ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Originally Aired: August 29, 1956
Suspense #664, "Hold-Up," stars Joseph Kearns as Tim Chase, a grocery store owner with a deadly reputation. When a nervous young man enters his store and attempts a robbery, Tim doesn't hesitate—he shoots to kill, claiming self-defense even though the supposed weapon turns out to be only a fountain pen. This marks the third time Tim has killed a would-be holdup man, and he shows no remorse. His wife Hazel watches helplessly as her husband's quick trigger finger claims another life, this one a boy barely out of his teens.
Captain Runyon tries to reason with the cold, confident war veteran, warning him that someday he'll face a gunman faster than himself and urging him to leave the shooting to the police. But Tim remains unmoved, insisting that thieves deserve what they get and boasting about his understanding with guns. As reporters gather and questions mount about whether the killings are truly justified, Tim's chilling lack of sympathy raises troubling questions about a man who seems to relish his legal right to kill.
