. Pawling, William Connolly, Simon Gray, Captain Holman and two or three detectives, two lawyers, and the lab man.

Typos: "gradually dimmed the" [what?] "of the room"; "to determmine predictions"; "he gripper it"; "stood frowing".

References:

- "the fundamental rules of astrology" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "the twelve signs of the zodiac" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "an astrolabe" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "by Hipparchus" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "the mariner's sextant" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "the swami" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "the equivalent of a carbon copy" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "a ring of skeleton keys" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "the lift operator" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "a bucket shop" (HERE; Wikipedia).

Resources:

- Frank Gruber definitely earned his status as an uberpulpster. He told us how he did it in The Pulp Jungle (1967), which we highlighted last October (HERE).

- A remarkably similar situation as regards the witnesses to the murder and the murder weapon itself also occurred in a TV episode (WARNING! SPOILERS! HERE; the IMDb).

- Knives as murder weapons and not eating utensils figured heavily in Robert Bloch's "Wolf in the Fold" (HERE and HERE), Allan K. Echols's "The Unseen Death" (HERE), Jeffrey Farnol's "Footprints" (HERE), Marc Connelly's "Coroner's Inquest" (HERE), and Carter Sprague's "The Triangular Blade" (HERE). (Note: This is only a partial list.)

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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"And That Was Rather Strange, Because It Was Murder That Brought Him Here."

"Killer."

By James E. Gunn (1923-2020; Wikipedia HERE; the ISFDb HERE; the SFE HERE; and the IMDb HERE).

First appearance: Rocket Stories, September 1953.

Illustration by Freas (1922-2005; ISFDb HERE).

Short story (13 pages as a PDF).

Online at Project Gutenberg (HERE).

   "He came to me from the stars, spewed out from his own world by his hates. I found him, I gave him all he could ask for, and I made him mine. But in the end, there was still his hate, and the killer drive within him . . . ."

WE should never forget that paradise always comes at a price—a steep price . . .

Principal characters:

~ Sam Newman, Fran, Bambi, and Louise.

References:

- "Jump" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "the G0-type sun" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "Parallel evolution?" (HERE; Wikipedia); also see (HERE; Alec J. Ott).

- "countless millions of parsecs" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "Bambi" (HERE and HERE; Wikipedia).

Resources:

- Our story's basic situation reminds us of several, much later, TV show episodes (WARNING! SPOILERS! HERE, HERE, and HERE; Wikipedia).

- Our only other encounter with James E. Gunn was his "Private Enterprise" (HERE).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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Two from THE SAINT (Number 4)

(1) "Vase of Tu San."

By Dan Ross (1912-95).

First appearance: The Saint Detective Magazine, April 1958.

Short short short story (3 pages).

Online at Archive.org (HERE).

   "I’m here to finish you and maybe help myself to a few of your trinkets."

WOULD-BE killers, like just about anybody who might be aiming a weapon, sometimes suffer from target fixation . . .

Main characters:

~ Mei Wong, Blake, the messenger, Tu San, and three policemen.

References:

- "for your ancestors" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "target fixation" (HERE; Wikipedia).

Resource:

- Today's story marks the first appearance of Mr. Mei Wong, the wise Asiatic rival of Charlie Chan. Four of the Mei Wong stories were co-written with Dan Ross's wife, Charlotte, and twenty-seven by Ross (who often used the byline of W.E.D. Ross). Six appeared in The Saint and eighteen in Mike Shayne (FictionMags data).

(2) "Ready Money."

By John Falkner (Ernest John Gale, 1917-76; the ISFDb HERE).

First appearance: The Evening Standard, December 22, 1954.

Reprinted in The Saint Detective Magazine, November 1955 (today's text).

Short short short story (3 pages).

Online at Archive.org (HERE).

   "But there’s no such thing as sentiment in business, is there?"

THE Scout Motto is "Be prepared." While today's central character seems ready for just about any contingency, a Boy Scout he ain't . . .

Main characters:

~ Mrs. Hanson, Mr. and Mrs. Conway, both Miss Weatherheads, a couple of students, the actor, Mr. Miles, Lieutenant Reece, and the unnamed narrator.

References:

- "Scout Motto" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "the crisp century notes" (HERE; Wikipedia):

  "$100 bill is occasionally a 'band' or 'C-note' (C being the Roman numeral for 100, from the Latin word centum) or 'century note'; it's more commonly referred to as a 'Benjamin' or 'Benny' (after Benjamin Franklin, who is pictured on the note), or a 'yard' (so $300 is '3 yards' and a $50 bill is a 'half a yard'). 'A stack' is $1,000 in the form of ten $100 bills, banded by a bank or otherwise."

- "in Atlantic City" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "a one-time Hollywood extra" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "the Irish Sweepstakes" (HERE; Wikipedia).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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"I Suggest You Don’t Try To Leave Until the Argument Is Settled."

"Death of an Asteroid."

By Sam Moskowitz (1920-97; Wikipedia HERE; the ISFDb HERE; and the SFE HERE).

First appearance: New York Inquirer, March 15, 1950.

Reprinted in The Saint Magazine, April 1967 (today's text).

Short short short story (5 pages).

Online at Archive.org (HERE).

   "The bleeding had been pretty bad when he pulled the knife out."

IS it a sign of progress when it gets harder and harder to commit murder in space and get away with it?

Principal characters:

~ Don Grant, Charlie, and the inspector.

Typo: "the inspector questioned?” [bad punctuation].

References:

- "a craggy, splintered asteroid" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "his magnetic shoes" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "a Geiger counter" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "the little Martian moon Phobos" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "like most space miners" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "lead-lined boxes containing the uranium" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "the asteroids were once a planet" (HERE; Wikipedia).

Resources:

- We first met Sam Moskowitz in his nonfiction mode: "The Sleuth in Science Fiction" and "The Super-Sleuths of Science Fiction" (both HERE). In a related article, Robert W. Lowndes took on "The Futuristic Detective" (HERE).

Artwork by Frank Kelly Freas

- Moskowitz edited an anthology of vintage SFF called Exploring Other Worlds (1963) (HERE; The Luminist Archives and HERE; ISFDb TOC) as well as a historical text entitled The Immortal Storm: A History of Science Fiction Fandom (1954) (HERE; also The Luminist Archives).

- There is an asteroid prowling around out there that you might want to enter into your day timer, just in case it decides to change its orbit (HERE; Wikipedia). You're not worried, you say? Just remember, it's happened before (HERE; EarthSky).

- Other stories involving asteroid mining that we've come across include (but definitely aren't limited to) Edmond Hamilton's "Murder Asteroid" (HERE), Donald E. Westlake's "The Risk Profession" (HERE; first story), and Isaac Asimov's "The Talking Stone" (HERE).

The bottom line:

NASA Phobos mission

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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"Anybody That Kin Figure Out a Mess Like This Is Okay!"

"The Masked Alibi."

By John Gregory (house pseudonym).

First appearance: 10-Story Detective, January 1938.

Short short short story (5 pages).

Online at The Pulpgen Archive (HERE).

   "When he took a shot at me last night, he was playing right into your hands.”

CRIMINALS in fiction tend to be slippery cusses, often taking deceptive practices 

to ever higher levels. Which is why we should be grateful for law enforcement types 

like the one in our story who's blessed with the ability to engage in what you might 

call perceptive practices . . .

Main characters:

~ Corporal Hal Robberts, Fred Dorgan, and Amos Norton.

Typo: "of his" [unnecessary phrase].

References:

- "the Adirondack forest" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "the big .45 Colt" (HERE; Wikipedia); "a .32-40" (HERE; Wikipedia); "a .30-30" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "pine marten" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "a big tri-motored Douglas": Douglas Aircraft never produced a tri-motor airplane. Our author might be thinking of the Ford Tin Goose (HERE; Wikipedia).

Resources:

- Another New York state trooper somehow earned the nickname of "Tiny" David; he had quite a lot of adventures, two of which were "Murder on the Island" and "Murder at Dark Lake" (both HERE).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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"He Raised His Arm and Fired at Me!"

"Spacenet."

By Robert Andrea (pseudonym) (ISFDb HERE).

First appearance: Fantastic Universe, July 1958.

Short short short story (3 pages).

Online at SFFaudio (HERE).

   "I'm just trying to get the facts."

"DUM-DE-DUM-DUM!" Need we say more?

Principal characters:

~ Detective Sergeant Joe Lightyear, Captain Twilight, Fred Yeahyeah, Marzy Canal, Georgie's father, and Georgie.

References:

- "the Bug-Eyed Monster" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "a well-known program." That would be Dragnet in its first TV incarnation (HERE and HERE; Wikipedia).

- "Dum-de-dum-dum!" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "the visaphone" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "on Venus" (HERE and HERE; Wikipedia).

- "landed on Mars" (HERE and HERE; Wikipedia).

- "for Alpha Centauri" (HERE and HERE; Wikipedia).

- "his atomic pistol" (HERE; Wikipedia) and (HERE; Atomic Rockets).

Resources:

- Other stories with the "Robert Andrea" byline that we've come across so far: "Ouija Board" (HERE; story 1) and "Tea Ceremony" (HERE; story 2).

- "Spacenet" seems to resonate with Richard Marsten's "End As a Robot" (HERE).

- Another BEM story is Don White's "Watch the Bug-Eyed Monster" (HERE; story 3).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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It's About Time

"Time for Death."

By Maitland Scott (1909-45; Wikipedia HERE and the SFE HERE).

First appearance: Secret Agent X, April 1938.

Short short short story (3 pages).

Online at The Pulpgen Archive (HERE).

   "The magazine article also told that Judge Wilson was a man of well-regulated, methodical habits . . ."

SOME perfect crimes are simplicity itself—maybe too simple . . .

Main characters:

~ Fritz Hyler, Judge Wilson, and the manservant.

Typo: "picture snowed".

Reference:

- "the eight-day clock" (HERE; Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks).

Resources:

- Robert Thomas Maitland Scott and Reginald Thomas Maitland Scott, father and son, confusingly went by the same nom de plume, regardless of who actually did the writing, some of which included the character of The Spider (HERE). Here are the Maitland Scott stories available on The Pulpgen Archive:

  ~ "Satan's Bargain" (HERE)

  ~ "Doom Mountain" (HERE)

  ~ "Time for Death" (above)

  ~ "Last Chance Acre" (HERE).

- Several other stories involving clocks include Cyril Plunkett's "Twenty Clocks for Death" (HERE), Robert Arthur's "Time Will Tell" (HERE), and another story with the same title (HERE; story 7).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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"It Took Some Time for the Full Import To Sink In."

MAYBE you've noticed how people are prone to say things like, "I literally died when I heard the news." Not likely. We remember when Groucho Marx had the same problem: "One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know." And then there's the protagonist in . . .

"The Eyes Have It."

By Philip K. Dick (1928-82; Wikipedia HERE; the ISFDb HERE; the SFE HERE; and the IMDb HERE).

First appearance: Science Fiction Stories #1, June 1953.

Reprints page (ISFDb HERE).

Short short short story (3 pages).

Online at SFFaudio (HERE).

   "As yet, I haven't done anything about it; I can't think of anything to do."

FOR some folks life isn't alarming enough . . .

Principal characters:

~ The narrator and his wife and children.

References:

- The Groucho quote is from Animal Crackers (1930) (WARNING! SPOILERS! HERE; Wikipedia).

- "Starfish can do the same thing, you know" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "playing Monopoly" (HERE; Wikipedia).

Resources:

- M-G-M produced an animated feature (WARNING! SPOILERS! HERE; Wikipedia) that dealt with the same problem that our narrator encounters. An annotated image gallery is on Flickr (HERE).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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"X-X—WIS"

IF you've read much detective fiction then you probably know how Ellery Queen (the writer) sometimes confronted Ellery Queen (the detective) with "dying clues." Today's author takes the dying clue to another level with . . .

"The Murder Brand."

By Howard Nile (?-?).

First appearance: Secret Agent X, August 1936.

Short short short story (4 pages).

Online at The Pulpgen Archive (HERE).

(Parental caution: Graphic violence and language.)

   "Suddenly a chill froze him. A shriek struggled to leave his throat, threatened to rip out his lungs. He shook his head as his captors shook him."

AN old English proverb tells us that "When thieves fall out, true men come to their good." It's certainly something devoutly to be wished for . . .

Main characters:

~ Simon Saunders, "Ace" Darby, Lawton, and Bill Roper.

References:

- "dying clues" (TV Tropes HERE, HERE, and HERE).

- "double-cross" (Phrase Finder HERE).

Resources:

- We can find practically nothing about our author, Howard Nile. Here are his FictionMags data (ss = short story):

  "Lost Face," (ss) Ten Detective Aces, April 1935

  "Framed to Hang" [Hank Landis], (ss) Secret Agent X, November 1935

  "The Sinister Score," (ss) Ten Detective Aces, March 1936

  "The Murder Brand," (ss) Secret Agent X, August 1936 (above).

- Duplicity also shapes the plot in Rhett Rutledge's "Operation Double-Cross" (HERE; story 3).

- A few of the other dying clue stories that we've encountered:

  ~ "The Grand Old Lady" (TV episode HERE)

  ~ Sir Gilbert Campbell's "The Mystery of Essex Stairs" (HERE)

  ~ Thomas W. Duncan's "The Fellow Who Killed Felix" (HERE)

  ~ John F. Byrne's "The Mystery of the Third Mustache" (HERE)

  ~ Robert Arthur's "Time Will Tell" (HERE)

  ~ Davisson Lough's "A Slay for Santa Claus" (HERE)

  ~ and Isaac Asimov's "The Key" (HERE).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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"We Were Gone Pretty Near Six Hours, and It's a Good Thing My Mom Made Me Take a Lunch."

HERE we have a completely forgotten incident from the early days of the feverish Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union, one that comes with a disclaimer:

"We Didn't Do Anything Wrong, Hardly."

By Roger Kuykendall (?-?).

First appearance: Astounding Science Fiction, May 1959.

Illustrated by Freas (1922-2005; ISFDb HERE).

Reprints page (ISFDb HERE).

Short short short story (4 pages as a PDF).

Online at Project Gutenberg (HERE).

   "One thing that bothers me though, we didn't put it back exactly the way we found it."

YOU might as well get used to it: As long as humanity exists there will always be a few who are smarter than the rest of us, and that includes wunderkinds named Skinny . . .

Principal characters:

~ Skinny Thompson, Stinker Brinker, Mr. Anderson, and the unnamed narrator.

References (all from Wikipedia):

- "the feverish Space Race" (HERE).

- "a rocket pilot" (HERE).

- antigravity (HERE).

- "meson flow" (HERE).

- uranium (HERE).

- "hydrogen fusion" (HERE).

- deuterium (HERE).

- vacuum pump (HERE).

- "the five-and-dime" (HERE).

- "twenty-seven inches of mercury" (HERE).

Resource:

- The only other Roger Kuykendall story that we could locate, this one more serious, is "All Day September" (1959), also on Project Gutenberg (HERE).

The bottom line:

Artwork by Roger Phillips

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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