Sorry Wrong Number & The Hitch-hiker

Sorry, Wrong Number is a mystery thriller, the tale of a neurotic invalid, whose only contact with the outside world is her phone

Over this, one night, because of a crossed wire, she hears plans for a murder, which turns out to be her own

Her frantic efforts to enlist help through the only means at her disposal, her growing terror and realization of the truth, and (along the way) the hints about her own life and personality she lets drop, make this a full character portrait not only of herself but of the unseen murderer, whose identity and motivations are surmised but never revealed

A tour de force of acting for the female star, who commands the stage throughout, this play also picks up through the many phone calls, personality vignettes of the outside world, including gangsters, phone operators, a police sergeant, etc., each of which is distinct and of vital importance to the story line

The play has been adapted by the author for an easy stage presentation, which should be as telling as the original radio version; although both have been made available in this present printing

The Hitch-hiker is a ghost thriller and has the quality of an anecdote out of American folklore, drawing as it does on the local color and place-names of the United States

It is the tale of Ronald Adams, an average motorist, who sets out to drive from Brooklyn to California, and early on his journey begins to encounter a strange and inexplicable hitch-hiker

His efforts to explain, then avoid, and finally destroy the constantly appearing figure along the highway carry him through several episodes and many states until the adventure finally culminates in an amazing and terrifying climax in New Mexico

The play, like all good ghost stories, hovers between reality and unreality

Its mood of deepening horror makes it a fine display piece for a young male actor, and at the same time, its dashes of local color, its episodic bits of human reality give opportunities for strong acting among the supporting players