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PROGRESS IN
HETEROCYCLIC
CHEMISTRY
VOLUME

29

Edited by

GORDON W. GRIBBLE
Department of Chemistry, Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire, USA

JOHN A. JOULE
The School of Chemistry, The University of Manchester
Manchester, UK
Elsevier
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CONTRIBUTORS

Steven-Alan G. Abel
University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
R. Alan Aitken
University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, United Kingdom
K. Alison Rinderspacher
Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
Clémence Allain
PPSM, ENS Cachan, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Cachan, France
Josefa Anaya
Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
Pierre Audebert
PPSM, ENS Cachan, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Cachan, France
Jeanese C. Badenock
University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados
Edward R. Biehl
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, United States
Alex C. Bissember
University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
Sourav Chakraborty
The University of Akron, Akron, OH, United States
Gavin Chit Tsui
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, China
Gilles Clavier
PPSM, ENS Cachan, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Cachan, France
Franca M. Cordero
Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
Donatella Giomi
Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
Christopher Hyland
University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
Zhihai Ke
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, China
Tara L.S. Kishbaugh
Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg,VA, United States

xi
xii Contributors

Luisa Lascialfari
Brachi Testing Services, Prato, Italy
Katherine Lehman
Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg,VA, United States
Justin M. Lopchuk
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, United States;
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
Vakhid A. Mamedov
A.E. Arbuzov Institute of Organic and Physical Chemistry, Kazan Scientific Center of the
Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan, Russian Federation
Adam G. Meyer
CSIRO Manufacturing, Clayton,VIC, Australia
George R. Newkome
The University of Akron, Akron, OH, United States
Albert Padwa
Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
Xiao-Shui Peng
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, China; The Chinese University of Hong
Kong, Shenzhen, China
Ramón M. Sánchez
Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
Clementina M.M. Santos
Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Bragança, Portugal
Artur M.S. Silva
University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
Jason A. Smith
University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
Charlotte C. Williams
CSIRO Manufacturing, Parkville,VIC, Australia
Yong-Jin Wu
Bristol Myers Squibb Research and Development, Wallingford, CT, United States
Larry Yet
University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, United States
Ying-Yeung Yeung
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, China
Farzad Zamani
University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
Nataliya A. Zhukova
A.E. Arbuzov Institute of Organic and Physical Chemistry, Kazan Scientific Center of the
Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan, Russian Federation
FOREWORD

This is the 29th annual volume of Progress in Heterocyclic Chemistry and cov-
ers the literature published during 2016 on the important heterocyclic ring
systems. References are incorporated into the text using the journal codes
adopted by Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry and Advances in Heterocyclic
Chemistry, and are listed in full at the end of each chapter.
This volume opens with two specialized reviews, not restricted to work
published in 2016: “Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Benzimidazol-
2-ones via Rearrangements,” written by Vakhid Mamedov and Nataliya
Zhukova of the Arbuzov Institute of Organic and Physical Chemistry, Kazan
Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The second review,
“Use of Rhodium Carbenoid Intermediates for Dipolar Cycloaddition
Chemistry,” is by Albert Padwa of Emory University, who is a leading figure
in this important area of heterocyclic synthesis.
The remaining chapters examine the 2016 literature on the common
heterocycles in order of increasing ring size and the number of heteroatoms
present. The index is not fully comprehensive but the contents pages list all
the subheadings of the chapters, which allow ease of access to specific topics
for readers.
We are delighted to welcome some new contributors to this volume
and we continue to be indebted to the veteran cadre of authors for their
expert and conscientious coverage. We also acknowledge the important
contributions made by our colleagues at Elsevier Science in supervising and
assisting the publication of this volume and for preparing the index.
We hope that our readers find this series to be a useful guide to the most
recent developments in heterocyclic chemistry. As always, we encourage
suggestions for improvements, ideas for review topics, and inquiries from
interested potential authors.
Gordon W. Gribble
John A. Joule

xiii
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
PROGRESS IN HETEROCYCLIC CHEMISTRY

2016-2017

Professor Oliver Reiser

University of Regensburg, Germany
Professor Alan Aitken
University of St. Andrews, UK
Professor Xu Bai
Jilin University, China
Professor Margaret Brimble
University of Auckland, New Zealand
Professor Marco Ciufolini
University of British Columbia, Canada
Professor Stephen Martin
University of Texas, USA
Professor Mark Rizzacasa
University of Melbourne, Australia

xv
CHAPTER 1

Recent Advances in the Synthesis

of Benzimidazol-2-ones via
Rearrangements
Vakhid A. Mamedov1, Nataliya A. Zhukova1
A.E. Arbuzov Institute of Organic and Physical Chemistry, Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy
of Sciences, Kazan, Russian Federation
1Corresponding authors: E-mail: mamedov@iopc.ru; zhukova@iopc.ru

1.1 INTRODUCTION
Benzimidazol-2-ones (1,3-dihydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-ones) are impor-
tant heterocycles, with an embedded cyclic urea scaffold, widely distributed
in a variety of pharmacological compounds, such as calcitonin gene-related
peptide receptor antagonists (1) (08BMCL6122), p53-Mdm antagonists (2)
(13BMC3982), cannabinoid receptor 2 antagonists (3) (08BMCL3310),
opioid receptor-like 1 agonists (4) (07BMC1828, 08BMC2829), nonnucle-
oside HIV-1 RT inhibitors (5) (10BMC1702), d-amino acid oxidase inhib-
itors (6) (12ACSMCL839), respiratory syncytial virus fusion inhibitors (7)
(06BMCL1115), as well as Mycobacterium tuberculosis enzyme inhibitors (8)
(10BMC896), p38 MAP kinase inhibitors (9) (06BMCL6316), and antibac-
terial agents (10) (10DPC178) (Fig. 1). Benzimidazol-2-one carboxylic
acids and oxazolidinediones are potential therapeutic agents of selective
peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ modulators (11JMC8541), and
can be used to treat Type 2 diabetes mellitus (11) (11JMC8541) (Fig. 1).
Furthermore, benzimidazol-2-one derivatives play important roles as pro-
gesterone receptor antagonists (12, 13) (05BMCL3600, 11SQER775), as a
selective vasopressin 1a receptor antagonist (14) (06OPRD1227), in the
selective inhibition of farnesyltransferase (15) (05BMCL2918), and the acti-
vation of K+ channels (16) (96BMCL1641, 03PM885) (Fig. 1).
Benzimidazol-2-one derivatives have been used for over 30 years as pig-
ments with a broad range of hues in watercolor painting and electrophoto-
graphic developer toner because of their durability and light resistance
(90DP57, 94DP59, 97JE621, 02JMS(T)89, 13DP358).

Progress in Heterocyclic Chemistry, Volume 29 Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd.

ISSN 0959-6380, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102310-5.00001-1 All rights reserved. 1
2 Progress in Heterocyclic Chemistry

Figure 1
 Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Benzimidazol-2-ones via Rearrangements 3

Two typical methods are usually applied for the synthesis of N-substituted
1,3-dihydrobenzimidazol-2-ones. The first method is the selective alkyla-
tion or arylation of nitrogen atoms in 1,3-dihydrobenzimidazol-2-ones
(05BMCL3600, 06BMCL6165, 07BMCL895).The second method involves
the nucleophilic substitution of fluorine atoms in 2-fluoronitrobenzenes
with amines and subsequent reductive cyclization with components to sup-
ply the carbonyl group, e.g., carbonyldiimidazole (01T981, 05BMCL2918,
06BMCL6316, 12BMCL5134, 14BMC4298). The first method often
requires a strategy for the protection of NH groups, and the second is prob-
lematic because of the limitations of the substituted derivatives of 2-fluoro-
nitrobenzenes. In addition, there are other approaches for obtaining
unsymmetrical 1,3-dihydrobenzimidazol-2-ones, e.g., reactions proceeding
with rearrangements of various heterocyclic systems. Surprisingly, such
methods have not been previously reviewed. Some subsections concern-
ing benzimidazolones in reviews on quinoxalines (79MI1, 16MI1,
16RSCA42132) or benzimidazoles (97MI1, 11RCR397) do not generalize
all the means of synthesizing 1,3-dihydrobenzimidazol-2-ones, and do not
allow one to make predictions about possible new methods. Herein, we aim
to fill in this blank.

1.2 REARRANGEMENT OF BENZODIAZEPINE(DI)ONES
1.2.1 Synthesis of Benzimidazol-2-ones From
Benzodiazepinones
In the presence of traces of acid the product of the interaction of 1,2-diami-
nobenzene (1,2-DAB) 17a with ethyl acetoacetate 18 at room temperature
is ethyl β-o-aminoanilincrotonate 19 (Scheme 1A) (1896B1497, 42JCS303),
while the addition of 1,2-DAB 17a to the ester 18 in boiling xylene con-
taining pyridine leads to o-aminoacetoanilide 20 (Scheme 1B) (40G648).
According to Sexton (42JCS303), adding the ester to the 1,2-DAB 17a in
boiling xylene under neutral conditions gives 4,7-dihydro-5-methyl-1H-
2,3-benzo-1,4-diazepin-7-one 21 (or its tautomeric form) with a melting
point (mp) of 121°C (Scheme 1C), yet if the ester 18 is previously kept over
potassium carbonate or if ethanolic potassium hydroxide solution is added
to the reaction mixture, the product is the isomeric 2-acetonylbenzimid-
azole 22 with an mp of 148°C (Scheme 1D).
Trying to clarify the structure of the proposed diazepine 21 (mp 121°C),
Davoll (60JCS308) revealed that the compound when exposed to phospho-
ryl chloride in the presence of dimethylaniline gave a chlorinated product,
4 Progress in Heterocyclic Chemistry

&

'

Scheme 1

Scheme 2

apparently 4-chloro-2-methyl-1H-benzo[b][1,4]diazepine 23 (Scheme 2),

in which the chlorine atom could be replaced by an amino group by treat-
ment with ethanolic ammonia solution. However, on application of catalytic
reduction and dehalogenation, the chloro compound absorbed only 2 mol
equivalents of hydrogen instead of the 3 to be expected for the diazepine
structure 23, and both Sexton’s compounds (42JCS303) obtained from ethyl
acetoacetate 18 and 1,2-DAB 17a were therefore reexamined by Davoll
(60JCS308). It was found that the compound with the mp 148°C absorbed
1 mol equivalent of hydrogen over palladium, the product being the tetrahy-
drodiazepine 25 (Scheme 2). Hence the compound with the mp 148°C is
the dihydrodiazepine 21, which was also prepared by a counter synthesis
 Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Benzimidazol-2-ones via Rearrangements 5

Scheme 3

Scheme 4

from 1,2-DAB and ketene (57CB825), and was shown by its ­physicochemical
characteristics to be identical to the product of the counter synthesis.
On reduction, the compound with the mp 121°C also absorbed 1 mol
equivalent of hydrogen to give a product resembling the starting material in
its ultraviolet absorption spectrum and solubility in alkali, but differing in
not being hydrolyzed to benzimidazol-2-one 27 and acetone (Scheme 3)
by dilute acid. The assumption that the product of the hydrogenation of
compound with the mp 121°C is 1-isopropylbenzimidazol-2-one 26, not
diazepine 25, was confirmed with the counter synthesis of the latter from
2-isopropylaminoaniline 28 and urea 29 (Scheme 3) (60HCA1298).
Thus the reaction products of 1,2-DAB 17a with ethyl acetoacetate 18
have been shown to have structures different from those previously assigned
by Sexton (42JCS303). The product with the mp 148°С is benzodiazepine
derivative 21, and the product with the mp 121°С is 1-isopropenylbenz-
imidazol-2-one 30 (60JCS308, 60HCA1298), i.e., not 2-acetonylbenzimid-
azole 22 (42JCS303) (Scheme 4).
As shown in Scheme 5, the formation of compound 30 in the reaction
of 1,2-DAB 17a with ethyl acetoacetate 18 under the conditions studied
occurs through the intermediate formation of the semiaminal derivative A,
the stabilization of which takes place not with the elimination of a molecule
6 Progress in Heterocyclic Chemistry

Scheme 5

Scheme 6

Scheme 7

of ethanol or water, but with the C-2dC-3 bond breakage leading to car-
bamate B. Further intramolecular amidation is completed with the forma-
tion of benzimidazolone system 30.
Although in the literature (68TL4811, 88TL195) the thermal rear-
rangement of dihydrobenzodiazepinone 21 is presented as a [1,3]-sigma-
tropic change (Scheme 6), under the investigated conditions we cannot
exclude a mechanism involving the C-2dC-3 bond breakage as in the
previous case. However, apparently, in this version of the reaction there
will occur the intermediate formation of the more reactive isocyanate C
(Scheme 7) (intramolecular cyclization of isocyanates with the formation
of amide functions is well known) (65T2191, 70JHC807, 86CJC577,
92T6335).
Depending on reaction conditions, dihydrobenzodiazepinone 21,
2-methylbenzimidazole 31, and vinylbenzimidazol-2-one 30 derivatives
can be formed (Table 1).
Table 1

Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Benzimidazol-2-ones via Rearrangements

Products (Yields)
R1 (17) R2 (18) Conditions 21 30 31 References
4-NO2 Me (i) Xylene, heat 88% – – (72CHC632)
(iv) 185–189°C – 95% –
(v) 2 N sulfuric acid, reflux – – 50%
H Me (iii) Xylene, N2, reflux – 54% (R1 = H) – (92EJMC779)
4,5-Cl2 (R1 = 5,6-Cl2)a
H Me (ii) Xylene, p-toluenesulfonic acid, – – 53% (05JICS124)
reflux
(iii) Xylene, N2, reflux – 74% –
H Ph (i) Inert solvent, 180°C or solvent free, 4 examplesa – – (64TL2239)
4-Me Py-3 120°C
(iii) Pyridine or solvent free, 240°C – (R1 = H, R2 = Ph)a –
(iv) Heat –

7
aYields are not given.
8 Progress in Heterocyclic Chemistry

It should be pointed out that the formation of 1-isopropenylbenzimid-

azol-2-ones 30 (60JCS308, 60HCA1298) but not 2-acetylbenzimidazoles
22 (42JCS303) is also characteristic for other derivatives of 1,2-DAB 17a
and ethyl acetate 18. At the same time the vicinal diamino group can be a
part of condensed and heterocyclic systems and the ethyl acetoacetate unit
as part of the composition of alicyclic and cyclic compounds. In many cases
the intermediate compounds that are formed at an initial stage—the diaz-
epine derivatives on the way to the benzimidazolone derivatives—are stable
compounds and can be isolated and characterized.
The acid-catalyzed reaction of derivatives of 1,2-DAB 17a and its ben-
zodi- (32) and pyrido- (33) analogs with acetonedicarboxylates 34 led to
the 1,5-benzo- (35), benzodi- (36), and pyrido- (37) diazepines by irradia-
tion in a Biotage Initiator 2.0 microwave oven for 3 min at 200°C either in
acetic acid or in water containing two drops of acetic acid (Scheme 8)
(13EJMC302). Diazepine 35 (R1 = R2 = H, R3 = Me) when heated at reflux
in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) in the presence of thioglycolic acid
underwent rearrangement with the formation of the corresponding benz-
imidazolone derivative 38. In all cases, the reactions proceed quantitatively.
Reactions of 1,2-DAB 17a with ethyl acetoacetate derivatives, namely,
α- (39a) and γ- (39b) phenylacetoacetic esters, in boiling xylene proceed in
a different way. In the first case there occurs the formation of a rearrange-
ment product 40, in the second case the formation of corresponding diaz-
epine 41 takes place under the same conditions. In this case, the rearrangement
required heating in 2-ethoxyethanol at reflux (Scheme 9) (60HCA1046).

Scheme 8
 Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Benzimidazol-2-ones via Rearrangements 9

Scheme 9

Scheme 10

1,2-DAB 17a can react not only with ethyl acetoacetate 18 and its acy-
clic derivatives 34, 39 as shown earlier, but also with its carbo- and hetero-
cyclic analogs, such as 2-carbethoxycyclopentanone 43 (60HCA1298),
methyl 4-oxotetrahydrothiophene-3-carboxylate 44 (Scheme 10)
(75MC375), 2-carbethoxycyclohexanone 50, and N-substituted 3-carbe-
thoxy-4-piperidones 51 (Scheme 11) (60HCA1298). In the case of the con-
densation of ester 43 with 1,2-DAB 17a in boiling xylene, along with the
tricyclic derivative 45 (in a yield of 30%), benzimidazolone derivative 46 (in
a 25% yield) (Scheme 10A) was also produced (60HCA1298). When diaz-
epinone 45 was heated in 2-ethoxyethanol in the presence of sodium 2-eth-
oxyethanolate (60JCS308) the process followed a Davoll rearrangement to
form 1-cyclopentenyl-1H-benzimidazol-2(3H)-one 46 (60HCA1298).
Additionally, it should be noted that the condensation of β-ketoester 44
with 1,2-DAB 17a in boiling xylene proceeds with the formation of a
10 Progress in Heterocyclic Chemistry

&

Scheme 11

mixture of three products—a tetrahydrothienobenzodiazepinone 47 (5%)

and isomeric 1-[3-(2,5(and 2,3)-dihydrothienyl)]benzimidazol-2-ones 48
and 49 (overall yield 58%) (Scheme 10B) (75MC375). Lowering the reac-
tion temperature and using toluene as a solvent increased the yield of a
diazepinone derivative 47 from 5% to 46% (75MC375).
In the case of the condensation of 1,2-DAB 17a with β-ketoester 50 in
boiling xylene in the presence of traces of hydrochloric acid, ethyl
ε-(benzimidazol-2-yl)capronate 52 was formed in an 80% yield (Scheme
11A) (60HCA1298).When the same reaction was carried out in the absence
of acid, compound 52 was formed only in a small amount, and in this case
the major product was 1-(cyclohexen-1-yl)benzimidazol-2-one 53 (Scheme
11B) (60HCA1298). From the 1-benzyl- (51a) and methyl- (51b) 3-carbe-
thoxy-piperidin-4-ones and 1,2-DAB 17a in boiling xylene, corresponding
benzimidazolone derivatives 54a,b were formed (Scheme 11C)
(60HCA1298).
The reaction of 1,2-dihydrofuro[2,3-b]quinoxalin-2-one derivative 55
with 1,2-diaminobenzene dihydrochloride (1,2-DAB·2HCl) in acetic acid
afforded 3-(3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2(1H)-on-3-yl)-1,2-dihydro-1,5-ben-
zodiazepin-2(1H)-onium chloride 56 (Scheme 12) (14T7567, 14JHC1664).
The formation of benzodiazepine-2(1H)-one derivative 56 can be explained
by the attack of the amino group of 1,2-DAB·2HCl on the activated carbon
atom of the N,N-dimethylaminomethylene group of furo[2,3-b]quinoxa-
lin-2-one derivative 55 with loss of HCl resulting in the formation of inter-
mediate D. This then undergoes a ring-closure and ring-opening sequence,
involving cleavage of the CdO bond, to give the intermediate E. The
1,5-benzodiazepine system E is subsequently transformed into the final
product 56 as shown (Scheme 12).
 Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Benzimidazol-2-ones via Rearrangements 11

Scheme 12

Scheme 13

Scheme 14

An alternative mechanism for the formation of benzodiazepine-2(1H)-

one derivative 56 is shown in Scheme 13: the amination with 1,2-DAB·2HCl
could occur at the carbonyl carbon of 55, forming the corresponding amide
of 1,2-DAB, and subsequent intramolecular Michael addition of mono-
N-acylated 1,2-DAB F would generate the 1,5-benzodiazepine system E,
which is subsequently transformed into the final product 56 (Scheme 13)
(14T7567, 14JHC1664).
The reaction of compound 55 with a 10% solution of NaOH in the
EtOH solution proceeds with the formation of benzimidazolone derivative
57 in 90% yield (Scheme 14) (14T7567, 14JHC1664).
Hulme and coworkers reported (12AC8037, 15JOC9007) that replace-
ment of simple aryl isonitriles with N-Boc-ortho-aminophenylisonitrile 58,
bearing a masked amino group (12TL1313), in multicomponent reactions
12 Progress in Heterocyclic Chemistry

(MCRs) of isonitriles, pyruvic aldehyde 59, phenylglyoxylic acid 60, and

amine 61 allows one to perform a domino process combining two modified
multicomponent Ugi reactions in one pot, with the formation of com-
pounds 62. In the course of the consecutive processes including the intramo-
lecular attack of the anilinic amine onto the pyruvaldehyde carbonyl group
in the presence of 10% trifluoroacetic acid/dichloroethane, the intermediate
G would form. Subsequent formation of benzodiazepine tricyclic species H
(cf. Ref. 68AC7) is followed by its rearrangement under microwave irra­
diation at 120°C to afford biheterocyclic compound 64 (Scheme 15).
Upon experimenting with lower temperatures (80°C) the expected kinetic
product 63a (R1 = 3-BrC6H4, R2 = 4-FC6H4CH2) was obtained in an almost
quantitative amount.

1.2.2 Synthesis of Benzimidazol-2-ones From

1,5-Benzodiazepin-2,4-diones
1,5-Benzodiazepin-2,4-dione is also capable of rearrangement with the
formation of benzimidazol-2-ones. Refluxing 1,5-benzodi­azepin-2,4-dione

Scheme 15
 Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Benzimidazol-2-ones via Rearrangements 13

Scheme 16

65 with 5,6-anhydro-1,2-O-isopropylidene-α-d-glucofuranose 66a

(94JCHC679) in the presence of K2CO3 in 4:1 toluene-dimethyl sulfoxide
(DMSO) mixture gave the expected N,N′-bis-substituted derivative 67
(73% yield) (Scheme 16) (04JHC1011). It is of note that this derivative 67
was the only product detected in the reaction mixture with either a molar
deficiency or an excess of 66a. However, under comparable reaction condi-
tions but with a more lipophilic homolog, 3-O-methyl-5,6-anhydro-1,2-
O-isopropylidene-α-d-glucofuranose 66b, in which the 3-OH group of
66a is methylated, the reaction of 65 with 66b gave exclusively the product
69 in a 51% yield (Scheme 16).
A plausible mechanism is presented in Scheme 17. The first step would
involve the formation of product I, which is analogous to compound 67.
The next step would be the intramolecular attack of the sugar C-5dOH
on the carbonyl of the diazepin-2,4-dione to give intermediate J. The pro-
pensity for such an attack to take place in analogous product 67 is perhaps
less because of the intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the OH
groups at C-3 and C-5, thus reducing the nucleophilicity of the OH group
at C-5. Later, the cleavage of the N-1dC-2 bond would give intermediate
K, which possesses an NH group easily deprotonated by a base (potassium
carbonate), attack on the remaining carbonyl producing the tricyclic inter-
mediate L. Lastly, the cleavage of the C-3dC-4 bond of the putative oxaz-
epine ring would give the product 69. It is notable that this rearrangement
is different from those already observed with 1,4- and 1,5-benzodiazepines
(67JOC3798, 90MI1, 99H1257), but it had already been observed during
the condensation of 1,5-benzodiazepin-2,4-diones 65 with other
Another random document with
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The Project Gutenberg eBook of The show must
go on
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
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Title: The show must go on

Author: Henry Slesar

Illustrator: Robert Engle

Release date: September 4, 2023 [eBook #71568]

Language: English

Original publication: New York, NY: Royal Publications, Inc, 1957

Credits: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed

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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SHOW

MUST GO ON ***
 The Show Must Go On

By HENRY SLESAR

Illustrated by ENGLE

Actors wanted: experience unnecessary,

salary excellent, life expectancy brief....

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from

Infinity July 1957.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
He awoke in darkness, trembling with the thought of escape.
His hands groped around the floor, trying its solidity. Then he crawled
forward with agonizing slowness until his fingertips found a wall. He
raised himself to his feet, his cheek scraping the cool surface of the
enclosure.
An idea came to him, and he slapped at the pocket of his shirt. His
palm struck the outline of something. Matches!
He lit one, and raised it to the level of his wide, frightened eyes. He
was facing a door, a barricade of steel, without sign of latch or
doorknob. But there was a sign, and he read it in the flicker of the
matchflame. It said:
PUSH
He made a noise in his throat, and shoved against the door. It gave in
to his weight, and he was outside the building, standing in a courtyard
washed softly by moonlight.
He circled where he stood, and knew he was a prisoner still. A wire
fence, four times his height, surrounded him.
He came closer to it, and plunged his fingers through the mesh,
rattling it helplessly in his misery. Then he saw the second sign, and
held his breath. It read:
YOU CAN DO IT
Encouraged, he began his climb. The toes of his rubber-soled shoes
fit neatly into the openings, and he gained the summit of the fence
quickly. He swayed uncertainly at the top, and almost dropped the
twenty-five feet to the other side. But he regained his balance,
clambered down the mesh, and dropped panting to the ground.
A voice boomed at him.
"All right, let's go! We haven't got all night!"
He forced himself to his feet, and looked for the source of the sound
with wild movements of his head. He could see nothing but the
menacing shadows of a crowded forest. With a frightened glance
over his shoulder, he plunged into the thick of it, hoping to find a
pathway to the unknown freedom he sought.
He thrashed through the tangled vines for a small eternity, and then
gave up with a sob. He fell against a tree trunk, dampening the bark
with his tears.
This time, the voice was quieter, but its tone was impatient.
"Keep going, keep going! To the right. The right!"
He clung to the tree as if for protection, and then, with a gasp,
plunged once more into the darkness.
He found the clearing, to the right.
It was like an arena, with spectator trees, and with bright eyes
winking at him through the leaves.
There was a log to the left of the cleared green circle, and a frail
young girl in torn clothing sat on it, huddled with either fear or cold.
She was clutching something like an infant to her chest.
He came closer and saw that it was a broadsword. He paused.
"Who are you?" he said.
She looked up at him, her expression savage.
"You're here!" she said.
He took a step forward, and the voice spoke once more.
"Kill her and you go free."
"No!" he shouted.
"Kill him and go free," said the voice.
The girl put her head in her arms. Her shoulders shook.
He walked towards her and she screamed.
"No, please!" he said painfully. "I won't hurt you. Why should I hurt
you?"
She looked at him narrowly. Her hand tightened around the handle of
the sword. "You know why," she accused.
"You must trust me," he said. He put his hand out gently to her. She
backed away from his touch, and leaped off the log. She moved away
cautiously, gripping the weapon with both hands.
"Use the sword," said the voice. "Strike, and go free."
She trembled, and lifted the sword from the ground. The man whirled,
eyes penetrating the forest for an escape route. He backed up, and
fell over a trailing root.
"Now," said the voice. "Strike!"
The girl moved towards him hypnotically.
"I hate you.... I hate you ..." she moaned. She lifted the blade high,
and the man lashed out with his foot as she towered over him. The
broadsword flew from her grasp.

"Now kill her," said the voice. "And you can go free."
"I WON'T!" he shouted again. He scrambled to his feet and made a
dive for the weapon. He took it in his hand and waved it threateningly
at the surrounding woods.
"Come out! Come out!" he screamed. The eyes of the forest blinked
back at him in silence.
He flung the sword from his hand, as if in loathing. Then he crashed
into the forest once more.

The Producer gurgled through his hookahmatic. Frick, his assistant,

recognized this symptom of official disgust, and jumped to his feet.
"Turn it off!" the Producer said, gesturing towards the fidelivision
screen. Frick turned it off. "No, leave it on," the Producer moaned,
peeping at the white oblong through his chubby fingers. "Let's see
what Manford does in this pickle." Frick turned it on.
"He'll probably drop in the dinosaur film," he said.
"If he does, I get a new Director," the Producer answered in a
rumbling voice. "He's used that spot three times in the past month."
The fidelivision flashed. A screaming red title dripped bloodily across
the screen. "Man Against Dinosaur!" it said. The Producer's angry
cry almost drowned out the horrific roar of the live-prop brontosaurus
that appeared.
"Meeting, meeting!" he cried. "We're going to have a staff meeting—
right after the show!"
"A live meeting?" Frick gasped.
"A live one," the Producer said. "Everybody here—right here—in
person! This is an emergency!"
"Gosh, T.D.—" Frick frowned disapprovingly. "That's kind of rough,
isn't it? I mean, a phonescreen session would be a lot simpler. It'll
take hours for Manford and the rest of 'em to get through the Jam."
"I don't care," the Producer said petulantly. "This kind of bumbling
inefficiency has gone far enough. It'll do 'em good to get crushed in
the Traffic for a change—"
Frick paled, obviously disturbed by the severity of the punishment the
Producer was meting out. Only the lowest ranks of employees, the
non-executives, the factory people, were forced to suffer the
indignities of the Jam.
"I'm sure they'll get that fellow," Frick said. "After all, T.D.—how far
can he get? When he gets out of the forest, he'll reach the Studio
Barrier, and he'll be stopped. Simple as that."
"And what if he finds the exit?"
Frick scoffed, "Well, the odds on that—"
"Odds? Don't talk to me about odds, Frick!" The Producer winced as
man and brontosaurus came together on the screen. There was a
closeup of the man's face, and his expression wasn't pretty when he
saw the imitation beast. But of course, he couldn't know it was
harmless—
"The letters!" the Producer groaned. "The complaints! I can see 'em
now—"
The office door opened. A pretty redhead with vacant eyes and a
frozen smile poked her head inside.
"What is it, Miss Stitch?"
"Will you take a call from Mr. Manford? Phonescreen Seven."
"You bet I will," the Producer said menacingly.
Frick lowered the fidelivision sound and flicked on P.S. 7 with a few
efficient motions. The face of Joe Manford, the Director of the night's
Thrill Show, was haggard, despite the jovial smile.
"Hi, T.D.," he said. "Been watching the show?"
"Yes, Joseph," the Producer said gravely.
"Oh." The smile faded, but only for a moment. "Well, nothing to worry
about. Our boys will have that fellow rounded up in a few minutes.
Can't imagine how that got fouled up. But that's the Thrill Show for
you. Full of surprises."
"Is that a fact?" said the Producer. He picked up the butt of his
hookahmatic and sipped smoke calmly. "I presume this fellow was
fully authorized before you put him on?"
"Oh, yes," Manford said hastily. "He passed the routine FCC physical,
and had the usual adrenalin and hypnomecholyl dose. I mean, you
saw the girl didn't you? She was fine, wasn't she?" He beamed.
"Yes," said the Producer. "She certainly was fine." Frick stirred
uncomfortably behind him.
"Anyway," the Director continued, "we're dropping in the dinosaur film
—that's always good for a few shivers—and we've sent a crew into
the Studio to get that man out of there—"
The Producer nodded his head toward his assistant. "Frick," he said,
eyes on Manford. "You tell him."
Frick stepped into range. He cleared his throat and looked at the
floor. "There'll be a meeting after the show," he mumbled.
"Meeting?" Manford said. "What for?" He blinked, and looked at
Frick's bowed head. Then he looked dazed. "You don't mean a—a
live meeting?"
Frick nodded. The Producer puffed contentedly on his hookahmatic.
He blew a smoke ring, and it puffed itself to pieces against the
phonescreen.

The man raised himself from the ground. His limbs felt weak, and he
had to force the breaths through his lungs.
He got to his feet, feeling somewhat stronger. The forest seemed as
impenetrable as ever, but he faced its challenge now with more
confidence.
That girl! he thought. My God—she was really going to kill him! He
shook his head bewilderedly. Such a young, pretty girl! What had he
done to her? What made her want to do it?
He moved through the forest slowly, ducking branches, trailing the
sources of dim lights in the distance. But as he approached, they
proved to be illusory, odd reflections of moonlight among the trees.
She didn't want to kill him, not really. He could sense that. It was
something more. She was compelled to do it—that was it. Someone
had put her up to it. But who? Who hated him enough?
The speculation made his head ache. He blanked out his thoughts
and decided to concentrate on his predicament. There had to be a
way out. The girl had entered the forest at some point. But where?
He heard the sound of voices, and he stopped breathing.
"Manford means business," one of them said.
"He's plenty worried. T.D. was watching tonight—"
"The sponsors kick T.D., T.D. kicks Manford, and Manford kicks us.
Who do we kick?"
"I don't know about you. I got an old dog home—"
"Okay. Let's separate and find this bird."
"Right. Hey, Lou! Let's have some tracer lights!"
He concealed himself in the brush as a burst of light exploded over
the treetops. He watched the men parade past; ordinary-looking men,
executive types, with white collars and knit ties and flannel suits.
Strangely enough, they seemed quite at home in this wilderness.
He waited until they passed his hiding place. Then he started on a
nimble run in the direction from which they had come.

The producer fitted himself snugly into Executive position: desk,

swivel-chair, and man welded into one solid, efficient unit. He sighed
a comfortable sigh, and glanced up at the wall clock. Ten-thirty. The
Thrill Show would be over in half an hour; the dinosaur film would
wind it up neatly. He'd probably have some explaining to do to the
sponsors tomorrow, but he was all prepared to give the usual
"popular demand" argument.
He regretted the live meeting he had called. It would be two hours at
least before the Staff plowed through the Traffic Jam. That meant he
couldn't leave the office until after one-thirty.
He looked at the hopeless tower of papers on his desk blotter. Most
of them were letters, and his secretary had never quite gotten the
hang of weeding out the chaff. Once he found a letter from an FBC
Vice-President in the Discard File; since then, he ordered all mail to
his desk. He wished he could get a better secretary than Miss Stitch,
but the shortage of A1-rated secretaries (A for "Attractiveness," 1 for
Efficiency) was acute.
He skimmed through the top of the pile quickly.
"Dear Mr. Donnelly.... Certainly enjoyed 'Death in the Ring' ... one of
the best Thrill Shows I've ever seen ... wonder if you would consider a
football thriller I have in mind called 'Murder Kicks Off'...."
"Dear Mr. Donnelly.... Let's have more shows like 'Snake Pit' ... that
Mother and Baby idea was the greatest.... I really thought that woman
would go nuts when she saw her kid with the cobra.... A shocker all
the way...."
"Dear Mr. Donnelly.... If 'Kiss of Death' was your idea of
entertainment, you ought to retire ... sort of sex shmaltz went out with
television ... give us real gutsy stuff and never mind the mush.... I'm
only eleven years old, but I'll bet I could write a better scenario than
that.... I have this idea for a show called...."
"Dear Mr. Donnelly...."
The Producer sighed again. He reached into his pill drawer and took
an ulcer capsule. Then he went back to his correspondence.
When the man entered his office, he didn't even glance up.
"That you, Frick?" he said, eyes on a letter of praise from a Yonkers
housewife.
When the man didn't answer, the Producer looked up.
He gasped. "Hey!" he said.
"Shut up!" the man said harshly. He moved swiftly towards the desk
and lifted a bronze ashtray in a lightning motion. He raised the object
threateningly over the fat man's head.
"Keep quiet!" he said.
"What is this?" The Producer's voice quavered. Then he recognized
the face. "You're the one from the Show—"
The man blinked. His face relaxed, and he lowered the impromptu
weapon. "I—I'm sorry...."
The Producer came around the side of the desk. He took the ashtray
from his hand, and helped him into the interview chair. The man
collapsed limply at his touch.
"How'd you get here?" the Producer said.
"I don't know," the man mumbled. "I found a door ... back there...." He
buried his chin on his chest. His clothes were shredded, and his
hands were trembling.
"Just take it easy," the Producer told him. He stabbed his finger on a
desk button. The signal brought Frick into the office.
"What's up, T.D.?" Then the assistant saw the man in the chair. "My
God," he whispered, swallowing hard. "Gosh, I'm terribly sorry, T.D.
—"
"Never mind being sorry," the Producer said gratingly. "Let's just be
thankful he found his way here instead of into the street. If he'd been
picked up by the Police—"
The assistant mopped his brow. "That would have been terrible.
They'd surely recognize him from the show. If the FCC saw him in this
condition—"
"Yes," the Producer said grimly. "If they saw him in this condition, their
medical office would slap an injunction on us so fast—we'd all be out
in the Jam. Do you realize that?"
Frick blanched. "I'll get Dr. Stark in here right away. We'll get him an
anti-dope shot immediately—"
"That girl ..." the man said.
"It's okay, fella," Frick said. "You're okay now."
"Never mind him," said the Producer. "Get Spier in here. Right away!"
Frick hurried out. The Producer poured a slug of brandy into a cup
and held it to the man's lips. He gulped it gratefully, and then
exploded a rasping cough. When the cough subsided, he buried his
head on his chest again, breathing heavily.
The Producer studied the man's face. It was oddly familiar.
"Say," he said. He put his hand under the chin and lifted the face up.
The eyes opened. "Aren't you Jerry Spizer?"
The man stared blankly. The Producer grunted. "Huh. Guess you
don't know who you are right now, fella. But you're Jerry Spizer, all
right. Imagine that!" T.D. shook his head. "The great Spizer. In a Thrill
Show!" He chuckled dryly.
The doctor bustled into the office, a small cyclone, trailing the
nervous assistant behind him like a flurrying dust cloud.
"Roll up his sleeve," he told the Producer commandingly. He removed
the hypodermic spray-gun from his bag and carefully filled it with a
dozen cc's of the anti-dope. He dabbed the man's arm with a shred of
cotton, and pressed the spray against his flesh. "Good thing I hung
around tonight," the doctor grumbled. "If this man ever got away in
this condition—"
"We know, we know," the Producer said testily. "Fix him up and cut
the chatter—"
"I saw that show," the doctor said. "Somebody sure fouled up.
Probably gave him an overdose."
"We'll get to that later," the Producer promised. "Just do your job,
Doc."
"I'm through," Stark said crisply. "Put him on that couch over there
and raise his legs. He'll come to his senses in about ten minutes—I
hope."
Frick and the Producer helped the man to the sofa. He sprawled on it
full-length, fingers trailing on the carpet.
"Do you know who he is?" T.D. said. "He's Jerry Spizer."
"Who?"
"Spizer. The big TV star. You remember."
The doctor halted in the process of clasping his bag, and came over
to the sofa. He looked at the man's relaxed face. "By God," he said.
"You're right. Now what the hell is Spizer doing on a Thrill Show?"
The Producer shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't heard anything about
him for the past eight or ten years."
"He must have had it tough," Frick said musingly. "I mean, a big star
like that on a program like this—"
"What do you mean, 'a program like this'?" The Producer looked
displeased. "If the Staff had a nickel's worth of imagination, they
would have played this up big—"
"Gosh," said Frick. "That's true. We could have used a credit card—"
"I'll bet he wouldn't have permitted it," the doctor said. "You know
what Spizer thought of the Thrill Show."
"Yeah?" The Producer's face reddened. "Well, we proved how wrong
he was, didn't we? The public was just sick and tired of that namby-
pamby stuff. There had to be a Thrill Show!"
"Sponsors demanded it," Frick said loyally.
"And besides," T.D. added, "if he doesn't like us, what the hell did he
sign up for?"
The doctor pursed his lips. "Maybe he was hungry."
Frick said: "He's still not coming around, Doc."
"He'd better," Stark said warningly. "If the anti-dope doesn't work, it
could mean a lot of trouble for the Thrill Show, Mr. Donnelly—"
The Producer looked frightened. "That's ridiculous. It's got to work.
It's always worked—"
"You better call your Staff," the doctor said. "Find out what dosage
they gave this man. Check his FCC medical authorization. And do it
fast, Mr. Donnelly. This is just the kind of thing the FCC can hang you
on."
"Thank God I called that meeting!" the Producer said.

"Here's the straight poop."

Manford, the Thrill Show director, looked briskly around the room.
They had gathered around the table in the conference room, the Staff
members still hollow-cheeked and shaken by their experience in the
Jam.
"This fellow came into the office last week and signed up for a spot in
the Thrill Show. We needed somebody for the 'Battle of the Sexes'
show, and he was a pretty nice-looking guy. A little seedy, maybe. But
all right. He gave his right name—here's his record—but nobody on
the interviewing staff recognized him. Guess they're all a little too
young to remember Jerry Spizer very well—"
"All right," the Producer prodded. "So what happened?"
"Well, just the routine things. The FCC medical officer gave him the
standard physical. His psych check wasn't the best we've ever had,
but that's always a debatable business. When he showed up for work
yesterday, we gave him the regular dose of ten cc's of adrenalin and
four cc's of hypnomecholyl. That's s.o.p. for an Anger-Emotion Show,
of course."
The Producer looked at Stark. "Did you give him the shot?"
"No." The doctor shuffled the papers in his hands. "That new fellow,
Grayson. Do you want to see him?"
"He's gone home," Manford said. "It'll take an hour to get him here.
Why not phonescreen him?"
They took the Director's suggestion. In a few minutes, the image of
Dr. Phil Grayson appeared on Phonescreen Four. He was a young
man, with a high, balding forehead and a rabbity mustache. He
looked worried when his home screen brought him the picture of the
intense group around the conference table.
"What is it?" he said.
"Just checking back on some records, Doctor," T.D. said smoothly.
"Remember the man you injected today? This fellow Spizer, for the
'Battle of the Sexes' Show?"
The doctor nodded. "Of course."
"Was there anything unusual about the dosage?"
Grayson looked puzzled. "Naturally not. I gave him the prescribed
dosage, just like Dr. Stark told me. Ten cc's of nor-adrenalin, forty-four
cc's of that—what d'you call it—hypnomecholyl. Why?"
Dr. Stark paled. "I told you that?" he said. The color rushed back into
his cheeks a bright crimson. "I told you adrenalin, you fool. Not nor-
adrenalin! And four cc's of hypnomecholyl." He looked wildly at the
men around the table. "I swear I told him!" he said.
"You didn't!" the young doctor gasped. "You told me forty-four—"
Stark jumped to his feet, his face livid. He started towards the
phonescreen as if to throttle the two-dimensional image on the glass.
"You're a liar!" he cried. "You knew it was an Anger-Emotion Show!
You knew what was required—"
"I didn't know," Grayson answered, his mustache twitching. "You
didn't tell me that. I just assumed—"
"You assumed!" The Producer stood up, looking thunderclouds at Dr.
Stark. "You knew what kind of show it was, Stark. Why didn't you tell
him? We needed an Anger reaction—not Fear! That's what loused up
the whole show!"
Manford groaned. "What does that matter now? Forty-four cc's of
hypnomecholyl! What kind of a doctor are you, Grayson? Don't you
know you could kill a man that way?"
"I—I didn't know. I never worked with these mecholyl drugs. I studied
antibiotics—"
"Better if it had killed him," the Producer said darkly. "We might have
covered that up. But we can never get him past the FCC examining
officer now—"
"I swear he told me forty-four! I swear it!"
Dr. Stark made a rush at the phonescreen. Grayson backed away in
terror, despite the many miles that were between him and Stark's
intended violence. With a snarl, the older doctor reached up and
turned off the instrument.
"Now we're in for it," he told the others.
"Maybe he'll be all right," Manford said. "Maybe he'll snap out of it. A
little more anti-dope—"
"Nonsense," Stark snapped. "If it hasn't worked by now, it'll never
work. The overdose has permanently affected his nervous system.
He's an amnesiac for good—an amnesiac with a permanent case of
the jitters—"
Frick shivered. "God! What a fate!"
The Producer looked wise. "Yes," he said solemnly. "He'd be better
off dead, wouldn't he?"
The Staff stared at him.
"You know what I'm talking about," T.D. said. "He'd be better off dead.
Better for him, for the Thrill Show, for us."
"Well," Manford said feebly.
"Well, nothing!" The Producer's voice was harsh. "Do you get the
significance of all this? Do you know what happens when the FCC
medical officer wants to re-check Spizer? An injunction! A court
battle! Then Spizer goes on the stand as Exhibit A, and we lose. No
more Thrill Show." He looked at their faces individually. "No more
jobs. Bankruptcy. Poverty. The Jam."
This time, the shiver was collective.
"We can't let that happen!" Manford licked his lips. "What about the
sponsors? They got pull, don't they? They need us, don't they? I
mean, nothing else will give 'em the kind of ratings they get from the
Thrill Show—"
"Their hands will be tied," T.D. said. "One slip is all the Federal boys
have been waiting for. And with all that foreign criticism our State
Department's been getting—"
"They still buy our films abroad," another Staff man said glumly.
"That won't matter." The Producer sat down heavily, and put the cold
end of his hookahmatic in his mouth. "The Thrill Show is doomed.
Let's face it."
The group dropped their eyes to the table.
"Of course," the Producer said quietly. "There's one way out."
They looked up at him hopefully.
"Remember Juan Esprenzo?" he said.
They stared at him.
"That was a troublesome situation, too. But we came out of that one,
didn't we?"
They gaped, silently.
"Juan Esprenzo was killed on the 'Angry City' Thrill Show of
November 19th, 1985. It was purely an accident, of course. He
wandered out of the guidepaths in the studio and was struck by a
falling prop. Nobody could have foreseen it, and nobody could have
prevented it. His family received $50,000 in insurance. The FCC
investigation described the incident as unfortunate, and there was a
special Juan Esprenzo Memorial Show held on January 3rd. But
these things happen—just as they once did in boxing, football, racing.
Nothing unusual. Nothing to ban a program about."
They turned their eyes to the outer room, where Jerry Spizer lay in a
coma on the studio sofa.
"Do you get what I mean?" the Producer said. "Don't you think we
could pass another investigation a la Esprenzo—better than we could
pass the one we're facing right now?"
They looked hopeful and frightened in turn.
"You mean—deliberately kill him, T.D.?"
"Cause an accident?"
"Kill him right on the program?"
"Exactly," the Producer said, with a satisfied smile. "Put him on again
tomorrow night. Make it a set-up. Have something go wrong. Then
keep the cameras trained on him while we rush out of the Studio
Control Room to find out if he's all right. The whole country will see it
was an accident—only an accident."
He turned to Wilson, the head script-writer.
"Wilson," he said. "You've got an assignment."

He awoke in darkness, trembling with the thought of escape.

His hands groped around the floor, trying its solidity. When his
fingertips found a wall, he raised himself with agonizing slowness, his
nails scraping along the ridges in the damp stone.
He pressed his hot cheek against the cool surface, and sobbed
pitifully.
When his eyes adjusted to the feeble light, he measured the strength
of his prison, and felt the added terror of hopelessness. He turned his
eyes to the pool of darkness in the center of the dungeon, and
ventured forth a cautious foot.
He had taken only three steps before he heard the voice.
"Look out!" it said.
Then he saw the Pit.
He looked with horror at the writhing beasts inside.
He sank to his knees, and stared in terrible fascination at their
swaying bodies. Then he buried his face in his hands.
He looked up when he heard the swish! above him.
Gleaming, swinging, evoking a memory in an impossibly distant past
—it was a pendulum, of razor-sharp steel.
And it was descending.
He screamed, and lifted his arms above his head. The pendulum
ground to a halt, the mechanism groaning and screeching in protest.
There was a second of silence, and then the blade fell to earth with
the suddenness of an avenging sword. This time, the scream was cut
off in his throat, and the giant weapon flattened him sickeningly
against the edge of the precipice.
Vaguely, as in a dream, he heard the sound of speech, and running
footsteps.
"My God! It broke! The pendulum broke!"
"Somebody get the doctor!"
"Look out for that Pit! It's a forty-foot drop!"
"Come on!"
A hand touched his shoulder, and a ring of anxious faces floated like
pink balloons over his head.
"I think he's still alive!"
"What?"
"He can't be! That thing weighs a ton!"
"Well, he looks pretty bad, but I can see his eyes moving and he
seems to be—"
"Get that blade off him!"
He knew that the great weight had been removed from his body, but
he could feel no difference. He was looking with almost objective
interest into the face of a fat man, a familiar face with wide eyes and
an open, bow-lipped mouth. The face was covered with a film of
nervous perspiration, and there was a strange sort of anxiety in the
man's movements.
"He's got to be! He's got to be!" The fat man was whispering intently.
"But T.D.—"
"Shut up! When you lift him up, I want you to—"
He heard nothing more, but his eyes remained open, fixing the face
of the fat man. Then he felt arms around his shoulders once more,
and he felt himself slipping, slipping back towards the edge.
With a spurt of strength, with a flash of sudden intelligence, he raised
his left arm, and the fingers caught the collar surrounding the fat
man's neck in loose folds. He held on grimly, until the fat man
screamed with satisfying terror.
"Look out, T.D.!" somebody shrieked.
"He's dragging me with him!" The fat man flailed out helplessly. "He's
pulling me over the edge!"
Somebody else leaped to his aid, but the dying man's grip was
tenacious, his purpose certain.
"We're going over!"
They did: the fat man and his victim, and Cameras Three, Four, and
Five caught the action beautifully.

Miss Stitch slipped her compact back into her purse, and straightened
the corners of the stack of mail on her desk blotter. She looked
towards the empty office of the Producer, and smiled with secretive
pleasure. Then she slit open the envelopes in front of her, and
leisurely read the morning mail.
"Dear Mr. Donnelly.... Boy, oh boy! What a thriller you gave us the
other night! I thought 'Pit and the Pendulum' was one of the best Thrill
Shows yet.... I sure was disappointed when I saw the title card and
thought you were going to re-hash that old Poe bit, but that new
ending of yours really knocked me cold.... I sure got a kick out of
seeing that fat old guy going over the edge of the Pit. What a terrific
wind-up!... I wonder if you would be interested in a really great story
idea?... You see, there's this crazy old guy who has a secret
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