Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. 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 at
Radio Detectives, and check us out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com slash
Great Detectives. If you are enjoying this podcast, please follow us using your
favorite podcast software. Our listener support campaign continues. You can become one of
our ongoing page your own supporters for as little as two dollars per month,
and I want to thank Robert for becoming our latest Patreon supporter at the Master
Detective level of fifteen dollars or more per month. Thank you so much for
your support, Robert. In addition, you can support the show on a
one time basis at support dot Great Detectives dot net for our paypowling. Now
it's time for this week's episode of Dangerous Assignment. The original air date is
July tenth, nineteen fifty one, and the title as China See Smuggling Dangerous
Assignment starring Bryan don Levy as Steve Mitchell. Yeah, danger is my assignment.
I get sent to a lot of places I can't even pronounce. They
all spell the same thing, though, trouble. But when I walk into
the Commissioner's office, I don't realize that this assignment's gonna drop me into a
spot where a kiss is either gonna cure me or kill me. Good morning,
commission sit yet an assignment for me, I do, Steve, And
I suppose you were all tied up with a big deal as you well,
let's just call it a pet project. Well as Steve ever hear the name
Captain j Captain Jaker. Sure, he's supposed to be a notorious character in
the China seas, sort of an American soldier of fortune, or I should
say sailor of fortune. Operates a string of small boats and does just about
anything for a buck. That's a story, all right. Supposedly he runs
guns and other contraband to ports on the China coast, but we can never
get the goods on him. Well, you are up to date, and
Captain Jagger, all right, and Steve, we're going to use Captain Jacob
the nail, whoever is financing the entire contraband operation. Then this Captain Jagger
just runs this stringer smuggling boats h You might put it like that. Captain
Jager's personal boat is supposed to be a rusty old tramp steamer named the Shanghai
Lady. Look, Commissioner, this is all pretty vague. Captain Jager's ship
is named the Shanghai Lady, and we're going to use Jager to nail the
brains of the operation. But how where do I start? Who do I
work with? You report to Naval Intelligence at Luzon and the Philippines, do
you hey? You know that's a very peculiar gleam in your eye. Commissioner,
who me, Yeah, you, there's a lot you haven't told me
about this deal. I've told you all I can at this stage of the
operation. Steve, Naval Intelligence and the Philippines will take it from there.
And you're playing leaves in just one hour. Well, that's it. You've
got your assignment. Good luck. The National Broadcasting Company is presenting Dangerous Assignments,
starring Bryan Donleavy in the role of Steve Mitchell, colorful two fisted government
agement at all those places of the world where danger and intrigue walk hand in
hand. There you'll find Steve Mitchell on another dangerous assignment. Sure I've got
my assignment, or have I. All I know is there's a wholesale smuggling
operation going on in the China Sea, and as somehow I'm supposed to tangle
with a rugged gent named Captain Jager and use him to find out whose master
mining the operation. Yeah. I'm really in the dark on this deal.
It's like playing a game of poker when I can't see my own hand and
I've got an uneasy feeling I'm going to run into somebody who'll be trying his
best to make me cash in my chips permanently. It's Wednesday when the plane
lands in the Philippines and I head for Navy Intelligence headquarters at Luzon. There,
I'm introduced to a Commander Elwood. He ushers me into a waiting car,
and the driver heads for the waterfront. They billion on the background of
this operation, Mitchell, not much, Commanders, the commissioner said, you
boys, enable intelligence would supply a few missing pieces. Well, I'm not
exactly with Naval intelligence, oh than who. But I again give you a
little of the general info. You probably know all about the contraband that's being
run into the China seas these day. Yeah, the mission is brief to
find out who's financing the whole deal. Sure, sure, all this I
know, commander, But what I don't get? Yeah, well, look
I dash out here to the Philippines on a plane. I'm no sooner here
than you ushered me into this car and we head down here to the waterfront.
I still don't know where I'm heading. We're here, let's go.
Okay, don't wait, driver, we may be quite a little while.
All right this way, Mitchell, they're turning onto the dock. Right.
Hey, that's a submarine tied up there. Right again. I'll try to
take good care of you, Mitchell. You the skipper, Yes, I'm
the skipper. Come on, let's get aboard. We're getting underway immediately we
shovel often as I watched the shore line fade, I get that uneasy feeling
again. We sat our course southwest. The first day we cruise on the
surface, but the second day we submerge. Late in the afternoon. The
skipper sends for me. I find him in the cunning tower. Well,
we ought to be just about at the end of the line. Mitchell,
where are we? Well, that's just what we're gonna find out right now.
Up periscope. Now we'll see what we can see. M Hey,
you know, I guess I'll have to give that navigator a minor raise.
He's pretty good. Yeah. Take a look, Mitchell. Okay, looks
like we're out in the middle of nowhere. Swing right a little now,
okay, hey, try steamer. Yeah, and you make out the name
on the stern, Shanghai Lady. Hey, down firstcope, Look, what's
the deal, he's Steve. This envelope is for you. What's in it?
Sealed orders? You'd open them when you get aboard. Get aboard?
What the Shanghai Lady? Hey, Now, wait a minute, I'm going
to board Captain Jagger's ship. Yeah, and right now stand by the surface.
Well, this is really a surprise, and right now I'm not at
all sure it's a pleasant one. The sub surfaces, they open the hatches,
a skip of shakes hands with me and sticks me into a rubber boat,
and a couple of the crew roll me towards the Shanghai Lady, which
is lying too gently, rolling on the swell. And it's a rusty old
tub. And when we get close, I see the crew standing at the
rail staring down at me, and a more rugged looking bunch of pirates I've
never seen. I climb uneasily up the ladder and under the deck. At
close range, the crew is more sinister looking than ever, and a stocky
guy with a stocking cap comes up to me. Hi, yeah, he
is Captain Jager. Around this way up this letter? Okay, here inside,
all right, this is Captain Jager's Kevin. Oh well, where is
he right here? Oh? You no? You what that's right? Look?
Is this some kind of a joke, no joke that I'll read your
orders? Mitchell? Mitchell, Hey, yeah, I guess i'd better anything
that you don't understand, I'll fill in if I can. Hey, surprise,
huh. Yeah, it says there is no Captain Jager. That's right,
But I don't understand all the stories I've heard about her, Mitchell.
Remember during the last war, the RAF, whenever anything went wrong, who
did the pilot's blab it on why gremlins? Hey? Are you trying to
say that Captain Jager is a gremlin? More or less? The navy started
it. I guess there's been a lot of trouble in these waters last couple
of years. So everything that went wrong every time there were guns smuggled or
things like that. They started saying, Captain Jager did it. Well,
I'll be so, that's why the commissioner had that gleam in his eye when
he was talking about Captain Jacob. But that doesn't explain this ship and its
crew also my being sent here unless oh, yeah, sure you'll get it.
If everyone believes in Captain Jager, why not come up with one.
Yeah, Captain Jager has a reputation for being a clever smuggler. Maybe the
gent who's financing all his gun running, I'll try to hire Captain Jacob.
That's the general idea. Let's go back out on deck. Okay, any
more questions? Yeah? The crew were they volunteers from the Marine Corps?
What are you though, brody, rugged looking bunch, aren't they? The
guy over there on the wing of the bridge, that's Johnson Bakewell's the one
down there on the well deck. The others are below deck right now,
All except the sleepy looking cuts over there at the rail. They call him
Tennessee. Hi Skip. I wonder why Hi Tennessee A long way from home,
aren't you? You're not a really long way from women? Yeah?
How much does the crew know about this deal. They didn't know anything until
they got aboard. Now they have a general idea of the operation. Well,
I guess that queeries up everything. But you, Mike Merrick, first
mate of the Shanghai Lady, otherwise known as Lieutenant Merrick, United States Navy,
Well, I guess you can drop the accent for the time being.
What accent? Oh built in? Eh? Yeah, Well you're the Skipper,
Steve, or rather Captain Jagger. What happens from now on is up
to you. What's our position, Mike, out in the middle of the
South China Sea, I'd see my orders say they visit some of the ports
from this neck of the would see if you'll be contacted by anybody. Well,
I suppose we had for the Melaan Peninsula down to Singapore, Don over
to Sumatra, Java. Sounds fine. Something sure ought to happen in one
of those places. Yeah, something will, all right. The question is
what now? Come on, let's get underway. What time is it,
Mike, almost twenty four hundred midnight, pretty bright moonlight. Yeah, I
didn't realize there were so many little islands here along the Malayan coast. Yeah,
flock of them. Not too much room between these two. Here we
all on this course, we should clear. Okay? Is that easy?
Ago Tennessee showing how skip that may notice? Hey, that's funny. I
went over on our right. I thought I saw a light for a second.
Who where near the point? I don't see any Wait, there's a
junk coming around that point. Right ahead of us. There comes some mob
having fine other islands here. Hey, look that machine gunk it down.
Man, that's too close, real, too close. It's their standard gag.
They rake the bridge, hope to kill off everyone there right off the
bat. What do you mean? What's who's in those junks? Millay in?
Pirates, hijackers? These waters a lossy with him? Put its well
armed pirates. Sure that's where some of those smuggled guns end up. Okay,
so we dropped this Captain Jagger route in and have ourselves a little naval
engagement. First, we've got to have room to maneuver this baby Tennessee.
Right, full rudder, right full rudder, Steve Comatus, take a look
astern of us. Hey, two more junks back there just popped off from
behind that island on the left. This is just great. Three junks ahead
of us, two behind us, from an island on each side were bottled
up. Mike a good. It's the Silver Jubilee on NBC. People used
to say it was the biggest cornet in the world, and the man who
played it was Pete Kelly. You'll hear him too in radio's newest dramatic half
hour, Pete Kelly's Blues tomorrow and every Wednesday evening on most NBA stations.
Pete Kelly's Blues. It's about the big music, the big trouble, and
the big roar of the twenties. Here Pete Kelly's Blues Tomorrow on most NBC
stations. And now back to Dangerous Assignments and Brian Dunlevy as Steve Mitchell.
Those monkeys are probably gonna try and bord Us. Can't we have anything more
Polton and sporns and sweet shots to fight backwards? Shore up there on the
decks. Here the bottle that Craig, what about it? It's a concealed
gun mount The sites fold down forty millimeters. Prick is try to get to
it. Hey, one of the boys are trying for it. Now.
Yeah, yeah, look brother, they got him cold. They look.
I think I'd get that machine gun on a spotted skipping up up on a
mass of Elijah. And there's a rifle hill on the bridge. And I
used to be quit a better knocking fill praise. Okay, grab your squirrel
gun, Daniel boone, what are you gonna do, Steve? You take
over here on the bridge, Mike. As soon as that machine gunners sticks
his head out again, you let him have a turn asine. Maybe I
can make it to the gun oneth before anybody else does. Fly. I
hope Tennessee eases over to the wing of the bridge and takes a site,
and we wait, not just a little more. I sent a boy,
come on, baby, peak that's it, now hold it ha ha gallans
gif. I dropped to the deck and run forward to the crate, pull
down the slats and dive behind the shields of the time. I swing a
forty millimeter around and go to work on the nearest junk. It's a point
blank rain. The shell rips full the primsy boat and sets it on fire.
I shipped to the next one to do likewise two verse four, and
the third one has gun for the other to turn tail. One of those
I sat on fire. The other ships around the island. I quit shooting
and turned around. Mike is standing there grinning at me, trying to do
burn the gun up. Why do you figure they jumped us in the first
place, Mike, I probably thought we were running guns or other stuff to
them. Tell them, I don't get you routine with these guys. They
order a load of guns cod then they sneak out and hijack it on the
way. Think of the money, they say, Oh brother, this is
a real nice league. We're playing balling. Well, I guess we've better
stood it. Huh. Take a look at that silhouette out there in the
moonlight wardship. They're blinking a message to us. Silhouette look familiar Dutch by
the look of it. Stand by for boarding party. Acknowledge out of the
frying pan, into the fire. You better acknowledge. Not yet they turned
their searchlight on us. I think they can read our name sure straight ahead.
Tennessee, Hey, Steve, those boys mean business. I shot across
our bowl. Okay, Tennessee, stop the engines. Acknowledge the message?
What was the idea of that? Just acting the way they'd expect Captain Jager
to act. Captain Jacob, you mean you're not going to identify yourself to
them, Mike, suppose those boys think I'm Captain Jaker. What'll they do?
Probably escort us to the nearest port and search the ship for Countraband.
That way we get a lot of publicity. Huh oh, I get it.
Wait a minute, are we buy any chance carrying anything in this tub
that might be classified as contraband? If so, we're cooking. Don't worry
about that, Steve, Why what are we carrying a load of says and
yeah, well they start trying to figure that out. They'll flip their lids.
That's just about what happens. They escort us into the same Dutch port
we were heading for. Anyway, throw me in jail and post the guard
on board the ship. Then they start trying to figure out what the sand
is all about. In the meantime, I'm waiting to see if anyone tries
to contact me. Stay next afternoon, I'm lying on the cot in my
cell when I hear a woman's voice out in the office. I wish to
please I'm his wife. Now this sounds real interesting. Two minutes later,
they usher my wife into the cell. Hello, dandy, that is no
way to greet me. There is not that way much better? Sure is
like I keep telling myself, I'm so lucky to have a wife like you.
Benefit of the card? I bet I got a lot more benefit out
of it than he did. I collect. I told them I was Captain
Jake as wife. Yeah, I heard you. Why why? I do
not think they would let me in? And I had to see you?
Oh? What about? I wish to interview the famous Captain Jake interveal me?
Hey, who are you? As I told you? My name is
colleb I work for a newspaper syndicate. There are some questions I would like
to ask you. Such I ask, how long do you expect to be
luck up here? That's up to the port authorities. What else? When
you are released, where will you go? Why? I haven't decided when?
More question, do you know where the blue Parrot bar is? I
could find it the first night you are released? Perhaps? And oh good,
I must go now. Somebody coming down a corridor and my first mate,
I must go now. I will see you later, darling, okay?
Collect Hi Mike, Well, hi darling, you work fast. Oh
I'm a real slicker. Hushi my wife huh so, she says. She
also says she's a newspaper reporter. She wants to interview me in the Blue
Parrot Bar the first night I get out of here. I see you think
she could be the contact. I don't know. Well you should be able
to find out tonight. So that's what I came to tell you. You're
a free man. Oh so they finally gave up on that sand m Yeah
and disgust. They're given us twenty four hours to get their Shanghai lady out
of port. That means whoever it's going to contact me better hurry up.
Come on, let's get back aboard ship. Here's Steve. I'll give you
a hand up on deck. Thank you. Hey, why are all the
guys clustered around the rail over there? Let's go see what's up. Look,
Tennessee's in the middle. He's got a perminoculars train man, o man,
Okay, break it up, broys, bake it up. What's going
on? Oh yep, but you pack Look at that. Let's have those
binoculars. Oh you mean that? Yat? I mean, what's on it?
What's not it? Whoa? Wow? Wow? What is it?
Oh? Little number of dark classes in a bikini bathing suit? Hey,
she's waving at me. Look what's with you anyway? Catnip? Maybe you
know this Captain Jaker, I should have been invented a long time ago.
Skipper show getting loans of my knockers. Okay, tennessee, Oh fast,
well, shocks all far there, it's Steve. Look she's gotten into a
motor boat. Yeah, and she's heading this way. Looks like we're gonna
have a visitor. Come on, let's get down to the gangway. Okay,
that's a pretty expensive looking yacht. Yeah, you'd think this girl could
be the contact. Oh here we are ravin Jago. Mine if I come
aboard? Not at all? All right here, let me have your hand.
You come, Thank you well, same as Captain Jaga himself, remember
me, well, not exactly. I am PTIs your brand, But there's
no reason why you should. Really, we've never met before. I'm glad
to hear you say that. Oh why, well, otherwise i'd have known
I was slipping not remembering meeting you. It's just that I wanted to see
the famous man close up. Sometimes close ups aren't so hot, I'd say
in this case it was even better. That's quite a nice looking yacht.
You've got were we speaking of yacht? Not exactly. You're a very interesting
combination, Captain Jager, am I yes, I collect interesting things, you
know. Look Captain, yeah, I excuse me, Patricia, what is
it? Mike? Another visitor? See Beigel was just helping him on deck?
Little guy? I ever seen him before? No, he came from
the yacht too. Oh he looks pretty unhappy about something. Oh that's not
unusual. He's always unhappy. Arthur, my husband. Well, well,
up to your old fix as usual, Patricia. Oh please, let's not
be a complete ruler. As for you, sir, luring my wife to
your ship. This is luring or now, this is Captain Jager. I
don't care if your captain kid, I'll teach you. Look, you cut
out the rough stuff. You're not built for it. You put me down,
I said, putting it down. Okay, but just simmer down,
Patricia, come back of the oddit ones? Really you admit one? All
right? All right, goodbye for now, Captain. Good luck with your
collection, Patricia. Perhaps I can add to it. Oh, brother,
I bet she gives that little guy a bad time. Yeah, well I
was getting dark. I bet her head into town for the blue Parrot.
Bar and see if my little friend Collector is going to keep her day.
Captain Jager, you have kept your person circollect right on time, Skipper,
I'll shove off. I see a friend at the bar. Okay, Mike,
I am glad your friend left. He's much better this way. Hey,
at fat Gent, he seems to be waddling our way. Oh good
d This is Captain Jagger. Captain her vans are an important. Her van's
a reversion. If he is Captain Jigger, you were, You're an important
in the middle of speaking, Come on, Captain. Most who leave as
knows the ma please Okay, perhaps I will see you later Captain Jinger,
Yeah, who knows? Hey, how come the big desire to leave all
of a sudden? Collect It is just that I want to be alone with
you. Captain. Oh yeah, this is Alice. This is fine enough.
Now why did you want to be alone with me? Oh? No,
sorry to lay it out taken out? Oh would you mind telling me
what this is all about? You kill you? So? I want to
kill you. I killed who Anny my man? He's found dead in an
alley a month ago. I learned the Captain jack a killing. I swell,
I killed Captain Jack collect, you've got the wrong guy. I didn't
kill your boyfriend. I wasn't anywhere near around here a month ago. But
they say the Captain Jack. Sure, they're always blaming everything on me.
You better run along and don't get any more ideas like this, all right,
I'm sorry, Oh brother close? Well, Oh Mike, yeah,
I was stealing you. You know, I've just had a very unpleasant thought.
Yeah, so did I. I wonder how many other people are gunning
for him? Him? You mean you on that noted chair. We go
back to the ship. Tennessee is on deck, still glued to his binoculars
and staring through the darkness at the lighted yacht. M Patricia, Mike and
I head for my cabin. Still no contact, Oh van Zan. I
took the liver with you, awaiting when you're Kevin, because I must talk
to you, Captain Jigger. Why sure, that's quite all right. You
maybe have a business proposition for me. No, I have some credentials for
you. Yeah, credentials idean right, you're a Dutch intelligence agents asually,
Gray Through picked you early this evening, but it seemed a little Collette head
other planes, what's on your mind? There has been a leak. The
whole plane is no Why how could there have been a leak? Your navy
discovered a shallow grave and los on the body of a man named Big Wild.
But Bakewell is one of my crew. What the real Big Field?
And impostor who killed Bakewell and assumed his identity and thus was able to learn
of the plane that explains the leak? All right, we have arrested this
false Bigwell. He is now in jail ashore. But the damage it's been
done. It sure has. Oh brother, the whole operation up in smoke
and not closer to finding out who the brains of the smuggling operation is.
And we were before fans amp might go below the search the phony Bakewell's belongings.
And I sat there thinking about the whole deal. Suddenly I realized there's
something that doesn't add up. When did the leak take place? None of
the crew members, including the phony Bakewell, could have known what the operation
was until I came aboard the Shanghi Lah. Once aboard, there was no
chance for them to come on a gate with anybody, no chance except yeah,
it begins to slide into place. I go up on deck and get
into a rowboat. I rolle quietly over to Patricia's yacht and ease aboard.
I hear voices aft I moved quietly along the deck. There a lights on
under the awning in the stern. Oh I haven't taken at pleased out laughing
about it. How was I to know who he was? If I hadn't
caught up with you, you probably would have roomed everything. What I hear
sounds real interesting, and I want to hear more, but I don't get
a chance because right then there's a gun in the back of mine neck,
one of the up true. He shoves me forward under the awning. Well,
well, well look what we have here, Hello, Arthur and Patricia.
Well, it's Captain Jagger himself, otherwise known as the United States Satan.
We were just talking about you, so I gathered. I finally figured
out how your plant, the phony bakewell got the word out. He was
the one who helped you up on deck when you came busting over after Patricia.
A matter of fact, he probably signaled you to get over there fast,
arthing he did. Indeed, has he helped me aboard. He told
me what he'd learned of your operation, you put on the jealous husband act
and got Patricia away from me before she could tip anything. Exactly. So
you're the boy who's been financing most of the gun running, narcotic smuggling,
and various other charming enterprises in this neck of the woods. I have that
on. Eh. Well, what happens now, Arthur? Need you ask?
You'll be escorted to one of the staterooms. We get underway, and
shall we say, let you off somewhere in the China Sea, Perkin take
him forward? Move okay, but just one thing? What is that that
collection we were talking about, Patricia? I'd like to add the mine right
about now, Patricia? Really, when I want my back scratch tell it?
You know? Sorry? All right, keep moving. I start forward.
The guard behind me, and I don't know whether the gag has worked
or not, but I do know that it hasn't cook. The guy takes
me to one of the staterooms near the bow, opens the door and motions
me in. I decide I can't wait me longer. Suddenly I lurched back
against the door, trapping gun hand. Before he can fire, I give
him left start for the bow is a gent in front of me with a
gun. I see his fingers start tightening up on the trigger, but I'm
not the one who collects the slug he does. He crumples over My eyes
flicked to the rail layer head and shoulders over the deck and grinning at me
down the barrel of a smoking squirrel gun is Tennessee, and behind him the
rest of my crew. They all swarm over the place, the yacht,
and five minutes later the free for all is over. Arthur's neatly trussed up
in his cabin, Patricia and hers and Tennessee ru Wi my mi mind A
little frankers didn't last nay long enough, dog gone. I was having the
most fun, Tennessee. I'm sure glad you're a peeping tom at heart.
Well S, there was just squinting through my b knocks that lovely little gown.
Suddenly I see you step up plant a big smacarana. Then you start
tracing a big s os. Would you finger right across the back? Oh,
I can say, as you're sure, gut are in a hurry.
I wasn't sure you'd know I was in trouble. You can skip what do
you mean? Well, if you want to be rescued from that. I
beg you, how bad can troubled be? Yeah, I guess you've got
a point there. Dangerous Assignment, starring Brian don Levy as Steve Mitchell with
her Butterfield as the Commissioner, is written by Bob Rife m Adrian Chandau,
with music by Robert Armbroster, and is produced and directed by Bill Carne.
Others in the cast were Tony Barrett, Paul Freeze, Irene Winston, Paul
dubob and Jean Tatum. Be with us again next week at this time when
Brian don Levy, starring in the role of Steve Mitchell, will embark on
another Dangerous Assignment. It's the Silver Jubilee on NBC Welcome Back Now. It's
worth noting that this episode was actually adapted into a TV episode that we played
several months back, called The Submarine Story because so much of the story was
set on a submarine apparently, and in that particular production, not only does
Brian Donlavey reprise the role of Steve Mitchell for television, but also Paul Freeze
and Paul Dubov both appear as well, after having been in the radio version
as with the television version, I love the concept and thought it was a
really interesting idea the Navy inventing the character of Captain Yager and having Steve go
undercover as him has a lot of story potential, so much that I don't
think a single half hour episode could contain it. I really wish this was
a multi partner and I don't like the fact that a mole on the ship
brings the story to a premature conclusion, and finding the masterminds of the smuggling
in the first part they tried is really insanely lucky. The radio version did
have a chance to be better than the TV version. The end of the
radio version, with the crew of Steve ship boarding and overtaking the smuggler's crew
is a great idea, but it's hard for me to give it a whole
lot of credit when this sort of swashbuckling battle is exposited over buying a ration
not even a sound effect. Really okay, Still, even though it came
to an end sooner than I would like, it was fun while it lasted,
and I enjoyed during the radio version of what was one of my favorite
TV episodes. Listener comments and feedback now and we go to YouTube where one
listener riots regarding the episode Epidemic Needle in a Haystack, and he says,
what turned me off about this episode were the Saturday Morning cartoonist German accents.
Usually I can look the other way, but these were over the top.
Only the woman scientist was passable slash possible. In context, we are six
years from World War two and two years I think from the creation of the
Federation of Germany, so I guess they are still the batties at this point,
and the powers that be don't want the average radio listener to forget it.
Well, thanks for the comment. In terms of the reason for the
accents, I don't think there was any sort of geopolitical reason for it.
Certainly as a country, America didn't view Germans, particularly those in West Germany
where the story was set, as we were also just two years post Berlin
Airlift. I think that the way that dialects were done had a lot more
to do with a lack of exposure to be a lastic native accent. For
so many countries the twenty first century, it's a very different situation, and
much of that is down to YouTube. I've heard actors who got a part
for a character of a nationality that they'd never performed before, and they went
ahead and went on YouTube and listened to native speakers actually speaking the language in
their own country. I think that for so many people, the idea of
what a realistic accent for a particular dialect is formed by popular culture to a
great degree, and popular culture could be very out of touch with how people
actually spoke. And then another lessoner writes in regarding Operation Hotfoot, and he
writes, this story sounded really familiar. Then I remembered it's basically the plot
points from Ian Fleming's Doctor No. But this episode is from nineteen fifty one
and Doctor No was written in nineteen fifty seven. I'm not saying Ian Fleming
borrowed elements from this story for his novel, but the two stories are too
similar for there not to be a link somewhere. Well, thanks for the
comment, and I did go ahead and check through, and it doesn't appear
that James Bond sang a Calypso song. I'm not a huge Bond fan of
not read or seen Doctor No. But from what I've been able to read
in terms of synopsises, there were more to the story, although there is
some similarity to the Dangerous Assignment episode, but what's similar about the story is
not something Fleming couldn't have come up with on his own. I certainly don't
think he wrote it down as a potential plot. Now. While back,
I mentioned that there was a problem at the BBC with writers who listened to
American radio programs and rewrote the jokes for British audiences. So it was possible
for Ian Fleming to have listened to Dangerous Assignment via short wave and at some
of the plot ideas may have served as some sort of subconscious inspiration, but
we don't actually have any evidence one way or another. Thank you so much
for the comment. Now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day.
Thank you to Guy, Patreon supporter since September twenty twenty two, currently
supporting the podcast at the rookie level of two dollars or more per month.
Thank you so much for your support and that will do it for today.
If you are enjoying this podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software.
If you're listening on YouTube, be sure to like the video, subscribe
to the channel, and mark the notification bell all those great things that help
the channel to grow. We'll be back next Wednesday with another dangerous assignment.
But join us back here tomorrow for mister Chameleon. Where mister Chamillion. It
was like a nightmare. Here we were this man I'd never seen before,
and his friends sitting here chatting quite casually. And the next thing I knew
he was dead. It was horrible. I can imagine. Missus Hard,
by the way, where was your husband? He hadn't come home yet.
He still isn't home. We call his club the office, Beatrice. Oh,
here he is now, Edward. Oh, Edward, I thought you'd
never come O, my poor darling. I couldn't believe it when I heard
that you should have been here alone. I'll never forgive myself to be silly.
It's all right now that you're here. Oh. They told me outside,
mister Camillion, that you were on the job. Yes, mister Hart,
I spent so many pleasant hours here in your home that I hate to
come here on police business. I'm sony you and missus Hart and Vaughan.
Oh, but not directly. I'd only seen that man van Voga two or
three times. I met him in Paris when I was there last year on
business. He was an American who preferred living in Paris. To be honest,
I thought him a highly obnoxious character. Edward, why did you ask
him to come here to our whole? I couldn't get out of its?
Sweetheart. I ran into him this noon, and he immediately telling me that
he'd heard I had a painting by Rembrandt and he simply had to see it.
Could he come for tea? So he came, and he died without
even seeing the painting, without even having tea. But mister Camillion, the
poison poison was administered sometime before he got here? Was that kind of poison?
Slow and agonizing? Incidentally, mister Hunt, why were you so late
getting home? I hope you'll be with us then. In the meantime,
do send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot nat, follow us
on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us out on Instagram, Instagram,
dot com, slash Great Detectives From Boise, Idaho. This is your host,
Adam Graham's son and Off