The Columbia Broadcasting System presents Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. The next half hour
has its baggage packed to take a trip with America's fabulous freelance Insurance investigator.
Johnny Dollar at Insurance Investigation is just an expert at making out his expense account.
He is an absolute genius. Expense account submitted by Investigator Johnny Dollar two
Home Office, East Coast, Underwriters, Terminal Building, Hartford, Connecticut.
The following is an accounting of my expenditures and the investigation regarding the paracop policy
for your company. Expense account Item one Lane Fair two Benton, Ohio,
forty dollars and four cents. Item two Lane Fair, Benton back to Harford
forty dollars and four cents. Explanation approaches to one way tickets Because of the
type of case I'm usually assigned, I never pressed my luck by buying round
trips. This time I was almost right. Expense account Item three Cabfair Airport
the Valley Hotel two dollars and twenty cents. Tip the driver gee a dollar.
Naturally they'll be sticking on the table at night. Welcome to Warfare City,
Hey Dorman, Yes, sir, what can I do for you,
sir? Bring my bag and side William here dollar always and you needed a
dollar and a fair give a lot of people in the house, good evening.
Sent hello, you have a reservation for Johnny Dollar. Oh yes,
mister dollars in his room? And he checked in about eight o'clunk. Uh,
I guess Anthon, and I used to be what room is he in?
I'm sorry, said, I'm not presided to tell you that I can
phone him. No, never mind, Uh, let me have one of
those envelopes, will you. I'd like to leave my card for this mister
Dollar. Yes, here you are, okay, here, just pop this
in his box. The clerk promptly envelope in the box, number two O
seven, and I popped myself into an elevator going up the room too O
seven. I'd come to vent and to investigate a murder. And in just
a matter of minutes I found myself ready to commit one. Yes, who
is it? A bell boy, sir? A package from Hartford, Just
a minute package for me, spress old gold. Oh come on, come
on, get up on your feet. Wait a minute, wait a minute,
take it easy. If you must be Johnny Dollar. Sometimes strangers in
a hotel room can be a lot of fun, but not only using my
name. What's your angle? I can explain everything. It'd better be good
and it better be fast. I didn't want to be seen waiting for you
in the lobby, and it's important that I talk with you before anybody else
does. That's why I'm here. I'm Eric Parker. Oh, the defense
attorney and his para cough thing. Huh. Well, I hope you're better
at defending your client than you are at defending yourself. Whether my client goes
to the share and not, unfortunately, has nothing to do with my being
a good lawyer. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Well,
I suppose this is one time when the attorney won't mind relinquishing the floor.
Once you get up on your feet, thanks, I will look.
I'm I'm no coward dollar, but if either one of us is going to
get any place on this case, we'll have to work together. I need
your help, and I need it badly. I do with single acts.
Sorry, don't be hasty. I can help you too. Just how much
do you know about the Paracoff murder? All I know is is one of
the scruliest cases I've ever run into. All over the country, beneficiaries are
knocking off insured people, but not here in Benton, oh Now here they
tell me the insured man, uh Harlan Wolf knocked off his beneficiary and partner,
Para Cooff. And now I've got the jelly assignment of trying to keep
the state from executing the insured man. My employer, East Coast Underwriters isn't
anxious to see one hundred thousand dollars of their money burn up on the electric
chair. At least we're both stuck with the same tough job. Now,
luck, I'll sell you a few things I already know, and you'd fill
it in from there. All I know is that Paracoff was shot to death
and that his business partner, your client, Calind Wolf, was picked up
leaving town and being held for the murder. What have they gone against him?
Only what they found on him. That's enough, the murder weapon,
Any witnesses one Paracoff's wife, Marsha, and eyewitness the murder weapon and an
eyewitness, well it seems at least first class. Anyway, the state of
Ohio will be receiving a large electric bill one day, so is there any
chance of my seeing Wolf. No, not before he's indicted. Grace Dollar
Harland Wolf shot Parakoff in self defense. There was no premeditation. Well,
I'm convinced that I could get him off with a second degree manslaughter verdict if
it weren't for the tactics of the plus. That's it. They not only
have intimidated my character witnesses, they've borne their own toperchery. That's the sort
of thing I'm up against. Well as the insurance companies keep on saying,
never said, aye, Say where can I find the widow para Cough?
Well, if they aren't holding her in protective custody so nobody can question her,
she may be at home. That's thirteen seventy five ninety sixth Street.
I saw a lot of fingers. By the way, how's hers expense account
on him? Four cab fared to home, amurdered man and the girl he
left behind him two forty cents. I shivered all the way out to the
suburbs, but not from fear or anticipation. A simple case of summer shorts
in red flannel weather. The Paracoff place was obviously the product of a good
income and a bad architect looked like a great big wedding cake, and Mother
Nature had mercifully iced the confection. The front walk was white and untraveled.
This has driven snow. As a matter of fact, that's what it was,
three inches of it, which meant that Marsha hadn't had a visitor in
the past couple of hours. I was playing detective and somebody inside I was
playing the radio. So I played Beeping Tom and loved everybody second of it.
I couldn't see her face, but she had a lovely profile. I
hastened to the door. Wow, her hair was red and her eyes were
green. Her hair stopped your cold, and then her eyes gave it the
ghost signal yes, would you mind saving that yes for later? I beg
your pardon. Well, I've come here to ask your help, and I
hope you'll say yes. My name is Johnny Dollar. I've been sent to
Benton to investigate the death of your husband. Well, why is this turned
into a federal Okay, no, no, I'm from the insurance company.
Oh, come in nice, Say where can I put my coat? The
snow melt all over your carpet? Right? And now, just who are
your coat? Any place? Okay, Hm, good shots. Come on
in by the fireplace. It's nice and warm. I should have brought some
chestnuts. I could have fathered with my eyes closed. See enter for the
living room, leaving a plant way of perfume there behind her, and I
didn't waste the breath of it. See that's nice perfume. Sit down,
thanks, Hey, you have good taste. That chair is a genuine antique.
Oh if you didn't stand a compliment before we get down to business.
You certainly furnish a room. Huh. Most of the things that just reproduction,
not the things I'm talking about. Oh you mean me? Uh uh?
Oh, this is a happy surprise. I expected to find someone fatter
and fortier my husband was. And now, uh what about his insurance?
Oh? You got me wrong. You see, I'm working for the company
that insured the man being held for the murder of your husband's al and wolf.
What do you want from me? That's your story of what happened.
Oh that I can't do. The district attorney had a long talk with me
about it. I'm not supposed to say anything to anybody about it until the
trial. Well, I'm not asking you for any state secrets. I just
want to want you to save me a trip down to the marg. Oh,
don't be so brutal. Oh sorry, I didn't realize you were still
in the morning. I think Kasha confused me. Anyway, I met the
newspaper, Mark, that's what they call it files. You gave them a
story. Why won't you give it to make I told you I can't.
Okay, how are wasted your time? Oh? Wait, wait a minute,
don't go well, you aren't exactly co operating. Please sit down.
I'm going crazy in this house alone all the time. Can't we find something
else to talk about? Sure? Later, First things first, that makes
sense, all right. I don't see how it could be wrong to tell
you what's already been in the newspapers, Johnny, that's right, go ahead,
all right. Well, Hollingwolf and I were here in this room alone.
We were discussing business, business business the Highland Coal Corporation. My husband
was its president, Harlan Wolf is a secretary treasurer, and I'm the vice
president. I can't resist this, but you a kind of business woman,
makes this anthracite hearted wine feel very bituminous. What I don't get it?
Let it go? So you and Wolf were sitting here talking about your coal
business. Where were you sitting? Well, I was sitting over there at
the desk. How about Wolf, He was sitting where you are right now.
And then my husband came home and no doubt accused you and the Secretary
treasurer of putting him too much over time? Is that it? Yes?
Oh it was terrible. They fought, and finally Harland ran over to the
couch over there and pulled his gun out of his overcoat pocket and started pulling
the trigger. Called the police, the neighbor. No, I did.
Well, that's all it is to it. That's all I wanted to know.
I didn't there didn't. No. Now, how about using those big
shoulders of yours for throwing a lug on the fire? Sure, I'll uh,
I'll go outside and get one now they're lugged in here. M I'd
rather go outside and get one that's a little damp. They burn much slower.
Oh well, then while you're at it, get a big one.
I left Marsha gazing into the fire, called a cab and stepped out into
the cold night head to wait for it. I went down the front walk
with my mind and what was behind me? Instead of what lay ahead?
And hey, Dollar, out of the white snow loomed two very large blue
police uniforms completely filled. Get out of this paragraph, missed Dollar. As
a matter of fact, get out of this town, wie officer. I'm
just beginning to like it here. Look, this is from the top.
That makes it official. We've got the guilty man. We don't want any
trouble. Look, you go back to the top and tell them that this
is one sure way of getting trouble. They told us how to answer that
one, too. Is my best, my vest to break every one of
the markers of Queen's very rules. I know I was fighting a losing fight,
but I was fighting for a little time, and that's all I got.
A fist never stopped in my head seemed to feel like a ping pong
ball and a four handed game. Suddenly things looked up. Me flat on
my back in the snow, seeing stars. Then a boot chain slide on
my head and switched off all the pretty lights. In just a minute,
we'll bring you the second act of yours, truly a Johnny Dollar. But
first we want to remind you that next Sunday night, CBS once more will
bring you ten great shows filled with great stars and complete with comedy, drama
and mystery. Betty Davis will make her first appearance on the Prudential Hour,
co starring with Raymon Land in a gripping story of a woman who has to
bridge a lifetime in three short hours. Once more, you'll hear those ninety
NonStop minutes of mirth with Spike Jones, Jack Benny, and Amos and Andy.
In succession. There'll be more comedy, more drama following rapidly the adventures
of Sam Spade, Lemon Abner, Helen Hayes, Eve Arden Life with Luigi.
It pays to be ignorant. Staying tuned to CBS on Sunday nights guarantees
you the greatest entertainment on the greatest listening night of all. These programs are
regular Sunday Night features on most of these same CBS stations, and of course
Jack Benny comes to you over them all. Now back to yours, truly,
Johnny Dollar. Continuing expense Accounts submitted by Johnny Dollar to the Home Office,
Heast Coast Sunday Writers Seminal Building, Hartford, Connecticut. Expense account I
AM five medical supplies bonded seven dollars Oh, and here's something I'll give you
for free, a handy help for your regularly employed insurance investigatives. When I
find myself overwhelmed in a brawl with unknown assailants cops included, I do my
best to take away more than just bruises and contusions. During my career,
I picked more pockets than a rack boy in a pool room, and I
added one more to the store during the brawl in front of the paragof house
just before I went by bye in the snow. Hey, hey, mister,
wake up, Come on, come on, wake up. You'll catch
your death of cold. Did you call a cab? Yeah? I think
so, Holy smokes, your face? Was you robbed? What's the matter,
isn't it there? Huh? Here, I'll give you his hand,
nice, holy smoked. When I first seen you laying there, I thought
you was a snowman. Tiptober, How do you feel cold? Forever more?
I shall look kindly upon the hattock in the deep freeze? Huhm,
Hey, hey, what are you looking for? I'm looking for a while.
Did you lose it? First? I found it, then I lost
it? Ah, Oh, yeah, here it is. Come on,
let's get out of here. Where to mister Police Headquarters, Police Headquarters,
over my dead body. Expense account item six breakfast in bed two dollars and
forty cents. Expense account Item seven photographic work six dollars for taking pictures of
contents of wallet I lifted from the police uniform the night before. Expense account
Item eight seventy cents cab fare to office of Edmund Byron, District Attorney.
Sorry to have kept you waiting, but good heaven span your face Aloneious assault?
Yeah, well I got a flash for you, not by personal or
a person's unknown Splendid you wish to prefer charges? I wrought again, but
not for felonious assault, and none against the guys who gave me this going
over last night. What are you talking about? You know what I'm talking
about. There were a couple of your harness bulls, and why don't want
you to waste any time denying it? So forget it. I don't have
the slightest idea what this is all about. Dollar I said, forget it.
I want to talk about something more important. You're holding Hollanwolf for the
Paragraff murder. Now what I want to know is when are you going to
hand down your indictment and what it's gonna be, first thing in the morning,
first degree murder, anything else you want to know before I have you
thrown out of here? Yeah? How do I get mixed up in these
roupe bops? Spends account item ten five cents. A phone call to my
partner in despair, Eric Barker, attorney for the defense, who agreed to
lend me a set of police photographs to the scene of the crime and the
principles involved. Parakoff looked very dead, Marsha looked very frightened, and the
accused horn Wolf look very fat. The pictures of the scene of the crime
indicated the shooting occurred with Para Coff and Wolf standing face to face, and
that all the bullets had gone banging straight into the right side of Paracroff's money.
I set up an appointment to meet Parker at three that afternoon, and
decided to make the most of the time in between by seeing what kind of
of a trade I could make on that wallet I'd picked up during the Winter's
Bullets of the night before. The name in it was Ben Arnold and the
address was disreputable. I don't want any brushes. What a coincidence. I'm
not selling any What do you want? I'm looking for Ben Arnold? Who
isn't he promised me be home by now? By this time I should know
better. Okay, I'll wait outside inside. Hey, wait a minute,
Ben won't like this. Well, that makes it even I don't like Ben.
Look, I don't want any trouble. Okay, then don't make any
trouble. Well, what do you want here? Anyway? Let's just say
I dropped five for an unfriendly visits. If Ben finds you here, it'll
get real unfriendly. I'm mourning you get out of here. Ain't bad face
of yours marked up enough? Well? That mouse hanging under your eye isn't
exactly a beauty mark. It really spreads his blessings, doesn't he? Hey,
it had really spread one blessing. Right there, right there, close
in front of me, there was a small room about the size of a
large closet, with a clothes sprawl high and low, making the whole place
look like a collapsed clothesline. And there, hanging on the back of the
door was Ben Arnold's police uniform. My eyes popped out, pushed one of
its shiny brass buttons, and rang the bell. They're like little brass love
letters on the brass stood the initials cp D and CPD were never the initials
of the Benton Police Department. Thanks for seeing me so quickly, Barker Dallar,
you are good lord. What happened to your face? A couple of
police uniforms with over stuffed shoulders did this to me last night? Oh there
you are. I warned you. We're up against the ruthless bunch. Something
should be dumb about it by using the police force to beat up anybody who
stands in their way. No, Barker, they were wearing uniforms, but
they weren't police. What well, I'm afraid they don't follow you, Barker.
Can you give me one good reason for a bent and cop to be
wearing an out of town uniform? And don't tell me they got mixed up
at the cleaners out of town uniform? Yeah? Yeah, And here's another
one. If the law enforcement set up here is so rotten, why would
they go to all the trouble of dressing up an outsider to do their muscle
work. Oh? I don't know what I mean is did they? Who
else would do it? Certainly couldn't have been Marcia. Why not? The
policy I'm interested in is the one that Parakoff, as president of that coal
company, took out on Wolfe's life because of his importance to the company.
That kind of policies taken out every day. But Marsha, as vice president
of that coal company, is in line to collect on that policy if Wolf
goes to the chair. But why should Wolf admit to the shooting. He
has nothing to gain, there's life to lose. I'll look. Marsha told
me that the night of the murder, she and Wolf were along the house
talking about the coal business. And then she didn't know what I meant when
I used the words bituminous an anthracite. Whatever Marsha had on the fire that
night was wolf, It wasn't coal. M Well, you're right about that.
Marcia and Wolf were having some kind of romance. Okay, So let's
say Marsha shot her husband. Let's say Wolf is madly in love with her.
Let's say she promises Wolf that she will testify he shot her husband in
self defense. Marsha gets away with murder. Wolf gets away with a light
sentence, no none at all. And then Wolf gets away with a girl.
That makes sense, But what makes you think this is even possible?
Barker, somebody had me beat up last night. I say the prosecution wouldn't
have bothered sending fake cops, So a question is who would. It's one
thing I'd really checking check fast. Here's what's that Those police photos you gave
me shure that Para Cough was shot by a left handed shooter. And that's
one of the prosecution's strongest points. Wolf was left handed. Well, that
doesn't prove that Marsha isn't Parker. I'm going out and see missus Parker,
missus Parakoff, and there's only one thing. I really hope that she's left
handed, that she's worrying that same neglige she had on last night. Oh,
Marsha, can I come in right? John? Johnny? What happened
to your faith? Oh? I didn't get down to the beauty parlor today.
You look like you've been fighting. Uh huh, not too well,
but wisely, I'll come on in the other room. And uh, how
about throwing another lug on the fire. So you're a real little firebug,
aren't you. You should have lived back in old Nero's time. Who's time.
M never mind, I'll tell her what. I'll build the fire if
you light it, I'd love to. Ah, you're getting a dry one
from inside. Last night you went all the way outside. You get one
that would burn for a long time. Oh that was last night. You
got some paper. Mm there we are, okay, on hot point.
Here's my letter, touch it off. Okay, there, that'll do it.
Come on, sit down over here, now over here'll do This chair
is a perfect fit for me, which makes me think maybe the state of
Ohio as a chair that's a perfect fit for you. What are you talking
about? Well, if you wanna play games, i'll read you the rules.
You know, there's a big advantage in being on my side of investigation.
That wasn't my racket, not the benefit of a lot of experience.
But murderers, well almost everyone is inexperienced at that business. One moment they
are murderers, the next moment they are Johnny. Please, oh, let's
have a look at what's on my side. For instance, from the empty
show thrown off by an automatic pistol, the experts can get a better picture
of a murder scene than they can from the witnesses. Your Osmond was killed
by a gun that was held approximately eighteen inches away and directly in front of
him, and the bullets enter the right half of his body. That means
he was killed by someone who shoots left handed. Karlin Wolf is left handed.
You can ask him. He'll tell you. I know that, and
so are you. Anybody who lights a cigarette lighter with your left hand is
left handed, which makes you a good candidate. That doesn't prove anything.
No, no, I guess it doesn't. But this share I'm sitting in
does? What do you mean? Last night you told me Wolf was sitting
in it when your husband came home, and that statement makes you a liar.
Look, I'm trained down to the point where my belt is ready to
sue my hips for non support, and I can just get into this thing,
and well's Wolfe's picture shows that he's got a beam like the Queen Mary.
He wasn't in this chair, which makes me think he wasn't even in
this room when your husband was killed. All right, So I'm a liar,
That doesn't mean I'm a killer, Marsha. Investigators can make a lot
of mistakes, but a murderer can only make one. And you've made a
big I tell you I'm no murderer. You gotta believe me, Johnny,
I'll tell you everything. You're right. Harlan Woolf wasn't here shot up Rrick.
What are we going to do? He knows to keep quiet, Oh,
Barker for a defence. It's Ronny, you're writing Mardy a fence.
We'll have to get rid of him, Mary, just as soon as we
get rid of something else. Dollar. You've only got one thing on me,
Ben Arnold's wallet, and I want that now. You'll welcome to it,
Barker. But it might interest you to know that I've had its picture
taken this morning, Your phony policeman's wallet and everything in it, and copies
are in the mail right now. The insurance company won't have any trouble connecting
you with the comedy cops who beat me up last night. You're a bluffing,
and there's something else I've got on your, Barker. This morning,
when I was lying in bed counting the bumps on my head, it suddenly
occurred to me you were the only one who knew where I was going last
night, so you must have been the one who had me roughed up.
It also does my heart. Good to see you standing there with that gun
in your left hand, which makes you a candidate too. Shoutin eary you're
a lawyer, Barker, what's your legal opinion? Are you just an accessory
after the fact or before the fact? Or are you the murderer? What
are you waiting for? Shoot enture my cat? You shut up, Rushia,
father, standstill you want, I will give me that gun, Marshall,
look out. When Marshall made a rush to grab the gun from Barker,
she got between me and the gun, and I drove in behind her
arms straight out, picked her up, then heaved. Marsha went smashing at
a Barker, and I went in a frantic treasure hunt through that flilly mass
of a sporting angry bodies to find the head that held the gun. Believe
me, it was no place for a lady, but Marcia was no lady.
I grabbed deep in between them and pushed Barker's gun hand up and on
the go round. And just to make sure the rest was strictly a fistfight,
damn, my trigger finger in over his and pumped a The shots went
to the ceiling. The when the plaster was falling, it was like another
fight in the snow, but this time Johnny Darla came up heads instead of
tail om On Barker up you come. I'll tell you all right, all
right. When I first met you last night, I asked you please to
say it yes. For later, I'm gonna ask you a few little questions,
if I'm right, let's hear it. One. Did you kill your
husbands? Okay too? Did Eric Barker shoot? Sure? Did you kill
Holland Wolf? Tell him you did it and talk him into taking this this
rap for you. It was on Eric's idea, he said, we get
rid of my husband and Wolf and collect their insurance. Marsha, there's just
one more question. Are you or aren't you going to call the district attorney
and invite him over here? Expense account item eleven, twelve dollars and forty
cents. That's lunch for the district attorney, who also turned out to be
left handers and a very nice guy to boot. We had a lot in
common. It was the first case either one of us had ever worked on
where the defense had been working harder than the state to bring in a conviction.
Also that it was the first case where everybody on both sides turned out
to be guilty. Defense attorney Eric Barker of murder his girlfriend Marsha Parakoff of
being an accessory before and after the fact, and Harland Wolfe of conspiracy to
do a fraud. I wonder the nation's jails are getting overcrowded. Expense account
item twelve seven hundred dollars A side trip to Miami, Florida. Purpose uh
oh, what purpose? To recover from catching forty winks and a miserable cold
in Benton, Ohio snowbank. Hey, Johnny, come on in the worst
fine. Expense account total twelve dollars and twenty cents signed, yours truly,
Johnny Dollar. Now A word about a special CBS broadcast this Sunday. You'll
find it. A story that grips you for a full sixty minutes on the
air. A startling drama of a young reporter who finds that his assignment comes
too close to home. A revelation of disturbing facts of on our mental hospitals
based on actual documented reports and six months of intensive study in preparation, with
Eddie Albert starring as the young reporter. This tale of a mind in the
shadow comes to you by popular demand in a repeat performance next Sunday over most
of these same CBS stations. Be sure to hear Mind in the Shadow next
Sunday at twelve thirty Eastern Standard Time, listening again next week when CBS brings
You Yours Truly. Johnny Dollar, with Charles Russell as Johnny. Yours Truly
Johnny Dollar is written by Paul Dudley and gildowd with music by Mark Warnow,
and is produced and directed by Richard Sandville for CBS the Columbia Broadcasting System