Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise Idahol. This is
your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, email it to
me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net. Follow us on Twitter and Radio
Detectives, and check us out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com, slash
Great Detectives. I do want to encourage you to check out our other podcast
today, I'm highlighting the amazing world of radio at Amazing dot Great Detectives dot
net. This is podcast series with a lot of different programs and special series.
We have holiday specials, but we've also done things like a Summer of
Humphrey Bogart, the Summer of Angela Lansbury and Top Secret, which were chosen
by my listeners, as well as tributes to recently departed actors like Dean Stockwell
and Larry Storch, and spring mini series that I've done, including The Whistler,
The Lost Episodes and old Time Radio plays about Alexander Hamilton. We have
a new spring series that's going to be starting on February twenty second, but
you can get caught up on all of our radio goodness over an Amazing Dot
Great Detectives dot net, and you can find all the different podcasts we do
linked right at the top of Great Detectives dot net. And now we're going
to get into Michael Poper, Private Detective. And this was an interest series
that presented a mystery for Mitausolve. It aired for four brief months between October
nineteen forty one and February nineteen forty two over the Blue Network and was sponsored
by Canada Dry And here was the mystery that I was presented. The series
featured some memorable voices, including John Gibson as Doc. But who was the
star of this series? No one seemed to know. Indeed, John Dunning
in his Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio listed the star's identity as unknown. I
dug into it further. I found that the series began as Michael and Kitty,
and using that I was able to search newspapers dot com and found that
Michael and Kitty was announced as starring Santos Ortega. Ortega was a mainstay of
the New York radio acting community. Played a lot of supporting roles in the
programs we've played, and he's also had a couple starring roles. He was
one of two actors to play neural Wolf in the World War Two neuro Wolf
series, and he also starred in Roger Kilgore Public Defender series we played back
in twenty twenty. So with that mystery solved, we're going to bring you
the last episode of Michael Piper Private Detective. The original air date February sixth,
nineteen forty two, and the title is The Eerie Basin Murder. Hello
there, this is Michael Piper Private. The case we bring you tonight is
called the Erie Basin Murder. As you know some of the drive there are
many well known buffers a sparred and making these weekly radio visits possible. Well,
now let's see. The whole thing began one afternoon when Kiddy in,
Doc and I were down in Battery Park eating the pigeons. Kiddy noticed the
sign on the door of the Harbormaster's office announcing a public auction of unclaimed effects
of sailors. Kiddy said she'd like to drop in for a few minutes,
so we went in, leaving Doc parked outside in the cab. Apparently the
auction had been underweight. Like some times I got fifty cents go, I
hear seventy times, no I hes seventy five seventy five, all right,
Dan got seventy five cents played on this pair of fine bluffs. Oh say
a dollar, I he'll dine, I'll grow. I am all ship wine,
soul, fine doll. Step to the cage. Here went out half.
Don't go away, folks, the auction of continuing yours. Come on.
Oh Michael, this is an amazing let's look at some of these seasons.
That's kid, I was casting an adventure picture. I'd certainly's got right
hitter. Oh good, heaven Slanta. I see something over there that I
absolutely refused to believe. But two headed man feel it's even more amazing.
The mass look at him points I feel it. With a parrot on his
shoulders only pizza it is. Let's SnO out of treasure album with that parrot,
says pieces of eight. I don't know. I'm dreaming that. Well,
I wasn't pieces of eight. There's the plain parrot squawk that's its pieces
of eight and Portuguese. I could be at that same looks Portuguese. All
right, man, ex we have this little box rapped in oilskin. I
know now it's os. We know there's fox ain't any aid on my hamshandwich
of the crown, old and Indosta old sky, my dollar two doll out
till fifty hs one of failing ready to take a chance, I Joe fain,
oh Saint Gray see the dollar pipe or buck well well else, I
think I have voted to get in and doing on the mark he's he has
in competition for Max Sweden. When you put away starting an engine, got
up, I've got far Oh hey fine, fix six fifty hit it eight?
Nice there ten dollars. Let me have that buck come out. They
think that's colected to me. You know there just comin. Miss this is
an auction. Don't get sharg that's because Jo wanted depending against you. Ten
bucks is all I got. Let me have it for ten he let me
do that, sorry, miss de agent with a parent pitch of an I
got no more tough. I want that box. I ain't I spit a
wing sweet as now that's the box looks kind of man, don't j gentleman
with a parrot has fifty eleven dollars. Well the Swedish gentleman say twelve.
Yeah, it's the first all up fifty twentyep I ain't got fifty eight old
seedmen, my fine tenn frize all came now quiet please, Oh this is
really worthwhile. Apparently both of these gentlemen want this pox. The Poteguese has
been fifty dollars, will you say? He see fire? And the sweet
sads fifty nine sixteen sold sold her sixty dollars in the pocket. He's gentleman
with a parrot on his shoulder and all honesty, this isn't got to stop
somewhere. He think you're the fifty dollars, Thank you, sir, and
the mysterious boxes y'all louisill be guns. No you don't get that foxtic.
You good get the way step you make the putt. Michael the sweet has
a knife. Take the party by the palty, touch my face? You
wheep back to knife me and this friend I keeps you back by dire.
You want to back to knife things? What night? He's the knife peking?
Oh stop between you man, stand backs up about peg knife an ambulan
the world. So the Portuguese is running away, you come back. Somebody
stop that man. If we've got to catch that bull, all right,
somebody called the police. I don't see him, Mike colst the eyes gone
duck, duck and where the seal is? Doc? I don't need to
text to anyone found that. Doc I told him to wait here till we
came out. Well, your listeners that visit to the auction certainly attracted more
of our attention than we thought it will. But there's a sound that demands
attention, and not just demanding attention, Mike, but really getting it.
Because that sound is the fizzing and bumbling of Sparkling Spur, the delicious New
Canada dry drank, a thirst quatre that tingles with real quality, America's favorite
flavor at America's favorite price. Once you've tasted Spur, you'll drink it often.
Just ask your dealer for the man sized nickel bottle with the big white
shield and four red letters spu R. For just five cents, you get
two full glasses of quality refreshment. Enjoy America's favorite flavor at its very best,
Drake Spur. Back down to our story the Airy Basin Murder. As
I told you a moment ago, the Portuguese sailor paid for the mysterious box
and started with the door on the way out he was attacked by the angry
Swede, who outbid him, but the parrot flew into the Swede's face,
causing the Swede to drop the knife. The Portuguese picked it up, stabbed
the Swede in the shoulder, and escaped with the parrot and the package.
The wounded swede was arrested and taken to Belmore Hospital for where he was placed
in a small room with bars on the windows. Two hours later, get
in inspected, Sheila and I went to Belmont to question the swede. Shield
took charge of the questioning. Now, look, mister, this is serious.
You'd better talk. What's your name, Gus Sneerson. They get to
get out of this hospital quick and see your fella. We gotta see that
Portuguese. Hey, the partigui, That the crook. They get to catch
that fella quick and kill him. Good. Hey, maybe you don't realize
that, Nielsen, but I am a member of the police department and you're
threatening to commit murder. They don't care, and they get better. They
find that partiguhi and they killed him. Good. Well, we'll take that
up in a couple of days when you do get better. Come on,
Mike, Miss Garty okay, go ahead, kid, thank you. Don't
forget Nielsen. There's no use kinding out here as far as on your winner.
And there's a cop right here in the hall. He's got a gun
with bullets in it. Someday when I get out again, they find that
Partigui Feller and they kill him quick, all only in the back room,
Mike, right in front of a police inspector. He said, you're gonna
kill a guy. You must mean it. What's this world coming to anyway?
Yoh, Michael, let's go home just to see what it's like to
be in our own apartment before midnight. My kid, she'll if you find
out Portuguese or the man with the scar and it stays, give us a
ring. Okay, I got an alarm out for both of them. I'll
see you later. Well, Kitty, it's obvious that the three bidders for
that box knew what it contained. I'll never go contented breast Michael till I
know. Good Lord, we were going to bed, and we've been sitting
at getting for three solid hours. Huh. The mysterious doc feelings. I'm
gonna find out what happened to him this afternoon, Hi faut Hello, product,
go doc. We thought you'd been stolen by the gypsy. Okay,
Doc, talk fast? How come you deserted us this afternoon? I told
you to stick around. We need a joke. Now, I'll keep your
girdle on. Mike, I'd done what I'd done by sheer instinct. Oh
yeah, what did you do well? Mike? I read all about it
in the late papers. The suite, the guy with a scar on his
face, and the stabbing and everything. So what so what I know where
that portugue is? Mike? What are you talking about? Day? I
know you'd changed your tune dock before I strangle you when you paulk Okay,
I'm sitting in a cab outside the auction place. See. After a while,
a foreign guy with a patter in one hand and a little box in
the other comes running out to help Ben. I realized there's something's up to
see, and with amazing detective instinct, I swing open the door of the
cab and the portugue hops in and Hollis get going. So I get going?
What did you take him over to Brooklyn? What part of the the
Irrie bation down there past RedHook Duck? Could you find that place again,
Shatney, I could He went on board an old sand barge named the Eida
Duc. I take back all I've been thinking. You're suddenly a wonder man.
What do you mean suddenly? Okay, you've always been a wonder man.
Tonight we're going places to the arid basin. Get the darling. How
ever did you get come on day eid as that bar right down at the
end of the wash. Keep your voice down, dot, that's light handed,
yep, right here done? Yeah, get yours now, Michael,
there isn't even a glimmer of light aboard that BArch. No, it could
be better. Look anyway, Well, if that portoghie is down, what's
that guy running this wife by the light on? Okay? Down where you
are? Hey? What detective gets the man with the scar on his tas?
What do you want? Then? There we both have gun. Hey,
we're going to have some new scars on the face of yours. How
did you get to cut up? Yeah? There was a part on that
part just blew. It means plot me all up. You get the box,
blood box when you were bidding on this afternoon. I don't know what
you need. Where's the Portuguese? Who I am I session doctor. Okay,
here, you get away from me. You keep staying POWs here?
No box? No h no, wow, that's a wicked looking knife.
Let's see no blood on it? Totally ain't no blood on it. Don't
suppose you keep Scoffee's right here, kitty, and eye going up both the
box? Okay, Mike White, you out for that Paris you will think
king hold of eye? Oh dear, must I get behind me now?
I can't tell what we're going to find here. You We're afraid of that
part than anything else. Anybody dominants Vin, I'm coming in and I have
a gun. Did you say I was fine for a minute? And pitch
on my knife and green? All right? Be careful Michael here I come.
Does anyone in here stand where you are? And don't move for anybody
here? Oh Molly in that closet, have you? Are you all right?
Yep? Harrison? The clout wrapped in my hat? Doesn't anybody here?
Good god, Kitty? What is it? Find something? Let's get
don't please the Portuguese. His head's been dashed in. Oh get pass paper?
All right, here's a newspaper, will that do? Yes? Please?
Just a small piece. Thanks, What are you doing? I see
some traces of a reddish brown dust in the head wound. Might be an
important clue. I want to plect some of this doesn't have it analyzed.
Who do you think the mysterious boxes here on the barage? I doubt it
lescard Face would have taken it with him. Oh, Michael, this is
an awful place. Can't we get out of here? We suddenly can,
my dear? I want to telephone inspect a Shield and make him a presence
of one body, one clue and one suspect. We'll inspect us. Scarface
cracked yet, No, Mike, not a paper. I haven't grilled him
for two solid hours ever since we brought him here to headquarters. It looks
to me like, so far that's parents the only one that squawked. Well,
Fred allen A, you're done? Yes, Oh, Inspector Shield,
we've had that red dust analyze. Oh yeah, come an ordinary brick dust?
Just what I thought our friend Scarface killed the Portuguese with a brick and
then heaved it overboard. I'm gonna take one more shot at Scarface wanting kids.
Thanks. Hey, look, inspector, why don't you put me in
it now. Don't keep me sitting here all night. I'll keep you sitting
here just as long as I feel like see's miss a Piper? Help me?
Will you? Why don't you help us? Coffee? I don't know
nothing. I'm afraid, Inspector Shiela as a powerful circumstantials of murder against your
murder. No, I didn't kill at port Again, I look my friend
at the auction. You bit on the box and got store when you didn't
get it over at the walk we caught you running from the scene of the
murder. The parrot scratches on your face proof that you were in the dead
man's cabin. But I didn't kill him. I tad yet, So help
me. I didn't know you didn't. Man, How much longer do you
want to sit here? I want to go now, let me go,
take me anywhere. Cover it. But what happened to that box? I
don't know. Wasn't it on the box when you went to the bob No,
I couldn't find it. Then you were searching for you. Ah,
No, I get yeah, yeah, I went there to get the cut.
There I found a party, he dead, and the box was gone.
Looks if you tell us what was in that box. I'll lay off
you for a while, honest, honest, Okay again, I'll tell you
that box was full of uncut diamonds. Diamonds. Wow, where those diamonds
come from? Rudder damn? Me and that Sweden, the Portuguie and one
other sailor was in Rotterdam when the nuts he's bummed and new took a bandits
of the bombing to move the diamond Buchan They yeah, and we drew lots
to see you would keep the diamonds and smuggle them into the United States.
This other fellow, the Fort Guy, he was elected, but during the
radio was hurt. We all made the ship all right, but a couple
of days out the Fort Guy died. Was he buried at sea? Yeah?
When we got to New York, they found the guy had no relatives.
So all of this stuff was sold at that auction. On the way
over, Me and the Sweden of Portuguese had a fight for you. All
went separately to the auction to get against each other. Yeah, but I
lost most of the pay in the crap game, and all I had left
was ten bucks, so I didn't get the botch of diamonds and that's all
there is to us. So I helped that you went down to the eerie
base and the night and kill the Portuguese with a brick. No, I
didn't kill the Portuguie. I tell you I didn't kill him. You,
Charlie, take this guy on ourselves. Come on, I didn't kill him,
Inspector. I tell y'all, I didn't kill you. Well, Mike,
I guess that's bad. Huh beck to she and their case looks Stanley
warptime. Gossie certainly needs to go down to get out of that, Inspector.
I felicitate your what for us? You'll get what you've always been calling
and open and shuts k. Yeah, after all these weeks are making mistake?
What now away? Gladly, she? I think it'd be a good
idea if you and I went up to Belmo Hospital. Me too. I
want to drop Doc off at the psychopathic ward. Now wait, I made
do hold it, Doc, pull your chest and this is a small room.
Dad, Yeah, you would back why I want to go up to
Belmo looking on that sweet neilshon or what for Mike? We got all we
want to know. We know it was in the boxing who killed the Portuguese.
The sweet can't tell us a thing. He was in a hospital bed
when the murder took place. Sure, I know, however, to button
up everything nice there just humor, my little women come up to belmore.
I'm okay, Mike, But holy Moses, I'm rus in my beauty sleep.
You're losing your what don't come on? If he housed the suite,
there ain't been a sound out of him, Inspect ever since your people left
the hospital. I kept my eye glued to the door of his room.
Still he must be sleeping like a baby. Good Let's go in and wake
him up, Ain't Hilson, wake up? Wake up? Neilson, Dude,
Mike, h who is it? Inspect? The sheelam is the piper?
H What you felt that? Spot? Goodness? It seems a shame
to wake him out of a sleep as deep as the telling the news.
Inspect. Then I want to have a look around the room, Lson.
Your friend the Portuguese was murdered tonight, but the Portugue burdard. Hey,
what happened to the little box disappeared? Ain't Mike? What's the deuce?
Are you looking for nothing special? Oh? This is terrible? Here I
am in hospital by a some tursty cook gets away with a mistle box.
Inspector. Did you find senter with big scarlet and his taste? Can?
We caught him over to the hearing day. What was he doing there?
It was playing a short engagement with a parent. A parent the Portuguese parrot.
Oh, that scar past seller is a tfty double christen cook. He
saw that distra box. Can he kills the Portuguese to get it? We
know what was in the box? Yeah? Why that little box belongs to
me? You here, but I say, shut distle box is mind?
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fat. Back now to Michael Piper, private detective. It is just a
few seconds later in Gus Nielsen's room at the Belmore Hospitals. The suite is
still raging against Scarface for having stolen the box of uncut diamond. That dirty
teem Scarface. He takes little box and hide it somewhere and they get out
of hospitals. I catch him and make him tell Beliefy that dittley box belongs
to me. If Nielsen, that's a very nice routine, but it won't
wash. What are you talking about, Mike? You can't blame this fellow
for me and sore. Somebody's wiped his box and I'm Hugh's headed and then
I catch that dirty low. All right, I take a bow. A
little act is over inspected. Would you like to see those diamonds? Oh?
You bet, you're a sweet life. I was okay. Pose you
look under Nielsen's mattress? Oh yeah, I look under this side. Doctor,
you pick the other thing. Don't you get today? Now? Don't
you touch my bed? Dad? What's be here? Somewhere? That's me
here? It is Michael, it is the bars. Suddenly he is kids.
Well, no, hect you explained that inspect that they've been famed some
diet. I'm gonna shove that pillow down your throat. No, fantly,
he doesn't well inspected? Ares your murderer all tucked away in a hospital bed?
No? No, doc, Wi pleasure shaan't mister news? No,
hey, but damn we are appreciate you. Mike. Are you trying to
tell me that this guy walked out of this hospital, went to the wall,
killed the Portuguese, and came back and got into bed. It doesn't,
am, And I suppose he hypnotized the cop outside there in the hall.
He didn't go out that way. Oh I see, he went on
a diet and squeezed through those bars there on a window. Well he didn't
go on a diet that. You were right about his using the window.
But Michaels those barages, they're falling the bars. Would you like to have
one of these bars? Inspectus? Wait for strong man? He put one
of them boys right out. Yes, there, she'll put the sand bar
in your memorable whoa, I'll bear you said it. Now listen you some
minutes. Never instaw the man with a crowbar in his hand. Careful of
that boshee let takes him of a Portuguese butt stains on the other end.
Holy mackerel, I see it all now, sweet looks the room over.
He finds a loose bar in the winder, gets his clothes out in the
closet and goes down the fire escape. Check and the brick dust was from
the bar where has been broken out of the break? Double check, Mike,
you're an amazing character. Letterer say, yeah, how did you ever
come to suspect of suite? Well, I must admit it was a pretty
stend reason when we caught Scarf, he's had a knife on him, clean
knife. I get it. If he had killed a guy, he would
have used a knife instead of the break and heat an overboard suddenly would have
been much simpler. Oh, the suite was the only other suspect. Wild
as the ideas, Mike. When the Swede got the diamonds, why didn't
he scram instead of coming back to hospital? Oh he was too smart for
that. Doc. If he had disappeared, he would have been the prize
suspect. He knew the scarfees would make an attempt to get the box and
consequently be suspected of the murder. And if the Swede were found right here
in bed in the morning, the police never would suspect him. Yeah,
especially the police. All right, now that's done it this guy. Look,
I think you'd better come with me. Yeah, sure, good night
and secton good night. They wait a second, where are you gone?
We're taking Doc into protective custody. One murder a knife is sufficient? Ah?
Whoa what now? Michael? Who knows kids? Doc? Let's get
the taxi go for a drive. Okay, Bosh, got some excitement in
mind, No, nothing in particular. Let's keep our eyes and ears open.
You can never tell her when somebody will need help and call us in.
Think it? He see what you mean? Michael? Well, so
end the Erie Basin Murder Case. And now, ladies and gentlemen, this
is where I'd ordinarily tell you something about next week's story, but I'm sorry
to say that tonight we reached the end of the current case file and for
the time being worth closing the book. Perhaps we'll be back on the end
in the near future. I sincerely hope so and so on behalf of Canada
dry and then many well known bablas of spur Lynn Murray, Doc Felix,
and myself hop this program came to you from New York. This is the
Blue Network Welcome back. While an entertaining enough mystery with a lot of strange
occurrences to keep you guessing, and I think that the solution is fair enough.
Now you may have missed in it, but Michael Popper was actually married
to Kitty. Fact didn't stand out to me on my first lesson or when
I was thinking about it many years later in anticipation of this episode. I
think the husband wife Detective program can have some really fun aspects to it,
but you've got to use it correctly and take full advantage of it. I
think the Thin Man series and Mister and Missus North, which will end up
playing later utilized the wife rather well and made her a really interesting character.
I think the same was true to a lesser extent with the Abbots and It's
a Crime, Mister Collins. But here Kitty doesn't really stand out much.
If you're going to have a detective married, it should actually be relevant.
Although to be fair, the series did reband itself as Michael Piper Detective,
and Kitty may have been more involved in stories when the series was Michael and
Kitty, though I will say it was a fun series. You know John
Gibson always good. Nice to hear him, even if it's not as Ethelbert.
Of the three very obscure series we've done in recent weeks, Sarah's Private
Caper, Meet Miss Sherlocke, and this, I think this was the one
I enjoyed the most, and if I could wish for more episodes of any
series to appear, I think it would be this one. But sadly wishing
doesn't make radio transcription disc appear more. The pity we turned to listener comments
and feedback and Nancy emails in Hi Adam, Happy New Year to you and
yours. I was really interested in the meet Miss Sherlocke and Hello Sucker episodes,
and that was an app extra for those who listen to our app Nancy
Riots. I've been in the Chicago area for many years and w b Easy
as our local public radio station. I listened to Saundra Gear for years at
lunchtime with her foreign news discussion program. One interesting tidbit was that it seemed
every cab driver in the city listened also and often called about learning English with
her and how great it was to hear about home. It really shows what
a reach someone can have. Thanks keep up the great work well. Thanks
so much, and it's really remarkable that she was so remembered for this because
she started this program seven and a half years before she passed, and it
was the last of several different careers that she had, many within the radio
industry, but it made an impact and by all accounts, she tried to
be fair and honest and left a great legacy. Thanks so much for the
email, Nancy. Now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day.
Thank you to mister Achilles, Patreon supporter since July twenty twenty, currently
supporting the show at the shaw must level of four dollars or more per month.
Thank you so much for your support, mister Achilles, and that will
do it for today. A reminder, if you want to be sure to
never miss an episode, encourage you to follow the podcast using your favorite podcast
software including Apple Podcast Overcast or the Amazon Music abbitt, Amazon dot com,
slash Oatyard Attractives. And if you are enjoying this podcast, please rate and
review it wherever you download your podcast. From next Tuesday, we'll begin bringing
you yours truly Johnny Doller. This time around, we will be doing the
five part Bob Bailey Cereals. It's two parts on Tuesday and the remaining three
parts of the story on Friday. But join us back here tomorrow for dangerous
Assignment where he's apparently been living here in Tokyo for about two years. Last
week was the first time any of us had spot a day here. She
lives in a very swank apartment. Yeah, that would be Marto. Always
has two or three guys on the string likewise, and according to my information,
has been throwing plenty of door around. It sounds like she hasn't changed
a bit lately. She's been hanging around the racetrack quite a little racetrack that
might be a good place for me to bump into her, you know,
accidental life speaking of people who haven't change a bid whom well, you're never
can tell. I might pick up a long shot out there. Yeah,
yeah, you might, But just one thing. What is it? McClaskey.
Now you know Marta better than I do. Steve, you know you
can be about the most dangerous thing on wheels. Will be careful and just
be sure if you do pick up a long shot, it's a horse,
not a slug. Cheerful guy, McClaskey. So I'm mosey out to the
racetrack and it isn't fifteen minutes before I spot Martha. She's got an expensive
furd draped around her neck, the racing form in one hand and a water
bills in the other, and she looks better than ever. I bury my
nose in my racing form and start walking towards it. Oh, I'm sorry,
why don't you look? I hope you'll be with us then in the
meantime, do you send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot NAT,
follow us on Twitter Radio Detectives, and check us out on Instagram,
Instagram, dot com slash great detectives from Boise, Idaho. This is your
host, Adam graham Son and off